Abstract:
A series of screw-type anchors are set around the periphery of the structure. The anchors are set below the ground surface and enclosed in recess pots to provide access, helping to keep soil from covering the anchors. When a storm is predicted, a plurality of straps are passed over the roof and hooked into the anchors. The straps have a ratchet at one end to tighten the straps and provide tension to the roof. Gutter guards are optionally provided to protect a gutter from damaged by the straps. Ridge vent guards are also optionally provided to protect a ridge vent from damage by the straps. Recess pot covers are provided to reduce the chances of tripping.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to the field of protecting roofs of buildings to prevent damage during storms and more particularly to a method and apparatus for securing an roof of a building to prevent or reduce damage during a severe storm such as a hurricane.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0004]     Many, hold-down systems have been designed to prevent or reduce damage to structures occurring during severe storms such as hurricanes and tornadoes. The art has many examples of ways to protect building structures with roofs during severe storms, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,545, “Apparatus for Holding a Roof on a Building during High Winds,” to Adams, which is hereby incorporated by reference. This patent describes a system of straps that are passed across a roof of a structure then tensioned to anchors. Unfortunately, the disclosed invention does not provide for quick deployment when a storm is forecasted and safe removal after the storm passes. Furthermore, the patent does not provide for roofs with gutter systems in that the application of the patent could cause damage to the gutters. Furthermore, the patent does not provide for ridge vents, which are often made from soft aluminum; which could also be damaged.  
         [0005]     What is needed is a method and apparatus that will tie down a roof of a structure without damaging associated gutters and ridge vents and can be easily installed and uninstalled.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     In one embodiment, a system for securing a structure is disclosed including anchors having an eve at one end installed around the periphery of the structure and set below ground level in recess pots. Also included are straps with hooks affixed to one end and ratchets affixed to the opposite end. The ratchets have a second hook on a distal end. The hooks and the second hooks are adapted to be removably attached to one of the eyes of the anchors. Removable covers are provided to cover the recess pots when not in use.  
         [0007]     In another embodiment, a method of protecting a structure is disclosed including digging a plurality of holes around the periphery of the structure and screwing anchors into each of the holes so that an eye of the anchors is set below ground level. Next, inserting a recess pot into each of the holes and covering each of the recess pots with a cover. At least one feature protection device such as a gutter guard or ridge vent guard is provided for installation at a later time.  
         [0008]     In another embodiment, an apparatus for protecting a structure is disclosed with anchors around the periphery of the structure set below ground level in recess pots. Straps with hooks at one end and tightening mechanisms at the opposite end are included to pass over the structure and hold it in place during a storm. The straps have tightening and the second hooks are adapted to be removably attached to the eyes of the anchors. At least one feature protection device is included to protect the gutters and/or ridge vents of the structure. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of the prior art  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates a detail view of the anchor of all embodiments of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  illustrates a detail view of a gutter extension of the second embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  illustrates a detail view of a ridge vent guard of the third embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of all embodiments of the present invention when not in use.  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  illustrates the flow of installation and deployment of all embodiments of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0019]     Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures. Although a house with a simple roof structure is described as the structure being protected, the present invention performs equally as well on many building structures, even those with complex roof surfaces and the like.  
         [0020]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of the prior art is shown. The roof  110  of a structure  100  is held down by a plurality of spaced straps  120 . The straps are attached to anchors  140  that are screwed into the soil at the periphery of the structure  100 . Ratchets  130  are provided to tighten the straps and provide adequate tension. The prior art does not provide for a removable system with anchors that are recessed to reduce the tripping hazard and the prior art does not provide for protecting gutters and roof vents from damage when the straps are placed and tightened. The prior art does not include a device to protect typical features that are found on various structures such as roof ridge vents or gutters.  
         [0021]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a perspective view of the apparatus of a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. A plurality of straps  10  pass over the roof  5  of a structure  4 . Preferably, the straps  10  are made from a sturdy material as known in the industry, for example polypropylene, polyester or nylon; and are of sufficient width to hold the roof  5  in place during hurricane force winds, for example 2 inches wide polypropylene straps. One end of each strap  10  is removably attached to an anchor  18  using a J-hook  14  or other type of hook that allows removal from the anchor when desired. The other end of each strap  10  is attached to a ratchet  12  such as a come-along ratchet  12 . The other end of the ratchet  12  is removable attached to another anchor  18  using another hook  14 , for example, a J-hook. The ratchet  12  is one possible means to tension the strap  10  and other means to tighten the straps  10  are known in the art.  
         [0022]     Each anchor  18  is an auger-type anchor having a spiral  19  for insertion into the ground by twisting the anchor  18 . Each anchor  18  has an eye  15  ( FIG. 3 ) that is recessed below the ground level and within a recess pot  16  that keeps the soil from covering the anchor  18  while reducing the risk of tripping over the anchor when the system is not deployed.  
         [0023]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a detail view of the anchor of all embodiments of the present invention is shown. The strap  10  is attached to a hook  14 , for example a J-hook. The hook catches in an eye  15  of the anchor  18 . The anchor  18  is set within a recess pot  16  so that, when the system of the present invention is dismantled, the anchors  18  sit below ground level as to help reduce the potential for tripping.  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. This embodiment has many of the same features of the first embodiment of FIG. structure  4 . In this embodiment, the structure  4  has gutters  6  at the edge of the roof  5 . If the straps  10  were attached as in  FIG. 2 , the tension of the straps  10  would damage the gutters  6 . To prevent this, a feature protection device such as a gutter guard is installed to protect the gutter. Each strap  10  has a gutter guard  20  to prevent the strap from damaging the gutter  6 . More details of the gutter guard  20  are shown in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0025]     One end of each strap  10  is removably attached to an anchor  18  using a J-hook  14  or other type of hook that allows removal from the anchor when desired. The other end of each strap  10  is attached to a first end of a ratchet  12  such as a come-along ratchet  12 . The other end of the ratchet  12  is removably attached to another anchor  18  using another hook  14 , for example, a J-hook.  
         [0026]     Each anchor  18  has a spiral  19  for insertion into the ground by twisting the anchor  18 . Each anchor  18  is recessed far enough into the ground such that the attachment end of the anchor sits just below the ground level and within a recess pot  16 , keeping the soil from covering the anchor  18 .  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a detail view of a gutter guard of the second embodiment of the present invention is shown. The gutter guard  20  has a base  21  that is a flat piece of sturdy material such as wood or plastic. In a preferred embodiment, the base  21  is made from plastic decking material, usually available in 1×6 or 2×6 configurations and preferably 3′ to 40 in length. The strap  10  passes over the base  21 , which extends far enough beyond the roof  5  edge, so that the strap  10  is prevented from damaging the gutter  6 . In some embodiments, brackets  22  with fasteners  24  hold the strap  10  in place on the gutter guard  20 .  
         [0028]     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention is shown. This embodiment has many of the same features of the first embodiment of  FIG. 2 . A plurality of straps  10  pass over the roof  5  of a structure  4 . In this embodiment, the structure  4  has ridge vents  8  at the peak of the roof  5 . If the straps  10  were attached as in  FIG. 2 , the tension of the straps  10  would damage the ridge vents  8 . To prevent this, another feature protection device called a ridge vent guard is used. Each strap  10  has a ridge vent guard  30  to prevent the strap from damaging the ridge vent  8 . More details of the ridge vent guard  30  are shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0029]     One end of each strap  10  is removably attached to an anchor  18  using a J-hook  14  or other type of hook that allows removal from the anchor when desired. The other end of each strap  10  is attached to a first end of a ratchet such as a come-along ratchet  12 . The other end of the ratchet  12  is removably attached to another anchor  18  using another hook  14 , for example, a J-hook.  
         [0030]     Each anchor  18  has a spiral  19  for insertion into the ground by twisting the anchor  18 . Each anchor  18  is installed far enough into the ground such that the attachment end of the anchor sits just below the ground level and within a recess pot  16 , keeping the soil from covering the anchor  18 .  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIG. 7 , a detail view of a ridge vent guard of the third embodiment of the present invention is shown. The ridge vent guard  30  sits on the roof  5  and holds the strap  10  away from the ridge vent  8 , protecting it from being damaged by the strap  10 . In this embodiment, the ridge vent guard is triangular in shape, comprising a base member  30   c  resting on the roof surface, a riser member  30   a  and a longer member  30   b , providing structural strength when the strap  10  is tensioned. Also, in this embodiment, a cross member  30   d  is provided to space the individual ridge vent guards  30  and hold them in position while the straps  10  are being installed and tensioned. In some embodiments, there are no cross members  30   d  and the ridge vent guards  30  stand independently.  
         [0032]     Referring to  FIG. 8 , a perspective view of all embodiments of the present invention is shown. In this, the strap system of the previous embodiments is removed, perhaps during a season when there is little chance of storms or when no storms are predicted. The straps  10 , the ridge vent guards  30  (if any) and the gutter guards  20  (if any) have been removed from the roof  5  of the structure  4  and are in storage. The anchors  18  with anchor spirals  19  are not removed, but to reduce a potential tripping hazard, the recess pots  16  are covered with covers  17 , covering the anchors  18  and providing a relatively smooth surface, similar to sprinkler control boxes.  
         [0033]     Referring to  FIG. 9 , a flow chart of installation of the present invention is shown. In general, the footings are installed at any time, and then when a storm is predicted, the straps, optional gutter guards and optional ridge vent guards are deployed. To start, holes are dug  200  in the periphery of holes, deep enough so that the eye of the anchor is below ground level. Next, the recess pots are inserted  220  into the holes and covers are placed  230  on the pots to reduce the potential for tripping.  
         [0034]     When a storm is predicted, the straps are run  300  over the roof of the structure. If there are gutters  310 , gutter guards are installed  320  on the straps to prevent damage to the gutters. If there are roof vents  330 , roof vent guards are installed  340  and the straps are passed over the roof vent guards to prevent damage to the roof vents. Next, the straps and ratchets are attached  350  to the eyes of the anchors and the straps are tightened  360  using the ratchets.  
         [0035]     Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially the same way for achieving substantially the same result.  
         [0036]     Although the guard systems are described as separate embodiments, it is not intended to be limited in any way, such that depending upon the structure being protected, the protection system of the first embodiment stands alone or in another It is believed that the system and method of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes. What is claimed is: