Patent Publication Number: US-2015069105-A1

Title: Multi-mode carrier for installing shingles

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention primarily relates to the installation of wooden siding shingles to a building. Such siding shingles are usually formed from cedar wood and produced in random widths but equal height sizes and assembled or packed in bundles fastened together with metal banding. Presently, the shingles are installed, that is, nailed or stapled, to the siding of a building side by side along a guide board or chalk line by a carpenter or shingle installation tradesman working from the ground, a ladder or a raised platform such as scaffolding. After removing the banding, the carpenter or installer either places the bundle next to the work position and takes the shingles as they, come off the bundle or grabs a handful of the shingles to the siding position or even places a number of shingles in a container such as an empty milk crate and the like and then places the crate next to the installation position. 
     These above present installation modes are inefficient and problematic in that it is difficult to position and nail or staple a single shingle to siding while simultaneously holding other shingles in one&#39;s opposite hand. Also working off a stationary bundle is time consuming and hinders visual observation and thus the selection of the desired shingle width needed for the next shingle placement. Use of a milk crate with shingles placed beside the installer is an improvement over working directly from the bundle but still requires going back and forth to the crate to select the next shingle. 
     Thus, in light of the shortcomings of all the present installation modes, it would be desirable to provide a device or system that eliminates such prior shortcomings and provides a method to transport shingles, mobility and hands free operation while applying shingles. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a device or system that provides the above-mentioned benefits while also enabling the installer better visual access to a group of shingles to improve the selection process of the next shingle to be applied. The above and further objects of the present invention are provided by a system for carrying objects in an installation workplace such as wooden shingles for installation on the siding of a building comprising: a carrier for such objects, a waist belt supporting said carrier and adapted to encircle the waist of an installer of such objects and a shoulder yoke having a shoulder encircling mid portion terminating in a pair of yoke arms downwardly extending from said shoulder mid portion on either side thereof adapted to be supported by the shoulders of the installer and adapted for connection to said waist belt to support such belt and to alternatively solely support said carrier, said carrier having walls including a rear wall so as to define an open topped configuration for receipt of said objects, said waist belt comprising an elongated web having opposed ends having connection means to connect said opposed web ends to position the belt on the installer&#39;s waist, said waist belt web having inner and outer planar surfaces wherein said inner surface is adapted to contact the installer&#39;s waist and said waist belt web having the first part of a pair of main two-part quick connect means attached thereto in longitudinally spaced relationship thereon, the second part of said pair of main quick connect means being attached to said rear wall of said carrier in the approximately same longitudinally spaced relationship as said spacing of said first part of said pair of main two-part quick connect means positioned on said belt such that when the first and second parts of said main quick connect means are interconnected with each other the carrier will be supported in front of the installer with the open top thereof accessible to the installer, a pair of secondary two-part quick connect means mounted respectively between said waist belt web and said yoke so as to provide secondary support to said belt and thus said carrier when the shoulder yoke is worn by the installer and when both the first and second parts of the secondary quick connect means are interconnected with each other, the first part of said two-part secondary quick connect means mounted on said waist belt web in longitudinally spaced relation thereon and proximal to the mounting of the first part of the pair of the main two-part quick connection means, the second parts of the secondary quick connect means mounted at said ends of said yoke arms, said second parts of the secondary quick connect means releasable from their respective first parts and adapted to interconnect with the second parts of the main quick connect means that are attached to the rear wall of the carrier so that the carrier when separated from the belt can be supported entirely by the yoke in an alternate position to the side of the installer as when climbing a ladder. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of the device of the present invention being worn by an installer in the primary operational mode thereof; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view similar to  FIG. 1  but with the carrier removed from the system; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged partial perspective view showing the manner in which the shoulder yoke is attached to the carrier in the secondary mode of operation of the system; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged partial perspective view showing how the yoke is attached to the waist belt and further showing the first part of a pair of main two-part quick connect means attached to the waist belt and ready to receive the carrier via the second part of the main quick connect means (shown in  FIG. 1 ); 
         FIG. 5  is a view showing an installer in the process of nailing a shingle to the siding of a structure wherein the system is shown in its primary operational mode with both the shoulder yoke and waist belt supporting the carrier directly in front of the installer and having a selection of shingles positioned in the carrier clearly visible and easily accessible to the installer; 
         FIG. 6  is a partial elevational side view of  FIG. 6  showing the support of the carrier by both the waist belt and yoke and depicting the carrier tilted away from the installer to improve visibility and accessibility of the shingles contained therein; and 
         FIG. 7  is a view showing the installer wearing the system device in its secondary operational mode wherein the carrier has been completely detached from the waist belt and reattached directly to the yoke such that the carrier can be shifted to the side thus better enabling the installer to ascend a ladder to reach a platform and/or install shingles directly from the ladder. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Turning now to the drawings, the system of the present invention includes an assembly  10  comprising a carrier  12 , a waist belt  14  and a shoulder yoke  16 . In the primary operational mode of operation of the system, the carrier  12  is directly connected to the waist belt  14  via a pair of main two-part connection means  20  that is directly supported by the waist belt  14 , and the shoulder yoke  16  that is directly connected to the waist belt  14  via a pair of secondary quick connect means  22  thus indirectly supporting the carrier  12 . It is in this primary mode depicted in  FIGS. 1 ,  5  and  6  that the installer has the most optimal operational freedom to view and select individual shingles that have been placed in the carrier  12  while having both hands free to place and nail the selected shingle to the siding. Thus by using the primary mode system, the installer is mobile with a shingles supply that is easily within reach directly in front of him/her thus eliminating all the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art systems. 
     In the secondary mode of operation of the system, the main two-part connect means  20  have been disconnected from the carrier  12  and the secondary quick connect means  22  that extend from the shoulder yoke  16  attached to carrier  12  such that the carrier  12  is entirely supported by the shoulder yoke  16 . This secondary operational mode shown in  FIGS. 3 and 7  enables the installer to easily shift the carrier to his/her side making it easier to climb a ladder to reach an installation platform or to directly apply shingles from this ladder position. This secondary mode achieves part of the invention&#39;s objects by providing mobility, hands free operation and improved sight and physical access to the shingle supply in the carrier  12 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 1 ,  4  and  6 , the construction of the waist belt  14  and the belt&#39;s relationship to the other components of the assembly  10  is best shown. Therein, the waist belt  14  comprises an elongated web  26  of sturdy preferably fabric material having inner and outer surfaces  28 ,  30  respectively and ends  32 . The ends  32  are adapted to connect to each other in any known manner to encircle the waist in an adjustable manner such that the waist belt  14  can be firmly but comfortably supported on the installer&#39;s waist. 
     The first part  36  of a pair of the main two-part quick connect means  20  are fastened to the outer surface  30  of the waist belt  14  at longitudinally spaced locations on the front  34  of the belt  14 , that is, the area that overlies the installer&#39;s stomach area. The second part  38  of the quick connect means  20  is, in turn, attached to the rear wall  40  of the carrier  12  in longitudinally spaced locations generally corresponding to the spacing at which the first parts  36  of the main quick connect means  20  are mounted on the waist belt  14 . 
     The carrier  12  comprises rear, front, bottom and sidewalls  40 ,  42 ,  43 ,  44  respectively that are formed of sturdy material interconnected to form a container or pouch, i.e., the carrier  12 , with an open top  46  in which the shingles S are placed. The shingles are placed in the carrier  12  lengthwise such that their varying widths can easily be viewed for selection by the installer. Most commonly, siding shingles are of equal length but vary in width such that when the shingles are installed there is a slight spacing or gap between the vertical sides of adjacent shingles of a lateral row or course thereof. When the next row or course of shingles is installed above the preceding row, care must be taken to ensure that such spacing between adjacent shingles is offset from the shingles&#39; spacing directly below to prevent rain seepage—this is one of the reasons that an installer should have good visibility of the shingles to select an appropriate width shingle to assure such coverage. Stated differently, it is very important in single applications that the installer choose a shingle width that adequately spans across the gap of the two adjoining shingles in the shingle course immediately below to prevent water from seeping behind the shingles and ultimately causing rot or decay to the structure&#39;s substrate. 
     As above indicated, each of the main quick connect means  20  includes a first part  36  and a second part  38 . The first part  36  is depicted as a member  48  having a body  50  from which a pair of snap connect fingers  51  downwardly extend for receipt into a receiving chamber  52  within a housing  54  of the second part  38  of the main quick connect means  20 . Both the housing  54  and the body  50  include slotted extensions  55  through which a short material web  56  may be looped such that the ends  58  thereof may be fastened to the waist belt  14  and rear carrier wall  40  respectively as by the mounting bolt, nut and washer clamps  60  depicted. The housing  54  includes a central cut-a-way section  62  into which the fingers  51  extend and connect and thus can be squeezed inwardly to easily separate the two parts from each other and thus the carrier  12  from the waist belt  14 . The height at which the second part  38  of the main quick connect means  20  is mounted to the rear wall  40  of the carrier  12  is important as such height along with the length of the webs  56  determines the angle at which the carrier is disposed vis-à-vis the installer (see  FIG. 6 ) wherein a desirable tilt away from the installer is achieved in part by mounting the second parts  38  of the main quick connect means  20  high on the rear wall  40  of the carrier  12  proximal the open top  46  thereof. An approximate angle between ten and  20  degrees has been found desirable. This orientation enables the installer to view the shingle selection and to remove a shingle of an appropriate width easily and away from his/her body. It should be pointed out that the first and second parts  36 ,  38  respectively of this main quick connect means  20  could be alternated, that is, the first part  36  could be connected to the container, i.e., the carrier  12 , and the second part  38  attached to the waist belt  14  although the upward separation action of the first part  36  from the second part  38  and as illustrated in the drawings is more natural and easier for the installer. 
     Turning now in particular to  FIGS. 1 ,  3 ,  4  and  7 , the construction of the shoulder yoke  16  is best illustrated. Therein, the shoulder yoke  16  includes a generally U-shaped mid portion  70  formed from a relatively wide material web  71  to enhance the wearer&#39;s, i.e., installer&#39;s, comfort when positioned around his/her neck and supported by his/her shoulders. The web  71  may be padded for this purpose, if desired. A pair of arms  72  downwardly extends from the shoulder yoke&#39;s mid portion on either side thereof and terminates just above where the waist belt  14  is positioned on the installer. The secondary two-part quick connect means  22  is attached to the terminal end  74  of each yoke arm  72  such that the shoulder yoke  16  may, in turn, be connected to the waist belt  14  so as to additionally vertically support the waist belt  14  as well as the weight of the carrier  12  in the primary mode of operation. Such attachment is brought about by either directly attaching the material webs  32  of the first parts  78  of the two-part secondary quick connect means  22  to the yoke arm ends  74  as by sewing, fusing or by clamps  60  as shown in reference to the primary quick connect means  20  or by an intermediate length adjustment loop  84  to provide for vertical adjustment of the secondary quick connect means  22 . The second part  86  of the secondary quick connect means  22  is attached similarly to the waist belt  14  at locations proximal to the connection points of the first part of the primary quick connect means  20  to the waist belt  14 . This connection placement is important as such placement essentially aligns the location of both connection means  20 ,  22  such that when the installer converts from the primary operational mode to the secondary operational mode, the installer can initially simply disconnect the yoke ends  74  from the waist belt  14  and the carrier  12  from the waist belt  14  and then fasten the carrier  12  to the shoulder yoke  16  since the second and main quick connections  20 ,  22  are each essentially vertically aligned and in the same area. It is also important that the attachment of the second part  86  of the secondary quick connect means  22  be located on the outside surface  30  of the waist belt  14  so that the release and reconnection manipulation of the primary and secondary quick connect means be away from the installer&#39;s body. The secondary quick connect means  22  is preferably of the same construction as the primary quick connect means  20  as detailed above in the description of the manners of connecting and disconnecting the carrier  12  from the waist belt  14 . 
     While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying this invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.