Skylight Cover

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/650,464, filed May 22, 2024, which is incorporated herein by way of reference in its entirety.

The present disclosure is related generally to skylights for buildings, and more particularly to protective covers for skylights.

Skylights are commonly found on sloped roofs of buildings to increase the amount of natural daylight that enters interior spaces of the buildings, thereby reducing the need for artificial lighting and also improving the aesthetic appeal of the interior spaces. One problem often encountered with such skylights is that, over time, one or more weatherproofing seals can degrade and begin to leak. Such leaks may not be readily apparent to occupants in the building, at least during the initial stages of leak formation, and thus, can remain undetected for a duration of time, during which, degradation of a wooden frame structure of the skylight and surrounding building structure can result. Ultimately, the skylight frame and building structure become rotted, thus, potentially leading to even more problematic issues, such as staining and black mold, thereby necessitating very expensive repairs, treatment of toxic black mold hazards, and often replacement of the entire skylight and surrounding building structure. Further yet, unprotected skylights are subject to damage from environmental elements, such as hail and cyclic freezing and thawing, again, leading to costly repairs.

In view of the above, there is a need to provide supplemental protection for a skylight that inhibits the formation of leaks about the skylight, that is easy to install without degrading the integrity of a surrounding roof structure and shingles on the roof, that allows desired light intensity and frequencies to pass through without diminishing the desired characteristics of light passing through the skylight, while at the same time being economical in manufacture and assembly and having a long and useful life.

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a skylight cover for protecting a skylight fixed to a roof of a building via a skylight frame is provided. The skylight cover has a body including a top wall and a plurality of side walls extending downwardly from the top wall to a flange extending outwardly from at least some of the plurality of side walls for abutment with the roof. Further, a plurality of fastener location features are formed in at least some of the plurality of side walls. The plurality of fastener location features facilitate fixation of the body directly to the skylight frame without fixing the body directly to the roof, thereby avoid causing any harm to the roof, while allowing easy removal and service when desired with degrading shingles on the roof.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the plurality of side walls include a lower side wall, and upper side wall, and a pair of lateral side walls extending between the lower side wall and the upper side wall.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the plurality of side walls extend at an obtuse angle with the top wall.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the obtuse angle is between 92-98°.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the lower side wall has an opening extending upwardly from the flange toward the top wall to facilitate water drainage and air flow between the skylight cover and the skylight.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the flange extends peripherally in continuous fashion from one side of the opening in the lower side wall, about the entirety of the side walls, to an opposite side of the opening in the lower side wall.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the plurality of fastener location features are recessed in the pair of lateral side walls.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the plurality of fastener location features include fastener locations having a reduced thickness relative to a thickness of the pair of lateral side walls.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the fastener locations are through openings.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the plurality of fastener location features form spacers configured to maintain a gap between the lateral side walls and the skylight frame.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the spacers have contact pads arranged for direct contact with sides of the skylight frame.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the contact pads extend generally transversely to the top wall, thereby negating the need to cause severe deflection of the lateral side walls of the cover during installation, thus avoiding cracking of the lateral side walls and further avoiding formation of unsightly undulations.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the lower side wall, the upper side wall, and the pair of lateral side walls are configured and sized to maintain a gap between the top wall and an uppermost surface of the skylight.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a skylight cover for protecting a skylight fixed to a roof of a building via a skylight frame is provided. The skylight cover has a body including a top wall, a lower side wall extending downwardly from the top wall, an upper side wall extending downwardly from the top wall, and a pair of lateral side walls extending downwardly from the top wall and extending between the lower side wall and the upper side wall. A plurality of fastener location features are formed in the lateral side walls, wherein the plurality of fastener location features facilitate fixation of the body directly to the skylight frame without fixing the body directly to the roof. The plurality of fastener location features form spacers extending inwardly from the lateral side walls to contact pads configured to engage the skylight frame without causing undue deflection of the lateral side walls and form a gap between the lateral side walls and the skylight frame to facilitate air flow between the lateral side walls and the skylight frame.

Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views,illustrates a skylight guard, also referred to as skylight cover, constructed in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure shown exploded away from a skylightinstalled on a sloped roofof a building. The skylightincludes an upstanding skylight frame, referred to hereafter as frame, typically made of wood, by way of example and without limitation, with a plastic or metal flashing. The framehas a downwardly facing side operably fastened in abutment with roof shingles, and typically to an underlying structure of the roof, around an opening in the roof, with the frameextending upwardly from a sloped, generally planar surface of the roof. A window paneof the skylightis secured to the frameand covers the opening in the roof. The window planeis typically secured to, or adjacent to, an upwardly facing side of the framesuch that the window paneis supported in elevated fashion above the planar surface defined by the shinglesof the roof. The window paneis typically made of a transparent or translucent material, such as tempered glass or polycarbonate for allowing natural light to enter an interior space (room) of the building beneath the roof, while providing thermal insulation and resistance to water ingress to the interior space. One or more seals are typically disposed between the frameand the frame and/or flashingto provide a water-tight seal between the frameand the window pane.

The skylight coveris provided for protecting the skylightfrom rain and other environmental elements, e.g. snow, sleet, and hail, to thereby significantly improve the operating life and intended functionality, e.g. leak-proof performance, of the skylight. By protecting the seals in the skylightfrom such elements, an operating life and performance of the skylightwithout maintenance is significantly extended at a fraction of the cost of replacing or repairing the skylightand any surrounding roof structure that could be compromised as a result of a leak. The skylight coverhas a bodymade as a single, monolithic piece of a transparent material, such as polycarbonate or acrylic, so that it does not interfere with or alter the appearance of the natural light that the skylightallow to enter the internal space of the building, while also rendering the skylight coverindiscernible from inside and from outside the building. The bodycan be formed having a desired thickness, such as between about 0.16 to 0.28 inches, with the selected thickness be uniform throughout the body, with the possible exception of localized regions, as discussed further below. Accordingly, with the skylight coverbe transparent, the only readily discernible feature can be the skylightitself, or it tinted, the skylight covercould conceal the underlying skylight, wherein the color of tinting could closely match a color of the surrounding roof, thereby rendering the skylightand skylight coversubstantially indiscernible from the surrounding roof. Polycarbonate and acrylic have been found to protect the skylightin a range of different weather conditions; however, it is contemplated that the bodyof the skylight covercan be made of other transparent materials besides polycarbonate or acrylic, and could include tempered glass, if desired. The transparent material of the skylight covercan be tinted, as desired, and/or can include ultraviolet (UV) ray protection, such as via an outer layer of UV protective coating, and could further include an inner layer of UV protective coatingfor added assurance of not being worn off over time.

The bodyof the skylight coverof an exemplary embodiment has a generally rectangular top wall. The top wallcan be provided having a slightly curved contour, such that an outer surfaceof the top wallis slightly crowned having a convex contour to improve strength and water runoff. In an exemplary embodiment, the convex contour of the outer surfaceis such that, in a width-wise direction, as best seen in, a middle region of the outer surfaceis approximately 0.3 to 0.6 inches higher than the outer peripherally extending side edge region of the outer surface, and in a length-wise direction, as best seen in, the middle region of the outer surfaceis approximately 0.3 to 0.6 inches higher than the outer peripherally extending upper and lower edge region of the outer surface, thereby having a spherical, dome-shaped contour. The convex, spherically crowned contour of the top wallfunctions to increase strength and resist downward deflection of the top wallunder weight, such as from snow, and to facilitate water runoff from the top walland to eliminate any potential for pooling of stagnant water on the top wall. The rectangular top wallof the skylight coverhas a surface area that is greater than the window paneof the skylightsuch that, when the skylight coveris installed, the rectangular top wallentirely overlaps and extends beyond the outer periphery of the window paneof the skylight. It is contemplated herein that the top wallof the skylight covercan have any suitable shape, whether rectangular, square, circular, oval, or otherwise, that is similar in shape to a shape of a skylight that is being protected, as will be readily appreciated by a person possessing ordinary skill in the art of the disclosure in view of the disclosure herein.

The bodyof the skylight coveralso includes a plurality of side walls, and in an exemplary embodiment, shown as four side walls, namely, a bottom side wall, also referred to as front side wall or lower side wall; a top side wall, also referred to as rear side wall or upper side wall; and a pair of lateral side walls,that extend from the lower side wallto the upper side wallin generally parallel relation with one another, with the lower side walland the upper side wallextending generally parallel with one another. In the non-limiting exemplary embodiment illustrated, the lower side wall, upper side wall, and the lateral side walls,extend downwardly from an outer periphery of the rectangular top walltoward the roof, upon being installed on the roof.

The bodyof the skylight coveralso has a peripherally extending flange. The flangeextends laterally outwardly from the entirety of the upper side wall, the entirety of the lateral side walls,, and from opposite side portions of the lower side walladjacent the side walls,. The flangestrengthens the shape integrity of the skylight coverby resisting unwanted deflection and distortion of the side walls-, such as during handling and assembly, and is configured to define a planar surface to rest in abutment on the shinglesof the roofto prevent entry of debris beneath the skylight cover. The flange(or any other portion of the skylight cover) is not fastened or attached in any fashion, including adhesive, seals, or otherwise, directly to the roof. Accordingly, the flangeis configured to remain detached from the roof, thereby facilitating air flow, while avoiding causing harm to the roofand shinglesthereon. Rather, as discussed in further detail below, the skylight coveris fastened directly and solely to the skylight frameof the skylight, thereby providing benefits discussed hereafter.

The majority of the lower side walllacks the flangelieu of an openingformed therein. The openingis shown in the non-limiting embodiment as extending upwardly from the plane defined by the flangeabout ¼ to ¾ the way up the lower side wall, by way of example and without limitation, with the openingalso extending laterally across the majority of the lower side wallbetween the opposite lateral side walls,, such as between about 75% to 100% of the length of the lower side wall, and in the illustrated embodiment, about 90% to 95% of the length of the lower side wall. The openingis provided to extend from the roof shingles, upwardly away from the roof shingles, to promote airflow in a space between the skylight coverand the skylight, thereby inhibiting the formation of condensation and clouding of the skylight coverand the skylight, discussed further below, as well as to promote water drainage for any water flowing beneath the skylight cover.

To further facilitate airflow between the skylightand the skylight cover, thereby enhancing the formation of an insulation air layer, while further enhancing the ability to prevent condensation and fogging of the skylight coveras well as the skylight, the top walland the side walls-of the skylight coverare all dimensioned to provide an air gap G between the entirety of the inner surfaceof the top wall, between the entirety of an inner surfaceof the lower side walland an entirety of an inner surfaceof the upper side wall, and between a vast majority of inner surfaces,of the lateral side walls,and the skylight frame, with the only exception being where the skylight coveris fixedly attached to the skylight framealong the lateral side walls,(), by way of example and without limitation. In particular, an inner surfaceof the top wallof the skylight cover is spaced above the window paneof the skylightto provide the gap G of a generally uniform, constant dimension. In an exemplary embodiment, the inner surfaceof the top wallis supported approximately one to two inches (1-2″), by way of example and without limitation, above the window paneof the skylight.

As illustrated in, in the exemplary embodiment, the side walls-are angled outwardly from the top wall, i.e., they do not extend orthogonally to the rectangular top wallor to the roof. More specifically, the side walls-extend at an angle in the range of two to four degrees (2-4°) outwardly, relative to the top wall, from vertical, thereby forming and extending an obtuse angle α between about 92-98°, and preferably between 92-94° relative to the top wall. Accordingly, the angle α between the top walland the lateral side walls-of 92-98° is an obtuse included angle. In a presently preferred embodiment, the angle is about three degrees (3°) from vertical, and thus, 93° from relative to the top wall. This angled relation of the side walls-not only facilitates water runoff from the skylight cover, but also facilitates manufacture, such as in a molding operation to facilitate release of the skylight coverfrom a mold cavity, as will be understood by a person possessing ordinary skill in the art of molding processes. Additionally, the angled side walls-further allow multiple skylight coversto be stacked in close, compact relation with one another in a “nested” configuration. While nested, the outer surfaceof the top wallof an underlying nested skylight coveris brought into contact or close proximity with the inner surfaceof an overlying top wallof an adjacent nested skylight cover, with the side walls-also being brought into close fitting contact with one another, and so on, with there being no limit to the number of skylight coversthat can be nested with one another, thereby improving packaging by greatly reducing the amount of space occupied by the multiple skylight coverswhen transporting many skylight coverstogether, and further reducing space requirements for stocking supplies of the skylight coversin storage.

When installed in use over the skylight, the side walls-of the skylight coverare spaced from (i.e., do not directly contact) the sides of the skylight frameof the skylightby the gap G. Due to the angled configuration of the side walls-, each side wall-is closest to the skylight frameadjacent the rectangular top walland is furthest from the skylight frameadjacent the flange. Accordingly, the gap G has a continuously increasing width W extending from the top walltoward the flange. In an exemplary embodiment, at its closest relation to the skylight frameadjacent the top wall, the side walls-are spaced from the skylight frameof the skylightby the gap G having a width W that is in the range of three-eighths of an inch to one-half of an inch (⅜″ to ½″), with the gap G increasing in width W toward the flange.

The lateral side walls,of the skylight coverare fixedly secured to the sidesof the skylight framewith a plurality of fasteners. The precise location and fixation of the plurality of fastenersis facilitated by a plurality of pre-identified, pre-formed fastener location featuresformed in at least some of the plurality of side walls-, wherein the plurality of fastener location featuresfacilitate fixation of the bodyto the skylight framewithout fixing the bodydirectly to the roof. As such, the integrity of the roofand shinglesthereon is not compromised by the formation of holes therein. The plurality of fastener location featuresare illustrated as including two on each lateral side wall,, by way of example and without limitation. The fastener location featurescan be formed, at least in part, as recessed features, such as recessed dimples, recessed channels, or recessed slots within the lateral side walls,, thereby providing the lateral side walls,with a non-planar, undulating surface in the regions of the recessed features. The recessed features, though having a uniform thickness with the remainder of the lateral side walls,, can be formed having localized reduced material thickness fastener locations, such that the reduced thickness of the fastener locationsis less relative to the thickness of the lateral side walls,, thereby allowing easy penetration of an associated fastener threaded shank, such as on a standard roofing screw, by way of example and without limitation, through the localized, reduced thickness fastener locationsof the fastener location feature. Otherwise, the fastener locationsof the fastener location featurescan be formed as through openings, thus, not requiring material to be penetrated, but rather, allowing the associated fastenerto be inserted through the fastener locationsof the fastener location features. Regardless, upon insertion through the fastener location feature, the threaded shankof the fasteneris then threaded into the sidesof skylight frame. In an exemplary embodiment, the fastener locationsof the fastener location featuresare provided as through holes having diameters of one-quarter of an inch (¼″); however, other diameter through opening sizes can be employed, as desired, depending on the size of fastenersused for fixation of the skylight coverto the skylight. For each fastener, a washer, which can be integral to the fasteneror separate therefrom, such as a rubber or polymeric washer, by way of example and without limitation, is preferably disposed between an enlarged headof the respective fastenerand the outer surface of the lateral side wall,of the skylight cover, with the washerforming a fluid tight seal between the fastener headand the skylight cover, such that no fluid is able to pass through the fastener through opening.

A spaceris positioned between the inner surface,of the respective lateral side wall,and the skylight frameof the skylight. In an exemplary embodiment, the spacersare formed as a monolithic piece with the skylight cover, thereby doing away with the need for separate spacer components. As shown in, andA, the spacersformed as an integral, monolithic piece of the skylight coverare formed via recessed regions, such as pockets, also referred to as channels, which extend inwardly from the remainder of the lateral side wall inner surfaces,. As such, the recessed regionsform contact surfaces, also referred to as contact pads, of the spacersthat are arranged to be brought into direct engagement with the sidesof the skylight frameupon tightening the fasteners. With the contact padsextending inwardly relative to the remainder of the lateral side wall inner surfaces,, upon bringing the contact padsinto fixed engagement with the skylight frame sides, the gap G desired for facilitating air flow between the skylight coverand the skylightremains between the lateral sidewalls,and the sidesof the skylight frame. The contact padscan be formed to extend vertically to substantially vertically (less than purely vertical, but close such as between 0 degrees and 1.5 degrees off true vertical), and thus, transversely or substantially transversely to the top wall, thereby being brought into flush, flat engagement with the sidesof the skylight framewithout having to deform the skylight coversignificantly during assembly, and thus, avoiding causing damage, such as cracking, to the skylight cover. As such, although the lateral side walls,extend at an inclined, obtuse angle with the top wall, the contact padsextend in perpendicular, or more nearly perpendicular relation to the top wall. Accordingly, during assembly of the skylight cover, no special care is required to form the air gap G, as it is automatically formed upon tightening the fastenersand bringing the spacer contact padsinto engagement with the skylight frame sides. It is to be recognized that the size of the contact padscan be formed as desired during molding of the skylight cover. Accordingly, the spacersfunction to ensure that, during and upon installation, the skylight coveris properly positioned over the skylightwith the desired gaps G between the skylight coverand the skylightfor optimal protection of the skylight. Depending on the size of the skylightbeing protected, the skylight covercan be formed having more or fewer than four fastener location featuresto secure the skylight coverto the skylight. It is to be recognized that other types of fasteners, rather than screws, can be used to secure the skylight cover with the skylight, including nails or rivets, by way of example and without limitation.

As discussed above, the skylight coveris fabricated via a molding process, and in accordance with one example embodiment, via an injection molding process, and in accordance with another example embodiment, via a vacuum molding process. In some other embodiments, wherein the shaped of the skylight cover, having outwardly inclined side walls-, readily allows the molded skylight coverto be ejected from a mold cavity, while other fabrication techniques can be employed to produce the structure discussed above and illustrated in the several FIGS.

The skylight coverboth increases the life of the skylightand prevents water from leaking past the seals/flashing of the skylightinto a home or building at a fraction of the cost of replacing or fixing the skylightand surrounding roof structure. Further, due to its unique, relatively close fitting shape and contour, adding the skylight coverover top of an existing skylighthas minimal to no effect on the external appearance of the building, and in fact, can improve the aesthetics by masking an otherwise unsightly skylight frame, particularly in the absence of the cover, wherein the appearance of the skylight framecan become weather worn and unsightly.

The skylight covercan also be custom-made for use with skylightsof any shape and size.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. Additionally, it is to be understood that all features of all claims and all embodiments can be combined with each other as long as they do not contradict each other.