Support structures on roofs

Apparatus adapted to be assembled to form a closed-perimeter closure support structure about a perimeter of an aperture extending through a roof of a building, such closure support structure extending up from such roof of such building and closing, off access to such aperture from any side of such aperture, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) a plurality of closure members adapted to be mounted on such roof and about such aperture in such roof thereby to provide such closing off of access to such aperture, said closure members comprising
• (i) a first elongate side rail,
• (ii) a second elongate side rail,
• (iii) an upper diverter,
• (iv) a lower closure, comprising a bottom portion and an upper rail,
• the bottom portion comprising
• (A) a closure web adapted to extend upwardly from a panel flat, and
• (B) a lower flange extending in a first direction transverse to said closure web,
• said upper rail being configured to be mounted to said closure web and thereby to extend, as a bearing panel, from said closure web in a direction in common with said lower flange.

A method of mounting a load to a metal roof of a building, the method comprising mounting a support structure to such metal roof, and subsequently mounting an overlying load to the support structure, the metal roof having upstanding ribs at joints between respective metal roof panels, and panel flats between the ribs, the method comprising:

• (a) mounting first and second side rails in side-by-side relationship to adjacent ones of the ribs and across a single panel flat and at a target roof location;
• (b) mounting an upper diverter between the first and second side rails, across the panel flat and closing off access to the target roof location from lateral directions, at an up-slope end of the target roof location;
• (c) mounting a lower closure between the first and second side rails, across the panel flat and closing off access to the target roof location from lateral directions, at a down-slope end of the target roof location, the lower closure comprising a bottom portion and an upper rail, the bottom portion comprising a closure web and a lower flange extending transversely to the closure web, the method comprising
• (i) mounting the lower closure to the roof panel by driving fasteners through the lower flange and into the roof panel in the panel flat, with the lower flange extending from the closure web toward the roof aperture, and
• (ii) mounting the upper rail to the bottom portion, with a bearing panel of the upper rail extending from the bottom portion toward the roof aperture such that the bearing panel is in an overlying relationship over the lower flange.

Support structure apparatus adapted to be assembled to form a closed-perimeter closure support structure and mounted on a roof of a building about a perimeter of an aperture extending through such roof of such building, such closure support structure extending from an up-slope end thereof on such roof to a down-slope end thereof on such roof, and extending in an upwardly direction from such roof of such building and closing off access to such aperture from any side of such aperture, said apparatus comprising

• (i) first and second elongate side rails adapted to be mounted to such roof in end-to-end relationship as a first side of such closure support structure, with said first side rail being disposed toward the up-slope end of such closure support structure and said second side rail being disposed toward the down-slope end of such closure support structure,
• (ii) third and fourth elongate side rails adapted to be mounted to such roof in end-to-end relationship as a second opposing side of such closure support structure, with said third side rail being disposed toward the up-slope end of such closure support structure and said fourth side rail being disposed toward the down-slope end of such closure support structure,
• (iii) an upper diverter adapted to extend between said first and third side rails at the up-slope end of such closure support structure,
• (iv) a lower closure adapted to extend between said second and fourth side rails at the down-slope end of such closure support structure, and
• (v) as part of said support structure apparatus, first and second mating strips adapted to extend across the roof aperture, from side rail to side rail, between the up-slope end and the down-slope end of such closure support structure, said first and second mating strips being adapted to be mounted to respective ones of said side rails and to be mated to each other so as to close a joint therebetween.