1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to roof ventilation and more specifically to a customizable ridge ventilator, which may be modified to accommodate different roof pitches and air flow requirements.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Proper ventilation of a roof prevents premature failure of roofing materials (such as shingles) due to excessive heat; moisture due to condensation, thus preventing a major source of mold and mildew; and ice damming in cold climates, which also leads to premature failure of roofing materials. Some of the factors that dictate ventilation requirements include roof size, attic space area, length of roof ridge, length of roof eaves, pitch of roof, the amount of insulation below the roof, exposure to sun, climate, humidity and temperature extremes.
There are numerous ridge ventilators in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,571 to Sells discloses a ventilated cap system for the ridge of a roof. The Sells patent includes an expandable utility cap to seal over a variably expanding metal roof. In one form, a top cap may snap lock over the utility cap for slidable attachment thereto when exposed to deforming forces such as ice or snow. The top cap prevents deformation of the underlying utility cap. However, the Sells ridge ventilator is not easily customizable.
Accordingly, there is a clearly felt need in the art for a customizable ridge ventilator, which may be easily modified to accommodate different ventilation factors.
The present invention provides a customizable ridge ventilator, which may be modified to accommodate different roof pitches and air flow requirements. The customizable ridge ventilator includes a pair of support brackets, a perforated support and a ridge cover. Each support bracket has a substantial Z-shaped cross section. A bottom of one support bracket is attached to one side of a ventilation opening and a bottom of the other support bracket is attached to the other side of the ventilation opening. The perforated support is a formed plate with a plurality of perforated openings. The perforated support preferably has a cross section with a support peak, a pair of legs and a pair of snap flanges. One end of a leg extends from a bottom of each side of the support peak. A snap flange extends downward from the other end of each leg. The perforated support is attached to a top of the pair of support brackets with fasteners or the like.
The ridge cover includes a sloped peak, two side legs and a pair of snap clips. One end of a single side leg extends downward from each end of the sloped peak. A single snap clip extends from the other end of each side leg. The pair of snap clips of the ridge cover are slid over the pair of snap flanges of the perforated support. A top of the support peak supports the ridge cover. A cover splice includes a cross section that has the same shape as the ridge cover. The cover splice is sized to be received by an inner perimeter of the ridge cover. Two adjacent ridge covers are connected to each other with the cover splice.
A second embodiment of the customizable ridge ventilator includes a pair of support brackets, the perforated support and the ridge cover. Each support bracket has a substantial C-shaped cross section. The second embodiment of the customizable ridge ventilator includes corrugated roof applications. A bottom of one support bracket is attached to one side of a ventilation opening and a bottom of the other support bracket is attached to the other side of the ventilation opening, such that the open ends face away from each other. The open end of each support bracket is sized to receive a thickness of a corrugated roof panel. The perforated support is attached to a top of the pair support brackets. The pair of snap clips of the ridge cover snap are slid over the pair of snap flanges of the perforated support. A top of the support peak supports the ridge cover. Two adjacent ridge covers are connected to each other with the cover splice.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a customizable ridge ventilator, which may be easily modified to accommodate different ventilation factors.
These and additional objects, advantages, features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification.
With reference now to the drawings, and particularly to
The perforated support 12 is a formed plate with a plurality of perforated openings. It is preferable that the plurality of perforated openings occupy 45-55% of the surface area of the perforated support 12. The perforated support 12 preferably has a cross section with a support peak 22, a pair of legs 24 and a pair of snap flanges 26. The support peak 22 includes a first face 28 and a second face 30 that meet at a face peak 32. One end of the leg 24 extends from a bottom of each face of the support peak 22. The leg 24 includes a bracket member 34 and a flange member 36. The snap flange 26 extends downward from the flange member 36. The perforated support 12 is attached to a top of the pair of support brackets 10 by inserting a plurality of threaded fasteners through the pair of bracket members 34 and threading the plurality of threaded fasteners 40 into the top flanges 18 of the pair of support brackets 10.
The ridge cover 14 includes a sloped peak 42, two side legs 44 and a pair of snap clips 46. The sloped peak 42 includes a first face 48 and a second face 50 that meet at a cover peak 52. One end of a single side leg 44 extends downward from each face of the sloped peak 42. Each side leg 44 is terminated with a snap clip 46. With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
The perforated support 12 is attached to a top bracket 68 of the pair of support brackets 10 by inserting a plurality of threaded fasteners 40 through the bracket members 34 and threading the plurality of threaded fasteners 40 into the top flanges 68 of the support brackets 60. With reference to
With reference to
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
This is a utility patent application taking priority from provisional application No. 60/878,771 filed on Jan. 5, 2007.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4545291 | Kutsch et al. | Oct 1985 | A |
4558637 | Mason | Dec 1985 | A |
5052286 | Tubbesing et al. | Oct 1991 | A |
5092225 | Sells | Mar 1992 | A |
5112278 | Roberts | May 1992 | A |
5427571 | Sells | Jun 1995 | A |
5568706 | Gerhing et al. | Oct 1996 | A |
5706618 | Pratt | Jan 1998 | A |
5803806 | Blessinger | Sep 1998 | A |
6240690 | James et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60878771 | Jan 2007 | US |