Patent Application
20220333717
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The disclosure relates to trim devices and more particularly pertains to a new trim device for trimming a pipe extending through a wall. The device includes a panel with a circular gasket integrated therein which has the pipe extending through the gasket. A frame is positionable on the panel to enhance the ornamental appearance of the panel.
The prior art relates to trim devices including a variety of pipe trimming devices that include a panel that is mountable to a wall and a gasket integrated into the panel through which a pipe can extend for trimming around a pipe that penetrates the wall. The prior art discloses a variety of flashing devices that include a frustum and a gasket integrated into the frustum for flashing around a pipe that penetrates a roof. In no instance does the prior art disclose a panel that is mountable to a wall, a gasket integrated into the panel to insertably receive a pipe and a frame that is positionable around the panel for enhancing the ornamental appearance of the panel.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a panel that has a pipe opening extending through the panel for having a pipe extending therethrough. The panel has a plurality of connection openings each extending through the panel. Fasteners can be extended through the connection openings for fastening the panel to an exterior wall of a building through which the pipe extends. A gasket is coupled to the panel and the gasket extends around the pipe opening. Moreover, the gasket surrounds the pipe when the pipe is extended through the pipe opening. A frame is removably attachable to the panel such that the frame covers the plurality of connection openings in the panel to enhance the appearance of the panel.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The panel 12 has a forward wall 24 and an outer wall 26 extending rearwardly away from the forward wall 24, and the outer wall 26 has a distal edge 28 with respect to the forward wall 24. The outer wall 26 has a plurality of intersecting sides 30 such that the outer wall 26 defines a rectangular shape. The panel 12 has a border 32 extending outwardly from the outer wall 26 and the border 32 extends around all of the intersecting sides of the outer wall 26. The border 32 is aligned with the distal edge 28 of the outer wall 26 and the border 32 lies on a plane that is oriented parallel with the forward wall 24. The pipe opening 14 extends through the forward wall 24 and the pipe opening 14 has a bounding edge 34. Each of the connection openings 18 extends through the border 32 and the connection openings 18 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed around a full perimeter of the border 32. The border 32 rests against the exterior wall 22 having the forward wall 24 being spaced from the exterior wall 22.
A gasket 36 is coupled to the panel 12 and the gasket 36 extends around the pipe opening 14. In this way the gasket 36 surrounds the pipe 16 when the pipe 16 is extended through the pipe opening 14. The gasket 36 is continuous such that the gasket 36 forms a closed ring, and the gasket 36 has an inwardly facing edge 38 and an outwardly facing edge 40. The outwardly facing edge 40 is coupled to the bounding edge 34 of the pipe opening 14 and the inwardly facing edge 38 engages the pipe 16 when the pipe 16 is extended through the gasket 36. Additionally, the gasket 36 is comprised of a flexible material, such as rubber or other similar material, thereby facilitating the gasket 36 can accommodate pipe 16 is varying diameters.
A frame 42 is provided and the frame 42 is removably attachable to the panel 12. The frame 42 covers the plurality of connection openings 18 in the panel 12 to enhance the appearance of the panel 12. The frame 42 has an outside wall 44 and the outside wall 44 has a plurality of intersecting sides 46 such that the outside wall 44 defines a rectangle. The outside wall 44 has a front edge 48, a back edge 50 and an inwardly facing surface 52 extending between the front edge 48 and the back edge 50.
The frame 42 has a lip 54 extending away from the inwardly facing surface 52 and the lip 54 is oriented perpendicular to the inwardly facing surface 52. The lip 54 is aligned with the front edge 48 and the lip 54 extends around all of the intersecting sides of the outside wall 44. The lip 54 has a front side 56 and a distal edge 57 with respect to the inwardly facing surface 52 of the outside wall 44. The front side 56 has engraving 58 thereon to enhance the ornamental appearance of the lip 54. The distal edge 57 of the lip 54 frictionally engages the outer wall 26 of the panel 12 when the frame 42 is positioned on the panel 12 for removably retaining the frame 42 on the panel 12. Additionally, the back edge 50 of the outside wall 44 abuts the border 32 when the frame 42 is positioned on the panel 12.
In use, the panel 12 is positioned on the wall such that the pipe 16 extends through the gasket 36. The fasteners 20 are each extended through the respective connection openings 18 in the border 32 to attach the panel 12 to the exterior wall 22. In this way the panel 12 and the gasket 36 enhance the appearance of the pipe 16 extending through the exterior wall 22. The typical method of trimming a pipe extending through vinyl siding is to caulk around the pipe 16 in order to seal the hole through which the pipe 16 extends. The gasket 36 and the panel 12 eliminate the need to apply caulk around the hole through which the pipe 16 extends. The frame 42 is positioned around the panel 12 when the panel 12 is fastened into place on the exterior wall 22. In this way the frame 42 conceals the fasteners 20 to enhance the appearance of the panel 12 on the exterior wall 22.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded.
A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
