Claims
- 1. A venting device for a structure, comprising:an elongate top panel portion having an interior surface; a pair of opposing ventilating portions spaced apart on the interior surface of said elongate top panel portion and defining an area of said interior surface therebetween, each of said ventilating portions having an interior side and an exterior side, each of said ventilating portions being formed from a weatherproof, three-ply material comprising a pair of outer plies and an intermediate ply, said intermediate ply defining a multiplicity of discrete air passages extending from the interior side to the exterior side; and means for filtering air passing through said multiplicity of separate air passages, said means presenting a filtering area for air flow at least equal to the area of said interior surface defined between said pair of ventilating portions.
- 2. The venting device of claim 1, wherein said means for filtering air allows the passage of at least about 75 percent of the air that would flow through said multiplicity of air passages if said means for filtering air were not present.
- 3. The venting device of claim 1, wherein each of said pair of ventilating portions has an underside and an interior edge, and wherein said means for filtering air comprises a sheet of air permeable, water resistant material having an upper surface, said upper surface being sealingly affixed to the underside of each of said pair of ventilating portions in a sealing band proximate the longitudinal axis of each said ventilating portions and spaced apart from the interior edge.
- 4. The venting device of claim 3, wherein said sheet of air permeable material comprises spun-bonded randomly arranged synthetic polymer fibers.
- 5. The venting device of claim 3, wherein said elongate top panel portion is configurable in a generally anticlinal shape having a crest, the crest being oriented along the longitudinal axis of said elongate top panel portion.
- 6. The venting device of claim 5, wherein said sheet of air permeable material is also affixed to the interior surface of said elongate top panel portion in a sealing band along and proximate said crest.
- 7. The venting device of claim 1, wherein said three-ply material is corrugated plastic sheeting.
- 8. The venting device of claim 1, wherein each of said pair of ventilating portions comprise a plurality of stacked panels of said three-ply material.
- 9. The venting device of claim 1, wherein said venting device has a pair of ends, and further comprising a pair of plug members for sealingly blocking the space defined by the interior surface of said top panel, the interior sides of said pair of ventilating portions, and the exterior surface of a roof, at each of said pair of ends.
- 10. A method of ventilating the roof of a structure, said roof having an exterior surface, the method comprising:providing a venting device comprising: an elongate top panel portion having an interior surface; a pair of opposing ventilating portions spaced apart on the interior surface of said top panel portion, each ventilating portion having an exterior side, an interior side and an underside, each of said ventilating portions being formed from a weatherproof, three-ply material comprising a pair of outer plies arid an intermediate ply, said intermediate ply defining a multiplicity of discrete air passages extending from the interior side to the exterior side; and a sheet of air permeable water resistant material having a top surface, said top surface affixed to the underside of each of said ventilating portions, at least a portion of said air permeable material freely suspended between said opposing ventilating portions, the freely suspended portion being at least equal in area to the area of said interior surface defined between said opposing ventilating portions; forming at least one aperture in the roof; placing said venting device on the exterior surface of said roof with said opposing ventilating portions disposed on opposite sides of said at least one aperture and with said sheet of air permeable material interposed between the interior side of each ventilating portion and said at least one aperture; and affixing said venting device to said roof using fasteners or adhesive.
- 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said elongate top panel portion of said venting device is configurable in a generally anticlinal shape having a crest, the crest being oriented along the longitudinal axis of said elongate top panel portion, wherein said roof has a ridge, wherein said at least one aperture is formed along the ridge of said roof, and wherein the method further comprises the step of forming said venting device in a generally anticlinal shape so as to conform with the ridge of said roof.
- 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said venting device has a pair of opposing ends, wherein the venting device further comprises a pair of plug members, said plug members being adapted to fit within the spaces at each end of said venting device defined by said top panel, the exterior surface of said roof, and the interior sides of each of said pair of ventilating portions, and wherein the method further comprises the step of placing each of said pair of plug members into said spaces.
- 13. A venting device for a structure, comprising:an elongate top panel portion having an interior surface; at least one ventilating portion on the interior surface of said elongate top panel portion, said at least one ventilating portion having an interior side and an exterior side, said at least one ventilating portion being formed from a weatherproof, three-ply material comprising a pair of outer plies and an intermediate ply, said intermediate ply defining a multiplicity of discrete air passages extending from the interior side to the exterior side, the interior side of said at least one ventilating portion being spaced apart from a first longitudinal margin of said elongate top panel portion thereby defining an area of the top panel portion between said first longitudinal margin and said at least one ventilating portion; and means for filtering air that passes through said multiplicity of air passages, said means presenting a filtering area for air flow at least equal to the area of the top panel portion defined between said first longitudinal margin and said at least one ventilating portion.
- 14. The venting device of claim 13, wherein said means for filtering air allows the passage of at least about 75 percent of the air that would flow through said multiplicity of air passages if said means for filtering air were not present.
- 15. The venting device of claim 13, wherein said at least one ventilating portion has an underside, and wherein said means for filtering air comprises an elongate sheet of air permeable material having an upper surface, the upper surface of said sheet of air permeable material being sealingly affixed to the underside of said at least one ventilating portion and affixed to said elongate top panel portion proximate the first longitudinal margin of said elongate top panel portion.
- 16. The venting device of claim 15, wherein said sheet of air permeable material is otherwise free from attachment to said at least one ventilating portion and said elongate top panel portion, wherein a portion of said sheet of air permeable material is freely suspended between said at least one ventilating portion and said elongate top panel portion.
- 17. The venting device of claim 16, wherein said sheet of air permeable material comprises spun-bonded randomly arranged synthetic polymer fibers.
- 18. The venting device of claim 13, wherein said three-ply material is corrugated plastic sheeting.
- 19. The venting device of claim 13, wherein said at least one ventilating portion comprises a plurality of stacked panels of said three-ply material.
- 20. The venting device of claim 13, wherein said venting device has at least one end, and further comprising a plug member for sealingly blocking the space defined by the interior surface of said top panel, the interior side of said at least one ventilating portion, and the exterior surface of a roof, at said at least one end.
- 21. A method of ventilating the roof of a structure, said roof having an exterior surface, the method comprising:providing a venting device comprising: an elongate top panel portion having an interior surface; at least one ventilating portion on the interior surface of said elongate top panel portion, said at least one ventilating portion having an interior side, an exterior side and an underside, said at least one ventilating portion being formed from a weatherproof, three-ply material comprising a pair of outer plies and an intermediate ply, said intermediate ply defining a multiplicity of discrete air passages extending from the interior side to the exterior side, the interior side of said at least one ventilating portion being spaced apart from a first longitudinal margin of said elongate top panel portion; and an elongate sheet of air permeable material having an upper surface, the upper surface of said sheet of air permeable material being sealingly affixed to the underside of said at least one ventilating portion and affixed to said elongate top panel portion proximate the first longitudinal margin of said elongate top panel portion; forming at least one aperture in the roof; placing said venting device on the exterior surface of said roof proximate said at least one aperture with said sheet of air permeable material interposed between the interior side of said at least one ventilating portion and said at least one aperture; and affixing said venting device to said roof using fasteners or adhesive.
- 22. The method of claim 21, wherein said venting device has at least one end, wherein said venting device further comprises a plug member for sealingly blocking the space defined by the interior surface of said top panel, the interior side of said at least one ventilating portion, and the exterior surface of a roof, at said at least one end, and wherein the method further comprises the step of inserting said plug member in the space at said at least one end.
- 23. A method of ventilating the roof of a structure comprising steps of:forming a venting device by spacing apart a pair of ventilating portions on an interior surface of a top panel member, each ventilating portion having an interior side, an exterior side, and an underside, and attaching a top surface of a sheet of air permeable water resistant material to the underside of each of the ventilating portions so that a portion of the sheet of air permeable material is freely suspended between said opposing ventilating portions, the area of the freely suspended portion being at least equal to the area of the interior surface defined between the ventilating portions; forming an aperture in the roof; placing the venting device on the exterior surface of the roof with the opposing ventilating portion disposed on opposite sides of the aperture and with the sheet of air permeable material interposed between the interior side of each ventilating portion and the aperture; and affixing the venting device to the roof using fasteners or adhesive.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/651,071 filed Aug. 30, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,662.
US Referenced Citations (89)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
19821035 |
Nov 1999 |
DE |
29912644 |
Nov 1999 |
DE |
2186898 |
Aug 1987 |
GB |
8402970 |
Aug 1984 |
WO |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/651071 |
Aug 2000 |
US |
Child |
10/209851 |
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US |