Patent Application
20090025316
The present invention relates to a vent enabling free air exchange between an area within a building and ambient atmosphere, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a vent for installation on a roof ridge of a building.
It is useful, and in many locales a building code requirement, that certain interior areas of a building, such as an area underneath a roof, be provided with a means to permit air exchange. The ventilation prevents undue heat buildup that can render the living quarters of the building uncomfortable and that can impose unreasonable energy requirements for cooling. Proper ventilation also preserves the structural integrity of the building structure, such as the roof and roof coverings.
A combination of ridge and soffit vents provides an example of a means for providing attic ventilation. The ridge vent permits hot and/or humid air to rise up through the peak of the roof and the soffit vent enables ambient air to be drawn into a lower part of the attic area to replace the hot and/or humid air escaping through the ridge vent.
Examples of roof ridge vents are provided by U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,595 issued to McCorsley et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,298,613 B1, 6,308,472 B1, 5,902,432 and 5,673,521 issued to Coulton et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,277,024 B1, 6,981,916 B2 and 7,182,688 B2 issued to Coulton, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,699 issued to Spinelli and U.S. Patent Application Publications Nos. 2007/0054612 A1 of Ehrman et al., 2006/0079173 A1 and 2006/0154597 A1 of Coulton et al., and 2006/0040608 A1 of Coulton. Each of the above referenced patents and published applications are owned, or co-owned, by Benjamin Obdyke Incorporated, the assignee of the present application, and all but one disclose a roof ridge vent that can be rolled into a spiral roll after manufacture. The exception is U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,024 B1 issued to Coulton which discloses an injection-molded, shingle-over, sectional roof ridge vent currently being sold under the trademark XTRACTOR VENT®.
Injection-molded, shingle-over roof ridge vents that are rollable are disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,233,887 B1 and 6,260,315 B1 issued to Smith, U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,581 B2 issued to Robinson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,144 B2 issued to Hansen et al., D.511,847 S and D.511,848 S of Ciepliski, U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,535 B2 issued to Ciepliski et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,024,828 B2 issued to Headrick and by U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004/0088928 A1 and 2004/0237428 A1 of Headrick et al. and 2006/0211366 A1 and 2006/0229010 A1 of Villela et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,869 issued to Brotherton et al. discloses an injection-molded, shingle-over, sectional roof ridge vent having rows of spaced-apart baffles along outer longitudinally-extending edges of the vent.
While the sectional and rollable vents disclosed by the above referenced patents and published applications may function in an acceptable manner, there continues to be a need for alternatives with respect to the design, manufacture and installation of roof ridge vents. A desired vent should permit a sufficient amount of ventilating air flow without compromising weather infiltration resistance and should be capable of being properly installed in a manner requiring labor skills possessed by the average roof installer. In addition, the vent should be capable of efficient manufacture, storage, transportation and handling.
The present invention provides a roof ridge vent comprising a one-piece, elongate body rollable into a spiral roll. The vent body has an elongate central longitudinally-extending upper wall having a pair of side edges, an underside, and a plurality of bracing walls depending therefrom. The vent body further includes a pair of grillwork walls with ventilation openings. The grillwork walls extend downwardly and outwardly from the side edges of the upper wall. Still further, the vent body includes a pair of longitudinally-extending sidewalls that are disposed upright with respect to the upper wall and that provide external wind baffles for the vent. The sidewalls project from outer edges of the grillwork walls, and each sidewall has a continuous, longitudinally-extending top strip. A spaced-apart pair of longitudinally-extending walls depends from the top strip and includes a series of drainage openings that provide drainage paths through the sidewalls and that permit the sidewalls to be rolled into the spiral roll.
According to some contemplated embodiments of the vent of the present invention, walls depending from the top strip of each sidewall form a plurality of spaced apart fork-shaped members arranged in tongue and groove relation. This arrangement produces circuitous drainage paths through the sidewalls.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
As an example of ridge construction, the illustrated roof ridge 10 includes a plurality of rafters 16 supported at lower ends, for instance, by front and rear walls (not shown) of the building. A roof deck 18, typically constructed of plywood or other suitable panels, is secured to the rafters 16 to provide an outer sheathing material of the roof over which roofing felt or like membrane 20 and roofing shingles 22 are applied. Thereafter, an elongate roof ridge vent 24 is installed on the roof ridge 10 overlying the elongate slot-shaped opening 12 and adjacent surrounding portions of the roof deck 18.
According to the present invention, the vent 24 is an elongate continuous single piece which is provided to the building site in a spiral roll 26. See
Alternatively, the continuous single piece vent 24 of the present invention can form a portion of an elongate vent structure. For example, the ends of two separate pieces of the vent 24 of the present invention can be joined to from a vent extending the length of the ridge. Thus, when the vent 24 of the present invention is cut to fit a particular roof ridge, any remaining length of the vent 24 does not need to be discarded as scrap and can be used in the installation of a ridge vent on another ridge. Accordingly, if the remaining length is insufficient to extend the entire length of the ridge, its end can be mated and joined to the end of a second like vent. See
Further, the vent 24 of the present invention can be used in combination with sectional ridge vents to form a completed vent structure. The profile of the rollable vent 24 of the present invention can be manufactured such that it substantially matches the profile of a sectional ridge vent, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,024 B1 issued to Coulton. Thus, a vent extending along the length of a roof ridge can comprise a combination of a rollable molded vent and a non-rollable, sectional molded vent thereby enabling fall use of all building materials.
The vent 24 of the present invention is preferably made of a thermoplastic material and is preferably produced using injection molding techniques. For example, the vent 24 can be made of numerous separate injection molded sections that are welded or bonded together in end-to end relationship to produce a single elongate vent that can be stored and shipped in roll-form. As an example, multiple injection molded sections can be aligned end-to end and overlapping portions of each adjacent pair of sections can be ultrasonically welded together to produce a single elongate vent of any desired length. Alternatively, other molding techniques can be used as well as other materials, such as metal, synthetic rubber, composite materials, and the like. Other bonding or welding techniques can also be used. Thus, any manufacturing technique or material can be utilized provided that a continuous length of vent can be produced and rolled into a spiral roll after manufacture so that it can be readily stored, transported to a building site, and handled as a relatively long single piece in roll form.
The structure of the vent 24 of the present invention is similar in many ways to the structure of the sectional ridge vent disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,024 B1 issued to Coulton. For instance, the vent 24 includes a longitudinally-extending upper wall 28, a pair of outer longitudinally-extending sidewalls 30 and 32 providing wind baffles, grillwork or the like openwork wall structures 34 interconnecting the base 36 of each of the sidewalls 30 and 32 to one of the outer peripheral longitudinal edges 38 of the upper wall 28, and a plurality of supports 40 depending from an underside 42 of the upper wall 28 and grillwork 34 to space the upper wall 28 and grillwork 34 from an underlying surface of the ridge 10. Each of these components is discussed below in greater detail.
The elongate upper wall 28 extends longitudinally from one end of the vent 24 to the other. The upper wall 28 can be provided as a solid wall, as illustrated, or can have openings, perforations, or windows formed therein to reduce material costs or to enable ready installation. Preferably, a pair of nailing lines 48 are defined, imprinted, or molded on the upper surface of the upper wall 28 such that, when the vent 24 is installed on a ridge 10, the nailing lines 48 extend parallel to the elongate opening 12 and on opposite sides of the ridge 10. Thus, as illustrated in
As discussed above, grillwork 34 extends from each outer peripheral edge 38 of the upper wall 28 in a downwardly angled direction to the bases 36 of the sidewalls 30 and 32, which extend generally perpendicular to the upper wall 28. Thus, as best illustrated in
The supports, or bracing members, 40 are also molded integrally with the upper wall 28 and grillwork 34 and depend from the underside 42 of the upper wall 28 as well as the grillwork 34. The bracing members 40 support and space the upper wall 28 and grillwork 34 above the underlying surface of the roof ridge 10 and can be substantially identical to those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,024 B1 issued to Coulton. For example, the bracing members 40 can include longitudinally extending rows of support walls 50 as well as transversely extending support walls 52 extending from grillwork 34 adjacent sidewall 30 to grillwork 34 adjacent sidewall 32.
The support walls 50 can include four spaced-apart and staggered longitudinally-extending walls in rows R1, R2, R3 and R4, and each wall 50 can be made from a plurality of longitudinally-spaced wall segments 54 providing ventilation air passageways “P” therebetween. A pair of the rows, R1/R2, depend from one side of the upper wall 28, and a second pair, R3/R4, depend from the other side. Preferably, the wall segments 54 in each pair of rows are offset and staggered so that the support walls 50 function as baffles preventing precipitation blown through the ventilation openings 46 of the vent 24 from reaching the ridge opening 12. If desired, a high loft, non-woven fabric, or like filter material can be mounted on the underside 42 of the upper wall 28 to provide additional protection against weather, debris, and/or insect infiltration.
Preferably, each of the pairs of rows, R1/R2 and R3/R4, are positioned such that one of the nail lines 48 extends between one of the pairs of the rows of support walls 50. Accordingly, nails 44 are applied through the nail lines 48 without obstruction from the support walls 50. In addition, preferably each segment 54 has an undulating configuration in transverse cross-section such that each segment 54 forms a sinusoidal-shaped juncture with the upper wall 28. This configuration enables each wall segment 54 to resist unwanted hinging about its juncture to the upper wall 28. Thus, the shape of the wall segments 54 enhances top loading strength of the vent 24 and provides resistance against unwanted compression or fracture of the upper wall 28 when the vent 24 is installed with nails fired by roofing nail guns.
The support walls 52 extend transversely across the underside 42 of the upper wall 28 of the vent from one grillwork 34 to the other. Preferably, the transverse walls 52 are uniformly spaced apart at pre-determined intervals along the length of the vent 24. For example, the walls 52 can be located at six inch intervals on the underside 42 of the vent 24. Each transverse wall 52 rigidities the vent 24, supports the upper wall 28 and grillwork 34 at a desired position above the roof surface, and provides additional blocks to weather infiltration within the vent 24 relative to the longitudinal direction. Thus, each wall 52 provides an end-plug like structure that is repeated at uniform intervals throughout the length of the vent. Accordingly, if the vent 24 is cut to a desired length, an end plug structure provided by one of the walls 52 will always conveniently be located in close proximity to the cut edge of the vent 24.
The structure of the integrally formed transverse walls 52 must permit the upper wall 28 to readily flex about its longitudinal centerline “CL” to enable the vent 24 to conform to the contour of the roof ridge 10, for instance, as shown in
As illustrated, each transverse wall 52 has five wall segments 56 defining four gaps 58. Preferably, selected portions of the wall segments 56 have an undulating configuration that interconnects to the upper wall 28 via a sinusoidal shaped juncture. The undulating configuration resists hinging along the juncture and unwanted compression of the upper wall 28. In addition, when the vent 24 is installed on a roof ridge 10 of a steeply sloped roof, the undulating portions of the wall segments 56 permit adjacent wall segments to engage and become slightly flexed to permit the required degree of bending of the vent 24 about the ridge 10. The transverse walls 52 also include opposite planar portions extending to and underneath the grillwork 34.
Each elongate vent 24 has opposite ends, 60 and 62, that can be abutted with and joined to a separate rollable or sectional vent having a like profile. A transverse wall 52a extends adjacent the end 60 and is inset therefrom providing a recessed area 64. The opposite end 62 includes an outwardly extending tab, flange or the like 66. As shown in
As installed, the longitudinally-extending sidewalls 30 and 32 of the vent 24 of the present invention provide a similar function to that provided by the corresponding sidewalls of the sectional vent of U.S. Pat. No. 6277,024 B1 issued to Coulton. However, the sidewalls 30 and 32 of the present invention are of a novel configuration that permits the vent 24 to be rolled into a spiral roll 26.
Each sidewall 30 and 32 includes a planar top strip 68 extending continuously between opposite ends 60 and 62 of the vent 24. When the vent 24 is in a flattened uninstalled condition, as manufactured, the strips 68 are substantially level and co-planar with the upper wall 28. A pair of longitudinally-extending walls, 70 and 72, depend from each strip 68. The outer wall 70 provides a wind baffle for the vent 24, and a base section 36 of the inner wall 72 interconnects to the grillwork 34. Preferably, these walls are substantially planar and are parallel to one another.
The outer and inner walls 70 and 72 are spaced apart and each have a series of small drainage openings, 74 and 76. As an example, the drainage openings 74 in wall 70 may have a width of only about 0.06 inch. The purpose of the openings 74 and 76 is to permit rainwater, melted snow or ice, or like fluid that passes through grillwork 34 onto the roof surface under the vent 24 a path to drain down the slope of the roof through the sidewalls 30 and 32. In addition, these relatively small openings 74 and 76 are sufficient to permit the vent 24, including the sidewalls, 30 and 32, to be rolled into a spiral roll 26. As best illustrated in
Preferably, the drainage openings 76 in the inner wall 72 are located directly behind and are aligned with the drainage openings 74 in the outer wall 70. See
Preferably, the sidewalls 30 and 32 include a series of support walls 78 that depend from the strips 68 and that extend in a transverse direction across the strips 68 adjacent each aligned pair of drainage openings 74 and 76. In addition, preferably a short wall segment 80 extends from a midpoint of the support walls 78 in a longitudinally-extending direction on the strip 68. Thus, the wall segments 80 extend intermediate of the outer and inner walls 70 and 72 and between each pair of aligned drainage openings 74 and 76. Accordingly, for rainwater or the like to drain from a drainage opening 76 of the inner wall 72 to an aligned drainage opening 74 of the outer wall 70, the water must travel a circuitous route “D” through the sidewall, 30 or 32, defined by the support walls 78 and wall segments 80. See
Based on the above described arrangement, a double-pronged fork-shaped member 82 is formed by the interconnecting outer wall 70, inner wall 72, support wall 78, and wall segment 80 between each adjacent pair of aligned drainage openings 74 and 76. Each fork-shaped member 82 is arranged in a tongue and groove maimer with respect to adjacent fork-shaped members 82. For instance, the outer wall 70, inner wall 72 and support wall 78 of each member 82 forms a groove, and the wall segment 80 of each member 82 forms a tongue. See
According to the present invention, the above described vent 24 is manufactured in continuous, indefinite length and is rolled into a spiral roll 26. The vent 24 is stored and transported to the building site in roll form and can be unrolled on the roof ridge 10. An end of the vent 24 can be secured with nails to the roof ridge 10 approximately one inch from the end of the roof ridge. Preferably, the vent 24 is secured with standard 1¾ inch roofing nails 44 applied by standard roofing nail guns. If necessary, the vent 24 is cut to approximately the length of the roof ridge 10, or alternatively, is abutted and joined to the end of a separate rollable vent 24, or to a separate non-rollable sectional vent of similar profile. After vent installation is completed, cap shingles can be nailed in overlapping fashion on the roof ridge vent 24 utilizing standard 1¾ inch roofing nails applied by standard roofing guns.
As best illustrated in
The above-described rollable vent according to the present invention provides a roof ridge vent which is easy to install, inexpensive to manufacture, and enables use of standard pneumatic roofing nail guns. Various modifications can be made to the vent such as its size and venting capability.
While a preferred roof ridge vent, ridge vent assembly, and method have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
