BACKGROUND
1. Field
The disclosed concept relates generally to vents and, more particularly, to roof ridge vents for ventilating the roof of a structure such as, for example, a building.
The disclosed concept also relates to ventilated roofs employing ridge vents.
2. Background Information
Vents are commonly employed on the roofs of structures, such as residential buildings, commercial buildings and other structures, in order to exhaust air from beneath the roof (e.g., from an attic space) into the surrounding atmosphere, and to remove moisture.
For example, a variety of passive roof vents have been employed at various locations on building roofs in an attempt to release heat which can undesirably build up and become trapped under the roof. Passive vents provide an air passageway for such hot air to be exhausted from the roof, and thereby help to maintain a relatively comfortable temperature within the building. More specifically, by releasing unwanted hot air, a lower average temperature can be maintained without requiring excessive energy to be expended to cool the air, for example, by air-conditioning. The vents serve to stimulate natural convection of the air by releasing the hot air which has risen to the roof and, in turn, drawing and circulating cooler air, which is more dense and thus resides in relatively low-lying areas, throughout the building. Such vents also serve a safety function, as excessive heat can result in damage to the roof, and could potentially cause a fire. This is particularly important in warm climates where the roof is exposed to excessive and prolonged heat and sunlight. In cooler climates, venting the attic space serves to exhaust undesirable moisture-laden attic air, in order to prevent damage to the internal structure. It will be appreciated, therefore, that roof vents not only function to eradicate unwanted heat and/or moisture from the roof assembly, but in doing so, also extend the life of the roof assembly and, in particular, roof shingles (e.g., without limitation, asphalt shingles).
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of a ridge vent 2, which is employed at the peak or ridgeline 4 of the roof 6 of a building 8, as partially shown in FIG. 1. The ridge vent 2 generally includes a resilient elongated body 10 having first and second opposing sides 12,14 and opposing lateral edges 16,18. As shown in FIG. 1, the first side 12 is structured to overlay an exterior surface (e.g., without limitation, shingles 20) at or about the roof ridgeline 4, and the second side 14 is structured to be covered by a plurality of finishing shingles 22. The ridge vent 2 facilitates the aforementioned passive ventilation by providing passageways 24,26 at the lateral edges 16,18, respectively, as well as passageways 28,30 at the longitudinal ends 32,34, respectively, of the ridge vent 2, through which air can circulate, as desired. In the non-limiting example of FIGS. 1 and 2, the passageways 24,26 at the lateral edges 16,18 of the ridge vent 2 are a plurality of closely spaced slots 24,26, and the passageways 28,30 at the longitudinal ends 32,34 of the ridge vent 2 are formed by a predetermined arrangement of generally V-shaped members 36,38 (best shown in FIG. 2). Upturned shields or baffle members 40,42 extend upwardly at the lateral edges 16,18, respectively, to at least partially shield, and/or create a baffle for, the slots 24,26.
Generally, such ridge vents 2 have been effective for ventilating traditional gable style roofs 6 of the type shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a gable style roof 6 has a substantially straight ridgeline 4 that runs the entire length of the roof 6 at substantially the same elevation, all the way to the edge of the building 8, or slightly beyond the edge of the building 8. The upper course of shingles 20, near the peak 4 of the roof 6, provides a relatively smooth and flat surface for the ridge vent 2 to mount and conform to. However, a hip roof 44 of the type shown for example in FIG. 3, often presents a stair or stepped surface with which the ridge vent 2 must interface. Specifically, unlike the aforementioned gable roof 6 (FIG. 1), the hip roof 44 has hip ends 46,48,50 which slope backwards and can result in a plurality of ridgelines 52,54,56 being formed at different elevations. Consequently, a sloped ridgeline transition section is required between the ridgelines. For example, sloped ridgeline transition section 58 transitions from ridgeline 54 to ridgeline 56, and sloped ridgeline transition section 60 transitions from ridgeline 52 to ridgeline 56. These sloped areas of the hip roof 44 create the aforementioned stair or stepped surfaces, which are not conducive for traditional roof ridge vent designs. That is, use of conventional ridge vents 2 over such stair or stepped surfaces results in gaps between the base (e.g., first side 12) of the vent 2 and the roof shingles (e.g., shingles 20). In order to resist weather and/or debris from entering through such gaps, extreme care must be used to close them, for example, using roofing sealants.
There is, therefore, room for improvement in roof ridge vents.
SUMMARY
These needs and others are met by embodiments of the disclosed concept, which are directed to a roof ridge vent including a number of elongated resilient members structured to provide an effective seal between the vent and exterior surface (e.g., without limitation, roof shingles), even in locations where the shingles form a stair or stepped surface.
As one aspect of the disclosed concept, a vent is provided for a roof. The roof includes an exterior surface. The vent comprises: a body comprising an inner surface structured to face the roof, an outer surface disposed opposite the inner surface, a first end, a second end disposed opposite and distal from the first end, a first side, and a second side disposed opposite and distal from the first side; a first edge portion disposed at or about the first side and including a plurality of first openings for the passage of air; a second edge portion disposed at or about the second side and including plurality of second openings for the passage of air; a plurality of protrusions extending outwardly from the inner surface of the body; and a plurality of elongated resilient members extending longitudinally between the first end and the second end, each of the elongated resilient members cooperating with a corresponding number of the protrusions. The elongated resilient members are structured to compress against the exterior surface of the roof, thereby forming a seal between the vent and the roof.
The body may further comprise a bottom edge. At least a portion of each of the elongated resilient members may extend beyond the bottom edge, in order to substantially fill in and seal spaces between the exterior surface of the roof and the vent.
As another aspect of the disclosed concept, a ventilated roof comprises: a substructure including a substantially flat layer; at least one ridgeline including a ventilation opening; a plurality of shingles attached to the substantially flat layer; and at least one vent overlaying the ventilation opening, the at least one vent comprising: a body comprising an inner surface facing the shingles, an outer surface disposed opposite the inner surface, a first end, a second end disposed opposite and distal from the first end, a first side, and a second side disposed opposite and distal from the first side, a first edge portion disposed at or about the first side and including a plurality of first openings for the passage of air, a second edge portion disposed at or about the second side and including plurality of second openings for the passage of air, a plurality of protrusions extending outwardly from the inner surface of the body, and a plurality of elongated resilient members extending longitudinally between the first end and the second end, each of the elongated resilient members cooperating with a corresponding number of the protrusions. The elongated resilient members compress against the shingles, thereby forming a seal between the shingles and the at least one vent.
The protrusions of the at least one vent may be a plurality of transverse supporting members, wherein each of the transverse supporting members includes an inner edge disposed at or about the inner surface of the body of the at least one vent, and an outer edge disposed opposite the inner edge. The inner edge may include a cutout, and each of the elongated resilient members of the at least one vent may comprise a separate member including a mounting portion and a sealing portion. The mounting portion may be disposed in the cutout, and the sealing portion may extend outwardly from the mounting portion toward the roof. The sealing portion may comprise a plurality of sealing projections, wherein each of the sealing projections extends outwardly from the mounting portion and compresses against the shingles of the roof, in order to substantially fill in and seal spaces between the shingles and the at least one vent.
Each of the elongated resilient members may be a dual durometer component, wherein the mounting portion is generally hard and the sealing portion is generally soft. The vent may further comprise a filter element. The filter element may be disposed between the elongated resilient elements and the inner surface of the body of the vent.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A full understanding of the disclosed concept can be gained from the following description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a portion of a gable style roof and conventional ridge vent therefor;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the underside of the ridge vent of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a simplified isometric view of a non-limiting example of building having a hip style roof of the type with which the disclosed roof ridge vent can be employed;
FIG. 4 is a top isometric view of a roof ridge vent in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed concept;
FIG. 5 is a bottom isometric view of the vent of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a cutaway portion of the vent of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged side elevation view of a portion of one of the protrusions or supporting members of the vent, showing the cutout therein for receiving an elongated resilient member in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed concept;
FIG. 8 is a partially exploded end elevation view of the vent of FIG. 6, also showing a portion of a ventilated roof in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed concept; and
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a portion of a roof showing an elongated resilient member of the vent sealing an uneven (e.g., without limitation, stepped) surface of a roof shingle, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosed concept.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
For purposes of illustration, embodiments of the disclosed concept will be shown and described as applied to ventilation of hip style roofs, although it will become apparent that they could also be applied to ventilate any other known or suitable type of roof (e.g., without limitation, gable style roofs; roofs having a combination of hips and gables).
Directional phrases used herein, such as, for example, up, down, top, bottom and derivatives thereof, relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the drawings and are not limiting upon the claims unless expressly recited therein.
The specific elements illustrated in the drawings and described herein are simply exemplary embodiments of the disclosed concept. Accordingly, specific dimensions, orientations and other physical characteristics related to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered limiting on the scope of the disclosed concept.
As employed herein, the terms “gable,” “gable roof,” “gable type,” and “gable style” refer to a roof structure for a building or other structure wherein the peak or ridgeline of the roof extends to the edge of the building, or slightly beyond the edge.
As employed herein, the terms “hip,” “hip roof,” “hip type” and “hip style” refer to a roof structure for a building or other structure wherein the peak or ridgeline of the roof does not extend to the edge of the building, but rather stops short of the edge of the building and, therefore, includes a plurality of sloped portions.
As employed herein, the term “shingle” refers to any known or suitable type of roof finishing layer, expressly including, but not limited to asphalt shingles, slate shingles, as well as shingles made from any other known or suitable synthetic material.
As employed herein, the term “durometer” is used in its traditional sense to refer to the relative hardness or softness (e.g., without limitation, resiliency; elasticity; compressibility) of the material (e.g., without limitation, rubber) from which a component is made. Accordingly, a “dual durometer” component in accordance with the disclosed concept is one having a first portion with first hardness or softness, and a second portion with a second, different hardness or softness.
As employed herein, the statement that two or more parts are “coupled” together shall mean that the parts are joined together either directly or joined through one or more intermediate parts.
As employed herein, the term “number” shall mean one or an integer greater than one (i.e., a plurality).
FIGS. 4 and 5 show top and bottom isometric views, respectively, of a vent 102 for ventilating a roof 200 (partially shown in simplified form in phantom line drawing in FIG. 8; see also FIG. 9) in accordance with the disclosed concept. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the vent 102 cooperates with (e.g., is disposed over) the exterior surface 202 of the roof 200, wherein the roof 200 generally includes a substructure 204 having a substantially flat layer 206, which may be formed, for example and without limitation, from plywood or any other known or suitable substantially flat material. The vent 102 is disposed at a ridgeline 208 of the roof 200, where a ventilation opening 210 is provided. More specifically, a plurality of shingles 212 are suitably attached to the substantially flat layer 206 of the roof 200, and the vent 102 overlays the ventilation opening 210 such that the vent 102 engages the exterior surface 202 of the roof shingles 212 on either side of the ventilation opening 210. The roof structures (e.g., without limitation, substructure 204; substantially flat layer 206; ridgeline 208; ventilation opening 210; shingles 212) are only partially shown in simplified form in phantom line drawing for simplicity of illustration and economy of disclosure.
Referring again to FIGS. 4 and 5, as well as FIG. 6, the vent 102 includes a body 104 having an inner surface 106, which is structured to face the roof 200 (FIG. 8), and an outer surface 108, which is disposed opposite the inner surface 106. The vent 102 further includes first and second opposing ends 110,112 (both shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), and opposing first and second sides 114,116. A first edge portion 118, which is disposed at or about the first side 114, includes a plurality of first openings 120 for the passage of air. A second edge portion 122, which is substantially similar to the first edge portion 118 and is disposed at or about the second side 116 of the vent 102, includes a plurality of second openings 124 (FIG. 6) for the passage of air.
A plurality of protrusions 126,128 (described in greater detail hereinbelow) extend outwardly from the inner surface 106 of the vent body 104, and a plurality of elongated resilient members 130,132 (two are shown) extend longitudinally between the first end 110 and the second end 112 of the vent body 104, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. As will be described in greater detail hereinbelow, the elongated resilient members 130,132 are structured to compress against the exterior surface 202 of the roof 200, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, thereby forming a seal between the vent 102 and the roof 200. More specifically, as best shown in the end elevation view of FIG. 8, each of the elongated resilient members 130,132 preferably extends beyond the bottom edge 134 of the vent body 104 (see, for example, elongated resilient member 132 of FIG. 8; elongated resilient member 130 is shown exploded away from the vent 102 in FIG. 8 for purposes of illustration), prior to being installed on the roof 200. In this manner, the elongated resilient members 130,132 function to substantially fill in and seal spaces or voids between the exterior surface 202 of the roof 200 and the vent 102. It will, however, be appreciated that the elongated resilient members 130,132 are preferably sufficiently resilient (e.g., compressible) and/or a sufficient relief area 170 (FIG. 7) is provided in the protrusions 126,128 that, when the vent 102 is installed on the roof 200, the elongated resilient members 130,132 are compressed upwardly (from the perspective of FIG. 8) so that the vent 102 may lay flat (e.g., flush) against the exterior surface 202 of the roof 200. That is, when the vent 102 is installed on the roof 200, it is not a requirement of the disclosed concept that the elongated resilient members 130,132 continue to extend below the bottom edge 134 of the vent body 104, as is the case prior to installation on the roof 200, and as shown in the non-limiting example of FIG. 8.
The structure of the vent 102 will now be described in greater detail. Specifically, as best shown in FIG. 5, the aforementioned protrusions 126,128 of the example vent 102 include a first number of protrusions 126, which extend laterally inwardly from the first edge portion 118 of a vent body 104 toward the second edge portion 122, and a second number of protrusions 128, which extend laterally inwardly in the opposite direction, from the second edge portion 122 toward the first edge portion 118. In other words, the protrusions preferably comprise a plurality of transverse supporting members 126,128, which extend downward from the inner surface 106 of the vent body 104. Each of the elongated resilient members 130,132 extends perpendicularly across a corresponding one of the first number of protrusions 126 and the second number of protrusions 128. More specifically, the example vent 102 includes a first elongated resilient member 130, which extends longitudinally across the first number of protrusions 126, and a second elongated resilient member 132, which extends longitudinally across the second number of protrusions 128, substantially parallel with respect to the first elongated resilient member 130. Thus, when the vent 102 is installed on the roof 200, as partially shown in simplified form in FIG. 8, the first elongated resilient member 130 forms a seal on one side of the roof ridgeline 210, and the second elongated resilient member 132 forms a seal on the other side of the roof ridgeline 210, as shown.
As shown with reference to the cutaway vent segment of FIG. 6, when the first elongated resilient member 130 is disposed on the first number of protrusions 126, it is spaced from the inner surface 106 of the vent body 104, thereby forming a number of first gaps 136 between the inner surface 106 and elongated resilient member 130. The first gaps 136 enable airflow to the plurality of first openings 120 disposed at the first edge portion 118 of the vent 102. Similarly, when the second elongated resilient member 130 is disposed on the second number of protrusions 128, it is spaced from the inner surface 106 of the vent body 104 to form a number of second gaps 138, which enable airflow to the plurality of second openings 124 at the second edge portion 122 of the vent 102 (see also first and second gaps 136,138 beneath first and second elongated resilient members 130,132, respectively, in FIG. 5).
In the example shown and described herein, the elongated resilient elements 130,132 are separate members which are structured to be coupled to the protrusions 126,128, respectively, of the vent 102. It will, however, be appreciated that they could alternatively form an integral part of the vent 102, for example and without limitation, by being molded as an integral feature of the vent body 104, without departing from the scope of the disclosed concept. Among the benefits of the elongated resilient elements 130,132 comprising separate components that are subsequently coupled to the vent 102, is the fact that they can be relatively easily replaced or exchanged. For example and without limitation, the potential exists for a wide variety of different elongated resilient elements (e.g., 130,132) having any known or suitable alternative shape, configuration and/or material properties (not shown) other than those which are shown and described herein. In this manner, the vent 102 could be readily adapted for use in a wide variety of different roofing applications (e.g., without limitation, different positions on the roof; different roof types (e.g., without limitation, hip roof; gable roof); different types of finishing surface (e.g., without limitation, shingles)).
The manner in which the exemplary elongated resilient members 130,132 are coupled to the vent 102 will now be described in greater detail. Specifically, each of the aforementioned protrusions or transverse supporting members 126,128 includes an inner edge 140 disposed at or about the inner surface 106 of the vent body 104, and an outer edge 142 disposed opposite the inner edge 140. The outer edges 142 of at least some of the transverse supporting members 126,128 include a cutout 144 (see also FIG. 7). For simplicity of illustration and economy of disclosure, only the first number of protrusions or transverse supporting member 126 will be described, in detail, herein. It will be appreciated that the second number of protrusions or transverse supporting members 128 are substantially similar. Specifically, the example elongated resilient members 130,132 each include a mounting portion 146 and a sealing portion 148. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the mounting portion 146 is disposed in the corresponding cutouts 144 of the protrusions 126, and the sealing portion 148 extends outwardly form the mounting portion 146 toward the roof 200 (see, for example, FIG. 8). The cutouts 144 of the protrusions or transverse supporting members 126 are aligned, such that they collectively form a channel 150 for receiving the corresponding elongated resilient element 130. To help secure the elongated resilient member 130 and, in particular the mounting portion 146 thereof, within the corresponding channel 150, the mounting portion 146 preferably includes a plurality of resilient ribs 152 (best shown in the partially exploded view of FIG. 8). It will be appreciated that, when the mounting portion 146 is disposed in the channel 150, the resilient ribs 152 compress against the transverse supporting members 126 within the cutouts 144 thereof, thereby securely coupling the elongated resilient member 130 to the vent body 104 by way of an interference fit. It will, however, be appreciated that any known or suitable alternative manner or mechanism (not shown) of suitably securing the elongated resilient members 130,132 to the vent 102 could be employed, without departing from the scope of the disclosed concept.
It will also be appreciated that the cutouts 144 in the outer edges 142 of the projections 126 preferably further include a relief area 170, as shown in FIG. 7. In the example of FIG. 7, the relief area 170 includes a first, tapered relief portion 172 disposed on one side of the channel 150, and a second relief portion 174 disposed on the other side of the channel 150. Together these relief portions 172,174 provide sufficient relief area 170 for the corresponding elongated resilient element 130 (FIGS. 6, 8 and 9) to be received (e.g., without limitation, compressed within) such that the bottom edge 134 of the vent body 104 can lay flush against the exterior surface 202 of the roof 200 when the vent 102 is installed.
It will be further appreciated that the vent 102 may, but need not necessarily, be employed with a suitable filter element 300, as partially shown in phantom line drawing in FIG. 5. In view of the aforementioned manner in which the example resilient elongated members 130,132 are coupled to the vent body 104 and, in particular, to the projections or transverse supporting members 126,128 thereof, the potential exists for the elongated supporting members 130,132 to function as a fastening mechanism for mechanically fastening the filter 300 to the vent body 104. More specifically, the filter element 300 could be disposed beneath (e.g., from the perspective of FIG. 5) the elongated resilient members 130,132 such that the filter element 300 is captured between the elongated resilient members 130,132 and the inner surface 106 of the vent body 104 when the elongated resilient members 130,132 are coupled to the corresponding protrusions 126,128, respectively, as shown.
As best shown in the partially exploded view of FIG. 8, the sealing portion 148 of the example elongated resilient member 130 includes a plurality of sealing projections 154,156,158 (three are shown), which extend outwardly from the mounting portion 146, and are structured to be compressed against the exterior surface 202 of the roof 200, as previously described hereinabove (see also sealing projections 154′,156′,158′ of elongated resilient member 132). More specifically, although not required, the elongated resilient element 130 is contemplated as being comprised of a dual durometer component wherein the mounting portion 146 is generally hard (e.g., without limitation, harder than the sealing portion 148), and the sealing portion 148 is generally soft (e.g., without limitation, softer than the mounting portion 146). This will enable the elongated resilient member 130 to maintain a generally straight shape within the corresponding channel 150 of the vent body 104, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, while simultaneously enabling the sealing projections 154′,156′,158′ (e.g., without limitation, molded arms, ribs or legs) to compress, as desired, against the exterior surface 202 (e.g., without limitation, shingles 212) of the roof 200 to substantially fill in and seal spaces between the shingles 212 of the roof 200 and the vent 102.
The ability of the disclosed vent 102 to effectively seal uneven (e.g., rough; stepped; having a stair profile) surfaces 212 will be further appreciated with reference to the simplified illustration of FIG. 9, which shows the interaction of the elongated resilient element 130 of the vent 102 (not shown in FIG. 9 for simplicity of illustration) with the roof shingle 212. Specifically, in the example of FIG. 8, the exterior surface 202 of the shingle 212 includes a stair or stepped portion 214 having a relatively high or raised area 216, and a relatively low or recessed area 218 adjacent to the raised area 216. Such a stepped portion 214 would ordinarily result in an undesirable gap for conventional roof vents (see, for example, roof vent 2 of FIGS. 1 and 2), between the base of the vent 2 and the relatively low recessed area 218 of the shingle 212. However, the elongated resilient element 130 and, in particular, the sealing projections 154,156,158 (only sealing projection 154 is shown in FIG. 8 for simplicity of illustration) are compressible and extend beneath the bottom edge 134 of the vent body 104, as previously discussed, to address and substantially overcome this problem in order to form an effective seal. Specifically, a portion 160 of the sealing projection 154 can be compressed at locations where the exterior surface 202 of the roof 200 is relatively high or raised (see, for example, raised area 216), but may also extend into relatively low areas (see, for example, recessed area 218 of shingle 212). In other words, the portion 162 of the sealing projection 154 of the elongated resilient element 130 is uncompressed, or less compressed than compressed portion 160, such that the sealing projection(s) (only sealing projection 154 is shown) extend into the recessed area 218 of the roof shingle 212. In this manner, the elongated resilient element 130 forms an effective seal, substantially eliminating gaps or voids between the exterior surface 202 of the roof 200 and the vent 102. This is particularly useful in applications such as, for example and without limitation, hip style roofs of the type generally shown in FIG. 3, where the roof 44 has a variety of different ridgelines 52,54,56, some of which are disposed at angles (e.g., sloped portions 58,60 of FIG. 3) and therefore result in uneven (e.g., without limitation, rough; stepped; a stair profile) surfaces of the type generally shown in FIG. 9.
Accordingly, the disclosed vent 102 is readily employable with a wide variety of different roof types (e.g., without limitation, gable style; hip style; a combination of hips and gables) and roof finishing surfaces (e.g., without limitation, shingles) to provide an effective seal while establishing the desired ventilation of the roof 200.
While specific embodiments of the disclosed concept have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the disclosed concept which is to be given the full breadth of the claims appended and any and all equivalents thereof.
Patent Grant
8790167
