Patent Application
20060040608
The present invention relates to a roof ridge vent that enhances air circulation between a roof of a building and an underlying ceiling structure, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a vent, a roof ridge vent installation, and a method of installing a vent on a roof ridge.
It is useful, and in many locales a building code requirement, that the attic area of a building be provided with a means to permit air exchange. Such ventilation prevents undue heat buildup, which can render the living quarters of the building uncomfortable and impose unreasonable energy requirements for cooling. Proper ventilation of the attic area also tends to preserve the structural integrity of the roof and roof coverings. One method of venting the roof structure consists of applying a venting media over a slot present along the ridge of a roof. These types of vents are known as ridge vents.
Examples of ridge vents are provided by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,960,595 issued to McCorsley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,613 issued to Coulton et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,472 issued to Coulton et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,432 issued to Coulton et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,521 issued to Coulton et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,699 issued to Spinelli. These patents are owned, or co-owned, by Benjamin Obdyke, Inc., the assignee of the present application.
While the roof ridge vents disclosed in the above referenced patents function in a superior manner, there continues to be a need for further improvements with respect to roof ridge vents and their installation. To this end, an increased amount of ventilating air flow through the ridge vent is desired without compromising weather infiltration resistance. In addition, a ridge vent that can be accurately aligned over a roof ridge in a simplified and efficient manner is desired. Further, the vent should be capable of being manufactured economically.
More specifically, the present invention provides a roof ridge vent including a strip of ventilation material having a plurality of see-through openings, or windows, in a central section of the ventilation material so that the central section is substantially transparent and so that, during installation of the vent on an underlying roof ridge, the underlying roof ridge and slot are clearly visible to an installer of the vent through the transparent central section of the vent. Thus, proper alignment can be continuously verified in a simply manner during and after installation of the vent on a roof ridge.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a roof ridge vent installation is provided including the above referenced vent in combination with cap shingles and a roof having a ridge with an elongate open slot.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a method of installing a roof ridge vent is provided. A roof ridge vent is placed over an open slot formed along a roof ridge. The roof ridge vent has a pair of longitudinally-extending outer sections that provide paths of ventilation therethrough. During installation, the open slot and roof ridge is viewed through a substantially transparent longitudinally-extending central portion of the roof ridge vent to ensure proper alignment of the roof ridge vent on the roof ridge. Thereafter, the roof ridge vent is secured to the roof ridge with nails or like fasteners.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings,
The roof ridge vent 26 according to the present invention is made of a continuous, elongate strip of a ventilation material 28 that provides a plurality of ventilation passageways enabling air to vent from the open slot 22 formed in the roof 10 to and through a pair of longitudinally-extending outer peripheral side edges, 30 and 32, of the vent 26. The specific type of openwork material used as the ventilation material 28 in the vent 26 can be of various forms. For example, a preferred material is an indeterminate-length mat 34 of randomly convoluted polymeric filaments formed with a plurality of cusps, or hollow spacer elements, 36 as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,960,595 and 6,298,613, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The layout, or pattern, of the cusps 36 is designed to resist compression of the vent 26 during and after installation and to afford ready rolling and unrolling of the vent 26 during manufacture and installation. Alternative ventilation materials (not shown) include fibrous mats without cusps, thermoplastic webs with hollow spacer elements, and materials having defined passageways formed therein such as corrugated materials. Preferably, the ventilation material 28 is such that it can be rolled lengthwise into a spiral roll during manufacture and stored, transported and supplied to installers in roll-form.
The ventilation material 28 has a longitudinally-extending central section 38 between a pair of longitudinally-extending outer sections, 40 and 42. In the illustrated embodiment, the cusps, or hollow spacer elements, 36 are disposed in a plurality of longitudinal rows extending the length of the ventilation material 28, and the outer sections, 40 and 42, are defined as including the outermost three rows of cusps 36. See
Preferably, at least a portion of the surface of the ventilation material 28 is attached to and covered by air permeable filter material 48 that permits air to flow outwardly in the manner illustrated by the arrows 24 in
In the illustrated embodiments, the side edges 30 and 32 of the vent 26 is formed by an outermost row of cusps 36 covered by a layer of air permeable filter material 48a. Preferably, an edge flange 50 extends outwardly from side edges 30 and 32 along the upper face 44 of the ventilation material 28. The air permeable filter material 48a is bonded to the underside of the edge flange 50 and along the lower face 46 of the ventilation material to ensure that air permeable filter material 48a spans completely across each side edge, 30 and 32. A separate piece of air permeable filter material 48b extends on the upper face 44 of the ventilation material 28. Alternatively, as illustrated in
As best illustrated in
Air permeable filter material 48a extends on the lower face 46 of the ventilation material to an extent at least beyond intended nail lines, 52 and 54 so that the material extends inward of the nails 56 as installed as shown in
As discussed above, the air permeable filter material, 48a and 48b, does not extend completely across the upper and lower faces 44 and 46 of the ventilation material; rather, the upper and lower faces 44 and 46 of the central section 38 of the ventilation material 28 remain exposed and uncovered. This provides the central section 38 with a transparent, or “see-through”, property and enables easier installation with more accurate alignment of the ridge vent 26 on the roof ridge 16. To this end, the preferred embodiment has a ventilation material made of a thin layer of randomly convoluted polymeric filaments formed with hollow cusps 36. Numerous openings are present between filaments thereby providing a central section 38 that is substantially transparent. To this end, the central section 38 is transparent to the same extent that a window screen is transparent. Thus, the central section can be seen through so that, as the vent 26 is being installed on the roof ridge 16, the roof ridge 16 and open slot 22 is clearly visible to the installer through the central section 38. Adjustments to the positioning of the vent 26 on the roof ridge 16 can be made prior to installing each nail 56.
A vent 26 with a see-through central section 38 is not limited to vents made of convoluted filaments. Rather, various alternatives providing a see-through central section of a vent can be utilized. For example, if the ventilation material 28 is solid, it can be provided with openings to provide a see-through window or it can be made, at least partially, with a transparent material, such as, a transparent plastic material, a mesh screen, or the like. In addition, non-rollable sectional ridge vents can also be provided with see-through central sections.
By way of example, and not by way of limitation, the ridge vent 26 can be made of an elongate openwork mat of randomly convoluted polymeric filaments such that the vent has a width of about 10.5 inches and a thickness of about ⅝ of an inch. The filaments can be molded to form eight uniform and longitudinally-extending rows of cusps 36, and a nail line 52 and 54 can be identified adjacent each side edge, 30 and 32, between each pair of outermost rows of cusps. An air permeable filter fabric 48b can extend continuously on the upper face 44 of the vent 26 from each edge flange 50 over the first two outermost rows of cusps 36. An air permeable filter fabric 48a can extend continuously from an underside of each edge flange 50 across the adjacent side edge, 30 or 32, and on the lower face 46 of the vent 26 over the first three outermost rows of cusps 36. Thus, at least the central two rows of cusps are exposed and uncovered and provide a transparent viewing window to objects on the other side of the vent 26.
A method of installing a ridge vent 26 according to the present invention includes placing an elongate strip of openwork, or ventilation, material 28 over an open slot 22 formed along a roof ridge 16. Preferably, the openwork material 28 is provided in a spiral roll, is unrolled lengthwise on the roof ridge 16, and has a longitudinally-extending central section that is transparent. Thus, the method according to the present invention includes viewing and visually inspecting alignment of the vent 26 with the roof ridge 16. Adjustments to the placement of the vent can be made before sinking each nail through the vent and into the roof deck. In this manner, precise centering of the vent 26 on the roof ridge 16 can be readily accomplished with a minimum of skill and effort.
Preferably, the openwork material is partially covered with an air permeable filter material, or fabric, 48 as discussed above. Thus, the method of installing and aligning the vent 26 includes the step of ensuring that the air permeable filter material 48 does not overlie the open slot 22. The method also includes securing cap shingles over the vent 26 along a pair of nail lines, 52 and 54, such that the air permeable material 48b extending on the upper face 44 of the vent 26 extends continuously from each side edge, 30 and 32, to beyond each adjacent nail line, 52 and 54, respectively.
The above-described roof ridge vent, roof ridge vent installation and method of installing a roof ridge vent according to the present invention provides a roll-form vent which is easy to install, inexpensive to manufacture, and provides increased air flow therethrough.
While a preferred roof ridge vent, roof ridge vent installation and method of installing a roof ridge vent have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the vent according to the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/684,024, filed Oct. 10, 2003.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10684024 | Oct 2003 | US |
| Child | 11255532 | Oct 2005 | US |
