Patent Application
20240417139
The present invention relates to vents, and more particularly to a roof vent package for transporting roof vents and further jobsite use after such transport.
Many building roofs are outfitted with vents to promote ventilation and evacuate heat and moisture from the upper extremities of buildings. A common type of vent for building roofs is a ridge vent, which is installed over an opening, typically defined at the peak or ridge of a roof, where two roof surfaces come together. Such ridge vents allow air to escape from the space under the roof to reduce heat and potential moisture buildup in that space under the roof. Most ridge vents are of an elongated form, and typically have dimensions of about one foot to one and a half feet in width, and four feet to six feet in length. When in this elongated form, the ridge vents commonly are referred to as stick ridge vents.
Stick ridge vents usually are packaged and delivered to a jobsite in rectangular cardboard boxes. The boxes contain ten or more ridge vents. The boxes typically are opened on the roof (or sometimes on the ground) to access the stick ridge vents, and then later thrown off the roof or discarded on the ground. After the ridge vents are installed, or generally after the roofing job is completed, workers must go around the jobsite and collect all the cardboard boxes. Frequently, the workers will spend some time crushing or disassembling the boxes, so that they take up less volume for disposal or transport. The boxes are then thrown in a jobsite dumpster or prepared for transport on a trailer or vehicle, for disposal in a landfill or in some cases, recycling.
Accordingly, the present primary packaging for ridge vents presents some issues regarding jobsite tidiness and disposal, as well as sustainability. In addition, some ridge vent boxes can be stored and transported rather roughly and can become beat up and ragged. Such ragged boxes might not be appealing to a building owner on whose building the ridge vents are being installed. The boxes also can become wet in the environment, in which case the cardboard can deform or weaken. This can cause the containment capabilities of the boxes to deteriorate. In turn, the boxes might not be able to perform their primary function to transport and store the ridge vents.
Accordingly, there remains room for improvement in the field of packaging for roof vents.
A roof vent package provides dual functionality to transport and store roof vents, and to offer a disposal receptacle for jobsite debris.
In one embodiment, the roof vent package can be configured to store and transport ridge vents for roofs. The package can include a ridge vent bag that can be constructed from a flexible material. The ridge vent bag can include multiple sidewalls, a closure flap that selectively covers an opening of a compartment in which ridge vents are stored, and a closure flap with a closure element to maintain the closure flap in a closed configuration over the opening.
In another embodiment, the closure element can include a first strap along an end of the closure flap that is folded over the opening of the compartment. The closure flap can overlap the second sidewall of the ridge vent bag. The first strap can be tied to but configured to be untied from a second strap joined with another sidewall to remove the closure flap from the opening and expose and/or access the ridge vents in the compartment.
In still another embodiment, the closure element can include an adhesive disposed on a first surface of the closure flap. The adhesive can adhere the closure element to the second wall. The adhesive element can be configured to be compromised to disassociate the closure flap from the second sidewall to access the opening.
In yet another embodiment, the sidewalls and closure flap can be constructed from a flexible polymeric fabric. The fabric can wrap and conform to the contours of the ridge vents stored inside the compartment of the bag. The bag can be flexible enough that it can be collapsed and rolled upon itself after the ridge vents are removed therefrom, to take on different sizes and dimensions.
In even another embodiment, the first sidewall, the second sidewall and the closure flap of the bag can be a continuous, homogeneous single piece of the flexible material that extends along a longitudinal axis of the ridge vent bag. The bag can include a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall. The third sidewall can be sewn to the first sidewall and the second sidewall on one side of the longitudinal axis of the ridge vent bag, while the fourth sidewall can be sewn to the first sidewall and the second sidewall on another side of the longitudinal axis of the ridge vent bag.
In a further embodiment, a method is provided. The method can include storing and transporting ridge vents in the compartment of the bag, operating the closure flap to open the compartment and gain access to the ridge vents, removing the ridge vents from the compartment, and placing jobsite debris in the compartment of the ridge vent bag, where the ridge vents were previously located, to store the jobsite debris in the ridge vent bag for later disposal.
In still a further embodiment, the method can include transporting the ridge vent bag containing the jobsite debris to a jobsite disposal area, and disposing of the bag and debris together, as one unit.
In yet a further embodiment, the closure element can include a first strap tied to the second strap to secure the closure flap in the closed position over the opening. The removing step can include untying the first strap from the second strap.
In even a further embodiment, the method can include exposing a receiver pocket that is contiguous with the compartment after the removing step. The receiver pocket can be located adjacent multiple ridge vent ends of the multiple ridge vents.
In another embodiment, the method can include removing fasteners stored in the receiver pocket adjacent the ridge vent ends. This can occur before removing the multiple ridge vents. After the fasteners are removed from the bag, they can be installed through each of the plurality of ridge vents to secure the ridge vents to a peak or ridge of a roof of a building.
The current embodiments provide a roof vent package that avoids wasteful use of large, bulky cardboard boxes for roof vents on a jobsite. The package and method herein also repurpose the bag of the package from a storage unit for the ridge vents, to a jobsite trash bag. This is the opposite of prior ridge vent packaging, mostly in the form of cardboard boxes, which merely produced more jobsite trash and debris. Indeed, the prior ridge vent packaging itself needed to be picked up and disposed of at a jobsite disposal area, which produced more work and consumed more disposal space for jobsite debris.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the current embodiment and the drawings.
Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details of operation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention may be implemented in various other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways not expressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may be used in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed as limiting the invention to any specific order or number of components. Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from the scope of the invention any additional steps or components that might be combined with or into the enumerated steps or components.
A current embodiment of the roof vent package is shown in
In the package mode, the ridge vent bag 10 as illustrated can be used to transport multiple individual ridge vents 20 stacked one upon another and stored within an internal compartment 10C of the ridge vent bag. Although described in connection with ridge vents, the roof vent package 5 and ridge vent bag 10 can come in a variety of shapes, sizes and configurations to accommodate many different types of roof vents, ridge vents, roofing materials, siding materials, flashings, accessories and other construction components in the package mode. As described below, the ridge vent bag 10 when in the trash mode, can be configured, deformed, collapsed or otherwise manipulated to receive, contain or store jobsite debris DB, which can include roofing materials such as shingle scraps, felt scraps, underlayment scraps, fasteners, wood scraps, metal scraps, ridge vent scraps, plastic scraps, paper packaging, plastic packaging, cardboard packaging and/or a variety of other types of debris, trash and leftover components that might be left on a building jobsite during construction of a building, all of which can be referred to herein as jobsite debris.
The construction and components of the ridge vent bag 10 shown in
As mentioned above, the bag can be constructed from multiple individual sheets or layers. The sheets or layers as shown in
As shown, the third 13 and fourth 14 sidewalls can be independently and separately formed from the first sidewall 11 and second sidewall 12, which can be formed in a continuous, single piece. The first sidewall 13 and second sidewall 14 can be rectangular sheets or panels that can be joined at their respective margins via sewing, adhesion, welding, fastening, stapling or other conventional techniques to the first and second sidewalls. The first sidewall 11 can extend upward from a bottom 11B to a top 11T. The first sidewall 11 can be parallel to the second sidewall 12 when the bag is assembled. Likewise, the third sidewall 13 and fourth sidewall 14 can be parallel to one another. The bottom 11B and top 11T can also be parallel to one another. Optionally, the respective sidewalls, top and bottom also can be perpendicular to other components.
In some cases, the top 11T and bottom 11B can simply be extensions of the respective first sidewall 11 and/or second sidewall 12. The top 11T can also form and/or extend to a closure flap 15. The closure flap 15 can extend from the first sidewall to cover an opening 100 of the ridge vent bag 10. This opening can be sized so that respective ridge vents 20 can be placed in the ridge vent bag and removed therefrom. Generally, the opening 100 can be covered by the closure flap 15 which again can include the top 11T. The closure flap tunnel which again can be a flexible, bendable flap of the sheet of material from which the bag is constructed, can be folded over, is generally disposed over the opening 100 that leads to the internal compartment 10C of the bag 10. The closure flap can extend from a first end 15E1 to a second end 15E2 which can be connected, joined with, or otherwise integrally formed with the top 11T of the bag 10. The closure flap 15 can be constructed so that it extends downward and adjacent the second sidewall 12 when the bag is in the package mode, or the flap is in the closed mode to close the bag so that materials and items cannot be removed through the opening 100 of the bag 10. The closure flap also can be modified to an open mode, shown in
The closure flap 15 shown in
Further optionally, although shown as adhesive patches, the closure elements or adhesive elements can be in the form of hook and loop fastener strips that are stitched to the closure 15 and the sidewall 12 to interface with one another to hold the closure flap in a closed mode. In yet other applications, the closure flap can include small pockets or recesses that contain magnets, while the sidewall 12 likewise includes corresponding magnets or ferrous materials such that the magnets will attract and thereby hold the closure flap closed via a magnetic force. Other constructions for the closure elements are contemplated.
In addition to, or as an alternative to the adhesive element, the closure element 16 can include one or more first straps 17A and 17B. The first straps can extend from the closure flap and in particular from the first end 15E1 of the closure flap that is distal from the opening 100. The first straps can be stitched, sewn, glued, stapled, fastened or otherwise secured to the end 15E1 of the closure flap 15 or somewhere between that end 15E1 and the second end 15E2 in a location that simply allows the closure flap 15 to overlap the second sidewall 12 or generally close the opening 100. The first straps can be constructed from a flexible material, which may or may not have elasticity. The closure element 16 can include one or more second straps 18A and 18B that can be secured to the second sidewall 12 and/or the third or fourth sidewalls 13 and 14. The second strap optionally can be in the form of loops 18A and 18B as shown in
The closure flap 15 can be secured over the opening 10 and maintained in a closed mode via the first and second straps being tied to one another using any one of a number of conventional knots or securement means for tying structures to one another. Of course, to allow the closure flap to open relative to the opening 100, the first strap and second strap can be untied from one another by user. After the straps are untied from one another, the closure flap can be opened to the open mode shown in
The sidewalls and/or other panels or sheets that make up the bag can be secured to one another along one or more seams. As shown in
Optionally, the straps 17A, 17B, 18A, 18B can be used for other functions besides securing the closure flap 15 over the opening 100. For example, in some cases, the straps can be tied to a truss, fascia or another component of a roof and/or building temporarily securing the bag 10 thereto.
As mentioned above and shown in
The fasteners 96F1, 96F2, 96F3 optionally can be stored and/or precisely positioned or packaged in a frame 97. This frame can be constructed from cardboard, foam, crushed paper, packing paper, packing tissue, packing peanuts, a plastic tote or box or other structure. The frame 97 optionally as shown can include individual recesses that accommodate the respective fasteners 96F1, 96F2, and 96F3. The recesses or pockets can be sized and dimensioned to precisely hold and contain the fasteners or other elements that are stored in the frame 97 so that they do not slide around and move or otherwise damage the bag or the underlying ridge vents 20.
Optionally, the ends 20E of the ridge vents 20 can form the bottom of the receiver pocket 10P. In other cases, the bag might include another panel or sheet that forms this bottom so that the frame 97 or the fasteners in the receiver pocket 10P do not contact the ridge vents 20. In other cases, the frame 96 can be absent and the fasteners or other items in the receiver pocket 10P can simply be disposed on or adjacent and contacting the ends 20E of the ridge vents 20 disposed in the compartment 10C. The receiver pocket 10P can be further bounded by the respective portions 11P, 12P, 13P, 14P of the respective sidewalls 11, 12, 13 and 14. The uppermost portion of the receiver pocket 10P which corresponds to the opening 100 of the bag, can be covered by the closure flap 15 in the closed mode. The receiver pocket 10P optionally can be accessed by opening the closure flap 15 to the open mode to expose the opening 10P and thus the receiver pocket 10P. Of course, in some applications, this receiver pocket can be absent, such that the opening 100 opens directly to the ends of the ridge vents 20E. It will be appreciated that after the frame 97 and/or any of the respective fasteners or other items disposed in the pocket 10P are removed, the ends 20E of the vents 20 are exposed and ready for removal as shown in
The ridge vent bag 10 can be used to store a variety of roofing products in the package mode. As shown, the ridge vent bag 10 stores multiple ridge vents 20 within the compartment 10C in the package mode. As shown, the bag and compartment can store at least 5, at least 6, at least 7, at least 8, at least 9, at least 10, at least 11, at least 12, at least 13, at least 14, at least 15, at least 20 individual ridge vents 20 within the compartment 10C. The individual ridge vents can be stacked one upon the other and can extend the full length or at least a portion of the length L of the bag when in the internal compartment 10C.
Optionally, the ridge vents 20 that can be stored and transported in the ridge vent bag 10 are shown and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/086,129, filed Dec. 21, 2022, entitled “Building Ridge Vent System,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. In general, as shown in
As mentioned above, the body 23 can include a first side 51 and a second side 52 on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis LA. Each ridge vent can include a top plate 27 extending from the first side 51 to the second side 52. The top plate 27 can include a first top plate side 27A and a second top side plate side 27B with a bending region 28 between the first top plate side 27A and the second top plate side 27B. The bending region 28 can overlap the longitudinal axis and can be configured so that the first top plate 27A and the second top plate 27B can move and change in angular orientation relative to one another, for example when the ridge vent 20 is fastened or secured to roof surfaces 101, 102 that are opposite one another at a peak 100P of a roof 100 as shown in
In some cases, when used with the packaging herein, the ridge vents 20 can be present and configured with the first top plate side 27A at an angle A1 relative to the second top plate side 27B. This angle A1 can be optionally 0° to 30°, inclusive, 1° to 15°, inclusive, 1° to 10°, inclusive, or other angles depending on the application. The ridge vents 20 can be disposed and configured with the top plate sides at this angle A1 when packaged in the roof vent package 5 such that due to the angle, the individual ridge vents nest and align with one another along their longitudinal axes so that they do not move or slide relative to one another in the compartment 10C.
As mentioned above, the ridge vent bag 10 and its respective sidewalls and components can be constructed from a flexible bendable material. With reference to
As will be appreciated, the ridge vents 20 used herein can be removed from the ridge vent bag 10 and fastened to corresponding opposing roof surfaces 101 and 102 as shown in
A method of using the roof vent package 5 will now be described with reference to
Optionally, the method of using the roof vent package 5 can include providing the ridge vent bag including the ridge vents 20 therein, and any optional fasteners or other items in the receiver pocket 10P. The package 5 can be delivered to a jobsite as shown in
Optionally, in some applications, the ridge vent bag 10 can be secured to a component of the building and/or the roof 100. For example, as shown in
When a worker is ready to open the bag 10 of the package 5 and remove one or more roof vents 20 from the compartment 10C, the worker can engage the closure flap 15. Where the closure flap is held closed in the closed mode shown in
In this open mode, the worker can access the receiver pocket 10P and/or the internal compartment 10C of the bag 10. Where the package 5 includes items in the receiver pocket 10P, the worker can remove those items. For example, if there are fasteners 96F1, 96F2, 96F3 disposed in a frame 97, the worker can remove the frame 97 from the pocket 10P. The worker can then utilize those fasteners, for example by loading them into a nail pouch or loading them into a roofing nailer, depending on the worker's preference and tools available to the worker. After the optional frame 97 is removed from the receiver pocket 10P, which again may or may not be present, the worker has access to the ridge vents 20 disposed in the internal compartment 10C as shown in
After removal of the ridge vents from the bag 10, the bag can be fully converted from the package mode to a trash mode. In the trash mode, shown in
Optionally, in the trash mode shown in
Although the different elements and assemblies of the embodiments are described herein as having certain functional characteristics, each element and/or its relation to other elements can be depicted or oriented in a variety of different aesthetic configurations, which support the ornamental and aesthetic aspects of the same. Simply because an apparatus, element or assembly of one or more of elements is described herein as having a function does not mean its orientation, layout or configuration is not purely aesthetic and ornamental in nature.
Directional terms, such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “inwardly,” “outer” and “outwardly,” are used to assist in describing the invention based on the orientation of the embodiments shown in the illustrations. The use of directional terms should not be interpreted to limit the invention to any specific orientation(s).
In addition, when a component, part or layer is referred to as being “joined with,” “on,” “engaged with,” “adhered to,” “secured to,” or “coupled to” another component, part or layer, it may be directly joined with, on, engaged with, adhered to, secured to, or coupled to the other component, part or layer, or any number of intervening components, parts or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly joined with,” “directly on,” “directly engaged with,” “directly adhered to,” “directly secured to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between components, layers and parts should be interpreted in a like manner, such as “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent” and similar words. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. This disclosure is presented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as an exhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limit the scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated or described in connection with the embodiments. For example, and without limitation, any individual element(s) of the described invention may be replaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similar functionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes, for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those that might be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternative elements that may be developed in the future, such as those that one skilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative. Further, the disclosed embodiments include a plurality of features that are described in concert and that might cooperatively provide a collection of benefits. The present invention is not limited to only those embodiments that include all of the features or that provide all of the stated benefits, except to the extent otherwise expressly set forth in the issued claims. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular. Any reference to claim elements as “at least one of X, Y and Z” is meant to include any one of X, Y or Z individually, any combination of X, Y and Z, for example, X, Y, Z; X, Y; X, Z; Y, Z, and/or any other possible combination together or alone of those elements, noting that the same is open ended and can include other elements.
