BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a vent, and in particular, to a vent for allowing airflow between the interior of a building and the exterior of the building while providing a barrier to entry into the building of unwanted exterior environment elements, such as pests (e.g., insects and small animals), debris and precipitation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Venting can be used to provide a continuous circulation of outdoor air to an attic space of a home or other building. Vents can be used to provide air intake into the attic space and air exhaust from the attic space to provide for the desired continuous circulation of outdoor air to the attic.
Building ventilation fights the deleterious effects of high heat and moisture. Heat in unventilated attics may cause extremely high attic temperatures, which can cause damage to roof coverings, roof sheathing, and also radiate down into the living area, causing excessive air conditioning usage to maintain comfort. Moisture can cause rot, mildew, mold, paint blister and decrease the effectiveness of insulation.
Static roof vents can be utilized to provide desired airflow between a building and the surrounding environment. Static roof vents are installed over openings in a roof and allow rising hot air and moisture to escape the attic space. Static roof vents are passive vents that do not include moving parts to facilitate airflow, but rather simply define an airflow conduit through which air from the underlying structure can vent to the surrounding atmosphere.
SUMMARY
A primary vent fitting for a roof vent is made of a single stamped component which provides superior protection against water ingress. The fitting includes a flared portion at the rear/upper edge of an upstanding flange. The flared portion cooperates with the flange to create a water diversion channel that prevents water ingress through the airflow aperture defined by the fitting. Additionally, the fitting provides a rectangular opening in its base flange that corresponds to a typical rectangular cutout in roof decking, and a transition that allows air to flow through the entirety of the rectangular opening and through the stadium-shaped aperture defined by the upstanding flange.
In one form thereof, the present disclosure provides a primary vent fitting configured for use in a roof vent. The fitting includes a base flange configured to attach to decking of a roof and an upstanding flange extending upwardly from the base flange. The upstanding flange includes a rear/upper portion, a front/lower portion, and left and right portions respectively connecting left and right ends of the rear/upper portion and the front/lower portion. The upstanding flange encircles an aperture formed in the primary fitting. The rear/upper portion of the upstanding flange includes a flared portion. The base flange, the upstanding flange and the flared portion are all formed as a single, monolithic piece of material.
In another form thereof, the present disclosure provides a primary vent fitting configured for use in a roof vent. The fitting includes a base flange configured to attach to decking of a roof, and an upstanding flange extending upwardly from the base flange. The upstanding flange includes a rear/upper portion, a front/lower portion, and left and right portions respectively connecting left and right ends of the rear/upper portion and the front/lower portion. The upstanding flange encircles an aperture formed in the primary fitting. A left transition portion extends upwardly from the base flange to meet a lower edge of the left portion of the upstanding flange, and a right transition portion extends upwardly from the base flange to meet a lower edge of the right portion of the upstanding flange. The left transition, the right transition, the front/lower portion and the rear/upper portion all cooperate to define a rectangular profile circumscribing the upstanding flange and contained within the perimeter of the base flange.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above mentioned and other features of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:
FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a vent made in accordance with the present disclosure, as installed onto a tile roof;
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the vent and roof of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is another top perspective view of the vent of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the vent of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a top perspective, exploded view of the vent of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a side elevation, cross-section view of the vent of FIG. 1, taken along the line 6-6;
FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of another vent made in accordance with the present disclosure, as installed onto a tile roof;
FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the vent and roof of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is another top perspective view of the vent of FIG. 7;
FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of the vent of FIG. 7;
FIG. 11 is a top perspective, exploded view of the vent of FIG. 7;
FIG. 12 is a side elevation, cross-section view of the vent of FIG. 7, taken along the line 12-12;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a primary vent made in accordance with the present disclosure;
FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the primary vent shown in FIG. 13;
FIG. 15 is a partial front elevation, cross-section view of the primary vent shown in FIG. 13, taken along the line 15-15; and
FIG. 16 is a broken side elevation, cross-section view of the primary vent shown in FIG. 13, taken along the line 16-16.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Unless stated otherwise the drawings are proportional and drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize their teachings.
For purposes of the present disclosure, directional terms such as “forward,” “rearward,” “upper,” “lower,” “left,” and “right” are used to denote the relative positions of various structures with respect to the typically installed configuration and orientation of vent assembly 100, as shown for example in FIGS. 1 and 2. “Forward” refers to the front or outwardly-facing end of the vent assembly 100 which faces outwardly upon installation, and “rearward” is the opposite of forward. “Left” refers to the side of the vent assembly 100 on the left hand side from the perspective of an installer facing the front of the assembly 100. “Right” is the opposite of left, i.e., the right hand side from the perspective of the installer facing the front of the assembly 100. “Upper” refers to surfaces and structures spaced further away from the decking of the roof relative to “lower” surfaces or structures. Alternatively or in addition, “upper” surfaces and structures can be above “lower” surfaces and structures with respect to gravity.
Referring now to FIG. 1, vent assembly 100 is shown as installed on a roof having roof tiles 102. In the illustrated embodiment, roof tiles are flat tiles of a type commonly employed in the building industry, such as concrete or clay. Roof tiles 102 are shown schematically, it being understood that various designs of flat tiles may be used with vent 100 in accordance with the present disclosure.
Vent 100 includes a body 104 which may be a formed as a single monolithic component made from sheet metal. As further described below, body 104 is fixed to other components, including base screen 106, base latch plate 108, and front cover 110 to form vent assembly 100. Body 104 forms a generally cuboid structure with an open lower end, as seen in FIG. 4 for example. In particular, body 104 forms a “tray” structure with a main upper wall 136, left and right sidewalls 130 extending downwardly from the main upper wall 136, a front wall 132 extending downwardly to form left and right front corners with the sidewalls 130 (FIG. 5), and a rear wall 134 also extending downwardly to form left and right rear corners with the sidewalls 130 (FIG. 4). The corners may be fixed to one another, such as via clinch locks or welding, for example. This construction creates a downwardly-facing cavity within the “tray” of body 104 which serves as an airflow chamber, as further described below.
Upper wall 136 of body 104 includes three sets of louvers to facilitate airflow A through vent assembly 100 (FIG. 2). In particular, left and right vents 116 are each formed as a set of laterally positioned louvers along the left and right sides of the upper wall 136, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. Extending along the entire front portion of upper wall 136 is top front vent 118, formed as a set of front louvers which are positioned along the lower portion of body 104 upon installation. These louvers are all angled to allow rain to be channeled downwardly and forwardly along the outer surface of upper wall 136 to prevent falling rain from ingress into the cavity of vent assembly 100.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 6, body 104 further includes rear/upper flange 122 extending rearwardly (and, upon installation, upwardly) away from the lower edge of rear wall 134. Thus, the rear/upper flange 122 is disposed below upper wall 136 of body 104 and adjacent the open lower end of body 104. Flange 122 is positioned to be placed under one or more of the tiles 102 installed above the vent assembly 100, as shown in FIG. 1 and further described below. Beads 146 may extend left-to-right across and along flange 122 to add rigidity to flange 122. Stiffening dimples 124, shown in FIG. 4, may be provided at the junction between flange 122 and rear wall 134 to stiffen and reinforce the substantially perpendicular arrangement therebetween and prevent the rear wall 134 from bowing outwardly upon installation.
Base latch plates 108 connect to sidewalls 130 in the area of lateral vents 116, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5. Base latch plates 108 may include tabs 142 sized and positioned to interfit with tab receivers 144 formed in sidewalls 130, as best seen in FIG. 2. A front flange 140 extends upwardly from the forward edge of base latch plate 108 to abut the undersurface of upper wall 136, as shown in FIG. 6. A base screen 106 may optionally be interposed between each of the base latch plates 108 and the adjacent lateral vents 116, as seen in FIG. 4, to provide additional weather protection while still allowing airflow between the cavity of body 104 and the ambient atmosphere around vent assembly 100.
Front cover 110 is formed as a generally U-shaped channel and is configured to be mounted on the front wall 132 of the body 104. Front cover 110 may include an upright flange 128 (FIG. 5) sized to overlay front wall 132, and is fixed thereto via any suitable fixation method, such as fasteners as shown. Front cover also includes lower flange 126 extending generally parallel to upper wall 136 of body 104 upon installation. Bottom front vents 120, shown in FIG. 4, are formed by a louvered wall extending from the bottom of the upright flange 128 to the front of the lower flange 126. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 6, the louvers of front cover 110 are arranged such that wind-driven rain is prevented from ingress by presenting a series of substantially vertical walls which stop any such wind-driven rain from “running uphill” along the outer surfaces of vent assembly 100. Top front vent 118, described above, may be similarly configured.
The arrangement of the front vents 118 and 120 also cooperate to protect against air-driven ingress of undesired ambient materials such as rain, snow or fire embers. For example, when wind is blowing against an upwind surface of the roof, it may drive undesired materials into bottom front vent 120. Should this happen, however, the louvered surfaces within vent 120 divert the flow of undesired material upward toward vent 118. The louvers of top front vent 118 are aligned with this upward flow, such that the undesired materials are allowed to exit vent assembly 100 harmlessly upward through vent 118. In addition to wind-driven flows, strong convective flows carrying undesired materials may also be harmlessly exhausted upwardly in a similar fashion.
Optionally, a front screen 112 may be provided behind front cover 110, as shown in FIG. 6. Front screen 112 may have a lower end coupled (e.g., fixed) to lower flange 126 of front cover 110 and an upper end coupled (e.g., fixed) to the undersurface of upper wall 136 of body 104. As illustrated in FIG. 6, screen 112 is positioned behind both the bottom front vents 120 and the top front vents 118 to provide for increased weather protection while still allowing airflow, similar to screens 106 described above.
FIGS. 2-6 show a pair of back straps 114 which are attached (e.g., affixed such as by welding or fasteners) to rear/upper flange 122. Back straps 114 extend further rearwardly and upwardly from the rear edge of flange 122 and may include a hole or aperture at a rear portion thereof which is positioned to be exposed to the installer after vent assembly 100 is initially placed in its installed location. As further described below, these apertures may be used to affix vent assembly 100 to the underlying surface, such as roof decking 103 shown in FIGS. 7-12 and further described below.
Installation of the vent assembly 100 will now be described. Vent assembly 100 is installed to a roof assembly as the roof is constructed in a traditional manner, starting with a lower course of tiles 102 near the cave the building and adding progressive courses of tiles 102 working upwardly/rearwardly until the top of the roof is reached. At a desired location, vent assembly 100 is installed in place of one or more of the tiles 102, as shown in FIG. 1.
An installer can choose a location for vent 100 along a selected course of tiles 102. At this location, a hole is generally cut through the underlying decking. The hole may be equipped with a “primary” or other fitting to protect the hole and channel air across the decking. For example, primary fitting 250 is shown installed to decking 103 in FIG. 8 and described in further detail below.
For a course of tiles 102 built from right to left, vent 100 may be coupled to a first tile 102 by sliding the vent 100 over the tile starting from the right sidewall 130 and moving it rightward until a portion, such as about half, of the tile 102 is covered. This traps a rightward portion of lower flange 126 between the rightward tile 102 and the course of tiles 102 below it, as shown in FIG. 2 for example. Another, leftward tile 102 may then be slid into the space between upper flange 122 and lower flange 126, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6. At least a portion of each tile 102 captured by vent 100 may be fixed to the underlying roof deck in the usual manner, e.g., by nailing through a preformed hole at the top/rear of the tile 102.
As an alternative to sliding tiles 102 in along a sideways path, tiles 102 may be fixed in place at a desired location and lower flange 126 may be slid rearwardly underneath the tiles 102. Moreover, because only lower flange 126 needs to be slid underneath the left and right adjacent tiles 102, and no upper structures need to be placed underneath such tiles 102, lower flange 126 can generally be placed under the tiles 102 even if the upper/rear portions of the tiles 102 have already been fixed to the underlying decking, and without modification to the upper/rear portions of the tiles 102.
Advantageously, front cover 110 and particularly lower flange 126 may be flexible such that the distance between upper flange 122 and lower flange 126 can be easily manually adjusted by hand and without tools by an installer in the field. For example, the installer may simply bend lower flange 126 to accommodate a thick or thin tile.
Vent 100 may be initially fixed in place by fastening (e.g., nailing) through the apertures formed in back straps 114. For example, back straps 114 may be deformed by the installer, by hand and without tools, to meet the decking (e.g., decking 103 shown in FIG. 8) above and rearward of the adjacent tiles 102, as may be needed for various installation contexts and methods. The “hinges” formed by the creases in front cover 110 may also be slightly deformed by pulling the back straps 114 backwardly to put the entire vent 100 in tension for a secure attachment.
The next course of tiles, above and behind the course including vent 100, may then be installed. Tiles 102 are placed across flange 122 and back straps 114, compressing these between the tiles 102 and the adjacent decking as shown schematically in FIGS. 2 and 6. Beads 146 may deform and/or bite into the undersurface of the tiles 102 to add security of fixation.
Advantageously, a large cavity is created between the open lower end of the body 104 and the upwardly-facing decking of the roof assembly. This creates an airflow chamber through which large volumes of airflow A, shown in FIG. 2, can easily pass. In particular, vent 100 sits proud of the adjacent course of tiles 102, creating a large head space for airflow A. This elevated position also allows debris, rain and/or snow to pass below the vents 116 and 118 in many circumstances, further insuring against ingress or clogging.
Additionally, front cover 110 sits forward of the upper/rear edge of the lower course of tiles 102, as shown in FIG. 1, creating extra interior space. In some embodiments, this forward protrusion over the lower course may be between 1 inches and 6 inches, for example.
This large interior volume further allows for large-volume airflow A even though the maximum airflow opening among the various vents 116, 118 and 120 are very small. In some embodiments, the largest uninterrupted cross-sectional area is substantially less than one square inch, such as between 0.1 and 0.9 square inches, for example. This small opening prevents pests from entering the interior volume of vent assembly 100 and thereby protects the building from pest ingress. This is accomplished while retaining a net free area (NFA) at least large enough to meet regulatory and industry standards.
The flexibility of the front cover 110 and front screen 112, described above, allows for vent assembly 100 to be vertically compressed for efficient transport and storage.
FIGS. 7-12 illustrate another vent assembly 200 made in accordance with the present disclosure. Vent assembly 200 is interchangeable with vent assembly 100 described above, and all the uses and applications of vent assembly 100 also apply to vent assembly 200. Except as otherwise described below, vent assembly 200 is similar in structure and function to vent assembly 100 described above, and reference numerals of vent assembly 200 are analogous to the reference numerals used in vent assembly 100, except with 100 added thereto. Elements of vent assembly 200 correspond to similar elements denoted by corresponding reference numerals of vent assembly 100, except as otherwise described herein. All systems and structures useable in conjunction with vent assembly 200 are also useable with vent assembly 100 except as otherwise described herein.
However, vent assembly 200 includes various features for enhanced strength/rigidity, manufacturability and shipping compactness.
As best shown in FIG. 9, a stiffening rib 237 is formed into upper wall 236 of body 204. Stiffening rib 237 forms a closed loop near the outer periphery of upper wall 236, as shown, with a central portion 237A enclosed by the loop. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 12, central portion 237A may be recessed (i.e., being below and having a lower elevation) relative to both the stiffening rib 237 and the outer peripheral portion of upper wall 236. Rib 237 may form an “O” shape with two long parallel sides, two short parallel sides, and angled corners therebetween, as shown. Rib 237 may take other enclosed-loop shapes as required or desired for a particular application.
FIG. 12 illustrates rear/upper flange 222 which is constructed similarly to flange 122 described above, including beads 246 analogous to beads 146 but lacking an analog to stiffening dimples 124. Instead, stiffening flange 223 is provided, which extends downwardly from the rear edge of flange 222 as shown. Stiffening flange 223 extends across substantially the entire left-to-right extent of flange 222, as best seen in FIG. 10, such as at least 90% of the left-to-right extent, such that the stiffening effect of stiffening flange 223 is consistently applied to substantially all (e.g., at least 90%) of rear/upper flange 222.
Referring now to FIG. 11, base latch plates 208 include both an upper front flange 240A and a lower front flange 240B. Flange 240A is positioned and configured to attach to body 204, and includes a fastener aperture which can receive a fastener (e.g., a screw or rivet) that also attaches to body 204 as shown in FIG. 12. Flange 240B is positioned and configured to attach to front cover 210, and includes a pair of fastener apertures which can each receive a fastener 221 (e.g., a self-tapping screw) that also attaches to front cover 210 as shown in FIG. 12.
Base latch plates 208 also include side flanges 241 extending upwardly from a laterally-outward edge thereof, as shown. Side flanges 241 have tab receivers 244 formed therein. Tab receivers 244 are sized and positioned to receive correspondingly formed tabs 242, which are formed as a part of body 204. Similar to the corresponding structures of vent assembly 100, tabs 242 and tab receivers 244 interfit and form a slide-locking interface to removably affix base latch plates 208 to body 204. Advantageously, the arrangement of tabs 242 and tab receivers 244 is efficient to produce using metal stamping and bending techniques amenable to high-volume production methods.
Front wall 232 of body 204 also has an array of tab receivers 233, such as five even spaced tab receivers 233 as illustrated in FIG. 11. A corresponding array of tabs 229 are formed on upright flange 228 of front cover 210. This arrangement may also be reversed, i.e., tabs 229 may be formed on body 204 and tab receivers 233 may be formed on front cover 210. Tabs 229 and tab receivers 233 interfit and form a slide-locking interface to removably affix front cover 210 to body 204.
Front cover 210 is also fixed to body 204 via the fasteners 221 (e.g., self-tapping screws) that affix front cover 210 to base latch plates 208, which themselves are affixed to body 204 as described above. In this way, just a small number of screws (as illustrated in FIG. 10, two sets of two screws at the left and right sides of vent assembly 200) can be used to lock the interfitting arrangements of tabs 229 and receivers 233, and of tabs 242 and receivers 244.
Back straps 214 perform the same function as back straps 114 described above. Back straps 214 may be pivoted inwardly, as shown in FIG. 11, to avoid protruding beyond the rear edge of rear/upper flange 222. This facilitates compact shipping and transport of vent assembly 200. When ready to install vent assembly 200, back straps 124 can be pivoted outwardly, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, such that back straps 214 protrude rearwardly beyond the rear edge and are thereby positioned for fixation to the underlying support structure as described in detail above.
Turning again to FIG. 11, base screens 206 contain a single bend, rather than a pair of bends shown and described with respect to base screens 106. This allow base screens 206 to deflect slightly upon assembly of vent cover 200, creating a resilient deformation to serves to hold base screens 206 in place. Similarly, front screen 212 is shown to include upper and lower flanges which resiliently deform front screen 212 upon engagement with inner surfaces of body 204 and front cover 210, as shown in FIG. 12.
In addition to vent assembly 200, FIGS. 8 and 11 also show primary fitting 250, which is fixed over an aperture formed in decking 103 (FIG. 8) to allow fluid communication between the space below decking 103 and the ambient air above tiles 102 via vent assembly 200 (or 100, as described above). Primary fitting 250 includes a base flange 252 which attaches to decking 103 (e.g., via screws or nails) and an upstanding flange 254 extending upwardly from the base flange 252 and encircling the aperture 256 formed in the center of the fitting 250. A rear/upper edge of upstanding flange 254 includes a flared portion 258, as best seen in FIG. 8, which ensures any water or condensation which may be present on primary fitting 250 cannot build up on the high side of upstanding flange and potentially drip into aperture 256.
In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 11, all the features of primary fitting 250 are formed as a single, monolithic piece of material. For example, primary fitting 250 may be a stamped piece of metal, such as steel or aluminum. Upstanding flange 254 may be stamped into a blank piece, with the remaining non-stamped portion of the blank remaining as base flange 252. Flared portion 258 may also be a stamped feature. Advantageously, this arrangement allows all the features of primary fitting 250 to be formed from a single blank, rather than being made of multiple pieces, thereby ensuring highly efficient and inexpensive production.
FIGS. 13-16 illustrate primary fitting 250 in additional detail. Upstanding flange 254, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, forms a stadium profile contained within the rectangular profile of the base flange 252 (FIG. 14). That is, upstanding flange has a rear/upper portion 257 and a front/lower portion 255 which each extend along a generally straight path from left to right. A left arcuate (e.g., semicircular) portion 260 connects the left ends of upper and lower portions 257, 255 and a corresponding right arcuate (e.g., semicircular) portion 262 connects the right ends of upper and lower portions 257, 255. This creates a shape that could be referred to as an oval profile, but in particular, the straight parallel sides and arcuate ends as shown can be referred to as a stadium profile. In the illustrated embodiment, the front/lower portion 255 and the rear/upper portion 257 of the upstanding flange 254 form the straight sides of the stadium profile, and the left and right portions 260, 262 of the upstanding flange form the arcuate sides of the stadium profile.
Upstanding flange 254 extends generally perpendicular to base flange 252, creating a barrier to any water or debris which may be flowing downwardly along a roof and over the base flange 252. For purposes of the present disclosure, “generally perpendicular” can be said to be a slightly obtuse angle, such as an angle between 91 and 105 degrees, as measured between the outer surface of upstanding flange 254 and the adjacent surrounding upper surface of base flange 252. Referring to FIG. 16, front/lower portion 255 defines angle A with base flange 252, and rear/upper portion 257 defines angle B with base flange 252. Angles A and B may be equal. Similarly, FIG. 15 shows angle C formed between left flange portion 260 and base flange 252, which may also be equal to angles A and B. Right flange portion 262, not shown in FIG. 15, is a mirror image of left flange portion 260, and more generally, upstanding flange 254 may be symmetrical about centerline 270. These slightly obtuse angles A-C define a draft angle resulting from the stamping process by w hich upstanding flange 254 is formed. For example, a stamping press may moving along a bottom-to-top direction (i.e., from the viewpoint of FIGS. 15 and 16) to create upstanding flange 254 from a blank made from a flat sheet of metal stock.
By contrast to the slightly obtuse angles defined by most of upstanding flange 254, flared portion 258 of rear/upper flange portion 257 defines acute angle D with the surrounding surface of base flange 252, as measured between the outer surface of flared portion 258 and the adjacent upper surface of base flange 252. Acute angle D may be between 40 degrees and 70 degrees, for example, such as about 45 degrees as shown in the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 16. Acute angle D cooperates with the adjacent slightly obtuse angle B of rear/upper flange portion 257 to create and define a water channel at the upper edge of the upstanding flange 254. This water channel can capture falling water and direct it laterally toward left and/or right flange portions 260, 262, as opposed to potentially allowing water flows to overtop flange 254 along its upper portion 257. In this way, flared portion 258 prevents water ingress into aperture 256 and thereby works to keep the underside of the roof dry.
Like upstanding flange 254 generally, flared portion 258 is also a stamped feature. After flange 254 is initially created by a stamping operation as described above, the rear/upper flange 257 may be similar in size and configuration to front/lower flange 255 (FIG. 16). A second stamping operation may then be used to bend an upper portion of the rear/upper flange 257 to create flared portion 258. Advantageously, the creation of flared portion 258 and its associated water channel by stamping is highly efficient and cost-effective.
In addition to exemplary water management as discussed above, primary fitting 250 also provides for enhanced airflow through aperture 256. In particular, primary fitting 250 includes transitions 264, 266, best shown in FIGS. 13-14, which help to elevate upstanding flange 254 above base flange 252 to create a larger airflow area available to aperture 256 while still preserving the manufacturability and cost benefits of primary fitting 250 being formed from a single monolithic piece of material through stamping operations and processes.
Left transition 264 extends upwardly from base flange 252 to meet a lower edge of left portion 260 of upstanding flange 254 as shown in FIGS. 13-14. In this way, left transition 264 is adjacent base flange 252 along one of its edges, and adjacent left portion 260 at the opposite edge. Right transition 266, as a mirror image of left transition 264 about centerline 270 (FIG. 15), similarly extends upwardly from base flange 252 to meet right portion 262, such that right transition 266 is adjacent to these structures.
Left and right transitions 264, 266 together define an overall transition from the flat surfaces of base flange 252 to an elevated intersection with upstanding flange 254. This transition defines a rectangular profile, as best seen in FIG. 14, which has width WT and height HT. This rectangular profile circumscribes the stadium profile of upstanding flange 254, which has width WA and height HA. The rectangular profile of the transition is also fully contained within the perimeter of base flange 252, as shown.
In the embodiment of FIG. 14, the height HA of the stadium profile is substantially equal to the height HT of the transition, such that rectangle defined by the transition is formed from left and right transition portions 264, 266, front/lower flange 255 and rear/upper flange 257. Left and right transitions 264, 266 therefore vertically elevate only the left and right flange portions 260, 262 respectively, while front and rear flanges 255, 257 are simply made taller and do not require any transition portion. However, it is contemplated that transition portions could potentially extend all the way around upstanding flange 254, in cases where the height HA of the stadium profile is made smaller than the height HT of the overall transition rectangle.
In this way, transitions 264, 266 collectively transition from the stadium profile of upstanding flange 254 to the rectangular profile of the cutout formed within base flange 252. This rectangular profile is sized to correspond with a typical rectangular cutout formed in the decking 103 of a roof (FIG. 8), which often measures about 19 inches wide by about 7 inches high. Advantageously, the corresponding rectangular cutout in base flange 252 allows a full measure of airflow to pass through the rectangular cutout in the roof decking 103 while still allowing the use of a typical stadium-shaped aperture 256 in primary vent 250. By contrast, predicate designs place an oval opening directly over the rectangular hole and allow their base flanges to cover the corners of the rectangular opening cut in the roof decking, with no provision for airflow through these covered corners. These predicate designs therefore suffer from a full 20% reduction in airflow potential compared to primary fitting 250 including transitions 264, 266.
Turning again to FIG. 15, angle E is formed between the outer surface of transition 264 and the adjacent surrounding upper surface of base flange 252 (it being understood that the other transition 266 has the same angular arrangement). Angle E is an obtuse angle substantially larger than the slightly obtuse angles defined by upstanding flange 254, including angle C as shown in FIG. 15. In one embodiment, angle E may be between 125 and 145 degrees, such as about 135 degrees, which provides for smooth airflow passage between the rectangular opening in base flange 252 and the stadium-shaped aperture 256 while limiting the overall height of upstanding flange 254 to ensure compatibility with other venting structures (such as vent assemblies described above).
In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 14, arrow impressions 268 are stamped into base flange 252. Arrow impressions 268 point away from flared portion 258 in an up and rearward direction to provide a visual instruction for the proper orientation of primary fitting 250 upon installation to roof 103 (as shown in FIG. 8).
As noted above, primary fitting 250 is a stamped component made from a single monolithic piece of material. To create primary fitting 250, a blank is subjected to a series of stamping steps that bend and reconfigure the blank into the final form (as described herein). These stamping steps produce tool marks, altered (e.g., elongated) grain structures and other surface and material qualities that are readily ascertainable by visual inspection. In this way, primary fitting 250 is created by a method of stamping but is also, itself, a stamped component that is mechanically and materially distinguished from other components that are made by other processes.
While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.
Patent Application
20250043975
