This disclosure is directed to a novel vent system and, in particular to a novel air vent cover.
Air vent covers are structures that cover a hole in a wall or floor at the area where an air duct enters an enclosed space, such as an interior room of a home. Conventional floor vents suffer from a number of deficiencies, including inferior strength, fit and finish, and aesthetics. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a vent system for floors that provides improvements in structural strength, fit and finish, and general aesthetics.
Various embodiments of a vent system, and methods of manufacturing and installing the vent systems are provided.
In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing a vent system for a finished floor comprises providing a floor covering member, reducing a thickness of the floor covering member by removing material from a bottom surface of the floor covering member, cutting the floor covering member to a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness, cutting a plurality of first vent openings in the floor covering member, providing a metal layer comprising a plurality of second vent openings, and adhering the metal layer to the bottom surface of the floor covering member with the plurality of first vent openings in alignment with the plurality of second vent openings to form a vent system. The floor covering member can be the same material as the finished floor to provide a refined and aesthetically-pleasing flooring system.
In other embodiments, a vent system is provided. The vent system comprises a floor covering member for use as a finished floor and a metal member. The floor covering member comprises a plurality of first openings and has a first thickness that has been reduced by a first amount and the metal member is secured to a bottom surface of the reduced-thickness floor covering member. The metal member has a plurality of second openings aligned with the plurality of first openings and a second thickness that is the same as the first amount.
In yet another embodiment, a method of installing a vent system in a finished floor is provided. The method includes providing a first opening in a subfloor, installing a plurality of floor covering members on the subfloor with a second opening that is aligned with the first opening and the second opening is larger than the first opening so that a portion of the subfloor that surrounds the first opening is exposed, positioning a vent system in the second opening so that it is supported by the exposed portion of the subfloor. The vent system comprises a metal member secured to a bottom surface of a reduced-thickness floor covering member.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.
General Considerations
As used in this application the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Additionally, the term “includes” means “comprises.” Furthermore, as used herein, the term “and/or” means any one item or combination of items in the phrase. In addition, the term “exemplary” means serving as a non-limiting example, instance, or illustration. As used herein, the terms “e.g.,” and “for example,” introduce a list of one or more non-limiting embodiments, examples, instances, and/or illustrations.
Although the operations of some of the disclosed methods are described in a particular, sequential order for convenient presentation, it should be understood that this manner of description encompasses rearrangement, unless a particular ordering is required by specific language set forth below. For example, operations described sequentially may in some cases be rearranged or performed concurrently. Moreover, for the sake of simplicity, the attached figures may not show the various ways in which the disclosed things and methods can be used in conjunction with other things and methods. Additionally, the description sometimes uses terms like “provide,” “produce,” “determine,” and “select” to describe the disclosed methods. These terms are high-level descriptions of the actual operations that are performed. The actual operations that correspond to these terms will vary depending on the particular implementation and are readily discernible by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
The systems and methods described herein, and individual components thereof, should not be construed as being limited to the particular uses or systems described herein in any way. Instead, this disclosure is directed toward all novel and non-obvious features and aspects of the various disclosed embodiments, alone and in various combinations and subcombinations with one another. For example, any features or aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be used in various combinations and subcombinations with one another, as will be recognized by an ordinarily skilled artisan in the relevant field(s) in view of the information disclosed herein. In addition, the disclosed systems, methods, and components thereof are not limited to any specific aspect or feature or combinations thereof, nor do the disclosed things and methods require that any one or more specific advantages be present or problems be solved.
Exemplary Vent Systems
As used herein, the term “subfloor” refers to a sturdy structural base layer that provides a foundation for a finished “floor covering.” The subfloor may rest directly on joists or other support members. In some cases, the subfloor can comprise plywood, oriented strand-board (OSB), wood planks, or other suitable materials.
As used herein, the term “floor covering” refers to the visible surface or structure that is supported by the subfloor. The material of the floor covering is often selected to provide a more decorative or aesthetically pleasing appearance than the material that forms the subfloor. The floor covering can also be referred to, in some cases, as a “finish floor.” As used herein, the floor covering can include any material that has a finished surface, including, for example, solid wood flooring, engineered wood flooring, laminated flooring, luxury vinyl plank (LVP), and cork plank.
As used herein, the term “underlayment” refers to a material that can optionally be provided between the subfloor and the floor covering to provide one or more benefits, such as cushioning, sound absorption, and floor leveling. The underlayment can also function as a vapor barrier to prevent moisture from coming through and damaging the floor covering and/or as insulation to help regulate temperatures between the subfloor and floor covering. The underlayment is generally much thinner than the floor covering. In some cases, the underlayment can comprise polyethylene foam, felt, cork, or other suitable materials. The underlayment can be installed under the floor covering or, in some cases, it can be pre-attached to the bottom of the floor covering.
The floor covering 102 can be installed in any suitable manner. For example, plank floor coverings can be installed by cutting the planks to a desired size and snapping them in place on the subfloor using the tongue-and-groove structure of the planks (e.g., floating planks) or by otherwise adhering the planks to the floor with an adhesive material. Such installation methods are well-known.
As shown in
The floor cover opening (first opening) is preferably larger than the subfloor opening (second opening) in both a length and width direction. Thus, as shown in
By providing a larger floor covering opening (first opening) than the subfloor opening (second opening) a portion of the subfloor 104 is exposed by the floor covering opening. This exposed portion of the subfloor 104 forms a support structure 106 onto which the vent system 100 can be positioned. As shown in
In the embodiment shown in
To better illustrate the support structure 106 and recess formed by the support structure 106 and adjacent walls 108, 110, 112, 114,
The vent systems described herein can be used with any finished floor material, including, for example, solid wood flooring, engineered wood flooring, laminated flooring, luxury vinyl plank (LVP), and cork plank.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the vent system 100 can be formed by selecting a floor covering member (e.g., one or more planks depending on the width of the desired vent system and the width of the individual floor covering members), and reducing the thickness of the floor covering member by the thickness of the desired metal bottom layer (MT). After cutting the desired vent openings in the reduced thickness member, the metal bottom layer can be secured to the bottom surface of the reduced thickness member with the openings in the reduced thickness member and the openings in the metal bottom layer aligned as desired. Additional details of an exemplary method of forming a vent system are provided in the example below.
A method of manufacturing a vent system can comprise the following steps:
1. Select a floor covering member (e.g., one or more planks depending on size of the opening).
2. Remove a portion of the back of the floor covering member (e.g., by planing off an amount of material that generally corresponds to the thickness of the metal bottom layer of the vent system.
3. Apply an adhesive tape to the back of the planed floor covering member.
4. Cut planed floor covering member to size and cut vent openings (e.g., by fastening the planed floor covering member to a CNC machine, upside down in some embodiments, and cutting to desired size with openings).
5. Secure metal bottom layer to floor covering member with openings in the metal bottom layer and openings in the floor covering member aligned (e.g., by removing the protective layer from the adhesive tape and adhering the metal bottom layer to the adhesive material).
Additional finishing steps can be performed during and/or after the above steps. For example, the areas that have been cut can be filed and/or buffed to remove any imperfections or to otherwise improve the appearance and/or function of the pieces. In addition, paint can be applied to portions of the vent system, such as between slats where the floor covering member has been cut, to reduce visibility of those portions and improve the overall appearance of the vent system 100.
It should be understood that the metal bottom layer can be secured to the back of the reduced-thickness floor covering member by any suitable means. In some embodiments, an adhesive can be used to permanently fix the metal bottom layer to the floor covering member. However, other methods of attachment, though perhaps less desirable, can also be used, such as mechanical fasteners.
In some embodiments a frame can be provided that surrounds the vent system 100. For example, as shown in
The vent systems described herein can be produced in a variety of sizes, including the following vent sizes (all in inches): 4×10, 4×12, 4×14, 6×10, 6×12, 6×16. In addition, vent systems can be provided in any desired custom size and shape. For example, in some embodiments, a width of the vent system can range from 3 inches to 10 inches and a length can range from 5 inches to 20 inches. For vent sizes that require more than one floor covering piece (i.e., two or more planks), the floor covering pieces can be coupled together before being prepared as described herein (e.g., creating vent openings, reducing a thickness, and securing a metal bottom layer).
The metal bottom layer can be formed from steel and can have a thickness that provides sufficient load-bearing strength across the span of the vent system. In one embodiment, the steel can have a thickness that is equal to or greater than 0.10 inch and equal to or less than 0.2 inch. In addition, in some embodiments, a ratio of the thickness of the metal bottom layer (MT) to a thickness of the vent system (VT) can range from 0.1 to 0.5, or more preferably the ratio can range from 0.2 to 0.3.
For example, in one embodiment, the metal bottom layer can comprise 11 gauge steel with a thickness of 0.125 inch (MT) and the total thickness (VT) can be 0.5 inch, and the ratio can be 0.25. Similarly, in another embodiment, 12 gauge steel can be used with a thickness (MT) of 0.11 and ratio of 0.22.
Referring again to
In the above example, the openings have a width (W) of 0.25 inch and a length (L) of 3.75 inches; however, it should be understood that other widths and lengths are possible. For example, in some embodiments the width of the openings can vary from 0.2 to 0.3 inch.
The vent systems described herein provide a number of advantages over conventional systems. For example, as discussed above the complete vent system 100 (e.g., floor covering portion and metal bottom layer) can be completely removed from the recess in which it is received. This provides easy access to the duct work for cleaning or other maintenance. Similarly, the installation of the vent system is simple and requires no special tools.
The vent systems described herein also provide improved aesthetics as the vent system can be custom matched to the adjacent floor covering. In addition, modifying a floor covering member as described herein results in a flush-mounted vent system.
The vent systems can also provide improved airflow since the plurality of openings in the vent system can provide a greater ratio of free air space of the openings to the total area of the vent system.