Attic vent

Abstract

An attic vent has a barricade wall fitting around a rain cover. A screen covers an open end of the barricade wall. A number of holes are placed in a side of the barricade wall.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention claims priority on provisional patent application, Ser. No. 60/650,385, filed on Feb. 4, 2005, entitled “Snow Blocker Attic Vent” and is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of roof devices and more particularly to an attic vent.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Attic vents are common in houses to allow hot air to vent from the house to the outside. The vents include a cover to prevent rain from entering the vent hole. The cover has openings between the roof and the cover that allow the gases to vent from the house. Unfortunately, a wind driven snowstorm can result in snow entering through the openings and getting into the attic. When this snow melts it can cause extensive water damage to the interior dwelling. Present vents also permit squirrels and other small animals access to the attic. These animals can also cause extensive damages to the house.

Thus there exists a need for an improved attic vent that does not allow snow to enter the attic and prevents small animals from entering the house.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An attic vent that overcomes these and other problems has a barricade wall fitting around a standard attic vent. A screen covers an open end of the barricade wall. A number of holes may be placed in a side of the barricade wall. A shielding may be fitted around the standard attic vent. The barricade wall may sit on the shielding. The barricade wall and screen may be made of metal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the attic vent in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the attic vent in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shielding in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is directed to an improved attic vent that prevents snow from entering the attic and prevents small animals from entering the house and causing damage to the house. The attic vent has a barricade wall that blocks snow from entering the openings in the rain cover. A screen over the top of the barricade wall prevents small animals from entering into the opening of the rain cover and allows air to enter the opening in the rain cover.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the attic vent 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The attic vent 10 includes a barricade wall 12. A screen 14 fits into an opening 15 of the barricade wall 12. A rain cover 16 fits over the vent hole 18 and has openings 20 that allow air to vent out of the attic. A sleeve 22 sits on a lip 24 of a shielding 26.

The shielding 26 sits on a roof of the house and has an opening that fits over the vent hole 18. The lip 24 of the shielding 26 holds the sleeve 22. The sleeve acts as a barrier for snow of small animals. The sleeve 22 is not as tall as the rain cover 16. The rain cover 16 in this embodiment is rectangular and has a number of feet 28 that attached to the shielding 26 by screws, bolts or other attachment devices. The feet 28 are taller than the open box of the cover 16. As a result, four openings 20 are formed that allow air to pass out of the vent hole and through the openings 20. The barricade wall 12 is larger than the rain cover 16 and forms a wall around the openings 20 so that snow cannot just blow into the openings and from there into the attic. The barricade wall 12 has a lip 30 that forms a better seal with the shielding 26 and may be used to attach the barricade wall to the shielding 26. The top of the barricade wall 12 has a interior facing lip 32. A screen 14 fits up against the lip 32 and may be affixed to the lip 32. The screen prevents small animals from entering into the attic.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the attic vent 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. This figure shows the assembled or installed attic vent. The only parts that are visible are the barricade wall 12, screen 14 and the shielding 26. Also shown in the figure are holes 34 in a portion of the barricade wall 12. These holes 34 allow snow or rain that enters the screen 14 to escape and roll off the roof. Thus the attic vent shown herein prevents snow and small animals from entering an attic of a house.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shielding 26 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The shielding 26 has an opening 18 that fits over the vent hole. The opening 18 has a lip 24 that protrudes from the plane of the shielding 26.

In one embodiment, all parts of the attic vent may be made of sheet metal and the screen made of metal. In another embodiment, the attic vent parts are made of a plastic.

In another embodiment, the attic vent is a retrofit over existing attic vents. An existing attic vent would look similar to the rain cover 16. The other parts are then installed around the existing rain vent.

While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alterations, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An attic vent comprising,

a barricade wall fitting around a standard attic vent; and

a screen covering an open end of the barricade wall.

2. The attic vent of claim 1, further including a plurality of holes in a side of the barricade wall.

3. The attic vent of claim 1, further including a shielding fitting around the standard attic vent.

4. The attic vent of claim 3, wherein the barricade wall sits on the shielding.

5. The attic vent of claim 1, wherein the barricade wall is made of sheet metal.

6. The attic vent of claim 1, wherein the screen is a metal screen.

7. An attic vent comprising,

a rain cap covering a vent tube; and

a barricade wall fitting around the rain cap.

8. The attic vent of claim 7, further including a screen covering an open end of the barricade wall.

9. The attic vent of claim 8, further including a plurality of vent holes in a portion of the barricade wall.

10. The attic vent of claim 8, further including a sleeve attached to the vent tube.

11. The attic vent of claim 8, further including a shielding base fitting around the vent tube.

12. The attic vent of claim 11, wherein the shielding base has a cutout of the vent tube.

13. The attic vent of claim 12, wherein the shielding base includes a lip around the cutout.

14. The attic vent of claim 13, wherein a sleeve mates with the lip.

15. An attic vent comprising,

a rain cap covering a vent tube;

a barricade wall fitting around the rain cap; and

a screen covering an open end of the barricade wall.

16. The attic vent of claim 15, further including a plurality of vent holes in a portion of the barricade wall.

17. The attic vent of claim 15, further including a shielding base fitting around the vent tube.

18. The attic vent of claim 17, wherein the shielding base has a cutout of the vent tube.

19. The attic vent of claim 18, wherein the shielding base includes a lip around the cutout.

20. The attic vent of claim 19, wherein a sleeve mates with the lip.