Roof Flashing with a Detachable Component

Abstract

A flashing with a base member for placing against a roof, a lower stack member connected to the base member, and an upper stack member with a gasket for forming a tight seal with a pipe, the upper stack member being detachably connected to the lower stack member. Because the upper stack member with the gasket is detachably connected to the lower stack member, when the gasket is so degraded that it should be replaced, the upper stack member with gasket are removed without removing or replacing the base member and lower stack member of the flashing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/451,814, filed Mar. 11, 2011.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to roof flashings for establishing a weather-proof seal with pipes.

2. Description of the Related Art

Roof flashings are used to create a substantially weather-proof and moisture-proof seal around pipes extending through roofs and other exterior walls of houses and other buildings. Such pipes are used, for example, as vent stacks (hereinafter, “vent pipes”) for venting interior plumbing to the atmosphere.

Roof flashings of this type often comprise two components: a base member that sits substantially under the tiles of the roof and against the roof, anchoring the flashing; and a seal or gasket (hereinafter “gasket”) to form a weather-proof seal around a pipe that extends through the flashing. Often, due to exposure to the elements and due to the fact that the gasket is fabricated from different and less durable materials than the base member, the gasket will become corroded or porous and require replacement much earlier than the base member. However, because the base member and the gasket are integrally connected, the whole flashing unit must be replaced. The replacement process involves removing tiles from the roof in order to gain access to the base member and replacing the entire flashing unit.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in some of its various embodiments, comprises a flashing with a base member for placing against a roof, a lower stack member connected to the base member, and an upper stack member with a gasket for forming a tight seal with a pipe, the upper stack member being detachably connected to the lower stack member. Because the upper stack member with the gasket is detachably connected to the lower stack member, when the gasket is so degraded that it should be replaced, the upper stack member with gasket are removed without removing or replacing the base member and lower stack member of the flashing.

In one example embodiment, a flashing according to the present general inventive concept includes a base member, a lower stack member, and a detachable upper stack member. In some embodiments, the upper stack member includes a gasket for forming a weather-proof seal around a vent pipe. In some embodiments, the lower stack member includes threads onto which the upper stack member is screwed. In some embodiments, the upper stack member is detachably connected to the lower stack member by pressure fitting. In some embodiments, the lower stack member includes a lip that interacts with a complimentary lip on the upper stack member; the lip on the lower stack member connects with the lip on the upper stack member in a snug or close frictional fit. In several embodiments, the lip of the upper stack member, or the whole upper stack member itself, is fabricated from an elastic material that is capable of being non-deformably stretched; the upper stack member is detached from the lower stack member by stretching the lip of the upper stack member in order to decouple it from the lip of the lower stack member.

Generally, an example embodiment of the present invention comprises a roof flashing with a detachable component for forming a seal with a pipe, the roof flashing comprising a base member for placing against a roof, a lower stack member connected to said base member, and an upper stack member with a gasket for forming a tight seal with a pipe, the upper stack member being detachably connected to the lower stack member. In some embodiments, the roof flashing includes an upper stack member that is connected to the lower stack member by screwing the upper stack member onto threads on the lower stack member. In some embodiments, the roof flashing includes an upper stack member that is connected to the lower stack member by pressure fitting. In some embodiments, the roof flashing includes a gasket that comprises a rubber material. In some embodiments, the roof flashing includes a gasket that comprises a mixture of rubber and plastic.

A flashing with a detachable upper stack member, according the present general inventive concept, provides a weather-proof seal around a pipe that extends through the flashing. When the upper stack member (or a component of the upper stack member, such as a gasket in some embodiments) becomes corroded or porous and requires replacements, replacement of the detachable upper stack member does not involve replacing the whole flashing or removing tiles from the roof in order to gain access to the base member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and additional features of the invention will become more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the invention read together with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in use on a roof;

FIG. 4 is a top-down view of one example embodiment of the present general inventive concept, showing the section line along which the view in FIG. 5 is taken; and

FIG. 5 is a section view of the example embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, in some of its embodiments, includes a flashing with a base member, a lower stack member, and an upper stack member detachably connected to the lower stack member. In some of the various embodiments, a roof flashing with a detachable component to form a seal with a pipe comprises a base member to place against a roof; a lower stack member connected to said base member; and an upper stack member to form a tight seal with a pipe, said upper stack member being detachably connected to said lower stack member.

FIG. 1 illustrates one example embodiment of a flashing with a detachable upper stack member according to the present general inventive concept. In the illustrated example embodiment, a flashing 10 includes a base member 20, a lower stack member 30, and an upper stack member 40; the upper stack member 40 includes a gasket 45 for forming a weather-proof seal around a vent pipe. As shown in the exploded view of the same embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2, the upper stack member 40 with gasket 45 is detachable from the lower stack member 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower stack member 30 includes threads 35 onto which the upper stack member 40 is screwed. However, other means for fitting the upper stack member together with the lower stack member are contemplated by the present invention, including, for example, pressure fitting.

As shown in the view in FIG. 3, a flashing 10 according to the present invention is positioned on a roof with the base member 20 placed beneath the tiles 70 of the roof, with some tiles, for example 75a, 75b, 75c, 75d positioned to at least partially overlap the base member 20. Some tiles, such as 75d, are dimensioned such that at least one edge of the tile conforms to the presented shape of the lower stack member 30, which protrudes upwards from the base member 20. A pipe 50, such as a vent pipe, extends from the roof through an aperture defined by the gasket 45, the upper stack member 40, and the lower stack member 30, with the gasket 45 forming a tight seal against the pipe 50. When the gasket 45 surrounding the pipe 50 is so degraded that the gasket 45 requires replacement, the upper stack member 40 and gasket 45 are removed without removing or replacing the base member 20 and lower stack member 30 of the flashing 10.

In some embodiments, the present general inventive concept includes a flashing with an upper stack member detachably connected to the lower stack member by pressure fitting. As shown in FIG. 4 and in the section view in FIG. 5, a flashing 12 includes a base member 20, a lower stack member 32, and an upper stack member 42 to form a weather-proof seal around a vent pipe. As shown in the section view in FIG. 5, the upper stack member 42 is detachably connected to the lower stack member 32 by pressure fitting. In the illustrated example embodiment, the lower stack member 32 includes a lip 38 that interacts with a complimentary lip 46 on the upper stack member 42. The lip 38 on the lower stack member 32 connects with the lip 46 on the upper stack member 42 in a snug or close frictional fit (or, generally, a “pressure fitting,” taken here to encompass these and a variety of other fittings). In several embodiments, the lip 46 of the upper stack member 42, or the whole upper stack member 42 itself, is fabricated from an elastic material that is capable of being non-deformably stretched. The upper stack member 42 is detached from the lower stack member 32 by stretching the lip 46 of the upper stack member 42 in order to decouple it from the lip 38 of the lower stack member 32.

In some embodiments of the present general inventive concept, a flashing with an upper stack member detachably connected to the lower stack member, such as the illustrated example embodiment flashing 12 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, includes, as a component of the detachable upper stack member 42, a gasket, similar to the gasket 45 in the upper stack member 40 of the example embodiment flashing 10 shown in FIGS. 1 through 3. In some embodiments, such as the illustrated example embodiment flashing 12 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the upper stack member 42 includes rings of perforations 48a and 48b in the material of the upper stack member 42. These rings of perforations 48a and 48b in the material of the upper stack member 42 permit a user to adjust the size of the aperture in the upper stack member 42 by removing a portion of material from the upper stack member 42; the rings of perforations 48a and 48b substantially define the boundaries of the portion of material to be removed. Generally, the size of the vent pipe to be fit through the aperture in the upper stack member 42 determines whether a portion of material from the upper stack member 42 is to be removed and how sizable a portion of material from the upper stack member 42 is to be removed; the rings of perforations 48a and 48b substantially define differently sized portions of material to be removed, and thus the rings of perforations 48a and 48b permit variation in the diameter of the aperture in the upper stack member 42. Thus, by removing a portion of material from the upper stack member 42, the flashing 12 is capable of being readily adapted to vent pipes of varying diameters and sizes.

In various embodiments, the components of a flashing according to the present general inventive concept are fabricated from a variety of materials. In some embodiments, the lower stack member is fabricated from aluminum. In some embodiments, the lower stack member is fabricated from poly-vinyl chloride. In some embodiments, the lower stack member is fabricated from a plastic material. In some embodiments, the lower stack member is fabricated from a material including polyethylene. In some embodiments, the lower stack member is fabricated from a polymeric olefin. In some embodiments, the lower stack member is fabricated from copper. In some embodiments, the upper stack member is fabricated from rubber. In some embodiments, the upper stack member is fabricated from poly-vinyl chloride. In some embodiments, the upper stack member is fabricated from a plastic material. In some embodiments, the upper stack member is fabricated from a polymer material. In some embodiments, the upper stack member is fabricated from a combination of rubber and other materials. Additional modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is not limited to the materials listed herein.

A flashing with a detachable upper stack member, according to one of the several embodiments of the present general inventive concept, provides a weather-proof seal around a pipe that extends through the flashing. When, due to exposure to the elements or other factors, the upper stack member (or a component of the upper stack member, such as a gasket in some embodiments) becomes corroded or porous and requires replacement, a user is able to replace the upper stack member without replacing the base member. Thus, replacement of the detachable upper stack member does not involve removing tiles from the roof in order to gain access to the base member or replacing the entire flashing unit.

While the present invention has been illustrated by description of some embodiments, and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.

Claims

1. A roof flashing with a detachable component for forming a seal with a pipe, comprising:

a base member for placing against a roof;

a lower stack member connected to said base member; and

an upper stack member with a gasket for forming a tight seal with a pipe, said upper stack member being detachably connected to said lower stack member.

2. The roof flashing of claim 1 wherein said upper stack member is connected to said lower stack member by screwing said upper stack member onto threads on said lower stack member.

3. The roof flashing of claim 1 wherein said upper stack member is connected to said lower stack member by pressure fitting.

4. The roof flashing of claim 1 wherein said gasket comprises a rubber material.

5. The roof flashing of claim 1 wherein said gasket comprises a mixture of rubber and plastic.

6. A roof flashing with a detachable component to form a seal with a pipe, comprising:

a base member to place against a roof;

a lower stack member connected to said base member; and

an upper stack member to form a tight seal with a pipe, said upper stack member being detachably connected to said lower stack member.

7. The roof flashing of claim 6 wherein said upper stack member is connected to said lower stack member by screwing said upper stack member onto threads on said lower stack member.

8. The roof flashing of claim 6 wherein said upper stack member is connected to said lower stack member by pressure fitting.