Baffle-vent for S-tile ridge

Abstract

An air vent for tiled roofs is installed for air exchange occurs through a slit near the roof apex. The vent has a plurality of layers of corrugated materials defining a plurality of airways for air exchange. In one embodiment, a baffle is attached to a vent member. In another embodiment, a plurality of vent members is attached to a top panel, which may be made from the corrugated material, optionally with a route exposing airways for additional air exchange. A membrane may be present on the embodiments to prevent ingress of water, particulates, and insects into the roof interior. A covering member and/or a layer of cementous material may be used to further prevent undesired ingress of water, particulates, or insects. If present, the covering member is adhered to a lower panel of one embodiment and disposed below the baffle in another embodiment.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/631,927, filed Nov. 30, 2004, and hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to roofing vents and, in particular, this invention relates to ridge vents for tile roofs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a properly ventilated roof, a constant flow of air from the interior to the exterior of the roof prevents moisture condensation within the roof interior. By contrast, insufficient roof ventilation can result in condensation at a prolonged interface between still moist air and a colder surface such as the interface between the decking and the atmosphere within the roof structure. The condensed moisture often spots and damages ceilings. In more severe cases, structural members such as joists and studs are continually damp and subsequently become unsound. Moreover, in properly ventilated roofs, heated air from the roof interior is replaced by cooler air from the roof exterior. Hence, buildings with insufficiently ventilated roofs also tend to be warmer in summer months due the presence of solar-heated air trapped therewithin. These buildings are more expensive to maintain at comfortable temperatures than if the roofs were adequately ventilated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A vent system is provided, as well as methods of making and using the instant vent system for enabling air exchange in a tile roof.

In one embodiment, the vent assembly of this invention has a vent member and a baffle attachable to the vent member. The vent member may include a plurality of plies of corrugated material forming discrete air passages or airways, which may optionally extend generally transversely to a longitudinal axis of the vent member. The baffle may have a first section and a second section, the second section extending generally transversely with respect to the first section. The baffle may be attached to the vent member. In use, at least a portion of the vent assembly may be inserted in a slot proximate a ridge of a tiled roof and fixed in place. A covering member having upper and lower undulations extending from an upper surface may be used. The covering member is disposed so that the tiles are accommodated by the upper undulations and the upper surface of the covering member is disposed below the baffle member second section. In lieu of, or in addition to, the covering member, a solidified layer may be formed to seal the portion of the slot not occupied by the instant vent.

In another embodiment, the vent assembly of this invention has a vent, a membrane, and an adhesive member. The vent includes a top panel and at least one vent member. The top panel and at least one vent member may be made of the corrugated material described above. The membrane may be attached to the vent so as to prevent ingress of water, particulates, or insects through the vent and into the roof interior. The adhesive member is attached to a lower surface of the vent to enable attaching the vent to the covering member described above.

It is a feature of the instant vent assembly to define discrete airways. It is an advantage of the foregoing feature, that the discrete airways efficiently promote air exchange between the interior and exterior of a tiled roof.

It is a feature of one embodiment of the instant vent assembly to include a plurality of plies of corrugated materials, which define the airways. It is an advantage of the foregoing feature that the vent assembly is efficiently formed by disposing the plies in a stacked manner.

It is a feature of one embodiment of the instant vent assembly to include a baffle attached to the vent member. It is an advantage of the foregoing feature that the baffle helps prevent ingress of water, particulates, or insects into the interior of the roof.

It is a feature of one embodiment of the present invention to include an air permeable membrane attached to the vent. It is an advantage of the foregoing feature that the membrane inhibits liquid moisture, particulate and/or insect ingress through the vent and into the interior of the roof.

It is a feature of one embodiment of this invention to include an adhesive member attachable to the vent. It is an advantage of the foregoing feature that other devices can be attached to the adhesive member to inhibit ingress of liquid moisture, particulates, and/or insects through the vent and into the roof interior.

These and other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the description which follows, when considered in view of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the vent assembly of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the baffle of the vent assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of one side of the ridge of a tile roof, in which the instant vent assembly has been installed.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section of the apex area of a tile roof, in which two vent assemblies of this invention have been installed in an alternate manner.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a covering member optionally used with the instant vent assembly.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the covering member of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the vent assembly of this invention.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the vent assembly of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section of the vent assembly of FIG. 7 attached to the covering member of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-section of a tiled roof showing a portion of a second embodiment of the present vent assembly.

FIG. 10a is a fragmentary perspective view of a route defined in the instant vent top panel.

FIG. 11 is a cross-section of one embodiment of the weatherproof three-ply material suitable for the instant vent.

FIG. 12 is a cross-section of another embodiment of the weatherproof three-ply material suitable for the instant vent.

FIG. 13 is a cross-section of a weatherproof two-ply material suitable for the instant vent.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing the instant vent being assembled after being formed by slit-scoring.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the instant vent being assembled after being formed by nick-scoring.

FIG. 16 is a side view showing severed vent parts being assembled.

It is understood that the above-designated figures are only illustrative of the present invention and are not contemplated to limit the scope thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

All dimensions and angles shown in conjunction with the components in the attached figures may vary with a potential design and the intended use of an embodiment of the invention without departing from, or limiting, the scope thereof.

A typical tile roof is depicted in FIG. 4 generally at 50. The tile roof 50 has a center beam 52 supported by rafters or chords 54 (if trusses are used). Underlayment or decking 56 is attached to the rafters 54. Cross members 58 are then attached to upper surfaces of the underlayment 56. S-tiles 60 are then disposed so as to be supported by the cross members 58. At the ridge or apex of the roof 50 a cap tile 62 is placed over the final row of S-tiles. Like all roofs, proper ventilation of tile roofs is a requirement for longevity and function. However, when the roof 50 is not properly ventilated, a number of adverse effects may result.

When the present invention is advantageously installed in the roof 50, a slit 64 is formed between the underlayment 56 and the center beam 52. Referring to FIGS. 1-4, one embodiment of the instant vent assembly is indicated generally at 100, and includes a vent member 104 and a baffle 106. The vent member 104, in turn, includes at least one panel, e.g., panels 110, 112, 114, and 116. The panels 110-116 may be formed from a corrugated material, which is made from a synthetic resin. Suitable methods for forming the instant vent member are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,947,817, 6,450,882, and 6,623,354, each hereby incorporated by reference. One method is scoring alternate generally planar plies (described below) of a sheet of corrugated material and folding along the scores to define the individual connected panels. In the embodiment depicted, airways 118 are defined by a cooperation of generally planar plies 120 and a convoluted ply 122 operably disposed between the planar plies 120.

A membrane porous to air flow may also be included in the instant vent assembly. If present, the membrane may be disposed in a substantially similar manner as disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,354. In the embodiment depicted, the baffle 106 includes singular, or otherwise integral, respective first, second, and third sections 128, 130, and 132, separated at respective first and second bends 134 and 136. Construction of the instant vent assembly is completed by adhering the vent 104 to the first section 128 of the baffle 106 by adhesives, screws, rivets, or other fasteners known to the art.

One suitable material for the vent 104 is laminated board made from a synthetic resin such as high-density polyethylene (e.g., 140-160 pounds per 1000 square foot). In one embodiment, the vent member 104 is adhered to the baffle 106 by an adhesive, such as a copolyamid. The baffle 106 may be formed from materials such as metals or synthetic resins having the requisite stiffness and resilience.

After being installed in the slot 64 formed in the roof, the instant vent is affixed to the headboard 52 by fasteners such as nails or screws; however, adhesives known to the art may be used as well. When installed as shown and described herein, the second and third sections 130 and 132 extend generally outboard from the headboard 52. The cap tile 62 may then be installed directly over the last tier of S-tiles. Alternatively, a covering member 140 may be disposed over the S-tiles as depicted in FIG. 4. One suitable embodiment of the covering member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,598,353, hereby incorporated by reference. In one embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cover member 140 has alternating upper and lower undulations 142 and 144 extending from a generally linear upper surface 146. When disposed as shown at FIG. 4, the upper surface 146 of the covering member 140 is inserted beneath the second and third sections 130 and 132 of the baffle 106 such that the upper undulations are disposed over, and cover, the tiles. The cap tile 62 is then disposed over the covering member 140. When disposed as indicated in FIG. 4, the covering member 140 and the baffle 106 cooperate to seal the portion of the slit 64 not occupied by the vent 104, thereby preventing ingress of moisture, particulates, and insects.

As depicted in FIG. 3, an alternative way of sealing the portion of the slit 64 not occupied by the instant vent is to pour a sealant such as mortar, grout, or caulking therein so that the sealant solidifies in the unoccupied portion of the slit 64. The layer of stiffened mortar effectively prevents ingress of water, particulates, and insects into the inner portions of the instant roof.

When installed as indicated, the vent assembly 100 allows air circulation by providing air egress from within the instant roof to the exterior thereof, the air flowing through the airways 118 as indicated by arrows 148.

Referring to FIGS. 7-11, another embodiment of the instant vent assembly is depicted generally at 150. The vent assembly 150 includes a vent 152, an optional membrane 154, and an adhesive member 156. The vent 152, in turn, has a top panel 160 and at least one, e.g., two, vent members 162, each vent member 162 including a plurality of vent panels 164. Referring to FIG. 11a and to further enable air flow, a route 168 may be formed in the top panel 160 proximate an interior surface 170 in the manner disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,354, wherein the route 168, optionally generally coaxial to the top panel 160, is formed. The route 168 may be formed by removing a generally linear portion of the bottom ply 204 and at least a portion of the underlying intermediate ply 206, so that the route 168 extends through the bottom ply and into the intermediate ply, thereby defining inner openings 208 of additional airflow passages 118.

The membrane 154 may be constructed from a filtering fabric such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,623,354, e.g., polypropylene. However, materials suitable for other embodiments include any reasonably thin, air permeable, water resistant substances, optionally formed into sheets. Woven and non-woven fabrics may be used as well as air permeable water resistant membranes which are not fabric. In one embodiment, the instant filtering fabric allows at least about 75 percent of the air to flow through the filter that would do so if the filter were not present. The instant filtering material or membrane thus may include non-woven, spunbonded materials of randomly arranged synthetic polymer fibers. A sheet of the instant air permeable, water resistant, woven or nonwoven fabric or other membrane may be applied to the bottom side of the vent. The filtering fabric is bonded to the corrugated material proximate the peak of the vent and on the bottom surfaces of the stacked, corrugated vent material. Alternatively, the instant filtering fabric is bonded proximate the peak of the vent and on interior sides or exterior sides of the stacked, corrugated vent material so as to filter airflow through the vent members themselves. When the ridge vent is applied to the roof ridge the filtering fabric forms a tent like structure such that any accumulated rainwater drains out through the bottommost layer of the stacked side vent portions of the ridge vent.

Referring to FIG. 11, the instant vent having vent panels, or vent having a top panel and vent panels, may be made from a three-ply weatherproof material 200 having generally planar first and second plies 202, 204 and a convoluted (fluted) intermediate ply 206, the planar and intermediate plies joined together to form air passages 118 therebetween. Alternatively and referring to FIG. 12, an alternate three-ply material 210 has a plurality of cross walls or cross plies 212 extending generally transversely between the generally planar plies 202, 204 to form air passages 118 bounded by the cross plies 212 and the planar plies 202, 204. Additionally, FIG. 13 depicts how a two-ply material 220 may be used which has one generally planar ply 202 and one convoluted ply 206, the air passages 118 being defined between the convolutions of the convoluted ply and the planar ply. Whenever two or more layer of the two-ply material are used, still more air passages 118′ are formed between contacting convoluted plies.

In one embodiment, the top panel 160 and vent panels 164 are formed in a substantially similar manner as discussed above with respect to the panels 110-116 and airways 118. The top panel 160 and vent panels 164 may be formed by techniques termed slit scoring, nick scoring, and severing. If slit scoring is used, scoring is effected in two opposing orientations (FIG. 14). In a first orientation 250, a slit or score is extended through an upper ply and the underlying intermediate ply. In a second orientation 252, a slit or score is extended through a lower planar ply and the overlying intermediate ply. In forming the top and vent panels the slit orientations are laterally alternated to provide defined top and vent panels, which can be assembled by Z-folding into an assembled, stacked vent. For example, a slit of the first orientation 250 is effected on each lateral edge of the top panel 160 and a slit of the second orientation 252 is effected laterally of the slits of the first orientation to thereby define the first pair of vent panels 164. Slits of alternating orientations are continued until all desired vent panels are formed. The first pair of vent panels 164 folds under the top panel 160, and folds over the second pair of vent panels 164′.

Alternatively, FIG. 15 depicts nick scoring including lines 260 of perforations 262 to define the top and vent panels, the perforations extending through both planar plies and through the intermediate ply as well. The perforated lines 260 are a series of these perforations 262. Interspersed between the perforations are intact areas 264. The perforated lines thus define the top and vent panels and expose exterior openings for air passages 118. When vents are made using either slit or nick scoring, assembly may be completed by extending fasteners through adjacent and contacting top and vent panels to fix the panels in the desired assembled configuration.

Referring to FIG. 16, the instant vent is formed by severing the top panel 160 and vent panels 164, assembling them to a contacting, stacked conformation. Optionally, connectors such as staples 165 are extended through the top panel 160 and sets of vent panels 164.

The adhesive member 156 is adhered to a lower surface 174 of the lowermost vent panel 164 of each vent member 162. Alternatively, the adhesive member 156 may be adhered to the lower surface 174 of the lowermost vent panel 164 just prior to installation. The adhesive member 156 may include an adhesive tape 178 with adhesive present on a single side thereof. The adhesive, in turn, may be covered by strips 180, e.g., two, of a removable liner, each strip 180 longitudinally covering about one-half of the adhesive. When the adhesive member 156 is to be attached to the vent panel 164, one of the liner strips 180 is removed and the adhesive member is attached, optionally so that an edge 176 of the adhesive liner generally aligns with the edges of the top panel 160 and vent members 162. At the roof site, the other liner strip is removed and the adhesive member is attached to the upper surface 146 of the covering member 140. The vent assembly 150 is then installed so that the vent members 162 generally straddle the center beam 152 and so that the covering member overlays the S-tiles 60 as described above. After the vent assembly 150 is installed, the cap tile 62 is placed so as to rest on the instant vent assembly. Air exchange between the interior of the roof 52 and the exterior thereof is enabled via the airways formed in the vent panels 164 and top panel 160. The presence of the membrane 154 prevents ingress of moisture, particulates, and insects, yet allows substantially uninhibited air exchange.

Because numerous modifications of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, the scope of the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments illustrated and described. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A vent assembly for effecting air exchange in a roof, comprising:

a vent member having a longitudinal axis and including at least one layer of a corrugated material, the corrugated material comprising a pair of first plies and at least one second ply disposed between the first plies to define a plurality of airways; and

a generally resilient baffle member attached to the vent member.

2. The vent assembly of claim 1, in which the first plies are generally planar.

3. The vent assembly of claim 1, in which said at least one second ply is generally convoluted.

4. The vent assembly of claim 1, in which the at least one second ply is a plurality of cross walls extending transversely between the first plies.

5. The vent assembly of claim 4, in which said plurality of cross walls extend generally perpendicularly between the first plies.

6. The vent assembly of claim 1, in which the baffle member comprises a first section and a second section defined from the first section by a first bend and extending generally transversely from the first section.

7. The vent assembly of claim 6, in which the baffle member second section extends away from the vent member.

8. The vent assembly of claim 6, in which the baffle member further comprises a third section separated from the second section by a second bend.

9. The vent assembly of claim 6, further comprising a covering member disposable beneath the baffle member second section and comprising an upper surface and upper and lower undulations extending from the upper surface.

10. A vent assembly for effecting air exchange in a roof, comprising:

a top panel with a longitudinal axis and formed from a corrugated material defining a plurality of airways extending generally transversely to the longitudinal axis;

a pair of vent members attached to a lower surface of the top panel, each of said plurality of vent members comprising a plurality of panels made from said corrugated material;

a membrane attached to said top panel or said vent members so as to prevent ingress of moisture into an interior portion of said roof; and

an adhesive member attached to a lower surface of each of said pair of vent members and comprising a generally flexible substrate, an adhesive overlaying one surface of said substrate, and a release liner overlaying the adhesive.

11. The vent assembly of claim 10, further comprising a covering member attached to each of said adhesive members.

12. The vent assembly of claim 10, further comprising a covering member, said covering member comprising an upper surface and upper and lower undulations extending from the upper surface, said upper surface adhered to said adhesive member.

13. The vent assembly of claim 10, in which said corrugated material comprises a pair of generally planar first plies and at least one second ply disposed between the first plies.

14. The vent assembly of claim 13, in which said at least one second ply is generally convoluted.

15. The vent assembly of claim 13, in which said at least one second ply is a plurality of cross walls extending generally transversely to said first plies.

16. A method of ventilating a roof with a ridge, the roof overlain with tiles, and having a slot formed proximate said ridge, said slot fluidly communicating an interior with an exterior of said roof, a vent assembly of any of the preceding claims disposed so that air egressing said roof passes through said airways, the method comprising egressing air from the interior of said roof, through said airways in said vent assembly, to the exterior of said roof.

17. The method of claim 16, in which a pair of slots straddling the ridge are present and in which egressing air from said roof interior passes through said vent assembly airways.

18. The method of claim 16, in which said vent is at least partially disposed in said slots.

19. The method of claim 16, in which said vent is disposed above said slots.

20. The method of claim 16, in which said vent inhibits ingress of water, particulates, or insects into said roof interior.

21. The method of claim 19, in which a covering member, a baffle, or a membrane inhibits said ingress.