Vent cover

Abstract

A wall-mounted vent cover for a forced air HVAC system that blends into the background environment so as to be nearly imperceptible is disclosed. The vent cover includes a body portion and a recessed flange portion. The recessed flange portion is tapered and designed such that surface of the wall is substantially flush with the body portion when the vent cover is installed. The flange portion is recessed so as to compensate for the thickness of the joint compound used to mud and cover the seam between the wallboard and vent cover.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a wall-mounted vent cover for a forced air heating/ventilation/air conditioning (“HVAC”) system that blends into the background environment so as to be nearly imperceptible.

Forced air HVAC systems commonly include vents on both the floor and walls of a building. Typically, the floor ducts provide a path for the air being sent to the building and the wall ducts provide a path for the air return to the HVAC system. These wall ducts are sometimes referred to as the “cold air return” vents. These vents are usually covered by a grill or vent cover to mask the unsightly ducting. The floor vent covers typically sit within the ducting and overhang the vent opening, which provides vertical support to the cover. The wall mounted vent covers are usually made of metal and are designed to extend over the duct opening and be mounted to the wall by screws or other fasteners. A typical wall mounted vent cover 10, installed on wall 5, is shown in FIG. 1a. A typical floor vent cover 11 is similar, but may include a lever that operates internal vanes to open and close the vent, as shown in FIG. 1b. These types of vent covers are well-known in the art and have been in use for many years.

The vent covers in the prior art have a number of limitations. First, the vent covers are not aesthetically pleasing. These typical vent covers interrupt the smooth surface of the wall on which they are installed, are easily recognized and protrude from the wall. Because of their unattractiveness, homeowners attempt to disguise the vent covers by, e.g., painting them or placing furniture and plants in front of them. Second, prior art vent covers are not easily disguised. For instance, placing furniture or plants in front of them decreases the efficacy of the vents that are covered. Additionally, while painting the vent covers the same color as the walls on which they are installed provides some degree of disguise, there exists no adequate disguise for vent covers that are installed on a wall that has been wallpapered. Homeowners currently wallpaper the vent covers separately from the wall, which leads to the very difficult, if not impossible, task of attempting to align the pattern of wallpaper on the vent with the wallpaper on the wall. Furthermore, even in the event that the wallpaper pattern is matched as closely as possible, the fasteners (typically, screws or bolts) used to secure the cover to the wall are visible and undisguised. A vent cover that addresses these limitations has yet to be satisfactorily addressed in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above, a need exists for a vent cover design that addresses the limitations of prior art vent covers, as discussed above. More particularly, a need exists for an improved vent cover design that (1) blends in to the environment in which it is installed so as to minimize the negative aesthetic effect of the vent, and (2) is more easily disguised than those vent covers in the prior art.

To meet these and other needs that will be apparent to those skilled in the art based upon this description and the appended drawings, the present invention is directed to an air-vent cover for use in an interior wall that includes a body portion and a recessed flange portion. The body portion includes a plurality of openings that provide venting for the duct to which the cover is attached. Arranged around the perimeter of the body portion is a recessed flange portion. The flange is set back from the front of the body portion and is tapered such that is capable of receiving at least one layer of joint compound when installed on the wall. The flange allows for the body portion to be substantially flush with the wall surface when installed. The flange is tapered so that the corresponding joint compound may also be tapered by the installer and to create a seamless vent cover/wall transition.

In another embodiment of the present invention, an air-vent cover for use in an interior wall comprising a body portion, a recessed flange portion and a plurality of breakaway borders. The body portion includes a plurality of longitudinal openings extending substantially across its length. The recessed flange portion is arranged substantially around the perimeter of the body portion and is tapered from the body portion to the end of the flange. The breakaway borders extend from the end portion of the recessed flange. The front face of the body portion is substantially flush with the wall when installed by means of the recessed flange receiving joint compound, so as to make a seamless transition between the wall and the body portion of the vent cover. The recessed flange further includes a plurality of fastener holes capable of receiving fasteners.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, claims, and drawings. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given here below, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1a is an illustration of a prior art wall mounted vent cover,

FIG. 1b is an illustration of a prior art floor mounted vent cover,

FIG. 2 is a frontal view of a vent cover according to one embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 3 is a frontal view of a vent cover according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the vent cover of FIG. 2 taken along line A-A,

FIG. 5 is a frontal view of a vent cover according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the vent cover of FIG. 5 taken along line B-B,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of one section of a vent cover according to one embodiment of the present invention, and

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a partially installed vent cover according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A vent cover design according to the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. 2-7. In these figures, similar elements are given the same reference numeral. It should be appreciated that the applications for the vent cover according to the present invention may be used in a variety of applications beside the illustrated system.

FIG. 1a illustrates a prior art vent cover 10. The vent cover 10 is secured to wall 5 by means of fasteners 15. These fasteners 15 normally comprise screws, however other types of fasteners are known in the art (e.g., bolts). The prior art vent cover 10 protrudes from the wall 5 because of substantially perpendicular sides 12, which surround the front face 14 of the vent cover 10. Present in the front face 14 of the vent cover 10 are a plurality of openings 16, which usually take the form of longitudinal slits or vanes. Air passes through these vanes 16 of the vent cover 10 and either into or from the duct behind the wall 5. These openings 16 tend to be narrow such that foreign objects may not be inserted into the duct. The vanes 16 may be slanted to divert the flow of air in a specific direction.

FIG. 1b illustrates a prior art floor-mounted vent cover 11. Similar to the vent cover 10 described above, vent cover 11 includes a plurality of openings. The outside portion 13 of the floor-mounted vent cover 11 extends outwardly and is used to provide vertical support to the vent cover 11. In this fashion, no fasteners are needed to install this vent cover 11. Typically, the floor-mounted vent cover 11 is used for heat registers, i.e., ducts that provide ventilation to the room from the HVAC unit. Accordingly, it is not uncommon for the vent cover 11 to include a lever that adjusts a louver mechanism to open and close the vent. This is well-known in the art and, therefore, is not illustrated.

One embodiment of the vent cover 20 according to the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 2. This vent cover 20 is preferably made of plastic, but any suitable material may be used, for example, steel, aluminum, composite material, etc. Vent cover 20 includes a plurality of openings 22. These openings 22 are preferably longitudinal openings that extend for substantially the length of the body portion 24 of the vent cover 20, but may be in any shape including, but not limited to, circles, undulating curves, and squares or rectangles. These openings 22 preferably comprise vanes that are slanted to divert the flow of air in a specific direction. In a most preferred embodiment, the vanes that are positioned at a 45° angle to the front of the vent cover. The vent cover 20 further comprises a flange 26 surrounding the exterior of the body portion 24. The flange 26 preferably comprises a continuous piece that extends around the full exterior of the body portion 24, but may instead be made of numerous separate tabs or the like located intermittently around the body portion 24. The flange 26 is preferably recessed behind the front of the body portion 24 and tapered from the body portion 24 to the exterior of the flange. The recessed flange 26 preferably includes a plurality of fastener holes 27. These fastener holes 27 are capable of receiving a fastener to secure the vent cover 20 to the wall, as described more fully below. Additionally, the flange 26 may include a plurality of recesses 29. These recesses 29 are used to increase the adherence of the joint compound used to seal the seam between vent cover 20 and wall. A backer 32 may also be included behind the flange 26. The backer 32 is designed to provide a platform for receiving and supporting the wallboard and is recessed a distance from the front of the body portion 26 such that the wallboard and front of the body portion are substantially flush when the vent cover 20 is installed. This backer 32 is optional and is not used in the event that the vent cover 20 is being installed after the wallboard has been installed, for example in a remodeling situation.

Another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, a support beam 34 is included in the front face of the vent cover 20. This support beam 34 interrupts the openings 22 in the longitudinal direction. The support beam 34 provides support for long openings 22 such that the openings retain their designed shape across the length of the vent cover 20. Although the illustrated vent cover 20 is shown to include one support beam 34, the invention is not limited to one or fewer support beams but instead is intended to encompass any number of support beams 34. Furthermore, the vent cover 20 shown in FIG. 3 illustrates the embodiment in which the support beam 34 is located at the front of the vent cover 20. In another embodiment, the support beam 34 is located on the back of the vent cover 20 such that support is provided for the openings 22 but the continuity of the front of the openings 22, which are visible when installed, is not interrupted.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the vent cover 20 of FIG. 2 taken along line A-A. The taper of recessed flange 26 is illustrated as the curve from the perimeter 24a of the body portion 24 to the end portion 26b of the flange 26. As described more fully below, the flange 26 is recessed and tapered such that, when the vent cover 20 is installed on the wall, the joint compound smoothly covers the seam between the wallboard and vent cover 20. The backer 32 is set back from the front of the body portion 24 by a distance D approximately equal to the thickness of the wallboard 50. The wallboard 50 illustrated in this figure is shown in its installed location such that its front face 50f is substantially flush with the front face of the body portion 24.

FIG. 5 illustrates yet another embodiment of a vent cover 20 according to the present invention. Support beam 34 is shown in illustrated in broken lines to show that the support beam is on the back of the vent cover 20. Furthermore, breakaway borders 38 are shown extending outwardly from the end portion of the recessed flange 26. These breakaway borders 38 are used to assist with the installation of the vent cover 20, as described below, and are intended to be removed when the vent cover is installed.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the vent cover 20 of FIG. 5 taken along line B-B. Breakaway borders 38 extend from the front face of the vent cover 20, specifically from the outside portion of recessed flange 26. Furthermore, support beam 34 is shown on the back face of the vent cover. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the recessed flange 26, specifically the portion of the recessed flange that includes a fastener hole 27. In this preferred embodiment, the fastener hole 27 includes an enlarged recess 27r capable of receiving the head of a fastener, such as a screw, which allows the fastener to be countersunk below the surface of the flange 26.

Each of the various embodiments of the vent cover 20 described above is installed as follows. Firstly, the wall is framed. The framing 60 usually consists of a plurality of boards, normally 2′×4′, however the framing can instead by made of larger boards or metal framing may be used. Once the wall is framed, the ducting 62 is placed in position, as shown in FIG. 8. This ducting 62 provides a path for the air being sent to the building. Typically in cold-air returns, no ducting is used and the cold-air return path is merely the open passageway between adjacent studs and wallboard. Vent cover 20 is then placed over the opening in the wall such that fastener holes 27 are placed on top of the framing 60. Fasteners, typically screws, are inserted through the fastener holes 27 and into the framing 60 such that the vent cover 20 is secured to the wall.

Wallboard is then placed over the framing 60, as is well known in the art. Typically, large sheets of wallboard are placed onto and fastened to the framing 60. Cutouts are made in the wallboard to allow switchboxes, outlets, duct openings, etc. to be accessible. Accordingly, a cutout must be made in the wallboard for the vent cover 20. The breakaway borders 38 facilitate this process. Cutouts are typically made by the installer placing the wallboard on the framing, inserting a cutout tool or router at the approximate position of the opening and moving the cutout tool outwardly until the edge of the outlet box is detected. Because the vent cover is not an opening, this method of forming a cutout is not possible. The breakaway borders 38, however, allow this process to be used because they extend outwardly from the vent cover 20 to create a temporary opening that may be utilized during the wallboard cutout process. Once the cutout is made, the breakaway borders 38 may be removed, for example, by cutting by a utility knife or breaking the border along a perforation where the border 38 meets the flange 26.

The backer 32 is preferably used, as described above, to properly position the wallboard. Adhesive may be used to adhere the wallboard to the backer 32. At this point of the installation, the wall board completely surrounds the vent cover. To complete the installation, the installer finishes the seams between the wallboard and vent cover 20 in the same fashion as other seams are completed. Typically joint compound, sometimes referred to as drywall mud, is applied and joint tape or the like is placed over the seams. Numerous layers of joint compound of minimal thickness are normally applied to the seams in order to create a smooth joint, as is well known in the art. Furthermore, the fasteners 27 used to secure the vent cover 20 to the framing 60, which are present in the flange 26, are covered by the joint compound/joint tape. The taper of the recessed flange 26 has been found to assist with this process and reduce future cracking of the joint compound when dried. Additionally, as described above, recesses 29 in the flange 26 may be used to increase the adherence of the joint compound.

The wall, with the vent cover 20 installed, may then be painted or wallpapered as desired. Since the vent cover 20 and the wall are substantially flush, wallpaper may be placed directly over the vent cover 20 just as if the wall was continuous and the vent cover 20 was not present. Openings in the wallpaper may then be made, e.g., by a utility knife, to allow the openings 22 of the vent cover 20 to be exposed. The result of this installation is that the vent cover 20 is nearly imperceptible from the wall background and has no exposed fasteners, which is more aesthetically pleasing than prior art vent covers.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. An air-vent cover for use in an interior wall, comprising:

a body portion, said body portion comprising a plurality of openings and a perimeter, and

a recessed flange portion arranged substantially around said perimeter and having a thickness, said thickness of said recessed flange portion being tapered from said perimeter to an end portion of said recessed flange, wherein said recessed flange, when said air-vent cover is installed on an interior wall, is capable of receiving at least one layer of joint compound such that said body portion is substantially flush with an interior face of said interior wall.

2. The air-vent cover of claim 1, wherein said plurality of openings comprises longitudinal openings extending substantially across a length of said body portion.

3. The air-vent cover of claim 1, further comprising at least one support beam, said support beam extending across said plurality of openings.

4. The air-vent cover of claim 3, wherein said body portion further comprises a front face and wherein said at least one support beam is located on said front face of said body portion.

5. The air-vent cover of claim 1, wherein said recessed flange portion comprises a plurality of fastener holes, said plurality of fastener holes being capable of receiving fasteners used when installing said vent cover on said interior wall.

6. The air-vent cover of claim 1, wherein said recessed flange portion comprises a plurality of recesses for receiving said at least one layer of joint compound.

7. The air-vent cover of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of breakaway borders extending from said end portion of said recessed flange.

8. The air-vent cover of claim 7, wherein said plurality of openings comprises longitudinal openings extending substantially across a length of said body portion.

9. The air-vent cover of claim 7, further comprising at least one support beam, said at least one support beam extending across said plurality of openings.

10. The air-vent cover of claim 9, wherein said body portion further comprises a front face and wherein said at least one support beam is located on said front face of said body portion.

11. The air-vent cover of claim 7, wherein said recessed flange portion comprises a plurality of fastener holes, said plurality of fastener holes being capable of receiving fasteners used when installing said vent cover on said interior wall.

12. The air-vent cover of claim 7, wherein said recessed flange portion comprises a plurality of recesses for receiving said at least one layer of joint compound.

13. The air-vent cover of claim 1, further comprising a backer extending from said recessed flange, said backer being capable of receiving wallboard such that a front face of said wallboard is substantially flush with said body portion.

14. An air-vent cover for use in an interior wall, comprising:

a body portion, said body portion comprising a plurality of openings and a perimeter, said plurality of openings comprising longitudinal openings extending substantially across a length of said body portion,

a recessed flange portion arranged substantially around said perimeter and having a thickness, said thickness of said recessed flange portion being tapered from said perimeter to an end portion of said recessed flange, and

a plurality of breakaway borders extending from said end portion of said recessed flange, wherein said recessed flange, when said air-vent cover is installed on an interior wall, is capable of receiving at least one layer of joint compound such that said body portion is substantially flush with an interior face of said interior wall, and said recessed flange portion comprises a plurality of fastener holes, each of said plurality of fastener holes being capable of receiving a fastener.

15. The air-vent cover of claim 14, wherein said recessed flange portion comprises a plurality of recesses for receiving said at least one layer of joint compound.

16. The air-vent cover of claim 14, further comprising at least one support beam, said at least one support beam extending across said plurality of openings

17. The air-vent cover of claim 16, wherein said recessed flange portion comprises a plurality of recesses for receiving said at least one layer of joint compound

18. The air-vent cover of claim 17, wherein said body portion further comprises a front face and wherein said at least one support beam is located on said front face of said body portion.

19. The air-vent cover of claim 16, wherein said body portion further comprises a front face and wherein said at least one support beam is located on said front face of said body portion.

20. The air-vent cover of claim 14, further comprising a backer extending from said recessed flange, said backer being capable of receiving wallboard such that a front face of said wallboard is substantially flush with said body portion.