Construction Ventilation Cover

Abstract

One possible embodiment of the invention could be a construction ventilation cover for HVAC air outlets comprising of a body, the body having a top cover, the top cover having a top and a bottom; a box support attached to the bottom, wherein the box support is sized and shaped to fit snugly within a HVAC air outlet with at least a portion of the unattached bottom making contact with at least a portion of the surrounding structure defining the air outlet. Another version of this invention could be a ventilation register that is modified to have the register's movable louvers, adjusting lever and linkage removed; a lid added to cover the register's grill; and a peripheral flange extension added to the bottom portion of the register.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/980,797, filed on Oct. 18, 2007, the contents of which are relied upon and incorporated by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX”

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to construction ventilation covers, which may be used during the construction of a building. More specifically, the construction ventilation covers that could be used to generally close off otherwise open air outlets that are substantially connected to the ductwork of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.

BACKGROUND

Many structures (such as residential, commercial, office, and industrial buildings) as they are being built, may have installed one or more control systems for managing internal environmental factors (e.g., temperature, air flow, humidity and such) for the comfort of the persons; the proper running of machines; the proper storage and preservation of property; and the like. One such control system could be a forced air heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system (herein after HVAC system), which generally maintains a desired internal environment by distributing treated forced air to various areas of the structure. This distribution could include the channeling of the forced air through HVAC ductworks to specially constructed ventilation openings or air outlets located in the walls, ceilings, floors, and the like of the structure. Upon completion of the structure, ventilation registers could be fitted to these air outlets and may be used to further regulate the amount of air flow from the HVAC ductwork to the environment surrounding the air outlets.

These ventilation registers could comprise of a framework having a top portion and bottom portion. The bottom portion could have a peripheral flange that is sized and shaped to fit into the air outlet and denotes an air passage that is covered by a grate or grid work. Within the air passage and below the grid work could be a set of movable louvers movably connected to one another by linkage, the set then being moveably attached to peripheral flange to control the amount, if any, of forced air being allowed to pass through the ventilation register.

The forced air could flow from the HVAC system; through it ductwork; to the air outlet; through the ventilation register (if the movable set of louvers are in the open position); and then out into the surrounding environment proximate to the air outlet (e.g., the interior of the room.) The grate or grid work could cover the set of movable air louvers, while it could prevent relatively large-sized foreign matter from entering into the HVAC ductwork, generally does not prevent other smaller matter such as construction dust and smaller debris from entering the HVAC ductwork especially when the forced air is not passing through the ventilation register. Only if the set of movable louvers are set in the closed position, could the ventilation register generally block out construction dust and smaller debris from entering the HVAC ductwork.

During such construction of the building (e.g., after the HVAC ductwork is generally connected to the air outlets), the builders may fit ventilation registers to respective air outlets. In such situations, the ventilation registers (particularly the floor-mounted ones) could be severely damaged when walked upon by construction workers; when heavy objects are placed upon them; when construction equipment is moved across them; or the like. The resultant damage could include, but not necessarily be limited to the slats or ribs of the grid work being flattened down, bend together or downward into the air passage thereby obstructing the flow of forced air, preventing the movement of the louvers, and the like.

To avoid damaging the ventilation registers and the incurring the subsequent cost of constantly replacing them during construction, the builders may instead decide to cover the air outlets (particularly the floor-mounted ones) with substitute means of sheets of plywood or metal tacked to the surrounding surface defining the air outlet. The inventor has empirically determined that the metal sheets so deployed generally have insufficient thickness or strength and may still display a tendency to cave in under the weight of construction traffic. Similarly, the thickness of the wood sheets may cause pose a tripping hazard for construction workers. Further, as the layers of the various surrounding surfaces (particularly floor) are completed and finished (e.g., subfloor, carpet pad, carpeting, and the like are laid down), it may become impractical to tack down the sheets, either metal or wood, to the surrounding surface without damaging the surrounding surfaces.

Other attempted solutions may include leaving the air outlets uncovered during at least a portion of the construction, thus allowing large-scale construction debris as well as particulate containments to permeate throughout the HVAC ductwork. Additionally, safety issues and liability hazards may arise in those instances where construction worker(s) or others on the jobsite may be unaware of the existence of the open floor-based air outlet and accordingly fail to navigate properly around the said air outlet. This failure may precipitate a construction worker's falling or tripping into the open air outlet with possible resultant injury to the worker or others at the worksite.

What is needed therefore is a construction ventilation cover that can be generally employed over the HVAC ventilation air outlets once the outlets are created during construction. Once construction is completed, the construction ventilation cover can be removed (and a ventilation register put in its place), relocated to another construction site, and be reused again.

SUMMARY OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Advantages of One or More Embodiments of the Present Invention

The various embodiments of the present invention may, but do not necessarily, achieve one or more of the following advantages:

provide a sturdy, inexpensive construction ventilation cover for covering exposed HVAC air outlets of a building under construction to prevent trip and fall injuries;

an ability to employ a construction ventilation cover over wall, ceiling, and floor located HVAC air outlets;

provide a ventilation cover that may reversibly installed to a HVAC air outlet for reuse on subsequent construction projects; and

provide a ventilation cover that limits the entry of construction dust and debris into the ductwork of an HVAC system of a building under construction.

These and other advantages may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and abstract.

Brief Description of One Embodiment of the Present Invention

The invention may be a construction ventilation cover for HVAC air outlets comprising a body having a cover with a top and a bottom, a box support attached to the bottom, the box support further being sized and shaped to fit snugly within a HVAC air outlet with a portion of the unattached bottom making contact with the surrounding structure generally defining the air outlet.

Another version of the invention could be a construction ventilation cover for HVAC air outlet comprising of a ventilation register having a top and bottom with bottom-located movable louvers and associated adjusting lever and linkage removed; a lid, which attaches over the top; and a box, which attaches to the bottom.

Another version of the invention could be a construction ventilation cover could comprise of a cover means for reducing passage of debris and particulate matter from a surrounding environment through an air outlet into a HVAC ductwork; a box means having four sides continuously connected to one another to provide support to lid means; and a fastener means attaching the lid means to the box means.

The above-description sets forth, rather broadly, a summary of one embodiment of the present invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and contributions of the present invention to the art may be better appreciated. Some of the embodiments of the present invention may not include all of the features or characteristics listed in the above summary. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described below. In this respect, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or as illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is substantially showing possible placement of air outlets.

FIG. 2 is substantially showing a perspective cutaway view of a ventilation register

FIG. 3 is substantially a perspective cutaway view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is substantially a lateral cutaway view of the one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is substantially a perspective cutaway view of another version of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is substantially a lateral cutaway view of another version of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is substantially a lateral cutaway view of another version of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is substantially a perspective cutaway view of yet another version of the present invention.

FIG. 8 substantially a lateral cutaway view of yet another version of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is substantially a perspective cutaway view of still yet another version of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is substantially a lateral cutaway view of still yet another version of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is substantially a process for constructing one embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

As substantially shown in FIG. 1, a room 13 in a building under construction 11 could have several air outlets 14 for the HVAC system 12. These air outlets 14 could commonly located on the floor 20, but could also be found on the ceiling 22 and wall 24 depending on the needs of the HVAC system 12 generally to provide proper environment control for the for the surrounding environment 16. The various air outlets 14 could be generally defined by the support structure 18 of the respective floor 20, ceiling 22, and wall 24.

Floor-located air outlets 14 could be further comprised of both a standard wall air outlet 28, that generally has a rectangular shape and a toe-kicker air outlet 29 that generally has a circular shape. The standard wall air outlet 28 is generally placed out in an open room, while the toe kicker air outlet 29 is place proximate to sinks (not shown) in kitchens and bathroom. The placement of the toe-kicker air outlet 29 and its upright register (not shown) may help limit the entry of spilt water from the sinks and other debris into the HVAC system ductwork 26.

As shown substantially in FIG. 2, a ventilation register 30 with movable louvers 48 could be fitted to such air outlets 14. The ventilation register 30 could comprise of a framework 32 having a top portion 33 and a bottom portion 34. The top portion 33 could comprise of a grid work 54 or grate surrounded by an overlying flange 42 lying in the same plane as the grid work 54. The overlying flange 42 could be comprised of a bottom side 44 and a top side 46. The bottom side 44 could rest against a portion of a support structure 18 (e.g., surface of a wall, floor, or alike that generally immediately surrounds and defines the air outlet 14) when the invention 10 is placed over an air outlet 14.

The grid work or grate 54 could be a series of ribs or slats 60 generally evenly spaced apart in parallel, lateral orientation to form a series of slots 62 through which the HVAC forced air A could flow to the surrounding environment 16 located generally outside the air outlet 14.

The bottom portion 34 could be attached to the bottom side 44 of the overlying flange 42. The bottom portion 34 could be comprised of a peripheral flange 36 whose inner side 40 could substantially define and denote an air passage 50. The HVAC forced air A from the air outlet 14 could flow through this air passage 50, to the grid work 54, then exit the ventilation register 30 to enter the surrounding environment 16. The peripheral flange 36 could be orthogonally attached to and extend generally outward (e.g., downward) from the bottom side 44 of overlying flange 42. The peripheral flange 36 could be suitably sized and shaped to be reversibly fit within the particular air outlet 14 (generally, such air outlets 14 could be also be suitably sized and shaped to meet various construction standards.) In this manner, at least portions of the outer side 38 of the peripheral flange 32 could generally contact the edge 15 of the air outlet 14.

Found within the air passage 50, as demarked by an inner side 40 of the peripheral flange 36, could be a set of movable louvers 48, the louvers 48 being movably connected to the inner side 40 of the peripheral flange 36. The louvers 48 themselves could be movably connected to together by a linkage 53, which could further feature a lever 52 that could pass through a slot 62 of the grid work 54. An operator (not shown) could open or close the louvers 48 by moving the lever 52, thereby opening or closing the air passage 50 to the grid work 54 (and hence blocking forced air A or allowing forced air A through register 30 and correspondingly blocking or allowing construction debris from entering the HVAC ductwork 26 [not shown]).

Although a ventilation register 30 as described-above could be set in the closed or sealed operating condition and placed in a floor air outlet 28, the grid work 54 is generally of insufficient construction to stand up to the weight of items that could be placed upon it or moved across it during construction. Under such conditions, the slats 60 could become flattened and bent together to close off the slots 62. Further, the slats 60 could be bent downward and move into the air passage 50 to damage and immobilize the louvers 48. The downward bent slats 60 could also form a depression (not shown) by which a creating worker could trip over and fall.

As substantially shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the present invention 10 in one embodiment could generally comprise of a construction ventilation cover 66 for reversibly blocking Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (“HVAC”) air outlets 14 at buildings under construction 11. One version of the construction ventilation cover 66 could comprise of a body 68 having a top cover 70 to which is attached to a bottom support 76. The top cover 70 could be a rectangular plate made from a 20-gauge galvanized sheet metal although other suitable materials could be used. The top cover 70 could be generally sized to be larger than its respective air outlet 14.

The top cover 70 could comprise of a top 72, a bottom 74, and a series of fastener apertures 80. Some of these fastener apertures 80 could allow the partial passage of fasteners 89 (such as rivets 88, screws, and the like) to substantially connect the top cover 72 to the bottom support 76. The bottom support 76 could be connected to a portion of the bottom 74 in such a fashion as to substantially leave the unattached portion of the bottom 74 (e.g., edges of the top cover 70) to generally denote a cover flange 78. The cover flange 78 could rest upon the support structure 18 demarking the air outlet 14 when the invention 10 is placed over (e.g., covers) a respective air outlet 14. The fastener apertures 80 generally running along the cover flange 78 that could allow partial passage of fasteners 89 to the surrounding surface 18 to generally secure the invention 10 to a respective air outlet 14 (particularly to those air outlets 14, which are ceiling or wall-mounted).

Accordingly, the bottom support 76 could be shaped and sized to substantially fit within the air outlet 14 when the construction ventilation cover 66 is reversibly placed over the air outlet 14. As set forth above, the bottom support 76 could be generally centralized within of the bottom 74 of the top cover 70. In addition to helping retain the construction ventilation cover 30 in place over the air outlet 14, the bottom support 76 could be used to further strengthen the load-bearing capabilities of the body 68 (e.g., the top cover 70) so that when weight (such as that of a worker or ladder, not shown) is placed upon the top cover 70 at a construction site, the body 68 (e.g., the top cover 70) may substantially resist a trend to generally deform (e.g., buckle downward or otherwise collapse into the air outlet 14.)

In one version of the invention 10, the bottom support 76 could be comprised of four sides 82 made of 20-gauge galvanized sheet metal, wherein the sides 82 are generally continuously connected to form substantially a box-type configuration to which a bottom structure 83 may be attached. Each of the four sides 82 could be so constructed to present generally set of an inwardly-oriented attachment flanges 84 that are substantially parallel and proximate to the bottom 74 of the top cover 70. The attachment flanges 84 in resting against the bottom 74 of the top cover 70 could provide an area through which the bottom support 76 could be attached to the top cover 70 by a variety of attachment devices 86 (e.g., a set of rivets 88 penetrating the top cover 70 and the attachment flange 84; an adhesive [not shown] placed between the top of the attachment flange 84 to the bottom 74 of the top cover 70; a set of spot welds [not shown] holding the attachment flange 84 to the bottom 74 of the top cover 70; and the like.)

The bottom structure 83 could a plate made of 20-gauge galvanized sheet metal whose edges 90 could be folded in a generally downward orientation (e.g., substantially perpendicular to the orientation of the bottom 74 of the top cover 70) to form generally support flanges 92 through which the bottom structure 83 could be attached to the sides 82 of the bottom support 76. In this manner, the bottom structure 83 could be located within an interior 94 of the bottom support 76 as generally defined by its sides 82. The support flange 92 could be placed against the sides 82 so that the edges 90 of the support flange 92 could generally be even with the bottom edges 98 of the sides 82. This could allow the plate portion of the bottom structure 83 to be located proximate to the midsection of the sides 82 thus substantially giving the bottom structure a generally parallel orientation to the top cover 70. Various means of connection could be utilized to attach the bottom structure 83 to the sides 82, including rivets 88, spot welds, fasteners, adhesives, and the like.

As substantially shown in FIGS. 5, 6, another embodiment of the invention 10 could have the bottom support 76 generally be solid block 100 of material such as plastic or wood that is attached to the bottom 74 of top cover 70. The attachment of the solid block 100 to the top cover 70 could be obtained by use of adhesives, fasteners (screws 89) and the like.

As substantially shown in FIG. 6A, one or more such versions utilizing the solid block 100, it could be possible to make the construction ventilation cover 66 of one piece or unitary construction. Such a construction could be achieved by making the construction ventilation cover 66 utilizing carbon fiber, fiberglass, high impact plastic, and the like materials.

As substantially shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, wherein invention 10 is applied to toe kicker outlets 29, at least one embodiment of the invention 10 could have its body 68 suitable modified to accommodate the circular design of the toe kicker outlet 29. Here the top cover 70 could be a circular plate (e.g., a disk) while the bottom support 76 could be a cylinder. In at least one version of this embodiment, the body could be unitary or one piece design.

As substantially shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, another embodiment of the invention 10 could be created by modifying an existing a standard ventilation cover 30 that employs movable louvers 48 (not shown). The invention 10 in this embodiment could comprise of a modified ventilation register 101 (that could be modified by having its movable louvers 48, louver lever 52, and linkage 53 [not shown] removed), a cover sheet 102, and peripheral flange extension 104.

The modified ventilation register 101 could be a ventilation register 30 that could be modified by having its movable louvers 48, louver lever 52, and linkage 53 [not shown] removed. This removal could be accomplished by the use of tin snips (not shown) or the like that break the pivoting points (not shown) of the movable louvers 48 to the inner side 40 of the peripheral flange 36.

The cover sheet 102 could be a 20 gauge sheet of galvanized steel that is larger in size than the top portion 33 of the modified ventilation register 101 (e.g., overlying flange 42 and the grid work 54) so that the edges 106 of the cover sheet 102 can be folded downward into securing flanges 108 that can wrap over the edges of the overlying flange 42 to secure the cover sheet 102 over the top of the modified ventilation register 101 to substantially block passage of air, debris, particulate matter and the like from passing through the grill work 54.

The inventor has generally discovered that with just the applied cover sheet 70, the ventilation register 30 as modified is generally not strong enough to accommodate the weights and other forces that may be placed upon it as a construction ventilation cover 66. The peripheral flange extension 104 can employed to strengthen the body 68, by attachment to the peripheral flange 36, so that as enhanced, the body 68 can resist pressure and weights that could body 68 to collapse or otherwise cause the coversheet/grid work 54 combination to protrude into the air passage 50.

The peripheral flange extension 104 could be made of four sides 112 generally made of 20-gauge galvanized sheet metal that are continuously connected to form a box-like structure box that substantially fits within the air passage 50 upon deployment of the invention 10. The attachment of the peripheral flange extension 104 to the inner side 40 of the peripheral flange 36 is accomplished generally by the use of attachment devices 86 (such as rivets 88 and the like) penetrating both the peripheral flange 36 and peripheral flange extension 104. In so attaching the peripheral flange extension 104 to the modified ventilation register 101, the peripheral flange extension 104 may be located proximate to the underside of the grid work 54. The width of the sides 112 of the peripheral flange extension 104 is generally greater than the width of the peripheral flange 36 (e.g., by 1.5 times or so) so that when installed, the peripheral flange extension 104 generally protrudes past the peripheral flange 36. The structural reinforcement provided by the peripheral flange extension 104 has been found on an empirical basis to significantly strengthen peripheral flange 36, to provide greater strength and tensile integrity to the top portion 33 as covered by the cover sheet 102.

To prevent passage of debris, dust, dirt, and other particulate matter through the construction ventilation cover 40, a silicon sealant 110 can be applied to seal the joints of the invention 10 such as where the cover sheet 102 overlays the grid work 54 and where the peripheral flange extension 104 contacts the peripheral flange 36.

Methodology

As generally shown in FIG. 11, one possible process or methodology 200 of constructing at least one embodiment of the invention 10 could start with step 202, ventilation register selection. In this step 202, the ventilation register with moveable louvers could be the selected on its size and shape to fit a selected air outlet (which they themselves as generally shaped and sized to certain construction standards.) After the substantial completion of step 202, the process 200 could proceed to step 204, modification of ventilation register.

In step 204, modification of ventilation register, the movable louvers, louver lever, and linkage could be removed from the ventilation register. This could be accomplished though tin snips or the like, cutting off the pivoting points of the louvers allowing for their removal and that of their lever and associated linkage. After the substantial completion of step 204, the process 200 could proceed to step 206, providing a cover sheet.

In step 206, providing a cover sheet, the cover sheet could be cut from a sheet of 20-gauge galvanized sheet metal to a size that is generally larger than the top of ventilation register. The cover sheet could be placed on top of the ventilation register, with the edges of the cover sheet being folded over the edges of the overlying flange to form securing flanges to attach the cover sheet to the top of the modified ventilation register. In at least one embodiment, a silicon sealant could be applied to underside of the cover sheet to help seal the top portion of the invention 10. In at least one embodiment, the cover sheet could be further affixed to the peripheral flange by mechanical attachment means such as attachment devices such as fasteners (e.g., rivets). After the substantial completion of step 206, the process 200 could proceed to step 208, providing a peripheral flange extension.

At step 208, providing a peripheral flange extension, a rectangular length could be cut from a sheet of 20-gauge galvanized sheet metal and then folded in four sections to form the sides of the box making up the peripheral flange extension. The width of the rectangular length could be approximately 1.5 times the width of the peripheral flange itself. The box should be constructed to fit within the air passage and allow its sides to walls to contact the inner side of the peripheral flange. The top edge of the wall could generally contact the underside of the top portion, while the bottom edges of the walls could protrude past the bottom of the peripheral flange. Attaching devices such as fasteners (e.g., rivets) could be used to hold the peripheral flange extension in place to the modified ventilation register. In at least one embodiment, sealant could be applied to the box prior to emplacement to seal the connection between box and the peripheral flange. After the substantial completion of step 208, the process 200 could proceed to step 210, sealing the invention.

In step 210, sealing the invention, additional sealer, such as a silicon sealer could be applied to individual parts of the invention to further seal any openings or passages that could allow construction debris to enter through the cover into the air outlet, when the invention is put into place. After the substantial completion of step 210, the process 200 could proceed to back to step 202.

CONCLUSION

As shown above, the above invention could be employed to prevent construction dust, debris and the like from entering into HVAC system that is under construction or nor in use during construction of a building. The invention helps prevent construction site accidents by covering floor-mounted air outlets of non-operative HVAC systems to prevent trip and fall injuries and the like.

Although the description above contains many specifications, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention.

Claims

1. A construction ventilation cover for HVAC air outlets comprising:

a body, the body having a cover and a bottom support, the cover having a top and a bottom; the bottom support attaching to the bottom to create a cover flange,

wherein the bottom support is sized and shaped to fit snugly and reversibly within a HVAC air outlet with at least a portion of the unattached portion of the bottom support and the cover flange making contact with the surrounding structure defining the HVAC air outlet.

2. The construction ventilation cover of claim 1 wherein the cover is larger than the HVAC air outlet.

3. The construction ventilation cover of claim 1 wherein the bottom support is four sides and bottom structure, the four sides are continuously formed into a box structure with the bottom structure is a plate located within in the box structure.

4. The construction ventilation cover of claim 3 wherein the bottom structure has support flanges that are attached to the sides.

5. The construction ventilation cover of claim 1 wherein the bottom support is a solid block.

6. The construction ventilation cover of claim 1 wherein the body is one piece.

7. The construction ventilation cover of claim 1 wherein the top cover is a disk and the bottom is a cylinder.

8. A construction ventilation cover for HVAC air outlet comprising:

(A) a ventilation register having a bottom portion connected to a top portion, the top portion having an overlying flange surrounding a grid work, the bottom portion having a peripheral flange, the bottom portion further lacking a set of movable louvers, a linkage, and a lever that were originally provided with the bottom portion when the ventilation register;

(B) a cover sheet, the cover sheet attaches to the top portion to cover the grid work; and

(C) a peripheral flange extension, the peripheral flange extension attaches to the peripheral flange.

9. The construction ventilation cover of claim 7 wherein peripheral flange extension is four sides configured into a box structure.

10. The construction ventilation cover of claim 8 wherein the width of the sides is greater than the width of the peripheral flange.

11. The construction ventilation cover of claim 7 wherein the cover sheet is larger in size than the top portion allowing edges of the cover sheet to fold over one or more edges of the top portion.

12. The construction ventilation cover of claim 7 further comprising of a sealant applied to joints of the invention.

13. A methodology of constructing a ventilation register cover comprising of the following steps, but not necessarily in the order shown:

(A) providing a ventilation register, the ventilation register having a framework with a bottom portion connected to a top portion, the top portion having an overlaying flange that surrounds a gird work, the bottom section having a peripheral flange surrounding at least a portion of a set of louvers movably suspended within the bottom portion, the set of louvers movably connects to a linkage, the linkage connects to a louver lever that moves the linkage and louvers;

(B) removing the movable louvers, the linkage, and the lever from the ventilation register; and

(C) applying a cover sheet to the top portion of the ventilation register to cover at least portion of the grid work.

14. The methodology of claim 12 wherein the cover is larger in size than the top portion.

15. The methodology of claim 13, further comprising of a step of folding edges of the cover around portions of overlying flange of the top portion.

16. The methodology of claim 13 further comprising of a step of providing a peripheral flange extension having four sides that are configured into a box structure.

17. The methodology of claim 16 wherein the sides have a width that is greater than width of the peripheral flange.

18. The methodology of claim 17 further comprising of a step of attaching the peripheral flange extension to the peripheral flange.

19. The methodology of claim 16 wherein the sides are made from 20 gauge sheet metal.

20. A methodology of claim 13 further comprising of a step of applying sealer to one or more joints.