TWO PIECE ROOF VENT
A roof vent designed to be nestable for easy shipment and which can be injection molded includes a base member and cover member. The base is nestable in an identical base, and the cover is nestable in an identical cover. The base and cover can be totally separate or connected by a living hinge or runner. To install the vent, the cover is positioned over the base and the two are nailed together to the roof surface.
Generally, roof vents on residential buildings are nailed to the roof surface and cover a hole which extends through the roof surface into an attic space. The vents are attached to the roof at the same time the roof is shingled, with the bottom flange of the roof vent extending over a lower row of shingles, and an upper row of shingles extending over a top flange of the roof vent. The roof vent has an inner section and an outer section that creates a circuitous path preventing water from passing through the outer openings in the roof vent into the building but allow air through the vent.
This construction causes the roof vents to be relatively bulky. If several vents are shipped together, they are usually in individual packages because these vents do not nest. Further, they cannot be easily formed by injection molding.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is premised on the realization that a more compact, easily manufactured roof vent can be formed in two sections, an inner section and an outer section, both sections having forward and rear flanges and at least one of the sections having side flanges. These are installed together by placing one on top of the other and nailing the two together to the roof.
Because these are formed as two sections, the vents can be injection molded. Further, if the sections are totally separate, the inner section can be formed from a less expensive material without coloring, and the outer section can be formed from a variety of different colors, which decreases the cost of manufacturing but allows multiple colored roof vents to be manufactured.
The roof vent can also be formed in one piece wherein the inner and outer sections are connected together by a living hinge or runner. Either construction allows the two pieces to be nested together so that multiple vents can be shipped in a single box that is only about twice the size of a box that would hold only one prior art roof vent.
The objects and advantages of the present invention will be further appreciated in light of the following detailed description and drawings in which:
According to the present invention, a roof vent 10 includes an inner base member 12 and an outer cover member 14. The vent 10 is attached to a roof surface 16 and covers an opening 17 through the roof surface 16. The roof vent 10, in turn, is surrounded by shingles 18. The vent can be plastic and formed by injection molding or the vent can be metal.
The base member 12 has a peripheral flange 20 formed from a top flange 22, a bottom flange 24 and two side flanges 26. Peripheral flange 20 includes a circumferential raised shoulder 28. Sloped side walls 30, forward wall 32, and back wall, or lower wall 34 extend up from shoulder portion 28 and surround a top wall 36. The base member 12 includes upper air openings 38 through wall 32, and air openings 40 through top wall 36. These openings are relatively small to keep bugs from passing through the vent. The remaining side walls 30 and lower wall 34 are solid to prevent water ingress.
As shown in the one piece embodiment of
The cover member 14 includes, in addition to the forward flange 45, minor side flanges 48 and a rear flange 54. Indented portion 49 on the upper flange 45 and side flanges 48 correspond to the straps 42 and 44 and portions of the front flange 22 and side flanges 26 of the base member. The cover member 14 further includes side walls 50 with air openings 51; a back wall 52, again with air openings 53; as well as a forward solid wall 55; as well as a top solid wall 56. The location and size of the respective walls allow the cover member 14 to fit over and cover the base member 12.
As shown in
The bottom flange 54 of the cover member rests on the bottom flange 24 of the base member 12 with nail holes 58 aligned with nail holes 60, and nail holes 62 aligned with nail holes 64 in the bottom flange 24. An additional nail hole 66 is centered over a space 68 between straps 42 and 44. When the cover member is over base member 12, circuitous air paths are provided through the opening 17 in the roof surface 16, through either the openings 38 or 40 in the base member, and then, subsequently, through openings 51 or 53 in the side walls or lower wall of the cover member. These are represented by arrows 65 in
As can be seen in
Vent 10 is installed as the roof is covered with shingles 18. The cover member 14 is first folded over the base member 12. As shown in
This product is assembled on the roof in the same manner as the roof vent 10. As the roof is being shingled, the cover member 84 is placed on top of the base member 82. Flanges 104 and 105 include nail holes 115 that align with nail holes 117 in the flange 86. This product is then installed in the same manner as the vent 10, disclosed above.
The embodiment shown in
This has been a description of the present invention along with the preferred method of practicing the present invention. However, the invention itself should only be defined by the appended claims, WHEREIN I CLAIM:
Claims
1. A one piece roof vent comprising a base member and a cover member connected together:
- said base member including a top flange, a bottom flange and side flanges, front, back and side walls extended from said flanges, and a top wall, said top wall having air flow passages;
- said cover member having a top and bottom flange and a front wall, back wall and side walls, and a solid top wall;
- whereby a vent in an unfolded condition is nestable within an identical vent; and
- whereby said cover member folds over said base member at said living hinge and said front, back and side walls of said cover member surround and are spaced from said front, back and side walls of said base member.
2. The roof vent claimed in claim 1 wherein the base member and cover member are connected together at a living hinge.
3. The roof vent claimed in claim 1 wherein the base member and cover member are connected together by a runner.
4. The roof vent claimed in claim 1 wherein said top flange of said cover member extends farther than the top flange of said base member.
5. The roof vent claimed in claim 2 wherein said cover member and base member are connected by first and second straps, each having a living hinge.
6. The roof vent claimed in claim 5 wherein said cover member and base member are hinged together at top flanges of said base and cover.
7. The roof vent claimed in claim 1 wherein said top wall of said base has air openings which are smaller than air openings in the side walls of said cover member.
8. The roof vent claimed in claim 1 wherein said base includes a raised peripheral shoulder and wherein bottom edges of said front, back and side walls of said cover member locate adjacent said shoulder when said vent is folded.
9. The roof vent claimed in claim 1 wherein said base member and cover member are held together on a roof surface by nails extended through flanges in said base and said cover member.
10. The roof vent claimed in claim 7 wherein said vent is injection molded.
11. A two piece roof vent comprising a base member and a cover member, said base member including a top flange, a bottom flange and side flanges, front wall, back wall and side walls extended from said flanges, and a top wall, said top wall having air flow passages;
- said cover member having top and bottom flanges and a front wall, back wall and side walls and a solid upper wall wherein said cover member locates over said base member and said front back and side walls of said cover member surrounded and spaced from said front, back and side walls of said base member, and wherein said side walls of said cover member include slotted air openings
- whereby identical cover members are nestable in each other; and
- identical base members are nestable in each other.
12. The roof vent claimed in claim 11 wherein said base and cover member are held together on a roof surface by nails extended through flanges in said base member and said cover member.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 1, 2010
Publication Date: Dec 1, 2011
Inventor: Michael Vagedes (Florence, KY)
Application Number: 12/791,388
International Classification: F24F 7/02 (20060101); F24F 13/20 (20060101);