TWO PIECE ROOF VENT

Abstract

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.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

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 INVENTION

The 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:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view broken away of a roof vent on a shingled roof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the present invention in a disassembled form;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken at lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a one-piece product during assembly; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective exploded view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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 FIG. 3, the cover member 14 is attached to the base member 12 by first and second connecting straps 42 and 44. These extend from the forward flange 32 of the base member to a forward flange 45 of the cover member 14 and connect to the flange 45 with living hinges 47.

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 FIGS. 3 and 5, the two sections are combined by rotating the cover member 14 onto the base member 12 at living hinges 47, as shown by arrow 59. The indented portion 49 of the flange 45 and side flanges 48 will overlie the straps 42 and 44, forward flange 22, and portions of the side flanges 26 of the base member 12. The raised shoulder 28 aligns the walls of the cover member 14 and the base member 12.

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 FIG. 4.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, base 12 and cover 14 are formed from single walls, i.e., without bracing, or the like, which allows multiple vents in an unfolded condition to nest together. This allows one to ship a large number of vents in a relatively small container. The straps can be much thinner and may simply be runners connecting the two sections.

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 FIG. 1, the row 72 of shingles 18 immediately below the roof vent 10 are placed in position so that the bottom flanges 24 and 54 of the assembled vent overlie the shingles in row 18 in row 72. The vent is held together by nails 73 that extend through holes 62 and 64 into the roof surface. These nails are then caulked over to prevent any leakage. Nails are then driven through holes 58 and 60, and through hole 66, nailing the upper section of the vents together and fixing these to the roof at the same time. Upper row 74 of shingles 18 is placed in position so that it covers the upper flange 45 and portions of the side flange 48.

FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment in which roof vent 80 includes separate base member 82 and cover member 84. Base member 82 includes a circumferential flange 86, raised shoulder 88 and sloped walls 90, 92, 94, and 96, which surround a top wall 98. Top wall 98 and front wall 90 both include air passages 102. The cover member 84 likewise includes a top flange 104 and bottom flange 105. It also includes walls 106, 108, 110 and 112, respectfully, which surround and support a top solid wall 114. The base of the walls is sized to rest adjacent the shoulder 88 of the base member. Side walls 110 and 108, and rear wall 112 include slotted air passages 113.

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 FIG. 6 has the added advantage that it can be injection molded with two different plastics. The plastic used in base member 82 can be different than the plastic used with cover member 84. This allows the color of the cover member 84 to be changed while keeping the base member the same color, thereby reducing expenses. The two portions members 84 and 82 however will nest so that a plurality of cover members 84 can be shipped in one package and a plurality of base member 82 can be shipped in a separate package allowing a plurality of the vents to be contained in smaller packages relative to typical roof vents.

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.