FLOOR VENT

Abstract

A floor vent for a ventilation opening has a vent body defined by a top flange and a skirt portion. The skirt portion depends from the bottom of the top flange. In use, the skirt portion is received within the ventilation opening with top flange engaging the floor. The vent body has fastener-receiving openings below the top flange. A grille moves between a closed position in which the grille engages the vent body and traverses the air flow passage and an open position in which the grille permits access to the one or more fastener-receiving openings. At least one closure member selectively secures the grille in the closed position.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This relates to a floor vent for a ventilation system, in particular a floor vent with improved safety.

BACKGROUND

In residential forced-air heating and cooling systems, floor vents, or floor registers, are often used to cover the ends of the air ducts that carry the air from the heating/cooling equipment. A typical floor vent has a bottom skirt that is inserted into the end of the air duct or “duct boot”. Floor vent may be designed with different sizes and shapes to fit a particular forced-air system. Floor vents often allow for some control over the size of the airflow through the register, such as by providing an adjustable louver, or an adjustable grating. As floor registers are on the floor, they are typically not installed with fasteners, as would be the case with vents or gratings on the ceiling or walls.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,893 (Meredith) entitled “Vent device for use with medium for altering a condition of air entering an environment” describes a multi-part floor register that may be pivoted open to access a filter slot.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect, there is provided a floor vent for a ventilation opening formed in a floor. The floor vent may comprise a vent body comprising an air flow passage defined by a top flange and a skirt portion. The skirt portion depends from a bottom surface of the top flange, and the vent body is configured such that, in use, the skirt portion is received within the ventilation opening with a bottom surface of top flange engaging a top surface of the floor. The vent body may further comprise one or more fastener-receiving openings below the top flange. There is a grille having a closed position in which the grille engages the vent body and traverses the air flow passage. The grille may be selectively releasable from the closed position to move to an open position, wherein, in the open position, the grille permits access to the one or more fastener-receiving openings of the skirt portion through the top flange, and in the closed position, the grille obstructs the air flow passage and limits access to the one or more fastener-receiving openings through the top flange. At least one closure member may selectively secure the grille in the closed position. One or more fasteners are provided that are sized to be received within the one or more fastener-receiving openings, the one or more fasteners being configured to engage a surrounding wall of the ventilation opening below the top surface of the floor.

According to other aspects, the floor vent may further comprise one or more of the following features, alone or in combination: the grille may further comprise an adjustable flow control insert to adjust an airflow area through the air flow passage; the at least one closure member may be engaged when the grille is moved to the closed position; the grille may be pivotally attached to the top flange; the grille may be supported by the top flange in the closed position; the one or more fastener-receiving openings may comprise one or more vertically oriented slot formed in the skirt portion; the fasteners may be screws that are adapted to secure the skirt portion to a subfloor of a building.

According to an aspect, there is provided a method of installing a floor vent into a ventilation opening formed in a floor, the method comprising the steps of: providing a floor vent as described above; inserting the skirt portion into the ventilation opening such that the bottom surface of the top flange rests on the floor; with the grille in an open position, installing fasteners that extend through one or more fastener receiving openings in the skirt portion and engage a surrounding wall of the ventilation opening below the top surface of the floor; moving the grille from the open position to the closed position; and securing the grille in the closed position using the at least one closure members.

In other aspects, the features described above may be combined together in any reasonable combination as will be recognized by those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floor vent.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an opened floor vent with a flow control insert removed.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of the opened floor vent of FIG. 2

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the opened floor vent with the flow control insert.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation view of the opened floor vent of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view in section of the floor vent installed in a ventilation opening.

FIG. 7 is an end elevation view in section of the floor vent installed in a ventilation opening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A floor vent, generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 through 7. Floor vent 10 is intended to be used to cover a ventilation opening 100 formed in the floor 102 of a building. Floor vent 10 is preferably used to cover a ventilation opening that is not easily removed, such as in an area where children may be around ventilation opening 100. As floor vent 10 is designed to be more difficult to be removed, such as by a child, there is a reduced risk that the child may uncover ventilation opening 100 and create a hazard for the child or others or allow objects to fall into the ducting and require costly cleaning or maintenance. For example, an exposed ventilation opening may present risks such as sharp edges of flooring, sheet metal or exposed screws, a falling hazard, etc.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, floor vent 10 has a vent body 12 with an airflow passage 14 therethrough. Airflow passage 14 is defined by a surrounding top flange 16 and skirt portion 24. Skirt portion 24 depends from a bottom surface 18 of top flange 16 and is configured such that, when vent body 12 is installed in a ventilation opening, skirt portion 24 is received within ventilation opening 100, and bottom surface 18 of top flange 16 engages a top surface 104 of floor 102 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. It will be understood that bottom surface 18 may be an extended plane of contact, or a smaller portion of flange 16 that is in contact with top surface 104. When installed, airflow passage 14 establishes the pathway for air to flow between ventilation opening 100 and the occupied space.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, floor vent 10 may have a rectangular shape, which corresponds to the rectangular shape of a typical ventilation opening found in residential buildings. Floor vent 10 may take any size or shape such as square, oval, etc. required to be installed in a given ventilation opening 100. Vent body 12 may be made from plastic or from metal sheet, as is known in the art. Top flange 16 and skirt portion 24 may be formed as a unitary body, or may be made from multiple pieces that are assembled to form vent body 12.

Referring to FIG. 3, vent body 12 defines one or more fastener-receiving openings 28 below bottom surface 18 of top flange 16, such as vertically oriented slots 28 in skirt portion 24, as depicted. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, fastener-receiving openings 28 are designed to receive one or more fasteners 30, such as screws or nails, that secure floor vent 10 in an installed position within ventilation opening 100 by engaging ventilation opening 100 below the top surface 104 of floor 102. In the depicted example, fasteners 30 extend through fastener-receiving openings 28 and engage the subfloor 108, although it will be understood that fasteners 30 may engage any suitable structure, such as a duct. The shape of openings 28 as vertically-oriented slots allows the user to select an appropriate position, depending on the thickness of the flooring, which may vary such as is the case with hardwood flooring or carpet relative to vinyl or linoleum flooring. Fasteners 30, when received in fastener-receiving openings 28 and properly installed, prevent floor vent 10 from being removed from ventilation opening 100.

An open position of floor vent 10 is shown in FIG. 2, which allows access to fastener-receiving opening 28 in order to install or remove fasteners 30, and also allows access below floor vent 10, such as to clean ducting, without having to remove fasteners 30 and floor vent 10.

Referring to FIG. 1, floor vent 10 is shown in a closed position with a grille 40 that traverses airflow passage 14 and is supported by vent body 12. Grille 40 is selectively releasable from the closed position and, upon being released from the closed position is movable to an open position shown in FIG. 2. As shown, grille 40 is pivotally attached to vent body 12 such that it pivots between the open and closed positions. Grille 40 may also be pivotally attached at an end, rather than along a side, or may be selectively removable, such as by being attached by clips on either side or at either end, in which case the open position would be achieved by removing grille 40. When grille 40 is in the open position, it permits access to the one or more fastener-receiving openings 28 of skirt portion 24 through top flange 16, and when grille 40 is in the closed position, grille 40 limits access to one or more fasteners 30 received by fastener-receiving openings 28 through top flange 16.

As the purpose of floor vents 10 is to cover a ventilation opening while permitting air to flow, grille 40 is provided with apertures 42 that allow air to pass through floor vent 10. As shown, apertures are a plurality of substantially parallel slots, but may be any suitable shape or design. Floor vent 10 may also allow for some control over the flow of air through grille 40 by providing an adjustable flow control device. Two common ways of doing this in floor vents 10 is to provide a louver below grille 40 that is adjustable using a lever or other actuator, or by providing a sliding panel with strips of material that correspond to the openings in grille 40 such that, as the sliding panel moves, the apertures may be blocked or opened to a desired degree. In the example depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5, a sliding panel 44 is inserted below grille 40 that is movable relative to grille 40 to adjust the airflow area through grille 40. Referring to FIG. 2, sliding panel 44 may be placed on ledges 32 that may be immediately within top flange 16, or may be installed by clipping into resilient clips 34 that may be carried on the bottom surface of grille 40, in which case ledges 32 may be used to stabilize sliding panel 44 and/or grille 40 in the closed position. Adjustable flow control insert 44 may be another type of flow control insert that is known in the art. As shown in FIG. 1, the adjustable flow control insert 44 may reside underneath grille 40, and have a tab 46 that extends through grille 40 to allow for setting the airflow area while grille 40 is in the closed position.

Referring again to FIG. 1, grille 40 may be selectively secured in the closed position by at least one closure member 48. As shown, closure member 48 may be a resilient clip which closes and secures grille 40 when grille 40 is moved to the closed position. Other types of closure members may also be used, such as a rotating cam lock, pin connector, etc. Closure member 48 holds grille 40 in the closed position until released at which point grille 40 may be moved to the open position. Preferably, closure members 48 are configured such that grille 40 can only be released from the closed position by a user with superior hand coordination and finger dexterity or strength, or with a suitable tool. This may prevent a child from gaining access to ventilation opening 100, while also allowing for access to ventilation opening 100 when regular cleaning or maintenance is needed.

An example of a method that may be used to install floor vent 10 as described above will now be described. The method may be varied depending on the particular configuration of floor vent 10.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, skirt portion 24 of vent body 12 is inserted into ventilation opening such that bottom surface 18 of top flange 16 engages top surface 104 of flooring 102. With grille 40 in the open position, one or more fasteners 30 are inserted through fastener-receiving openings 28 and engaged to surrounding wall 106 of ventilation opening 100 to secure floor vent 10 to ventilation opening 100. If present, adjustable flow control insert 44 is installed, such as by attaching it to clips 34 carried by grille 40. Grille 40 is then moved from the open position to the closed position and secured by closure members 42. For closure members 42 that are similar to the depicted resilient clips, grille 40 may need to be pressed into the clips in order to ensure engagement.

In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.

The scope of the following claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples above and in the drawings, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.

Claims

1. A floor vent for a ventilation opening formed in a floor, the floor vent comprising:

a vent body comprising an air flow passage defined by a top flange and a skirt portion, the skirt portion depending from a bottom surface of the top flange, the vent body being configured such that, in use, the skirt portion is received within the ventilation opening with a bottom surface of top flange engaging a top surface of the floor, the vent body further comprising one or more fastener-receiving openings below the top flange;

a grille having a closed position in which the grille engages the vent body and traverses the air flow passage, the grille being selectively releasable from the closed position to move to an open position, wherein, in the open position, the grille permits access to the one or more fastener-receiving openings of the skirt portion through the top flange, and in the closed position, the grille obstructs the air flow passage and limits access to the one or more fastener-receiving openings through the top flange;

at least one closure member that selectively secures the grille in the closed position; and

one or more fasteners that are sized to be received within the one or more fastener-receiving openings, the one or more fasteners being configured to engage a surrounding wall of the ventilation opening below the top surface of the floor.

2. The floor vent of claim 1, wherein the grille further comprises an adjustable flow control insert to adjust an airflow area through the air flow passage.

3. The floor vent of claim 1, wherein the at least one closure member is engaged when the grille is moved to the closed position.

4. The floor vent of claim 1, wherein the grille is pivotally attached to the top flange.

5. The floor vent of claim 1, wherein the grille is supported by the top flange in the closed position.

6. The floor vent of claim 1, wherein the one or more fastener-receiving openings comprise one or more vertically oriented slot formed in the skirt portion.

7. The floor vent of claim 1, wherein the fasteners are screws that are adapted to secure the skirt portion to a subfloor of a building.

8. A method of installing a floor vent into a ventilation opening formed in a floor, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a floor vent comprising: a vent body comprising an air flow passage surrounded by a top flange and a skirt portion that depends from a bottom surface of the top flange; a grille having a closed position in which the grille engages the vent body and traverses the air flow passage, the grille being selectively releasable from the closed position and, upon being released is movable to an open position; at least one closure member that selectively secures the grille in the closed position;

inserting the skirt portion into the ventilation opening such that the bottom surface of the top flange rests on the floor;

with the grille in an open position, installing fasteners that extend through one or more fastener receiving openings in the skirt portion and engage a surrounding wall of the ventilation opening below the top surface of the floor;

moving the grille from the open position to the closed position; and

securing the grille in the closed position using the at least one closure members.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the grille further comprises an adjustable flow control insert to adjust an airflow area through the airflow passage.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one closure member is engaged when the grille is moved to the closed position.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the grille is pivotally attached to the top flange.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the grille is supported by the top flange in the closed position.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more fastener-receiving openings comprise one or more vertically oriented slot formed in the skirt portion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the fasteners are screws that secure the skirt portion to a subfloor of the building.