Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02870331 2014-11-07
ARCH TOP ROOF VENT
FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to a roof vent for
venting the roof of a
building such as a house.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Roof vents provide the necessary ventilation to the roof of a
house or other
building, inhibiting condensation in the roof from the infiltration or
collection of moisture into
the roof or attic cavity. Various roof vents employ vanes, grates and louvers
to permit
atmosphere to be channeled between the roof and the atmosphere and to try to
inhibit rain
and snow from entering the roof through the roof vent. A variety of caps and
covers have
been used to act as a guard to prevent the infiltration of rain and snow.
[0003] Current roof vents typically include a horizontal top edge
that provides an
area for precipitation to accumulate when the roof vent is placed on a sloped
roof. If
precipitation is allowed to build up on a top edge of a roof vent, moisture
can creep under
the roof shingles and potentially damage the roof structure. For example,
water can
damage the plywood under the shingles causing rot which may lead to leakage
and
damage to other aspects of the building. Accumulation of snow at the top edge
of a roof
vent can also create an area of increased loading on a roof surface.
SUMMARY
[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a roof vent that
obviates or
mitigates at least some of the above-presented disadvantages in the art.
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[0005] An improved roof vent for ventilating a sloped roof of a
building via a hole in
the roof to atmosphere but inhibits the infiltration of precipitation is
desired. A top edge of a
roof vent such as this may act as an atmospherefoil leading edge capable of
changing the
direction of atmosphere flow as atmosphere travels down the surface of a roof.
This change
of direction inhibits the stagnation of atmosphere and atmosphereborne
particulates such
as rain or snow at the top edge of the roof vent.
[0006] A first aspect provided is a roof vent for ventilating a
sloped roof of a building
via a hole in the roof to atmosphere, the roof vent comprising a flange
portion for affixing on
the roof, the flange portion having an opening in communication with the hole
in the roof; a
wall surface extending upwardly from the flange portion and extending around a
perimeter
of the opening to inhibit precipitation travelling along the flange portion
from entering the
opening; a cap having a first face for directing towards a peak of the roof, a
second face
opposite the first face, two opposing faces each connecting the first face to
the second
face, and a cover surface extending in a region between the first face, the
second face and
the two opposing side faces for inhibiting precipitation from entering the
opening, the cap
being supported by at least one support member and dimensioned to cover over
the
opening while providing a gap between the flange portion and one or more of
the faces for
facilitating passage of the atmosphere between the wall surface and the one or
more of the
faces; and the first face having a first surface connecting the two opposing
side faces, the
first surface extending from the cover surface towards the flange portion,
wherein at least a
portion of the first surface is curvilinear and the first surface is
positioned outside a portion
of the region between the two opposing faces.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] For a better understanding of the various embodiments
described herein and
to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now
be made, by
way of example only, to the accompanying drawings which show at least one
exemplary
embodiment of an arch top roof vent.
[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roof vent.
[0009] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment
of the roof vent with
cap attached.
[0010] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the roof vent shown in
Figure 1 without the
cap attached.
[0011] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the roof vent shown
in Figure 1.
[0012] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the roof vent shown in
Figure 1.
[0013] Figures 6A, 6B, 6C and 60 are perspective views of
alternate embodiments
of the roof vent shown in Figure 1.
[0014] In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in
the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of
illustration, where
considered appropriate, numerous specific details are set forth in order to
provide a
thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments described herein. However,
it will
be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments
described herein
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may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-
known methods,
procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not to
obscure the
embodiments described herein. Furthermore, this description is not to be
considered as
limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein in any way, but rather
as merely
describing the implementations of various embodiments described herein.
[0016] Figure 1 shows an improved roof vent 10 which provides
for roof ventilation
while at the same time inhibiting the infiltration of precipitation including
rain, snow or other
atmospheric particles into an attic. Roof vent 10 is comprised of a flange
portion 12, a wall
surface 11 and a cap 16. Flange portion 12 is intended to affix to roof 50 and
is preferably
flat to rest flush with roof 50 and to provide for easy installation of roof
vent 10. Wall
surface 11 extends upward (e.g. perpendicularly) from flange portion 12 and
about a
periphery of opening 22. The cap 16 is dimensioned to cover over wall surface
11 and hole
28 but is also configured to provide for a gap 18 between cap 16 and flange
portion 12 to
permit atmospheric atmosphere to pass between the wall surface 11 and cap 16.
Cap 16
also has a curvilinear first face 62 to deflect precipitation travelling along
roof 50 away from
a hole 28 in the roof 50.
[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the roof vent 10 provides for roof
ventilation while at the
same time inhibiting the infiltration of rain, snow and other undesired
atmosphere
particulates. Flange portion 12 is preferably flat to rest against the surface
of the roof 50
and cover over at least a portion of the surface of the roof 50. Flange
portion 12 has a top
surface 13 and an opening 22 to communicate with a hole 28 in roof 50. Wall
surface 11
has a central cavity 26 which communicates with opening 22 to permit
atmosphere to
circulate between attic interior 30, through hole 28 in roof 50 and cavity 26
of the wall
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surface 11. Wail surface 11 has one or more apertures 24 through which
atmosphere can
circulate between cavity 26 and outside atmosphere 32 through atmosphere
passage 20
and a gap 18, where gap 18 is between the flange portion 12 and the cap 16.
[0018] As can be seen in Figure 3, wall surface 11 is formed as a
frame having
upper portion 38, lower portion 40 and sides 36 formed from support members
14.
Apertures 24 is formed in wall surface 11 to alow for the passage of
atmosphere between
the atmosphere 32 and the cavity 26. The wall surface 11 is one example of a
frame that
can provide for structural rigidity between the cap 16 and flange portion 12,
thus providing
for structural integrity of the roof vent 10 in keeping the cap 16 at a spaced
apart distance
from the flange portion 12.
[0019] Wall surface 11 can extend transversely (eg. perpendicular) to
opening 22.
Cap 16 can be dimensioned to cover over opening 22 from above. An atmosphere
passage
can be formed between cap 16 and wall surface 11 so that atmospheric particles
can
flow through a side wall of wall surface 11 and atmosphere passage 20 and out
gap 18.
16 Any wind driven precipitation or other undesired particulates can be
deflected by the wall
surface 11 and cap 16 and thus be inhibited from entering the hole 28 and the
attic space
30. Since atmosphere passage 20 can be larger than gap 18, a quantity of
precipitation in
the atmosphere can be deflected by the outside of wall surface 11 and not
inhibit the flow of
atmosphere outside of the roof vent 10 and attic interior 30.
20 [0020] Referring again to Figure 2, Cap 16 has a first face 62
directed towards a
peak of roof 50, a second face 63 opposite the first face 62 and two opposing
side faces 64
and 66 connecting the first face 62 to the second face 63. The cap 16 also has
a cover
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surface 17 between opposing faces 64 and 66 that connects all four side faces
62, 63, 64
and 66. First face 62 connects to each of the opposing side faces 64 and 66 at
two corners
81 and 82 of cap 16. Second face 63 connects to each of the opposing faces 64
and 66 at
two different corners 83 and 84 of cap 16.
[00211 Figure BA illustrates one embodiment of cap 16 where faces 62, 63,
64 and
66 are connected to each other at corners 81, 82, 83 and 84, where the corners
81, 82, 83,
84 are regions of intersection of the faces 62, 63, 64 and 66. Cap 16 is
circular in shape. In
this embodiment, first face 62 refers to the face of the circle shaped cap 16
substantially
facing the peak of roof 50. Second face 63 refers to the opposite face of cap
16
substantially opposite to the first face 62 and facing away from the peak of
the roof.
Opposing faces 64 and 66 refer to the two portions of the circular shape
connecting the first
face 62 to the second face 63.
[0022] The cap 16 can be supported by either of a plurality of
separate support
members 14 or by support members incorporated into the wall structure 11. The
cap is
dimensioned to cover over the wall surface 11 and the opening 22 while
providing a gap 18
between the flange portion 12 and the cap 16. Gap 18 is illustrated in Figure
4 and provides
for the passage of atmosphere between the wall surface 11 and the cap 16.
[0023] First face 62 of cap 16 extends towards roof 50 to overlap
with at least a
portion of wall surface 11 at overlap region 71 (see Figure 2 and Figure 4).
First face 62
provides a surface to inhibit the movement of precipitation from contacting
the wall surface
11 and from entering the interior attic space 30 through the hole 28 in the
roof 50. First
face 62 provides a surface connecting the two opposing side faces 64 and 66,
first face 62
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also extending laterally from the second face 63 towards a peak of roof 50. In
one
embodiment, a middle point of the first face 62 is laterally closer to the
peak of the roof than
the two opposing side faces.
[0024] The surface of first face 62 is shaped to direct and deflect
precipitation
moving towards the first face 62 towards the two opposing side faces 64 and 66
of the cap
16.
[0025] The shape of first face 62 can dictate the direction in which
precipitation is
directed as it moves down the surface of roof 60 towards first face 62. First
face 62 directs
precipitation away from a midline X of roof vent 10 as shown in Figure 5.
Precipitation,
including rain, snow and other undesirable atmospheric particulates, can also
be directed in
a direction opposite to that of the surface of roof 50 and over cap 16.
[0026] In one embodiment, first face 62 is arcuately shaped over all
or a portion of its
surface which connects the two opposing faces 64 and 66, where arcuately
shaped is any
shape that is curvilinear and curvilinear shapes are such that consist of a
curved line or
lines. One example of such an arcuate shape for first face 62 is shown in
Figure 1. First
face 62 is concavely shaped over all or a portion of its surface with respect
to cover surface
17, which is between opposing faces 64 and 66 and connects first face 62,
second face 63,
and opposing faces 64,66, as previously described. However, first face 62 may
take any
curvilinear shape that promotes the redirection of precipitation moving
directly above the
surface of roof 60 or flange portion 12.
[0027] The first face 62 is outside of the region 90 of the cover
surface 17 between
the two opposing side faces 64,66. A portion of cover surface 17 that is
directly adjacent to
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the first face 62 is also outside of the region 90 between the two opposing
side faces 64,66.
Cover surface 17 has a region 90 and a region 92 where region 90 is outside of
the region
92 that is between the opposing side faces 64,66 of the cap 16.
[0028] As precipitation travels along the surface of roof 50 and
flange portion 12
towards first side 70, either directly on the surface of roof 50 or in the
atmosphere space
immediately above the surface of roof 50, the arcuate shape of first face 62
can change the
direction of the precipitation so the precipitation is no longer directed
towards the hole in
the roof. This redirection prevents stagnation and accumulation of such
precipitation at the
surface of first face 62 and/or first side 70.
[00293 The shape of the remaining faces of cap 16 can vary but preferably,
the first
face 62 maintains a curved or arcuate shape to limit accumulation of snow or
rain at the
surface of the first face 62 and/or the first side 70 adjacent the roof 50.
The perimeter of
cap 16 shown in Figure 1 is trapezoidal but other shapes can include square or
diamond so
long as the first face is able to direct the movement of snow and other
undesirable
particulates away from the surface of first face 62 and towards the opposing
sides face 64,
66.
[00301 In one embodiment the first face 62, the second face 63 and
the opposing
side faces 64, 66 may combine to form a substantially diamond-shape (see
Figure 6B).
[0031] Figure 1 also shows an arch top design for the wall surface
11. Similarly to
that previously described for first face 62 of cap 16, wall surface 11 may
have a first side 70
directed towards a peak of roof 50, a second side 72 opposite the first side
70 and two
opposing sides 74 and 76 connecting the first side 70 to the second side 72.
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[00321 First side 70 of wall surface 11 extends from the surface of
roof 50 and
provides a surface to inhibit the movement of rain and snow from entering the
interior attic
space 30 through the hole 28 in the roof 50. First side 70 is preferably
planar and shaped
to direct objects in the atmosphere 32 moving through gap 18 towards the first
side 70
towards the two opposing sides 74 and 76 of the wall surface 11.
[0033] The shape of first side 70 can dictate the direction in which
undesired
atmosphereborne particulates are directed as they move down the surface 19 of
roof 50
towards first side 70. First side 70 can also direct snow, rain and
atmosphereborne
particulates away from a midline X of roof vent 10 as shown in Figure 4.
[0034] In one embodiment, first side 70 has an arcuate shape over its
entire surface.
This embodiment is shown in Figure 3. As snow and other atmosphereborne
particulates
travel down the surface of sloped roof 50 towards first side 70, the arcuate
shape of first
side 70 can change the direction of snow, rain or other atmospherebome
particulates and
prevent stagnation and accumulation of such at the surface of first side 70.
[0035] The first side 70 of wall surface 11 is outside of the region 90 of
the cover
surface 17 between the two opposing sides 74,76. A portion of cover surface 17
that is
directly adjacent to the first side 70 is also outside of the region 90
between the two
opposing side faces 74,76. Cover surface 17 has a region 90 and a region 92
where
region 90 is outside of the region 92 that is between the opposing side faces
74,76 of the
cap 16.
[0036] The shape of the remaining faces of wall surface 11 can vary
but preferably,
the first side 70 maintains a curve or arcuate shape to limit accumulation of
snow or rain.
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The perimeter of wall surface 11 shown in Figure 3 is trapezoidal but other
shapes can
include square or diamond so long as the first side 70 is able to direct the
movement of
snow and other undesirable particulates away from the surface of first face
62.
[0037] Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of roof vent 10
wherein the first
face 62 and the first side 70 are both substantially co-planar, the first face
62 extending
from the cover surface 17 and the first side 70 extending from flange portion
12. The cap
16 and wall surface 11 are configured such that the passage of atmosphere can
circulate
between the gap 18 and an atmosphere passage 20, the cap 16 and the wall
surface 11
being further configured such that the atmosphere passage 20 surrounds the
wall surface.
The atmosphere passage 20 surrounding the wall surface also has a uniform
shape.
[0038] While the exemplary embodiments have been described herein, it
is to be
understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The
invention is
intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included
within the
spirit and scope of the appended claims, and scope of the claims is to be
accorded an
interpretation that encompasses all such modifications and equivalent
structures and
functions.
