Gable end roof ventilator

Ventilation – Having inlet airway – Including specific cover or shield for exterior vent opening

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C052S199000, C454S277000, C454S367000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06241602

ABSTRACT:

This invention relates to the ventilation of the roof space of buildings of the style which have a gable roof, and, in particular to a ventilator by which to achieve ventilation and a method by which to install the ventilator.
In building structures having a gabled roof, there is a need to ventilate the air space beneath the roof, and above the ceiling, to remove hot air, particularly in warmer climates, and in colder climates to reduce condensation and mould growth due to moisture laden air.
Typically, roof space ventilation is achieved by locating a louvred frame between adjacent studs in the opposite end walls of a building adjacent the gable peaks. These ventilators have fixed louvre blades which are spaced at about 50mm intervals and which are inclined outwardly and downwardly parallel to each other. A bird wire mesh is typically located on the inner side of the ventilator or gable frame to prevent birds from entering the roof space therebehind. In warmer climates these integrally constructed ventilators generally are much larger than those employed in cooler climates.
There are many problems associated with such roof ventilating systems.
A major disadvantage is associated with the cost of constructing and installing the ventilators, usually during construction of the building. Another major disadvantage of these prior art ventilators is that in warmer climates, particularly tropical and sub tropical regions prone to tropical rain storms, these ventilators permit the ingress of substantial amounts of rainwater when the rain storm is accompanied by gusty swirling winds. Yet another disadvantage is that the large rectangular ventilator structure is positioned well below the roof gable thus permitting the retention of a substantial body of hot air.
While rotating vents fitted to the outside of the roof on the gable are initially effective in removing hot air from the roof space, the limited life of their bearing systems leads to failure and high maintenance costs. Such rotating vents are also prone to storm damage in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
From an aesthetic view point, the large expanse of planar end walls of gable roofed house is quite unattractively disturbed by the rectangular louvred ventilator structures. To add an element of architectural interest to these plain end walls it is common to mount a decorative panel adjacent the ventilator (usually beneath). However such a combination is architecturally contradictory. There is therefore a need to resolve this conflict between functionality and aesthetic appearance.
Accordingly it is an aim of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least some of the problems associated with prior art roof space ventilators for buildings with gabled roof structure.
According to the present invention there is provided a ventilator for a building having a gable roof, gable wall and eaves, said ventilator including:
a substantially triangular panel; and
means for fixing the ventilator to a gable wall and/or associated eaves;
said panel being formed with a plurality of ventilation openings therein.
Preferably, the above defined panel is in the form of an isosceles triangle. Further, the means for fixing the ventilator preferably includes at least one peripheral flange. Ideally the panel is generally planar and the flange extends along one side thereof. The flange is preferably mounted at an angle relative to the plane of the panel. Preferably, the other two sides of the panel include mounting flanges. The panel ideally includes an apex which has an obtuse angle preferably in the range 100 to 150 degrees.
If required the ventilator may include a further panel extending downwardly of a base of the generally triangular panel. The further panel may include ventilation openings therein. Alternatively or additionally, the further panel may comprise in whole or in part a decorative panel or panel portion.
Suitably the ventilator may include or incorporate movable or adjustable ventilation openings. Preferably adjustable ventilation openings are movable between an open and a closed position. If required, the ventilator may include a suitable actuation means by which to selectively move or operatively adjust said ventilation openings between an open and a closed position. The actuation means may comprise any of a mechanical, electrical, electromechanical or thermoresponsive means.
The invention also provides a method of establishing roof ventilation including the steps of:
positioning a ventilator as defined above beneath a gable, tilted forwards until its perimeter abuts the associated gable wall and respective eaves along its edges;
marking the gable wall to delineate the area covered;
making an opening in the gable wall above the mark;
repositioning the ventilator to cover the opening;
fixing the ventilator at its bottom edge to the gable wall, tipped forwardly beneath the gable; and
fixing the ventilator to the eaves along its upper edges.
In use of the invention, part of the gable end wall can be removed and the triangular panel can be located so as to cover the opening. Because gable rooves are made at various pitches, normally the orientation of the ventilator panel will not be coplanar with respect to the plane of the gable wall. The orientation of the ventilator panel can be adjusted so that the apex of the panel engages the point where the eaves meet beneath the gable and the two shorter sides of the panel will engage or lie adjacent to the eaves. The mounting flange of the ventilator can then extend at an appropriate angle so that it can be fixed to the remaining part of the gable end wall. In this manner a single ventilator or limited range of ventilators can be fitted accurately and neatly to buildings with a wide range of roof gable angles.
The device of the invention can be formed from sheet metal. Alternatively it could be moulded from plastics material so as to have the appearance of wooden ventilator slats or the like.


REFERENCES:
patent: D. 134337 (1942-11-01), Cutshall
patent: 2645992 (1953-07-01), Simblest
patent: 2855841 (1958-10-01), Smith et al.
patent: 2923228 (1960-02-01), Fitterman
patent: 2988983 (1961-06-01), Davis
patent: 3777649 (1973-12-01), Luckey
patent: 4785596 (1988-11-01), Wiley et al.
patent: 4911066 (1990-03-01), Carew
patent: 5349799 (1994-09-01), Schiedegger et al.
patent: 1355553 (1974-06-01), None

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