Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Gable or eave terminal construction – With conduit or passage means
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-25
2004-06-29
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Gable or eave terminal construction
With conduit or passage means
C052S198000, C052S105000, C052S773000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06754995
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a panel for forming on-site a channel. More particularly, the present invention relates to a panel for forming on-site a multi-function channel that is self-retaining between, and by, a pair of parallel, adjacent, and spaced-apart framing members without a need for fasteners.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In winter, normal household activities like doing laundry, running dishwashers, and taking showers generate moisture that can damage insulation, rafters, wood decking, underlayment, and shingles. In summer, heat buildup can cause premature aging and cracking of wood and roofing materials. The most common way to address these problems is with passive and balanced ventilation.
When a ventilation system is balanced, wind blowing over the roof ridge creates a negative pressure that draws the warm, moist air out of the attic. Replacement air enters the attic through the undereave (soffit) vents, bathing the underside of the roof, and exiting at the ridge cap. Even in the absence of wind, the natural convection action of rising warm air still maintains continuous airflow along the underside of the roof between the low intake vents and the high exhaust vents. In addition, during the winter months, by continually bathing the undersides of a roof with cold fresh air melting snow is prevented from forming ice dams over the cold eaves causing structural damage to the roof, walls, and gutters. It is a simple system that works year round with no moving parts or energy consumption consisting of two critical components, the intake vents and the exhaust vents.
Soffit or undereave vents and ridge vents for the ingress and egress of fresh ventilating air have been produced for some time and there have been a number of products that have attempted to provide an assured connection between the two.
The need for a connecting channel between soffit and ridge vents comes as a result of some common construction techniques, such as cathedral ceilings or flat roofs (roof/ceiling structures).
Typically, the roof sheathing is attached to the sloping roof rafters, an underlayment is attached to the sheathing's exterior surface, and then the roof shingles are attached to the sheathing. The roofing installers typically use nails that penetrate the roof sheathing by at least ½ inch.
When the insulation contractors follow up they press the insulation batts up into the bay formed by the roof rafters and the roof sheathing where the batts tend to hang up on the roofing nails. When the insulation batts are pulled back down to staple the insulation flanges to the underside of the rafters, the insulation snags on the roofing nails and blocks the critical flow of fresh air from the soffit vents, up under the roof sheathing, to the ridge vents. This lack of critical ventilation causes roof damage in all climates and leads to ice damming in northern climates. In an effort to prevent this situation contractors have tried a number of cures.
Among them, driving nails on the inside of each roof rafter bay, at approximately one foot intervals and around one inch from the roof sheathing, and then connecting theses nails with string to prevent the insulation from reaching the roof sheathing. Unfortunately, this is very labor intensive, not particularly effective, and provides no protection for the upper layer of insulation. This exposed upper surface of insulation will inevitably be damaged by the infiltration of moisture thereby significantly decreasing its thermal effectiveness.
The current state of the art in the area of vent channeling is a readily available product sold under the trade name RAFT-R-MATE by Owens Corning and patented as U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,928 to Hess et al. Hess et al. teach an extruded foam polystyrene sheet formed into a roof vent panel for a sloping roof at the eaves. The panel has flanges, an offset wall, and is formed into through troughs end-to-end which are divided by truncated triangular ridges extending from the offset wall. The ridge is reinforced by gussets and saddles which are formed as sets along the ridges. The gussets extend from the offset wall to the ridge side walls and the saddles connect the ridge side walls below the truncated apex of the ridge. The gussets on each side wall are spaced and paired with one of each pair at the end of a saddle.
Simply, the roof vent panel of Hess et al. consists of a very thin extruded foam polystyrene panel which is attached by perimeter staples to the underside of the roof sheathing between the roof rafters and thus creating a vent channel from the soffit vent area to the attic or ridge vents. Unfortunately, the roof vent panel of Hess et al. has the following drawbacks that are fortunately overcome by the present invention, as will be discussed infra:
First, in order to create a crush resistant ventilation channel out of the very thin foam sheet materials of Hess et al., it is necessary to incorporate molded longitudinal reinforcing channels. The size of these reinforcing channels limits the available volume of air by reducing the actual ventilation channel area and the increase in exposed surface area of the reinforcing channels also reduces the free flow of ventilating air by virtue of increased air friction or drag.
In contradistinction, the present invention's integral strength requires no air restricting, reinforcing channel(s) and thus facilitates a larger volume of ventilation air. The present invention's single, smooth surfaced ventilation cavity also improves ventilation performance by reducing frictional losses.
Simply, the present invention being constructed of a semi-rigid, compressible, smooth faced insulating panel facilitates a single full bay channel for increased volumes of airflow and decreased surface resistance to laminar airflow.
Second, Hess et al. as a single-use, channel application, cannot prevent attic insulation from intruding and blocking off the soffit cavity intake vents nor can it protect the open ends of the attic insulation nearest the soffit cavity and vents from direct or indirect moisture infiltration. Such damp or wet conditions significantly decrease the insulating values of the insulation.
In contradistinction, the present invention incorporates an integral vent baffle and insulation dam to prevent attic insulation from intruding and blocking off the soffit cavity intake vents while protecting the open ends of the attic insulation nearest the soffit cavity and vents from direct or indirect moisture infiltration. Eliminating such damp or wet conditions prevents any significant decrease in the insulating values of the insulation.
Simply, the present invention integrates the required vent baffle which prevents the insulation installer from forcing insulation into the soffit venting cavity and also provides an insulated barrier to prevent the exposed end of the attic insulation nearest the soffit vent from wind driven water.
Third, the extruded polystyrene foam roof vent panel of Hess et al. is very thin and provides no significant insulating properties.
In contradistinction, the present invention's material can attain a thermal resistance to heat loss or heat gain as high as an R-value of 5. This substantially higher insulating value of the present invention significantly augments the existing attic insulation by further reducing heat loss and heat gain from the attic, which reduces the initial size of heating and cooling equipment and also reduces expensive heating and cooling energy operating costs.
Simply, the insulating board of the present invention provides an added insulation benefit of R-3.3 or greater.
Fourth, to properly install the roof vent panel of Hess et al., the installer, while on a ladder, must press the foam roof vent panel against the underside of the roof sheathing with one hand and with the other hand staple or nail it in position at the same time. This time consuming process exposes the installer to a substantial risk of injury from falling off the ladder.
In contradistinctio
Davis Michael Shannon
Munch Bruce Robert
Friedman Carl D.
Hoffman Bernard S.
Slack Naoko
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