Roll type roof ridge ventilator and associated method

Details Roll type roof ridge ventilator and associated method Roll type roof ridge ventilator and associated method

2001-01-30

2004-02-03

Chapman, Jeanette (Department: 3635)

Static structures (e.g., buildings)

Enclosure or cover, with supplemental fluid-guiding port...

C052S011000, C052S041000, C052S057000, C052S199000, C454S365000, C454S366000, C454S367000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06684581

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to roof ventilation systems for buildings and, more particularly, to a ridge vent system. Specifically, the present invention relates to a roof ridge ventilation system and associated method in which the ridge vent members are rolled for ease of handling and packaging.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is generally known that a roof ventilation system is an important component of a building to provide ventilation to the attic region that is between the roof and the occupied regions of the building. More specifically, during the summer months the sunlight incident on a roof and the relatively warmer ambient temperatures can raise the air temperature within the attic to over 150° F., and such elevated attic temperatures may not fall significantly even at night. Such elevated temperatures can increase cooling costs and can have a deleterious effect on the roof itself. During the winter months, daily activities within the occupied regions of the structure such as cooking and bathing, an even a person's presence inside the structure, cause moisture-laden warm air to convectively rise vertically upward into the attic which is of a relatively lower temperature than the occupied regions. The moisture-laden air then cools within the attic, which can result in the condensation of water droplets on the interior surfaces of the attic. Such moisture droplets likewise have a deleterious effect on the roof and the building itself. It is thus known to provide a ventilation system to permit air within the attic to circulate in an order to overcome the aforementioned deleterious effects.
Roof ventilation systems can broadly be stated to include active and passive ventilators. Among active systems are the fan systems that provide forced-air ventilation to the attic. Among the passive systems are roof ridge ventilators that provide openings through which the air within the attic can convectively flow to provide ventilation. Ridge ventilation systems must provide a beneficial level of ventilation to the attic yet must be configured to resist the entry of precipitation, insects, foreign matter, and the like into the attic.
Roof ridge ventilators typically are coveringly disposed over an elongated opening that is formed in a roof and that extends along the peak of the roof, with the opening typically being in the range of approximately 4-8 inches in width and running along a substantial portion of the roof peak. Such openings typically do not extend to the ends of the peak for various structural and functional reasons, as well as other reasons. Such roof ridge ventilators typically function in cooperation with air inlet openings that are typically formed in a lower region of the roof that is generally protected from precipitation, such as the eaves.
In use, the air temperature within the attic is nearly always higher than the ambient temperature of the air surrounding the building. As such, the relatively warmer attic air convectively rises and flows out of the opening formed at the peak of the roof. Simultaneously therewith, ambient air flows into the attic through the air inlet openings to take the place of the relatively warmer air that is flowing upward and out of the attic through the opening at the peak.
In order to provide ventilation to the attic yet resist the entry of precipitation, insects, foreign matter, and the like into the attic, roof ridge ventilators typically include openings that are configured in conjunction with baffles to permit the free flow of air while blocking the direct entry of precipitation or insects. Some roof ridge ventilators may additionally or alternatively include one or more layers of fiber or foam to achieve a similar objective. In recent years, ridge vents that employ openings and baffles have become more popular due to their ability to be more economically manufactured and installed. While most roof ridge vents of the type having baffles and openings have been generally effective for their intended purposes, such ridge vents have not, however, been without limitation.
Roof ridge vent systems must be configured to conform to the sloped roof extending on each side of the roof ridge opening. Moreover, such roof ridge vents must have at least a nominal level of crush resistance to permit the occasional person to walk across the ridge vent and accommodate the weight of accumulated snow and ice and the impact of the occasional falling tree limb and the like. While it has been know to manufacture such roof ridge vents out of aluminum and other relatively rigid materials, improved ridge vents have recently been developed that are made of plastic materials and that are nominally flexible along a longitudinal axis thereof in order to permit the ridge vent to conform to the sloped sides of the roof on opposite sides of the peak opening. Plastic ridge vents typically include a plurality of baffles and/or other structures that depend from a common panel and that serve both the functions of resisting entry of precipitation, insects, foreign matter, and the like, as well as providing support structures that retain the panel away from the roof and that resist crushing of the ridge vent.
Despite such ridge vents being nominally flexible along a longitudinal axis thereof, such ridge vents nevertheless are too rigid to be rolled lengthwise, and rather must be sold in generally rigid elongated sections. A plurality of such elongated sections are typically joined with one another in an end-two-end fashion to cover openings that are longer than the individual sections of the ridge vent material.
The installation of such a ridge vent system is labor intensive since a worker typically must remove tools such as hammers and nails from his or her hands in order to grasp and position each relatively rigid section of ridge vent material, and must then take up the hammer and nails to continue installation of the ridge vent system. The installation of each section of ridge vent material thus requires substantial labor. Moreover, the sections of ridge vent material can only be of a length that can be easily transported and handled by human beings, which may typically be of a length only on the order of 4-10 feet.
It is thus desired to provide an improved ridge vent system that can be easily installed by a worker and that reduces the time that must be spent by a worker in joining large numbers of discrete sections of ridge vent material to one another, as well as reducing the time spent replacing hammers and nails into tool belts and taking them back up after the positioning of each section of ridge vent material. Such a system preferably will include a relatively longer length of ridge vent material that is resiliently deformed or rolled into a roll that can be easily handled by a worker and that requires relatively fewer joining steps to cover the openings in the peaks of roofs. Such a system preferably will also incorporate structures or other enhancements that take advantage of naturally occurring wind to increase ventilation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the foregoing, a rollable ridge vent includes an elongated panel having a pair of opposite ends and a pair of opposite sides, with a plurality of first, second, and third baffles depending from the panel. The first baffles are arranged to form a pair of first rows adjacent the sides of the panel, and the second baffles are arranged to form a pair of second rows adjacent, inward of, and at least partially overlapping the first baffles. The first and second baffles are spaced from one another to provide a plurality of drainage spaces therebetween. The third baffles are arranged in a sinusoidal pattern between the second rows of second baffles. The ridge vent further includes a seal member at each end of the panel. A pair of generally triangular dowels are formed in one of the seal members, and a pair of lugs that each have a generally triangular socket with a constricted throat are formed in the opposite seal member, with

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