Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Enclosure or cover – with supplemental fluid-guiding port...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-25
2001-02-13
Callo, Laura A. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Enclosure or cover, with supplemental fluid-guiding port...
C052S302300, C454S364000, C454S365000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185880
ABSTRACT:
This invention concerns roof ventilation in particular conservatory roof ventilation.
Conservatories are popular and attractive additions to many buildings including private houses, hotels and restaurants. Because of the large window area of conservatories, they can become very hot in summer and in winter condensation can be a problem. To mitigate against these conditions and for comfort generally it is desirable to have conservatories well ventilated and indeed to provide conservatories with forced ventilation. However, it is also desirable that any forced ventilation system not be obtrusive.
It is known to provide a vertical axis ventilation fan with radial blades mounted within a conversatory roof ridge beam. This type of fan is unsuitable for forcing air through the very restricted outlet available through a ridge beam. Thus, the arrangement is not particularly efficient at moving air or creating air flow in other than a localised area.
An object of this invention is to provide an improved ventilation system, especially a ventilation system suitable for conservatory roofs.
According to this invention there is provided a roof ventilation system, especially suitable for a conservatory roof, the system comprising a cowl attachable to a ridge component of the roof an electrically operated rotor within the cowl, preferably arranged to rotate on a generally horizontal axis.
The ventilation system of the invention preferably also comprise an apertured cover concealing the rotor from below. The cover is preferably in the form of a grill, preferably with apertures in the form of slots. The apertured cover is preferably attachable to undercladding for the ridge, preferably over an opening formed therein. The cover may also have side apparatus to increase air flow.
The preferred cowl locates the rotor in an offset position relative to a roof ridge and has sides extending above the rotor that may be provided with means for attaching the cowl to the underside of a ridge member. Alternatively or additionally at either or both ends of the cowl attachment points may be provided for positive fixing of the cowl to a ridge member.
A preferred ventilation system of the invention is suitable for use with a roof ridge of the type described in our copending GB Patent Application No. 2310870A, which has an apertured base, side walls extending upwardly from the base and flanges extending downwardly and away from the base. On the underside of the base is a pair of spaced parallel ribs with inwardly directed lips to provide a slot for receiving a component of a ridge cap hold-down system. These ribs provide a convenient location for attachment of the cowl. Such an attachment location could, of course, be provided on any other suitable form of ridge member. The cowl preferably has pairs of spaced outwardly directed barbs to locate on the lips of the ribs on the underside of the base of the ridge beam.
The attachment points for positive fixing of the cowl to a ridge member may be screw holes provided in end extensions of the cowl. The screw holes may be through thicker sections that fit between the ribs on the underside of the ridge member or separate spacers may be provided on the screws, such as of rubber or foam rubber, to provide cushioning and possibly noise reduction while the ventilation system is operating.
Another form of positive fixing for the cowl may comprise pairs of formations on end extensions of the cowl that locate on the underside of a ridge member and wedges for insertions between said formations to urge them outwards to hold them in place.
Another form of positive fixing for the cowl may comprise rotatable clips on end extensions of the cowl that can be turned through 90° to locate in formations on the underside of the ridge member.
As another alternative means of fixing the cowl to the underside of a ridge member, especially for ridge members not having any suitable attachment points, a mounting plate may be fixed on the underside of the ridge member, such as by means of screws, and the cowl of the ventilation systems be provided with means for locating same on the mounting plate. The mounting plate could have a pair of facing grooves to receive tongue formations of the cowl in a sliding fashion. Alternatively, the mounting plate could have shaped formations to snap-fit into or onto correspondingly shaped formations of the cowl.
Above the ridge beam a ridge capping is usually provided, which has sides partially overlying roof glazing. Preferably, when the cowl is mounted to the ridge beam, an air deflector will be mounted on the underside of the ridge capping to direct air towards side edges of the capping. A preferred deflector present a pair of concave arcuate surfaces either side of a ridge.
Alternatively, the cowl may be attachable to a ridge capping on its underside. A preferred ridge capping has formations on its underside, with which cooperating formations of the cowl can engage. The formations of the ridge capping preferably comprising facing L-shaped ribs. The cowl for the rotor can have a pair of upstands with outwardly projecting ends that be clipped onto the L-shaped ribs. Such an arrangement may be enhanced by use of a wedge between the upstands to urge them apart, or by a screw through a cowl part into the ridge capping, especially an extruded screw port thereof. Alternatively, the cowl can have a pivotable T-bolt, which in one orientation can fit between the L-shaped formations before being turned through 90° C. to be retained by the L-shaped formations. Another alternative comprises ball and socket connectors, one or other being provided, preferably in pairs, on the underside of the ridge cladding and the other being provided on the fan cowl.
For attachment of the cover of a preferred ventilation system of the invention to undercladding of a ridge, the cover may have formations that clip over sides of an opening in the undercladding.
Alternatively the cover may be attached to the undercladding to either side of an opening therein, such as by means of screws preferably through the undercladding into screw holes provides in formations of the cover.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the cover for the ventilation system serves also as the ridge undercladding and locates directly onto a ridge member.
The rotor of the ventilation system may be provided with means for automatic operation dependent on temperature. Said means may include variable speed control. The rotor may be battery or mains operated.
The ventilation system of the invention may be used in roof ridges of any pitch and may also be used on half ridges i.e. of lean-to type conservatories.
This invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a section through a conservatory roof ridge with a ventilation system according to the invention;
FIG. 2
is a top plan view of a cowl of the ventilation system shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a section on line AA of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 4
is a section on line BB of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 5
is a top plan view of another cowl for a ventilation system of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 6
is a section on line CC of
FIG. 5
;
FIG. 7
is an enlarged sectional view of end detail of the grill cover of
FIG. 5
;
FIG. 8
is a top plan view of yet another cowl for a ventilation system of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 9
is a section on line DD of
FIG. 8
;
FIG. 10
shows detail of a fixing system for the grill cover of
FIG. 8
;
FIG. 11
is a top plan view of a yet further cowl for a ventilation system as shown in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 12
is a section on line EE of
FIG. 11
;
FIGS. 13 and 14
show an alternative means of fixing a cowl for a ventilation system to a roof ridge;
FIG. 15
shows another alternative means of fixing a cowl for a ventilation system of a roof ridge;
FIG. 16
is an end view of a ventilation system of the invention showing fixing of a grill cover therefor;
FIG. 17
is an end view of a ventilation system of the invention showing a second fixing means for a grill cover therefor;
FIG. 18
is an end view of a ventilation syste
Callo Laura A.
Rockey Milnamow & Katz Ltd.
Ultraframe (UK) Limited
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