AU2008200042B2 - Vent - Google Patents

Abstract

P:\OPER\Sg~nT07\uly-Dec\30454082 Roof Vent Complete.doc-l/3200S Abstract A vent for a corrugated sheet roof having ridge capping 24 overlapping an upper marginal edge of the corrugated sheeting 22. The vent comprises a shallow 5 elongate chamber 34 having a base 30 to overlie the corrugated sheet, a first (upper) end 32 to extend under the ridge capping 24, a first opening 36 in the base toward the first end to provide air flow between the chamber 34 and the interior of the roof through an opening 40 in the corrugated sheets and a second opening 38 at or towards an opposite (lower) end of the vent to provide air flow through the 10 chamber. C>l

Description

Regulation 3.2 AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT (ORIGINAL) Name of Applicant(s): Kevin Baker, of 18 Dobbins Circuit, Nicholls, Australian Capital Territory 2602, Australia Actual Inventor(s): Kevin Baker Address for Service: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, of I Nicholson Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia Invention Title: "Vent" Details of Associated Provisional Application No: 2007900039 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us. Q:\OPER\Sgw\2008 Jan-Jun\30454082 complete.doc - 4/l/08 H:\ n\newoven\NRPonlbl\DCOAZM\k494170(3_1 doc-51/2013 Vent The present invention relates to a vent for the provision for ventilation to or from a roof cavity of a building having a corrugated roof such as a corrugated iron roof, 5 and to an assembly comprising the roof and vent. Ventilation through roofing is commonly used to remove heat, moisture or undesirable odours from within a building especially the roof cavity. In the case of a tiled roof this is typically achieved by a tubular structure extending vertically 10 through the tiles with the other end either originating from the internal structure of the building or the roof cavity. This necessitates cutting tiles and fitting flashing around the tubular structure to ensure a water tight seal. The tubular structure is often unsightly especially those fitted with a cover to prevent ingress of large objects. 15 Similar tubular structures are used on a corrugated roof. One such known example is the "SuperWhirly" made by CSR Edmonds Pty Ltd. The "SuperWhirly" has a wide vertical tubular column with a rotating member to provide ventilation to the roof cavity. Although the positioning of the "SuperWhirly" can be such as to 20 minimize the visual impact of the installation, the "SuperWhirly" is still very visible to a person when installed. Conventional roof tile vents, which replace an existing roof tile in a tiled roof are typically more aesthetically pleasing, for example "The Universal Tile Ventilator" 25 made by Universal Tile Ventilators Pty Ltd. However, in a corrugated iron roof it is a substantial task to replace an entire section of corrugated iron by a substitute section containing a vent. It should be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that throughout the 30 specification the term corrugated, and related terms, means a sheet or surface having parallel ridges and grooves, for example Colorbond@ corrugated iron and Trim deck@. These corrugated sheets are typically formed by a roll forming H :\amJntmoven\NRPotbhDCC\AZM\4941703_1,doc-51/2013 2 process. Therefore it would be desirable for a roof vent to provide ventilation to the roof cavity of a building having a corrugated roof. 5 According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vent for a corrugated sheet roof having ridge capping overlapping an upper marginal edge of the corrugated sheeting, said vent comprising: a shallow chamber having a base to overlie said corrugated sheeting; 10 a first end, which is configured to extend under said ridge capping when the vent is installed; an opening in said base toward said first end ("the first opening") to provide air flow between said chamber and the interior of said roof through an opening in said corrugated sheeting; 15 a second end, opposite to said first end so as to be lowermost when the vent is installed; and an opening at or towards the second end ("the second opening") to provide air flow through the chamber, wherein said chamber extends in a direction from the first end to the second 20 end such that air flow through the vent is substantially uninhibited. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assembly comprising said vent and said corrugated sheet roof, wherein said base overlies said sheeting, said first end extends under said ridge capping and 25 provides the air flow through the opening in the sheeting, and said second opening provides the air flow through the chamber, the vent thus being installed. In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the vent allows air to flow to or from the interior of the corrugated roof when an opening or hole is made in the 30 corrugated sheet whilst maintaining a low profile to reduce the visual appearance of the vent on the corrugated sheet roof.

H :\an enmoven\NRPonbl\DCC\AZM\494171)3_ Idoc-5/1/2013 3 In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the vent is easy to attach to the corrugated roof by having the first end able to slide under the ridge capping. With the first end extending under the ridge capping, water can be substantially inhibited from entering the interior of the roof and the area between the base and 5 the corrugated sheets. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the vent includes a sealing section attached to a portion of the base proximal to the second opening. The sealing section is preferably in the same profile as the corrugated roof and acts to prevent 10 water ingress to the area between the vent and the roof. Alternatively, the sealing section may be able to be shaped to form the profile of the corrugated sheet roof by removal of a portion of the sealing section. This allows the sealing section to be shaped by a person installing the vent as required without the necessity of pre shaping the sealing section. The sealing section may enhance the appearance 15 the vent. Preferably, said chamber is elongate in a direction from one of the first and second openings to the other. 20 The vent may further include an intermediate section interposed between the first end and the chamber to position the first opening at an increased distance from the upper marginal edge of the first end. The intermediate section allows the vent to be installed at a distance from the ridge capping whilst maintaining the inhibition of water into the roof cavity. 25 The vent according to preferred embodiments of the invention is aesthetically pleasing whilst being simple in construction and easy to install. The present invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, 30 with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described as follows. Figure 1 - A perspective view of a vent installed on a corrugated sheet roof if\a\lnemoven\NRPortbl\DCC\AZM\49470)3_l doc-5/1/2013 4 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 - A view of the top of the vent of Figure 1. Figure 3 - A cross sectional view of the vent of Figure 2 installed on a corrugated sheet roof as shown in Figure 1. 5 Figure 4A - A front view of the vent of Figure 2. Figure 4B - A front view of a vent according to another embodiment having a sloped side. Figure 5 - A side view of the vent of Figure 2. Figure 6 - A view from the underside of the vent of Figure 2. 10 Referring to Figure 1, the vent 10 is installed on a corrugated sheet roof 20 to provide ventilation of the interior of the roof. The corrugated sheet roof is formed from a number of sheets of corrugated iron 22 and has a ridge capping 24 preventing the ingress of water at the peak of the roof. In the installed position 15 shown, the vent 10 has a low vertical profile to reduce the visual appearance of the vent on the roof. This low vertical profile does not significantly detract from the visual appearance of the roof as a whole. As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the roof vent 10 has a base 30 overlying the 20 corrugated sheets and a first (upper) end 32 to attach the vent 10 to the ridge capping 24 of the roof. The vent 10 also has a shallow elongate chamber 34 allowing air to flow through the vent between a first opening 36 in the base 30 towards the first end and a second opening 38 at the opposite (lower) end of the vent 10. The openness of the chamber 34 allows for a substantially uninhibited air 25 flow through the vent 10. As can be seen in Figure 3, the first (upper) end 32 is able to slide under the ridge capping 24 so as to prevent the ingress of water between the base 30 and the corrugated roof 20. The first (upper) end 32 of the vent 10 is secured to the 30 roof 20 by the use of a suitable attachment means, such as screws, which are screwed through the ridge capping 24 and first (upper) end 32 and into the corrugated roof 20. Additional screws may be used along the sides 39 of the vent.

H:.\am\ntcnovcn\NRPonb\DCC\AZM\4941703_ doc-511/2013 5 The vent may also include an intermediate section interposed between the first (upper) end 32 and the shallow elongate chamber 34 to position the first opening 36 at an increased distance from the upper marginal edge of the first (upper) end. This allows the position of the vent 10 to vary with respect to the ridge capping 24 5 and allows for positioning the vent 10 at any desired position along the length of the corrugated sheet 22 to more effectively allow circulation through one or more roof vents 10. Also shown is an opening 40 in the corrugated sheets 22 of the corrugated sheet 10 roof 20 which is in communication with the first opening 36 in the base of the vent 10. The opening 40 in the corrugated sheet allows for air flow between the roof cavity 42 and the outside 44 through the vent 10. This is particularly beneficial in summer conditions where the use of two or more vents can create a circulation in the roof cavity so that the temperature in the interior of the corrugated 15 sheet roof is reduced. This allows for less energy consumption in cooling the building by an air-conditioner or similar device. The vent 10 includes a sealing section 48 attached to a portion of the base proximal to the second opening. The sealing section 48 is preferably in the same 20 profile as the corrugated sheet roof and acts to prevent water ingress to the area between the vent and the roof as well as a more aesthetic appearance to the vent. The sealing section 48 may able to be shaped to form the profile of the corrugated roof by removal of parts of the sealing section. This allows the sealing section to be shaped by a person installing the vent as required without the necessity of pre 25 shaping the vent. A mesh 46 may also be included in the opening in the chamber to prevent foreign material, for example insects or leaves, from entering the roof cavity via the vent 10. 30 The vent 10 can be made from any suitable material for example plastic or metal. A vent made from metal may also have a protective coating, for example zinc H,.n temmovn\NRPonbl\DCC\AZM\94 1703_1 doc-5//2013 6 coated steel or galvanized steel. Zincanneal@ made by Bluescope Steel would be especially suitable as the colouration of the vent can be matched to the colour of the Colorbond® corrugated iron also made by Bluescope steel. In addition, Zincanneal® is fire resistant. Alternatively, the vent may be painted to a matching 5 colour of the corrugated sheet roof. A vent made from a transparent or semi-transparent plastic may also enable light to be transmitted through the vent to provide some natural light to the interior of the corrugated roof. 10 The vent 10 may also include a supporting structure in the chamber to support the chamber to reduce the risk of collapsing of the chamber due to heavy loads on the vent 10. The supporting structure can take the form of a C section which extends the height of the chamber, or any other suitable structure, which supports the 15 chamber whilst maintaining a substantially open chamber to allow substantially uninhibited air flow through the vent. The visual portion of the vent 10 is shown as a flat surface in the Figures however it should be understood that the outer surface may have shaping or texture to 20 further reduce the visual appearance of the vent on the corrugated sheet roof. In one embodiment, the outer surface may be corrugated in the same or similar shape as the corrugated sheet roof. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4B, the sides 39 of the vent may be continuous with the side of the chamber 34. 25 The vent 10 is installed by firstly cutting the opening in the corrugated roof with a jigsaw, angle grinder or other suitable tool. The position of the opening in the corrugated roof is such that the opening in the base of the vent can be matched to the opening in the corrugated roof whilst having the first (upper) end extending under the ridge capping. The first (upper) end of the roof vent is then inserted 30 between the ridge capping and the corrugated roof and the opening in the base of the vent is aligned with the opening in the corrugated roof. A silicon sealant or other suitable sealant may be applied around the roof vent to further prevent the H-\azm\lmemoen\NRPonb\DCC\AZM\49417113_l doc.51121113 7 ingress of water into the interior of the corrugated roof. The foregoing describes only certain embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the art can be made thereto without 5 departing from the scope of the present invention. The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge. 10 Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or 15 group of integers or steps.

Claims (13)

1. A vent for a corrugated sheet roof having ridge capping overlapping an upper marginal edge of the corrugated sheeting, said vent comprising: 5 a shallow chamber having a base to overlie said corrugated sheeting; a first end, which is configured to extend under said ridge capping when the vent is installed; an opening in said base toward said first end ("the first opening") to 10 provide air flow between said chamber and the interior of said roof through an opening in said corrugated sheeting; a second end, opposite to said first end so as to be lowermost when the vent is installed; and an opening at or towards the second end ("the second opening") to 15 provide air flow through the chamber, wherein said chamber extends in a direction from the first end to the second end such that air flow through the vent is substantially uninhibited.

2. A vent according to claim 1, including a sealing section attached to a 20 portion of the base proximate to the second opening.

3. A vent according to claim 2, wherein the sealing section is able to be shaped to form the profile of the roof by removal of a portion of the sealing section. 25

4. A vent according to claim 1, including a section proximate said second end which projects from the base so as to engage the sheeting when the vent is installed whereby to preclude water ingress between the base and the sheeting. 30

5. A vent according to claim 4, wherein said section projects transverse to the base and comprises an edge which extends between opposite lateral sides Hwm\lnerwovenWRonrl\DCC\AZM\4941013_I doc-5/flB213 9 of the vent and is corrugated so as to fit the sheeting when the vent is installed.

6. A vent according to any one of the preceding claims, further including an 5 intermediate section between the first end and the chamber to position the first opening at an increased distance from the upper marginal edge of the first end.

7. A vent according to any one of the preceding claims, including side walls 10 which are laterally inwardly tapered.

8. A vent according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said chamber is elongate in said direction. 15

9. A vent according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first end can be slid between the ridge capping and sheeting during installation of the vent.

10. A vent substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the 20 drawings and/or examples.

11. An assembly comprising a vent according to any one of the preceding claims and said corrugated sheet roof, wherein said base overlies said sheeting, said first end extends under said ridge capping and provides the 25 air flow through the opening in the sheeting, and said second opening provides the air flow through the chamber, the vent thus being installed.

12. An assembly according to claim 11, wherein at least one further said vent is installed such that there is a circulation in the roof cavity. 30

13. An assembly according to claim 11 or 12, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings and/or Examples.