AU762230B2 - Weephole protector - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT WEEPHOLE PROTECTOR in the name of JOHN NOEL FLINT LYNNE PATRICIA OLDFIELD The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of perfoming it known to me: Filed by: John Flint Lynne Oldfield Heat. Range k%6RSe 5 %u\'ex (cY ,c via MUMMULGUM NSW 2469 Phone: 02 6664 7216 Fax: 02 6664 7355 e-mail: weepa@nor.com.au WEEPHOLE PROTECTOR Background and Technical Field of the Invention This invention is an insect and rodent resistant barrier and a spark arrester incorporated within an infinitely variable fixing system for installation within existing weepholes of multiple dimensions.

In cavity brick or block masonry construction weepholes are left in mortar joints just above the flashing to allow both ventilation and drainage of the cavity between the exterior masonry and the interior wall. A weephole is typically formed by the omission of mortar between two adjacent bricks or blocks in a masonry wall. The weephole provides ventilation and drainage to keep the wall cavity dry. Dampness causes mildew and rot reducing the life of the structure. Weepholes vary considerably in size and shape dependent on the skill and care of the tradesmen and the type of brick and type of finishes being applied. Because many weepholes are situated close to ground level they become a point of entry for rodents and reptiles.

Weepholes around windows or second floors provide entry for insects. The weephole leading to the inter wall cavity is an ideal home for bees, wasps Sand other insects creating food sources for other pests. Water may penetrate 20 weepholes during excessive rain or from garden sprinklers. Sparks and firebrands may penetrate a building through weepholes.

There have been a number of patents filed and practical devices used to solve some of these problems.

US Patent No 4282691 by Risdon illustrates a weephole device utilising a wick, tube and screen cap. US Patent No 4587891 by Kruse illustrates a ventilating device that incorporates a tubular member and a screened bottom. UK Patent No 2231889A by Knox shows a filter system for allowing drainage from trays in cavity wall.

All of the above devices address similar problems to the subject of this invention, however they cannot be installed into existing walls but must be erected with the masonry.

US Patent No 2,709,402 by Mahn illustrates a wall mounted ventilator using a series of parallel prongs as a fixing means. Australian Design Registration 131293 would appear to claim a similar device. US Patent 5,203,795 by Balamut et 2 illustrates a perforated wall plate and sealing gasket with a novel anchoring device.

While each of the above screens can be installed into existing weepholes each has the screen visibly attached to the external wall with the fixing system within the weephole.

US Patent No 4,102,093 by Harris discloses a system whereby a perforated sheet of aluminium is forced into the weephole using a special tool to deform the sheet to the shape of the hole. This device would produce a similar outcome to the subject of the current application. However, Harris's insect control system would be easily dislodged from the cavity, is prone to problems with creating a complete seal and also needs a special tool to insert in normal weepholes which are irregular with fissures and cracks.

20 Summary of the Invention This invention is for use in weepholes and similar ventilating holes of brick and block walls, brick veneer structures and similar masonry walls. It is a very simple device, different in concept to all existing devices and methods of 25 solving these problems.

The primary objective of this vermin guard and ventilator is to provide a barrier to rodents and insects entering the wall cavity through weepholes and reducing exterior water penetration whilst allowing adequate ventilation 30 of the cavity.

:•oeoo A second objective of this invention is the ability to be installed into existing weepholes of irregular and varying dimensions easily without special tools or skills.

A third objective of this invention is to fasten inside the weephole so that no part of the apparatus remains visible on the face of the masonry wall.

A fourth objective of this invention is to obstruct all the cavities, clefts, fissures and irregularities so no gap is left sufficiently large to allow the ingress of smaller insects into the cavity. The invention incorporates a novel flexible and springy fringe system which both anchors and seals.

A fifth objective of the invention is to act as a spark arrester when the embodiment is made of the appropriate material with perforations at the appropriate maximum size.

A sixth objective of the invention is to act as a carrier to install metal mesh into the weephole as required in Fire Prone areas.

The weephole vermin guard and ventilator embodied in this invention incorporates at least one face. That face must be of width and height bigger than the greatest width and height respectively Of the weephole into which it is to be inserted and made of a resilient material which has both flexible and rebound properties. The design will express these properties on at least 2 20 parallel but most likely all 4 edges. Such materials could include some plastics, steels, brass and other materials. This face may incorporate a fringe on either or all of its four edges. The edge of this face acts as a deformable anchoring system which can enter small irregularities in the weephole. The optional fringe members act as vermin guards whilst the small gaps adjacent 25 to each fringe member allow air and water to pass through. This face should also incorporate as many surface perforations of the appropriate size as is physically possible so as to increase air flow through the face member.

Attached to this face between the adjacent longer sides and perpendicular to the face member is a more rigid member to add stability to the face and assist in the accurate positioning and placement of the flexible and or fringed face engaging the weephole surfaces.

The flexible and/or fringed face may be repeated once, twice or any multiple of times in the embodiment. Flexible filaments or fibres may join adjacent fringe members to add stability or reduce gap sizes when the invention is installed.

Explanation of the invention, its application and advantages will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

Figure 1 a shows a typical brick wall including a weephole three brick courses (2,3 4) the mortar course and and an embodiment of the invention A weephole is formed when mortar is omitted between adjoining bricks and (11) usually at the level of a damp course (12).

The invention will perform its intended function when it is installed by forcing it into the weephole in the direction indicated by the arrows (8) and The face member (13) of the invention must have height (H2) and width (W2) greater than the greatest height (H1) and width (Wi) of the 20 weephole into which it is to be inserted (ie W1<W2 H1<H2) 0000 Figure 3 shows a view of the "face" (13) of the invention. In the embodiment of the invention shown in these drawings the face is repeated twice. Both faces (13) are shown in perspective in FIG 1, in side view in FIG 2 and from 25 above in FIG 4. The face must be made of a material which has flexibility and resilient properties.

Centrally attached to the face is a sufficiently rigid member (14) which may be made of the same or different material to the face. The purpose of this member is to provide a centralising rigidity to the flexible face and an anchoring member so the rebound properties of the face are centralised to form a controlled spring action. Together these properties provide the dual characteristics of ease of insertion into the weephole and also engaging the weephole and its irregularities on all edges.

Ventilation holes (15) will cover the face of the invention to the maximum extent consistent with the structural integrity of the embodiment.

A fringe (16) may be cut into the edge of the face by removing,from the edge of the face of the invention running away from the edge, a thin slice of the material of the face thus leaving a gap (17) between adjacent fringe members(18). Several variations of these sprung fringe members are shown (16) (19) Figure 5 shows a side elevation of an embodiment of this invention installed in a weephole. This is a cut away view with the adjacent brick removed.

Figure 6 is a cut away view along the AA in Figure 5. It can be seen that a first novel affect of this invention is thus illustrated as the deformable edges (13) have automatically engaged all sides of the weephole without the need of a special tool or any special technical methods.

Figure 7 shows a view looking directly into a perfect weephole. The edge of the brick (21) and the edge of the mortar(22) are finished in line and there 20 are no dags of mortar in the weephole. An embodiment of the invention (23) has been forced into the weephole in the prescribed method. The first novel aspect of this invention is thus illustrated in that it can be seen that the longer edges of the face (24) have folded over in such a way that the weephole is completely closed by the invention excepting for the special ventilation S: 25 holes.

In Figure 8 we have a weephole illustrated in which the mortar (25) is roughly finished leaving a gap between it and the edge of the brick. Again the novel aspects of the installed invention are illustrated as the long edges of the embodiment (26) are shown fully engaging the edge of the brick and the crevices and cracks left by the irregular mortar. It can be seen that the fringe members in this embodiment allow the device to enter quite small crevices. The crevices may be inside the weephole and not apparent from the outside. The resilience of the face results in the edges of the face and/or fringe being forced into these irregularities.

In Figure 9 we have an illustration of a weephole in which the weephole has not been continued into the horizontal layer of mortar (27) in the usual method.

The installed embodiment of the invention here illustrates two different versions of the way the novel combination of deformability and resilience combined together with the fan shaped form of the fringe result in the cavity being filled by a screen.

It can be seen that the long edges 28 of the embodiment have deformed to engage all the walls of the weephole. At the top of the weephole the novel fan-shaped fringe in this embodiment (29) of the invention deforms in two directions in order to account for the shortened weephole.

In Figures 7,8 9 a second novel aspect of this invention can be seen, namely the holes (37) in the embodiment and the holes (38) in the deformed fringe combine to allow ventilation and drainage whilst the snug fitting barrier prevents the ingress of insects and vermin.

oooo Figures 10,11 and 12 show a further use of the invention. Namely if the invention is made of plastic it can be used to install and secure a piece of 20 fine metal gauze which can act as a spark arrester in fire prone areas. Of S course if the embodiment of the invention were made of metal it could be used as a spark arrester in its own right so long as the perforations in the •face are less than 1.8mm across.

In Figure (10) an embodiment of the invention is shown (30) with a piece of metal gauze (31) or screen between the embodiment and the weephole. The gauze may have bent edges or a fixing system to fix it to this embodiment of the invention.

Figure 10 also illustrates the direction in which the embodiment should be forced in order to engage the weephole (32) and install the metal mesh inside it.

Figure 11 is a cut away showing a view from the side of this embodiment of the invention (34) where it has been used to install the metal mesh screen (33).

Figure 12 shows a section view from above cut across Figure 11 at AA.

The embodiment of the invention (36) is shown with the metal mesh showing how the embodiment has been used to install the mesh.

Claims (7)

1. A protector for excluding vermin, insects and/or fire brands from entering through weepholes in buildings incorporating at least one face: of width and height greater than the greatest width and height respectively of the weephole into which it is to be inserted made of a material which has both flexible and resilient properties incorporating perforations, holes or slits to allow ventilation and drainage and to facilitate the moulding of the face to the form of the weephole and when placed accurately within the weephole the combination of the shape and resilient properties will result in spring action positively engaging the inside of the weephole on all sides and the inherent springiness of the face will secure the face within the weephole.

2. The protector of claim 1 incorporating on the flexible face a fringe on either one or all of its four edges formed by a slit in the flexible edge of the face and running away from that edge such that the fringe: acts as a vermin guard and more accurately seals around irregularities in the sides of the weepholes more firmly fixes the face within the weephole allows ventilation and drainage through the small gaps adjacent to each S fringe. 9

3. The protector of claim 1 or 2 wherein perpendicular to the flexible and resilient face and parallel to its larger sides is incorporated a more rigid member or members which: adds stability to the face assists in the accurate positioning and placement of the flexible face within the weephole assists in the even expression of the resilient properties of the flexible face resulting in a more even engagement with the weephole and its irregularities on all edges and provides a means to easily insert the face into a weephole without the use of special tools.

4. A protector having more than one flexible face as claimed in claims 1 or 2 joined in parallel by the rigid member as defined in claim 3.

5. The protector of any one of claims 1 to 4 made from a flexible and resilient plastic, stainless steel, brass or any other material which combine the properties of flexibility and resilience.

6. The protector of any one of claims 1 to 4 when made from metals such as stainless steel or brass and where the perforations are less than 1.6mm square to act as a spark arrester when inserted into weepholes.

7. The protector of any one of claims 1 to 4 when made from plastic to 30 be used to install and secure metal mesh or perforated aluminium foil to act as a spark arrester. D:.ge