JP7521788B2 - Insect and bat resistant structure that can be freely attached to the ventilation cap - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an insect and bat repellent structure that can be attached to a ventilation cap.

Traditionally, ventilation openings are installed in the exterior walls to promote air circulation between the inside and outside of the room.

Such ventilation openings have an air flow opening in the exterior wall, and a spherical cap with an open tip is attached from the outside to protect against rain. When attaching the cap to the exterior wall, the contact surface between the cap and the ventilation opening is caulked with silicone or the like to strengthen the connection between the cap and the ventilation opening. Inside the cap opening are shutter-type wings for rectifying the air flow, and a screen for preventing insects is provided on the interior side of the shutter-type wings. Due to the ventilation opening structure, a process of removing the cap from the ventilation opening is required when cleaning the insect screen. This process is complicated and time-consuming, so there has been a demand for an insect-proof structure for ventilation openings that can be cleaned more easily.

To this end, a cleaning device for insect screens for ventilation vent caps (e.g., Patent Document 1) and an insect control device installed in a ventilation duct to facilitate cleaning (e.g., Patent Document 2) have been disclosed.

The cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is composed of a comb-shaped brush that is rotatably supported adjacent to and generally parallel to the surface of the insect screen, and a rotary drive member connected to the brush. With this configuration, the cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to rotate the brush by operating the rotary drive member, and to remove dirt from the insect screen with the brush. As a result, the cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1 can easily and quickly perform the cleaning work of the insect screen equipped with a ventilation opening.

The insect control device disclosed in Patent Document 2 is an insect control device that can be attached and detached to a ventilation duct, and is composed of a cylindrical main drum, an insect screen fixed to cover one opening of the main drum, and a pocket portion provided in the lower part of the main drum. With this configuration, when cleaning the insect control device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the main drum can be removed from the ventilation duct and accumulated insect carcasses can be discarded. In this way, the insect control device disclosed in Patent Document 2 makes it possible to efficiently and hygienically clean the insect control device indoors.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-174380 JP 2019-2664 A

However, the cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is installed on the indoor side of the screen of the ventilation opening, so when removing dirt that has fallen through the screen, it is necessary to insert a scraping brush into the ventilation opening cap from the outdoor side and scrape it off. Moreover, a cleaning device needs to be installed for each ventilation opening, which may increase costs in terms of installation costs, maintenance costs, etc.

In addition, the insect control device disclosed in Patent Document 2 requires cleaning to be done from inside the room. This means that cleaning work can become cumbersome, as it requires obtaining permission to enter each room and moving around the room from one room to another.

Moreover, such vent caps are often infested with not only insects but also bats and other insects, and become severely soiled with droppings, making complete cleaning difficult unless done by a cleaning professional. When cleaning a soiled vent cap, the silicone caulking the vent cap and the vent must be removed. Thus, the task of removing a soiled vent cap is complicated. Moreover, the task of removing insect and animal waste that has adhered to the inner walls of the cap is difficult for amateurs to carry out, and asking a professional to do so would be expensive, so the cap is left as it is, causing various problems in the living hygiene environment.

In this invention, the hemispherical air circulation cover body, which has many air circulation holes formed on its periphery, is divided into two halves, left and right, which are inserted into the cap body through the cap opening and assembled into a hemispherical shape inside, closing the cap opening, thereby solving the above problems.

This invention is configured so that a hemispherical air circulation cover body with multiple air circulation holes formed on its circumferential surface can be fitted into the interior of the hemispherical cap body through its opening, and the hemispherical air circulation cover body is divided into two parts, left and right, approximately from the center so that it can be fitted into the cap opening. Furthermore, the two parts of the hemispherical air circulation cover body fitted into the inside of the cap body can be joined together inside the cap and assembled, so that the cap opening is closed by the hemispherical air circulation cover body.

The hemispherical air flow cover body is also made of flexible synthetic resin.

In addition, the numerous air flow holes are formed in a mesh of small holes.

The numerous air flow holes are horizontally elongated holes formed between the numerous annular strips arranged vertically at regular intervals.

According to this invention, the hemispherical air circulation cover body, which has many air circulation holes formed on its periphery, is configured to be freely inserted and stored inside the hemispherical cap body, so that the air circulation cover body and the cap body form a single spherical body. This prevents insects, bats, birds, trash, etc. from entering the cap body, building nests, and taking up residence.

Furthermore, if the opening of the cap body is arranged to face downward, insects and debris prevented from entering by the air circulation cover body will fall to the outside of the cap body due to gravity. This also has the effect of preventing insect corpses and debris from accumulating inside the cap body.

It also has the effect of not reducing the efficiency of the intake and exhaust air. Specifically, an air circulation cover body with a small opening area for the air circulation holes will reduce the efficiency of the intake and exhaust air. Also, an air circulation cover body with a large opening area for the air circulation holes will allow insects, bats, birds, debris, etc. to enter the inside of the cap.

However, since the surface area of the spherical air circulation cover body is larger than that of the plate-shaped air circulation cover body, many air circulation holes can be provided, which allows the opening area of each air circulation hole to be kept small while still achieving sufficient air blowing efficiency.

The air circulation cover body is divided into two parts, left and right, approximately in the center, so that they can be inserted and stored through the cap opening. Moreover, the two hemispherical air circulation cover bodies inserted inside the cap body can be joined together inside the cap, and the joined two hemispherical air circulation cover bodies are configured to close the ventilation port cap, which makes it possible to more firmly close the openings provided in the air circulation cover body and cap body, and reliably prevents the intrusion of insects, bats, birds, debris, etc.

If the air circulation cover body is a hemisphere made of one member, the shape of the air circulation cover body is limited to the size and shape that will fit into the opening of the cap body. However, by dividing the air circulation cover body into two halves, left and right, and combining them inside the cap body to form a single unit, it is possible to create a structure in which the peripheral portion of the air circulation cover body is spread outward. When the air circulation cover body structure with the peripheral portion spread outward is fitted into the cap body, it generates an outward pressing force against the wall surface inside the cap body. This makes the air circulation cover body and the cap body more firmly sealed, preventing insects, bats, birds, trash, etc. from entering through the gaps.

In addition, by dividing the air circulation cover body into two parts, left and right, it is possible to prevent rain from entering the cap body by accidentally widening the opening.

According to the invention described in claim 2, it is possible to improve maintainability. Specifically, the air circulation cover body is formed from a flexible synthetic resin. Therefore, compared to an air circulation cover body made of metal, it is lightweight and has excellent portability. In addition, since it does not corrode even in harsh environments, it is possible to reduce the frequency of replacing the air circulation cover body.

According to the invention described in claim 3, the numerous air circulation holes are formed in a mesh of small holes, making it possible to prevent the intrusion of the smallest possible insects and bats.

According to the invention as set forth in claim 4, the numerous air circulation holes are formed as horizontally elongated holes between the numerous annular strips arranged side by side in a hemispherical shape at regular intervals, and therefore the strength of the air circulation holes is high .

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating an insect- and bat-proof structure according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the insect- and bat-proof structure according to the present invention. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in Figure 1. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' in Figure 1. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating an embodiment of an insect-proof and bat-proof structure according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of an air flow cover main body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the air circulation cover main body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of an air flow cover main body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the air flow cover main body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the air flow cover main body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an upper right front perspective view of the air circulation cover main body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is an upper right rear perspective view of the air circulation cover main body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is an upper right front perspective view of an air circulation cover main body according to a second embodiment.

The gist of this invention is an insect- and bat-proof structure that can be freely attached to a ventilation cap, characterized in that a hemispherical air circulation cover body with multiple air circulation holes formed on its circumferential surface is configured to be fitted into the interior of the hemispherical cap body through its opening, the hemispherical air circulation cover body is divided into two parts, left and right, approximately in the center, so that it can be fitted into the cap opening, and the two parts of the hemispherical air circulation cover body fitted into the interior of the cap body can be joined together inside the cap and assembled, thereby blocking the cap opening with the hemispherical air circulation cover body.

The hemispherical air circulation cover body is made of flexible synthetic resin. The hemispherical air circulation holes are either a mesh of small holes or horizontally elongated holes formed between multiple annular strips arranged side by side in a hemispherical shape with a certain distance between them.

The insect- and bat-proof structure of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figs. 1 to 4 are diagrams illustrating an example of the insect- and bat-proof structure of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating how the hemispherical air circulation cover body is fitted and stored in the cap body in the insect- and bat-proof structure of the present invention. Figs. 6 to 12 are diagrams illustrating the shape of the air circulation cover 11A in the insect- and bat-proof structure 10 according to the first embodiment from various viewpoints. Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating the perspective shape of the circulation cover in the insect- and bat-proof structure according to the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the insect/bat repellent structure 10 of the present invention is configured such that a hemispherical air circulation cover body 11 with numerous air circulation holes 12 formed on its circumferential surface is fitted into the interior of a hemispherical cap body 21 through an opening 21a, and the hemispherical air circulation cover body 11 is divided into two parts (left and right quarters 13L and 13R) roughly from the center so that it can be fitted into the cap opening 21a.

Moreover, the insect- and bat-proof structure 10 can be freely attached to the ventilation cap 20, which is characterized by the fact that the two-piece hemispherical air circulation cover body 11 fitted inside the cap body 21 can be assembled by joining them together inside the cap 20, so that the cap opening 21a is closed by the hemispherical air circulation cover body 11.

The hemispherical air circulation cover body 11 of the insect and bat repellent structure 10 is made of flexible synthetic resin.

That is, the insect-proof and bat-proof structure 10 is freely attached and detached to the ventilation hole cap 20 as shown in Figures 1 to 4. The ventilation hole cap 20 is a cap that covers from the outside a ventilation hole 31 (see Figures 2 to 4) drilled in an exterior wall 30 (see Figures 2 to 4) to promote air circulation between the inside and outside of the room, and has shutter-like wing bodies 22 (see Figures 3 and 4) on the inside to prevent insects and vermin from entering from the outside and to prevent rain and dew from entering.

The insect- and bat-proof structure 10 is attached to the ventilation hole cap 20 as shown in FIG. 5. Specifically, the air circulation cover body 11 (described later) constituting the insect- and bat-proof structure 10 is made of a flexible synthetic resin material that is divided into a left quarter body 13L and a right quarter body 13R, and the left quarter body 13L and the right quarter body 13R are each stored separately in the opening 21a of the cap body 21. The left quarter body 13L and the right quarter body 13R stored in the opening 21a are engaged together by an engaging protrusion 14 (described later).

In this manner, the insect- and bat-proof structure 10 of the present invention closes from the inside the opening 21a of the fitting storage cap body 21. The insect- and bat-proof structure 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described in the following order.
(1) First embodiment:
(2) Second embodiment:

The ventilation hole cap 20 in the present invention employs a metallic semicircular cap body 21. The cap body 21 has a downward opening 21a on its lower surface. That is, the ventilation hole cap 20 has a cap body 21 that protrudes in a semispherical shape from the outer wall 30, and has a cap opening 21a for air circulation function opened downward. If necessary, the cap 20 may be formed in a vertically rectangular semicylindrical shape instead of a semicircular arc shape. In the present invention, an insect-proof/bat-proof structure 10 employing a ventilation hole cap having a semicircular cap body 21 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 will be described.

(1) First embodiment:
The numerous air circulation holes 12A provided in the insect- and bat-proof structure 10 in the first embodiment are formed in a mesh shape of small holes, as shown in Figs.

That is, the insect/bat repellent structure 10 according to this embodiment is composed of a hemispherical air circulation cover body 11 made of flexible synthetic resin and a number of air circulation holes 12A provided in the air circulation cover body 11.

As shown in Figures 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, and 12, the air circulation cover body 11 has a notch 15 formed nearer to the rear side than the center of the air circulation cover body 11.

The size of the notch 15 can be freely selected as long as no gap is formed when the insect/bat repellent structure 10 is fitted into the vent cap 20, but it is preferable to make it as large as possible. This is because the internal structure of the cap body 21 of the vent cap 20 is not necessarily formed in a semicircular arc. Also, some vent caps 20 may have obstacles such as large wing bodies 22. If the insect/bat repellent structure 10 does not have the notch 15, depending on the internal structure of the vent cap 20, the insect/bat repellent structure 10 may be restricted by the obstacles when inserted, and the insect/bat repellent structure 10 may not be able to be fitted in satisfactorily.

In this way, providing the cutout portion 15 allows the insect/bat repellent structure 10 of the present invention to be compatible with ventilation caps 20 of various shapes.

The air circulation cover body 11 is made of a flexible synthetic resin material, and the hemispherical air circulation cover body 11 is divided into two parts approximately in the center into left and right quarters 13L and 13R so that they can be inserted and stored through the cap opening 21a.

The purpose of dividing the left and right quarters 13L and 13R is to form them into a small hemispherical shape so that they can be easily inserted and stored inside the hemispherical cap body 21 through the semicircular arc-shaped opening 21a.

The left and right quarters 13L and 13R are provided with engagement protrusions 14 for fixing so that they can be joined together inside the cap when inserted and stored inside the cap body 21.

The engagement protrusions 14 are plate-shaped bodies attached to the periphery of the left and right quarters 13L and 13R so as to closely face each other. After the left and right quarters 13L and 13R are stored inside the cap body 21, the engagement protrusions 14 are manually operated to engage them together.

The number of engaging projections 14 can be changed depending on the shape of the ventilation cap 20 into which the insect and bat repellent structure is fitted. For example, if the ventilation cap 20 has a large opening, multiple engaging projections 14 can be attached to the periphery of each of the left and right quarters 13L and 13R at equal intervals to ensure a more reliable engagement between the left and right quarters 13L and 13R.

The shape of the engagement protrusion 14 can be freely selected as long as it can reliably engage the left and right quarters 13L and 13R to be integrated. For example, in addition to the plate-like shapes shown in Figures 6 to 12, it may be circular, triangular, or have other designs.

That is, with this configuration, the engaging projections 14 integrally join the left and right quarters 13L and 13R to form the hemispherical air circulation cover main body 11. The state in which the left and right quarters 13L and 13R are fitted and housed within the cap main body 21 is shown in FIG.

As shown in Figures 6 to 12, the air flow hole 12A is a generally rectangular opening. The size of this opening is preferably about 1 to 3 millimeters on each side. This allows air to pass through the air flow hole 12A sufficiently, but prevents insects from entering or exiting.

By providing a large number of air circulation holes 12A in the air circulation cover body 11, the air circulation cover body 11 forms a mesh shape. As a result, the insect and bat repellent structure 10 according to this embodiment can prevent the intrusion of insects as much as possible without impeding the intake and exhaust of air.

(2) Second embodiment:
The numerous air circulation holes 12B provided in the insect- and bat-proof structure 10 in the second embodiment are formed as horizontally elongated holes between numerous annular thin strips 16 arranged vertically at regular intervals, as shown in FIG. 13 .

In the insect and bat repellent structure 10 according to this embodiment, the configuration other than the air circulation holes 12B provided in the air circulation cover main body 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment described above. Therefore, the configuration other than the air circulation holes 12B is given the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and detailed description will be omitted.

That is, the air circulation hole 12B in this embodiment is a horizontally elongated hole formed in the air circulation cover main body, as shown in FIG. 13. More specifically, in this embodiment, a large number of annular strips 16 are arranged side by side at regular intervals in the air circulation cover main body 11. As a result, the multiple annular strips 16 form a horizontally elongated hole by surrounding them on all four sides with the peripheral edge 16a. That is, the peripheral edge of the air circulation hole 12B coincides with the peripheral edge 16a of the annular strip 16. Note that the reference symbol 11' in the figure indicates a vertical rib that connects the annular strips 16, ensuring the formation of the horizontally elongated hole.

The annular strip 16 can be arranged in any direction, such as approximately horizontally or vertically in a plan view. In this embodiment, the annular strip 16 is arranged in an approximately horizontal direction in a plan view, as shown in FIG. 13.

The size of the annular strip 16 is not particularly limited, but can be limited to a range of, for example, 1 cm to 5 cm in the longitudinal direction and 1 mm to 5 mm in the lateral direction. Similarly, the size of the air circulation hole 12B is not particularly limited, but can be limited to a range of, for example, 1 cm to 5 cm in the longitudinal direction and 1 mm to 5 mm in the lateral direction.

By having the air circulation holes 12B, the air circulation cover body 11 is made of a flexible synthetic resin material and has a certain strength. In addition, the structure of the air circulation cover body 11 in this embodiment is simplified compared to the first embodiment. This allows for mass production on a factory production line.

The configuration of the air flow hole 12 according to the present invention is as described above. With the air flow hole 12 having the above-mentioned configuration, the insect/bat repellent structure 10 according to the present invention can prevent the intrusion of insects as much as possible without impeding the intake and exhaust of air.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the insect and bat repellent structure 10 of the present invention can be freely attached to and detached from the ventilation hole cap 20 by taking advantage of the characteristics of the flexible synthetic resin material. Moreover, since the cap body 21 has an interior formed in a semicircular arc, if the spherical air circulation cover body 11 is stored inside it either halves separately or assembled into a hemispherical shape and then assembled inside the cap, the air circulation cover body 11 will roll inside the cap due to its spherical properties and close the cap opening 21a from the inside.

In this way, the air circulation cover body 11 acting as a filter can be stored inside the cap body 21.

On the other hand, when removing the air circulation cover body 11 for cleaning, the engaging projections 14 of the air circulation cover body 11 are disengaged from the opening 21a, and the semicircular arc-shaped air circulation cover body 11 is separated and disassembled into its left and right halves 13L and 13R, and the segmented air circulation cover body 11 can be easily pulled out from the opening 21a of the cap body 21 and cleaned, or replaced with a new air circulation cover body 11.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Insect and bat resistant structure 11 Air circulation cover body 11' Longitudinal rib 12 (12A, 12B) Air circulation hole 13L Left quarter body 13R Right quarter body 14 Engagement protrusion 15 Cutout portion 16 Annular narrow band body 16a Peripheral edge portion of annular narrow band body 20 Ventilation port cap 21 Cap body
21a Cap body opening
22 Blade body 30 Outer wall 31 Ventilation opening

Claims (4)

A hemispherical air circulation cover body having a number of air circulation holes formed on its peripheral surface is configured to be fitted and stored inside the hemispherical cap body constituting the ventilation port cap through a cap opening,
This insect- and bat-proof structure can be freely attached to a ventilation cap, characterized in that the hemispherical air circulation cover body is divided into two parts, left and right, approximately from the center so that it can be inserted and stored through the cap opening, and an engaging protrusion is provided at the part that closes the cap opening , and by engaging the engaging protrusion, the two air circulation cover bodies divided into left and right are joined together inside the cap body to close the cap opening. An insect- and bat-proof structure that can be freely attached to the ventilation cap described in claim 1, characterized in that the hemispherical air circulation cover body is made of flexible synthetic resin. An insect- and bat-proof structure that can be freely attached to the ventilation cap described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the numerous air circulation holes are formed in a mesh of small holes. An insect- and bat-proof structure that can be freely attached to a ventilation cap according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the numerous air circulation holes are horizontally elongated holes formed between the numerous annular strips arranged vertically at regular intervals.

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