Vent assembly with single piece cover

• US 7,166,023 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Specialty Manufacturing Inc. (Safe Fleet Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Transpec, Inc. (White Mountains Insurance Group Limited)
• Inventors: Truscott, Philip K., Haigh, James A., Iminski, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Gregory
• Application Number:
  US10/503,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20050095972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 454/136, 454/137, 454/162
• US Class Current: 454/136
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/262 Openings in or on the vehicle roof

Abstract

A vent assembly has a base and a single piece cover that is attached to the base to form a housing. A partition inside the housing forms an upper compartment that communicates with an outlet at the rear of the cover and a lower compartment that communicates with an inlet through the base. The compartments communicate via an opening through the partition. The partition provides an exhaust passage from the opening to the outlet at the rear of the cover and a barrier to the flow of water from the outlet back to the opening. The partition and cover provide a drain passage from the exhaust passage back to the outlet in case water accumulates near the opening. The vent assembly may be static or include a fan unit to provide a powered vent assembly. Either may be used as the hatch of a combined vent and escape hatch assembly.

Claims

1. A vent assembly for attachment to the roof of a vehicle comprising;

a base having an inlet extending through a wall of the base,

a single piece cover attached to the base to form a vent housing,

an outlet at the rear end of the cover, and

a partition disposed in the housing to provide an exhaust passage from the inlet to the outlet,

the partition providing a barrier inhibiting water flow from the outlet back to the inlet, and

the single piece cover having a larger footprint than the partition disposed in the housing so that the vent assembly has a seamless top surface.

2. The vent assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein the partition defines an upper compartment and a lower compartment that communicates with the upper compartment via an opening through the partition, the partition providing a baffler inhibiting water flowing from the outlet back through the inlet via the opening through the partition.

3. The vent assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein the partition has a platform that is above the outlet and wherein the opening through the partition is through the platform.

4. The vent assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein the inlet is through a rear wall of the base.

5. The vent assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein the inlet comprises a plurality of openings through a rear wall of the base.

6. The vent assembly as defined in claim 3 wherein the inlet is through a bottom wall of the base and the opening of the partition is aligned with the inlet.

7. The vent assembly as defined in claim 6 further comprising a fan unit that extends through the inlet and the opening of the partition.

8. The vent assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein the fan unit comprises a fan housing that is attached to a grill that is attached to the base of the vent assembly.

9. The vent assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein the fan housing has a screen at an upper end that is disposed in the upper compartment of the vent housing.

10. The vent assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein the fan housing seals against the opening through the partition.

11. The vent assembly of claim 1 wherein the cover has a deflector wall at a rear end of the cover to inhibit water flow into the outlet.

12. The vent assembly of claim 11 wherein the deflector wall is deep enough so that the outlet is substantially horizontal.

13. A vent assembly for attachment to the roof of a vehicle comprising;

a base having an inlet extending through a wall of the base,

a single piece cover attached to the base to form a vent housing,

an outlet at the rear end of the cover, and

a partition disposed in the housing to provide an exhaust passage from the inlet to the outlet,

the partition providing a barrier inhibiting water flow from the outlet back to the inlet,

the base having a rim, and

the single piece cover having a rim that is disposed outside of the rim of the base.

14. The vent assembly as defined in claim 13 wherein the perimeter of the partition is inside the rim of the single piece cover.

15. The vent assembly of claim 14 wherein the cover has an upper surface that is impervious to water.

16. A vent assembly for attachment to the roof of a vehicle comprising;

a base having an inlet extending through a wall of the base,

a single piece cover attached to the base to form a vent housing,

an outlet at the rear end of the cover, and

a partition disposed in the housing to provide an exhaust passage from the inlet to the outlet,

the partition providing a barrier inhibiting water flow from the outlet back to the inlet wherein the partition defines an upper compartment and a lower compartment that communicates with the upper compartment via an opening through the partition,

the partition providing a barrier inhibiting water flowing from the outlet back through the inlet via the opening through the partition,

the partition having a platform that is above the outlet and wherein the opening through the partition is through the platform, and

wherein the exhaust passage has a floor that slants upwardly from the outlet toward the forward end of the platform.

17. The vent assembly as defined in claim 16 wherein the exhaust passage comprises laterally spaced longitudinal ribs that are disposed on either side of the opening through the partition, and spaced from the platform.

18. The vent assembly as defined in claim 17 further comprising a drain passage between the laterally spaced longitudinal ribs of partition and a wall of the cover.

19. The vent assembly as defined in claim 18 wherein the drain passage extends to the outlet and has a floor that slants downwardly in the rearward direction.

20. The vent assembly as defined in claim 19 wherein the cover has a dome and wherein the drain passage is between the laterally spaced longitudinal ribs of the partition and a side wall of the dome.

21. The vent assembly as defined in claim 19 wherein the cover has a styling depression adjacent the dome and the partition has longitudinal troughs outward of the laterally spaced longitudinal ribs of the partition that receive portions of the styling depression of the cover.

22. The vent assembly as defined in claim 19 wherein the partition has a traverse rib across respective forward ends of the exhaust passage and the drain passage and wherein the exhaust passage is connected to the drain passage by a descending drain path at the traverse rib.