Vent with presecured mechanical fasteners

• US 6,793,574 B1
• Filed: 06/20/2003
• Issued: 09/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Air Vent Incorporated (Gibraltar Steel Corporation of New York)
• Original Assignee: Solar Group Incorporated (Gibraltar Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Robinson, Larry Dwight
• Primary Examiner(s): BOLES, DEREK
• Application Number:
  US10/600,397
• Time in Patent Office: 459 Days
• Field of Search: 454/364, 454/365, 454/366, 521/98, 521/99
• US Class Current: 454/365
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 13/174 on the ridge of the roof
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/02 Roof ventilation ventilation of roof coverings E04D

Abstract

A vent which is attachable but not attached to a structure includes a body having openings for passage of air therethrough while resisting undesired entry of foreign matter. The body has a plurality of fastener receiving passageways. Passageways have an entry end and an exit end and fasteners extend into the passageways for retention therein prior to securement of the vent to the structure. The passageways are preferably composed of a resilient material and the passageway opening has at least portions of lesser opening size than the average diameter of the shank of the fasteners such as nails. In another embodiment, the passageways may be composed of a suitable metal. The passageway may have radially inwardly projecting portions which define a generally triangular segmented surface for retention of the fastener. The vent may be a roof ridge ventilator or other type of vent. The ventilator with the preattached fasteners may be shipped to the ultimate installation site in this manner thereby eliminating the need for the installer to separately handle and position each nail.

Claims

1. A vent which is attachable, but not attached to a structure comprising

a body having openings for passage of air therethrough while resisting undesired entry of foreign matter,

said body having a plurality of tubular passageways for receipt of fasteners therein,

said passageways having an entry end and an exit end, and

fasteners extending into at least some of said passageways for retention therein prior to attachment of said vent to said structure.

2. The vent of claim 1 including

said fasteners being nails.

3. The vent of claim 2 including

said nails having a length greater than the length of said passageway into which it extends.

4. The vent of claim 3 including

said nails extending more than one-half way into said passageways.

5. The vent of claim 4 including

said nails extending into substantially the entire length of said passageways.

6. The vent of claim 5 including

said nails not projecting substantially beyond the exit end of said passageways.

7. The vent of claim 3 including

said passageways having a first section of a first opening size adjacent to said entry end, and

said passageways having a second section with a second opening size adjacent to said exit.

8. The vent of claim 7 including

said second opening size being larger than said first opening size.

9. The vent of claim 3 including

said passageways having a generally triangular interior opening configuration.

10. The vent of claim 3 including

a recess disposed adjacent to said entry end, and

said recess receiving the head of a said nail.

11. The vent of claim 3 including

said passageways having generally radially inwardly projecting portions in contact with said nail.

12. The vent of claim 7 including

said body passageways composed of a resilient material, and

said nails having an average shank diameter greater than said first section opening size.

13. The vent of claim 3 including

said vent being a panel for an elongated roof ridge ventilator.

14. The vent of claim 13 including

said ridge vent panels having a generally V-shaped web portion with two opposed lateral edges and two opposed ends and an upper surface facing toward the atmosphere and an inner surface, and

said body passageways extending generally downwardly from said inner surface.

15. The vent of claim 14 including

a first plurality of said body passageways extending generally in a line parallel to a first said lateral edge, and

a second plurality of said body passageways extending generally in a line parallel to a second said lateral edge.

16. The vent of claim 15 including

the center-to-center spacing between adjacent said passageways in a said line being about 10 to 14 inches.

17. The vent of claim 15 including

the center-to-center spacing between a pair of adjacent said body passageways disposed in opposite said lines being about 9 to 11 inches measured along said web portion.

18. The vent of claim 3 including

said nails having a total length substantially greater than the axial length of said body passageway.

19. The vent of claim 18 including

said body passageways having a length of about 30 to 60 percent of the length of said nail.

20. The vent of claim 1 including

said fasteners being in interference fit within said passageways so as to resist undesired separation of the fastener from the passageway.

21. The vent of claim 1 including

said body passageways being composed of metal.

22. The vent of claim 21 including

said body passageways having a length of about 10 to 70 percent of the length of said nail.