Exhaust vent

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an exhaust vent assembly including a clamp, a sleeve, a neck, a damper in the neck, a cap attached to the neck and a collar. The exhaust vent assembly may be configured without any penetrative fasteners. The invention is further directed to a clamp for attachment to round duct and a building surface to provide strength, rigidity and support to the round duct.

Claims

1. An exhaust vent assembly for use with an exhaust duct on a flat roof for exhaust from a bathroom, kitchen or clothes dryer wherein the exhaust duct extends upwardly and beyond said flat roof, the exhaust vent comprising: a clamp comprising a unitary piece of sheet metal or other material adapted to clamp to said exhaust duct and fasten to said flat roof, a plastic annular sleeve adapted to overlie said exhaust duct extending upwardly and beyond said flat roof, a plastic neck having a gooseneck configuration adapted to attach to an upper end of said plastic sleeve, a plastic damper constructed and arranged inside said plastic neck and adapted to move from a closed position to an open position in response to emission of said exhaust, a plastic cap adapted to be attached to an outer end of said plastic neck and a plastic collar adapted to fit over said plastic sleeve and adjacent to said roof.

2. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 1 further comprising a plastic damper ring attached to the inside of said plastic neck and adapted to receive said plastic damper.

3. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 2 wherein said plastic damper ring is eccentric in shape.

4. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 1 wherein said plastic cap comprises a cylindrical shape having a plurality of openings adapted to emit said exhaust and to prevent entry of birds.

5. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 2 wherein said plastic cap comprises a cylindrical shape having a plurality of openings adapted to emit said exhaust and to prevent entry of birds.

6. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 1 where said plastic cap comprises an annular ring having a screen adapted to prevent entry of insects.

7. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 2 where said plastic cap comprises an annular ring having a screen adapted to prevent entry of insects.

8. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 1 wherein said plastic annular sleeve includes a plurality of apertures at the bottom thereof adapted to receive a clamping band to secure said plastic annular sleeve to said exhaust duct and a plurality of locking channels at the top thereof adapted to receive a plurality of locking lugs on the interior of said plastic neck.

9. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 8 wherein said plurality of apertures are in alignment with said plurality of locking channels to allow uniform installation of a plurality of the exhaust vent assemblies.

10. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 1 further comprising at least one plastic bushing adapted to fit over said exhaust duct and engage the exterior wall of said exhaust duct and engage the inner wall of said plastic annular sleeve to create a space between said exhaust duct and said plastic sleeve.

11. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 10 including two plastic bushings attached at each end of said plastic annular sleeve.

12. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 11 wherein said space between said exhaust duct and said plastic annular sleeve includes insulation therein.

13. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 1 wherein said clamp comprises a top wall, a side wall and a bottom wall, said top wall including a plurality of asymmetrically spaced fastening tabs constructed and arranged for fastening said clamp to said building roof and said side wall comprising complimentary flanges adapted to mate and clamp said clamp to said round duct.

14. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 13 comprising six fastening tabs.

15. An exhaust vent assembly for use with an exhaust duct on a flat roof for exhaust from a bathroom, kitchen or clothes dryer wherein the exhaust duct extends upwardly and beyond said flat roof, the exhaust vent comprising: a plastic annular sleeve adapted to overlie said exhaust duct extending upwardly and beyond said flat roof, a plastic neck having a gooseneck configuration adapted to attach to an upper end of said plastic sleeve, a plastic damper constructed and arranged inside said plastic neck and adapted to move from a closed position to an open position in response to emission of said exhaust, a plastic cap adapted to be attached to an outer end of said plastic neck and a plastic collar adapted to fit over said plastic sleeve and adjacent to said roof.

16. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 15 further comprising a plastic damper ring attached to the inside of said plastic neck and adapted to receive said plastic damper.

17. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 16 wherein said plastic damper ring is eccentric in shape.

18. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 15 wherein said plastic cap comprises a cylindrical shape having a plurality of openings adapted to emit said exhaust and to prevent entry of birds.

19. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 15 where said plastic cap comprises an annular ring having a screen adapted to prevent entry of insects.

20. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 15 wherein said plastic annular sleeve includes a plurality of apertures at the bottom thereof adapted to receive a clamping band to secure said plastic annular sleeve to said exhaust duct and a plurality of locking channels at the top thereof adapted to receive a plurality of locking lugs on the interior of said plastic neck.

21. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 20 wherein said plurality of apertures are in alignment with said plurality of locking channels to allow uniform installation of a plurality of the exhaust vent assemblies.

22. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 15 further comprising at least one plastic bushing adapted to fit over said exhaust duct and engage the exterior wall of said exhaust duct and engage the inner wall of said plastic annular sleeve to create a space between said exhaust duct and said plastic sleeve.

23. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 22 including two plastic bushings attached at each end of said plastic annular sleeve.

24. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 23 wherein said space between said exhaust duct and said plastic annular sleeve includes insulation therein.

25. The exhaust vent assembly of claim 15 wherein the exhaust vent assembly is adapted to be configured without penetrative fasteners.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The following detailed description of the specific non-limiting embodiments of the present invention can be best understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structures are indicated by like reference numbers.

(2) Referring to the drawings:

(3) FIG. 1 is a plan view of the exhaust vent of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the exhaust vent of FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of the top of the exhaust vent shown in FIG. 2.

(6) FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the bottom of the exhaust vent shown in FIG. 2.

(7) FIG. 3 shows the sleeve of the exhaust vent of FIG. 1.

(8) FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of the top of the sleeve of FIG. 3.

(9) FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of the bottom of the sleeve of FIG. 3.

(10) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the neck of the exhaust vent of FIG. 1.

(11) FIG. 4A shows a side view of the neck of FIG. 4.

(12) FIG. 4B shows a cross-section of the neck of FIG. 4A.

(13) FIG. 5 shows the damper which is inside the neck of the exhaust vent of FIG. 1.

(14) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the damper ring located in the neck of the exhaust vent of FIG. 1 and to which the damper of FIG. 5 is attached.

(15) FIG. 6A shows a side view of the damper ring of FIG. 6.

(16) FIG. 7 shows the cap of the exhaust vent of FIG. 1.

(17) FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of an alternative cap having a screen for the exhaust vent of FIG. 1 and useful in preventing insects from entering the exhaust vent.

(18) FIG. 9 shows the storm collar of the exhaust vent of FIG. 1.

(19) FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of a bushing which may be used in certain embodiments of the exhaust vent of the invention and shown in FIGS. 2, 2A and 2B.

(20) FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the clamp of the invention.

(21) FIG. 12 is a top view of the clamp of FIG. 11.

(22) FIG. 13 is a sheetmetal blank for the clamp of FIG. 11.

(23) FIG. 14 shows the clamp of FIG. 11 in use with a piece of round duct as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 from the underside of a building roof.

(24) FIG. 14A is an enlarged view of the clamp attached to the duct taken from FIG. 14.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(25) Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown the exhaust vent of the present invention. The exhaust vent is useful for exhaust terminations in flat roof construction for dryer exhaust, bathroom exhaust, kitchen exhaust and the like. The invention will be explained herein for convenience with respect to a dryer exhaust. However, the invention is applicable to vent exhausts from other applications.

(26) Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a plan view of the exhaust vent 10 for a dryer exhaust. There is shown a flat roof R and a four inch galvanized steel duct D which is attached a dryer exhaust (not shown). The duct D may extend above the roof R generally from about 18 inches to about 42 inches as shown in FIG. 2. In the presently preferred embodiment, the primary components of the invention comprise a sleeve 12, a neck 14, a cap 16, a storm collar 18, a damper 20 and a damper ring 22. In certain applications of the invention, the exhaust vent assembly may include a bushing 24. Each of these components will now be described in greater detail.

(27) As seen generally in FIG. 1, the round galvanized duct D will extend through the roof R, generally from about 18 inches to about 42 inches. In one preferred embodiment, sleeve 12 may be the same length as the length that the galvanized duct extends from the roof. The sleeve 12 may fit snuggly over the galvanized duct D or be spaced apart from duct D as shown in FIG. 2, thereby providing a space S between sleeve 12 and duct D. One reason for having a space S between sleeve 12 and duct D is to allow for insulation I to be inserted in this space as partially shown in FIG. 2. Another reason for leaving a space S is to allow for the use of a larger diameter neck 14 which provides more free space for air flow for venting, among other things, a dryer exhaust, thereby complying with IMC requirements. When a space between sleeve 12 and duct D is desired, it is preferred to use a bushing 24 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 10 and discussed hereafter.

(28) Sleeve 12 is preferably made of plastic such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) or high density polyethylene (HDPE). This provides for, among other things, lightweight construction, weatherproof construction, UV stabilized construction, simple installation and inexpensive manufacture. Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, sleeve 12 includes a plurality of apertures 30 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 3B and a plurality of twist lock channels 32 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A and discussed hereafter. In a preferred embodiment, there are four apertures 30 and four twist lock channels 32. The twist lock channels 32 comprise three segmented sections 34, 36 and 38. Apertures 30 are aligned with locking channels 32 to provide for consistently orienting the direction of the neck 14 when having a plurality of exhaust vents 10. Specifically, when apertures 30 in a plurality of exhaust vents 10 are all positioned the same, e.g. oriented square to an exterior wall, all locking channels 32 of the multiple exhaust vents 10 will be in the same position for receiving neck 14. This will allow for orienting all of the necks 14 in the same direction, if desired.

(29) Sleeve 12 is secured to the galvanized duct D with a strapping band (not shown) or a plurality strapping bands. This provides for a nonintrusive connection of sleeve 12 to galvanized duct D. The strapping band is placed around the sleeve such that the strapping band will be laced through apertures 30 and engage the duct D, providing for a secure attachment of sleeve 12 to duct D.

(30) Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 4, 4A and 4B, attached to sleeve 12 is a neck 14. Neck 14 is preferably a gooseneck shape as shown in the figures and having opening 40 for attaching to sleeve 12 and opening 42 for attachment of cap 16 or cap 16A. Neck 14 is preferably made of plastic such as PVC and HDPE and the interior surface is preferably seamless. Neck 14 is attached to sleeve 12 and includes means for attaching cap 16 or cap 16A. Neck 14 includes inside thereof damper 20 and damper ring 22. Referring to FIG. 4B, neck 14 includes four lugs 44 extending outwardly from the inside of neck 14 and adapted to engage twist lock channels 32. Lugs 44 will be inserted into the top portion 34 of twist lock channels 32 and neck 14 will be twisted or rotated such that lugs 44 end up at the bottom portion 38 of channels 32, that is a female to male connection. This will secure neck 14 to sleeve 12 without the use of tools. It will also allow for the easy removal of neck 14 from sleeve 12 for cleaning duct D or for providing access to duct D. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 4A, instructions for taking neck 14 off of sleeve 12 may be included on neck 14. In the alternative, the attachment of neck 14 to sleeve 12 may be made by friction fit, adhesive or other known connection means.

(31) Neck 14 includes inside thereof damper ring 22, preferably eccentric in shape as shown in FIGS. 2, 2A, 6 and 6A. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 2A, damper ring 22 is attached at the bend in neck 14 and away from opening 42. This allows for better air flow and for damper 20 to open within neck 14. Damper ring 22 includes an exterior ring 50 and an interior ring 52. Exterior ring 50 is tapered from the top to the bottom. Damper ring 22 further includes tabs 54 having slots 56 for receiving and connecting damper 20 by means of damper rod 60 as discussed below. Damper ring 22 further includes slots 58 for engaging lugs 46 which extend inwardly from the inside of neck 14. Neck 14 further includes a plurality of posts 47 which may also hold damper ring 22 in place. Accordingly, damper ring 22 is secured inside neck 14 and damper 20 is secured to damper ring 22 by damper rod 60 in slots 56. Damper 20 includes a hinge 62 which allows damper 20 to seat on lip 53 of interior ring 52 when the damper 20 is closed. When venting dryer exhaust through duct D, damper 20 will move to an open position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 2A. When not venting, damper 20 seats on lip 53 of interior ring 52 to close off the exhaust vent system. While damper ring 22 is shown as a separate component of the exhaust vent assembly, it may be made integral with neck 14 without departing from the scope of the invention.

(32) Additionally, other means for securing a damper in neck 14 may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, neck 14 may include two slots and damper 20 may include rods for mating in the slots. The damper, therefore, fits inside neck and is attached in neck by the rods engaging the slots. The exhaust airflow will open the damper allowing the exhaust air to exit through the vent. Similarly, when the exhaust device is not on, the damper will close to prevent inflow of air.

(33) Referring again to FIGS. 4, 4A and 4B, neck 14 includes threads 45 for attaching cap 16 or cap 16A. Neck 14 further includes four T-shaped members 48 extending outwardly therefrom which may be useful in attaching neck 14 to sleeve 12. For example, the top of T-shaped member 48 includes a portion 47 for pushing the neck 14 down onto sleeve 12 and a portion 49 for twisting neck 14 to secure lugs 44 to twist channels 32.

(34) Neck 14 is adapted to be rotated on sleeve 12 360 degrees, in 90 degree increments based on the four lugs 44 and four twist lock channels 32. This will allow a contractor installing the exhaust vent 10 to move the neck 14 to a preferred position, including taking into consideration other exhaust vents on the roof or other equipment on the roof.

(35) Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 7, there is shown a cap 16. Cap 16 serves to allow venting of the exhaust through a plurality of openings 70 and to prevent entry by birds or the like. Cap 16 is attached to neck 14 by screw threads 45 on neck 14 and corresponding threads 72 on cap 16. In a presently preferred embodiment, cap 16 is generally cylindrically shaped with a flat end 74. However, it is understood that other shapes may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. Cap 16 is preferably made of plastic such as PVC or HDPE. Like the other components of exhaust vent 10, cap 16 may easily be connected and removed from neck 14 without tools, simply by screwing cap 16 on or off. Cap 16 is preferably used for venting a dryer exhaust. Cap 16 in conjunction with neck 14 provides for a large area for exhaust emission, thereby meeting IMC requirements.

(36) As an alternative to cap 16 and for other venting purposes, cap 16 may be replaced with cap 16A as shown in FIG. 8. Cap 16A includes internal threads 72A for attaching to neck 14. Cap 16A will include a screen 80 (partially shown) to prevent the entrance of insects or the like. The screen 80 may be of a material and size commensurate with the exhaust requirements. Cap 16A is preferably made of plastic such as PVC or HDPE.

(37) Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown a storm collar 18 which fits over sleeve 12 and is held in place by a friction fit. Collar 18 is annular and includes an opening 82 for fitting over sleeve 12 and a sloped wall 84. Collar 18 is adapted to be adjacent to the roof R and provides for protection from rain and the elements. Storm collar 18 is preferably made of plastic such as PVC or HDPE.

(38) Referring to FIGS. 2, 2A, 2B and 10, there is shown a bushing 24. As noted above, this bushing 24 is useful when a space S is desired between duct D and sleeve 12. Bushing 24 includes an annular collar 90 and tabs 92. Collar 90 includes a top 94, bottom 96, lip 98, groove 100, slots 102 and apertures 104. Referring to FIG. 2B, the bushing 24 is placed over duct D, top 94 seats on roof R, and tabs 92 extend upwardly and adjacent to the exterior wall of duct D and collar 90 engages the inside wall of sleeve 12. Apertures 30 of sleeve 12 overlie groove 100 for allowing strapping to engage groove 100. The bottom of sleeve 12 seats on lip 98. Bushing 24 thereby creates space S between duct D and sleeve 12. Referring to FIG. 2A, the bushing 24 is secured adjacent the interior wall of sleeve 12 with tabs 92 extending downward on the outside wall of duct D. Collar 90 fits snuggly into sleeve 12 and lip 98 seats on top of sleeve 12. This also provides for space S between duct D and sleeve 12. Apertures 104 may be used to insert fasteners to secure bushing 24 into roof R, usually when retrofitting the exhaust vent to an existing structure. As noted above, insulation I may be inserted into space S to provide for an insulated exhaust vent, the insulation being partially shown in FIG. 2. An insulated exhaust vent is especially useful when venting a dryer. Additionally, as stated above, this space S provides a larger neck 14 providing for greater airflow, thereby meeting the requirements of IMC.

(39) As noted above in the preferred embodiment of exhaust vent 10, all of the assembly components are plastic and the exhaust vent may be assembled without tools and without penetrative fasteners. The exhaust vent 10 may be made of a specific color with all of the components color coordinated. Besides the ease of installing exhaust vent 10 and the cost saving, the exhaust vent provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

(40) Referring to FIGS. 11-14A, there is shown a clamp 110 useful in providing support to round duct extending from a building roof as shown in FIGS. 14 and 14A or a building side wall. The clamp 110 is made from a sheetmetal blank as shown in FIG. 13 and is shown in FIGS. 11, 12, 14 and 14A. The sheetmetal is preferably 22 gauge although other gauges may be used depending on the duct size. The clamp 110 includes a top wall 112, side wall 114 and bottom wall 116. The clamp 110 includes a plurality of fastening tabs 118 extending outward from the top wall 112 and which are bent over for fastening the clamp to a building wall, e.g. a roof or a side wall. The clamp 110 preferably includes six fastening tabs 118 having an opening 120 for receiving fasteners 122 such as a screw. The tabs 118 are asymmetrically spaced providing benefit in using the clamp when the round duct is close to a joist and can fit close to the joist in the area 124. The side wall 114 includes flanges 126 and 128 with openings 130 for receiving fastening members 132 such as a screw and for tightening the clamp around a round duct D. When in use as shown in FIGS. 14 and 14A, the clamp 110 is attached to duct D and connected to roof R with fasteners 122 and clamped tightly to duct D by flanges 126 and 128 with fasteners 132, thereby providing strength, rigidity and support to round duct D extending from a building.

(41) As seen above, the present invention solves a number of problems of the prior art exhaust vents in a unique manner. For example, it weatherproofs and counter-flashes existing or new construction ducts for flat roofs. The exhaust vent 10 may be easily retrofitted on older projects; and it provides a back-draft damper and a bird proof assembly for dryer ducts on a flat roof. The plastic neck 14 is preferably one piece having a uniform seamless radius throughout such that there is minimal restriction or friction on the air flow. The cap 16 or cap 16A screws onto neck 14 such that no tools are required. For a bathroom exhaust, one may use cap 16A as opposed to cap 16. The caps 16 and 16A are readily removable making cleaning easy. Additionally, cap 16 is believed to be self-cleaning due to its position being exposed to wind and rain, and there are no known self-cleaning dryer vent bird guards. The exhaust vent 10 is adjustable for different height exhaust ducts, e.g. the plastic sleeve 12 may be cut down for lower duct application. Due to the exhaust vent's light weight, it does not require additional duct support like field designed assemblies that exert leverage due to their weight cantilevering away from the vertical duct riser. Due to the plastic seamless construction, there are no screws in the air-stream, unlike conventional hoods that need to be fastened to the duct or metal venting.

(42) The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the invention. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention so that others skilled in the art may practice the invention. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, various modifications can be made within the scope of the aforesaid description. Such modifications being within the ability of one skilled in the art form a part of the present invention and are embraced by the appended claims.