Ventilating sill plate

Abstract

A ventilating sill for elevating a wall partition from a floor surface in order to isolate the wall partition from moisture and humidity that can emanate from the floor surface or be present thereon. The ventilating sill includes a block having a support surface, a base surface, two opposed side surfaces and a plurality of spaced channels extending between the side surfaces forming channeled surfaces. The ventilating sill further includes a pair of slats, each slat extending from each side surface upwardly towards the wall partition at a right angle to the support surface, the slats defining a support area, and being adapted to guide the wall partition onto the support surface and at least one aperture communicating between the support area and an ambient environment for ventilating the support area and draining moisture and humidity therefrom.

Claims

1. A ventilating sill for elevating a wall partition from a receiving surface, the ventilating sill comprising: a body having a support surface, a base surface, and two opposed side surfaces, the body being placeable between the wall partition and the receiving surface, the comprising a plurality of channels each extending between the two opposed side surfaces; and a pair of slats, each one of the pair of slats upwardly extending from the support surface away from the base surface, the slats being adapted to guide the wall partition onto the support surface; wherein the support surface comprises a first raised portion adjacent to a given one of the pair of slats and a second raised portion adjacent to another one of the pair of slats, the first and second raised portions being spaced apart by an unraised portion, each one of the pair of slats comprising at least one aperture extending therethrough and each one of the first and second raised portions comprising at least one recess communicating with a respective one of the at least one aperture so as to drain the upraised portion of the support surface.

2. A ventilating sill according to claim 1, wherein the body is made from a material selected from a group consisting of plastics, composites, and metals.

3. A ventilating sill according to claim 1, wherein each one of the pair of slats is made from a material selected from the group consisting of plastics, composites, and metals.

4. A ventilating sill according to claim 1, wherein the ventilating sill further comprises a screen mesh insect barrier positioned over the channels.

5. A ventilating sill according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pair of slats comprises at least one spring clip for securing the wall partition to the ventilating sill.

6. A ventilating sill according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pair of slats is securable to the wall partition with fasteners.

7. A ventilating wall partition, the wall partition comprising: a liquid permeable portion comprising a body and slats the body having a support surface, a base surface, and two opposed side surfaces, the body comprising a plurality of channels each extending between the two opposed side surfaces; and each one of the pair of slats upwardly extending from the support surface away from the base surface, wherein the support surface comprises a first raised portion adjacent to a given one of the pair of slats and a second raised portion adjacent to another one of the pair of slats, the first and second raised portions being spaced apart by an unraised portion, each one of the pair of slats comprising at least one aperture extending therethrough and each one of the first and second raised portions comprising at least one recess each communicating with a respective one of the at least one aperture so as to drain the unraised portion of the support surface a load carrying portion being vertically superposed with regards to the liquid permeable portion, the load carrying portion being received between the pair of slats.

8. The ventilating wall partition of claim 7, wherein the load carrying portion is on top of the liquid permeable portion.

9. The ventilating wall partition as claimed in claim 7, the wall partition comprising a plurality of liquid permeable portions and a plurality of load carrying portions vertically superposed and placed in alternation.

10. The ventilating wall partition according to claim 7, wherein the liquid permeable portion and the load carrying portion are made from an anti-mold material.

11. The ventilating wall partition according to claim 10, wherein the anti-mold material is selected from plastic, composite, or metal.

12. The ventilating wall partition according to claim 7, wherein the liquid permeable portion comprises a screen mesh insect barrier positioned over the channels.

13. A method for preventing mold on a wall partition, the method comprising the step of disposing a ventilating sill between the wall partition and a floor, the ventilating sill comprising: a body having a support surface, a base surface, and two opposed side surfaces, the body comprising a plurality of channels each extending between the two opposed side surfaces; and a pair of slats, each one of the pair of slats upwardly extending from the support surface away from the base surface, the slats being adapted to guide the wall partition onto the support surface; wherein the support surface comprises a first raised portion adjacent to a given one of the pair of slats and a second raised portion adjacent to another one of the pair of slats, the first and second raised portions being spaced apart by an unraised portion, each one of the pair of slats comprising at least one aperture extending therethrough and each one of the first and second raised portions comprising at least one recess communicating with a respective one of the at least one aperture so as to drain the unraised portion of the support surface.

14. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising the step of attaching the ventilating sill to the wall partition using fasteners or spring clips.

15. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising the step of disposing a screen mesh insect barrier over the channels.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a ventilating sill according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 2 is another view of what is shown in FIG. 1, with a wall partition installed on the ventilating sill.

(4) FIG. 3 is another view of what is shown in FIG. 1.

(5) FIG. 4 is another view of what is shown in FIG. 1.

(6) FIG. 5 is another view of what is shown in FIG. 2.

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the ventilating sill.

(8) FIG. 7A is a closed-up view of a portion of the ventilating sill in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

(9) FIG. 7B is a closed-up view of another portion of the ventilating sill in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 8A is a closed-up view of a portion of the ventilating sill in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

(11) FIG. 8B is a closed-up view of another portion of the ventilating sill in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

(12) FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the ventilating sill in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(13) A novel Ventilating Sill Plate will be described hereinafter. Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiment(s), it is to be understood that the embodiment(s) described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby.

(14) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, there is provided a ventilating sill 10 for elevating a wall partition 12 from a floor surface (not shown) to isolate the wall partition 12 from moisture and humidity that can emanate from the floor surface or be present thereon. The ventilating sill plate may be manufactured in any size as to conform to the dimensions of any type or format of wall. The ventilating sill may be adapted to a wall made from material such as, but not limited to, metal, wood, and the likes.

(15) In some embodiments, the ventilating sill 10 comprises a block 14, a pair of slats 16 and at least one aperture 18. In other embodiments, the ventilating sill 10 may further comprise a screen mesh insect barrier 20.

(16) The ventilating sill 10 is typically placed between the floor surface and the wall partition 12 to protect the wall partition 12 from moisture and humidity emanating from the floor surface or from water leaks or the like.

(17) The block 14 generally defines a support surface 22 for receiving the wall partition 12 and a base surface 24 for contacting the floor surface. The support surface 22 is delimited by two opposite side surfaces 26 and is preferably sized according to the width of the wall partition 12. Preferably, the support surface 22 comprises a recess 32 mounted around the at least one aperture 18 for guiding any moisture and humidity towards the at least one aperture 18. The block 14 is preferably made from plastics, composites or metals. Understandably, any other materials may be used as known to a person skilled in the art.

(18) The block 14 also comprises a plurality of spaced channels 28 extending between the side surfaces 26 to form channeled surfaces 30. The spaced channels 28 allow moisture, humidity, water leaks and the like to flow from one side of the wall partition 12 to the other to prevent their accumulation. The channels 28 are therefore generally perpendicular to the wall surface. The use of the ventilating sill 10 may therefore limit or prevent wall humidity and/or mold builds up. The ventilating sill 10 may further comprise a screen mesh insect barrier 20 positioned over the channeled surfaces 30 to provide a shield or barrier from pests and insects.

(19) In a preferred embodiment, on each side surface 26, a slat 16 is mounted upwardly towards the wall partition 12 at a substantially right angle to the support surface 22 The slats 16 define a support area positioned on the support surface 22. The pair of slats 16 is generally adapted to guide the wall partition 12 onto the support surface 22. The pair of slats 16 may also comprise spring clips or any other fastener types for securing the wall partition 12 onto the ventilating sill 10, as known to a person skilled in the art. The slats 16 are preferably made from plastics, composites or metals. Understandably, any other materials and/or shapes maybe used as known to a person skilled in the art.

(20) In a preferred embodiment, the support surface 22 comprises at least one aperture 18 communicating between the support area and an ambient environment. The aperture 18 aims at allowing the ventilation of the support area and the draining of any moisture and humidity therefrom, In some environments, it is preferable to have multiple apertures 18 to aim at further increasing the ventilation efficiency.

(21) Now referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the aperture 18 in illustrated in more details. Specifically, the aperture 18 is preferably located at a junction point between the slats 16 and the support surface 22. In a preferred embodiment, a slope is defined between the surface 22 and the aperture 18 as to guide the water to the outside environment. The apertures 18 are preferably linearly disposed along the length of the sill 10. The distance between consecutive apertures may be varied depending environmental parameters, such as level of risk of flooding event and percentage of humidity of the ambient air where the wall is to be installed.

(22) Now referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, another embodiment of the invention is illustrated. In such an embodiment, the wall partition and ventilating sill are integral, such as made from a sole piece of material 10(12), preferably plastics, or composites. Understandably, the material must sustain the force and weight of the above installed wall. The sill, or ventilating wall partition 10(12), comprises channels 28 to generally allow water to flow beneath the wall. The flow of water beneath the wall aims at rendering the entire wall partition to be mold proof For instance, some buildings located in flood prone regions may benefit from such flow of water. In events where flooding or high level of water is generally expected, flowing of water may further reduce damages to the walls or to the wall structure. In a preferred embodiment, such ventilating sill may be used to support division wall or other walls closes to a potential source of water.

(23) In another embodiment, the ventilating wall partition may comprise a plurality of liquid permeable portions and a plurality of load carrying portions vertically superposed and placed in alternation. Each liquid permeable portion may comprise a plurality of spaced apart channels. The plurality of liquid permeable portions is intended to increase the flow of water in a situation where a water level is substantially high. In such a case, water will flow in parallel through both liquid permeable portions.

(24) Now referring to FIG. 9, a further embodiment of a ventilating sill is shown. In such an embodiment, the ventilation sill comprises wide channels 35. Such wide channels 35 aims at increasing the flow of liquid under the wall structure. Accordingly, the channels may have different shapes or dimensions for different configurations.

(25) Furthermore, although the present invention may be used with various objects, such as wall partitions, for example, it is understood that it may be used with other partitions or structures. For this reason, expressions such as wall partition, wall, partition, structure, etc. as used herein should not be taken as to limit the scope of the present invention to these construction objects in particular. These expressions encompass all other kinds of materials, objects and/or purposes with which the present invention could be used and may be useful, as can be easily understood.

(26) While illustrative and presently preferred embodiment(s) of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art