LINESET PORTAL ASSEMBLY AND METHOD

Abstract

A roof top curb lineset portal assembly and method are provided. The portal assembly consists of a portal curb cover, a comb and a top. The curb cover engages a roof curb and defines an opening. The top comprises a roof and two sidewalls. The roof comprises a peak and a sloped roof panel extending downwardly and outwardly from the peak. The side walls face each other and have lower connection sections that are releasably connected to the curb cover. The side walls have lower edges that extend outwardly and upwardly from the connection sections. The comb has at least three fingers defining multiple slots and the fingers extend away from and upwardly from the opening, and are configured so that there is a seal between said comb and said sidewalls.

Claims

1. A roof top lineset curb portal assembly, said assembly comprising a curb cover engageable with a roof curb and defining an opening, a top comprising a roof and two sidewalls, said roof comprising a peak and a sloped roof panel extending downwardly and outwardly from the peak, said side walls being in facing relationship to each other, said side walls having lower connection sections that are releasably connected to said curb cover, said side walls having lower edges that extend outwardly and upwardly from said lower connection sections, and a comb comprising at least three teeth defining multiple slots, said comb being supported relative to said curb cover so that said teeth extend away from and upwardly from the opening, and are configured so that there is a seal between said comb and said sidewalls.

2. The roof top lineset curb portal assembly claimed in claim 1 and further comprising an elastomeric sealing sheet secured to the inside of the comb and spanning the slots.

3. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 1 and further including a sealing tape applied to the outside of the comb so that it spans the slots.

4. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 1 wherein the comb is entirely underneath and protected by said roof panel.

5. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 1 wherein said sidewalls and said roof panels are made of phenolic foam sheets.

6. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 1 wherein said cover comprises downwardly extending curb connection flanges, an upwardly extending comb connection flange, upwardly extending side wall connecting flanges and a reducing flange connecting the curb flanges to the comb flange and the side wall connecting flanges.

7. The roof top lineset portal claimed in claim 1 wherein said comb includes side flanges which engage the sidewalls of the cover.

8. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 6 wherein said side wall connection sections are fastened to said sidewall connection flanges.

9. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 1 wherein said sidewall lower edges form an angle with said side wall connecting flanges in a range from 15 degrees to 45 degrees.

10. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 1 wherein said sidewall lower edges form an angle with said comb in a range from 5 degrees to 20 degrees.

11. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 9 wherein said sidewall lower edges form an angle with said comb in a range from 5 degrees to 20 degrees.

12. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 9 wherein said sidewall lower edges form an angle with said side wall connecting flanges in a range from 15 degrees to 45 degrees.

13. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 1 wherein said side panels and said roof panel are made of phenolic foam.

14. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 9 wherein said side panels and said roof panel are made of phenolic foam.

15. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 1 wherein said phenolic foam is clad with a vinyl sheet.

16. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 9 wherein said phenolic foam is clad with a vinyl sheet.

17. A roof top lineset curb portal assembly, said assembly comprising a curb cover engageable with a roof curb and defining an opening, a top comprising a roof and two sidewalls, said roof comprising a peak and two roof panels extending downwardly and outwardly from the peak, said side walls being in facing relationship to each other, said side walls having lower connection sections that are releasably connected to said curb cover, said side walls having lower edges that extend outwardly and upwardly from said lower connection sections, and a comb comprising at least three teeth defining multiple slots, said comb being supported relative to said curb cover so that said teeth extend away from and upwardly from the opening, and are configured so that there is a seal between said comb and said sidewalls.

18. The roof top lineset curb portal assembly claimed in claim 17 and further comprising an elastomeric sealing sheet secured to the inside of the comb and spanning the slots.

19. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 18 and further including a sealing tape applied to the outside of the comb so that it spans the slots.

20. The roof top lineset portal assembly claimed in claim 17 wherein the comb is entirely underneath and protected by said roof panel.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

[0005] FIG. 1 is an exploded assembly drawing of an embodiment of the invention.

[0006] FIG. 2 is an upper left perspective view of the lineset curb portal assembly shown in FIG. 1.

[0007] FIG. 3 is a top view of the lineset curb portal assembly shown in FIG. 1.

[0008] FIG. 4 is a side view of the lineset curb portal assembly shown in FIG. 1.

[0009] FIG. 5 is an end view of the lineset curb portal assembly shown in FIG. 1.

[0010] FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a comb element of the lineset curb portal assembly shown in FIG. 1.

[0011] FIG. 7 is an exploded assembly drawing of an embodiment of a lineset curb portal assembly according to the invention.

[0012] FIG. 8 is a detailed drawing of an embodiment of a comb element with linesets extending therethrough.

[0013] FIG. 9 is an upper left perspective view of an embodiment of a lineset portal assembly mounted on a roof curb extender.

[0014] FIG. 10 is a side view of an embodiment of a lineset curb portal assembly mounted on a roof curb extender, with linesets extending therethrough.

[0015] FIG. 11 is an upper right perspective view of an embodiment of a lineset curb portal assembly mounted on a roof curb extender with linesets extending therethrough.

[0016] FIG. 12 is a lower right perspective view of an embodiment lineset curb portal assembly according to the invention, mounted on a roof curb, with linesets extending therethrough.

[0017] FIG. 13 is a lower right perspective view of an embodiment of a lineset curb portal assembly, mounted on a roof curb, with linesets extending therethrough.

[0018] FIG. 14 is a side view of an embodiment of a lineset portal.

[0019] FIG. 15 is a side view of an embodiment of a lineset portal having one comb.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The present invention overcomes many of the problems associated with prior art curb covers discussed above, and embodies many advantageous features as discussed herein. According to the invention, a curb cover is provided and it is adapted to be placed over a roof top curb. The curb cover has a central opening.

[0021] At least one lineset comb is supported on the curb cover so that it extends upwardly and outwardly from the central opening. The lineset comb has at least two teeth and at least one slot between the teeth to receive a lineset. The slot is closed at the bottom, adjacent to the curb cover, and is open at the top. Linesets may be fed through the relatively large curb cover opening and then positioned in the lineset slot. A sealing sheet of a compressible flexible sealing material may be secured to one side of the comb so that it spans the at least one slot. A slit may be formed in the sealing sheet, between the line comb teeth, so that a lineset can be pushed into the open end of the slot and moved towards the closed end of the slot. The sealing sheet yields as the lineset is moved towards the closed end of the slot and, when the lineset is in place, the sealing sheet provides a nice seal around the lineset. A top is positioned over the curb cover opening.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a roof top curb lineset portal assembly according to an embodiment of the invention is indicated generally at 10. The portal assembly 10 comprises a roof curb cover 12, combs 14, a sealing sheet 16, and a top 18. The curb cover 12 includes curb connection flanges 20 for engaging a roof curb and supporting the curb cover 12 on the roof curb. Further, the curb cover 12 comprises comb connecting flanges 22 for engaging and supporting the portal combs 14 on the curb cover 12. Curb cover reducing flanges 24 extend between portal comb connecting flanges 22 and top connecting flanges 23, and the curb connection flanges 20. The portal comb connecting flanges 22 and the top connecting flanges 23 define an opening through which a lineset must pass when connecting the lineset between an outside rooftop component and related equipment inside of the building.

[0023] Portal combs 14 comprise portal comb flanges 26 (FIG. 6) which are used to connect the portal combs 14 to opposite portal comb connecting flanges 22.

[0024] The portal combs 14 further comprise comb sections 28 (FIG. 6) which are angled with respect to the portal comb flanges 26. The angle is such that the comb sections 28 extend upwardly and outwardly from the portal comb flanges 26 when the portal comb flanges 26 are connected to the portal comb connecting flanges 22.

[0025] The comb section 28 of the portal comb 14 comprises a plurality of comb teeth 30 extending upwardly from the portal comb flanges 26. Between the comb teeth 30 are U-shaped cutouts indicated at 32.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 7, an embodiment of a roof curb lineset portal assembly is shown at 110. It corresponds with the roof curb lineset portal assembly 10 shown in FIG. 1, and additionally includes a sealant tape 34 which is applied to the outside of the portal combs 14. The tape 34 may be a water sealant tape with an adhesive for securing the tape to the portal combs 14.

[0027] As can be seen in FIG. 1, the sealing sheet 16 may include pre-cut slots or slits 36. The slots 36 align with the cut outs 32 in the portal comb 14, between the comb teeth 30. The sealing sheet 16 may comprise a flexible, elastomeric sheet which may be provided with adhesive to secure the sealing sheet 16 to the inside of a portal comb 14. Suitable materials for the sealing sheet include EPDM foam, K-Flex, neoprene and the like. A closed cell structure is preferred.

[0028] A lineset portal assembly 10 and 110 may be assembled off site. Portal combs 14 may be secured to opposed portal comb connecting flanges 22 by fasteners 60. The sealing sheets 16 may be adhered to the combs 14. The top 18 may be secured to the flanges 23 by fasteners 62. The tape 34 may be applied to the combs 12. Once assembled, the lineset portal assemblies may be transported to a roof site.

[0029] On site, the roof curb cover 12 is positioned over the walls of a roof curb 64 so that the cover 12 sits on and engages with the tops of the roof curb walls 64. Or, a roof curb extender 66 may be positioned on the roof curb walls in which case the cover 12 would be positioned over the walls of the extender 66. Once the cover 12 is positioned on the roof curb or roof curb extender, the top 18 may be removed from the assembly 10. With the top 18 removed, the opening defined by the flanges 22 and 23 is exposed and linesets, shown in FIG. 8, may be freely and easily fed through the opening. Once in a desired position, the linesets may be positioned between two comb teeth 30 in a slot 32. Slits indicated at 68 may be formed in the sealing sheet 16, between teeth 30, so that a lineset may be positioned in the slit 68 between the comb teeth 30. The sealing sheet 16 is flexible and will yield to, but also rebound where the linesets are not positioned, to provide a seal around a lineset. Once all of the linesets are positioned as desired in the comb 14, between comb teeth 30, the top 18 may be secured to the cover 12 and to the flanges 23 as by fasters 62.

[0030] Due to the resiliency of the sealing sheet 16, the portion of the slit 36, above the lineset, closes and provides a good seal. At this point, the ends of the linesets may be connected between a point inside of the building and outside equipment mounted on the roof. Where linesets exit the portal comb 14, they are oriented substantially horizontally as can be seen, for example, in FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0031] The top 18 may comprise side walls 38 which support a roof structure consisting of two roof panels 40. The panels 40 meet at a peak indicated at 42. The panels 40 extend from the peak 42 beyond flanges 22 and beyond the portal combs 14. This way, the panels 40 shield the linesets where they pass between the comb teeth 30.

[0032] The side walls 38 include side wall connecting sections 44 which are readily connected to the top connecting flanges 23 provided on the roof curb cover 12, such as by threaded fasteners or the like. The roof panels 40 cover the opening in the roof curb cover 12 and, preferably, the panels 40 extend beyond the combs 14, and the roof curb cover 12, so that they overhang and protect the rest of the lineset portal assembly. The parts of the top may be constructed from closed cell phenolic foam sheets. The foam sheets may be clad with a vinyl sheet for strength and durability.

[0033] The combs 14 may include side flanges 70 which, when the top 18 is in place, engage or are right next to the side walls. This adds structural integrity to the assembly and helps to promote a good seal between the combs 16 and the sidewalls 38.

[0034] The sidewalls 38 have lower edges 45. The lower edges 45 extend upwardly and away from the connecting section 44. The lower edges 45 are angled relative to horizontal which may defined, for example, by the roof curb cover 12. This angle may be in the range of 15 degrees to 45 degrees, as indicated in FIG. 14. This range may be between 20 degrees and 40 degrees. This range may be from 25 degrees to 35 degrees. The lower edges 45 also form an angle with respect to the comb 14, as shown in FIG. 14. This angle may range from 5 degrees to 20 degrees. This angle may range from 10 degrees to 15 degrees.

[0035] FIG. 15 illustrates a curb portal assembly 80 with one comb 82. The end 86 of the top 84, adjacent to the comb 82, may be as described above. The other end 88 of the top 84, opposite the end 86, is closed by an end wall which extends from a sidewall 90 to an opposed sidewall.