US2988983A - Building attic ventilators - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1961 L. s. DAVIS BUILDING ATTIC VENTILATORS Filed Aug. 18, 1958 INVENTOR.

LAWA-Wcz- 6. 041 /8 Patented June 20, 1961 Filed Aug. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 755,5 3 Claims. (Cl. 98-121) This invention relates to building attic ventilators and more particularly pertains to a pre-fabricated, quick set, sheet metal building ventilator for attic installations.

Attic ventilators in the gable and on the roof have been employed heretofore to facilitate air circulation of the area under the roof of buildings particularly dwellings, however, the several devices of the prior art have not proven entirely satisfactory inasmuch as the gable ventilators are usually built on the job and require much time and labor due to the particular angulation of the cuts of the material required by the angles and tapers involved, and, while these devices are functionally satisfactory they are not satisfactory from the stand point of economy because because they are complicated in design and construction, expensive to make on the job, and difficult to install.

With the foregoing in view, the primary object of the invention is to provide a pre-fabricated, quick set, sheet metal building ventilator particularly suitable for on the job installations as a unit, which is easy to use and install, and obviates the necessity of making the units on the job.

The object of the invention is to provide a gable ventilator which can be quickly set up in position by moving the spanning side member U-channels into embracing relationship with the roof joists which position is accomplished by the use of the slanting sill for insertion by by-passing and camming into proper place.

An object of the invention is to provide a base member such as a sill, a span member such as an arch or triangulated top pieces, and louvers disposed between the sides of the span member which louvers have oppositely rolled front and back edges for lending strength to the louvers over their longitudinal extent with the louvers being equipped with tub ends for attachment to the span member sides.

An object of the invention is to provide the louvers with oppositely rolled front and back edges for the purpose of bafliing air and blocking the line of visual sight therebetween.

These and other objects will become apparent by reference to the following description of a quick-set, sheetmetal, pre-fabricated ventilator embodying the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a face elevational view of a triangular gable ventilator.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, somewhat enlarged, showing the structural deposition of the device in connection with a building structure.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the ventilator partially positioned; and

FIG. 4 is enlarged partial view showing the end con struction of the sill, span members, and bottom louvers.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, the prefabricated ventilator disclosed therein to illustrate the invention comprises a sill 10, spanning side members 11 and 12, louvers 13 disposed between the side members 11 and 12, back bug screen 14, and a vertical anti-wind-rattle connecting strip 15.

The building gable has a roof Z1 and rafters 20 defining the two top sides of a triangular opening with the sub-sill 22 defining the bottom side of the triangular opening with size and angle of the opening co-ordinated to the particular ventilator to be installed.

The ventilator side members 11 and 12 are composed of strip sheet metal which has an upturned flange 30 at the back and an upturned flange 40 at the front which together with the web section 41 form a U-shaped channel for receiving the roof rafters 20 therein, and if desired, the sheet'metal strip can be formed with a downwardly extended front flange 42 for covering the louver attachment tab ends 47 to the side'members 11 and 12; the bug screen 14 is folded over the back flange 30 and the inverted U-shaped channel member 43 is fitted over the screen and back flange 30 and clinched thereon along its longitudinal length or at intervals so as to hold the screen in position and in the event the sill 10 is made of wood the bottom of the screen is nailed thereto as at 44.

The louvers 13 are equipped with a downwardly inwardly curved edge 45 at the front side and an upwardly inwardly curved edge 46 at the back side and they are also equipped with end tabs 47 at either end to facilitate spot welding or riveting to the side span members web section 41. The side span members 11 and 12 are equipped with a tab 50 at the bottom for nailing to the wood sill 10 or spot welding to a metal sill and the bottom louver l3-A is provided with an extending flange 51 for nailing to the sill instead of the downwardly curved rolled edge 45. The connecting strip 15 is secured to the louvers and side members by rivets, FIG. 1, or by welding.

The louver is made in various stock sizes with various angle side span pieces and sills so as to accommodate the various roof pitches and to also provide for various size ventilator areas for various size attics.

The device can be quickly installed by inserting the apex 60 of the ventilator at the apex of the roof rafters 21 by sliding the back flange assembly 30A consisting of flange 30, folded screen top 14, and channel member 43 under the roof rafters 20 with tilt space being allowed by the angulation of the sill 16} as seen in FIG. 3; upon further movement of the sill 10 to the left as seen in the drawing at FIG. 3, the back flange assembly 30-A will move to the position seen in FIG. 2 as the sill moves from the position seen in FIG. 3 to the position seen in FIG. 2; the applicator then has merely to nail the sill 10 to the sub-sill 22 and the device is installed; if desired the applicator can also nail the outer flange 40 to the roof rafters.

Due to the fact that permanent jigs and fixtures for various sizes and angles can be accurately made at the factory and the louvers, side pieces, and sills accurately and quickly cut, the attic louver can be manufactured for a portion of the cost for which a wooden louver could be made on the job by carpenters who have to measure each and every angle and measure each and every out and then assemble same.

Although but a single embodiment of the ventilator has been shown and described in detail, it is obvious that many changes may be made in size, shape, detail, and arrangements of the various elements of the ventilator within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pre-fabricated quick-set, sheet-metal building ventilator particularly suitable for gable installation wherein the building has a triangular opening defined at the bottom by a sub-sill and at the top-sides by roof rafters, comprising a bottom sill member having opposite ends, paired side members each having a bottom end in contact with one of said sill members opposite ends, means connecting the bottom end of each said side member to its respective end of said sill member; said side members having top ends; said side members inclining toward each other and inwardly-upwardly over said sill member in spaced relation to said sill member with their top ends in mutual contact defining a top corner; said sill and side members forming a triangle; said side members each having a front upstanding flange adapted to overlie and fit against a corresponding roof rafters outer side and a back upstanding flange adapted to overlie a corresponding roof rafters inner side; said sill and side members back flange each having a back side; a bug screen disposed between said sill and side members overlying their back sides; said bug screen having a folded portion over said side members back flanges; a channel member disposed over said screen folded portion and said side members back flanges so as to encompass same; said channel member being clamped thereon to secure said screen and side members together; means securing said screen to said sill member; louvers disposed between said side members in spaced relation to one another, and means connecting said lonvers to said side members; said side members and said front and back flanges defining an upwardly opening U-shape in cross section.

2. In a device as set forth in claim 1, said sill member having an inner side and an outer side; said sill member being inclined upwardly and forwardly from front to rear so as to be spaced above said building sub-sill at its inner side when mounted; said ventilator device being insertable in said building opening by inclining said top corner toward the building and locating said corner at the apex of the roof rafters with said side members upwardly opening U-shape leading into the rafters thereabove and then moving said sill inwardly sidewise over said sub-sill whereupon the angulation of said sill cams against the sub-sill moving said ventilator upwardly so that said side members U-shaped cross-section embraces the roof 4 rafters with said members back flange at the back of the rafters, said side members front flange at the front of the rafters, and said side members at the bottom of the rafters.

3. In a device as set forth in claim 1, each said louver having tab ends secured to said side members, a front side edge downwardly and inwardly curved, and a back side edge upwardly and forwardly curvedysaid front side downwardly curved edge of an upper louver and said back side upwardly curved edge of the next lower louver being disposed on approximately the same horizontal plane so as to bathe air movement and to block visual sight therebetween; said curved edges providing structural reinforcement to said louver members intermediate their ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,790,733 Tracy Feb. 3, 1931 2,155,483 Goldberg Apr. 25, 1939 2,480,562 Ewing Aug. 30, 1949 2,540,091 Brackney Feb. 6, 1951 2,587,509 Moyer Feb. 26, 1952 2,645,992 Simblest July 21, 1953 2,726,595 Jones Dec. 13, 1955 2,758,534 Smith Aug. 14, 1956 2,770,335 Sylvan Nov. 13, 1956 2,855,841 Smith Oct. 14, 1958 OTHER REFERENCES Sommerfeld, Inc., Catalogue 1953, extruded aluminum louvers, pages 4, 5.

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