Ventilation device

A ventilator device (9A) is provided at the side frame (36, 37) of a door (35), especially at the top door standard (37), and comprises a box structure (42) defining a through-conduit for ventilating air, and closed at this ends e.g. by caps (15). The box structure is preferably of L-shaped cross-section so providing an abutment surface (43) for the door. An air-flow control (21, 22) can be provided.

The present invention relates to a ventilation device for use at a doorway 
in a building. 
Ventilation air flows between rooms and zones in buildings has been 
achieved by the provision of ventilation devices in doors and also in 
partition walls of the building. These devices have been installed by 
cutting a suitable aperture in the door (or in the partition wall) and 
fitting the device into the aperture. However this arrangement has the 
disadvantages that fitting of the device is awkward and can weaken the 
door structure, and further there is often a deleterious effect on 
asthetic quality of the door or partition wall. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a ventilation device 
for fitting at a doorway so as to be relatively unobtrusive, but which is 
convenient to fit and which gives satisfactory ventilation performance. 
According to the present invention there is provided a ventilation device 
comprising an elongate member adapted to service as part of a side frame 
structure of a doorway, the elongate member including conduit means for 
the through passage of ventilating air. 
Preferably the elongate member is adapted to serve as a top edge member of 
a doorway, and preferably further the elongate member provides an abutment 
surface for engagement by a door in the closed position. 
In a preferred embodiment the elongate member comprises rises a box 
structure; and preferably the box structure is of L-shaped cross-section, 
a shoulder surface of one limb of the L-shaped member constituting said 
abutment surface.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a vent 9A is fitted at the top of a door 35. The 
door aperture is provided, in conventional manner, with upright wooden 
standards 36 and a top transverse standard 37 bounding the wall blockwork 
38 surrounding the door aperture The blockwork 38 has plaster surface 
linings 39, and the normal door facings 40 and bottom skirtings 41 are 
present. Each of the standards 37, 38 includes step of jamb (stop) 
portions. The vent 9A comprises a box condiut structure 42 which can be 
made by an extrusion process. The structure 42 includes an air inlet 24, 
the outlet 22A being provided with an airflow control comprising a fixed 
apertured plate 22 and a slidable apertures plate 21 for "hit-and-miss" 
control with the plate 22. The vent conduit structure 42 is secured to the 
top standard 37, which can be rebated as shown to accept the conduit. 
Alternatively, if the standard 37 is of rectangular cross-section, suitable 
packing can be provided at zone 7A. The vertical leg of the L-shaping 
conduit 42 presents a wall surface 43 serving as a door stop, and the 
conduit's vertical leg will have an appropriate length to meet the 
particular application eg. for fire door use. 
An additional door stop strip 37B is secured to standard 37. The ends of 
the conduit structure 42 are closed by appropriate end caps 15. 
For use with fire doors, the conduit structure 42 can include a channel to 
house a fire safety element 44 comprising for example an intumescent fire 
strip. The conduit structure 42 could house baffle means such as for 
example of cartridge form. Futher, a clip-on cover or nose drip 45 can be 
located at the inlet 24, especially where the door 35 is an external door 
(opening outwardly in this case). 
The above vent 9A provides a very simple efficient and effective means of 
secondary ventilation through buildings involving the passage of air over 
the head of the door rather than via vents fitted into apertures in the 
door, or through an opening on the partition or wall enclosure. 
The conduit structure 42 can comprise a simple extruded box section (with 
various possible adaptations for fly screens, thermal or sound baffle 
cartridges as per the window vent type etc.) which replaces the top door 
stop on the door standard or door set. Individual vents would be cut (to 
the full internal size of door set)from a long length of extruded suction 
and, along with end caps etc., the full assembly would then be screwed up 
onto the top standard thus providing the door stop as well as the 
ventilator. 
The conduit can either be fired into a pre-rebating standard or planted 
straight onto the standard as illustrated. The door stops can either be 
"part only" to line through with width of projectiong section of vent unit 
or packed out and taken full width of door standard without any 
complications. 
The section could be formed in a number of different materials and could 
have a number of control systems. 
The above vent device for doors has the following advantages: 
1. The system is very simple, unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing thus 
providing a very acceptable able means of secondary through ventilation in 
buildings. 
2. The system doubles up at a door stop--and this is required in any event. 
3. The system allows for easy control of ventilation if required. 
4. The system can be either installed "on site" or in the factory in 
pre-fabricated door standards or sets. 
5. The system can be manufactured simply (only one main section type) in a 
number of materials depending upon specification of finish required. 
Individual vents would be cut from long lengths as required. 
6. Sound or thermal baffle cartridges can be easily incorporated if 
required similar to window vent system as shown in UK Pat. Appln. Nos. 
8712477 and 8715570. 
7. Because of the form of the vent system it is possible to incorporate a 
means of "fire stop" (unlike most other systems) although fire stopped 
vents would require to be made in steel or other non-combustable material 
FIG. 4 shows an environment system utilising various window vents (WV) in 
accordance with UK Patent application 8712477 and door vents DV), the 
vents DV being as above described and in accordance with the present 
invention. The environment system provides an almost infinitely variable 
number of arrangements for secondary (trickle) ventilation for buildings. 
The system provides the following range of options: 
1. Door VENT system only permanent and non controllable); 
2. Door VENT system only controllable--manual or automatic); 
3. Window VENT system only (permanent and non controllable); 
4. Window VENT system only (controllable--manual or automatic); 
5. Full VENT (door and window) system (permanent and non-controllable); 
6. Full VENT (door and window) system (controlable--manual or automatic). 
A. Each of the above systems can be fitted with sound baffle cartridges or 
fly screens if required providing further permutations. 
B. For controllable vents, automatic control can be provided by a number of 
methods: 
(1) On an individual room (or ventilator) basis by means of a humidity 
sensor and/or mechanism (electrical, mechanical or organic) located within 
each VENT unit. This system would provide a very efficient particular 
control only in rooms requiring ventilation. 
(2) On a general basis by means of a centrally located humidity sensor and 
with links to each VENT control thus providing uniform conditions in each 
room. 
(3) On very high specification installations a small computer could be 
incorporated to provide even more finely tuned control. 
By means of only the two basic VENT systems (door and window openings) and 
the possibility of sound or thermal baffle `cartridges` complete control 
of the environment is very easily maintained The simplicity, efficiency 
and flexibility of the present Environment System provides for the 
possibility of highly tuned natural secondary ventilation from zero air 
changes up to many times the minimum Building regulation standards. 
Specifically FIG. 4 shows a typical five apartment house layout 
demonstrating may of the Environment ststems. 
The essence of the above Environment Systems is one of considering the 
control and efficiency of secondary ventilation of buildings as a science 
in its own right rather than the traditional idea of ventilators being 
considered like accessories for windows and doors. 
The control units for the various window and door vents WV, DV are shown 
schematically as item C (CO being such units in the open condition). The 
cross hatching shows home areas, specifically the lounge and hall, in a 
ventilated mode by means of the open control units CO. 
The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is applied in a door like the embodiment of 
FIGS. 1 to 3 and like parts carry like reference numerals. However in this 
case the door head frame member is formed as a cellular form plastics 
extrusion 56. Integral with the extrusion 56 is a door vent 57 generally 
similar to the vent 9A of FIG. 1. As previously, a sound proof baffle 
could be installed in the vents 52 or 57. 
As an alternative to the plastics extrusion construction it would be 
possible to have the vent structure formed integral with a metal form 
frame member at an aperture. For example this metal form frame member 
could take the form of an aluminum extrusion. 
FIGS. 6 and 7 show a vent 9A in accordance with another embodiment of the 
present invention fitted at the top of doorway 35--exactly of the 
construction shown in FIG. 1, and the vent 9A is basically similar to the 
vents 9A of the previous embodiments. 
The conduit 42 is secured by screws 16 to the top standard 37, which can be 
rebated as shown to accept the conduit. 
Alternatively, if the standard 27 is of rectangular cross-section, suitable 
packing can be provided at zone 37A. Again the vertical leg of the 
L-shaped conduit 42 presents a wall surface 43 service as a door stop, and 
the conduit's vertical leg will have an appropriate length to meet the 
particular application eg. for fire door use. An additional door stop 
strip 37B is secured to standard 37. A horizontal air discharge 22A is 
present as in the previous embodiment, and again a control strip 21 is 
provided for air flow control. The ends of the conduit 42 can be closed by 
appropriate end caps 15 as previously and generally like parts carry like 
reference numerals. 
The sides 24A, 22A of the conduit structure 42 at the air inlet and the air 
outlet respectively carry a series of apertures 50, 51 on internal 
longitudinal walls for lateral airflow through the conduit 42. Each end 
cap 15 (see FIG. 7) comprises a decessed base part 60 carrying a set of 
lugs or tongues 61 and 63A with interior corners of the conduit structure 
42. Further, the base part 60 presents a laterally directed tab plate 64 
on which an end of the air flow control plate 21 is slidable, the tab 
plate 64 serving to close off a respective end portion of the air flow 
control 21/22 so that effective air flow control is always possible from 
zero to maximum rates. 
Cord controls can be fitted or control can be by means of recessed 
mechanism within vertical door frames of vertical door stops. 
Thus as shown in FIG. 2, an operating cord 68 is connected to a laterally 
extending finger grip 23 of the plate 21, and extends to the sides of the 
vent 9A where it passes through a hole 67 in a downstand bracket 66 on the 
tab plate 64 and then downwardly to the operating position, so enabling 
convenient remote control of the vent 9A located at the top door standard. 
To facilitate matching requirements and interchangable nose part 42A is 
provided insertable into a recess in the main conduit 42 and can have 
various shapes, sizes, colours etc. A strip 16B is fitted into a recess of 
the conduit 42 to cover the screwheads of screws fitted through apertures 
16A. 
The conduit 42 can comprise a simple extruded box section (with various 
possible adaptations for fly screens, thermal or sound baffle cartridges 
as per the window vent type etc.) which replaces the top door stops on the 
door standard or door set individual vents would be cut (to the full 
internal size of door set) from a long length of extruded section and 
along with end caps etc. The full assembly wound then be screwed up onto 
the top standard thus providing the door stop as well as the ventilator. 
The conduit can either be fixed into a prestandard or planted straight onto 
the standard as illustrated. The door stops can either be "part only" to 
line through with width or projecting section of vent unit or packed out 
and taken full width of door standard without any complications. 
In the embodiment of FIG. 8 a vent 9A is again provided for the top of a 
doorway but in comparison with the vent of FIGS. 12-14, the vent of FIG. 
15 is designed to include structure replacing the top transverse door 
standard 37, and for this requirement the conduit 42 includes, a back 
portion 42B. In this example the conduit 42 is screwed directly into the 
top blockwork 38, and the conduit portion 42B can include an access plate 
16B for access to fixing screws 16.