In a rotary ventilator having a vertical shaft rotatably supporting a rain plate, a vertically movable ring, diametrically equal with the rain plate, surrounds the depending end portion of the shaft. A plurality of elongated vanes, vertically disposed in circumferentially spaced relation extend between the rain plate and movable ring and are supported for angular rotation about their vertical axes by the peripheral edge portion of the rain plate. The depending end portion of each vane is provided with a depending tab given a quarter twist about its vertical axis which projects through a cooperating slot formed in the peripheral edge portion of the movable ring. A lever, pivotally connected with the depending end portion of the shaft for vertical movement of its respective ends, lifts the movable ring toward the rain plate and imparts a partial angular rotation to the respective vanes, about their respective axis, from a normal open position to a ventilator closed overlapping position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to ventilators of the wind turbine type and 
more particularly to a ventilator having closable vanes. 
Many residences are provided with attic ventilators, generally referred to 
as wind driven turbine type ventilators, which are mounted on the upper 
surface of a roof and communicates with the attic through an aperture 
therein for the purpose of dissipating moisture contained in the air 
within the attic and dissipating heat trapped in the attic during hot 
weather. However, many home owners desire to close the roof ventilating 
aperture during cold months of the year to prevent heat loss from the 
dwelling escaping through the ceiling thereof. 
This invention provides a turbine ventilator having vanes moved to a 
ventilator closed position. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
It is common practice to close building ventilators equipped with wind 
driven turbines by placing a plastic cover, or the like, over the entire 
ventilator during cold months of the year, however, this requires gaining 
access to the roof, such as by the use of ladders, or the like, and the 
roof pitch of some buildings is such this is not easily accomplished. 
This invention overcomes the disadvantage or inconvenience of placing an 
exterior cover over the ventilator by constructing the ventilator so that 
the wind driven vanes thereof may be pivoted about a vertical axis of the 
respective vane from an open to a closed nondriving position by a control 
disposed remote from the ventilator. 
Prior patents disclose a plurality of turbine or wind driven ventilators 
for ventilator or exhaust stacks in which the vanes of the respective 
turbine are rigidly connected to the other components forming the 
ventilator. 
This invention is distinctive over such ventilators by forming the vanes of 
the ventilator in elongated panel form which are vertically disposed and 
rotatable about the vertical axis of each vane from an opened wind driving 
position to a closed ventilator position by vertical movement of a vane 
connected guide ring. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The turbine comprises a base formed by a tubular skirt coaxially 
surrounding and secured to the vertically disposed upper end portion of a 
ventilator or draw pipe. The skirt includes a spider portion which 
coaxially supports a vertical shaft having bearing means at its upper end 
rotatably supporting a horizontal rain plate. The peripheral edge portion 
of the rain plate supports the upper end of a plurality of 
circumferentially equally spaced panel-like vanes for angular rotation 
about their respective axes. A vertically movable horizontal ring, having 
a depending annular flange surrounding the upper end portion of the skirt, 
is rotatably connected with the shaft by a plurality of spokes. Each vane 
is provided with a depending tab partially twisted out of the plane of the 
respective vane in one direction with these tabs vertically slidably 
entering cooperating circumferentially spaced slots formed in the 
vertically movable ring adjacent its periphery and secured therein by 
fasteners. The vanes thus support the movable ring. The movable ring is 
lifted vertically relative to the vanes by a lever pivotally connected for 
vertical movement with the depending end portion of the shaft above the 
skirt which simultaneously rotates the vanes about their respective 
vertical axis, in one direction, to a closed position in which the 
respective vertical edges of adjacent vanes are disposed in overlapped 
closed position. Upon release of the lever, the movable ring is biased 
downwardly by a spring surrounding the shaft and gravity and partially 
rotates the respective vanes to opened wind engaging position. 
The principal object of this invention is to provide a wind driven turbine 
having movable vanes disposed in a selected closed or open position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the 
drawings in which they occur. 
In the drawings: 
The reference numeral 10 indicates a generally cylindrical turbine 
ventilator vertically supported by the vertically disposed upper end 
portion of a ventilator or draw pipe 12 projecting above the roof, or the 
like, not shown. The ventilator 10 includes a base skirt 14 centrally 
supporting a shaft means 16 in turn horizontally supporting at its upper 
end a turbine top or rain plate 18. A plurality of vanes 20 depend from 
the rain plate 18 and support a vertically movable vane actuator ring 22 
for opening and closing the vanes, as hereinafter explained. 
The base skirt 14 is diametrically smaller than the rain plate 18 and 
comprises a section of tubular material coaxially surrounding the upper 
end portion of the draw pipe 12 and having a spider 24 secured to its 
inner wall surface and surrounding the depending end portion of a bearing 
shaft 26 forming the core of the shaft means 16. A sleeve 28 surrounds the 
bearing shaft 26 and forms a bearing surface for the shaft 26 in 
combination with conventional bearing means, not shown, within the sleeve 
at the upper end portion of the shaft which includes a cap 30 and acorn 
nut 32 disposed above a dome plate 34 overlying the rain plate 18 for 
securing the rain plate to the shaft for angular rotation therearound. 
The vanes 20 comprise elongated rectangular panel sections of thin sheet 
metal which are vertically disposed in circumferential equally spaced 
depending relation adjacent the peripheral edge of the rain plate 18. The 
vanes 20 each have a central integral upstanding tab 36 forming an upper 
set of vane connecting end portions which project upwardly through 
suitable apertures formed in the rain plate 18 adjacent its periphery and 
is secured by cap-like fasteners 38 engaging opposing slots 40 formed in 
the respective sides of the tab 36 with a friction reducing washer 42 
interposed between the cap 38 and upper surface of the rain plate. When in 
opened position, as presently described, the vanes 20 are disposed 
substantially tangential to a cylindrical plane generated by the periphery 
of the skirt 14. Obviously, a short rod, or the like, not shown, may be 
secured to the upper end of each vane 20 in place of the tab 36, if 
desired. The length of the vanes 20 is determined by the desired height 
for the turbine 10 and the number of vanes employed is a matter of choice 
in accordance with the outside diameter of the rain plate 18. The spacing 
between the vanes being determined in accordance with their transverse 
width to achieve an overlapping configuration when closed, as presently 
explained. 
Each of the vanes 20 is similarly provided with a central depending 
integral tab 44 forming a lower set of vane connecting end portions of 
selected length with each tab 44 given a quarter twist about its 
longitudinal axis (FIG. 6) to form opposing cam surfaces. The depending 
end portion of each tab 44 projects downwardly through a cooperating tab 
cam surface engaging slot formed in the peripheral edge portion of the 
movable ring 22 and is secured therein by a clip fastener 46 engaging 
opposing slots 48 formed in the lower tab adjacent its depending end. The 
several vanes support the movable ring 22 in combination with a thrust 
bearing, as presently described. 
The movable ring 22 is diametrically equal with the rain plate 18 and is 
further characterized, at its inner periphery, by a depending annular 
flange 50 coaxially surrounding the upper end portion of the skirt 14 and 
an upstanding annular rain flange 51 in the plane of the flange 50. The 
movable ring 22 is provided with a plurality of spokes 52 connected at 
their converging ends between a pair of hub forming clamp rings 54 and 56 
vertically slidably surrounding the depending end portion of the sleeve 
28. An upstanding stub sleeve 58 integral with the top clamp ring 54, 
coaxially surrounds the depending end portion of the sleeve 28. A helical 
spring 60 is interposed between the top clamp ring 54 and depending 
surface of the dome cap 34 around the sleeves 28 and 58 and normally 
biases the movable ring 22 downwardly. 
One end portion of an elongated split clamp 62 surrounds and grips the 
depending end portion of the bearing shaft 26 above the spider 24 and 
below the sleeve 28. A nut 64, on the depending end of the bearing shaft 
26, impinges the spider 24 against the split clamp 62. A ring-like 
pressure plate 66, surrounding the depending end portion of the sleeve 28, 
overlies the split clamp 62. A friction reducing thrust bearing 68, 
surrounding the depending end portion of the sleeve 28, is interposed 
between the pressure plate 66 and adjacent clamp ring 56. The purpose of 
the bearing 68 is for supporting the movable ring 22 in combination with 
the vanes 20 during angular rotation of the turbine. 
A lever 70 is bifurcated at one end portion to provide a pair of arms 72 
which longitudinally straddle the split clamp 62 and are pivotally 
connected by a transverse pin 74 with the other end portion of the split 
clamp 62 for vertical pivoting movement of the respective ends of the 
lever about the axis of the pin 74. The arms 72 are arcuately bowed 
upwardly intermediate their ends for sliding contact with the bearing 
plate 66 in response to downward movement of the other end portion of the 
lever 70 accomplished by a flexible member 76 connected thereto. The 
purpose of the lever 70 is to lift the movable ring 22 relative to the 
vanes 20 which angularly rotates the respective vanes 20 about their 
vertical axes through an arc of predetermined magnitude from an open wind 
engaging position, shown by solid lines, to a closed position, illustrated 
by dotted lines (FIG. 2). 
OPERATION 
In operation, the turbine 10, mounted on the upper end portion of the draw 
pipe 12, is normally in the position illustrated by FIG. 1 wherein a 
breeze or wind engaging the open vanes 20 angularly rotates the turbine in 
a conventional manner. The spring 60 maintains the movable ring 22 
disposed downwardly during normal operation of the turbine. When it is 
desired to close the vanes 20, the flexible element 76 is manually pulled 
downwardly pivoting the lever arms 72 against the pressure plate 66 which 
in turn, by the bearing 68 and clamp rings 54 and 56, lift the movable 
ring assembly 22 against the tension of the spring 60 thus imparting 
angular rotation of the respective vanes 20 to the closed position 
illustrated by dotted lines (FIG. 2). The flexible element 76 is secured 
to any suitable fastener for maintaining tension on the lever 70 during 
the closed vane position. 
Upon release of the flexible element 76, the spring 60, assisted by 
gravitation attraction for the movable ring 22, biases the movable ring 
downwardly and pivots the respective vane to an opened wind engaging 
position. 
Obviously the invention is susceptible to changes or alterations without 
defeating its practicability. Therefore, we do not wish to be confined to 
the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein.