Patent Publication Number: US-6705052-B1

Title: Soffit vent

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to soffit vent devices and more particularly to soffit vents that are readily installable In existing exterior insulated finish systems (EIFS) and direct exterior finish systems (DEFS) structures. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Soffit vents that can be installed in such applications are well known In the art. Generally such soffit vents comprise a channeled structure having longitudinally extending side walls that incorporate at their top outwardly and horizontally facing channels that are designed to engage foam insulating panels. The foam insulating panels are simply slid into such channels after location and fastening of the soffit vent In the appropriate location in the structure under construction. 
     Installation in existing buildings as a retrofit or repair is often difficult since access to the horizontally facing channels by the insulating foam panels is often impossible or difficult in such applications and consequently the exteriorly insulating foam cannot be slid into these channels, or conversely, the channels cannot be readily applied to the insulating foam. 
     Thus, there exists a need for a soffit vent for EIFS and DEFS construction that can be used for new construction or retrofitably installed in such systems without undue on site work or the destruction of some of the insulating material already in place. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a soffit vent that is readily retrofitably installed in EIFS and DEFS building structures as well as new building structures. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the present invention there is provided a soffit vent comprising a base having opposing elongated edges, a pair of parallel flanges extending upwardly from the base intermediate the elongated edges and defining: 1) a vent zone in the base characterize by the presence of vent holes in the base; and 2) attachment flanges formed by portions of the base extending beyond the location of the parallel upwardly extending flanges, the attachment flanges including holes therein for the insertion of attachment devices. A method for installing the soffit vent of the present invention in an EIFS or DEFS structure comprising locating the soffit vent in the appropriate location between a pair of insulating members In the EIFS or DEFS structure, attaching the soffit vent to the structure by the insertion of a suitable fastener through the apertures in the attachment flanges and into the foam insulation. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the soffit vent of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the soffit vent of the present invention installed in an EIFS structure. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, the soffit vent  10  of the present invention comprises: a base  12  having opposing longitudinal parallel edges  14 ; a single or a pair of parallel flanges  16  extending upwardly from base  12  intermediate opposing edges  14  defining therebetween a vent zone  18  having vent holes  20  therein; and a pair of opposing parallel attachment flanges  22  having attachment device apertures  24  therein, are formed by the extensions of base  12  that extend beyond upwardly extending parallel flanges  16 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, in the installed condition, soffit vent  10  is installed between two portions of exteriorly insulating foam  26  through the insertion of parallel flanges  16  therebetween. Although soffit vent  10  might be held in place through simple frictional engagement with insulating foam portions  26  it is advisable and apertures  24  in flanges  22  are provided for the insertion of fasteners such as the “arrow-shaped” locking device or Arro Lock® device  28  shown in FIG. 2, through two or more of apertures  24 . The Arro Lock® devices are well known in the art and readily available to the installer of soffit vents of the type described herein. As also shown in FIG. 2, striations  30  may be provided in the event that some adherent material such as stucco is to be applied over flanges  24  for finishing purposes. In such common applications, the striations serve to provide an additional high surface area to which the overapplied finishing materials can adhere. 
     Soffit vent  10  may be fabricated from any suitable material such as plastic or metal, but readily extrudable plastic materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), poly(ethylene)(PE), poly(propylene), etc are highly preferred for reasons of cost and ease of fabrication both at the fabricating factory site as well as the construction site. 
     In installation, exteriorly insulating foam  26  is applied to the structure in the  32  between two portions of insulating foam  26  is provided by cutting, location of foam sections  26  or otherwise. Soffit vent  10  is then inserted between foam portions  26  until seated against foam portions  26  as shown in FIG. 2. A suitable fasteners such as arrow-shaped devices  28  are then inserted through at least some of apertures  24  on both of flanges  22  and then into the body of foam  26  as also shown In FIG.  2 . In this configuration, soffit vent  10  is fully installed and ready for the application of any overapplied finishing surface (not shown). 
     The successful use of soffit vent  10  of the present invention requires that the height H of flange  16  be at most about one half inch, as this is the minimum dimension of conventionally used exteriorly insulating foam panels of the type shown at  26  in FIG.  2 . The supply of soffit vents  10  having a flange  16  greater than one half inch in height could, in some installations, result in interference between flanges  16  and overlying supports  34  for foam panels  26 . In the installation shown in FIG. 2, the thickness of foam panels  26  is about three quarters of an inch while the height H of flanges  16  is one half inch. 
     There has thus been described a novel soffit vent suitable for retrofit installation in either EIFS or DEFS structures. The device is simple in structure and extremely easy to install in such constructions. 
     As will be apparent to the skilled artisan, a number of variations and modifications can be made to the structure described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. All such modifications and variations are clearly contemplated as being within the scope of the appended clams.