Patent Publication Number: US-2023160210-A1

Title: Product Allowing For Partitioned And Directional Flow Of Gases And Fluids

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a product allowing for the partitioned and directional flow of gases and fluids. More particularly the present disclosure relates specifically to a product that can be installed into rafter bays beneath/within a roof&#39;s structure, and could also be installed between wall studs or any other applicable framing structure, and onto any surface requiring compartmentalized flow of air (or other gases/fluids) for the purposes of mitigating adverse thermal effects due to accumulated undesirable temperatures, or for any other undesirable effects/properties, by allowing for an unobstructed path for air (or other gases/fluids) to freely disperse in a desired path. 
     Description of Related Art 
     Currently, there are many products available in the construction industry that are used in an effort to allow for proper ventilation of roofs and attics. One of the main functions of these ventilation products is for the prevention of the formation of ice dams in the winter months in snowy climates. These products attempt to accomplish this by allowing fresh outside air to enter the roof&#39;s rafter bays, and/or attic space. This fresh outside air is brought in through an opening in the roof&#39;s eve (lower edge or overhang, also commonly referred to as a soffit), allowed to be brought into the rafter bay by way of said available product, then this air leaves the attic or rafter bay area up through a gable-end vent on the side wall of the topmost part of the house, or through a ridge vent at the peak of the roof. 
     Presently, available products fail to fully prevent the formation of ice dams in many cases, due to a number of design short-comings. These issues include: The current products&#39; lack of inherent structural integrity. Most, if not all, of the currently available products are made from very thin plastic or very thin foam, allowing them to be compressed, deformed, and/or otherwise broken either during installation, or after being installed (as in, for example, a contractor installing fixtures or devices in the immediate area to the installed product, or possibly a homeowner pushing boxes around in their attic). These compressed areas, deformations, or breaks, can cause the free flow of fresh outside air through these products in the manner for which they were designed to be compromised or even averted altogether, marginalizing their design benefits. Also, the current designs do not allow for a maximum amount of free fresh air to flow up through the rafter bay, leaving a not-unsubstantial portion of the roof deck unaffected by the remediation efforts of the product. Also, the current designs do not allow for special accommodations for custom installation cases, such as narrower- or wider-than-standard rafter bay widths, wherein the product can still offer the full range of its designed benefits. These available products are designed only to be used in rafter bays that have been constructed with a 16-inch or 24-in on-center spacing, or some other commonly accepted standard widths. Any attempts to modify these products to be used in other widths of rafter bays severely reduces these products&#39; effectiveness as designed. Also, in cold and snowy conditions, the current designs allow for fresh outside air to become heated as it travels up through these products, allowing the roof deck to become warmer than is desired, and thus allowing conditions for the potential development of ice dams. This premature heating of the roof deck and subsequent melting of any snow that has accumulated on the roof while outside atmospheric conditions, being below-freezing, would not have caused this snow to melt is precisely what causes ice dams to form in the first place, and is ultimately what this present disclosure is aimed to prevent. 
     Therefore, what is needed is product allowing for partitioned and directional flow of gases and fluids having the following characteristics and benefits over the prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     The subject matter of this application may involve, in some cases, interrelated products, alternative solutions to a particular problem, and/or a plurality of different uses of a single system or article. 
     In one aspect, a product is disclosed. In this aspect, the product includes a top face, a bottom face, a top edge, a bottom edge, and two side edges. This aspect of the product also includes a plurality of channels located on the top face of the product and a plurality of passageways defined within the product between the top and the bottom face thereof. 
     In another aspect, a roof rafter bay for a structure is disclosed. In this aspect, the roof rafter bay comprises the product disclosed in the previous aspect. 
     Finally, in yet another aspect, a method of using a product allowing for the partitioned and directional flow of gases and fluids is disclosed. In this aspect, the method includes the step of installing the product in between a pair of rafters in a rafter bay. The method may further comprise the steps of constructing a soffit, the soffit having a perforated vent, and allowing outside air to enter the soffit through the perforated vent and flow through the channels and passageways of the product disclosed in the previous aspects. 
     It should be expressly understood that the various physical elements of the present disclosure summarized and further disclosed herein may be of varying sizes, shapes, or otherwise dimensions and made from a variety of different materials or methods of manufacture without straying from the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    provides a perspective view of the preferred current embodiment of the invention in free space. 
         FIG.  2    provides a perspective view of the preferred current embodiment of the invention in a manner for which it is primarily designed; as installed into a roof&#39;s rafter bay, with multiple pieces/assemblies installed from the eve to the ridge. 
         FIG.  3    provides a perspective view of the invention, as envisioned in an alternate embodiment, being slightly thinner and incorporating fewer internal passageways for the flow of air/gases/fluids. 
         FIG.  4    provides a perspective view of the invention, as envisioned in another alternative embodiment, consisting of only channels/passageways along the top surface, without any passageways running through the middle of the product, allowing the product to be of a minimal usable thickness while still incorporating a majority of its intended design parameters. 
         FIG.  5    provides a perspective view of the invention, as envisioned using the preferred embodiment design, but altered for narrower-width installations. 
         FIG.  6    provides a cross-sectional end view of an embodiment of the invention, outlining surfaces onto which an intumescent coating may be applied 
         FIG.  7    provides a cross-sectional end view of an embodiment of the invention with the addition of a thermal and/or ignition barrier layer to the interior-facing exposed surface. 
         FIG.  8    provides a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention in free space, viewed from underneath, as would be installed into a roof&#39;s rafter bay in a common configuration. This view shows the addition of the thermal/ignition-barrier layer, as well as the stepped end joint design. 
         FIG.  9    provides a cross-sectional side view of the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIG.  8   , as installed in a rafter bay, including the roof deck for reference. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which may be embodied in various forms. 
     Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. 
     Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “another embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. 
     Generally, the product disclosed herein, which allows for partitioned directional flow of air (as well as possibly other gases and/or fluids) is described as follows, in one particular primary embodiment. The product is comprised of a main solid structure made from a lightweight rigid foam (ideally in this embodiment an extruded polystyrene is used, however this does not limit the use of other materials in future embodiments such as expanded polystyrene, other rigid or soft foam products, plastics, wood, or other acceptable materials), with grooves and/or channels that allow air/gases/fluids to pass along and/or through the product unobstructed. Incorporated into and along both long edges are semi-rigid, malleable fins made from foam, plastic, rubber, or some other material acceptable for this use, that provide both: (1) A structure for installation by supplying adequate side pressure as to hold the product in place in the rafter bay (or within other framing/structural/etc. elements relevant to its installation) during installation while also allowing for a certain accepted (within the building trade) range of deviation in the spacing of the framing members as constructed, and (2) additional partitioned channels that are able to conform to a degree of dimensional and surface imperfections inherent in common framing materials, such as wood rafters, therefore maximizing the availability of separate usable passageways through which air (and/or other gases/fluids) can travel. 
     In an effort to maximize the prevention of warm air from passing through joints between contiguous installed pieces, the abutting ends may be stepped/layered in their design, providing a barrier/multiple barriers to further aid in the efficiency of the product to keep unwanted heat from the underside of the roof deck. Moreover, in one embodiment, the product may be made primarily of a polystyrene foam material. In some installation scenarios, a thermal or ignition barrier may be necessary on the product&#39;s interior-facing surface. This barrier may be a painted-on type of material, such as an intumescent coating; or it may be accomplished by the addition of a layer of some other material adhered directly to the face of the interior-facing surface of the product. In an ideal embodiment of the product, this additional layer may be made of a gypsum-based wallboard material (such as “drywall” or “blueboard”), but other approved thermal and/or ignition barrier materials may be used without straying from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Turning now to  FIG.  1   , which provides a perspective view of the general preferred embodiment of the product  1  which allows for the partitioned directional flow of air/gases/fluids. The upper surface of the product  1  has channels  2  formed into it that allow the throughflow of air/gases/fluids, while allowing this flow to be in contact with the underside of the roof deck (or other structure/substrate) to which it is installed. There are also additional passageways  3  within the structure of the product  1  that continue unobstructed and through from one end face  4  to the opposite end&#39;s face  5 . Channels  2  are sized to allow a generous amount of air flow, while also allowing the peaks  6  between them to remain able to provide an acceptable amount of structural integrity so as to prevent deforming or crushing in the event the product  1  is exposed to a reasonable range of compressive force. 
     Along both long edges  7  are fins or tabs used for installation and sealing. These fins come into contact with the sides of the frame/structure into which it is installed, creating side pressure and friction to hold the product  1  in place, as well as creating partitioned channels along these edges. The lowest position fin  8  is sized so as to allow a maximum width for installation, protruding out from the edge  7  of the product  1 , as determined from a reasonable acceptable and observed amount of inconsistency in a structure&#39;s common framing spacing deviations. The uppermost fin  9  which protrudes out from the edges  7  of the product  1  is sized so as to just touch and lightly seal against the framing/structure into which it is installed. The intermediate fin  10  also protrudes out from edges  7  at a distance roughly midway between that of fins  8  and  9 . The lowest position fin  8  is connected to the product  1  at or onto its bottom face  11 , ideally in a manner so as to reduce surface irregularities and create a clean and/or smooth transition. The other two fins  9  and  10  are connected to/into the edges  7  at a roughly equidistant spacing from fin  8  and the top corner  12  of edge  7 , creating three relatively equally sized separate passageways along the sides of the installed product. The possible variance in these fins  9  and  10  spacing may be due to ease of manufacturing. 
       FIG.  2    shows a fragmentary perspective view of a roof structure, of the type of design commonly found in residential construction, with an embodiment of the current product  1  installed as primarily intended. Other installation practices could be used in other varying structural designs without straying from the scope of the present disclosure. In the typical layout shown in  FIG.  2   , the product  1 ,  1 A,  1 B is installed between pairs of rafters  13 , underneath, up to, and touching the underside of the roof sheathing  14 . The lowest installed piece  1 A is installed with its lower end face  4  protruding beyond the vertical border of the structure&#39;s exterior envelope  15 , with the rest of the product  1  extending up into the rafter bay  16 . The rafter tails  13 A extend beyond this vertical border of the structure&#39;s envelope  15  as well, an amount greater than that of the installed product  1 , which allows for the creation of a soffit  17 . This soffit  17  has a perforated vent  18  installed on the underside of the feature, which allows fresh outside air to enter the soffit  17 , and continue up into the rafter bay  16  through the channels  2  and passageways  3  of the product  1 . Additional units of the product  1  are installed into the rafter bay  16  with the lower end face  4  of each piece touching the upper end face  5  of the abutting piece, continuously up to the ridge beam  19 . The highest installed piece  1 B is cut back from the ridge beam  19  so as to allow the free flow of air through the passageways  2  and  3  out of the product  1 . Then, this air travels up and out of the rafter bay  16  through a clearance space in the sheathing  20  and out of the roof through a ridge vent  21 . 
     Other installation techniques may include, in the case where the product  1  is installed onto an expansive surface without exposed framing/structural members that allow the utilization of the side fins  8 ,  9 , and  10  to hold the product  1  in place, the use of fasteners through the product  1  secured into the sheathing (or other in-use substrate). These fasteners would incorporate a large head or washer to help prevent the head of the fastener from embedding into and/or through the surface of the product  1 . Because of the composition and design of the product  1 , these fasteners extending through the body of the product  1  would not adversely affect the effectiveness of the product  1 . 
       FIG.  3    shows a perspective view of a variation on the preferred embodiment of the product  1  that is approximately 30% thinner than the previously described preferred embodiment in  FIG.  1   . This variation contains all of the same basic features as the preferred embodiment, but is modified for use in instances where the need for a slightly thinner product is desired; or where the use of fewer channels/partitions is desired or allowable, such as when the primary purpose of the installed product  1  is for use in hot/sunny conditions/climates, to prevent the accumulation in the attic space of excess heat radiating from the underside of the roof deck  14 , and not necessarily for the prevention of ice dams, and/or when there will be insulation installed against and in addition to the described product, including fiberglass, rock wool, expanding spray foam, or any other insulation product used for this purpose; or where manufacturing costs limit the amount of material and/or processing to be used, while still benefiting from the basic advantages of the product  1 . 
       FIG.  4    shows a perspective view of yet another variation on the preferred embodiment of the product  1  that is approximately 57% thinner than the previously described preferred embodiment in  FIG.  1   . This variation also contains all of the same basic features as the preferred embodiment, but is further modified for use in instances where the need for a much thinner product is desired, or where the use of even fewer channels/partitions is desired or allowable, such as when the primary purpose of the installed product  1  is for use in hot/sunny conditions/climates, to prevent the accumulation in the attic space of excess heat radiating from the underside of the roof deck  14 , and not necessarily for the prevention of ice dams, and/or when there will be insulation installed against and in addition to the described embodiment, including fiberglass, rock wool, expanding spray foam, or any other insulation product used for this purpose; or where manufacturing costs limit the amount of material and/or processing to be used, while still benefiting from the basic advantages of the product  1 . 
       FIG.  5    shows a perspective view of another form of a variation on the preferred embodiment of the product  1  that could be used for installations where a narrower-than-standard rafter bay  16  is encountered, or in any installation instance where a narrower width product  1  is needed or desired. While, due to the nature of the design and the composition of materials, the product  1  is easily modified to any range of widths on-site during installation, the manufacture and availability of multiple widths of the product  1  would be considered based on market demands. This general variation design/method could also be applied to the previously mentioned embodiment variations described in  FIGS.  3  and  4   , allowing for various embodiments spanning a range of thicknesses and widths. 
       FIG.  6    shows a cross-sectional end view of the embodiment of the product  1  previously shown in  FIG.  4   , outlining the surfaces/faces to which an intumescent fire and flame prevention coating  22  may be applied. This coating may be applied to the underside/interior-facing exposed surface  11 , as well as along the long side edges  7  of the product  1 . Following the coating manufacturers&#39; recommendations, this intumescent coating may be applied by being brushed, rolled, or sprayed on, to a final dry mil thickness as outlined by the manufacturer. The use of this type of thermal/ignition barrier is intended for applications where the installed product  1  will be left exposed to the interior space, such as an un-finished attic. 
       FIG.  7    shows a cross-sectional end view of the embodiment of the product  1  previously shown in  FIG.  3   , with the addition of a solid material layer used to provide a thermal/ignition barrier. In this embodiment, this thermal/ignition barrier is made of a layer of gypsum wallboard  23  adhered directly to the underside/interior-facing surface of the product  1 . The use of this type of thermal/ignition barrier is intended for applications where the installed product  1  will be left exposed to the interior space, such as an un-finished attic. 
       FIG.  8    shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the product  1  that is designed with stepped  24  ends  4 ,  5  to provide a better seal and prevention against warm air in the attic space from passing up and through the joints in abutting installed pieces of the product  1 , and to the underside of the roof deck/sheathing  14 . This embodiment as illustrated also incorporates the addition of a thermal/ignition barrier layer, in this case a solid gypsum wallboard panel  23 , to further illustrate the design of the stepped end joint/abutment. 
       FIG.  9    shows a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of the product  1 , as shown in  FIG.  8   , and the roof deck assembly—including the sheathing (plywood)  14  and roofing material  25 , in this case being asphalt shingles (for illustrative purposes only, not to be assumed to be associated with the design, use, function, or efficacy of the product  1  described herein). The designed benefit of a stepped design  24  to the ends  4 ,  5  of the product  1  is described here further in relation to another primary design focus—to prevent heat from the attic/rafter bay area from warming the underside of the roof deck  14 , and therefore causing snow upon the roof to prematurely melt and possibly form an ice dam. In an installation scenario of the product  1  that uses straight/flat ends  4 ,  5 , like those shown in  FIG.  1   , for example, any heat from the attic/rafter bay area that comes in contact with the underside of the product  1  could potentially seep into the joint of abutting installed pieces. The multi-layered design of the interior passageways  3  is intended to allow this errant warm attic air to flow through up to the roof&#39;s ridge and out through the ridge vent  21 . The application of an adhesive tape to the joints of the interior exposed faces of installed pieces of the product  1  can work to mitigate the passage of this warm attic/rafter bay air into this joint, but this basic design does not effectively prevent air that is traveling through the interior passageways  3  from seeping through these joints to other channels or passageways  2  or  3 , and possibly, ultimately, to the underside of the roof deck  14 . The stepped design  24  detailed here (and illustrated in  FIG.  8   ) addresses this concern of warm attic/rafter bay air seeping through the joint of abutting installed pieces of the product  1 . 
     In this particular embodiment, and still referring to  FIG.  9   , the main design of the functioning body  1 C is made from extruded polystyrene, with a gypsum board thermal/ignition barrier  23  adhered to its underside/interior exposed face, and has stepped ends  24  adjoining each piece as installed. As illustrated, warm air  26  from the attic or rafter bay is shown to rise (due to natural thermal processes) and contact the underside/interior exposed face  11  of the product  1 , and continue to rise and follow this face  11  to its highest point in the attic/rafter bay. As this warm air  26  travels along the underside  11  of the product  1 , it may encounter a joint  27  between abutting pieces of the product  1 . This joint  27  being stepped/offset  24  would make it more difficult for air to pass through to the first interior passageway  3 A. 
     The proper installation orientation of the product  1  is imperative to the proper function of the stepped joint  24  design. The longer/over-exposed end of the interior face  11  must be towards the top of the installation, making it the upper edge/face  5 . When properly installed, as illustrated in  FIG.  9   , warm attic/rafter bay air  26  may pass through the end joint  27 . If that warm air passes past the first stepped joint  28 , it would propagate into the first interior passageway  3 A, but would not be inclined to pass through to the second interior passageway  3 B, due to the offset of the second stepped joint  29 . Both of these interior passageways  3 A,  3 B would have fresh outside air traveling through them, from the soffit  17 , up and out through the ridge vent  21 . This flow of outside ambient-temperature air would carry any heat from the previously-described seepage of attic/rafter bay air  26  along with it up through the passageways  3 A,  3 B out through the ridge vent  21 . 
     In this embodiment, there is yet another stepped joint  30  that acts in the same manner as the previously described stepped joint  29 , to prevent air flow from the upper interior passageway  3 B to the upper face channel  2 . This stepped design  24  can also be beneficial when this product  1  is installed in conjunction with spray-foam insulation, as the stepped joint  24  profile will prevent the freshly sprayed expanding spray-foam insulation from pushing through, up, and into the joint, and into the interior passageways  3 A,  3 B, possibly blocking them, and negating the basic design considerations of this embodiment. This stepped joint  24  design can also benefit from the application of an adhesive tape along the exposed surface of the joint  27  at installation. 
     While several variations of the present disclosure have been illustrated by way of example in preferred or particular embodiments, it is apparent that further embodiments could be developed within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, or the inventive concept thereof. However, it is to be expressly understood that elements described in one embodiment may be incorporated with any other embodiment in combination with any other elements disclosed herein in the various embodiments. It is also to be expressly understood that any modifications and adaptations to the present disclosure are within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and are inclusive, but not limited to the following appended claims as set forth.