Patent Abstract:
A building structure is provided that is adapted to allow for ventilation of vapors is provided. The building structure has a roof extending over one or more vertical side walls. The roof has a roof sheathing member overlying the roof rafters. A fascia is secured to the outer ends of the roof rafters and at least one portion of the fascia is spaced from the outer ends of the rafters. A fascia vent strip is interposed between the fascia and the outer ends of the rafters to provide for the flow of vapor therebetween and into the attic. The fascia vent strip may have a series of parallel grooves. The grooves are adapted to receive the outer ends of the rafters with an interference fit to at least temporarily hold the fascia vent strip to the ends of the rafters during installation. Alternatively, a series of parallel glue stripes located at two different on-center intervals can be provided.

Full Description:
INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
       [0001]    The following documents are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth: U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/365,674, filed Jul. 22, 2016. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a roof ventilation system, and specifically to venting located at a bottom edge of the roof to allow air flow to a separately provided ridge vent in order to provide a complete ventilation system. 
         [0003]    It has been known to ventilate attics under gable roofs by running a vent along the roof ridge. Such vents are created during construction by sizing the uppermost row of sheathing panels to leave an open slot running along the ridge essentially the length of the roof. The slot creates effective heat ventilation by convection flow and suction caused by wind across the roof ridge. 
         [0004]    One known ridge vent that has proven to be very successful is described in the inventor&#39;s prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,579. This roof vent is formed using a non-woven synthetic fiber mat having randomly aligned fibers located over a vent slot at the roof ridge. Cap shingles are then installed over the non-woven synthetic fiber mat. The synthetic fiber mat allows for air flow through the slot at the roof ridge, while preventing the ingress of moisture and debris. Other known ridge vents by the inventor are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,393,943 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0324030. Each of these references are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth. 
         [0005]    Soffit ventilators that are used in conjunction with such ridge vents are typically perforated or louvered openings located along the eaves of an overhanging roof. The vents allow fresh ambient air to flow into the attic to equalize attic temperature and pressure with the outside. This equalization inhibits moisture from condensing on insulation and wood roofing materials which causes mildew and rot, prevents build-up of ice dams which could buckle shingles and gutters, and reduces air-conditioning costs when hot attic air is replaced by cooler ambient air. 
         [0006]    A soffit ventilation system works in conjunction with a ridge vent to provide passive ventilation. As hot stale air is withdrawn from the ridge slot vent by convection and/or wind suction, it is replaced by fresh ambient air through the soffit vents. 
         [0007]    There is, however, a problem in construction with no soffit or a very narrow soffit with no vent openings, or where the use of a soffit vent would adversely affect an exterior appearance of a building. In order to address this, the present inventor had previously proposed a solution as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,157, which is incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth. In this arrangement, a non-woven strip of material was proposed to be installed behind the fascia board, providing sufficient ventilation with only a small shadow line (less than 1 inch). This solution was not adopted in the industry due to various issues, including difficulty of installation. 
         [0008]    It is thus desired to have a roof construction that allows for ventilation and fresh air flow through the attic without the need for a soffit or cutting vent holes into a soffit, and which is easy for a contractor to handle and install. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    Briefly stated, a building structure is provided that is adapted to allow for ventilation of vapors from within the structure so as to retard deterioration of the structure. The building structure has a roof extending over one or more vertical side walls. An attic space is enclosed between the roof and an internal ceiling. The roof is constructed on a plurality of parallel rafters. The rafters are supported by a vertical side wall. The roof has a roof sheathing member overlying the roof rafters. A fascia is secured to the outer ends of the roof rafters and at least one portion of the fascia is spaced from the outer ends of the rafters. A fascia vent strip is interposed between the fascia and the outer ends of the rafters to provide for the flow of vapor therebetween and into the attic. The fascia vent strip includes a series of parallel grooves spaced apart at 16″ or 24″ on center. The grooves are adapted to receive the outer ends of the rafters with an interference fit to at least temporarily hold the fascia vent strip to the ends of the rafters during installation. Optionally, an adhesive is provided in each groove. 
         [0010]    In another aspect, a building structure is provided that is adapted to allow for ventilation of vapors from within the structure so as to retard deterioration of the structure. The building structure has a roof extending over one or more vertical side walls. An attic space is enclosed between the roof and an internal ceiling. The roof is constructed on a plurality of parallel rafters. The rafters are supported by a vertical side wall. The roof has a roof sheathing member overlying the roof rafters. A fascia is secured to the outer ends of the roof rafters and at least one portion of the fascia is spaced from the outer ends of the rafters. A fascia vent strip is interposed between the fascia and the outer ends of the rafters to provide for the flow of vapor therebetween and into the attic. The fascia vent strip includes a series of parallel glue stripes spaced apart at 16″ and 24″ on center (i.e., 0″, 16″, 24″, 32″, 48″, etc.). The glue stripes are adapted to contact the outer ends of the rafters to at least temporarily hold the fascia vent strip to the ends of the rafters during installation. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The present invention will be explained in more detail in connection with the drawings in which presently preferred embodiments are shown. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a building showing a fascia vent strip in relationship to elements of a conventional building structure; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a vertical section of a portion of a building structure showing the position of the fascia vent strip according to the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a building structure having a soffit and showing the position of the fascia vent strip; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  is a vertical section of a portion of the building structure similar to  FIG. 2  showing the embodiment of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a vertical section of a portion of a building structure to  FIG. 4  showing a third embodiment of the fascia vent strip in a fascia ventilation system; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a perspective detail view of the first embodiment of a fascia vent strip; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a perspective detail view of the second embodiment of a fascia vent strip; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  is a perspective detail view of the third embodiment of a fascia vent strip. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not considered limiting. Words such as “front,” “back,” “top,” and “bottom” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. This terminology includes the words specifically noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import. Additionally, the terms “a” and “one” are defined as including one or more of the referenced item unless specifically noted. 
         [0021]    The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawing figures where like numerals represent like elements throughout. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates a building structure  10  with a fascia vent strip  52 . In the depicted embodiment, the building structure  10  has a wood frame  12 , which is built of wall studs  14  capped by a double-sill top plate  16 , ceiling joists  18 , and roof rafters  20 . The ceiling joists  18  span across the structure from the top plate  16 , and the rafters  20  extend upward at a pitch of between ⅙ and ⅓, expressed as the ratio of the rise to the total span. In this construction, each rafter  20  has its lower end cut to form a horizontal edge  22 , which rests on the top plate  16 , and a vertical edge  24  which extends only slightly beyond the top plate. Thus, there is little or no eave. As an alternative to separate ceiling joists  18  and rafters  20 , prefabricated roof trusses could also be used in which the ceiling joists and rafters are integrated into a preformed structure. 
         [0023]    The studs  14  and top plate  16  frame the vertical walls  26 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , the vertical wall  26  may be finished by a plasterboard wall  30  enclosing an interior  32  of the building, and an outer sheathing  34  covered by siding  36 . 
         [0024]    A ceiling  38  underlying the ceiling joist  18  divides the interior  32  from an attic  40 . A batten-type insulation  28  is preferably laid between the ceiling joists  18 . Plywood roof sheathing  42  overlies the roof rafter  20 , with roofing paper  44  and shingles  46  or another type of exterior roofing covering sheathing  42 . In conventional construction of building structures of this type, the structure has a board or boards secured to the vertical edge  24  of the rafters, called an eave fascia, or simply the fascia  50 . 
         [0025]    The fascia vent strip  52  is preferably an air permeable resilient strip that is sandwiched between the vertical edge  24  of the roof rafters and the fascia  50  that allows for soffit ventilation of the attic in building structures that have little or no eave, and therefore essentially no soffit area. 
         [0026]    The fascia  50  and the fascia vent strip  52  are secured to the rafters by fasteners extending through the fascia  50  and strip  52  into the vertical edge  24  of the roof rafters  20 . As seen most clearly in  FIG. 2 , the air permeable and resilient strip  52  has a lower surface  60  that is exposed to outside ambient air to allow air flow, and an upper surface  62  and side surfaces  64  through which the air can flow. The air enters from the outside through the lower surface  60  of the air permeable and resilient strip and flows through the strip  52  to the upper surface  62 . Depending on the height of the insulation  28  (typically 6 inches), or how far the insulation  28  extends outward onto the top plate  16 , the side surface  64  of the strip  52  may extend upward beyond the insulation  28  or be spaced from the insulation  28 . The air flows upward in the attic and is discharged through the vent at the ridge of the roof, or gable vents (not shown). 
         [0027]    A rain gutter  54  is secured to the fascia  50 , and a drip edge  56  underlies the shingles  46  at the lower outer end of the roof sheathing  42 , projecting over the fascia  50  and into the rain gutter  54 . 
         [0028]    In a preferred embodiment, the fascia vent strip  52  is formed of individual strips that are preferably 3 inches wide and 50 feet long with a thickness of 1 or 1½ inches. The strip  52  can be manufactured in various colors to blend with the fascia  50  and/or the siding  36 , and is preferably made of a non-woven air permeable and resilient material made of synthetic fibers (usually nylon or polyester) which are opened and blended, then randomly aligned into a web by an airflow. The web is treated with bonding agents of water-based phenolics and latexes. The treated web is then oven-cured to bind the fabrics into a relatively rigid mat having a significant porous area between these random fibers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,579 describes such an air permeable and resilient material or member being used in conjunction with a ridge vent and is incorporated herein by reference. 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , the fascia vent strip  52  has a series of grooves  72  that extend perpendicular to a longitudinal extend of the fascia vent strip  52 . The grooves are preferably about ¼ inch in depth and have a width of approximately 1⅜ inches, and are spaced apart by an on-center distance X of 16 inches or 24 inches. A fascia vent strip  52  with the required groove  72  spacing X would need to manufactured for the commonly used rafter or truss spacings, which are 16″ on center or 24″ on center for the U.S. Other distances X for other regions or countries could be selected. The grooves  72  are therefore alignable with the ends of the rafters  20  and the fascia vent strip  52  can be pressed onto the ends so that the fascia vent strip is at least temporarily held in position on the building structure as the fascia  50  is installed. The width of the grooves  72  is set for use with 2× lumber which has a nominal thickness of 1½ inches. However, this could be varied for other industry standard lumber thicknesses used in other regions or countries. 
         [0030]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , optionally a stripe or plug of glue  74  can be placed in each groove  72  to assist in positioning and sticking the fascia vent strip  52  to the ends of the rafters  20 . 
         [0031]    The fascia vent strip  52  can be installed on new construction before the fascia  50  is installed, or in renovating a pre-existing building structure by first removing the existing fascia boards  50  from the rafters  20 . With the fascia  50  not installed, the lower surface  60  of the air permeable and resilient strip  52  is placed flush with the bottom of the ceiling joist  18  and the horizontal edge  22  of the roof rafters  20  with the strip  52  extending 3 inches upward, and then pressed onto the ends of the rafters  20  so that the grooves  72 , and optionally the glue  74 , at least temporarily hold the fascia vent strip  52  in position. 
         [0032]    With the strip  52  held in place, the fascia  50  is then placed and secured by driving fasteners through the fascia and strip  52  into the vertical edge  24 ′ of the roof rafters  20 . The rain gutter  54  and drip edge  56  are installed in a conventional manner afterwards, with the shape of the drip edge  56  fashioned to conform with the movement outboard of the fascia  50 . 
         [0033]    Referring now to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a second embodiment is shown for a building structure of the type which has roof eaves, and thus both a soffit  70  and a fascia  50 ′. 
         [0034]    The roof rafters  20 ′ each have a lower outer end  21 ′ which is cut to form a horizontal edge  22 ′ and a vertical edge  24 ′. In conventional construction of this style roof, the soffit  70  underlies and is secured to the horizontal edge  22 ′ of the roof rafters  20 ′. The fascia  50 ′ in this illustration is a metal plate and is secured to the vertical edge  24 ′ of the roof rafters  20 ′. 
         [0035]    In this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the insulation  28 ′ is located between the ceiling joists  18 ′ and ends above the top plate  16 ′. The drip edge  56 ′ underlies the shingles  46 ′ at the lower end of the roof sheathing  42 ′, projects over the fascia  50 ′ and into the rain gutter  54 ′. 
         [0036]    In this type of structure, a fascia vent strip  52 ′ is located in proximity to the fascia  50 ′ in a notch  76  cut in each of the roof rafters  20 ′. The air enters from the outside through the lower surface  60 ′ of the air permeable and resilient strip  52 ′ and flows through the strip  52 ′ to both the upper surface  62 ′ and the side surface  64 ′. Unlike conventional soffit vents where insulation  28 ′ could fall into the area above the soffit  70  and block the vent, if insulation  28 ′ falls into the area above the soffit  70  in this invention, the insulation  28 ′ will not block the ventilation. 
         [0037]    The fascia strip  52 ′ is shown in detail in  FIG. 7 . Here, the fascia vent strip  52 ′ includes glue stripes or plugs  74 ′ that are set at 16 inches on center and 24 inches on center, as indicated by the locational dimensions provided in  FIG. 7 . This means that a single fascia vent strip  52 ′ can be provided for both 16 inch in center and 24 inch on center applications. The fascia vent strip  52 ′ can also be colored to blend with the fascia  50  or soffit  70 . The air flow is shown by the arrows to ventilate the building. 
         [0038]    Similar to the first embodiment, the fascia vent strip  52 ′ can be installed on new construction before the fascia  50 ′ is installed, or in renovating a pre-existing building structure by first removing the existing fascia boards  50 ′ from the roof rafters  20 ′. 
         [0039]    Each rafter  20 ′ is cut to form a notch  76  of the same height as the width of the resilient strip  52 ′ and of the same depth as the thickness of the strip  52 ′. The strip  52 ′ is set into the notches  76  is at least temporarily held by the glue stripes or plugs  74 ′ to the ends of the rafters  20 ′. The lower surface  60 ′ of the air permeable and resilient strip is placed flush with the bottom of the ceiling joist  18  and the horizontal edge  22 ′ of the roof rafters  20 ′ and extends upward in the notch  76 . The fascia  50 ′ is then placed and secured by driving fasteners through the fascia  50 ′ and strip  52 ′ into the vertical edge  24 ′ of the roof rafters  20 ′. 
         [0040]    In typical renovation, the gutter  54 ′ and the drip edge  56 ′ are also removed in order to facilitate the cutting of the notch  76  in the rafters  20 ′ and then reinstalled. 
         [0041]    Those skilled in the art will recognize that the first embodiment of the fascia vent strip  52  could also be used in this application. In this case the notches  76  would not need to be as deep and would be reduced by the depth of the grooves  72 . 
         [0042]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , a third embodiment is shown for a building structure of the type having a soffit  70 ″ and a wooden fascia  50 ″. The fascia  50 ″ is wooden similar to the first embodiment and is secured by conventional means. A fascia vent strip  52 ″, shown in detail in  FIG. 8 , is located between the fascia  50 ″ and the ends of the rafters  20 ″ in a notch  76 ″ cut or formed in each of the roof rafters  20 ″. The air enters from the outside through the lower surface  60 ″ of the fascia vent strip  52 ″ and flow through the strip  52 ″ to both the upper surface  62 ″ and the side surface  64 ″. As shown in  FIG. 8 , the upper surface of the fascia vent strip  52 ″ includes grooves  72 ″ that are preferably 1⅜ inches wide and approximately ¼ inch deep and are evenly spaced apart by a distance X, which is preferably 16 inches or 24 inches on center. This allows the fascia vent strip  52 ″ to be pressed upwardly onto the notches  76 ″ on the ends of the rafters  20 ″ so that the grooves  72 ″ engage on the ends of the rafters  20 ″ to at least temporarily hold the fascia vent strip  52 ″ in place until the fascia board  50 ″ is installed. Here the lower surface  60 ″ of the fascia vent strip  52 ″ is flush with the soffit  70 ″, and the height of the notch  76 ″ is adjusted to accommodate the depth of the groove  72 ″. Optionally, a stripe or plug of glue could be provided in the grooves  72 ″. 
         [0043]    Each of the fascia vent strips  52 ,  52 ′,  52 ″ is preferably made of the non-woven air permeable and resilient material made of synthetic fibers that are opened and blended, and then bonded together, as discussed above. This non-woven air permeable and resilient material has sufficient stiffness to prevent over-compression as the fascia board  50 ,  50 ′,  50 ″ is installed. To the extent that glue is provided on the fascia vent strip  52 ,  52 ′,  52 ″, a release paper can be used on the glue that is removed prior to installation. 
         [0044]    While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, the invention is not limited to these specific embodiments described above which should be considered as merely exemplary. Further modifications and extensions of the present invention may be developed and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4