Ember and flame resistant resettable automatic soffit vent

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12104384-B2
Application number	US-202318369446-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2023
Priority date	Jun 13, 2018
Publication date	Oct 1, 2024
Grant date	Oct 1, 2024

Abstract

An ember and flame resistant resettable automatic soffit vent includes a tray with ventilation openings formed in its floor. A mesh screen resides on the floor of the tray spanning the ventilation openings. A flat slide resides atop the screen and also has ventilation openings that match those of the tray. The slide has an open position wherein its ventilation openings align with those of the tray to allow airflow through the vent and a closed position wherein its ventilation openings are misaligned with the ventilation openings of the tray to close off airflow through the vent. The vent can be manually moved between its open and closed positions and one or more tension springs and a thermal link assembly cooperate to move the slide to its closed position if the vent is exposed to a high temperature cause by a fire very near a home. The vent also can be manually closed by a homeowner when a fire is threatening and then manually reopened when the fire threat passes without destroying the automatic closing feature of the vent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vent comprising:
a tray having a plurality of ventilation openings;
a slide positioned along the tray and including at least one actuation tab configured to enable a user to move the slide manually along the tray;
wherein the slide is moveable along the tray between an open position adapted to allow an airflow through at least one ventilation opening of the plurality of ventilation openings and a closed position adapted to substantially prevent the airflow from passing through the plurality of ventilation openings;
a biasing structure configured to urge the slide toward the closed position; and
a holding structure configured to urge the slide toward the open position; and
a latch bar assembly including a latch base secured to the tray and a latch slide slidably coupled to the latch base;
wherein the slide is configured to be manually moveable between the open and closed positions by the user, to be automatically moveable between the open and closed positions, or a combination thereof.

2. The vent of claim 1 , wherein the biasing structure comprises a first spring connected to a first end of the slide and configured to apply a biasing force to urge the slide toward the closed position, and the holding structure comprises a second spring connected to a second end of the slide and configured apply to a holding force to hold the slide in an open condition against the biasing force; wherein the holding force is greater than the biasing force so as to hold the slide in the open position.

3. The vent of claim 2 , wherein the first and second springs each comprise a tension spring.

4. The vent of claim 2 , wherein the holding structure further comprises a thermal link assembly coupled at a first end to a wall of the tray, and at a second end to the second spring; wherein the thermal link assembly is configured to release the holding force applied by the second spring and allow the biasing force applied by the first spring to move the slide toward the closed position to substantially prevent the airflow from passing through the plurality of ventilation openings when a temperature at the vent is at or above a predetermined temperature.

5. The vent of claim 1 , wherein the slide further comprises a plurality of ventilation openings; and wherein the ventilation openings of the slide are configured to align with the ventilation openings of the tray when the slide is in its open position, and misalign with the ventilation openings of the tray when the slide is in its closed position.

6. The vent of claim 1 , wherein the holding structure further comprises a spring attached to the slide and a thermal link assembly attached to the latch slide and to the spring; wherein the thermal link assembly is configured to break when a temperature at the vent is at or above a predetermined temperature to enable the slide to be moved toward the closed position by the biasing structure; and wherein the slide can be manually moved between the open and closed positions while the thermal link assembly remains intact.

7. The vent of claim 1 , further comprising a screen overlying each of the ventilation openings and configured to deter passage of embers therethrough.

8. A soffit vent comprising:
a tray having a floor, a plurality of walls, and a plurality of ventilation openings formed through the floor and configured to allow an airflow through the tray;
a slide positioned within the tray and configured to be moveable along the tray;
a biasing structure configured to bias the slide toward a closed position in which the airflow through the plurality of ventilation openings is substantially blocked; and
a holding structure configured to hold the slide in an open position in which the airflow is allowed to pass through one or more of the ventilation openings;
wherein the holding structure comprises a thermal link assembly connected to the slide at one end by a spring, and a latch bar assembly connected at a first end to at least one wall of the tray and at a second end to the thermal link assembly;
wherein the slide includes at least one actuation tab configured to enable the slide to be manually moveable between the open and closed positions by a user.

9. The soffit vent of claim 8 , wherein the biasing structure comprises a first spring coupled to an end of the slide and to one of the walls of the tray, and the holding structure comprises a second spring coupled to the slide and a thermal link assembly connected to one of the walls of the tray and to the second spring; wherein the thermal link assembly is configured to break apart when a temperature at the soffit vent rises above a predetermined threshold to allow the biasing structure to move the slide toward the closed position; and wherein the slide is configured to be manually moveable between the open and closed positions, to be automatically moveable between the open and closed positions, or a combination thereof.

10. The soffit vent of claim 8 , wherein the latch bar assembly comprises a latch base secured to the at least one wall of the tray and a latch slide slidably secured to the latch base; and wherein the spring is configured to enable the slide to be manually moved from the open position to the closed position while the thermal link assembly remains intact.

11. The soffit vent of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the latch base and the latch slide is formed with a slot and at least one of the latch base and the latch slide is formed with a latch fastener that extends through the slot such that the latch fastener moves along the slot as the latch slide moves relative to the latch base.

12. The soffit vent of claim 8 , wherein the biasing structure comprises a first spring connected to a first end of the slide; and the holding structure comprises a second spring connected to a second end of the slide, a thermal link assembly coupled to the second spring, and a latch bar assembly connected at a first end to at least one wall of the tray and at a second end to the thermal link assembly; wherein the thermal link assembly is configured to break apart when a temperature at the soffit vent rises above a predetermined threshold to disengage the holding structure from the slide and allow the biasing structure to move the slide toward the closed position.

13. The soffit vent of claim 8 , wherein the biasing structure comprises a first spring coupled to a first end of the slide and configured to exert a biasing force urging the slide toward the closed position, and the holding structure comprises a second spring coupled to a second end of the slide and configured to exert a holding force to hold the slide in the open position; wherein the holding force is greater than the biasing force so as to maintain the slide in the open position.

14. A vent comprising:
a tray having a plurality of ventilation openings;
a slide configured to be movable along the tray;
a biasing structure configured to urge the slide toward a closed position adapted to substantially prevent an airflow from passing through the plurality of ventilation openings; and
a holding structure configured to urge the slide toward an open position adapted to allow the airflow to pass through one or more of the ventilation openings;
wherein the holding structure comprises a thermal link assembly configured to break apart and disengage the holding structure from the slide to allow the biasing structure to move the slide toward the closed position when a temperature at the vent rises above a predetermined threshold;
wherein the slide comprises at least one actuation tab that extends beyond the tray, the actuation tab configured to

Assignees

• Bmic Llc

Inventors

• Thompson Brannon Scott
• Boehling Steven Vonderlehr

Classifications

• F24F11/35

  by closing air passages · CPC title

• E04B1/947

  by closing openings in walls or the like in the case of fire (fire-proof doors E06B5/16) · CPC title

• E04D13/152 Primary

  with ventilating means {in soffits or fascias; (on the eaves of the roof E04D13/178)} · CPC title

• F24F13/06 Primary

  Outlets for directing or distributing air into rooms or spaces, e.g. ceiling air diffuser · CPC title