Self-closing vent assembly for a building
AssigneeVulcan Technologies LLC
InventorRonald J. Loar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-closing vent has its frame and honeycomb screen coated with an intumescent material. When affixed to an external wall or eave of a building, the vent is normally open, allowing free flow of air into and out of the building, but when exposed to the heat of a fire, such as a wildfire, the intumescent material expands to close the vent, thereby preventing an external fire from entering the building. Enhancements include a weather-protective topcoat over the intumescent material, a fine mesh screen over the interior side of the honeycomb screen, and a protective set of louvers at the outside of the vent.
Claims10
A self-closing venting system for preventing an external fire from entering a building through external vents, comprising:
- an external wall of a building, said external wall including a wall vent opening therethrough,
- a self-closing vent positioned in the wall vent opening, comprising a frame defining a central opening, a screen within the frame and covering the central opening while allowing free flow of air therethrough, the walls of the screen being coated with a layer of an intumescent material which closes the screen when subjected to heat produced by an external fire,
- the self-closing vent further including a plurality of parallel louvers each extending at an oblique angle to the screen within the central opening, positioned toward exterior of the building from the screen, and a protective top coat over the intumescent coating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.