Ventilated roof system with ridge vent

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates generally to ventilated roof systems for building structures, and more particularly to a roof system having a ridge vent and an air permeable sealant system.

#2. Description of the Relevant Art

#FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a building structure having a roof with a ridge vent and the sealant system of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a fragmentary isometric showing the ridge of the building structure of FIG. 1 with the sealant system of the present invention incorporated therein.

#A building structure 10 having a roof system incorporating the ridge vent of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 to have sidewalls 12, gables 14 at opposite ends (only one being shown), and an inverted v-shaped roof structure 16 having a pair of roof sections 18 intersecting along an apex or ridge 20 of the roof. A conventional slot or ridge opening 22, as possibly best seen in FIG. 2, is established along the ridge of the roof system with the slot being established between layers of decking material 24 associated with each roof section 18 with the decking being supported on rafters 26 which are in turn interconnected with a longitudinal beam 28 as is common in the building trade. The decking 24 is overlaid with an outer covering 30 of roofing material which in the disclosed embodiment is composed of interconnected, elongated strips or channels 32 of metal or the like of generally u-shaped cross-section even though the invention would be applicable to flat outer coverings or outer coverings of corrugated materials, tile, or the like.

#As probably best appreciated by reference to FIG. 5, while the channels 32 which extend perpendicularly to the ridge 20 of the roof system can be formed in many different ways, the channels used to facilitate a description of the present invention are elongated, having complementary opposite longitudinal edges so that the edge of one panel can overlap and be releasably connected to the opposite edge of the next adjacent channel. At the interconnection 34 of adjacent channels and at one or more spaced locations 36 therebetween there are upstanding ribs or projections of generally trapezoidal transverse cross-section extending parallel to the longitudinal edges of each channel 32. Such channel formed roofing materials are common in the trade and are illustrated for exemplary purposes only. It will be appreciated by reference to FIG. 5 that when adjacent channel members 32 are interconnected along adjacent edges, with one edge overlapping the opposite edge of an adjacent channel member, the entire outer covering 30 for the roof decking is established with upstanding ribs 34 and 36 extending perpendicularly to the ridge 20 and the lower edge 38 of the associated roof section 18.

#The upper ends of the channel members 32 forming the roof covering 30 of one roof section 18 are spaced from the upper ends of the channel members on an adjacent roof section similarly to the spacing of the upper edges of the decking 24 for each roof section so that the opening or slot 22 is defined along the ridge permitting the egress of air from beneath the roof structure through the opening.