초록 ▼

A system for venting moisture from wall and building structures, especially masonry walls constructed from masonry elements such as of brick, block, stone, faux stone or the like, without weakening the wall or building structure, utilizes open matrix weep vent members that are fabricated, for exampl

A system for venting moisture from wall and building structures, especially masonry walls constructed from masonry elements such as of brick, block, stone, faux stone or the like, without weakening the wall or building structure, utilizes open matrix weep vent members that are fabricated, for example from a mass of intertwined and intertangled polymeric filaments that are bonded at a plurality of intersections thereby to form one-piece or unit-handled weep vent members that preferably are inserted in place of mortar at spaced locations along horizontally extending mortar joints between rows of bricks, blocks or other masonry wall elements. Weep vent members that embody the present invention have wider portions at their rearward or intake end regions, and narrower portions at their forward or discharge end regions, with a preferred form characterized by a generally trapezoidal shape that helps to retain the weep vent members in their associated mortar joints, and that provide a funnel-like ducting of moisture from their relatively wider rear end regions toward their relatively narrower forward end regions.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A weep vent for masonry wall structures comprising a shaped mass of intertwined filaments having substantial open areas, the weep vent being positionable in a mortar joint of the wall structure for venting moisture from one side of the masonry wall structure to the othe

The invention claimed is: 1. A weep vent for masonry wall structures comprising a shaped mass of intertwined filaments having substantial open areas, the weep vent being positionable in a mortar joint of the wall structure for venting moisture from one side of the masonry wall structure to the other, wherein the weep vent includes a narrower front end and a wider rear end, wherein when the weep vent is positioned within a masonry wall structure, the narrower front end is on an exterior side of the masonry wall structure and the wider end is disposed on an interior side of the masonry wall structure for the purpose of receiving and funneling moisture from the interior side of the masonry wall structure through the weep vent from the interior side of the masonry wall structure to the exterior side of the masonry wall structure, wherein the intertwined filaments of the shaped mass are randomly connected at their intersections to form a unit-handled structure, which unit-handled structure is substantially planar and has a substantially uniform thickness that substantially equals that of a mortar joint area of a masonry wall wherein the weep vent is to be installed, and wherein the weep vent member additionally comprises opposed sides that extend in non-parallel relationship between the front end and the rear end; and wherein the weep vent additionally includes a reach of substantially the same material from which the weep vent is formed, and that when the weep vent is positioned in the masonry wall structure, the reach extends upwardly from the wider rear end region of the weep vent in a wall space located above the wider rear end region of the weep vent. 2. The weep vent of claim 1 wherein the filaments of the shaped mass are polymeric. 3. The weep vent of claim 1 wherein the filaments have a diameter of between about 0.025 inch and about 0.030 inch. 4. The weep vent of claim 1 wherein the unit-handled structure is substantially trapezoidal in form. 5. The weep vent of claim 1 wherein the unit-handled structure is dimensioned to have a length, as measured from the front end to the rear end, that is greater than the width of an associated masonry member as measured from an exterior face thereof to an interior face thereof, wherein the wider rear end of the unit-handled structure thereof extends beyond the interior face of the associated masonry member to better receive moisture from a space adjacent the interior face of the associated masonry member. 6. The weep vent of claim 1 wherein the extruded filaments are of substantially uniform diameter. 7. The weep vent of claim 1 wherein the opposed sides each are substantially flat, wherein the front and rear end surfaces are substantially flat and extend in substantially parallel planes, and wherein the configuration of the weep vent as cooperatively defined by the opposed sides and the front and rear end surfaces is substantially trapezoidal. 8. A weep vent cooperatively associated with a masonry wall comprising a substantially planar member formed from interconnected and intertangled filaments having substantial open areas between and around the filaments to permit moisture to pass therethrough and forming a unit-handled structure for ready placement in a mortar joint area of the masonry wall under construction, wherein the weep vent has an inner end region and an outer end region for being installed proximate inner and outer surfaces, respectively, of the masonry wall, with the inner end region being wider than the outer end region, and with the weep vent member additionally having opposed sides that extend in non-parallel relationship between the inner end region and the outer end region, and wherein the weep vent additionally includes a reach of substantially the same material from which the weep vent is formed that extends upwardly from the wider rear end region of the weep vent in a wall space disposed above the wider end region of the weep vent. 9. A weep vent for masonry wall structures comprising a shaped mass of intertwined filaments having substantial open areas, the weep vent being positionable in a mortar joint of the wall structure for venting moisture from one side of the masonry wall structure to the other, wherein the weep vent includes a narrower front end and a wider rear end, wherein when the weep vent is positioned within a masonry wall structure, the narrower front end is on an exterior side of the masonry wall structure and the wider end is disposed on an interior side of the masonry wall structure for the purpose of receiving and funneling moisture from the interior side of the masonry wall structure through the weep vent from the interior side of the masonry wall structure to the exterior side of the masonry wall structure, wherein the intertwined filaments of the shaped mass are randomly connected at their intersections to form a unit-handled structure, which unit-handled structure is substantially planar and has a substantially uniform thickness that substantially equals that of a mortar joint area of a masonry wall wherein the weep vent is to be installed, and wherein the weep vent member additionally comprises opposed sides that extend in non-parallel relationship between the front end and the rear end; wherein the unit-handled structure has a thickness on the order of the thickness of a typical mortar joint of the masonry wall structure with which the weep vent is associated; wherein the unit-handled structure is dimensioned to have a length, as measured from the front end to the rear end, that is greater than the width of an associated masonry member as measured from an exterior face thereof to an interior face thereof, wherein the wider rear end of the unit-handled structure thereof extends beyond the interior face of the associated masonry member to better receive moisture from a space adjacent the interior face of the associated masonry member; and wherein the wider rear end includes a vertically extending reach of substantially the same intertwined filament material from which the weep vent is formed, with the vertically extending reach extending upwardly from the weep vent into said space. 10. A weep vent cooperatively associated with a masonry wall comprising a substantially planar member formed from interconnected and intertangled filaments having substantial open areas between and around the filaments to permit moisture to pass therethrough and forming a unit-handled structure for ready placement in a mortar joint area of the masonry wall under construction, wherein the weep vent has an inner end region and an outer end region for being installed proximate inner and outer surfaces, respectively, of the masonry wall, with the inner end region being wider than the outer end region, and with the weep vent member additionally having opposed sides that extend in non-parallel relationship between the inner end region and the outer end region; and wherein the masonry wall includes block and foundation elements secured in conventional manner by mortar joints between the elements, and wherein the weep vent is interposed in a mortar joint area adjacent an associated block element that overlies the weep vent, with the inner end region proximate an inner surface of the associated block element, and the outer end region proximate an outer surface of the associated block element for permitting moisture to pass through the weep vent from proximate the inner surface toward the outer surface. 11. A weep vent cooperatively associated with a masonry wall comprising a substantially planar member formed from interconnected and intertangled filaments having substantial open areas between and around the filaments to permit moisture to pass therethrough and forming a unit-handled structure for ready placement in a mortar joint area of the masonry wall under construction, wherein the weep vent has an inner end region and an outer end region for being installed proximate inner and outer surfaces, respectively, of the masonry wall, with the inner end region being wider than the outer end region, and with the weep vent member additionally having opposed sides that extend in non-parallel relationship between the inner end region and the outer end region; and wherein the front end region is substantially flush with the outer surface, and the rear end region projects rearwardly from the inner surface. 12. The weep vent of claim 11 additionally including a reach of substantially the same material from which the weep vent is formed that extends upwardly from the wider rear end region of the weep vent in a wall space located above the wider rear end region of the weep vent. 13. A weep vent cooperatively associated with a masonry wall comprising a weep vent member formed from extruded filaments of heated polymer material that are entangled while still hot after being extruded so as to form bonds between the filaments where the filaments engage each other, with the bonded and entangled filaments cooperating to define opposed sides of the weep vent member that extend in substantially parallel planes, and with the weep vent member additionally having opposed sides that extend in non-parallel relationship between front and rear end surfaces of unequal length to provide the weep vent member with a generally planar configuration characterized by a front end surface that is shorter in length than the rear end surface; and a reach of substantially the same extruded entangled filament material from which the weep vent is formed, with the reach of material being adapted to extend upwardly from the rear end region of the weep vent when the weep vent is installed in a mortar joint area of a masonry wall to aid in ducting moisture from within an interior space of the masonry wall to the rear end region of the weep vent for passage through the weep vent and discharge through the front end region of the weep vent.