Roof ridge vent with improved trough

Abstract

A ridge vent for covering an open ridge of a roof comprises an elongated panel having two opposed lateral edges; a pair of elongated sidewalls, each extending downward from one of the lateral edges; a pair of elongated floor portions, each extending outward from one of the sidewalls; a pair of elongated baffles, each extending upward from one of the floor portions, each baffle combining with one of the sidewalls and one of the floor portions to form an elongated trough along one side of the panel; and a filtering structure over each trough between the sidewall and the baffle to prevent particles and debris from collecting in the trough while allowing free flow of air.

1 . A ridge vent for covering an open ridge of a roof, comprising:
 an elongated panel having two opposed lateral edges;   a pair of elongated sidewalls, each extending downward from one of the lateral edges;   a pair of elongated floor portions, each extending outward from one of the sidewalls;   a pair of elongated baffles, each extending upward from one of the floor portions, each baffle combining with one of the sidewalls and one of the floor portions to form an elongated trough along one side of the panel; and   a filtering structure over each trough between the sidewall and the baffle to prevent particles and debris from collecting in the trough while allowing free flow of air.   
   
   
       2 . The ridge vent of  claim 1 , further comprising a pair of elongated flanges, each extending outwardly from an upper edge of one of the baffles. 
   
   
       3 . The ridge vent of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of drain openings at a lower end of each baffle. 
   
   
       4 . The ridge vent of  claim 1 , wherein each sidewall includes a row of ventilation openings. 
   
   
       5 . The ridge vent of  claim 4 , wherein the filtering structure comprises a row of slots each extending from the sidewall to the baffle. 
   
   
       6 . The ridge vent of  claim 1 , wherein the filtering structure comprises a plurality of grates extending downward to an upper surface of the floor portion of the trough. 
   
   
       7 . The ridge vent of  claim 6 , wherein the grates are spaced in substantially equal intervals along a length of the trough. 
   
   
       8 . The ridge vent of  claim 1 , wherein the filtering structure over each trough comprises a plurality of strips that extend across the trough without contacting an upper surface of the floor portion of the trough. 
   
   
       9 . The ridge vent of  claim 8 , wherein the filtering structure over each trough further comprises a plurality of grates extending downward to an upper surface of the floor portion of the trough, and each grate is flanked by at least one strip on each side. 
   
   
       10 . The ridge vent of  claim 6 , wherein each grate has a height extending from the floor portion to an uppermost edge of the baffle. 
   
   
       11 . The ridge vent of  claim 6 , wherein the plurality of grates comprises:
 a first group of grates having a length from the baffle to a first lateral position on an underside of the panel, the first lateral position having a distance from a longitudinal centerline of the panel; and   a second group of grates having a length from the baffle to a second lateral position on the underside of the panel, the second lateral position having a different distance from the longitudinal centerline than the first lateral position.   
   
   
       12 . The ridge vent of  claim 1 , wherein the filtering structure comprises a screen extending between the sidewall and the baffle, over the floor portion. 
   
   
       13 . A ridge ventilation system comprising:
 a plurality of elongated ridge vent sections configured to be arranged end-to-end over an open ridge of a roof, each of said ridge vent sections having:
 a laterally flexible panel having two opposed lateral edges and two opposed ends; 
 a pair of elongated sidewalls each extending downwardly from one of the lateral edges; 
 a pair of elongated floor portions each extending outwardly from one of the sidewalls; 
 a pair of elongated baffles each extending upwardly from one of the floor portions, each baffle combining with one of the sidewalls and one of the floor portions to form an elongated trough along one side of the panel; and 
 a railed structure between the sidewall and the baffle over each trough to prevent particles and debris from collecting in the trough while allowing free flow of air. 
   
   
   
       14 . The ridge ventilation system of  claim 13 , wherein at least a portion of the railed structure is formed by a plurality of grates extending to an upper surface of the floor portion of the trough. 
   
   
       15 . The ridge ventilation system of  claim 14 , wherein at least another portion of the railed surface is formed by a plurality of strips that extend across the trough but do not extend to an upper surface of the floor portion of the trough. 
   
   
       16 . The ridge ventilation system of  claim 15 , wherein each strip has a height in the range of about 1/16 inch to about ½ inch. 
   
   
       17 . The ridge ventilation system of  claim 14 , wherein the grates have a length in the range of about 1 inch to 3½ inches from the baffle to a lateral position on an underside of the panel. 
   
   
       18 . The ridge ventilation system of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 a first group of grates having a length from the baffle to a first lateral position on an underside of the panel, the first lateral position having a distance from a longitudinal centerline of the panel;   a second group of grates having a length from the baffle to a second lateral position on the underside of the panel, the second lateral position having a different distance from the longitudinal centerline than the first lateral position; and   a third group of grates having a length from the baffle to a third lateral position on the underside of the panel, the third lateral position having a different distance from the longitudinal centerline than the first and second lateral positions.   
   
   
       19 . The ridge ventilation system of  claim 13 , wherein the railed structure comprises strips extending between the sidewall and the baffle, over the floor portion. 
   
   
       20 . The ridge ventilation system of  claim 13 , wherein the railed structure comprises strips extending between one end of a trough corresponding with an end of the panel and another end of the trough corresponding with the opposed end of the panel, over the floor portion.