Vent system for use with flooring systems

Abstract

A vent system comprises a floor covering member for use as a finished floor and a metal member. The floor covering member comprises a plurality of first openings and has a first thickness that has been reduced by a first amount and the metal member is secured to a bottom surface of the reduced-thickness floor covering member. The metal member has a plurality of second openings aligned with the plurality of first openings.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing a vent system for a finished floor comprising:
 providing a floor covering member;   reducing a thickness of the floor covering member by removing material from a bottom surface of the floor covering member;   cutting the floor covering member to a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness;   cutting a plurality of first vent openings in the floor covering member;   providing a metal layer comprising a plurality of second vent openings; and   adhering the metal layer to the bottom surface of the floor covering member with the plurality of first vent openings in alignment with the plurality of second vent openings to form a vent system,   wherein the floor covering member is the same material as the finished floor.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the floor covering member is a solid wood flooring, an engineered wood flooring, a laminated flooring, a luxury vinyl plank (LVP), or a cork plank. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metal layer comprises steel. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the metal layer has a thickness that ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 inches. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a collective area of the plurality of first vent openings to a total area of the vent system ranges from 0.4 to 0.55. 
     
     
         6 . The method  claim 1 , wherein the metal layer is attached to the bottom surface of the floor covering member with an adhesive. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein an amount of the reduced thickness of the floor covering member is the same as a thickness of the metal layer. 
     
     
         8 . A vent system comprising:
 a floor covering member for use as a finished floor, the floor covering member comprising a plurality of first openings and having a first thickness that has been reduced by a first amount; and   a metal member secured to a bottom surface of the reduced-thickness floor covering member, the metal member having a plurality of second openings aligned with the plurality of first openings and a second thickness that is the same as the first amount.   
     
     
         9 . The vent system of  claim 8 , wherein the floor covering member is a solid wood flooring, an engineered wood flooring, a laminated flooring, a luxury vinyl plank (LVP), or a cork plank. 
     
     
         10 . The vent system of  claim 8 , wherein the metal member comprises steel. 
     
     
         11 . The vent system of  claim 10 , wherein the metal member has a thickness that ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 inches. 
     
     
         12 . The vent system of  claim 10 , wherein a ratio of a collective area of the plurality of first openings to a total area of the vent system ranges from 0.4 to 0.55. 
     
     
         13 . The vent system of  claim 10 , wherein the metal member is attached to the bottom surface of the floor covering member with an adhesive. 
     
     
         14 . The vent system of  claim 10 , wherein an amount of the reduced thickness of the floor covering member is the same as a thickness of the metal member. 
     
     
         15 . A method of installing a vent system in a finished floor comprising:
 providing a first opening in a subfloor;   installing a plurality of floor covering members on the subfloor with a second opening that is aligned with the first opening, the second opening being larger than the first opening so that a portion of the subfloor that surrounds the first opening is exposed;   positioning a vent system in the second opening so that it is supported by the exposed portion of the subfloor, wherein the vent system comprises:
 at least one floor covering member, the at least one floor covering member including a plurality of first openings and having a first thickness that has been reduced by a first amount; and 
 a metal member secured to a bottom surface of the reduced-thickness floor covering member, the metal member having a plurality of second openings aligned with the plurality of first openings and a second thickness that is the same as the first amount. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising a frame member that completely surrounds the first opening the frame member defining the second opening. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of floor covering members are solid wood planks, engineered wood planks, laminated planks, luxury vinyl planks (LVPs), or cork planks. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the metal member comprises steel that has a thickness that ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 inches. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein a ratio of a collective area of the plurality of first openings to a total area of the vent system ranges from 0.4 to 0.55. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the metal member is attached to the bottom surface of the floor covering member with an adhesive.