Ventilation vent cuff structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a sleeve structure (1) for mounting on a wall opening O to receive a ventilation outlet (B), comprising a sleeve tube (2) with a tube flange (25) and an annular flange (3), the assembly being secured by means of fixing screws (4). The annular flange (3) comprises a flange collar (31) from whose inner annular edge extend at least three flange tabs (36), each tab comprising a tab foot (361) and terminating in a tab head (362) with at least one through-hole in the tab head. After the tab feet (361) penetrate the wall opening (O), the tab heads (362) are designed to be positioned, at least partially, opposite the rear face of the wall (P2). The fixing screws (4) pass through the assembly to force the leg head (362) to come into contact with the rear face of the wall (P2) and allow tightening.Figure for the abbreviation: Figure 5.

Description

Title of the invention: Ventilation vent cuff structure Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the general technical field of building ventilation systems.

[0002] It relates more particularly to a sleeve structure for housing a ventilation outlet. State of the art

[0003] In dwellings and more generally in any type of occupied and ventilated room, it is common to use sleeve structures to accommodate air vents.

[0004] These sleeve structures are fixed within an opening provided in a vertical wall or ceiling of the building. They allow, on one side, the reception of the added ventilation outlet, fixed by press fitting, glued or screwed, and on the other side, the connection to the ventilation network.

[0005] Conventional sleeve structures consist of a single component (plastic or metallic) in the shape of a tube whose external surface is equipped with three beveled blades placed at 120° and oriented outwards to allow its fixing by contact with the perimeter of the associated wall orifice.

[0006] Such cuff structures are very simple and very easy to install by one person.

[0007] However, the fixation obtained is not always optimal and play in the connection may appear over time.

[0008] One way to address this constraint is to prevent reverse rotation by gluing or screwing the sleeve structure into the wall at the end of the partial tightening operation by rotation. This then requires the use of glue or drilling into the support to insert a plug capable of receiving the fixing screw, which is time-consuming and not always easy to implement.

[0009] Another disadvantage of fixing by gluing is that it is no longer possible to dismantle the cuff structure without irreparably damaging the supporting wall.

[0010] Another disadvantage of fixing with plugs is the difficulty of drilling into certain supports which may deteriorate and ultimately not accommodate the plugs with sufficient support. Presentation of the invention

[0011] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention proposes a cuff structure for receiving a vent tilation, which cuff structure is designed to be fixed to a wall opening made in a wall comprising a front wall face, a rear wall face and a wall thickness separating said front wall face and said rear wall face,

[0012] which cuff structure comprises a cuff tube having - a tubular body with a central axis, delimited by an inner surface and an outer surface, - and a tube collar extending from a front end of said tubular body, in a plane perpendicular to said central axis, which tube collar comprises a front face of the tube collar oriented opposite to said tubular body, and a rear face of the tube collar oriented towards said tubular body,

[0013] which cuff structure comprises fastening means for fixing said tube collar to the periphery of the wall opening of said wall,

[0014] this cuff structure being characterized in that said fastening means comprise an annular flange, including a flange collar designed to be positioned between said front wall face and said rear tube flange face,

[0015] which flange collar is delimited by:

[0016] - an external annular flange border,

[0017] - an internal annular flange border, adapted to fit at least ap in close proximity to the contour of said wall opening,

[0018] - an internal flange face adapted to be positioned opposite said front wall face, around the perimeter of said wall opening,

[0019] - an external flange face adapted to face said rear face of tube collar,

[0020] which annular flange further comprises at least three flange tabs extending from said internal annular flange edge, and oriented towards said internal flange face,

[0021] and which bridle legs comprise a leg foot extending from said internal annular bridle edge and terminating in a leg head provided with at least one through-hole of the leg head,

[0022] said foot of leg being designed to penetrate said wall orifice when said inner face of flange comes against said front face of wall, and said head of leg being designed then to come to be positioned at least partially opposite said rear face of wall,

[0023] said bridle collar comprising a through-hole of the bridle collar provided opposite each of said leg feet,

[0024] and said tube collar comprising through orifices each designed to correspond with one of said through orifices of flange collar,

[0025] said fastening means further comprising fastening screws each comprising a screw head and a screw body,

[0026] which screw head is arranged to bear against a perimeter of one of the through holes of the tube flange, on the side of said front face of the tube flange, with the associated screw body which passes successively through: said through hole of the tube flange, one of said through holes of the flange flange, said wall possibly, and said at least one through hole of the lug head, so as to force said lug head to bear against said rear face of the wall, and to lock said sleeve tube on the perimeter of the wall hole.

[0027] Securing such a cuff structure proves effective and durable, even in the event of damage to the area around the wall opening. Furthermore, it is not necessary to fix anchors in the wall.

[0028] Other non-limiting and advantageous features of the cuff structure according to the invention, taken individually or in all technically possible combinations, are as follows:

[0029] - said leg heads comprise a plurality of through-holes from head to head leg, in a number advantageously between 2 and 20 orifices;

[0030] - said leg heads have a general shape that is enlarged in relation to the leg feet;

[0031] - said leg heads have a general circular, ovoid, triangular, square shape or rectangular;

[0032] - the cuff structure includes a flat, attached annular sealing gasket between the flange collar and the front face of the wall;

[0033] - said feet of leg have a length greater than the wall thickness;

[0034] - said feet and said feet each have a flat shape and extend, at rest, before fixation, in two planes that are angularly offset from each other;

[0035] - said feet of the paw extend, at rest, before fixation, in an offset angular plane slightly angled at 40 to 70° relative to the plane of the flange collar,

[0036] and said leg heads extend, at rest, before fixing, in a plane offset angularly by 80 to 100° with respect to the plane of said associated leg feet.

[0037] Of course, the various features, variants, and embodiments of the invention can be combined with one another in various ways, provided they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. Detailed description of the invention

[0038] In addition, various other features of the invention become apparent from the attached description made with reference to the drawings which illustrate one, non-limiting, embodiment of the invention and where:

[0039] [Fig.l] is a perspective view of a sleeve structure according to the invention for receiving a ventilation outlet, the sleeve structure being shown exploded of its constituent elements;

[0040] [Fig.2] is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cuff structure of [Fig.1], always represented as a fragment of its constituent elements;

[0041] [Fig.3] is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a first step in the assembly of the cuff structure of figures 1 and 2 on the receiving wall;

[0042] [Fig.4] is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a subsequent step in the assembly of the cuff structure of figures 1 and 2 on the receiving wall;

[0043] [Fig.5] is a cross-sectional view that illustrates a final stage in the assembly of the structure of the cuff of figures 1 and 2 on the receiving wall.

[0044] One possible embodiment of the sleeve structure 1 according to the invention is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, intended to be fixed on or in a wall P, and to accommodate a ventilation outlet B; and the assembly of this sleeve structure 1 is illustrated in three steps by Figures 3, 4 and 5.

[0045] The front end of the sleeve structure 1 is intended to receive the ventilation outlet B, for example by simple push-fit / press-fit; and its rear end is intended to be connected to a rigid or flexible tube of the ventilation network (of the type forced air or extracted air), for example by simple push-fit / press-fit.

[0046] The cuff structure 1 is designed to be fixed to a wall orifice O made in a wall P comprising a front face of wall PI, a rear face of wall P2, and a wall thickness E which separates the front face of wall PI and the rear face of wall P2.

[0047] The wall P can be a plaster wall, for example a Placoplâtre wall (registered trademark) of type BA10, BA13 or BA15.

[0048] The cuff structure 1 comprises a cuff tube 2 provided with - a tubular body 21 with central axis 22, delimited by an inner surface 23 and by an outer surface 24, - and a tube collar 25 which extends from a front end 26 of the tubular body 21, in a plane perpendicular to the central axis 22.

[0049] The tubular body 21 and the tube collar 25 here have general circular shapes.

[0050] The tube collar 25 includes a tube collar front face 251 and a tube collar rear face 252.

[0051] The front face of the tube collar 251 is oriented opposite the tubular body 21, and the rear face of the tube collar 252 is oriented towards the side of the tubular body 21.

[0052] The tube collar 25 includes through orifices 253, referred to as "tube collar through orifices 253", which are offset by 120° around its perimeter.

[0053] The cuff structure 1 includes means which allow the tube collar 25 to be fixed to the perimeter of the wall orifice O of the wall P, and which are presented here in the form of an annular flange 3 associated with fixing screws 4.

[0054] The annular flange 3 includes a flange collar 31 designed to be positioned between the front face of wall PI and the rear face of tube collar 252.

[0055] The flange collar 31, here generally circular in shape, is delimited by:

[0056] - an external annular flange border 32,

[0057] - an internal annular flange border 33, adapted to fit at least ap approximately to the contour of the wall orifice O,

[0058] - an internal flange face 34 adapted to face the front wall face PI, on the periphery of said wall orifice O,

[0059] - an external flange face 35 adapted to face the rear face of tube collar 252.

[0060] The annular flange 3 further includes three flange lugs 36 which extend from the inner annular flange border 33, and which are oriented towards the side of the inner flange face 34.

[0061] The flange legs 36 include a leg foot 361 which extends from the inner annular flange border 33 and terminates in a leg head 362 having at least one through-hole leg head 363.

[0062] As can be seen in [Fig.2], the foot of the leg 361 is designed to penetrate the wall orifice O when the inner face of the flange 34 comes into contact with the front face of the wall PI of the wall P; and the head of the leg 362 is then designed to come to be positioned at least partly opposite the rear face of the wall P2.

[0063] Each leg head 362 comprises a plurality of through-holes of leg head 363, for example in number between 2 and 20. Preferably the through-holes of leg head 363 are in number between 5 and 15 on each leg head 362.

[0064] The through-holes of leg head 363 may have a circular shape, or an elongated shape resembling a slit.

[0065] The leg heads 362 can be of any shape, for example square, rectangular, triangular, ovoid, or even circular as shown in the attached figures.

[0066] The leg feet 361 here have a generally rectangular shape, with a width less than their length. They each terminate in a leg head 362. The leg heads 362 have a generally wider shape compared to the leg feet 361.

[0067] More specifically, the leg feet 361 have a length greater than the wall thickness E (and preferably a length slightly greater by a few millimeters than the wall thickness E).

[0068] According to a preferred embodiment, the leg feet 361 and the leg heads 362 each have a flat shape and extend, at rest, before fixing, in two planes that are angularly offset from each other.

[0069] And even more preferably, as can be seen in figures 1 to 3, the feet of the leg 361 extend, at rest, before fixing, in a plane offset angularly by 40 to 70° with respect to the plane of the flange collar 31, and the heads of the legs 362 extend, also at rest, before fixing, in a plane offset angularly by 80 to 100° with respect to the plane of the feet of the leg 361.

[0070] In particular on [Fig.1], it is noted that the flange collar 31 includes a through orifice of the flange collar 364 provided opposite each of the feet of the leg 361.

[0071] The through-holes of the flange collar 364 are therefore three in number, offset by 120° around the perimeter of the flange collar 31.

[0072] The through holes 253 of the tube collar 25 are designed to correspond with the through holes of the flange collar 364.

[0073] The means for fixing the tube collar 25 around the perimeter of the wall orifice O of the wall P further include fixing screws 4, here three in number.

[0074] The fixing screws 4 each comprise a screw head 41 and a screw body 42 provided with a thread.

[0075] As detailed later in the description, each screw head 41 is arranged to bear against a periphery of a through hole in the tube flange 253, on the front face of the tube flange 251, with the associated screw body 42 passing successively through: the through hole in the tube flange 253, one of the through holes in the flange flange 364, the wall P possibly, and one of the through holes in the lug head 363, so as to force the lug head 362 to bear against the rear face of the wall P2, and to lock the sleeve tube 2 on the periphery of the wall orifice O.

[0076] A flat annular sealing gasket 5 can be provided between the flange collar 31 and the front face of wall PI of wall P. This sealing gasket 5, visible in particular in Figures 2 and 3, can have dimensions similar to those of the flange collar 31. It advantageously includes openings adapted for the passage of the fixing screws 4.

[0077] The sealing gasket 5 can be made of compressible foam. Before final installation, its position is maintained by means of the flange tabs 36.

[0078] The diameter of the wall orifice O is provided to be slightly greater than the diameter of the internal annular rim of the flange 33 of the flange collar 31; and this diameter of the internal annular rim of the flange 33 is itself provided to be slightly greater than the external diameter of the tubular body 21 of the sleeve tube 2.

[0079] The annular flange 3 with its one-piece fixing lugs 36 and the sleeve tube 2 with its tube collar 25 can be made of any material, for example of galvanized steel sheet or aluminium, having a thickness of the order of 0.4 mm to 1 mm.

[0080] The thread of the screw bodies 42 advantageously includes a metal screw thread to optimize tightening.

[0081] In one embodiment, the cuff structure 1 according to the invention may include more than three regularly distributed fixing tabs.

[0082] The installation of the cuff structure 1 according to the invention is illustrated in three steps in figures 3, 4 and 5.

[0083] As can be seen in [Fig. 3], after the creation of the wall orifice O in the wall P, the annular flange 3, possibly associated with the sealing gasket 5 pressed against the inner face of the flange 34, is attached to the front face of the wall PL

[0084] The fixing lugs 36 are inserted into the wall orifice O, with the inner face of the flange 34, or the sealing gasket 5 if present, positioned opposite the circular part of the front face of the wall PI which surrounds the wall orifice O.

[0085] After the mounting tabs 36 are inserted into the wall opening O, the tab feet 361 extend into the thickness of the wall P; and the tab heads 362 are spread outwards to position themselves at least partially opposite the rear face of the wall P2. This positioning of the mounting tabs 36 is achieved manually by folding around the fold lines that connect - the tab feet 361 to the flange collar 31, and - the tab feet 361 to the tab heads 362.

[0086] The annular flange 3 is then held provisionally on the periphery of the wall orifice O, by the simple contact of the fixing tabs 36 with the rear face of the wall P2, on the periphery of the wall orifice O.

[0087] Next, as illustrated in [Fig. 4], the tubular body 21 of the sleeve tube 2 is inserted into the annular flange 3 and the wall orifice O, through its rear end 27 opposite the tube flange 25, until the latter comes to rest against the front wall face PL

[0088] During this introduction, the outer surface 24 of the tubular body 21 straightens the feet of the legs 361 to bring them back towards the edge of the wall opening O and, simultaneously, the heads of the legs 362 fold back towards the rear face of the wall P2 ([Fig-4]).

[0089] The next operation consists of installing the fixing screws 4 from the outside, i.e. from the through holes in the tube collar 253, as illustrated in [Fig.5].

[0090] The screw heads 41 of the fixing screws 4 bear against a periphery of one of the through holes in the tube flange 253, on the front face side of tube collar 251; and the associated screw bodies 42 pass successively through:

[0091] - the through orifice of tube collar 253,

[0092] - one of the through-holes of flange collar 364,

[0093] - the sealing gasket 5, if present,

[0094] - the wall P, and

[0095] - one of the through-holes of leg head 363.

[0096] The corresponding screwing is carried out until the fixing screws 4 are fully tightened to obtain effective fixing of the cuff tube 2, via the annular flange 3, on the perimeter of the wall orifice O.

[0097] It is understood that screwing the fixing screws 4 into the leg heads 362 is done blindly and the plurality of through holes in the leg head 363 multiplies, and practically guarantees, the chances of catching.

[0098] The fixing screws 4 then allow the leg heads 362 to be forced to bear against the rear face of wall P2, and to lock the sleeve tube 2 around the perimeter of the wall orifice O, as illustrated in [Fig.5].

[0099] In some cases, depending on the site to be equipped, one or even two fixing screws 4 may be implanted on the edge of the wall orifice O, and therefore may not pass through the wall P. This may be the case in particular for renovation work, when the edge of the wall orifice O is damaged, is not circular, or has a diameter that is a little too large compared to the dimensions of the annular flange 3.

[0100] Depending on the site to be equipped, such a sleeve structure 1 can be fixed on a horizontal wall, for example a ceiling, or on a vertical wall.

[0101] Once the sleeve structure 1 is placed on its receiving wall P, the rear end 27 of the sleeve tube 2 can be connected to a rigid or flexible tube (not shown) of the ventilation network.

[0102] On the other hand, the front end 26 of the sleeve tube 2 can receive the ventilation mouth B, for example by press fitting / sleeving.

[0103] For this purpose, the ventilation outlet B comprises:

[0104] - a cylindrical rear part B1 adapted for its fitting / connection to force inside the tubular body 21, and

[0105] - a front part B2 whose periphery is adapted to cover and conceal the tube collar 25 of cuff tube 2.

[0106] The cuff structure according to the invention and its implementation technique makes it possible to overcome the disadvantages of fixing traditional cuff structures, while retaining the advantage of a simple and efficient installation, by a single operator from the room housing the ventilation outlet.

Claims

Demands

1. Sleeve structure (1) for receiving a ventilation outlet (B), which sleeve structure (1) is designed to be fixed to a wall opening (O) made in a wall (P) comprising a front wall face (PI), a rear wall face (P2), and a wall thickness (E) separating said front wall face (PI) and said rear wall face (P2), which sleeve structure (1) comprises a sleeve tube (2) provided with - a tubular body (21) with a central axis (22), delimited by an inner surface (23) and by an outer surface (24), - and a tube flange (25) extending from a front end of said tubular body (21), in a plane perpendicular to said central axis (22), which tube flange (25) comprises a front flange face (251) oriented opposite to said tubular body (21), and a rear flange face (252) oriented towards the side of said tubular body (21),which cuff structure (1) includes fastening means for attaching said tube collar (25) to the periphery of the wall orifice (O) of said wall (P), characterized in that said fastening means include an annular flange (3), comprising a flange collar (31) designed to be positioned between said front face of wall (PI) and said rear face of tube collar (252), which flange collar (31) is delimited by: - ​​an external annular flange edge (32), - an internal annular flange edge (33), adapted to correspond at least approximately to the contour of said wall orifice (O), - an internal flange face (34) adapted to be opposite said front face of wall (PI), on the periphery of said wall orifice (O), - an external flange face (35) adapted to be opposite said rear face of tube collar (252),which annular bridle (3) further comprises at least three bridle lugs (36) extending from said inner annular bridle rim (33), and oriented towards said inner bridle face (34), and which bridle lugs (36) comprise a lug foot (361) extending from said inner annular bridle rim (33) and terminating in a lug head (362) provided with at least one orifice, through-hole of leg head (363), said leg foot (361) being designed to penetrate said wall orifice (0) when said inner flange face (34) bears against said front wall face (PI), and said leg head (362) being designed then to be positioned at least partially opposite said rear wall face (P2), said flange collar (31) comprising a through-hole of flange collar (364) provided opposite each of said leg feet (361), and said tube collar (25) comprising through-holes (253) each designed to correspond with one of said through-holes of flange collar (364), said fastening means further comprising fastening screws (4) each comprising a screw head (41) and a screw body (42), which screw head (41) is arranged to bear against a periphery of one of the holes tube collar through-hole (253),on the side of said front face of tube flange (251), with the associated screw body (42) which successively passes through: said tube flange through hole (253), one of said flange through holes (364), said wall (P) possibly, and said at least one lug head through hole (363), so as to constrain said lug head (362) to bear against said rear face of wall (P2), and to lock the sleeve tube (2) onto the periphery of said wall hole (0).

2. Cuff structure (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said lug heads (362) comprise a plurality of lug head through orifices (363).

3. Cuff structure (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said lug heads (362) comprise between 2 and 20 lug head through holes (363).

4. Cuff structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said leg heads (362) have a general shape that is enlarged in relation to the leg feet (361).

5. Cuff structure (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that said lug heads (362) have a general circular, triangular, ovoid, square or rectangular shape.

6. Cuff structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a sealing gasket (5) annular plane added between the flange collar (31) and the front face of the wall (PI) of the wall (P).

7. Cuff structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said lug feet (361) have a length greater than the wall thickness (E).

8. Cuff structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said leg feet (361) and said leg heads (362) each have a planar shape and extend, at rest, before fixing, in two planes angularly offset from each other.

9. Cuff structure (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that said lug feet (361) extend, at rest, before fixing, in a plane angularly offset by 40 to 70° with respect to the plane of the flange collar (31), and in that said lug heads (362) extend, at rest, before fixing, in a plane angularly offset by 80 to 100° with respect to the plane of said lug feet (361).

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