Vent-termination system

Abstract

A vent-termination system for venting exhaust gases produced by a home appliance to a space outside of a structure is provided. The system includes a collar assembly that has a hollow cylindrical core, an abutment flange, and a shroud. The hollow cylindrical core surrounds and extends along an axis. The abutment flange extends toward the axis from an inner surface of the hollow cylindrical core, partially filling a central bore defined by the inner surface. The shroud has a terminal sidewall and a connecting sidewall that connects the terminal sidewall to the hollow cylindrical core. An inner surface of the terminal sidewall is located radially outward of an outer surface of the hollow cylindrical core.

Description

KINDEM.OOIWO PATENTVENT-TERMINATION SYSTEMCROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 680,611, filed August 8, 2024, and entitled “VENT-TERMINATION SYSTEM,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Home appliances such as water heaters and furnaces require the exhaust gases generated by the appliance to be safely vented away from the living area of the home. Manufacturers of these appliances may require their units be vented in a certain fashion but may not always provide the parts necessary to meet the manufacturer’s requirements. This can lead to an installer being forced to take parts and pieces from other industries to create a finished product. What is needed is a safe and versatile way to vent a home of the exhaust gases that are generated by some home appliances.SUMMARY

[0003] Certain embodiments of the disclosure comprise a vent-termination system configured to convey outside of a living structure exhaust gases produced by a home appliance. In some aspects, a collar assembly for a vent-termination system is provided. The collar assembly can have a hollow cylindrical core, an abutment flange, and a shroud. The hollow cylindrical core can surround an axis circumferentially and extend along the axis longitudinally. The abutment flange can extend radially inward toward the axis from an inner surface of the hollow cylindrical core. The abutment flange can occupy a portion of a central bore defined by the inner surface of the hollow cylindrical core. The shroud can have a terminal sidewall and a connecting wall. The terminal sidewall can surround the axis circumferentially and extend longitudinally along the axis. The connecting sidewall can join the terminal sidewall to the hollow cylindrical core. An inner surface of the terminal sidewall can be disposed radially outward of an outer surface of the hollow cylindrical core.

[0004] In some aspects, a vent-termination kit is provided. The kit can include a collar assembly and an adapter assembly. The collar assembly can have a downstream core that is joinedto an upstream shroud. The downstream core can have an open cylindrical bore and an abutment flange that extends into the open cylindrical bore from an inner surface of the downstream core. An upstream end of the upstream shroud can have a receiving opening that extends radially beyond an outer surface of the downstream core. The adapter assembly can have a hollow cylindrical form having a collar end and a tubing end. The collar end can have a receiving opening sized to match an inner diameter of the open cylindrical bore of the collar assembly within a tolerance of five percent. The tubing end can have a receiving end opening that extends radially beyond the receiving opening of the collar end.

[0005] In some aspects, an escutcheon for a vent-termination system is provided. The escutcheon has a core, an abutment flange, and a facing plate. The core has a sidewall that circumferentially surrounds an axis and extends longitudinally along the axis. The sidewall has an inner surface that defines an open bore that extends from an upstream end of the core to a downstream end of the core. The abutment flange protrudes from the inner surface in a direction radially inward toward the axis and is disposed longitudinally between the upstream end and the downstream end of the core. The facing plate is disposed at the downstream end of the core and extends radially away from the core in a direction perpendicular to the axis.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described hereinafter, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0007] FIGURE 1 depicts a prior art vent-termination system installed on a roof of a home.

[0008] FIGURE 2 depicts a cross-section view of an illustrative, non-limiting example of a vent-termination system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIGURE 3 A depicts a cross-section view of the collar assembly for the venttermination system of FIGURE 2, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIGURE 3B depicts an upstream end of a collar assembly of a vent-termination system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIGURE 3C depicts a downstream end of a collar assembly of a vent-termination system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIGURE 4 depicts an illustrative, non-limiting example of a collar assembly of a vent-termination system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIGURE 5 depicts a cross-section view of an illustrative, non-limiting example of a collar assembly of a vent-termination system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIGURE 6A depicts a cross-section view of an illustrative, non-limiting example of a collar assembly of a vent-termination system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIGURE 6B depicts a top view of the downstream end of the collar assembly of FIGURE 6A.

[0016] FIGURE 7 depicts an illustrative, non-limiting example of a vent-termination system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIGURE 8A depicts a top view of an adapter assembly of a vent-termination system configured as a strip, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIGURE 8B depicts the adapter assembly of FIGURE 8A formed into a hoop configuration, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIGURE 8C depicts an adapter assembly of a vent-termination system configured as an adjustable hoop, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIGURE 9 depicts an illustrative, non-limiting example of a vent-termination system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIGURE 10A depicts a cross-section view of an escutcheon of a vent-termination system, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIGURE 10B depicts a top view of the upstream end of the escutcheon of FIGURE 9A, according to some aspects of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONOverview

[0023] This disclosure relates generally to a vent-termination system for a home appliance such as, for example, a tankless water heater or a heating, ventilation and air- conditioning (HVAC) unit. In some aspects, the vent-termination systems of the present disclosure can be used for venting through a roof (e.g., for a vertically-oriented vent outflow) or for venting through a sidewall (e.g., for a horizontally-orientated vent outflow). In some aspects, the venttermination system of the present disclosure can be used to retrofit an existing roof vent to avoid disrupting the weather-proof integrity of the home in which the vent-termination system isinstalled. In some arrangements, one or more components of the vent-termination system can be made from a plastic (e.g., polyvinyl chloride). In some aspects, the vent-termination system, or components thereof, can meet or exceed the quality and performance standards of a venting system safety certification (e.g., UL 1738).

[0024] FIGURE 1 depicts a prior art roof vent 1 that is configured to vent exhaust gases from a home. As shown in FIGURE 1, the roof vent 1 can include a terminal cap 2 that seals the uppermost surface of the vent 1 to avoid rain from entering the home through the vent 1. The vent 1 can also include a porous outflow structure 3 that has a plurality of outflow openings 4 that allow gas to flow out of the vent 1 and into the atmosphere that is outside of the home. The outflow structure 3 can be coupled to a conduit 5 that is configured to conduct exhaust gases generated from a home appliance (not shown) through the roof 6 of the home and into the outflow structure 3 for release of the exhaust gases into the surrounding outside environment through the plurality of outflow openings 4. The weather-proof integrity of the roof 6 can be maintained by using a boot assembly 7 through which the conduit 5 passes. The boot assembly 7 can have a flange 8 that is covered by the roof shingles 9 to form a weather-tight seal with the roof 6, as known in the art. The flange 8 surrounds a central chimney structure (not shown) through which the conduit 5 passes to exit the home through the roof 6. A sealing assembly 10 is used to form a weather-tight seal between the chimney structure of the boot assembly 7 and the conduit 5, as known in the art.Vertical-venting systems

[0025] FIGURE 2 depicts a side cross-sectional view of a vent-termination system 100, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some arrangements, the vent-termination system 100 can be configured to retrofit an existing vent, allowing the vent -termination system 100 to be installed in a home without disrupting the weather-proof integrity of the home. For example, FIGURE 2 illustrates that the vent-termination system 100 of the present disclosure can include an upstream exhaust conduit 102 that passes within and along the bore of an existing conduit 5 of a previously-installed vent 1 (FIGURE 1). The upstream end 104 of the upstream exhaust conduit 102 can be connected to an exhaust line (not shown) that is configured to convey exhaust gases from a home appliance (not shown) to the upstream exhaust conduit 102. The upstream exhaust conduit 102 can be further configured to convey the flow of exhaust gases from the upstream end 104 of the upstream exhaust conduit 102 to a downstream end 106 of theupstream exhaust conduit 102. The downstream end 106 can be joined to a collar assembly 200, as described herein. The collar assembly 200 can be further configured to join with a termination assembly 300, which for the illustrative vent-termi nation 100 of FIGURE 2 is achieved through an intermediary conduit 112. As described herein, the collar assembly 200 can have a generally cylindrical hollow form that circumferentially surrounds an axis 11 to define a central open cylindrical bore or internal channel that contains and conveys exhaust gases from the downstream end 106 of the upstream exhaust conduit 102 to the termination assembly 300. The termination assembly 300 can include an uppermost surface 302 that prevents rain or other elements of the outside environment from entering the vent-termination system 100. The termination assembly 300 can further include one or more exhaust openings 304 configured to allow exhaust gases to exit the vent-termination system 100 through the termination assembly 300 and enter the surrounding environment that is outside of the building (e g., home) in which the vent-termination system 100 is installed.

[0026] FIGURE 3A depicts a collar assembly 200, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, the collar assembly 200 can be suited for retrofitting an existing vent (e.g. a previously-installed vent 1, FIGURE 1) with the vent-termination system 100 (FIGURE 2). As shown in FIGURE 3 A, the collar assembly 200 can include an upstream-coupling interface 204 and a downstream-coupling interface 206. The collar assembly 200 can concentrically surround, and longitudinally extend along, an axis 11 to define an open central bore that communicates, and establishes a flow path for exhaust gases, between the upstream-coupling interface 204 and the downstream-coupling interface 206. As described more fully herein, the upstream-coupling interface 204 can be configured to form a weather-tight seal between the venttermination system 100 (FIGURE 2) and an existing conduit 5 of an existing vent 1 (FIGURE 1). Similarly, the downstream-coupling interface 206 can be configured to form a weather-tight seal between the vent-termination system 100 and a termination assembly 300 (FIGURE 2). In some arrangements, the downstream-coupling interface 206 can couple directly to the termination assembly 300, while in other arrangements, the downstream-coupling interface 206 can couple indirectly to the termination assembly 300 through an intermediary conduit 112 (FIGURE 2).

[0027] With continued reference to FIGURE 3A, the upstream-coupling interface 204 can have a cup-like receiving structure that is formed by a streamwise-oriented internal surface 208, a cross-stream-oriented internal surface 210, and an internal canted surface 212 that connectsthe streamwise-oriented internal surface 208 and the cross-stream-oriented internal surface 210. The upstream cup-like receiving structure of the collar assembly 200 is also referred to herein as a shroud 211. In the collar assembly 200 of FIGURE 3A, the shroud 211 includes a terminal sidewall 213 that circumferentially surrounds and extends substantially parallel to the axis 11. The shroud 211 of FIGURE 3 A further includes a connecting sidewall 215 that joins the terminal sidewall 213 to a core 217 of the collar assembly 200. As shown in FIGURE 3 A, the shroud 211 can extend radially beyond the core 217 such that the shroud 211 circumferentially surrounds an upstream end 219 of the core 217.

[0028] In some arrangements, the core 217 can be formed as a central protrusion 214 that extends from the cross-stream-oriented internal surface 210 and in a substantially upstream direction (i.e., opposite to the direction of exhaust flows) such that the central protrusion 214 is surrounded circumferentially by the cup-like structure of the upstream-coupling interface 204, as illustrated in FIGURES 3A and 3B. The upstream-coupling interface 204 can be sized to receive the downstream end 5b of an existing conduit 5, as indicated in FIGURE 2. For example, turning to FIGURE 3A, the upstream streamwise-oriented internal surface 208 can be sized to define an inner surface of a hollow cylinder having an internal diameter that is larger than an outer diameter of the conduit 5 thereby allowing the downstream end 5b of the conduit 5 to be inserted into, and accommodated within, the cup-like structure of the upstream-coupling interface 204. In this way, the collar assembly 200 can be configured to connect the vent-termination system 100 with an existing vent 1 (FIGURE 1), allowing the vent-termination system 100 to retrofit an existing vent 1 without disrupting the weather-proof integrity of the roof in which the existing vent 1 has been installed.

[0029] FIGURE 3A further depicts that, in some arrangements, the core 217 can include an abutment flange 221 that extends radially inward from an inner sidewall 218 of the core 217 and into the open central bore 205 of the core 217 (i.e., toward the axis 11) to present a downstream-facing stop surface 216 and an upstream-facing stop surface 220. In some arrangements, the downstream -facing stop surface 216 can be configured as a flange or abutment that extends radially inward to fill a portion of the central bore 205. While the abutment flange 221 is shown as a continuous shelf-like structure that entirely surrounds circumferentially the central bore 205, the skilled artisan will appreciate the same stop surfaces 216, 220 can be achieved byone or more spaced apart ledges and need not require the abutment flange 221 to have complete circumferential integrity with respect to the core bore 205.

[0030] Turning back to FIGURE 2, a downstream portion 218b the core inner sidewall 218 can be sized to have an internal diameter sufficiently large to accommodate the outer diameter of an upstream end 112a of an intermediary conduit 112, thereby allowing the upstream end 112a to be inserted into the downstream-coupling interface 206. In arrangements of the vent-termination system 110 that do not include the intermediary conduit 112, the downstream portion 218b of the core inner sidewall 218 can be sized to accommodate an upstream end 301 of the termination assembly 300. The thickness (i.e., radial dimension) of the downstream-facing stop surface 216 can be sized such that an inner diameter of the ring-shaped downstream-facing stop face 216 (FIGURE 3A) is greater than the outer diameter of the intermediary conduit 112, thereby allowing the downstream -facing stop surface 216 to block the intermediary conduit 112 from advancing upstream past the downstream-facing stop surface 216. Similarly, the upstream -facing stop surface 220 (FIGURE 3 A) can be sized to block the downstream end 106 of the upstream exhaust conduit 102 advancing downstream past the upstream -facing stop surface 220.

[0031] FIGURE 3B depicts a down-stream facing partial view of a collar assembly 200, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGURE 3B, some configurations of the collar assembly 200 can include an upstream streamwise-oriented internal surface 208 that connects directly to the cross-stream-oriented internal surface 210 without requiring an intervening internal canted surface 212 to be disposed therebetween. FIGURE 3B further illustrates that, in some configurations, the collar assembly 200 can include an inner upstream-facing stop surface 220 that intrudes radially inward from an upstream portion of the core inner sidewall 218 to partially fill the central bore 205. In some arrangements, the collar assembly 200 does not include an abutment flange 221 but rather has a central bore 205 that extends across the entire diameter of the inner bore of the protrusion 214.

[0032] FIGURE 3C depicts an upstream-facing partial view of a collar assembly 200, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects, the collar assembly 200 can include a core inner sidewall 218 that surrounds circumferentially and connects to the downstreamfacing stop surface 216. FIGURE 3C further illustrates that, in some configurations, the collar assembly 200 can include a downstream-facing stop surface 216 that intrudes radially into the central bore 205. In some arrangements, the collar assembly 200 does not include a downstream-facing stop surface 216 but rather has a central bore 205 that extends across the entire diameter of the central bore 205 of the core inner sidewall 218. As indicated by the dashed lines in FIGURE 3C, the collar assembly can optionally have an extension portion 230 that extends downstream from a downstream face 250 of the collar assembly 200. The extension portion 230 can enhance stabilization of the intermediary conduit 112 or of the upstream end 301 of the termination assembly 300 when these structures are inserted into the downstream-coupling interface 206.

[0033] FIGURE 4 depicts a cross-sectional view of a collar assembly 200, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some configurations, the collar assembly 200 can include features that increase the versatility of the vent-termination system 100 to accommodate differently sized inflow and outflow conduits. For example, the coupling assembly 200 of FIGURE 4 includes a tightening collar 222 that engages with an external thread 224 disposed on a radially-outermost surface of the upstream-coupling interface 204. The collar assembly 200 can be configured such that advancement of the tightening collar 222 along the external thread 224 in the upstream direction (i.e., counter to the direction of exhaust gas flowing through the collar assembly 200) can cause an inner wall of the tightening collar 222 to compress the streamwise-oriented internal surface 208 of the upstream-coupling interface 204 against an outer surface of a conduit 5 (FIGURE 2) inserted into the upstream-coupling interface 204, thereby sealing the streamwise- oriented internal surface 208 against the outer wall of the existing conduit 5. In some arrangements, the collar assembly 200 can include a locking tab 226 that has a through-hole 228 through which a fastener (e g., screw, bolt, nail, rivet) can be passed, with the fastener (not shown) passing through the existing conduit 5 as well to prevent the collar assembly 200 from detaching or loosening from the existing conduit 5. In some arrangements, the locking tab 226 can be disposed on the tightening collar 222. In some arrangements, the downstream-coupling interface 206 can include an extender portion 230 that extends away from the upstream-coupling interface 204 in the direction of exhaust flow through the collar assembly 200. The extender portion 230 can include an extender through-hole 232 sized to allow a fastener (e.g., screw, bolt, nail, rivet) to be passed through the extender through-hole 232. The extender through-hole 232 can be used to allow a fastener (not shown) to secure the collar assembly 200 to a termination assembly 300 or intermediary conduit 112 (FIGURE 2).

[0034] FIGURE 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of a collar assembly 200, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some configurations, the collar assembly 200 need notinclude an inner protrusion (e.g., the central protrusion 214 shown in FIGURE 3A). Rather, in some arrangements, the cross-stream-oriented internal surface 210 can connect the upstream streamwise-oriented internal surface 208 of the shroud 211 (FIGURE 3 A) to an upstream end 219 of the core 217, as shown in FIGURE 5. FIGURE 5 further illustrates that the abutment flange 221 need not entirely surround circumferentially the central bore 205, as indicated by the abutment flange 221 appearing on only one side of the cross-sectional view of the collar assembly 200 of FIGURE 5. In some aspects, the collar assembly 200 can have optional structure 290 that can be removed depending on the desired geometric configuration of the collar assembly (e.g., for rain sheeting purposes) or on desired manufacturing considerations (e.g., cost of fabrication).

[0035] FIGURE 6A depicts a cross-sectional view of a collar assembly 200, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The collar assembly 200 of FIGURE 6A has a shroud 211 joined to an upstream end 219 of a core 217. The shroud 211 has a terminal sidewall 213 that is substantially parallel with an axis 11 of the collar assembly 200 and a canted connecting sidewall 215 that joins the terminal sidewall 213 to the core 217. The slope of the canted connected sidewall 215 can allow water (e.g., rain) or debris to sheet off the vent-termination system 100. The abutment flange 221 is depicted as entirely circumferentially surrounding the central bore 205 of the collar assembly 200, but as described herein, in some arrangements the abutment flange 221 can comprise one or more protrusions that extend from the inner sidewall of the core 217 without entirely circumferentially surrounding the central bore 205. FIGURE 6B shows a top view of the downstream end 231 of the collar assembly 200 of FIGURE 6 A.

[0036] FIGURE 7 depicts a vent-termination system 100, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The vent-termination system 100 of FIGURE 7 is like the vent-termination system 100 of FIGURE 2, except as differently described herein. The vent-termination system 100 can include a collar assembly 200 having a core 217 that protrudes into the shroud 211 (as shown in the collar assembly 200a) or can include a collar assembly 200 having a shroud 211 joined to the upstream end 219 of the core 217 (as shown in the collar assembly 200b), as described herein. In some aspects, the vent-termination system 100 can be configured to couple with a flexible conduit 20. Configuring the vent-termination system 100 for use with a flexible conduit 20 can be helpful in certain situations such as, for example, when installing the vent-termination system 100 into a multi-level home or building. In some aspects, the vent-termination system 100 can include an adapter assembly 400 configured to connect the flexible conduit 20 to the upstream-couplinginterface 204. In some arrangements, a linker conduit 412 can be used to connect the adapter assembly 400 to the collar assembly 200, as described herein similar with regard to the intermediary conduit 112. In some aspects, the adapter assembly 400 can be configured to connect the flexible tubing 20 to upstream conduits, such as a ninety-degree corner bend coupling 22 or a straight conduit 24. The adapter assembly 400 can have a tubing end 402 and a collar end 404. The tubing end 402 can include an interfacing feature 406 configured to interface with a corresponding interfacing feature 408 disposed on a band 410 attached to the flexible conduit 20, as described herein. The collar end 404 can be configured to couple the adapter assembly 400 with the collar assembly 200 or with upstream conduits (e.g., a ninety-degree corner bend coupling 22 or a straight conduit 24), as depicted in FIGURE 7.

[0037] The interfacing feature 406 and corresponding interfacing feature 408 can employ a number of interfacing pairings known in the art to interlock the interfacing feature 406 and the corresponding interfacing feature 408. For example, the interfacing feature 406 can be a through hole or recess that is sized to receive the corresponding interfacing feature 408 that is configured as a protrusion, or vice versa. In some aspects, interlocking the interfacing feature 406 with the corresponding interfacing feature 408 can fix the two features together to limit or prevent rotational or longitudinal movement of the features relative to one another, for example, to interlock the flexible conduit 20 to the collar assembly 200.

[0038] With continued reference to FIGURE 7, the band 410 and the corresponding interfacing feature 408 can be used to size appropriately the flexible conduit 20 during installation of the vent-termination system 100. For example, the flexible conduit 20 may be provided from a manufacturer in the form of a large spool of tubing. An appropriate length of the flexible conduit 20 can be cut from this large spool of tubing. A band 410 that includes the corresponding interfacing feature 408 can be attached to either end of the appropriate length of the flexible conduit 20. The corresponding interfacing feature 408 disposed on the band 408 can engage or interlock with the interfacing feature 406 disposed on the tubing-interface portion 402 to couple the flexible conduit 20 to the adapter assembly 400.

[0039] The lower inset of FIGURE 7 depicts a cross-section view of an adapter assembly 400, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some arrangements, the adapter assembly 400 can include an abutment flange 421 disposed within the central bore of the adapter assembly 400. The diameter of the central bore of the adapter assembly 400 at the connector end404 can be appropriately sized to receive a linking conduit 412 or the core 217. In some arrangements the outer diameter of the connector end 404 can be sized to fit within the bore of the core 217. The bore at the tubing end 402 can be larger than the bore at the connector end 404, as shown in FIGURE 7 and can be appropriately sized to receive within the bore the flexible conduit 20 with the attached band 410 to allow the corresponding interfacing feature 408 of the band 410 to interlock with the interfacing feature 406 disposed on the tubing end 402.

[0040] FIGURE 8 A shows the band 410 can be configured as a belt or strip having a first end 411, a second end 413, and the corresponding interfacing feature 408 disposed therebetween. To attach the band 410 to the flexible conduit 20, the band can be wrapped around the flexible conduit 20 to bring the first and second ends together and forming a hoop structure with the band 410, as shown in FIGURE 8B. The first and second ends 411, 413 can then be secured to one another to secure the band 410 onto the flexible conduit 20. FIGURE 8C illustrates that, in some configurations, the band 410 can be configured as a hoop that has an adjustable diameter. For example, the band 410 can have a large diameter configuration that allows the flexible conduit 20 to be passed through the central bore of the hoop to allow the band 410 to be loosely fit onto the flexible conduit 20. The band 410 can include a tightening feature such as a threaded screw 415 that engages a track 417 disposed on the band 410. After the band 410 has been loosely fitted onto the flexible conduit 20, the band 410 can be brought into a small diameter configuration by turning the screw 415 to advance the track 417 and tighten the band 400 onto the flexible conduit 20.Horizontal-venting systems

[0041] FIGURE 9 depicts a vent-termination system 100, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The vent-termination system 100 of FIGURE 9 is like the vent-termination system 100 of FIGURE 2 and FIGURE 7, except as differently described herein. In some aspects, the vent-termination system 100 can be configured for substantially horizontal venting, as shown in FIGURE 9. The vent-termination system 100 can include an escutcheon 500 having an upstream-coupling interface 504 configured to connect to an upstream conduit 25 (e.g., an upstream exhaust conduit 102 (FIGURE 2)). In some arrangements, the upstream conduit 25 can be a rigid tubing material (e.g., a length of PVC tubing) that is substantially horizontal but with a slight downward grade in the direction counter to the exhaust gas flow. This slight downwardgrade can allow condensation in the upstream conduit 25 to drain back toward the home appliance that is generating the exhaust gases being vented through the vent-termination system 100.

[0042] FIGURE 9 further illustrates that the vent-termination system 100 can include an escutcheon 500 having a downstream-coupling interface 506 configured to connect to a termination assembly 300. The vent- termination system 100 can further include an exterior masking flange 540 and an interior masking flange 542. The exterior masking flange 540 and the interior masking flange 542 can be sized to extend radially beyond an installation hole made in a wall of the home to install the vent-termination system 100. After installing the vent-termination system 100 of FIGURE 9 through a wall of a home, the wall of the home (not shown) will be disposed between the exterior masking flange 540 and the interior masking flange 542.

[0043] FIGURE 10A depicts a cross-sectional view of an escutcheon 500, according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The escutcheon 500 can include an abutment flange 521 that circumferentially surrounds (entirely or partially) a central bore 505 of the escutcheon 500. FIGURE 10B shows a top view of the escutcheon 500of FIGURE 10 A.Other Variations and Terminology

[0044] While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection. Indeed, the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. For example, although the vent-termination systems 100 of the present disclosure have been described in terms of venting exhaust to the outside environment, the skilled artisan will appreciate that the vent-termination systems 100 disclosed herein are also suitable for use as air-intake systems. Moreover, the vent-termination system 100 disclosed herein can be used together to provide exhaust-venting and air-intake functions for a home appliance. For example, a tankless water heater (not shown) can use the vent-termination system 100 of FIGURE 9 to connect the air intake of the tankless water heater with the outside environment and a second vent-termination system 100 (e.g., the vent-termination system 100 of FIGURE 2) can be used to connect an exhaust port of the tankless water heater to a flow path that empties to the outside environment. It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that the present disclosure extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments or uses and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof, including embodiments which do not provide all of the features andadvantages set forth herein. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments, the actual steps taken in the processes illustrated or disclosed may differ from those shown in the figures. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the steps described above may be removed; others may be added. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the specific disclosures of preferred embodiments herein and may be defined by claims as presented herein or as presented in the future. The language of the claims is to be interpreted broadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited to the examples described in the patent specification of during prosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive.

[0045] Features, materials, characteristics, or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment, or example are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment, or example described herein unless incompatible therewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings), or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features or steps are mutually exclusive. The protection extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

[0046] Conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certain features, elements, or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements, or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and so forth. Also, the term “or” is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) so that when used, for example, to connect a list of elements, the term “or” means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. Further, the term “each,” as used herein, in addition to having its ordinary meaning, can mean any subset of a set of elements to which the term “each” is applied.

[0047] Conjunctive language, such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,” unlessspecifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may be either X, Y, or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generally intended to imply that certain embodiments require the presence of at least one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. (Original) A collar assembly for a vent-termination system, the collar assembly comprising: a hollow cylindrical core that surrounds circumferentially, and extends longitudinally along, an axis; an abutment flange that extends radially inward toward the axis from an inner surface of the hollow cylindrical core, the abutment flange occupying partially a central bore defined by the inner surface of the hollow cylindrical core; and a shroud comprising a terminal sidewall and a connecting sidewall, the terminal sidewall surrounding circumferentially and extending longitudinally along the axis, the connecting sidewall joining the terminal sidewall to the hollow cylindrical core, an inner surface of the terminal sidewall disposed radially outward of an outer surface of the hollow cylindrical core.

2. (Original) The collar assembly of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the connecting sidewall is oriented perpendicular to the axis.

3. (Original) The collar assembly of claim 1, wherein the connecting sidewall extends from an upstream end of the hollow cylindrical core to a downstream end of the terminal sidewall.

4. (Original) The collar assembly of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the connecting sidewall extends from an outer surface of the hollow cylindrical core.

5. (Original) The collar assembly of claim 1, wherein an upstream end of the hollow cylindrical core is disposed longitudinally between a downstream end of the terminal sidewall and an upstream end of the terminal sidewall.

6. (Original) The collar assembly of claim 1, further comprising a tightening collar that engages with an external thread disposed on an outer surface of the terminal sidewall.

7. (Original) A vent-termination kit, the kit comprising: a collar assembly comprising a downstream corejoined to an upstream shroud, the downstream core comprising an open cylindrical bore and an abutment flange that extends into the open cylindrical bore from an inner surface of the downstream core, an upstream end of the upstream shroud comprising a receiving opening that extends radially beyond an outer surface of the downstream core; andan adapter assembly defining a hollow cylindrical form and comprising a collar end and a tubing end, the collar end comprising a receiving opening sized to match within a tolerance of five percent an inner diameter of the open cylindrical bore of the collar assembly, the tubing end comprising a receiving end opening that extends radially beyond the receiving opening of the collar end.

8. (Original) The kit of claim 7, further comprising a linking conduit sized to fit within the receiving opening of the collar end.

9. (Original) The kit of claim 7, further comprising an abutment flange that extends radially inward from an inner surface of the hollow cylindrical form.

10. (Original) The kit of claim 7, further comprising an interfacing feature disposed on the tubing end, the interfacing feature selected from the group consisting of: a through hole, a protrusion that extends radially inward, and a depression that extends radially outward.

11. (Original) The kit of claim 10, further comprising a coupling band comprising a corresponding interfacing feature configured to interface with the interfacing feature disposed on the tubing end.

12. (Original) The kit of claim 11, wherein the interfacing feature is configured to fix a longitudinal movement and a rotational movement of the corresponding interfacing feature relative to the interfacing feature13. (Original) The kit of claim 11, wherein the coupling band is configured as a belt having opposing ends that can be joined to form a hoop.

14. (Original) The kit of claim 11, wherein the coupling band is configured as a hoop that can be adjusted to change an inner diameter of the hoop.

15. (Original) An escutcheon for a vent-termination system, the escutcheon comprising: a core comprising a sidewall that surrounds circumferentially and extends longitudinally along an axis, the sidewall having an inner surface defining an open bore that extends from an upstream end of the core to a downstream end of the core; an abutment flange that protrudes from the inner surface of the sidewall in a direction radially inward toward the axis, the abutment flange disposed longitudinally between the upstream end and the downstream end of the core; and a facing plate disposed at the downstream end of the core and extending radiallyaway from the core in a direction that is perpendicular to the axis.

16. (Original) The escutcheon of claim 15 wherein a radially-outward edge of the facing plate has a thickness that is greater than a radially-inward portion of the facing plate.

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