Cap

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a cap for sealing lead-throughs made for pipes and other tubular elements penetrating roof coverings. Such a cap usually comprises a flange section (1, 13) and a sleeve (4, 14) arranged to protrude from the flange section. It is intended particularly for sealing lead-throughs which are situated in steep roofs or which become wider above the roof. The flange section is arranged to surround the sleeve (4) that tapers off at its end, and the sleeve is mounted in the flange section by means of deep corrugations (5) extending in opposite directions. Such corrugations enable sharp turning of the sleeve with respect to the flange section without any tearing of the sleeve. Therefore the invention is applicable for use at any roof pitch and with any diameter of a lead-through.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a cap according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a cap is used to seal lead-throughs made for pipes and other tubular elements penetrating roof coverings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Standards concerning the coating of roofs and other corresponding surfaces require that all the lead-throughs must be sealed with caps. Therefore, the prior art teaches a great number of different caps for sealing lead-throughs particularly in a roof. However, there are substantially fewer alternatives for sealing lead-throughs in tile roofs and in roofs made of sheet metal profiles and concrete tiles. For example, the arrangement of Swedish Patent 457,888 discloses a cap arranged around a lead-through in a profile surface of a roof, the edges of the cap to be placed against the roof surface substantially following the shape of the profile surface. The cap comprises a sleeve made of overlapping truncated cones arranged to surround a lead-through. However, the structure of the sleeve disclosed in the aforementioned patent is inflexible, which means that in the case of greater roof pitches it is impossible to bend the sleeve to conform to the shape of the lead-through to be surrounded. Furthermore, if the lead-through is long or if its structure becomes disadvantageously wider above the roof, such a cap cannot be fitted afterwards around the lead-through.

[0003] Finnish Patent 84,090 discloses a protective plate used in buildings to seal the space between the building and structural elements protruding from the surface of the building. Such a protective plate differs from the aforementioned cap in that it comprises a sheet-like flange section, all sides of which are substantially straight. Two opposite sides of the flange section are provided with a flexible means, which enables the shaping of the flange to correspond to the surface on which it is installed, thus sealing the cap against a roof surface, for example. On the other hand, the cap can be provided for example with a conical sleeve for surrounding the lead-through. However, this protective plate is not suitable, either, for sealing lead-throughs which are situated in steep roofs or which become wider above the roof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention avoids the prior art problems and provides a new arrangement for a cap used in a roof. According to the invention, the cap has the characteristics defined in the claims. More precisely, the cap according to the invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterizing part of claim 1.

[0005] The cap according to the invention provides considerable advantages. It can be installed very easily and rapidly, and the installation does not require any special training or special tools. Also, the roof surface surrounding the cap is ready immediately after the installation. Further, the manufacture of the cap is inexpensive compared to the present caps intended for a similar purpose. Therefore the costs of acquisition will be low.

[0006] Since the cap provides tight sealing of a lead-through, it is not necessary to repair the lead-through either during or after the construction. Thus, the total costs of the cap according to the invention during its service life remain low.

[0007] The present cap is suitable for sealing lead-throughs with both small and great diameters, but it is especially suitable for sealing lead-throughs with a great diameter or a square cross-section. In such a case the cap of the invention arranged in a lead-through always ensures that the lead-through is exactly in the correct position.

[0008] A cap according to a preferred embodiment of the invention can be manufactured in a simple manner for lead-throughs with a great diameter, and the cap is also easy to arrange around the lead-through.

[0009] Due to its structure, a lead-through according to the invention can be sealed in a simple manner at one end, which helps avoid the sheet meta work that was previously required between a lead-through and the roof saddle. Therefore it is possible to use a uniform roof covering.

[0010] The preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0011] The invention will be described below with reference to some embodiments of the invention shown in the attached drawing, in which

Figure 1 shows the most common embodiment of a cap according to the invention arranged on a roof,

Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the cap of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the cap of Figure 1,

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the cap according to the invention,

Figure 5 shows a cross-section of the cap of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the cap of Figure 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The preferred embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 comprises a substantially quadrangular flange section 1 provided with flexible means 3 arranged on two opposite sides 2 of the flange for bending the sides against a surface situated underneath (not shown). The flange section is arranged to surround a sleeve 4 that tapers off at the end. As shown in the figures, the horizontal section of the sleeve is a polygon, a circle or a combination thereof. The sleeve is mounted in the flange section by means of numerous corrugations 5 extending in opposite directions. Due to such corrugations, the sleeve can be turned sharply with respect to the flange section without any tearing of the sleeve. Therefore the invention can be used at any roof pitch and with any diameter of a lead-through. The corrugations also enable a sideways movement of the sleeve, wherefore the place of installation of the cap with respect to the lead-through it surrounds does not have to be determined as accurately as in the case of the present caps. Furthermore, the corrugations are preferably arranged perpendicularly to the surface of the flange section.

[0013] Another embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 4 to 6 comprises two separate, interconnected parts, which will be referred to hereinafter as a ridge element 11 and a cornice element 12. The elements preferably comprise U-shaped sealing means that are placed against one another, the sealing means comprising a flange section 13 to be arranged against the underlying surface, and a sleeve section 14 protruding from the flange section and preferably tapering off at its end. The edge 15 of the flange section that is parallel to the base comprises a flexible element 16 for bending the edge so that it follows the shape of the underlying surface. Arranging the aforementioned ridge and cornice elements against one another in a partly overlapping position provides a cap that entirely surrounds a lead-through provided in a roof, for example.

[0014] In order to turn the longitudinal axis of the interconnected sleeve sections 14 to a direction parallel to the lead-through to be surrounded, the sleeve sections are preferably provided with deep corrugations 17 as described above. These corrugations are preferably arranged in the sleeve substantially parallel to the surface of the flange section. In this embodiment of the cap, the corrugations are the deepest near the bases of the U-shaped sleeve sections, and they become more shallow and finally disappear entirely when moving towards the ends 18 of the sides of the sleeve sections. Therefore, both the sleeve sections and the flange sections of the U-shaped sealing means are substantially planar at their ends, and they are tightly connected together in an overlapping position as shown in Figure 4.

[0015] It should be understood that the above description and the related figures are only intended to illustrate the present invention. Therefore the invention is not restricted to the embodiments described above or defined in the claims, but several variations and modifications of the invention will be evident to those skilled in the art within the scope of the inventive idea disclosed in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cap comprising a flange section (1, 13) and a sleeve (4, 14) arranged to protrude from the flange section, characterized in that the sleeve (4, 14) is mounted in the flange section (1, 13) by means of deep corrugations (5, 17) extending in opposite directions to enable turning of the sleeve to a desired position.

2. A cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the corrugations (5) are arranged substantially perpendicularly to the surface of the flange section (1).

3. A cap according to claim 1, characterized in that the cap comprises two U-shaped elements (12, 13) that are interconnected to form a device that closely surrounds a lead-through.

4. A cap according to claim 3, characterized in that the corrugations (17) provided in the sleeve (14) are substantially parallel to the flange section (13).

5. A cap according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the corrugations (17) are arranged to taper off towards the surface of the sleeve (14) when moving closer to the ends (18) of the U-shaped elements (12, 13).

6. A cap according to claim 5, characterized in that the ends (18) of the U-shaped elements (12, 13) comprise substantially planar sections that are placed tightly against one another.

7. A cap according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two opposite sides (2, 15) of the flange section (1, 13) are provided with a flexible means (3, 16) for bending the side against the surface underlying the cap.

Drawing