JP7634376B2 - Vent material - Google Patents

Description

This specification discloses a vent member that is provided outside the room to form a flow path that connects to a ventilation hole that penetrates the exterior wall.

It has been known to provide an air vent member outside the room to form a flow path that connects to a ventilation hole that penetrates an exterior wall. The air vent member is usually cylindrical or box-shaped, with the inside serving as the exhaust flow path. Such air vent members are relatively bulky, which poses the problem of poor transport efficiency. Therefore, in order to improve the transport efficiency of air vent members, air vent members that can be folded flat during transport have been proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vent member having a frame-shaped fixed frame surrounding the periphery of the ventilation hole, a pair of side walls, a top wall, and a front wall (referred to in Patent Document 1 as the "mounting plate," "hood plate," "upper hood plate," and "front hood plate," respectively). In Patent Document 1, the pair of side walls are hinged to the left and right edges of the fixed frame, the top wall is hinged to the upper edge of the fixed frame, and the front wall is hinged to the front end of the top wall. In Patent Document 1, when installing the vent member, the pair of side walls are widened so that the distance between the pair of side walls is approximately the same as the left-right dimensions of the top wall and front wall, and then the top wall and front wall are joined to the upper ends of the pair of side walls.

Patent Document 2 also discloses an air vent member in which a pair of side walls, a top wall, and a front wall (referred to in Patent Document 2 as the "side panels," the "top panel," and the "front panel," respectively) are connected via folds. In Patent Document 2, when installing the air vent member, the pair of side walls are expanded so that the distance between them is the desired distance, and then the expanded side walls are connected to the top wall.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-210416 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 06-58584

This foldable vent member can be folded into a flat shape during transportation, improving the transportation efficiency of the vent member. However, with conventional vent members, the installation work of the vent member was complicated. For example, in Patent Document 2, the vent member is made of a shape memory alloy, and it is necessary to heat the folded vent member in order to return it to its final shape.

In addition, in Patent Document 1, the front ends of the side walls 14 were free ends that were not restrained. Therefore, when attaching the front wall 16 and the top wall 18 to the side walls 14, the worker had to perform the attachment work of the front wall 16, etc. while maintaining the distance between the front ends of the two side walls 14 at an appropriate distance. However, in order to maintain the distance between the front ends of the two side walls 14 at an appropriate distance, the worker had to hold the two side walls 14 with both hands, and the help of another worker was required to attach the front wall 16. As a result, the ventilation member of Patent Document 1 was difficult to attach by one person, and the work efficiency was poor. In other words, there was no ventilation member in the past that could simplify the attachment work while improving transportation efficiency.

Therefore, this specification discloses a ventilation member that can improve transportation efficiency while simplifying installation work.

The vent member disclosed in this specification is characterized in that it is a vent member that includes a fixed frame that is fixed to a ventilation hole that penetrates an exterior wall so as to surround the outer peripheral edge of the ventilation hole, a pair of side walls that are connected to both left and right ends of the fixed frame and extend forward from the fixed frame in the horizontal direction toward the outside of the room, the pair of side walls being foldable along one or more folds that extend in a substantially vertical direction, and a front wall whose left and right ends are connected to the front ends of each of the pair of side walls, the side walls being swingably connected to the fixed frame and the front wall, and the vent member is changeable between a completed position in which the side walls extend forward from the fixed frame without being folded along the folds, and a stored position in which the side walls are folded along the folds to be substantially parallel to the front wall and the fixed frame.

In this case, the cover may further include a top wall that covers an upper end opening of a cover space surrounded by the fixed frame, the pair of side walls, and the front wall, the front end of which is connected to the upper end of the front wall so as to be swingable relative to the front wall.

Furthermore, the support frame is arranged in a cover space surrounded by the fixed frame, the pair of side walls, and the front wall, and includes a front horizontal member extending in the left-right direction and a pair of vertical members extending from both left and right ends of the front horizontal member, the front end of the support frame is connected to the front wall so as to be swingable about an axis extending in the left-right direction, and the vertical members extend in a direction that forms an angle with the front wall in the completed position and extend in a direction that is approximately parallel to the front wall in the stored position.

In this case, the upper edge of the side wall is inclined relative to the horizontal direction so as to move downward as it moves forward in the completed position, the long axis dimension of the vertical member is greater than a first distance which is the distance from the connection point between the support frame and the front wall to the upper end of the front wall, and the vertical member may have a base having a wall surface parallel to the front wall in the stored position, and a standing leg portion standing from the outer edge of the base in the thickness direction of the base in a range distal to the first distance as viewed from the connection point.

The vent member disclosed in this specification as a reference example includes a fixed frame that is fixed to a ventilation hole penetrating an exterior wall so as to surround the outer peripheral edge of the ventilation hole on the outdoor side, a pair of side walls that are hinged to both the left and right ends of the fixed frame, and the pair of side walls are changeable between a completed position extending rearward from the fixed frame horizontally toward the outdoor side, and a storage position that is parallel to the fixed frame, and a front wall that connects the rear end edges of the pair of side walls in the completed position, and is detachable from the pair of side walls. , a top wall that covers the upper end opening of a cover space surrounded by the fixed frame, the pair of side walls, and the front wall, and is separable from the side walls, the front wall, and the fixed frame, the top wall having a top protrusion extending upward or a top locking groove opening downward at its front end, the fixed frame having a top locking groove opening downward or a top protrusion extending upward, and the top protrusion may be inserted into the top locking groove to prevent the top wall from being removed from the fixed frame.

In this case, the cover space may further include a mesh member having a mesh covering the lower end opening and a mesh frame surrounding the periphery of the mesh, the mesh frame having a bottom side engagement groove opening downward or a bottom side protrusion extending downward at its front end, the fixed frame having a bottom side protrusion extending upward or a bottom side engagement groove opening upward, and the mesh member may be prevented from being detached from the fixed frame by inserting the bottom side protrusion into the bottom side engagement groove.

The vent member disclosed in this specification can be folded into a flat plate, improving the efficiency of transporting the vent member. In addition, the rear and front ends of the side walls are connected to the fixed frame and the front wall, and the distance between the front ends of the two side walls and the distance between the rear ends are always kept constant. Therefore, simply by unfolding the side walls, the relative positions of the side walls, the fixed frame, and the front wall are restored to the positions they would be when completed, eliminating the need for the worker to continue holding the two side walls with their hands, and improving the work efficiency of installing the vent member.

FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the vent member in a stored position folded into a flat plate. FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the ventilation member in the middle of being folded. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a vent member according to a reference example. A cross-sectional view showing the state in which the bottom side protrusion is inserted into the bottom side engagement groove. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the top protrusion inserted into the top locking groove. FIG.

The configuration of the vent member 10 will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the vent member 10, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the vent member 10. Note that in the following drawings, the dimensions of each member are different from the actual dimensions to facilitate understanding. In particular, the plate thickness of each member is illustrated as being sufficiently larger than the actual plate thickness. Also, in Fig. 2, the mesh member 22 is omitted from the illustration, and one side wall 14 is illustrated in a state where it has been removed from the fixed frame 12 and the front wall 16. Furthermore, in the following explanation, the direction facing the outside of the room as viewed from the exterior wall 100 is referred to as the "front" and the direction facing the inside of the room is referred to as the "rear."

The vent member 10 is attached to the exterior wall surface of the exterior wall 100 on the outdoor side to form a flow path leading to the ventilation hole 102, and guides the exhaust air flowing out from the ventilation hole 102 to the outside. Such a vent member 10 also has the function of preventing raindrops from entering the ventilation hole 102, and is also called a "weather cover." The vent member 10 includes a fixed frame 12, a pair of side walls 14, a front wall 16, and a top wall 18.

The fixed frame 12 is a generally square-shaped member with a rectangular passage opening 29 formed in the center. The fixed frame 12 is attached to the exterior side of the exterior wall 100 so as to surround the outer edge of the ventilation hole 102 on the exterior side.

The side walls 14 are wall members that extend forward, i.e., toward the outside of the room, from both the left and right ends of the fixed frame 12. The lower edge of the side wall 14 is nearly horizontal, while the upper edge of the side wall 14 is inclined relative to the horizontal direction so as to move downward as it moves forward. Here, the side wall 14 in this example is foldable, and furthermore, the side wall 14 is connected to the fixed frame 12 and the front wall 16 by hinges 24a, 24b, which will be described later.

The front wall 16 is connected to the front ends of the pair of side walls 14 via hinges 24b. Hereinafter, the space surrounded by the front wall 16, the pair of side walls 14, and the fixed frame 12 will be referred to as the "cover space 28." The top wall 18 is a wall surface that covers the upper opening of the cover space 28. The front end of the top wall 18 is connected to the front wall 16 via hinges 24d.

A mesh member 22 is disposed at the lower end of the cover space 28. The mesh member 22 has a roughly square mesh frame 52 and a mesh 50 stretched across the mesh frame 52. The periphery of the mesh frame 52 is screwed to the side wall 14 and front wall 16. To achieve this screwing, fastening holes 26c to 26e are formed in the mesh frame 52, side wall 14, front wall 16, etc.

A support frame 20 is further disposed within the cover space 28. As will be described in detail later, the support frame 20 is provided to keep the vent member 10 in a completed position. The support frame 20 has a substantially square-shaped base 46 and a standing leg 48 that stands from the outer periphery of the base 46 in the thickness direction of the base 46. In the following, the portion of the substantially square-shaped support frame 20 that forms the side near the front end is referred to as the "front cross member 40," the portion that extends in the left-right direction behind the front cross member 40 is referred to as the "rear cross member 44," and the portion that connects the left and right ends of the front cross member 40 and the rear cross member 44 is referred to as the "vertical member 42."

The front cross member 40 is connected to the front wall 16 at a mid-height position via a hinge 24e having a swing axis extending in the left-right direction. If the distance from the connection point P1 between the front cross member 40 and the front wall 16 to the upper end of the front wall 16 is a first distance L1, the longitudinal dimension of the vertical member 42 is greater than the first distance L1. The upright leg 48 is provided only in a range distal to the first distance L1 when viewed from the front end of the support frame 20. The left-right dimension of the support frame 20 is approximately the same as the left-right inner dimension of the cover space 28, and the outer edge of the vertical member 42 is close to the side wall 14. With this configuration, the support frame 20 can maintain the vent member 10 in a completed position, which will be described later.

However, as shown in FIG. 1, the completed vent member 10 is hollow inside, making it very bulky and inefficient to transport. For this reason, vent members 10 that can be folded into a roughly flat plate have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose foldable vent members.

Such foldable vent members can significantly improve the efficiency of transportation. However, conventional vent members require complicated work when attached to an exterior wall. In particular, in Patent Document 2, the vent member is made of a shape memory alloy, and in order to return the folded vent member to its final shape, it is necessary to heat the vent member, resulting in poor work efficiency.

In addition, in Patent Document 1, the rear end of the side wall is hinged to a fixed frame, but the front end of the side wall 14 is a free end that can swing freely. Therefore, in order to complete the folded vent member, it was necessary to connect the top wall and the front wall to the side wall while maintaining the desired distance between the front ends of the pair of side walls. Here, in order to maintain the desired distance between the front ends of the two side walls 14, the worker needs to hold one side wall with his right hand and the other side wall 14 with his left hand. However, if the worker holds the side wall 14 with both hands in this way, the worker cannot connect the front wall 16 to the side wall 14, and the help of another worker is required. Of course, when connecting the front wall 16 to the side wall 14, it is possible to temporarily remove one hand from the side wall 14, but in this case, the distance between the front ends of the side walls 14 may shift during the gap when the hand is removed, and it is often necessary to adjust the distance between the side walls 14 again. In other words, while the ventilation member 10 in Patent Document 1 can improve transportation efficiency, the installation work efficiency is poor.

Therefore, in this example, in order to improve transportation efficiency and simplify installation, the side walls 14 are made foldable and their front and rear ends are hinged to the front wall 16 and the fixed frame 12. This will be explained in detail below.

1 and 2, in this example, one side wall 14 is composed of a first side wall piece 30 and a second side wall piece 32. The first side wall piece 30 constitutes the rear half of the side wall 14, and the second side wall piece 32 constitutes the front half of the side wall 14. The front end of the first side wall piece 30 and the rear end of the second side wall piece 32 are connected via a hinge 24c having a vertical swing axis. Both the first side wall piece 30 and the second side wall piece 32 are swingable around the vertical axis centered on the hinge 24c. From another perspective, a fold 33 extending in the vertical direction is formed in the approximate center of the front-rear direction of the side wall 14. In addition, the rear end of the side wall 14 is connected to the fixed frame 12, and the front end of the side wall 14 is connected to the front wall 16 via hinges 24a and 24b having vertical swing axes, respectively. With this configuration, the side wall 14 can be folded along the crease 33 so that it protrudes toward the inside of the cover space 28.

The upper end of the front wall 16 and the rear end of the top wall 18 are connected via a hinge 24d having a swing axis extending in the left-right direction. This allows the top wall 18 to swing around a horizontal axis, and the angle of the top wall 18 relative to the front wall 16 can be freely changed. Furthermore, in this example, a support frame 20 is disposed within the cover space 28, and the rear end of this support frame 20 is also connected via a hinge 24e having a swing axis extending in the left-right direction. This allows the support frame 20 to also swing around a horizontal axis, and the angle of the support frame 20 relative to the front wall 16 can be freely changed.

Next, the effects of the vent member 10 will be described. As described above, the fixed frame 12, side walls 14, front wall 16, top wall 18, and support frame 20 that constitute the vent member 10 are connected via hinges 24. Therefore, in situations where volume reduction is required, such as during transportation, the vent member 10 can be folded into a flat plate.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vent member 10 in a storage position folded into a flat plate shape. Also, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the vent member 10 in the middle of folding. Note that one side wall 14 and the mesh member 22 are omitted in Figure 4. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, when folding the vent member 10, the top wall 18 is swung around the horizontal axis with its rear end as the center until the outer surface of the top wall 18 (i.e., the surface outside the cover space 28) comes into contact with the outer surface of the front wall 16 and the top wall 18 becomes approximately parallel to the front wall 16. Also, the support frame 20 is swung around the horizontal axis with its rear end as the center until the support frame 20 comes into contact with the inner surface of the front wall 16 (i.e., the surface facing the cover space 28) and the support frame 20 and the front wall 16 become approximately parallel. As a result, the support frame 20, the front wall 16, and the top wall 18 are stacked in the thickness direction.

After the support frame 20, the front wall 16, and the top wall 18 are stacked in the thickness direction, the side wall 14 is folded along the crease 33 extending vertically so as to be convex inward in the left-right direction. As a result, the first side wall piece 30 and the second side wall piece 32 are stacked in the thickness direction, the fixing frame 12 is close to the front wall 16, and the entire vent member 10 becomes approximately flat. In this way, in this example, the multiple members constituting the vent member 10 are connected by the hinges 24a to 24e, and the side wall 14 is made foldable, so that the vent member 10 can be changed to a flat storage position. The mesh member 22 is a separate member completely separated from the side wall 14, etc. Therefore, when transporting, the mesh member 22, which is a separate member, can be placed on the flat vent member 10 as shown in FIG. 3.

When attaching the vent member 10 to the exterior wall 100, the vent member 10 is changed from the stored position shown in FIG. 3 to the completed position shown in FIG. 1. Specifically, the worker first fixes the fixed frame 12 to the exterior wall 100 and seals the gap between the fixed frame 12 and the exterior wall 100. Next, the fixed frame 12 is pulled in a direction away from the front wall 16 to unfold the folded side wall 14. Here, the front end of the side wall 14 is connected to the front wall 16, and the rear end is connected to the fixed frame 12. In other words, in this example, the distance between the front ends of the two side walls 14 and the distance between the rear ends are always kept constant. Therefore, the worker only needs to unfold the side walls 14 to maintain the relative positional relationship between the pair of side walls 14, the fixed frame 12, and the front wall 16 at the completed positional relationship.

Once the side wall 14 is unfolded, the worker swings the support frame 20 so that it assumes a forward-downward position within the cover space 28. This causes the vertical members 42 of the support frame 20 to cross the crease 33 of the side wall 14. As the support frame 20 crosses the crease 33, bending of the side wall 14 along the crease is inhibited, and the side wall 14 remains unfolded. The support frame 20 in the forward-downward position is screwed to the first side wall piece 30. Fastening holes 26a, 26b for this screwing are formed in the first side wall piece 30 and the upright leg 48. The support frame 20 is screwed to the first side wall piece 30, so that the forward-downward position of the support frame 20, and therefore the unfolded state of the side wall 14, are reliably maintained.

Once this state is reached, the worker then swings the top wall 18 around the horizontal axis to cover the upper end opening of the cover space 28 with the top wall 18. In this example, a pair of ribs 34 standing downward are provided on both the left and right ends of the top wall 18. The pair of ribs 34 form an insertion groove 36 that opens downward. When covering the upper end opening of the cover space 28 with the top wall 18, the upper end of the side wall 14 is inserted into this insertion groove 36. This fills the gap at the boundary between the upper end of the side wall 14 and the top wall 18, effectively preventing raindrops from entering the cover space 28. Furthermore, by inserting the upper end of the side wall 14 into the insertion groove 36, the side wall 14 and the top wall 18 are mutually constrained, effectively preventing rattling of the vent member 10.

Once the top wall 18 can be placed over the cover space 28, the worker fixes the top wall 18 to the side wall 14. This fixation can be achieved by fastening using screws or the like, or by engaging using a snap lock 19 as shown in FIG. 2. Finally, the worker places the mesh member 22 at the lower end opening of the cover space 28 and fixes the mesh member 22 to the side wall 14 and front wall 16 using screws. Fastening holes 26c, 26d, and 26e for this fastening are formed in the mesh member 22, side wall 14, and front wall 16.

As is clear from the above explanation, in this example, the relative positions of the front wall 16, the fixed frame 12, and the side walls 14 can be restored to their completed positions simply by pulling the front wall 16 away from the fixed frame 12 and unfolding the folded side walls 14. And because the worker does not need to hold three or more parts at the same time, even a single worker can easily install the ventilation member 10.

Note that the configuration described so far is one example, and other configurations may be changed as appropriate as long as at least a pair of side walls 14 that can be folded along one or more folds 33 extending in a substantially vertical direction are hinged to the fixed frame 12 and the front wall 16. For example, in the above description, a general hinge that is separate from the swinging object (e.g., the side walls 14 and the front wall 16) is exemplified as the hinge 24, but the hinge 24 may be integral with the swinging object. For example, as in an integral hinge, a linear thin-walled portion may be formed on the swinging object, and this thin-walled portion may be used as the hinge 24. Also, in the above description, each part is hinged, but as long as one of the two connected members can swing relative to the other, a connecting means that does not use a hinge may be used.

In the above example, the number of folds 33 on the side wall 14 is one, but the number of folds 33 is not limited as long as it is an odd number. Therefore, the side wall 14 may be provided with three or more folds extending in the vertical direction, and the side wall 14 may be accordion-woven along the folds 33 when in the storage position. In the above example, the support frame 20 is provided, but the support frame 20 may be omitted. Furthermore, the shape of each part may be changed as appropriate.

Next, the configuration of another vent member 10 will be described as a reference example. Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the vent member 10 of the reference example. Note that one side wall 14 and the mesh 50 are not shown in Figure 5.

In this ventilation member 10, the fixed frame 12 and the pair of side walls 14 are hinged, but the front wall 16, the top wall 18, and the mesh member 22 are completely separate from the fixed frame 12 and the side walls 14.

That is, the fixed frame 12 is a roughly square-shaped member with a roughly rectangular passage opening 29, and a pair of side walls 14 are swingably connected to both the left and right ends of the fixed frame 12 via hinges 24a. Unlike the example in FIG. 1, the side walls 14 are made of a single plate material. Therefore, although the side walls 14 can swing relative to the fixed frame 12, the side walls 14 themselves cannot be bent midway.

The front wall 16 is a member that connects the rear end edges of the pair of side walls 14 together in the completed position. The top wall 18 is a member that covers the upper end opening of the cover space 28 that is surrounded by the fixed frame 12, the pair of side walls 14, and the front wall 16. As described above, the top wall 18 and the front wall 16 are both separate members from the side walls 14 and the fixed frame 12, and are fixed to the side walls 14 and the fixed frame 12 using screws or the like. The mesh member 22 is placed at the lower end opening of the cover space 28, and has a roughly square mesh frame 52 and a mesh 50 stretched over the mesh frame 52.

When the ventilation member 10 is in the stored position, each side wall 14 swings around the horizontal axis, centered on the hinge 24a, until it is at an angle that makes it approximately parallel to the fixed frame 12. As a result, the side walls 14 and the fixed frame 12 are stacked in the thickness direction, forming an approximately flat plate shape. At this time, in order to prevent interference between the two side walls 14, the distance L2 between the pair of side walls 14 is made larger than the front-to-rear dimension of the side walls 14. During transportation, the top wall 18, front wall 16, and mesh member 22 are stacked in the thickness direction on the approximately flat side walls 14 and fixed frame 12.

When attaching the vent member 10 to the exterior wall 100, first, the fixed frame 12 is fixed to the exterior wall 100 and the gap between the fixed frame 12 and the exterior wall 100 is sealed. Next, the worker swings the side wall 14 about the hinge 24a to an angle that is approximately perpendicular to the fixed frame 12. However, at this point, it is not necessary to precisely adjust the swing angle of the side wall 14, and it is sufficient that the distance between the front ends of the side walls 14 is greater than the left-right dimension of the mesh member 22.

After opening the pair of side walls 14, the worker then attaches the net member 22 to the fixed frame 12. Here, in order to facilitate the attachment of the net member 22, a bottom side locking groove 60 that opens downward is formed at the front end of the net frame 52. The bottom side locking groove 60 is a groove into which a bottom side protrusion 62, which is the lower edge of the passage opening 29, is inserted. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the bottom side protrusion 62 is inserted into the bottom side locking groove 60. As is clear from FIGS. 5 and 6, the bottom side locking groove 60 is formed by extending the rear end wall of the net frame 52 upward and then folding it back and downward in a U-shape. By inserting the bottom side protrusion 62 into this bottom side locking groove 60, the net member 22 is engaged with the fixed frame 12, and the net member 22 is prevented from being removed from the fixed frame 12.

When this state is reached, the worker screws the mesh member 22 to the side wall 14. At this time, since the mesh member 22 is engaged with the fixed frame 12, the mesh member 22 will not fall even if the worker releases his/her hands from the mesh member 22. Therefore, the worker can easily screw the mesh member 22 to the side wall 14.

Once the mesh member 22 has been fixed to the side walls 14, the worker then positions the front wall 16 so that it straddles the front ends of the two side walls 14, and screws the front wall 16 to the side walls 14 and the mesh member 22. At this time, the distance between the front ends of the side walls 14 is kept constant by the mesh member 22 fixed to the side walls 14. Therefore, the worker only needs to adjust the position of the front wall 16, and does not need to adjust the swing angle of the side walls 14 at this point.

Once the front wall 16 has been secured to the side walls 14 and the mesh member 22, the worker then places the top wall 18 over the side walls 14 and front wall 16 and secures it in place. At this time, to prevent the top wall 18 from falling along the upper edge of the side walls 14, which are inclined downward at the front, a top side protrusion 58 is provided at the front end of the top wall 18, and a top side locking groove 54 is provided at the upper end of the fixed frame 12.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the top protrusion 58 inserted into the top locking groove 54. As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the front end of the top wall 18 is bent upward, which becomes the top protrusion 58. Meanwhile, the upper end of the fixed frame 12 is folded forward and downward to form a hanging wall 53 that hangs downward. The gap between this hanging wall 53 and the fixed frame 12 becomes the top locking groove 54. In addition, the upper edge of the passage opening 29 of the fixed frame 12 is bent forward to form a mounting portion 56 that extends approximately horizontally. The distance L4 from the top surface of this mounting portion 56 to the lower end of the hanging wall 53 is smaller than the height L5 of the top protrusion 58.

When attaching the top wall 18, the worker first inserts the top protrusion 58 into the top locking groove 54. Specifically, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7, the worker places the front end of the top wall 18 on the mounting portion 56, tilts the top wall 18 significantly so that the top protrusion 58 slopes downward toward the front, and thus the top wall 18 slopes upward toward the front, and pushes the top protrusion 58 into a position where it abuts the front end wall of the fixed frame 12. In this state, the top wall 18 is gradually swung so that the top protrusion 58 is approximately parallel to the vertical direction, and the top protrusion 58 is inserted into the top locking groove 54.

Once the top protrusion 58 is inserted into the top locking groove 54, the worker screws the top wall 18 to the side wall 14 and the front wall 16. Here, when the top protrusion 58 is inserted into the top locking groove 54, the upper end of the top protrusion 58 is higher than the lower end of the top locking groove 54. Therefore, even if the top wall 18 tries to fall diagonally downward, the top protrusion 58 abuts against the top locking groove 54, preventing the fall. This allows the worker to easily screw the top wall 18 in place without having to continue holding the top wall 18 with their hands.

As is clear from the above description, in the case of the reference example illustrated in Figures 5 to 7, the net member 22 and the top wall 18 can be engaged with the fixed frame 12. This simplifies the installation work of the net member 22 and the top wall 18, and therefore the installation work of the vent member 10, since the worker does not need to continue holding the net member 22 and the top wall 18 with his or her hands. In the above description, the bottom side engaging groove 60 is provided in the net member 22, and the bottom side protrusion 62 is provided in the fixed frame 12, but this may be reversed. That is, the bottom side engaging groove 60 opening upward may be provided at the lower end of the fixed frame 12, and the bottom side protrusion 62 extending downward may be provided at the front end of the net member 22. Similarly, the top side engaging groove 54 opening downward may be formed at the front end of the top wall 18, and the top side protrusion 58 extending upward may be provided at the upper end of the fixed frame 12. In the above description, the mesh member 22, the front wall 16, and the top wall 18 are attached to the side wall 14 in this order, but as long as either the mesh member 22 or the top wall 18 is attached first, the order of the other parts may be changed as appropriate. For example, after opening a pair of side walls 14, the top wall 18, the front wall 16, and the mesh member 22 may be attached in this order, or the top wall 18, the mesh member 22, the front wall 16, or the mesh member 22, the top wall 18, and the front wall 16. Of course, the shape of each part and the position of the fastening holes 26 may be changed as appropriate depending on the order of attachment.

10 Ventilation member, 12 Fixing frame, 14 Side wall, 16 Front wall, 18 Top wall, 19 Snap lock, 20 Support frame, 22 Mesh member, 24, 24a to 24e Hinges, 26, 26a to 26e Fastening holes, 28 Cover space, 29 Passage opening, 30 First side wall piece, 32 Second side wall piece, 33 Fold, 34 Rib, 36 Insert groove, 40 Front horizontal member, 42 Vertical member, 44 Rear horizontal member, 46 Base, 48 Standing leg portion, 50 Mesh, 52 Mesh frame, 53 Hanging wall, 54 Top side locking groove, 56 Placement portion, 58 Top side protrusion, 60 Bottom side locking groove, 62 Bottom side protrusion, 100 Outer wall, 102 Ventilation hole.

Claims (3)

A vent member, comprising:
A fixing frame is fixed to the ventilation hole so as to surround the outdoor side periphery of the ventilation hole penetrating the exterior wall;
A pair of side walls connected to both left and right ends of the fixed frame and extending forward from the fixed frame in a horizontal direction toward the outside of the room, the pair of side walls being foldable along one or more folds extending in a substantially vertical direction;
a front wall, the left and right ends of which are connected to the front ends of the pair of side walls;
the side wall is pivotally connected to the fixed frame and the front wall,
the vent member is movable between a completed position in which the side wall extends forward from the fixed frame without being folded along the crease, and a stored position in which the side wall is folded along the crease to be substantially parallel to the front wall and the fixed frame;
In the storage position, the connection between the pair of side walls and the front wall is maintained ,
moreover,
a top wall covering an upper end opening of a cover space surrounded by the fixed frame, the pair of side walls, and the front wall, the top wall having a front end connected to an upper end of the front wall so as to be swingable relative to the front wall;
In the storage position, a rear end of the top wall is separated from the fixed frame.
A vent member characterized by: A vent member, comprising:
A fixing frame is fixed to the ventilation hole so as to surround the outdoor side periphery of the ventilation hole penetrating the exterior wall;
A pair of side walls connected to both left and right ends of the fixed frame and extending forward from the fixed frame in a horizontal direction toward the outside of the room, the pair of side walls being foldable along one or more folds extending in a substantially vertical direction;
a front wall, the left and right ends of which are connected to the front ends of the pair of side walls;
the side wall is pivotally connected to the fixed frame and the front wall,
the vent member is movable between a completed position in which the side wall extends forward from the fixed frame without being folded along the crease, and a stored position in which the side wall is folded along the crease to be substantially parallel to the front wall and the fixed frame;
moreover,
A support frame is disposed in a cover space surrounded by the fixed frame, the pair of side walls, and the front wall, the support frame having a front horizontal member extending in the left-right direction and a pair of vertical members extending from both left and right ends of the front horizontal member,
The front end of the support frame is connected to the front wall so as to be swingable about an axis extending in the left-right direction,
The vertical members extend in a direction that is angled with respect to the front wall in the completed position and extend in a direction that is generally parallel to the front wall in the stowed position.
A vent member characterized by: 3. The vent member according to claim 2 ,
an upper edge of the side wall is inclined with respect to a horizontal direction so as to move downward as it moves forward in the completed position;
a long axis dimension of the vertical member is greater than a first distance that is a distance from a connection point between the support frame and the front wall to an upper end of the front wall;
The vertical member has a base having a wall surface parallel to the front wall in the storage position, and a leg portion standing from an outer edge of the base in a thickness direction of the base in a range distal to the first distance from the connection point.
A vent member characterized by:

Images