Vented Fascia Trim Piece

The present invention relates to building construction, and in particular to a vented fascia trim piece.

Fascia trim pieces are generally well-known in the art, and serve to cover the fascia board. Soffit panels are also generally well-known in the art. Soffit panels enclose the underside of the eaves of homes and other buildings of the type having roof eaves which extend beyond and hang over the outside walls of the building. The purpose of the soffit panels is to hide the eaves from view, and prevent the use of the underside of the eaves as a nesting place for insects, birds and the like. In modern day building construction, the soffit can be vented to allow outside air to flow into the attic of the building to equalize the attic temperature and pressure with that of the outside environment. This equalization helps to prevent degradation of the roof, reduce moisture accumulation, and improve the heating and cooling efficiency for the building interior. Ideally, proper ventilation would include more intake (ventilation provided by the soffit and other intake ventilation) than exhaust (through roof vents). Intake ventilation should have enough net free area (NFA) to draw the airflow needed to work under a roof vent system.

While some soffit panels are perforated or louvered to facilitate venting, they possess certain drawbacks. One such disadvantage is that insects, such as bees, bugs and the like, can get through the vents, and use the soffit as a nesting place. Debris can also become lodged in the vents to impede the free flow of air into the eave. Furthermore, such prior soffit panels normally have exposed or visible vents, thereby detracting from the overall appearance of the structure. Consequently, providing a fascia trim piece that has venting to supplement and/or replace the venting provided by the soffit would be advantageous.

One embodiment of the invention is a fascia trim piece. The fascia trim piece has a face section and a bottom section extending from the face section. The bottom section has a plurality of openings. A soffit channel is positioned adjacent to the bottom section on the fascia trim piece.

Another embodiment of the invention is a fascia trim piece. The fascia trim piece has a single piece body with a face section and a bottom section extending from the face section. The bottom section has a plurality of openings. A soffit channel is positioned adjacent to the bottom section.

Yet another embodiment of the invention is a fascia trim and soffit system. The fascia trim and soffit system has a fascia trim piece with a face section and a bottom section extending from the face section. The bottom section has a plurality of openings. A soffit channel is positioned adjacent to the bottom section. The soffit is positioned in the soffit channel.

These and other features, advantages, and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.

As referenced in the figures, the same reference numerals may be used herein to refer to the same parameters and components or their similar modifications and alternatives. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the present disclosure as oriented in the Figures. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. The drawings referenced herein are schematic and associated views thereof are not necessarily drawn to scale.

As show in, an embodiment of a fascia trim pieceis shown. The fascia trim pieceincludes a facewith an inner surfaceand an outer surface. The inner surfacemay contact a portion of the fascia boardof a building, as illustrated in. The outer surfacemay be textured, painted, coated, or otherwise designed to provide the desired appearance for the portion of the fascia trim piecethat will be visible when looking toward the roof.

The fascia trim pieceincludes a bottom surface. The bottom surfaceextends from the face. In the illustrated embodiment, the bottom surfaceextends from the bottom edge of the faceand is generally perpendicular to the face. The bottom surfacecould be positioned on said fascia trim pieceadjacent to the face, but not necessarily extending from the bottom edge of the face. The bottom surfacedoes not necessarily need to be generally perpendicular to the face. For example, the bottom surfacecould extend from a fold or other bend or extension in the fascia trim piece. In addition, the bottom surfacecould be at an angle other than 90° with respect to the face.

The fascia trim pieceincludes a soffit channel. The soffit channelis illustrated as being generally parallel to the bottom surfaceand extends from side wall. However, the soffit channeldoes not need to be in the exact configuration shown in. The soffit channelcould be positioned above, below, or at the same height as the bottom surface. The soffit channelcould also be positioned at an angle other than 90° with respect to the face. The illustrated soffit channelhas a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall. These walls (,,) create the soffit channelthan can receive a section of soffit, as illustrated in. While the illustrated embodiment shows a third wallthat is longer than the first wall, the third wallcould be shorter than the first wall. Moreover, the shape of the soffit channeldoes not necessarily need to have a rectangular profile. The second walldoes not need to be generally perpendicular to the first walland/or the third wall.

The bottom sectionincludes perforations. The illustrated embodiment shows rows of generally cylindrical holes that have a diameter of approximately 0.080-0.100 inches. The perforationscan be of any shape and/or size provided that they allow air to pass through the perforationwhile keeping debris, bugs, and other articles from passing through. While the illustrated embodiment shows rows of perforations, the rows may be staggered or aligned or the perforationsmay be randomized.

The fascia trim piecemay include a folded section. The folded sectionmay act as a stiffening section for the fascia trim piece. The folded sectionmay also abut and/or engage the drip edge installed on the roof.

As illustrated in, the fascia trim pieceattaches to the fascia board. A gapmay be present between the bottom of the fascia boardand the bottom surface. This permits intake of air in the area below the fascia board. The fascia boardis typically coupled to a rafterthat is coupled to a wallof the building. The wallmay be covered by sidingand a roofmay be on top of the rafters.

The soffit channelholds one end of the soffit. The other end of the soffitmay be coupled to a boardor other structure coupled to wall. The soffitmay include perforations or may be solid.

The ventilation provided by the perforationsin the fascia trim piecemay permit the soffitto be entirely solid as the net free area (NFA) provided by the fascia trim piecemay be sufficient to provide the necessary intake for the building for the associated exhaust provided by any roof vents, including, but not limited to, ridge vents.

The integral soffit channelmeans that it is unnecessary to use a J channel, F channel, or other additional board or trim piece for the front of the soffit

Another embodiment of a fascia trim pieceis shown in. The fascia trim pieceincludes a facewith an inner surfaceand an outer surface. The fascia trim pieceincludes a bottom surfacewith openings. An upper flangeand a bottom surface flangemay be formed on the fascia trim piece. Portions of the fascia trim piecemay be textured, painted, coated, or otherwise designed to provide the desired look, such as the look of wood or other material.

While the illustrated embodiments show perforations,along most of the bottom surface,, a portion of the bottom surface,may exclude perforations,. Moreover, the side wallmay include perforationsto help draw air.

The fascia trim piececan be made of any material. Preferably, the fascia trim pieceis manufactured from a metal material, such as steel or aluminum. The fascia trim piece can be painted or coated.

Those skilled in the art will recognize, or will be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments of the invention described herein. Such equivalents are intended to be encompassed by the following claims.

While the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that construction of the present disclosure and other components is not limited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of the disclosure disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety of materials, unless described otherwise herein.

It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the present disclosure as shown in the exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that, unless otherwise described, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes, and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, the length or width of the structures and/or members or connector or other elements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustment positions provided between the elements may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating positions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovations.

It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.

It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structures and methods without departing from the concepts of the present invention, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.