DESCRIPTION SMOKES DISCHARGING CHIMNEY FOR BUILDINGS

The present invention relates to a chimney for discharging smokes for buildings. Such chimneys are commonly u- sed in the field of tinsmith' s works for buildings and are mounted onto roofs on a flue for a correct discharge to the outer environment of smoke generated inside buildings by several devices (e.g. boilers, stoves and fireplaces) . In particular, known chimneys consist of a valley (or weathering) made up of a metal plate, as a rule made of lead, having a hole and apt to be laid onto the surface of the roof of the building so that such hole is located on the outlet of the flue. The valley is welded to a lower tubular element, which has generally a cut shape so as to adapt to the pitch of the roof to which it is connected and to confer a basically vertical configuration to the chimney itself. Known chimneys further include an upper tubular element apt to be coupled with the lower tubular element and having an open upper end so as to enable smoke from the flue of the building to get out. As is known, the lower tubular element and the upper one are associated to one another so that the upper tubular element lies outside the lower one.

In order to enhance the coupling between the two tubular element several fastening devices have been conceived. An example of these devices is shown in document EP 1617006. The lower tubular element of this device has a plurality of vertical slots expanding radially and apt to confer elasticity to the lower tubular element itself so as to ensure the coupling between the two tubular elements. However, this type of chimneys has a great drawback consisting in that it does not enable the dis- charge of condensate caused by smoke exhaling from the flue. As a matter of fact, condensate gets down inside the chimney and penetrates through the slots causing damages and wear not only to the chimney itself but also to the building, e.g. in the form of moisture stains. Object of the present invention is to solve the problems- of the prior art proposing a smoke discharging chimney for buildings that is free from the drawbacks described above . Therefore, an aim of the present invention consists in proposing a smoke discharging chimney for buildings that enables a correct and rapid discharge of condensate building up inside so as not to damage the chimney itself and the buildings to which it is associated. A further aim of the invention consists in presenting a smoke discharging chimney for buildings that has an easy

and rapid installation.

^~ A final aim of the invention consists in providing a smoke discharging chimney for buildings that has a long service life and that has a pleasant appearance so as to harmonize with the buildings to which it is associated. These and other aims, which will be more apparent from the following description, are achieved according to the present invention by a smoke discharging chimney for buildings in accordance with the appended claims. Further characteristics and advantages will arise from the detailed description of a chimney according to the present invention, shown to a merely indicative purpose in the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 shows a side view of a smoke discharging chimney for buildings associated to a cover of a building;

- Figure 2 shows a front view of the chimney of Figure 1 in which the first and the second tubular element are disassembled; - Figure 3 shows a front view of the chimney of Figure 1;

- Figure 4 shows a top view of the chimney of Figure 1;

- Figure 5 shows a section of the chimney of Figure 4 according to lines V-V ; - Figure 5A shows a magnified detail of Figure 5.

With reference to the figures mentioned above, a smoke discharging chimney 1 for buildings according to the invention comprises:

- a plate 3 having at least one hole 4 and associable to the cover 2 of a building, generally a roof, so that such hole 4 lies on a discharge pipe of said building, for instance a flue, and in fluid communication therewith,

- a first tubular element 5 associated to the plate 3 on the hole 4 so as to be in fluid communication with the discharge pipe of the building, and

- a second tubular element 9 apt to be coaxially coupled with the first tubular element 5.

It should be pointed out that in the present invention the term chimney 1 means the assembly made up of plate 3, first tubular element 5 and second tubular element 9, since sometimes in common language the term chimney refers to the second tubular element 9 only, whereas the assembly made up of the first tubular element 5 and the plate 3 is referred to as imbrex.

According to the invention, the first tubular element 5 has a lateral surface 6 having at least one closed portion. Moreover, at least one of the first 5 and the second tubular element 9 has at least one protruding en- gagement portion 14 developing transversally along the

respective lateral surface 6, 10 so as to engage mutually the two tubular elements 5, 9. Preferably, the closed portion of the lateral surface 6 corresponds to the engagement portion 14 on the lateral surface β. Ad- vantageously, ^' the lateral surface 6 is completely closed. In particular, the second tubular element 9 has a first

11 and a second end portion 12 and is apt to be coupled with the first tubular element 5 on the first end por- tion 11 and to discharge smoke on the second end portion

12 (Figures 1 and 3) . Advantageously, the second end portion 12 of the second tubular element 9 has at least one opening 16 apt to discharge outside smoke from the discharge pipe. As can be seen in the figures, the sec- ond tubular element 9 can further has on the second end portion 12 functional and decorative elements, e.g. caps for helping rain discharge, wind-protection wings and bird-protection nets. Still more particularly, the engagement portion 14 is associated at least to the lateral surface 6 of the first tubular element 5 or to the one 10 of the second element 9, on the first end portion 11. Advantageously, the lateral surfaces 6, 10 of the first tubular element 5 and of the second tubular element 9, at least on the first end portion 11, are closed, i.e.

they have no interruptions, such as cuts or slots, apt to confer particular elastic properties to the two tubular elements 5, 9 to ensure the coupling thereof. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the second tubular element 9, at least on the first end portion 11 thereof, has a larger diameter than the first tubular element 5, so that during coupling the second tubular element 9 lies outside with respect to the first one 5 (Figure 1, 2, 3 and 5) . As a result, the engagement portion 14 can either protrude outside and be associated to the outer lateral surface βa of the first tubular element 5 or protrude inside and be coupled with the inner lateral surface 10a of the second tubular element 9 so as to enable a joint coupling between the first 5 and the second tubular element 9. Advantageously, as can be seen in the figures, both tubular elements 5, 9 can also have at least one engagement portion 14, associated to their inner 10a or outer lateral surface βa protruding inside or outside depending on the tubular element 5, 9, so as to ensure a better joint coupling between the two tubular elements 5, 9. As a matter of fact, in this case the two protruding engagement portions 14 are apt to engage mutually, as can be seen in Figure 5A. Advantageously, every protruding engagement portion 14

is interrupted and develops transversally on a lower portion of the lateral surface 6, 10 of the first 5 and/or the second tubular element 9 with respect to their circumference so as to help the discharge outside the chimney 1 of condensate generated by smoke inside the tubular elements 5, 9. As a matter of fact, as can be seen from Figure 5, condensate building up inside the second tubular element 9 gets down along the inner lateral surface 10a thereof (basically in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure 5) and through the protruding engagement portion 14 associated to the first tubular element 5 is led into the drain path 15 created by the portion of lateral surface 6 of the first tubular element 5 that is closed and free from engagement portions 14, and is discharged through the plate 3 and then through the common rainwater drain channels associated to covers 2 of buildings. Advantageously, the closed portion of lateral surface 6 is located at least on the drain path 15 and on the protruding engagement portion 14.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the engagement portion 14 associated to the inner lateral surface 10a of the second tubular element 9 is shaped so as to be coupled with the outer lateral surface 6a of the first tubular element 5 on the drain path 15. As a re-

suit, by shifting downwards and then rotating the second tubular element 9 with respect to the first one 5, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the engagement portion 14 associated to the second tubular element 9 can engage with the one associated to the first tubular element 5. It is thus possible to obtain a sort of threading between the two tubular elements 5, 9 so as to ensure their joint coupling and prevent possible accidental disengagements of said two tubular elements 5, 9. Therefore, in order to assemble the chimney 1 one switches from a first mounting position, in which the engagement portion 14 associated to the second tubular element 9 lies on the drain path 15, to a second mounting position, in which said engagement portion 14 asso- ciated to the second tubular element 9 is engaged with the engagement portion 14 associated to the first tubular element 5. Obviously, in order to disassemble the chimney, e.g. for maintenance operations, one switches from the second to the first mounting position. In particular, therefore, in order to assemble the chimney one associates the plate 3 on which the first tubular element 5 is mounted to the cover 2 of a building. Then one associates the second tubular element 9 to the first one 5 by coupling the protruding engagement por- tion 14 associated to the second tubular element 9 to

the drain path 15 of the first tubular element 5, shifting downwards the second tubular element 9 with respect to the first one 5 and rotating the second tubular element 9 with respect to the first one 5 so as to engage the engagement portion 14 associated to the second tubular element 9 with the one associated to the first tubular element 5 for fastening the second tubular element 9 to the first one 5. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the second tubular element 9 is associated outside to the first one 5. As was said, the protruding engagement portion 14 can develop on the respective lateral surface 6, 10 of the first 5 and/or the second tubular element 9 transversally, i.e. trans- versally to the respective main axis 7, 13 of said tubu- lar elements 5, 9. Advantageously, the protruding engagement portion 14 can develop on the respective lateral surface 6, 10 of the first 5 and/or the second tubular element 9 as a circumference/ i.e. basically perpendicular to the respective main axis I ₁ 13 of said tu- bular elements 5, 9. As an alternative, the protruding engagement portion 14 can develop in a direction inclined with respect to the perpendicular direction of the main axis 7, 13 of the two elements 5, 9. As was already mentioned, a chimney 1 according to the invention can also include more than one protruding en-

gagement portion 14 for each tubular element 5, 9. In this case, the chimney 1 can comprise at least two protruding engagement portions 14 developing along the lateral surface 6, 10 of the first 5 and/or the second tu- bular element 9 along directions basically parallel to one another. As an alternative, the protruding engagement portions 14 can be associated to the first 5 or to the second tubular element 9 one after the other in the same direction. In a preferred embodiment of the chimney 1 -according to the invention, shown in the accompanying drawings, both the first tubular element 5, specifically the outer lateral surface 6a thereof, and the second element 9, specifically the inner lateral surface 10a thereof, are as- sociated to two engagement portions 14 parallel to one another, specifically arranged one below the other, developing as a circumference in a direction basically perpendicular to the main axes 7, 13 thereof. If the lateral surface 6, 10 of the first 6 and/or the second tubular element 9 has a plurality of engagement portions 14 associated one after the other in the same direction, at least two engagement portions 14 adjacent to one another are spaced away so as to help condensate discharge outside the chimney 1. Advantageously, as can be inferred from Figure 1, the

first tubular element 5 has an inclined lower end 8 so as to adapt to the pitch of the cover 2 of the building, thus taking a basically vertical configuration when it is associated to said cover 2. Moreover, the first tubular element 5 is preferably welded onto the plate 3.

In particular, the plate 3, commonly known as weathering, is made of lead or copper. Conversely, the two tubular elements 5, 9 are in most cases made of copper, steel or painted metal sheet.

The described chimney 1 is assembled during installation on the cover 2 of the building. In particular, the plate 3 onto which the first tubular element 5 is welded is associated to the cover 2 of the building and, if neces- sary, at least partially covered with tiles. Then the second tubular element 9 is mounted onto the first tubular element 5, e.g. by skilled personnel in charge of the construction of the cover 2 itself. In an alternative structural configuration, not shown, the second tubular element 9 can be made up of two sub- portions, namely a lower tubular element apt to be coupled to the first tubular element 5, and an upper tubular element apt to discharge smoke coming from the discharge pipe of the building. In this case the lower and upper tubular elements can be advantageously jointed to

one another or associated by means of a connection sleeve, e.g. of retractable type.

The invention thus conceived is subject to, several changes and variants, all of which fall into the scope of the inventive idea.

In practice, any material or size can be used depending on the various needs.

Moreover, all details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements . The invention achieves important advantages.

Firstly, the described chimney enables a correct discharge of condensate building up due to the cooling of smoke coming from the discharge pipe of the building. This is advantageous both for chimney service life, since the chimney undergoes lower wear due for instance to rust or oxidation, and for the building since damages such as moisture stains can be avoided. Secondly, the disclosed chimney can be easily installed and associated to the cover of buildings and assembled also by low-skilled personnel.

Moreover, the coupling between the two tubular elements as described makes the chimney resistant to atmospheric agents (wind, snow etc.) but at the same time also easy to disassemble, e.g. for maintenance operations, though less subject to accidental disengagements thanks to the

type of coupling.

Finally, the possibility of reversibly assembling the chimney, in particular as far as the two tubular elements are concerned, leads to great logistic advantages. As a matter of fact, chimneys can be easily shipped by folding the plate so as to reduce the overall size thereof and by separating the two tubular elements since they are assembled only during installation on the roof.

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