Sekisui House has filed a patent for a building design that includes a flashing system at the boundary between the roof and outer wall. The flashing system consists of an attachment along the outer wall, a guide on the roof, and a water draining portion that intersects the attachment and guide. This design aims to improve water drainage and prevent leaks in buildings. GlobalData’s report on Sekisui House gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Sekisui House, structure Building Framework was a key innovation area identified from patents. Sekisui House's grant share as of September 2023 was 9%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
A building with a flashing at the roof-wall boundary
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230287685A1) describes a new design for a building with improved water drainage capabilities. The building includes an outer wall and a roof that is inclined with respect to the ground. At the boundary between the roof and the outer wall, a flashing is installed to prevent water from seeping into the building.
The flashing consists of three main components: an attachment that extends along the outer wall, a guide connected to the attachment and arranged on the roof, and a water draining portion that intersects the attachment and the guide. This design ensures that any water that comes into contact with the flashing is directed away from the building, preventing potential water damage.
In a specific embodiment of the invention, the outer wall of the building includes a wall body and an exterior panel spaced apart from the wall body by a gap. The attachment of the flashing is attached to the wall body, while the guide includes an inner guide arranged below the lower end face of the exterior panel and an outer guide arranged outside of the exterior panel. The inner guide is positioned to create a gap between itself and the lower end face of the exterior panel.
To further enhance water drainage, the water draining portion of the flashing includes a barrier that connects to the lower end of the attachment and the lower end of the inner guide. This barrier is located in the gap between the wall body and the exterior panel. Additionally, an extension barrier is included in the water draining portion, extending from the barrier and overlapping with the end face or cross-section of the exterior panel.
The exterior panel itself features a notch where the extension barrier is arranged, and the extension barrier includes a seal that helps to seal the notch. Importantly, the water draining portion and the notch are positioned closer to the ridge of the roof than to the lower end of the outer guide.
In another embodiment, the outer guide of the flashing includes a main guide connected to the inner guide and an extension guide that extends downward from the main guide. The extension guide includes a guide side portion that extends along the gap below the exterior panel.
Overall, this patent presents a novel design for a building with an improved flashing system that effectively directs water away from the building, reducing the risk of water damage.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
