Ventilation – Having inlet airway – Including specific air distributor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-18
2001-09-18
Lu, Jiping (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Having inlet airway
Including specific air distributor
C454S304000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290597
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to slot diffusers or air bars that control air flow from a ventilation system into a room and, in particular, to adjustable controller blades for controlling the flow of a jet stream of air into a room.
Slot type air diffusers are used in many different environments from controlling air flow from a heating and cooling ventilation system into a room. It is sometimes necessary to provide an air flow that is a “jet” of air from the diffuser and that flows generally straight through the diffuser so as to exit generally perpendicularly into the room relative to the face of the diffuser. Such streams of air provide substantial heating or cooling to a directed point in the room that is generally positioned directly in front of the diffuser.
When utilizing such diffusers, it is necessary to initially set the correct flow of air through the diffuser. For this purpose, control blades are provided that control the volume of air passing through the diffuser into the room and may also have some degree of control over the direction that the air flows. However, it is highly desirable to be able to fine-tune the air stream emanating from a diffuser of this type when the device is initially installed and to also be able to later adjust the air flow, should conditions within the room change. Consequently, it is desirable to have control blades which allow a user to very quickly and easily to modify the position of the blades within the diffuser.
Furthermore, it is desirable to have blades that resist movement caused by air passing through the diffuser. Movement of the blades produces noise, and reducing such movement reduces the noise produced by the ventilation system. Also, it is desirable to have blades that can be easily removed for repair or change-out to a different blade system should the requirement of the installation change substantially or should the diffuser be moved to a different location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An air diffuser includes a pair of parallel and spaced side rails joined by spaced bridges. Each of the bridges includes a slot that faces toward a companion bridge. Received in the bridge slots are a pair of air flow control blades. The air flow control blades include an elongate planar portion that extends between the bridges and a rod joined to one side of the planar portions. The rod extends beyond the planar portion to provide slot following pegs that are received by the bridge slots so as to allow the blades to slide along the bridge slots due to manual pressure to adjust the lateral position of the blades. The planar portion of the blade hangs vertically beneath the rod so as to be generally parallel to flow of air through the diffuser.
Attached to the blade opposite the rod is a flange or foot that extends outward perpendicular to the planar portion. The side rails of the diffuser also preferably include a side wall ending in a lower flange or lip that extends inwardly. Preferably, the inward facing surface of the side rail flange is sized and positioned such that the foot of a respective control blade rests on and slides along the surface as the blade is adjusted in position so as to stabilize the position of the blade against movement of air through the diffuser.
Preferably, the bridges are slidably supported by the side rails by feet received in side rail receivers. The blades may be rotated 90° for purposes of removal such that the planar portion of the blade is parallel with the slot and such that the rod is positioned to align with an opening in the rear of the slot. In this position the blade may be biased toward one or other bridges so that it moves toward the slot and the bridge may also move slightly as it is slidable along the rail due to pressure being applied to it. In this manner the blade moves sufficiently away from an opposed bridge to allow the blade to be removed for repair or replacement by a different type of blade.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the principle objects of the present invention are: to provide a slot air diffuser that provides a jet air flow from a heating and cooling ventilation system that includes vertically aligned air flow control blades that are laterally positionable upon installation or upon subsequent modification by simple manual manipulation to provide for different flow characteristics such as volume control and directional control; to provide such a diffuser wherein the control blades include a planar section joined to a rod extending beyond the planar section to form slot following pegs from which the planar section hangs; to provide such a diffuser wherein opposite ends of the control blades are slidably received in slots that allow the blades to be moved laterally; to provide such a diffuser wherein the control blades include a lower flange or foot for stabilizing the control blade against movement in the air stream passing through the diffuser; to provide such a diffuser wherein side rails are provided that support bridges and which include a lower flange that is sized and positioned to receive the foot of the control blade and to allow the control blade to slide therealong as the control blade is adjusted; to provide such a diffuser wherein the control blade can be readily removed for repair or replacement by other blades without disassembly of the entire diffuser and without removing the diffuser from surrounding structure; and to provide such a diffuser which is relatively easy to construct, simple to maintain, inexpensive to produce and especially well adapted for the intended usage thereof.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
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Cook Gerald
Jones Gordon G.
Air System Components L.P.
Litman Malcolm A.
Lu Jiping
Shughart Thomson & Kilroy P.C.
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