Refrigeration – Structural installation – Window connected or mounted
Patent
1998-07-13
1999-12-28
Bennett, Henry
Refrigeration
Structural installation
Window connected or mounted
454201, F25B 2312
Patent
active
060065346
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed to a air conditioner, and more particularly to an indoor grille for an air conditioner and a method for mounting such grille.
BACKGROUND ART
Room type air conditioners typically have an indoor section and an outdoor section. The indoor section is responsible for cooling and dehumidifying the indoor room air while the outdoor section is responsible for exhausting heat into the outdoor environment. The indoor and outdoor sections each have a heat exchanger coil and a fan, and each has a return air opening and a discharge opening. A grille structure is normally installed over each section to prevent the entry of foreign objects, while allowing the free flow of air to and from the sections, as well as for aesthetic considerations. Typically, screws, clip or similar fasteners are used to attach the grille to the housing for the indoor section. However, such construction which requires separate fastener parts makes construction of the unit somewhat more difficult and requires undesirable process steps and additional parts inventory. Additional parts also add cost and time to repair or maintenance procedures and necessitate additional supply and inventory accounting.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,500 entitled "Grille Mounting For A Room Air Conditioner" describes an improved grille arrangement for an air conditioner window unit. In the '500 patent, a one piece molded plastic grille is shown and described with recesses on the grille that engage flanges on the main air conditioner housing to permit the grille to be installed without separate fasteners. The grille may also readily be removed without use of a tool or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,842 entitled "Grille Mount For A Room Air Conditioner" discloses a unitary molded grille cover for the indoor side of a window type air conditioner. The grille cover is installed without tools or fasteners. A transverse flange on the grille cover top wall is positioned into a groove or slot on a discharge deck of the air conditioner, and the grille cover is snapped into place with the bottom wall thereof extending beneath the base pan of the unit. Bosses on the base pan project into corresponding holes in the grille cover bottom wall to retain the grille cover in place.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
A grille for the evaporator section of an air conditioning system, which extends into a room to be cooled and has an air intake and an air discharge opening. Structure for attaching the grille to the indoor section includes a substantially planar element having vents formed therein for conducting the flow of air to the air intake opening and from the air discharge opening. A skirt element is attached to and extends rearwardly from the edges of the front element on at least two opposite sides thereof to extend in confronting relation to at least two sides of the indoor section. Each of the two skirt elements has at least one transversely extending raised portion formed therein. One of said at least two opposite sides of the indoor section have a transversely extending recess formed therein at a position corresponding to the raised section on one of the skirt elements when the grille structure is in place. The other of the at least two sides of the indoor section has a flexible latch structure therein at a position corresponding to the raised section on the other of the skirt elements when the grille structure is in place. The raised elements are engageable in the recesses when the flexible element flexes to engages it corresponding raised section to thereby maintain the skirt elements and the attached front section in its installed position. The flexible latch element is inside the skirt section and must be released by a tool element passing through the wall to remove the grille.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention may be better understood and its objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a room air conditioner w
REFERENCES:
patent: 3592123 (1971-07-01), Henken et al.
patent: 4325594 (1982-04-01), Lang et al.
patent: 4607500 (1986-08-01), Bolton et al.
patent: 5203400 (1993-04-01), Tsunekawa et al.
patent: 5251461 (1993-10-01), Fallows, III et al.
patent: 5315842 (1994-05-01), Bolton et al.
Bennett Henry
Carrier Corporation
Jones Melvin
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