Ventilation – Having inlet airway – Including specific air distributor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-18
2001-09-18
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Having inlet airway
Including specific air distributor
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290598
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to slot air diffusers or air bars that control air flow from a ventilation system into a room and, in particular, to an air diffuser that includes sets of different types of air flow control blades that are interchangeable after the diffuser is assembled without disassembly of the diffuser and, especially, wherein the blades are interchangeable after installation in an architectural environment without disassembly of the diffuser or the surrounding room structure.
Slot type air diffusers are used in many different environments for controlling air flow into a room from a heating and cooling ventilation system. Sometimes the particular requirements for air flow into a room require that the air flow be a jet type flow that has a relatively high velocity and projects substantially directly out of the diffuser and generally perpendicularly with respect to the surface upon which the diffuser is mounted. Other situations require that the air be diverted to one side or the other of the diffuser or may require that the air be directed to both sides of the diffuser. Also, it may become desirable to modify the volume of air flow between full flow of air through the diffuser and a dampened air flow. Often, the architect or engineer designing the facility determines what type of air flow will be necessary for a particular diffuser and a diffuser is designed to provide that flow. In some instances the installer may make the determination as to what will work best at the time of installation.
The present invention is especially useful where it is necessary for the installer to make the decision as to what to install at the site or where a change must be made to an already assembled unit. That is, the present invention provides sets of different types of air control blades that allow for different types of air flows, for example, a jet stream or alternatively a more diffuse and side directed flow of air, depending upon the particular requirements at hand.
Furthermore, it is often necessary to either repair the diffuser or to modify a diffuser from one type of air flow to another after installation of the diffuser, when the heat and cooling loads surrounding the diffuser have changed or personnel locations have changed. Also, it is advantageous to provide a diffuser that has easily changeable blades that can be interchanged at a warehouse or distribution point, so that if the seller or distributor is out of a diffuser in a particular configuration, then persons at the warehouse can easily convert the diffuser to a different configuration without a substantial amount of work.
Therefore, it is desirable to have a diffuser for which different sets of blades are available, wherein at least one set of the blades allows for substantial directional control of the air flow to the side and another set of blades allows for a jet air flow from the diffuser. Also, it is important that the blades be easily removable once the diffuser has been installed in the ceiling, wall or the like, without disassembly of the diffuser or the structure in which it is installed. That is, the blades should be capable of being easily removed by manual manipulation with or without help of a simple tool to help urge the blades to one side of the diffuser for removal purposes. To allow easy removal, the diffuser must include a bridge that will support the blades in such a manner that the blades may be moved relative to the bridge from a support configuration to a removal configuration in an easy and simple manner, while the bridge remains supported by the remainder of the diffuser.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A slot air diffuser is provided that includes a pair of spaced and parallel side rails that are joined therealong by at least one pair of bridges. The bridges are mounted so as to be securely held and supported by the side rails, but slidable along the length of the rails. Each of the bridges also includes a blade receiving slot and a blade biasing spring mounted near a rear of the slot of each bridge.
The diffuser further includes at least one control blade. Preferably, there are at least two different alternative and interchangeable sets of pairs of air control blades associated with the diffuser. Although in accordance with the invention multiple different types of air control blades can be used in an overall single diffuser configuration having multiple air diffusion slots, normally only one type of the blades is used at a time between each pair of adjacent bridges. The blades mount in the slots of the bridges and extend between the bridges during use. The slot of each bridge is elongate and extends laterally between the side rails to allow the blades to be laterally positionally adjusted therealong.
A first set of the blades includes an air direction and volume control blade having a substantially planar portion that is attached along an edge thereof to an elongate rod of somewhat larger diameter that extends beyond the planar portion so as to form slot following pegs at opposite ends of the blade. Both of the pegs of the planar portion of the first type of blade are received in and supported by the respective bridge slots such that the first type of blade is normally positioned to extend side to side or perpendicularly with respect to the flow of air through the diffuser. The first type of blades are normally used in pairs that at least partially overlap each other and are slidable back and forth in the bridge slot, from side to side both as an overlapped pair or individually to increase or decrease the overlap between the blades. The blades in this way may be selectively overlapped or spread relative to one another so as to decrease, or alternatively, increase the aggregate spacing between the blades and both of the side rails. In this manner air flow volume and the outflowing air directional distribution pattern can both be controlled by adjustment of such blades in the diffuser.
The side rails also include a lower flange that extends perpendicular to a side wall of a respective side rail and inwardly toward a flange of the opposite side rail. The first blades work in cooperation with the side rail, side wall and flange to direct air flow as air exits the diffuser to one side of the diffuser, to the opposite side of the diffuser or alternatively to a pattern that is somewhere in between. The first type of the blades function to control both volume of air passing through the diffuser and direction of air emanating from the diffuser.
The second set of blades also includes a planar portion that has on the one side thereof, a rod that extends beyond the planar portion and which is received in the slots. However, in the second set of blades the planar portion hangs generally parallel to the flow of air through the diffuser and more particularly down from the rod supporting the blade so as not to be received in the bridge slots during operation, although pegs on the ends of the rods are supported by and slide along the bridge slots to allow lateral adjustment. Attached to the edge of the planar portion of each of the second blades opposite the rod is a foot that extends perpendicularly from the planar portion. The foot is received on an associated side rail flange in such a manner as to cooperate in stabilizing the blade while air passes the blade. The second set of blades is especially well adapted for providing a jet flow of air through the diffuser. All of the blades are adjustable by lateral movement of each blade along the bridge slots, normally by manual manipulation.
The diffuser is normally installed with either the first set of blades or the second set of blades; however, there may be multiple air slots, each requiring a set of blades which may be the same or different, as required by the environment. If it is later determined that a different set of blades is required because of a change in the surrounding environment or the like, each blade of an installed set of blades is individually biased to one side so as to be urged deeper into the bridge slot
Cook Gerald
Jones Gordon G.
Air System Components LP
Boles Derek S.
Joyce Harold
Shughart Thomson & Kilroy P.C.
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