Supports – With means to facilitate installation – repair – or...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-21
2002-03-12
Braun, Leslie A. (Department: 3632)
Supports
With means to facilitate installation, repair, or...
C248S674000, C062S262000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06354555
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a unit installation tool for installing a unit (such as an air conditioner) to a vertical surface (such as a wall).
BACKGROUND ART
As shown in
FIG. 8
, an outdoor unit
51
of an individual type air conditioner accommodates many component devices, i.e. a heavy compressor
53
and other components in a box
52
. Thus is done in order to decrease the number of components of the indoor unit (not shown) and to reduce the indoor units weight and size. Accordingly, the outdoor unit
51
is heavier than the indoor unit, and hence generally it is installed on a bench placed on the ground, verandah or roof, by making use of mounting bases
54
attached to the bottom. The mounting base
54
has a mounting hole
54
a
to the bench, and is bolted firmly. Depending on the case, however, if there is no space for placing the bench, the outdoor unit
51
is installed on the wall surface.
In such installation, hitherto, a stand
56
having a mounting part
55
to be mounted on the wall as shown in
FIG. 8
is used.
However, in such a conventional method of installation, the stand
56
has mounting holes
56
a
corresponding to mounting holes
54
a
of the mounting bases
54
of the outdoor unit
51
, and corresponding bolts
58
passing in them and nuts
59
to be engaged with these bolts
58
are tightened to provide support. Such a job is done, however, on an elevated place, and the mounting holes
54
a at the heavy outdoor unit
51
side are desirably precisely aligned to the mounting holes
56
a
of the stand
56
. Accordingly, this job is accompanied by heavy labor and is slow in progress. Or, when installing the outdoor unit
51
on a place remote from the ground, such as the wall of a high-rise building, a scaffold must be erected prior to installation, or the outdoor unit
51
must be lifted and suspended by a rope or the like, while such complicated job is done, which required much labor. If, by stretching out hands from the window, if the stand
56
can be mounted on the wall of the building beneath the window, since the installation job of the outdoor unit
51
on the stand
56
is mainly done in the bottom of the outdoor unit
51
, the worker must go out of the window to reach beneath or ahead of the outdoor unit
51
.
In order to do the installation job from within the window A, as shown in
FIG. 5
to
FIG. 7
, it may be considered to use a hooking tool
42
having a mounting part
43
to the window opening B and a holding part
44
of the outdoor unit
41
extended laterally. That is, by mounting this hooking tool
42
on the window opening B by using bolts
49
, in the holding part
44
of the hooking tool
42
, an engaging part
46
provided in the upper part of the back side of the outdoor unit
41
is engaged from above to support it from beneath, and a rubber spacer
47
preliminarily adjusted in length in the longitudinal direction provided in the lower part of the back side
21
of the outdoor unit
41
in order to absorb vibration is fitted to the wall C to be stabilized. In such constitution, the installation is easy, and also by the vibration absorbing performance of the spacer
47
on the wall C, transmission of vibration of the outdoor unit
41
to the wall can be suppressed. Moreover, by mutually coupling tightening parts
45
provided at right and left sides of the holding part
44
, and a tightening part
48
of the outdoor unit
41
side corresponding to the tightening parts
45
with bolts
50
, it may be considered to install so that the engaging part
46
of the outdoor unit
41
may not be detached from the holding part
44
.
However, when connecting the piping or wiring with the indoor unit after installing the outdoor unit
41
on the wall, depending on the place of installing the outdoor unit
41
, if it is necessary to distribute the conduit (e.g. wiring or piping) to the right and left side of the outdoor unit
41
, with this hooking tool
42
, since the outdoor unit
41
is merely installed on the wall C, the piping or wiring is exposed above or beneath the outdoor unit
41
. Therefore, it is exposed to rain and wind, and the appearance is spoiled.
Or, when using the hooking tool
42
, during long-time use, the rubber-made spacer
47
deteriorates or deforms, and the action of suppressing transmission of vibration of the outdoor unit
41
to the wall C is lowered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an outdoor unit installation tool for installing a unit such as a separate type air conditioner on a vertical member. An exemplary application is installing an outdoor unit of an individual air conditioner on a wall. The tool comprises a yoke fitted to the wall with bolts, and a support part extended forward from the yoke, for mounting the upper part of the back side of the outdoor unit on its leading end, in which the mounted outdoor unit is supported at an upward position by a specified extent from the support part, and a wiring and/or piping space is formed on the support part between the supported outdoor unit and the yoke or the wall on which it is mounted.
By first fitting this installation tool to a specified position of the wall at the yoke by using bolts, and then supporting the mounting part at the back side of the outdoor unit at the support part, the outdoor unit can be easily installed on a specified position of the wall. Later, if necessary to distribute the piping or conduit (e.g. wiring) to the right and left side of the outdoor unit, without exposing the piping or wiring above or beneath the outdoor unit in the appearance from the front side, it can be distributed in the piping and/or wiring space behind the outdoor unit. As a result, exposure of piping or wiring to rain and wind is lessened, and the appearance is improved.
In the constitution combined with a ceiling plate for covering the upper part of the piping and/or wiring space, since the range within the piping or wiring space is covered, exposure of piping or wiring to rain and wind is lessened more effectively, and the appearance from above is further improved.
In the constitution of using the ceiling plate which also covers above the outdoor unit, without increasing the number of parts or number of steps, the same effect and action as above are obtained.
In the constitution of disposing a recess for forming a space against the wall at the back side of the bolting portion of the yoke, the yoke is fitted to the wall with an elastic pressing force having a necessary pressing force by bolting and a low elasticity in the space formed against the wall. Accordingly, without using a rubber spacer, transmission of vibration of the outer unit supported on the support part to the indoor side through the wall can be reduced. Further, as compared with the use of rubber spacer or the like, this effect can be maintained for a longer period.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1007138 (1911-10-01), Peirce
patent: 3491549 (1970-01-01), Oglesby
patent: 3554476 (1971-01-01), Gaylor, Jr.
patent: 4056250 (1977-11-01), Uchiyama
patent: 4097012 (1978-06-01), McIntyre
patent: 5582025 (1996-12-01), Dubin et al.
patent: 5640301 (1997-06-01), Roecker et al.
patent: 6145334 (2000-11-01), Mochizuki et al.
patent: S54-163049 (1978-05-01), None
patent: 58-119166 (1983-08-01), None
patent: 63-185026 (1988-11-01), None
Hatano Koji
Nakanuma Mitsuo
Nishizuka Toshiharu
Baxter Gwendolyn
Braun Leslie A.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Ratner & Prestia P.C.
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