Integral type air conditioner

Details Integral type air conditioner Integral type air conditioner

2000-05-05

2001-09-18

Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)

Refrigeration

Structural installation

Window connected or mounted

C062S263000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06289687

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integral type air conditioner constituted of an outer case, a main unit and a front panel, and particularly to improvements in the installation structure of such an integral type air conditioner.
2. Description of the Background Art
A conventional installation structure of an integral type air conditioner is described in conjunction with FIG.
14
. The integral type air conditioner is formed of an outer case
1
, a main unit
3
and a front panel
6
. Outer case
1
is fit in an opening of a wall
2
and screwed thereto. Main unit
3
is then slid into outer case
1
and attached thereto with screws inserted from the outside of the outer case through the side faces of the case.
Specifically, outer case
1
is first set in the opening of wall
2
and then fixed to the sides and bottom of the opening by using fixing screws
21
, and thereafter main unit
3
is slid into outer case
1
. After this, screws
24
are inserted into holes
22
and
23
in both side faces of outer case
1
to firmly attach outer case
1
and main unit
3
to each other. Front panel
6
is finally fit on main unit
3
and outer case
1
and the installation work is thus completed.
Hole
22
is usually located in front of wall
2
, i.e., inside the room and screw
24
is inserted therein to attach outer case
1
and main unit
3
to each other. If the air conditioner is mounted on a flat ground, hole
23
can additionally be used to similarly insert screw
24
therein so as to fix outer case
1
and main unit
3
to each other.
However, if the air conditioner is installed in a room on a high floor, the space for the installation work is separated by wall
2
so that hole
23
could be unavailable to receive screw
24
inserted therein after outer case
1
is fit in the opening of wall
2
. Further, depending on the position where outer case
1
is fixed, hole
22
could be hidden in the opening of wall
2
and consequently screw
24
could not be inserted into hole
22
. Moreover, if wall
2
is thick and main unit
3
needs to be inserted deep into the outer case in order to prevent an intake opening outside the room from being hidden by the wall, hole
22
could be hidden in the opening of wall
2
. Even if the wall is thin, when front panel
6
and the wall surface are positioned on the same plane for presenting a good appearance, hole
22
could be hidden in the opening of wall
2
. In these cases, it is impossible to insert screws
24
into both holes
22
and
23
and accordingly the installation is completed leaving outer case
1
and main unit
3
unfixed. Even if screwing is possible, the installation is sometimes completed without screwing.
When the conventional installation structure of the integral type air conditioner is employed, outer case
1
and main unit
3
could not be fastened to each other with screws inserted into both holes
22
and
23
or installation could be completed without screwing as described above. As a result, main unit
3
could be pushed out toward the inside of the room from the outside and the resultant opening could be utilized for breaking into the room unlawfully.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is devised to solve the problems above of the conventional structure. One object of the present invention is to provide an integral type air conditioner having a main unit which can be fixed at its front face inside the room to ensure that the main unit can be fastened in any installation condition, and which can easily be fixed without a special tool.
Considering the problems of the conventional structure in which the main unit and the outer case are fixed by screws inserted from the outside of the case into holes in the side faces thereof, the present invention is made to provide fastening means for fastening a main unit and an outer case to each other at a position which can be handled inside the room.
Specifically, an integral type air conditioner according to the present invention is installed by sliding a main unit into an outer case attached in an opening of a wall, the air conditioner having fastening means for securely coupling the slid-in main unit and the outer case to each other at a position which can be managed inside the room in order to prevent the main unit slid into the outer case from being pushed out into the room.
Various structures are employable as the fastening means for securely coupling the main unit and the outer case to each other at a position which can be handled inside the room. One exemplary means is a structure formed of a combination of a slit-shaped rectangular hole in the bottom of the outer case and a fixed angle having a hook-shaped bottom which is inserted into the rectangular hole and then slid therein to engage with the outer case and having an upright portion placed along the front face of the main unit.
The fixed angle is engaged with the outer case by its hook-shaped bottom portion and accordingly the main unit is prevented from separating from the outer case toward the front. Since the fixed angle is engaged with the outer case and the upright portion thereof fits along the front face of the main unit, even when the main unit is pushed from the outside toward the inside of the room, the upright portion functions as a stopper for preventing movement of the main unit.
The fixed angle is engaged with the outer case by inserting and then sliding its hook-shaped bottom in the rectangular hole in the bottom of the outer case. In order to prevent the fixed angle from inversely sliding to separate from the outer case or to prevent the fixed angle from becoming unstable and wobbling, preferably a substantially U-shaped elastic clip is used to hold therein the upright portion of the fixed angle and the front wall of the main unit, or preferably a wing bolt is used to fasten the upright portion of the fixed angle to the front wall of the main unit. In this way, it is possible to prevent the wobbling of the fixed angle as well as the reverse sliding thereof to separate from the rectangular hole of the outer case.
Another exemplary fastening means is a structure formed of a fixed plate attached to the bottom of the outer case and a movable plate rising along the front face of the main unit. The fixed plate has a blocking wall for preventing the raised and upright movable plate from inclining forward. The movable plate is slidable with respect to the fixed plate and allowed to incline forward when it is slid to separate from the blocking wall.
Specifically, the movable plate is coupled to the fixed plated attached to the bottom of the outer case such that the former can rise, incline and slide with respect to the latter, in order to prevent the main unit from moving. The blocking wall is provided to the fixed plate for preventing the movable plate rising along the front face of the main unit from tilting forward. The movable plate is slid away from the blocking wall and inclined forward in order to incorporate the main unit into the outer case, and thereafter the movable plate is raised to fit along the front face of the main unit and slid back to the position where the movable plate is supported by the blocking wall. Accordingly, the movable plate prevents the main unit from moving toward the inside of the room or being pushed out from the outside of the room.
The movable plate may have a spring force to keep itself upright at the position where it is slid and supported by the blocking wall. When the main unit is installed, the movable plate is slid away from the blocking wall and inclined forward against the spring force. After the main unit is slid into the outer case, the movable plate is raised to fit along the front face of the main unit. Then, the movable plate automatically slides back to the position where the upright movable plate is supported by the blocking wall.
Still another exemplary fastening means is a structure formed of a lock button provided at the bottom plate of the main unit, which can project upward and downward f

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