Ventilation – Having inlet airway – Sleeved vent for ceiling – wall – or floor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-17
2002-04-16
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Having inlet airway
Sleeved vent for ceiling, wall, or floor
C055S385200, C055S506000, C109S00100R
Reexamination Certificate
active
06371846
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to air vents for use in providing ventilation to and from an enclosed region within a building, such as, for example, a room, closet, office, restroom or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an air vent for use in providing ventilation to and from an enclosed region within a building, such as, for example, a room, closet, office, restroom or the like, wherein the air vent prevents access to an area exterior to the enclosed region therethrough. The present invention also relates to methods for providing ventilation to and from an enclosed region within a secure facility, such as for providing ventilation to and from an inmate cell within a prison. More particularly, the present invention is for a method for providing ventilation to and from an enclosed region within a secure facility, wherein air being ventilated thereby is filtered by a secure filter unit located near the enclosed region.
2. Description of the Related Art
Office buildings, commercial establishments, industrial plants, educational institutions, residential homes and the like, typically include a plurality of enclosed regions, such as, for example, rooms, closets, offices, restrooms or the like, defined therein for occupancy by office personnel, customers, employees, students, residents or the like. The building and the enclosed regions each require ventilation and exchange of the stale air contained therein with the fresh air exterior to the building existing in the surrounding ambient. Typically, return air, that is, air being removed from the enclosed regions and expelled from the building into the ambient, is pumped from within the enclosed regions and out of the building by a heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (“HVAC”) system which typically comprises a series of large fans and a network of inter-connected air ducts connecting the respective enclosed regions of the building to the exterior of the building. With respect to any one enclosed region, the HVAC system can been seen to comprise a supply side and a return side, each side respectively having a fan and a duct which permits air-flow communication between the enclosed region and the ambient.
The supply side typically includes a supply fan which draws fresh air in from the ambient through an intake duct which is open at an inlet end thereof to the outside of the building. Fresh air drawn in through the intake duct is typically not filtered at the intake, except for a screen which is oftentimes provided over the intake inlet end to prevent large debris and wild animals from entering the supply side. The supply side fan pumps the fresh air through a supply side duct to the enclosed region, and then thereinto, through a supply side vent mounted in a wall of the enclosed region. The supply side vent is typically attached to an outlet end of the supply side duct and may include a particulate filter, for example, a high-efficiency particulate arrester (“HEPA”) which is typically used to prevent very small particles from entering a so-called “clean room” enclosed region.
The return side typically includes a return side fan, which is oftentimes physically located near the supply side fan, and which draws stale air from the enclosed region, through a return side vent mounted to the side wall of the enclosed region and attached to an inlet end of a return side duct. The stale air is pumped by the return side fan through the return side duct and expelled into the ambient through a discharge duct which is open at an outlet end thereof to the outside of the building. The stale air is typically filtered at the outlet end of the discharge duct to prevent the discharge of air-born particles such as dust, debris, smoke, moisture, human perspiration and the like, into the ambient.
Further, the return air is typically not filtered at the respective inlet ends of the return air ducts, which respectively communicate with the numerous enclosed regions. Because the return air is not filtered prior to entry thereof into the return air duct network, air-born material is permitted to accumulate within the air duct network at various locations throughout, thereby increasing the risk of a so-called “duct fires” therein, as well as decreasing the overall operating efficiency of the HVAC system. It is therefore desirable to provide a method for ventilating an enclosed region within a building, and to provide a system and apparatus used therefor. It is also desirable to provide an air vent for use with an HVAC system of a building. It is also desirable to provide an air vent for use with an HVAC system of a building, wherein the air vent removably receives a filter therein for use in removing air-born particles therefrom. It is furthermore desirable to provide an air vent for use with an HVAC system of a building, wherein the air vent removably receives a filter therein for use in removing air-born particles therefrom, and wherein the air vent is provided at an inlet end of a return air duct.
Similarly, penal institutions, mental hospitals and other secure facilities require ventilation and exchange of the air contained therein, and of the air contained within the cells, rooms and other confined areas therein, with the air exterior thereto existing in the surrounding ambient. However, unlike a non-secure facility, such as an office building, residential home or educational institution, a secure facility must not present an opportunity for a confined individual to escape therefrom, such as, for example, through the HVAC system, or present an opportunity for the confined individual to insert an article of contraband therein, such as, for example, a weapon, drug paraphernalia or the like. Thus, the respective outlet ends of the supply side ducts and the inlet ends of the return air ducts are oftentimes integrally formed with the wall portions which define the respective enclosed regions. A removable air vent is not typically provided at the inlet ends of the return air ducts connected to the wall portions of a secure facility, as this may present an opportunity for a confined individual to remove same and escape from the secure facility or to insert contraband therein. Rather, the wall portion is typically provided with a security screen having a plurality of apertures therethrough through which air from the enclosed region may pass into the return air duct network.
Because the supply side vent, the return side vent and security screen are each typically integrally-formed with the side wall of the enclosed region, access to the supply side duct and to the return side duct from within the enclosed region is prevented thereby. However, because access to the supply side duct and to the return side duct is prevented, neither fresh air entering the enclosed region nor stale air being removed from the enclosed region can be filtered prior to entering or leaving the supply side duct or the return side duct, respectively, as a filter positioned within either the supply side vent or within the return side vent may not be removed and replaced when soiled, if necessary. With respect to the fresh air entering the enclosed region by the supply side vent, the fresh air may be filtered either at the intake or within the supply side air handling unit without any significant negative impact on the quality of the fresh air being discharged into the enclosed region. However, with respect to the stale air being removed from the enclosed region, not filtering the stale air prior to its entering the return side duct oftentimes results in air-born particles, such as dust, debris, smoke, moisture, human perspiration and the like passing through the return side duct and accumulating on the interior surfaces of the return duct, thereby increasing the risk of so-called “duct fires” therein due to the ignition of the accumulated air-born material, as well as decreasing the overall operating efficiency of the HVAC system. It has been further observed that air-born material also accumulates
Powell Robert A.
Stephens Richard W.
Joyce Harold
Security Products, Inc.
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