Ventilation – Vehicle – Having inlet airway
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-23
2001-09-25
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Vehicle
Having inlet airway
C055S491000, C055S505000, C454S158000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293860
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to air-cleaning devices for use in a motor-vehicle such as for a car, truck, or airplane; and in particular, to air-cleaning devices of a type adapted to clean the air fed through the passenger-compartment or cockpit thereof, via existing air-ducting aperture(s).
2. Description of the Prior-art
It is commonly accepted that motor-vehicle internal-combustion engines must have clean air to operate properly, essentially to avoid costly engine repairs. However, providing clean air for the human occupants of motor-vehicles has been largely ignored, except in a few expensive luxury motorcars. Presently therefore. the average motorist cannot attain the “luxury” of affording such pre-filtered passenger-compartment air; so are constantly exposed en masse to the road-vehicle exhaust-fumes (carbon particulates, carbon-monoxide, hydrocarbons, oxides of nitrogen), rubber-tire dust, and brake-lining fibers (including asbestos). Moreover, mildew and mold tend to cultivate on heat-exchangers of moist air-conditioners or warm heaters, resulting in moldy spores being blown into the passenger-compartment via air outlet-duct apertures. A resulting moldy odor is most noticeable immediately upon activating the heater or air-conditioner's blowers. In addition, the dust, allergens-pollen, and pollutants within the passenger-compartment also get stirred-up by air blown into the passenger-compartment, whereupon it becomes an accumulative process, particularly aggressive within the intimate confines of a passenger-compartment. Furthermore, this adverse situation actually contributes to motorists feeling overly tired and depleted after a long drive on crowded roadways, owing to inhalation of these adverse air contaminants. Hence, a system devised to ameliorate this condition would contribute to a motorist's feeling of well-being, and thus increase automobile safety.
In the past, practically all efforts to cleanse air being discharged into the passenger-compartment have been directed toward placing a filter within the air-inlet or ducting system thereto, as have been patented chronologically per the following:
By Helwit in U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,034(filed: July 1974), who shows a “filter attachment for automobile passenger-compartment air-intake”; which is essentially a cowl-intake situated OEM (original equipment manufacture) type arrangement, wherein a laminated porous-fullflow paper-filter is interspersed with activated charcoal. Therefore, the filter is positionally incapable of filtering-out contaminants within the ducting-system, nor can it filter-out contaminants recirculating within the vehicle's interior.
By Bach in French Pat.#2,636,013(filed: February 1989), who shows both a screw-on and a tapered universally fitting dust-filter cartridge, either to be adapted to the passenger-compartment air-induction inlet of a vehicle; therefore still not addressing the need to filter the contaminants prevailing within the existing ducting passageways.
By Arold in U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,356(filed: July 1991, to Mercedes-Benz), who shows a “passenger-compartment air-filter”; which is made to install within an air-duct serving to draw-in stale-air from the passenger-compartment for recirculation, so as to treat secondary conditions of the air prior to it's being reintroduced into the passenger-compartment air/re-entry ducts. However, the system is not retrofitable to aftermarket installation, nor is it ideally situated at the final outlet stage of the air-ducting system.
By Kowalczyk in U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,346(filed: July 1992), who shows an “air-purifier pleated-filter to stop pollution for passengers inside of a motor-vehicle”; which is again designed to provide a replaceable filtering media staged deep within the ducting-system.
By Gould in U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,444(filed: April 1993), who shows a “filtered air-intake for a passenger-vehicle”; wherein an air-inlet and filtering-apparatus for the passenger-compartment is located at the cowl area beneath the hood, so cannot actually filter-out those contaminants prevailing within the ducting-system where it enters the cabin.
By Chiba in U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,620(filed: August 1993), who shows a “device for cleaning surrounding-air fed into passenger-compartment of a motor-vehicle”; wherein an air-inlet and filtering-apparatus for the passenger-compartment is located at the cowl area beneath the hood, so like the previous example does not actually filter-out those contaminants found within the ducting-system where it enters the cabin.
By Hein in German Pat.#4,303,693(filed: September 1993), who shows an electrostatic-cleaning device, with an air-filtering element again adapted to fit at the air-inlet stage, not at the air-outlet stage of the air-ducting system.
The preceding filtering apparatus also have the disadvantage of requiring OEM (Original Equip. Mfg.) modification to the vehicle structure; hence, are not really adaptable for retrofitting of an existing operating vehicle. In addition, the prior-art filtering described cannot effectively capture the mildew and mold tending to fester upon the heat-exchangers of moist air-conditioners or warm-air blown into the passenger-compartment via air outlet-ducts.
Therefore, in full consideration of the preceding patent review, there is determined a need for an improved form of device to which these patents have been largely addressed. The instant inventor hereof believes their newly improved passenger-air filtering device, commercially referred to as the “KLEENAIR”™, currently being developed for production under auspices of the Kim-Mfg./Mkt.Co., exhibits certain advantages as shall be revealed in the subsequent portion of this instant disclosure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing discussion about the earlier invention art, it is therefore important to make it pellucid to others interested in the art that the object of this invention is to provide a passenger-compartment air-cleaning device that can be easily retrofitted into existing motor-vehicles without involving some major form of modification to the vehicle. This device is capable of substantially removing dust fungus-spores, allergens, and odors, known to arise from the ventilation-ducts and integrally-formed heat-exchangers of air-conditioning or heating units, as the air is blown into the passenger-compartment.
It is another object of this invention disclosure to set forth a passenger-compartment air-cleaning device wherein the under-hood to cowling manner of location is understood to be inherently plagued by the adverse contaminant problem identified previously, wherein no manner of air-filtration arranged at the inleting of the system ducting can actually effectively deal with contamination downwind therefrom. Accordingly, this disclosure treats the problem by via an opposite arrangement, whereby the novel solution is an air-filtration appliance applied at the final air-discharge location, so as to engage the air-borne contaminants just as they escape into the passenger-compartment. Owing to the different structural configurations of existing ventilation-system air-discharge baffles, several generic-variants are explored. The effectiveness of the new air-filtration location is such that the user can if desired, actually remove the original OEM air-filtration unit, however it is believed that the combination of installing a clean OEM air-filter unit, plus installation of this new air-filtration at the final air-discharge outlet, will provide the ultimate in breathing protection to the motorist.
It is a further object of this invention disclosure to set forth a passenger-compartment air-cleaning appliance, which treats the air as it instantly enters the passenger-compartment cabin confines; and, for this reason, is considered even more likely to be properly serviced periodically as air-borne contaminants eventually clog effectiveness of the filtering unit. Owing to the more conveniently accessible location of my new airfilter, it become
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Joyce Harold
LandOfFree
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