Refrigeration – Structural installation – Window connected or mounted
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-17
2001-08-28
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Structural installation
Window connected or mounted
C062S298000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279339
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to air conditioners and, more particularly, to a protective grille for the condenser coil of an air conditioner.
Air conditioning units such as so called “window room air conditioners” are commonly used for residential and similar applications and generally include closed refrigeration circuits having an evaporator and a condenser. The unit is normally divided by a partition into an evaporator section and a condenser section. The evaporator section communicates with the room air to be conditioned and the condenser section communicates with external air such as outdoor air. Refrigerant flows through a refrigerant circuit absorbing heat from room air at the evaporator and discharging heat energy to the external air at the condenser. The conventional refrigerated circuit is completed by the addition of a compressor, an expansion device and the appropriate interconnections between the components.
Such an air conditioning unit usually includes a basepan supporting all of the components and an outer housing surrounding the entire unit. The front of the evaporator, or indoor section, includes an indoor grille, which has openings therein for directing warm indoor air into the evaporator and discharge openings therein for directing air back into the room. The outdoor section of the housing includes a plurality of openings in the sides and top thereof, which serve as inlet openings for cooling air which flows into the outdoor section and outwardly therefrom after passing through the condenser coil, which is mounted vertically in the back of the outdoor section.
Because the condenser coil includes a multitude of fragile heat exchange fins thereon, protective louvers or a grille of some sort is commonly provided to overlie the back of the condenser coil to protect the fins from damage. It is common practice in larger air conditioning units for the back of the housing of the unit to be substantially open and for the protective grille to be formed from a plurality of perpendicularly extending wire segments, which are welded to wall sections forming the perimeter of the back of the housing. Such grilles must be welded to the housing prior to applying the finished paint coat to the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,505, “Snap-in Grille For An Air Conditioner Housing”, is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and relates to a flexible protective grille having spaced edges which include outward extensions, which are adapted to be received in conformations formed in the air conditioner housing. While the design of the '505 patent provides a simple snap-in installation, it still requires welding of the various components of the grille as well as metal forming of the conformations adapted to receive the attaching portions of the grille.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An air conditioning unit is provided, which includes an outdoor section which has a condenser coil mounted therein and an outer protective housing at least partially enclosing the outdoor section. The housing has a substantially rectangular opening therein in overlying relation with the condenser coil. The opening is defined by four coplanar wall sections of given thickness. Each wall section has an edge thereof, which cooperates with the edges of the other wall sections to define the perimeter of the opening. A one-piece molded plastic grille is configured to substantially cover the opening. The grille includes an outer framework sized to be substantially contiguous with the perimeter of the rectangular opening. The outer framework is defined by upper, lower and left and right frame members, which are interconnected at the ends thereof to define the outer framework. A plurality of inclined horizontal louvers extend between the left and right frame members. Grille positioning and retaining structure are integrally formed with each of the frame members. Each of the positioning and retaining structures includes a first portion extending outwardly from its respective frame member in overlying relationship with one of the coplanar wall sections, and a second portion extending outwardly from its respective frame member in underlying relation with its associated coplanar wall section. The first and second portions are spaced from one another by a distance equal to the given thickness of the coplanar walls to define a space therebetween configured to receive the edge of and a portion of the coplanar wall therein. The plastic grille is sufficiently flexible to allow it to be deformed to a condition to allow each of the grille positioning and retaining structures to engage their respective coplanar wall sections and to thereafter to return to an undeformed condition when assembled to the housing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2945358 (1960-07-01), MacLeod et al.
patent: 2945360 (1960-07-01), Tyler
patent: 5315842 (1994-05-01), Bolton et al.
patent: 5775119 (1998-07-01), Yamada et al.
patent: 5971505 (1999-10-01), Zamora
Bushnell Peter R.
Correa Juan C. C.
Hernandez Nestor
Carrier Corporation
Doerrler William
LandOfFree
Snap-in plastic grille for an air conditioner housing does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Snap-in plastic grille for an air conditioner housing, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Snap-in plastic grille for an air conditioner housing will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2443322