Refrigeration – Structural installation – Window connected or mounted
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-17
2001-12-18
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Structural installation
Window connected or mounted
C062S298000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330807
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to room air conditioners of the type having a slide-out chassis contained within an outer housing, and more particularly, to the configuration of certain components of the slide-out chassis to facilitate insertion of the chassis within the housing.
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 communicates with external air such as outdoor air. Refrigerant flows through a refrigerant circuit absorbing heat from the 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 connections 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.
In addition to the components mentioned above, the outdoor section also typically includes an outdoor fan orifice, as well as an electric motor, which typically also drives an indoor fan.
One common way of constructing such air conditioners is known as a slide-out or removable chassis air conditioner. In such air conditioners, the outer housing is typically made of sheet metal, which defines a rectangular front-facing opening. The removable chassis comprises the basepan and all of the interior components of the air conditioner. The removable chassis may be inserted or removed from the housing following removal of the aforementioned indoor grille. In the design of such units, several components, specifically the outdoor fan orifice assembly and the partition, are designed to be in close proximity to or actually contact the top wall of the outer housing.
It is has been found that on the assembly line, occasionally, an interference occurs between the aforementioned components and the top wall of the housing. Such interference may occur because the top wall is made from relatively thin sheet metal and may have some sag to it or may be partially deformed prior to having the interior components inserted therein to support it in its desired horizontal position. It is accordingly deemed desirable to eliminate such interference during the assembly of such units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A room air conditioner of the type having a chassis configured to be removably received in an outer housing. The chassis includes a basepan having an indoor region proximate the front of the basepan and an outer region proximate the back. The chassis further includes a condenser coil supported in the outdoor region. The condenser coil has a support structure including an upper portion overlying the upper end of the condenser coil. The chassis further includes a partition supported at its lower end by the basepan and configured to separate the indoor and outdoor regions. The upper end of the partition is configured to be in close proximity to the interior of the outer housing when the chassis is received therein. The outer housing defines a substantially rectangular structure having a lower section configured to receive and support the basepan thereupon. Vertically extending side walls extend from left and right sides of the lower section and a top wall extends between the upper ends of the side walls. The walls are made from a material that has some flexibility, the top wall defines a forward facing edge which extends between the side walls and which is subject to downward sagging in the region between the side walls. The front edges of the lower and the side walls cooperate with the forward facing edge of the top wall to define a rectangular open front end through which the chassis is slidably displaced to assemble the air conditioning unit. A plurality of guide elements are attached to the upper portion of the condenser coil support structure. Each of the guide elements is configured to engage a portion of the underside of the forward facing edge of the top wall to displace the forward facing edge and the top wall upwardly to assure clearance of the edge and top wall when the chassis is being slidably inserted through the open front during assembly of the air conditioning unit.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3974661 (1976-08-01), Ferdelman et al.
patent: 3992897 (1976-11-01), Loos
patent: 5454231 (1995-10-01), Bolton et al.
patent: 5467610 (1995-11-01), Bolton et al.
patent: 6082127 (2000-07-01), Correa
patent: 6098415 (2000-08-01), Correa
Adomeit Werner
Bushnell Peter R.
Correa Juan C. C.
Hernandez Nestor
Carrier Corporation
Doerrler William
Shulman Mark
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