Ventilation – Having inlet airway – Including specific air distributor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-08
2001-05-08
Joyce, Harold (Department: 3749)
Ventilation
Having inlet airway
Including specific air distributor
C454S289000, C454S331000, C454S333000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06227962
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
Duct openings in, for example, heating and ventilation systems, are typically covered by a vent cover for aesthetic and functional reasons. In the case of floor ducts, vent covers are also provided for safety reasons to prevent someone from stepping into an otherwise open duct opening. Vent covers typically have a plurality of air flow slots or openings through a central region of the vent cover through which air passes.
A damper is often provided in the duct opening. In some cases, both the vent cover and damper have been made out of metal and are welded together as a unit and mounted in place by positioning the damper in the duct opening. The vent cover, which typically has cross-sectional dimensions greater than those of the duct opening, engages the floor adjacent to the duct opening and prevents the vent cover and damper combination from dropping into the duct opening.
It is also known to make vent covers of wood with a plurality of air flow slots being provided through the wooden vent cover. The slots are defined typically by vanes included in the vent cover. In one common construction, the vanes defining the slots at opposite ends of the vent cover have an upper surface which is angled to extend downwardly and away from the outer ends of the vent cover. Vent covers of this type have been known to be mounted by screws or glue to a damper to form a vent cover damper combination which is then positioned in the duct opening with the vent cover spanning the duct opening and preventing the combination from slipping into the duct.
When screws are utilized to mount the wooden vent cover to the damper, the vent cover can split as the screws are tightened. This adds to the cost as replacement of the vent cover is often required under these circumstances. In addition, if a vent cover is permanently attached to a damper housing, as by glue, it makes it difficult to clean the interior of the damper housing.
A conventional damper includes a rectangular housing with first and second end walls, side walls, and louvers positioned in the bottom of the damper housing. The louvers are mechanically linked to a lever which is accessible through one of the air flow slots to adjust the damper louvers and thereby control the flow of air through the damper housing and vent cover.
SUMMARY
In accordance with one embodiment, a vent assembly is described with a vent cover, a damper with a housing, and with first and second vent cover couplers formed of bent wire and shaped for detachably coupling the vent cover to upper and lower edge portions of walls of the damper. In one approach, the vent cover couplers slidably engage the vent cover and are detachably coupled to the damper and more specifically to end walls of the damper. In one specific form of assembly, (a) screws and other mechanical fasteners of this type are not required; and (b) tools are not required to attach and detach the vent cover from the damper. In a conventional manner, the damper housing may have first and second end walls and side walls. In addition, the vent cover may have a plurality of air passageway slots with a first of the slots being positioned adjacent to a first end of the damper housing and a second of the slots being positioned adjacent to a second end of the damper housing when the vent cover is in a first or installed position overlying the damper. In an illustrated example, the first vent cover coupler includes an elongated cross-piece or latch portion that extends from the damper housing into the first or associated slot when the vent cover is in the first position. In addition, in this example, the second vent cover coupler similarly has an elongated cross-piece or latch portions that extends from the damper housing into the second or associated slot when the vent cover is in the first position. The vent cover couplers may each include first and second leg elements which are spaced apart from one another. The latch portion extends between upper end portions of the first and second leg elements. The leg elements and latch portion of each coupler may be formed of a single continuous piece of wire.
The leg elements resiliently support the cross-piece or latch portion. The leg element portions of at least one of the couplers in one embodiment are flexed in a first direction to permit insertion of latch portions of the first and second vent cover couplers into the associated first and second slots. Such leg element portions move in the second direction opposite the first direction to cause the latch portions to engage the associated slot when no longer flexed. In this case, the latch portions slide into engagement with the associated slot.
The leg element portions may each have a hook element for engaging the lower edge of an associated end wall of the damper and an edge receiving recess defining element which receives the upper edge of the associated end wall. The end wall of the damper is gripped between the hook element and edge receiving recess defining element. An elongated main leg section extends between the hook element and edge receiving recess defining element of each leg. Each leg includes a latch support element extending at least partially inwardly from the upper edge of the damper end wall. The latch portion extends between the latch support elements.
The latch portion of each coupler extends into the associated one of the first and second slots when the vent cover is coupled to the damper housing. In one specific form, the main leg sections of the leg elements of each of the first and second vent cover couplers is positioned at the exterior of the damper housing. In this specific construction, the main leg sections of the leg elements of the first coupler are positioned adjacent to the first end wall of the damper housing and the main leg sections of the leg elements of the second coupler are positioned adjacent to the second end wall of the damper housing. Each of the leg elements may have a latch support element with a first section extending inwardly to position an inner portion of the first section within the interior of the damper housing. In addition, each latch support element may also have a second section extending outwardly toward the exterior of the damper housing from the inner portion of the first section and also extending upwardly toward the vent cover. The second section of each leg element may be configured to cooperate with the latch element or cross-piece to engage the associated one of the first and second vent cover slots when the vent cover is in the first position overlying the damper. More specifically, the vent cover may include air slot bounding surfaces which extend downwardly and inwardly along the outermost boundaries of the respective first and second slots for engagement by the respective second sections and cross-pieces or latch elements of the couplers to detachably couple the damper to the vent cover.
In a specific form, each of the first and second sections of the respective leg elements may have an acute angle provided between the first and second sections. As a specific example, the acute angle may be about seventy degrees.
A filter assembly may be detachably mounted to the damper so as to position the filter at the opposite side of the damper from the vent cover when the vent cover, damper, and filter are positioned in a duct opening. If included, the filter assembly may include a filter housing with a filter positioned therein and may also include first and second filter couplers, which may each be formed of a continuous piece of wire, for detachably coupling the filter housing to the damper housing. In this regard, the filter couplers may detachably and slidably engage the respective first and second vent cover couplers, such as the hook elements thereof, to detachably mount the filter housing in place.
The filter couplers in one form may include the same elements as each of the vent cover couplers.
The illustrated form of couplers are unique and are used for interconnecting components of a vent assembly such as a damper to a vent cover and/or a filte
Boles Derek
Classic Manufacturing NW LLC
Joyce Harold
Klarquist Sparkman Campbell & Leigh & Whinston, LLP
LandOfFree
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