Refrigeration – With means preventing or handling atmospheric condensate... – Retainer or flow director for atmospheric condensate
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-27
2001-03-06
McDermott, Corrine (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
With means preventing or handling atmospheric condensate...
Retainer or flow director for atmospheric condensate
C062S272000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196015
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a built-in box particulary suitable for facilitating the connection of the inner units of air-conditioning systems to the refrigerating pipes that feed the inner units themselves and to the condensate draining pipe.
At present, in the construction of residential buildings, the raceways for the air-conditioning system are carried out more and more frequently besides the raceways with chase for the traditional systems, like the electric and water supply systems.
The raceways comprise some built-in boxes that serve as terminal connection points for the air-conditioning units positioned inside the different rooms.
The built-in boxes used at present are manufactured through the moulding of thermoplastic material and do not differ from the standard boxes used also for other types of systems, like the connector blocks of the electrical systems, except for their dimensions, which must be suitable for those of the bracket to be used for the anchorage of the inner air-conditioning units.
Currently in the art, the built-in boxes for air-conditioning systems receive three pipes, two of which are the delivery and return pipes of the refrigerating unit, while the third one serves to drain the condensate water. The three pipes are built in the wall and they reach the box through holes made on the side or lower edges of the box itself.
A first drawback of the known boxes concerns the correct positioning and anchorage to the wall of the rear bracket with which each inner air-conditioning unit is provided. In fact, finding the ideal position of this bracket is not so simple as it may seem to the inexpert installer, since it requires considerable skill. This is also due to the fact that it is necessary to work in reduces spaces during the operations necessary for the connection of the inner units to the refrigerating pipes and to the condensate draining pipe, which are previously laid in chases.
However, the greatest risk involved in the incorrect positioning of the inner air-conditioning units is represented by the fact that siphon effects may involuntarily be produced in the draining pipe of the condensate that forms in each one of said air-conditioning units, thus comprimising their correct operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is the implementation of a built-in box designed to be usefully employed for the installation of the inner units of air conditioning systems, thus facilitating the wall connection of the unit themselves.
Another object of the invention is the implementation of a box that facilitates the continuous draining of condensate, thus avoiding the risk of incorrect operation of the air conditioning units due to the above mentioned siphon effect.
The above mentioned goals have been achieved through the implementation of a built-in box for the feeding of the inner units of air-conditioning systems, which has a hollow element substantially shaped as a parallelepiped, the hollow element having an open base and the inside of the bottom provided with a plurality of ribs. The build-in box also has a small tank for the drainage of the condensate, the tank being positioned in correspondence with the open base of the hollow element and being provided with at a least a section of pipe connecting it to the appropriate draining pipe of the building main system. A substantially flat cover can be fixed to the edge of the tank.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, the built-in box is moulded in two distinct pieces, the first one of which constitutes the parallelepiped-shaped hollow element without base, while the second one constitutes the condensate drainage tank positioned in correspondence with said lower base and coupled to the hollow element.
In the second embodiment of the invention, the condensate drainage tank constitutes the lower part of a single moulded piece that makes up the entire box itself.
The goal s and advantages described above will be better highlighted in the description of the present invention as illustrated in the enclosed drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4974421 (1990-12-01), Kim
patent: 5664430 (1997-09-01), Karman
patent: 9-126490 (1997-05-01), None
patent: 9-159201 (1997-06-01), None
Dykema Gossett PLLC
Jiang Chen-Wen
McDermott Corrine
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