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I claim:
1. A central air uptake attachment for use in a preferred orientation such
that the central air uptake attachment is structurally distributed between
an upper and a lower elevation, the central air uptake attachment
comprising:
a housing that includes a lower air outlet, an up channel, and an upper air
outlet, no more than one of said outlets being operative at any time, the
housing having at least three housing walls, one housing wall being a
center wall and two housing walls being return walls, each return wall
having a first side extending along the center wall and attached thereto
and each return wall being generally perpendicular to the center wall so
that, when the central air uptake attachment is used in the preferred
orientation and at a preferred location within a room having a room wall,
the center wall is substantially parallel to the room wall, and each
return wall having a second side contiguous to the room wall and the up
channel being formed of portions of each of the housing walls and the room
wall, the portions cooperating to form an open-ended enclosing structure
capable of channeling air from the lower to the upper elevation;
a diverter that operates as a door to close off the lower air outlet when
selection means is operated in a first manner, thereby making the lower
air outlet inoperative, and as a diverter to divert air to the lower air
outlet by closing off the up channel, when selection means is operated in
a second manner, thereby making the upper air outlet inoperative; and
selection means for selecting between making the lower air outlet operative
and making the upper air outlet operative,
whereby, when the air conditioner uptake is placed in the preferred
location whereat it is adjacent the room wall air outlet in the room wall
of the room, selection may be made using said selection means to bring
cool air into the room through the upper air outlet and warm air into the
room through the lower air outlet.
2. The central air uptake attachment of claim 1 wherein the upper elevation
is at least three feet above the lower elevation.
3. The central air uptake attachment of claim 2 wherein the upper and lower
air outlets are through the center wall.
4. The central air uptake attachment of claim 3 wherein, when the central
air uptake attachment is used in the preferred orientation and at the
preferred location, the lower air outlet has an upper and lower boundary
and the diverter is a pivotal door having a lower edge and a pivot axis
located remotely from the room wall so that the diverter is pivotal
upwards from said lower boundary towards the room wall until the lower
edge makes contact with the room wall.
5. The central air uptake attachment of claim 4 wherein, when the central
air uptake attachment is used in the preferred orientation and at the
preferred location, the lower air outlet is generally located at a higher
elevation than the room wall air outlet.
6. The central air uptake attachment of claim 5 wherein a deflector is
removably located at the upper boundary of the lower air outlet to deflect
air passing therethrough into the room toward the floor of the room.
7. The central air uptake attachment of claim 1 wherein each of the return
walls has a flange attached to the second side of the return wall, the
flange being substantially parallel and contiguous to the room wall when
the central air uptake attachment is in the preferred orientation and at
the preferred location.
8. The central air uptake attachment of claim 7 wherein the flange of each
return wall has an adhesive backing attached thereto so that, when the
central air uptake attachment is in the preferred orientation and at the
preferred location, the flange is pressable into adhesive contact with the
room wall.
9. The central air uptake attachment of claim 7 wherein the flange of each
return wall is attachable to the room wall by a bonding material spread
between the flange and the room wall.
10. The central air uptake attachment of claim 7 wherein the flange of each
return wall is attachable to the room wall by adhesive tape.
11. A kit for building a central air uptake attachment for use in a
preferred orientation such that the central air uptake attachment will be
structurally distributed between an upper and a lower elevation, the kit
comprising:
a housing that includes a lower air outlet, an up channel, and an upper air
outlet, no more than one of said outlets to be operative at any one time,
said housing also including means for folding said housing to fit said
housing in packaging means, said housing, when unfolded, having at least
three integral housing walls, each wall being bounded by two generally
parallel sides, one housing wall being a center wall and two housing walls
being return walls, each return wall having one side contiguous to a
respective side of the center wall so that each return wall may be
oriented generally perpendicular to the center wall and so that, when the
central air uptake attachment is used in the preferred orientation and at
a preferred location within a room having a room wall, the center wall
will be substantially parallel to the room wall, the return walls will be
contiguous to and substantially perpendicular to the room wall, and the up
channel will be formed of portions of each of the housing walls and the
room wall, whereby the portions of the housing walls and the room wall
will cooperate to form an open-ended enclosing structure capable of
channeling air from the lower to the higher elevation, the center wall
having an interior surface facing inwards of the enclosing structure;
a diverter pivotally attached to an interior surface of the center wall and
having selection means extending through the center wall, the diverter to
be operable as a door, when the housing is unfolded and in the preferred
orientation to close off the lower air outlet when the selection means is
operated in a first manner, and the diverter to be operable to divert air
to the lower air outlet and to close off the up channel when selection
means is operated in a second manner; and
packaging means for packaging the folded housing and the diverter.
12. The kit of claim 11 wherein the upper and lower air outlets are through
the center wall.
13. The kit of claim 11 wherein, when the central air uptake attachment is
used in the preferred orientation and at the preferred location, the lower
air outlet has an upper and lower boundary, and the diverter is a pivotal
door having a lower edge and a pivot axis located remotely from the room
wall so that the diverter is pivotal upwards from said lower boundary
towards the room wall until the lower edge makes contact with the room
wall.
14. The kit of claim 13 wherein, when the central air uptake attachment is
used in the preferred orientation and at the preferred location, the lower
air outlet is generally located at a higher elevation than the room wall
outlet.
15. The central air uptake attachment of claim 14, further comprising a
deflector attachable at the upper boundary of the lower air outlet to
deflect air passing through the lower air outlet into the room toward the
floor of the room.
16. The kit of claim 11 wherein each return wall has an integral folded,
unfoldable flange which may be placed contiguous to the room wall and
substantially parallel therewith.
17. The kit of claim 16 wherein the flange of each return wall has an
adhesive backing so that, when unfolded, the flange may be pressed into
adhesive contact with the room wall.
18. The kit of claim 16 further comprising a tool packet including
enhancements for attaching each flange to the room wall without other
tools being needed.
19. The kit of claim 11 wherein the means for packaging is a cardboard box. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to air deflectors for directing air
from a ventilator into a room. More particularly, the invention relates to
air deflectors for central air conditioning systems so that air is
directed into a room in a manner that the system efficiently cools the
room. Still more particularly, the invention relates a central air uptake
attachment for a central air conditioning system, whereby chilled air
introduced from a baseboard or floor ventilator is uplifted to an
above-head elevation so that the chilled air may be introduced into a warm
room to fall and diffuse into the room for efficient cooling thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Central air conditioning systems treat air in central air conditioning
plants and convey the treated air through ducts to ventilators from which
the air is diffused into rooms. Central heating systems do the same,
except that the treatment of the air is in a heating plant. It is well
known that some central treatment plants both heat and cool and can be
regulated to provide air at a desired temperature. Thus, either system or
a combined system may be used, depending on the temperature within a room,
to bring comfort to human occupants.
Treated air is generally blown into a room under the influence of a blower
system, usually housed in the central plant. Once introduced into the
room, the treated air rapidly loses momentum generated by the blower
system. Thus, the treated air is left to convective currents within the
room.
Ventilators may be located at floors, baseboards, and ceilings. As cool air
falls and warm air rises, the former locations, those near or at the
floor, prove to be efficient for heating, while the latter location proves
to be efficient for cooling.
The present invention focuses on the problem arising out of the
architectural design of rooms with combination central heating and cooling
systems, particularly with rooms designed for central heating systems
which subsequently were converted into the combined systems. Many such
rooms have ventilators and exhaust grate locations that were designed so
that heated air is introduced into a room at lower elevations where it is
beneficial to the occupants of the room as it rises to settle near the
ceiling where either it is exhausted through an exhaust intake located
near the ceiling before it is cooled, or it eventually falls after cooling
into the proximity of an exhaust intake at a lower elevation. Such systems
operate with a cooling cycle that has cool air being let in at the lower
elevations where after a time it builds up while heated air is exhausted
from a higher elevation or it is immediately exhausted from the room at
the lower elevation without having served to cool the occupants of the
room.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Because of the difficulties associated with air conditioning systems that
outlet conditioned air into rooms at low elevations, it is one object of
the present invention to provide a central air uptake attachment for
directing conditioned air into a room at a high enough elevation for the
air to efficiently cool the room for occupants of the room.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a central air
uptake attachment for directing treated air into a room at elevations from
which the air may be efficiently used to cool or heat the room to suit the
occupants of the room.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a central air
uptake attachment for introducing chilled air into a warm room from an
above-head elevation so that the chilled air may fall and diffuse into the
room for efficient cooling thereof.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a central
air uptake attachment for a wall in a room having a baseboard ventilator
or having a floor ventilator adjacent it whereby chilled air introduced
from the baseboard or floor ventilator into the room bounded by the wall
is uplifted to an above-head elevation so that the chilled air may be
introduced into a warm room to fall and diffuse into the room for
efficient cooling thereof.
Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a
central air uptake attachment for a wall in a room having a baseboard or
floor ventilator whereby warm air introduced into the room when the room
is chilled is introduced at a low elevation so that room air may rise up
to warm the room and chilled air introduced from the baseboard or floor
ventilator is uplifted to an above-head elevation at which the chilled air
may be introduced into the room to fall and diffuse into the room for
efficient cooling thereof.
A related object of the invention is to provide a kit for attaching a
central air uptake attachment.
Another related object of the invention is to provide a self-contained kit
for quickly and conveniently attaching a central air uptake attachment,
without requiring tools in addition to the kit.
Yet another related object of the present invention is to provide a kit
which may be packaged for sale in a department or hardware store to be
conveniently transported in an automobile trunk to the site at which it is
to be attached.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects are accomplished in the present invention by a
central air uptake attachment for a room wall that has a heat and air
conditioning outlet. The attachment is to be used in a preferred
orientation such that it is structurally distributed between an upper and
a lower elevation, and the attachment is to be attached to the room wall
over the heat and air conditioning outlet.
A housing for the attachment has a lower air outlet, and an upper air
outlet and has an uplift channel between the two outlets. Only one of the
two outlets is operative at any one time. One, preferably the lower
outlet, is to be used for introducing heating air into the room, and the
other, preferably the upper outlet, is to be used for introducing cooled
air--air conditioning--into the room.
Preferably, the housing has at least three housing walls. One of the
housing walls is a center wall which will be spaced outwardly from the
room wall when the attachment is attached to the room wall. The others of
the housing walls, then, function as return walls which are generally
perpendicular to the center wall, so that the three housing walls, with
the complement of the room wall, form a box channel for channeling the
conditioned air to the upper outlet when so desired. Accordingly, when the
air conditioner wall uptake is used in the preferred orientation and at a
preferred location, the center wall is substantially parallel to the room
wall, and the return walls are contiguous to, while being substantially
perpendicular to, the room wall. Specifically, it is the uplift channel
that is a box channel formed of portions of each of the housing walls and
the room wall. The four walls thus cooperate to form an open-ended
enclosing structure capable of channeling air from the lower to the higher
elevation.
The attachment also includes a diverter which also functions as a door. In
particular, the diverter operates as a diverter to divert air to the lower
air outlet when the lower outlet is being used. At the same time, the
diverter closes off the uplift channel so that heated air introduced into
the housing from the room wall outlet will not rise to escape through the
higher outlet.
Functioning as a door, the diverter closes off the lower outlet so that
conditioned air, that is, cooled air, cannot escape through the lower
outlet into the room. At the same time, the diverter no longer blocks the
uplift channel so that the chilled air can find its way up the uplift
channel, constrained by the walls of the housing, to the upper outlet and
therethrough escape into the room.
The diverter is pivotally attached to the housing and a lever extends
opposite the diverter so that the lever may be used as a means of
selecting the orientation of the diverter. Its orientation determines its
function as a door or a diverter, particularly with respect to the lower
outlet. Because of structural constraints providing for the diverter to
function as a door or diverter, the constraints also providing that the
housing project minimally into the room from the wall to which it is
attached, the lower outlet is preferably located at a higher elevation
than the room wall outlet. An optional shield deflector may be used to
direct the air downwardly again to the lower elevations within the room if
so desired.
The housing is preferably made of lightweight construction material such as
plastic, treated paper or cardboard, or mixed materials. Whatever the
material, it is to be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the
housing may be treated as the wall treatment so that it appears to be the
construction of the room. The construction of the housing is also to allow
for the attachment to be boxed conveniently for consumers to purchase the
attachment in a package which can be taken in the trunk of an automobile
and carried to the site of its intended use. Enhancements are provided in
the kit package so that the attachment may be attached to a wall without
other tools being needed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the central air
attachment according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken in the direction of arrows 2--2 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken in the direction of
arrows 3--3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a second embodiment of the central
air attachment according to the invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the central air attachment of either of the
embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, showing means for attaching the
attachment and also showing how the attachment is folded for packaging.
FIG. 6 is a view of the enhancements packaged with the central air
attachment for use in attaching the attachment.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the folded attachment of FIG. 5 in a
packaging box.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial view of the central air uptake attachment
shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 9 is a partial section of another embodiment of the central air uptake
attachment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring first to FIG. 1, a central air uptake attachment for a room wall
is shown generally at 10. As the shape and dimensions of the central air
uptake attachment 10 are generally characteristic of the shape and
dimensions of its housing, the housing is also represented in general by
numeral 10. The attachment and housing 10 is to be used in a preferred
orientation such that it is structurally distributed between an upper and
a lower elevation.
A room 12 is bounded by a conventional wall construction, shown generally
at 14 in FIGS. 2 and 3. The wall construction 14 includes a wall 16,
typically constructed of plasterboard or plastic and lathe, through which
a conditioned air wall outlet 18 or registry is situated. Room air outlet
18 lets air conditioned by being heated in a furnace or cooled by a
compressor into the room 12 respectively for cooling room 12 or for
heating room 12.
In a manner later to be explained, housing 10 is to be attached to room
wall 16 (see FIG. 2), while positioned over existing heat and air
conditioning wall outlet 18 of wall 16. Housing 10 has a lower air outlet
20 and an upper air outlet 22, only one of which is operative at any one
time. One of the outlets 20 and 22, preferably the lower outlet 20, is to
be used for introducing heated air into room 12. The other of the outlets
20 and 22, preferably the upper outlet 22, is to be used for introducing
cooled air--that is, air conditioning--into room 12.
Between lower air outlet 20 and upper air outlet 22, housing 10 comprises
an uplift channel 24. Preferably, housing 10 has at least three housing
walls 26, 28 and 30. Two walls 26 and 28, which are parallel to one
another, function as return walls for a center wall 30. As shown in FIG.
2, center wall 30 is to be spaced outwardly from room wall 16 when
attached thereto. Return walls 26 and 28 are generally perpendicular to
center wall 30. Return walls 26 and 28 have respective flanges 26a and 28b
connected along the lengths of returns walls 26 and 28. Flanges 26a and
28b mount flushly against wall 16 in a manner later to be explained.
The three housing walls 26, 28 and 30, with the complement of room wall 16,
form a box channel that is an air conditioner wall uptake 32 for
channeling the conditioned air to the upper outlet 22 when so desired.
Accordingly, when the air conditioner wall uptake attachment incorporated
in housing 10 is used in the preferred orientation and at a preferred
location, center wall 30 is substantially parallel to room wall 16, and
the return walls 26 and 28 are contiguous to, while being substantially
perpendicular to, the room wall 16. More specifically, the uplift channel
32, which is a box channel, is formed of portions of each of the housing
walls 26, 28 and 30 situated between lower and upper outlets 20 and 22 and
room wall 16. The four walls 16, 20, 22 and 30 thus cooperate to form an
open-ended enclosing structure capable of channeling air from the lower to
the higher elevation.
Referring more particularly to FIG. 3, the attachment incorporated in
housing 10 also includes a diverter 34. Diverter 34 also functions as a
door. First, diverter 34 functions or operates to divert air to the lower
air outlet 20 when the lower outlet 20 is being used. Second, at the same
time, the diverter 34 closes off the uplift channel 24 so that heated air
introduced into the housing from the room wall outlet will not rise to
escape through the higher outlet 22.
Functioning as a door as shown in phantom in FIG. 3, diverter 34 closes off
the lower outlet 20 so that conditioned air, that is, cooled air, cannot
escape through the lower outlet 20 into room 12. At the same time,
diverter 34 no longer blocks the uplift channel 24 so that the chilled air
can find its way up the uplift channel 24, constrained by walls 26, 28 and
30 of housing 10, to upper outlet 22 and therethrough escape into room 12.
Still referring to FIG. 3 but also with reference to FIG. 8, diverter 34 is
pivotally attached to housing 10 by means known to those skilled in the
art, as for example, by clips such as clips 36 shown on the outside of
housing 10 supporting a deflector 38 whose function will be explained. A
lever 40 extends generally opposite diverter 34 so that lever 40 may be
used as a means of selecting the orientation of diverter 34. The
orientation of diverter 34 determines the function of diverter 34 as a
door or a diverter, particularly with respect to lower outlet 20.
Architectural constraints limit the projection of housing 10 into room 12.
For example, a projection from wall 16 of about four inches, that is, the
distance between parallel walls 16 and 30, would not be an overbearing
obtrusion upon room 12 from both aesthetic and space-saving perspectives.
But such constraints while providing for diverter 34 to function as a door
or diverter, call for a preferable location lower outlet 20 at a higher
elevation than room wall outlet 20, as is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This
structural aberration allows diverter 34 to be pivoted open across the
housing so as to touch wall 16 without having the leading edge of wall 16
intercepted by wall outlet 18.
An optional shield deflector 38, shown with particularity in FIG. 8, may be
used to direct the air downwardly again to the lower elevations within the
room if so desired. Deflector 38 is provided with rod projections to fit
into clips 36 located to either side of outlet 20 so that deflector 38 may
be removed to expose lever 40.
FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the invention which is suitable for a
floor vent 118 in a floor 116a. Except for a projection 142 of wall 130
outwardly into room 112, and side walls of housing 110 that meet all edges
of wall 130, the central air uptake attachment is in all respects the same
as in the embodiments shown in the other figures.
Housings 10 and 110 are preferably made of lightweight construction
material such as plastic, treated paper or cardboard, or mixed materials.
Whatever the material, it is to be appreciated by those skilled in the art
that housing 10 or 100 may be treated as the wall treatment to which
housing 10 or 110 is attached, so that the central air uptake attachment
appears to be a part of the construction of room 12 or 112. As can be seen
in FIG. 5, housing 10 may be provided, on the backs of flanges 26a and
28a, with pressure-sensitive adhesive strips 44 for attachment to wall 16
of FIG. 1. Other means of attachment, such as by use of epoxy or other
types of bonding material 46 and masking or covering tapes 48 shown in
FIG. 6, may also be used. Bonding material 46 would be used on flanges 26a
and 28a in lieu of or in conjunction with adhesive strips 44. Tape 48 may
be used over the flanges 26a and 28a in a "tape and float" operation to
visually blend the central air uptake attachment into the wall treatment
in a manner well-known in the home improvement arts.
The construction of housing 10 allows for the central air uptake attachment
to be boxed conveniently for consumers to purchase the central air uptake
attachment. As seen in FIGS. 1, 5, and 7, a fold line 50 in housing 10
allows housing 10 to fit into a convenient-sized kit package 52 which can
be placed in the trunk of an automobile and carried to the site of its
intended use. Enhancements 46 and 48 are provided in a tool packet 54
included in the kit package 52, so that the central air uptake attachment
may be attached to a wall without other tools being needed.
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