US2837019A - Air outlet device for ventilating apparatus - Google Patents

Description

AIR OUTLET DEVICE FOR VENTILATING APPARATUS June 3, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 19, 1956 June 3, 1958 E. GODES AIR OUTLET DEVICE FOR VENTILATING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR gun AIR OUTLET DEVICE FOR VENTILATING APPARATUS E. GODES June 3, 1958 Filed April 19,

3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States atent O AIR OUTLET DEVICE FOR VENTILATING APPARATUS Elliot Godes, Manchester, Conn., assignor to Anemostat Corporation of America, New York, N. 1., a corporation of Delaware Application April 19, 1956, Serial No. 579,364 11 (Ilaims. c1. 98-40) This invention relates to air outlet devices for ventilating apparatus, and has particular reference to means for controlling flow of supply air through such devices.

At certain times it may be desirable to deliver warm air through an air outlet device into a room or other enclosure for the purpose of heating the latter, while at other times it may be desirable to deliver fresh or cool air through the same air outlet device into the room or other enclosure for the purpose of ventilating or cooling the same. Moreover, with respect to certain air outlet devices through which either warm air for heating purposes or cool air for cooling or ventilating purposes is delivered at different times into a room or other enclosure, it may be desirable to have warm air flow therefrom in one direction and to have cool air flow therefrom in a different direction. For example, in the case of an air outlet device of a type which is designed to be mounted in a side wall or baseboard of a room or other enclosure and through which warm air for heating purposes or cool air for cooling purposes is delivered at different times, it usually is desirable to have the warm air flow more or less downwardly therefrom and to have the cool air flow more or less upwardly therefrom, thereby best either to heat or to cool the room or enclosure as the case may be.

Generally speaking, the object of the present invention is to provide an air outlet device comprising two different portions which are designed to cause supply air flowing therethrough to be deflected in different directions, respectively, from the device, and which includes a pair of damper elements respectively controlling flow of supply air through said portions so that either portion may be used to the exclusion of the,other for flow of supply air therethrough and so that the amount of supply air flowing through either portion may readily be regulated.

More particularly, an object of the invention is to provide a single, simple, practical, eflicient actuating or operating means for the aforesaid damper elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple, practical hinge connections between the damper elements and the device to mount the damper elements for swinging adjustmentsto control flow of supply air through the aforesaid different portions of the device.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in an air outlet device embodying the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an air outlet device constructed in accordance'with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the device.

. V Fig. 4 is a section taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section taken approximately on the line 5'5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an end view of the device.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the damper-actuating slide plate-of the device.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of one of the damper elements of the device; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of onset the trunnion elements for hinging the damper elements to the device.

The air outlet device illustrated by way of example in the drawings is of a type which is designed to be mounted in a side wall or in a baseboard of a room or other enclosure and is composed of a first pan-like hollow, flaring member 10, a second, smaller, pan-like, hollow, flaring member 11 disposed within said first member 10, and a third, pan-like, hollow, flaring'member 12 disposed within said second member 11.

The members 19, 11 and 12 each include side and end walls 13 and 14, respectively, which are spaced apart and which are inclined or flared forwardly andoutwardly to provide between them forwardly and outwardly inclined or flared side and end passageways a and b, respectively, while in the rear Walls 15 of the members 10 and 11 are alined openings 16 and 17, respectively, to provide for flow of supply air from the rear of the device through said passageways a and b.-

The openings 16 in the rear wall of the member Ill are separated by a narrow width portion 18 of said wall which extends centrally and longitudinally of the device. At one side of said portion 18 the sidewalls of the- members 1t 11 and 12 are inclined forwardly and outwardly in one direction, while at the other side of said portion 18 the side Walls of said members 10, 1-1 and 12 are inclined forwardly and outwardly in a reverse direction. Therefore, suppiy air delive ed from the rear of the device through the openings 16 and 1-7 at one side of the portion 18 will be deflected from the device in one direction, upwardly for example, while supply air delivered from the rear of the device through the openings 16 and 17 at the other side of said portion 18 will be deflected from the device in a diflFerent direction, downwardly for example. Of course, in either case a certain amount of supply air will be deflected forwardly and outwardly through the passageway b at the ends-of the device. This, however, is immaterial and may be ignored as far as the present invention is concerned, particularly since, within the purview of the invention, the side walls 13 of the members 11 and 12 may be coextensive in length with the side walls 13 of the member 10 so that all supply air delivered through the device flows only through the side passageways a of the device.

At the rear of the member 10 are two damper elements 19 and 20 which are substantially coextensive in length with the rear wall 15 of said'memberand which have widths approximately one-half the width of the rear wall of said member 10. These damper elements are hinged along their outer side edges to outer side portions of the rear wall 15 of the member 10 for swinging movements between closed positions in which they lie flatly against the rear wall of the member 10 and open positions in which they are inclined rearwardly from the rear wall of said member 10.

Obviously, when both of the damper elements 19 and 20 are closed, all flow of supply air through the device will be denied. Obviously, too, if either of said damper elements is opened while the other is maintained closed, supply air will flow through only one side of the device.

Simple, practical actuating means is provided for operating the damper elements 19 and 20. In the rear wall 15 of the member 10 near one end thereof is a slot 21 which extends transversely of said rear wall, while slidably engaged against the rear face of said rear wall 15 i v adjacent to said slot 21 are flanges or runners 22 at the has fastened thereto a knob or handle 25 which is exposed a at the front of the device for finger engagement. Between the knob, or handle 25 and the front face of the rear wall 15 of the member 10 is interposed a leaf spring 26 which reacts from said wall 15 to urge the plate 23 forwardly. The tongue 24 extending through the'slot 21 guides the plate 23 for sliding movement transversely of the device, while the leaf spring 26 serves to maintain the flanges or runners 22 of said plate firmly though slidably engaged against the rear face of the rear wall 15 of the member 10 and thus prevents any looseness or play between said plate and said rear wall 15. By means of the knob or handle 25 the plate 23 may readily he slid transversely of the device. 7 V

In the plate 23 are two cam slots 27, 27 which are reversed duplicates of one another and each of which comprises a portion 28 extending parallel to the rear wall 15 of the member 10 and an inwardly inclined portion 29 extending rearwardly from the inner end of said portion 28.

Corresponding ends of the damper elements 19 and 2 are disposed adjacent to the plate 23 and have pins 30, 30 extending therefrom into the cam slots 27, 27, respectively. The spacing of the pins 30, 30 from the pivotal axes of'the damper elements 19 and 20 and the relationships of' the cam slots 27, 27 to each other and to said pins and to the pivotal axes of said damper elements are such that when the plate 23 isdisposed in a medial position as regards its sliding movement, the pins 30, 30 are disposed adjacent tothe inner ends of the portions 28, 28 of the slots 27, 27, respectively, and both damper elements 19 and 20 are closed. Hence, by sliding the plate 23 in one direction from its medial position, the rearwardly and inwardly inclined portion 29 of one of the cam slots 27 will cooperate with the pin 30 of one of the damper elements 19 or 20 to effect opening swinging movement of said damper element. At the same time the other damper element will be maintained closed due to its pin 30 remaining in the portion 28 of its related slot 27. Similarly, by sliding the plate 23 in the opposite direction from its medial position, the first mentioned damper element will be maintained closed and the second mentioned damper element will be opened. Depending upon the amount of sliding movement imparted to the plate 23, either damper element 19 or 20 may, of course, be opened any desired amount to regulate the amount of supply air flowing through the device, while by returning the plate 23 to its medial position both damper elements will, of course, be closed to deny any flow of supply air through the device.

Since,'when either of the damper elements 19 or 20 is closed and the other of said damper elements is'open, supply air can flow through only one side of the device, and since each side portion of the device serves to cause supply air flowing therethrough to be deflected from the device in a direction different from the direction of deflection of supply air from the other side portion of the device, it is apparent that simply by slidably adjusting the plate 23 the direction of deflection of supply air from the device is selective, upwardly, for example, in the case of cool air and downwardly, for example, in the case of warm air.

While the damper elements 19 and 20 may be hinged to the member in any suitable known manner, novel means is provided according to the present invention for this purpose. Along its outer edge each damper element is provided with a stiffening and reinforcing rib 31 of 4 v substantially semi-circular shape in cross section which opens rearwardly and which has its front orconvex face disposed against the rear face of the rear wall 15 of the member 10. At suitably spaced points said rib is provided with recesses 32 and in each recess is disposed an element 33 which is welded or otherwise suitablyfixed to the rear wall 15 of the member 10 and which is provided at its ends with trunnions 34 which are disposed in the concave side of said rib at either end of the recess 32. The hinge connections thus provided between the damper elements 19 and 29 are quite simple and easy and economical to provide.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that the construction and operation of the invention will be clearly understood and its advantages appreciated. is desired to point out, however, that while only a single specific structural embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, the same is readily capable of various specifically different structural embodiments within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims; a

I claim: 1. An air outlet device having rear and front ends and comprising a first portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in one direction from the front end of the device and a second portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in a difiercnt direction from the front end of the device, a pair of damper upon the device at its rear end and controlling flow of supply air through said portions, respectively, an actuator for said damper elements mounted on the device for lineal shifting movements, and connections between said actuator and said damper elements operable in response to shifting of said actuator lineally in one direction first fully to close one and then to effect any desired'amount of opening of the other of said damper elements and operable in response to shifting of said actuator lineally in the opposite direction first fully to close the second and then to effect any desired amount of opening of the first of said damper elements.

2. An air outlet device having rear and front ends and comprising a first portion including'air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in one direction from the front end of the device and a second portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to'cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in a different direction from the front end of the device, a pair of damper elements swingably mounted upon the device at its rear. end and controlling flowof supply air through said portions, respectively, an actuator for said damper elements mounted on the device for lineal shifting movements, and cam and cam follower connections between said actuator and said damper elements operable in response to shifting of said actuator lineally in one direction to open one and to close the other of said damper elements and operable in response to shifting of said actuator lineally in the opposite'direction to close the first and to open the second of said damper elements.

3. An air outlet device having rear and front ends and comprising a first portion including air passageway defining means extending-between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in one direction from the front end of the device and a second portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed tocause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in a diiferent direction from the front end of the device,

a pair of damper elements swingably mounted upon the 7 It f elements swingably mounted gse'mm damper elements mounted or. the device for lineal shifting movements, and cam and cam follower connections between said actuator and said damperelements operable in response to shifting of said actuator lineally in one direction first fully to close one and then to effect any desired amount of opening of the other of said damper elements and operable in response to shifting of said actuator lineally in the opposite direction first fully to close the second and then to effect any desired amount of open ing of the first of said damper elements.

4. An air outlet device having rear and front ends and comprising a first portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in one direction from the front end of the device and a second portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in a diflerent direction from the front end of the device, a pair of damper elements swingably mounted upon the device at its rear end and controlling flow of supply air through said portions, respectively, an actuator for said damper elements mounted on the device for lineal shifting movements, and having a pair of cam slots therein, and cam followers carried by said damper elements and disposed in said cam slots, respectively, said cam slots being shaped and dimensioned so that by shifting of said actuator lineally in one direction they cooperate with said cam followers to close one and open the other of said damper elements and so that by shifting of said actuator lineally in the opposite direction they cooperate with said cam followers to open the first and to close the second of said damper elements.

5. An air outlet device having rear and front ends and comprising a first portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in one direction from the front end of the device and a second portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in a different direction from the front end of the device, a pair of damper elements swingably mounted upon the device at its rear end and controlling flow of supply air through said portions, respectively, an actuator for said damper elements mounted on the device for lineal shifting movements, and having a pair of cam slots therein, and cam followers carried by said damper elements and disposed in said cam slots, respectively, said cam slots being shaped and dimensioned so that by shifting of said actuator lineally in one direction they cooperate with said cam followers first to fully close one and then to open the other of said damper elements any desired amount and so that by shifting of said actuator lineally in the opposite direction they cooperate with said cam followers first to fully close the second and then to open the first of said damper elements any desired amount.

6. An air outlet device having rear and front ends and comprising a first portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in one direction from the front end of the device and a second portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in a different direction from the front end of the device, a pair of damper elements mounted upon the device at its rear end and movable between open and closed positions to control flow of supply air through said portions, respectively, and an actuator for said damper elements mounted upon the device and having operative connections with the latter constructed and arranged so that in a medial position of said actuator both damper elements are closed and so that by movement ofsaid actuator from its medial position either of said'damper elements may be opened any desired amount without opening the other of said damper elements.

7. An air outlet device having rear and front ends and comprising a first portion including air passageway defining means extendingbetween said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in one direction from the front end of the device and a second portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in a different direction from the front end of the device, a pair of damper elements mounted upon the device at its rear end and movable between open and closed positions to control flow of supply air through said portions, respectively, an actuator for said damper elements mounted upon the device for shifting movements from a medial position, and cam and cam follower connections between said actuator and said damper elements constructed and arranged so that in a medial position of said actuator both damper elements are closed and so that by movement of said actuator from its medial position either of said damper elements may be opened any desired amount without opening the other of said damper elements.

8. An air outlet device as set forth in claim 6 in which the actuator is mounted upon the device for lineal shifting movements.

9. An air outlet device as set forth in claim 7 in which the actuator is mounted upon the device for lineal shifting movements,

10. An air outlet device having rear and front ends and comprising a first portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in one direction from the front end of the device and a second portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in a different direction from the front end of the device, a pair of damper elemnts swingably mounted upon the device at its rear end and controlling flow of supply air through said portions, respectively, a rear portion of said device having a slot therein, a lineally movable actuator for said damper elements slidably engaged against said rear portion of the device and having a portion thereof extending through said slot to guide said actuator for lineal movements, a finger engageable element for moving said actuator carried by said portion of said actuator and exposed at the front end of the device, and connections between said actuator and said damper elements constructed and arranged so that in a medial position of said actuator both damper elements are closed and so that by movement of said actuator from its medial position either damper element may be opened any desired amount without opening the other of said damper elements.

ll. An air outlet device having rear and front ends and comprising a first portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in one direction from the front end of the device and a second portion including air passageway defining means extending between said ends and formed to cause supply air flowing forwardly therethrough to be deflected in a different direction from the front end of the device, a pair of damper elements swingably mounted upon the device at its rear end and controlling flow of supply air through said portions, respectively, an actuator for said damper elements mounted on the device for lineal shifting movements, said actuator comprising a plate having a pair of cam slots therein, and cam followers carried by said damper elements and disposed in said cam slots, respectively, said cam slots each being of sub- 7 stanti-ally L-shape so that in response to lineal shifting of said actuator in one direction one of said damper elements is closed and the other may be opened any desired amount and so that in response to lineal shifting of said actuator in the opposite direction the second ofsaid damper elements is closed and the first damper element may he opened any desired amount.

References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS t Lenling June 30, 1914 Wickware Jan. 19, 1926 Rodemich et a1. Dec. 27, 1932 Sternberg July 18, 1944 A De R00 Feb. 13,

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