US3388655A - Air diffuser - Google Patents

Description

June 18, 1968 DENN|5 ET AL AIR DIFFUSER 3 Sheets-Sheet Z INVENTORS Don/44b IDEA/A118 JJMES 1% M/nwuz I W Jrranwzrs J u d Filed Aug. 1966 H W E .W H a June 18, 1968 E s ET AL 3,388,655

AIR DIFFUSER Filed Aug. 8, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet Z FILE.

' INVENTORS Dal/440 J2 DEX/AVIS Y J'flMt-s M Mic/A954 United States Patent 3,388,655 AIR DIFFUSER Donald I. Dennis, 69 Dennis Road, Jacksonville, Tex. 75766, and James H. Michael, 142 N. Mississippi River Blvd., St. Paul, Minn. 55104 Filed Aug. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 571,039 4 Claims. (Cl. 9840) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An air diffuser to be installed over outlets in a conditioned air circulation system. A frame member of gen erally rectangular shape is provided with a plurality of rearwardly extending flanges. The flanges are provided with opposed registering notches that serve to rotatably receive end portions of vanes that are adjustably, rotatably disposed therein. One set of vanes are adapted to be adjusted in unison and to provide a complete closure of the diffuser when in one extreme position. Other sets, or set, of vanes are disposed substantially perpendicularly to the first set and may be adjusted in unison. The inner ends of the flanges are shaped to receive complementary shaped locking strips which serve to removably, lockably, frictionally engage the end portions of each of the individual vanes.

This invention relates generally to air diffusers and is more particularly directed to air diffusers of the class having a plurality of adjustable vanes for controlling the direction and quantity of air flow therethrough.

Briefly, our invention relates to a novel and improved air diffuser which is inexpensive and uncomplicated and may be more efficiently constructed, fabricated, installed and operated. The objectives of our invention are fulfilled by the use of a molded frame adapted to be disposed over an air outlet which contains a plurality of movable vanes which are rotatably journaled in slots provided in the frame and which are maintained in operative relationship therewith by the use of locking means that is inexpensively fabricated and easily assembled to releasably and lockingly maintain the vanes in operative rotata b'le relationship with the frame.

It is therefore an object of our invention to provide a novel and improved air diffuser apparatus.

A further object of our invention is to provide an air diffuser of increased operating efficiency.

A still further object of our invention is to provide an improved air diffuser that may be easily constructed.

Another object of our invention is to provide an improved air dilfuser that may be simply and inexpensively fabricated and assembled.

A further object of our invention is to provide an air diffuser having a simple and uncomplicated construction.

A still further object of our invention is to provide an air diffuser that is inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the appended specification, claims and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an air difluser embodying the principles of our invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along 2-2 on FIG. '1 of the drawings;

FIG. 3 is a sectional View taken along 3-3 on FIG. 1 of the drawings;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along 44 on FIG. 5 of the drawings;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along section lines 6-6 on FIG. 5 of the drawings; and

section lines section lines section lines 3,388,655 Patented June 18, 1968 FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along section line-s 7--7 on FIG. 5 of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in which like elements have been identified with like reference characters, our invention is shown comprised of a frame 10 having a plurality of vertical vanes 25 rotatably disposed therein and a plurality of horizontal vanes 29 horizontally disposed therein and suitable driving means interconnecting selected pluralities of the vertical and horizontal vanes for simultaneous actuation thereof.

Frame 10 is shown having a laterally extending peripherally disposed mounting lip 11, a pair of opposed top and bottom rearwardly extending flange members 12 and 13 and a further pair of opposed right and left side rearwardly extending flange members 18 and 19. Flange members 12 and '13 are shown having a plurality of opposed rearwardly opening registering slots 14 and 15. Flange members 18 and '19 are shown having a like plurality of opposed rearwardly opening, registering, slots 20 and 21 respectively. Rearwardly extending flange members 12 and 13 and 18 and 19 are also provided with a laterally extending lip portion 16 and 17 and 22 and 23 respectively. Frame 10 is also shown provided with a centrally disposed vertically oriented and rearwardly extending flange portion that is preferably molded integrally with the remainder of the frame member and is utilized, in the illustrated embodiment, to provide mechanical stability and rigidity to frame member 10 and may, under certain conditions, be eliminated.

A plurality of air directing vanes, 25, having a generally longitudinally elongated shape and having coaxially disposed shaft portions 26 and 27 at the ends respectively are shown vertically disposed intermediate opposed registering slots 14 and 15 in rearwardly extending flange members 12 and 13 on frame 10. Each of the movable vanes, 25, is also shown having a shaft portion 28 extending from one end thereof, parallel to shaft portions 26 and 27 and laterally displaced therefrom. A drive actuator membtr 33 that is also longitudinally elongated is shown provided with a plurality of spaced perforations for rotatably receiving the shaft portion 28 on vane members 25 to provide a unitary drive arrangement for simultaneously actuating vane members 25.

A further plurality of longitudinally elongated vane members 29, each having a coaxially disposed shaft portion 30 and 31 at the ends thereof, are shown rotatably journaled in registering opposed slots 20 and 21 in rearwardly extending right and left flange members 18 and 19 on frame 10. Each of the vanes 29 is also provided with a laterally displaced shaft portion 32 extending generally parallel to the axis of shaft portions 30 and 31 at one end thereof. A longitudinally elongated and perforated drive actuator member 34 is shown operatively disposed on shaft portions 32 of vanes 29 for simultaneous actuation thereof. A drive lever, 35, for actuating vanes 29 is shown extending forwardly through the laterally extending mounting lip on frame 10* through a suitable slot 40 and is shown having an opening intermediate its ends rotatably journaled over shaft portion 31 on one of vane members 29 (as shown on FIG. 2 of the drawings) and a further opening at its rearward end for engaging shaft portion 32 on the same vane for actuating vanes 29 through drive actuator 34.

Movable vane members 25 and 29 are held in slots 14, 15, 20 and 21 by resilient U-shaped longitudinally elongated locking means 36 shown disposed on the rear peripheral edge of flange portions 12, 13, 18 and 19 on frame 10. Locking means 36 is shown having a laterally inwardly extending lip portion 37 that is adapted to engage with the lip portions 16, 17, 22 or 23 to releasably, lockably retain locking means 36 in operative disposition 3 to retain the shaft portions 26, 27, 30 and 31 in rotatable disposition in the respective slots in the rearwardly extending flange portions of frame 10.

The frame and vanes described above may conveniently be molded of thermosetting material. The locking means may be fabricated from a resilient plastic material by a continuous extrusion process.

The operation of the apparatus is believed to be readily apparent to one skilled in the art and may be seen to be facilitated by the unitary drive feature which provides simultaneous operation.

It may be noted at this point that our air diffuser may be easily fabricated in that a minimum number of parts are required. The ease of assembly should also be apparent from the simplicity of the parts themselves and the novel interrelationship therebetween.

It is understood that suitable modifications may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modifications come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described our invention, what we claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An adjustable air diffuser comprising in combination;

(a) a frame member having a centrally disposed member, said flange member having rearwardly opening slots in opposed registration, and a laterally extending lip adjacent the rearward ends thereof;

(b) a first plurality of longitudinally elongated vane members each having longitudinally extending shaft portions at opposite ends thereof, said shaft portions being rotatably disposed. in opposed registering slots in a first pair of flange members having opposed slots on said frame;

(c) a second plurality of longitudinally elongated vane members each having longitudinally extending shaft portions at opposite ends thereof, said shaft portions being rotatably disposed in opposed registering slots in a second pair of flange members having opposed slots on said frame;

(d) locking means, comprised of a longitudinally elongated member having a generally U-shaped crosssection and an inwardly extending lip disposed to releasably engage the laterally extending lip on the flange members on said frame when said locking means is disposed over the rearward end of said flange members, said locking means being in frictional engagement with the opposite ends of at least one of said first and second plurality of longitudinally elongated vane members.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which driving means extending through the frame are connected to one end of one of the plurality of elongated vane members to adjustably drive each of the vane members.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 in which driving means are connected intermediate at least two of the elongated vane members in at least one of the plurality of vane members to simultaneously position each of said vane members to a predetermined common attitude.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the locking means in frictional engagement with the shaft portions of at least one of the plurality of vane members engages said shaft portions on each side of the flange members on the frame member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,920,549 1/1960 Freitag et al 98-40 3,035,504 5/1962 Cline et al. 98 40 3,125,944 3/1964 Radcliff 98--4O 3,182,579 5/1965 Wiseman 98-40 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

W. E. WAYNER, Assistant Examiner.

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