Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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'rl~is :invellLion re:l.ates to cl clev:ice for regu.lat~
the o~tpu~ of a thermostatica]ly controlled heating or
air conclitioning system. The device may also be employed
in combination with a conventional ti.ming mechanism to
convert a nontimed therlllostat into a timed thermostat,
without structurally changing t'he thermostat ln any way.
The output cycle of thermostatically controlled
heating and cooling systems in individual residences and
office buildings is controlled by the temperature setting
of the thermostat relative to the temperature of the
ambience of the thermostat. Frequently, it is desirable
to regulate the thermostat so that it remains in an off
condition, although the air temperature of its ambience is
below the level of the temperature control setting of
the thermostat which would ordinarily actuate the heat '
output control during cold periods of the year or above
the level of the temperature control setting of the
thermostat which would ordinariIy actuate the cool air
output control during hot periods of the year. For
instance, at times of the year when a dwelling is
unoccupied or at times of the day when a dwelling is
unoccupied or at times of the day when a dwelling is
occupied but the occupants are unlikely to suffer
: . .discomforts-from temperature,. it is desirable to regulate
': : '"thë thermostat--temperature-contro~l''setting for maintalning
the temperature of the ambience of the dwelling or office
: at slightly a'bove freezing during cold weather or slightly
below about 80-85 F in hot weather.
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In the past, it has been necessary to manually
l regulate the thermostat temperature control setting to reduce
! the output of the heating or cooling system during periods of
I the day or year when the dwelling or office is unoccupiedior is
¦~ occupied, but the occupants -thereof are unlikely to suffer any
Il discomfort from less than an op~imum temperature level. For
,,~- instance, it has been common to reduce the temperature control
,¦ setting of a thermostat to the lower end of the tempera-ture scale~
in a residential dwelling during the nighttime hours in winter,
Il since the occupants can use thermal bed coverings to increase
i; their warmth. More recently, it has become known to use a
heating device which artificially heats the immediate ambience
~¦ of the thermostat for the purpose of l'fooling" the temperature
sensor in ~he thermostat into sensing a higher temperature than
' the normally prevailing temperature in the office or dwelling.
One such device is disclosed in Patent 3,849,753. Another such
device is disclosed in Paten~ 3,834,618.
The principal disadvantage of these prior devices is
; that they lack means for controlling the amount of heat supplied ,
;
j to the immediate ambience of the thermostat. Therefore, de-
`; I! pending upon the prevailing temperature in the ambience of the
i
~i I dwelling and the relative positions of the device and thermostat,,
il the device may not have the desired "fooling" effect on the
¦1 thermostat ~;ensor. The instant invention is an improved device
which overcomes the principal disadvantage inherent in these
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i prior devices.
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Cenera]~y speaking, in accordance w;th theinvention, a control device is provided for controlling
the temperature sensed by a thermostat in specific
relation to the temperature control setting of the
thermostat for thereby controlling on off cycles of the
system operatively connected to the thermostat.
~ ccording to the present invention there is
provided a regulator for wall thermostats, the regulator
having a housing adapted to be affixed to the wall under
a thermostat, the housing defining within it a passage
for air, the passage having an inlet and an outlet with
the inlet situated below the outlet. ~lanually rotatable
means is provided by which the passage may be selectively
restricted to a greater or lesser degree, and an electrical
means is provided within the housing for heating the air
within the passage means thus providing convection flow
from the inlet to the outlet.
In a specific embodiment of the invention, the
e]ectrical means is a low resistance heater element
mounted in the air passage for concomitantly warming air
in the air passage and thereby generating a draft of
ambient air through the passage so that the air is
expelled through the outlet and thus provide a continuous
conventional flow of warm air upwardly through the housing.
The manually rotatab]e means may be in the form of damper
means rotatably mounted adjacent air outlet vents so as
to permit regulation of the rate of flow of warm air in
the air passage through the outlet vent.
The housing may be mounted a predetermined distance
from the sensor element of the thermostat and the thermo-
stat is pres,et to a desired temperature setting.
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1~711ell Llle llen~er element :in the dev:ice :is not:actuated, the dev.ice has no control over the operat:ion
of the thermostat. When the heater element is actuated,
the extent of contro]. of the device on the operat:ion of
the thermostat is regulable by adjusting the damper to
control the output of warm air to the thermostat sensor.
According to one mode o:f operati.on of the device,
the heater element may be operatively connected to a
power supply cord of the type having a plug which is
releasably connectable into an electrical outlet, for
instance of the type conduetively connected to a
residential electrical system. According to another
mode of operation of the device, the heater element
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1~ may be operatively connected to a conventional commercially
~1 available timer of the type commonly employed in a household
I' to automatically energize a light or appliance through a desiredl
¦l interval. ,
¦l Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to
provide a device for automatically and continuously regulating
the air temperature of a dwelling.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device
for regulating the ambience of a wall rnounted thermostat for
~' thereby controlling the operation of a thermostatically operated~
heating or cooling system.
A further object of the invention is to provide a
device having a regulable effect on a wall mounted thermostat
il relative to the temperature control setting of the thermostat.
Still another object of the invention is to provide
a device which conserves fuel consump-tion while maximizing
comfort and minimizing disc`omfort according to seasonal comfort ;
,, levels.
.
Another ob~ject of the invention is to `provide in-
i expensive apparatus for converting standard thermostats into
!I timed therrnostats
Still other objects and advantages of the invention
1~ will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the
specificat:ion. '~
¦l The invention accordingly comprises the features~of
¦! constrùction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of ~ j
¦' parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter'
set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated
~ in the claims.
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I, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF l~IE DRAWINGS
¦~ For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference
" is had to the following description -taken in connection with
¦I the accompanying drawings, in which:
t, Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the preferred embodiment
1' of the de~ice constructed in accor~ance with this invention as
¦ mounted in specific relation to a wall mounted thermosta-t;
1 Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment
i! of the device seen in Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the device taken along
line 3-3 of Fig. l;
,!
Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the device t~ken along
line 4-4 of Fig. L; and
1 Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail of the damper mounted
,' in the device.
¦ DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE I~,TENTION
,` Referring now to the Figures, a thermostat 10
is mounted on a vertical wall 11 in one room of a dwelling, for
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instance. In another room of the dwelling, for instance, the
¦I basement thereof, a means (not shown) actuable by thermostat~10
j' may be located for blowing warm or cool air into the dwelllng,
or pumping heated or cooled water into radiating elements, or
an electr,cal heating system may b~ used~ Together,
, thermostat 10 and the operatively connected means ac- ¦
¦ tuable thereby providé aitemperature control system for the ;
dwelling. The temperat~re control system may be of any suitable 1
! conventional construction, and the details thereof do not o~f
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', themselves form part of the present invention and are, -therefore,~
3~ not illustrated herein. For instance, thermostat 10 may be
electrically, pneumatically, ~r hydraulically operable and the
construction and particular details of the operation ther?of do
ll, not form a critical aspect of the invention.
¦ For purposes of illustration, the thermostat may be of
the type which includes a bimetal mounted interiorly to the base
i thereof which is responsive to temperature changes above or below
a temperature setting shown on a scale 12 carried in the thermos~at
for opening or closing contacts for concomltantly opening or
clsoing the actuable means circuit. Conventionally, the
thermostat includes an air space between its front side and inner
~ side cover so that the interiorly mounted bimetal can respond to
tl the temperature of the air in the air space. A rotatable operating
,,-member 13 mounted in thermostat housing 14 is operatively connected
to setting pin 15 which overlies temperature scale 1~, and
rotatable operating membel 13 may be indexed for setting the
I pin 15 at the desired temperature for the dwelling. As shown
particularly in Fig. 1, pin 15 is set at about 68F. Under normal
operating conditions, for example, during the winter, the
l! temperature control system may be adapted to introduce warming
i
; I air into the d~elling when the thermostatic control senses an
!1 ambient temperature below the desired room temperature of 68F.
'
AlternativeLy, the temperature control system may be adapted to
i~ introduce cooling air into the dwelling during the summertime,
¦~ when the thermostatic control senses an ambient temperature above
68F. The device of the invention provides means for s
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all toma tically ~ncl COl-t Lnuou~sly re~?,ulating the tempe ra Lur~
control system and in one part:icul.~r mode Or operntLon
through select, predetermined time intervals.
Durillg nighttime hours, when occupants oE the
dwelling are generally asleep, the temperature com~ort
factor of the dwelling ambience is not AS impor~allt to
the occupants as during the waking hours when they are
most active. For instance, during the winter, when it
is customary to sleep with heavy bedding, it is usual
for the occupants of the dwelling to index the setting
pin lS to a lower temperature on the ~hermostat temperature
control scale 12 because the bedding compensates for the
lower ambient temperature of the dwelling. The following
morning, thermostat 10 must, of course, be again manually
reset to the desired room comfort temperature, i.e.,
about 68F. It would be an advantage to maintain the
temperature control svstem in an on-state but in an
inoperable condition during those hours when the comfort
afforded thereby is minimal. The device according to
the instant invention, eliminates these manual resetting
operations. Of course, during the summertime, the manual
resetting operation would work in reverse, viz., at night,
; ~ setting pin 15 would be indexed to a higher setting on
temperature controI scale 12 and the following morning,
it would be reset to reflect the desired ambient comfort
levël of the dwelllng. ~Co~ncomltantly, thls device
eliminates any need for changing the temperature control
setting of a thermostat operatively connected to a
thermostatically control cooling system.
~ 30 Devices within the scope of this invention are
!`~ mounted in specific relation to the sensor in thermostat
,
10. As seen in Fig. 1,
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the device is conveniently mo~lnted below the air space in
thermostat 10 and the amount of warm air drafted towards the air
space in the thermostat may be regulat~d. In the preferred
embodiment of the device seen in the Figures, a low resistance
heater element 16 which dissipates for instance one watt is mounted
in a generally rectangular housing 17 comprising a jacke~ 18 and
a complementary panel 19. Rotatably mounted in housing 17 is a
damper 20 which may be rotated to regulate the amount of warm air
which outlets from housing 17.
Jacket 18 in particular includes a panel 21 and sidewalls
22 and 23. Mounted on the interior surface of panel; 21 are respec-
tive pluralities of laterally extending longitudinally arranged
vanes 24 and 25. Each plurality of vanes 24 and 25 is respectively
arranged along opposite transverse edges 26 and 27 of panel 21.
Members of each plurality of vanes are substantially parallel.
When panel 19 overlies jacket 18 to form housing 17, the interior
surface of panel l~ abuts against free ends of vanes 24 and 25.
The air spaces determined by vanes 25 between sidewalls 22 and 23
define a plurality of air inlet vents, and concomitantly, the air
spaces determined by vanes 24 between sidewalls 22 and 23 define
a plurality of air outlet vents.
Substantially medianly mounted on the interior surface
of panel 21 are a pair of substantially parallel legs 28 and 29
around which respective leads 30 and 31 of heater element 16 are
wrapped. Heater element 16 is suppor~ed in jacket~18 on legs 28
and 29. A finger 32 is mounted on the interior surface of
panel 21 in spaced relationship from legs 28 and 29 and finger 32
, . .
¦~ and legs 28 and 29 determine the relative position of heater
' element 16 in jacke-t 18,
_
~' A yoke 33 is mounted on the interior surface of pan~l
1! 21 and a power supply cord 35 is accommodated in the slot 34 in
¦! yoke 33. Aligned with and below yoke 33 is a linear extension
I, 33' having a length correspond;ng to the base of slot 34. Leads !
,, 36 and 37 of power supply cord 35 are soldered to respective
-~I ends of leads 30 and 31 of heal~er element 16. Cord 35 nests in
slot 34 and abuts against extension 33l.
Damper 20 which is rotatably mounted in housing 17 be-
'i low the air outlet vents d~fined by vanes 24 includes a blade 38~i and knobs 39 and 40 mounted in opposite ends thereof. Knobs 39 and
40 are respectively mounted on spindles 41 and 42 which are inset
in opposite ends of blade 38. Each of the spindles includes a
narrow member fixed in the blade end and an expanded annular
member to which the knob is affixed. Sidewalls 22 and 23 of
,I jacket 18 are provided with sy~netrical recesses 43 and 44 in
which damper 38 is mountel.
RecPsses 43 and 44 open outwardly towards the free
ends of sidewalls 22 and 23, each recess being in registration
, with the otherL Recesses 43 and 44 open outwardly from a sub-
1,
stantially rounded well into a linear clearance. The rounded
~' wells in the recesses provide bearing surfaces in which the
j, expanded annular members of spindles 41 and 42 rotate. Res-
I, pective palrs of elbows 45, 45' and 46, 46l in sidewalls 22 and
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23 connect the respective rounded and linear portions of the
recesses. ~ '
Perpendicularly mounted on panel 19 along opposite
longitudinal edges thereof;are a pair of lugs 47 and 48 having
, respective semicurcuLar recesses therein defining respective
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~ ~ I,arms 49 and 49' in lug 47 and arms 50 and 50' in Lug 48,
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Lugs 47 and 48 are aligned with each other and each of the lugs
I, is registerable in a recess 43 and 44 o:f jacket 18. When panel 19
¦1 overfits jacket 18, arms 49 and 49' o:E lug 47 abut respectively
against corresponding elbows 4'; and 45' of recess 43 in jacket 18
and arms 50 and 50' correspondingly abut agains-t respective
elbows 46 and 46' in recess 44 of jacket 18. Each of the lugs 47
and 48 matingly engages a respective recess 43 or 44 of jacket 18
'i~ and the rounded wells in the respective recesses 43 and 44 of
, jacket 18 correspond to the mirror image simicurcular recesses
i in the respective lugs 47 and 48 ~o deterniine respective circular
" slots in housing 17 in which damper 38 journals.
' A power supply cord clip 51 comprising flanges 52 and 53
~ is mounted on the interior surface o:f panel 19 and provides
1~ means for clipping power supply cord 35 in position in housing 17,.
il Flanges 52 and 53 are aligned and parallel with each other and
I
. both flanges 52 and 53 lie in planes normal to the plane of
ii panel 190 Clip 51 is arranged on parlel 19 so that it overlies
, extension 33', without abutting against extension 33' when
i, panel 19 is mounted on jacket 18. When p~nel 19 is mounted on
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jacket 18, power supply cord 35 is axially rota~:ed and a width-
` wise portion thereof is fi-tted between the flanges of clip 51.
it Clip 51 coop'erates with yoke 33 and extension 33' to provide a '
i relative ori~entation for power supply cord 35 in housing 17.
Ii . A pair oE ribs 54 and 55 extend longitudinally along
the interior surface of panel 19. Ribs 54 and 55 are sub-
, stantially p,arallel and each of the rlbs lies in a~ plane
substantially normal to the plane of panel I9. Each of ribs 5h
, and 55 is spaced a predetermined distance from a corresponding ',
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longitudinal edge of panel 19. The predetermined distance for
the spacing of the ribs from their corresponding longitudinal
edges corresponds to the wall thickness of sidewalls 22 and 23 of
acket 18, When panel 19 is fi~ed against jacket 18, rib 54
extends interiorly along the inner surface of sidewall 22 and
rib 55 correspondingly extends along the interior surface of
sidewall 23,
Housing 17 including damper 38 may be fabricated ~or
instance of a suitable plastic, for example a phenolic resin.
Panel 19 may be affixed against jacket 18 by an adhesive con-
nection. For instance, a suitable thermosetting adhesive may be
applied to panel 19 along the elbows determined between ribs 54
and 55 and the corresponding longitudinal edges of panel 19
may be fixed against jacket 18 and sealed thereto.
Housing 17 includes means for substantially restricting ,
the rotation of damper 20 to abou~ 90 corresponding respectively ,
to horizontal and vertical positions for blade 38 of damper 20.
The means includes a plurality of longitudinally arranged abut- '
ment surfaces 56 provided in vanes 24. Each vane 24 has a
recessed lower portion to provide a clearance for blade 38 as it ;
is rotated from a horizontal to vertical position. The recessed
~, i
¦l lower portion of each vane 24 defines the abutment surface 56
! provided in each vane. A rib 57 is transversely arranged on the
, interior surface of panel~21 of jàcket 18 below vanes 24 thereof.
1, Rib 57 is generally normal to the plane of panel 21. As blade 38
!~ of damper~20 is rotated from a vertical to horizontal position,
rib 57 determines the horizontal extent of blade 38 by abutting
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against bl-lcle 38 nnd pr~ventillg f~lrther co--nterclockw~
rotatioll th~eof, as best seen in Fig. 3 7 aft~r al)out a
vertical to horizontal rotation of 90 .
The horizontal position of blade 38 in housing 17
corresponds to the closed pOSitiOII of damper 20. In its
hori~ontal position, blade 38 fully obstructs a convection
air flow through housing 17. Concomitantly, the vertical
position of blade 38 in housing 17 corresponds to the
fully open position of damper 20 in housing 18. In its
; 10 fully open position, damper 20 provides the least resistance
to the escape of a convection air flow through the device,
In practice, with particular reference to the
embodiment seen in the Figures, heater element 16 which
is internally mounted in housing 17 may be actuated by
operatively connecting power supply cord 35 to a common
outlet. The heat generated in the housing by heater
element 16 causes a draft of cooler ambient air to enter
housing 17 through the air vents determined by vents 25.
As the draft. of-air is forced upwardly through the housing ~-
by incoming ambient air, it is warmed by heater element 16and expelled from housing 18 through the air vents
- determined by vanes 24. The position of damper 20, which ~ :
may be ad~usted anywhere between its fully open and fully : :
closed positions, dete.rmines the rate of escape of warm ~ .
-- ai.r-from-ho-using.1.7 into the amb-ience. Housing--17 is . ..
~ . - . moun~ted in.~the.iinmediatè environment.of.thermo.stat 10
: ~ For instance, panel 21 of the housing may be adhesively
connected to wall 11 and the air outlet vents in housing
. 17 may be located for instance about one inch below
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the air space in
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l thermostat 10. The warm air forced through the air outlet vents
~¦ in housing 17 admixes with the localized ambient air immediately
below thermostat 10 and the convection current incipiently
¦, created in housing 17 flows upwardly into the air space provided
¦, in thermostat 10 and thereby affects the temperature sensor of
¦ thermostat 10, which thereby senses a higher temperature than
' the prevailing ambient temperature in the area of the dwelling
j~ in which the -thermostat is located. 7
¦l To generally determine the predictable extent in which
l the device may ccntrol a thermostat in a regulated environment,
,7 a heater element l6 consisting of a res-istor which dissipates
~ one watt was mounted in housing 17. The device was wall mounted
ii below a thermostat of the type seen in Fig. 1 and the air outlet
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¦~ vents of the device were located about one inch below the air
!~ space in the thermostat. The prevailing ambient temperature in
7 the environment of the thermostat was 72F. When damper 20 was
l adjusted to its fully closed position, a 2F temperature rise
7 was sensed and measured by the thermostat. When damper 20 was;
adjusted to its fully open position, the temperature rise sensed 7
!i and measured by the thermostat rela~ive to the ambient air 3
temperature of the environment was 14F. This temperature rise
i stabilized in about 30 minutes, bu-t over 90% of this temperature 7
¦i rise occurred during the first 15 minutes. Under the condi~ions
~1 i
of this control, it was determined that the set down temperature
of the thermostat under-these conditions was regulable between
about 2 and I4F relative to the prevailing ambient temperature
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l~ of the environmen~ of the device.
14
In an alternative mode o~ operation~ power supply cord
35 of the device may be operatively connected to a conventional
timing device instead of being directly operatively connected
`' into a common electrical outlet. Timing devices of the type which
Il may be employed are well-known and particular details thereof are
-¦~ not herein illustrated. For the purpose of practicing this mode
¦l, of operation, any conventional timer device may be employed.
i For instance, a timer of the type commonly employed in a house-
hold to automatically energize a llght or appliance through a
Il desired time interval may be satisfactorily employed. While i~ j
- I' may be preferable that the timing device utilized include an
il hour-day wheel, the timing device may be either mechanically or
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il electrically operated. Any of the conventional timing mechanisms
which are commercially available, may be employed for the purposes
¦~ of practicing this mode of operation of the invention, without
any need for any modific~ion of the timing device itself. Ac-
,, cording to this mode of operation of the device, the periods- of
ii each day or night for which the device of the invention controls
the set down temperature of the thermostat will be regula-ted by
¦! the settings given to the timing device. This mode of operation !
~ conserves the useful life of heater element 16~ although these
; 1', heater elements have predictably long lives when continuously
actuated.
! It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above,
among those made apparent from the preceding description, are
, efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in
the above constructions without departing from the spirit and
,!
1l scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained
; i in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings
,
shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
-15-
It is also to be understood that the following claims
are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features
¦¦ of the invention herein described9 and all statements of the
. I¦ scope of the invention which., as a matter o language, might be
: said to fall therebetween.
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