SNAP-OFF CONTROL DOOR FOR AN AIR CONDITIONING UNIT

FERMETURE A TENONS POUR CLIMATISEUR

English Abstract

Snap-Off Control Door for an Air Conditioning Unit

Abstract
Apparatus for securing a control door to an air conditioning unit.
A door assembly is disclosed wherein a door is mounted to cover
the control opening in a front panel of an air conditioning unit.
The door has pin support extensions on which pins are mounted.
Door supports having pin openings for receiving the pins from the
door are provided in the front panel. The door and front panel
are so arranged that the door pivots about the pins located within
the pin openings and upon excessive rotation of the door after
engagement of a portion of the door with the front panel the pin
support extensions are deformed allowing the pins to be released
from the pin openings without causing damage to the door.

Claims

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The embodiment of the invention on which an exclusive property or
privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A control door assembly for an air conditioning unit having a
control area wherein the various controls are located which
comprises a front cover for encasing a part of the unit extending
into an area to be conditioned, said front cover defining a
control area opening for allowing access to the various air
conditioning unit controls, a door for covering the control area
opening, a pivot support mounted to the door and offset from the
plane of the opening defined by the front cover, means for
securing the door to the front cover, said means including a pin
mounted to a flexible pin support extension attached to the pivot
support, said front cover including support means having a pin
opening therein, said opening being adapted to receive the pin
such that the door may be mounted to cover the opening and rotated
about the pin; and said front cover including a contact portion
which limits the amount of rotation of the door, said flexible pin
support extension being displaced and the pin dislodged without
breaking from the opening if the door is forcibly rotated beyond
the point where the door first engages a contact portion.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein there are two
pins, one mounted at the top and one at the bottom of the door and
wherein there are two support means and openings, one for each
pin.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein there is a pin
support extending from the pivot support and wherein the pin
support extension extends therefrom and is angled from the plane
of the pin support to promote release of the pin from the pin
opening upon excessive door rotation.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the contact
portion of the front panel and the pivot support are arranged such


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that the pivot support contacts the contact portion of the front
panel when the door is rotated to the fully open position.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the pin is
released from the pin opening by the pin support extension being
displaced when the door is rotated in excess of the fully open
position.

6. A room air conditioning unit for supplying conditioned air to
an enclosure having a control area in which the various controls
for operating the unit are located which comprises a front cover
for encasing a part of the unit extending into an area to be
conditioned, said front cover defining a control area opening for
allowing access to the various air conditioning unit controls, a
door for covering the control area opening, a pivot support
mounted to the door and offset from the plane of the opening
defined by the front cover, means for securing the door to the
front cover, said means including a pin mounted to a flexible pin
support extension attached to the pivot support, said front cover
including support means having a pin opening therein, said opening
being adapted to receive the pin such that the door may be mounted
to cover the opening and rotated about the pin, said first cover
including a contact portion which limits the amount of rotation of
the door, said flexible pin support extension being displaced and
the pin dislodged from the opening if the door is forcibly rotated
beyond the point where the door first engages the contact portion,
and wherein the contact portion of the front panel and the pivot
support are arranged such that the pivot support contacts the
contact portion of the front panel when the door is rotated to the
fully open position.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein the pin is
released from the pin opening by the pin support extension being
displaced when the door is rotated in excess of the fully open
position.

Description

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Snap-Off Control Door for an Air Conditioning Unit

This invention relates to air conditioning units and means for
covering a control area thereof. More particularly, the invention
relates to a front panel of an air conditioning unit co-acting
with a door covering the control area such that a snap-off door is
provided which serves to cover the control area and is
esthetically pleasing as well as functional in that excessive
rotation will result in the door being nondestructively removed
from its mounting.

Room air conditioning units, which extend through a wall of a
residence or are mounted in a window of a residence, include a
discharge port for discharging conditioned air from the unit into
the space to be conditioned and a door for controlling the opening
of the port. Additionally controls such as a thermostat setting
switch, fan speed selector, "on" and "off" switches, and exhaust
or other mode of operation selector are provided. These controls
may extend such that they are visible from the outside of the unit
or may be molmted in a control area which is covered by a door.
The provision of a control area covered by a door provides for the
surface of an air conditioning unit which extends into the
interior of a room to be esthetically pleasing. Proper
arrangement of components result in a unit which during periods of
non-operation is very attractive and has no protruding doors or
other features.

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A door mounted to cover a control area is, when open, susceptible
to being s~ruck or inadvertently over rotated. Since these parts
are often made of plastic or other material which may be broken it
is desirable to build a door which may have a fully open position
beyond which it will not rotate and furthermore have the
capability of snapping out of its hinges should it be rotated
beyond that point. With this capability over rotation results in
nondestructive removal of the door Erom the unit such that the
door thereafter may be reinserted into the unit without having
suffered any damage.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention there is
provided a front cover to encase the interior portion of a room
air conditioning unit. This front cover has a control door
mounted to encase the control area of the unit. This door has
connected thereto a pivot support from which a pin support and a
pin support extension project. A pin is mounted to the pin
support extension such that it may be inserted into a pin opening
contained in a door support which is formed as a part of the front
panel. The pin support extensions are flexible such that upon
stress being applied by over rotation of the door the pin is
released from the pin opening and the door snaps out of the unit.
A contact portion of front cover acts to engage the pivot support
of the door to provide a stop to limit rotation of the door once
it is in the open position.

This invention will now be described by way of example with
referral to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a front cover of a room air
conditioning unit.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the control door of this unit.




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Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of a section taken along lines III-
III on Figure 1 illustrating the control door molmted in the
closed position on the front panel of the unit.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the control door
mounted in the open position on the front panel.

Figure 5 is,a reverse view of the control door mounted on the
front panel.
The present invention provides an extremely simple yet efficient
apparatus for mounting the control door of a room air conditioning
unit. Pin openings are shown, see Figure 5, each being formed as
part of the front panel of the unit. It should be understood that
these separate portions of a single molding may actually be
separate pieces or that separate pieces may be a single molding.
The combination described herein may be but a single molding
although the components act and serve the purpose of several
various components fastened together.
Referring now to Figure 1 there may be seen front cover lO of a
room air conditioning unit. Front cover 10 has mounted on the top
thereof discharge door 50 and as the body thereof front panel 20.
Dummy door 12 at the right side of the unit and control door 14 on
the left side of the unit are also shown. Handles in the form of
knobs 16 are shown on both the dummy door 12 and control door 14.

It can be seen in Figure 2 that control door 14 has a door face 27
for covering an opening formed by front panel 20 and door lip 25
extending about the door face for engaging front panel 20.
Mounted to the door edge is door face 27 and pivot support 21
which is a vertically extending solid segment offset from the
plane of the face of the door. At the top and bottom of the door
- are located horizontal pin supports 26 each having pin support
extensions 27' to which pins 22 are mounted. The door is so

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arranged that a pin support, pin support extension and pins
extending in opposite directions are provided at each end of the
door.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 it can be seen that control door
14 with door face 27 is in the closed position with the door face
being in essentially the same plane as front panel 20 of front
cover 10. Door latch 24 can be seen extending from one end of the
front door into latch opening 33. Lip 25 adjacent to latch 24
contacts front panel 20 when it is in the closed position. The
control area designated as 40 is shown to indicate the area to be
covered by the door. Control area flange 39 delineates the
interior size of the opening where the controls are mounted. At
the other end of the door from the latch it can be seen that pivot
support 21 is attached to door face 27 and has extending therefrom
pin support 26. Pin support 26 which is perpendicular to pivot
support 21 has extending therefrom pin support extension 27' to
which pin 22 is mounted. In Figures 3 and 4 it can be seen that
pin 22 extends from the pin support extension through pin opening
31 formed in door support 30. Door support 30 is an extension of
front panel 20 in a horizontal plane such that an opening 31 may
be provided for engagement with pin 22.

When the door is in the open position as shown in Figure 4, it can
be seen that contact portion 37 of front panel 20 engages at front
panel contact point 35 with pivot support 21 at pivot support
contact point 36. The door as shown is in the fully open position
with pin 22 remaining in pin opening 31 and the two contact points
engaging each other. Should the door be opened further or moved
rotationally in the clockwise direction then pin 22 will be forced
to rotate about an axis formed at contact points 35 and 36 such
that an angular force is applied thereto. As angular force is
applied to the pin, the pin support extension 27' is deformed
allowing pin 22 to snap out of pin opening 31 and door to be
removed from the front panel. This over rotation caused by an

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excessive rotational force or accidental force merely results in
the door releasing from the unit as the pins snap out of the pin
openings. Neither the pin support extensions nor the pin openings
are damaged when the door is removecl such that the door may be
forced back into position by compressing the pins and allowing
them to expand into the pin openings. The engagement of the pivot
support and the contact portion 37 of front panel 20 acts to
provide a stop at the fully open position of the door as well as
providing a pivot point for the application of force resulting in
the pin being released from the pin opening.

It can be seen in Figure 5 that the pin support extensions 27' are
angled from the plane of door support 30 as opposed to the pin
supports 26 which are approximately parallel to door support 30.
This additional inclination in the order of approximately 5
serves to further enhance the pin being released from the opening
upon over rotation. Figure 5 is a view of the door looking from
the inside of the unit outwardly. It can be seen that control
area flange 39 defines the interior size of the control area 40
together with pivot support 21. The opposite deflection of the
pin supports together wi~h the relative locations thereof can
further be seen in Figure 5.

The above invention has been described with particular reference
to the preferred embodiment thereof but it is to be understood
that variations and modifications can be made within the spirit
and the scope of this invention.