Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CA 02483950 2004-10-06
the warmer air may condense onto the cool ventilation ducts: Also, the
humidity from warm
air passing over a chiller used to. cool the air circulating through the HVAC
will likewise
condense on the chiller. In any case, HVAC systems are prone to having
moisture therein.
[0004] The dark and damp conditions within the ducts of an HVAC system are
' conducive to the rapid growth and reproduction of contaminants such as
molds, spores;
bacteria, viruses and mildews which may be harmful to the people for whom the
air traveling
therethrough is intended. HVAC systems thus become a breeding ground for these
contaminants. Inhabitants may suffer adverse physical reactions as a result,
especially if they
are allergic to any of the contaminants. This problem is exacerbated when the
inhabitants
themselves introduce, additional contaminants into the HVAC system that may
then multiply
in the contaminant friendly HVAC environment and spread to other inhabitants
located
within the structure. Air filters have been introduced into HVAC systems in an
attempt to
remove contaminants passing therethrough before they reach inhabitants.
However, these
filters often become damp themselves and provide conditions which foster
growth and
reproduction of the contaminants.
[0005] It is known that light of the "C" band of the ultraviolet spectrum,
with
wavelengths between approximately 220 and 288 manometers, ("UV light") can
control .
growth of or kill most contaminants currently known to exist within HVAC
systems. The
longer the period of time a unit of air is exposed to UV light, and the
greater the density of
the UV light that a unit of air is exposed to, the greater the number of
contaminants within the
unit of light will be killed thereby. Lamps capable of emitting UV light
typically comprise a
long, hollow cylinder containing one or more gasses therein that will, upon
being excited by
electric current, emit UV light. These UV lamps primarily radiate UV light in
a direction
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
(OOb8] It is one of the principal objectives to provide an air treatment or
purification
device capable of efficiently controlling or killing contaminants within an
HVAC system.
[0009] It is another objective to provide a device including one .or more UV
light
emitting lamps to flood UV light over a large volume of air within a standard
HVAC air duct.
[0010] It is yet another objective to provide a device including one or more
standard
UV light emitting lamps to flood UV light over a large cross-sectional area of
air within a
stamdard HVAC air duct.
[0011] It is still another objective to provide an ultraviolet device that can
be mounted
within an HVAC air duct that only requires access to one side of the air duct
for mounting the
device.
[0012] It is a further objective to provide a device that has a removable
bracket that
allows the UV lamp to be mounted within the HVAC air duct at different angles
to optimize
~e light coverage within the duct.
[0013] It is another objective to provide an adjustable mounting bracket
assembly for
a UV lamp so that the UV lamp can be mounted within a duct at a variety of
different angles.
[0014] It is a further objective to provide art adjustable mounting bracket
assembly for
UV lamps so that longer UV bulbs can be placed into a duct.
[0015] It is a further objective to provide an adjustable mounting bracket
assembly to
facilitate the mounting of a UV lamp to avoid obstacles, such as a cooling
coil, within a duct.
(0016] These and other objectives will become apparent upon examining the
drawings and figures together with the accompanying written description
thereof.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0017) Figure 1 is a perspective view of the UV device, shown without a cover,
and a
straight-mounted UV lamp.
[0018] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the UV device shown with a
straight mounting piece.
[0019] Figure 3 is a second exploded perspective view of the UV device shown
with
an angled mounting piece
[0020] Figure 4 is a top view of the device, shown without the cover,
including the
wiring configuration and an angularly-mounted UV lamp.
[0021 ] Figure 5 is a bottom view of the device.
[0022] Figure 6 is a side view of the device with a straight-mounted UV lamp
mounted to an air duct as seen looking down the duct with airflow into the
page.
[0023] Figure 7 is a side view of the device with an angularly-mounted UV lamp
mounted to an air duct as seen looking down the duct with airflow into the
page.
[0024] Figure 8 is a side view of two devices with an angularly-mounted L1V
lamps
mounted to an air duct as seen looking down the duct with airflow into the
page.
[0025] Figure 9 is a top view of two devices with angularly-mounted UV lamps
mounted to an air duct as seem with air flow from left to right.
[0026] Figure 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the UV device,
shown without a cover:
[0027] Figure 11 is an exploded view of an adjustable mounting bracket
assembly.
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[0028] Figure 12 is a perspective view of he adjustable mounting bracket
assembly
with the UV lamp in a first position.
[0029] Figure 13 is a perspective view of the adjustable mounting bracket
assembly
with the UV lamp in a second position.
[0030] Figure 14 is a perspective view of the adjustable mounting bracket
assembly
with the UV lamp in a third position.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] Figure l depicts one embodiment of the UV device 10 of the present
invention. As shown in Figure l, the UV device 10 has a housing 12 for
mounting the device
to an air duct 14 (Figures 6; 7, 8, and 9). The housing 12 has an interior
surface 16 and an
exterior surface 18 (Figure 5). Additionally, the device l O has a bottom
portion 20 and a top
portion 22 integrally formed with the housing 12. The housing 12 includes four
mounting
holes 24, 26, 28, and 30 (Figure 4) for mounting the device 1 O to the air
duct 14 using bolts,
screws, or any other appropriate fasteners. The configuration of the mounting
holes 24; 26,
28, and 30 can be adjusted to accommodate other mounting methods and devices.
A left side
flange 32 and a right side flange 34 are integrally formed with the housing
12: Each of the
side flanges 32 and 34 includes a hole 36 for attaching a cover 38 (Figures 2
and 3) to the
device using bolts, screws, or any other appropriate fasteners.
[0032] The housing 12, bottom portion 20, top portion 22, side flanges 32 and
34, and
cover 3$ are preferably formed of coated steel, such as a stainless or carbon
steel.
Alternately; the housing 12, bottom portion 20, top portion 22, side flanges
32 and 34, and
cover38 can be formed of any material that is sufficiently strong to support
the UV device 10
when mounted to an air duct l4, inhibits the transmission of UV light, and
withstand the
temperatures of an HVAC duct. For example, some injection molded plastics with
UV
inhibitors maybe able to provide adequate support, preventUV light from
escaping the air
duct 14, and withstand the temperatures of an HVAC duct 14.
[0033] Now looking at Figure 4, an electrical power assembly 40 is mounted
through
a hole (not shown) in the bottom portion 20 of the device 10. The power
assembly 40 has an
outer end 42 and an inner end 44. When the power assembly 40 is properly
mounted through
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into which the UV lamp 60 is being mounted. Other angles can be used to obtain
different
coverage areas, so long as the angle used allows the device 10 to be mounted
to the side of
the air duct 14. For example, when utilizing the device l0 incorporating the
angled mounting
bracken 106 in a rectangular duct (not shown), rather than the square duct 14
illustrated in
Figure 7, the angle B cari be altered to orient the longitudinal axis 122 of
the UV lamp 60 into
a corner of the rectangular duct, or otherwise, as necessary to increase the
area of coverage of
UV light within the duct 14.
[0042] As described above; because the UV lamp 60 only emits UV light in
directions
perpendicular to the lamp's 60 surface, the standard UV lamp 60 only emits
light in a circular
band extending radially outward from the longitudinal axis 122 of the UV lamp
60. Thus, as
illustrated in Figure 7, the UV lamp 60 creates a cylinder of UV light around
the tubular UV
lamp 60 for the length of the lamp 60. As a result, as shown in Figure 7, two
cross-sectional
triangular areas 134 and 136 within the duct 14 will not be flooded in UV
light. An upper
angular area 134 is defined within the duct 14 by three points 138, 140, and
142. The first
point 138 is located at the intersection of the UV lamp 60 and the left side
124 of the duct 14.
The second point 140 is located at the intersection of the left side 124 and
upper side 128 of
the duct 14. The third point 142 is located at the point along the.upper side
128 of the duct 14
that is intersected by a line, drawn perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
122 of the UV lamp
60; originating from the intersection of the UV lamp 60 and the left side 124
of the duct 14.
A second triangular area 136 is defined within the duct 14 by an additional
three points 144,
146, and 148. The first point 144 is located at the point along the lower side
130 of the duct
14 that is intersected by a line, drawn perpendicular to the longitudinal axis
122 of the UV
lamp 60, originating from the first end 86 of the UV lamp 60. The second point
146 is
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located at the point along the right side 126 of the duct 14 that is
intersected liy a line; drawn : -
perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 122 of the UV lamp 60; originating from
the first end
86 of the UV lamp 60. The third point 148 is located at the intersection of
the right side 126
and lower side 130 of the duct 14. Accordingly, the effectiveness of the
embodiment of the
device l0 .shown in Figure 7. is influenced by the size and shape of the air
duct 14, the angle
B of the UV lamp 60, the distance the UV lamp 60 is mounted from the upper
side 128 of the
duct 14 as measured along the left side 124 of the duct 14; and the length of
the UV lamp 60:
'tee embodiment of the device 10 shown in Figure 6 is most desirable when the
length of the
standard UV lamp 60 employed allows the UV lamp 60 to be mounted closer to the
upper
side 128 of the duct 14, to' extend the longitudinal axis 122 of the UV lamp
60 closer to the
intersection'of the right side 126 and lower side 130 of the duct 14; and be
mounted at an
angle B that minimizes the area of triangles 134 and 136.
[0043] Figures 8 and 9 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention using
two
devices 10, each incorporating the angled mounting bracket 1U6. Figure 8
illustrates the
embodiment as seen looking down the length of the duct 14 with airflow into
the page.
Figure 9 illustrates ahe embodiment as seen from above the duct, with airflow.
frorri left to ',
right. In this embodiment, a first device 150 is mounted a distance C upstream
of a second
device 152. Distance- C should be at least approximately four inches for
optimum
effectiveness
[0044] As shown in Figure 8, the two devices 150 and 152 are mounted such that
the .
longitudinal axis 122 of the UV lamp 60 of the first device 150 crosses the
longitudinal axis
122 of the UV lamp 60 of the second device 152 to alleviate the individual
shortcomings of
each of the UV lamps 60. The two devices 150 and 152 are mounted such that the
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longitudinal axis 122 of each lamp 60 forms an angle D and E neither
substantially parallel
nor ubstantially perpendicular to any of the sides 124, 126, 128, and 130 the
air duct 14. As
shown in Figure 8, the longitudinal axis 122 of the UV lamp 60 of the first
device 150 is
inclined approximately 37 degrees with respect to a horizontal centerline
drawn through the
air duct 14. Additionally; the longitudinal axis 122 of an UV lamp 60 of the
second device
152 is declined approximately 37 degrees with respect to a horizontal
centerline drawn
through the air duct l4. However; other angles are contemplated and will be
recognized by
one of ordinary skill in the art to be consistent with fhe invention as
described herein:
Specifically; the angles D and E should comport to the configuration of the
duct. l4 into
which the UV devices 150 and 152 are being mounted. For example, as shown in
Figure8,
the two UV devices 150 and 152 may be mounted such that the cross-sectional
triangular
areas '134 and 136 of the duct 14 that would not be flooded with UV light by
the UV lamp 60
of the first device 150 are flooded with UV light by the UV lamp 60 of the
second device
152. The UV devices 150 and 152 may otherwise be configured as necessary to
increase the
area of coverage of UV light within the duct 14:
[0045] The preferred size of the UV lamp 60 is determined by the size of the
air duct
14 within which a the UV lamp 60 into be used. It is preferable to install the
longest UV
lamp 60 that will fit within the air duct 14 to maximize the intensity of the
UV light within
the duct 14. Once the appropriate size of the UV lamp 60. is determined, then
the preferred
number of UV devices 10 can be determined. For example; when employing a
twelve inch
UV lamp 60, it is preferable to use at least one UV device 10 for buildings
approximately
1000 squarefeet in size, at least two UV devices 10 for buildings
approximately 1500 square
feet in size, at least three UV devices 10 for buildings approximately 2500
square feet in size,
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Using two twenty-three inch UV lamps 60 mounted at approximately thirty-seven
degrees
within an eighteen inch square duct l4 results in approximately at least 99%
coverage. '
Finally, using two twenty-eight inch UV lamps 60 mounted at approximately
thirty-seven
degrees within a twenty-four inch square duct l4 results in approximately at
least 99%
coverage.
[0048] In addition to increasing the cross-sectional area of the air duct 14
flooded
with UV light, the configuration of devices 150 and 152 illustrated in Figures
8 and 9
increases the volume of the air duct l4 flooded with UV light. As discussed
above, the
intensity of UV light at any point decreases as the radial distance between
the point and an -
UV lamp 60 increases. Accordingly; increasing the distance C between the two
devices 150
and 152 increases the volume of the duct 14 that is flooded in UV. light at an
intensity capable
of controlling the growth of or killing contaminants. Similarly; decreasing
the distance C
between the two devices 150 and 152 decreases the volume of the duct 14 than
is flooded in
UV light,. but increases the intensity of UV light within the volume the UV
light does flood:
Therefore, the distance C can be adjusted at the time of installation to best
suit the needs of
the particular application.
[0049] Figure 10 illustrates a UV device 154, including two angled mounting
brackets
156 and 158, for use in applications where implementing a single device 154 to
accomplish
the mounting configuration illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 is preferred. In
addition to the two
angled mounting brackets 156 and 158 shown in Figure 10, the UV device 154 may
include;
an electrical power assembly 40, at least one ballast 56, appropriate
electrical wiring,
including an AC cord 50, two UV lamps 60, two clamping pieces 82, at least one
viewing
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piece 64; a cover 38, as well as any of other various mounting holes and other
parts of the
device described above necessary to practice the invention.
[0050] The preferred location for mounting the UV device 10 is in the supply
duct
(not shown) over the air-conditioning ("A/C") coil. This location is
downstream of the air
filter (not shown), keeping the lamp'60 clean, and also allows the lamp 60 to
inhibit
contaminant growth in condensation formed on the A/C coil (not shown).
Alternatively, the
UV device 10 may be installed in the return air duct (not shown), preferably
downstream of
the air filter, or any other location within the HVAC system. If more than one
UV device 10
is to be used in an HVAC system, installation in both the supply and return
ducts is preferred
for its cumulative effect:
[0051] Referring now to Figures 11-14, another example of a UV device 200 is
shown. As shown in Figure 11; the device 200 has a mounting bracket 202. 'The
mounting
bracket 202 has a mounting portion 204 that can be placed flush onto an air
duct and secured
to the air duct to mount the device in a similar manner as the device 10
described above in
Figures 1-10. The mounting portion 204 has a hole 206 therein. Attached to the
mounting
portion 204 are two small flanges 206, which are located on opposite sides of
the mounting
portion 204, two large flanges 208, also located on opposite sides of the
mounting portion
204, and four extension flanges 210. The extension flanges 210 can be used to
secure the
bracket 202 to the air duct with fasteners. The small flanges 206 and large
flanges 208 are
used to guide and secure a cover (not shown) to the mounting bracket 202.
[0052] Two side brackets 220 are provided and each side bracket 220 can be
secured
to the mounting bracket 202 and/or air duct by fasteners as well. An
adjustable UV lamp
bracket 222 is also provided. As shown, the lamp bracket 222 has a semi-
circular portion 224
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