Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FLOOR VENT BOOSTER FA_N
Field of the Invention
[00011 The present invention relates to the field of vents for airflow
systems. In
particular, it relates to a combination vent and fan to boost airflow through
the vent.
Background of the Invention
100021 One of the issues that arise in forced-air heating systems is the
difficulty in
ensuring adequate airflow into the ventilated area from the ventilation ducts.
As the
number of air outlets in the ductwork increases, and as the overall length of
ductwork
increases, the requirements for the starting airflow (i.e. fan power) increase
as well. In
some cases, the resulting airflow at some of all of the vents can be
insufficient to provide
proper ventilation, or even proper distribution of heating and cooling. One
proposed
method of overcoming this problem is through the use of additional `booster'
fans in the
ductwork.
[00031 One type of booster fan, as illustrated by U.S. Patent No. 6,322,443 to
Jackson, discloses a booster fan located in the ductwork behind the vent
location. The
fan is installed into the duct at a location recessed from the vent. As a
result, the fan must
generally be installed at the same time as the ductwork, or else substantial
modifications
to existing ductwork can be required. Additionally, access to the fan for
repairs or
replacement is extremely limited by the size of the duct and can be difficult
to execute.
[00041 An alternative type of booster fan, as illustrated by U.S. Patent No.
4,809,593
to Asselbergs, discloses a booster fan mounted on the exterior of the vent.
While this
arrangement address the access and repair issues associated with the duct-
mounted fan,
the exterior protrusion of the fan from the vent limits the installation and
use, as a fan can
be easily dislodged and is not suitable for use in a ceiling or wall vent.
Also, there is a
loss in efficiency as compared with a fan mounted within the duct.
100051 Thus, there is a need for a vent-mounted booster fan that provides for
accessible installation and repair of the fan on a floor, ceiling or wall
vent, and is
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additionally capable of providing efficient airflow boosting similar to a duct-
mounted
fan.
100061 It is an object of this invention to partially or completely fulfill
one or more of
the above-mentioned needs.
Sunimary of the Invention
[00071 The invention consists of a vent booster fan, comprising: a) a vent
housing,
forming a vent which is operable for insertion into a ventilation duct; and
defining a vent
surface through which air flows from the duct; b) a fan assembly located
within the vent
housing, containing a fan operative to force air through the vent, the fan
assembly located
within the vent housing so as to be located substantially within the duct; c)
an air
deflector covering a portion of the vent surface sufficient to alter airflow
from the vent.
[00081 Preferably, the booster fan includes an adjustable shield covering a
portion of
the air deflector to enable adjustment of airflow.
[00091 Additional elements can include a switch to activate and deactivate the
fan,
and an indicator light to signal when the fan is in operation. Other
additional elements
include the provision of a temperature control element, being a heating or
cooling
element, or a combination thereof, to assist with heating and/or cooling of
the ventilated
area.
[0o101 The booster fan can additionally include further elements including,
but not
limited to: carbon filters, air filters (HEPA filters), (de)ionizers,
(de)humidifiers, and air
flow sensors. Such additional elements can be included singly or in any
combination.
[00111 Other and further advantages and features of the invention will be
apparent to
those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof,
taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
[00121 The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example
only,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numbers refer to
like
elements, wherein:
Figure 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a top view of the embodiment of Figure 1; and
Figure 5 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention
containing multiple air flow and air purification elements.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
[00131 The inventive apparatus presented herein consists of a floor vent
booster fan
10, with a preferred embodiment as shown in Figure 1. Note that the terms
`front',
`back' and `side' are used herein for convenience and are not intended to
reflect any
specific orientation that is required for the fan 10.
100141 A presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in Figure 1,
with
booster fan 10 preferably a unitary assembly that can be identified by three
separate
sections: vent section 100, deflector section 200 and fan section 300.
[00151 As best shown in Figure 2, the vent section 100 consists of an outer
frame
110 dimensioned to cover the opening into the duct. The frame 110 has a
slotted opening
112 to permit air flow through the fan 10 into and out of the duct (not shown)
while
blocking the ingress and egress of small objects. The vent section further
includes a
switch 104 to activate and deactivate the fan motor 302, and a power cord 102
to supply
power to the fan motor 302 from an outside source. Preferably, an indicator
light 106 is
located on the frame 110 to provide a visual indication of the power status of
the fan
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motor 302. Power cord 102 is preferably 120V AC for use with standard
residential/business power sockets.
100161 As further shown in Figure 2, the deflector section 200 is dimensioned
to
cover the opening 112 in the outer frame 110 and consists of two parts. The
first part is
an air deflector grille 202 which protects the opening and moderate the air
flow. The
second part is an adjustable air shield 204, which can be rotated into
different positions
on the grille 202 to direct the air flow from the opening 112 in a desired
direction. The
adjustment of shield 204 is shown more clearly in Figure 3.
[00171 As still further shown in Figure 2, the fan section 300 consists of a
fan motor
302 and a fan assembly 310 which is driven by the motor 302. Preferably, the
fan
assembly consists of a`wind-wheel' style rotary fan blade 312 connected to a
rotating
bearing assembly 314. The fan assembly is protected by a fan cover 320, which
is
ventilated to provide airflow through the fan blade. The motor 302 is
protected by a
cover 304, which additionally combines with fan cover 320 to form the body of
fan
section 300. An insulated cover 316 is also provided to connect power cord 102
to motor
302. The sections 100 and 300 are joined together using screw or plug
connectors 318,
although other methods of fabrication, such as thermal welding, can be used.
100181 Additionally, a temperature control element, being a heating or cooling
element, or a combination thereof, can be mounted either as part of the
opening 112 or
the fan assembly 310 to assist in heating and/or cooling air traveling through
the booster
fan 10.
100191 When booster fan 10 inserted into a ventilation duct (not shown), vent
section
100 is flush to the duct opening, with fan section 300 protruding into the
duct, but
secured by the vent section 100. If present, deflector section 200 extends
outward from
the duct opening to allow for control over the airflow direction. A top view
of booster
fan 10 as shown in Figure 4 reflects the external appearance of the installed
booster fan
10.
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100201 Booster fan 10 can be assembled from any known material in the art of
ducts
vents, including metals (aluminum), ceramics and plastics. However, preferred
materials
are heat-resistant, to prevent deformation from hot air traveling through the
vent, and
non-conductive, due to the use of an external electric power source.
[00211 The booster fan 10 can additionally include air purification elements
and air
flow monitoring elements as shown in Figure 5. Air purification elements can
include
elements such as air filters (HEPA filters) 410, carbon filters 412,
(de)ionizers 422 and
(de)humidifiers 402. Air flow monitoring elements can include air flow sensors
420, air
temperature sensors 404, and timers 404. Other exemplary elements are known in
the art
or may be developed in the future. Any booster fan 10 can include some or all
of these
elements as desired
[00221 While the above apparatus has been presented in the context of a floor
vent
the apparatus is equally applicable for use in wall or ceiling vents as well.
100231 This concludes the description of a presently preferred embodiment of
the
invention. The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of
illustration
and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise
form
disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the
above teaching
and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended the scope of
the invention be
limited not by this description but by the claims that follow.
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