EP2369258A2

EP2369258A2 - Device for the protection of appliances equipped with a lateral opening

Info

Publication number: EP2369258A2
Application number: EP10194897A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dino Cappellari
Original assignee: Cappellari 80 Srl
Current assignee: VECAMCO S.R.L.
Priority date: 2010-03-22
Filing date: 2010-12-14
Publication date: 2011-09-28
Also published as: ITVR20100008U1; EP2369258A3

Abstract

Device for protecting an apparatus of an air-conditioning unit placed on a wall or resting on a floor or another support surface from atmospheric agents, vandalism or theft equipped with at least one openable door to facilitate ordinary maintenance without needing prior disassembly of the apparatus in need of protection.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a device for protecting apparatuses, especially for external exchanger units for air conditioning systems hung on the wall of buildings or rested on a floor or other support surface.

STATE OF THE ART

Continuous developments have been made in the field of air conditioning systems both for private homes and for larger structures.
Concerning this there is an increasing demand for devices for keeping the exchanger units of conditioning systems, both new and already installed, safe from acts of vandalism, theft and tampering, and from wear, from atmospheric agents and external influences that can compromise its operation.
Such devices can also be installed to cover indoor exchanger units thus improving their appearance. Consequently, there is a continuous improvement of devices that cover the exchanger units in terms of functionality, safety and their appearance.
At the same time, however, it is necessary for such devices, also once installed, to allow easy and practical access to the apparatus arranged inside them to allow ordinary inspection and maintenance.

PURPOSES OF THE INVENTION.

A purpose of the present invention is to provide a device, for protecting external exchanger units of an air conditioning system, which is quick and simple to assembly.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a device for protecting external exchanger units of an air conditioning system from acts of vandalism and/or theft, as well as from direct exposure to the sun and from bad weather, overcoming the drawbacks of the prior art.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a device for protecting external exchanger units of an air conditioning system that allows inspection and maintenance of the external unit in a quick and easy manner.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a device for protecting an external unit of an air conditioning system that is simple to make and inexpensive.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a device that can be mounted both over newly installed units and over pre-existing apparatuses, both positioned on a wall and on the ground. According to an aspect of the present invention, these purposes are achieved by a device for protecting an external unit of an air conditioning system as specified in independent claim 1.
The dependent claims refer to preferred and advantageous embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the description of a device for protecting apparatuses, illustrated for indicating purposes in the attached drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a perspective front view of an openable door of the device for protecting apparatuses according to the present invention;
figure 2 is a perspective view from the rear of the openable door according to figure 1;
figure 3 is a perspective view of the device for protecting apparatuses according to the present invention together with the openable door according to the previous figures;
figure 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the openable door according to the previous figures;
figure 5 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the openable door according to the previous figures;
figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the device according to the present invention.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION.

With reference to the attached figures, a device 10 for protecting apparatuses, in particular exchanger units of air conditioning systems, according to the present invention, is illustrated.
The device 10 comprises at least one of the following components: a frame structure 12, a right and left side panel 14, a front panel 16, an upper panel 18 and a lower panel 20 for closing the device 10 and for collecting the condensation possibly produced by such apparatuses.
The frame structure 12 comprises at least 2 portions, able to be reciprocally separated from one another. The frame structure 12 has a substantially parallelepiped shape that comprises at least one dismountable cross-member 22. The remaining sides 24 of the frame structure 12 can be completely dismounted from one another and/or dismounted according to different combinations.
Such a frame structure 12 is configured in such a way to allow pipes and/or tubes of pre-existing exchanger units to pass during the assembly of the device 10.
The frame structure 12, as illustrated in the figures, does not need attachment means, for example through screws, to be assembled since it is mounted in a coupled fashion, through the presence of fastening means 34A inserted in corresponding slots 36A. The fastening means 34A and the slots 36A can be positioned respectively on the dismountable cross-member 22 and/or on the remaining sides 24 of the frame structure 12 and vice-versa and they can also be positioned in a different way with respect to what has been illustrated.
The side panels 14, as illustrated in the figures, do not need attachment means for example using screws, since they are assembled in a coupled fashion, through the presence of fastening means 34B arranged in the rear part of the side panels 14 and inserted in corresponding slots 36B positioned on the side walls of the frame structure 12. The fastening means 34B and the slots 36B can be positioned on the side panels 14 and/or on the frame structure 12 and vice-versa, and they can also be positioned in a different way with respect to what has been illustrated.
The lower edges 32 of the side panels 14 have a width such as to allow a lower panel 20 to rest on it that acts to close the device 10 and to collect condensation.
The front panel 16 is fixed to the device 10 through fastening means 34C. In particular, such fastening means 34C are positioned on the side walls of the front panel 16 and are inserted in corresponding slots 36C arranged in the front part of the side panels 14.
The fastening means 34C and the slots 36C can be positioned on the front panel 16 and/or on the side panels 14 and vice-versa, and they can also be positioned in a different way with respect to what has been illustrated.
Thanks to the presence of such fastening means 34C, it has been possible to eliminate the fixing, through screws, of the front panel 16 to the side panels 14, in such a way obtaining quick, simple and cost-effective assembly of the device 10.
The upper panel 18, as illustrated in the figures, is assembled in a coupled fashion, through the presence of fastening means 34D, arranged on the rear side of the upper panel 18 and inserted in corresponding slots 36D positioned on the upper part of the frame structure 12. The fastening means 34D and the slots 36D can be positioned on the upper panel 18 and/or on the frame structure 12 and vice-versa, and they can also be positioned in a different way with respect to what has been illustrated.
The upper panel 18, in its front part, also has a front edge 44 that allows better coupling with the device 10.
The upper panel 18 can have a configuration substantially parallel to the ground or variously inclined, to promote the running off of the rain and/or of other atmospheric agents and/or of other material that may deposit on top of such an upper panel 18, without for this reason departing from the scope of protection of the attached claims.
As illustrated in the figures, the side panels 14 and/or the front panel 16 and/or the upper panel 18 have perforated and/or grated areas 46 that act as structural reinforcement suitable for reducing excessive distortion of the worked plate or of the material from which the device 10 is made, and they allow an effective exchange of air and allow possible condensation formed inside the device 10 to escape.
Such perforated areas can have a different geometry and/or shape from that illustrated here and/or an arrangement such as to make them effective for the predetermined purposes.
It is possible to provide non-perforated areas 38 in which it is possible to position adhesive labels and/or another material and/or to print/etch a logo or another distinctive mark in order to personalise the device 10.
The side panels 14 and/or the upper panel 18 have pre-fractured areas 30 that are positioned in the rear and/or lower part of such panels. The pre-fractured areas 30, however, can also have other positions, according to the requirements of apparatuses protected by the device 10 according to the invention.
Such pre-fractured areas 30 have been introduced to facilitate the assembly and/or disassembly of the device 10 in the case of pre-existing apparatuses. In this way the device 10 adapts to protect apparatuses that have pipes and/or tubes, previously installed and arranged in set positions, without needing to dismount the pre-existing apparatus and/or to change position of previously installed pipes.
The pre-fractured areas 30 are defined by pre-perforated and/or pre-cut lines 48.
As illustrated in detail in figure 4, the pre-perforated and/or pre-cut lines 48 of the pre-fractured areas 30 have slits 50 and transversal baffles 52. Such transversal sectors 52, which correspond to shorts sections made of the same material as the device 10, join the panel itself to the inner part of the pre-fractured area 30. However, the transversal baffles 52 can consist of different materials with respect to the rest of the device 10 and/or have a different thickness, in particular shorter, with respect to the remaining material that makes up the panel itself.
The transversal baffles 52 can be easily cut and/or removed by using common tools, such as cutting tools and/or pliers and/or shears, and they allow easy and precise removal of the pre-fractured areas 30 from the device 10.
Such pre-fractured areas 30, therefore, have the possibility of being removed from the device 10 when it is necessary to create an opening that allows pre-existing pipes and/or tubes to pass. However, when this is not necessary, they remain whole, without creating needless openings; the device 10, in this way, allows better protection and safety of the apparatus inside it.
The lower panel 20 is optional, especially for devices rested on the ground. In particular, for devices suspended above the ground, such a lower panel 20 can consists of a metallic material such as metal plate and/or thermoformed plastic material and can also perform the function of covering the bottom of the apparatus enclosed by the device 10 in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
The frame structure 12 and the upper panel 18 have holes, 40A and 40D respectively, consisting of threaded openings that allow corresponding attachment means 42 to pass, possibly in the form of screws and/or other means commonly used for this purpose so as to be able to fix and close the device 10.
In particular, through these attachment means 42 the frame structure 12 is fixed to the wall and the upper panel 18 is fixed to the side panels 14. Such side panels 14, indeed, in their upper part have holes 40B corresponding to the holes 40D of the upper panel and to the attachment means 42.
The fastening means 34A, 34B, 34C and 34D can have a protruding and/or L-shaped and/or bayonet coupling and/or hooked configuration and/or any further configuration on the market. The slots 36A, 36B, 36C and 36D can be recesses and/or openings of various kinds corresponding to the fastening means 34A, 34B, 34C and 34D.
The attachment means 42 can comprise means that cannot be opening with normal tools but only with special instruments so as to ensure better protection from theft and/or acts of vandalism.
The device 10 can consist of sheets of strong metallic material that is easy to work, as well as being relatively cost-effective, like for example steel plate or similar, which can be suitably bent and shaped, and/or thermoformed plastic materials and/or other suitable materials, and/or shock-resistant, and in any case not easily damaged with normal tools. In this way, the safety of the exchanger units ensured by the device 10 is maintained.
There can also be further safety devices such as key locks, padlocks, etc.
At least one of the side panels 14 and/or the front panel 16 comprise at least one openable door 14', 16' that replaces at least one of the side panels 14 and/or the front panel 16 so as to allow the device 10, once it has been assembled, to undergo quick and simple ordinary inspection and/or maintenance, without needing to dismount the device 10.
Such an at least one openable door 14', 16', at one of the outer edges of such a door, comprises hinge means 100, in the form of hinges and/or rotary joints and/or hinge means that allow the rotation and separation of the openable door 14', 16' itself. In an alternative embodiment, the openable door 14', 16' is completely removable from the device 10 and has tractable connection means (not illustrated), which lock the openable door 14', 16' to the device 10, as an alternative to the hinge means 100.
The openable door 14', 16' also comprises closing means 120, for example in the form of key locks and/or padlocks, etc.
The hinge means 100 can be positioned at the upper side of the at least one openable door 14', 16' in the case of devices 10 suspended above the ground or at the lower side of the at least one openable door 14', 16' in the case of devices 10 positioned on the ground. Such hinge means 100, however, can also be positioned at any side of the at least one openable door 14', 16', according to the opening direction required for such an openable door.
In a corresponding manner, the closing means 120, can be positioned towards the bottom in devices 10 suspended above the ground or towards the top for devices 10 resting on the ground or even in a side position of the at least one openable door 14', 16'. Moreover, it is clear that the hinge means 100 and the closing means 120 can be positioned at any side of the openable door 14', 16' and/or can also take up other positions without for this reason departing from the scope of protection of the attached claims. In an embodiment, the at least one side panel 14 and/or the front panel 16 comprise a framework 110, for supporting the openable door 14', 16'.
The openable door 14' 16' has dimensions approximately equal to those of the at least one side panel 14 and/or of the front panel 16.
The at least one openable door 14', 16', in an alternative embodiment depicted in figure 4, can completely replace the at least one side panel 14 and/or the front panel 16. In such an embodiment the hinge means 100 are positioned on the openable door 14', 16' and/or in one of the adjacent panels. In this case, the hinge means 100 replace the corresponding fastening means 34B, 34C, respectively, of the side panels 14 and of the front panel 16.
The openable door 14', 16' can be delivered to the user as an optional element together with the other components of the device 10.
Nevertheless, the device 10 can also have other types of attachment and assembly, for example using screws and/or other attachment systems between one panel and another, without for this reason departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.
The present invention thus conceived can undergo numerous modifications and variants all of which are covered by the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

Device (10) for protecting apparatuses comprising at least one from: a frame structure (12) shaped substantially like a parallelepiped and/or a right and/or left side panel (14) and/or a front panel (16) and/or an upper panel (18), said frame structure (12) comprising at least two separable portions comprising at least one dismountable cross-member (22) and/or some remaining sides (24) characterised in that at least one of said side right and/or left panel (14) and/or of said front panel (16) comprises an openable door (14', 16').
Device (10) according to claim 1, wherein said openable door (14', 16') comprises hinge means (100) and/or closing means (120) so as to allow the rotation and/or closure of the device (10) itself, or wherein said hinge means (100) and/or said closing means (200) are positioned at any side of said openable door (14', 16').
Device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said hinge means (100) comprise hinges and/or rotary joints and/or hinge means that allow the rotation and the separation of the openable door (14', 16'), and/or tractable connection means and/or wherein said closing means (120) comprise key locks and/or padlocks, etc.
Device (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein at least one of said side panel (14) and/or of said front panel (16) comprises a framework (110) for supporting said openable door (14', 16').
Device (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein said openable door (14', 16') has dimensions approximately equal to said side panel (14) and/or to said front panel (16).
Device according to one of the previous claims, wherein said at least one dismountable cross-member (22) and said remaining sides (24) can be connected through fastening means (34A).
Device (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein at least one of said side panels (14) and/or of said front panel (16) and/or of said upper panel (18) has at least one pre-fractured area (30) to make it easier to mount and dismount said device (10) in the case of pre-existing apparatuses equipped with fixed pipes and/or tubes.
Device (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein said pre-fractured areas (30) are defined by pre-perforated and/or pre-cut lines (48).
Device (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein said pre-perforated and/or pre-cut lines (48) comprise slits (59) and easily removable transversal baffles (52) that act as a coupling for the cutting and removal of said pre-fractured areas (30).
Device (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein said fastening means (34A) of said frame structure (12) are assembled locking together through corresponding slots (36A) and/or wherein said side panels (14) are assembled in a jointed fashion on said frame structure (12) through fastening means (34B) and corresponding slots (36B) and/or wherein said front panel (16) is fixed to said side panels (14) through fastening means (34C) and corresponding slots (36C) and/or wherein said upper panel (18) is assembled to said frame structure (12) through fastening means (34D) and corresponding slots (36D).
Device (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein at least one from said frame structure (12), said upper panel (18) and said side panels (14) have holes (40A, 40B, 40D) corresponding to attachment means (42) for their attachment, respectively, to a wall and/or to said side panels (14) and/or to said upper panel (18).
Device (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein said attachment means (42) comprise screws and/or other means suitable for attaching and closing said device (10) and/or wherein said fastening means (34A, 34B, 34C and 34D) comprise projecting and/or L-shaped and/or bayonet coupling and/or hooked configurations, etc. and/or wherein said slots (36A, 36B, 36C and 36D) comprise recesses and/or openings and/or other configurations suitable for making them match up with said fastening means (34A, 34B, 34C and 34D).
Device (10) according to any one of the previous claims, wherein said side panels (14) have a lower edge (32) suitable for allowing a lower panel (20) to rest on it and/or wherein said device (10) has a lower panel (20) for closing said device (10) and for collecting the condensation possibly produced by such apparatuses.
Device (10) according to one of the previous claims, wherein said side panels (14) and/or said front panel (16) and/or said upper panel (18) have perforated areas (46) and/or non-perforated areas (38) in which it is possible to apply and/or print a distinctive mark.