GB2367572A

GB2367572A - Delivering air via building trim, e.g. skirting

Info

Publication number: GB2367572A
Application number: GB0130307A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John William Parham
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-12-15
Filing date: 2001-12-15
Publication date: 2002-04-10
Also published as: GB0130307D0

Abstract

An air delivery system for a building comprising a plurality of building components, e.g. each being a section of trim such as skirting 20, architrave, dado, and/or picture rail. Each component has one or more conduits 21A,21B,21C therein. The conduit/s of one building component are adapted to be interconnected with the conduit/s of another building component to provide an elongate flow path between a series of building components. At least one building component includes a vent 22 connected to its conduit/s. The elongate flow path is connectable to a supply of air under pressure whereby to allow air to flow down said flow path and pass through the or each vent.

Description

Title: Air Delivery System The present invention relates to an air delivery system for a building, particularly for delivering hot air or cool air to rooms in a building. It well known to heat rooms in a building by supplying radiators with hot water from a boiler.

Such radiators can be panels secured to walls or low lying panels along the skirting board. The radiators are however unsightly and a network of pipes leading to each radiator is also unsightly.

It is also know to deliver hot air to vents in rooms from a common heat source, but hidden ducting is required to connect the vents to the heat source and this is normally only practical if it is built into the design of a new building. Similarly it is known to deliver cold air from an air conditioning plant to vents in rooms, but again ducting is required. The invention seeks to provide an air delivery system which avoids the above problems using building components which have a different primary function.

According to the present invention there is provided an air delivery system for a building comprising a plurality of building components each having one or more conduits therein, and wherein the conduit/s of one building component are adapted to be interconnected with the conduits of another building component to provided an elongate flow path between a series of building components, and at least one building component includes a vent connected to its conduit/s, and means to connect the elongate flow path to a supply of air under pressure whereby to allow air to flow down said flow path and pass through the or each vent. Preferably each building component has a use in a building in addition to being a component in the flow path. Preferably the building component is a section of a trim such as skirting, architrave, dado, or picture rail. Preferably at least some of building components are joined by a plug at the end of a conduit of one component engaging the conduit of another component.

Embodiments of the invention showing a heating system will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a schematic plan view of a heating system, Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a door and comer of a room in a building, Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a building component in the form of an elongate length of skirting, Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a building component in the form of an internal right angle section of skirting, Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a building component in the form of an external right angle section of skirting, Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a building component in the form of a skirting and architrave or door frame joint.

Figure 7 shows a perspective view of a building component in the form of an elongate length of dado, and Figure 8 shows a perspective view of a building component in the form of an elongate length of picture rail.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a plan view of the floor of a building 1 having four rooms 1,2, 3,4 interconnected by three doorways SA, SB, 5C. A heat source 6 is provided to deliver hot air under pressure. This hot air is delivered to an elongate flow path shown by the arrows provided by the skirting board, architrave, dado and/or picture rail. The skirting board, architrave, dado and/or picture rail are made from interconnected building components with each component having conduit/s therein to provide the elongate flow path. Referring to Figure 2 there is shown part of a typical room showing two adjacent walls 1OA, 1 OB and a doorway 11. The room has skirting 12 along the walls adjacent the floor, a dado 13 along the wall typically at"waist"height, a picture rail 14, a door frame 15, and architrave 16 to "finish"the door frame and to abut the ends of the skirting, dado, and picture rail.

The skirting board, architrave, dado and picture rail are normally made up from building components in the form of lengths wood abutting one another. The invention seeks to create new building components which may be used as skirting board, architrave, dado and/or picture rail to create a flow path. It will be appreciated from Figure 2 that, for example, for skirting 12 to create a flow path, it must be capable of going around comers and be connected by the architrave around a door frame so that the ends of the skirting either side of the door frame on one side of a wall are joined. It may also be necessary to connect ends of skirting either side of a wall through a door frame. Examples of building components of the invention are now described in Figures 3.

Referring to Figure 3 there is shown a building component in the form of a length of skirting 20 of uniform cross-section shape. Skirting length 20 is formed from plastics and has three conduits 21 A, 21 B, 21 C running from one end to the other. A plurality of vents 22 are provided at spaced intervals in the front face of skirting length 20 which are each connected to conduits

21A, 21B, 21 C. Fixing holes 23 are provided at spaced intervals to connect the length 20 to a wall, e. g. with nails or screws. Length of skirting 20 can be cut to any desired size and two length can be joined together (e. g. with tubular plugs joining conduits 21A, 21B, 21C on one component with conduits 21A, 21B, 21C of another component.

Referring to Figure 4 there is shown a building component in the form of an internal skirting connector 30 designed to connect two ends of lengths of skirting 20 together. Connector 30 has two short length of skirting at right angles to each other of the same cross-section shape as length 20. Connector 30 has three conduits 31A, 31B, 31C running from one end to the other. Plugs

32A, 32B, 32C project from the end of each conduit, and each plug carries an 0-ring seal 33A, 33B, 33C. Two lengths of skirting 20 can be joined together at right angles by inserting the plugs 32A, 32B, 32C at either end of connector 30 into the conduits at the ends of the two lengths of skirting 20.

Referring to Figure 5 there is shown a building component in the form of an external skirting connector 40 designed to connect two ends of lengths of skirting 20 together. Connector 40 has two short length of skirting at right angles to each other of the same cross-section shape as length 20. Connector 40 has three conduits 41A, 41B, 41C running from one end to the other. Plugs 42A, 42B, 42C project from the end of each conduit, and each plug carries an 0-ring seal 43A, 43B, 43C. Two lengths of skirting 20 can be joined together at right angles by inserting the plugs 42A, 42B, 42C at either end of connector 40 into the conduits at the ends of the two lengths of skirting 20. As shown in Figure 2, it may also be necessary to link two ends of skirting through the architrave around a door frame or through the door frame itself. It may also be necessary to connect ends of skirting either side of a wall through a door frame. A building component to do this is shown in Figure 6. Referring to Figure 6 there is shown a building component in the form of a lower vertical section of architrave 50. Section 50 has three apertures 51 A, 51 B, 51 C in a side wall supporting three

projecting plugs 52A, 52B, 52C with 0-ring seals 53A, 53B, 53C. Section 50 has three apertures 54A, 54B, 54C in a rear wall supporting three projecting plugs 55A, 55B, 55C with 0-ring seals 56A, 56B, 56C. Section 50 has two apertures 57A, 57B in a top wall supporting two projecting plugs 58A, 58B with 0-ring seals 59A, 59B. Apertures 51A, 51B, 51C and 54A, 54B, 54C and 57A, 57B are interconnected with internal conduit/s.

Section 50 may be used to connect skirting 20 to architrave. Plugs 52A, 52B, 52C will engage in conduits 21A, 21B, 21C. Plugs 58A, 58B will engage in lengths of architrave similar to skirting 20 but with less width (not shown herein). If desired, apertures 54A, 54B, 54C can be sealed. Section 50 may be produced in a left and right hand version for either side of the door frame."Comer sections"of architrave would also be needed to link lengths of architrave running up and down each side of the door frame to architrave along the top. Section 50 may also be used to connect skirting 20 to additional skirting on the other side of the wall through the door frame. In such a case opposing pairs of section 50 would be placed either side of a door frame, with pipes provided running through the door frame to connect opposing

plugs 55A, 55B, 55C.

It will be appreciated that the entire elongate flow path shown by the arrows in Figure 1 can be created in the skirting along wall of a room using the building components 23,30, 50, with component 20 providing a number of vents allowing air under pressure in the conduits to flow out into the room. With the flow path connected to heat source 6, so a heating system is created in a building using the skirting. Using components in the form of lengths of architrave, so the flow path can also pass over door frame. Using component 40, so the flow path can travel on the outside of comers on wall. Instead of or in addition to using skirting, flow paths may also be created in a dado or picture rail.

In this respect, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, lengths of dado 60 and picture rail 70 (similar to length of skirting 20) could be provided and joined together with right angle connectors similar to components 30 and 40.

In Figure 7 a length of dado 70 is formed from plastics and has two conduits 71A, 71B running from one end to the other. A plurality of vents 72 are provided at spaced intervals in the front face of dado length 70 which are each connected to conduits 71A, 71B. Fixing holes 73 are provided at spaced intervals to connect the length 70 to a wall, e. g. with nails or screws. Length of dado 70 can be cut to any desired size and two lengths can be joined together.

Similarly in Figure 8 a length of picture rail 80 is formed from plastics and has two conduits 81A, 81B running from one end to the other. A plurality of vents 82 are provided at spaced intervals in the front face of picture rail length 80 which are each connected to conduits 81A, 81B. Fixing holes63 are provided at spaced intervals to connect the length 80 to a wall, e. g. with nails or screws. Length of picture rail 80 can be cut to any desired size and two lengths can be joined together.

The invention may take a form different to that specifically described above. For example the shapes of skirting, dado, architrave and/or picture rail may be different. Indeed they could be produced in a range of different styles. The method of joining lengths of skirting, dado, architrave and/or picture rail may be different. Furthermore other shapes of components could be devised, e. g. to create flow paths around windows and other objects. Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. An air delivery system for a building comprising a plurality of building components each having one or more conduits therein, and wherein the conduit/s of one building component are adapted to be interconnected with the conduits of another building component to provided an elongate flow path between a series of building components, and at least one building component includes a vent connected to its conduit/s, and means to connect the elongate flow path to a supply of air under pressure whereby to allow air to flow down said flow path and pass through the or each vent.
2. An air delivery system according to claim 1, wherein each building component has a use in a building in addition to being a component in the flow path.
3. An air delivery system according to claim 1 and 2, wherein each building component is a section of a trim such as skirting, architrave, dado, and/or picture rail.
4. An air delivery system according to claim 1,2, or 3, wherein at least some building components are joined by a plug at the end of a conduit of one component engaging the conduit of another component.
5. An air delivery system according to any preceding claim, wherein each component is formed at least in part from plastics.
6. An air delivery system according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one building component has one or more fixing holes to fix the component to a wall or other surface.
7. An air delivery system according to any preceding claim, wherein some building components are adapted to connect building components either side of a wall adjacent a door frame.
8. An air delivery system according to any preceding claim, wherein some building components are adapted to connect building components together at right angles.
9. An air delivery system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.
10. A building heating system incorporating the air delivery system according to any preceding claim.
11. A building air conditioning system incorporating the air delivery system according to any of claims 1 to 9.