US2638755A

US2638755A - Means for securing cooling units in window boxes

Info

Publication number: US2638755A
Application number: US223038A
Authority: US
Inventors: William F Borgerd
Original assignee: International Harverster Corp
Current assignee: Navistar Inc
Priority date: 1951-04-26
Filing date: 1951-04-26
Publication date: 1953-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 1970-05-19

Description

May 19,1953 w. F. BORGERD MEANS FOR SECURING COOLING UNITS IN WINDOW BOXES Filed April 26 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2a HIU 1 enf07'. PZl/iZZi-am F30 erd 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w. F. BORGERD MEANS FOR SECURING COOLING UNITS IN WINDOW BOXES Filed A ril 26, 1951 May 19, 1953 ard Patented May 19, I953 MEANS FOR SECURING COOLING UNITS IN WINDOW BOXES William F. Borgerd, Evansville, Ind., assignor to International Harvester Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application April 26, 1951, Serial No. 223,038

1 This invention relates to air conditioning apparatus of the type generally incorporated into a small unit structure that is adapted for positioning in a window opening. More specifically, however, it is concerned with the means for removably positioning and mounting such apparatus in a suitable supporting structure which, in turn, is mountable in a window opening.

Units of this character in order to be entirely satisfactory commercially must be designed to fulfill certain requirements. Since they are frequently removed and replaced, in accordance with the changing seasons, they should, of course, be of a size and weight that can be readily handled by the household user. Furthermore, they should be sufficiently flexible as to be suitable for use with a multitude of difierently dimensioned window frames.

Heretofore many different types of structures have been utilized in an attempt to provide a unit that satisfactorily meets such requirements and the present invention is concerned with one of the units of this type that has found considerable commercial favor. In order to facilitate installation in a window opening and to improve the handling thereof it has heretofore been proposed to fabricate air conditioning units of this character in two readily separable component assemblies consisting essentially of a window box supporting unit assembly and an equipment or machinery unit assembly. The window box assembly is usually a housing or casing-type of structure designed so that it may be completely separated from the remainder of the air conditioning unit and readily installed in or removed from a window opening, while the machinery unit assembly is generally a structure arranged as a unitary component adapted to fit into the window box and be securely maintained therein during its operation. Prior units of this character have employed various means for holding and locking their individual assemblies together, but no entirely satisfactory device for accomplishing this in a facile manner has heretofore been proposed; hence the present inventi'on has for its principal object the provision of a simple, inexpensive, durable and readily operable means for retaining in looking engagement individual component assemblies of an air conditioning unit.

Another object is to provide cooperating means, portions of which are disposed on different and separable assemblies of an air conditioning unit, for retaining said assemblies in an engaged locking relationship,

7 Claims. (Cl. 62-429) 2 i A further object isto provide a positive interlocking means for retaining an air conditioning machinery unit assembly in a separable mounting unit structure.

A still further object is to provide an interlocking arrangement, for fixedly positioning one unit assembly within'a separate cooperating assembly, including a raised portion on one of the assemblies that is adapted for registering with a notch-like recess on the other assembly.

Another object is to provide a cam-like interlocking means for maintaining separate assemblies of a window-type air conditioning unit in operably engaging relationship.

Another object is to provide means for facilitating the installation and removal of an air conditioning unit in a window opening.

A yet still further object is to provide a window-type air conditioning unit fashioned with a window box assembly portion adapted for removable mounting in a window opening and a separable machinery assembly portion adapted for positioning within the window box, wherein the window box is provided with projecting means and. separate overlying flange or lip means that interlock with cooperating means on the machinery assembly portion for fixedly positioning said latter portion within said window box. The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the disclosure is more fully made in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the ing drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a window type air conditioning unit mounted in a window opening, having portions thereof cut away or sectioned to show the adaptation therein of the present invention. r a

Figure 2 is a perspective view of thewindow of the present invention are distinctly shown.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of an air conditioning unit, with portions thereof broken away or sectioned and illustrated with the machinery assembly portion withdrawn or separated from the window box portion into which it is ordinarily fixedly positioned during operation, that.

of Figure 4 andshows the cam-like relationship accompanybetween cooperating elements of a portion of the proposed interlocking means when in an engaged or operating position.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective of the rear portion of the guide rail and shows the over-hanging'fiange that forms part of the in terlocking means ofthe invention.

Referring now to the drawings, it will be noted that one embodiment of a window-type air conditioning unit has been illustrated and represented generally by the numeral .lll. As. is well understood, such units may include a room cabinet or machinery assembly portion H that pro jects into the room being cooled, and a window box assembly portion 12 that extends outside the room and usually into the outside atmosphere. The refrigerating apparatus or machinery, as is well understood in the art, extends partially within the room cabinet and partially within the window box, but, since all of this is not essential to the present invention, only the air circulating fan .43 and its driving motor 14, the condenser 15 and the motor--compressor it have been illustrated in the drawings. Further reference to the details of this apparatus is believed unnecessary in the detailed description hereinafter.

The window box assembly, preferably, is an open ended casing having 'louvers in the side walls iithereof, a solid top 18 and an open bottom t9. Afiixed, as by welding or the like, to the lower portion of each side wall I? is a horizontally extending L-shaped angle guide rail member One such member on each side wall, when positioned in opposed relation, may

function as a track or guide along which the remainder or machinery assembly of the unit may slide as it is inserted and removed from within the window box. A small L-shaped angle rail member 2! interconnects the outward or rear ends of said guide rails 2B and issecured thereto by any suitable means. At the forward or room end the guide rails are connected together by a substantially flat-rail member .22 having a small depending flange 23 along its rearward edge. This latter rail member is adapted to rest on the upper horizontal .face of a window stool 24 while its depending flange 23 abuts the, rear vertical face of said stool. Said rail member 22 may, of course, be fixedly secured to the side guide rails 20 by any suitableconventionalmeans, This forward rail member 22' is further provided with a, plurality of slotted openings proximat-e each, end thereof, that are, adapted to re,- ceive the hooked end 26 of a clamp, member .21. The opposite end of said clamp is bent downwardly and an adjusting screw 28 threadably positioned therein. One end of. said screw rotatably engages a clamp ,jaw member 29 which may be fitted with a felt pad 30, or of some equally suitable cushioning material, so ashto avoid marring the edge of the stool .24 when .it is clamped thereagainst.

The'outside portion of the supporting structure, i. e., that portion disposed outside the window, includes a sill mounting member 3!, extending the width of the window box, that is fashioned, preferably, with a vertical member 32 and aihorizontal member 33 extending from, the upper edge thereof. Downwardly depending from the inner edge of said horizontal member is. a flange .34

which is adapted for resting on the-upper surface of a window sill 35. 36 extending through the vertical flange of said member, and disposed one at either end thereof,,

Round headed bolts 1 4 are provided for purposes which will presently appear.

Each guide rail member 20 is fashioned, preferably, with a pressed-out canal-like groove or recess 3? that extends longitudinally along the central portion of its horizontal arm. The floor of said recess is provided with a plurality of spaced openings .38 adapted to receive a cap screw 39, the head of which may rest in said recess without interfering with the machinery assembly component of the air conditioning unit as it slides along the guide rail members 26 into and out of the window box. The window box support member 4B is an L-shaped angle having a slotted opening ll in the horizontal arm thereof adapted to receive the cap screw 39, which, together with a securing nut 42, functions to affix said support member in a desired fixed horizontal relationship with respect to the guide rail member 2E]. The vertical arm d3 of said support member may be provided with a plurality of slotted openings 44 adapted for receiving the bolt 36 which, together with the nut d5, functions to fixedly retain said support member in any onev of a multitude of different vertical positions. With both verticaland horizontal adjustments being obtainable it will be appreciated that a great many combinations of positions may be efiected and the supporting structure adjusted to accommodate many differently dimensioned window openings .and window frames. It will be understood, of course, that a window boxsupportmember, such as Gil, is provided for each guide rail member, but since both members are identical only one-has been shown and described.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated the machinery assembly portion of the air conditioning unit is shown to include that portion of the refrigeration apparatus, .such as the condenser, compressor and fan which extends out of the room and into the window box assembly, and the housing or casing ll that encloses the portion of the refrigeration equipment (not shown) that extends or projects into the room being conditioned. All. of the refrigeration apparatus,

however, is mounted, preferably, on a unitary base structure (not shown) which includes two securely afiixed angled rail members disposed one on either side of the unit. Although only one such side rail member, represented by the numeral 45., has been illustrated in the drawings it will be understood that two such members will be employed.

Each side rail member 46 is fashioned with a transversely disposed V-shaped notch or recess '41 extending inwardly in the lower face of the horizontal arm of said member, while a portion of the outer end of the vertical web or arm of the member is cut away to provide a tapered or beveled vertically inclined edge portion 48. and a .lower horizontal edge portion '49 extending therefrom. Said recess and cut-away portions are intended to cooperate with mating elements in the window box assembly in a manner to be described hereinafter.

Each of the guide rail members Zll, in the window box l2, has a transversely disposed V-shaped rib-like projection or ridge 50 extending upwardly from thehorizontal arm thereof that is adapted to cooperate with and fit into the corresponding V -shaped recess 4] in the proximate side rail of the machinery assembly in the manner best illustrated in Figures 1 and 5. Adjacent the rear or outer end of each guide rail member aportion of the vertical web or-arm thereof is inwardly turned or bent over to provide a flange or liplike ramp extension 5| that is so formed and dimensioned that the tapered or beveled edge portion 48, of the side rail 46, may slide thereunder in close-fitting relationship when the machinery assembly is positioned within the window box assembly.

After the window box]! is positioned in a window opening and the outer support members properly adjusted, the jaw of the clamp member 2'! is adjusted so that the jaw is tightly pressed against the stool of the window. Next the window sash 52 is pulled down tightly against the top of the window box and thereafter retained by some suitable means, such as the screws 53 (only one of which has been shown for purpose of clarity). A resilient gasket 54 may, if desired, be positioned between the window sash and the top of the window box for the purpose of sealing the unit, while filler pieces 55 may also be employed to seal the space between the side of the window frame 56 and the side of said window box.

With the window box properly in place in the window opening the machinery assembly portion ll may be lifted and slidably positioned into place therein, whereupon the tapered edge 48 of each side rail 46 will abut in close fitting relationship the undermost face of the ramp extension or flange member 5|, of the guide rail 20, while the ll-shaped notch or recess 41 of said side rail will come to rest over the V-shaped ridge Fall of said guide rail. The weight of the machinery assembly portion 1 I will effect a camming action that will cause the two cooperating V-shaped notches in the side and guide rails, respectively, to fit tightly one into the other, and, at the same time, force the tapered edge portion 48 to bear tightly against the lip-like extension 5!, thus providing an inter-locking holding means for fixedly positioning said machinery assembly within the window box. To remove the machinery assembly portion from the window box it is merely necessary to raise said assembly sufficiently to disengage the cooperating V-shaped notches and then slide it outwardly.

From the foregoing it will be readily appreciated that the present invention provides a very simple, compact, durable and positive means for interlockingly engaging the machinery and window box assemblies of an air conditioning unit and constraining them against relative movement with respect to one another while retained in operable relationship. The proposed interlocking means is relatively inexpensive and may be readily incorporated in an air conditioning unit without any appreciable alteration therein. It is understood, of course, that changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a unit air conditioner of the type having separable assemblies suitable for positioning one within the other and adapted for removable mounting in a window opening, the combination comprising: a window box assembly adapted for mounting in a window opening; a machinery assembly having refrigeration apparatus mounted therein and adapted for positioning within said window box; means for slidably positioning said machinery assembly Within said Window box assembly; means including a rib-like projection on one assembly and a cooperating recess in the other assembly for restraining relative horizontal movement between said assemblies when disposed one within the other; and interlocking means including an inturned flange portion on one assembly and a cooperating member on the other assembly for restricting relative vertical movement between said assemblies.

2. In a unit air conditioner of the type having separate assemblies suitable for positioning one Within the other and adapted for removable mounting in a window opening, the combination, comprising: a window box assembly adapted for mounting in a window opening; a machinery assembly having refrigeration apparatus mounted therein and. adapted for positioning within said window box; means for slidably positioning said machinery assembly into and out of said window box assembly; means including a rib-like projection on one assembly and a cooperating recess on the other assembly for fixedly positioning said assemblies with respect to lateral movement of one within the other; and means for interlocking said assemblies in operable position so as to limit relative vertical movement therebetween.

3., In a unit air conditioner of the type having separable assemblies suitable for slidably positioning one within the other and adapted for removable mounting in a window opening, the combination, comprising: a window box assembly including a housing and frame structure having a guide member disposed on one side thereof; said guide member having a rib-like projection proximate one end thereof; a machinery assembly having refrigeration apparatus .mounted therein and including a supporting structure having a longitudinally extending rail member on one side thereof and adapted for being slidably positioned within said window box; said rail member having a recess therein disposed intermediate its ends and fashioned to receive said rib-like projection upon positioning of said machinery assembly within said window box assembly whereby said assemblies are constrained against relative lateral movement with respect to one another.

4. In a unit air conditioner of the type having separable assemblies suitable for slidably positioning one within the other and adapted for removable mounting in a window opening, the combination, comprising: a Window box assembly including a housing and frame structure having a guide member disposed on one side thereof; said guide member having a rib-like projection proximate one end and an inwardly projecting flange portion proximate the opposite end thereof; a machinery assembly having refrigeration apparatus therein and including a supporting structure having a longitudinally extending rail member on one side thereof; said rail member having a recess therein disposed intermediate its ends; and said machinery assembly being adapted for slidable positioning within said window box assembly with said rib-like projection engaging said recess and one end of said rail member tightly engaging said flange portion whereby said assemblies are restrained from relative movement with respect to one another.

5. In a unit air conditioner of the type fabricated in separate assemblies suitable for positioning one within the other and adapted for removable mounting in a window opening, the combination, comprising: a window box assembly includ ing a housing having confining guide members oppositely disposed therein; a machinery assembly having refrigeration apparatus mounted therein and including a supporting structure provided with longitudinally extending rail members; said confining guid-e members being arranged to engage said longitudinal rail members when the machinery assembly is positioned within said WlHdGW'bOX'; and means including a projection and cooperating recess on the window box assembly and machinery assembly respectively for interlock'ingly engaging said assemblies against lateral movement with respect to one another when inoperable position.

6. In a unit air conditioner ofthe type having separable assemblies suitable for positioning one within the-other and adapted for mounting in a window opening, thecombina-tion, comprising: a window box assembly including a housing having confining guide members oppositely disposed therein; of said guide members having a riblik-e projection proximate one end and an inwardly projecting flange portion proximate the opposite end thereof; a machinery assembly having refrigeration apparatus mounted therein and including a supporting structure having a longitudina-liy extending rail member on each of two sides thereof; each of said rail members having a recess therein disposed intermediate the ends thereof; and having said machinery assembly adapted for slidable positioning Within said window box assembly with said rib-like projections engaging in mating relationship corresponding recesses while one end of each rail member engages in tight fitting relationship a corresponding inturned flange portion whereby said assemblies are constrained against relative movement with respect to one another.

7. In a unit air conditioner of the type having separable assemblies suitable for positioning, one

within the other and adapted for mounting in a window opening; the combination, comprising: a window'box assembly including a housing having oppositely disposed guide members; said guide members being fashioned with vertical and horizontal arm portions and having a transversely disposed rib-like projection proximate one end of thehorizontal arm, and an inwardly turned flange por-t'ion extending from the upper edge of theopposite end of the vertical arm portion thereof; a machinery assembly having refrigeration apparatus mounted therein and having a supporting structure provided with longitudinally extending rail members; said rail members being fashioned with vertical and horizontal arm portions; and having a transversely disposed recess intermediate the ends of thehor-izontal arm, and a tapered edge portion proximate the opposite end-of thevert-ical arm thereof; said machinery assembly being adapted for slidable positioning within said window box assembly with said riblikeprojections ofone assembly engaging said mating recesses in the other assembly and the tapered-edge portions of the rail members tightly engaging the flange portions of the guide members, whereby said assemblies are constrained against relative movement with respect to one another.

WILLIAM F. BORGERD.

References Gited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,335,627 Wolfert Nov. 30, 1943 V2,4 '?2,'7.-92 Cohler June 14, 1949