US2901962A - Air duct register - Google Patents

Description

Sept 1, 1959 v R. DERRINGER 2,901,962

lAIR DUCT REGISTER Filed July 22, 1957 INvENToR 5, KAY 17k-lexmark fwd- 4 7 g rroRNEY Patented Sept. 1, 1959 AIR DUCT REGISTER g-Ray Derringer, University City, -Mo., assignor to Inter- .natiorial Oil kBurner Co., amorporation-of Missouri Application July 2-72, Vv1957, "Serial No. 673,479:

Claims. (Cl. 98-106) This invention relates broadly to air duct registers, and more-especially to such registers that are lso constructed that the flow ofvair therethrough may be adjustably `c ontrolled.

The invention Vhas among its general objects, the production of a rregister of the kind described that -will be neat and attractive in appearance so as to harmonize :with the furnishings for looks .of the rooms in which the same may be installed, will`be simple in construction and operation, sturdy so as to give a long and useful -life without repairs or replacements, economical to make, and will be safe, satisfactory and efficient 4for luse wherever yfound applicable.

One of the principal objects of;my inventionis to so constructsucha device that it will 'have a minimum number of parts, and will be adjustablycontrolled ,by hand or foot Vfor varying the passage of air therethrough.

Another object of the invention is to so construct said device that the same will have an angularly movable closure plate in connection therewith and as apart thereof, said plate being-equally easily manipulated atall positions ofrplacement of the register and regardless of 1the `angularity of the plane in which said device is ,arranged for mounting.

An added objectofmy invention is `to so construct the mechanism for controlling the openingand closing movement-of the closure plate of the device, sothat the latter is held safely in all adjusted .positions until a subsequent adjustment is desired.

Manyother objects and advantages of the construction hereinshown and described, and the .uses thereof, will be obvious to Vthose skilled vinithe art to vwhichithis invention appertains, as will be more readily and clearly seen fnom the vfollowing description.

VInthe drawings, wherein `like reference numerals represent like .or corresponding parts throughout the views,

Figure `l is a top plan view of the device;

:Figure 2 is a end view of the same, with parts broken away and shown in section, showing the closure plate in closed position;

Figure 3 is'a cross-sectional View of the device, substantially as taken along the line ,3-.3 of Fig. l; and

Figure 41is another cross-sectional view of the device, taken -.at -rightangles to that shown in Fig. 3, along line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated a .preferred embodiment of my invention, there 'is shown a register adapted to be mounted at au end of a vent, duct or passageway through which a gas s uch as air, ows, as for instance at the discharge outlet from a room 'heater or space heater, such Vents or outlets being through any suitable yWall portion, -as for example through one of the side walls or the ceiling, or through the oor.

The mechanism for controlling the passage of air through said vent or duct includes a face member having a face plate 1 that is preferably slightly larger in area than the outlet end of the duct with which it is to be associated, and in the form shown is of generally rectangular shape with its terminal edges extending suliciently Ybeyond the corresponding terminal edges that bound the Vduct outlet to permit of using screws or the like for fasten- .ing vthe mechanism at said outlet. The wall through which said duct opens may be any preferred angular position, Vas for instance, -it may -be horizontal, vertical, or .a plane at an angle that is therebetween.

This plate has an elongated opening 2 therethrough, rwhich yin this case is shown as .being rectangular so as to conform to the `general cross-sectional shape of the Vduct outlet, and it may have a plurality of vanes or louvers 3--3 bridging across said opening 2, these louvers being so spaced apart as to prevent 'household articles or toys lfalling therethrough, or ,permitting -small or relatively l.sharply pointed shoe heels passing 'between adjacent louvers.

These vanes or louvers may be made integral with said face plate, 4or may be otherwise constructed and secured thereto, so as to extend downwardly or rearwardly of the rear face or surface of the face plate. In the instant showing, these louvers are shown as being struck up from a frame 4 tthat is welded or otherwise yfirmly secured to the under or rear surface ofthe face plate. Said frame comprises the base sheet '5 from which said louvers are struck to thereby form the substantially rectangular opening that is Vsubstantially coextensive in size and shape with the opening 2, lthis base sheet having ythe pairs of opposed spaced-apart upstanding anges 6 6 and 7-7 extending downwardly Vor rearwardlytherefrom to peripherally surround and bound the opening through said base sheet.

A closure vplate 8, also of generally rectangular shape and of a size to substantially entirely close the opening delined 'by the bounding walls of said `frame 4is mounted at the under or rear portion of the frame, and is .hingedly interconnected onand kalong one edge to one of said upstanding flanges, as by providing longitudinally spacedapart apertures 9 through one of the longer. of the upstanding flanges, as for instance at flange 7, and the adjacent edge ofthe closure plate is provided with correspondingly spaced-apart prongs or fingers 10 that tit through said apertures Vwith a slight lateral clearance so as to enable saidclosure plate to be easily and quickly assembled into operative relation `to Vsaid frame by simply placing `said plate with the prongs and apertures -in registry and then shifting said plate so that the prongs pass through the cooperating apertures. After the plate has been thus mounted it is obvious that the same may be swung about its 'hinged edge to vary vthe angular relationship of the closure plate relative to the frame, so that the passage of air through said register will be controlled according to the degree of said angularity of closing.

A leaf spring, of generally lU-shape having a pair of spaced-apart legs 11-11one of which is preferably longer than the other somewhat as shown, is used to spring-load the closure plate and to resi'liently retrieve -it after an opening movement of the closure plate, vsaid spring having one of its legs asfor instance said longer leg, seouredor anchored at its end y-to the flange 7 of the frame, and the other leg of the spring has its end similarly anchored to said closure plate at a point that is spaced rearwardly v'from the pivotal aXis ofthe plate. The shorter leg is yieldably actuated lengthwise toward the bight, and its terminal end anchored to -said closure plate, to thereby Aconstantly urge and bias lthehinged edge ofthe -latter toward the flange 7 to hold the plate in its pivotally mounted position. Obviously, opening of said plate yieldably spreads the spring legs apart, so that upon release of the means holding said plate open, the spring retrieves to its normal poistion and pulling said plate to closed position.

tion and operation in all positions of the said plate, I have movably -mounted a cam 12 to `said-face plate, said cam having a tapered or wedge-shaped edge 13 that extends longitudinally therealong in a direction that is transverse to or across the length of the spring and engaging that leg of the latter that is anchored to said ange 7. Thus, the spring is fulcrumed at said ilange 7 and has a lever arm whose length is that of the distance between said fulcrum axis and the plane of said wedge-shaped edge of the cam.

Obviously, with both ends of the spring anchored as hereinbefore mentioned, shifting or the element 12 in one direction of its reciprocatory travel will cause the wedge-shaped edge to exert increasing pressure on the spring to swing the latter from its position shown in full lines in Figs. 3 and 4 to that shown in dotted lines therein, transmitting `said pressure to said closure plate to swing the latter in unison with said spring. Release of said pressure, by shifting the control means in the reverse direction will permit the closure plate to be urged toward its closed position by the retrieving action of the spring, and will hold said closure plate at the desired position of adjustment.

In order to provide for easy manipulation of said control element, the same may be provided with a stem 14 that projects through a slot 16 formed lengthwise through a portion of said face plate. A knob or button 15 may be lixed at the exposed end of said stem for convenient manipulation of said control element by using the hand or the foot of the user.

When this knob or button is 'shifted in one direction, by hand or foot, as found most convenient at the time, the wedge-shaped edge of the control element increasingly actuates the spring to adjustably increase the angular disposition of the closure plate to correspondingly increase the air flow outwardly through the register, and when the control member is shifted in the reverse direction, the camming pressure on the spring is correspondingly decreased to permit the spring to yieldably retrieve the closure plate toward its closed position. In this way, the closure plate may be shifted to be fully open, fully shut, or to any intermediate position that controls air iiow through the duct, and this closure plate will be yieldably held in all of such spring-loaded adjusted positions, without danger of the plate accidentally shifting from said set positions of adjustment, through vibration or other causes.

I claim:

1. lIn an air duct register, a face member adapted to cover an end of said duct and is provided with an opening therethrough, a closure plate pivotally hinged along one edge to the rear of said face member and is movable to adjustably angular positions relative-to said face member for closing said opening, a bowed spring with opposed legs, the end of one of said legs connected to said face member and the end of its other leg connected to said plate so that said legs resiliently spread apart through opening movement of said plate to retrievably urge the latter to its closed position, and a control element movably mounted on and carried by said member and engaging a spring leg to yieldably adjustably move the latter to transmit movement to the plate to desired angularly disposed positions.

2. In an air duct register, a face member adapted to cover said duct and is provided with an opening, a closure plate hinged to the rear of said face member to be moved ber to close said opening, a substantially U-shaped spring having its leg ends connected to said face member and plate respectively so that opening movement of said plate resiliently spreads said spring legs apart to normally urge said plate toward its closed position, and a control element shiftably slidably carried on said face member and engaging one of said spring legs to movably yieldably actu-ate said plate-to any desired angular disposition.

3. In an air duct register, a face member adapted to cover said duct and is provided with an opening therethrough, a closure plate hinged along one edge to the rear of said face member, a substantially U-shaped leaf spring having its leg ends anchored to adjacent portions of said face member and plate so that opening movement of the latter is resiliently resisted by said spring, a slot through said face member, and a control element carried by said face member and reciprocally movable in said slot and having Ia wedge-shaped edge slidably engageable with said spring to resiliently spread said legs apart to transmit force to said plate to adjustably move and hold the latter to any desired angular disposition.

4. In an air duct register, a face member adapted to cover said duct and having an opening therethrough, a clos-ure plate hinged along one of its edges to the rear of said lface member, a U-shaped leaf spring having its leg ends anchored to adjacent portions of said face member and plate and having its legs resiliently spread apart through opening movement of said plate, an elongated slot through a portion of said face member that is spaced from said opening, and a control element carried by said face member and longitudinally movable in said slot and having a wedge-shaped edge slidably engaging said spring to adjustably cam the latter to forcibly move said plate against the resisting spring tension to any desired angular disposition. 5. In an air duct register, a face member adapted t cover said duct and provided with an elongated opening therethrough, a flange element extending rearwardly from said face member and peripherally surrounding the opening to form a frame, a closure plate element at the rear of said ange element, one of said afore-mentioned elements having spaced-apart aligned apertures therethrough and -said other element having prongs along one edge inserted through said apertures to hinge said plate element to said llange element to permit swinging of said plate element about said one edge, a substantially U-shaped spring extending transversely across said face member opening and having one leg connected to said face member and having its other leg connected to said closure plate at a point spaced rearwardly of said one edge, one leg of said spring constantly urging said closure plate toward said face member to urge said prongsi v able with one of ysaid spring legs to transmit force to the to adjustably angular positions relative to said face memlatter and control separation of said legs on slidable movement of said control to `adjustably yieldably move said closure plate element to any desired angular dis- Brumbaugh Dec. 28, 1954 Riebel June 5, 1955

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