US2960085A

US2960085A - Space heater construction

Info

Publication number: US2960085A
Application number: US794072A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fault Homer D Du
Original assignee: HEATBATH Manufacturing CO Inc
Current assignee: HEATBATH Manufacturing CO Inc
Priority date: 1959-02-18
Filing date: 1959-02-18
Publication date: 1960-11-15
Anticipated expiration: 1977-11-15

Description

Nov. 15, 1960 H. D. DU FAULT 2,960,085

SPACE HEATER CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N V EN TOR. HOMER D. Du FAl/L 7 BY 64 a. 72:41

Nov. 15, 1960 H. D. DU FAULT SPACE HEATER CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 18, 1959 INVENTOR HOMER De DuFA (/LT ATTORNEY5 3 United ttes 2,960,085 SPACE HEATER CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 18, 195?, Ser. No. 794,072

8 Claims. (Cl. 126-67) The present invention relates to space heaters and more particularly to improved cabinet constructions therefor.

The objects of the present invention are to facilitate the manufacture and assembly of space heaters in an economical manner and to facilitate the repair and maintenance of space heaters and further to facilitate replacement of parts thereof.

The above and other related objects of the invention, as well as the unique features whereby these ends are attained, will be apparent from a reading of the following description of the disclosure found in the accompanying drawings and the novelty thereof pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of a space heater embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of this heater, on an enlarged scale, with certain elements in exploded relation;

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary perspective views illustrating the manner in which the space heater cabinet is assembled.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken through the base of the space heater with the cover shell of the cabinet removed and with other parts omitted for clarity; and

Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially on line VI-VI in Fig. 5.

From Fig. 1 it will be seen that the space heater construction of the present invention has nothing in its external appearance distinguishing it from prior space heaters. This means that the space heater may, for example, be styled in any attractive fashion which has been estab lished as having consumer appeal with the added advantages discussed below.

Thus while the space heater has the outward appearance of a unitary construction, it may be quickly disassembled without disconnecting flue or fuel pipe connections into several components to facilitate replacement of defective parts or to provide adequate access to any internal component for repair or maintenance. The space heater thus comprises as basic units (Fig. 2) a base 10, a casing 12, a heater 14, and a rear panel or flue unit 16. Each of these basic units may be readily disassembled and yet when in assembled relation, they form a unitary, rigid construction.

Describing now the constructional details of the illustrated embodiment, the base 10 (Figs. 2 and 5) is in the form of a shallow upwardly open sheet metal box having a bottom wall 18, end walls 20, a front wall 22 and a rear wall 24. Each of these walls is provided with an inbent flange identified by primed reference characters corresponding to the respective walls. An angle piece 26 is welded to each of the flanges 20 to provide longitudinal guide rails at each end of the base. A front clamp strip 28 is welded to the front wall 22 and overlies the flange 22' (Fig. 5) to provide an outwardly open transverse, horizontal slot 30. The base 10 is supported on legs 32 comprising outwardly bent flanges 34 welded to the bottom wall 18 and inwardly bent flanges 36.

' atent O The casing 12 comprises a top panel 38 (Figs. 1 and 2),

end panels

40, 42, and a compositely formed front panel 44 which may include louvers 46 or various forms of grill work for the circulation of heated air. The named casing panels may be welded together or otherwise secured in assembled relation so that in ordinary circumstances the casing 12 may be handled as a unitary element. At the lower end of the front panel 44 is an inbent flange 48 which is received by the slot 30 as later described, while at the lower ends of the

end panels

40, 42 are inturned flanges 50 whose function is also later described. The end panels also curve for a short distance along the rear side of the top panel 38 and terminate in inturned flanges 5'4, 56.

The heater unit 14 comprises a burner 58 (Fig. 2) connected by a union 60 to a fuel supply line 62 extending from a metering device, indicated in phantom. The burner extends beneath a downwardly open combustion chamber 64 (Figs. 2 and 5) which in turn communicates with a heat exchanger 66 rigidly attached thereto. The gases of combustion are discharged through a pair of outlet openings in the rear of the heat exchanger 66 defined by annular rims 68 (Fig. 6). The heater unit 14 is supported on the base 10 by four pipes 76 (Figs. 2 and 5) which are threadably received by the combustion chamber 64 and heat exchanger 66. The pipes 70 each have an upper nut 72 threaded on their lower ends and engaging a reinforcing U-channel 74 which extends substantially across the width of the base 10. The pipes 70 are held in place by lower nuts 76 which rigidly secure the heater unit 14 to the base 10. The controls for the burner 58 are indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawing but are not described in detail since they are conventional in all respects, except that it will be noted that they are each provided with readily disconnectible couplings to facilitate removal of the heater unit as will be explained later.

The back panel unit or flue chamber unit 16 comprises a back panel 78 (Figs. 2, 5 and 6) and a flue chamber 80 secured thereto by screws 82. The flue chamber 80 has a pair of sleeves 84 which telescopingly receive (Fig. 6) the annular flanges 68 of the heat exchanger 66 and are held in place thereon by set screws 86 threaded into the flanges 68. The gases of combustion are then discharged from the flue chamber 80 through an annular flange 88 which may be connected to a fluepipe (not shown) in conventional fashion. Also mounted on the panel '78 are a pair of fans 90 for blowing hot air, rising above the heater unit 14 outwardly of the space heater through the louvered front wall 44 of the cabinet 12. The fans 90 are driven by an electrical motor 92 (Fig. 2) which may be thermostatically controlled by a mechanism located Within a perforated metal box 94 secured to the rear panel 78. Other electrical controls may also be mounted within the box 94 and electrical power therefor may be provided by means of an electrical wire 96.

It will also be noted that the back panel 78 is reinforced by inbent flange 97 (Figs. 2 and 5) at its upper and lower edges. Further vertical reinforcing angle members 99 are secured, as by welding, to the innerface of the back panel 78 adjacent either side thereof and spaced inwardly from the outer vertical edges.

To assemble the cabinet 12 on the base 10, the side panels 49, 42 are disposed so that their rearwardly extending portions lie to the rear of the guide rails 26 and then the flanges 50, being positioned by said guide rails, are brought to rest on the flanges 20 as indicated in Fig. 3. When thus positioned the entire cabinet may be shifted rearwardly (Fig. 4) to cause the flange 48 to enter the slot 30 thereby locking the front of the cabinet relative to the baseltl. The angle members 99 are preferably engaged by the flanges 54, 56 (Fig. 4);.so as to properly space the

end panels

40, 42. The entire unit is then rendered solid and rigid by means of six sheet metal screws. Thus it will be seen that screws 98 pass through brackets 100, welded to the rear base wall 24, and are threaded into the

end panels

40, 42. Screws 102 pass through the rear panel 78 and are also threaded into

end panels

40, 42.

In usual operation it is frequently necessary to inspect the burner 58, and for such purposes a door 104 is provided in the end panel 40.

However, for usual routine maintenance such as cleaning of the burner, fuller access is desirable and may readily be had by simply removing the

screws

98 and 102, and then disassembling the cabinet 12 by shifting it forwardly to bring the flange 48 out of engagement with the slot 30 and then the cabinet may be bodily lifted from the base 10. This can be done as has been mentioned previously without disconnecting either fuel pipe union or stack or flue pipe. This arrangement also, it will be noted, makes it a simple matter to replace the cabinet 12 should it be damaged for one reason or another.

With the cabinet 12 removed, the back panel unit may also be removed simply by disconnecting any controls thereon which extend to the heater unit and then by removing the two set screws 86. This easy removability of the back panel unit is a great aid in repairing or replacing any of the elements thereof and also facilitates inspection of the heat exchanger 66. If the heater unit 14 needs to be removed or the base unit needs to be replaced, these elements may likewise be disassembled in quick and convenient fashion first by disconnecting the union 60 and then by removing the lower nuts 76 threaded onto the supporting pipes 7i Re-assembly or original assembly of the various units may be readily and economically carried out in reverse fashion.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as novel and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A space heater comprising a base, a heater unit directly and detachably mounted on said base, a unitary cabinet having top, front and end walls, said cabinet re movably resting on said base and overlying said heater unit, a flue unit directly and detachably mounted on said heater unit and means for detachably holding the cabinet in position overlying said heater, said holding means heingengageable with said flue unit and the rear portions of the cabinet end walls' 2. A space heater comprising an open top sheet metal base having an outwardly open slot formed along the upper edge of its front wall, a heater unit directly and detachably mounted on said base, a unitary cabinet having top, front, and end walls, the front wall of which has an inbent flange at its lower end for engagement with said slot, said cabinet resting on said base and overlying said heater unit with said inbent flange engaging said slot, a flue unit directly and detachably mounted on said heater unit and means for detachably holding the cabinet in position overlying said heater, said holding means being engageable with said flue unit and the rear portions of the cabinet end walls.

3. A space heater comprising an open top sheet metal base having an outwardly open slot along the upper edge of its front wall and inbent flanges extending from the upper edges of its end walls and guide rails projecting upwardly from said last-named flanges, said base further having supporting feet, a heater unit directly and detachably mounted on said base, a unitary cabinet having top, front and end walls, the front wall of which has an inbent flange at its lower end for engagement with said slot and the end walls of which have inbent flanges at their lower ends for engagement with said rails, 'said cabinet resting by way of its flanges on said base flanges with the top panel overlying said heater and the inbent flange of said front wall engaging said slot, a flue unit .upper edges of its end walls and guide directly and detachably mounted on said heater unit, and means for detachably holding the cabinet in position overlying said heater, said holding means being engageable with said flue unit and the rear portions of the cabinet end walls.

4. A space heater comprising an open top sheet metal base having an outwardly open slot along the upper edge of its front wall and inbent flanges extending from the upper edges of its end walls and guide rails projecting upwardly from said last-named flanges, said base further having supporting feet, a heater unit directly and detachably mounted on said base, a unitary cabinet having top, front and end walls, the front wall of which has an inbent flange at its lower end for engagement with said slot and the end walls of which have inbent flanges at their lower ends for engagement with said rails, said cabinet resting by Way of its flanges on said base flanges with the top panel overlying said heater and the inbent flange of said front wall engaging said slot, and means for detachably holding the cabinet in position overlying said heater unit, said means being engageable with the rear portions of the cabinet end walls.

5. A space heater comprising a base, a heater unit detachably mounted on said base, a unitary cabinet having top, front and end walls, said cabinet resting on said base and overlying said heater unit, said heater unit comprising a combustion chamber and a heat exchanger spaced rearwardly thereof, said heat exchanger having a pair of discharge openings in side-by-side spaced relation each opening being defined by an outwardly projecting annular flange, a flue unit detachably mounted on said heater unit, said flue unit comprising a back panel, a flue chamber secured to the outer face of said rear panel with a pair of sleeves projecting therethrough and respectively telescoped over said annular flanges and set screws for securing said sleeves to said annular flanges whereby the heat exchanger is placed in communication with said flue chamber and said flue unit is secured to said heater unit, and means for detachably securing the back panel of said flue unit to the rear portions of the end walls of said cabinet.

6. A space heater comprising an open top sheet metal base having an outwardly open slot along the upper edge of its front wall and inbent flanges extending from the rails projecting upwardly from said last-named flanges, said base further having supporting feet, a heater unit detachably mounted on said base, said heater unit comprising a combustion chamber and a heat exchanger spaced rearwardly thereof, said heat exchanger having a pair of discharge openings in side-by-side spaced relation, each opening being defined by an outwardly projecting annular with .a pair of sleeves projecting therethrough and respectively telescoped over said annular flanges, set screws for securing said sleeves to said annular flanges whereby the heat exchanger is placed in communication with said flue chamber and said flue unit is secured to said heater unit, means for detachably securing the back panel of said flue unit'to the rear portions of the end walls of said cabinet and means for detachably securing opposite lower portions of said back panel to said base.

7. A space heater as in claim 6 wherein the base has a flange inbent from the upper end of its front wall and a separate clamp strip is welded to the base front wall and overlies said front wall flange to provide said slot 6 and wherein said guide rails are formed by angle pieces cured to the innerface of said back panel and spaced insecured to the undersides of the base end wall flanges wardly a short distance from the side edges thereof. and projecting thereabove.

8. A space heater as in claim 6 wherein the cabinet References Cited In the fi of this patent and walls curve a short distance inwardly of the rear of 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS the top wall and terminate in inwardly directed flanges 2,241,025 Wedderspoon May 6, 1941 and wherein vertically disposed angle members are se- 2,540,877 Harvey Feb. 6, 1951