US3001464A

US3001464A - Air diffuser construction

Info

Publication number: US3001464A
Application number: US694809A
Authority: US
Inventors: James P Moore
Original assignee: C W FAWCETT ACOUSTICAL Co
Current assignee: C W FAWCETT ACOUSTICAL Co; C W FAWCETT ACOUSTICAL COMPANY Inc
Priority date: 1957-11-06
Filing date: 1957-11-06
Publication date: 1961-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 1978-09-26

Description

Sept. 26, 1961 J. P, MooRE AIR DIFFUSER CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 6. 1957 l I l o N mm E #ma T MP H /5 Sept. 26, 1961 J, P, MOQRE AIR DIFFUSER CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 6, 1957 bud LJLJ 3,001,464 AIR DIFFUSER CONSTRUCTION James P. Moore, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to C. W. Fawcett Acoustical Company, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Nov. 6, 1957, Ser. No. 694,809 3 Claims. (Cl. 98-40) The present invention relates generally to air distribution systems, and more particularly toa novel air diffuser construction for distributing Ventilating air in rooms and oilices.

In brief, the invention contemplates an arrangement which utilizes as a plenum that space which normally exists between the ceiling of one room and either the door of the room next above or the main roof structure. 'I'his plenum is communicated with the room immediately therebelow through adjustable air dilfusers. The diffusers, disposed in a uniform pattern which extends over substantially the whole ceiling area, incorporates filters which serve, not only to lter the air, but also to prevent blasting and unequal distribution of air through the several diifusers.

, It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide a novel air distributing construction which utilizes normally unoccupied space as a plenum.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel air distributing construction which employs a plenum extending over substantially the whole ceiling area of a room to be ventilated.

It is another object of the invention .to provide a novel air distributing construction which incorporates a plurality of air diusers disposed in a uniform pattern in a room ceiling.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel air distributing system which incorporates a plurality of air difusers each provided with a filtering medium.

The foregoing, along with additional objects and advantages, will be apparent from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention as depicted in the accompanying drawings, in which:

' FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical section showing a structural arrangement defining a plenum and including air outlets comprising part of an air distributing system;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary vertical section taken generally along the line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section similar to FIGURE l, but showing only a single air diluser in greater detail;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken generally on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3, portions being broken away to reveal details of underlying structure;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary bottom plan View, drawn to intermediate scale, of a removed air diiuser;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of a tab prior to its incorporation in an air diiuser assembly; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary section view showing the manner in which the tab of FIGURE 6 is incorporated in the air diffuser assembly.

Referring more particularly to the details of the drawings, the numeral 10 designates lgenerally an lair distributing arrangement conforming to the present invention. The general arrangement 10 includes a horizontal overlying structure 12 and a horizontal lining or ceiling assembly 14 in spaced relation below the structure 12. Thus related, the

parallel structures

12 and 14 define a plenum 16 which will be understood to extend over substantially the entire area of an associated room space 1S below the ceiling 14.

The structure 12, depicted in FIGURE 1 without detail, may take any convenient form, but normally will be a part either of a roof construction or of a sub-door States Patent iee construction of an overhead room. The principal requirement is that it be continuous and generally impervious to air.

The ceiling assembly 14, shown in FIGURES l, 2 and 3 of the drawings, comprises rectangular panels 20 supported on rows between alternating parallel rows of elongated diffusing outlets 22. The outlets -or diiusers 22 are suspended by means of hangers 24 from parallel spaced beams 26 extending in a direction transverse to that of the alternate rows of panels 20 and diffusers 22.

While the beams 26 employed to support the ceiling assembly 14 are shown in the drawings as channel members, it is obvious that they may take any of various forms. For example, where trusses or bar joists are used to support the overlying structure 12, the lower tension elements of such members may well serve also as the ceiling support in place of separate beams 26.

' inasmuch as the manner of mounting the beams 26 is not shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that these members may be supported in any `appropriate manner, such as by bearing engagement (not shown) on walls or columns, or by suspension ties (not shown) from the overlying structure 12.

The outlets or diiiusers 22, as is cleai from FIGURE 2, take an elongated configuration and preferably extend the full length (or width) of the room space 18. A preferred sheet metal construction is clearly illustrated in FIGURE 3, it being understood, however, that the parts may be constructed wholly or partly of other materials. The illustrated outlet 'Z2 includes a main box member 28 formed from a single sheet of material to provide an inverted box-like compartment 30 surmounted by an open channel 32. FIGURE 3 shows clearly the manner in which sheet material may be bent to dene these spaces and at the same time to provide opposed inwardly extending flanges 34 along the top of the channel 32, as well as opposite outwardly extending ilanges 36 at the lower opening of the compartment 30.

A plurality of elongated slide members 38 having U-shaped cross sections (FIGURE 3) are slidably disposed in the channel 32 of each of the box members 28. Although the length and spacing of the slide members 38 may be widely varied, a length of iive or six times the width of the channel 32 and a spacing of approximately twice such length may be regarded as typical.

The channel-like slide members 38 are disposed with their web portions 40 in ilush, slidable engagement with the upper panel portion 42 of an associated box member 2S, and these engaged elements are both provided with a plurality of uniformly spaced openings. These openings, designated 44 and 46 in the

elements

40 and 42, respectively, may be of rectangular shape, as illustrated in FIGURE 4, or of any other appropriate shape. They are arranged in matching patterns for selective alignment or misalignment. Each slide member 33 is provided with a tab 48 for moving it longitudinally of the box member 28. The illustrated tabs 48 each comprise a blank 50 (FIGURE 6) having slits 52 which dene tab-like portions 54 which may be bent over and secured to the web portion 40 of the slide member 38 as illustrated in FIG- URE 7. A slot S6 is provided in the panel portion 40 to accommodate the depending tab 48, which extends down below the bottom of the box member 22, as clearly shown in the drawings.

The compartment 39 is substantially filled with a mechanical filter 5S comprising a material such as spun glass or the like. This filter 58 is retained in place by an elongated grill 60 disposed across the lower opening of the compartment 30. An -appropriate pattern of louvers 62 is provided in the grill 60 as clearly indicated in F'IG- URES 3 and 5, and slots 64 are also provided for accommodation of the shifting tab 48. The grill 60 is supported byftiie lower side anges 36' of' the box member 28 by bending over the side edges of the former as illustrated at 66 in FIGURE 3.

In use, the ditusers 22 are, as previously mentioned, suspendt-:dY by hangers *24 from the supportingbeams 26.. While the hangers 24' are here illustrated as1 straddling the beams 26 and engaging deformed ends 68 under the beaded flanges 34 at the top of the boxrnember' 28 it is obvious that other means of suspension would. be satisfactory. With the ditrusers supported as described, the panels- Zii mayV rest in rows upon the horizontal lower il'anges 36 of adjacent parallel diiusers 22.

It will of course be understood that the plenum 16 de-V fined betweenV the overlying structure. 12 and the ceiling assembly l@ is communicated by conventional duct means with asource of Ventilating air under. suiiicient pressure, not only to till the plenum ld, but also to expel air' through the ditiusers 2.2 into the room space l.

The-filters 58, in :addition to` filtering the air which is discharged into the. room space 1d, also providesuf.-Y

cient restriction to the iiow of air to prevent blasting at any point. There isthus produced a tendency toward equalized inflow from the ceiling area which, coupled with the over-all pattern of arrangement of the diifusers. Z2, assures low velocities of air entrance and prevents localized drafts. The slide members 38 may be adjusted by means of their tabs 48 to provide complete` uniformity ofiniiow as well as to control the volume of air admitted to the room space 13.

Clearly, there has been provided an air distributing construction which fultills the objects and advantages sought' therefor.

lt is to be understood that the foregoing description and theaccornpanying drawings have been given. only by way of illustration and example. lt is further to. be undei-stood that changes in the form of the elements, re,- arranvement of parts, and the substitution of equivalent elements, all of which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are contemplated as being within the scope` of; the present invention, which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

l.`ln a. room having an overlying, substantially air impervious structure, an air distributing ceiling assembly comprising a plurality of parallel horizontal panels, each panel having parallel sides and opposite ends and having a plurality of air openings through it with vanes adjacent each opening for directing air laterally as Well as downwardly as the air passes through the openings, each spontan panel having ceiling supporting side edge ange means 50 defined lby an extension of the sides of each panel beyond the openings, a pair of spaced, substantially vertical side wall plates extending between the ends of and upwardly from each panel, each pair ofside wall plates being joined tov respective, panel along a. line located horizontally inwardly of the side edge flange means, a substantially horizontal top plate suspended between each pair of side wall plates and extending between the ends of the side wall plates in spaced relation tothe tops and bottoms of the side wallplates, al plurality' of' slots through each top plate for admitting air to the panels from the spaceV above each top plate, a slidable closure plate slidably overlying each top plate, each, closure plate having a plurality of slots through itV and. alignable withY the slots through the top plate below it in 4one position of the closure plate,

eac-h closure plate being slidable to another positionv for v covering the. top plate slots, closure plate slidingl means@ connected to each closure plate and accessible from hea-- low the panels for sliding the closure plates to adjust thev amount of. air passing through the, top plate, a filter; mass disposed. within. the spaces: between each pair of sidef walliplates and'- between, the. corresponding panell and top` plate, a suspensit'inA system for supporting each pair; oi side wall plates, andV Ia; ceiling panel supported between; each pair of: adjacent panelsby the opposing side wall. edge;- ilange-means of'eaclr pair of: adjacent panels.

2. The combination of claim l wherein` the suspension system comprises a plurality of beams; spaced along: the length ofthe-panels, and positioned above the side. walt plates, each pair of side Wall plates having opposed inwardlydirected anges atthe tops of the side wall flanges,

and. hook. supported by the. beams `and havingex extends; the: elongated slots extendingbeyoud the arzt1 atar plate to permit horizontal movement ofA they actuator plate to slide the closure plate.

Reerences ited in thetile of this patent UNrTnn STATES PATENT-s 27,2.'Zl,001. Lucius Nov.' l2', 19,40 2,251,663' Dar-boY Aug. 5, 19414 2,587,884

lalmer Mar. 4,. i952f ornatiV REFERENCES Barber-Coleman publication entitled Ceiling Diffuaers, form- No; l5-6597A, received in Patentv Office; Apr. 25, 1957, page 9.