US3023297A - Wall type electric heater assembly - Google Patents

Description

E. W. ABEL WALL TYPE ELECTRIC HEATER ASSEMBLY Feb. 27, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 INVENTOR. EDMUND W. ABEL Arromvevs Feb. 27, 1962 E. w. ABEL WALL TYPE ELECTRIC HEATER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 JNVENTOR EDMUND W` ABEL BY ,www Mmm/.md www ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,023,297 WALL TYPE ELECTRIC HEATER-ASSEMBLY Edmund W. Abel, Indianapolis, Ind., assigner, by mesne assignments, to The Lau Blower Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Aug. 22, 1960, Ser. No..51,150 6 Claims. (Cl. 219-34) This invention relates generally to radiant electric heater assemblies and in particular to a heater assembly adapted for mounting in a wall of a dwelling or similar enclosure.

Heaters of the type presently referred to are conventionally mounted in bathrooms o-f homes but can of course be mounted at other locations wherever concentrated radiant heat is desirable. Such wall mounted assemblies are usually constructed so that, when installed, only the frame protrudes from the wall. In the operation of the heater the temperature of the frame itself is raised, and on constructions heretofore used the temperature rise of the frame upon prolonged energization of the heaters has been substantial. Aside from the safety factor involved, excessive heating of the frame sets up convection currents which sweep the wall directly above Athe heater assembly causing streaking and discoloration of the wall.

Prior art structures have also been characterized by relatively inconvenient arrangements for access to and removal of certain components of the assembly such as the reflector and heater sub-assembly. Further, when the heating capa-city requirements are such as to require a heater assembly having a width greater than the standard distance between studs, mounting of these larger assemblies has required cutting of the studs and framing of the opening accommodating the heater assembly.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a heater assembly of the type referred to in which the wall-embedded box accommodating the reflector and heater sub-assembly extends beyond and in closely underlying relation to the inner margin of the frame so as to eliminate the trapping of heated air within the frame and thereby to minimize the temperature rise of the frame.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a heater assembly in which the reflector and heating unit sub-assembly is hinged to the wall-embedded box component and is locked in place when the overlying frame is installed whereby the reflector and heater sub-assembly can be conveniently removed upon removal of the frame from the assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a heater assembly utilizing a low-cost but dependable means for mounting the heater elements or cores within the assembly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a heater sub-assembly whose heating capacity can be increased by adding duplicate assemblies thereto, the arrangement for interconnecting the assemblies being suchl as to eliminate the cutting of wall studding when the multiple-type assembly is installed.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and the claims.

FIG. l is a front view of the assembly.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the structure but with the frame component removed.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view taken generally along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the assembly with a portion of the frame broken away.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a multiple unit modification of the assembly.

3,023,297 Patented Feb. 27, 1962 FIG. 6 is a sectional detailed View of the mounting arrangement of the heater elements.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the structure shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary and partially exploded view in perspective showing the connection between two units in the multiple unit of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a multiple unit assembly with fragments of the frame component removed.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1-4, the complete assembly includes a frame structure 10 having side surfaces 11 -and inclined front surfaces 12 which merge along the line 13 with inwardly inclined, inner marginal surfaces 14. Along the lower margin of the frame, the surfaces 12 and 14 are separated by a vertical surface 16 which is apertured to accommodate the push buttons 17 and the operating stem of a thermostat 18. The thermostat stem has rigidly secured thereto an adjusting knob 19. 1 Along the upper margin of the frame an elongated slot 21 separates the surfaces 12 and 14, a rearwardly extend- Ving flange 22 bordering the upper margin of the slot 21.

The inner margins of the frame vare defined by inwardly wardly offset grille 23.

The assembly further includes a wall insert box 24 having side walls 26, an inclined top wall 27, a base wall 28 and a rear wall 29. The box may be suitably formed from sheet metal or any other suitable material by welding or other fastening means. The side walls 26 are formed to provide outwardly extending flanges 31. The base wall 28 is formed to provide a downwardly extending flange or lip 32 which is provided with mounting apertures 33. Outwardly extending tabs 34 are integral with the flange 32 and are provided with apertures adapted to receive sheet metal screws (FIG. 3) which extend through registering openings in the lowermost one of the surfaces 11 of the frame.

The flange 32 supports a bracket 37 which mounts the thermostat 18 responsive to the temperature within the box 24. A U-shaped bracket 38 extends from the rear wall 29 and supports a push button switch 39, the push button 17 for the switch extending through appropriate apertures in the vertical surface 16. Also extending from the rear wall 29 in spaced, horizontally aligned relation are reflector support `brackets 41.

Depending fro-m the inner face of the inclined top wall 27 of the box are spaced brackets 42. The upper ends 42a of the brackets extend generally vertically upwardly and are provided with mounting apertures 42b (FIG. 3). It should be noted that the upwardly extending portion 42a of each bracket lies in substantially the same vertical plane as the mounting flanges 31 and 32. The intermediate portions of the brackets 42 extend through slots in the wall 27 and are formed to provide portions 42e which are contiguous with the inner surface of the wall 27 and which are rigidly fastened to the wall by any suitable means such as welding. The lower ends 42d of the brackets extend generally perpendicularly from the inner face of the wall 27 and at their free ends are provided with outwardly extending tabs 42e. Centrally upon the outer face of the wall 27 there is rigidly secured a bracket 43 whose free end portion 44 is spaced slightly from the adjacent surface of the wall 27.

Nested within the box 24 and having the same general configuration is a reector 46 formed of any suitable material such as aluminum. The reflector includes side walls 47, inclined top wall 48, rear wall 49 and a base wall S1. The base Wall is provided with a downwardly extending flange or lip 52. The top wall 48 is slotted to receive the tabs 42e extending from the brackets 42. The reflector 46 is thus suspended from the upper wall of the box 24 andis 3 retained at its base and held in spaced relation to the rear wall 29 of the box 24 by means of the brackets 41.

Disposed vertically within the reflector are spaced heating elements 53. As may best be seen in FIG. 6, the heating elements are composed of ceramic, fluted cores S4 which are wrapped with suitable resistance wire 56. The ends of the wire are threaded through suitable transverse apertures (not shown) in the cores 54 and are joined together by solderless connectors 57 (FIG. 2). The wires extending from the lower ends of the heating elements 53 are joined to appropriately insulated lead wires which extend through tubular insulating members 58 shown in FIG. 7. As FIG. 7 indicates, the insulators extend thro-ugh apertures in the base wall 51 of the reflector and are held in place by U-shaped clamps 59.

The heating elements 53 are supported as indicated in FIG. 6. The base wall 51 of the reflector is provided with lanced apertures 61 whose bordering flange extends into the central bore 54a of the cores 54. At their upper ends the cores accommodate downwardly extending tabs 62 struck from the inclined upper wall 48 of the reflector. These tabs serve to clamp the upper ends of the cores against the arcuate upper margin 63a of the bosses 63 formed in the wall 48. The heating elements are thus rigidly supported within the reflector by means of economically formed parts o-r portions of the top wall 48 and base wall 51 of the reflector.

It should be noted that, as indicated in FIG. 3, when the frame 10 is in place on the box 24 the lower horizontal portion of flange bears against the surface of the reflector flange 52 to lock the reflector in place. The frame may be removed from the box by removing the mounting screws which interconnect surface 11 and tabs 34 and disconnecting the adjusting knob 19 from the thermostat. The frame may then be pivoted slightly so that the flange 22 of the frame may be withdrawn from the bracket 4'3. Removal of the frame from the box permits the reflector to be pivoted outwardly about the brackets 42. It will be noted that the frame mounting by means of bracket 43 permits the frame to be moved inwardly toward the wall sufficiently to fit closely against the wall at the frame top to compensate for any small variations in the installed position of the box 24.

An important feature of the present invention is the extension of the inclined upper wall 27 of the box 24 inboard of the flange 22 of the frame and closely underlying the surface of flange 22, as shown in FIG. 3. In prior art structures the frame is normally disposed in overlying relation to the outer edge of the wall box top wall. Where the frame has an outwardly convex configuration, as is normally required for proper aesthetic effect, this prior art arrangement of the frame provides a heat trap between the frame and the wall box at their upper margins because of the convection air currents trapped in this area. In the structure of the present invention, since the inclined top wall 27 of the box extends along the inner margin of the adjacent frame surface and beyond the frame margin, no such trapping of convection air currents occurs and the slot 21 extending across the face of the frame permits the free exit of heating air from within the box. The consequent minimizing of the temperature rise of the frame provides advantages which include elimination of streaked walls. This feature is obtained without the use of deflecting vanes or the like which tend to restrict the movement of heated air.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, a multiple unit type of structure will be described. The structure includes two or more assemblies identical to that described above and arranged in side-by-side relation. The assemblies are spaced from each other by means of a bracket 64 which may be Welded or otherwise suitably secured to the side walls 26 of the adjacent wall boxes'. A tubular connector member 65 also extends between the two assemblies and provides a conduit for wiring between the two units.

As may best be seen in FIG. 9, the dimensions of the bracket 64 and the connector 65 are such as to space the side walls 26 so that a conventional wall stud 66 may be accommodated therebetween. An integral frame 67 having multiple grille panels 68 fits over the wall insert boxes and is attached thereto in the same fashion as described with reference to the single unit construction.

This multiple unit arrangement permits installation of this larger type of heater without any cutting of wall studs, and the unitary frame member causes the unit to retain the appearance of a single integral structure.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as other modifications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A wall insert heater assembly comprising a wall box adapted for mounting within a wall surface and having an open side, a top wall on said box having mounting bracket means projecting downwardly therefrom, a reflector pivotally and releasably supported on said bracket means for operative positioning in said wall box, said reflector being substantially smaller than said box to provide a space therebetween, heating elements supported on said reflector, means for maintaining a spaced relationship between said reflector and said box, a frame member for operatively enclosing the front of said space, means defining a slot in said frame member for venting said space, said top wall of said box extending forwardly therefrom into the top of said slot to a position forward of the wall surface for supporting said frame member on said wall box and for preventing the air flowing from said space through said slot from seeping between said top wall and said frame member, and means for securing said frame member to said wall box in engagement with said reflector to lock said reflector to said box.

2. A wall insert heater assembly comprising a wall box adapted for mounting within a wall surface and having an open side, a reflector of substantially smaller size than said box supported in said box to provide an annular space therebetween, heating elements supported on said reflector, means for maintaining a spaced relationship between said reflector and said box, a frame member for operatively enclosing the front of said space, means defining an opening in said frame member for venting said space, said top wall of said box extending forwardly therefrom into said opening in said frame to a position for preventing the air flowing from said space through said opening from seeping between said top wall and said frame member, and means for securing said frame member to said wall box in engagement with said reflector to lock said reflector to said box.

3. A wall insert heater assembly comprising a wall box adapted for mounting within a wall surface and having an open side, a top wall in said box having mounting bracket means projecting downwardly therefrom, a reflector pivotally and releasably supported on said bracket means for operative positioning in said wall box, heating elements supported on said reflector, said reflector being substantially smaller than said box to provide a space therebetween, means for maintaining a spaced relationship between said reflector and said box, a frame member for operatively enclosing the front of said space, means defining an opening in said frame member for venting the space between said reflector and said box, a flange on said frame member coextensive with and projecting rearwardly from the upper margin of said slot, said top wall of said box supporting said flange on said wall box and for preventing the air flowing from said space through said slot from being trapped between said top wall and said frame member, and means for securing said frame member to said wall box in engagement with said reector to lock said reflector to said box.

4. A wall insert assembly comprising a wall box adapted for mounting within a wall surface and having an open side, a top wall in said box having mounting bracket means projecting downwardly therefrom, a reliector pivotally and releasably supported on said bracket means for operative positioning in said wall box, said reector being substantially smaller than said box to provide space therebetween, means for maintaining a spaced relationship between said reector and said box, a frame member for operatively enclosing the front of said space, means defining an opening in said frame member for venting said space, a iiange on said frame member coextensive with and extending rearwardly from the upper margin of said opening to a position vertically above and in contact with said top wall for supporting said frame member on said wall box and for preventing the air flowing from said space through said slot from being trapped between said top wall and said frame member, and means for securing said frame member to said wall box in engagement with said reliector to lock said reflector to said box.

5. A multiple unit wall insert assembly adapted to be mounted in a wall having a conventional stud arrangement, comprising at least two wall boxes each having an open face and adapted for mounting in the wall on opposite sides of a stud, ange means on said boxes adapted to mount said boxes on the wall, a top wall in each of said boxes each having mounting bracket means projecting downwardly therefrom, a reflector pivotally and releasably supported on each of said bracket means for operative positioning in the associated said wall box, said reector being substantially smaller than said boxes to provide a space between each thereof and the surrounding said reiiector, means for maintaining a spaced relationship between the associated reiiectors and wall boxes, an integral frame member for operatively enclosing the front of said spaces, means defining slots in said frame member coextensive with each of said top walls for venting said spaces, said top walls of said boxes extending forwardly therefrom into the top of said slots to a position for supporting said frame member on said wall boxes and for preventing the air flowing from said spaces through said slots from seeping between said top walls and said frame member, spacing means extending between and interconnecting said boxes to maintain them in predetermined spaced relation for accommodation of a stud between adjacent boxes and for maintaining said slots and said top walls in aligned relationship,

said ange means and said spacing means adapted to regulate the depth to which said boxes extend into said wall, and means for securing said frame member to said wall boxes in engagement with said reiiectors to lock said reflectors to said boxes.

6. A multiple unit wall insert assembly adapted to be mounted in a wall having a conventional stud arrangement, comprising at least two wall boxes each having an open face and adapted for mounting in the wall on opposite sides of a stud, flange means on said boxes adapted to mount said boxes on the wall, a top wall in each of said boxes each having mounting bracket means projecting downwardly therefrom, a reiiector pivotally and releasably supported on each of said bracket means for operative positioning in the associated said wall box, said reiiectors being substantially smaller than said boxes to provide a space between each thereof and the surrounding said reflector, means for maintaining a spaced relationship between the associated reliectors and wall boxes, an integral frame member for operatively enclosing the front of said spaces, means delining slots in said frame member coextensive with each of said top walls for venting said spaces, a ange on said frame coextensive with and extending rearwardly from the upper margin of said slots to a position vertically above and in contact with the associated top wall for supporting said frame on said wall boxes and for preventing the air owing from said spaces through said slots from being trapped between said top walls and said frame member, spacing means interconnecting said wall boxes to maintain them in predetermined spaced relation for accommodation of a stud between adjacent wall boxes and for maintaining the associated slots and iianges in alignment, said flange means and said spacing means adapted to regulate the depth to which said boxes extend into said wall, and means for securing said frame member to said wall boxes in engagement with said reflectors to lock said reflectors to said boxes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,801,099 McCormick Apr. 14, 1931 1,839,986 Meldahl Jan- 5, 1932 1,926,537 Hoffman Sept. l2, 1933 2,552,837 Blazer May 15, 1951 2,655,587 Steingruber Oct. 13, 1953 2,662,963 Wessel Dec. 15, 1953 2,720,580 Kraut Oct. l1, 1955

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