US3318587A

US3318587A - Humidifying apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3318587A
Application number: US384477A
Authority: US
Inventors: Paul E Mcduffee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-07-22
Filing date: 1964-07-22
Publication date: 1967-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 1984-05-09

Description

' May 9, 1967 P. E. M DUFFEE HUMIDIFYING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1964 United States Patent 3,318,587 HUMIDlFYING APPARATUS Paul E. McDufiee, 216 N. Elmwood Drive, Aurora, Ill. 60506 Filed July 22, 1964, Ser. No. 384,477 6 Claims. (Cl. 261-64) This invention relates to improvement in apparatus for conditioning air such as is used in conjunction with warm air furnaces to produce and maintain desirable moisture conditions in rooms or other enclosures heated by said furnace.

The general object of the present invention is to pro vide an improved air-conditioning device adapted for use with various air heating means to produce and maintain a desired moisture content in the heated air.

In patent application Ser. No. 251,116, filed Ian. 14, 1963, by Robert W. McDuifee, now United States Patent No. 3,171,401, there is disclosed a novel air-conditioning apparatus for use in humidifying air passing through a warm air furnace system. The apparatus is constructed and arranged so that a substantial portion of air passing through the furnace system is passed directly through a moistened humidifying element by means of the blower or air circulating means of the furnace. In that humidifier, the air to be humidified or humidified air can be made to discharge from the humidifier at the bottom, top or either side thereof.

The present invention is directed to a humidifying apparatus which constitutes an improvement over the humidifying apparatus disclosed in the above patent application. The humidifying apparatus of the present invention is characterized by its compact construction which permits it to be utilized with minimum space requirements. The construction of this new compact humidifier unit is such that ready access may be had to the moistened humidifying element so that it may be inspected, cleaned or replaced if desired.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and appended claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

FIGURE I is a perspective view of the humidifier apparatus of the present invention showing the parts thereof in assembled condition.

FIG. II is a perspective view of the humidifier apparatus of the invention showing the two major parts comprising the housing in separated condition.

FIG. III is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. II.

FIG. IV is a plan view of the water distribution pan employed in the new humidifier apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a humidifying apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention. The humidifier unit 10 is fabricated of metal such as stainless steel or other suitable material and can be varied in size depending upon the size and type of furnace system which is used. The unit is of generally square form with the housing being formed in two detachable sections; the front section 11 and rear housing section 12 being adapted for rotation relative to each other.

The humidifying unit is attached to the wall of the furnace or ductwork system by means of screws or the like which project through rectangular slots 13 and 14 provided on opposite sides of the peripheral flange 15 on the front of the casing 11. These rectangular slots permit adjustment of the unit relative to the surface to which it is attached so that it can be maintained substantially level. A humidifying filter element or evaporating filter pad 16 composed of a porous, air penetrable material which can be maintained in wet condition is held in proper position by abutting against a pair of vertically extending side restraining members 17 oppositely disposed on each side of the casing. Each of these side restraining members is constructed with several rearwardly punched fingers 18 which locate and maintain the filter element in proper position and particularly prevent lateral displacement thereof. The filter element pad 16 is supported on a pair of oppositely disposed brackets 19 which extend inwardly from each side of the casing 11. These brackets project into the interior of the unit only to a limited extent and do not extend entirely across the filter element since this may possibly prevent proper drainage of the water therefrom.

A sloping deflector member 20 extends transversely across the unit to direct excess water which may drain from the filter element pad into a drain trough 21 provided in the lower wall of the housing. Excess water draining from the filter element pad 16 carries away mineral deposits and escapes through drainpipe 22 in Water trough 21. The water trough 21 is removable and is held in place by a pair of screws (not shown). It is preferable to employ an excess of water to facilitate removal of the mineral deposits.

An elongated water distribution pan 24 is adapted to fit within a transverse slot provided on the top surface of the casing section 11. As seen in FIG. II, the bottom of the water distribution pan 24 abuts against the top surface of filter element pad 16 and holds it firmly in place, with appropriate tension being applied by screws 25. The water distribution pan 24 should be maintained level for proper distribution of the water over substantially the entire area of the filter pad. This is readily accomplished by proper adjustment of the unit when it is attached to the furnace.

As will be seen in FIG. IV, the water distrbution pan 24 is provided with a vertically upstanding center strip 26 which has along its upper periphery a series of spaced generally U-shaped pour spouts 27. This center strip 26 serves as a weir for the water which is introduced into the reservoir by means of water conduit 30. A series of spaced ports 32 are provided in the bottom of the pan 24 on one side of the center strip through which the water flows onto the evaporating filter pad 16. The water is normally supplied to the reservoir 33 behind the weir 26, that is on the side of the weir having the solid bottom. Water flow through the conduit is regulated by conventional flow regulating means. Since the water flow regulating means form no part of the present invention, it will not be shown or described in detail but will be designated generally by the numeral 34. However, the principal water flow regulating means 34 can be a solenoid valve electrically responsive to a humidistat of known type whereby water flow is controlled in response to the atmospheric moisture content of the room or enclosure where the humidistat is located.

When assembled, the front casing '11 and rear casing 12 are joined together to form a substantially unitary structure. Novel and advantageous means are provided for joining these two sections. Referring to FIG. II, a peripheral flange 36 extending around the periphery of the rear surface of the front casing 11 is formed with a regularly interrupted turned or bent terminal portion 38. A series of regularly spaced interruptions 39 are provided on the flange portion 38. By means of this turned portion 38 and the interruptions 39, the rear section 12 of the humidifier housing can be slidably interengaged therewith. To this end, the rear section 12 of the humidifier housing is formed with an inwardly projecting flange 40 having on opposite sides two pair of projecting studs 42 0 and 43. These studs 42 and 43 slidably interengage the turned flange 38 on the front section 11 of the housing 3 and maintain the complete unit in assembled condition. When access to the filter pad element 16 is desired, the rear section 12 of the casing is readily removed by sliding it so that the studs 42 and 43 move free of the turned flange 38, that is until the studs'42 and 43 come into alignment with an interruption 39 on flange 38 permitting the rear section to be then lifted away from the'front section of the casing. It will be noted that the interruptions 39 on flange 38 are regularly spaced on each of the four sides. Thus it is possible to rotate the rear section 12 of the casing through 360 so that the port 44 can be disposed at either the top, bottom or either side of the unit when in assembled condition. Thus, the unit can be installed in the furnace system in any desired position so.

that the port 44 in rear casing 12 is positioned for up-flow, down-flow, or horizontal flow from either side of the unit.

A damper 46 is provided to control air flow through the port 44. This damper pivots on rod 47 so' that it can be disposed in a position completely closing or completely opening the port 44, or in any intermediate position. In FIG. III the damper 46 is shown in the fully closed position while the dotted lines show its position when fullyopened. An extension of the rod 47 projecting from the exterior of the unit is bent to form handle means 48 for pivoting the damper. A rubber roll-49 on the handle 48 is adapted to roll over the serrated raised-up arcuate portion 52 provided on the casing section 12 to lock the damper 46 in any desired position. A pair of struts 53 disposed on each side of the port 44 provide for structural rigidity and the tensioned

clips

55, 56 and 57 surrounding projecting through the slots 14 on the peripheral flange.

15. As previously indicated, the humidifier can be a mounted so that the direction of air flow is reversed with the dry warm' air passing first through the humidifying element and exiting through the port 44. The humidifier is mounted so as to provide communication between the warmair plenum and cold air plenum of the furnace with the flow of air being from hot to cold. The port 44 can be on either side or. at the bottom or at the top so that the unit is adaptable for use with all types of warm air heating systems, including counterfiow systems.

Assuming that the warm dry air enters the port 44, the damper 46 being positioned so as to provide a desired air flow through the unit, the dry air then pass through the wet humidifying filter element 16 and picks up moisture. The water level in section 33 of water distribution pan 24 is continuously replenished from water supply line 30 in response to a signal from a h umidistat or other control means. Water after passing through the U-shaped notches 27 in the weir 26 escapes through the ports 32 onto the evaporating filer pad 16. Excess water which is not retained by the evaporating filter pad 16 drains therefrom carrying away mineral desposits and is permitted to escape through drainpipe 22.

When it is desired to inspect, clean' or change the evaporating filter pad 16 the humidifier unit is easily disassembled. The rear section 12 of the casing can be removed by sliding it relative to the front section 11 so as to align the studs 42 and 43 with the interruption 39 in flange portion 38. When so aligned the rear section can easily be lifted off. The evaporating filter pad 16 can be removed by simply loosening the screws 25 and raising water distribution pan 24, thus permitting the pad to be easily withdrawn from the unit.

The principal advantages of the present humidying unit are its high humidifying capacity, flexibility of mounting pad element can be removed from the unit.

Those modifications and equivalents which fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims are tobe considered part of the invention.

I claim:

1. A humidifier apparatus adapted for use with' a furnace system which includes means to circulate heated air, said humidifier apparatus comprising a housing formed of frontand rear detachable sections, an evaporating filter pad maintained within one of said housing sections substantially completely closing an opening therein, water distribution means maintained in position above said evaporating filter pad for delivery ofwater thereto, said front housing section having on the rear surface thereof a peripheral flange member having a regular interrupted bent terminal portion, the rear housing section having a port therein radially spaced from its axis, said rear housing section being adapted for rotation with respect to said front housing section whereby the port can be variously disposed relative to the opening in said front housing section, said rear housing section having a.

peripheral flange member thereon provided with regularly spacedextensions adapted for slidable engagement, with the bent terminal portion ofthe flange member on said front housing section when said rear section is in more formed of front and rear detachablesections, an evapo-' rating filter pad maintained Within one of said housing sections substantially completely closing an opening therein, water distribution means maintained in position 7 above said evaporating filter pad for delivery of water thereto, said front housing section having on the rear surface thereof a peripheral flange member having a regular interrupted bent terminal portion, therear housing section having a port therein radially spaced from its axis,

said rear housing section being adapted for rotation with respect to said front housing section whereby the port can be variously disposed relative to the'opening in said front housing section, a damper element disposed within said port adapted to move from a fully closed port position to a fully open port position and intermediate positions thereof, said rear housing section having a peripheral flange member thereon provided withregularly spaced extensions adapted for slidable engagement with the bent terminal portion of the flange member on said front housing section when said rear section is in more than one posit-ion relative to said front section whereby said front and rear housing sections may be joined to form a substantially unitary structure and means to sup-ply water to said water distribution means.

3. A humidifier apparatus adapted for use with a furnace system which includes means to circulate heated air, said humidifier apparatus comprising a housing formed of front and rear detachable sections, an evaporating filter pad maintained within one of said housing sections substantially completely closing an, opening there in, water distribution means maintained in positiouabove said evaporating filter pad for delivery of water thereto, said front housing section having on the rear surface thereof a peripheral flange member havinga regular interrupted bent terminal portion, the' rear housing section having a port therein radially'spaced from its axis,

said rear housing section being adapted'for rotationwith respect to said front housing section whereby the port can be variously disposed relative to the opening in said front housing section, a damper element within said port adapted to move from a fully closed port position to a fully open port position and intermediate positions thereof,

handle means exterior of said housing for positioning said damper element, said rear housing section having a peripheral flange member thereon provided with regularly spaced extensions adapted for slidable engagement with the bent terminal portion of the flange member on said front housing section when said rear sect-ion is in more than one position relative to said front section whereby said front and rear housing sections may be joined to form a substantially unitary structure and means to supply water to said water distribution means.

4. A humidifier apparatus adapted for use with a furnace system which includes means to circulate heated air, said humidifier apparatus comprising a housing formed of front and rear detachable sections, an evaporating filter pad supported by a plurality of inwardly projecting brackets provided in the interior of said front housing section, a Water distribution pan maintained in position above the evaporating filter pad and in abutting relationship therewith to assist in maintaining the filter pad in position, said front housing section having on the rear surface thereof a peripheral flange member having a regular interrupted bent terminal portion, the rear housing section having a port therein radially spaced from its axis, said rear housing section being adapted for rotation with respect to said front housing section whereby the port can be variously disposed relative to the opening in said front housing section, said rear housing section having a peripheral flange member thereon provided with regularly spaced extensions adapted for slidable engagement with the bent terminal portion of the flange member on said front housing section when said rear section is in more than one position relative to said front section whereby said front and rear housing sections may be joined to form a substantially unitary structure and means to supply water to said water distribution means.

5. A humidifier apparatus adapted for use with a furnace system which includes means to circulate heated air, said humidifier apparatus comprising a housing formed of front and rear detachable sections, an evaporating filter paid maintained within one of said housing sections substantially completely closing an opening therein, water distribution means maintained in position above said evaporating filter pad for delivery of Water thereto, said front housing section having on the rear surface thereof a peripheral flange member having a regular interrupted bent terminal portion, the rear housing section having a port therein radially spaced from its axis, said rear housing section being adapted for rotation with respect to said front housing section whereby the port can be variously disposed relative to the opening in said front housing section, -a damper element within said port adapted to move from a fully closed port position to a fully open port position and intermediate positions thereof, handle means exterior of said housing section for positioning said damper element, said rear housing section having a peripheral flange member thereon provided with regularly spaced extensions adapted for slidable engagement with the bent terminal portion of the flange member on said front housing section when said rear section is in more than one position relative to said front section whereby said front and rear housing sections may be joined to form a substantially unitary structure, a plurality of tensioned clip members extending from said rear housing section and peripherally disposed with respect to said port for frictional connection with a furnace ductwork system and means to supply water to said water distribution means,

6. A humidifier apparatus adapted for use with a furnace system which includes means to circulate heated air, said humidifier apparatus comprising a housing formed of front and rear detachable sections, an evaporating filter pad maintained within one of said housing sections substantially completely closing an opening therein, water distribution means maintained in position above said evaporating filter pad for delivery of water thereto, said water distribution means comprising an elongated pan divided into two sections by means of an upstanding weir member, one section of said pan being provided with a plurality of holes on the bottom surface thereof and said upstanding weir member being provided with a plurality of spaced pour spouts permitting passage of water therethrough, said front housing section having on the rear surface thereof a peripheral flange member having a regular interrupted bent terminal portion, the rear housing section having a port therein radially spaced from its axis, said rear housing section being adapted for rotation with respect to said front housing section whereby the port can be variously disposed relative to the opening in said front housing section, said rear housing section having a peripheral flange member thereon provided with regularly spaced extensions adapted for slidable engagement with the bent terminal portion of the flange member on said front housing section when said rear section is in more than one position relative to said front section whereby said front and rear housing sections may be joined to form a substantially unitary structure and means to supply water to said water distribution means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,574,656 2/1926 Isgrig 126-1 13 2,158,294 5/1939 Long 1261 13 2,268,540 1/1942 Andrews 126--113 2,590,779 3/ 1952 Lehmann.

2,806,466 9/1957 Thompson 1261 13 3,074,698 1/1963 Sevald 126l13 X 3,105,860 10/1963 Dunn 126113 X 3,209,744 10/1965 Ayres et a1. 126113 FRANK W. LU'ITER, Primary Examiner.

HARRY B. THORNTON, T. R. MILES,

Assistant Examiners.

Claims

1. A HUMIDIFIER SPPARATUS ADPATED FOT USE WITH A FURNACE SYSTEM WHICH INCLUDES MEANS TO CIRCULATE HEATED AIR, SAID HUMIDIFIER APPARATUS COMPRISING A HOUSING FORMED OF FRONT AND REAR DETACHABLE SECTIONS, AN EVAPORATING FILTER PAD MAINTAINED WITHIN ONE OF SAID HOUSING SECTIONS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY CLOSING AN OPENING THEREIN, WATER DISTRIBUTION MEANS MAINTAINED IN POSITION ABOVE SAID EVAPORATING FILTER PAD FOR DELIVERY OF WATER THERETO, SAID FRONT HOUSING SECTION HAVING ON THE REAR SURFACE THEREOF A PERIPHERAL FLANGE MEMBER HAVING A REGULAR INTERRUPTED BENT TERMINAL PORTION, THE REAR HOUSING SECTION HAVING A PORT THEREIN RADIALLY SPACED FROM ITS AXIS, SAID REAR HOUSING SECTION BEING ADAPTED FOR ROTATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID FRONT HOUSING SECTION WHEREBY THE PORT CAN BE VARIOUSLY DISPOSED RELATIVE TO THE OPENING IN SAID FRONT HOUSING SECTION, SAID REAR HOUSING SECTION HAVING A PERIPHERAL FLANGE MEMBER THEREON PROVIDED WITH REGULARLY SPACED EXTENSIONS ADAPTED FOR SLIDABLE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BENT TERMINAL PORTION OF THE FLANGE MEMBER ON SAID FRONT HOUSING SECTION WHEN SAID REAR SECTION IS IN MORE THAN ONE POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID FROMT SECTION WHEREBY SAID FRONT AND REAR HOUSING SECTIONS MAY BE JOINED TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY UNITARY STRUCTURE AND MEANS TO SUPPLY WATER TO SAID WATER DISTRIBUTION MEANS.