Patent ID: 9605864
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: F16L,F24F,Y10T

Claim:
1. An air duct system for conveying a current of air, the air duct system comprising: an air duct comprising a tubular pliable sidewall with an inner surface, the air duct defining an inlet and an outlet, the air duct defining a nonlinear airflow path from the inlet to the outlet; a shaft having a longitudinal centerline, the shaft being configurable selectively to an installed configuration and a removed configuration, the longitudinal centerline lies along a first nonlinear line when the shaft is in the installed configuration, the shaft has a first shape in the installed configuration and a second shape in the removed configuration, the first shape being distinguishable from the second shape; a plurality of ribs to be coupled to the shaft, the plurality of ribs engaging the inner surface of the tubular pliable sidewall when the shaft and the plurality of ribs are disposed within the air duct with the shaft in the installed configuration; and a plurality of shaft segments connected by an articulation joint that enables the plurality of shaft segments angularly to be moved relative to each other when the shaft is in the removed configuration, wherein the articulation joint is more flexible than each shaft segment of the plurality of shaft segments.