Patent ID: 6322442
Filing Date: 2001-11-27
Classification: F24F

Abstract:
An air duct register system for controlling and directing the flow of heated and cooled air into a chamber, comprising in combination;a face plate having a rectilinear configuration with long upper edges and lower edges and short side edges sized to cover the opening of an air duct into a chamber, the face plate being fabricated of rigid material, preferably a metal, with an internal face and an external face, the face plate having two fixation apertures adjacent to the side edges adapted to receive attachment screws, the face plate having a rectangular, central opening with a height and a width less than the lengths of the edges to form a solid periphery of between about 1.0 and 2.0 inches around the edges of the faceplate, the central opening having a series of air directing grates angled at between about 5 and 20 degrees toward the outside of the opening such that there are created a plurality of rectangular shaped slots through the face plate;a rectilinear housing comprising two parallel long side walls and two parallel short end walls, the walls being oriented perpendicular to the internal face, with the walls having external edges coupled to the interior face of the face plate adjacent to the opening and internal edges spaced interiorly thereof, the end plates each containing two large bores and one small bore, the large bores being located near the external edge and equidistant from the midline of the width of the end plate, the smaller bore being located interiorly with its center in line with the center of one of the large bores;a pair of similarly configured flappers including a first flapper and a second flapper, each flapper having a generally rectangular configuration with two parallel long edges and two parallel short edges, the short edges being perpendicular to and connecting to the ends of the long edges, the flappers each being slightly wider than 50 percent of the height of the opening and slightly shorter than the width of the opening and having an arcuate ridge along the central portion of each flapper on the long axis midline and ending on each end of each flapper with a formed cylindrical extension rotatably received within the large bores of the housing;a control assembly having an actuator subassembly comprising a main plate in a generally semi-circular configuration with an exterior edge configured with ridges and indentations bent to form an actuator surface extending through a slot for control by a user, plate also having an outwardly extending pin rotatably received in the small bore, the plate also having an outrigger arm with a fork receiving an edge of the first flapper to slidably contact the edge of the first flapper whereby rotational movement of the main plate and will cause rotational movement of the first flapper, the plate and arm and exterior edge configured to allow the rotation about a course of travel of between 0 and 90 degrees for opening and closing the first flapper; andthe control assembly also having a follower subassembly comprising a link having a proximal end and distal end located adjacent to and parallel with the end plate remote from the actuator sub assembly, the proximal end being generally rounded with a hole and with a flapper tab having a hole aligned with the hole at the proximal end and with a rivet through the two holes, the distal end of the follower subassembly having a flapper tab with a hole and a hook-like extension on the link extending through the hole whereby rotation of the first flapper coupled to the control assembly will rotate the second flapper.