Patent ID: 6279339
Filing Date: 2001-08-28
Classification: F24F

Abstract:
An air conditioner of the type having an outdoor section, which has a condenser coil mounted therein and an outer protective housing at least partially enclosing the outdoor section, wherein the improvement comprises:said housing having a substantially rectangular opening therein in overlying relation with the condenser coil, said opening being defined by four coplanar wall sections of a given thickness, each wall section having an edge thereof, which cooperates with the edges of the other wall sections to define the perimeter of said rectangular opening;a one-piece molded plastic grille configured to substantially cover said rectangular opening, said grille comprising:an outer framework sized to be substantially contiguous with said perimeter of said rectangular opening, said outer framework being defined by an upper frame member, a lower frame member and left and right frame members, said frame members being interconnected at the ends thereof to define said outer framework;a plurality of inclined horizontal elements extending between said left and right frame members;grille positioning and retaining structure integrally formed with each of said upper, lower, left and right frame members, each of said positioning and retaining structures including a first portion extending outwardly from its respective frame member in overlying relationship with one of said coplanar wall sections, and a second portion extending outwardly from its respective frame member in underlying relationship with said one coplanar wall section, said first and second portions being spaced from one another by a distance substantially equal to said given thickness of said coplanar walls to define a space therebetween configured to receive said edge of and a portion of said coplanar wall therein;said plastic grille being sufficiently flexible to allow said grille to be deformed to a condition to allow each of said grille positioning and retaining structures to engage their respective coplanar wall sections and to thereafter return to an undeformed condition when assembled to said housing.