Abstract:
The subject invention relates to combination lighting and air filtration units that provide illumination and filter air in a particular area. A lighting unit includes an illumination element and a housing with a rounded profile that encloses the illumination element. A conduit is adjacent to the housing wherein a filter is mounted within the conduit. An input fan draws air through the filter to produce filtered air and an output fan expels the filtered air.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATES PATENTS AND APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/637,003 filed on Dec. 20, 2004 and entitled “Air Cleaner/Ceiling Light,” the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Various systems and methods are conventionally employed to illuminate spaces located in a building. Lighting can be provided directly, indirectly or diffusely depending on the space, purpose of illumination and user preference. In a standard configuration, an illumination device includes a housing, a mounting bracket and a light element receptacle. The housing can be fabricated utilizing any number of materials such as brass, aluminum, stainless steel, or any number of plastics. The light element receptacle can accept specific elements manufactured for such a purpose. Such element types include incandescent, halogen, compact fluorescent, fluorescent, high intensity discharge (HID) and the like.  
         [0003]     For some applications, a multi-function device may be desired to provide one or more disparate features. For example, additional features such as air purification, smoke detection or ventilation may be desired. Conventionally, such multi-function devices employ non-functional designs that are well known in the art.  
         [0004]     Air purification has conventionally been accomplished via ionic filtration systems or similar purification systems. However, ionic systems suffer from several functional drawbacks. One drawback is the excessive amount of ozone that is produced from ionic systems that can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function. Such harmful effects are caused by concentrated ozone levels which are generated by systems utilizing ionic filtration. Ozone concentration can reach deleterious levels since ionizers do not have to meet any standardized levels as they are not regulated by any governing body.  
         [0005]     Conventional lighting and filtration devices suffer from several drawbacks such as excessive noise, inefficient design, awkward installation, incompatibility with electrical interfaces, difficult maintenance and the like. Such difficulties can be caused by inadequate or poor design and/or incorrect implementation of the lighting device. What are needed are systems and methods that address shortcomings associated with conventional lighting and filtration devices.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     According to one aspect of the subject invention, a lighting unit includes an illumination element and a housing with a rounded profile that encloses the illumination element. A conduit is adjacent to the housing wherein a filter is mounted within the conduit. An input fan draws air through the filter to produce filtered air and an output fan expels the filtered air.  
         [0007]     According to another aspect of the subject invention, a multi-function unit includes an illumination element and a housing with a rounded profile that encloses the illumination element. A conduit is adjacent to the housing and a combination HEPA-charcoal filtration element is mounted within the conduit. An input fan draws air through the filtration element to produce filtered air and an output fan expels the filtered air.  
         [0008]     According to yet another aspect of the subject invention, a multi-function appliance includes at least one light bulb and a housing with that encloses the at least one light bulb. An indication lamp is proximate the illumination element and a personal computer board illuminates the indication lamp based on at least one predetermined condition. A conduit is adjacent to the housing and a combination HEPA-charcoal filtration element that is mounted within the conduit. An input fan draws air through the filtration element to produce filtered air and an output fan expels the filtered air. A fan speed regulator varies the speed of at least one of the input fan and the output fan.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The invention may take form in various components and arrangements of components, and in various steps and arrangements of steps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is an exterior side profile of a pillow light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is an interior side profile of the pillow light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a bottom view of the pillow light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is an end view of the pillow light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a cross-section view of the pillow light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a cross-section view of the pillow light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is an exterior side profile of the pillow light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is an interior side profile of the pillow light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is an exterior side profile of a circular light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a top view of the circular light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is an exterior side profile of the circular light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  is a detailed top view of the circular light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0022]      FIG. 13  is cross-section view of the circular light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0023]      FIG. 14  illustrates a fan for air filtration in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0024]      FIG. 15  is cross-section view of the circular light and air filtration unit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0025]      FIGS. 16A and 16B  illustrates two sides of an air filter in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exterior side profile of a pillow light and air filtration unit  100  (PLF unit) which includes a base  110  and a lamp housing  120 . Connectors  132  and  134  can be used to couple the base  110  with the lamp housing  120 . The PLF unit  100  provides light and/or filters air. Air filtration is accomplished by drawing air through a filter residing within the PLF unit  100 , filtering the air, and expelling the filtered air. The PLF unit  100  can be retrofitted into existing lighting and/or installed in new construction.  
         [0027]     The base  110  is comprised of two pairs of walls  102 ,  104  and  106 ,  108  which are substantially parallel to form a box like shape. The top  112  of the base  110  is open to allow one or more air filtration and/or electrical components to connect to elements within the lamp housing  120 . The electrical components can be located on the bottom  114  of the base  110  and employed to deliver power to one or more illumination elements, signal indicators and the like. The bottom  114  of the base  110  can have one or more apertures cut out to accommodate electrical and/or other wiring.  
         [0028]     The base  110  is coupled to the lamp housing  120  utilizing the connectors  132 ,  134 . The connectors  132 ,  134  can be spring clips, screws, rivets, etc. The lamp housing  120  has a round shape such that when the lamp is viewed from an end (e.g.,  116 ), the base  110  and lamp housing  120  together create a mushroom profile. The lamp housing  120  is employed to disburse light and is preferably a translucent material. The base  110  allows mounting the PLF unit  100  to a flat surface such as a wall or ceiling, for example, and can have one or more mounting holes to allow fastening devices (e.g., screws) to secure the PLF unit  100  to a desired surface.  
         [0029]     The lamp housing  120  is designed to provide a distinctive round profile that can be incorporated into substantially any contemporary design scheme. The lamp housing  120  can enclose one or more light bulbs in any number of configurations. In one embodiment, the lamp housing  120  can accommodate two fluorescent light bulbs. Such bulbs can be any size such as T 4 , T 5 , T 8 , etc. In addition, the lamp housing  120  can accommodate one or more incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs, halogen bulbs, high intensity discharge bulbs and the like. Various combinations of bulbs can be employed to provide particular lighting schemes as desired.  
         [0030]     The connectors  132  and  134  are employed to fasten the lamp housing  120  to the base  110 . In addition, other connectors (not shown) located symmetrically on the base  110  can be employed to provide additional fastening support. The connectors  132  and  134  are designed to snap into place and are made of a flexible material. For example, the connectors  132  and  134  can be manufactured from metal, plastic or any desired composite material.  
         [0031]      FIG. 2  illustrates an interior profile of the PLF unit  100  which includes the base  110  and the lamp housing  120 . The PLF unit  100  further includes an input fan  140  which draws air through a filter  150 . The filter  150  can be held in place utilizing a filter guide  152  and/or other means. The filtered air is drawn through a conduit  154  and expelled via an output fan  160 . The fans  140  and  160  are located with the base  110  inset from the lamp housing  120  to minimize view of the air slots (e.g.,  210  below) required for air movement. In one approach, the fans  140  and  160  are square shaped computer fans.  
         [0032]     The filter  150  eliminates particulate matter and/or odor from the air. In this manner, surrounding air quality can be improved and/or provide relief from allergy and/or asthma causing irritants. The filter  150  can include a combination of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters and/or electrostatic filters. In addition, the filter  150  can include charcoal filtration which can be employed to eliminate odors. The filter guide  152  is oriented to provide simple replacement of the filter  150 .  
         [0033]     A fan speed regulator  170  controls the speed of the fans  140  and  160 . Such fan speed can be regulated based on any number of factors such as a predetermined time interval, quality of air, length of filter use, etc. A PC board  172  can control output to a signal lamp based at least in part on received feedback values. The PC board  172  also toggles a signal lamp  174  that indicates when a predetermined condition has been met. In one example, the signal lamp  174  is illuminated after a predetermined time interval. In another example, the signal lamp  174  is illuminated when an air quality sensor (not shown) indicates that air quality has fallen below a predetermined value.  
         [0034]     The signal lamp  174  provides notification that a condition exists that warrants attention from the user. One such condition can be the degradation of the air filter  150  and that the filter  150  needs to be replaced. The signal lamp  174  provides a distinct luminous output to allow interested personnel to locate and identify when the lamp is illuminated In one embodiment, the signal lamp  174  is a light emitting diode (LED) that outputs light. In this example, the LED can provide light that is bright enough to be detected by an interested observer but dim enough that it will not interfere with normal operation of the PLF unit  100 . After the filter  150  has been replaced, a filter reset switch  176  is employed to notify the PC board  172  to reset one or more predetermined values for future filter replacement.  
         [0035]     A ballast  180  provides regulated power to an illumination element  190 . The ballast  180  typically is located in the base  1   10  and is connected to power lines  182  that interface to a power source (not shown). The illumination element  190  can be representative of one or more light bulbs according to various disparate designs. In one embodiment, the ballast  180  utilizes low power consumption to meet the requirements for the Energy Star program.  
         [0036]      FIG. 3  shows a bottom view of the PLF unit  100  which includes an outline of the lamp housing  120 . The filter  150  is located near one side of the PLF unit  100 , adjacent the input fan  140 . The fan speed regulator  170  and the PC board  172  are disposed near the filter  150 . The ballast  180  is located to the right of the fan speed regulator  170  and the PC board  172 . The illumination elements  190 ,  192  are disposed symmetrically from the centerline  196  of the PLF unit  100  to provide even lighting output. However, in another embodiment,  190  and  192  are disposed asymmetrically. In this embodiment, the illumination elements  190 ,  192  are fluorescent lamps.  
         [0037]      FIG. 4  illustrates a cross sectional view of the PLF unit  100  as indicated in  FIG. 2 . The input fan  140  is located at the midline  162  of the PLF unit  100  is. The top of the filter  150  is located above the input fan  140  and angles downward behind the input fan  140  to force input air through the filter  150 . The filter  150  is held in place via the filter guide  152 . The filter guide  152  can be a metal or other rigid frame wherein the filter  150  is inserted and fixed into place. Connectors  132  and  136  secure the lamp housing  120  to the base  110 . The signal lamp  174  is located on top of the filter  150  and is between the illumination elements  190 ,  192 . However, the signal lamp  174  can be located in any viewable location to properly notify interested personnel.  
         [0038]      FIG. 5  illustrates a cross-sectional view of the PLF unit  100  as indicated in  FIG. 3 . The PC board  172  is located in the lower portion of the PLF unit  100 . The ballast  180  is located on the floor  182  of the base  110  below the airway  154 .  FIG. 6  shows an end view of the PLF unit  100 . The lamp housing  120  is coupled to the base  110  via connectors, two of which ( 132 ,  136 ) are shown. An end cap  200  is employed to enclose the end of the base  110  of the PLF unit  100 . The end cap  200  contains a vent  210  to allow air to be drawn into the filter.  150  and can be manufactured of a rigid material such as steel or plastic.  FIG. 7  shows a detail of the end cap  200  which contains several slots  205  to accommodate air flow through the vent  210 . As depicted, the general shape of the end cap  200  is hexagonal with a recessed feature  220  in the top to provide access to the filter  150  for trouble-free exchange of filters. However, various other end cap shapes are contemplated. The end cap  200  is located at each end of the PLF unit base  110 .  
         [0039]      FIGS. 8A  and.  8 B illustrate front and side views respectively of a bulb socket mounting panel  300 . The bulb socket mounting panel  300  contains at least one female structure  3 . 10  to accommodate one or more illumination elements (e.g., illumination elements  190 ,  192 ). The shape of the bulb socket mounting panel  300  is generally similar to the end cap  200  such that they are similarly mounted and oriented. However, the end cap  200  is mounted externally to the bulb socket mounting panel  300 . It is to be appreciated that the bulb socket mounting panel  300  can include a plurality of female structures  310  to accommodate a plurality of illumination elements.  
         [0040]      FIG. 9  shows a side profile of a circular lamp and air filtration unit  400 . The top portion  402  is a diffuser  404  which houses one or more illumination elements. The bottom portion  406  is a base  408  that contains an input fan  412  wherein air can be drawn into the unit  400  and subsequently expelled from the unit  400  after filtration. The air can be filtered utilizing any number of filtration elements such as a HEPA filter, a charcoal filter, an electrostatic filter and the like. The base  408  can house electrical components required for operation such as a PC board, a fan speed regulator and a ballast. In addition, the base  408  can have an opening in the unit to allow wiring or other cabling to pass into the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400 .  
         [0041]      FIG. 10  shows a top view of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400  which illustrates the air flow through the air filtration portion of the unit  400 . Air is drawn into the unit via the input fan  412 , through a conduit  414  and expelled via an output fan  416 . The conduit  414  has a circular shape that conforms generally to the shape of the base  408 . However, in another approach the conduit  414  can be substantially any polygonal shape. For example, the diffuser  404  and/or the conduit  414  can be shaped octagonal, hexagonal, circular, elliptical or oval.  
         [0042]     A filtration element  418  is located substantially in the center of the conduit  414  and is held in place by a filter guide  420 . In this manner, the filtration element  418  has a cross-section across the diameter of the conduit  414 . Alternatively, other filtration element  418  locations can be employed. The filtration element  418  can be easily removed from the side of the unit  400  via the filter guide  420  and replaced and/or cleaned for future use. The diffuser  404  has a greater diameter than the base and can contain one or more lamps that coil around the circumference of the unit  400 . The circular lamp and air filtration unit  400  can be oriented based on any number of factors such as air flow, location of unit, etc.  
         [0043]      FIG. 11  illustrates a side profile of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400 . This view is orthogonal to the view shown in  FIG. 9  and illustrates access to the filtration element  418  via the filter guide  420 . As noted, in one embodiment, the filtration element  418  is located substantially close to the diameter of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400 . The filtration element  418  can have a tab or other member attached to allow a user to extract the filtration element  418  from the filter guide  420 .  
         [0044]      FIG. 12  shows a detailed top view of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400 . A ballast  450  delivers power to an illumination element  452 . In this embodiment, the illumination element  452  consists of two circline fluorescent bulbs. In another embodiment, the illumination element can be substantially any shape of bulb. A filter replace timer PC board  454  (PC board) is coupled to an LED indicator lamp  456  which is illumiated when a predetermined condition is met. A fan speed regulator  458  is coupled to the input and/or output fans  412  and  416  wherein fan speed is regulated based on any number of conditions such as, for example, quality of air in the conduit  414 , life of the filtration element  418 , etc.  
         [0045]     In this embodiment, the illumination element  452  is comprised of two fluorescent bulbs that are concentric to each other with similar center points. However, it is to be appreciated that the illumination element can be substantially any lamp including, for example, a circline fluorescent lamp, a linear fluorescent lamp, a u-bent fluorescent lamp, a halogen lamp, an incandescent lamp, a high intensity discharge lamp, a mercury vapor lamp, a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp or a sodium lamp.  
         [0046]     The LED indicator lamp  456  is located within the diameter of the two fluorescent lamps such that it can be illuminated and located when a predetermined condition is met. The LED indicator lamp  456  is coupled to the PC board  454 . The PC board  454  can be programed to send a signal to the LED indicator lamp  456  when a predetermined condition is met. Such condition can be an indication that the filter needs to be replaced or cleaned, that an illumination element needs to be replaced or any other condition. Once the condition is addressed, the PC board  454  can be reset to toggle the LED indicator lamp  456  to an off state.  
         [0047]     The illumination element  452  is enclosed by the diffuser  404  that provides a homogenous output from the illumination element  452 . The diffuser  404  can be any material that allows light to pass through such as translucent plastic or glass. In addition, the diffuser  404  can be substantially any color to match a particular design scheme. Spring clips (not shown) can be employed to hold the diffuser  404  to the base  408  of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400 . The spring clips can be spaced around the circumference of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400  in order to provide secure mechanical coupling of the diffuser  404  to the base  408  of the unit  400 .  
         [0048]      FIG. 13  shows a cross section of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400  as provided in  FIG. 12 . The illumination element  452  is located within the lamp housing  404  at the top  402  of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400 . An enclosure  460  houses the PC board  454 , the LED indicator lamp  456  and the fan speed regulator  458 . The enclosure  460  can be manufactured of durable material that provides structural stability, such as metal or plastic for example. The input fan  412  draws air through the conduit  414  which contains the filtration element  418  fixed in place via the filter guide  420 . The output fan  416  draws the filtered air out of the conduit  414 .  
         [0049]      FIG. 14  illustrates the input fan  412 . Although only the input fan  412  is shown, it is to be appreciated that the output fan  416  is substantially the same as the input fan  412  in size and power consumption. The input fan  412  is fixed in place via a fan bracket  502  located on either side of the fan  412 . The top side  402  of the fan bracket  502  is mechanically coupled to the base  408  via at least one fastener  506 . The fastener can be a rivet, screw or other device that provides coupling between the fan bracket  502  and the base  408 . The bottom side  406  of the fan bracket is coupled to the base  408  via at least one deformed tab  508  or similar means. Foam rubber or other material can be positioned between the input fan  412  and the fan bracket  502  to provide sound insulation and to act as an air seal. By providing such an air seal, the input fan  412  can operate at a higher level of efficiency.  
         [0050]      FIG. 15  shows a cross section view of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400  as shown in  FIG. 12  above. The output fan  412  draws filtered air from the conduit  414 . In this embodiment, the ballast  180  is located below the conduit  414  and output fan  412  at approximately the centerline  640  of the circular lamp and air filtration unit  400 . The filter replace timer PC board  454  is located adjacent to the ballast. A filter reset switch  650  is electrically coupled to the PC board  454 . The filter reset switch  650  can be employed to reset the LED indicator lamp  456  to an off state and to reset any condition associated therewith. In one example, the filter reset switch  650  is employed to reset a timer (not shown) which is associated with the length of time a particular filter has been in service.  
         [0051]      FIGS. 16A and 16B  illustrate two views (front and back) of a combination air filter  600 . In particular,  FIG. 16A  illustrates a first side  602  of the air filter  600  and  FIG. 16B  illustrates a second side  604  of the air filter  600 . Each side can be employed to filter disparate matter from the air. The combination air filter  600  can vary dimensionally and can be configured in substantially any shape. The combination air filter  600  can be employed to filter particulates, odors and other desired matter from the air. In one embodiment, the first side  602  is a HEPA filter and the second side  604  is a charcoal filter. In another approach, the first side  602  and the second side  604  are electrostatic. It is to be appreciated by one skilled in the art that although various embodiments have been disclosed herein, other embodiments may be contemplated.