Abstract:
A portable housing holds a quantity of ice and water and the water is circulated through a heat exchanger. A blower circulates air from the room in which the housing is disposed through the heat exchanger and back into the room for cooling the room. The housing includes a relatively large chamber for holding the ice and a relatively smaller chamber in which the blower and the heat exchanger are disposed. Melt water from the ice, or cooled water or cooled liquid, is pumped through the heat exchanger and from the heat exchanger the liquid flows by gravity back to the ice and water chamber.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a Continuation In Part application of Ser. No. 09/110,348, which was filed Jul. 6 1998. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to portable apparatus for cooling and heating air in a room or the like and, more particularly, to the cooling of air by using ice and ice water for cooling through a heat exchanger. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     There are essentially two types of systems for cooling air, the simplest is an evaporative air cooler where pads are soaked with water and a blower is used to blow air through the soaked pads. The air is evaporatively cooled as it moves through the soaked pads and is then blown into a room, a building, etc. This type of evaporative air cooling system functions quite well where or when the environment has relatively low humidity. As the humidity rises, the efficiency of evaporated air cooling systems decreases. 
     The second general system of cooling air is a refrigeration system in which air is blown past evaporator coils through which a refrigerant flows. 
     An alternate low cost, portable, and limited system of the latter is the use of a cooling medium, such as ice, to cool water, and the cooled water is passed through coils. Air is blown past the coils and heat is exchanged. The cooled air is then circulated through a building, room, etc. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,129, the inventor of which is the inventor of the present invention, discloses two general types of cooling (or heating) systems having a generally horizontal configuration. Two types are illustrated, open systems in which the coolant medium is circulated and cooled and recirculated, and a closed loop type system in which a coolant medium is circulated through a heat exchanger and a separate medium is used to cool the circulating coolant medium. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention described and claimed herein includes a relatively small, preferably circular, portable housing in which is disposed a quantity of ice and cooled water. The ice cools the water, and a submersible pump is used to pump the cooled water to a heat exchanger. Within the housing and above the water and ice is a separate chamber in which a blower and a heat exchanger are disposed. The blower and heat exchanger are disposed on a removable panel or support wall, and a cap is secured to the panel to cover the blower and heat exchanger. The panel and cap are moved off the housing to put the water and ice into the housing. The pump is used to pump water through the heat exchanger, and a blower is used to pull air through the heat exchanger. The cooled air is blown into the room in which the apparatus is disposed. The use of hot water instead of cold water allows the apparatus to be used as a portable heater. The apparatus is vertically oriented and is thus rather compact. 
     Among the objects of the present invention are the following: 
     To provide new and useful apparatus for cooling a room; 
     To provide new and useful apparatus for cooling a room using ice and its melt water as a cooling medium; 
     To provide new and useful apparatus using water as a cooling medium; 
     To provide new and useful portable apparatus for heating and cooling using a heat exchange medium and a submersible pump and a blower; 
     To provide new and useful portable apparatus for holding a quantity of ice and water and for circulating the water through a heat exchanger and a blower for circulating air through the heat exchanger and into a room in which the apparatus is disposed; and 
     To provide new and useful apparatus including a generally vertically oriented housing utilizing ice and water as a cooling medium in the housing and a heat exchanger and blower disposed above the cooling medium for cooling a room. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a view in partial section of the apparatus of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a view in partial section taken generally along line  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a view in partial section of an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of FIGS.  1  and  2 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 is a view in partial section of cooler apparatus  10  of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view in partial section of the apparatus  10  taken generally along line  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . For the following discussion, reference will primarily be made to FIGS. 1 and 2. 
     Cooler apparatus  10  includes a housing  12  which is generally of a circular configuration. The housing includes a vertically oriented circular insulated wall  14 . The housing  12  is closed by an insulated bottom wall  16 . 
     There is a rim  18  on the upper end of the circular wall  14 , and annular shoulder  20  is disposed outwardly from the rim  18 . 
     The housing  12  is closed by a cap  30 . The cap  30  includes a dome  32 . The cap  30  is disposed on the shoulder  20  of the housing  12  and is secured to the housing  12  by the mating engagement of external threads  22  on the housing  12  and internal threads  42  on the cap  30 . 
     A horizontal support wall or panel  50  is disposed on the rim  18  and is held in place by the cap  30 . The cap  30  is secured to the support wall or panel  50  by a plurality of appropriate fasteners, such as screws  44 . 
     Beneath the wall or panel  50  and within the housing  12  is a chamber  24 . The chamber  24  may be considered as the cooling medium chamber. 
     Extending through the dome  32  of the cap  30  are two apertures, including an air intake aperture  38  and an exhaust or air discharge aperture  40 . On the top of the dome  30  is a handle  36 . Between the panel  50  and the dome  32  is a heat exchange chamber  46 . 
     The support wall  50  includes an aperture  52  through which extends a heat exchanger  60 . The heat exchanger  60  includes a header  62  which receives cooling fluid, as will be discussed below. 
     Disposed on the support wall  50  is a blower  70 . The intake air through the aperture  38  flows through the heat exchanger  60  and out through the air out aperture  40  in response to the blower  70 . In FIG. 2, a motor  72  is schematically illustrated, with its conductor pair  74  extending to an appropriate current source, not shown. 
     A submersible pump  80  is disposed slightly above the bottom wall  16 . A conduit  82  extends from the submersible pump  80  to the header  62  of the heat exchanger  60 . A conductor pair  84  extends from the pump  80 . Switches (not shown) are disposed in the conductor pairs  74  and  84 , as appropriate. Preferably, the power for the pump  80  and the motor  72  is provided by a 12-volt system, either a battery or a transformed and rectified 12-volt DC current from a 110 volt system. 
     A block of ice  90  is disposed in the housing  12  on the bottom wall  16 . In order to begin the cooling process, water  92  with a minimum level of  94  is placed in the housing  12 . The cap  30  and the panel or support wall  50  are removed in order to add water and ice to the housing  12 . After the water and ice are put into the housing, the cap  30 , secured to the support wall or panel  50 , with the heat exchanger  60  and the blower  70  secured thereto, is then secured back onto the housing  12 . The appropriate electrical connection is then made to the conductor pair  74 . 
     The water  92  is then pumped through the conduit  82  by the pump  80  to the header  62  of the heat exchanger  60 . The cooled water then flows through the heat exchanger  60  and falls downwardly onto the ice block  90  and again pools at the bottom of the housing  12 . With the blower motor  72  actuated, air is pulled through the heat exchanger  60  from or through the opening or aperture  64  and into the blower  70  and outwardly from the blower  70  through the opening  40  in the dome  32  of the cap  30 . The air is appropriately ducted, as required, for the most efficient flow of air through the heat exchanger and into the blower. The ducting may be accomplished in any appropriate manner. The ducting is schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 by an intake duct  64  and a duct  66  between the heat exchanger  60  and the blower  70  in FIG. 2, and an exhaust duct  76  in FIG.  1 . 
     It will be noted that the apparatus of the present invention may also be used for heating a room or area, rather than cooling, as has been described. The only difference, obviously, is in the type of heat exchanger medium used. Thus, if hot water or a hot liquid is disposed in the housing and pumped through the heat exchanger, the flow of air through the heat exchanger will be heated, and the heated air will then be blown into the room or area in which the apparatus is disposed. 
     FIG. 3 comprises a view in partial section through an alternate embodiment  110  of the apparatus of the present invention. The apparatus  110  includes a housing  112  which again is preferably a circular cylindrical configuration. The housing  112  includes a vertical wall  114  and a bottom wall  116 . The housing and its related components, will be discussed below, are insulated, as discussed above with respect to apparatus  10 . Like the apparatus  10 , the apparatus  110  is vertically oriented. 
     At the top of the vertical wall  114  is a rim  118 . A ledge or shoulder  120  is defined on the inside of the vertical wall  114  spaced a relatively short distance downwardly from the rim  118 . 
     Extending upwardly from the bottom wall  116  and adjacent to the vertical wall  114  is a pump baffle  124 . The purpose of the pump baffle  124  will be discussed below. 
     A horizontally extending panel or lid  130  is disposed on the vertical wall  114  at the rim  118  and ledge or shoulder  120 . The panel or lid  130  includes a recess  132  which matingly engages the shoulder  120  at the rim  118 . An aperture  134  extends through the panel or lid  130 . A chamber  136  is defined within the housing  112  beneath the panel or lid  130 . 
     A dome  140  is disposed on and secured to the panel or lid  130 . The dome  140  includes two apertures or ports, including an air intake aperture or port  142  and an exhaust aperture or port  144 . At the top of the dome  140  is a handle  146 . The dome  140  is secured to the lid or horizontal panel  130  by a plurality of fasteners, such as screws  148 . 
     Beneath the dome  140  and above the panel  130  is a chamber  150 . The chamber  150  encloses a heat exchanger  160  and a blower  180 , both of which are disposed on and secured to the panel  130 . 
     A hinge  152  is secured to the housing  112  and to the dome  140  and panel  130  to allow the panel  130  and the dome  140  to pivot relative to the housing  112 . The hinges, of course, appropriately secured to the respective elements. 
     The heat exchanger  160  is connected to a submersible pump  170  by a flexible conduit  172 . The purpose of the flexible conduit  172  is, of course, to allow the pump  170  to move upwardly as the dome  140  and the panel  130  and their associated elements pivots relative to the housing  112 . 
     A baffle wall  162  is disposed about the heat exchanger  160  to insure that the flow of incoming air through the port  142  is controlled in such a manner that the flow of air is through the heat exchanger  160 . This, of course, prevents the incoming air from flowing around the heat exchanger  160 . Thus the baffle controls the flow of air through the port  142  and directs it through the heat exchanger  160 . From the heat exchanger  160  air flows to a blower  180  which is also disposed on and secured to the panel  130 . From the blower  180 , the cooled air flows through a duct  182  and outwardly through the aperture or port  144  to cool the room in which the apparatus is disposed. 
     A block of ice  102  is disposed within the chamber  136  of the housing  112 , beneath the panel  130 . The ice block  102  in disposed on water  104 , which water comprises the cooling medium for the apparatus  110 . The ice  102  cools the water  104  and contributes to the volume of water  104  as the ice melts. Thus, the melt water continues the cooling of the cooling medium, namely the water  104 . 
     The pump  170  is, of course, a submersible pump and is disposed below the level of the water  104 . The pump  170  is disposed behind the baffle  124 . The baffle accordingly protects the pump  170  from possible destruction or harm caused by any movement of the block of ice  102 , or any fragments thereof. The baffle  124  may be appropriately perforated, etc., so as to allow for the substantially unimpeded flow of the water  104  through the baffle  124  and to the pump  170 . 
     The primary differences between the cooling apparatus  10  of FIGS. 1 and 2 and the cooling apparatus  110  of FIG. 3 is in the use of a baffle  162  about the heat exchanger  160  rather than the duct work used to control the flow of air in the apparatus  10  and the use of a hinged cap and associated elements. Secondarily, a difference may be in the use of a flexible conduit  172  for the pump  170 , rather than a relatively inflexible conduit  82  used in conjunction with the pump  80 . Obviously, the conduit  82  may also be flexible, if desired. 
     It will be noted that the electrical connections for the pump  170  and the blower  180  had been omitted from FIG. 3 for purposes of clarity. 
     Finally, while a submersible pump and a generally round housing have been discussed, it is obvious that other housing configurations may also be used, and other types of pumps may also be used. 
     While the principles of the invention have been made clear in illustrative embodiments, there will be immediately obvious to those skilled in the art many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, the elements, materials, and components used in the practice of the invention, and otherwise, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from those principles. The appended claims are intended to cover and embrace any and all such modifications, within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.