Abstract:
An air conditioning unit and method of mounting the same in an opening in a wall, particularly an opening housing a window. The unit includes a front section disposed inside the building on a first side of the opening; and a rear section disposed outside the building on a second side of the opening. A duct extends between the front and rear sections and is clampingly engaged between the sill and a bottom end of the window. The duct includes a first duct member that moves cooled air in a first direction towards the inside of the building; and a second duct member that moves return air in a second direction away from the inside of the building. The duct is changeable in length to alter the distance between the front and rear sections so as to accommodate the air conditioning unit&#39;s installation in windows in different thickness walls.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This Application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/827,662, filed Mar. 14, 2013, that claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/672,438 filed Jul. 17, 2012, the entire specifications of which may be incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to air conditioners. More particularly, this invention relates to a window-mounted or opening-mounted air conditioning unit. Specifically, this invention is directed to an air conditioning unit that includes an expandable duct which enables the unit to be installed in openings or windows defined in different thickness walls, and to a method of installing the unit therein. The air conditioning unit includes a front section that includes a first group of operating components therein and a rear section that includes a second group of operating components therein. 
       Background Information 
       [0003]    Window-mounted air conditioning units may be known in the art. Typically, these devices may be generally rectangular in overall shape and may be installed in the lower part of a double hung window. When installed, a bottom wall of the unit sits on part of the sill and the bottom of the lower window engages the top wall of the unit. The unit is thus sandwiched between the sill and the lower window and is thereby held in place. 
         [0004]    There may be a number of problems with these units. Firstly, they may be difficult and potentially dangerous to install, especially in instances where they may be installed in windows that may be on a second or higher story of a building. Even small air conditioning units weigh quite a lot and that weight is unevenly distributed within the device. Consequently, the installer may accidentally lose control of the unit during installation and it may drop some distance to the ground below, leading to damage to the unit and potential injury to passersby. 
         [0005]    Secondly, the units take up a substantial part of the space defined by the window. This reduces the amount of light coming into a room through that window. Still further, the units do not occupy the entire width of the window and because of the overall height of the unit; fairly substantially gaps may be created on either side thereof. Even though baffles or some other type of obstruction may be placed on either side of the unit, there may be fairly substantial exchange of air between the interior of the room and the air outside the building. This reduces the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the air conditioning unit. Additionally, the baffles block a lot of the light that could otherwise illuminate the interior of the room. 
         [0006]    Additionally, previously known window air-conditioning units make a substantial amount of noise during operation. 
         [0007]    There is therefore a need in the art for an improved window-mounted air conditioning unit that addresses some of the shortcomings of presently known devices. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    An air conditioning unit mountable in a window on a wall of a building. The unit includes a front section configured to be disposed inside the building and on a first side of the window; and a rear section configured to be disposed outside the building and on a second side of the window. A duct extends between the front and rear sections and is positioned to be clampingly engaged between the window sill and a bottom end of the lower window. The front section of the unit hangs downwardly away from the sill and is disposed adjacent a first side of the wall. The rear section of the unit hangs downwardly away from the sill and is disposed adjacent a second side of the wall. The duct includes a first duct member that moves cooled air in a first direction towards the inside of the building; and a second duct member that moves return air in a second direction away from the inside of the building. The duct is changeable in length to alter the distance between the front and rear sections so as to accommodate the air conditioning unit&#39;s installation in different windows that may be installed in walls of different thickness. 
         [0009]    There is further disclosed a method of installing an air conditioning unit, as described above, in a window defined in a wall of a building. The method comprises the steps of changing the length of the duct that extends between the front section and rear section of the air conditioning unit; resting the duct on the window sill; positioning the front section inside the building and adjacent a first side of the wall beneath the window sill; positioning the rear section outside the building and adjacent a second side of the wall beneath the window sill; lowering the window so that the bottom end thereof contacts the upper surface of the duct. The method may further include the step of moving the front and rear sections of the duct towards each other so that the wall is sandwiched therebetween. 
         [0010]    The air conditioning unit is substantially quieter than previously known units. Previously known air conditioning units sit on the window sill, with the mechanical components thereof situated partially within the room or building and partially outside the room or building. The user can therefore readily hear those components operating. The air conditioning unit described herein is contemplated to have substantially all of its mechanical components situated outside of the building. The user will therefore not easily hear these components in operation, particularly because the window is closed, and more particularly because the mechanical components may be positioned below the closed window. 
         [0011]    In one aspect, the present disclosure may provide an air conditioning unit for mounting in an opening defined in an exterior wall of a building, said unit comprising a front section adapted to be situated within an interior space within the building and on a first side of the wall; a rear section adapted to be situated outside the building and on a second side of the wall; a duct extending between the front and rear sections; and wherein the duct is adapted to be disposed within the opening; a first group of operating components located in the front section; and a second group of operating components located in the rear section. 
         [0012]    The first group of operating components may include an evaporator and/or a blower. The second group of operating components may include a condenser, a compressor and/or a fan. 
         [0013]    In another aspect the present disclosure may provide in combination a wall having a front surface and a rear surface; an opening defined in the wall and extending between the front and rear surfaces; an air conditioning unit that is engageable in the opening; said air conditioning unit comprising: a front section; a rear section; and a duct extending between the front and rear sections; and wherein a lower wall of the duct rests upon an upper portion of the wall defining a bottom of the opening; the front section is disposed adjacent the front surface of the wall; and the rear section is disposed adjacent the rear surface of the wall; a first group of operating components located in the front section; and a second group of operating components located in the rear section. The first group may comprise one or both of an evaporator and a blower. The second group may comprise one or more of a condenser, a compressor or a fan. The front section and the rear section may be of substantially the same height, where the height is measured from a top end of the front or rear section and a bottom end of the front or rear section. 
         [0014]    In yet another aspect, the present disclosure may provide A method of installing an air conditioning unit in a window disposed in an opening in a wall of a building; said method comprising steps of changing a length of a duct that extends between a front section and a rear section of the air conditioning unit, so that the length is greater than wall&#39;s thickness; resting a lower wall of the duct on a sill of the window; positioning the front section of the air conditioning unit inside the building and adjacent a first side of the wall beneath the window sill; positioning the rear section of the air conditioning unit outside the building and adjacent a second side of the wall beneath the window sill; operating a first group of operating components provided in the front section; and operating a second group of operating components provided in the rear section. The step of operating the first group may comprise operating one or both of an evaporator and a blower. The step of operating the second group may comprise operating one or more of a condenser, a compressor or a fan. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    A sample embodiment of the disclosure is set forth in the following description, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, that may be fully incorporated herein and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various examples, methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale. 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  is a front elevational view of a window in which is mounted a window air conditioning unit, with the unit being shown from inside a room of a building and looking through the window to a location outside the building; 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the air conditioning unit shown removed from the window; 
           [0018]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional side view of a first embodiment of the air conditioning unit taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3A  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the highlighted region of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the rear end of the air conditioning unit taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the air conditioning unit taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a front view of the air conditioning unit taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a rear view of the air conditioning unit taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional side view of the air conditioning unit shown in an expanded condition and installed on a wider wall and window frame than the installation shown in  FIG. 3 ; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional side view of a second embodiment of the air conditioning unit taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
       
    
    
       [0026]    Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]      FIG. 1  shows a wall  10 , within which may be mounted a double-hung window  12 , surrounded by a frame  14 . Window  12  includes an upper window  12   a  and a lower window  12   b.  Lower window  12   b  may be raised and lowered relative to a window sill  16  ( FIG. 3 ). The window  12  is shown from the perspective of a person looking from inside a room of a building toward the window  12 . If one looks through the window  12   a / 12   b  one will see an area outside of the building.  FIG. 3  shows that wall  10  includes a first side  10   a  that may be located inside the room and on a first side of window  12 ; and a second side  10   b  that may be located on the outside of the building and on a second side of window  12 . Siding  18  is illustrated as being installed over the second side  10   b  of wall  10 . 
         [0028]    A window-mounted air conditioning unit may be installed in window  12  and is generally indicated by the reference character  20 . Air conditioning unit  20  as shown in greater detail in  FIG. 2-7 , comprises a front section  22 , a rear section  24  and an air duct  26  that extends between front and rear sections  22 ,  24 . As best seen in  FIG. 3 , a first embodiment of the air conditioning unit  20  may be generally U-shaped when viewed in cross-section taken from one side of the device; as opposed to the generally square or rectangular configuration of previously known window-mounted air conditioning units. 
         [0029]    Air conditioning unit  20  may be installed in window  12  such that front section  22  thereof may be retained within the room to be air conditioned, rear section  24  may be retained outside of the building, and the air duct  26  extends between the interior and exterior of the building and may be the only part of air conditioning unit  20  that may be contacted by the lower window  12   b.  In particular, air conditioning unit  20  may be secured in window  12  by duct  26  being wedged between the lower window  12   b  and sill  16 . Still further, front section  22  may be disposed adjacent and substantially parallel to first side  10   a  of wall  10  and on a first interior side of window  12 . Rear section  24  may be disposed adjacent and substantially parallel to second side  10   b  of wall and on a second exterior side of window  12 . Wall  10  may be substantially wedged between front and rear sections  22 ,  24 . 
         [0030]    Front section  22  may be a generally rectangular member that has a width “W”, a height “H 1 ” and a length “L 1 ”. Duct  26  comprises a first duct  28  and a second duct  30  that may be laterally separated from each other by a gap  32 . The overall width of duct  26  may be slightly less than width “W”. The height of first and second ducts  28 ,  30  may be substantially identical and is indicated as height “H 2 ”. The length of the first and second ducts  28 ,  30 , shown in  FIG. 2 , is length “L 2 ”. As will be described further herein length “L 2 ” may be selectively telescopingly adjustable to change the distance between front and rear sections  22 ,  24  and therefore the size of the gap  23  ( FIGS. 2 &amp; 3 ) disposed therebetween. Rear section  24  may be also a generally rectangular member that has substantially the same width “W” as front section  22  and may be of a height “H 3 ” and a length “L 3 ”. As is evident from  FIG. 2 , the height “H 2 ” of duct  26  may be smaller than the height “H 1 ” of front section  22 , which in turn may be smaller than the height “H 3 ” of rear section  24 . 
         [0031]    Thus, unlike presently known air conditioning units (not shown), the overall height of air conditioning unit  20  may not be constant between its front end  22   a  and rear end  24   b.  Most advantageously, the height “H 1 ” and length “L 2 ” of front section  22  of air conditioning unit  20  disposed within the interior of the room to be cooled may be relatively small in comparison to previously known devices. Additionally, front section  22  may not be seated within the space defined by window frame  14 . Instead, a portion of front section  22  hangs downwardly from the lower part  14   a  of frame  14  and sill  16  and may be disposed adjacent first side  10   a  of wall  10 . Still further, rear section  24  hangs downwardly from the lower part  14   a  of frame  14  and sill  16 , and may be disposed adjacent a second side  10   b  of wall  10 . This arrangement makes it less likely that an installer will lose control of unit  20  during installation. This may be because air conditioning unit  20  may be generally U-shaped in cross-section and may be thereby relatively easily engaged over the top of sill  16  without needing to be precariously balanced in place on top of the sill until engaged by the lower window  12   b.    
         [0032]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , front section  22  includes a front wall  22   a,  a rear wall  22   b,  a top wall  22   c,  a bottom wall  22   d,  a first side  22   e,  and a second side  22   f.  Walls  22 a- 22   f  bound and define an interior compartment  34  ( FIG. 6 ). Compartment  34  may be divided into upper and lower chambers  34   a,    34   b  ( FIG. 3 ) by an angled interior wall  36 . Front wall  22   a  includes a display screen  38  and control buttons  40  and knobs  42  for activating, setting and monitoring the functioning of air conditioning unit  20 . It will be understood that any desired controls and displays may be provided on front section  22 . Front wall  22   a  may further include one or more vents  44  that may be in fluid communication with compartment  34 , most particularly the upper chamber  34   a  thereof. Cooled air is able to exit unit  20  through vents  44 , as will be hereinafter described. 
         [0033]      FIG. 3  shows that bottom wall  22   d  may also be provided with a plurality of vents  46 . Vents  46  may be in fluid communication with compartment  34 , most particularly the lower chamber  34   b  thereof. Vents  46  may be provided for return air from the room to be drawn into air conditioning unit  20 . A filter  48  extends across lower chamber  34   b  of compartment  34  adjacent vents  46  to filter the return air. 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 5 , a threaded bolt  50 , with associated washers  52  and nut  54  extends from front wall  22   a  of front section  22  through to front wall  24   a  of rear section  24 . This bolt  50  maintains air conditioning unit  20  at a desired overall length that may be determined by setting the length of duct  26 , as will be hereinafter described.  FIG. 2  shows that an electrical cord  56  extends outwardly from front section  22  of air conditioning unit  20  to connect the same to a remote outlet or other source of power (not shown). 
         [0035]    Rear section  24  of air conditioning unit  20  includes a front wall  24   a,  a rear wall  24   b,  a top wall  24   c,  a bottom wall  24   d,  a first side wall  24   e,  and a second side wall  24   f.  A horizontally oriented wall  58  ( FIG. 3 ) divides the rear section into an upper compartment  60  and a lower compartment  62 . Upper compartment  60  may be bounded and defined by a first portion of front wall  24   a,  a first portion of rear wall  24   b,  top wall  24   c,  and upper portions of first and second side walls  24   e,    24   f.  An angled wall  64  ( FIG. 7 ) extends between horizontal wall  58  and first side wall  24   de  to create a channel  66  for directing air into first duct  28  as will be hereinafter described. A vertical wall  67  ( FIGS. 3 &amp; 5 ) extends between top wall  24   a  and horizontal wall  58  and divides upper compartment  60  into first and second chambers  60   a,    60   b.  An aperture  69  ( FIGS. 5 &amp; 7 ) may be defined in wall  67 . An evaporator  68  and blower  70  may be also situated in upper compartment  60  adjacent an exit to second duct  30 . Evaporator  68  may be located in first chamber  60   a  and blower  70  may be located in second chamber  60   b.  In particular, blower  60   b  may be positioned immediately adjacent aperture  69  in wall  67  between first and second chambers  60   a,    60   b.  A first motor  72  may be operatively engaged with blower  70  to rotate the same about drive shaft  74  and draw air through second duct  30 , through first chamber  60   a  and move it into second chamber  60   b.    
         [0036]    Lower compartment  62  may be bounded and defined by a second portion of front wall  24   a,  a second portion of rear wall  24   b,  bottom wall  24   d,  and lower portions of first and second side walls  24   e,    24   f.  A plurality of vents  76  ( FIG. 7 ) may be provided on first side wall  24   e.  Vents  76  may be in fluid communication with lower compartment  62  and may be provided to draw air from outside of the building and into air conditioning unit  20 . A plurality of vents  78  ( FIG. 3 ) may be provided in rear wall  24   b  and these vents  78  may be in fluid communication with lower compartment  62 . Vents  78  may be provided to permit heated air to exit lower compartment  62  and be released into the environment outside of the building. 
         [0037]    A plurality of components may be housed in lower compartment  62 . A condenser  80  ( FIG. 4 ) may be positioned adjacent rear wall  24   b  and vents  78 . A compressor  82  may be operatively connected to a first end of condenser  80  by a first tube  84 . A second tube  86  ( FIG. 3 ) extends between a second end of condenser  80  and evaporator  68  in upper compartment  60 . A third tube  88  ( FIG. 3 ) extends between compressor  82  and evaporator  68 . A fan  90  may be connected by way of a drive shaft  92  to a second motor  94 . Fan  90  may be positioned so that the blades  90   a  thereof may be spaced a distance from a first region of condenser  80 . It will be understood that instead of air conditioning unit  20  including both of the first and second motors  72 ,  94 , unit  20  may alternatively be configured to include only a single motor that provides power to all of the powered components. In this latter instance, components like fan  90  and blower  70  may be operatively connected together by a drive belt (not shown). It will be understood that there may be suitable electrical connections between the remote power outlet and the components within second section  24  but these have not been illustrated in the figures for the sake of clarity. 
         [0038]    As is evident from  FIGS. 4 and 7 , a vertical wall  96  extends between horizontal wall  58  and bottom wall  24   d.  Wall  96  has an opening  98  therein that may be substantially circular and may be of generally the same diameter as fan  90 . A portion of wall  96  may be cut-away in  FIG. 7  to show the compressor  82  and first and third tubes  84 ,  88 . Wall  96  divides lower compartment into front and rear chambers  62   a,    62   b  ( FIG. 4 ). Wall  96  enables the air flow through lower compartment  62  to be redirected as illustrated by the unnumbered airflow arrows in the various figures. 
         [0039]    As indicated previously herein duct  26 , that extends between front and rear sections  22 ,  24 , may be comprised of first and second ducts  28 ,  30 . First duct  28  extends between upper chamber  34   a  of front section  22  and second chamber  60   b  of upper compartment  60  of rear section  24 . Second duct  30  extends between lower chamber  34   b  of front section  22  and first chamber  60   a  of upper compartment  60  of rear section  24 . 
         [0040]    Duct  26  may be a telescoping duct that may be able to be adjusted to change the distance between rear wall  22   b  of front section  22  and front wall  24   a  of rear section  24 . Particularly, duct  26  telescopes to change the size of gap  23  between a first length “L 2 ” ( FIGS. 1-3 ) and a second length “L 4 ” ( FIG. 8 ). Duct  26  may be able to move between a first collapsed position where gap  23  has a size “L 2 ” and a second expanded position where gap  23  has a size “L 4 ”. 
         [0041]    Referring to  FIG. 5  there is shown the construction of first duct  28 . First duct  28  may be comprised of a first duct member  100  and a second duct member  104  that may be telescopingly engaged with each other. First duct member  100  may be integral with front section  22  and extends for a distance rearwardly from rear wall  22   b  thereof. First duct member  100  may be a tubular sleeve that may be generally rectangular in cross-sectional shape and defines a first bore  102  therein. First duct member  100  terminates in an outermost edge  100   a.  Second duct member  104  may be integral with rear section  24  and extends for a distance forwardly from front wall  24   a  thereof. Second duct member  104  may be a tubular sleeve that may be generally rectangular in cross-section shape and defines a second bore  106  therein. Second duct member  104  may be sized so as to be receivable within the bore  102  of first duct member  100 . Second duct member  104  terminates in an outermost edge  104   a.  Seals  108  may be provided between the interior surface of first duct member  100  and the exterior surface of second duct member  104 . Seals  108  may be secured to the second duct member  104 . Air flows through bore  106  of second duct member  104  when air conditioning unit  20  may be operated. 
         [0042]    In a similar fashion, second duct  30  may be constructed of a third duct member  110  and a fourth duct member  112  that may be telescopingly engaged with each other. Third duct member  110  may be integral with front section  22  and extends for a distance rearwardly from rear wall  22   b  thereof. Third duct member  110  may be a tubular sleeve that may be generally rectangular in cross-sectional shape and defines a third bore  114  therein. Third duct member  110  terminates in an outermost edge  110   a.  Fourth duct member  112  may be integral with rear section  24  and extends for a distance forwardly from front wall  24   a  thereof. Fourth duct member  112  may be a tubular sleeve that may be generally rectangular in cross-sectional shape and defines a second bore  116  therein. Third duct member  110  may be sized so as to be receivable within the bore  116  of fourth duct member  112 . Fourth duct member  112  terminates in an outermost edge  112   a.  Seals  118  may be provided between the interior surface of fourth duct member  112  and the exterior surface of third duct member  110 . Seals  118  may be secured to third duct member  110 . Air flows through third bore  114  of third duct member  110  when air conditioning unit  20  may be operated. 
         [0043]    Air conditioning unit  20  may be installed and used in the following manner. The installer will first measure the thickness of wall  10  to determine how great a length to set duct  26  at for installation. This may be accomplished by measuring the distance “D 1 ” between the innermost part of window  12  or wall  10 , and the outermost part window  12  or wall  10 .  FIG. 3  shows that this distance “D 1 ” is measured between an interior surface  15  of window frame member  14   a  and the outermost edge  16   a  of sill  16 . Duct  26  may then be adjusted in length to initially be longer than distance “D 1 ” so that unit  20  may be easily positioned in the open window  12 . Duct  26  may be adjusted by rotating bolt  50  in a first direction to loosen the engagement of front and rear sections  22 ,  24  and this causes the length of the shaft  50   a  ( FIG. 5 ) between nut  54  and bolt  50  to increase, thereby increasing the size of gap  23 . (Conversely, when bolt  50  may be rotated in a second direction, the length of the shaft  50   a  between nut  54  and bolt  50  may be decreased and front and rear sections  22 ,  24  may be drawn towards each other closing the size of the gap  23 .) When bolt  50  is sufficiently loosened, the installer may pull front and rear sections  22 ,  24  away from each other in the direction of arrows “A” ( FIG. 2 ) to increase length “L 2 ” so that it may be greater than distance “D 1 ”. This pulling motion causes a length of second duct  104  to be pulled outwardly from within the bore of first duct  100  so that end  100   a  of first duct  100  may be moved a distance away from second section  24 . Simultaneously, a length of third duct  110  may be pulled outwardly from within the bore of fourth duct  112  so that end  112   a  of fourth duct  112  may be moved a distance away from front section  22 . The arrangement ensures that substantially the same length of duct may be pulled outwardly in an even, smooth motion from the bores of the first and fourth ducts  100 ,  112 . Alternatively, if the movement is in the opposite direction, the arrangement ensures that the motion of pushing front and rear sections  22 ,  24  toward each other may be a smooth, even or non-skewed motion. The arrangement ensures that rear wall  22   b  of front section  22  remains substantially parallel to front wall  24   a  of second section  24  at all times. 
         [0044]    Air conditioning unit  20  may then be positioned in the space created by raising lower window  12   b  away from bottom frame member  14   a.  Unit  20  may be positioned so that front section  22  may be disposed inside the room and adjacent first side  10   a  of wall  10 , and second section  24  may be disposed outside of the building and adjacent second side  10   b  of wall  10 . Additionally, bottom surface  26   a  of duct  26  contacts and rests upon sill  16 , or upon the uppermost regions of bottom window frame  14   a.  When unit  20  is resting in this position the bolt  50  may be rotated in the second direction to draw front and rear sections  22 ,  24  toward each other in the opposite direction of arrow “A”. This motion may be continued until rear wall  22   b  of front section  22  may be adjacent the interior surface  15  of window frame member  14   a  or first side  10   a  of wall  10 ; and front wall  24   a  of second section  24  may be adjacent the outermost exterior surface of sill  16  or second side  10   b  of wall  10 . Thus, wall  10  may be sandwiched between front and rear sections  22 ,  24 . Window  12   b  is then lowered so that a lower end  13  thereof contacts upper surface  26   b  of duct  26 . Duct  26  may be therefore clampingly retained between lower end  13  of window  12  and sill  16 . At this point, gravity and window  12   b  keep unit  20  in place. Any tendency of unit  20  to rotate and drop out of window  12  to the outside of the building may be resisted because front section  22  somewhat counterbalances the weight of second section  24 . It should be noted that the same installation method applied to installing unit  20  into a window having a greater wall thickness “D 2 ” as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0045]    At this point, a small gap  51  ( FIG. 1 ) may be defined on either side of unit  20  and between bottom end  13  of window  12 , window frame  14  and sill  16 . Unit  20  may be provided with baffles  53  to block gap  51  so as to prevent mixing of air within the building with the air disposed outside the building. Alternatively, baffles  53  may be replaced with foam blocks or other similar obstructions to close off gap  51 . It should also be noted that when unit  20  is installed, a spacer foot  55  ( FIG. 3 ) mounted on rear wall  22   b  of front section  22  contacts the front surface of first side  10   a  of wall  10  and keeps front section  22  in an orientation where it may be substantially parallel to first side  10   a  of wall  10 . 
         [0046]    Once unit  20  is safely installed in window  12 , control buttons  40  and knobs  42  may be then engaged to switch unit  20  on to cool the air within the interior the room. Unit  20  substantially functions in all other ways in the same manner as known air conditioning units to cool and circulate air. The rotation of fan  90  and blower  70  is indicated by arrows “B” and “C” respectively in  FIG. 7 . The airflow through air conditioning unit  20  is illustrated by way of the unlabeled arrows shown throughout the figures. Suffice to say to that return air may be taken into air conditioning unit  20  from the room through vents  46  and cool air may be expelled into the room through vents  44 . Furthermore, air may be drawn into the second section  24  of air conditioning unit from the air outside the building, through vents  76  and may be expelled from second section  24  and into the air surrounding the building through vents  78 . 
         [0047]    A method of installing an air conditioning unit  20  in a window  12  defined in a wall  10  of a building comprises the steps of changing the length of duct  26  extending between front section  22  and rear section  24  of the air conditioning unit  20 ; resting duct  26  on window sill  16 ; positioning front section  22  inside the building and adjacent a first side  10   a  of wall  10  beneath the window sill; positioning rear section  24  outside the building and adjacent a second side  10   b  of wall  10  beneath the window sill; lowering window  12  so that bottom end  13  thereof contacts upper surface  26   b  of duct  26 . 
         [0048]    The method may further include the step of moving front and rear sections  22 ,  24  of duct  26  towards each other so that wall  10  may be sandwiched therebetween. 
         [0049]    It will be understood that while the air conditioning unit has been described above as being mountable within a window of a building, it may alternatively be mounted through an opening in the wall of the building in a location free of a window. In this instance, the duct  26  will be positioned in the opening in the wall and the front and rear sections  22 ,  24  will be on opposite sides of the wall. The opening in the wall would be cut to be substantially equal in size to duct  26 . The through bolt  50  could be removed and the unit would be installed in two pieces, with the front  22  being on an inside of the wall and the rear  24  being on an exterior side of the wall. Once the front and rear  22 ,  24  have been matingly engaged together via duct  26  being inserted through the opening in the wall, the through bolt  50  could be reinstalled to hold front  22  and rear  24  together. The term “window” should therefore be interpreted to mean any suitably sized opening or aperture defined in a building wall, whether a window frame and sheet of glass mounted in that frame may be present on not. 
         [0050]      FIG. 9  shows a second embodiment of the air conditioning unit in accordance with the present disclosure, generally indicated as air conditioning unit  220 . Air conditioning unit  220  may be installed in a window in a similar manner to air conditioning unit  20  or may installed in any other suitably shaped and sized aperture formed in a wall. Air conditioning unit  220  may be substantially identical in structure and function to air conditioning unit  20  except that front section  222  and rear section  224  thereof may be of a substantially equal height, where the height may be measured from a top end  222   c,    224   c  to a bottom end  222   d,    222   d  of each of the front and rear sections  222 ,  224 . (In air conditioning unit  20 , front section  22  may be of a smaller height than rear section  24 .) 
         [0051]    Additionally, a first group of operating components may be located in an interior of the front section  222  of the unit  220  and a second group of operating components may be located in an interior of a rear section  224  of unit  220 . (In air conditioning unit  20 , all of the operating components may be located within rear section  24 .) 
         [0052]    Air conditioning unit  220  may be contemplated to be installed in a window or other aperture in a wall in such a way that front section  222  may be located within an interior of a building and rear section  224  may be located outside of the building. A relatively small heighted air duct  226  extends between front section  222  and rear section  224 . Because of this arrangement, the first group of operating components will be located inside the building and the second group of operating components will be located outside of the building. 
         [0053]    As shown in  FIG. 9 , the second embodiment of the air conditioning unit  220  may be generally U-shaped when viewed from one side of the device; as opposed to the generally square or rectangular configuration of previously known window-mounted or wall aperture-mounted air conditioning units. 
         [0054]    As indicated above, air conditioning unit  220  may be installed in window  212  ( FIG. 9 ) such that front section  222  may be retained within the room to be air conditioned, rear section  224  may be retained outside of the building, and the air duct  226  extends between the interior and exterior of the building and may be the only part of air conditioning unit  220  that may be contacted by the lower window  212   b.  Air conditioning unit  220  may be secured in window  212  by duct  226  being wedged between a lower region of window  212   b  and sill  216 . Front section  222  may be disposed in front of and substantially parallel to first side  210   a  of wall  210  that extends downwardly below window  212  and on a first interior side of window  212 . Front section  222  may be long enough to ensure that a substantial length of front section  222  hangs a distance below a lowermost part  212   a  of window  210 . Additionally, as can be seen from  FIG. 9 , lowermost region  222   d  of front section  222  may be located a substantial distance downwardly below a lowermost part  214   a  of the window frame. 
         [0055]    Rear section  224  of air conditioning unit  220  may be disposed adjacent to and behind second side  210   b  of wall  210 . Rear section  224  of unit  220  may be substantially parallel to a second side  210   b  of wall (i.e., the actual wall and not any siding applied thereover) and on a second exterior side of window  212 . A section of wall  210  located beneath window  212  may be received between a rearward surface of front section  222  and a forward surface of rear section  224 . 
         [0056]    As discussed earlier herein,  FIG. 9  also shows that rear section  224  may be of generally a same length as front section  222 , where the length may be measured from the uppermost end to the lowermost end thereof. An uppermost end of front section  222  may be generally in the same plane as an uppermost end of rear section  224 ; and a lowermost end of front section  222  may be generally in the same plane as a lowermost end of rear section  224 . Front section  222  may even be slightly longer than rear section  224  with the length being measured from the uppermost end to the lowermost end of the respective section  222 ,  224 . 
         [0057]    Duct  226  may be of generally the same structure and function as duct  26  and therefore will not be described in much greater detail hereafter. Suffice to say that duct  226  comprises a first duct (not shown in  FIG. 9 ) and a second duct  230  that may be located side by side and may be laterally separated from each other by a gap. The height of the first and second ducts may be substantially identical and the uppermost ends of these ducts may be coplanar with or slightly lower than the uppermost ends of front section  222  and rear section  224 . A lowermost surface  226   a  of duct  226  may be located a distance upwardly away from the lowermost ends of front section  222  and rear section  224 . The length of the first and second ducts may be identified in  FIG. 9  by the reference character “D”. Duct  226  may be selectively telescopingly adjustable to change the distance between front and rear sections  222 ,  224  and therefore the size of the gap  223  defined therebetween. 
         [0058]    Rear section  224  may be a generally rectangular member that has substantially the same width and height as front section  222 . Thus, unlike presently known air conditioning units (not shown), the overall height of air conditioning unit  220  may not be substantially constant between its front end  222   a  and rear end  224   b.  Most advantageously, the height and length of front section  222  of air conditioning unit  220  disposed within the interior of the room to be cooled may be relatively small in comparison to previously known devices. Additionally, front section  222  may be not seated within the space defined by window frame  214 . Instead, a portion of front section  222  hangs downwardly from the lower part  214   a  of frame  214  and sill  216  and may be disposed adjacent first side  210   a  of wall  210 . Still further, rear section  224  hangs downwardly from the lower part  214   a  of frame  214  and sill  216 , and may be disposed adjacent a second side  210   b  of wall  210 . This arrangement makes it less likely that an installer will lose control of unit  220  during installation. This may be because air conditioning unit  220  forms a generally U-shaped member when viewed from the side and may be thereby relatively easily engaged over the top of sill  216  without needing to be precariously balanced in place on top of the sill until engaged by the lower window  212   b.  The U-shape of air conditioning unit  220  helps retain the unit in place in a window  212  or opening defined in wall  210 . This may be because the front section  222  and rear section  224  form arms that hang downwardly from duct  246  and prevent the unit from tipping or being pushed either into the building or out of the building because they contact the wall and stop the tipping motion. 
         [0059]    Referring to  FIG. 9 , front section  222  includes a front wall  222   a,  a rear wall  222   b,  a top wall  222   c,  and a bottom wall  222   d.  First section  222  also includes a first side and a second side that may be not shown in  FIG. 9 . Walls  22   a - 22   d,  the first side and the second side bound and define an interior compartment  234 . Compartment  234  includes upper and lower chambers  334   a ,  334   b  separated by an angled interior wall  236 . Front wall  222   a  may include a display screen similar to display screen  38  and control buttons knobs  242  for activating, setting and monitoring the functioning of air conditioning unit  220 . It will be understood that any desired controls and displays may be provided on front section  222 . Front wall  222   a  may further include one or more vents  244  that may be in fluid communication with compartment  234 , Cooled air may be able to exit unit  220  through vents  244 , as has been previously described. 
         [0060]    Front wall  222   a  may further be provided with a plurality of vents  246  that may be in fluid communication with compartment  234 . Vents  46  may be provided for return air from the room to be drawn into air conditioning unit  220 . A filter  248  may extend across a region of compartment  234  adjacent vents  246  to filter the return air. 
         [0061]    A threaded bolt  250 , with associated washers  252  and nut  254  may extend from front wall  222   a  of front section  222  through to front wall  224   a  of rear section  224 . This bolt  250  may maintain air conditioning unit  220  at a desired overall length that may be determined by setting the length of duct  226 , as has been described with respect to the first embodiment. An electrical cord similar to cord  56  may extend outwardly from front section  222   0  to connect the unit  220  same to a remote outlet or other source of power (not shown). 
         [0062]    Rear section  224  of air conditioning unit  220  may include a front wall  224   a,  a rear wall  224   b,  a top wall  224   c,  and a bottom wall  224   d.  Rear section  224  may further include a first side wall and a second side wall. A horizontally oriented wall  258  may divide the rear section  224  into an upper compartment  260  and a lower compartment  262 . Upper compartment  260  may be bounded and defined by a first portion of front wall  224   a,  a first portion of rear wall  224   b , top wall  224   c,  and upper portions of the first and second side walls. An angled wall similar to wall  64  ( FIG. 7 ) may extend between horizontal wall  258  and the first side wall to create a channel  266  for directing air into the first duct in a similar manner to what was described with reference to the first embodiment. 
         [0063]    Lower compartment  262  may be bounded and defined by a second portion of front wall  224   a,  a second portion of rear wall  224   b,  bottom wall  224   d , and lower portions of the first and second side walls. A plurality of vents  276  may be provided on the first side wall. Vents  276  may be in fluid communication with lower compartment  262  and may be provided to draw air from outside of the building and into air conditioning unit  220 . A plurality of vents  278  may be provided in rear wall  224   b  and these vents  278  may be in fluid communication with lower compartment  262 . Vents  278  may be provided to permit heated air to exit lower compartment  262  and be released into the environment outside of the building. 
         [0064]    As indicated earlier herein a first group of operation components may be provided in front section  222  and a second group of components may be provided in rear section  224 . As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , the first group of operational components may include an evaporator  268  and a blower  270  that may be in fluid communication with second duct  330 . Evaporator  268  may be located in first chamber  260   a  and blower  270  may be located in a second chamber  260   b  of front section. In particular, blower  60   b  may be positioned immediately adjacent vents  246 . A first motor  272  may be operatively engaged with blower  270  to rotate the same about a drive shaft  274  and draw air through second duct  230 . 
         [0065]    A second group of operating components may be housed in lower compartment  262 . A condenser  280  may be positioned adjacent rear wall  224   b  and vents  278 . A compressor  282  may be operatively connected to a first end of condenser  280  by a first tube  284 . A second tube  286  may extend between a second end of condenser  280  and evaporator  268 . A third tube  288  may extend between compressor  282  and evaporator  268 . A fan  290  may be connected by way of a drive shaft  292  to a second motor  294 . Fan  290  may be positioned so that the blades  290   a  thereof may be spaced a distance from a first region of condenser  280 . 
         [0066]    It will be understood that instead of air conditioning unit  220  including both of the first and second motors  272 ,  294 , unit  220  may alternatively be configured to include only a single motor that provides power to all of the powered components in unit  220 . In this latter instance, components like fan  290  and blower  270  may be operatively connected together by a drive belt (not shown). It will be understood that there may be suitable electrical connections between the remote power outlet and the components within second section  224  but these have not been illustrated in the figures for the sake of clarity. 
         [0067]    A vertical wall  296  may extend between horizontal wall  258  and bottom wall  224   d.  Wall  296  may define an opening therein that may be substantially circular and may be of generally the same diameter as fan  290 . Wall  296  may enable the air flow through lower compartment  262  to be redirected as illustrated by the unnumbered airflow arrows in  FIG. 9 . 
         [0068]    Air conditioning unit  220  functions in substantially the same manner as air conditioning unit  20  and therefore will not be described further herein. In addition to the aforementioned method, air conditioning unit  220  may further comprise steps of operating a first group of operating components provided in the front section  222  of the unit  220  and operating a second group of operating components provided in the rear section  224 . The step of operating the first group of operating components may include operating one or both of an evaporator  268  or a blower  270 . The step of operating the second group of operating components may include operating one or more of a condenser  280 , a compressor  282  and a fan  290 . 
         [0069]    While the first group of operating components of the air conditioning unit have been described as including an evaporator  268  and a blower  270 ; and the second group of operating components have been described as including a condenser  280 , a compressor  282  and a fan  290 , it will be understood that one or more of the first group may be located in the rear section  224 ; and one or more of the second group may be located in the front section  222 . 
         [0070]    In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations may be to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms may be used for descriptive purposes and may be intended to be broadly construed. 
         [0071]    Moreover, the description and illustration of the preferred embodiment of the disclosure may be an example and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.