Temperature regulating control device and method of making the same

A temperature regulating control device and method of making the same are provided, the device comprising a housing, a movable selector unit carried by the housing for selecting a temperature the control device is to tend to maintain, and an ambient temperature sensing means carried by the selector unit for indicating the ambient temperature being sensed by the temperature sensing means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a new temperature regulating control device, such 
as a wall thermostat for controlling a heat exchanger means, and to a new 
method of making such a control device. 
2. Prior Art Statement 
It is known to provide a temperature regulating control device comprising a 
housing means and a movable selector means carried by the housing means 
for selecting a temperature the control device is to tend to maintain, the 
selector means comprising a rotatable knob. For example, see the German 
Patent No. 7027190 that was published Dec. 23, 1970. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is one of the features of this invention to provide a new temperature 
regulating control device wherein the movable selector means thereof not 
only has means for permitting the user thereof to select the desired 
temperature that the control device is to tend to maintain, but also the 
selector means has means for indicating to the user the actual ambient 
temperature that exists at that time at the location adjacent the control 
device. 
In particular, it has been found according to the teachings of this 
invention that the movable selector means itself can carry an ambient 
temperature sensing means for indicating the ambient temperature being 
sensed by that temperature sensing means. 
For example, one embodiment of this invention comprises a temperature 
regulating control device comprising a housing means, a movable selector 
means carried by the housing means for selecting a temperature the control 
device is to tend to maintain, and an ambient temperature sensing means 
carried by the selector means for indicating the ambient temperature being 
sensed by the temperature sensing means. 
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new temperature 
regulating control device having one or more of the novel features of this 
invention as set forth above or hereinafter shown or described. 
Another object of this invention is to provide a new method of making such 
a temperature regulating control device, the method of this invention 
having one or more of the novel features of this invention as set forth 
above or hereinafter shown or described. 
Other objects, uses and advantages of this invention are apparent from a 
reading of this description which proceeds with reference to the 
accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and wherein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
While the various features of this invention are hereinafter illustrated 
and described as providing a movable selector means for a particular 
temperature regulating control device, it is to be understood that the 
various features of this invention can be utilized singly or in various 
combinations thereof to provide a movable selector means for other types 
of temperature regulating control devices as desired. 
Therefore, this invention is not to be limited to only the embodiment 
illustrated in the drawings, because the drawings are merely utilized to 
illustrate one of the wide variety of uses of this invention. 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the new temperature regulating control 
device of this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 
10 and comprises a substantially rectangular housing means 11 for being 
mounted to any desired structure, such as a wall, in a conventional manner 
as the temperature regulating unit 10 in the embodiment illustrated in the 
drawings comprises a room thermostat for controlling the output 
temperature effect of a heat exchanger means, such as a furnace and/or air 
conditioning apparatus, in relation to a desired temperature that has been 
set by an operator utilizing a movable selector means 12 of the control 
device 10 in a manner hereinafter described. 
The control device 10 has other function selector means 13 and 14', such as 
for respectively controlling the blower or fan of the furnace and to 
select a cooling or heating operation of the heat exchanger means, whereby 
the temperature regulating control device 10 operates in a conventional 
manner for controlling the output temperature effect of a heat exchanger 
means in a manner well known in the art. For example, see the U.S. Pat. 
No. 3,948,441 to Perkins et al, and the U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,042 to Hart, 
whereby these two U.S. patents are being incorporated into this disclosure 
by this reference thereto. 
Therefore, since the general operation of a wall thermostat for controlling 
the output temperature effect of a heat exchanger means is well known in 
the art, only the details of the temperature regulating control device 10 
of this invention that are believed necessary to understand the features 
of this invention will be hereinafter described. 
The movable selector means 12 of the control device 10 comprises a 
knob-like or disc-like structure that has a shaft means 14 for 
interconnecting with an operator 15 of a temperature regulating means 16, 
FIG. 3, to cause the temperature regulating means 16 to operate a heat 
exchanger means (not shown) in relation to the rotational position of the 
operator 15 and, thus, the rotatable position of the selector means 12 
relative to an indicator 17 carried by the housing means 11 of the control 
device 10. 
The indicator 17 of the housing means 11 can comprise a pointer or other 
indicator and is adapted to cooperate with a scale 18 carried by the 
selector knob 12 so that rotation of the selector knob 12 positions a 
desired temperature of the scale 18 that the control device 10 is to 
maintain adjacent the pointer 17 so that it can be seen in FIG. 1 that the 
temperature regulating control device 10 has been set to tend to maintain 
the output temperature effect of the heat exchanger means at approximately 
70.degree. F. 
The control knob 12 comprises a structural member 19 formed of any suitable 
material, such as metallic material, plastic material, etc., and having a 
flat surface 20 surrounded by an annular peripheral flange 21 that 
receives a transparent circular plate 22 in an annular groove 23 thereof 
so that the transparent plate 22 cooperates with the annular flange 21 and 
the surface 20 of the member 19 to define a chamber 24 in the knob 12. The 
scale 18 is printed or otherwise disposed on either the flat surface 20 or 
on an outer surface 25 of the transparent disc 22 or on an inner surface 
26 thereof, as desired, so that the scale 18 is fully visible from the 
front of the control device 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1, the scale 18 
being calibrated in any suitable manner so as to correspond to the 
temperature setting positions of the operator 15 of the temperature 
regulator means 16 when the shaft 14 of the knob 12 is interconnected to 
the operator 15 in any suitable manner, such as by a spline means 27 of 
the shaft means 14. 
The shaft 14 of the knob 12 is interconnected to a disc-like part 28 that 
is disposed in a recess 29 formed in the rear surface 30 of the structural 
member 19 as illustrated and can be secured therein in any suitable 
manner, such as by being press-fit therein, adhesively fastened therein, 
etc. Likewise, the transparent plate 22 can be secured in the groove 23 of 
the structural member 19 in any suitable manner and be formed of any 
suitable material. 
An ambient temperature sensing means that is generally indicated by the 
reference numeral 31 is carried by the knob 12 and comprises a spiral 
wound bimetallic member 32 having an inner end 33 interconnected to a hub 
34 and an outer end 35 carrying a pointer 36 that cooperates with the 
scale 18 to indicate the ambient temperature being sensed by the 
temperature sensing means 31 as the bimetallic member 32 is disposed in 
the chamber 24 of the knob 12 so that the pointer 36 is visible through 
the transparent disc 22 and operates or moves relative to the scale 18. 
In order to effectively hide the bimetal member 32 from view, a suitable 
decorative disc member 37 is secured centrally on the front surface 25 of 
the transparent disc 22 whereby only the pointer 36 of the ambient 
temperature sensing means 31 can be viewed from the front of the control 
device 10. 
The hub 34 of the ambient temperature sensing means 31 comprises a 
shaft-like portion 38 that has opposed ends 39 and 40, the end 40 having 
an enlarged head 41 thereon that is received in a recess 42 in the 
structural member 19 while the shaft portion 39 passes through an opening 
43 formed through the structural member 19. A pair of washer-like members 
or bearing means 44 and 45 are respectively carried on the shaft portion 
38 of the hub 34 on opposite sides of the bimetal member 32 to thereby not 
only hold the bimetal member 32 on the hub 34 but also to permit the 
bimetal member 32 to wind and unwind thereon during its temperature 
sensing function in a manner well known in the art. 
The shaft 14 of the knob 12 has an opening 46 interrupting the end 47 
thereof and leading to the head 41 of the hub 34 so as to permit a 
suitable tool, such as a Phillips screwdriver, to be inserted therein and 
engage against a cooperating notch 48 in the head 41 to permit the hub 34 
to be rotated to the proper position thereof so that the pointer 36 will 
indicate the temperature on the scale 18 that the ambient temperature 
sensing means 31 is actually sensing at that adjustment time. 
Therefore, since the hub 34 of the ambient temperature sensing means 31 
will be held in its adjusted position by suitable friction means in a 
manner well known in the art, the ambient temperature sensing means 31 
thereafter will always indicate the actual ambient temperature being 
sensed thereby and indicate such temperature by the pointer 36 pointing to 
that temperature on the scale 18. 
After the ambient temperature sensing means 31 has been adjusted in the 
manner previously set forth, the knob or selector means 12 can then be 
assembled to the control device 10 by having the shaft 14 thereof coupled 
with the operating means 15 of the temperature sensing means 16 in the 
housing means 11 in a manner well known in the art so that the scale 18 
will be properly positioned relative to the indicator 17 on the housing 
means 11 whereby the positioning of the particular temperature number on 
the scale 18 relative to the indicator 17 by rotation of the knob 12 will 
cause the temperature regulating means 16 to tend to maintain the output 
temperature effect of the heat exchanger means operatively interconnected 
to the control device 10 at that selected temperature in a manner well 
known in the art. 
For example, should an operator set the control knob 12 by rotating the 
same to a selected temperature, such as 70.degree. F., while the previous 
setting of the control knob 12 was 60.degree. F. so that the pointer 36 of 
the ambient temperature means 31 was pointing to the "60" numeral on the 
scale 18, the number 70 on the knob 12 will now be positioned adjacent to 
the indicator 17 on the housing 11 of the control device 12 while the 
pointer 36 will be pointing to the number "60" on the scale 18 as the 
ambient temperature sensing means 31 is rotated in unison with the knob 12 
to the new position thereof. However, as the ambient temperature being 
sensed by the ambient temperature sensing means 31 increases through the 
control device 10 operating the heat exchanger means to increase the 
output temperature effect thereof to the selected 70.degree. F., the 
pointer 36 will eventually move to indicate the increasing ambient 
temperature on the scale 18 until the same is positioned at the 
"70.degree." position as illustrated in FIG. 1 as the output temperature 
effect of the heat exchanger means has now been adjusted by the control 
device 10 to produce an output temperature effect of approximately 
70.degree. F. as selected by the knob 12. 
Therefore, it can be seen that the scale 18 of the control knob 12 is not 
only being utilized for selecting the temperature setting of the control 
device 10, but also the scale 18 is being utilized as an indication of the 
actual ambient temperature being sensed adjacent that control device 10 
through the cooperation of the scale 18 with the pointer 36 for the 
reasons previously set forth. 
If desired, suitable stops can be provided on the knob 12 that cooperate 
with suitable stops on the housing means 11 to limit the rotational 
movement of the knob 12 relative to the housing means 11 so that only 
predetermined minimum and maximum temperatures can be selected by the knob 
12 for the control device 10 to tend to maintain in a manner well known in 
the art. For example, such stops can be provided in the manner set forth 
in the German Patent No. 8028507 whereby this German patent is being 
incorporated into this disclosure by this reference thereto. 
Thus, it can be seen that this invention not only provides a new 
temperature regulating control device, but also this invention provides a 
new method of making such a temperature regulating control device. 
While the forms and methods of this invention now preferred have been 
illustrated and described as required by the Patent Statute, it is to be 
understood that other forms and method steps can be utilized and still 
fall within the scope of the appended claims wherein each claim sets forth 
what is believed to be known in each claim prior to this invention in the 
portion of each claim that is disposed before the terms "the improvement" 
and sets forth what is believed to be new in each claim according to this 
invention in the portion of each claim that is disposed after the terms 
"the improvement" whereby it is believed that each claim sets forth a 
novel, useful and unobvious invention within the purview of the Patent 
Statute.