Patent Publication Number: US-2012042877-A1

Title: Air purifier air outlet structure

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to air purifying technology and more particularly, to an air purifier air outlet structure, which comprises one or a number of air outlets located on the housing adjacent to the air output port of the air purifier, a shutting device fastened to the housing of the air purifier to block the air output port of the air purifier and enabling purified air to pass out of the air purifier through the air outlet and a breathing tube having its one end connected to the air outlet(s) and its other end terminating in a respiratory device for enabling a user to breathe in purified air from the air purifier through the breathing tube. Thus, the air purifier can be used in an office, house, car, factory, hospital or any other place as a personal air purifier to provide purified air for breathing by the user. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In a regular indoor air purifier, the internal fan is operated to suck in air through an air input port thereof for filtration by an internal filter for enabling purified air to be sent out of an air output port, keeping the indoor air clean. However, conventional indoor air purifiers or car air purifiers can simply purify the air in an indoor or car space. These indoor air purifiers or car air purifiers cannot be used as a respiratory system to provide purified air for breathing by one or multiple users. If outdoor dirty air or atmosphere dirty air enters the indoor space or car interior space, every person in the house or every passenger in the car will breathe in dirty air. Further, when there is any person in a house or any passenger in a car who gets an infectious disease, the infectious disease may be transferred to other persons in the house or other passengers in the car. More particularly, when this situation occurs in a house of a public building, in a mass transportation vehicle or in a labor-intensive manufacturing line inside a factory, the air conditioning system cannot prevent transfer of the infectious disease. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main object of the present invention is to provide an air purifier air outlet structure, which comprises one or a number of air outlets located on the housing adjacent to the air output port of the air purifier, a shutting device fastened to the housing of the air purifier to block the air output port of the air purifier and enabling purified air to pass out of the air purifier through the air outlet and a breathing tube having its one end connected to the air outlet(s) and its other end terminating in a respiratory device for enabling a user to breathe in purified air from the air purifier through the breathing tube. Thus, the air purifier can be used in an office, house, car, factory, hospital or any other place as a personal air purifier to provide purified air for breathing by the user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of an air purifier air outlet structure in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an elevational assembly view of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic drawing of the present invention, illustrating the air of respiratory nosepieces of the respiratory device of the breathing tube inserted into the nostrils of a person. 
         FIG. 4  is similar to  FIG. 3 , showing the respiratory device of the breathing tube made in the form of a respiratory mask. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an alternate form of the air purifier air outlet structure in accordance with the present invention where three air outlets are located on the top side of the housing of the air purifier adjacent to the air output port. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates another alternate form of the air purifier air outlet structure in accordance with the present invention where two air outlets are located on one lateral side of the housing of the air purifier adjacent to the air output port. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates still another alternate form of the air purifier air outlet structure in accordance with the present invention where a horizontal louver shutter is mounted in the air output port. 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic sectional side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , showing the horizontal louver shutter opened. 
         FIG. 9  corresponds to  FIG. 8 , showing the horizontal louver shutter closed. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates still another alternate form of the air purifier air outlet structure in accordance with the present invention where a sliding shutter is mounted in the air output port. 
         FIG. 11  is a schematic sectional side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 10 , showing the sliding shutter opened. 
         FIG. 12  corresponds to  FIG. 11 , showing the sliding shutter closed. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates still another alternate form of the air purifier air outlet structure in accordance with the present invention where a rotary shutter is mounted in the air output port. 
         FIG. 14  is a schematic sectional side view of the embodiment of  FIG. 13 , showing the rotary shutter opened. 
         FIG. 15  corresponds to  FIG. 14 , showing the rotary shutter closed. 
         FIG. 16  illustrates a shutting device with three air outlets used in the air output port of a conventional air purifier. 
         FIG. 17  is a schematic sectional view, illustrating the shutting device of  FIG. 16  installed in the air output port of the conventional air purifier. 
         FIG. 18  is an elevational view, illustrating the shutting device of  FIG. 16  installed in the air output port of the conventional air purifier, and breathing tubes connected to the air outlets of the shutting device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1˜6 , an air purifier  1  air outlet  13  structure in accordance with the present invention is shown comprising one or a number of air outlets  13  located on the housing  11  of an air purifier  1  adjacent to the air output port  12  of the air purifier  1  and remote from the air input port  121 , a shutting device  2  fastened to the housing  11  of the air purifier  1  to block the air output port  12  for enabling purified air to pass out of the air purifier  1  through the air outlet(s)  13  and at least one breathing tube  3  each having its one end connected to one air outlet  13  and its other end terminating in a respiratory device, for example, a pair of respiratory nosepieces  31  (see  FIGS. 1˜3 ) or a respiratory mask  32  (see  FIG. 4 ) for enabling a user to breathe in purified air from the air purifier  1  through the breathing tube  3  so that the air purifier  1  can be used in an office, house, car, factory, hospital or any other place as a personal air purifier  1  to provide purified air for breathing by the user. 
     The aforesaid shutting device  2  can be a plate member, or a louver shutter  122 . When a louver shutter  122  is used, it is installed in the air output port  12  of the air purifier  1 , and biasable to close/open the air output port  12 . When biasing the horizontal louvers of the louver shutter  122  to the close position, the louver shutter  122  blocks the air output port  12 , allowing purified air to pass out of the air purifier  1  through the air outlet(s)  13  (see  FIGS. 7˜9 ). Alternatively, the aforesaid shutting device  2  can be a sliding shutter  123  formed of two sets of parallel shutter slats. The shutter slats of one same set are arranged in parallel with an opening  1231  left between each two adjacent shutter slats. By means of sliding one set of parallel shutter slats relative to the other set of parallel shutter slats, the sliding shutter  123  is shifted between an open position where the parallel shutter slats of the two sets are aligned to open the openings  1231 , and a close position where the openings  1231  in one set of parallel shutter slats are blocked by the other set of parallel shutter slats (see  FIGS. 10˜12 ). Alternatively, the aforesaid shutting device  2  can be a rotary shutter  124  formed of two sets of radial shutter slats. The radial shutter slats of one same set are arranged in a radial manner with an opening  1241  left between each two adjacent radial shutter slats. By means of rotating one set of radial shutter slats relative to the other set of radial shutter slats, the rotary shutter  124  is shifted between an open position where the radial shutter slats of the two sets are aligned to open the openings  1241 , and a close position where the openings  1241  in one set of radial shutter slats are blocked by the other set of radial shutter slats (see  FIGS. 13˜15 ). 
     Referring to  FIGS. 16˜18 , in still another alternate form of the present invention, a shutting device  5  is fastened to the air output port  42  of a conventional air purifier  4  to block the passage of the air output port  42 . The shutting device  5  comprises at least one, for example, three air outlets  51 , and a plurality of mounting members  52  for allowing quick installation of the shutting device  5  in the air output port  42  of the air purifier  4 . After installation of the shutting device  5  in the air output port  42  of the air purifier  4 , external air enters the air purifier  4  through the air input port  41  and then purified by the internal mechanism of the air purifier  4 , and then purified air is guided out of the air output port  42  of the air purifier  4  through the air outlets  51  of the shutting device  5 . Thus, breathing tubes  3  that have a respiratory device, for example, a pair of respiratory nosepieces  31  or a respiratory mask  32  at one end thereof can be connected to the air outlets  51  of the shutting device  5  respectively for enabling users to breathe in purified air from the air purifier  4  through the breathing tubes  3 . 
     According to the aforesaid description, the invention enables a conventional air purifier to be quickly changed into a respiratory system for one or a number of individuals to breathe in purified air from the air purifier. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.