Patent Publication Number: US-10309684-B1

Title: Air flow director

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
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     REFERENCE TO APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to the field of lighting and heating including air conditioning and ventilation, more specifically, a ducting arrangement. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     The air flow director is a structure that is configured for use with an HVAC system. The air flow director is configured for use with a grille associated with the HVAC system. Specifically, the air flow director is a device that attaches to the grille for the purpose of changing the direction of the flow of air that is discharged through the grille. The air flow director attaches directly to the grille. The air flow director changes the direction of the air flow through the grille in a traverse direction and a lateral direction. The traverse angle of the deflection of the air flow is adjustable. The lateral angle of the deflection of the air flow is adjustable. The air flow director can be rotated around both a lateral axis of rotation and a traverse axis of rotation without being disconnected from the grille. 
     These together with additional objects, features and advantages of the air flow director will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative, embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     In this respect, before explaining the current embodiments of the air flow director in detail, it is to be understood that the air flow director is not limited in its applications to the details of construction and arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustration. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concept of this disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for the design of other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the air flow director. 
     It is therefore important that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the air flow director. It is also to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for purposes of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. They are meant to be exemplary illustrations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a rear view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is an in use view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the disclosure across  4 - 4  as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments of the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. 
     Detailed reference will now be made to one or more potential embodiments of the disclosure, which are illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 4 . 
     The air flow director  100  (hereinafter invention) is a structure that is configured for use with an HVAC system. The invention  100  is configured for use with a grille  161  associated with the HVAC system. The grille  161  is a commercially available HVAC component that is commonly referred to as a grille  161  or a register. The grille  161  is an openwork barrier that is place upon a vent. Specifically, the invention  100  is a device that attaches to the grille  161  for the purpose of changing the direction of the flow of air that is discharged through the grille  161 . The invention  100  attaches directly to the grille  161 . The invention  100  changes the direction of the air flow through the grille  161  in a traverse direction and a lateral direction. 
     The invention  100  comprises a lateral rotation  121  around a lateral axis of rotation  122  and a traverse rotation  123  around a traverse axis of rotation  124 . The lateral rotation  121  does not require the invention  100  to be disconnected from the grille  161 . The traverse rotation  123  does not require the invention  100  to be disconnected from the grille  161 . The rotation of the invention  100  around the lateral axis of rotation  122  adjusts a lateral deflection angle  153  of the air flow. The rotation of the invention  100  around the traverse axis of rotation  124  adjusts a traverse deflection angle  150  of the air flow. The invention  100  comprises a first triangular panel  101 , a second triangular panel  102 , a deflection panel  103 , and a fastener  104 . The first triangular panel  101  and the second triangular panel  102 , are attached to the deflection panel  103 . The fastener  104  attaches the deflection panel  103  to the grille  161 . 
     Within this disclosure, a wall  163  refers to a vertical surface within which the grille  161  has been installed. It is explicitly acknowledged that a grille  161  can be used with a floor-mounted vent. However, the specification and claims of this disclosure will hereinafter implicitly assume that the grille  161  is mounted in a vertical wall  163 . This assumption is made for the purposes of simplicity and for clarity of exposition of the disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the innovations described in this disclosure can be readily modified to accommodate a grille  161  mounted in a horizontal surface, such as a floor or a ceiling with a minimum of modification and experimentation. 
     Within this disclosure, a bar  164  refers to shaft structures that are used to form the openwork of the grille  161 . 
     Within this disclosure, an air flow vector  162  is a hypothetical vector that describes the movement of air flow out of the invention  100 . Specifically the air flow vector  162  describes the direction of movement of the center mass of the airflow discharged from the invention  100 . The air flow vector  162  is further defined with the traverse deflection angle  150  and the lateral deflection angle  153 . The traverse deflection angle  150  is defined as the cant between the surface of the wall  163  and the air flow vector  162 . The lateral deflection angle  153  is defined as the cant between the geometric projection of the air flow vector  162  on the wall  163  and a hypothetical reference line  155 , generally taken to be a vertical line, formed within the plane of the wall  163  that passes through the center of the grille  161 . The air flow vector  162 , the traverse deflection angle  150  and the lateral deflection angle  153  are used as a directional reference throughout this disclosure. The invention  100  provides for the adjustment of the traverse deflection angle  150  and the lateral deflection angle  153  such that the air flow vector  162  of the airflow discharged from the invention  100  can be controlled. 
     The first triangular panel  101  is a solid plate structure that is formed in the shape of a scalene triangle. The second triangular panel  102  is a solid plate structure that is formed in the shape of a scalene triangle. The first triangular panel  101  and the second triangular panel  102  have identical form factors. The first triangular panel  101  is further defined with a first edge  131 , a second edge  132 , and a third edge  133 . The second triangular panel  102  is further defined with a fourth edge  134 , a fifth edge  135 , and a sixth edge  136 . The first triangular panel  101  is identical to the second triangular panel  102 . 
     The first triangular panel  101  and the second triangular panel  102  are both further defined with a primary traverse deflection angle  151 , a secondary traverse deflection angle  152 , and a pivot angle  154 . 
     The primary traverse deflection angle  151  of the first triangular panel  101  is the angle formed by the intersection of the second edge  132  and the third edge  133  of the first triangular panel  101 . The primary transverse deflection angle  151  of the second triangular panel  102  is the angle formed by the intersection of the fifth edge  135  and the sixth edge  136  of the second triangular panel  102 . 
     The secondary traverse deflection angle  152  of the first triangular panel  101  is the angle formed by the intersection of the first edge  131  and the third edge  133  of the first triangular panel  101 . The secondary traverse deflection angle  152  of the second triangular panel  102  is the angle formed by the intersection of the fourth edge  134  and the sixth edge  136  of the second triangular panel  102 . 
     The pivot angle  154  of the first triangular panel  101  is the angle formed by the intersection of the first edge  131  and the second edge  132  of the first triangular panel  101 . The pivot angle  154  of the second triangular panel  102  is the angle formed by the intersection of the fourth edge  134  and the fifth edge  135  of the second triangular panel  102 . 
     The deflection panel  103  is a solid plate structure that is formed in the shape of a rectangular block. The deflection panel  103  is further defined with a seventh edge  137 , an eighth edge  138 , a ninth edge  139 , and a tenth edge  140 . 
     The fastener  104  is a device that attaches the invention  100  to the grille  161 . The fastener  104  comprises a spring  110 , a hook  113 , and a flange  114 . The spring  110  is further defined with a first end  111  and a second end  112 . 
     The spring  110  is a readily and commercially available tension spring that is formed in the shape of a tube. The span of the spring  115  is selected such that the spring  110  is under tension when the invention  100  is attached to the grille  161 . The span of the spring  115  refers to the distance between the first end  111  of the spring  110  and the second end  112  of the spring  110 . A measurement of the span of the spring  115  is taken when: 1) the spring  110  is in its relaxed shape; and, 2) the center axis of the spring  110  forms a straight line. In the first potential embodiment of the disclosure, the spring  110  is a bungee cord. 
     The hook  113  is a readily and commercially hardware item that attaches the first end  111  of the spring  110  to the grille  161 . The flange  114  is a readily and commercially hardware item that attaches the second end  112  of the spring  110  to the deflection panel  103 . 
     The third edge  133  of the first triangular panel  101  attaches to the tenth edge  140  of the deflection panel  103 . The sixth edge  136  of the second triangular panel  102  attaches to the eighth edge  138  of the deflection panel  103 . The flange  114  attaches the second end  112  of the spring  110  to the deflection panel  103 . The hook  113  attaches to the first end  111  of the spring  110 . 
     The first triangular panel  101  attaches to the deflection panel  103  such that the first triangular panel  101  forms a right angle with the deflection panel  103 . The second triangular panel  102  attaches to the deflection panel  103  such that the second triangular panel  102  forms a right angle with the deflection panel  103 . The second triangular panel  102  is parallel to the first triangular panel  101  and projects away from the deflection panel  103  in the same direction as the first triangular panel  101 . 
     The invention  100  attaches to the grille  161  using an arrangement selected from the group consisting of a first arrangement and a second arrangement. 
     In the first arrangement, the second edge  132 , the fifth edge  135 , and the ninth edge  139  are placed flush against the wall  163 . The invention  100  attaches to the grille  161  using the hook  113  attached to the first end  111  of the spring  110 . When the hook  113  is hooked around a bar  164  of the grille  161 , the spring  110  is placed under tension. The counter force that prevents the spring  110  from returning to its relaxed state is transmitted through the invention  100  to the second edge  132 , the fifth edge  135 , and the ninth edge  139  such that the second edge  132 , the fifth edge  135 , and the ninth edge  139  are held flush against the wall  163 . The air flowing through the grille  161  deflects against the deflection panel  103  before exiting the invention  100  in the direction of the air flow vector  162 . Using the first arrangement, the traverse deflection angle  150  formed by this deflection is equal to the primary traverse deflection angle  151  of both the first triangular panel  101  and the second triangular panel  102 . 
     In the second arrangement, the first edge  131 , the fourth edge  134 , and the seventh edge  137  are placed flush against the wall  163 . The invention  100  attaches to the grille  161  using the hook  113  attached to the first end  111  of the spring  110 . When the hook  113  is hooked around a bar  164  of the grille  161 , the spring  110  is placed under tension. The counter force that prevents the spring  110  from returning to its relaxed state is transmitted through the invention  100  to the first edge  131 , the fourth edge  134 , and the seventh edge  137  such that the first edge  131 , the fourth edge  134 , and the seventh edge  137  are held flush against the wall  163 . The air flowing through the grille  161  deflects against the deflection panel  103  before exiting the invention  100  in the direction of the air flow vector  162 . Using the second arrangement, the traverse deflection angle  150  formed by this deflection is equal to the secondary traverse deflection angle  152  of both the first triangular panel  101  and the second triangular panel  102 . 
     In both the first arrangement and the second arrangement, the apex of the pivot angle  154  of the first triangular panel  101  and the apex of the pivot angle  154  of the second triangular panel  102  will be in contact with the wall  163 . 
     The traverse deflection angle  150  is adjusted by changing between the first arrangement and the second arrangement of attaching the invention  100  to the grille  161 . The change between the first arrangement and the second arrangement does not require that the hook  113  be unattached from the grille  161 . 
     To switch between the first arrangement and the second arrangement requires a traverse rotation  123  of the invention  100  around the traverse axis of rotation  124 . The traverse rotation  123  refers to a rotation of the invention  100  within a plane of rotation that is: 1) perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the lateral rotation  121 ; and, 2) that contains the hypothetical reference line  155  that is used to determine the lateral deflection angle  153 . The traverse axis of rotation  124  refers to the axis of rotation around which a traverse rotation  123  of the invention  100  is made. The traverse axis of rotation  124  is a line that is formed between the apex of the pivot angle  154  of the first triangular panel  101  and the apex of the pivot angle  154  of the second triangular panel  102 . Once the rotation is complete, the invention  100  is placed in its final position by sliding the invention  100  along the wall  163 . 
     The lateral deflection angle  153  is adjusted through a lateral rotation  121  of the invention  100  around the lateral axis of rotation  122  after the invention  100  has been attached to the grille  161  and slid into position. The term lateral rotation  121  refers to a rotation of the invention  100  within a plane of rotation that is parallel to or aligned with the plane formed by the wall  163 . The lateral axis of rotation  122  refers to the axis of rotation around which a lateral rotation  121  of the invention  100  is made. The lateral axis of rotation  122  is a line that projects perpendicularly away from the wall  163 . The lateral axis of rotation  122  is aligned with the center axis of the spring  110 . It is expected that the lateral rotation  121  of the invention  100  around the lateral axis of rotation  122  will cause a torque within the spring  110 . However, the lateral rotation  121  of the invention  100  does not require that the hook  113  be unattached from the grille  161 . 
     The following definitions were used in this disclosure: 
     Align: As used in this disclosure, align refers to an arrangement of objects that are: 1) arranged in a straight line; or, 2) arranged to give a directional sense of a plurality of parallel lines. 
     Apex: As used in this disclosure, an apex is the point of an object that has the greatest height or altitude relative to a given reference. 
     Center of rotation: As used in this disclosure, the center of rotation is the point of a rotating plane that does not move with the rotation of the plane. A line within a rotating three-dimensional object that does not move with the rotation of the object is referred to as an axis of rotation. 
     Bungee: As used in this disclosure, the term bungee refers to an elastic cord or a mesh of elastic cords. 
     Cant: As used in this disclosure, a cant is an angular deviation from one or more reference planes such as a vertical plane or a horizontal plane. 
     Center: As used in this disclosure, a center is a point that is: 1) the point within a circle that is equidistant from all the points of the circumference; 2) the point within a regular polygon that is equidistant from all the vertices of the regular polygon; 3) the point on a line that is equidistant from the ends of the line; 4) the point, pivot, or axis around which something revolves; or, 5) the centroid or first moment of an area or structure. In cases where the appropriate definition or definitions are not obvious, the fifth option should be used in interpreting the specification. 
     Duct: As used in this disclosure, a duct is a tube, pipe, canal or channel through which air is conducted or conveyed. 
     Ductwork: As used in this disclosure, ductwork is a network of ducts. 
     Form Factor: As used in this disclosure, the term form factor refers to the size and shape of an object. 
     Elastic: As used in this disclosure, an elastic is a material or object that deforms when a force is applied to it and that is able to return to its original shape after the force is removed. A material that exhibits these qualities is also referred to as an elastomeric material. 
     Flange: As used in this disclosure, a flange is a protruding rib, edge, or collar that is used to hold an object in place or to attach a first object to a second object. 
     Grille: As used in this disclosure, a grille is a cover for a vent of an HVAC system. The grille comprises a barrier formed of bars or wires that allow for the passage of air through the grille while preventing solid items from passing through the grille. 
     Hook: As used in this disclosure, a hook is an object that is curved or bent at an angle such that items can be hung on or caught by the object. 
     Horizontal: As used in this disclosure, horizontal is a directional term that refers to a direction that is either: 1) parallel to the horizon; 2) perpendicular to the local force of gravity, or, 3) parallel to a supporting surface. In cases where the appropriate definition or definitions are not obvious, the second option should be used in interpreting the specification. Unless specifically noted in this disclosure, the horizontal direction is always perpendicular to the vertical direction. 
     HVAC: As used in this disclosure, HVAC is an acronym for Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning and is a general term that refers to the air handling technology used within buildings. 
     Plate: As used in this disclosure, a plate is a smooth, flat and semi-rigid or rigid structure that has at least one dimension that: 1) is of uniform thickness; and 2) that appears thin relative to the other dimensions of the object. 
     Relaxed Shape: As used in this disclosure, a structure is considered to be in its relaxed state when no shear, strain, or torsional forces are being applied to the structure. 
     Scalene: As used in this disclosure, scalene is an adjective that describes a triangle that is formed from edges of three different lengths and with no two angles that are equal. 
     Spring: As used in this disclosure, a spring is a device that is used to store mechanical energy. This mechanical energy will often be stored by: 1) deforming an elastomeric material that is used to make the device; 2) the application of a torque to a rigid structure; or 3) a combination of the previous two items. 
     Tension Spring: As used in this disclosure, a tension spring is a spring that resists forces attempting to pull the spring in the direction of the center axis of the spring. The tension spring will return to its original position when the pulling force is removed. Extension coil springs and bungee cords are common examples of a tension spring. 
     Vent: As used in this disclosure, a vent is an opening in the ductwork that allows air to escape. 
     Vertical: As used in this disclosure, vertical refers to a direction that is either: 1) perpendicular to the horizontal direction; 2) parallel to the local force of gravity; or, 3) when referring to an individual object the direction from the designated top of the individual object to the designated bottom of the individual object. In cases where the appropriate definition or definitions are not obvious, the second option should be used in interpreting the specification. Unless specifically noted in this disclosure, the vertical direction is always perpendicular to the horizontal direction. 
     With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationship for the various components of the invention described above and in  FIGS. 1 through 4  include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function, and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the invention. 
     It shall be noted that those skilled in the art will readily recognize numerous adaptations and modifications which can be made to the various embodiments of the present invention which will result in an improved invention, yet all of which will fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims. Accordingly, the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.