Abstract:
An exhaust assembly comprising an exhaust fan, and a grease containment and collection system. The exhaust fan is oriented at an angle relative to the roof or mounting surface resulting in improved grease containment and collection. Additionally, the open end of the exhaust fan is shielded from rain, snow and other elements as a result of the angled orientation. A system where the grease and water condensate that forms on the inside of an exhaust fan are separately contained and collected.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/739,366, filed on Nov. 23, 2005. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Disclosure  
         [0003]     This disclosure relates generally to a roof top exhaust assembly. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an exhaust assembly with a grease containment and collection system.  
         [0004]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0005]     Restaurants, especially fast food establishments, produce high volumes of grease that are typically discharged or vented through a roof-mounted exhaust system. The grease that is discharged or vented may accumulate on both the exhaust system and the roof and cause deterioration of the exhaust system and roof, adversely effect the exhaust system performance, and/or pose extreme fire hazards. As a result, frequent cleaning and maintenance of the exhaust system and/or roof is required, which is messy and time consuming.  
         [0006]     To compound the problem of grease accumulation on the exhaust system and roof, both are exposed to the outside elements, notably, rain and/or snow. As a result, cleaning and maintenance can be further complicated, since the rain and/or snow may also collect in or around the exhaust system.  
         [0007]     Current assemblies that attempt to contain and/or collect the grease in exhaust systems are generally inefficient. In many of these systems, grease leaks through the assembly and saturates the roof, creating a hazardous and unsanitary condition. In addition, most of these assemblies do not address the complications associated with the outdoor elements.  
         [0008]     Therefore, there is a need for improvements on currently available grease collection and containment systems, which will prevent the grease from collecting and fouling the exhaust system and from saturating and deteriorating the roof. An additional need exists to mitigate the additional problems associated with weather elements on the operation of the exhaust systems.  
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE  
       [0009]     The present disclosure provides an exhaust assembly comprising an exhaust fan connected to a mounting surface, and a collector. The exhaust fan is angled relative to the mounting surface, so that grease and/or water in the exhaust assembly is collected in the collector. The exhaust fan can comprise an exhaust portion and a base portion, wherein the base portion is connected to the mounting surface. The exhaust fan can be disposed at an angle of between about 5° to about 50°, relative to the mounting surface. More preferably, the exhaust fan is disposed at an angle of between about 10° to about 30°, relative to the mounting surface, and most preferably, the exhaust fan is disposed at an angle of about 18°, relative to the mounting surface.  
         [0010]     The exhaust assembly can further comprise a conduit disposed between the exhaust fan and the collector. The collector can also be portable. The exhaust assembly can further comprise a grease extractor connected to the collector, so that grease collected therein is extracted from the collector. The exhaust assembly can also further comprise a degreaser, which removes at least a portion of grease disposed about an exhaust end of the exhaust fan.  
         [0011]     In another embodiment of the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure, the assembly can comprise an exhaust fan connected to a mounting surface, a grease collector, and a water collector, where the exhaust fan is angled relative to the mounting surface. Grease in the exhaust assembly is substantially collected in the grease collector, and water in the exhaust assembly is substantially collected in the water collector. The exhaust fan can comprise an exhaust portion and a base portion, wherein the base portion is connected to the mounting surface. The exhaust fan can be disposed at an angle of between about 5° to about 50°, relative to the mounting surface. More preferably, the exhaust fan is disposed at an angle of between about 10° to about 30°, relative to the mounting surface, and most preferably, the exhaust fan is disposed at an angle of about 18°, relative to the mounting surface.  
         [0012]     The exhaust assembly can further comprise a conduit disposed between the exhaust fan and the grease collector, and a second conduit disposed between the exhaust fan and the water collector. The exhaust assembly can further comprise a degreaser system to clean an exhaust end of the exhaust fan.  
         [0013]     In a third embodiment of the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure, the exhaust assembly can comprise an exhaust fan connected to a mounting surface, a grease condensation area, a water condensation area, a first conduit connected to the grease condensation area, and a second conduit connected to the water condensation area. The exhaust fan can be disposed at an angle of between about 5° to about 50°, relative to the mounting surface. More preferably, the exhaust fan is disposed at an angle of between about 10° to about 30°, relative to the mounting surface, and most preferably, the exhaust fan is disposed at an angle of about 18°, relative to the mounting surface. The exhaust assembly can further comprise a grease extractor connected to the first conduit and the second conduit, whereby water and/or grease collected therein is extracted from the first conduit and the second conduit. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is a side view of a first embodiment of the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a side view of a second embodiment of the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is a side view of a third embodiment of the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is a side view of a fourth embodiment of the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure; and  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is a side view of a fifth embodiment of the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS  
       [0019]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an exhaust assembly with a grease containment and collection system in accordance with the present disclosure is shown, and referred to by numeral  10 . The exhaust assembly  10  includes exhaust fan  12 . Exhaust fan  12  has an open or exhaust end  14  and a base end  16 . Base end  16  is typically mounted to a base  18 , which in turn sits on, or protrudes from, a roof or similar surface of a building (not shown).  
         [0020]     Kitchen exhaust typically contains grease and water vapor. As the kitchen exhaust is vented up through the exhaust fan  12 , the grease and water condenses on the inner surfaces (not shown) of the exhaust fan. To address this, an important aspect of the present disclosure provides that exhaust fan  12  is angled or pitched. As a result of the pitch of exhaust fan  12 , gravitational forces cause the flow of the condensed grease and water into to collection area  20 .  
         [0021]     It should be understood that the exhaust fan  12  may be pitched at any angle that results in the gravitational flow of grease condensate to the desired collection area  20 . In a preferred embodiment, it has been found that the exhaust fan  12  should be pitched at an angle A between about 5° to about 50°, relative to a roof and/or mounting surface. More preferably, angle A is between about 10° to about 30°, and most preferably, angle A is about 18°.  
         [0022]     Any means may be used to provide a pitched or angled exhaust fan  12 . As exemplified in  FIG. 1 , the base  18  has an angled portion  26 , which corresponds to the desired angle to be imparted to the exhaust fan  12 , when exhaust fan  12  is mounted to base  18 . By angling base  18 , it allows a user to employ an existing or standard commercially available exhaust fan, since no modification to the exhaust fan is required to achieve the desired angle or pitch.  
         [0023]     Preferably, exhaust fan  12  includes a grease withdrawal mechanism that allows the grease to flow out of collection area  20  and into a further containment or collection device. As shown by way of example in  FIG. 1 , exhaust fan  12  is fitted with a conduit  22 , such as a drain pipe, which discharges into container  24 . The grease that flows into container  24  can then be disposed of.  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a second embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, and referred to by numeral  110 . Exhaust assembly  110  is virtually identical to exhaust assembly  10  of  FIG. 1 , with the exception that instead of a portable container, the waste product removed from the exhaust fan  112  flows through a conduit  122 . Conduit  122  can run under exhaust fan  112  and into base  118 . Conduit  122  can then terminate in container  124 , which can be disposed within the building. Container  124  has a grease extractor  125  connected thereto, which creates a vacuum pressure within container  124  and conduit  122 , that facilitates the drainage of the grease from fan  112 . In the shown embodiment, the grease extractor  125  is a fan that creates a vacuum pressure within conduit  122 , but the present disclosure further contemplates the use of any suitable grease withdrawal mechanism and/or containment means.  
         [0025]     Now referring to  FIG. 3 , a third embodiment of the exhaust assembly is shown, and referred to by numeral  210 . Exhaust assembly  210  is similar to exhaust assemblies  10  and  110  of the previous embodiments, with the exceptions outlined below. Exhaust assembly  210  has exhaust fan  212 , grease condensation area  220 , and water condensation area  228 . It has been surprisingly found that as a result of the pitched exhaust fan  212 , substantial amounts of the grease and water condense at different locations within the exhaust fan  212 , allowing for the substantial separation of water from the grease. Condensed water, for example, can collect substantially in water condensation area  228 , where grease can collect substantially in grease condensation area  220 . This further simplifies the maintenance of the exhaust assembly  210  and disposal of the grease and water from the assembly.  
         [0026]     Exhaust fan  212  can include a water withdrawal mechanism that allows the condensed water to flow out of water collection area  228  and into a further containment or collection device. In the shown embodiment, the water withdrawal mechanism is a conduit  230  that drains into container  232 . Thus, in addition to conduit  222  and container  224 , which collect grease from fan  212 , exhaust assembly  210  further has conduit  230  and container  232  to collect the water. Again, it should be understood that any suitable grease withdrawal mechanism and/or containment means may be employed in the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure.  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a fourth embodiment of the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure is shown, and referred to by numeral  310 . Exhaust assembly  310  is similar to the exhaust assemblies of the previous embodiments, with the differences discussed in further detail below.  
         [0028]     Exhaust assembly  310  has exhaust fan  312 . Conduit  322  and spout  330  are operably connected to exhaust fan  312 , so that grease and water are drained from exhaust fan  312 , in the manner discussed above. Spout  330  is operably connected to connector pipe  331 , which is operably connected to conduit  322 . Similarly to conduit  122  of exhaust assembly  110 , conduit  322  can run under exhaust fan  312 , and into base  318  of exhaust assembly  310 . Conduit  322  can then empty into container  324 . Grease extractor  325  is connected to container  324 , so that a vacuum pressure is exerted within conduit  322 . The grease and water mixture within container  324  can then be disposed of.  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, and referred to by reference numeral  410 . Exhaust assembly  410  can have a degreaser system that comprises a feed pipe  440  and a nozzle  442 . In this embodiment, a degreasing solution can be supplied to feed pipe  440 , where it is sprayed onto the exhaust end  414  of the exhaust fan  412  through nozzle  442 . The degreaser solution supplied in this manner can thus clean off the exhaust end  414  of exhaust fan  412 . The degreaser system can be programmed so that the solution is supplied at regular intervals, or the solution can be supplied manually. Such methods are well known to those in the art. The degreaser used can be any of several readily available commercial products, such as Simple Green. The degreaser system can be used with any of the above-described embodiments of the exhaust assembly of the present disclosure.  
         [0030]     In addition to the above-noted unexpected results of the present disclosure, it has also been observed that the angled or pitched exhaust fans of the present disclosure effectively reduce the exposure of the exhaust ends of the exhaust fans to weather related elements, such as, for example, rain and snow. By reducing and/or eliminating rain and snow from entering the exhaust fans, it eliminates or mitigates the need to remove rainwater and melted snow from the interior of the exhaust fan. Additionally, it mitigates the build-up of snow and ice in the exhaust fan, thus preventing blockage and malfunction of the exhaust fans.  
         [0031]     From the foregoing and as mentioned above, it is observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.