Improvements in Ventilators.
Year: 1891

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Ventilators.
I, CLEMENT JAMES GRIFFITHS, of Harefield, Westwood Park, Southampton,
in the County of Hants, Major General, retired, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has reference to an improved construction of that kind of ventilator
for ventilating rooms, in which a flap valve or valves of any light material such as
talc or mica, is or are used. In my ventilator the valve (or each of them if more
than one be used) is arranged to rest freely with its lower edge in a groove or
grooves within a box or casing that has an opening or openings in its front, is open
at its back, has the rear portion of its upper wall downwardly inclined and is
adapted to be placed within a tube that is fixed in and forms a lining to an inclined
passage which connects the room or apartment to be ventilated with a chimney or
ventilating shaft or pipe, the arrangement being such that the flap valve or valves
will be normally just on the balance so as to permit impure air to flow from the
room or apartment into the chimney or ventilating shaft or pipe but not to permit
air or gases to flow from the chimney, ventilating shaft or pipe into the room or
apartment and that the movement of the valve or valves will be practically
noiseless.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a front view, and a longitudinal section, of my
ventilator without the tube above referred to.
Fig. 3 shews the said tube in longitudinal section to a smaller scale.
Fig. 4 is a vertical section showing part of a wall supposed to divide a room or
apartment to be ventilated from a chimney, ventilating shaft or pipe, the lining
tube and the ventilator therein.
The remaining figures are hereinafter referred to. The ventilator proper consists
of a metal box or casing 1, (hereinafter called a casing) having in front a plate 2,
with openings therethrough and an open rear end 3. The size of the casing and
the size and number of the openings in its front will depend upon the size of the
room or apartment to be ventilated. In the example shown the front is formed
with two openings 4. Behind each opening is a flap valve, 5, of light material
such as talc or mica whose lower edge rests freely in a groove 6, so that the valve
can readily move towards and away from the opening 4 the edge of which it
overlaps when closed. 7 is a stop to limit the inward movement of the valves.
This stop extends from one side of the casing to the other, and may be of metal
wire either uncovered, or covered with some soft material, for examples india rubber
or cloth, to prevent noise when the valves come into contact therewith. Or with
a like object the stop may consist of a sufficiently strong thread or cord of suitable
material, for example silk. A washer or pad 8 of material such as cloth may
advantageously be arranged to surround each opening 4 with the object of preventing
noise when the flap valve closes. These washers or pads may however be dispensed
with if desired, the valves, when closed, then forming a sufficiently tight joint with
the front wall of the casing.
9 (Fig. 3) is a rectangular tube adapted to receive at one end the casing 1, and
to hold the same as shown in Fig. 4. This tube is fixed within an upwardly inclined
passage 10 formed in the wall 11 separating the room or apartment at one side 12,
from the chimney 12", or ventilating shaft at the other side.
The tube 9 may
advantageously be provided with a flange 13, by which its position may be
determined and which serves to overlap the front edges of the passage 10, and
impart a neat appearance to the ventilating device. The tube 9 is preferably

page_text: arranged at an angle of about 17 degrees to the horizontal, and so that its front
end projects a short distance beyond the wall 11 into the room as shown, but so
that its other end does not project into the chimney. When the tube is fixed in
place and the ventilator casing inserted in the front end of the tube as shown in
Fig. 4 the flap valves will be nearly vertical and balanced and will act automatically
moving readily either into the open position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, or into the
closed position, according as the pressure of air thereon acts in a direction from
the room or apartment to the chimney or shaft or vice versa. Thus discharge of
vitiated air from the room will be ensured without liability to a down draft from
the chimney to the room or apartment. The ventilator case and valves can be
easily removed from the tube 9 when the chimney is to be swept. In connexion
with my improved ventilator above described some device of known or suitable
kind should be provided to admit fresh air into the room or apartment.
Advantageously there may be used for this purpose an apparatus such as I will
now describe but which I do not claim.
It is adapted to be fixed at one end of an opening in the wall of a room for
example over a door-way, so as to admit air say from an entrance hall and is shewn
in perspective in Fig. 5 and in plan in Fig. 6.
Fig. 7 is a face view of the inner side of the flap valve.
This ventilator comprises a metal flap valve 14, hinged to a rectangular
frame 15 arranged to surround the opening in the wall when the ventilator is in
use, the flap valve being of such a size that when closed it overlaps the edges of
the frame around the opening.
The flap valve is provided at each end with a triangular shaped piece 16, of
metal that works within the frame 15, and serves to prevent air flowing laterally
instead of upward. One or both of these side pieces 16, is or are provided with
a small projecting part 16* that serves to limit the opening movement of the flap
valve and to hold the same in a suitably inclined position.
17, 17, are wedge shaped projections carried by the flap valve; they serve to
divide the incoming air into separate streams that are directed by the inclined
flap valve towards the ceiling of the room.
The valve may be opened and closed by means of cords 18, 18" fixed at one
end to a projection 19 on the valve and passing over guide pulleys 20. A grating,
not shown, which may be ornamental and provided with large air ways, is arranged
at the outer side of the opening opposite to the ventilator as well understood.
When the opening passes through a hollow wall, the frame 15 is connected with
the grating by a tube. An inlet ventilator of the kind described can be arranged
over an opening leading into the open air if desired, and be used in conjunction
with another inlet ventilator arranged above a doorway leading from the room
into a passage or corridor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
My improved ventilator substantially as hereinabove described with reference to
Figs. 1 to inclusive of the drawings, the valve 5 (or valves) being freely
supported in the manner set forth.
Dared Luis Zuch day Or
1891
VALEO EDIS ZUrn day OF My I891
C. J. GRIFFITHS.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.