Patent ID: 8001958

Claim:
An air handler comprising: an enclosure having an interior volume enclosed in opposite front and rear walls of the enclosure each having a width dimension, opposite left and right side walls of the enclosure each having a length dimension, and an opposite top and bottom of the enclosure, and a distribution air outlet opening on the enclosure that is adapted for communication of a distribution air stream from the enclosure to an exterior environment of the enclosure; a fan wheel in the enclosure interior volume, the fan wheel having an outer diameter dimension, an axis of rotation that defines mutually perpendicular axial and radial directions, and the fan wheel being rotatable in a rotation direction around the axis of rotation; a blower housing in the enclosure interior volume, the blower housing having an interior volume containing the fan wheel and an air flow outlet opening, the blower housing having first and second side walls on axially opposite ends of the fan wheel, and the blower housing having an outer wall having a width dimension extending between the first and second side walls, the outer wall width dimension being at least 54 percent of the width dimension of at least one of the enclosure left side wall and right side wall, the outer wall having a volute shaped portion that spirals away from the fan wheel axis of rotation as it extends from a first end of the volute shaped portion at one side of the air flow outlet opening around the blower housing interior volume to a second end of the volute shaped portion at an opposite side of the air flow outlet opening from the first end, the blower housing outer wall having a radial dimension from the fan wheel axis of rotation to the second end of the volute shaped portion of the outer wall that is at least 0.91 times the fan wheel outer diameter dimension, the blower housing air outlet opening having a length dimension between the volute shaped portion first and second ends that is at least 0.73 times the fan wheel outer diameter dimension, the blower housing having a maximum length dimension across the blower housing that is at most 1.90 times the fan wheel outer diameter dimension, and the volute shaped portion of the blower housing outer wall having a radial distance dimension from the fan wheel axis of rotation that increases at a rate that is larger than a linear rate as the volute shaped portion extends from the first end of the volute shaped portion around the blower housing interior volume to the second end of the volute shaped portion.