Patent ID: 7241217

Claim:
An air terminal for applying conditioned air to a space, comprising: a housing presenting a flow path therethrough for the conditioned air; a damper for controlling flow through said path; a shaft on which said damper is carried, said shaft being mounted to said housing for movement between an open position of the damper wherein said flow path is open and a closed position of the damper wherein said flow path is closed; a magnet and a metal latch element cooperating to apply a magnetic force for releaseably latching said damper in the open position when moved thereto and in the closed position when moved thereto, wherein said magnet and latch element are arranged to latch said damper each time said shaft rotates through an arc of approximately 90°; and a power operated drive element connected with said shaft and affanged to overcome the magnetic force of said magnet and latch element to move the shaft between the open position and the closed position of said damper when power is applied to said drive element, wherein said drive element comprises a motor having a stator and a rotor connected directly with said shaft to rotate the shaft when the rotor turns, and wherein a current is applied to a winding on the drive element to move the shaft between the open position and the closed position.