Patent ID: 7156166

Claim:
A heating and air-conditioning system for a motor vehicle having front and rear internal vehicle compartments, comprising: (a) a conditioning housing; (b) a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger operably integrated within said conditioning housing; (c) a plurality of air outlet openings in said conditioning housing for guiding air to front interior zones in the front internal vehicle compartment; (d) a connecting section on the outside of said conditioning housing; (e) an air outlet opening through said connecting section, said air outlet opening being in parallel air flow relationship with air flow through said first heat exchanger; (f) an additional member selectively mounted over said air outlet opening through said connecting section, said additional member being selected (from the group consisting of (i) a releasable cover for covering, in a tight, leak-proof manner, said air outlet opening through said connecting section; and (ii) a rear vehicle compartment temperature control unit attached in a tight, leak-proof manner to said connecting section and in fluid communication with said conditioning housing via said air outlet opening through said connecting section, said rear temperature control unit comprising an additional housing and a third heat exchanger operably integrated in the additional housing; and (g) connecting means, associated with at least said connecting section of said conditioning housing, for selectively and alternately attaching each of said releasable cover and said rear vehicle compartment temperature control unit to said connecting section.