Patent ID: 8649174

Claim:
An apparatus for separating intake air from exhaust air, comprising: an intake port, coupled to conduct the intake air; an exhaust port, coupled to conduct the exhaust air; an air-curtain port, coupled to conduct air-curtain air to separate at least a portion of the intake air conducted by the intake port from the exhaust air conducted by the exhaust port; an air-curtain divider, having a divider port which divides the intake air into the air-curtain air and the exhaust air; and at least one of: an enclosure, coupled to the intake port, wherein the air-curtain divider is positioned within the enclosure thereby forming an air-curtain chamber, having a first end coupled to the intake port, and a second end coupled to the air-curtain port, and wherein the first end of the air-curtain chamber has a greater cross-sectional area than the second end of the air-curtain chamber, such that a velocity of the air-curtain air increases when the air-curtain air moves from the first end to the second end of the air-curtain chamber; or an air-curtain fan, coupled to increase the velocity of the air-curtain air as the air-curtain air moves from the divider port to the air-curtain port; whereby the apparatus reduces a mixing of the exhaust air with the intake air.