Air filter use indicators

• US 10,286,349 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2016
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Gregerson, Glen O., Fox, Andrew R., Echeverri, Nicolas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lawrence, Jr., Frank M
• Application Number:
  US15/137,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20170128873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 96 26, 96421, 96414, 96417, 55490
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/0086 Filter condition indicators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/39 Monitoring filter performance

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to air filter use indicators capable of indicating the degree of use of an air filter.

Claims

1. An air filter use indicator, comprising:

a tab portion; and

an indicator portion including an indicator device capable of providing the user with information about whether the user should change their air filter;

wherein the indicator portion of the air filter use indicator can be removably placed adjacent to and upstream of an air filter within an HVAC or air purifier system

and wherein the tab portion is configured with a bend of greater than 50 degrees from the indicator portion and is configured so that when the indicator portion is placed adjacent to and upstream of the air filter, at least a part of the tab portion extends past an upper sidewall of a frame of the air filter.

2. The air filter use indicator of claim 1, wherein the indicator portion includes a frame portion and at least one cutout portion, the at least one cutout portion having air filtration media within at least a portion of the cutout portion such air can flow through the air filtration media and/or cutout portion;

wherein the air filtration media is capable of capturing and/or accumulating contaminants and/or particulates in the air flowing through the cutout portion.

3. The air filter use indicator of claim 1, wherein the indicator portion includes a frame portion that consists of a single layer of material.

4. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein the indicator portion includes a frame portion that includes a front portion and a back portion between which is positioned the air filtration media.

5. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, including two or more cutout portions.

6. The air filter use indicator of claim 1, wherein the air filter use indicator removably couples to an edge of the air filter.

7. The air filter use indicator of claim 1, wherein one of the air filter and/or an HVAC or air purifier system includes a mechanism into or through which the air filter use indicator can be inserted and/or from or through which the device can be withdrawn.

8. The air filter use indicator of claim 1, wherein the tab portion can be used to assist in removal of the air filter use indicator from a slotted hanger.

9. The air filter use indicator of claim 1, wherein the tab portion and/or indicator portion includes at least one of paper, polypropylene, polystyrene, and/or PET.

10. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of a frame portion or indicator portion is a color that is the same or lighter than unused air filtration media.

11. The air filter use indicator of claim 1, wherein the air filter use indicator includes a chromatic filter life color scale that indicates the approximate degree of use of an air filter.

12. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein at least 50% of the surface area of a major surface of the air filter use indicator includes air filtration media.

13. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein at least 70% of the surface area of a major surface of the air filter use indicator includes air filtration media.

14. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein the air filter use indicator includes the same air filtration media as the air filter.

15. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein the air filtration media includes electrostatic filtration media.

16. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein the air filtration media includes non-electrostatic media.

17. The air filter use indicator of claim 1, wherein the air filter use indicator further comprises a removal assistance portion that is configured so that when the indicator portion is positioned adjacent to and upstream of the air filter, at least a part of the removal assistance portion extends past an upper sidewall of a frame of the air filter so that a user can grasp the removal assistance portion to remove the air filter use indicator from the air filter.

18. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein the air filtration media includes a colored pigment.

19. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein at least one of the air filtration media and/or the frame portion are white or include a white pigment.

20. The air filter use indicator of claim 2, wherein the tab portion and the frame portion are made from a single piece of material.

21. The air filter use indicator of claim 1, wherein the indicator portion includes an indicator that is at least one of a colorimetric, pH, gas exchange, evaporation, pressure change, and/or contaminant accumulation indicator.