Self-renewing air filter

• US 20040129139A1
• Filed: 01/06/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MLS Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Jerry H. Schumacher
• Inventors: Schumacher, Jerry H.
• Granted Patent: US 6,843,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 95/277
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/22 the belts travelling during filtering
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 3/06 Filtering B60H3/0078 takes precedence

Abstract

The replacement of filters for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) is often time-consuming and labor-intensive. Organizations having responsibility for many apartment or dormitory units can spend a significant fraction of their man-hours replacing such filters. A novel approach to reducing the labor for this task is to attach one end of sheet-type filtering material to a dispensing roll, and the other end to a gathering roll; both rolls being affixed to a frame. The assembly is installed into an air duct and the filtering material allowed to blouse, somewhat. The flow of air is intermittent in typical HVAC systems, so when the air begins to flow, the filtering material is forced, due to its resistance to flow, in the direction of the flow. This energy—a force applied through a distance—is utilized by a lever arm bracket to advance the gathering roll. In this fashion, new material leaves the dispensing roll and is exposed to the air, while the dirty filter sheet accumulates on the gathering roll. The process is self-regulating because dirty filter material will present a greater resistance to flow and will, therefore, travel through a greater distance, advancing the gathering roll more.

Claims

1. A method for renewing a sheet-type filtering material in an intermittently flowing fluid inside a conduit comprising:

(a) attaching one end of the sheet-type filtering material to a gathering roll;

(b) stretching the sheet-type filtering material across the conduit such that the filtering material blouses; and

(c) making use of a movement of the sheet-type filtering material, in the direction of fluid flow, to turn the gathering roll thereby advancing the sheet-type filtering material such that clean filtering material is exposed to the fluid flow.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a lever arm bracket converts a linear movement of the sheet-type filtering material to a rotation of the lever arm bracket about an axis.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the rotation is used to advance the gathering roll.

4. The method of claim 2 comprising the additional steps:

(a) adjustably attaching an L-arm to the lever arm bracket;

(b) pivotally attaching a drive dog to the L-arm; and

(c) with the drive dog, engaging a gear affixed to the gathering roll, thereby transferring force from the sheet-type filtering material to the gear, causing the gear to rotate.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a second end of the sheet-type filtering material is attached to a dispensing roll.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein a turning of the dispensing roll is restricted by friction.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the friction is applied to the outside of the sheet-type filter material wound on the dispensing roll.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of adjustably attaching an L-arm to the lever arm bracket is effected by attaching the L-arm to the lever arm bracket with a threaded fastener.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of making use of the movement of the sheet-type filtering material, in the direction of fluid flow, to turn the gathering roll is executed by the steps of:

(a) sensing the movement of the sheet-type filtering material, in the direction of fluid flow; and

(b) causing the rotation of a motor shaft driving the gathering roll, the amount of rotation being based on the sensed movement of the sheet-type filtering material.

10. An apparatus for renewing a sheet-type filtering material in an intermittently flowing fluid inside a conduit, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a gathering roll to which one end of the sheet-type filtering material is attached;

(b) a frame for stretching the sheet-type filtering material across the conduit such that the filtering material blouses; and

(c) a lever arm bracket for making use of a movement of the sheet-type filtering material, in the direction of fluid flow, to turn the gathering roll thereby advancing the sheet-type filtering material such that clean filtering material is exposed to the fluid flow.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the lever arm bracket converts a linear movement of the sheet-type filtering material to a rotation of the lever arm bracket about an axis.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the rotation is used to advance the gathering roll.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:

(a) means for adjustably attaching an L-arm to the lever arm bracket;

(b) a drive dog, operably, pivotally attached to the L-arm; and

(c) wherein the drive dog is disposed to engage a gear operatively affixed to the gathering roll, thereby transferring force from the sheet-type filtering material to the gear, causing the gear to rotate.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 including a dispensing roll to which a second end of the sheet-type filtering material is attached.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 including a frictional means for restricting a turning of the dispensing roll.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the frictional means applies friction to the outside of the sheet-type filter material wound on the dispensing roll.

17. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the means for adjustably attaching an L-arm to the lever arm bracket is a threaded fastener.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein a movement of the lever arm bracket for making use of the movement of the sheet-type filtering material in the direction of fluid flow is sensed and causes the rotation of a motor shaft driving the gathering roll, the amount of rotation being based on the sensed movement of the lever arm bracket.

19. An apparatus for renewing a sheet-type filtering material in an intermittently flowing fluid inside a conduit, the apparatus comprising:

(a) a main frame;

(b) a gathering roll operatively rotatably attached said frame;

(c) a sheet-type filtering material;

(d) the gathering roll having one end thereof the sheet-type filtering material operatively attached thereto;

(e) a sub-frame for stretching the sheet-type filtering material across the conduit such that the filtering material blouses; and

(f) a lever arm bracket operatively pivotally attached to the frame, said lever arm bracket having the filter material in contact therewith for making use of a movement of the sheet-type filtering material, in the direction of fluid flow, to turn the gathering roll thereby advancing the sheet-type filtering material such that clean filtering material is exposed to the fluid flow.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 including means operatively attached to said lever arm bracket and to said gathering roll for rotating said gathering roll in one direction thereof in response to pivoting of said lever arm bracket.