Humidifier assemblies

• US 4,237,080 A
• Filed: 01/11/1979
• Issued: 12/02/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Skuttle Mfg Co.
• Original Assignee: Skuttle Mfg Co.
• Inventors: Elliott, Richard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chiesa, Richard L.
• Application Number:
  US06/002,794
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 261/80, 261/92, 261/DIG. 15, 261/103, 126/113, 137/315
• US Class Current: 261/80
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 6/06 using moving unheated wet elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/15 Duct humidifiers

Abstract

A humidifier assembly comprising a housing that is open at the rear for slidable insertion of a frame carrying a motor driven endless porous water pickup pad and a bottom mounted water reservoir pan. When the housing is mounted on a plenum or the like these and other components within the housing are not accessible for removal from the housing. A special sheet metal subassembly mounts the pad and its supporting rollers and a motor for driving one of the rollers.

Claims

1. A removable humidifier subassembly comprising a frame having a front member and parallel side members, generally parallel upper and lower rollers extending between said side members, motor means on the outer side of one of the side members for driving the upper roller, means in the lower ends of the side members mounting the ends of the lower roller for free rotation, an endless pad of water pickup material mounted on said rollers and adapted to be driven by the motor operated upper roller, and said front member being apertured sufficiently to allow passage of air therethrough and through the pad intermediate said rollers, and substantially horizontal slide members on the upper end of said frame extending oppositely laterally outwardly from the upper ends of said side members above the level of said upper roller adapted for slidable interfit with sockets in a supporting housing for removably mounting the subassembly in said housing.

2. The humidifier subassembly defined in claim 1, wherein the means mounting the lower roller comprises side guide means permitting float of the lower roller toward and from the upper roller.

3. The humidifier subassembly defined in claim 1, wherein said front member is a plate having an aperture that extends at least across and along the major length of the pad portion between the rollers.

4. A removable humidifier subassembly comprising a frame having front and side members, generally parallel upper and lower rollers extending between said side members, motor means on the outer side of one of the side members for driving the upper roller, means in the lower ends of the side members mounting the ends of the lower roller for free rotation, an endless pad of water pickup material mounted on said rollers and adapted to be driven by the motor operated upper roller, said front member being apertured sufficiently to allow passage of air therethrough and through the pad intermediate said rollers, and laterally outwardly extending slide members on the upper end of said frame adapted for removably mounting the subassembly in a housing, said upper roller having one end adapted for drive connection to said motor means, a coaxial bushing mounting the motor connected end of the roller and a leaf spring carrying said bushing whereby said bushing is spring biased toward that other end of the roller.

5. A humidifier assembly comprising a housing having a front wall mounting a motor driven fan within the housing and having a rear opening, mounting means on said housing adapted for removably mounting said housing on a plenum or the like having an opening for operative register with said housing rear opening, a water reservoir on the lower end of said housing, a frame carrying a motor driven porous water pickup pad, and means whereby said frame may be slidably inserted into said housing into operative location through said rear opening so that said pad is registered with said openings and has its lower end immersed in water in said reservoir, said frame being removable from the housing only through said rear opening so that said frame is not accessible for removal from the housing except when the entire housing is removed from said plenum or the like, said housing being also open at its lower end, and said water reservoir being a pan-like member having means whereby it may be independently slidably inserted into guide means at the lower end of said rear housing opening to be disposed in covering relation to said bottom opening and in operative association with said pad, said member being also non-accessible for removal from the housing except when the entire housing is removed from said plenum or the like.

6. The humidifier defined in claim 5, wherein said housing is substantially entirely open at its rear and said rear opening is generally rectangular, slide tabs on the side edges of said rear opening for coaction with slide guide means for mounting the housing on the plenum or the like, and means extending along the upper edge of said housing rear opening for cooperating with means on the plenum or the like for suspending said housing on the plenum or like with said pad being effectively disposed to extend over the major area of said opening.

7. The humidifier defined in claim 5, wherein said housing rear opening is generally rectangular and the housing is provided with slide guide means open at the upper edge of said rear opening for receiving said frame, and said housing is provided with slide guide means open at the lower edge of said opening for receiving said water reservoir, and stop means is provided within the housing for arresting inward movement of said frame when the pad is disposed substantially in the plane of said rear opening.

8. The humidifier assembly defined in claim 7, wherein said pad is an endless porous band mounted on upper and lower rollers rotatably mounted on said frame, and an electric motor connected for driving one of said rollers is mounted on the frame.