Air purifier unit

• US 6,017,375 A
• Filed: 02/02/1998
• Issued: 01/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Carrier Corporation (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Bolton, Theodore S., Duell, Richard J., Stopyra, Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Simmons, David A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hopkins, Robert A.
• Application Number:
  US09/017,068
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 55/467, 55/471, 55/473, 55/490, 55/495, 55/503, 55/356, 55/357, 55/497, 55/482, 55/486, 55/511
• US Class Current: 55/356
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0071 with means for purifying supplied air perfuming or deodorising means F24F1/008
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/20 Casings or covers

Abstract

An air handling unit that includes a main support member and front, rear and top covers mounted on said support that forms a housing for enclosing said unit. The covers have side walls that close over the support frame in abutting contact to form an interlocking seam therebetween at closure. Ribs are mounted upon the side walls of the support frame which bias the side walls of the covers outwardly to render the seam relatively air tight at closure. Two covers are securely affixed to the main support member while the other is removably attached to the main support member by a latching means. A HEPA filter is mounted in the main support member along with a blower system for drawing air through said housing.

Claims

1. A portable air purifier unit that includes:

a rectangular main support member having a top wall, a bottom wall, two opposed side walls and an internal wall attached to said other walls;

said internal wall having front and back faces and an orifice passing through said internal wall;

a scroll located on the back face of the internal wall having a discharge opening that passes through the top wall of the main support member and a mounting bracket on the front face of the internal wall;

a blower motor secured to said bracket having a shaft that passes through the orifice into said scroll;

cover means mounted on said main support member for completely enclosing said support member, said cover means includes a top cover and a rear cover that are secured to the main support member and a front access cover removably attached to said main support member, said front and rear covers having abutting side edges containing interlocking means for forming seams for completely enclosing the side walls of the support member, said cover means further providing a substantially air tight enclosure for said unit; and

a primary filter means removably mounted on the front of said main support member.

2. The air purifier unit of claim 1 that further includes contoured ribs on the outside of the side walls of said main support member for biasing side walls on said front and rear covers outwardly to tightly close said seams.

3. The air purifier unit of claim 1 that further includes latching means operable between the front access cover and the main support member for removably supporting the access cover to said main support member.

4. The air purifier unit of claim 3 wherein the latching means includes a latching bar mounted on the outside of the opposed side walls of said main support member and latching ears and stops mounted upon the inside of the opposed side walls of said front access cover that are arranged such that said latching bars are disposed between said latching ears and said stops.

5. A portable air purifier unit that includes

a rectangular main support member having top, bottom and side walls and an internal wall that is integral with said other walls,

a scroll located on the back face of said internal wall that communicates with a discharge opening in the top wall of the main support member,

a rear cover having a bottom wall, a pair of side walls and a back panel, said back panel arranged to close the back of the scroll and the back of the discharge opening,

means for securing the rear cover to the support so that the bottom and side walls of the rear cover partially encompass the back portion of the main support member,

a top cover secured to the top wall of the main support member in abutting contact with the back panel and side walls of the rear cover, said top cover having a discharge vent positioned over the discharge opening in the support frame and a raised partition extending across the front of said top cover,

a removable front access cover having top, bottom and side walls that are integral with a front panel and containing an air inlet vent, the walls of the front cover encompassing the front portion of the main support member and the raised partition on the top cover,

the side walls and bottom wall of the front cover in abutting contact with similar walls on the rear cover and the top wall of the front cover in abutting contact with the raised partition on the top cover, thereby completely enclosing the main support member;

a latching means operable between the side walls of the main support member and the front cover for removably securing the front cover to the main support member,

a motor means mounted on the front face of the internal wall of the main support member having a shaft passing through an orifice in said internal wall into said scroll, and a fan mounted upon said shaft within the scroll to draw air through said inlet vent and exhaust the air through the discharge vent; and

at least one filter means mounted inside the front cover for filtering air passing through said front cover.

6. The air handling unit of claim 5 that further includes interlocking means extending along the abutting edges of the covers that coact to form tight joint between the covers.

7. The air handling unit of claim 5 that further includes the ribs mounted upon the outside of the side walls of the main support member for engaging side walls on the front and rear covers and urging the side walls of the front and rear cover outwardly to tighten the joint between the interlocked cover walls.

8. The air handling unit of claim 5 that further includes a filter frame that is slidably received in the front of the support, a HEPA filter pack mounted within said frame, and an air tight joint formed between the filter pack and the filter frame.

9. The housing of claim 8 wherein said filter frame has a flange encircling its outer periphery, said flange being arranged to receive the front edge of the main support member therein.

10. The housing of claim 8 that further includes a secondary filter mounted in said front access cover behind the inlet vent.

11. The housing of claim 5 wherein said latching means include ribs mounted on the outside of each side wall of the main support member and coacting beveled latching ears mounted on the inside of the side walls of the front cover that are arranged to snap over the latching ribs to removably attach the front cover to the main support member.

12. The housing of claim 5 wherein said raised partition in the top cover has a recessed handle centrally located beneath the top wall of the front access cover that opens to the rear of said partition.