Apparatus and method for germicidally cleaning air in a duct system
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for germicidally cleansing of a fluid comprising:
- a chamber formed from a series of more than one interconnected truncated mating ellipsoidal sections each such section having openings at opposite ends along the section'"'"'s longitudinal axis intercepting sections mating at such openings and forming intersection openings sufficient to allow both the fluid and to pass between the sections, the first such ellipsoidal section in the series forming the chamber having an inlet opening to allow the fluid to enter the chamber and the last such ellipsoidal section having an exit opening to allow the fluid to exit the chamber;
the inner wall of the chamber being made from an ultraviolet reflective material;
ultraviolet light sources positioned in one or more of said sections of the chamber;
the wall of each section being curved to direct the UV irradiation from the UV source throughout the entire chamber such that the energy in the UV chamber is uniform throughout the chamber and accumulates over time to reach a steady state energy level greater than that emitted by the UV source.
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Abstract
A germicidal UV chamber for use on air passing through a duct system, such as a central air system which replace one or more sections of the duct and, in essence, becomes part of the duct work. Each chamber is in the form of one or more ellipsoid sections which focus the energy uniformly throughout the chamber. A chamber is mounted at each return vent to cleanse the air from a room as it returns to the duct system. In addition, where exterior contamination is feared, outside air entering the system may also be treated. Chambers may be connected by their respective ducts in series or in parallel.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for germicidally cleansing of a fluid comprising:
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a chamber formed from a series of more than one interconnected truncated mating ellipsoidal sections each such section having openings at opposite ends along the section'"'"'s longitudinal axis intercepting sections mating at such openings and forming intersection openings sufficient to allow both the fluid and to pass between the sections, the first such ellipsoidal section in the series forming the chamber having an inlet opening to allow the fluid to enter the chamber and the last such ellipsoidal section having an exit opening to allow the fluid to exit the chamber; the inner wall of the chamber being made from an ultraviolet reflective material; ultraviolet light sources positioned in one or more of said sections of the chamber; the wall of each section being curved to direct the UV irradiation from the UV source throughout the entire chamber such that the energy in the UV chamber is uniform throughout the chamber and accumulates over time to reach a steady state energy level greater than that emitted by the UV source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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3. An apparatus of claim 3, where each intersection opening is circular having a radius equal to or less than 0.16 of the sum of the untruncated ellipsoidal length and the ellipsoidal diameter of the section at its widest point.
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10. An apparatus for germicidally cleansing air in a duct system comprising:
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a chamber formed from at least one truncated spherical section having an inlet opening to allow air to enter the chamber and a separate exit opening to allow air to exit the chamber; ultraviolet light sources positioned in the chamber; the internal walls of the chamber being made from an ultraviolet reflective material and the walls of the chamber shaped to direct ultraviolet light into and upon the walls of the chamber uniformly throughout the chamber and such that the energy in the chamber accumulates over time to reach a uniform steady state energy level greater than that emitted by the UV source; and an adapter to mate the chamber with the duct system. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus for germicidally cleansing air in a duct system comprising:
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a chamber having an inlet opening to allow air to enter the chamber and a separate exit opening to allow air to exit the chamber; ultraviolet light sources positioned in the chamber; the internal walls of the chamber being made from an ultraviolet reflective material and the walls of the chamber shaped to direct ultraviolet light into and upon the walls of the chamber uniformly throughout the chamber and such that the energy in the chamber accumulates over time to reach a uniform steady state energy level greater than that emitted by the UV source; an adapter to mate the chamber with the duct system; and UV reflective end caps positioned at the inlet opening and the exit opening of the chamber to reflect UV irradiation back into the chamber, wherein air is circulated past the end caps and into the chamber in a space between the end caps and the chamber and the end caps form a seal with the ducts so that all air passing through the ducts must pass through the chamber. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. An apparatus for germicidally cleansing of a fluid comprising:
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a chamber formed from a series of more than one interconnected ellipsoidal sections each such section having openings at opposite ends along the section'"'"'s longitudinal axis, intercepting sections mating at such openings and forming intersection openings sufficient to allow both the fluid and UV irradiation to pass between the sections, the first such ellipsoidal section in the series forming the chamber having an inlet opening to allow the fluid to enter the chamber and the last such ellipsoidal section having an exit opening to allow the fluid to exit the chamber; the inner wall of the chamber being made from an ultraviolet reflective material; ultraviolet light sources positioned in one or more of said sections of the chamber; the wall of each section being shaped to uniformly distribute the irradiation from the UV source throughout the entire chamber such that exposure of a microorganism passing through the chamber is extended without an increase in UV input power.
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Specification