Blower housing with maximized interior spacing

• US 6,553,923 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2002
• Issued: 04/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2000
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Jakel Motors Incorporated
• Original Assignee: William Stuart Jr. Gatley
• Inventors: Gatley, William Stuart Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazarus, Ira S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RINEHART, KENNETH
• Application Number:
  US10/127,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20020178980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 415/182.1, 415/203, 415/206, 415/224, 415/213.1, 415/214.1, 454/16, 110/205, 110/206, 110/214, 110/297, 110/147, 110/162
• US Class Current: 110/162
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/4226 Fan casings
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/626 Mounting or removal of fans
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 425/047 Seal ring

Abstract

A blower for a high efficiency furnace is provided with an increased interior space for accommodating an impeller of maximum practicable diameter. The blower includes a blower motor and a blower housing having a bottom piece and a top piece assembling with the bottom piece to define an interior of the blower housing. The top piece includes an annular lower support portion for supporting the blower motor and an annular upper portion extending above and around the lower portion. The upper portion has an outer peripheral edge and lugs extending outward beyond the outer peripheral edge. The lugs have lug holes to receive mechanical fasteners to secure the blower housing to an external device. The head of the mechanical fasteners are positioned above the lugs on the upper portion of the top piece. In this arrangement the diameter of the bottom piece is not limited by a need to accommodate spacing for the head of the mechanical fastener. Additionally, the top piece and bottom piece have interlocking internal seals that provide positive engagement when the blower housing is assembled.

Claims

1. A blower for a climate control device having a surface with a plurality of mounting holes arranged in a pattern on the surface for mounting the blower to the surface of the device, the blower comprising:

a blower housing top piece having a peripheral edge that extends around the top piece, a plurality of lugs that project outwardly from the peripheral edge with each lug having a lug hole;

a blower housing annular wall having a volute shape with a discharge pipe projecting from the annular wall, the annular wall extending around the peripheral edge of the top piece and being dimensioned to be positioned on the device surface inside the pattern of the plurality of mounting holes with the lug holes of the top piece aligned with the plurality of mounting holes; and

,

a blower housing bottom piece having a peripheral edge that extends around the bottom piece, a plurality of mounting flanges that project outwardly from the bottom piece peripheral edge with each mounting flange having a flange hole, the bottom piece being positioned on an opposite side of the annular wall from the top piece and being dimensioned to be positioned on the device surface with the flange holes aligned with the plurality of mounting holes.

2. The blower of claim 1, further comprising:

the blower housing annular wall extending around the peripheral edge of the bottom piece.

3. The blower of claim 1, further comprising:

each lug of the plurality of lugs being positioned opposite a mounting flange of the plurality of mounting flanges on opposite sides of the annular wall.

4. The blower of claim 1, further comprising:

each lug hole being positioned opposite a flange hole on opposite sides of the annular wall.

5. The blower of claim 1, further comprising:

the plurality of lugs being spatially arranged around the top piece peripheral edge and the plurality of mounting flanges being spatially arranged around the bottom piece peripheral edge.

6. The blower of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of legs spatially arranged around the top piece peripheral edge and the bottom piece peripheral edge, each leg projecting outwardly from the top piece peripheral edge and the bottom piece peripheral edge and each leg having an interior surface that extends between a lug hole and a flange hole.

7. The blower of claim 1, further comprising:

plurality of legs spatially arranged around the top piece peripheral edge and the bottom piece peripheral edge and extending across the annular wall between a lug and a mounting flange, each leg projecting outwardly from the top piece peripheral edge, the bottom piece peripheral edge and the annular wall.

8. The blower of claim 1, further comprising:

each of the lug holes and each of the flange holes having oblong shapes.

9. The blower of claim 1, further comprising:

the top piece having a shaft hole extending through the top piece and a plurality of mounting fittings spatially arranged around the shaft hole to enable attaching a motor to the top piece with a shaft of the motor passing through the shaft hole.

10. The blower of claim 3, further comprising:

each lug hole having an oblong shape.

11. A blower for a climate control device having a surface for mounting the blower to the device, the blower comprising:

a blower housing top piece having a peripheral edge that extends around the top piece, a shaft hole extending through the top piece and a plurality of mounting fittings spatially arranged around the shaft hole for attaching a motor to the top piece with a shaft of the motor passing through the shaft hole,

a blower housing annular wall having a volute shape with a discharge pipe projecting from the annular wall, the annular wall extending around the peripheral edge of the top piece; and

,

a plurality of legs spatially arranged around the peripheral edge of the top piece and projecting outwardly from the peripheral edge and outwardly from the annular wall, the legs extending from the top piece peripheral edge across the annular wall to support the top piece in a horizontal orientation above the annular wall and the climate control device surface when the blower is mounted on the device surface.

12. The blower of claim 11, further comprising:

a motor mounted on the top piece by the mounting fittings, the plurality of legs supporting the motor in a vertical orientation on the top piece and supporting the top piece in a horizontal orientation above the annular wall and the climate control device surface when the blower is mounted on the surface.

13. The blower of claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of fasteners extending through the plurality of legs to mount the blower to the climate control device surface.

14. The blower of claim 13, further comprising:

each of the plurality of fasteners has a driving end that seats against the top piece.

15. The blower of claim 14, further comprising:

each fastener driving end extending horizontally over the annular wall.

16. The blower of claim 11, further comprising:

a plurality of lugs spatially arranged around the top piece peripheral edge projecting outwardly from the peripheral edge, each lug has a lug hole, and the plurality of legs extend downwardly from the plurality of lugs.

17. The blower of claim 11, further comprising:

a blower housing bottom piece having a peripheral edge that extends around the bottom piece, a plurality of mounting flanges that project outwardly from the bottom piece peripheral edge with each mounting flange being positioned to be engaged by a leg of the plurality of legs when the blower housing is mounted on the climate control device surface.

18. The blower of claim 17, further comprising:

each mounting flange having a flange hole.

19. The blower of claim 17, further comprising:

blower housing annular wall extends around the peripheral edge of the bottom piece.

20. A blower for a climate control device having a surface with a plurality of mounting holes arranged in a pattern on the surface for mounting the blower to the surface of the device, the blower comprising:

a blower housing annular wall having a volute shape with a discharge pipe projecting from the annular wall, the annular wall being dimensioned to be positioned on the device surface inside the pattern of the plurality of mounting holes;

a blower housing top piece extending across the annular wall, the blower housing top piece having a plurality of lug holes spatially arranged outside the annular wall and in a pattern that aligns each lug hole with a mounting hole on the device surface when mounting the blower to the device surface, each of the lug holes having an oblong shape; and

,

a blower housing bottom piece extending across the annular wall on an opposite side of the annular wall from the blower housing top piece, the bottom piece having a plurality of flange holes spatially arranged outside the annular wall and in a pattern that aligns each flange hole with a mounting hole on the device surface when mounting the blower to the device surface, and each of the flange holes having an oblong shape.

21. The blower of claim 20, further comprising:

the top piece having a peripheral edge that follows the volute shape of the annular wall and the bottom piece having a peripheral edge that follows the volute shape of the annular wall.

22. The blower of claim 20, further comprising:

the top piece having a peripheral edge and a plurality of lugs projecting outwardly from the peripheral edge with the plurality of lug holes being in the plurality of lugs; and

the bottom piece having a peripheral edge and a plurality of mounting flanges projecting outwardly from the peripheral edge with the plurality of flange holes being in the mounting flanges.

23. The blower of claim 20, further comprising:

the top piece having a peripheral edge;

the bottom piece having a peripheral edge; and

,

a plurality of legs that project outwardly from the top piece peripheral edge and the bottom piece peripheral edge and extend between the plurality of lug holes and the plurality of flange holes.