U.S. patent application number 11/351534 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-09 for vertical self-contained air conditioner.
Invention is credited to Ronald N. Shostack.
Application Number | 20070180840 11/351534 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38332608 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070180840 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shostack; Ronald N. |
August 9, 2007 |
Vertical self-contained air conditioner
Abstract
An apparatus for cooling air that utilizes a reservoir that may
be filled with low temperature substances or other cooled liquid or
solid material. The reservoir is thoroughly insulated and contains
a vertical air duct where the air duct utilizes a battery powered
fan capable of drawing in warm air from outside of the base unit
and cooling it by passing it over thermally conductive fins
embedded within the duct in a turbulent fashion and expelling it
back into the surrounding environment. The entire unit may be
secured to the rear of a seat or chair to allow the person sitting
to rest in comfort despite being surrounded by uncomfortable
environment with a high ambient temperature.
Inventors: |
Shostack; Ronald N.;
(US) |
Correspondence
Address: |
VENABLE, CAMPILLO, LOGAN & MEANEY, P.C.
1938 E. OSBORN RD
PHOENIX
AZ
85016-7234
US
|
Family ID: |
38332608 |
Appl. No.: |
11/351534 |
Filed: |
February 9, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/186 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28F 1/422 20130101;
F24F 5/0017 20130101; F28F 1/42 20130101; A61L 9/122 20130101; Y02E
60/14 20130101; F24F 8/50 20210101 |
Class at
Publication: |
062/186 |
International
Class: |
F25D 17/04 20060101
F25D017/04 |
Claims
1. A portable air conditioner for cooling an air temperature
outside of the portable air conditioner comprising: a. A reservoir;
i. said reservoir further comprising a sealed container for storing
low temperature matter, said reservoir further comprising a lower
opening and an upper opening; b. A motorized airflow generator; c.
An air duct; said air duct further comprising: i. an air intake
valve; ii. an exhaust valve; iii. a central chamber; 1. said
central chamber further comprising: a. atop; b. a bottom; c. an
outer surface; d. one or more outer fins, said outer fins being
coupled generally perpendicular to said outer surface of said
central chamber such that said outer fins access the inside of said
central chamber; e. one or more inner fins further comprising one
or more surface areas wherein said inner fins are in direct contact
with said outer fins; 2. said air intake valve coupled to the
bottom of said central chamber; d. said motorized airflow generator
coupled to said air intake valve; e. said upper opening coupled to
said exhaust valve of said air duct; f. said air intake valve
fitted within said lower opening of said reservoir; g. said exhaust
valve secured to the top of the central chamber; h. said motorized
airflow generator such that when said airflow generator receives
power from a power source, the airflow generator generates an
airflow that originates from outside of said portable air
conditioner and flows into said air intake valve; i. said airflow
having a temperature and continuing in motion such that said
airflow may come in contact with the surface area of said inner
fins in such a way that said airflow deflects off of said surface
area in multiple directions such that if said surface area has a
temperature that is less than the temperature of the airflow then
the surface area reduces the temperature of said airflow; j. said
airflow continuing in motion such that said airflow enters said
exhaust valve and is expelled outside of said portable air
conditioner.
2. The portable air conditioner of claim 1 further comprising: a.
An aroma cartridge; b. A directional air dispenser further
comprising a first and second airway; i. Said directional air
dispenser is coupled to said exhaust chamber such that said airflow
may enter into said dispenser from said exhaust chamber; ii. Said
aroma cartridge coupled to said second airway such that when said
airflow enters into said dispenser from said exhaust chamber, said
airflow may be expelled from either said first or second airway;
iii. Said aroma cartridge further comprising a scented insert such
that when said airflow enters said second airway, said airflow
contacts said scented insert and becomes fragrant as said airflow
is expelled from said second airway.
3. The portable air conditioner of claim 2 wherein said aroma
cartridge further comprises a variable airflow outlet control such
that said control varies the airflow through said second airway
ranging from an open position to a closed position.
4. The portable air conditioner of claim 1 wherein said portable
air conditioner is secured to the rear of a chair such that when
said airflow is expelled from said exhaust valve, the temperature
of the ambient air near the chair is reduced.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to portable air
conditioning units and specifically for use as attachments to the
rear of chairs or seats. Specifically, the air conditioning unit
cools the surrounding air by ingesting ambient air, and cooling it
by fanning the air across a surface area of a thermally conductive
material. The thermally conductive material is in direct contact
with a cooled substance having a temperature that is much lower
than the surrounding air. By doing so, that the surface area
temperature approaches that of the liquid.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Outdoors seating, whether in an open-air stadium, at a park,
or on a patio is often subject to extreme temperatures during the
summer months. It is desirable to be seated in air-conditioned
comfort regardless of the temperature. One approach to address the
problem would be to install a portable air conditioner on the rear
of the seat capable of providing a personal cooling system.
[0003] The main problem with manufacturing a portable air
conditioning unit is cost. Most air conditioning units are very
expensive, bulky, contain elements that are potentially harmful to
the environment, and often require an AC external power source to
operate. An air conditioning unit that is small and efficient
enough to operate on its own power source and be secured to a seat
would be highly desirable. The present invention addresses each of
those obstacles using a device that ingests ambient air into a
thermally conductive path containing fins that are cooled by a
reservoir containing substances cooled to a low temperature. It is
desirable that ice is used, but any chilled substance would be
permissible.
[0004] It is known in the prior art that the use of frozen liquids,
namely ice, can be used to cool ambient air when the air is fanned
across the surface area of the ice or other conducting surface
areas that come in contact with the frozen liquids. When the
ambient air contacts a low-temperature surface area, the air is
instantly cooled several degrees. However, many of these prior art
systems do not efficiently lower the temperature of the air as the
present invention is capable of doing.
[0005] The present invention addresses the efficiency concerns by
providing a portable air conditioning unit that cools the
surrounding air near a seat for use in warm environments. The
present invention makes use of a portable apparatus that includes a
reservoir for cooled liquid or ice that surrounds an air duct. The
air duct receives ambient air on one end and expels it into the
general area at the top of the seat. The reservoir should be
insulated as much as possible from the ambient air temperature.
[0006] The air duct contains a series of fins that are assembled so
they are in contact with other thermally conducting fins outside of
the air duct and exposed to the contents of the reservoir. This
creates a heat exchange system designed to maximize the exposure of
the air to the exposed surface area of the fins in the air duct.
The only air that is cooled is the air that comes in direct contact
with the fins in the air duct.
[0007] The entire external surface of the unit should be heavily
insulated in order to prevent unwanted heat from coming into
contact with the reservoir's contents. When the reservoir is filled
with cold liquid or ice, the exposed surface area of the fins is
cooled to the temperature of the reservoir's contents. The air duct
is connected on one side by an air intake chamber and by an air
exhaust chamber on the other. Warm air is drawn into the intake
chamber from a battery-powered variable-speed motorized fan that
creates a vacuum in the chamber. The fan then pushes the warm air
through the air duct and is dehumidified and cooled when it
contacts the exposed surface area of the fins that extrude either
in a louvre or coil style relative to the surface of the air duct.
The fins provide resistance and vary the direction of the air
thereby creating turbulence. The temperature from within the
reservoir is transferred down through the outer fins which
indirectly come in contact with the fins inside the air duct. The
turbulence greatly enhances the thermal conductive capacity of the
system so that the heat transfer can occur at an efficient rate and
maximizes the time that the temperature of the exposed surface of
the reservoir remains cold. The turbulent air molecules bounce off
of the adjacent surface areas of the inner fins as they move up the
air duct. The cooled air is then propelled into an exhaust chamber
where it is thrust into the external environment and may be used to
generally cool a surrounding area of the seat.
[0008] Over a period of time while low temperature substances come
in contact with the surface of the fins that are exposed to the
interior of the reservoir or container, a narrow region next to the
surface of the heat exchanger exists where the velocity of the
fluid is zero and rapidly changes to a finite number as the
distance from the surface increases. This is known as the boundary
layer. The fluid's velocity is zero due to a variety of factors
ranging from molecular attraction to surface tension to friction.
When a boundary layer forms, it may prevent the surface area of the
fins from efficient thermal conductivity between the inner
reservoir to the surface area of the fins. This lack of conduction
is due to the layer of insulation the boundary layer creates from
the fluid directly adjacent to the exposed surface of the heat
exchanger. The present invention helps reduce the negative affects
of the boundary layer on the efficiency of the system.
[0009] Another feature of the apparatus is that the airflow may be
directed by means of a nozzle, which is attached to the exhaust
valve of the unit. It is also understood that to a person of
reasonable skill in the art that the underlying claimed invention
for a portable air conditioner can be utilized in other
applications such as seating for automobiles, boats, RVs, trucks,
or any similar application.
Discussion of the Prior Art
[0010] The use of air conditioners is known in the prior art. More
specifically, air conditioners that cool the surrounding air that
exchange heat while passing outside air over cooled surfaces is
discussed in the prior art. Other similar portable air conditioning
devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,427,476; 6,227,004;
6,119,477; 5,953,933; 5,062,281; 5,046,329; and 4,841,742 and
5,724,824.
[0011] While these devices aim to function as air conditioners, and
while each invention disclosed in the respective patents may
disclose a feature of the present invention, none of the
above-listed patents disclose the combination of features in the
present invention either individually or in combination with each
other in such a way that it would have been obvious to do so at the
time the present invention was conceived.
[0012] In addition, there is a need in the art for a device which
can function as a portable air conditioner when secured to the rear
of a seat that maximizes the time that ambient air may be cooled to
a temperature much lower than the ambient air temperature.
Furthermore, there is a need to acomplish these tasks utilizing a
removable cooling source in combination with a directed application
of the cooled air. A device of this type is disclosed by the
present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide
a portable air conditioner that utilizes a motorized fan to ingest
outside air and cool it by passing the air over the surface area of
thermally-conductive fins in an air duct before propelling the
cooled-air back into the environment.
[0014] It is a further object of the present invention to minimize
the temperature of cooled air by passing the air through a
turbulent environment with an air duct.
[0015] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
method of cooling outside air that efficiently ingests outside air,
and cools it by passing the outside air in a turbulent manner over
and through a cooled surface area within an air duct and expelling
the cooled air into the environment.
[0016] It is a further object of the present invention to utilize a
series of fins secured generally perpendicular to an air duct
capable of transferring the temperature inside a reservoir to
additional conducting fins inside the air duct.
[0017] It is a further object of the present invention to maximize
the efficiency of heat exchange by minimizing the effects of the
formation of a boundary layer on the thermally-conductive
material.
[0018] It is a further object of the present invention to use the
portable air conditioner in conjunction with a chair or seat such
that the air conditioner can be switched on whenever a person is
seated in the chair.
[0019] The description of the invention which follows, together
with the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting
the invention to the example shown and described, because those
skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able
to devise other forms thereof within the ambit of the appended
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the air conditioner
apparatus attached to the rear portion of a chair;
[0021] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the air conditioner
apparatus attached to the rear portion of a chair with a
cross-sectional view of the air conditioner;
[0022] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the air conditioning
apparatus;
[0023] FIG. 3 is a side view showing the exploded view of the air
conditioning apparatus;
[0024] FIG. 4 is a top view showing the exploded view of the air
conditioning apparatus.
[0025] FIG. 5A is a top view of the air duct unit showing the inner
duct using coil style fins;
[0026] FIG. 5B is a top view of the air duct unit showing the inner
duct using Louvre style fins;
[0027] FIG. 6 is an alternate embodiment of the air conditioning
unit showing a solid wall separating a vertical series of fins in a
rectangular shaped air duct.
[0028] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the inner portion of the air
conditioning unit demonstrating how the air flows through the unit
from bottom to top.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the device showing while
filled with a chilled substance.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0030] By way of one example of many to serve as background in
understanding the present invention, FIG. 1 shows a portable air
conditioner 200 secured to the rear of a chair 200. The air
conditioner 200 is secured to the rear of a chair 210. When an
individual sits in the chair 210, the air conditioner 200 ingests
ambient air 390 into the air conditioner 200, cools it, and expels
it from nozzle 205 in the general vicinity of the person seated in
the chair 210. Fig. 1A shows a cross section of the air conditioner
200 where the ambient air flow 390 is drawn into the air
conditioner 200 by means of an electric powered fan 217 within the
lower portion of the air conditioner 200.
[0031] FIGS. 2 and 3 show an exploded view of the air conditioner
200. An air duct 350 is shown. The air duct 350 is generally in the
shape of an elongated cylinder. However, the air duct 350 is not
limited to cylinders and can be formed in any suitable shape that
allows air to flow from a lower portion to an upper portion of the
air conditioner 200. The air duct 350 includes a tubular wall 380
that spans the entire length of the air duct 350. The wall 380 is
generally hollow to allow air to flow from the lower end to the
upper end of the wall 380. The wall 380 is surrounded by a series
of fins 360 formed perpendicular to the wall 380 such that the fins
360 penetrate the wall 380 and make direct contact with a series of
inner fins 370. The inner fins 370 shown in FIG. 2 are in a Louvre
arrangement such that the inner fins 370 are all parallel to each
other. The inner fins 370 are secured to the inner portion of the
wall 380 along the entire length of the air duct 350. An airflow
intake valve 390 is secured to the lower end of the air duct 350
directly to the wall 380 so that the entire circumference of the
wall 380 is surrounded by the valve 390.
[0032] A reservoir 305 consists of three parts: a rear bin 320, a
front bin 330, and a cap 300. These three parts when connected
together form the reservoir 305 that will hold frozen liquid as
shown in FIG. 8. The front ice bin 330 includes a hole 332 for
receiving the valve 390. The cap 300 is secured to the top of the
two bins 320 and 330 so that an expulsion valve 310 is located
directly over the circumference of the wall 380 on the top portion
of the duct 350. Air that is ingested into the duct 350 through the
valve 340 travels up the duct 350 while coming into direct contact
with the surface area of the inner fins 370 and then is expelled
through the expulsion valve 310 as shown at 400. As also shown in
FIG. 1A, an aromatic cartridge 206 can be secured within the nozzle
205 to provide a pleasant scent to the surrounding area. A switch
may be used to direct the air through either an aromatic pathway in
the nozzle 205 or an alternate pathway to prevent the scent from
being added to the airflow 390.
[0033] FIG. 4 shows a top exploded view of the reservoir 305. The
inner fins 370 are shown in an alternate coiled arrangement. The
outer fins 360 come into contact with the inner fins 370 on the
outer ring of the coil. The coil then wraps around to a center
point at 372. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ambient air 390 is
ingested into the valve 340 and then travels from the lower end of
the duct 350 along the surface area of the coiled fins 370 and is
then expelled through the top portion of the coils at 400. FIGS. 5A
and 5B show the alternate arrangement of the inner fins 370.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 8, the air conditioner works using the
reservoir 305 as a container for storing a liquid or solid whose
temperature is substantially colder than the air temperature
outside of the air conditioner 200 such as ice. The reservoir 305
is highly insulated on all sides. It is a primary goal for the
outer fins 360 to obtain, and subsequently retain, the same
temperature of the liquid or solid inside of the reservoir 305 for
as long as possible, and to remain in constant contact with the
inner fins 370 thereby cooling the inner fins 370 to the
temperature of the contents 375 inside the reservoir 220. The
surface area of the inner fins 370 is used to cool any air that
comes into contact with the surface area.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 7, air flow 390 from outside of the air
conditioner 200 is drawn into the air intake valve 340 by means of
a high-speed electric motor 217 that may be powered by a battery or
an AC/DC power source. The motor 217 turns a rotating fan 218 in a
manner that creates the airflow 390 that pulls in warmer air from
outside of the air conditioner 200. It is desirable to minimize the
volume of the air intake valve 340 while maximizing the amount of
airflow 390. The airflow 390 follows the general direction from the
air intake valve 340 through the fan 218 and into the cylindrical
wall 380. It is desirable to maximize the volume of the cylindrical
wall 380 while creating turbulence in the air through the use of
the inner fins 370. The inner fins 370 are in direct contact with
the outer fins 360 and create an environment such that the air
molecules would maximize the time that they come in contact with
the conductive surface area of the inner fins 370 thereby allowing
the temperature of the airflow 390 to be minimized so that it may
approach the temperature of the contents 375 inside of the
reservoir 305. Because the inner fins 370 are in direct contact
with the outer fins 360 located in the reservoir 305, the outer
fins 360 are able to continually cool the surface area of the inner
fins 370 for as long as the temperature of the contents 375 remains
in the reservoir 305 and maintains a temperature lower than the
ambient air flow 390.
[0036] The outer fins 360 and inner fins 370 are comprised of an
efficient thermally conductive material such as aluminum or copper.
It is understood that the outer fins 360 are not required to be
positioned exactly perpendicular to the wall 380. As stated above,
because the inner fins 370 are directly connected to the outer fins
360 and the outer fins 360 are located within the reservoir 305,
the temperature of the surface areas of all fins 360 and 370 will
drop to the temperature of the outer and inner fins 360 and 370 to
the temperature of the contents 375 of the reservoir 305. As the
airflow 390 passes between the inner fins 370, the airflow 390 will
have a maximum amount of cooled surface area in which it will come
in contact thereby minimizing the temperature of the airflow 390.
The airflow 390 will also change directions between each of the
inner fins 370 thereby creating air turbulence. This would be true
whether the Louvre or Coiled arrangement is used as shown in FIGS.
5A and 5B.
[0037] In an alternate embodiment as shown in FIG. 6, instead of
utilizing a tube shaped air duct 350, the reservoir 305 consists of
a rectangular wall 385 located substantially near the front portion
of the rear bin 320. The wall 385 creates a rectangular-shaped air
duct 367. The air intake valve 340 is located at the lower portion
of the rear bin 320. The front bin 330 is completely insulated and
unlike the previous embodiment, contains no air inlet. The rear bin
320 further consists of a series of outer fins 365 all arranged and
secured perpendicular to the wall 385. The outer fins 365 penetrate
the wall 385 and create inner fins 366 within the
rectangular-shaped air duct 367. As described above, some type of
frozen material is placed in the reservoir 305. The frozen material
375 as shown in FIG. 8 comes into direct contact with the outer
fins 365. Because the outer and inner fins 365 and 366 are made of
a thermally conductive material such as aluminum or copper, the
temperature of the inner fins 366 will eventually become
approximately the same as the contents of the reservoir 305. When
the airflow 395 is ingested into the valve 340, the motorized fan
218 pulls the ambient air into the rectangular-shaped air duct. The
airflow 395 then comes into direct contact with the surface area of
the inner fins 366 and becomes cooled substantially below the
ambient air temperature. The airflow 405 then enters the cap 300 as
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and is expelled out of the upper valve 310
into the nozzle 205 and into the surrounding area.
[0038] While the inventive apparatus, as well as a method of
cooling ambient air as described and claimed herein shown and
disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and
providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be
understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently
preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are
intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other
than as defined in the appended claims.
[0039] Although the invention has been described in detail with
reference to one or more particular preferred embodiments, persons
possessing ordinary skill in the art to which this invention
pertains will appreciate that various modifications and
enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the claims that follow.
* * * * *