U.S. patent application number 12/263639 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-06 for adaptable exhaust box.
This patent application is currently assigned to AIREX INC.. Invention is credited to Robert IANTORNO.
Application Number | 20100112928 12/263639 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42131995 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100112928 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
IANTORNO; Robert |
May 6, 2010 |
ADAPTABLE EXHAUST BOX
Abstract
An air exhaust box, for mounting in an exterior building wall
and connecting to at least one exhaust duct, includes: a housing
having side walls, a rear wall and a front exhaust opening; the
front opening having a mounting flange surrounding a periphery of
the opening and extending outwardly from the side walls; the rear
wall having an inlet opening greater than a predetermined maximum
dimension; each of the side walls being joined to the rear wall at
an angle less than 90 degrees; and a duct adapter having a cover
removably mountable to the rear wall with removable fasteners, the
cover having an outer dimension larger than said maximum dimension
of the inlet opening and a rearwardly projecting duct sleeve with
an inner opening of size between said maximum dimension and a
minimum dimension.
Inventors: |
IANTORNO; Robert;
(Mississauga, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
OGILVY RENAULT LLP
1, Place Ville Marie, SUITE 2500
MONTREAL
QC
H3B 1R1
CA
|
Assignee: |
AIREX INC.
Brampton
CA
|
Family ID: |
42131995 |
Appl. No.: |
12/263639 |
Filed: |
November 3, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
454/271 ;
454/339 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F24F 13/0236 20130101;
F24F 2007/002 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
454/271 ;
454/339 |
International
Class: |
F24F 13/20 20060101
F24F013/20; F24F 7/00 20060101 F24F007/00 |
Claims
1. An air exhaust box, for mounting in an exterior building wall
and connecting to at least one exhaust duct, comprising: a housing
having side walls, a rear wall and a front exhaust opening; the
front opening having a mounting flange surrounding a periphery of
the opening and extending outwardly from the side walls; the rear
wall having an inlet opening greater than a predetermined maximum
dimension; each of the side walls being joined to the rear wall at
an angle less than 90 degrees; and a duct adapter having a cover
removably mountable to the rear wall with removable fasteners, the
cover having an outer dimension larger than said maximum dimension
of the inlet opening and a rearwardly projecting duct sleeve with
an inner opening of size between said maximum dimension and a
minimum dimension.
2. The exhaust box of claim 1 having a plurality of adjacent inlet
openings and associated duct adapters, including a baffle wall
extending between the adjacent inlet openings from the rear wall to
the front exhaust opening.
3. The exhaust box of claim 2 wherein the number of inlet openings
is between 2 and 4.
4. The exhaust box of claim 1 wherein the minimum dimension is a
cylindrical sleeve diameter of between 4 inches and 6 inches.
5. The exhaust box of claim 1 wherein the adapter includes a
forwardly projecting frame.
6. The exhaust box of claim 1 wherein the flange comprises a bent
over front lip portion of each side wall, wherein each lip portion
is joined to adjacent lip portions in an overlapping corner joint.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates to an exhaust box for mounting in the
exterior wall of a building to exhaust air from building ducts
through the exterior wall.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
[0002] The rooms of residential, commercial and industrial
buildings are exhausted and air circulated using various fans,
blowers and are ducts. Moisture, contaminated air and dust are
drawn from rooms and conveyed through ducts to roof vents or
exhausted through exterior walls.
[0003] Conventional ducts used in residential buildings are
cylindrical or rectangular tubes made of sheet metal, flexible
corrugated metal or plastic. In the present description and
drawings only cylindrical ducts are used as an example, however it
will be understood that the invention can accommodate any
conventional duct type to equal advantage.
[0004] Conventional exterior wall exhaust boxes are mounted in an
exterior wall through an opening in the wall structure, through a
portion of a window frame or an upper part of a door frame. The
exhaust boxes may be difficult to access after construction and
therefore long term maintenance-free service is important.
[0005] For example, high rise apartments or condominiums may have
exhaust boxes through walls many stories above the ground that
exhaust bathrooms and kitchens of the high rise unit. Moisture
laden air exhausting outdoors will result in water condensation on
colder surfaces of the exhaust box.
[0006] Excessive condensation will enable mildew, mold and even
fungi to grow within the exhaust box and adjacent ducts. Such
growth absorbs even more water causing metal corrosion. Fungal and
mold spores create a health hazard. Runoff of precipitation that
enters the exhaust box can cause staining of the adjacent building
wall. Excessive growth can interfere with check valves or seals
that prevent outside air inflow into the building ducts. Therefore
prevention of moisture buildup is an important goal of exhaust box
design.
[0007] It is preferable to have the least number of wall openings
in a building as possible, to minimize air infiltration and
insulation problems. Typically an apartment or condominium unit
will have a kitchen exhaust fan over the stove and exhaust fans in
each bathroom. The number of ducts and sizes of ducts that join to
the exhaust box may vary considerably. For example, ducts of 4, 5
or 6 inch diameter may be commonly used in a single dwelling unit
and the number of bathrooms varies resulting in between 1 to 4
ducts joining to a single exhaust box.
[0008] Conventionally, due to the variety of possible combinations
of duct sizes and numbers, exhaust boxes are manufactured to order.
Contractors and purchasers must specify the number of ducts, the
duct diameters and the specific order in which ducts are arranged.
If mistakes are made in ordering exhaust boxes, or if changes are
made during construction, the conventional exhaust boxes cannot be
easily modified on site. Changes to the ducting and exhaust boxes
results in significant construction delays, increased costs and
wasted materials.
[0009] Therefore it is desirable to have a wallbox design that is
adaptable to the inevitable changes that occur during construction,
simple enough to fabricate on a very short notice and of standard
components to minimize the inventory required by a
manufacturer.
[0010] Features that distinguish the present invention from the
background art will be apparent from review of the disclosure,
drawings and description of the invention presented below.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The invention provides an air exhaust box, for mounting in
an exterior building wall and connecting to at least one exhaust
duct, includes: a housing having side walls, a rear wall and a
front exhaust opening; the front opening having a mounting flange
surrounding a periphery of the opening and extending outwardly from
the side walls; the rear wall having an inlet opening greater than
a predetermined maximum dimension; each of the side walls being
joined to the rear wall at an angle less than 90 degrees; and a
duct adapter having a cover removably mountable to the rear wall
with removable fasteners, the cover having an outer dimension
larger than said maximum dimension of the inlet opening and a
rearwardly projecting duct sleeve with an inner opening of size
between said maximum dimension and a minimum dimension.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] In order that the invention may be readily understood, one
embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the
accompanying drawings.
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front-top of an exhaust
box with three inlet openings and showing three adapters with three
different diameter sized duct sleeves.
[0014] FIG. 2 shows the exhaust box of FIG. 1 in a vertical
position to indicate that the exhaust box can be installed with any
sloped side wall downward.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a front view of the exhaust box of FIG. 1 showing
the front flange and rear wall with three inlet openings separated
by baffle walls.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a side view of the exhaust box showing the
insertion of the adapter with duct sleeve extending rearwardly
through the inlet opening.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a three opening exhaust box
with three adapters of equal size.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a two opening exhaust box
with two adapters of equal size.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a single opening exhaust box
with a single adapter.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a side view, similar to FIG. 4, of an alternative
embodiment of the exhaust box showing only the lower long side wall
as sloped and the upper long side wall as horizontal.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a side view of the alternative embodiment of the
exhaust box showing only the lower short side wall as sloped and
the upper short side wall as horizontal, with baffle walls also
sloped to shed moisture accumulation.
[0022] FIG. 10 is a front view of the alternative embodiment of the
exhaust box to show the sloping baffle walls and overlapping corner
portions of the walls that form the front flange.
[0023] FIG. 11 is a plan view of flat sheet metal blanks used to
form a two opening version of the exhaust box such as shown in FIG.
6, using the drawing convention that solid lines indicate cuts,
dashed lines indicate upward folding lines and dash-dotted lines
indicate downward folding lines.
[0024] Further details of the invention and its advantages will be
apparent from the detailed description included below.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a front top of an exhaust
box 1 which has three inlet openings 2. FIG. 1 also shows three
different sized adaptors 3, 4, 5, namely a four inch diameter
adaptor 3 a five inch diameter adaptor 4 and a six inch diameter
adaptor 4. Each of the three adaptors 3, 4, 5 has a different size
duct sleeve 6 to suit different diameters of exhaust ducts 10.
[0026] Inlet openings 2 in the rear wall 14 are sized for a maximum
dimension, for example 61/8 inch inside diameter, such that the
largest 6 inch outside diameter adaptor 5 can fit in any one of the
inlet openings 2, and the other smaller adaptors 3 and 4 can also
be mounted through any opening 2. Accordingly, the inlet openings 2
are all standardized to have a maximum diameter size (ex. 6.125
inch) and the adapters 3, 4, 5 are standardized with mounting screw
holes 8, 9 having varying sizes of duct sleeves 6 on which
cylindrical exhaust ducts 10 can be mounted. In the embodiment
shown, the adapters 3-5 can be attached in position within the
inlet opening 2 by installing removable screw fasteners 7 through
aligned pre-drilled holes 8 and 9.
[0027] The forward portion of the air exhaust box 1 is mounted in
an exterior building wall, a door frame or window frame (not shown)
and a rear portion of the sleeves 6 connect to at least one exhaust
duct 10.
[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates the exhaust box 1 of FIG. 1 but oriented
in a vertical position to indicate that the exhaust box 1 can be
positioned with any one of the side walls 12-13 in a downward
position. Since all side walls 12-13 are sloped or tapered towards
the front exhaust opening 15, in any orientation of the box 1,
moisture can drain forwardly out of the box 1.
[0029] The assembled air exhaust box 1 is comprised of the
generally rectangular housing 11 and multiple duct adapters 3, 4
and 5. It will be understood that the number of inlet openings 2
and adaptors 3, 4 and 5 depend entirely on the specific
installation and the housing can have 1 to 4 different inlet
openings 2, for example, with different sized adaptors 3-5 to suit
any installation. Experience with residential exhaust systems shows
that anywhere from 1 to 4 exhaust ducts is not unusual, but it will
be understood that the invention is not restricted to any number or
size of duct adapters 3-5.
[0030] As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing 11 in the
illustrated example has trapezoidal shaped sidewalls namely long
sidewalls 12 and short sidewalls 13. The complete housing has a
rear wall 14 and a front exhaust opening 15 to which the side walls
12-13 connect. Conventional galvanized sheet metal cutting,
bending, spot welding and fastening methods can be used and need
not be explained in detail.
[0031] The front exhaust opening 15 has a rectangular mounting
flange 16 surrounding the periphery of the front exhaust opening 15
and the flange 16 extends a short distance outwardly from the side
walls 12 and 13. The flange 16 is used to reinforce the front
opening 15 as well as provide a flush surface for installation and
sealing to the exterior of the building wall.
[0032] The rear wall 14 has inlet openings 2 that are greater than
a predetermined maximum dimension. In the example illustrated, the
maximum dimension is 6 inches, the outer diameter of the largest
adaptor 5 sleeve 6, and the opening is 6.125 inches to provide
adequate clearance.
[0033] As best seen in FIG. 4, FIGS. 1 and 2, each of the side
walls 12 and 13 is joined to the rear wall 14 at an angle less than
90 degrees, by bending a sheet metal blank for example to form the
flange 16. FIG. 4 illustrates the angle a indicating that the side
walls 12 and 13 are all sloped in a generally trapezoidal shape.
This sloping of all sidewalls 12-13 enables moisture, from
condensation of the exhaust air and from infiltration of
precipitation, to drain towards the front exhaust opening 15 and
then be expelled from the building.
[0034] Further, moisture from within the exhaust housing 11 cannot
penetrate into the adjacent insulation or building materials since
the edges between sidewalls 12-13, flange 16 and rear wall 14 are
bent from sheet metal blanks or are otherwise water sealed with
caulking, gaskets or water resistant coatings. The interior surface
of the exhaust box 1 can be coated with mold and mildew resistant
herbicidal compounds to reduce the risk of contamination.
[0035] As indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 because all four walls, namely
the long side wall 12 and short side walls 13, are equally tapered,
any one of the walls 12 or 13 can be positioned during installation
in a down position without risk of moisture build-up. This
orientation need not be specified when ordering the wall box 1.
Further, the tapering of the side walls 12 or 13 enables the
manufacture to stack or nest the housings 11 during manufacture to
the minimize storage space required.
[0036] As seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, each duct adaptor 3, 4 and 5 has a
cover 17 that is mounted to the rear wall 14 with removable
fasteners such as screws 7. The cover 17 has an outer dimension
larger than the maximum dimension of the inlet openings 2 in order
to cover the openings 2 in a generally air tight manner. A gasket
or caulking could be positioned between the cover 17 and the rear
wall 14 to seal against moisture and air penetration if desired.
The rearwardly projecting duct sleeves 6 have an inner opening of
size selected between the maximum dimension of the inlet openings 2
and a minimum dimension to fit on various sized exhaust ducts
10.
[0037] FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show various arrangements which are
possible using the invention. FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a
three-opening exhaust box housing 11 with three adaptors 5 all of
equal size. Alternatively, FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a
two-opening exhaust box housing 11 with two adaptors of equal size
5. FIG. 7 shows a single opening exhaust box housing 11 and a
single adaptor 5. It will be understood, that the adaptors 5 can be
selected of any size and the duct sleeves 6 can be fabricated to
suit various sizes of ducts 10. The manufacturer can stock
pre-fabricated housings 11 and adaptors 3, 4, 5 of various sizes
and numbers of openings in order to quickly assemble and shipped
any combination of number of openings and size of openings to
builders. Further, if any changes are required during construction,
it is a simple matter to exchange the adaptors 3, 4, 5 even after
the housing 11 has been fully mounted and sealed with adhesive
caulking to the building wall.
[0038] Therefore the builder can make changes to the ducting simply
by exchanging or by relocating the adapters without removing an
installed housing 11 from the exterior wall of the building. During
construction, especially in cold or wet climates, closing in a
building against weather is a primary concern. The flexibility to
change adapters 3-5 after mounting a housing 11 simplifies
manufacture, purchasing and installation while increasing the speed
at which exhaust box 1 orders can be shipped to a purchaser from a
manufacturer.
[0039] When multiple openings 2 are used, a baffle wall 18 may be
used to extend between the adjacent inlet openings 2 from the rear
wall 14 to the front exhaust opening 15. The baffle walls 18
prevent exhausted air from one duct 10 mixing with and being
conducted into another duct 10 rather than exhausting from the
building. The baffle walls 18 therefore prevent back flow of
exhausted air and direct exhausted air through the opening 15
rather than risking exhausted air from being directed into the
building by strong winds.
[0040] As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the adaptors 3, 4 and 5 can
include a forwarding projecting rectangular frame 19. The frame 19
serves to reinforce the cover plate 17 as well as provide vertical
walls into which checkvalve flap or other back flow preventive
measures may be mounted in a removable manner. By using the frames
19, it is possible to mount a checkvalve flap for example in a
manner that can be easily removed, repaired or exchanged, if
necessary. Further, the manufacturer can adapt different flaps to
suit the frames 19 if desired.
[0041] As best seen in FIG. 4, the flange 16 on the front of the
housing 11 comprises a vent over a front lip portion of each side
wall 12 and 13. The lip portions are joined to adjacent lip
portions in an overlapping corner joint which is either spot welded
or otherwise sealed together in a unitary flange 16. The flange 16
provides means to abut building structure such as a window or a
door frame or onto brick or other exterior surfaces. The flange 16
can be secured with caulking or a gasket to prevent moisture
penetration.
[0042] Therefore, the wall boxes 1 provide a flange 16 that can be
assembled to the wall in a leak-proof manner. Optional internal
divider baffle walls 18 separate the airflows and ensure that back
flow of exhausted air does not occur. Condensation is dealt with by
providing four side walls 12 and 13 each with an outwardly directed
taper to drain properly towards the outside surface. The exhaust
box components are preferably made of galvanized sheet metal to
prevent rust from moisture and weather exposure. The flange 16 is
continuous and provides a weather barrier to engage with caulking
and sealants. Pre-drilled holes 8 and 9 provide screw fasteners 7
with simple and accurate means for mounting adaptors 3-5.
[0043] FIG. 8 shows a side view, similar to FIG. 4, of an
alternative embodiment of the exhaust box 1 showing the lower long
side wall 12 as sloped at angle a and the upper long side wall 12
as horizontal, oriented 90 degrees relative to the rear wall 14.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the same alternative embodiment of the
exhaust box 12 showing the lower short side wall 13 as sloped at
angle a and the upper short side wall 13 as horizontal, oriented 90
degrees relative to the rear wall 14, with baffle walls 18 also
sloped to shed moisture accumulation. FIG. 10 is a front view of
the alternative embodiment of the exhaust box 1 to show the sloping
baffle walls 18 and overlapping corner portions 20 of the walls
12-13 that form the front flanges 16. This alternative
configuration permits the exhaust box 1 to be used in horizontal
and vertical orientation with the sloped side downward to shed
moisture accumulation.
[0044] FIG. 11 is a plan view of flat sheet metal blanks used to
form a two opening version of the exhaust box. A drawing convention
is used where solid lines indicate cuts, dashed lines indicate
upward folding lines and dash-dotted lines indicate downward
folding lines. Upper and lower side wall blanks 21 are shown
trapezoidal to form slopes on both long side walls 12 and with a
downwardly bent flange 16 including overlapping corner portions 20
(as in FIGS. 1-7). The short side walls 13 can be cut rectangular,
then mounted outwardly of the rear/long side wall upward bent edges
and extended beyond the edge connection with a long side wall in
order to provide side wall extensions to mount the box level in a
building wall. Rear and long side wall blank 22 is shown
rectangular to form 90 degree corners with both short side walls 13
and with a downwardly bent flange 16 including overlapping corner
portions 20.
[0045] The overlapping portions 20 reinforce the corners of the
flange 16 and ensure that flange 16 is continuous to seal and mount
the box 1 in a building structure. The flange 16 and flat walls may
be used to mount and contain insulation materials.
[0046] Accordingly, the invention provides a very flexible system
which reduces the time in which orders are required for processing
by a manufacturer. Conventional exhaust boxes are custom made to
order and are not adaptable if any changes are required during
construction. In contrast, the invention provides complete
flexibility using standard components and reduces the variety of
boxes which the manufacturer must keep in inventory. Accordingly,
rapidly deployed shipments result from the use of the invention.
The adaptors 3, 4 and 5 can be stocked in a manufacturer's facility
and assembled when orders are received for housings 11 with 1 to 4
openings to suit almost any required building construction
situation.
[0047] Although the above description relates to a specific
preferred embodiment as presently contemplated by the inventor, it
will be understood that the invention in its broad aspect includes
mechanical and functional equivalents of the elements described
herein.
* * * * *