Including Counter Balancing Means Patents (Class 454/360)
  • Patent number: 7549258
    Abstract: An adjustable housing assembly for mounting to a wall is disclosed. The assembly generally includes a back plate having a flange that defines an axis extending perpendicularly from the back plate and a front plate disposed in parallel relationship to the back plate. A connector connects the plates in the parallel relationship at various distances longitudinally along the axis. The connector includes co-acting male and female components extending circumferentially about the axis and at least one of the male and female components is spaced longitudinally along the axis for connecting the plates at any one of the various distances in response to relative rotation between the male and female components about the axis. The connector may also include a mounting ring separate from the back plate and the front plate that couples the front plate to the back plate. The mounting ring allows for additional distances to be obtained between the front plate and the back plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Tapco International Corporation
    Inventor: Todd M. Lajewski
  • Patent number: 7179165
    Abstract: The automatic vent damper has various embodiments of a wind actuated vent system, which automatically closes to preclude entry of wind blown water when a wind of predetermined velocity and direction acts upon the device. The damper may be installed as an off-ridge or ridge vent system, or in other operating environments and installations as desired. Various mechanisms are used to operate the device, with all including one or more springs, which hold a rigid door or flap, open in light wind conditions. However, when a wind of sufficient velocity blows toward the vent opening, the door or flap is closed due to aerodynamic forces thereon to preclude entry of wind blown water into the device. The door or flap automatically opens again due to the spring mechanism when the wind abates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Inventor: William V. Cook
  • Patent number: 6685557
    Abstract: A building ventilation air inlet assembly for providing an adjustable venting assembly to permit automatic inlet of air includes a housing, an air opening extending through the housing, a valve plate pivotally coupled to the housing for selectively covering the air opening, an adjustable valve counterweight coupled to the valve plate for biasing the valve plate into a closed position, and a valve plate stop lanyard coupled between the valve plate and the housing for restricting opening of the valve plate. The valve plate stop lanyard includes a clip member for permitting adjustment of the effective length of the valve plate stop lanyard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Inventor: Darius Hoffe
  • Patent number: 6533656
    Abstract: A counterweight biased duct vent closure and door for a conventional overhead or surface mounted forced hot/cool air supply vent opening. The closure door includes a covering sized to fit over and sealably cover the register or vent opening from communication with the conditioned space when the HVAC system is not in use while automatically opening the cover to provide for treated or forced hot/cool air to be allowed into a space. The duct vent closure provided with an extension forming a counterweight spaced from and rotatable along with the door about a hinge in response to an increase and decrease in air pressure from the duct. Upon generation of a positive air pressure through the duct, the force of air pressure overcomes the gravitational bias provided by the counterweight and the covering is automatically pushed open away from the frame of the apparatus thus enabling the forced air to emanate from the vent and into the room.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Inventor: Peter H. Hertel
  • Patent number: 6475078
    Abstract: An air inlet device for use in automatically providing ventilation to the interior of buildings. The device has one of more openings each of which has a moveable louver pivoted at the lower side of the opening with the louver extending upwardly so that the inlet air is directed upwardly toward the ceiling of the building. Each louver extends beyond its lower pivot point and contains means for attaching weights of different amounts to the louver depending upon the static pressure within the building thereby allowing adjustment of the air flow in accordance with the static pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2002
    Inventor: Norb Borcherding
  • Patent number: 5735739
    Abstract: An outdoor exhaust's end of part of an indoor building system requiring an exhaust duct to evacuate air or other kinds of smoke or gases to the building's outside. The exhaust's end comprising a double enclosure that prevents the outdoor air from comming into the building by the exhaust duct and captures an air chamber in a rotary inner cylinder, which act like a thermal insulation between the inlet and the outlet of the exhaust's end. A trap located on the rotary inner cylinder is activated by the exhaust flow, that comes upward and rotate the inner cylinder, permitting to the exhaust flow to past through an opening located under the trap, to come in the cylinder and flow out by a second opening. The exhaust flow out by the outlet downward duct, that protect the exhaust's end against rain or snow without restricting the flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1998
    Inventors: Jean Yves Daigle, Michelle Landry
  • Patent number: 5567114
    Abstract: This invention relates to a closure for the outlet of a fan. A fan has an outlet opening 12 in a fan case volute 10 which is closed by a hinged flap 13, the weight of the flap being compensated by a counterweight arm 15. When the flap 13 closes opening 12, counterweight arm 15 is latched by latch 32 carried by spring 26 which must deform before the flap can open. Alternatively, the latch 32 is itself a resilient spring. The flap will only open when sufficient static pressure is applied by the fan, and the resilient latch 25, 32 will prevent "flutter" which might be otherwise caused by outside air currents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: F F Seeley Nominees Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Allen K. Wallace
  • Patent number: 5277658
    Abstract: Barometric damper apparatus is usable for both horizontal air flow and vertical air flow and thus comprises a universal barometric damper apparatus without a structural change. The barometric damper apparatus includes a plurality of louvers or damper blades pivotly secured to a frame and which pivot to the closed position under gravity when air stops flowing. Each louver includes a relatively short upstream portion and a relatively long downstream portion, with the relatively short upstream portion including a counterweight which causes the relatively short upstream portion to be heavier than the relatively long downstream portion so that the louver apparatus pivots to the closed position with the relatively short upstream portion always moving downwardly. A bend in the relatively long downstream portion allows the louver to contact the adjacent louver in the closed position so as to provide a seal to prevent air from leaking back through the damper apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 11, 1994
    Inventor: George M. Goettl
  • Patent number: 5092226
    Abstract: An incinerator chimney stack valve mechanism which normally prevents the flow of fluid from the chimney stack. The incinerator chimney stack valve mechanism is mounted upon the chimney stack adjacent an opening in the chimney stack. A closure member is mounted upon an arm member and is movable toward and away from the opening in the chimney stack. An engagement member is mounted upon a second arm member. The second arm member is connected to a motor member which moves the second arm member for engagement of the engagement with the first arm member for movement of the closure member with respect to the opening in the chimney stack. The weight of the engagement member is sufficient to move the first arm member and thereby move the closure member with respect to the opening in the chimney stack if the motor member should fail to function properly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1992
    Assignee: ERAtech Inc.
    Inventor: James P. McCloskey