Universal adapter for moisture removal
A moisture removal system for removal system for treating water-damaged structures is provided. The system includes a base that attaches to a variety of air movers and multiple ports that attach to duct and direct flows of air to different areas, as well as an adapter allowing attachment to additional air movers.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of co-pending U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/642,825, attorney docket number INJS-1-1005, filed on Jan. 10, 2005, titled, “UNIVERSAL ADAPTER FOR MOISTURE REMOVAL,” under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e). This application is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/605,267 filed Sep. 18, 2003, which is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/516,827 filed Mar. 1, 2000, and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/123,401 filed Mar. 8, 1999. This application also claims priority to 10/997,211 filed on Nov. 24, 2004. This application also claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/785,383 filed on Feb. 24, 2004. Each of the above applications is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe invention relates generally to remediation of water-damaged structures and, more specifically, to increasing the productivity and efficiency of air movers used to remove moisture from water-damaged structures.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONBuildings suffer water damage, from floods, sprinkler systems, storms, and other acts of nature. After all standing water is removed from a building, the building—floors, carpets, walls—must be dried. This drying is accomplished with air movers, or fans. The fans are placed in or near the room to be dried and positioned so that the fan blows air through the area. The air absorbs moisture as it moves through the area and the moist air continues out of the area.
Fans may only produce a flow of air in one direction. They are often used inefficiently, as in a situation where a damp area is small such that the fan produces much more air flow than is needed to dry the area in a timely manner. In this case, any excess capacity of the fan may be wasted. In cases where there are many damp areas in different locations, a user may have too few fans to finish the job in a timely manner. A user may have to acquire more fans, thereby increasing the cost of remediation.
A need exists for a device which may increase the productivity and efficiency of fans, and to reduce the number of fans needed for any particular job.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA system and method of utilizing fan capacity more efficiently is provided.
One embodiment comprises a system for directing an air flow from a fan more efficiently and productively. The system may comprise a flow diverter that a user may connect to a fan, such that the diverter may direct multiple flows of air in multiple directions.
In accordance with further aspects of the invention, the diverter may comprise one or more ports capable of attachment to air ducts or hoses. The diverter may direct a flow of air to each hose, and each hose may direct a flow of air to a different area. In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, the diverter may additionally comprise one or more port covers which may be attached to the ports to block a flow of air.
In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the diverter may be configured to connect to a variety of fans, and may be used on the intake or exhaust of the fans.
In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, a ventilation system is provided, comprising a fan which may produce a flow of air, and a flow diverter which may be attached to the fan to produce multiple flows of air through multiple diverter ports.
In accordance with yet other aspects of the invention, hoses are also provided, which may be attached to the diverter ports to direct the multiple flows of air to multiple locations.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the system may additionally comprise an adapter which, when attached to the diverter, may allow the diverter to connect to a wider variety of fans.
In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, a method of using a ventilation system of the present invention is provided.
As will be readily appreciated from the foregoing summary, the invention provides a system and method of increasing the productivity and efficiency of air movers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSPreferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.
In accordance with the several principles of the present invention, a flow diverter embodiment is generally indicated at reference numeral 100 of
A perimeter of the base 120 varies in diameter in a stepwise fashion such that it may operably connect to a variety of air movers having flow outlets or inlets of differing diameters. In the embodiment shown in
The cap 110 is hemispherical and includes a plurality of cylindrical ports 130. Each port 130 may include means for attaching a hose or duct. In this embodiment, the ports 130 include flanges 140 as shown in
While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, other embodiments are contemplated which can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and which will be apparent to those of ordinary skill upon reviewing this disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
Claims
1. A flow diverter, comprising:
- a base configured to operably connect to an air mover; and,
- a cap configured with a plurality of ports, the ports configured to operably connect to a duct.
2. The diverter of claim 1, wherein the base is configured to operably connect to a plurality of air movers.
3. The diverter of claim 1, wherein a perimeter of the base increases as the height of the base increases.
4. The diverter of claim 1, wherein the base includes a plurality of tiered rings, such that the base may operably connect to a plurality of air movers.
5. The diverter of claim 1, including at least one port cover, the port cover configured to operably connect to a port such that the cover blocks a flow of air through the port.
6. The diverter of claim 1, including an adapter configured to operably connect the diverter to at least one additional air mover.
7. The flow diverter of claim 1, wherein the base is cone-shaped.
8. The flow diverter of claim 1, wherein the base is pyramid-shaped.
9. A ventilation system comprising:
- an air mover; and
- a flow diverter, the flow diverter having a base and a cap, the cap comprising a plurality of ports, the base configured to operably attach to the air mover.
10. The ventilation system of claim 9, including a plurality of ducts configured to operably couple to the ports.
11. The ventilation system of claim 10, wherein the ducts are hoses.
12. The ventilation system of claim 9, wherein the air mover is an Abatement Technologies 1800.
13. A method for directing air flow for drying purposes, comprising the steps of:
- operably coupling a flow diverter having a plurality of ports to an air mover;
- operably-coupling an end of at least one hose to a port of the flow diverter;
- operating the air mover to create a flow of air; and,
- placing another end of the at least one hose to direct a flow of air to a desired location.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising operably coupling at least one port cover to a port of the flow diverter.
15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
- operably coupling additional hose ends to the flow diverter; and
- placing the additional hoses to direct multiple flows of air to multiple desired locations.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 10, 2006
Publication Date: Oct 4, 2007
Inventors: Ernest Storrer (Bothell, WA), Eric Storrer (Bothell, WA)
Application Number: 11/330,029
International Classification: F25D 17/08 (20060101); F24F 13/00 (20060101); F24F 7/00 (20060101); F25D 17/06 (20060101);