Ventilation system diffuser and conduit

Abstract

An improved diffuser connectable to a duct of a ventilation system has a diffuser body, a collar extending outwardly away from the diffuser body, and a conduit slideably mounted in the collar. The conduit is slideably extendable from a retracted configuration, wherein substantially all of the conduit is enclosed in the diffuser body and the collar, into at least one extended position wherein at least a portion of the conduit is extended out of the retracted configuration away from the diffuser body and out of the collar for connection to the duct. Thus, the diffuser may be compactly stored for transport in the retracted position and then extended for attachment to the duct in the extended configuration. A retaining member on the conduit prevents the conduit from being involuntarily retracted back into the retracted configuration. A conduit for attachment to a diffuser is also provided.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Benefit of U.S. Provisional application for patent Ser. No. 60/929,366, filed on Jun. 25, 2007, is hereby claimed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to diffusers for air ventilation systems and methods, and is particularly concerned with a diffuser for connection to a ventilation system and a conduit therefore.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Diffusers for ventilation systems are well known in the art. Such diffusers are generally connected to ventilation ducts, in suspension therefrom, of a ventilation system by connecting a collar of the diffuser, which extends away from a diffuser body thereof, to the ventilation duct using a connector such as a clamp or the like. While diffusers may be directly connected in this fashion to the ventilation ducts, typically, most diffusers are connected by connecting a flexible duct to the collar and to the ventilation duct, again using a connector such a clamp or the like.

Unfortunately, the size of most collars for conventional diffusers is such that the collar does not extend or protrude sufficiently from the diffuser body to allow for easy connection of the collar to the ventilation duct or flexible duct. This problem may be addressed by simply making the collar longer or by connecting a conduit thereto and then connecting the conduit to the ventilation duct or the flexible duct. However, simply increasing the length of the collar, including connecting a conduit thereto, results in the diffuser, along with the conduit, to occupy additional volume, which may reduce the number of diffusers that may be stored in a container, increasing both storage and transport costs.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved diffuser for connection to a ventilation system and conduit therefor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an improved diffuser for connection to a ventilation system and conduit therefor.

An advantage of the present invention is that the diffuser can be easily connected to the ventilation system by extending the collar with the conduit.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the conduit can be retracted within the diffuser collar and body to facilitate storage thereof.

A further advantage of the present invention is that the number of diffusers, including the conduit, storable in a space is maximized.

Still another advantage of the present invention is that the storage and transport costs of the diffuser with the conduit are minimized.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the conduit can be connected to the collar, or conduit end portion, of any other equipment.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a diffuser connectable to a duct of a ventilation system, the diffuser comprising:

• • a diffuser body;
  • a collar extending outwardly away from the diffuser body; and
  • a conduit slideably mounted in the collar, the conduit being slideably extendable from a retracted configuration, wherein substantially all of the conduit is enclosed in the diffuser body and the collar, into at least one extended position wherein at least a portion of the conduit is extended out of the retracted configuration away from the diffuser body and out of the collar for connection to the duct.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a conduit for connecting a diffuser to a duct of a ventilation system, the diffuser having a diffuser body and a collar protruding outwardly away therefrom, the conduit having at least one retaining member protruding outwardly away therefrom, the conduit being configured to be slideably mounted in the collar for slideable extension therethrough from a retracted configuration, wherein substantially all of the conduit is enclosed in the diffuser and the collar, into at least one extended configuration wherein at least a portion of the conduit is extended out of the retracted configuration away from the diffuser body and out of the collar for connection to the duct, the retaining member protruding outwardly beyond the collar in the extended configuration to prevent sliding of the conduit therethrough back towards the retracted configuration.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided herein, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the description in association with the following Figures, in which similar references used in different Figures denote similar components, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a diffuser having a slideable conduit for attachment to a duct, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side-sectional view of the diffuser shown in FIG. 1, showing the conduit in a retracted position;

FIG. 3 is a side-sectional view of the diffuser shown in FIG. 1, taken along line 3-3 thereof, showing the conduit in an extended configuration; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of zone 4 of FIG. 1, showing a retaining member of the conduit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the annexed drawings the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be herein described for indicative purpose and by no means as of limitation.

The invention is now described in general terms with regard to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a diffuser, shown generally as 10, for connection to a ventilation duct 12 of a ventilation system, not shown, preferably with a flexible duct 14, well known in the art, connected to the ventilation duct 12. The flexible duct 14 is releasably connectable to a conduit 16 slideably mountable in a mouth 18 of a collar 20 of the diffuser 10, which protrude outwardly away from a diffuser body 22 of the diffuser 10, with a clamp, not shown, or other means well known in the art. Thus, the diffuser 10 is releasably connected to the ventilation duct 12, and typically suspended therefrom, by the flexible duct 14 connected to the conduit 16 which forms an extension to the collar 20, as opposed to conventional diffusers which are connected to the ventilation duct 12 by connection of the flexible duct 14 to the collar 20 alone. Accordingly, the conduit 16, advantageously, provides a slideable extension to the collar 20 and thereby provides additional space for connecting the flexible duct 14 to the diffuser 10, thus facilitating the connection. The connection is particularly facilitated, and the extra space particularly useful, in situations where the collar side of the diffuser body 22 is covered with insulation prior to connection to the flexible duct 14, in which case the collar 20 is not of sufficient length to connect it easily to the flexible duct 14. The diffuser body 22 is typically situated in a room or space for which the ventilation system is deployed, with air flowing between the space and the ventilation duct 12 via the diffuser body 22, collar 20, conduit 16, and flexible duct 14. If desired, however, the conduit 16 could also be connected directly to the ventilation duct 12, again with a clamp or other ventilation duct connector known in the art. In this case, there would be no need for the flexible duct 14.

To better explain the features of the conduit 16 and diffuser 10, reference is now made to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the conduit 16 is slideably mounted in the diffuser collar 20, more specifically in the mouth 18 at the free end 34. The conduit 16 has generally opposed longitudinal first end 24a and second end 24b, and each end 24 has a protruding end lip 30 which protrudes outwardly away from the exterior conduit surface 26 of the conduit 14. The collar 20 has a collar lip 32, defining the mouth 18, at the free end 34 thereof and which protrudes inwardly away from the exterior collar surface 36, i.e. towards the interior collar surface 28 and the conduit 16 when mounted in the collar 20.

The conduit 16 is configured, i.e. sized and shaped, such that when the conduit 16 is mounted in the collar 20, the conduit 16 is slideable therein with the exterior conduit surface 26 of the conduit 16 proximally adjacent the interior collar surface 28 of the collar 20 and, preferably, with the collar lip 32 in abutting contact with the exterior conduit surface 26. At the same time, the first end lip 30a and second end lip 30b are configured, i.e. sized and shaped, to protrude beyond, i.e. to overlap, the collar lip 32 when the conduit 16 is mounted in the collar 20. This ensures that, when first end 24a of conduit 16 is slid towards the mouth 18 and the collar 20, the first end lip 30a on first end 24a cannot be slid beyond the collar lip 32 into mouth 18 as the first end lip 30a will come into retaining abutting contact with the collar lip 32 when the conduit 16 is in a retracted configuration, shown generally as 38 in FIG. 2, in which the first end 24a is abuttingly proximally adjacent the collar lip 32. This abutting function can be alternatively achieved by any other stop mechanism, e.g. the second end lip 30b abutting against an internal part of the diffuser 10. Similarly, when the first end 24a of conduit is 14 is slid away from mouth 18 to extend the conduit 16 out of the collar 20 through the mouth 18 into an extended configuration, shown generally as 40 in FIG. 3, in which the second end 24b is situated proximal, and preferably abuttingly adjacent, the collar lip 32 compared to the first end 24a, the second end lip 30b cannot be slid beyond collar lip 32 as second end lip 30b will be in retaining abutting contact with the collar lip 32. Accordingly, the conduit 16, collar lip 32 and end lips 30 advantageously inhibit the conduit 16 from being accidentally disconnected, i.e. detached, from the diffuser 10 once mounted in the collar 20.

To prevent the second end 24b from sliding back into the collar 20, i.e. away from the collar lip 32, through the mouth 18 when the conduit is in the extended configuration 40, the conduit 10 has at least one retaining member 42. The retaining member 42 is angled towards the second end 24b, i.e. away from the first end 24a, and protrudes outwardly away from the exterior conduit surface 26 at sufficient length to ensure that, if the second end 24b is slid away from the mouth 18 when the conduit 16 is in the extended configuration 40, the retaining member 42 will abut the collar lip 32 and prevent further movement of the conduit 16, and notably second end 24b, into the collar 20 and the diffuser body 22, thus retaining the conduit 16 in the extended configuration 40. Thus, when the conduit 16 is slid into extended configuration 40, the conduit 16 is retained therein by retaining member 42 while advantageously providing additional space for connecting the diffuser 10 to the flexible duct 14 or the ventilation duct 12.

There may be, and preferably are, multiple retaining members 42 on the conduit 16 and which form a retaining member set, shown generally as 44, of retaining members 42 which are, preferably equally, spaced apart relative one another at substantially the same longitudinal position on the conduit 16 relative the second end 24b thereof. For example, if the conduit 16, mouth 18, and collar 20 are cylindrically shaped, as shown in FIG. 1, the retaining members 42 would be preferably equally circumferentially spaced apart relative one another on the conduit 16. Further, the retaining member 42 is preferably situated proximally adjacent the second end lip 30b and spaced apart at a distance equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the collar lip 32, such that the collar lip 32 is snuggly retained between the second end lip 30b and the retaining member 42. Thus, preferably, when the conduit 16 is in the extended configuration 38, substantially all of the conduit 16 extends outwardly away from the collar 20 through the mouth 18. However, although not shown, there could also be multiple retaining members 42, or multiple retaining members sets 44, situated at different respective longitudinal positions relative the second end 24b. In this case, the conduit could be slideable into one of multiple extended configurations on the conduit 16, each extended configuration corresponding to the respective longitudinal position of the retaining member 44 therefor relative the second end 24b.

Preferably, the conduit 16 is further configured, with regard to the length thereof between first and second ends 24a, 24b thereof, such that when the conduit 16 is in the retracted configuration 42 with the first end 24a proximal the collar lip 32, the second end 24b, and thus almost all of the conduit 16, is enclosed by the collar 20 and the diffuser body 22. Accordingly, the diffuser 10 with the conduit 14 mounted therein does not, when the conduit is in retracted configuration 38, occupy more volume than the diffuser 10 would occupy if the conduit 16 were not installed therein. This facilitates storage of the diffuser 10 with the conduit 16 mounted therein and, advantageously, maximizes the amount of diffusers 10 with conduits 16 mounted therein that may stored, for example by stacking the diffusers 10 one on top of the other, in a given space. Advantageously, this also increases the amount of diffusers 10 with the conduit 16 mounted therein that can be transported at any one time within a container, not shown, which may facilitate distribution and reduce transportation cost thereof.

The diffuser 10 and conduit 16 are preferably made of a rigid material, such as metal or the like. However, if desired the conduit 16 could also be made of a resilient and/or flexible material. Similarly, provided they provide enough resistance to maintain the conduit 16 in the collar 20 and in the retracted and extended configurations 38, 40, the lips 30, 32 could be made of a resilient material. Additionally, the conduit 16 could, if desired, be distributed or sold separately from the diffuser 10 and subsequently slideably mounted therein, provided the conduit 10, lips 30, 32, collar 20, and mouth 18 are configured as described above.

Although the present diffuser 10 and conduit 16 have been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the disclosure has been made by way of example only and that the present invention is not limited to the features of the embodiments described and illustrated herein, but includes all variations and modifications within the scope and spirit of the invention as hereinabove described.

Claims

1. A diffuser connectable to a duct of a ventilation system, said diffuser comprising:

a diffuser body;

a collar extending outwardly away from said diffuser body; and

a conduit slideably mounted in said collar, said conduit being slideably extendable from a retracted configuration, wherein substantially all of said conduit is enclosed in said diffuser body and said collar, into at least one extended position wherein at least a portion of said conduit is extended out of said retracted configuration away from said diffuser body and out of said collar for connection to said duct.

2. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein said conduit has first and second ends, said first end being disposed outside of said collar in said first retracted position and extended further away therefrom when said conduit is extended into said extended position, said conduit further comprising at least one retaining member protruding outwardly away from said conduit towards said collar and angled away from said first end, said retaining member, when said conduit is in said extended configuration, abutting against said collar when said conduit is in said extended configuration to prevent sliding of said conduit therethrough back towards said retracted configuration.

3. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein said collar and said conduit are cylindrically shaped.

4. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein said portion comprises substantially all of said conduit.

5. The diffuser of claim 1, wherein said conduit is made of a rigid material.

6. The diffuser of claim 2, wherein said collar has a collar lip at a free end thereof, said collar lip protruding inwardly towards said conduit, said conduit being extendable into said extended configuration by extension outwardly through said free end, said retaining member extending over and abutting said collar lip when said conduit is in said extended configuration.

7. The diffuser of claim 6, wherein said first end has a first end lip and said second end has a second end lip, said first and second end lips protruding outwardly towards said collar.

8. The diffuser of claim 7, wherein said collar lip is situated between said first end lip and said second end lip and said first and second end lips overlap with said collar lip to prevent detachment of said conduit from said collar.

9. The diffuser of claim 7, wherein said conduit has an exterior conduit surface extending between said end lips and which is in slideable abutting contact with said collar lip.

10. The diffuser of claim 7, wherein said retaining member is situated proximal said second end lip and is spaced apart therefrom at a distance approximating a thickness of said collar lip, said collar lip being snuggly retained in abutment with said second end lip and said collar lip when said conduit is in said extended configuration.

11. The diffuser of claim 2, wherein said at least one retaining member comprises a plurality of retaining members forming at least one retaining member set, said retaining members of each retaining member set being substantially equally spaced apart relative one another and positioned at a respective longitudinal position for said retaining member set relative said second end.

12. The diffuser of claim 11, wherein said at least one extended configuration comprises a plurality of extended configurations, said conduit having, for each said extended configuration, a respective retaining member set.

13. A conduit for connecting a diffuser to a duct of a ventilation system, the diffuser having a diffuser body and a collar protruding outwardly away therefrom, said conduit having at least one retaining member protruding outwardly away therefrom, said conduit being configured to be slideably mounted in the collar for slideable extension therethrough from a retracted configuration, wherein substantially all of the conduit is enclosed in the diffuser and the collar, into at least one extended configuration wherein at least a portion of said conduit is extended out of said retracted configuration away from said diffuser body and out of said collar for connection to said duct, the retaining member protruding outwardly beyond the collar in the extended configuration to prevent sliding of the conduit therethrough back towards the retracted configuration.

14. The conduit of claim 13, wherein said conduit has first and second ends, said first end being disposed outside of the collar in said first retracted position and extended further away therefrom when said conduit is extended into said extended position, said retaining member protruding outwardly away from said conduit towards said collar and angled away from said first end and towards said second end.

15. The conduit of claim 13, wherein said portion comprises substantially all of said conduit.

16. The conduit of claim 13, wherein said conduit is made of a rigid material.

17. The conduit of claim 14, said first end having a first end lip and said second end having a second end lip, said first and second end lips protruding outwardly towards the collar and overlapping a portion thereof to prevent detachment of said conduit from the collar.

18. The conduit of claim 17, wherein said conduit has an exterior conduit surface extending between said end lips and which is in slideable abutting contact with said collar.

19. The conduit of claim 13, wherein said at least one retaining member comprises a plurality of retaining members forming at least one retaining member set, said retaining members of each retaining member set being substantially equally spaced apart relative one another and positioned at a respective longitudinal position for said retaining member set relative said second end.

20. The conduit of claim 19, wherein said at least one extended configuration comprises a plurality of extended configurations, said conduit having, for each said extended configuration, a respective retaining member set.