Roof Structure Patents (Class 454/136)
  • Patent number: 6514135
    Abstract: A hingeless ventilator for ventilating an enclosure through a wall thereof, includes a frame, a cover, an actuating member, a handle secured to the actuating member, and a recessed chamber connected to the frame and defining a depth configured to contain the actuating member and the handle. The frame includes a border that defines an opening through the frame and a front and a back. The cover is selectively swingable relative to the frame between a closed position and open positions. The open positions place the cover intermediate the closed position and at least one of the front and back of the border that defines an opening through the frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Salem Vent International, Inc.
    Inventor: Timothy A. Kelly
  • Patent number: 6468147
    Abstract: A vent cap cover for a recreational vehicle (RV) is provided which allows for dry air entry during rainy conditions. The vent cap cover allows easy observation of the vent cap and maximum air and light availability. Easy maintenance, cleaning and repairs of the vent cap from the exterior of the RV is possible by simply opening the upper, transparent section of the vent cap cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Camco Manufacturing, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael D. Thomas
  • Patent number: 6412858
    Abstract: A motor vehicle roof with a transparent roof section and at least one ventilator which borders the roof section for clearance of a ventilator opening, a front and/or rear transverse body member of the vehicle roof which borders the transparent roof section containing the at least one ventilator. The transparent roof section is a cover which is attached to the transverse roof members and is preferably a glass cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: Webasto Vehicle Systems International GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Pfalzgraf, Walter Schatzler
  • Patent number: 6302780
    Abstract: A ceiling grille for directing conditioned air from an air conditioning unit mounted upon the roof of a motor vehicle wherein comfort air is delivered into a plenum located inside the vehicle. The plenum has front and rear deflector vanes rotatably mounted therein for directing comfort air into the passenger compartment. Each vane has a rocker arm that is connected through suitable linkage to a cam follower. Each cam follower, in turn, rides on the cam face of a motor driven cam. The profile of the cam face is contoured to position the two vanes to control the direction of comfort air flow into the passenger compartment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2001
    Assignee: Carrier Corporation
    Inventors: Young Kill Ahn, Jeong-Un Lyu, Jong-Ho Kim
  • Patent number: 6179708
    Abstract: In a casing 11, a rear guide 23 is formed above a cylindrical impeller 13 and a stabilizer 24 is formed below the impeller. A minimum gap dimension between the cylindrical impeller 13 and the stabilizer 24 on the outlet port 17 side has a value of 14% to 24% of the outer diameter of the cylindrical impeller 13. An angle between a straight line connecting the center of rotation of the cylindrical impeller 13 and a minimum gap position on the outlet port 17 side of the stabilizer 24 and the horizontal plane has a value of 38° to 43°. A minimum gap dimension between the cylindrical impeller 13 and the stabilizer 24 on the inlet port 16 side has a value of not smaller than 7% of the outer diameter of the cylindrical impeller 13. An angle between a straight line connecting the center of rotation of the cylindrical impeller 13 and a minimum gap position on the inlet port 16 side of the stabilizer 24 and the vertical plane has a value of 11° to 15°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Japan Climate Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamamoto, Toshiki Hakata, Satoshi Otani
  • Patent number: 6161609
    Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the return air flow to the evaporator coil of an air conditioning unit that is mounted on the roof of a vehicle wherein the return air flow enters the unit vertically and must be turned 90.degree. in a limited amount of space before being delivered to the coil. A plenum is mounted over the return air duct that has a back wall containing an arcuate segment that curves inwardly over the entrance toward the entrance face of the coil. A stabilizer is mounted along the inner edge of the entrance in front of the coil which coacts with the contoured rear wall of the plenum to evenly distribute the return flow across the coil and prevent unwanted turbulence in the flow that would inhibit flow through the coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2000
    Assignee: Carrier Corporation
    Inventor: Young-Kil Ahn
  • Patent number: 5921619
    Abstract: An air handling system for the cab of a vehicle includes a cab roof having inner and outer roof members spaced from each other so as to form a first chamber. The cab roof has a first plurality of openings around its periphery through which air may be drawn into the first chamber. The cab roof together with a headliner for the cab form a second chamber. A first opening in the inner roof member allows air to flow into the second chamber, and an air handling unit located between the headliner and the cab roof receives air from the second chamber and discharges it through a first opening in the headliner into the cab interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Case Corporation
    Inventors: Russell E. Cederberg, Alan G. Leupold, Ralph D. Price
  • Patent number: 5690549
    Abstract: A roof for the cab of vehicle is constructed with a hollow plastic body that is molded in one piece with a blower and a heat exchanger fitted to the hollow body. The hollow body defines a cavity that forms an air duct through which air for ventilating the cab is ducted. Shuttered external and internal air intake vents allow the selection between fresh air from externally of the cab and recirculated air from within the cab. A well open through the roof provides an emergency exit from the vehicle cab.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignee: New Holland North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen M. Webb, Robert Samuel David Whybro
  • Patent number: 5672101
    Abstract: An improved solar operated ventilator cover is disclosed for covering an aperture disposed in a horizontal surface. The cover has sidewalls with a cover opening and a top surface with an internal wall extending between the sidewalls and the top wall. An orifice is defined in the internal wall for enabling the flow of air within the cover. An electric motor has a motor shaft with a fan blade positioned proximate the orifice. A photovoltaic cell is connected to the electric motor for rotating the fan blade proximate the orifice to establish the flow of air through the cover opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 30, 1997
    Inventor: Allen C. Thomas
  • Patent number: 5501634
    Abstract: A cover assembly for a roof mounted air conditioner unit which allows an increased output air volume to flow from a roof mounted air conditioner into a cooling volume; the assembly comprises a cover, return air grills, side diffuser assemblies, and a register having frame, directional control louvers, volume control louvers, a throttle and mounting screws; the register is substantially in alignment with the output blower of a roof mounted air conditioner and sized to allow a maximum output air volume to flow into the cooling volume. The register's volume control louvers and directional control louvers control the amount of air passing through the register and the direction of air flow respectively. Additionally, a method for retro-fitting existing covers with a register aligned with the output blower of a roof mounted air conditioner thereby producing the same effect of the improved cover assembly is shown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 26, 1996
    Inventor: Timothy S. Wilder
  • Patent number: 5468183
    Abstract: An operator enclosure (12) for a commercial sprayer (10). A preferred enclosure (12) includes glass panels (30,32,34) only in the upper portion of the enclosure such that a fairly large gap is formed between the lower edges of the glass panels (30,32,34) and the chassis (16) of the sprayer (10). This gap enhances ventilation of the operator cab, particularly when the cab is pressurized by means of a blower-powered air cleaning system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 21, 1995
    Assignee: Hahn, Inc.
    Inventor: Kent S. Hahn
  • Patent number: 5374215
    Abstract: A vent cover for vehicles equipped with roof vents is raisable and lowerable from within the vehicle by rotating a crank. The cover includes a dome formed by a top wall, sidewalls that depend from the top wall, and a venturi cone member secured to an underside of the top wall. A vent base mounted to the roof of the vehicle has upstanding sidewalls so that air molecules exiting the vehicle must flow upwardly to pass over the top of the sidewalls and then downwardly to enter the atmosphere external to the vehicle. The air molecules are forced to flow downwardly after they have passed over the top of the vent base sidewalls by the sidewalls that depend from the top wall of the dome. The cooperative shape of the venturi cone member, the walls that depend from the top wall of the dome, and the upstanding sidewalls of the vent base creates a constricted area above the upstanding sidewalls where upwardly flowing air molecules must change their path of travel to flow downwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 20, 1994
    Inventors: Brian D. Crider, Brian D. Lockett
  • Patent number: 5344361
    Abstract: A portable auxiliary fan unit that can be installed into the sunroof of an automobile and exhaust the air from the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The fan unit includes a panel assembly which has a passage that provides fluid communication between the passenger compartment and the outside of the car. Within the passage is a fan which can induce air flow from the interior of the vehicle to the ambient. The fan is powered by a plurality of solar cells located beneath a transparent top panel member. The fan unit is installed into an opening of the roof that is created by fully retracting the sliding roof panel of the car. The unit has a pair of levers at opposite edges of the transparent panel. The levers are inserted into grooves that normally guide the sliding roof panel, to secure the panel and fan to the roof of the car. Once installed, the solar cells power the fan, which causes air to flow from the passenger compartment to the outside of the car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1992
    Date of Patent: September 6, 1994
    Inventor: Jan H. Matthias
  • Patent number: 5342238
    Abstract: An arrangement for filtering the air entering the interior of a vehicle, particularly the interior of a car, includes a coarse filter, a fan unit and a fine-filtering unit. The whole of the arrangement is combined to form a unit which can be fitted to the vehicle in the manner of a conventional, openable roof hatch (b 2). When closed, the hatch has a rear part which projects above the roof of the vehicle and which includes an ambient air intake opening (3) in which the coarse filter is mounted. The hatch also includes a vehicle interior air intake opening (9), a shutter (11) for closing the ambient air intake opening and the interior air intake opening to a desired extent, and at least one outlet opening (8) through which filtered air is blown into the vehicle interior.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 30, 1994
    Inventors: Hans Segerpalm, Ante Eklund
  • Patent number: 5119718
    Abstract: A ventilating arrangement for a vehicle cab draws air in from outside the cab through the cab roof. The air flows through at least one generally vertical air duct downward to the vicinity of the cab floor, and supplied from there to various outlets in the interior of the cab. In order to allow use of air filters with relatively large filter area and as convenient accessibility for easy replacement, a filter housing is connected to the lower region of each generally vertical air duct. Each filter housing encloses an air filter that is accessible from the exterior of the cab. The filter is oriented in a generally vertical direction. Preferably, each corner post of the cab is provided with an air duct which is connected to a filter housing attached to the inner fenders of the rear wheels. Each filter housing is closed by a removable cover accessible from the rear of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1992
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Jurgen Wagner, Michael Teich
  • Patent number: 5090301
    Abstract: A passenger car includes an arrangement for ventilating the passenger space with a wall-less channel with focused air flow to an interspace between a vehicle roof and an air-permeable roof lining. The air flow reenters the passenger space in distributed form to ensure with simple means a uniform air distribution over the entire exit area of the roof lining. The arrangement provides a focused air flow passing from the vehicle roof through the roof lining into the interspace in the sense of rebounded airflow distributed to all areas of the interspace. The focused air flow appropriately issues from a throw nozzle on a center console between front seats of a passenger car and impinges on an air entry region of the roof lining which has increased air permeability but which may not be readily visible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Freddie Soethout
  • Patent number: 5081912
    Abstract: A vehicle vent (12) for exhausting air from a vehicle occupant compartment includes a float valve (32) that prevents water that enters an outlet (24) of the vent from passing into the vehicle through the vent inlet (20) but which has a drain passage (36) for permitting a limited flow of the water to a drain (38) on the vent inlet side of the float valve (32). The vent (12) preferably includes a fan (40) that is most preferably energized by a solar panel (48). Mounting of the vent (12) can be provided on the vehicle roof, on the roof just forward of a vehicle back window, or as part of a sunroof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1992
    Assignee: Asha Corporation
    Inventor: Alain J-M. Clenet