Air filter guard
OwnerSamir Zahafinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air filter guard includes a downwind rim that supports an air filter in a filter box of an HVAC air handler. The downwind rim prevents the air filter from deforming, bending, or buckling to create gaps that allow air to bypass the air filter. In particular, the air filter guard prevents an air filter from deforming, bending, or buckling even when the air filter is overdue for replacement and clogged with dust. The air filter guard acts as a sleeve in which an air filter is inserted. The air filter guard and air filter are then placed in the filter box of an air handler. The air filter guard has inner dimensions that are large enough to receive the air filter while the outer dimensions of the air filter guard are small enough to fit within the filter box.
Claims22
An air filter guard for supporting an air filter in a filter box when air moves through the air filter, comprising:
- a downwind rim for inserting into the filter box downwind from the air filter, said downwind rim being configured to support a downwind face of the air filter when the air moves through the air filter, said downwind rim defining a periphery, said downwind rim having a passage formed therethrough for allowing the air from the air filter to pass through said downwind rim;
- and
- said periphery having a periphery width, said periphery width being no greater than a filter-box inner width of the filter box and greater than a filter-box-rim opening width of the filter box;
- said downwind rim having a downwind-rim height, said downwind-rim height plus an air-filter height of the air filter being less than a filter-box inner height of the filter box;
- said downwind rim having a stiffness, said stiffness being great enough to prevent said downwind rim from buckling and becoming narrower than the filter-box-rim opening width when said downwind rim is inserted in the filter box downwind from the air filter and the air is moving through the air filter;
- and
- said downwind rim having a tensile strength, said tensile strength being great enough to prevent said downwind rim from bending when said downwind rim is inserted in the filter box downwind from the air filter and the air is moving through the air filter.
A method for preventing an air filter in a filter box from deforming and allowing air to reach an air handler without filtering, which comprises:
- placing a beam against a downwind face of an air filter;
- spanning a filter box downwind from the air filter with said beam, said bean supporting a downward face of the air filter when the air handler is operating, said beam having a stiffness great enough to prevent the air filter from buckling to a width narrower than the filter box rim opening width when the air filter is being operated, said beam having a tensile strength great enough to prevent said beam from bending when the air handler is operated, and
- defining a passage in the filter box with said beam, said passage allowing air to flow from the air filter to the air hander.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.