US 4,362,090 A · Air circulating device and method

Abstract

An air circulating device and method includes a base positioned on the floor of a room with a pair of ducts extending therefrom and terminating adjacent the ceiling and fans disposed within the base to draw hot air from the ceiling via one of the ducts and force cold air toward the ceiling via the other duct such that hot air drawn from the ceiling is replaced with cold air drawn from the floor is replaced by hot air drawn from the ceiling. The cold air drawn from the floor is discharged at the ceiling at a rate greater than the rate at which hot air from the ceiling is discharged at the floor, preferably three times as great, to eliminate floor drafts and obtain a proper mixture of cold and hot air. A humidifier is disposed within the base and includes a reservoir of humidifying liquid, a sponge having a portion disposed in the reservoir below a predetermined level and a liquid dispenser for automatically maintaining the humidifying liquid at the predetermined level, air forced through the base by the fans being humidified by picking up moisture from the humidifying liquid as the air passes through perforations in the sponge. An electrical heater can be disposed in the base to heat air after it is humidified, and a germicidal lamp can be disposed along one of the ducts to irradiate air flowing therethrough with ultraviolet light.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An air circulating device comprising

first duct means having an inlet adapted to be disposed adjacent a ceiling of a room and an outlet adapted to be disposed adjacent a floor of the room to define a first flow path to deliver hot air from the ceiling to the floor;
second duct means adjacent said first duct means having an inlet adapted to be disposed adjacent the floor of the room and an outlet adapted to be disposed adjacent the ceiling of the room to define a second flow path to deliver cold air from the floor to the ceiling;
first fan means disposed in said first flow path to deliver hot air from the ceiling to the floor at a first volumetric flow rate;
and
second fan means disposed in said second flow path to deliver cold air from the floor to the ceiling at a second volumetric flow rate at least two times greater than said first flow rate.

2 more elements

An air circulating device comprising

base means adapted to be positioned on the floor of a room and having an inlet and an outlet therein;
duct means extending from said base means and communicating with said inlet to define a flow path into said base means;
fan means disposed in said base means for drawing air through said flow path and forcing the air through said base means to said outlet;
and
humidifier means disposed in said base means between said inlet and said outlet and including a reservoir of humidifying liquid, liquid dispenser means for automatically maintaining the level of humidifying liquid in said reservoir at a predetermined level, and sponge means having a portion thereof disposed in said reservoir below said predetermined level, said liquid dispenser means including a container for the humidifying liquid, a control tube extending from said container to a beveled bottom end disposed in said reservoir at said predetermined level and a drip tube extending from said container to supply the humidifying fluid to said sponge means and said reservoir only when the level of humidifying fluid in said reservoir is below said predetermined level to permit air to enter said beveled bottom end of said control tube, whereby air forced through said base means is humidified by picking up moisture from the hymidifying liquid as the air passes said sponge means.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Air circulating device and method

Life of this patent

Air circulating device and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22