Air filtering fixture

An air filtering light fixture for support in spaced relationship from the ceiling of a room and in an elevated condition above an area where persons may congregate, comprising:

• a housing having peripheral walls defining a generally vertical air path for an upwardly moving air stream, said vertical air path being centrally located in said housing, said housing having a horizontal bottom opening defining an air intake mouth and having a lower hood portion comprised of lower hood peripheral walls slanted downwardly and outwardly to said horizontal bottom opening, said housing also having a horizontal top opening defining an air exhaust for directing air upwardly from said housing, said top opening being centrally located vertically above said bottom opening,
• means on said housing for supporting said housing in a spaced relationship from the ceiling of a room and in an elevated condition above where persons may congregate,
• a horizontally oriented air filter removably mounted in the interior of said housing at a location above said lower hood portion, said air filter being mounted in a manner such that said filter may be removed in a horizontal direction from said housing through a said peripheral wall at a location above said lower hood portion, said air filter being oriented to extend transversely of said air path for filtering contaminants out of the air stream,
• a bridge member mounted on said housing at a location spaced downwardly away from said air filter and extending horizontally across said air path between the outwardly slanted lower hood peripheral walls so as to avoid restriction of the air path entrance into said air filter,
• light emitting means mounted on said bridge member of said housing for projecting light downwardly therefrom, and
• air propulsion means mounted in said housing above said air filter, said air propulsion means being for pulling air from below said housing upwardly through said air intake mouth and through said air filter and propelling the air as an air stream out of said top opening toward the ceiling so as to thereby form a toroidal air movement about said peripheral walls of said housing, with air within said housing moving upwardly and air laterally external to said housing induced to move downwardly and enter said air intake mouth by virtue of the displacement of air caused by the exhaust air stream above said housing.

A method of filtering and recirculating air in a room, comprising:

• (a) forming an air filtering fixture comprising:
• (i) a housing having peripheral walls defining a generally vertical air path for an upwardly moving air stream, said vertical air path being centrally located in said housing, said housing having a horizontal bottom opening defining an air intake mouth and a horizontal top opening defining an air exhaust for directing air upwardly from said housing, said top opening being centrally located vertically above said bottom opening, said peripheral walls of said housing having an upper portion within which an air propulsion means is adapted to be received and having a horizontally oriented access opening therethrough at a location above said horizontal bottom opening and below said upper portion,
• (ii) a horizontally oriented air filter removably mounted in the interior of said housing at the location of said horizontally oriented access opening and extending transversely of said vertical air path, said air filter being slidably removable and replaceable in a horizontal direction through said horizontally oriented access opening, and
• (iii) an axial flow air propulsion means mounted in said housing above said horizontally oriented air filter and within said upper portion of said peripheral walls,
• (b) providing sloped peripheral walls for said fixture with the slope thereof being such as to extend outwardly and downwardly below said horizontally oriented filter,
• (c) suspending said air filtering fixture in spaced relationship from the ceiling of a room and in an elevated condition above an area where persons may congregate, and
• (d) activating said air propulsion means to pull air from below said housing upwardly through said air intake mouth and through said air filter and to propel said air as an air stream out of said top opening toward the ceiling so as to thereby cause the formation of a toroidal air movement about said peripheral walls of said housing, with air within said housing moving upwardly and air laterally external to said housing induced to move downwardly and enter said air intake mouth by virtue of the displacement of air caused by the exhaust air stream above said housing.