US 5,509,851 AGranted

Moisture-collecting hood assembly

AssigneeAT&T Corp.

InventorsAlbert V. Heuschkel, Joseph W. Kaczorek, Edward M. Olbrick

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Abstract

A moisture-collecting hood assembly (10) for a vapor-generating machine (12) includes a hood (14) having an open bottom (15)and upwardly tapering sides (16) and ends (18). On the inside of the hood is a gutter (24) for collecting moisture in the vapor condensing on the hood interior. Vapors from the machine that enter the hood are exhausted through a horizontally-oriented, moisture-collecting sleeve that has a central portion (46) whose cross-sectional area is larger than that of an inlet (43) in communication with the hood, and an outlet (48) in communication with a negatively pressurized exhaust line (49). The central portion of the sleeve serves to collect moisture in its lower portion that condenses from the vapor exhausted from the hood.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A moisture-collecting hood assembly comprising:

a hood having sides and ends that taper upwardly from an opening at the base of the hood, the opening in the hood overlying a vapor-generating machine;
a gutter inside of the hood that rims generally horizontally along the hood sides and ends for collecting moisture that may condense on the inside the hood;
a first drainage means coupled to the gutter for draining the moisture collected in gutter
an exhaust port extending generally horizontally through one of the hood sides and hood ends above the level of the gutter;
moisture-collecting means having a hollow central portion and an inlet and outlet, each of a smaller cross-sectional area than the central portion for communication therewith, the inlet coupled to the exhaust port and the outlet coupled to an exhaust line that is negatively pressurized so that vapor in the hood will be exhausted through the moisture-collecting means and into the exhaust line while moisture in the exhausted vapor that condenses inside of the central portion will be collected at its bottom;
and
second drainage means coupled to the bottom of the central portion of the moisture-collecting means for draining away the collected moisture.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.