US 6,814,031 B2 · Combustion air shutoff apparatus for a fuel-fired heating appliance

Abstract

A gas-fired water heater has a combustion chamber with a bottom wall defined by a perforated flame arrestor plate forming a portion of a flow path through which combustion air may be supplied to a burner structure within the combustion chamber. During firing of the water heater a combustion air shutoff system having a heat-frangible temperature sensing structure disposed within the combustion chamber senses an undesirable temperature increase in the combustion chamber, caused by for example a partial blockage of the flow path, and responsively terminates further air flow into the combustion chamber, thereby shutting down the burner, prior to the creation in the combustion chamber of a predetermined elevated concentration of carbon monoxide.

Claims16

Dependent claims

Combustion air shutoff apparatus for a fuel-fired heating appliance, comprising:

a frame structure having spaced apart opposing first and second wall portions and a passage extending through said first wall portion;
a heat-frangible element bearing against said second wall portion;
and
a spring member releasably interposed between said first wall portion and said heat-frangible element, resiliently holding said heat-frangible element against said second wall portion, and overlying and blocking said passage.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

10/682,102Filed 9 Oct 2003 · division

Priority

8 Mar 2001

Published

US 2004/0069248 A115 Apr 2004

Granted

9 Nov 2004

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

F23N 5/24
Systems for controlling combustion: preventing development of abnormal or undesired conditions, i.e. safety arrangements
F23D 14/72
Details: safety devices, e.g. operative in case of failure of gas supply
F24H 9/205
Preventing or detecting the return of combustion gases: closing the energy supply
F24H 15/25
Characterised by control inputs: temperature of the heat-generating means in the heater

Family

Application09/801,551Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 8 Mar 2001

Application10/200,234Parent of this division · filed 22 Jul 2002

US 2004/0069248 A1Pre-grant publication · published 15 Apr 2004

US 6,715,451 B2Parent of this division

Application10/200,234Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 6,497,200 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

US 2002/0124814 A1Published application

US 2003/0000484 A1Published application

US 6,814,031 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Combustion air shutoff apparatus for a fuel-fired heating appliance

Life of this patent

Combustion air shutoff apparatus for a fuel-fired heating appliance

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16