US2584933A - Grill for ventilating fans - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 5, 1952 w, SPEAR 2,584,933

GRILL FOR VENTILATING FANS Filed Jan. 14, 195.0 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 ATTJEAJ {XS Feb. 5, 1952 w, SPEAR 2,584,933

GRILL F03 YENTILATING FANS Filed Jan. 14, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 .6 I INVENTOR.

fly My Lam Patented Feb. 5, 1952 GRILL, FOR VENTILATING FANS Walter A; Spear, Cincinnati," l1io, assignor to Nu'lone', Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation Application January 14, 1950-, Serial No.138,605

(Cl. 98'I16) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to ventilating fans of the type-commonly used in kitchens for the purpose of "exhausting cooking odors, smoke and vapors from-the room. The invention is directed particularly to an improved construction of a grill which is installed at the interior ofthe room over the fan entrance.

' Atypical ventilating fan of the type employed for household purposes consists essentially of a sleeve or duct which is installed in an opening inthe wall so as to constitute an air passage, a-motor-driven' fan-mounted-within' the sleeve to'induce theflow of'air through it, a louvre arranged over the'duct passageway at the outside of the-building to prevent the entrance of rain throughthe opening-=when'the fan is not in use; and a grill over the air passageway at the inside of the room. In-normal operation the fan draws air fromthe room and discharges it to the outside atmosphere, at the same time inducing the flow of fresh air into the room from other various entrances. In this manner, the odors and smoke of cooking are drawn from the room as they are liberated from a'stove, and are kept from permeating the entire household.

Cooking vapors and smoke are frequently laden with grease and other substances which become deposited on various portions of 'the ventilator fan unit in the passage'of the exhaustair throughtheunit. After a period of time the ventilating fan surfacesbecome coated with a greasy scum that must be removed; orotherwise thednstallation-will become unsanitary and will actually constitute a fire hazard. With a grill concealing thesleeve and fan unit of the-ventilator, the proper cleansing of the installation isa tedious and messy job which can beaccomplished eiiectivelyinthe units now available only by complete removal of the grill from'th'e wall.

""Theprincipal objective of this invention has been-to provide a ventilator grill so constructed ass'to provide easy and convenient access to the interior surfaces of the ventilator'duct orsleeve and fanelements, and'tothe inside surfaces'of the grill-itself, in order that albmay properly be cleansed thoroughly and without'difliculty. further objective of the :invention has been to provide a grill construction-in whiclr" the-member-s" providing such accessibility also enable the construction of a' grill which is of'pleasing ap pearance, efiicient in respect to air flow, and

capable of functioning eflectively toprevent ac cidental contact of the householder,- or of foreign objects with the whirling-fanblades during-nob ma-l usage ofthe apparatus.

We havedetermined that approximately of all the air moved by a fan is channelled through the area at the central portion of the grill, just beyond the dead center thereof; Inasmuch as this area is subjected to the greatest air flow, it is likewise subjected to the greatest accumulations of grease and dirt which must be removed from time to time. Briefly, this invention contemplates a grill for a ventilating fan consisting essentially of a marginal portion adapted to reside faciallyagainst a room wall over the fan duct, and a central lattice'work member extending across; the frame to constitute a guard for the fan in normal service'thereof, butbeing detachable from the frame, at least'in part; so as to expose the interiorof the duct and the fan elements when they are to be cleaned. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the central portion of the grill, covering substantially that area which coincides withthe interior duct or sleeve, is demountable, or is hinged, so that it may be swung open or removed entirely to permit free access to the interior" fan parts and surfaces, and to permit convenient cleansing of the grill itself.

Typical constructions showlng'grills embodying this improvement are disclosed in the accompanying drawings in which:

' Figure 1 is an elevation of the 'interiorside of a' ventilating fan equipped with a grill of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure'3 is a cross-sectional view taken onthe line 3-3 of'Figure' 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view similar to-Figure 2, but showing portions of the movable and permanently mounted members of the grill in engagement.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1- showing a modified form of grill;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional viewtaken on the line 6-5of Figure 5; and

Figure '7 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 1-! of Figure 5.

The elements of a ventilator fan, as typically constructed, are shown best in Figure 2 and comprise'a wallsleeve 'lwhich is placed in an appro priate opening cut in the wall 2 of the building so asto provide an air passageway between the room interiorand the outside atmosphere." Sometimes ventilating fans are installed in ceilings instead of side walls and the term wall'is intended to apply to either point of installation in "this disclosure. "Theinside' surface of'the wall is 3 indicated at 3. At the outside of the wall a louvre usually is provided, but since the louvre element forms no part of the present invention, it is not shown.

A bracket 4 is mounted in the sleeve l upon radial arms 5, and a fan motor 6 rests on the bracket 4. The fan blade 1 is carried on the motor shaft, the axis of which coincides substantially with the longitudinal axis of the sleeve. Rotation of the fan blades in the direction of the arrow on the blade causes air to flow through the sleeve as indicated.

It is inconvenient and expensive for the builder to provide a joint of finished, attractive appearance between the sleeve and wall at the room interior; and, moreover, the sleeve opening must be covered to prevent foreign objects from getting into the sleeve lest the fan blades be damaged or injury be caused to the householder. common practice to place a grill, as indicated generally at 8, over the sleeve opening, both as a protective barrier through which air may flow, and as a cover which conceals the imperfections of the sleeve-wall joint and which finishes the appearance of the installation.

Such grills, in accordance with the present invention, comprise a marginal frame 9 which may be in the form of a metal stamping, plastic molding or diecasting, adapted to reside facially against the room wall to which it may be attached. In the construction shown in the drawings, the grill frame 9 comprises an outer marginal portion [0, and an annular bead H spaced inwardly therefrom, and preferably, though not necessarily, residing in a plane offset from the rim In. Bead I I preferably is of semi-circular contour and the diameter of the opening it defines approximates the diameter of the sleeve l with which it is aligned.

To hold the frame 9 against a wall, it may be fastened in place by means of screws extending through its face into the wall, or, for better appearance, angle brackets I2 may extend inwardly from the interior of the bead portion H to reside against the inner surface at the sleeve to which the brackets may be fastened by screws l3. Slots in the legs of the brackets, as in Figure 2, enable this mounting to be adjusted to suit the conditions existing at various installations.

Across the opening bounded by the bead ll of the grill frame 9, a separate lattice member, indicated generally at M, is installed. This member is comprised of ribs arranged in grill formation to constitute a protective barrier, while the openings between the ribs permit air to flow through the lattice into the duct. In the unit shown, the lattice comprises several concentrical annular rings I5, which are interconnected with radial arms 16 extending from a central hub I1. The pattern of the lattice l4 may take many forms, the concentric ring pattern is disclosed for illustration purposes only.

The lattice l4, like the frame 9, may be a sheet metal stamping, plastic molding, or diecasting. The semi-circular configuration of the ribs and arms provides appropriate stiffness, in conjunction with light weight. Arms l extend outwardly beyond the outermost grill ring l5, either radially or otherwise, into engagement with cavities forming seats in the annular bead ll of frame 9. This is shown best in Figure 4 in which the annular bead II is pro- Therefore, it has always been vided with small recesses [8 which receive the endwise extremities of the radial arms I 6. By configurating the recesses 48 to the contours of the arm extremities, no joints are visible when the two are in engagement, and the lattice l4 visually appears as an integral part of the frame 9. To hold the lattice M in place and yet provide for ready removability of it, the hub I! may be bored centrally to receive a single fastening screw 20 which may pass into threaded engagement with any suitable stationary interior member. As shown in Figure 2, the screw 29 has its head 2| bearing upon the outer face of the hub, while the inner end of the screw is in threaded engagement with a bracket 22 projecting upwardly from the motor bracket 4. To dismantle the lattice for cleaning purposes, the screw is removed and the lattice I4 is lifted to free the arms from their seats on the frame and thereby expose the entire interior of the ventilator unit.

In installations where the provision of a bracket screw fastening is not desired, the grill work I 4 may be detachably associated directly With the frame 9. One suitable construction for this purpose is shown in Figures 5-7. In this arrangement, annular bead H is provided with recesses as previously described, but with apertures 24 extending into or through the bead beyond the recesses. The respective apertures are adapted to receive ears 25 which project outwardly beyond the seat engaging portions of the radial arms N5 of the lattice grill. In the lattice pattern disclosed in the drawings, two of the ears 25 are made integral with their respective arms and the third is arranged so that it may be retracted and thus withdrawn from its aperture in order to free the lattice from the annular bead H. The retractable ear is illustrated at 26 in Figure 7. This ear resides against the inner face of the radial arm and is slidably mounted thereon by means of a latch pin 21. The pin passes through a radially extending slot 28 situated near the end of the arm, and includes a latch knob 30 at its outer end. The inner end of the pin is fastened to ear 26 and the knob made larger than the slot 28 in order to secure the latch as a unit to the arm. The inner end 3| of car 26 is bent laterally from arm 16 and is in engagement with a yieldable spring member 32 which is fastened to the arm l6 by a screw 33. The spring therefore urges the ear 26 outwardly. To remove this grill unit, the latch knob 30 is pulled in- .5 wardly, thereby withdrawing the ear 26 from assembled with the frame by inserting the fixed ears on two of the legs in their recesses and reengaging the latch ear with its aperture.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a ventilating fan of the type comprising an air duct member adapted to be installed in a building wall, and a fan unit disposed within the said duct member to effect the flow of air therethrough, a grill comprising a frame adapted to reside facially against the building wall in which the said duct is installed, over the end of said duct, said frame member having the central opening therein corresponding approximatel in size to the end of the duct, a lattice member having a,

central hub and having arms extending radially therefrom, the said frame having socket depres-' sions therein constituting seats for the extremities of said arms, the said lattice member being demountably associated with said frame member over the central opening therein, and adjustable means confined within said hub for holding said arms in abutment against the socket depressions of said frame member.

2. In a ventilator fan of the type comprising a duct adapted to be installed in the wall of a building and a fan unit for inducing th flow of air through said duct from one side of the wall to the other, an improved grill comprising a frame adapted to reside in facial engagement with the surface of the wall in which the duct is installed over the end of said duct, said frame having an opening of substantial area in the central portion thereof, a lattice adapted to be mounted over the opening in said frame, said lattice comprising a central hub portion having arms extending outwardly therefrom, the said arms being adapted for support engagement with said frame at points adjacent said opening therein, and a single fastener located at said central portion of said lattice for removably holding said lattice against said frame.

3. An improved grill for a ventilating fan comprising a frame adapted to reside facially against a wall of a building over an aperture in said wall which contains a ventilating fan, said frame having a continuous marginal bead delineating an opening of substantial size in the central portion of said frame, said bead having recesses therein at spaced intervals along the inner edge thereof constituting seats, and a lattice having outwardly extending arms removably residing in abutting support engagement with said seats, the

said lattice constituting a barrier over said opening to prevent the passage of foreign objects therethrough without obstructing the passage of air therethrough.

4. A grill for a ventilating fan of the type comprising a duct adapted to be installed in a building wall and a fan unit mounted in said duct, said grill comprising a frame member adapted to reside facially against the building wall over the end of said duct, said frame having an opening of substantial size in the central portion thereof, a reinforcing member of bead configuration in cross section extending marginally about said opening and having recesses along the inner edge thereof at spaced intervals therein constituting seats, and a lattice member adapted to be removably disposed over said opening, said lattice member comprising outwardly extending arms having their extremities configurated for support engagement in the said seats of said frame, and a single fastener at the central portion of said lattice for exerting a compressive force thereon to hold the extremities of said arms in compression against said seats.

WALTER A. SPEAR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,739,082 Simmons et al Dec. 10, 1929 1,792,514 Spear Feb. 17, 1931 1,961,497 Klomparens June 5, 1934 2,310,453 Mitchell Feb. 9, 1943 2,355,836 Willey Aug. 15, 1944 2,473,325 Aufiero June 14, 1949

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