US2173073A - Air treatment device - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet l c. w. PlERsoN AIR TRETMENTr DEVICE spt. 12, 1939.

Sept. 12, 1939 c. w. PlERsoN AIR TREATMENT DEVICE Filed oet. 19, lase 2 Sheds-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 1.2, i939 UNITED STATES Claims.

the tunnel at the discharge for drawing airlo through the tunnel and discharging it from the tunnel. The tunnel and the impeller are so a1'- ranged as to direct the discharged air in such manner as to cooperate functionally with the spacing of the air intake and outlet to normally prevent immediate recirculation between thesey points. 1n this manner the air in the upper part of the room is pushed outward and the air in the lower part drawn inward thereby setting up general and gentle air currents throughout El) the room. The tunnel being portable may be moved along the wall of the room to a point giving the best results'which may vary depending upon the shape of the room and the position of furniture or other obstacles. Likewise the tunnel may be moved from yroom to room as may be desired, in the manner of a.y conventionalzfan. The tunnel furthermore provides a restricted passageway through which all of the air in the room is periodically passed and wherein are pow sitioned air treatment devices for the purpose ofremoving dust, smoke,.'dirt, gases, and bacteria, humidifying the air, Yand in a large measure sterilizing the air.'

An important object of the invention is ther $5 provision of an improved air circulation device for providing improved room -circulation wherein directional currents are setup.

Another objectof the invention is tor provide an air circulating devlcedeslgned to avoid im- 40 mediate recirculation oi air directly adjacentthe device and cause the'discharged-air to move out to remote points'in the room and'at the same time draw air into the intake from remote 'points in the room.

' 45 Another laim of theinvention is the yprovision of a tunnell or cabinet structure having novelv structural characteristics facilitating the circulation of'air. i i

A further object is the provision of improved 50 means for humidifyingand filtering the air.' I

Another objecty of the invention is the provision of improved means for treating the air to improve itsA condition for those suiering froml respiratory troubles, such as asthma, `hay fever 66 and the like.

'PATENT OFFICE Am. TREATMENT nnvlcn Carl W. Pierson, Rockford; lli. Application october- 19, iasisno; 106,280

(ci. zel- 104) casters or other support facilitating the move- 4o lsloping panel I6 is provided with an opening I8 consists in this instance of a conventional elec- 60 A still further object of the invention is the provision of improved means for treating the air for the purpose` of improving its general suitability for breathing, such as the removal of odors, c bacteria, dust particles and the like, and to kill 5 bacteria which may not actually be removed from the air.

I have also aimed to provide means for improving the therapeutic and germicidal action of ozone, and to produce an ozone generating dei0 vice 4of improved characteristics.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l isia front view of a device embodying my invention:

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1; Fig. .3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3 4 of Fig. 2; 20 Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section showing the manner in which air may be drawn from the exterior of the room, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the manner in whichv the air in a rectangular room 26 is caused to move through operation of the device.

In Figs. land 2 I have shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein the air tunnel, designated generally by 30 the numeral 6, is formed by a cabinet of rectangular cross-section having side walls 1 and 8, a back wall 9, iront wall H, and top l2. The front wall has a plurality of slots I3 adjacent the bottom thereof, a door I4 at amid-point secured 85 to the side wall 1 byimeans of hinges I5. and a sloping portion or panel I6 sloping backwardr from bottom to top, as best shown in Fig. 2. The cabinet may be 4carried on legs |.1 or may have ment yci! the cabinet from place to place. 'I'he through which air is adapted to be discharged from the tunnel 6. A screen or other grill I9 is positioned across the opening, in part as a decorative measure, but largely for the purpose of protecting a fan positioned therebehind for the purpose of impelling airthrough the tunnel and out through the discharge opening i8. This fan tric motor 2l mounted on a bracket 22 attached to the side walls 1 and 8, the motorcarrying impeller,- bladesA 23. The flow of current to the motor 2| is controlled by a switch, rheostat, or other control device 2l mounted ,within the cab- 66 inet and operated by a handle projecting through the wall 1.

The fan is, in this instance, positioned within the cabinet so that the blades 23 operate in a plane parallel to the grill I9 and the panel I6 and direct a stream of air forwardly and upwardly from the tunnel. The air passing through the discharge opening I8 is drawn upward through the tunnel 6 from the intake openings I3 adjacent the bottom of the tunnel. By having the impeller near the discharge opening or on the outlet side of the air treating devices I am enabled to obtain better directional forces and distribution of the air, as will presently appear. 'I'he distance between the discharge opening and the intake openings should be such that the air passing out of the discharge opening does not merely move downward along the iront of the cabinet and in through the intake openings, but instead, is directed outwardly away from the cabinet so that the air entering the intake openings is drawn from the layer of air adjacent the floor. Furthermore, the arrangement must be such that air is not drawn in along the periphery of the opening I8. Normally this is prevented by adjusting the relative positions and size of the opening I8 and the impeller blades .23. I have found, however, that while such adjustments are normally satisfactory to prevent intakeof air along the periphery of the opening; the position of the parts in the present construction appears to prevent the complete elimination of this phenomenon by the method suggested. I have found, however, that by flattening the round side of the otherwise circular discharge opening I8 as shown at 25, I have been able to prevent the indraft of air along the lower `edge of the opening which otherwise will occur. While the indraft of air at this point is not vital to the operativeness of the device, I have nevertheless found that it tends to set up undesirable recirculation currents, thereby affecting the ediciency of circulation.

An opening 26 is formed in the back wall 8 of the cabinet and has a screen 21 thereover, the opening being positioned in close proximity to the top of the cabinet and in the transverse plane of the upper part of the impeller 23. The impeller blade serves to draw into the cabinet a certain amount of air through this opening and discharge the same through the discharge opening I8, the resultbeing to materially increase the capacity of the air tunnel 6. It is believed `that the impeller blades in their rotation create. in the upper converging end of the cabinet, certain disturbing air currents which tend to-retard the upward movement of air through the tunnel, which air currents are eliminated by the provision of the opening 26. At least I have discovered that the rate of circulation of air through the tunnel is materially increased by the provision of the opening 26.

I may utilize this phenomenon for the purpose of drawing fresh air into the room and circulating the same in the manner shown in Fig. 4. For this purpose a sleeve 28 is attached to the back 9 of the cabinet surrounding the opening 26 and is adapted. to receive a ilter 26 and a conduit tube 3i, the discharge end of which is carried in a panel 32 adapted to be positioned between an upraised window 33 and a window sill 24 in`,an obvious manner, whereby a part of the air discharged from the opening- I 8 will be drawn from the exterior through th'e tube 3|, the nuera and the opening 26. 'Ihe iilter 28 will preferably be a filter adapted to retain dust, pollen, and the like, and allow the discharge of the ltered air therethrough.

In Fig. I have shown in a diagrammatic manner the type of circulation produced by the operation of my device. In this figure the numerals 35, 36, 31 and 38 indicate the side walls of a room, the numeral 38 the oor of a room, and the numeral 4I the ceiling. The air circulation device is designated by the numeral 42. It will be seen from the direction of the arrows that the air passes out of the opening I8 in a forwardly and an upwardly direction, the main stream of air striking the wall 36 at an elevated point. The stream of air then stretches out along the wall 36 in all directions but primarily laterally and downward. The laterally moving air moves along the wall 36 to the walls 35 and 31 and thence along these walls and downward. At the same time air is being drawn in through the inlet I3 near the floor of the room which facilitates the downward movement of the air along the walls 36, 35 and 31. 'I'his description and the drawings will indicate the general direction of air movement, but it will be realized that a part of the air during this cycle is being continuously deected from `the main stream so that a general circulation of air is obtained throughout the entire room. This movement of air distinguishes the present circulating device from the conventional type of fan which tends to create a zone of violent air agitation without eilectuating a general air movement. The improved results obtained are attributed to the fact that the air is taken into the tunnel at a low point, transported through the tunnel to an elevated point for discharge in a direction to carry the air away from the discharge opening and the intake opening, the intake and the discharge opening being suiiiciently far apart that immediate recirculation of any substantial proportion of the air by passage downward directly across the front of the cabinet is prevented. It will be seen that with this construction the air is pushed outward at the top with such velocity as to travel to a remote point against the opposite wall and the air is drawn inward at the bottom so as to make room for the outwardly moving air. This produces a substantially uniform and gentle circulation of air through the room which in a normal sized ofllce or home room is sulcient to be physically perceptible tothe occupants. On the other hand, this movement of air is not sumciently violent to disturb papers or other contents of the room as is usually the case with the conventional fan. Furthermore, the airis discharged from the tunnel in an upwardly and outwardly direction from a relatively elevated point in the room so that the rapid movement of the air directly adjacent the cabinet is rarely if ever objectionable or noticeable to the occupants.

It will be observed that the air of the room will be moved through the tunnel or cabinet at regular intervals; that is, in a predetermined space of time all or substantially all of the air will have been moved through the tunnel during the circulation operations. I utilize this passage of the .air through the tunnel for the purpose of treating the air so as to humidify. to filter, and in`part to sterilize the air. This is accomplished by means of a tank 43 which extends substantially across the tunnel from front to back as shown in Fig. 2 and is provided with.a flanged upper end I4 which seats in slots I5 midway between the ends of brackets 46 attached to the back 8 and front II o! the cabinet. 'Ihe tank is of substantially lesser width than the width of the -cabinet so as to leave spaces 41 between the sides of the tank and the sides l.

and 8 of the cabinet for the passageof air upward through the tunnel. A wick 48 is immersed in the water contained in the tank 43 at its midpoint, as best 'shown in Fig. 3 while the ends of the wick are attached to the inner surfaces of the side walls 'i and 8 by means of rods 49 attached to the ends of the wick and seated in hooks l on the side walls. The wickis of suicient width to substantially span the tunnel so that the air passing upward through the tunnel is forced to pass through the wick. This wick is preferably formed of loosely woven fabric such as to draw the water upward from the tank to the extremities of the wick by capillarity and yet to obstruct the passage of air therethrough a minimum amount.

` When the impeller 23 is not in operation so that there is no forced flow of air through the tunnel, the wick occupies substantially the full line position shown in Fig. 3. On the other hand, when the impeller is in operation at relatively high speed, the movement of air through the tunnel deects the upper portion of the wick as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. I have found that through this arrangement the movement of the air facili- .tates or assists the capillarity in carrying the liquid up to the extremities of the wick. This appears to be due to the fact that the violent rush of air tends to blow the water upward along the surface of the Wick. At intervals, depending upon the amount of dirt in the air, the wick is removed through the' door and washed inthe manner of any cloth fabric and again replaced for further use.

It will be seen that through this arrangement the air passing through the tunnel is compelled to pass through the wet wick, whereupon the air is broken up into small streams or bubbles while in contact with the wet wick, causing moisture yto be picked up by the air and thus humidifying the same. At the same time the passage of the air through the wet wick causes the small particles of dirt and 'dust to be deposited on the wick. Likewise, this causes bacteria or other microorganism carried in the air to be deposited on the wick so that the air passingthereabove has removed from it a. substantial part of the dirt, dust and bacteria. This is of material advantage in homes, for example, where it has been found that a constant operation of this air circulating device has very materially reduced the amount of dust settling on objects in the room, the smoking and dirtying of the walls occasioned by the operation of heating plants. Likewise, the device is highly eective for -removing tobacco smoke from'- the air. An important function of the filter cloth in addition to the above is that it serves to absorb odors frequently found in the air, such,

for example, as cooking odors, toilet odors, and

the like, thereby removing them from circulation in the room.

At apoint in the tunnel below the tank t3 I provide an ozone generating device in a position such that at least a part of the air entering at the bottomof the tunnelis caused to pass over the ozone generator. In this instance, the generator consists of the usual tubes E2 and transformer 53 carried on a cross member 5t extending between the side walls l and t. This generator is connected to a source of power through a switch 55 so that the generator may be switched off and on as may be desired. A plate 60 above the transformer serves to protect it from material dropping from above. The ozone thus generated is carried upward with the incoming air through the filter cloth 48. Upon contact with the filter cloth apart of the ozone is absorbed in the water held in this cloth and very shortly reaches a concentration such as to kill `al1 of the bacteria or microorganisms which are deposited thereon from the air. In addition, the ozone acts upon the odors held in the cloth to effect their oxidation and 'thus destroy them. However, a large part of the ozone is carried out of the discharge opening mixed with the air and moisture so that it is distributed through the atmosphere of the room wherein it is highly effective for the purpose of destroying odors. The-effectiveness of the ozone thus distributed through the atmosphere is considerably enhanced by the presence of the increased humidity* resulting from the wick. It is a well known fact that for most purposes'moist ozonevis considerably more effective than the dry ozone, and in this instance it appears that the ozone is very thoroughly mixed with the moisture of the air on passing through the wick. The device is therefore effective to distribute the moist ozone through the atmosphere where it acts to kill the bacteria in part even before they are drawn onto the filter.

Furthermore, and of at least as great an irnportance, is the fact that by thus passing the ozone through the moist iilter 48, the deleterious physiological effects heretofore attributed to ozone appear to be avoided. In other words, persons who have inthe past been adversely affected by the presence of ozone in the atmosphere, which has caused them to develop headache andthe like, find that the operation of my device does not thus affect them. For this reason many people have found the device to be highly effective in avoiding the discomforts of hay fever, and iind relief from these discomforts upon entering a room in which this device has been in operation for a period of time. While in part this may be attributed to the ltering action of the device in removing pollen and other irritating substances from the air, I am convinced that it is at least in part due to the action of ozone after passing through the wet filter cloth. I have been unable so far to determine the theoretical explanation but at the present time suspect that it may be due to the removal by the filter cloth of nitrous oxide and similar byproducts produced by the operation of ozone generating devices.

While I have thus described and illustrated the specific embodiment of the invention, I am aware that numerous alterations and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited except as required by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims, in which- I claim:

1. The combination in an air circulating device of a vertically disposed portable tunnel having an air inlet at a low point and an inclined face at the upper end thereof extending obliquely thereagainst from one side of the tunnel to a point adjacent the opposite side thereof forming an posed sides of the tunnel and having a discharge opening, an air impeller within said tunnel vparallel to` said face for moving air through the tunnel, and an opening in the side of said tunnel `obtuse and an acute angle with respect to op- 2. The combination in a portable air circulating device of Va rectangular hollow cabinet forming a vertically disposed tunnel having an air inlet at a low point and a sloping front panel at the upper end thereof extending upwardly and rearwardly to the top at a point adjacent the rear of the cabinet forming an acute angle with the rear of the cabinet, said panel having a discharge openingl an air impeller within said panel parallel to said face for moving air through the tunnel, and an opening in the rear of said tunnel opposite the upper portion only of said face for supplying air to said acute angle and to the upper portion of said impeller to facilitate the operation of the impeller.

3. 'I'he combination in a portable al1; conditioning device of a cabinet providing a vertically disposed air tunnel having yan air inlet at a low point adjacent the door of a room and an air discharge at an elevated point, an impeller for moving air through said tunnel, wet foraminous material spanning the tunnel for the passage of the air therethrough to humidify and filter the same, a water tank into which said foraniinous material dips to maintain the same wet by caplllarity, said foraminous material in said tank being unsecured for free removal from said cabinet, an opening intermediate the ends of thef cabinet for access to said tank and said foraminous ma.- terial to replace or recondition the same, and a closure for said opening.

4. The combination in a portable air conditioning device of a cabinet providing a vertically disposed air tunnel having an air inlet at a lowpoint adjacent the door of a room and an air discharge at an elevated point, impeller means Within the cabinet for passing air through the tunnel to impart directionalflow thereto, a iilter cloth spanning said tunnel for filtering and humidifying the air passing therethrough, means for maintaining the cloth wet by capillarity, means located intermediate the inlet and outlet for removing the cloth for washing, and an ozone generator positioned in the tunnel below said 4 cloth for supplying ozone to the air subsequent to the entry of the air into the tunnel and prior to the passage thereof through the cloth.

5. The combination in an air circulating device for a room, of a portable cabinet adapted to be moved from room to room in a home and the like and moved about in a room having a vertically disposed tunnel, an air intake at a low point therein, and an air discharge at an elevated point for discharging air atan obtuse angle with respect to the iioor line whereby to direct air upward and across said room to the opposite wall so that said wall is caused to reflect and deiiect the air about the room, the low intake drawing the air downward along the walls for return to the cabinet thereby setting up a general iiow of air throughout the room, a fan in said tunnel for drawing air in at the low point and forcing it out at the discharge point, a filter cloth spanning said tunnel for iiltering and humidifyingthe air passing therethrough, means for maintaining the cloth wet by capillarity, means located intermediate the inlet and outlet for removing the cloth for washing and an ozone generator positioned in the tunnel below said cloth for supplying ozone to the air subsequent to the entry ofthe air into the tunnel and prior to the passage' thereof through the cloth.

" CARL W. PIERSON.

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