Modular vent hood blower kit for in-line or external application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10816219-B2
Application number	US-201815980998-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2018
Priority date	Oct 24, 2013
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

A vent hood kit comprises a canopy assembly having an intake end and an outlet end, a blower housing selectively and alternatively coupled with the exhaust end of the canopy assembly in an in-line position and an external position, a blower assembly disposed within a blower housing and in communication with the intake end in both the in-line and external positions and an exhaust duct adapter of the blower housing is configured to be in communication with the intake end in both the in-line and external positions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vent hood system comprising:
a blower assembly operable between a plurality of positions relative to at least one air intake, each position of the plurality of positions defined by the blower assembly being in communication with the at least one air intake;
a main blower housing proximate a canopy of the at least one air intake; and
at least one accessory blower housing positioned distal from the main blower housing, wherein the blower assembly is operable between the plurality of positions while the main blower housing is coupled to the at least one air intake.

2. The vent hood system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one air intake includes the canopy and a plurality of air intake ports, and wherein the at least one accessory blower housing includes a primary branch adapter that places each air intake port of the plurality of air intake ports in communication with the blower assembly.

3. The vent hood system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one accessory blower housing includes an accessory housing that is distal from the primary branch adapter, wherein the blower assembly is disposed within the accessory housing.

4. The vent hood system of claim 3 , wherein the accessory housing is positioned downstream of the canopy and the primary branch adapter.

5. The vent hood system of claim 1 , wherein the canopy includes an air outlet.

6. The vent hood system of claim 5 , wherein the main blower housing is directly coupled to the air outlet of the canopy.

7. The vent hood system of claim 1 , wherein the main blower housing includes an exhaust duct adapter and the at least one accessory blower housing includes an inlet duct adapter that is selectively engaged with the exhaust duct adapter in each of the plurality of positions of the blower assembly.

8. The vent hood system of claim 7 , wherein a duct extends from the exhaust duct adapter of the main blower housing to the inlet duct adapter of the at least one accessory blower housing in each of the plurality of positions of the blower assembly.

9. The vent hood system of claim 7 , wherein a turbulence reduction mechanism is disposed between the at least one air intake and one of the exhaust duct adapter of the main blower housing and an accessory exhaust duct adapter of the at least one accessory blower housing.

10. The vent hood system of claim 1 , wherein the blower assembly is configured to be selectively disposed between the main blower housing and the at least one accessory blower housing.

11. The vent hood system of claim 1 , wherein the main blower housing includes a plurality of housing walls defining an interior volume, wherein the blower assembly is disposed within the interior volume and coupled with at least one of the plurality of housing walls in an in-line position of the plurality of positions of the blower assembly.

12. The vent hood system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one accessory blower housing includes a plurality of accessory housing walls defining an accessory interior volume, wherein the blower assembly is disposed within the accessory interior volume and coupled to at least one of the plurality of accessory housing walls in an external position of the plurality of positions of the blower assembly.

13. The vent hood system of claim 12 , wherein a control is configured to operate the blower assembly when the blower assembly is in either of the in-line and external positions.

14. A vent hood system comprising:
a plurality of air intakes;
a blower assembly operable between a plurality of blower positions, wherein the blower assembly is in selective communication with the plurality of air intakes in each of the plurality of blower positions, wherein the blower assembly is selectively and alternatively operable between an in-line position where the blower assembly is attached to an air intake of the plurality of air intakes and an external position where the blower assembly is positioned distal from the plurality of air intakes; and
an intake accessory cover that is selectively attached directly to the air intake in the external position, wherein the blower assembly is selectively attached directly to the air intake in the in-line position, and the in-line position being free of the intake accessory cover.

15. The vent hood system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of air intakes include a canopy assembly, wherein the blower assembly is attached to the canopy assembly in the in-line position.

16. The vent hood system of claim 14 , wherein each air intake of the plurality of air intakes includes an exhaust duct adapter that is in communication with the blower assembly.

17. The vent hood system of claim 14 , further comprising:
a primary branch adapter that receives ductwork from the plurality of air intakes, wherein the primary branch adapter is positioned upstream of the blower assembly in the external position.

18. The vent hood system of claim 17 , wherein the primary branch adapter is attached to the blower assembly.

19. A vent hood kit comprising:
a blower housing that includes a blower and an inlet aperture;
a plurality of air intakes;
a primary branch adapter attached to the inlet aperture and coupled to the plurality of air intakes, wherein the blower housing and the primary branch adapter cooperatively define an in-line position where the primary branch adapter is attached directly to an air intake of the plurality of air intakes and an external position where the blower housing and the primary branch adapter are distal from the plurality of air intakes; and
a controller coupled to the blower housing and in selective communication with the plurality of air intakes and the blower housing.

20. The vent hood kit of claim 19 , further comprising:
an accessory cover that is configured to engage the primary branch adapter when the primary branch adapter and the blower housing are disposed in the external position, wherein the primary branch adapter is free of the accessory cover in the in-line position.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Bruin-Slot Zachary J

Classifications

• F24C15/20 Primary

  Removing cooking fumes (parts, details or accessories of cooking-vessels for withdrawing or condensing cooking vapours from such vessels A47J36/38) · CPC title

• F24F3/163

  Clean air work stations, i.e. selected areas within a space which filtered air is passed · CPC title

• F24F11/0001

  for ventilation (F24F11/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24C15/2042 Primary

  Devices for removing cooking fumes structurally associated with a cooking range e.g. downdraft (F24C15/2007 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24C15/2078

  movable · CPC title