Multi-adjustable air register

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10919366-B2
Application number	US-201715677192-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2017
Priority date	Aug 15, 2017
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

An air register for use in a vehicle includes a vent housing having an outlet. A frame member is operably coupled to the sidewalls of the outlet and contains a perimeter wall framing an open central portion. Disposed within the open central portion is a plurality of chambers operably coupled to the frame member and movable between first and second positions. Each chamber includes a perimeter wall having vertical and horizontal surfaces disposed in a common plane around an open interior portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air register, comprising:
a vent housing having an outlet;
a frame member operably coupled to the outlet and having a perimeter wall disposed around an open central portion;
a plurality of chambers rotatably coupled to the frame member and moveable between first and second positions, wherein the plurality of chambers includes a central pair of chambers spaced apart from the perimeter wall of the frame member and first and second side pairs of chambers, each pair of chambers including an upper chamber and a lower chamber, and further wherein each of the plurality of chambers includes a perimeter wall having vertical and horizontal surfaces disposed through a common plane and defining an open interior portion; and
a handle member disposed between the upper and lower chambers of the central pair of chambers.

2. The air register of claim 1 , wherein the frame member is pivotally coupled to the outlet between first and second positions.

3. The air register of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of chambers are disposed within the open central portion of the frame member.

4. The air register of claim 1 , wherein the perimeter wall of the frame member includes upper and lower portions.

5. The air register of claim 4 , wherein the upper and lower portions of the perimeter wall of the frame member include a plurality of spaced-apart receiving wells.

6. The air register of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of chambers includes outwardly extending attachment features received in one of the receiving wells disposed on the upper and lower portions of the perimeter wall of the frame member.

7. An air register, comprising:
a vent housing having an outlet with first and second spaced-apart sidewalls;
a frame member operably coupled to the first and second sidewalls of the outlet, the frame member having a perimeter wall defining an open central portion, wherein the frame member pivots at least partially within the outlet of the vent housing about a first axis;
a plurality of chambers disposed within the open central portion and spaced apart from the perimeter wall of the frame member, wherein the plurality of chambers includes a central pair of chambers and first and second side pairs of chambers, each pair of chambers including first and second upper attachment posts extending in a first direction and a lower attachment post aligned with the first upper attachment post and extending in a second direction, the first upper attachment post positioned forward of the second upper attachment post, wherein each pair of chambers is rotatable about the respective first upper attachment post and the lower attachment post, and further wherein each chamber includes a perimeter wall having vertical and horizontal surfaces disposed through a common plane and defining an open interior portion; and
a handle member disposed on the central pair of chambers and positioned between an upper chamber and a lower chamber of the central pair of chambers.

8. The air register of claim 7 , wherein the perimeter wall of the frame member includes first and second sidewalls, an upper wall, and a lower wall, and wherein the vertical surfaces of each chamber are positioned substantially parallel to the first and second sidewalls when each pair of chambers is in a forward facing position.

9. The air register of claim 7 , wherein each pair of chambers pivots along an individual axis that is disposed in a perpendicular orientation relative to the first axis of the frame member.

10. The air register of claim 7 , including:
a stringer member operably coupled to the second attachment post of each of the plurality of chambers.

11. The air register of claim 7 , wherein each pair of chambers is pivotable about an individual axis perpendicular to the first axis.

12. The air register of claim 7 , wherein each pair of chambers includes an upper chamber, a lower chamber, and an intermediate portion positioned between the upper chamber and the lower chamber, wherein the intermediate portion forms a wedge configured to direct air movement and at least one of the horizontal surfaces of each of the upper and lower chambers extends along the wedge.

13. An air register, comprising:
a vent housing having an outlet;
a frame member pivotally coupled to the outlet and having upper and lower portions defining an open central portion, wherein the upper portion defines a first receiving well and the lower portion defines a second receiving well, and wherein the frame member is rotatable relative to the vent housing;
a central chamber assembly having an upper chamber including a first upper attachment post received by the first receiving well and a lower chamber including a lower attachment post received by the second receiving well, wherein vertical walls of the upper and lower chambers are spaced apart from a sidewall of the frame member and the chamber assembly is rotatable relative to the frame member, and further wherein the central chamber assembly includes a handle member disposed between the upper and lower chambers of the central chamber assembly; and
first and second side chamber assemblies disposed on opposite sides of the central chamber assembly, wherein the central chamber assembly and the first and second chamber assemblies are defined by perimeter walls having horizontal and vertical surfaces disposed through a common plane.

14. The air register of claim 13 , wherein the chamber assembly is one of a plurality of chamber assemblies.

15. The air register of claim 13 , wherein the central chamber assembly and the first and second side chamber assemblies are interconnected by a stringer member that is pivotally coupled to second upper attachment posts positioned rearward of at least the first upper attachment post and outwardly extending from each chamber assembly.

16. The air register of claim 14 , wherein the frame member rotates at least partially within the outlet along a primary rotational axis between first and second positions, and further wherein each chamber assembly of the plurality of chamber assemblies rotates at least partially within the open central portion of the frame member along a secondary rotational axis that is perpendicular to the primary rotational axis, and further wherein the secondary rotational axes are parallel to one another.

17. The air register of claim 13 , wherein the frame member rotates at least partially within the outlet along a primary rotational axis between first and second positions, and further wherein each of the central chamber assembly, the first side chamber assembly, and the second side chamber assembly rotates at least partially within the open central portion of the frame member along an individual secondary rotational axis that is perpendicular to the primary rotational axis, and further wherein the secondary rotational axes are parallel to one another.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Fidh Steven Nicholas

Classifications

• F24F13/082 Primary

  Grilles, registers or guards · CPC title

• B60H2001/3464

  Details of hinges · CPC title

• B60H1/3428

  using a set of pivoting shutters and a pivoting frame · CPC title

• B60H1/3435 Primary

  using only a pivoting frame · CPC title