PORTABLE AIR CONDITIONER DEVICE

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to air conditioner devices and more particularly pertains to a new air conditioner device for producing cooled air in any location. The device includes an ice chest and a coiled tube that is positioned in the ice chest and the ice chest is filled with ice to cool the coiled tube. The device includes a blower that is attached to the ice chest which blows air into the coiled tube and outwardly through an output of the coiled tube that extends through the ice chest. The device includes a condensation drain that is in communication with the coiled tube to collect condensed water in the air that is blown through the coiled tube.

(2) Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

The prior art relates to air conditioner devices including a variety of portable air coolers that each at least comprises a bucket that can be filled with ice and a blower attached to the bucket for blowing air through the bucket to be cooled by the ice and a portable air cooler that comprises an ice chest and a fluid filled radiator disposed in the ice chest for cooling air that is blown through the ice chest by a blower. In no instance does the prior art disclose a portable air cooler that includes an ice chest and a coiled tube positioned in the ice chest that is cooled with ice placed in the ice chest and a blower which blows air through the coiled tube which is subsequently cooled by the coiled tube.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising an ice chest for containing ice placed within the ice chest. A coiled tube is positioned within the interior space of the ice chest and the coiled tube is comprised of a thermally conductive material such that the coiled tube can be cooled by the ice. Additionally, the coiled tube has an outlet that extends through the ice chest. A blower is attached to the ice chest and the blower blows air into the coiled tube when the blower is turned on. In this way the coiled tube can cool the air blown into the coiled tube when the ice chest is filled with the ice thereby facilitating the cooled air to escape the outlet of the coiled tube. A condensation drain is attached to the coiled tube to receive condensed water from the air blown into the coiled tube.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a phantom perspective view of a portable air conditioner device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4 of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a magnified detail view taken from circle 6 of FIG. 5 of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective phantom view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a phantom in-use view of an embodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 8 thereof, a new air conditioner device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 8, the portable air conditioner device 10 generally comprises an ice chest 12 which defines an interior space 14 within the ice chest 12 to contain ice 16 placed within the ice chest 12. Additionally, the ice chest 12 is comprised of a thermally insulating material to inhibit thermal communication between the ice 16 and ambient air. The ice chest 12 has a bottom wall 18 and a perimeter wall 20 extending upwardly from the bottom wall 18. The perimeter wall 20 has an upper edge 22 which defines an opening 24 into the interior space 14 and the perimeter wall 20 has a pair of wheel wells 26 each recessed into a respective one of a first lateral side 28 and a second lateral side 30 of the perimeter wall 20. Each of the pair of wheel wells 26 is aligned with an intersection with a back side 32 of the perimeter wall 20. Each of the pair of wheel wells 26 has an upper bounding surface 34 that is concavely arcuate with respect to the bottom wall 18.

The ice chest 12 has prominence 36 extending rearwardly from the back side 32 of the perimeter wall 20. The prominence 36 is oriented to extend partially between the first lateral side 28 and the second lateral side 30 of the perimeter wall 20. Additionally, the prominence 36 is positioned closer to the upper edge 22 of the perimeter wall 20 than the bottom wall 18 of the ice chest 12 and the prominence 36 has an upper surface 38 that is horizontally oriented. A pair of rollers 40 is each rotatably attached to the ice chest 12. Each of the pair of rollers 40 is positioned in a respective one of the pair of wheel wells 26 to roll along a support surface 42 for transporting the ice chest 12.

A lid 39 is hingedly coupled to the ice chest 12 for opening or closing the interior space 14 in the ice chest 12. The lid 39 is comprised of a thermally insulating material to inhibit thermal communication between the ice 16 and ambient air when the lid 39 is closed. The lid 39 has a rear edge 41 that is hingedly coupled to the upper edge 22 of the perimeter wall 20 of the ice chest 12 corresponding to the back side 32 of the perimeter wall 20. A handle 44 is provided which comprises a pair of telescopic members 46 and a grip 48 extending between the pair of telescopic members 46. A lower end 50 of each of the pair of telescopic members 46 is attached to the upper surface 38 of the prominence 36. Each of the pair of telescopic members 46 is urgeable into an extended condition having the grip 48 being spaced upwardly from the lid 39. In this way the grip 48 can be gripped by a user 52 thereby facilitating the user 52 to roll the ice chest 12 along the support surface 42 for transporting the ice chest 12.

A coiled tube 54 is positioned within the interior space 14 of the ice chest 12 and the coiled tube 54 defines a coil 55 that is vertically oriented on the ice chest 12. The coiled tube 54 is comprised of a thermally conductive material, including but not being limited to steel or copper, such that the coiled tube 54 is cooled by the ice 16 when the interior space 14 is filled with the ice 16. The coiled tube 54 has an inlet tube 56 and an outlet tube 58; the inlet tube 56 is perpendicularly oriented with a top end 60 of the coil 55 defined by the coiled tube 54. Furthermore, the inlet tube 56 extends through the back side 32 of the perimeter wall 20 of the ice chest 12 at a point that is positioned closer to the upper edge 22 of the perimeter wall 20 than the bottom wall 18 of the ice chest 12.

The outlet tube 58 has a lower portion 62 that is perpendicularly oriented with a bottom end 64 of the coil 55 defined by the coiled tube 54 and the lower portion 62 is vertically oriented in the interior space 14 of the ice chest 12. Additionally, the lower portion 62 is surrounded by the coil 55 defined by the coiled tube 54. The outlet tube 58 has an upper portion 66 that is perpendicularly oriented with the lower portion 62 and the upper portion 66 extends through a front side 68 of the perimeter wall 20 of the ice chest 12.

A blower 70 is attached to the ice chest 12 and the blower 70 is in communication with the coiled tube 54. The blower 70 blows air into the coiled tube 54 when the blower 70 is turned on to cool the air blown into the coiled tube 54 when the interior space 14 is filled with the ice 16. The blower 70 is disposed on the back side 32 of the perimeter wall 20 of the ice chest 12. Additionally, the blower 70 has an output 72 that is fluidly coupled to the inlet tube 56 of the coiled tube 54. The blower 70 may comprise an electric air blower or the like and the blower 70 includes a battery 72 and a power button 73 for actuating or de-actuating the blower 70.

A condensation drain 74 is provided and the condensation drain 74 is attached to the coiled tube 54. The condensation drain 74 is in communication with the coil 55 defined by the coiled tube 54 to receive condensed water 76 from the air blown into the coiled tube 54. The condensation drain 74 has an intake tube 78 that is in fluid communication with an intersection between the lower portion 62 of the outlet tube 58 of the coiled tube 54 and the bottom end 64 of the coiled tube 54. Furthermore, as is most clearly shown in FIG. 5, the intake tube 78 extends toward the bottom wall 18 of the ice chest 12 to facilitate the condensed water 76 to travel downwardly in the intake tube 78 when the cooled air exits the bottom end 64 of the coiled tube 54 thereby separating the condensed water 76 from the cooled air.

The condensation drain 74 has an exhaust tube 80 which is fluidly coupled to the intake tube 78 to receive the condensed water 76 from the intake tube 78. The exhaust tube 80 extends along the bottom wall 18 of the ice chest 12 and extends through the front side 68 of the perimeter wall 20 of the ice chest 12. The exhaust tube 80 has a distal end 82 with respect to the front side 68 of the perimeter wall 20 and the distal end 82 is closed. Additionally, the exhaust tube 80 has a drain hole 84 which extends into an interior of the exhaust tube 80 and the drain hole 84 faces downwardly to drain the condensed water 76 from the condensation drain 74. As is most clearly shown in FIG. 6, a cap 86 may be applied to the distal end 82 of the exhaust tube 80 to close the distal end 82 and the cap 86 may have a hole 88 that is aligned with the drain hole 84.

In use, the ice chest 12 is filled with ice 16 and the lid 39 is closed and the blower 70 is turned on to blow air into the coiled tube 54. The ice 16 in the ice chest 12 cools the coiled tube 54 which facilitates the coiled tube 54 to cool the air blown into the coiled tube 54. The condensation drain 74 collects condensed water 76 from the cooled air to subsequently drain out of the drain hole in the exhaust tube 80. The ice chest 12 can be positioned in any location that does not have air conditioning, such as a camper, a garage or any other enclosed space, thereby facilitating the cooled air to exit the outlet tube 58 of the coiled tube 54 to cool the enclosed space. The ice 16 can be replenished at any time when the ice 16 begins to melt and the battery in the blower 70 can be replaced when the battery becomes depleted. In this way the enclosed space can be cooled for an extended duration of time.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, device and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.