Detachable Vent Register

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The vent register described in this disclosure is an integral component of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. It serves as a critical interface between the air distribution network and the conditioned space. The key innovation highlighted in this disclosure is the incorporation of a detachable air-distributing grille.

BACKGROUND

Vent registers are generally fitted to the air supply outlets of conditioned air distribution systems to distribute air in specified areas. The vent registers are not only designed to generate spread and throw of the conditioned air but are sometimes also incorporated with a feature to regulate the airflow. For ground installations, a vent register is simply inserted into the air supply boot, and generally no fastener is required. But for ceiling installations, most of the time no support is provided during framing for the screws that hold the vent register to the ceiling. For these installations, plastic anchors are inserted into the drywall or ceiling, through which the vent register is screwed. When a conventional vent register is used in the ceiling, it is very difficult to access the volume damper while performing air balancing. Each time you perform air balancing, the first step is to remove the vent register using a tool, make adjustments to the damper position, put the vent register back, and take the airflow measurement. If it is not correct, repeat the above process. However, after some time, these anchors become loose, and the vent register tends to fall down.

To mitigate the aforementioned problems associated with conventional vent registers, the present disclosure aims to provide an economical and effective solution.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vent register with a detachable air distribution grille for air distribution systems. For ease of communication, the detachable vent register will be referred as vent register and detachable grille will now be described as “grille”.

The vent register may comprise a plurality of mounting brackets and a grille which are held together by a snap fit.

The grille has a plurality of conditioned air supply apertures, a skirt profile, a plurality of releasing member accesses, and a plurality of ledges. The skirt profile on the grille may be formed to accommodate the mounting bracket for proper engagement. The air supply apertures may be inclined at a predetermined angle to spread and generate a throw of the conditioned air across an area of interest. The grille may further comprise an airflow regulator body positioned below its bottom surface, supported by latches. The airflow regulator body may comprise a tab and a plurality of air regulator slots. The airflow regulator body may be adjustable relative to the air supply apertures of the grille to regulate the flow of conditioned air with the help of the tap.

The mounting bracket comprises an indexing member having a center position locating slot, a locking member and a plurality of anchor slots. The mounting bracket may be fastened to the floor, ceiling, or air supply boot using a plurality of screws passing through the anchor slots. The indexing member may be permanently removed from the mounting bracket after installation by cutting at a cut-out point. The function of the indexing member is to maintain the proper engagement distance between the respective fastening members on both the mounting bracket and the grille. The locking member may further be configured to have a retaining member and a releasing member to retain and release the grille from the mounting bracket.

According to other aspects, the detachable grille is secured to the mounting bracket with the help of fasteners. To achieve this objective, the mounting bracket is provided with a support member having a screw slot. Similarly, the grille is provided with fastening access and mating surface in plurality.

According to another aspect the fastening member of the grille may be manufacture as a separate part and then fixed to the skirt of an existing vent grille and this modified vent grille is mounted on the mounting brackets to achieve the same result.

In other aspects, the features described above may be combined together in any reasonable combination as will be recognized by those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a vent register having a detachable air distribution grille, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is an isometric exploded view of the vent register of FIG. 1, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a mounting bracket having an indexing member for indexing its position with respect to a floor or a ceiling or air supply boot, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the mounting bracket with the indexing member before installation, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the mounting bracket without the indexing member after installation, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the installation of the vent register of FIG. 1 in a floor or a ceiling with an air supply boot, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a vent register, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is an isometric exploded view of the vent register of FIG. 7, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a mounting bracket having an indexing member for indexing its position with respect to a floor or a ceiling or air supply boot, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the mounting bracket with the indexing member before installation, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the mounting bracket without the indexing member after installation, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the installation of the vent register of FIG. 7 in a floor or a ceiling with an air supply boot, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the grille holder, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the installation of the vent register in a floor or a ceiling with an air supply boot, using grille holder. in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A vent register generally identified by reference numerals 100 and 200, will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 through 14.

The vent register 100 is primarily used to regulate and distribute conditioned air efficiently within a space, while also allowing easy installation, adjustment, and maintenance without requiring any specialized tools.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, the vent register 100 has a grille 105, which has a plurality of conditioned air supply apertures 110, a plurality of releasing member accesses 115, a skirt profile 120, a plurality of securing surfaces 124, a plurality of mounting bracket accesses 125, a plurality of ledges 127, and a bottom surface 128. The airflow regulator body 130 has a tab 135 and a plurality of air regulator slots 140. The airflow regulator body 130 is held below the bottom surface 128 of the grille 105 by the ledges 127. The position of the airflow regulator body is adjusted through the tab 135. The air supply apertures 110 may be inclined at a predetermined angle to spread and generate a throw of the conditioned air across an area of interest.

Referring to FIG. 3, it is understood that the subfloor and floor or the ceiling 300 has an appropriate vent opening 325 to accommodate the air supply boot 350, which is secured to them by suitable supports and fasteners.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the grille 105 mounting bracket 150 includes an indexing member 155, a bottom surface 157, a center position locating slot 160, a cut-out slot 165, a locking member 170 which has a releasing member 175 and grille 105 retaining member 180, a down flange 177 and a plurality of anchor slots 185.

During installation of the mounting bracket 150, the bottom surface 157 of the indexing member 155 is placed on the top surface of the floor or the ceiling. The center position marking slot 160 aids in aligning the mounting bracket 150 at the center of the vent opening 325 and air supply boot 350. The anchor slots 185 on the mounting bracket 150 allow a set of screws 235 (as shown in FIG. 8) to pass through and attach the mounting bracket 150 firmly to the subfloor, floor, ceiling, or to the air supply boot 350.

After installation, the indexing member 155 is permanently removed from the predefined cut-out point 165, resulting in the mounting bracket's appearance as illustrated in FIG. 5.

The indexing member 155, plays a critical role in maintaining the designed engagement dimension, ensuring the securing surface 124 of the grille 105 and the retaining member 180 of the mounting bracket 150 align correctly for secure the grille 105.

Once the mounting bracket 150 is installed, the grille 105 carrying the airflow regulator body 130 is inserted into the air supply boot 350 through the skirt profile 120 until the retaining member 180 of the mounting bracket 150 engages with the securing surface 124 of the grille 105, as shown in FIG. 6. To remove the grille 105, the releasing member 175 of the locking member 170 is accessed through the releasing member access 115 of the grille 105 to disengage the retaining member 180 of the locking member 170 from the securing surface 124 of the grille 105.

No special tool is required for this task.

The grille 105 contains multiple conditioned air supply apertures 110 through which air is distributed. The releasing member access 115 facilitates easy removal of the grille from its mounting bracket 150. The skirt profile 120 ensures seamless integration with the air supply boot 350 while providing structural support. Ledges 127 are located below the grille 105 to hold the airflow regulator body 130 securely in place, preventing unwanted movement during operation

Positioned beneath the bottom surface 128 of the grille 105, the airflow regulator body 130 controls the volume of the conditioned air exiting the apertures 110. This air regulator body 130 includes a tab 135 for manual adjustment, allowing users to slide the regulator body relative to the apertures for precise airflow control. The air regulator slots 140 align with the apertures 110 to either restrict or permit air passage as required.

The locking member 170 and releasing member 175 work in tandem to securely retain or release the grille 105 without requiring special tools as shown in FIG. 4.

With this method, a conventional vent register can be converted into a detachable vent grille. To achieve this objective, the mounting bracket 150 or a modified version of it, but having the same features, will be required as stated in the previous embodiment.

Another embodiment of present invention, the detachable vent register 200 is shown in FIG. 7 through 12.

Referring to FIGS. 7, 8 and 12, the vent register 200 has a grille 205, which has a plurality of conditioned air supply apertures 210, a plurality of fastening accesses 215, a skirt profile 220, a plurality of mating surfaces 232, a plurality of mounting bracket accesses 225, a plurality of ledges 227, and a bottom surface 228. The airflow regulator body 230 has a tab 235 and a plurality of air regulator slots 240. The airflow regulator body 230 is held below the bottom surface 228 of the grille 205 by the ledges 227. The position of the airflow regulator body is adjusted through the tab 235. The air supply apertures 210 may be inclined at a predetermined angle to spread and generate a throw of the conditioned air across an area of interest.

Referring to FIG. 9, it is understood that the subfloor and floor or the ceiling 300 has an appropriate vent opening 325 to accommodate the air supply boot 350, which is secured to them by suitable supports and fasteners.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the grille 205 mounting bracket 250 includes an indexing member 255, a bottom surface 257, a center position locating slot 260, a cut-out slot 265, a support member 270 which has a screw spot 275, a down flange 277 and a plurality of anchor slots 285.

During installation of the mounting bracket 250, the bottom surface 257 of the indexing member 255 is placed on the top surface of the floor or the ceiling. The center position locating slot 260 aids in aligning the mounting bracket 250 at the center of the vent opening 325 and air supply boot 350. The anchor slots 285 on the mounting bracket 250 allow a set of screws 235 (as shown in FIG. 12) to pass through and attach the mounting bracket 250 firmly to the subfloor, floor, ceiling, or to the air supply boot 350. After installation, the indexing member 255 is permanently removed from the predefined cut-out point 265, resulting in the mounting bracket's appearance as illustrated in FIG. 11.

The indexing member 255 plays a critical role in achieving surface contact between mating surface 232 of the grille 205 and the support member 270 of the mounting bracket 250.

Once the mounting bracket 250 is installed, the grille 205 carrying the airflow regulator body 230 is inserted into the air supply boot 350 through the skirt profile 220 until the mating surface 232 of the grille 205 rests on the support member 270 of the mounting bracket 250, as shown in FIG. 12. Then, both are screwed together with a set of screws 245, through the fastening access 215 of the vent grille 205, using an appropriate tool.

To remove the grille 205, unscrew it from the mounting bracket 250.

The grille 205 contains multiple conditioned air supply apertures 210 through which air is distributed. The skirt profile 220 ensures seamless integration with the air supply boot 350 while providing structural support. Ledges 227 are located below the grille 205 to hold the airflow regulator body 230 securely in place, preventing unwanted movement during operation

Positioned beneath the bottom surface 228 of the grille 205, the airflow regulator body 230 controls the volume of the conditioned air exiting the apertures 210. This air regulator body 230 includes a tab 235 for manual adjustment, allowing users to slide the regulator body relative to the apertures for precise airflow control. The air regulator slots 240 align with the apertures 210 to either restrict or permit air passage as required.

The grille holding member 405 is having a retainer profile 410 to engage with the corresponding profile on the mounting bracket 420 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. The grille holding member 405 is manufactured separately and then fixed or glued permanently to the skirt 425 of the conventional register grille 415 in plurality as shown in the FIG. 14. The mounting bracket 420 is fixed to floor or ceiling or air supply boot 430.

By using this modified grille as mentioned above, with the mounting bracket 150, an existing grille can be retrofitted into a detachable grille. Based upon the dimensions of the conventional grille some modifications may be required in the mounting bracket 150 but its function and feature will no change.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 7, vent registers 100 and 200 typically have a rectangular shape to match the rectangular opening of a standard air supply boot. However, these vent registers can be manufactured in various sizes and shapes, including square and oval, to accommodate specific site installation requirements. As is common in the industry, the vent registers may be constructed from either plastic or sheet metal or any other suitable material.

As depicted in FIGS. 2 and 7, the apertures consist of multiple, largely parallel slots. However, these apertures can be designed in any appropriate shape or pattern to fulfill their intended function

The scope of the following claims should be interpreted broadly in light of the entire description, rather than being limited to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the examples and drawings provided.