阅读说明：本技术 用于便携式空调器的空气管道的支撑构件及其安装方法 (Support member for air duct of portable air conditioner and method of installing the same ) 是由 安德里亚·莫罗 于 2021-05-07 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种用于可应用于窗户(W)上的便携式空调器的空气管道的支撑构件和在窗户(W)上安装支撑构件的方法,其中所述支撑构件包括具有用于容纳空气管道的裂缝(16)的第一模块(12)和用于在第一模块(12)上轴向滑动的至少一个第二模块。第二模块(14)相对于所述第一模块(12)是连续可移动的,以使支撑构件(10)的长度可修改。(A support member for an air duct of a portable air conditioner applicable on a window (W) and a method of mounting a support member on a window (W), wherein the support member comprises a first module (12) having a slit (16) for accommodating the air duct and at least one second module for axially sliding on the first module (12). The second module (14) is continuously movable relative to the first module (12) so that the length of the support member (10) is modifiable.)

1. A support element for air ducts of a portable air conditioner applicable to windows (W), comprising a first module (12) having a cleft (16) for housing the air duct and at least one second module (14) for sliding axially on the first module (12), characterized in that the at least one second module (14) is continuously movable with respect to the first module (12) so that the length of the support element (10) can be modified, and in that the first module (12) and the at least one second module (14) are provided, in correspondence of respective ends (12a, 14a), with stabilizing elements (11, 13), respectively, the stabilizing elements (11, 13) being configured to be inserted in sliding guides (G1, G2) provided on a frame (F) of a window (W) and to cooperate with the sliding guides (G1, G2), G2) And (4) matching.

2. Support element for air ducts according to claim 1, characterized in that said first module (12) and said at least one second module (14) have respective first sliding means (22) and second sliding means (24) which can be associated with each other, thanks to the complementarity of the shapes of said first sliding means (22) and second sliding means (24), so as to bring, in use, said first sliding surface (18) of said first module (12) towards said second sliding surface (20) of said at least one second module (14).

3. A support member for an air duct according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a clamping member (17) configured to clamp the first module (12) and the second module (14) in a mutually stable position, the clamping member (17) comprising a recess (26) provided on the second sliding surface (20) and at least one hole (28) provided on the first sliding surface (18), the at least one hole (28) being configured to cooperate with the recess (26) during use to allow a fixing device to stabilize the position of the at least one second module (14) with respect to the first module (12).

4. Support element for air ducts according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said stabilizing element (11, 13) is integrated in said first module (12) and in said at least one second module (14) and in that the respective ends (12a, 14a) are tapered and each have a substantially flat end (15a, 15b), said substantially flat ends (15a, 15b) having a constant thickness and delimiting said stabilizing element (11, 13).

5. Support member for air ducts according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of adapter elements (30), each associable with a respective end (12a, 14a) of said first module (12) or of said at least one second module (14), and in that each adapter element comprises a main body (38) configured to couple with a respective module (12, 14) and a fin (40) projecting from said main body (38) and defining a respective stabilizing member (11, 13).

6. Support structure for air ducts according to claim 5, characterized in that said adapter elements (30) can be associated thanks to the complementarity of their shape with respect to the respective sliding means (22, 24).

7. Support member for air ducts according to claim 5, characterised in that said first module (12) and said at least one second module (14) are provided with a plurality of through slots (34) configured to be associated with respective attachment means (32) provided in said plurality of adapter elements (30).

8. Support structure for air ducts according to claim 7, characterized in that said plurality of adapter elements (30) consists of a pair of half-elements (36a, 36b), said half-elements (36a, 36b) being combinable in use for clamping the opposite surfaces of the two sides of said first module (12) and said at least one second module (14).

9. Support structure for air ducts according to claim 7, characterized in that said at least one second module (14) can be associated with another second module (14) by means of a continuous element (42), said continuous element (42) being provided with said plurality of attachment means (32) for engaging said plurality of through slots (34).

10. A method of mounting a support member (10) for an air duct on a window (W), the method comprising:

-slidingly associating a first module (12) with at least one second module (14);

-moving the first module (12) and the at least one second module (14) by sliding them one with the other until the respective stabilizing members (11, 13) provided on the first module (12) and the at least one second module (14) are inserted in the respective sliding guides (G1, G2) of a frame (F) of the window (W);

-clamping the first module (12) and the at least one second module (14) in position with respect to each other.

Technical Field

Embodiments described herein relate to a support member for an air duct of a portable air conditioner, which may be applied to a window, particularly, to a window frame having a movable part in a sliding movement.

Background

It is known to use a conditioner, in particular an air conditioner, to regulate the temperature of an interior space (e.g. a room).

Air conditioners may be classified into stationary type and portable type.

Compared with stationary air conditioners, portable air conditioners have the advantage of being independent of the building system, they can be moved from one space to another as required, they are less costly and do not require fixed installations.

As is well known, portable air conditioners provide for the use of the necessary exhaust ducts to extract from the air conditioning system the hot air generated in the process of conditioning the air of an indoor space.

The air must be brought outside the space of the portable air conditioner being used; the discharge duct must therefore be in communication with the second space, for example with the external environment.

Typically, the hot air is brought outdoors by taking advantage of the presence of a window, which is usually left open to be able to accommodate the exhaust duct, or a hole of sufficient size in the glass to accommodate at least one end of the duct.

There is a disadvantage in that unnecessary exchanges are constantly occurring between the exterior and interior spaces in the case where the window must be kept open, thereby allowing dust, pollen, exhaust gas, insects, water, etc. to enter, causing corresponding inconvenience, including the promotion of heating of the conditioned space during or after air conditioning.

This last disadvantage also results in energy waste, considering that the temperature and humidity characteristics of the outside air limit the air conditioning of the interior space.

Known support members comprise a flat member which can be placed on the inside or outside of the window and which has a slit into which one end of the air duct can be inserted. One disadvantage of these known support members is that they are not stably anchored to the window and therefore also do not allow safe positioning of the air ducts, which may be moved and damaged in case of accidental closing of the window (for example due to gusts of wind or air currents), with the risk of damaging the ducts and reducing the efficiency of the air conditioning.

Therefore, there is a need for a support member for ducts of a portable air conditioner applicable to windows that overcomes at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a support member for an air duct of a portable air conditioner, which is applicable to a window to allow the air duct to extend to the outside while isolating the interior space from the outside environment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a support member that can be adapted to any size window, in particular to windows that slide open.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a support member for an air duct that allows a stable and safe positioning of the air duct.

The applicant has studied, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and to obtain these and other objects and advantages.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe further features of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purpose, a support member for the exhaust duct of a portable air conditioner applicable to windows, in particular a window frame equipped with a guide element for a movable part of sliding movement, is provided, which overcomes the limitations of the prior art and eliminates the drawbacks present therein.

The invention can be advantageously applied to a vertically sliding window (wash window), also known as a single hung window (single hung), a double hung window (double hung), or a window equipped with a guide element for a roller blind, or other similar windows.

In these types of windows, the raising or opening movement and the lowering or closing movement of the movable part take place along sliding guides equipped with a frame, the movable part being free to slide, directly or through a bracket.

Generally, the air duct of a portable air conditioner is substantially positioned in the space between the movable part and the frame and possibly wedged (wedge) between them, thus causing the above-mentioned drawbacks.

In accordance with the above purposes, the present invention provides a support member having a cleft associated with an air duct adapted to be inserted in the space between the frame and the movable part of a window to ensure a stable positioning of the air duct regardless of the position of the window (i.e. the panel with a sheet of glass).

In this way, the hot air generated by the portable air conditioner can be dispersed into the external environment, preventing or at least limiting the communication of the latter with the internal space.

The support member according to the invention comprises a first module having a slit for positioning the air duct, at least one second module sliding relative to the first module, and a plurality of clamping members configured to clamp the first and second modules to each other to a defined position.

According to one aspect of the invention, the first and at least one second module are provided, in correspondence of their ends, with respective stabilizing members configured to be inserted in and cooperate with a plurality of sliding guides provided on the frame of the window.

In this way, the invention can be advantageously applied to already existing structures, without any woodworking intervention on the window in which the guide rail for moving a part of the window or for moving the roller blind is inserted.

The stabilizing member may have a substantially flat end portion or the end portion may have a substantially constant thickness that is much less than its planar extent.

This allows to obtain a stable positioning of the support member, regardless of the position of the movable part, so that said support member can be moved without the risk of the support member and the duct associated with it falling.

Due to the continuous adjustment system, the manufacture of the support member makes it possible to adapt it in a simple manner to any size of window frame, without the aid of other tools and without the need to modify the window.

The continuous adjustment of the length of the support member to the window frame is also rather simple, requiring no skill or use of specific tools or appliances.

Due to the continuous adjustment, it is not necessary to know the size of the window applied to the present invention.

Therefore, advantageously, if the portable air conditioner is used in a space having windows of different sizes, it is not necessary to use a plurality of support members.

This also allows to overcome possible deformations of the window frame or modifications of the dimensions of the window frame, even of a few millimetres, which may prevent the insertion of other brackets of fixed or discrete length adjustment.

The invention also relates to a method of mounting a support member for an air duct on a window, wherein the method comprises:

-slidingly associating a first module with at least one second module;

-moving the first module and the at least one second module by sliding them over each other until the respective stabilizing members provided on the first module and the at least one second module are inserted into the respective guide rails of the frame of the window;

-clamping the first module and the at least one second module in position with respect to each other.

Drawings

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, which is given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a front perspective view of the invention according to embodiments described herein;

figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the invention according to embodiments described herein;

figures 2a and 2b are details of figure 1;

figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the plane pi of figure 2;

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the invention according to other embodiments described herein;

fig. 5 is a front perspective view of the first adapter element of fig. 4;

fig. 6 is a rear perspective view of the second adapter element of fig. 4;

fig. 7 is a perspective view of a variant of the adapter element according to embodiments described herein;

fig. 8 is a front perspective view of the adapter element of fig. 7 during use according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the invention according to other embodiments described herein;

figures 10 and 11 are front and rear perspective views of an adapter element according to embodiments described herein;

FIG. 12 is a front-back perspective view of an embodiment of a continuous element according to embodiments described herein;

figures 13 and 14 are schematic views of a support member applied to a window according to embodiments described herein.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is understood that elements and features of one embodiment may be readily incorporated into other embodiments without further clarification.

Detailed Description

Reference now will be made in detail to possible embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and must be understood as a non-limiting example, as the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of non-limiting description only.

The embodiments described herein relate to a support member for an air duct of a portable air conditioner, indicated as a whole by reference numeral 10 in the accompanying drawings. The support member 10 is particularly applicable to windows W, in particular window frames F (fig. 13 and 14) equipped with sliding guides G1, G2 for moving components M1, M2.

The invention can be advantageously applied to windows W, such as vertical sliding windows, or vertical sliding windows, also known as single-hung or double-hung windows, horizontal sliding windows, or windows equipped with roller blinds or other similar covering devices.

With particular reference to fig. 1, 2, 4 and 9, the support member 10 includes at least one first module 12 having a split 16 for receiving one end of an air duct.

The support member 10 further comprises at least one second module 14 for axial sliding movement relative to the first module 12.

According to one aspect of the invention, the second module 14 is continuously movable relative to the first module 12 so that the length of the support member 10 can be modified as desired to enable it to accommodate the frame F of any window W.

According to some embodiments, the first module 12 and the at least one second module 14 are provided with a first stabilizing member 11 and a second stabilizing member 13, respectively, in correspondence of their ends, the first stabilizing member 11 and the second stabilizing member 13 being adapted to cooperate with sliding guides G1, G2 provided on the frame F of the window W.

In this way, the invention can be advantageously applied to existing structures, without any intervention of carpentry on the window W, into which the guide G1 for moving the portion M1 of the window or for moving the roller blind M2 is inserted.

The stabilizing members 11, 13 may have substantially flat ends with a constant thickness that is much smaller than their planar extension.

The thickness of the first and second stabilizing members 11, 13 may be between 1.5 and 4 mm, so that the support member 10 is adapted to be inserted and clamped in the sliding guide rails G1, G2 of the section M1 for a window or the roller blind M2, thereby minimizing the gap between the support member 10 and the frame F of the window W.

This ensures a stable positioning of the support member 10 and the air duct, while allowing the closing of the window portion M1 or the roller blind M2 until substantial contact with the edge of the support member 10.

According to a possible variant, the support member 10 may provide for the use of two second modules 14 in order to increase the length extension of the support member 10, which is required for the dimensions of the frame F of the window W to which the support member 10 is applied (fig. 2 and 9).

According to some embodiments, the first module 12 and the second module 14/or each second module 14 have respective ends 12a, 14a, respectively, the ends 12a, 14a at least partially deploying between respective first and second slides 22, 24 (fig. 2).

According to some embodiments, the first and second slides 22, 24 may be a pair of opposing rails or slides and are used to smoothly and continuously slide the first and second modules 12, 14 with respect to each other.

According to some embodiments, the first module 12 and the second module 14 may each have substantially flat larger walls that are disposed parallel to each other during use.

The first and second slides 22, 24 may be disposed on respective opposite long sides of the respective planar walls.

Referring to fig. 3, the first and second slides 22, 24 are guide rails that may be associated with each other due to the complementarity of their shapes.

According to a variant, the first and second slides 22, 24 may have substantially U-shaped profiles that match in shape.

In particular, the second slide 24 may be configured to be inserted into and slide within the first slide 22.

According to another variant, the U-shaped profile of the second slide 24 may have one end 24a, the end 24a extending in an orthogonal direction with respect to the arm of the "U" and acting as a contrasting edge of the first slide 22.

During use, the first and second sliding means 22, 24 orient the first sliding surface 18 of the first module 12 towards the second sliding surface 20 of the second module 14 (fig. 1 and 2).

Thus, during use, the second module 14 may be slid between the slides 22 of the first module 12 so as to adapt it to the frame F of the window W to which the support member 10 is applied.

According to some embodiments, the support member 10 comprises a clamping member 17, the clamping member 17 being adapted to reciprocally clamp the first module 12 and the second module 14 at any position.

According to some embodiments, the first sliding surface 18 has at least one hole 28 and the second sliding surface 20 has a groove 26 or channel. During use, the at least one hole 28 cooperates with the groove 26 to allow a known attachment device (not shown) to stabilize the position of the second module 14 relative to the first module 12.

The recess 26 may have a closed rear portion with a larger dimension suitable for accommodating a screw head or the like.

This allows the second module 14 to be clamped anywhere along the extension of the groove 26 to integrate the second module 14 with the first module 12.

According to some embodiments, the ends 12a, 14a of the first and second modules 12, 14 may be tapered so as to be associated with or inserted into the sliding guides G1, G2 of the frame F on which the moving parts M1, M2 of the window W move or the sliding guides G1, G2 of the frame F.

In particular, the first and second sliding means 22, 24 may have a thickness that gradually decreases in the vicinity of each end 12a, 12b until they disappear in correspondence with each end 12a, 12 b.

The tapered ends 12a, 14a may have substantially flat ends 15a, 15b, the ends 15a, 15b having a constant thickness which is much smaller than their planar extension.

The end portions 15a, 15b may have a thickness substantially corresponding to the flat wall thickness of the respective support member 12, 14, or may be slightly larger.

In this case, the ends 12a, 14a themselves delimit the stabilizing members 11, 13.

In other embodiments, the support member 10 may comprise adapter elements 30, each adapter element 30 being associable with a respective end 12a, 14a of the first module 12 or the second module 14, which is adapted to allow at least one first module 12 and second module 14 to be associated with a sliding guide G1, G2 (fig. 4 and 9).

In this example, the first and second stabilizing members 11, 13 are provided on respective adapter elements 30.

The adapter element 30 may be applied to both ends 12a and 14a (if they are tapered) or may be applied to the unprocessed ends 12a and 14a as shown in fig. 4 and 9.

In the case of tapered ends 12a, 14a, at a position opposite to the stabilizing members 11, 13, there may be provided adapter elements 30 equipped with one or more pairs of at least partially elastic projecting clamping elements adapted to deform so as to receive and retain between the adapter elements 30a portion of the flat wall of the respective support member 12, 14.

This makes it possible to retrofit and adjust an existing support element 10 such that the support element 10 is adapted to cooperate with the guide rails G1, G2 of the window W.

Thus, the support member 10 may be provided with at least one first module 12 or second module 14 without special handling, since it would be the adapter element 30 that provides the association of the stabilizing members 11, 13 with the frame of the window.

The adaptor element 30 has a main body 38 from which a fin 40 projects, the main body 38 defining the respective stabilizing member 11, 13 and being shaped substantially complementary to the sliding guide G1, G2 of the frame.

This solution makes the production of the modules 12, 14 more convenient and simple, since they do not need to be tapered, and moreover, thanks to the interchangeable adapter elements 30, enables the modules 12, 14 to be adapted to any window frame, allowing compatibility in each case with the guide rails to which the support member 10 is applied.

According to some embodiments, the adapter element 30 may be associated with the ends 12a, 14a of the first module 12 and the at least one second module 14, due to the complementarity of the shapes.

The adapter element 30 may include a first adapter element 30a adapted to be associated with the first module 12 and a second adapter element 30b adapted to be associated with the second module 14.

According to some embodiments, the first adapter element 30a and the second adapter element 30b may be configured to couple with the first slide 22 and the second slide 24, respectively.

The first adapter element 30a and the second adapter element 30b may be identical to or different from each other, but in any case they have a fin body (fin)40 of constant thickness to define the stabilizing means 11, 13.

In particular, according to one possible solution, the first adapter elements 30a can be made so that they are internally associated with the first module 12, while the second adapter elements 30b can be made so that they are externally associated with the second module 14.

Another view of the adapter elements 30a and 30b of fig. 4 is shown in fig. 5 and 6, respectively.

The main body 38 of the second adaptor element 30b has a recess (concave) 33 adapted to receive one end 14a of the second module 14. The recess 33 may also comprise a shaped portion 33a shaped to match the shape of the groove 26, the shaped portion 33a being adapted to cooperate with the groove 26 so as to ensure a stable coupling.

The body 38 of the first adapter element 30a may have a shaped portion 35 shaped to match the shape of the second module 14, the shaped portion 35 being adapted to be inserted between the slides 22.

Fig. 7 and 8 are used to describe a variant embodiment of the adaptor elements 30, each adaptor element 30 being made up of a pair of half-elements 36a, 36b, the half-elements 36a, 36b being assemblable during use to each of the opposite surfaces clamped on either side of at least one of the first 12 and second 14 modules, as shown in fig. 7 and 8.

The half-elements 36a, 36b are equipped with respective coupling means 37a, 37b, the coupling means 37a, 37b being configured to produce a stable coupling between the half-elements 36a, 36 b.

According to some embodiments, the coupling members 37a, 37b may comprise a protruding element 41 and a recess 43, respectively, adapted to cooperate with corresponding elements having matching shapes and positions.

The coupling members 37a, 37b may also comprise attachment means 32.

In the present example, each half-element 36a, 36b may have a portion 40a, 40b, the portions 40a, 40b defining the fin 40 in assembled form.

According to these embodiments, the first module 12 and the second module 14 may be provided with through slots 34 for association with respective attachment means 32 possibly provided in the adapter element 30 (fig. 9).

Another embodiment of adapter elements 30a and 30b equipped with attachment means 32 can be seen in fig. 10 and 11, respectively.

According to these embodiments, both adapter elements 30a, 30b may be configured to be inserted into the respective slide 22, 24.

In this case, the attachment means 32 may comprise one or more elastic tabs 48 inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis, the elastic tabs 48 being adapted to be inserted and wedged in the respective through slots 34.

According to a possible variant, such as the example described with reference to fig. 9, the support element 10 may comprise two second modules 14, which may be connected to each other to further increase the length of the support element 10, allowing greater versatility and adaptability to a plurality of windows of different sizes and types.

This configuration is very useful, for example, if the window is of the horizontal sliding type, or has a width greater than 120 cm.

According to these embodiments, a continuous element 42 may be provided, the continuous element 42 being equipped with attachment means 32 adapted to engage (engage) the through slots 34.

Referring to fig. 12, the continuous element 42 has a central portion 44 and the associated elements 46 project from the central portion 44 in opposite directions and in a substantially symmetrical manner.

According to some embodiments, the associating element 46 may be shaped in the profile to be associated and cooperate with the corresponding sliding member 24, thanks to complementarity with the shape of the end 14a of the second module 14.

The associating element 46 can comprise a corresponding housing seat 47 suitable for housing the portion comprising the recess 26.

Also in this example, the attachment means 32 may comprise one or more resilient tabs 48 that are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis.

In order to make the application of the invention more clearly understandable, reference is made to fig. 13 and 14, in which the support member 10 is associated, by way of example, with the frame of a single-double hung window (single-double hung) W and the frame of a window W equipped with a roller blind M2.

In both illustrations, the window W has a frame F in which a pair of guide rails G1 and G2 are respectively made, wherein a movable member in the form of a portion M1 of the window or in the form of a roller blind M2 is partially inserted into the latter so as to slide therein.

Thanks to the modular solution provided, the invention is applicable from small frames of single-double hung windows to large frames containing roller blinds, which occupy the entire length of the frame F between the two guide rails G1 and G2.

The support member 10 is inserted into the guide grooves G1 and G2 through the ends thereof, thereby providing a stable connection with the frame F.

In fig. 13, the support member 10 includes one first module 12 and one second module 14, while in fig. 14, the support member 10 includes one first module 12 and two second modules 14.

Although the invention has been applied to windows W with vertical guide rails G1, G2 as an example, it is also contemplated to use on windows with horizontal guide rails.

The invention also relates to a method of mounting a support member for an air duct on a window W, wherein the method comprises:

slidably associating the first module 12 with at least one second module 14 by means of respective sliding means 22, 24;

moving each other until the respective stabilizing members 11, 13 provided on the first 12 and second 14 modules are inserted in the respective guide grooves G1, G2 of the frame F of the window W;

the first module 12 and the second module 14 are clamped in position with respect to each other by means of clamping members 17.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the support member 10 and the corresponding method of mounting, without departing from the field of the present invention as defined in the claims.

In the following claims, the reference signs placed between parentheses shall be construed as limiting the claim.