Claims
- 1. A dryer vent elbow for connecting a dryer exhaust vent to an exhaust duct having a predetermined diameter to control the flow path of dryer exhaust air exhausted by a clothes dryer, the dryer vent elbow comprising:
- an inlet adapted to connect to the dryer exhaust vent;
- an outlet adapted to connect to the exhaust duct; and
- a body having an inlet opening connected to the inlet and an outlet opening connected to the outlet, the body comprising:
- a front having a lower portion comprising the inlet opening and an upper portion having an upper edge that partially defines the outlet opening; and
- a back connected to the front and having a lower portion with a back wall partially defining a rectangular cross section and an upper portion with a partial circular cross section, the upper portion having an upper edge that partially defines the outlet opening, wherein the body has a generally rectangular cross section defined by the front and back lower portions that transitions to a generally circular cross section defined by the front and back upper edges to form the outlet opening.
- 2. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 1 wherein the cross-sectional area within the body in any plane normal to the flow path is generally constant.
- 3. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 1 wherein the upper portion of the front and back taper from the lower portion to the upper edge of the front and back.
- 4. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 1 wherein the back lower portion includes a deflector comprising an angled wall extending upwardly away from the front lower portion and adapted to deflect dryer exhaust air from the inlet opening to the outlet opening.
- 5. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 1 wherein the front lower portion is generally planar and, in conjunction with the partial rectangular cross section of the back lower portion, defines a body rectangular portion.
- 6. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 5 wherein the upper portion of the front and back abut the lower portion of the front and back, respectively, to define a junction between the upper portion and lower portion of the front and back, and the upper portion of the front and back tapers from the junction to the upper edge of the front and back.
- 7. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 6 wherein the body has a generally rectangular cross section at the junction and a generally circular cross section at the upper edges of the front and back to define a body transition portion having a cross section that transitions from a rectangular cross section to a circular cross section.
- 8. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 7 wherein the back lower portion includes an angled wall extending upwardly away from the front lower portion to define a body deflector portion separated from the body transition portion by the body rectangular portion.
- 9. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 1 wherein each of the front and back have at least one peripheral complementary tab, one of the front and back complementary tabs being folded over the other of the front and back complementary tabs to connect the front to the back.
- 10. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 9 wherein both the front and back complementary tabs are folded along a common line.
- 11. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 1 wherein the inlet is rotatably mounted to the body.
- 12. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 11 wherein the outlet is rotatably mounted to the body.
- 13. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 1 wherein the lower portion is generally orthogonal to the inlet and the upper portion extends over the inlet.
- 14. A method of manufacturing a dryer vent elbow comprising:
- an inlet, an outlet, and a body having an inlet opening connected to the inlet and an outlet opening connected to the outlet, the body comprising:
- a front having a lower portion comprising the inlet opening and an upper portion having an upper edge that partially defines the outlet opening; and
- a back connected to the front and having a lower portion with a back wall partially defining a rectangular cross section and an upper portion with a partial circular cross section, the upper portion having an upper edge that partially defines the outlet opening, wherein the body has a generally rectangular cross section defined by the front and back lower portions that transitions to a generally circular cross section defined by the front and back upper edges to form the outlet opening, the method comprising:
- forming a blank for the back with an arcuate end that forms the upper edge of the rear;
- forming a blank for the front with an opening and an upper edge;
- connecting the front and back blanks to assemble the body, with the front blank opening forming the inlet opening and the arcuate end and upper edge forming the outlet opening;
- providing an inlet and an outlet;
- connecting the inlet to the inlet opening; and
- connecting the outlet to the outlet opening.
- 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the forming of the front and back blanks includes stamping the blanks from galvanized metal.
- 16. The method of claim 15, and further comprising bending the edges of the front and back blanks to form complementary tabs and bending one of the complementary tabs over the other of the complementary tabs to connect the front blank to the back blank.
- 17. The method of claim 16, and further comprising bending the complementary tabs about a common bend line.
- 18. The method of claim 14, and further comprising bending the back blank about two spaced parallel longitudinal bend lines to form parallel side walls connected by a generally planar portion to provide the back blank with a partial rectangular cross section.
- 19. The method of claim 18, and further comprising bending the back blank about a first transverse bend line below the arcuate end such that the portion of the side walls and planar portion between the bend line and the arcuate end forms an arcuate angle relative to the planar portion and side walls of the blank below the bend line.
- 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the bending of the back blank about a first transverse bend line includes bending the side walls such that the portion of the side walls below the bend line is received interiorly of the portion of the side walls above the bend line.
- 21. The method of claim 19, and further comprising shaping the portion of the back blank between the first transverse bend line and the arcuate end to form a transition portion that transitions from a partial rectangular cross section at the bend line to a partial circular cross section at the arcuate end, which defines the back blank upper edge.
- 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the shaping of back blank includes tapering the back blank from the first transverse bend line to the arcuate edge.
- 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the shaping of the back blank further includes smoothing out the parallel longitudinal bend lines between the first transverse bend line and the arcuate edge.
- 24. The method of claim 21, and further comprising forming a deflector portion by bending the back blank about a second transverse bend line below the first transverse bend line to form an angled wall that is adapted to at least partially extend into the exhaust air flow path through the inlet opening to deflect exhaust air to the outlet opening when the back blank is mounted to the front blank.
- 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the forming of the deflector portion includes bending the side walls such that the portion of the side walls below the bend line is received interiorly of the portion of the side walls above the bend line.
- 26. The method of claim 24, and further comprising the step of forming the front blank with a generally semi-circular portion in which is located the inlet opening and a tapered portion having an upper edge.
- 27. The method of claim 26, and further comprising bending the front blank about a third transverse bend line at the junction of the semi-circular portion and the tapered portion.
- 28. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of connecting the front and back blanks includes aligning the generally semi-circular portion with the deflector portion and the partial rectangular portion and the transition portion with the tapered portion.
- 29. The method of claim 28, and further comprising bending the edges of the front and back blanks to form complementary tabs and bending one of the complementary tabs over the other of the complementary tabs to connect the front blank to the back blank.
- 30. The method of claim 29, and further bending the complementary tabs about a common bend line.
- 31. The dryer vent elbow according to claim 1 wherein the inlet is spaced from the back wall a distance less than or equal to the exhaust duct diameter.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 60/078,483, filed Mar. 18, 1998.
US Referenced Citations (6)