Patent Application
20240426510
An insulated register box is provided that has a boss where the collar of the insulated register box meets an end wall thereof, the boss facilitating attaching of an insulated air duct to the insulated register box. The register box, insulated or uninsulated, can include a sealing feature on a collar thereof. This sealing feature can also be found on one or more ends of a connector for use in moving conditioned or unconditioned air.
Typically, heating and air conditioning systems rely on sheet metal ducting systems to move air throughout buildings. Register boxes (also called register boots, diffuser boxes) are used at the end of duct runs to distribute conditioned or unconditioned air into a room or the like. These boxes are typically made from sheet metal with fiber board insulation inside the box to provide insulative value. When fiber board insulation is used, it is cut to fit tightly inside the box, thus avoiding the need for adhesives.
The use of insulation on these register boxes and the provided insulative value is necessary to prevent efficiency loss to unconditioned spaces. In extreme cases, large differences between the temperature inside the duct and the outside environment can lead to undesirable condensation.
Sheet metal component production and installation methods often leave small air gaps that can result in leak paths through the building envelope, reducing overall efficiency of an HVAC system. These gaps and the like must be sealed in the field by a technician using approved tapes and mastics.
Pre-Grant Publication No. 2008/0045137 to Rosal is one example of such an insulated register box. In this publication, a register box including a duct extending from a wall thereof is insulated using spray insulation. The insulation can be sprayed on the inside or outside of the register box. When the insulation is on the exterior of a box, it can be damaged in transport or insulation and exterior insulation is not generally a desirable option for register boxes. Spray insulation wall thickness is difficult to control, leading to varying levels of insulative value and poor aesthetics.
U.S. Pat. No. 10,995,969 to Combs is another example of an insulated register box, wherein an expandable polymeric foam is used to insulate the inside of the register box, a portion of the foam passing through seams in the register box so that a portion of the foam is on the outside of the box. The portion of the foam on the outside of the box allows one to know that the box has been insulated, even when installed in a given location.
The use of insulated flexible air ducts, such as those sold by Thermaflex, e.g., the M-KC flexible air duct, are also well known. These insulated ducts commonly use a layer of fiberglass situated between an inner core and a metallized vapor barrier and are referred herein as an insulated flexible air duct. These kinds of air ducts are commonly used with register boxes to supply conditioned or unconditioned air to a given space in a structure via the register box. Insulated ducts that are not flexible are also known in the art and used with insulated register boxes.
A drawback of these kinds of register boxes is the manner in which an insulated duct, flexible or non-flexible, is attached to the collar of the register box. The exterior insulation used in the Rosal publication covers both the collar, the end wall of the box and the side walls. When an insulated air duct is slid over the collar of the register box, the exterior end portion of the insulated duct and the wall of the register box form a right angle. This arrangement is shown in
Field installation methods to seal the air conveying liner of the flexible duct to the collar of the register box also contribute to poor sealing. Current methods rely on the technical ability and initiative of the installer to achieve quality results. A typical mode of installation is as follows: mastic is applied inside the duct liner or to the exterior of collar, liner is placed onto collar, zip tie (or other mechanical clamping device) is placed on the liner to secure the collar, mastic or self-adhering tape applied to exterior of joint, insulation is pulled down over the collar and secured to the collar and register box. There are several challenges with this installation method:
Register boxes are often installed through the building envelope between an insulated and uninsulated space. Typically, the register box is installed inside framing members prior to the installation of drywall. After the drywall board is installed onto the framing members and covering the register box, a hole is cut around the register box with a router to open it to the living space. The hole cut around the box typically leaves ⅛″-¼″ gap between the box and the drywall edge, allowing air to escape through the building envelope. This leakage directly contributes to lower efficiency and higher energy costs. In response to this problem, it's commonplace to provide register boxes with peel and stick foam rubber gaskets (https://foamtapes.net/gaskettape/neoprenespongetape.aspx) on the faces of the register boxes that abut the drywall. This solution is often ineffective due to the shape of the register boxes, contours of the drywall, poor cuts through the drywall, and damage to the gaskets during the installation process. In some cases, builders must follow up with additional caulking and sealing solutions to properly eliminate building envelope leakage around register boxes.
In light of these drawbacks, a need exists to provide an improved insulated register box and the present invention responds to this need with a sealed and insulated register box that is improved in its configuration to facilitate an easier and more robust attachment of the register box to the air duct and the drywall.
The present invention provides an improved insulated register box configuration that eases the attachment of an insulated or uninsulated air duct to the insulated register box.
The invention also includes an assembly of the insulated or uninsulated air duct and the insulated register box.
The invention also provides a method of using the inventive register box for moving conditioned or unconditioned air in an insulated air duct to a space in a structure via the insulated register box.
A method of making the insulated register box is also disclosed.
More particularly, the insulated register box includes a body having side walls forming an opening to allow conditioned or unconditioned air to be directed in a building space, and an end wall extending from side edges of the side walls and having an opening therein. Also provided is a collar extending from the opening, the collar configured to connect to an insulated air duct to supply conditioned or unconditioned air to the register box.
A last component of the insulated register box is insulation surrounding an exterior of the side walls, the end wall, and a portion of the collar, the insulation including a boss that surrounds the portion of the collar, the boss having a first surface extending from an exterior surface of the collar and spaced from the end wall and a second surface extending toward the wall and being generally perpendicular to the first surface, the second surface configured to facilitate attachment of the insulated air duct to the register box.
While the insulation can be any known type to provide the desired insulative value for the register box, it is preferred to use an expandable polymeric foam, and more preferably a polyurethane foam.
The insulated register box can also include flanges, extending outwardly from the side walls, the flanges including a surface for contact with the insulation.
The register box, when using foam as an insulation can be made with foam having different durometers, for example, ranging from 3000 to up to 80A.
The invention also entails a method of moving conditioned or unconditioned air using insulated air ducts and register boxes, wherein the insulated air duct is attached to an insulated register box. This method is improved by using the inventive insulated register box.
The invention also includes an assembly of a duct and insulated register box assembly, wherein the inventive insulated register box is combined with an insulated or uninsulated air duct and means for attaching the insulated or uninsulated air duct to a portion of the collar of the insulated register box and the boss thereof. The means for attaching can be a nylon tie that is attached to an exterior portion of the insulated air duct and at least the second surface of the boss. Other kinds of means can include tape, wire, worm drive expanding clamps, combinations thereof, or other means can be used instead of nylon ties to securely attach the exterior surface of the insulated air duct to the register box.
The invention also includes a method of making a boss-containing insulated register box by providing a register box having a body with side walls forming an opening to allow conditioned or unconditioned air to be directed in a building space, an end wall extending from side edges of the side walls and having an opening therein; and a collar extending from the opening, the collar configured to connect to an insulated or uninsulated air duct to support the conditioned or unconditioned air to the register box.
A mold is provided with a boss forming portion, the mold sized to fit over the register box while leaving a space between an inside of the mold and an exterior of the register box. Insulation is provided in the space to form the boss-containing insulated register box.
The insulated or uninsulated air duct can be either a flexible one or one that is not flexible, e.g., rigid or semi-rigid, as are known in the art.
Other embodiments of the invention provide additional features as part of either the boss or additional features for the collar of the insulated register box to enhance the connection between the insulated register box and an insulated air duct.
One feature includes providing the boss with a groove having side walls and a ribbed portion at the base of the groove. The ribbed portion includes a plurality of ribs. The ribbed portion is configured to receive the vapor barrier of an insulated air duct and a zip tie or other clamping mechanism to secure the vapor barrier in the groove. The ribs are sized to be crushable upon application of a force by zip tie tightening, crushing of the ribs enhancing the sealing between the vapor barrier and the base of the groove.
In a variation of the modified boss, the side walls of the groove can be angled towards the base of the groove to provide inclined surfaces that could receive a large zip tie that is wider than the base of the groove. In this embodiment, the zip tie force would also be applied to the side walls with the inclined surfaces for securing a vapor barrier to the boss.
A second feature relating to enhancing the attachment of an insulated air duct to the insulated register box involves the addition of a plurality of ribs made of the same insulation used to surround the register box. These ribs extend circumferentially around the collar of the insulated register box. The plurality of ribs also extends along a length of at least a portion of the collar to provide a rib-containing circumferential area for insulated air duct attachment. The ribs are sized to be crushable, similar to those contained in the groove in the boss so that when a liner or insulation and liner of the insulated air duct surrounds the collar of the insulated register box and the liner or insulation and liner are secured to the collar of the insulated register box using a zip tie or other kind of clamping mechanism or device, the crushing of the ribs when the zip tie is tightened forms a surface that enhances the seal between the liner or insulation and liner and the collar of the insulated register box.
The mold that is used to form the insulation around the insulated register box can be modified to include a protrusion that would form the groove in the boss when the boss is formed of the insulation. Similarly, the mold can include recesses to form the ribs extending around and along a portion of the collar of the insulated register box.
The crushable ribs designed for the collar can be substituted with a crushable insulation layer as the expandible polymeric material (foam) with expected similar sealing performance for a liner being attached to the collar.
The crushable foam ribs or foam layer can also be employed on a non-insulated register box for liner sealing purposes in instances where improved liner sealing is sought but a need for an insulated register box does not exist.
Although the groove in the boss is described above with a ribbed portion at a bottom of the groove, the ribbed portion can be optional, and the groove bottom can be configured without the ribbed portion and just be formed of the insulation material used to insulate the register box.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a modified insulated register box, instead of employing a groove in the boss to facilitate attachment of the duct to the insulated register box or a groove with crushable ribs in the groove, the boss can include a ribbed portion located on an outer surface of the boss. The ribbed portion would then include the plurality of ribs extending circumferentially around the boss, the ribs being crushable under a force of a clamping mechanism tightened against the ribbed portion.
While flanges can be included with the side walls of the insulated register box, wherein the side walls are positioned beneath the insulation, the flanges can also be arranged so that they extend through the insulation. The flanges, in this embodiment, could be in the form of an I-shaped bracket, a first leg of the bracket attached to the side wall of the insulated register box. A second leg of the bracket would extend outwardly from the side wall. The second leg would have a first portion that is encompassed or surrounded by the insulation and a second portion that extends outside of the insulation. The second portion can include, if so desired, means for either bending the second portion out of the way if a flange is not needed or separating the second portion from the first portion. Thus, the flange configuration is one where the installer has the option to use the flange for register box attachment purposes or either move the flange out of the way or remove it if another means is used to attach the box in place or no means for attachment is necessary in a particular application.
By locating the flange so that it extends through the insulation, a bottom portion of the insulation is created that extends beneath the flange (in a direction parallel to an outlet direction for the box). This bottom portion can include a means for enhancing a seal between a face of the bottom portion and a structure engaging the face of the bottom portion when the insulated register box is installed in a location. One example of such a means is a lip extending along a periphery of the bottom portion of the insulation, wherein the lip can engage the structure and, if desired, be crushed as part of the insulation process to form a better seal between the envelope of the structure and the outlet of the register box.
The use of the means for enhancing the seal, for example, the lip, can also be utilized on an insulated register box that does not employ flanges that extend outwardly from the side walls of the register box. In this embodiment, insulation surrounding the side walls of the register box includes a bottom portion. The bottom portion would include a face, the face opposing a face of structure that includes an opening to allow communication between the register box and the space being enclosed by the structure, e.g., drywall. The lip would extend from the face of the bottom portion and engage the face of the drywall. Again, this engagement better seals any space between a periphery of the register box and the walls of the opening in the drywall and reduces or eliminates leak paths in the building envelope.
While an insulated register box is one component that is disclosed that uses the crushable ribs or foam layer to enhance the sealing connection with a duct attached to the collar of the insulated register box, the invention also entails using the crushable ribs or foam layer on other HVAC connectors that would link to a duct for moving conditioned or unconditioned air. The connector would have at least one passageway for conditioned or unconditioned air to pass therethrough, the connector having at least one portion configured to attached to a duct by the use of a fastening means. The at least one portion would have at least one of the crushable ribs and the layer of expandable polymeric material surrounding the at least one portion and enhancing a seal between the at least one portion and a duct. The crushable ribs are made from an expandible polymeric material, each rib extending circumferentially around the at least one portion of the connector, the crushable foam ribs extending along a length of the at least one portion of the connector, the crushable ribs being crushable under a force of a clamping mechanism applied against the crushable ribs. In the alternative mode, the layer of expandable polymeric material would extend circumferentially around the at least one portion of the connector, the layer extending along a length of the at least one portion of the connector, the layer being crushable under a force of a clamping mechanism applied against the layer.
While the connector can be virtually any kind of a connector that would be used to convey conditioned or unconditioned air, examples include a duct having two open ends, with the at least one portion adjacent at least one of the two openings. The duct could have a straight profile or a curved profile. The connector could also be one that has a collar and a flange, the collar including the at least one portion with one or more of the crushable ribs and the layer of expandable polymeric foam. The connector could also be one that includes at least one chamber and at least two open-ended collars, at least one of the open-ended collars including the at least one portion with one or more of the crushable ribs and the layer of expandable polymeric material.
The placement of the crushable ribs or layer of expandable polymeric foam on the connector can be done using any known techniques, molding as described above when creating the crushable ribs as part of the boss or collar, a spray application, etc.
While an assembly of the insulated or uninsulated air duct with the register box is described above, the assembly could be the insulated or uninsulated air duct with a connector containing the sealing feature of the crushable ribs or expandible polymeric foam layer, or the combination of an uninsulated box with the crushable ribs or expandible polymeric foam as a part of the collar thereof.
The inventive register box provides an improved design that makes it much easier to attach an insulated or uninsulated air duct, either a flexible type or non-flexible type, to the register box in a sealed manner using a tape or the like. In contrast to prior art register boxes that require the tape to be attached both in a right angle and circular fashion, the inventive insulated register box provides a surface that is in alignment with the insulated air duct outer surface so that the tape is just wrapped circumferentially around a portion of the register box and an exterior of the insulated or uninsulated air duct. Hereinafter, mention of an insulated air duct also encompasses an uninsulated air duct and one that can be flexible or non-flexible or rigid.
With reference to
Referring to
Each flange 31 include another member 37, which extends perpendicularly from a portion of the surface 33. When the flanges 31 are attached to the body 35, the members 37 align generally with the side panels 21. Outer surfaces 38 of the members 37 and surfaces 39 opposite to the surfaces 33 of the flanges engage the periphery of an opening in a structure, e.g., a wall of floor, where the insulated register box would be positioned for delivery of conditioned or unconditioned air to a space. The collar 25, flanges 31, and body 35, including the side walls and end wall, can be attached together in any known fashion, spot welding being one example.
Referring again to
The insulation 41 also includes a boss 45, the boss 45 facilitating an attachment of an insulated air duct. The boss 45 is annular in shape and has a height “h”, and width “w”. The boss 35 having the width “w” results in the creation of a first surface 47, which is generally perpendicular to an exterior surface 49 of the collar 25.
By virtue of the boss 45 having a height “h”, a second surface 51 is provided that is parallel to the exterior surface 49 of the collar 25. The second surface 51 then meets with the surface 53 of the insulation, which is parallel to the end wall 23 of the box 20. By virtue of the shape of the body 35 of the register box, i.e., generally rectangular, portions of the surface 51 are generally perpendicular to the surface 53 in the longitudinal direction of the register box. In the transverse direction of the register box that aligns with an axis “X” of the collar 25, portions of the surface 51 align with a side surface 55 of the insulation 41.
Referring now to
It should be understood that the inventive insulated register box can be utilized with virtually any type of insulated air duct that is commonly used to convey conditioned or unconditioned air to a register box. These include those made by Thermaflex as detailed above and other insulated flexible air duct manufacturers or other ducts that may include insulation but are not characterized as insulated flexible air ducts, e.g., insulated ducts that are rigid or semi-rigid.
The insulated register box can be used in any application that uses insulated air ducts and register boxes for moving conditioned or unconditioned air. Commercial or residential buildings are examples of one type of construction that could use the inventive register boxes.
The register box, before insulation is attached thereto, can be made in any known way. Since the construction of the boxes themselves is conventional, a further description of the manner in which these types of register boxes are made is not necessary for the understanding of the invention.
The insulation applied to the outer surfaces of the register box can be any type and applied in any known manner, including spray application as well as the use of a mold and expandable polymeric materials. An expandable polyurethane as a foam is a preferred insulation and is depicted as the insulation 41 in
It is preferred to use a mold and expandable polymers as this technique provides a more finished look for the exterior of the register box. Also, the use of a mold allows the inclusion of indicia 65 as part of the insulated register box, see
While the insulated register box is shown with a rectangular configuration by the arrangement of the side walls and perpendicular arrangement between the side walls and end wall in
However, in some embodiments of the invention, just the body of the register box could be surrounded with the expandible polymeric material to gain the advantages described below when such an exterior foam is used as the insulating material for the register box and the boss would not be included.
A preferred method of using a mold and an expandable foam is the use of a silicone mold that has anti-tack properties so that the mold can be easily removed from the foam once the foam is set. Since the use of these kinds of molds and expandable polymeric foams is well known to give a shape to the expandable polymeric foam, further details of the process are not necessary for understanding of the invention.
The inventive insulated register box provides other advantages besides making it easier to attach an insulated air duct to the insulated register box. Using polymeric foams offers a one-step sealing and insulating solution for sheet metal components (namely register boxes). The use of polyurethane foams is advantageous in that the foams readily adhere to steel, making external foam insulation a possibility for register boxes. By not having to insulate the inside of the register box, the register box size can be reduced in terms of internal volume.
As opposed to other kinds of insulating materials, polymeric foams are durable and can withstand damage from transportation and field installation.
With the polymeric foam, the register box can be provided with an insulative value of at least R4, and up to R6 or R8.
Polymeric foams can also come in different durometers. Thus, some register boxes can be manufactured with soft foam, e.g., 3000 durometer, while others may be manufactured with rigid foam with a durometer of 60A or higher, e.g., up to 80A. Softer foams provide an aesthetic improvement and flexibility for installers while rigid foams provide improved structural stability.
As noted above, by having the boss as part of the external insulation at the duct attachment point, the circular cross section of the boss makes it easier to attach the insulated air duct to a register box, and particularly using an attachment means to secure the duct insulation moisture or vapor barrier to the boss.
It is also believed that the external foam surfaces may have sufficient draft to facilitate molding (i.e., 0.5°-15°) and that the register box can pass flame and smoke ratings for tests for:
When securing an insulated air duct to a register box, it is common to use zip ties. One problem with the use of zip ties is that they can leave gaps that will result in air leakage for the system. This leakage can be especially prevalent around the area where the female loop of the zip tie is located. In addition, since the insulated air duct can have a wire helix, the wire helix can lead to leaks when it is clamped down. With these potential leak problems, it is often necessary to use both tape and mastic when connecting an insulated air duct to a register box to ensure a leak proof protection. However, the use of tape and mastic increases the cost of installation as well as the installation time and it is desirable to have a register box that can be connected to an insulated air duct using just zip ties or other clamping mechanisms that operate similar to zip ties.
In response to this desire for zip tie attachment only, the inventive insulated register box can include additional features that enhance the attachment of the insulated register box to a duct with the use of zip ties.
In a first feature, the shape of the outer circumferential surface of the foam boss of the register box is altered to enhance connection between the vapor barrier of an insulated air duct and the boss of the insulated register box. In a second feature, the outer surface configuration of the collar of the register is altered so as to enhance attachment of the liner or a liner including a layer of insulation therearound of an air duct to the insulated register box.
For the first feature, the outer surface shape of the boss is modified since common duct tapes don't adhere very well to the foam surface of the outer surface of the boss. With the modified shape of the boss, a zip tie connection can be employed to secure the moisture or vapor barrier to the boss, thus avoiding the need for tape and or mastic.
More particular, an approximately ⅝″ wide groove is added to the boss. In one embodiment, the groove has angled sides so that the surfaces of these angled sides acting as a sealing platform when wide zip ties are used. The moisture or vapor barrier would be slid over the boss and the wide zip ties tightened to secure the moisture or vapor barrier in the groove. While a ⅝ inch groove is used as an example, other groove widths, either larger or smaller can be employed.
The bottom of the groove can also be provided with small polyurethane foam ribs that can cooperate with smaller zip ties that engage the ribs in the groove bottom for sealing rather than using the angled surfaces of the groove. The ribs in the bottom of the groove are crushable so as to improve the seal when using a clamping device like a zip tie.
For the second feature, wherein the collar of the register box is modified, small, polyurethane (PUR) foam ribs are added to the collar to provide leak seal performance for the liner of the duct. To produce these ribs, the polyurethane mold used to make the register box is modified to add ribs on the collar of the register box. With the foam ribs in place, the duct liner is slid over the collar portion and zip-tied down in the vicinity of the crushable foam ribs. The tightening of the zip tie substantially crushes the foam ribs and creates a seal where no tape or mastic is required. Due to the nature of the zip tie and head portion thereof wherein the zip tie engagement with the head leaves a small gap, there may be a small section of foam ribs that are not crushed in the same manner as the other ribs that are contacted by the zip tie. However, this small section is insignificant in terms of the circumference of the ribs being crushed and does not compromise the enhanced sealing due to rib crushing. The rigid foam ribs are sized in cross section so as to be crushed/deformed with the applied force from a zip tie or another type of clamping mechanism used to secure the duct liner and vapor barrier to the register box, thus improving the sealing action.
The first and second features are shown in more detail in
With reference to
Since adhesives are not as conducive to adhering a vapor barrier to the polymeric foam that forms the boss 45′, the profiled groove 91 makes it easy to use zip ties or similar kinds of fastening means to secure the vapor barrier to the boss 45′.
The profiled groove 91 of
The ribbed portion 95 and its ribs 97 offers a second functionality, particularly if narrow zip ties should be used for vapor barrier attachment. That is and as shown in
With the ribs 102 as the polymeric foam molded onto the portion of the collar 25, an installer can slide the air duct liner (insulated or not) over the collar 25. As part of this step, the vapor layer and insulation are peeled back, exposing the liner, with the liner ultimately in contact with the ribs 102 and collar 25. With the vapor barrier peeled back to expose an outer surface of the liner, a zip tie can be used to secure the liner to the collar 25 of the insulated register box. Since the cross sectional area of the ribs 102 is minimal, these ribs 102 would crush under the force of the zip tie application, the crushed ribs offering a better surface to maintain a seal between the liner and the collar with its crushed ribs. This crushing is similar to the crushing described above in connection with the boss 45′ and its ribbed portion 95. Once the liner is attached to the collar 25, the vapor barrier can then be unpeeled from its peeled state to expose the collar and positioned to cover the boss 45′. An installer can use the technique described above for the first feature of the invention to secure the vapor barrier to the boss 45′.
While the above technique includes an attachment wherein the zip tie is forced against both the insulation and liner of an insulated air duct, the insulation would be shifted along the length of the collar 25 in a direction away from the register box to expose the liner and the zip tie or ties could be applied against the liner for attachment to the crushable rib-containing portion of the collar 25.
The ribs 102 running circumferentially around the collar 25 are shown evenly spaced along the length of the collar 25 can also include a number of ribs 103 that intersect the circumferentially running ribs 102, see
In another embodiment, as shown in
While the ribs 97 in the boss 45′ and the ribs 102 are shown with a generally triangular cross section, other shapes could be employed as along as the ribs are still crushable under the force of a zip tie to achieve properties for securing a vapor or moisture barrier to the boss and a liner of the insulated air duct to the collar of the insulated register box. Rather than peaks like those found in series of triangular-shaped ribs, the profile of the ribs could take the form of a sine wave, with the outermost portions of the ribs being rounded off. The ribs could have a stepped configuration as well, wherein the ribs would be square or rectangular in cross section.
The various profiles of the ribs 97 or 102, i.e., having a series of peaks, the peaks being rounded, flat, or pointed, with grooves positioned between adjacent peaks, the grooves being flat, v-shaped, or u-shaped for example, create a series of spaces between the ribs that allow the ribs to be crushed and reduced in size by the force of a clamping mechanism like a zip tie applied against the ribs when securing a duct liner or vapor barrier to the register box. The depth of the grooves or height of the peaks, the spacing of the ribs, and the width of the ribs do not need to be excessively large to provide a crushable structure and rib heights, rib spacings and rib widths of less than an inch should provide a sufficiently small cross sectional area of foam so as to form a crushable structure to assist in the securement of a duct liner/vapor barrier to the register box.
In making the profiled groove 91 or 91′ and ribs 97, the molding process to make the insulated register box 20 is modified. That is, the mold would include the appropriately configured protrusion to form the profiled groove 91 or 91′ in the boss 45′. Similarly, the mold would be modified to extend beyond the upper surface 47 of the boss 45′ and include the necessary recesses in the mold surface to form the ribs 102/103.
While the ribs 97 and 102 are shown to run circumferentially around the portion with adjacent ribs running generally parallel to each other, the ribs be slightly angled when running along the circumference of the collar 25 or in the groove of the boss 45′. Further yet, the ribs could intersect with each other as well when covering a circumference of the collar 25 of the register box or the groove of the boss 45′.
While the crushable ribs 97 are shown in the groove of the boss 45′, the groove with its side walls could be formed in the boss 45′ without the crushable ribs 97. In this embodiment, the zip tie or other clamping mechanism would rest on at least the side walls of the groove if angled and the zip tie is wider than the bottom of the groove or rest on the bottom of the groove. The fact that the vapor barrier is up against the foam of the groove bottom is believed to still create a better seal than if the vapor barrier were on metal.
In another embodiment of the invention, the ribs that are formed on the collar for a register box that is insulated, can be formed on the collar of an uninsulated register box. In other words, the molding process for forming the ribs is solely performed to create the ribs on the collar.
In yet a further embodiment, a crushable insulated layer, e.g., an expandible polymeric material like a polyurethane foam could be used on the collar in place of the crushable ribs. The crushable foam layer would be a thin layer of the foam that would be formed on a portion of the collar that would have employed the ribs. The foam layer would be soft enough in durometer to crush and compress to provide a foam sealing layer for the liner that would be attached to the collar. The thicknesses used for the crushable rib height described above are believed to work when a foam layer is formed on the collar instead of the series of ribs.
The embodiment wherein the foam layer is used on an uninsulated register box is shown in
While the foam layer is shown as a replacement for the ribs, the two kinds of crushable structures could be combined if so desired for either the insulated register box or the uninsulated register box.
While the embodiment using the crushable ribs or foam layer on the collar is shown in the context of a register box, insulated or uninsulated, which is one form of a connector, another embodiment of the invention entails providing these ribs or foam layer on a connector that is designed to interface with a duct, wherein the duct would be attached to the rib or foam layer-containing connector to improve the seal between the duct and the member.
The connector with the foam ribs or foam layer could be any virtually any HVAC component part that needs to have an end thereof attached to a duct, flexible or rigid. In a basic form, the member could just be a duct, wherein one or both ends would include the foam ribs thereon. The duct could be an elbow, a straight piece of ducting, and the like.
The member could also have a duct or collar as a portion thereof, with the duct portion or collar including the foam ribs and/or foam layer. While the register box, insulated or uninsulated is an example of such a member, the member could be another HVAC component, a t-connector, a y-connector, a lint trap, a collared flange, a coupling, a reducer, an expander, exhaust hoods, etc. Any type of a structure that would include one or more foam rib or foam layer-containing terminating portions that would be designed to receive a duct for attachment purposes is a candidate for having the foam ribs formed thereon to improve the sealing when a duct is attached to the foam-rib or foam layer containing portion of the member. In essence, this aspect of the invention relates to a connector that has at least one portion that is designed to include the crushable ribs and/or foam layer and further designed to attach to a duct using the securing techniques described above.
Examples of embodiments of this aspect of the invention can be seen in
Since the crushable ribs and foam layer are described above in the context of the collar of a register box, use of the ribs and/or the foam layer are shown schematically in
While
Another example of an HVAC part is a collared flange 165 as shown in
Each of the embodiments shown in
The method for forming the crushable ribs or foam layer on the connectors of
Referring back to embodiment in
The method of making the insulated register box 220 without a groove but still containing ribs along the circumference of the boss would be the same as that described above for making the other embodiments of the insulated register box.
The flange-containing insulated register box shown in
The flange can be made to be permanently part of the insulated register box or can be made with a means to bend or break off the exposed portion of the flange if the flange is not needed for installation purposes. For the embodiment that includes the breaking off or bending means, the leg 229 includes a first portion 232 that is surrounded by the insulation 231 and a second portion 233 that extends outwardly from the insulation 231. The leg 229 includes a folding/breaking off means designated by reference numeral 235 as a part thereof. The purpose of this means 235 would be to allow the portion 233 of the flange that extends beyond the insulation 231 to be either folded out of the way for an installation or such that the portion 233 can be broken off by repeated bending of the portion 233 along the line created by means 235. In the illustrated embodiment, the means 235 is shown as a series of slots 236, see
The embodiment of
A similar view as shown in
The use of a means like the peripheral lip minimizes any leakage that could occur as a result of the insulated register box being installed in the opening of the panel material 249. Thus, an additional advantage in sealing for leakage when the insulated register box is installed is obtained. Since the lip 245 is made of the same foam material as the ribs and foam layer involved in providing a sealed connection between a duct and the boss and collar, the lip 245 can crush with the attachment of the portion 233 of the flange 221 to the panel material and provide an even better seal than just contact of the lip 245 with the surface 241. However, even if no crushing would occur as a result of securing the portion 233 of the flange 221, forcing the lip 245 against the surface 247 still provides an enhanced seal as opposed to just the face 243 contacting the panel surface 247. The lip 245 is just an example of a means to seal a portion or all of the face 243. For example, the ribs used on the boss and collar could also be formed on a part or all of the face 243 for sealing purpose. Rather than the lip 245, a living hinge could be located along the edge of the face 243. It should be understood that the fastening of the flange portion 233 to the panel 249 is not shown in
Referring again to
While the lip 245 that improves the sealing function of the register box when installed in place is shown in connection with the flange-containing register box, the lip 245 could also be employed as part of a register box having insulation surrounding the end and side walls but without the flange shown in
An example of such an embodiment is shown in
In this embodiment, since the flanges of
As such, an invention has been disclosed in terms of preferred embodiments thereof which fulfills each and every one of the objects of the present invention as set forth above and provides a new and improved insulated or uninsulated register box or other type of connector, an assembly of the insulated or uninsulated register box or connector and an insulated or uninsulated air duct, a method of using the insulated register box, and a method of making the insulated register box.
Of course, various changes, modifications, and alterations from the teachings of the present invention may be contemplated by those skilled in the art without departing from the intended spirit and scope thereof. It is intended that the present invention only be limited by the terms of the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63542338 | Oct 2023 | US | |
| 63522832 | Jun 2023 | US |
