Patent Application
20050083168
This invention relates generally to wall-mounted thermostats, and, more specifically, to a system that allows interchangeable front facades to be secured in a way that conceals a thermostat from view.
Typically, occupiers of space, such as homeowners or commercial or residential tenants, may want to hide a thermostat from view in order to make it blend in with a room's décor or prevent un-authorized use of it. Further exacerbating the situation, it may not be unusual for a typical room's décor to be in a state of flux, adapting to the then current desires of the resident or decorator. For example, it may not be unusual for some homeowners to change the décor of a room seasonally, such that the location and appearance of items fixed in or to a wall tend to limit or hinder the interior decorating and designing process.
Further, thermostats in tenant-occupied spaces are often a source of potential problems for landlords and property managers. Thermostats may frequently be the target of tampering and vandalism. While commercial guards are available for wall-mounted thermostats, they are often unsightly and, in some cases, may present more of an invitation for abuse because they make the thermostat more conspicuous. Also, such guards may serve to limit otherwise permitted use of a thermostat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,193, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if being set forth in its entirety herein, shows a locking ornamental sconce for hiding a thermostat. However, this sconce does not provide adaptability, nor does it allow easy adjustment of the thermostat. It may also serve to undesirably require the sconce to be removed from the mounting bracket to make adjustments to the thermostat and have the effect of making the thermostat protrude significantly further into the space.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,954, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if being set forth in its entirety herein, describes a method of assembling circuit boards so that a thermostat may be installed with a reduced profile. The design described, however, leaves the thermostat in plain view and thus is not aesthetically adaptable.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,867, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if being set forth in its entirety herein, describes mounting of a thermostat inside the wall space in a standard electrical box in an attempt to make the thermostat protrude less into the room. Like other designs, however, this design also leaves the thermostat in plain view and does not provide for aesthetic adaptability.
Other approaches may include thermostats that work via a handheld remote control. In some circumstances a gain in aesthetic appearance by not having a thermostat mounted on the wall may be achieved. These thermostats, however, may not be suitable in many applications. Many of the problems associated with remote controls also plague these thermostat systems, including the inability to operate the thermostat if the remote is lost, broken, or the battery dies. Another complication with remote control systems is in commercial applications, there may be multiple personnel in charge of adjusting the thermostat, so a single remote may prove an impractical solution.
Thus, there is a need for a system that does not inhibit the functional attributes of a thermostat, while granting a homeowner or other space occupier the freedom to hide the unit in a way that can adapt to decorating tastes.
A facade system for concealing a thermostat housing including: a hinge being selectably positional in at least first and second positions; and, a cover adapted to be coupled to the hinge; wherein, when the hinge is positioned substantially adjacent to the thermostat housing and coupled to the cover, the hinge and cover cooperate to facilitate access to the thermostat housing when the hinge is in the first position and to substantially conceal the thermostat housing when the hinge is in the second position.
Understanding of the present invention will be facilitated by consideration of the following detailed description of the exemplary preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
It is to be understood that the figures and description of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity, many other elements found in a typical thermostat system. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other elements are desirable and/or required in order to implement the present invention. However, because such elements are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements is not provided herein. The disclosure hereinbelow is directed to all such variations and modifications as will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an operator panel and/or display of a thermostat, and/or a thermostat housing, may be hidden behind, or concealed by, one or more facades that provides for easy thermostat accessibility. According to an aspect of the present invention, interchangeable front facade(s) may be used. The present invention solves the foregoing problems by “hiding in plain view” a conventional, wall-mounted thermostat, thereby not significantly limiting, hindering or adversely affecting a room's décor, and possibly even enhancing it. The term “facade” as used herein refers generally to something that covers or is laid, placed, or spread over or upon something else.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a wall-mounted thermostat system may be provided that has a modular, hinged front facade that allows the thermostat to be hidden and blended in with the room's décor. The facade may be interchangeable or include interchangeable portions, thereby enabling the appearance of the thermostat to be changed from time to time without replacing the entire thermostat, while still allowing an operator, such as a homeowner, to have easy access to the thermostat controls. Thus, a system according to an aspect of the present invention may be considered modular.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the facade may provide sufficient venting for a concealed thermostat. Such as by leaving a portion of a periphery of the thermostat open or by having venting built into it, such as through the use of apertures, that may be elongated for example on top and bottom edges (see, e.g.,
Additionally, a thermostat system according to the present invention may provide for vandal-resistant features to be added, for instance by including a hidden lock and/or vandal-resistant screws, should a homeowner, tenant or property manager desire to take on added security measures.
Referring now to
Thermostat 10, which may be of any standard or customized make or design, may be mounted in or on a wall 16 of a room. Thermostat 10 may have variable amounts of protrusion perpendicularly extending from the wall surface. Thermostat 10 may range from fully embedded into wall 16 so that no part of the thermostat breaks the plane of the wall surface, to being mounted on the wall 16 so that thermostat 10 protrudes fully from the wall surface.
Facade 14 may take the form of a cover of any shape, such as a rectangle, circle, or oval. Facade 14 may have square, rounded or beveled edges, also by way of non-limiting example. Referring now also to
Referring now also to
The adaptability of facade 14 gives the homeowner or tenant the ability to change the appearance of the facade according to their current decorative desires or needs.
Referring again to
Alternatively, the facade may be adapted to slide, such as by the use of bosses and channels between a position facilitating access to the thermostat and a position substantially concealing the thermostat.
Hinging 15 may be secured to wall 16, thermostat 10 and/or plate 20 using any suitable means, such as, by way of non-limiting example only, screws, nails, hooks, hangers, velcro brand hook and loop connectors and/or adhesives. Facade 14 and/or mounting plate 20 may include a conventional lock mechanism for restricting access to thermostat 10. A keyhole may be provided on a periphery of facade 14 and/or plate 20.
Referring now to
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made in the system of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modification and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and the equivalents thereof.
This Application claims the benefit of priority to copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/512,229, entitled “MODULAR FASCIA THERMOSTAT SYSTEM”, filed Oct. 17, 2003, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference as if being set forth in its entirety herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60512229 | Oct 2003 | US |
