Patent Application
20220196282
The present disclosure relates, in general, to water heaters and, more specifically relates, to screen covers for attaching to an open end of conduits of the water heaters.
Water heaters used in residential, commercial, and industrial applications exchange air and gases with atmosphere during operation. Conduits are used for routing air and gases between the water heaters and atmosphere. Such conduits include an open end exposed to atmosphere for exchanging gases and air. External objects, such as birds, animals, insects, and debris may enter the water heater through the open end of the conduits and hinder the operation of the water heater. External objects may also impact the flow of air and gases through the conduit by clogging therein. In various applications, the open end may include different configurations, such as straight pipe end, 45 degrees elbow end, and 90 degrees elbow end. A protective cap specific to various such pipes may be installed at the open end thereof to prevent entry of external objects. However, designing such protective cap separately for each configuration of the pipes may incur high cost in manufacturing and services.
According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a screen cover for attaching to an open end of a conduit of a water heater is disclosed. The screen cover includes a first diametric portion having a first diameter defining a first opening. The first diametric portion includes a first outer surface defining the first diameter. The first diameter of the first diametric portion is in a range of about 55 mm to about 65 mm. The first outer surface is configured to engage with an inner surface of the open end of the conduit. The first diametric portion further includes a flange extending radially outward from the first outer surface thereof and is proximate the first opening. The flange is configured to abut a peripheral edge of the open end of the conduit. The screen cover includes a second diametric portion having a second diameter defining a second opening. The second diameter of the second diametric portion is in a range of about 45 mm to about 55 mm. Further, a length of the screen cover defined between the first opening of the first diametric portion and the second opening of the second diametric portion is in a range of about 10 mm to about 50 mm. In an embodiment, the second diametric portion includes an inner surface configured to engage with an outer surface of the open end of the conduit and a protrusion extending radially inward from the inner surface of the second diametric portion. The protrusion is configured to abut a peripheral edge of the open end of the conduit. The first diameter of the first diametric portion is greater than the second diameter of the second diametric portion. The first diametric portion and the second diametric portion are coaxially aligned and configured to allow flow of air or gas therethrough.
The screen cover also includes a shoulder portion defined between the first diametric portion and the second diametric portion. In one embodiment, the shoulder portion includes an inclined surface extending inward with respect to a longitudinal axis of the screen cover and a planar surface extending radially inward between the inclined surface and the second diametric portion. A juncture defined by the planar surface and the second diametric portion is configured to detach the second diametric portion from the first diametric portion. In another embodiment, the shoulder portion includes a tapered surface and a groove at a juncture of the tapered surface and the second diametric portion. The groove is configured to detach the second diametric portion from the first diametric portion. In an embodiment, the second diametric portion includes a second outer surface defining the second diameter. The second outer surface is configured to engage with an inner surface of the open end of the conduit and a peripheral edge of the open end of the conduit abuts the planar surface of the shoulder portion. The first outer surface of the first diametric portion or the second outer surface of the second diametric portion is configured to engage with the open end of the conduit using an interference fit.
The screen cover further includes a mesh disposed at the first opening of the first diametric portion and is configured to prevent entry of external objects into the water heater through the open end of the conduit. In one embodiment, the mesh is integral with the first diametric portion of the screen cover. In another embodiment, the mesh is detachably attached to the first diametric portion of the screen cover. The first diametric portion, the second diametric portion, the shoulder portion, and the mesh are made of plastic material comprising polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In certain embodiments, at least a portion of a wall of the second diametric portion is formed as a mesh. Therefore, the wall of the second diametric portion allows unobstructed flow of air or gas when the first diametric portion is engaged with the open end of the conduit. Further, at least some of the shoulder portion is formed as a mesh. At least the portion of the wall of the second diametric portion and the at least some of the shoulder portion are together configured to permit a flow of air therethrough, when the first diametric portion is engaged with the open end of the conduit.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a water heater is disclosed. The water heater includes a tank and one or more conduits fluidly coupled to the tank and configured to allow flow of air or gas therethrough. The water heater further includes one or more screen covers for removably attaching to an open end of the one or more conduits. Each screen cover includes a first diametric portion having a first outer diameter defining a first opening and a second diametric portion having a second outer diameter defining a second opening. The first outer diameter of the first diametric portion is greater than the second outer diameter of the second diametric portion. The first diametric portion and the second diametric portion are coaxially aligned and configured to allow flow of the air or gas therethrough.
Each screen cover also includes a shoulder portion defined between the first diametric portion and the second diametric portion. In one embodiment, the first diametric portion is configured to engage with the open end of the conduit having an inner diameter equal to the first outer diameter of the first diametric portion and a peripheral edge of the open end of the conduit abuts a flange extending radially outward from a first outer surface of the first diametric portion. In another embodiment, the second diametric portion is configured to engage with the open end of the conduit having an inner diameter equal to the second outer diameter of the second diametric portion and a peripheral edge of the open end of the conduit abuts the shoulder portion. In yet another embodiment, the second diametric portion is configured to engage with the open end of the conduit having an outer diameter equal to a diameter defined by an inner surface of the second diametric portion. A peripheral edge of the open end of the conduit abuts a protrusion extending radially inward from the inner surface of the second diametric portion. Each screen cover further includes a mesh disposed at the first opening of the first diametric portion and configured to prevent entry of external objects into the water heater through the open end of the conduit.
These and other aspects and features of non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific non-limiting embodiments of the disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
A better understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure (including alternatives and/or variations thereof) may be obtained with reference to the detailed description of the embodiments along with the following drawings, in which:
Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments or features, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, corresponding or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or corresponding parts. Moreover, references to various elements described herein, are made collectively or individually when there may be more than one element of the same type. However, such references are merely exemplary in nature. It may be noted that any reference to elements in the singular may also be construed to relate to the plural and vice-versa without limiting the scope of the disclosure to the exact number or type of such elements unless set forth explicitly in the appended claims.
Referring to
The water heater 100 further includes one or more conduits 104 defining a passage along a length thereof. The one or more conduits 104 are fluidly coupled to the tank 102 and configured to allow flow of air or gas therethrough. More specifically, the water heater 100 may include a conduit 104 for allowing flow of air to the tank 102 and another conduit 104 for exiting gas from the tank 102 of the water heater 100. The conduit 104 includes an open end 106 configured to receive the air or exit the gas therethrough. In one implementation, the conduit 104 may be a straight pipe having an inner diameter of about 3 inches. In another implementation, the conduit 104 may be an elbow pipe, such as a 90 degrees elbow or a 45 degrees elbow, having an inner diameter of about 1.5 inches.
The water heater 100 further includes one or more screen covers 110 configured to attach with the open end 106 of the one or more conduits 104. The one or more screen covers 110 are configured to prevent entry of external subjects such as birds or insects into the water heater 100 through the open end 106 of the one or more conduits 104 while allowing flow of air or gas therethrough. The screen cover 110 is described in detail herein below with reference to
The first diametric portion 204 further includes a flange 212 extending radially outward from the first outer surface 208 proximate the top end thereof. In an embodiment, the flange 212 may circumferentially extend, about the longitudinal axis ‘L’, around the first opening 210 of the first diametric portion 204. In another embodiment, the flange 212 may be multiple individual extensions around the first opening 210 of the first diametric portion 204. The flange 212 is configured to about a peripheral edge (shown in
The screen cover 110 further includes a mesh 220 disposed at the first opening 210 of the first diametric portion 204. Particularly, the mesh 220 is disposed proximate the top end of the first diametric portion 204. In an embodiment, the mesh 220 is integral with the first diametric portion 204. In such implementation, the first diametric portion 204 and the mesh 220 may be molded as a single piece from a plastic material. In another embodiment, the mesh 220 may be detachably attached to the first diametric portion 204. In such implementation, various fastening mechanisms such as fasteners, snap fit and interference fit may be used to couple the mesh 220 with the first diametric portion 204. In some embodiments, the mesh 220 may include external threads adapted to engage with corresponding threads provided in the first diametric portion 204.
In an embodiment, the mesh 220 may radially extend across the first opening 210 of the first diametric portion 204. The mesh 220 includes multiple openings 222 for passage of air or gas therethrough. In one implementation, the openings 222 may have square shapes. However, it may be understood that size and shape of each of the openings 222 may vary to allow passage of air or gas therethrough while preventing the external objects such as birds and insects from entering the water heater 100. In various implementations, the openings 222 may have various shapes including, but not limited to, oval, rectangular, hexagonal, and polygonal shapes.
The second diametric portion 230 further includes a second inner surface 234 and a second outer surface 236 opposite to the second inner surface 234. In an embodiment, the second outer surface 236 may include a tapered surface 238 proximate the bottom end of the second diametric portion 230. The tapered surface 238 may allow the second diametric portion 230 to freely receive within the open end 106 of the conduit 104 while attaching the screen cover 110 with the conduit 104.
Referring to
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Further, the flange 212 of the screen cover 110 abuts the peripheral edge 506 of the conduit 500 such that the mesh 220 covers the open end 508 of the conduit 500. As such, the air enters through the openings 222 of the screen cover 110 during operation of the water heater 100. The air flows through the first opening 210 of the first diametric portion 204 and the second opening 232 of the second diametric portion 230 to enter the water heater 100. Due to the shape and size of the openings 222 in the mesh 220, the mesh 220 prevents entry of external objects such as birds or insects into the water heater 100 through the open end 508 of the conduit 500.
The present disclosure relates to the screen cover 110 for attaching to the open end 106 of the conduit 104 for preventing external objects, such as insects and birds from entering the water heater 100. The application and advantages of the present disclosure is described with reference to the screen cover 110 although various embodiments of the screen cover are described above in detail. The screen cover 110 includes the first diametric portion 204, the second diametric portion 230 and the shoulder portion 240 extending between the first diametric portion 204 and the second diametric portion 230. The first diametric portion 204 or the second diametric portion 230 engages with the open end 106 of the conduit 104 based on inner diameter or outer diameter of the conduit 104. The mesh 220 of the screen cover 110 includes the openings 222 that prevents entry of external objects into the water heater 100 while allowing the flow of air or gas therethrough.
In an implementation, the conduit 104 may have the inner diameter ‘C1’ equal to the first diameter ‘D1’ of the first diametric portion 204, in such case the first diametric portion engages with the open end 106 of the conduit 104. While the first diametric portion 204 is engaging with the conduit 104, the second diametric portion 230 may be detached from the first diametric portion 204. In another implementation, the conduit 104 may have the inner diameter ‘C2’ substantially equal to of the second diameter ‘D2’ of the second diametric portion 230, in such case the second diametric portion 230 engages with the open end 106 and the first diametric portion 204 extends outside the open end 106 of the conduit 104. Thus, the screen cover 110 of the present disclosure is adapted to attach with the conduits having different diameters and thereby manufacturing of individual protective caps for attaching with the conduits having different diameters can be avoided.
While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.
