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Title: Automatic valve assembly and heater/humidifier converter for clothes dryer
Claims: We claim: 1. An automatic valve assembly for use with a clothes dryer having an exhaust opening within a building, the valve assembly communicating with an inlet duct which is connected to the dryer exhaust opening, and dividing at a duct junction into first and second exhaust ducts; the first exhaust duct exhausting into the building, carrying a filter and having a manual valve adapted to close or open the first duct; the second exhaust duct exhausting outside the building and carrying the automatic valve assembly; the automatic valve assembly being characterized by: i. a valve plate mounted for rotation about a hinge axis between closed and open positions, the plate having a central axis which divides the plate into two generally equal areas, the hinge axis being parallel to and spaced from the central axis to journal the plate off-centered so that when the plate is exposed to a predetermined flow of air a force on the plate is generated which tends to swing the plate towards the open position, ii. releasable latch means cooperating with the plate to hold the plate closed until a predetermined excessive exhaust pressure is developed on an upstream side of the plate due to restriction of exhaust flow through the filter in the first exhaust duct, iii. pressure sensing means exposed to exhaust pressure on the upstream side of the valve plate and cooperating with the latch means to release the latch means when the exhaust pressure exceeds the predetermined excessive pressure, iv. steadying means cooperating with the plate to maintain the plate, when released, in the open position in which there is negligible restriction of air flow past the automatic valve. 2. An automatic valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which: i. the pressure sensing means includes the valve plate, ii. and the releasable latch means includes a magnet cooperating with the valve plate to hold the plate in the closed position until the predetermined excessive exhaust pressure is reached. 3. An automatic valve assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which the releasable latch means further includes: i. a latching arm positioned outside the second exhaust duct and cooperating with the valve plate so as to describe an arc when the valve plate swings between open and closed positions, ii. a first retaining means secured to the assembly adjacent the arc described by the arm, the retaining means being positioned so that when the magnet cooperates with the arm and the retaining means, the valve plate is held closed until the predetermined excessive exhaust pressure is developed. 4. An automatic valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the steadying means includes: i. a magnet cooperating with the valve plate to hold the plate in the open position after the latching means has released the plate. 5. An automatic valve assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which: i. the magnet is secured to the latching arm so as to describe an arc as the valve plate swings between open and closed positions, ii. the retaining means has a first armature positioned adjacent the arc swept by the magnet so that the automatic valve is closed when the magnet grips the first armature, iii. the steadying means has a second armature positioned adjacent the arc swept by the magnet so that the automatic valve is open when the magnet grips the second armature. 6. An automatic valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which: i. the pressure sensing means includes the valve plate, and the latch means is adjacent a wall of the second duct and is characterized by: ii. a detent and spring means, the detent being urged by the spring means to a raised position in which the detent projects sufficiently into the second exhaust duct to interfere with the valve plate to hold the valve plate in closed position when the exhaust air pressure is below the predetermined pressure. 7. An automatic valve assembly as claimed in claim 6 in which: i. the detent is a ball, and the latch means further includes: ii. a spring housing containing the spring means, the housing having an open inner end which has a diameter less than the diameter of the ball but of sufficient size to permit the ball to protrude through the open end sufficiently to project into the duct to interfere with the valve plate. 8. An automatic valve assembly as claimed in claim 6 in which: i. the detent means is characterized by a Y-shaped member having spaced up-stream and down-stream arms and a stem portion disposed outwardly of the arms, the Y-shaped member being journalled for rotation on an axis which is disposed between the arms and the stem portion, the downstream arm being positioned so as to project into the duct to interfere with an adjacent rim of the valve plate when the plate is in the closed position, ii. the spring means cooperates with the Y-shaped member to force it into one of two over-centered positions in which one of the arms projects into the duct to interfere with the rim of the valve plate. 9. An automatic valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the steadying means is characterized by: i. a counterweight cooperating with the valve plate so as to hold the valve plate in the open position when the latch means is released and the valve plate is exposed to exhaust flow. 10. An automatic valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the releasable latch means is a pneumatic latching means and the pressure sensing means includes: i. an expansible chamber means exposed to exhaust air pressure on an upstream side of the valve plate, and the releasable latch means includes: ii. a plunger and spring means, the spring forcing the plunger to extend into the second duct so as to interfere with the valve plate to hold it closed when exhaust air pressure is below the pre-determined excessive exhaust air, the expansible chamber cooperating with the plunger so that as the bellows expands due to excessive exhaust pressure, the plunger retracts from the duct to permit the valve to open. 11. A heater/humidifier converter for a clothes dryer having an exhaust opening within a building, the converter being characterized by: i. a bifurcated duct assembly including an inlet duct adapted to communicate with the exhaust opening in the dryer, the duct dividing at a junction into a first exhaust duct which exhausts into the building, and a second exhaust duct which exhausts outside the building, ii. the first exhaust duct being adapted to accept a filter and having a manual valve adapted to close or open the first exhaust duct, iii. the second exhaust duct having an automatic exhaust pressure responsive valve assembly characterized by: a. a valve plate mounted for rotation about a hinge axis between closed and open positions, the plate having a central axis which divides the plate into two generally equal areas, the hinge axis being parallel to and spaced from the central axis to journal the plate off-centred so that when the plate is exposed to a predetermined flow of air a force on the plate is generated which tends to swing the plate to the open position, b. releasable latch means cooperating with the plate to hold the plate closed until a predetermined excessive exhaust pressure is developed on an upstream side of the plate due to restriction of exhaust flow through the filter in the first exhaust duct, c. pressure sensing means exposed to exhaust pressure on the upstream side of the valve plate and cooperating with the latch means to release the latch means when the exhaust pressure exceeds the predetermined excessive pressure, d. steadying means cooperating with the plate to maintain the plate, when released, in the open position in which there is negligible restriction of air flow past the automatic valve. 12. A heater/humidifier converter as claimed in claim 11 in which: i. the pressure sensing means includes the valve plate, ii. and the releasable latch means includes a magnet cooperating with the valve plate to hold the plate in the closed position until the predetermined excessive exhaust pressure is reached. 13. A heater/humidifier converter as claimed in claim 11 in which: i. the pressure sensing means includes the valve plate, and the latch means is adjacent a wall of the second duct and is characterized by: ii. a detent and spring means, the detent being urged by the spring means to a raised position in which the detent projects sufficiently into the second exhaust duct to interfere with the valve plate to hold the valve plate in the closed position when the exhaust air pressure is below the predetermined pressure. 14. A heater/humidifier converter as claimed in claim 11 in which the releasable latch means is a pneumatic latching means and the pressure sensing means includes: i. an expansible chamber means exposed to exhaust air pressure on an upstream side of the valve plate, and the releasable latch means includes: ii. a plunger and spring means, the spring forcing the plunger to extend into the second duct so as to interfere with the valve plate to hold it closed when exhaust air pressure is below the pre-determined excessive exhaust air, the expansible chamber cooperating with the plunger so that as the bellows expands due to excessive exhaust pressure, the plunger retracts from the duct to permit the valve to open. Other info: Inventors: Davis, Howard Coe (Surrey, CA, US) Hoolsema, Nicholas (Langley, CA, US) Application Number: 668493 Filing Date: 1976-03-19 Publication_date: 1977-03-15 Assignee: Delmarco Management Ltd. (Langley, CA) Primary Class(es): 34/90 34/82, 34/86, 55/313, 55/314, 137/119.09, 137/877 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Sprague, Kenneth W. Assistant Examiner: Yeung, James C. Attorney: Carver and Company |
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