Air distribution assembly for an electric baseboard heating system

Claim 1

AN AIR DISTRIBUTION ASSEMBLY FOR AN ELECTRIC BASEBOARD HEATING SYSTEM WHICH ADAPTS SAID SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVELY PROVIDING FORCED AIR HEATING AND COOLING AS WELL AS GRAVITY HEATING, COMPRISING COMBINATION: (A) A PLENUM BOX FOR MOUNTING BELOW THE FLOOR OF A A ROOM TO BE HEATED, SAID PLENUM BOX BEING OF GENERALLY RECTILINEAR CONFIGURATION AND HAVING FRONT, REAR, TOP, BOTTOM AND END WALLS ENCLOSING AN AIR CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPLYING FORCED AIR, SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS BEING ARRANGED IN OPPOSED GENERALLY VERTICAL ALIGNMENT, SAID FRONT WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH AN INLET OPENING FOR SAID FORCED AIR FACING SAID REAR WALL, SAID TOP WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OUTLET OPENING FOR SAID FORCED AIR, SAID OUTLET OPENING BEING IN THE FORM OF AN ELONGATED SLOT EXTENDING ALONG THE REARWARD PORTION OF SAID TOP WALL ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF SAID REA WALL; (B) A CONDUIT FOR SUPPLYING FORCED AIR TO SAID PLENUM BOX, SAID CONDUIT BEING ALIGNED WITH AND CONNECTED TO SAID INLET OPENING AND ORIENTED TO DISCHARGE A STREAM OF FORCED AIR INTO SAID CHAMBER AND AGAINST SAID REAR WALL; (C) A DIFFUSER CHUTE FOR MOUNTING ABOVE SAID PLANUM BOX TO EXTEND THROUGH THE FLOOR OF SAID ROOM, SAID CHUTE HAVING VERTICALLY-EXTENDED FRONT AND REAR WALLS, UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY INCLINED END WALLS, AN OPEN BOTTOM PROVIDING AN AIR INLET, AND AN OPEN TOP PROVIDING AN AIR OUTLET, SAID CHUTE AIR INLET BEING ALIGNED WITH AND CONNECTED TO SAID PLENUM BOX OUTLETOPENING, THE LOWER END PORTION OF SAID CHUTE HAVING A RESTRICTED HOROZONTAL CROSS-SECTION AS COMPARED WITH THAT OF SAID PLANUM BOX AND HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTION OF SAID CHUTE ENLARGING IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION; AND (D) A BASEBOARD HEATER UNIT FOR MOUNTING ABOVE THE FLOOR OF SAID ROOM AT A BASEBOARD LEVEL SAID HEATER UNIT INCLUDING A HORIZONTAL ENLONGATED CASING PROVIDING A VERTICALLY EXTENDING AIR HEATING SPACE THEREIN, SAID CASING HAVING A HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED AIR OUTLET IN THE UPPER PORTION THEROF FOR DISCHARGINH AIR TO SAID ROOM, A CORRESPONDIG HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED AIR INLET AT A LOWER LEVEL IN THE FRONT THEREOF FOR RECEIVING AIR FROM SAID ROOM, AND A FORCED AIR INLET OPPENING IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF, SAID CASING FORCED AIR INLET BEING ALIGNED WITH AND CONNECTED TO THE SAID CHUTE OUTLET OPENING, SAID HEATER UNIT ALSO INCLUDING HORIZXONTALLY EXTENDING ELECTRIC HEATING ELEMENT MEANS DISPOSED IN THE PATCHS OF AIR FLOW BETWEEN SAID CASING ROOM AIR AND FORCED AIR INLETS AND SAID CASING AIR OUTLET.