Self-contained air conditioning unit

Claim 1

In an air conditioning unit, the combination of a. a casing; b. a first partition within said casing dividing said casing into an interior compartment and an exterior compartment; c. a refrigeration system including a compressor, a condenser, expansion means, and an evaporator connected to form a closed circuit disposed within said casing, said compressor and condenser being disposed in said exterior compartment; d. a horizontal partition in said casing disposed within said interior compartment, said evaporator being substantially vertically disposed between the bottom of said casing and said horizontal partition and spaced from the forward edges of said casing and said partition; e. means forming an air outlet above said partition for discharging air into the area served by the air conditioning unit; f. fan means for drawing air from the area being conditioned through said evaporator for conditioning the air and for discharging the conditioned air from said air outlet; g. first panel means pivotally mounted on said casing opposite said evaporator and spaced therefrom to provide a front closure for the lower portion of said casing to prevent transmission of sound into the area being conditioned; h. first hinge means adjacent the lower front portion of said casing for pivotally securing said first panel means in position in said casing; i. second panel means disposed adjacent the top surface of said first panel means; and, j. second hinge means for pivotally mounting said second panel means on said first panel means adjacent said air outlet to close said outlet when the air conditioning unit is inoperative, said first and second panel means being adapted to pivot as a unit about the lower front portion of said casing to expose a substantial portion of the front of said casing for servicing.