US3721067A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Clean air system for hospital operating rooms
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1971-09-01
•
Granted: 1973-03-20
•
Expires: 1991-09-01
Abstract
Abstract Two relatively shallow floor to ceiling cabinets are located against one end wall of a hospital operating room and extend side by side along the wall for a major portion of the room width. Each cabinet is provided with a bank of filters encompassing substantially its entire frontal extent and includes a pressurized plenum chamber behind the filters, coextensive therewith. Blowers mounted within the cabinets pressurize the plenum chambers to direct a laminar horizontal flow of clean air through the filters and thence over an operating table positioned near the end wall. A pair of full height but narrow deflecting vanes extend from opposite outboard ends of the cabinets across the face of the filters at an acute angle therewith. The vanes narrow the outflowing stream, increase its velocity, improve its cross-sectional configuration, and help to separate and isolate the cabinet air intakes. The clean air stream extends from the operating room floor substantially to the ceiling and has a width sufficient to envelope not only the operating table but also persons standing and working alongside the table. Air is returned to the cabinets along relatively narrow portions of the room at opposite sides thereof and withdrawn from the room into the blowers through prefilters mounted on oppositely disposed outboard end walls of the cabinets that are positioned to face opposite side walls. Outflowing clean air is balanced against return air streams.
Inventors
- 👤 B Agnew
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 08:14
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61G; A61G13/00; A61G13/10; A61G13/108; F; F24; F24F; F24F3/00; F24F3/12; F24F3/16; F24F3/167; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S55/00; Y10S55/18; Y10S55/29
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 1 including the step of introducing inwardly directed air flow components into said outflowing stream at outer sides thereof adjacent said end wall to thereby achieve said tapering.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 2 including the step of prefiltering said return streams throughout the entire cross-section thereof, and recirculating said returned air as said cleansing air stream that is filtered between said work table and said end wall.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
71 words
The method of claim 2, including the step of balancing said outflowing cleansing air stream against the return streams adjacent said side walls, said step of balancing comprising controlling the width of said outflowing cleansing air stream and said return stream so that the ratio of the width of said outflowing air stream to the width of said workroom between said sidewalls is substantially within the range of 0.4 to 0.7
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 1 wherein step of forcing includes the step of inwardly baffling outer edges of said outflowing stream of air at a substantial angle to the flow direction of the major portion of said stream to obtain sad tapering.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 5 wherein said baffling occurs over at least a major portion of the vertical extent of said stream and across only a minor portion of the horizontal extent of said stream at the outer edges thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 1 including the step of adjusting the width of said outflowing cleansing stream of air in accordance with the width of said room so that the outward flow of said cleansing air stream is substantially equal to the flow of the return stream at said side walls.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of claim 7 wherein said step of adjusting comprises adjusting inwardly directed airflow components into said outflowing cleansing stream of air at outer side edges thereof adjacent said end wall.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method of claim 7 wherein said step of adjusting includes selecting the width of said outflowing cleansing air stream to be in the range of from 0.4 to 0.7 of the width of said room.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
285 words
A system for cleaning air on and about a table in a room having side and end walls, floor and ceiling, said system comprising first and second air cleaning modules, said modules being positioned end-to-end and each extending along one of said end walls toward a different side wall, each module comprising a cabinet extending vertically from the floor of said room substantially to the ceiling thereof and extending horizontally along said one end wall from a point substantially aligned with the center of said table to a point adjacent to but spaced from a side wall of said room, a plenum chamber formed in the module extending for substantially the full height thereof, a plurality of filters mounted in mutually sealed relation and collectively extending for the full height of the module and from an inboard end to an outboard end thereof, the inner side of said plurality of filters forming one wall of said plenum chamber, a blower carried in the module and connected to force air into said plenum chamber, said blower having an intake in fluid communication with the outboard end of said module, whereby air is forced from said plenum through the filters of the module in a stream extending substantially from floor to ceiling of the room and extending horizontally from the center of said table toward either side of the room for a distance significantly greater than the extent of said table in a like direction, and whereby air is returned along a side wall of said room and drawn into said blower by means of an intake air stream flowing into said module outboard end from a side wall of the room substantially along said end wall.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
40 words
The system of claim 10 wherein each module further comprises a deflecting vane carried by said cabinet at an outboard end thereof and extending at an acute angle for a relatively short distance across the outer face of said filters.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The system of claim 11 including prefilter means mounted in said module outboard end walls.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
65 words
The system of claim 12 wherein said blowers include at least one motor mounted within said module and displaced from the blower, and wherein a motor heat exhaust duct is mounted within each module enclosing said motor and adapted to be connected to a flow of air that is being discharged from said room, whereby heat of said motor is vented externally of said room.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system of claim 13 wherein said exhaust duct has a fluid communication with said plenum chamber whereby to assist flow of air from the vicinity of said motor into said flow of air that is being discharged from said room.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
74 words
The system of claim 10 wherein the air forced from said plenum through the filters of the module is substantially balanced against the air returning along side walls of said room as intake air streams flowing into module outboard ends, said balancing being achieved by a total width of said first and second air cleaning modules that is substantially equal to about one half the total width of said room between said side walls.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
261 words
An air cleaning and recirculating system for a room having a pair of end walls, a pair of side walls, a ceiling, a floor, and a table positioned on the floor between side walls and adjacent one of said end walls, said system comprising a bank of air filters extending substantially from said floor to said ceiling between said table and said one end wall, said bank of filters being substantially aligned with the centerline of said table and extending laterally therefrom toward both said side walls for a distance between about 0.4 and about 0.6 of the width of said room, a pair of deflecting vanes connected with said bank of filters and extending inwardly for a relatively short distance from outer edges thereof at an acute angle across the face of said bank of filters, blower means mounted between said filter and said end wall for propelling a horizontally flowing stream of air through said bank of filters over the entire extent thereof, said stream of air through and from said bank of filters comprising a substantially laminar flow having a cross-section extending vertically from said floor to said ceiling and extending laterally across said table and on either side thereof a distance sufficient to envelop persons standing at or working in connection with said table, said blower means including means for withdrawing air from said room in return air streams extending substantially from said floor to said ceiling adjacent respectively opposite corners of the room formed by the junction of said side walls with said one end wall.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
The system of claim 16 wherein said room is between 16 and 20 feet wide and wherein said bank of filters is approximately 10 feet wide.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
The system of claim 17 wherein said deflecting veins are approximately 14 inches wide and have a free edge positioned about 4 1/4 inches from the face of said bank of filters.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
254 words
The apparatus of claim 16 including a pair of cabinets each extending from floor to ceiling of said room, both positioned in end-to-end abutment along said one end wall and each extending respectively toward the corresponding one of said side walls, each said cabinet comprising a substantially L-shaped plenum chamber having first and second legs extending for the full height thereof, said first leg of said plenum chamber comprising one wall formed by said bank of filters and extending for the full width and height of said cabinet, said second leg of said plenum chamber extending from the back of said cabinet at the outer end thereof to the inner surface of said filter bank, a bank of prefilters mounted in the outer end oF said cabinet, said blower means comprising a blower mounted within said cabinet to discharge air into said second leg of said plenum chamber and arranged to pull return air into said cabinet through said bank of prefilters, whereby return air is withdrawn from the room and prefiltered by suction at the outer end of the cabinet and the air is thereafter discharged into said plenum chamber so that air in said chamber under pressure from said blower is evenly forced through said filters, and is narrowed by inwardly directed flow components from said vanes to flow in a horizontally directed laterally tapered stream that extends transversely of the room and vertically from near the floor of said room to a distance at least above the heads of said personnel.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each said deflecting vane comprises a narrow elongated panel connected to the forward outboard end of an associated cabinet for pivotal motion about a substantially vertical axis, and adjustable means for limiting pivotal motion of said vanes as urged by air flowing from said bank of filters.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said bank of filters comprises a vertical array of filter units, each said units being individually and separately detachably secured to said cabinet from the front of said cabinet.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
24 words
The apparatus of claim 19 including a flat perforated sheet of protective screen detachably connected to the front of each cabinet and removable therefrom.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
64 words
The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said blower means comprises first and second substantially vertically aligned fans, a motor having a driving connection to at least one of said fans, and a heat exhausting duct enclosing said motor, said duct having an intake connected with said plenum chamber and being adapted for connection to a venting system that exhausts air from said hospital room.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus set forth in claim 19 including a bank of prefilters extending substantially from floor to ceiling of said room between said blower means and said respective side walls so as to prefilter all of said return air being withdrawn from said room by said blower means.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
180 words
A method of cleaning air in a workroom having side and end walls and wherein a work table is positioned adjacent to, but spaced from one of the end walls, and midway between the side walls of the room, said method comprising the steps of forcing a cleansing stream of air from said end wall toward and along said work table along both sides thereof through an area immediately adjoining the table and extending for a substantial distance laterally thereof, filtering said outflowing cleansing stream of air throughout its entire cross-section at a point between said work table and said end wall, withdrawing air from said room via return streams respectively directed toward said end wall and adjacent both said side walls, and controlling the width of said outflowing cleansing stream of air so that outflowing and return air streams are substantially balanced and said outflowing cleansing air stream has a width, as measured in a direction substantially between said side walls, that is not less than 0.4 and not more than 0.7 of the distance between said side walls.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 25 including the step of inwardly baffling outer edges of said outflowing stream of cleansing stream of air at a substantial angle to the flow direction of the major portion of said stream so as to increase velocity of said outflowing cleansing air stream.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-03-19 | 1976-09-18 | 1977-03-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-03-19 | 1980-09-18 | 1981-03-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-03-19 | 1984-09-18 | 1985-03-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |