Molded plastic base pan for room air conditioner

Claim 2

An integrally molded synthetic plastic base pan for an air conditioning unit comprising; a rectangular bottom wall having upwardly extending peripheral front, rear and side walls; means for supporting an evaporator on said base pan adjacent to said front wall, means for supporting a condenser on said base pan adjacent to said rear wall, a depressed sump region extending along and adjacent to said condenser supporting means, fan motor mounting means formed integrally in said base pan intermediate said evaporator supporting means and said condenser supporting means, a raised elongated trough segment molded integrally with said base pan in a transverse direction so as to be positioned intermediate said sump region and said fan motor mounting means, means disposed in said base pan and aligned at least initially in a transverse direction with said trough segment for receiving the bottom edge of a vertical shroud wall, the shroud wall having a notched cylindrical duct orifice therein for receiving the impeller portion of an air circulating fan, a portion of said trough segment having an upwardly facing concave depressed arcuate surface forming a segment of a cylinder of a configuration to be accommodated in the notched portion of the shroud wall orifice such that said trough segment arcuate surface snugly closes the orifice, said trough segment having an integrally molded condensate flow ramp portion which merges in a substantially tangential juncture with said concave trough surface at its lowermost portion and extends downwardly toward said sump region and merges therewith for removing condensate from said trough segment to said sump region.

Claim 3

An integrally molded synthetic plastic base pan for an air conditioning unit comprising; a rectangular bottom wall having upwardly extending peripheral front, rear and side walls; means defining a raised area along and adjacent to said front end wall for supporting an evaporator on said base pan, means defining a raised area along and adjacent to said opposite rear wall for supporting a condenser on said base pan, a depressed sump region extending along and adjacent to the inner boundary of said condenser area, means defining an inclined longitudinal condensate water channel in said base pan positioned intermediate said pan side walls connecting said raised evaporator area and said sump region to provide a condensate water flow path to said sump region, upwardly extending fan motor mounting rib means formed integrally in said base pan intermediate said evaporator area and said condenser area, a raised elongated trough segment molded integrally with said base pan in a transverse direction so as to be positioned intermediate said sump region and said fan motor mounting rib means, groove means disposed in said base pan and aligned at least initially in a transverse direction with said trough segment for receiving the bottom edge of a vertical shroud wall, the shroud wall having a notched central cylindrical orifice therein for receiving the impeller portion of an air circulating condenser fan, a portion of said trough segment having an upwardly facing concave depressed arcuate surface forming a segment of a cylinder of a configuration to be accommodated in the notched portion of the shroud wall orifice such that said trough segment arcuate surface snugly closes the orifice, said raised trough segment including a transverse front wall extending shieldingly across and in front of said concave trough surface forming a dam for preventing the flow of condensate water from said trough segment forwardly to said fan motor mounting rib means, Said trough segment having an integrally molded condensate flow ramp portion which merges in a substantially tangential juncture with said concave trough surface at its lowermost portion and extends downwardly and rearwardly toward said sump region and merges therewith for removing condensate from said trough segment to said sump region, and said trough segment arcuate surface having channel means integrally molded thereon so as to extend upwardly and rearwardly in the direction of rotation of the condenser fan from the lowermost portion of said arcuate surface so as to direct a portion of the condensate to the rear edge of the cylindrical duct orifice to be removed therefrom by the air stream.

Claim 4

An integrally molded synthetic plastic base pan for an air conditioning unit comprising; a rectangular bottom wall having upwardly extending peripheral front, rear and side walls; means defining a raised area along and adjacent to said front end wall for supporting an evaporator on said base pan, means defining a raised area along and adjacent to said opposite rear wall for supporting a condenser on said base pan, a depressed sump region extending along and adjacent to the inner boundary of said condenser area, means defining an inclined longitudinal condensate water channel in said base pan positioned intermediate said pan side walls connecting said raised evaporator area and said sump region to provide a condensate water flow path to said sump region, upwardly extending fan motor mounting rib means formed integrally in said base pan intermediate said evaporator area and said condenser area, a raised elongated trough segment molded integrally with said base pan in a transverse direction so as to be positioned intermediate said sump region and said fan motor mounting rib means, groove means disposed in said base pan and aligned at least initially in a transverse direction with said trough segment for receiving the bottom edge of a vertical shroud wall, the shroud wall having a notched central cylindrical orifice therein for receiving the impeller portion of an air circulating condenser fan, a portion of said trough segment having an upwardly facing concave depressed arcuate surface forming a segment of a cylinder of a configuration to be accommodated in the notched portion of the shroud wall orifice such that said trough segment arcuate surface snugly closes the orifice, said raised trough segment including a transverse front wall extending shieldingly across and in front of said concave trough surface forming a dam for preventing the flow of condensate water from said trough segment forwardly to said fan motor mounting rib means, Said trough segment having an integrally molded condensate flow ramp portion which merges in a substantially tangential juncture with said concave trough surface at its lowermost portion and extends downwardly and rearwardly toward said sump region and merges therewith for removing condensate from said trough segment to said sump region, and said trough segment arcuate surface having channel means integrally molded thereon so as to extend upwardly and rearwardly in the direction of rotation of the condenser fan from the lowermost portion of said arcuate surface so as to direct a portion of the condensate to the rear edge of the cylindrical duct orifice to be removed therefrom by the air stream.

Claim 5

The base pan as defined in claim 1 wherein said trough segment arcuate surface having channel means integrally molded thereon extending upwardly and rearwardly from the lowermost portion of said arcuate surface in the direction of rotation of said fan impeller whereby a portion of the condensate in said trough segment is directed toward the rear edge of the cylindrical duct orifice as the condensate travels therearound.

Claim 6

In an air conditioning unit for conditioning the air within an enclosure, the combination comprising a heat exchange apparatus mounted on a molded plastic base pan supporting at least a fan for circulating a stream of outside air through said apparatus, a sump for collecting condensate water from said apparatus molded in said base pan, said sump being positioned beneath said fan wherein an annular slinger ring attached to the periphery of said fan dips into said condensate sump for slinging water therefrom, means disposed in said base pan for receiving the bottom edge of a vertical shroud wall, said shroud wall including a notched cylindrical duct orifice partially enclosing a propeller fan for directing outside air through said orifice, a raised trough segment molded integrally with said base pan disposed beneath said fan, a portion of said trough segment having an upwardly facing concave depressed arcuate surface forming a segment of cylinder of a configuration to be accommodated in the notched portion of said orifice such that said trough segment arcuate surface snugly closes said orifice, said trough segment having an integrally molded condensate flow ramp portion which merges in a substantially tangential juncture with said trough segment arcuate surface at its lowermost portion and extends downwardly toward said sump region and merges therewith for removing a portion of the condensate on said trough segment to said sump region.

Claim 7

In an air conditioning unit for conditioning the air within an enclosure, the combination comprising a heat exchange apparatus mounted on a molded plastic base pan supporting at least a fan for circulating a stream of outside air through said apparatus, a sump for collecting condensate water from said apparatus molded in said base pan, said sump being positioned beneath said fan wherein an annular slinger ring attached to the periphery of said fan dips into said condensate sump for slinging water therefrom, means disposed in said base pan for receiving the bottom edge of a vertical shroud wall, said shroud wall including a notched cylindrical duct orifice partially enclosing a propeller fan for directing outside air through said orifice, a raised trough segment molded integrally with said base pan disposed beneath said fan, a portion of said trough segment having an upwardly facing concave depressed arcuate surface forming a segment of cylinder of a configuration to be accommodated in the notched portion of said orifice such that said trough segment arcuate surface snugly closes said orifice, said trough segment having an integrally molded condensate flow ramp portion which merges in a substantially tangential juncture with said trough segment arcuate surface at its lowermost portion and extends downwardly toward said sump region and merges therewith for removing a portion of the condensate on said trough segment to said sump region.

Claim 8

In an air conditioning unit for conditioning the air within an enclosure, the combination comprising a heat exchange apparatus mounted on a molded plastic base pan supporting at least a propeller fan for circulating a stream of outside air through said apparatus; a sump for collecting condensate water from said apparatus molded in said base pan, said sump being positioned beneath said fan wherein an annular slinger ring attached to the periphery of said fan dips into said condensate sump for slinging water therefrom, means disposed in said base pan and aligned in a transverse direction beneath said fan for receiving the bottom edge of a vertical shroud wall, said shroud wall including a notched cylindrical duct orifice partially enclosing a propeller fan for directing outside air through said orifice, said cylindrical duct orifice including a reverse flanged lip on the forward edge thereof for preventing condensate on said duct orifice from being blown forward by the air stream recirculated by said fan, a raised trough segment molded integrally with said base pan disposed beneath said fan, a portion of said trough segment having an upwardly facing concave depressed arcuate surface forming a segment of cylinder of a configuration to be accommodated in the notched portion of said orifice such that said trough segment arcuate surface snugly closes said orifice, said raised trough segment including a transverse front wAll extending shieldingly across and in front of said concave trough arcuate surface forming a dam preventing the inward flow of condensate water, said trough segment having an integrally molded condensate flow ramp portion which merges in a substantially tangential juncture with said trough segment arcuate surface at its lowermost portion and extends downwardly toward said sump region and merges therewith for removing the condensate from said trough segment to said sump region, said trough segment formed with a pair of rearwardly skewed integrally molded ribs forming with said front wall a pair of channels extending from the lowermost portion of said concave trough arcuate surface upwardly and rearwardly in the direction of rotation of said fan, said pair of channels directing a portion of the condensate from said trough segment into said duct orifice such that said air stream flowing into said fan causes condensate to either travel around said cylindrical duct orifice and be recirculated to said sump or to be carried from the rear downstream edge of said orifice into the fan air stream.

Claim 9

In an air conditioning unit for conditioning the air within an enclosure, the combination comprising a heat exchange apparatus mounted on a molded plastic base pan supporting at least a propeller fan for circulating a stream of outside air through said apparatus; a sump for collecting condensate water from said apparatus molded in said base pan, said sump being positioned beneath said fan wherein an annular slinger ring attached to the periphery of said fan dips into said condensate sump for slinging water therefrom, means disposed in said base pan and aligned in a transverse direction beneath said fan for receiving the bottom edge of a vertical shroud wall, said shroud wall including a notched cylindrical duct orifice partially enclosing a propeller fan for directing outside air through said orifice, said cylindrical duct orifice including a reverse flanged lip on the forward edge thereof for preventing condensate on said duct orifice from being blown forward by the air stream recirculated by said fan, a raised trough segment molded integrally with said base pan disposed beneath said fan, a portion of said trough segment having an upwardly facing concave depressed arcuate surface forming a segment of cylinder of a configuration to be accommodated in the notched portion of said orifice such that said trough segment arcuate surface snugly closes said orifice, said raised trough segment including a transverse front wAll extending shieldingly across and in front of said concave trough arcuate surface forming a dam preventing the inward flow of condensate water, said trough segment having an integrally molded condensate flow ramp portion which merges in a substantially tangential juncture with said trough segment arcuate surface at its lowermost portion and extends downwardly toward said sump region and merges therewith for removing the condensate from said trough segment to said sump region, said trough segment formed with a pair of rearwardly skewed integrally molded ribs forming with said front wall a pair of channels extending from the lowermost portion of said concave trough arcuate surface upwardly and rearwardly in the direction of rotation of said fan, said pair of channels directing a portion of the condensate from said trough segment into said duct orifice such that said air stream flowing into said fan causes condensate to either travel around said cylindrical duct orifice and be recirculated to said sump or to be carried from the rear downstream edge of said orifice into the fan air stream.

Claim 10

The air conditioning unit as defined in claim 4 wherein said trough segment arcuate surface having channel means integrally molded thereon and extending upwardly and rearwardly in the direction of rotation of said fan from the lowermost portion of said arcuate surface thereby directing a portion of the condensate to the downstream rear edge of said cylindrical duct orifice and carried into the fan air stream as the condensate travels therearound under the influence of said fan air stream.

Claim 11

The air conditioning unit as defined in claim 4 wherein the notched portion of said orifice is oriented in symmetrical fashion about the vertical center line of said orifice such that said notched portion is of an extent to allow said fan motor to pass therethrough whereby said shroud wall may be readily lifted straight-off said base pan.