US3739554A — Air filter utilizing alternating current electric…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 141 words

An air filter utilizing alternating current electric fields and comprising a duct having a first end for the admission of an air flow thereto and a second end for the exit of an air flow therefrom, means adjacent the first end of said duct for producing the flow of air which may contain particles especially in the size range of 0.01 to 100 microns in diameter, means downstream of said air flow producing means and located in said duct for electrically charging the particles in the air flow, and parallel planar means positioned in said duct downstream of said air flow producing means and oriented parallel to the air flow for generating alternatiNg current electrodynamic fields, the electrical forces generated by the fields trapping the charged particles and directing them to at least one side of the duct for removal therefrom.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 141 words

An air filter utilizing alternating current electric fields and comprising a duct having a first end for the admission of an air flow thereto and a second end for the exit of an air flow therefrom, means adjacent the first end of said duct for producing the flow of air which may contain particles especially in the size range of 0.01 to 100 microns in diameter, means downstream of said air flow producing means and located in said duct for electrically charging the particles in the air flow, and parallel planar means positioned in said duct downstream of said air flow producing means and oriented parallel to the air flow for generating alternatiNg current electrodynamic fields, the electrical forces generated by the fields trapping the charged particles and directing them to at least one side of the duct for removal therefrom.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 64 words

The air filter set forth in claim 1 and further comprising means in communication with the sides of said duct to which the particles are directed for removing the particles from said duct whereby the air flow exiting from the second end of said duct has a significantly smaller amount of the particles as compared to the air flow admitted to the first end.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 45 words

The air filter set forth in claim 2 wherein said parallel planar means consists of a plurality of parallel aligned plates of electrically conductive material oriented parallel to the air flow and having aligned holes therein and connected to a source of alternating current voltage.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 36 words

The air filter set forth in claim 3 wherein alternate of said electrically conductive plates are connected to the same side of the source of alternating current voltage to thereby establish the alternating current electrodynamic fields.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 34 words

The air filter set forth in claim 3 wherein adjacent said electrically conductive plates are connected to opposite sides of the source of alternating current voltage to thereby establish the alternating current electrodynamic fields.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 17 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein said electrically conductive plates are equally spaced apart.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 20 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein the holes in said electrically conductive plates are of equal size.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 54 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein the holes in each of said electrically conductive plates are of decreasing size in the downstream direction of the air flow whereby the larger size particles are precipitated out through the larger size holes and the smaller size particles through the downstream smaller sized holes.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 20 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein each electrically conductive plate has a thickness of approximately 0.05 inch.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 27 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein the holes in the electrically conductive plates are in a diameter size range of 0.25 to 1.0 inch.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 28 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein the spacing between adjacent holes in each electrically conductive plate is approximately one-half the diameter of an adjacent hole.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 30 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein said electrically conductive plates are in spaced apart relationship across substantially the total cross-sectional area of the space within said duct.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 28 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein the alternating current voltage applied to said electrically conductive plates is in the range of 0.5 to 50 kilovolts.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 23 words

The air filter set forth in claim 13 wherein the alternating current voltage applied to said electrically conductive plates is approximately 10 kilovolts.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 40 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein the alternating current voltage source is an adjustable voltage source, an increase in the voltage applied to said electrically conductive plates resulting in an enhanced trapping and collection of the particles.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 51 words

The air filter set forth in claim 5 wherein said source of alternating current voltage includes modulating means for modulating the alternating current voltage with a sawtooth ramp for aiding the lateral movement of the trapped particles through the holes in the electrically conductive plates toward the sides of said duct.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 64 words

The air filter set forth in claim 16 wherein the aligned holes in said electrically conductive plates are of unequal size being of the smallest size in the centermost positioned plate and of gradually larger size in the subsequent plates positioned closer to the sides of said duct to thereby enhance the lateral movement of the trapped particles toward the sides of said duct.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 33 words

The air filter set forth in claim 2 wherein said paRticle removing means are two bags in communication with outlets formed through opposite sides of said duct in alignment with said parallel plates.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 29 words

The air filter set forth in claim 2 and further comprising means in communication with said particle removing means for collecting the particles and sorting them according to size.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 78 words

The air filter set forth in claim 19 wherein said particle collecting and sorting means is a rotating disk, the rotation of said disk being synchronized with a modulating sweep voltage applied to said parallel planar means whereby one cycle of sweep voltage occurs per revolution of said disk and the particles of a particular size emerging from said particle removing means arrive on the same area of said disk to thereby obtain analysis of particle size distribution.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 55 words

The air filter set forth in claim 1 wherein said particle electrical charging means comprises a plurality of electrical conductors disposed across said duct upstream of said parallel planar means and connected to a direct current high voltage source for producing a corona discharge around said conductors which charges the particles as they flow thereby.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 61 words

The air filter set forth in claim 1 wherein said parallel planar means consists of a plurality of layers of square mesh of electrically conductive material supported in parallel spaced apart relationship and oriented parallel to the air flow, adjacent layers being connected to opposite sides of a source of alternating current voltage to thereby establish the alternating current electrodynamic fields.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 143 words

An air filter adapted as an adjunct to a room air conditioner or the like and comprising a duct having an admission end for an air flow and an exit end, means for electrically charging particles which may be in the air flow, and a plurality of parallel plate members fabricated of an electrically conductive material and positioned across substantially the total cross-sectional area of the inside of said duct parallel to the air flow, said plate members provided with aligned holes and alternately connected to opposite sides of an alternating current voltage source for generating alternating current electrodynamic fields across the duct, the electrical forces generated by the fields trapping the charged particles in the airflow in the duct and causing the charged particles to be directed through the holes to at least one side of the duct for subsequent removal therefrom.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 143 words

An air filter adapted as an adjunct to a room air conditioner or the like and comprising a duct having an admission end for an air flow and an exit end, means for electrically charging particles which may be in the air flow, and a plurality of parallel plate members fabricated of an electrically conductive material and positioned across substantially the total cross-sectional area of the inside of said duct parallel to the air flow, said plate members provided with aligned holes and alternately connected to opposite sides of an alternating current voltage source for generating alternating current electrodynamic fields across the duct, the electrical forces generated by the fields trapping the charged particles in the airflow in the duct and causing the charged particles to be directed through the holes to at least one side of the duct for subsequent removal therefrom.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 66 words

The air filter set forth in claim 23 wherein the admission end of said duct is connected to the output of a room air conditioner or the like, and the plate members coated with a high dielectric strength material thereby permitting application of higher alternating current voltage to said plate members without causing breakdown between adjacent plate members and resulting in increased efficiency of particle trapping.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 70 words

The air filter set forth in claim 23 wherein the admission end of said duct is connected to the output of a room air conditioner or the like, and said particle electrical charging means consists of a high dielectric strength material coating on said plate members thereby permitting application of a sufficiently high alternating current voltage to cause corona discharge in the region of the holes which charges the particles.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-06-18	1976-12-18	1977-06-19	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-06-18	1980-12-18	1981-06-19	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-06-18	1984-12-18	1985-06-19	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Air filter utilizing alternating current electric fields

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