Clean air directing apparatus

Claim 2

Apparatus for directing clean air to a patient zone comprising a movable air discharge head having outer walls defining an air passageway, a delivery tube connected at one end to said head, a blower unit connected to the other end of said delivery tube for causing a high pressure air flow through said tube and the air passageway of said head, first filter means for preliminary filtering and cleaning of said high pressure air flow prior to entry into said head air passageway, said head having a terminal outlet and means for directing and discharging said air flow from said terminal outlet into a central column or relatively low velocity laminar flow air, nozzle means associated with said head for channeling an outer peripheral portion of said air flow and accelerating the flow thereof to create an outer sheath of relatively high velocity air surrounding said central column, high efficiency filter means within said head substantially adjacent said terminal outlet, said high efficiency filter means being in direct engagement with and supported by the outer walls of said head and occupying an area completely across said air passageway for cleaning all of said air flowing through said head so that said central column and outer sheath both are substantially contaminant free, and said head being selectively positionable to permit direction of said contaminant free air column onto a selected operating area.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 including humidification means for selectively supplying water vapor to said air flow upstream of said head so that air discharged from said head has a determined humidity, and control means for automatically maintaining the humidity and velocity of air discharged from said head at a preselected values regardless of variations in the condition of air taken in at said blower unit.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 in which said head includes an outer housing which contains said filter means, and said nozzle means includes a frustoconical shaped hollow damper member mounted coaxially within said housing upstream of said filter means, said damper member and housing defining an outer annular air passageway extending the height of said damper member, said annular passageway having a greater cross sectional area at its upstream end than at its downstream end so that the velocity of air passing therethrough is increased, and said damper member defining a central passageway having a smaller cross sectional area at its upstream end than at its downstream so that the velocity of air passing therethrough is reduced.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 including a grid mounted in closely adjacent relation to said high efficiency filter means at the downstream end of said head for imparting a laminar flow to the central column of air discharged from said head.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 in which said blower unit has an outlet port and an inlet port, and said first filter means is disposed adjacent said blower inlet port.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1 including bracket means for movably suspending said head from the ceiling of a room to permit positioning of said head so that said central air column may be directed to a desired operating area of said patient zone, said head being movable in a horizontal plane about a pivot point on said ceiling, and said head further being pivotably adjustable in a vertical plane at any position in said horizontal plane.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 6 including a lamp supported by said bracket means in close proximity to said head, said lamp being adjustable to direct light upon the same operating area that said Head directs said central air column.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 1 in which a lamp means is mounted on said head to direct light in the same direction that said central air column is directed from said head.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 8 including an air straightening grid mounted in the downstream end of said head, said air straightening grid having an outer end surface located in closely spaced relation to said head to define an outer annular air passageway, and said grid being covered with a perforated sheet which retards the velocity of air flowing through said grid while permitting air to travel through said outer annular passageway at a relatively high velocity.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 1 including an air straightening grid mounted in the end of said head for imparting a laminar flow to said central air column as it discharges from said head, and lamp means mounted within said head at the periphery of said grid for directing light in the same direction that said central air column is directed.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 10 in which said lamp means is contained within a lamp housing, said lamp housing having a tapered wall in closely spaced relation to the interior of said head to define an outer annular air passageway having a smaller area at its downstream end than at its upstream end, whereby air traveling through said outer annular passageway is increased in velocity.

Claim 13

APPARATUS FOR DIRECTING CLEAN AIR TO A PATIENT ZONE COMPRISING A MOVABLE AIR DISCHARGE HEAD HAVING OUTER WALLS DEFINING AN AIR PASSAGEWAY, DELIVERY TUBE CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID HEAD, A BLOWER UNIT CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID DELIVERY TUBE FOR CAUSING A PRESSURIZED AIR FLOW THROUGH SAID TUBE AND THE AIR PASSAGE OF SAID HEAD, SAID HEAD HAVING A TERMINAL OUTLET AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING AND DISCHARGING SAID AIR FLOW FROM SAID TERMINAL OUTLET INTO A CENTRAL COLUMN OF RELATIVELY LOW VELOCITY LAMINAR FLOW AIR, HIGH EFFICIENCY FILTER MEANS WITHIN SAID HEAD SUBSTANTIALLY ADJACENT SAID TERMINAL OUTLET, SAID HIGH EFFICIENCY FILTER MEANS BEING IN DIRECT ENGAGEMENT WITH AND SUPPORTED BY THE OUTER WALLS OF SAID HEAD AND OCCUPYINNG AN AREA COMPLETELY ACROSS SAID AIR PASSAGEWAY FOR CLEANING SAID CENTRAL COLUMN OF AIR FLOW TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY CONTAMINANT FREE, NOZZLE MEANS WITHIN SAID HEAD IMMEDIATELY UPSTREAM OF SAID FILTER MEANS FOR CHANNELING AN OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTION OF SAID AIR FLOW AND ACCELERATING THE FLOW THEREOF TO CREATE AN OUTER SHEATH OF RELATIVELY HIGH VELOCITY AIR SURROUNDING SAID CENTRAL COLUMN, SAID NOZZLE MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE TO DIRECT SAID AIR SHEATH THROUGH AN OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTION OF SAID HIGH EFFICIENCY FILTER MEANS SO THAT SAID CENTRAL COLUMN AND OUTER SHEATH BEING SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE TO PERMIT FREE, AND SAID HEAD BEING SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE TO PERMIT DIRECTION OF SAID CONTAMINANT FREE AIR COLUMN ONTO A SELECTED OPERATING AREA.

Claim 14

APPARATUS FOR DIRECTING CLEAN AIR TO A PATIENT ZONE COMPRISING A MOVABLE AIR DISCHARGE HEAD HAVING OUTER WALLS DEFINING AN AIR PASSAGEWAY, DELIVERY TUBE CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID HEAD, A BLOWER UNIT CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID DELIVERY TUBE FOR CAUSING A PRESSURIZED AIR FLOW THROUGH SAID TUBE AND THE AIR PASSAGE OF SAID HEAD, SAID HEAD HAVING A TERMINAL OUTLET AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING AND DISCHARGING SAID AIR FLOW FROM SAID TERMINAL OUTLET INTO A CENTRAL COLUMN OF RELATIVELY LOW VELOCITY LAMINAR FLOW AIR, HIGH EFFICIENCY FILTER MEANS WITHIN SAID HEAD SUBSTANTIALLY ADJACENT SAID TERMINAL OUTLET, SAID HIGH EFFICIENCY FILTER MEANS BEING IN DIRECT ENGAGEMENT WITH AND SUPPORTED BY THE OUTER WALLS OF SAID HEAD AND OCCUPYINNG AN AREA COMPLETELY ACROSS SAID AIR PASSAGEWAY FOR CLEANING SAID CENTRAL COLUMN OF AIR FLOW TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY CONTAMINANT FREE, NOZZLE MEANS WITHIN SAID HEAD IMMEDIATELY UPSTREAM OF SAID FILTER MEANS FOR CHANNELING AN OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTION OF SAID AIR FLOW AND ACCELERATING THE FLOW THEREOF TO CREATE AN OUTER SHEATH OF RELATIVELY HIGH VELOCITY AIR SURROUNDING SAID CENTRAL COLUMN, SAID NOZZLE MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE TO DIRECT SAID AIR SHEATH THROUGH AN OUTER PERIPHERAL PORTION OF SAID HIGH EFFICIENCY FILTER MEANS SO THAT SAID CENTRAL COLUMN AND OUTER SHEATH BEING SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE TO PERMIT FREE, AND SAID HEAD BEING SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE TO PERMIT DIRECTION OF SAID CONTAMINANT FREE AIR COLUMN ONTO A SELECTED OPERATING AREA.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 12 including a track for suspending said head from the ceiling of a room to permit lateral movement of said head along said ceiling.