Air conditioning system

Claim 2

An air induction box comprising a housing with side walls and opposed end walls, a primary air conduit entering said housing through a first end wall and extending into said housing with its end opening extending toward the second end wall, at least one unrestricted secondary air inlet opening in said housing adjacent the entrance of said primary air conduit into said housing, a substantially constant speed centrifugal blower in said housing including an exhaust conduit extending through the second end wall arranged to continuously exhaust mixed air from said housing at a substantially constant rate, a sound baffLe in said housing, valve means in the portion of said primary air conduit extending into said housing for selectively decreasing or increasing the flow of primary air through said primary air conduit, said valve means comprising a venturi in said primary air conduit, a valve support rod in said primary air conduit upstream from said venturi movable along its length toward and away from said venturi, a valve ball mounted on and movable with said valve support rod toward and away from said venturi and spring means connected between said valve ball and said valve support rod and arranged to permit relative movement between said valve ball and said valve support rod and to bias said valve ball away from said venturi, whereby the valve ball moves along the length of the valve support rod in response to differential air pressure across the valve ball and regulates the flow of primary air into the housing.

Claim 3

Air air induction box comprising a housing, a primary air conduit entering said housing, at least one unrestricted secondary air inlet opening in said housing, a substantially constant speed blower arranged to continuously exhaust mixed air from said housing at a substantially constant rate, valve means in said primary air conduit for selectively decreasing or increasing the flow of primary air through said primary air conduit, said valve means comprising a venturi in said primary air conduit, a valve support rod in said primary air conduit upstream from said venturi movable along its length toward and away from said venturi, a valve ball mounted on and movable with said valve support rod toward and away from said venturi and spring means connected between said valve ball and said valve support rod and arranged to permit relative movement between said valve ball and said valve support rod and to bias said valve ball away from said venturi, whereby the valve ball moves along the length of the valve support rod in response to differential air pressure across the valve ball and regulates the flow of primary air into the housing.

Claim 4

Air air induction box comprising a housing, a primary air conduit entering said housing, at least one unrestricted secondary air inlet opening in said housing, a substantially constant speed blower arranged to continuously exhaust mixed air from said housing at a substantially constant rate, valve means in said primary air conduit for selectively decreasing or increasing the flow of primary air through said primary air conduit, said valve means comprising a venturi in said primary air conduit, a valve support rod in said primary air conduit upstream from said venturi movable along its length toward and away from said venturi, a valve ball mounted on and movable with said valve support rod toward and away from said venturi and spring means connected between said valve ball and said valve support rod and arranged to permit relative movement between said valve ball and said valve support rod and to bias said valve ball away from said venturi, whereby the valve ball moves along the length of the valve support rod in response to differential air pressure across the valve ball and regulates the flow of primary air into the housing.

Claim 5

An air induction box for use in a ceiling plenum with an air conditioning system that provides a flow of primary air, said induction box comprising a housing with a primary air inlet conduit for connection to the flow of primary air of the air conditioning system, a constantly open secondary air inlet for continuous constant pressure open communication with the ceiling plenum, an air outlet, an air outlet fan means arranged to move air from said housing through said air outlet, and valve means positioned in said primary air inlet conduit for regulating the flow of primary air through said primary air inlet conduit, said valve means comprising a venturi, a valve member positioned upstream of said venturi and movable toward and away from said venturi to reduce and increase the flow of primary air through said primary air inlet conduit and into said induction box and spring means biasing said valve member away from said venturi to permit the valve member to move toward and away from said venturi in response to changes in pressure upstream of said venturi, whereby when the valve means reduces the flow of primary air into the housing the fan means induces more air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air inlet and into the housing, and when the valve means increases the flow of primary air into the housing the fan means induces less air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air inlet and into the housing, and the spring means moves the valve member away from the venturi in response to a decrease in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box and allows the valve member to move toward the venturi in response to an increase in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box to maintain a substantially constant flow of primary air into the induction box in spite of rapid changes in pressure of the primary air moving into the induction box.

Claim 6

An air induction box for use in a ceiling plenum with an air conditioning system that provides a flow of primary air, said induction box comprising a housing with a primary air inlet conduit for connection to the flow of primary air of the air conditioning system, a constantly open secondary air inlet for continuous constant pressure open communication with the ceiling plenum, an air outlet, an air outlet fan means arranged to move air from said housing through said air outlet, and valve means positioned in said primary air inlet conduit for regulating the flow of primary air through said primary air inlet conduit, said valve means comprising a venturi, a valve member positioned upstream of said venturi and movable toward and away from said venturi to reduce and increase the flow of primary air through said primary air inlet conduit and into said induction box and spring means biasing said valve member away from said venturi to permit the valve member to move toward and away from said venturi in response to changes in pressure upstream of said venturi, whereby when the valve means reduces the flow of primary air into the housing the fan means induces more air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air inlet and into the housing, and when the valve means increases the flow of primary air into the housing the fan means induces less air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air inlet and into the housing, and the spring means moves the valve member away from the venturi in response to a decrease in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box and allows the valve member to move toward the venturi in response to an increase in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box to maintain a substantially constant flow of primary air into the induction box in spite of rapid changes in pressure of the primary air moving into the induction box.

Claim 7

The air induction box of claim 3 and wherein said prImary air inlet conduit comprises a conduit extending through a first end of said housing with an outlet opening spaced away from said one end of said housing, and wherein said valve means is positioned in a portion of said primary air inlet conduit which is located within said housing.

Claim 8

An air ventilating process for a room having a ceiling plenum and an air induction box located in the ceiling plenum with a constantly open secondary air opening defined in the induction box comprising the steps of moving primary air at a first temperature through a conduit into the air induction box to a position downstream of the secondary air opening, continuously exhausting air from the air induction box at a substantially constant rate from a position downstream from the position where the primary air is moved from its conduit into the induction box and directing the exhausted air to the room below the ceiling, reducing the flow of primary air to the air induction box in response to a change in an external condition while continuing to exhaust air from the air induction box at a substantially constant rate so as to induce more air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air opening and into the air induction box, and increasing the flow of primary air to the air induction box in response to a change in an external condition while continuing to exhaust air from the air induction box at a substantially constant rate so as to induce less air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air opening and into the air induction box, and maintaining a substantially constant flow of primary air to the air induction box in spite of rapid increases or decreases in pressure of the primary air moving toward the air induction box.

Claim 9

An air ventilating process for a room having a ceiling plenum and an air induction box located in the ceiling plenum with a constantly open secondary air opening defined in the induction box comprising the steps of moving primary air at a first temperature through a conduit into the air induction box to a position downstream of the secondary air opening, continuously exhausting air from the air induction box at a substantially constant rate from a position downstream from the position where the primary air is moved from its conduit into the induction box and directing the exhausted air to the room below the ceiling, reducing the flow of primary air to the air induction box in response to a change in an external condition while continuing to exhaust air from the air induction box at a substantially constant rate so as to induce more air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air opening and into the air induction box, and increasing the flow of primary air to the air induction box in response to a change in an external condition while continuing to exhaust air from the air induction box at a substantially constant rate so as to induce less air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air opening and into the air induction box, and maintaining a substantially constant flow of primary air to the air induction box in spite of rapid increases or decreases in pressure of the primary air moving toward the air induction box.

Claim 10

The system of claim 5 and wherein the steps of moving primary air to the air induction box and of continuously exhausting air from the air induction box comprise continuously exhausting air from the air induction box at a rate higher than the highest rate at which primary air is moved to the induction box.

Claim 11

An air induction box for use in a ceiling plenum with an air conditioning system that provides a flow of primary air, said induction box comprising a housing with a primary air inlet conduit for connection to the flow of primary air of the air conditioning system, a constantly open secondary air inlet for continuous constant pressure open communication with the ceiling plenum, an air outlet, an air outlet fan means arranged to move air from said housing through said air outlet, and valve means positioned in said primary air inlet conduit with an external sensor for regulating the flow of primary air from said primary air inlet conduit and into said induction box in response to changes in an external condition, said valve means being responsive to changes in air pressure upstream of said valve means to increase the opening through said primary air inlet conduit in response to a decrease in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box and to reduce the opening through said primary air inlet conduit in response to an increase in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box, whereby when the valve means reduces the flow of primary air into the housing the fan means induces more air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air inlet and into the housing, and when the valve means increases the flow of primary air into the housing the fan means induces less air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air inlet and into the housing, and the valve means opens further in response to a decrease in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box and closes further in response to an increase in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box to maintain a substantially constant flow of primary air into the induction box in spite of rapid changes in pressure of the primary air moving into the induction box.

Claim 12

An air induction box for use in a ceiling plenum with an air conditioning system that provides a flow of primary air, said induction box comprising a housing with a primary air inlet conduit for connection to the flow of primary air of the air conditioning system, a constantly open secondary air inlet for continuous constant pressure open communication with the ceiling plenum, an air outlet, an air outlet fan means arranged to move air from said housing through said air outlet, and valve means positioned in said primary air inlet conduit with an external sensor for regulating the flow of primary air from said primary air inlet conduit and into said induction box in response to changes in an external condition, said valve means being responsive to changes in air pressure upstream of said valve means to increase the opening through said primary air inlet conduit in response to a decrease in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box and to reduce the opening through said primary air inlet conduit in response to an increase in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box, whereby when the valve means reduces the flow of primary air into the housing the fan means induces more air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air inlet and into the housing, and when the valve means increases the flow of primary air into the housing the fan means induces less air to flow from the ceiling plenum through the secondary air inlet and into the housing, and the valve means opens further in response to a decrease in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box and closes further in response to an increase in pressure in the primary air moving into the induction box to maintain a substantially constant flow of primary air into the induction box in spite of rapid changes in pressure of the primary air moving into the induction box.