Air register with automatic zone control

Claim 1

In an air register adapted to be positioned on the floor of a room in abutting relationship to a wall for distributing air to the room, the air register comprising: a back housing having a back wall and a bottom wall with openings therein to pass heated air therethrough; a front housing comprising a front wall and a plurality of louvers to direct heated air passing through said back housing opening in said bottom wall upwardly along the wall of the room; closure means mounted for pivotable movement between a first position wherein the flow of heated air through the bottom wall opening is at least substantially restricted and a second position wherein the flow of heated air through the bottom wall opening is substantially unimpeded; and means for mounting said front housing assembly to said back housing; the improvement which comprises: an opening in the front wall of the front housing spaced beneath the louvers; venturi means in said front housing communicating with said front wall opening and aligned with the back housing opening to draw ambient air through the front wall opening; and thermal actuator means mounted in the front wall opening and having an actuator element which is extendible and retractable responsive to temperature variations of said thermal actuator, said actuator element being in direct contact with said closure means to close down said closure means as said thermal actuator is heated.