Abstrict An air curtain mounting structure which includes mounting plates
with T-shaped mounting tabs extending upward. Each end of the air
curtain cabinet has a pair of slots formed in the upper surface
near the side walls of the cabinet. The slots are collinear and
a spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the mounting
tabs. The mounting plates are attached to the side walls of the
air curtain cabinet. A pair of hollow, parallel, steel channels
are provided having a groove in a bottom surface so that the mounting
tabs are supported by the channels. The channels may further be
attached to cross members which in turn are suspended from rods
or triangular brackets. The rods depend from a ceiling or other
support structure, while the triangular bracket attach to a wall.
Multiple air curtains may be positioned in side-by-side configuration.
Claims What is claimed is:
1. A mounting structure for an air curtain comprising:
an air curtain cabinet;
a pair of mounting plates each having a pair of T-shaped mounting
tabs extending upward from an upper edge of each of said pair of
mounting plates;
said air curtain cabinet having two sets of slots formed in an
upper surface, said pair of T-shaped mounting tabs of each of said
mounting plates extending one of said sets of slots; and
a pair of channels extending above said air curtain cabinet, said
channels each having a groove formed in a bottom surface, said T-shaped
mounting tabs extending into said groove.
2. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
1, wherein said pair of mounting plates are disposed, one each,
near ends of said air curtain cabinet.
3. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
2, wherein said pair of mounting plates are attached to said ends
of said air curtain cabinet.
4. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
3, wherein said pair of mounting plates have holes formed therein
and said ends of said air curtain cabinet have holes formed therein
corresponding to said holes in said pair of mounting plates, and
said ends of said air curtain cabinet are connected to respective
ones of said pair of mounting plates by bolts extending through
said holes in said ends of said air curtain cabinet and said holes
in said pair of mounting plates.
5. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
4, wherein multiple ones of said air curtains are mounted to one
another.
6. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
5, wherein said multiple air curtains are mounted to one another
by bolts extending through said holes in said ends of adjacent ones
of said air curtain cabinets and said holes in said pair of mounting
plates, mounted in said ends of said adjacent air curtain cabinets.
7. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
5, wherein said channels for attachment to adjacent ones of said
air curtains are connected to one another by attaching plates.
8. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
7, wherein said attaching plates are U-shaped.
9. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
8, wherein said U-shaped attaching plates surround said bottom surface
and sides of said channels, and are connected with bolts.
10. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
1, wherein said groove is disposed between two lips which extend
inward toward said groove, and wherein said T-shaped mounting tabs
have a horizontal flange forming a top of said T-shaped flange,
said horizontal flange being disposed on said two lips when said
air curtain is installed.
11. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
1, further comprising at least two cross members attached to an
upper surface of said pair of channel members.
12. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
11, wherein said cross members are attached to ends of vertically
oriented rods.
13. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
11, wherein said cross members are attached to I-beams extending
parallel to said pair of channels.
14. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
13, wherein said I-beams are longer than said pair of channels.
15. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
13, wherein said I-beams are attached to ends of vertically oriented
rods.
16. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
11, further comprising triangular brackets connected to a wall to
which said cross members are attached.
17. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
16, wherein said triangular brackets include a horizontally oriented
leg to which said cross members are attached.
18. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
17, wherein said triangular brackets include a vertically oriented
leg attached to said wall.
19. A mounting structure for an air curtain as recited in claim
18, wherein said triangular brackets further comprise a transverse
leg interconnecting said horizontally oriented leg and said vertically
oriented leg.
20. A mounting structure for an inner curtain as recited in claim
1, wherein each of said T-shaped mounting tabs has a pair of downwardly
projecting protrusions, extending from the outer edges of a horizontal
portion of said T-shaped mounting tab, said protrusions interacting
with holes formed in the top of said air curtain cabinet to interlock
said mounting plates and said air curtain cabinet. Description FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mounting plate and structure
for an air curtain. In particular, the present invention pertains
to a mounting plate and mounting structure which supports a high
volume air curtain at doorways to provide a thermal barrier which
helps to contain heat or air conditioning, and maintains clean air.
The mounting plate attaches to the sides of the air curtain and
either hangs from a ceiling or supporting structure depending down
from the ceiling or outward from a wall.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The employment of air curtains to contain heat or air conditioning
is widely known. The size of air curtain depends on the its location
and the size of the doorway or opening to which it is intended to
create a barrier. The doorways are commonly 14 to 16 feet high and
may be as much as 8 to 16 feet wide. In order to create a sufficient
air barrier for doorways having such dimensions, the air curtain
unit must be fairly large and may weigh between approximately 300
to 900 lbs.
The process of installing air curtains can be difficult due to
their size and weight. In addition, depending upon the location
of the doorway, for which the air curtain is supposed to create
a barrier, there may be no available structure to attached the air
curtain to. For example, many warehouses have an open interior structure
with significant ceiling heights, such as 20' ceilings, with no
intervening structure. In such circumstances it is difficult to
install, locate, and maintain the air curtain in the desired position
and with a proper orientation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an air curtain
mounting structure which can support an air curtain in a wide variety
of different location.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an air
curtain mounting structure which can attach to a ceiling.
Another object of the present invention to provide an air curtain
mounting structure which can properly position an air curtain near
a doorway regardless of the height of a ceiling above the air curtain.
Still another object of the present invention to provide an air
curtain mounting structure which can be attached to a wall above
a doorway.
Yet another object of the present invention to provide an air curtain
mounting structure which is relatively easy to install and maintain.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, an air curtain
mounting structure which includes mounting plates with T-shaped
mounting tabs extending upward is provided. Each end of the air
curtain cabinet has a pair of slots formed in the upper surface
near the side walls of the cabinet. The slots are collinear and
a spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the mounting
tabs. The mounting plates are attached to the side walls of the
air curtain cabinet. A pair of hollow, parallel, steel channels
are provided having a groove in a bottom surface so that the mounting
tabs are supported by the channels. The channels may further be
attached to cross members which in turn are suspended from rods
or triangular brackets. The rods depend from a ceiling or other
support structure, while the triangular bracket attach to a wall.
Multiple air curtains may be positioned in side-by-side configuration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects and attributes of the present invention
will be described with respect to the following drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of mounting plate according to the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a second mounting plate according to the
present invention;
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the mounting plate shown
in FIG. 2 as it attaches to an air curtain according to the present
invention;
FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of an air curtain have a mounting
plate attached thereto, further attached to structural steel channels;
FIG. 5 is partial perspective view of mounting plate and air curtain
of FIG. 4 depending from a suspension rod arrangement according
to the present invention;
FIGS. 6a-6e are side views of steps for installing three separate
air curtains arranged in side by side relationship according to
the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a top view of the three air curtains shown in FIG. 6e
according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of two interconnected structural
steel channels according to the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a side view of an air curtain mounting structure having
a suspension rod installation according to the present invention,
mounted adjacent a roll-up door;
FIG. 10 is a side view of an air curtain mounting structure having
a wall bracket installation according to the present invention,
mounted adjacent a roll-up door;
FIG. 11 is a side view of an air curtain mounting structure having
a suspension rod installation according to the present invention,
mounted adjacent a high-rise track door;
FIG. 12 is a side view of an air curtain mounting structure having
a suspension rod installation according to the present invention,
mounted adjacent a low turn back track door;
FIG. 13 is a side view of an air curtain mounting structure having
suspension rod installation according to the present invention,
mounted adjacent a high turn back track door using additional I-beam
supports; and
FIG. 14 is a side view of an alternative vertical projection and
horizontal flange configuration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, two embodiments of the mounting plate and
their attachment to an air curtain is shown. The mounting plate
20 shown in FIG. 1 is intended to be used with relatively small
size air curtains. The mount plate 20 has a substantially rectangular
shape with two mounting tabs 25 projecting from an upper edge 24.
Four bolt holes 28 are provided in the mounting plate 20. Bolts
(not shown) are inserted through corresponding holes in the side
of the air curtain to secure the mounting plate 20 to the air curtain.
The mounting plate 30 shown in FIG. 2 is intended for use with
relatively large air curtains. The mounting plate 30 has the same
two mounting tabs 25 extending from an upper edge 24. The mounting
plate 30 is larger than the mount plate 20 shown in FIG. 1, and
has six bolt holes 28 instead of two.
Each of the mounting tabs 25 is substantially T-shaped, with a
vertical projection 22 extending perpendicular to the upper edge
24 of the mounting plate 20 or 30. A horizontal flange 26 is formed
integrally with the vertical projection 22, and extends parallel
to the upper edge 24 of the mounting plate 20 or 30. The horizontal
flange 26 is formed on an outer end 22' of the vertical projection
22, while the mounting plate 20 or 30 meets the vertical projection
22 at an inner end 22". The mounting tabs 25 are formed integrally
with the mounting plate 20 or 30, and they are preferably made from
metal such as steel.
Referring now to FIG. 3, attachment of the mounting plate 30 to
an air curtain cabinet 40 is illustrated. For illustrative purposes
the details of the air curtain which are not pertinent to the present
invention are not shown, FIG. 3 illustrates only a portion of the
cabinet 40 housing the air curtain. The cabinet 40 is substantially
rectangular in all dimensions. Each end of the air curtain cabinet
40 has a pair of slots 42 formed in the upper surface 44 near the
side walls 46 of the cabinet 40. The slots 42 are collinear and
a spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the mounting
tabs 25 on the mounting plate 30.
The sides of the cabinet 40 also have bolt holes 48 which correspond
to the bolt holes 28 in the mounting plate 30. A mounting plate
30 is positioned inside each of the side walls 46 so that the mounting
tabs 25 extend through the slots 42 in the upper surface 44 of the
cabinet 40. The mounting plates 30 are coplanar with the side walls
46 of the cabinet and are held in position by six bolts, not shown,
extending through bolt holes 28 and 48.
Referring to FIG. 14, an alternative configuration of a vertical
projection 22' and horizontal flange 26' are shown. This configuration
corresponds to the configuration shown in FIGS. 1-3, however, the
horizontal flange 26' has a pair of downwardly extending protrusions
25' extending from the outer edges of the flange 25'. These downward
protrusions 25' are intended to interact with holes formed in the
top of the cabinet 40 adjacent the slots 42, shown in FIG. 3, and
discussed below. As a result of this configuration, the air curtain
suspended in a more stable manner. The protrusions 25' create a
more positive interlocking of the air curtain with cabinet. The
resulting installation is considerably more stable. In the configuration
shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the flanges 26, each provide approximately
no more than a couple of millimeters on either side of the vertical
projection 22.
FIG. 4 illustrates the interconnection of a cabinet 40, having
a mounting plate 30 attached thereto, to a steel channel structure
50. Only one steel channel 50 is shown in FIG. 4, however, it is
intended that two parallel channels 50 will be provided, as shown
in other figures, discussed below.
Each steel channel 50 is hollow and has an open groove 52 in its
bottom surface 54. The steel channel 50 is slightly wider than the
horizontal flanges 26 on the mount tabs 25. The groove 52, similarly,
is slightly wider than the width of vertical projections 22 of the
mounting tabs 25. The groove 52 is formed lengthwise in the bottom
surface 54 substantially dividing the bottom surface 54 into two
inwardly extending lips 54a and 54b, shown in FIG. 5.
The steel channel fits over the mounting tabs 25 so that the flange
26 rest on the lips 54a and 54b with the vertical projections extending
down through the groove 52, thereby suspending the air curtain from
the channels 50. As shown in FIG. 5 the channels 50 may further
be attached to cross members 60 which in turn is suspended from
rods 70. The rods 70 depend from ceiling or other support structure
in a conventional manner. The cross member 60 is attached with nuts
to the threaded ends of the rods 70. The air curtain is attached
to the cross member after the installation of the rods 70 and cross
member 60.
Referring to FIGS. 6a-6e, the installation of three air curtains
arranged in side-by-side configuration is shown. This configuration
is the subject of assignees U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,658. The present
invention is compatible with the modular air curtain design of the
5,072,658 patent. In FIG. 6a three air curtains 80a, 80b, and 80c
are positioned in side-by-side configuration. In FIG. 6b the three
air curtains 80a, 80b and 80c have their cabinets 40 bolted together.
The bolts attaching the air curtains together extend through the
bolt holes 48 in the sides 44 of the cabinets 40 and the bolt holes
28 in the mounting plates 30.
Next, as shown in FIG. 6c, a length of steel mounting channels
50 are positioned over the mounting tabs 25 of the center air curtain
80b. Mounting channels 50 are then slid over the mounting tabs 25
of the air curtain 80c, as shown in FIG. 6d. A pair of mounting
channels 50 are then slid over the mount tabs 25 extending up from
air curtain 80a, as shown in FIG. 6e.
Referring to FIG. 7, the mounting channels 50 over each of the
air curtains 80a, 80b, and 80c form two extended parallel mounting
channels 50. The lengths of steel mounting channel 50 are interconnected
to one another as shown in FIG. 8. U-shaped connecting plates 90
are provided so that they surround the sides and bottom of the steel
mounting channels 50. The upper surfaces 56 of the steel channels
50 have holes 58 formed therein. The bottom portion of each of the
U-shaped connecting plates 90 has holes formed therein so that adjacent
steel plates may be connected with bolt bolts 95.
The three air curtains 80a-80c can depend from rods 70 and three
cross members 60, shown in detail in FIG. 5, as shown in FIG. 7.
From the foregoing, it is clear that the mounting structure of the
present invention is adaptable to doorways having very large widths.
Multiple air curtains can be connected to provide air curtains which
are a barrier for such large doorways.
The air curtain mounting structure of the present invention can
by altered depending at least partially upon the type of door for
which the curtain is creating a barrier. FIG. 9 shows a side view
of an air curtain mounting structure having a suspension rod 70
and cross member 70 installation according to the present invention,
mounted adjacent a roll-up door 100. The air curtain is disposed
to be horizontally adjacent the roll housing 110 of the roll-up
door 100.
According to FIG. 10, a side view of a second air curtain mounting
structure is illustrated having a wall bracket installation 120
mounted adjacent a roll-up door 100. The wall bracket installation
120 includes at least two wall brackets 120 which are triangular
shaped. A vertical leg 124 of the triangular wall bracket 120 is
attached to a wall above the roll-up door 100 by bolts 130. The
cross members 60 are bolted to horizontal legs 126 of the wall brackets
120, in place of rods 70. The angle leg 128 transverse the space
between the legs 124 and 126 to add further support for the air
curtain. As was the case with the air curtain in FIG. 9, the air
curtain is disposed to be horizontally adjacent the roll housing
of the roll-up door 100.
FIG. 11 shows a side view of an air curtain mounting structure
similar to the suspension rod arrangement shown in FIG. 9, mounted
adjacent a high-rise track door 140. FIG. 12 is a side view of an
air curtain mounting structure having a suspension rod arrangement,
mounted adjacent a low turn back track door 150. The air curtain
is disposed above the tracks 155. Finally, FIG. 13 illustrates a
side view of an air curtain mounting structure having a suspension
rod arrangement mounted adjacent a high turn back track door. In
such an arrangement additional I-beam supports 165 may be employed
between the rods 70 and the cross members 60. The rods 70 can thereby
be spaced far enough apart to provide clearance for the high turn
back track 170.
Having described the preferred embodiments of the air curtain mounting
structure according to the present invention, it is believed that
other modifications, variations and changes will be suggested to
those skilled in the art in view of the description set forth above.
For example, the number of mounting tabs may be increased, a single
channel having two grooves in its bottom surface may be used, and
the location and orientation of the mounting tabs can be altered.
It is therefore to be understood that all such variations, modifications
and changes are believed to fall within the size of the present
invention as defined in the appended claims. |