Claims:We claim:

1. A removable air vent assembly (100) for an air conditioning system of a vehicle, the assembly (100) comprising:
a housing (101) configured in a vehicle body (110);
at least one air vent (102) slidably disposed in the housing (101) at a first position (FP), the at least one air vent (101) is adapted to receive air from an air duct (111) of the air conditioning system and circulate the air in a vehicle cabin; and
an actuation mechanism (103) disposed in the vehicle body (110), the actuation mechanism (103) is adapted to move the at least one air vent (102) from the first position (FP) in the housing (101) to a second position (SP), wherein the at least one air vent (102) is removable from the housing in the second position (SP).

2. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first position (FP) of the at least one air vent (102) is when the at least one air vent (102) non-removably resides in the housing (101).

3. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second position (SP) of the at least one air vent (102) is when the at least one air vent (102) is extended from the housing (101).

4. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing (101) comprises a guide slot (104) in at least a portion of an inner surface.

5. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one air vent (102) comprises a protrusion (105) configured to reside in the guide slot (104).

6. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1 comprises a locking mechanism (106) provided in the housing (101), wherein, the locking mechanism (106) is configured to contact at least a portion of the at least one air vent (102) to securely hold the at least one air vent (102) inside the housing (101) in the first position (FP).

7. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the locking mechanism (106) includes at least one resilient member disposed between the housing (101) and the at least one air vent (102).

8. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuation mechanism (103) includes a lever (107) comprising a first end (107a) and a second end (107b) pivotally attached to the vehicle body.

9. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second end (107b) of the lever (107) is adapted to contact at least a portion of the at least one air vent (102).

10. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second end (107b) of the lever (107) is configured to apply force on the at least one air vent (101) upon actuation of the first end (107a) of the lever (107).

11. The assembly (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein vehicle body (110) comprises a provision (109) corresponding to the first end (107a) of the lever (107), to facilitate operation of the first end (107a) of the lever (107) through a tool (108).

12. A vehicle comprising a removable air vent assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1.
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
Present disclosure generally relates to an automobile engineering. Particularly but not exclusively present disclosure relates to an air conditioning system of a vehicle. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a removable air vent assembly for the air conditioning system of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

A heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) unit or simply referred as air condition unit may be used in all types of vehicles to provide comfort to passengers in different climatic conditions. In HVAC system, air may be drawn either from inside the cabin of the vehicle or from atmosphere. The drawn air may be conditioned i.e. cooled or heated by the HVAC system as per need of the occupants or need in the vehicle conditions, and may be finally delivered to the cabin of the vehicle through a one or more air vents provided in the cabin.

Conventional HVAC unit consists basically of a blower unit, heat exchangers, and air vents in which blower unit sucks air from outside/inside cabin, and blows into the conditioned space, slightly pressurizing it. The fresh air or re-circulated air may be sucked through intake assembly of the blower unit. The blower unit may then force the air to move forward and gives it a velocity and momentum to move towards the heat exchanger coils. The air which may be passed from the heat exchanger coils, contacts with it to dissipate or absorb heat, this conditioned air may be passed through the one or more air ducts to blow the air to the vehicle cabin through the air vents. The conventional air vents generally have different geometry such as but not limiting to circular, rectangular, and square with number of horizontal and vertical vanes to direct air flow to the vehicle cabin. The conventional air vents consist of main body with a plurality of vertical vanes and horizontal vanes arranged inside the main body. The vertical vanes may be used for horizontal diverting the air to the vehicle cabin, while horizontal vanes may be useful in vertical directivity of air. In the conventional vehicles, the air vents are fixedly attached to the vehicle body through the suitable joining methods such that the air vent securely resides in the vehicle body. The horizontal and vertical vents configured in the air vent may be adjusted to change the direction of conditioned air flow.

In most of the vehicles including but not limiting to passenger cars, interiors are perceived to be clean and tidy. However, air vents in most of the vehicles are usually seen to be dusty. This may be because, cleaning of air vents is cumbersome and may be costly if taken to service station. With such un-cleaned air vents occupants, usually experience feeling of dissatisfaction and the sense of irritation. Also, there may be health hazards with un-cleaned air vents. Further, the conventional the air vents can be removed from the vehicle body and only by the skilled personnel and with using complex tools. Hence, the user may always need to take the vehicle to service station for cleaning of the air vents. This may increase the cost associated with the cleaning of the air vents in the vehicle.

The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The one or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome by an assembly as claimed and additional advantages are provided through the provision of assembly as claimed in the present disclosure.

Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure there is provided a removable air vent assembly for an air conditioning system of a vehicle. The assembly comprises a housing configured in a vehicle body, and at least one air vent is slidably disposed in the housing at a first position. The at least one air vent is adapted to receive air from an air duct of the air conditioning system and circulate the air in a vehicle cabin. The assembly also includes an actuation mechanism disposed in the vehicle body. The actuation mechanism is adapted to move the at least one air vent from the first position in the housing to a second position such that the at least one air vent is removable from the housing in the second position.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first position of the at least one air vent is when the at least one air vent non-removably resides in the housing. Further, the second position of the at least one air vent is when the at least one air vent is extended from the housing.

In an embodiment, the housing comprises a guide slot in at least a portion of an inner surface, and the at least one air vent comprises a protrusion configured to reside in the guide slot.

In an embodiment, the assembly comprises a locking mechanism provided in the housing. The locking mechanism is configured to contact at least a portion of the at least one air vent to securely hold the at least one air vent inside the housing in the first position. Further, the locking mechanism includes at least one resilient member disposed between the housing and the at least one air vent.

In an embodiment, the actuation mechanism includes a lever comprising a first end and a second end pivotally attached to the vehicle body.

In an embodiment, the second end of the lever is adapted to contact at least a portion of the at least one air vent. The second end of the lever is configured to apply force on the at least one air vent upon actuation of the first end of the lever.

In an embodiment, the vehicle body comprises a provision corresponding to the first end of the lever, to facilitate operation of the first end of the lever through a tool.

It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined together to form a further embodiment of the disclosure.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURES

The novel features and characteristic of the disclosure are set forth in the appended claims. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates front perspective view of removable air vent assembly for air conditioning system of a vehicle, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates rear perspective view of an air vent of the air vent assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3a illustrates rear perspective view of the air vent and an actuation mechanism of the air vent assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3b illustrates side view of the air vent and an actuation mechanism of the air vent assembly showing lever in original position and displaced position, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4a illustrates schematic top view of a removable air vent assembly, in which the air vent is in first position, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4b illustrates schematic top view of a removable air vent assembly of FIG. 4a, in which the air vent is in second position.

FIG. 4c illustrates schematic top view of a removable air vent assembly of FIG. 4a with alternate configuration of the locking mechanism, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5a illustrates schematic top view of a removable air vent assembly, in which the air vent is in first position, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5b illustrates schematic top view of a removable air vent assembly of FIG. 5a, in which the air vent is in second position.

The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the disclosure. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other mechanism for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provides a removable air vent assembly for Heating air conditioning system of a vehicle. The air vent assembly according to present disclosure may be configured to be removable from the vehicle body easily without the use of simple tool.

The removable air vent assembly of the present disclosure comprises of housing connectable to a vehicle body. The housing may be configured as integral part of the vehicle body or may be connectable to the vehicle body. The housing may be configured to accommodate at least one air vent, to receive air from an air duct of the air conditioning system. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the at least one air vent slidably disposed inside the housing, such that the at least one air vent resides in a first position in the housing. The removable air vent assembly further comprises an actuation mechanism. The actuation mechanism is configured to selectively move the at least one air vent from the first position to a second position in the housing. The actuation mechanism may be operated by the user to move the at least one air vent to the second position, such that the at least one air vent is removable from the housing. In the first position, the at least one air vent fixedly resides in the housing and supplies conditioned air from the air duct to the vehicle cabin. If the user wants to remove the at least one air vent assembly for cleaning, the user may operate the actuation unit which move the at least one ait vent to the second position.

The term first position used herein above and below refers to position of the air vent in the air vent assembly in which the air vent non-removably reside in the housing. Further the term second position used herein above and below refers to position of the air vent in the air vent assembly in which the air vent is completely extended from the housing such that it can be removed from the housing.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that an assembly, device or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.

In the following description, the words such as open, close, upward, downward, front rear are referred with respect to particular orientation of the assembly as illustrated in drawings of the present disclosure. The words are used to explain the aspects of the present disclosure and for better understanding. However, one should not construe such terms as limitation to the present disclosure, since the terms may interchange based on the orientation of the mechanism.

Henceforth, the present disclosure is explained with the help of figures of an air vent assembly used in air conditioning system of a vehicle. However, such exemplary embodiments should not be construed as limitations of the present disclosure. A person skilled in the art can envisage various such embodiments without deviating from scope of the present disclosure. Further, it is to be noted that the air vent assembly with air conditioning system can be used in the vehicles. However, for the purpose of simplicity the vehicle is not illustrated in the figures of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure illustrating a front and rear perspective views of the removable air vent assembly (100) for air conditioning system of a vehicle. The removable air conditioning system (100) may be configured in any vehicle such as but not limiting to passenger vehicles including but not limiting to cars, tempo travellers, buses, and the like, luggage carriers, and heavy vehicles. The removable air vent assembly (100) may be configured inside the vehicle body (110) to supply air conditioned by the air conditioning system to the vehicle cabin [not shown]. The conditioned air may be a cool air or hot air based on the requirement of the occupants or condition of the vehicle.

As shown in the FIG.1 the removable air vent assembly (100) may comprises a housing (101) which may be configured in a vehicle body or connectable to vehicle body (110). The housing (101) may be configured in predetermined shape and may be adapted to be resided in positions such as but not limiting to vehicle dashboard, vehicle roof, behind parking brake, and side walls of the vehicle cabin. The housing (101) may be configured with a plurality of provisions for joining the housing (101) with the vehicle body (110). In an embodiment of the disclosure the housing (101) may be mounted to the vehicle body (110) through fastening using fasteners such as but not limiting to screws, and nut and bolt. In an alternative embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing (101) may be mounted in the vehicle body using flaring or snap fitting or the housing may be formed integral with the vehicle body (110). The housing (101) may be configured as base of the air vent assembly (100), and can be retrofitted into the vehicle body (110). The housing (101) may be configured in the form of a duct, in which one end of the duct may be configurable to mate the outlet of the air duct (111) of the air conditioning system [not shown]. Other end of the housing (101) may be adapted to face the vehicle cabin to allow the flow of conditioned air from the air duct to the vehicle cabin. Further, the housing comprises a base portion for supporting the housing (101) in the vehicle body. The base portion acts as a support and as damper for the air vent assembly (100) inside the vehicle body.

The removable air vent assembly (100) further comprises at least one air vent (102) positioned in the housing (102) in a first position (FP) [shown in FIG. 4a]. The at least one air vent (102) may be adapted to blow the conditioned air received from the air duct (111) of the air conditioning system into the vehicle cabin [not shown] for conditioning the vehicle cabin. The at least one vent (102) may be configured in any shaped including square, rectangular, circular, and the like. The air vent (102) may be positioned in the housing (101) such that the air from the air duct (111) may be received by the air vent (102) through aperture and circulate the air to the vehicle cabin through a plurality of vents arranged on front end of the air vent (102). Further, the at least one air vent (102) may be configured to reside in first position (FP) of the housing (101) in a non-removable manner. In the first position (FP) the at least one air vent (102) completely resides inside the housing (101). The at least one air vent (102) may be held securely in the first position (FP) through one or more locking mechanisms (106) configured in the air vent assembly (100). In an embodiment, the locking mechanism (106) may include one or more resilient members disposed between the housing (101) and at least one surface (102b) of the air vent (102). The one or more resilient members maintains frictional grip in between the housing (101) and at least one surface (102b) of the air vent (102) such that the air vent (102) is held securely in the vehicle body (110) in the normal operating conditions.

Further, the at least one air vent (102) may be adapted to be slidable inside the housing (101), such that the air vent (102) may be moved between the first position (FP) to a second position (SP) [shown in FIG. 4b]. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the air vent (102) may be moved to the second position (SP) from the first position (FP) to facilitate removal of the air vent (102) from the housing (101). Referring to FIG. 2, the removable air vent assembly (100) comprises a guide arrangement for allowing the smooth movement of the air vent (102) between the first position (FP) and the second position (SP). The guide arrangement comprises a plurality of guide slots (104) configured on inner surface of one or more side walls of the housing (101). The guide slots (104) may be configured in a form of slot, or a guide path, such that it may extends up-to at least a predetermined distance on the housing (101). Each of the guide slots (104) may be configured to accommodate at least one protrusion (105) provided on the outer circumference or periphery of the air vent (102). Each of the guide slot (104) may be dimensioned such that it will allow the movement of the air vent (102) inside the housing (101) between the first position (FP) and the second position (SP). When the air vent (102) is in first position (FP) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the protrusions on the air vent (105) completely resides in the guide slot (104). When, the air vent (102) is moved from first position (FP) to second position (SP), the protrusions (102) on the air vent (102) move out of the guide slots (104).

In an alternate embodiment of the disclosure, the guide arrangement may comprise of slots formed on the air vent (102) and the protrusion or pins provided on the housing (101), such that the guide arrangement allows guided movement of the air vent (102) between the first position (FP) and the second position (SP).

The air vent assembly (100) as shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b comprises an actuation mechanism (103) to move the air vent (102) from the first position (FP) to the second position (SP), such that the air vent (102) is removable from the housing (101). The actuation mechanism (103) selectively make contact with at least a portion of the air vent (102) to move the air vent (102). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the actuation mechanism (103) is a lever comprising a first end (107a) and the second end (107b). The lever (107) may be pivoted to the vehicle body (110) in a pivot point (107c) between the first end (107a) and the second end (107b). The second end (107b) of the lever (107) may comprise of one or more legs extending upwardly from the pivot point (107c). Each leg of the second end (107b) of the lever (107) may selectively contact at least a portion of the air vent (102), when the lever (107) is operated through first end (107a) [as shown in FIG. 3b]. The lever (107) is configured such that when the first end (107a) is operated by the user through a tool (108) [shown in FIG.1] the lever (107) oscillates along the pivot point (107c) [shown in FIG. 2]. As shown in FIG. 3b, the lever (107) may move from its initial position (X-X) to the displaced position (X’-X’) upon actuated by a tool (108). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the tool (108) may include a screw driver, solid pin, and the like. The tool (108) may be inserted towards the actuation mechanism (103) through a provision (109) configured in a vehicle body (110). The oscillation of the lever (107) along the pivot point (107c) causes movement of the second ends (107b) towards the air vent (102), thereby applies force on the air vent (107b). When, the second ends (107b) applies force on the air vent (102), the air vent (102) move towards the second position (SP) by overcoming frictional force offered by the locking mechanism (106).

Referring now to FIGS. 4a and 4b which are exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure illustrating schematic top views of the removable air vent assembly (100) in the first position (FP) and second position (SP). As shown in FIG. 4a the air vent (102) resides completely in the housing (101) in the first position (FP). The air vent (102) is held in the first position (FP) by a locking mechanism (106). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the locking mechanism (106) may be configured in the form of cam profile based locking mechanism (106). The locking mechanism (106) includes a pair of resilient clips (C), disposed on either side of the housing (101). Each of the pair of resilient clips (C) is configured to abut at least one detent (D) configured on side portions of the air vent (101) in the first position (FP). The contact of the detent (D) with the clip (C) holds the air vent (102) firmly inside the housing in the first position (FP). The air vent (102) may be operated from the first position to the second position (SP) through an actuation mechanism (103) [shown in FIG. 3]. The actuation mechanism (103) comprises the lever (107) which may be operated by the user through first end (107a). The lever (107) is configured such that when the first end (107a) is operated by the user through a tool (108), it causes movement of the second ends (107b) towards the air vent (102), thereby applies force on the air vent (107b). When, the second ends (107b) applies force on the air vent (102), the air vent (102) move towards the second position (SP) by overcoming frictional force offered by the locking mechanism (106). During such movement of the air vent (102), the detent (D) may override the clip (C) and moves forward [as shown in FIG. 4b]. In the second position (SP), the air vent (102) may be removable from the housing (101) for various purpose’s including but not limiting to cleaning. In an embodiment of the disclosure, the clip (C) may be made of any material including but not limiting to spring steel or plastic with appropriate stiffness.

Referring now to FIG. 4c which is an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure illustrating schematic top views of the removable air vent assembly (100). As shown in FIG. 4c the locking mechanism (106) may be configured in the form of cam profile based locking mechanism (106). The locking mechanism (106) may include a pair of resilient clips (C), disposed on either side of the air vent (102). Each of the pair of resilient clips (C) is configured to abut at least one detent (D) configured on side portions of the housing (102) in the first position (FP). The contact of the detent (D) with the clip (C) holds the air vent (102) firmly inside the housing in the first position (FP). When, the force is applied on the air vent (102), the detent (D) may override the clip (C) and moves forward.

Now referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b which are exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure illustrating schematic top views of the removable air vent assembly (100) in the first position (FP) and second position (SP). As shown in FIG. 5a the air vent (102) resides completely in the housing (101) in the first position (FP). The air vent (102) is held in the first position (FP) by a locking mechanism (106). In an embodiment of the disclosure, the locking mechanism (106) includes a spring-loaded actuator and a pivoted pin, disposed on either side of the housing (101). The spring-loaded actuator (A) may move up and down to pivotally move the pivot pin (P) to engaged condition and non-engaged condition. In the engaged condition, the pivot pin may reside in a dent (E) formed on corresponding side of the air vent (102), such that the air vent (102) is firmly supported in the housing (101). The air vent (102) may be operated from the first position to the second position (SP) through an actuation mechanism (103) [shown in FIG. 3]. The actuation mechanism (103) comprises the lever (107) which may be operated by the user through first end (107a). The lever (107) is configured such that when the first end (107a) may be operated by the user through a tool (108), it causes movement of the second ends (107b) towards the air vent (102), thereby applies force on the air vent (107b). When, the second ends (107b) applies force on the air vent (102), the air vent (102) move towards the second position (SP) and pushes the pivot pin (P) to non-engaged condition by the force offered by the locking mechanism (106). During such movement of the air vent (102), the spring-loaded actuator (A) may upwardly and pull the pivot pin (P) to non-engaged condition with dent (E), and thereby allow the movement of the air vent (102) to second position (SP) [as shown in FIG. 5b]. In the second position (SP), the air vent (102) may be removable from the housing (101) for various purpose’s including but not limiting to cleaning.

It is to be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art would design the air vent assembly in any shape, dimension and configuration to blow the air into vehicle cabin without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. Also, various modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers such modifications and variations provided they come within the ambit of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Advantage:
The present disclosure provides a removable air vent assembly for air conditioning system of a vehicle, which can be operated between first position and the second position in the housing.

The present disclosure provides a removable air vent assembly for air conditioning system of a vehicle, which can be removed from the vehicle body by a user with the use of simple tools. Thereby, enables cleaning of the air vent with ease.

Industrial applicability:
The removable air vent assembly as described can be used in air conditioning system of vehicle to supply the conditioned air to vehicle cabins. However, use of such removable air vent assembly in air conditioning system of the vehicle should not be construed as limitation to present disclosure. Since, the air vent assembly can be used in any other air conditioning system. For example, the removable air vent assembly can be used in air conditioning system which are used in building, and the like.

Equivalents:

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Referral Numerals:

Reference Number Description
100 Air vent assembly
101 Housing
102 Air vent
102b Portion of the air vent
103 Actuation mechanism
104 Guide slot
105 Protrusion
106 Locking mechanism
107 Lever
107a and 107b First and second ends of the lever
108 Tool
109 Provision
110 Vehicle body
111 Air duct
FP First Position
SP Second Position
A Spring-loaded actuator
P Pivot pin
E Dent
C Clip
D Detent