FORM-2
THE PATENT ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
AND
THE PATENT RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECD7ICATION
[SECTION 10; RULE 13]
‘AN AIR COOLER’
Applicant
Nationality
Address

SYMPHONY LTD.
INDIAN
SAUMYA, BAKERI CIRCLE, NAVRANGPURA,
AHMEDABAD-380014

THE FOLLOWING COMPLETE SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED:

FIELD OF INVENTION:
The present invention relates to an air cooler and more particularly to an air cooler which can be mounted at an elevation on a surface, preferably wall surface.
PRIOR ART:
The principles of air cooling have been exploited for several decades by people of many countries to obtain relief from uncomfortably warm environments. Air coolers are used in dry, hot and tropical nations in summer. Present day air coolers typically comprise of a body, a water tank, fibre pads, air moving device and water circulation system. A motorized air blower mounted within the body of an air cooler with fibre pads preferably placed vertically behind the blower, blows the cool air into the room. The loosely woven fibres of the fibre pads are made of hay or cellulose. In the case of fibre pads made of hay, hay wool is filled in the cotton net of the fibre pad and in the case of fibre pad made of cellulose, the fibre pad consist of paper and special adhesive with multiple layer of corrugated paper. The fibres of the pads are periodically wetted, preferably by providing water circulation using a water tank and a pump.
The existing available air coolers are usually placed on the floor of a room or on a trolley or mounted on a window. Air coolers used in houses or for cooling large rooms/spaces are typically large and bulky and occupy a lot of open/free space of the room. In the case of an air cooler which can be mounted on windows, the air cooler blocks the window space, making the window unavailable for use. Portable air coolers are suitable only for very small spaces having regard to their small size and the mechanism employed for their functioning. Besides, the same also occupy free/open space of the room.
US Patent No.5,715,698 discloses an evaporative air cooler which is directed for
portable usage. The primary components of the said evaporative air cooler are a cooling
chamber, a wicking material, a fan assembly and a feedback duct. The wicking material
used is towel-like in form and preferably constructed of terry cloth or similar material.
The air assembly when in use draws ambient air through the air inlet of the cooler
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which passes into the interior of the cooling chamber. In the cooling chamber, the air passes over the evaporative surface of the wicking material and is cooled therein by equilibrative evaporative processes. An enhanced cooling effect is obtained from a slight vacuum that is generated within the cooling chamber by vacuum generation means provided within the said cooling chamber. The cool air is expelled out of the cooler by the fan assembly through the air outlet whereupon a small portion of the cooled air is recycled back to the air inlet through the feedback duct. However, one of the drawbacks of the said air cooler is that the air that is expelled from the cooler is not completely saturated since no air actually flows through the wicking material and only passes over the surface of the said wicking material. This limits the efficiency of the cooling produced by the air cooler to a great extent. Further, since the air does not pass through the wicking material, the air that is expelled from the cooler is not filtered/washed to remove dust or other fine particles present in the air that enter the air cooler through the inlet apertures. Furthermore, the use of terry-cloth or such other material as a wick requires regular replacement of the wick since the same is prone to decay due to its constant contact with water. The air cooler disclosed as per the said prior art is preferably placed on the floor which occupies a lot of free/open space and is not designed for mounting on a wall or an elevated surface. Further, it appears that the said air cooler is not provided with a continuous water supply system.
US Patent No.5,285,654 discloses an evaporative cooling system for mounting on the roof of a vehicle in which the sole source of water supply for the evaporative media in the system is contained in a low-profile housing mounted above the roof line of the vehicle. The said air cooler is provided with a first housing with blowers to draw air from the outside of the housing. The air that is drawn passes through the evaporative media in the housing for the purpose of conditioning and/or cooling the air before it is expelled into the interior of the vehicle. The evaporative media includes filter blocks which are saturated with water. A water supply means is provided for the said evaporative media which includes a water tank mounted on the roof of the said vehicle in tandem with the first housing to serve as the sole source of water supply for the evaporative media. A water return means is also provided for collecting and returning
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excess water from the evaporative media to the tank. Return air means are provided to discharge air from the interior of the said vehicle outwardly through the roof. The housing section of the air cooler includes heater coils between the return air chamber and the blower. From the description and claims of the aforesaid prior art it is clear that the cooling system disclosed in the said prior art is adaptable for use in vehicles only. The said cooling system is mounted on the outside of the vehicle and the cool air enters the vehicle through a duct. Ducting of the vehicle requires a hole/opening to be created in the vehicle. The said cooling system is also not suitable for use in large rooms/spaces and not designed for mounting on a wall or elevated surface.
US Application No. 12/462,178 discloses an automotive dash board mounted evaporative cooling system. The housing has two air intake doors that open upto a forty-five degree angle. These doors open from the top and have piece of cloth that can be cleaned and reused. There is a fan shroud that is built into the front section of the housing that helps direct the air be pushed out of it. A suction pump is mounted to the back of the housing which pulls water from a separate water bottle through a pair or plastic or vinyl tubing. There is a universal bottle cap that allows the suction pump hoses to fit on any water bottle. The system is powered by a cord that can be plugged into an automotive accessory outlet and or cigarette lighter outlet. The cooling system mounts on all dash boards. From the description and claims of the said prior art, it is clear that the said prior art is also suitable for use in vehicles only. The same is supported by the fact that the cooling system is powered by a cord that can be plugged into an automotive accessory outlet and/or cigarette lighter outlet. Another limitation of the said prior art is that if the air that is sucked in through the suction pump gets trapped in the pump, the circuit gets broken thereby affecting the effective functioning of the cooling system. The suction pump would therefore be required to be primed to remove the said air trapped in the pump. The cooling system claimed in the said prior art is also not suitable for cooling large rooms/spaces nor designed for wall mounting.
US Patent No. 6,422,030 Bl discloses a portable evaporative cooler that is capable of being carried from location to location and readily used even in remote areas. The portable evaporative cooler comprises a case, a water container coupled to the case, a
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cooling pad coupled to the case and a DC operated fan adapted to connect to a battery for powering the fan, the DC operated fan comprising two fans disposed adjacent to each other and mounted side-by-side in the case. A pump can be disposed adjacent or in the water container for pumping the water throughout the cooling pads. One or more screens may be coupled to the case adjacent to the fans to shield the fans from objects as well as for the safety of the operator. The power supply may be connected to the case making a self-contained portable evaporative cooler or a plug may be used to couple the cooler to a remote source of power. Portability is a desired feature of the invention. From the description and claims of the said prior art, it clear that the said cooler is designed and engineered for cooling outdoor spaces and not for cooling large rooms or indoor spaces. The said cooler requires a plurality of fans for its effective functioning. It further does not state if the said cooler is provided with a continuous supply of water. Also, the said cooler is designed to run on DC power supply using batteries, and not suitable for running on main AC power supply as available inside the room of a house or shop or warehouse or office or similar other spaces. The cooler as described above is not suitable for mounting on a wall or other surface at an elevation.
PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRIOR ART;
As with all conventional air coolers, the water tank has to be manually filled by bucket or jug. The typical air cooler is a large structure and requires a lot of space for its installation. Since the prior art coolers suitable for cooling large rooms/spaces are either designed for placement on floor or trolley or installation on windows, a lot of open/free space of the room gets occupied. Further, manual filling of water in the water storage chamber of the coolers makes their use an inconvenient and cumbersome task. Furthermore, since the coolers are placed at a lower level, any object first in the path of the air expelled from the cooler blocks the air delivery to other objects next in its path. This prevents uniform distribution of air in the room. Also natural thermodynamic effect allows hot air to rise up leaving the cooler air at the bottom. Thus, the coolers which are placed on the floor keep sucking the cooler air from the lower levels of the
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room instead of sucking hot air from hot air pockets at the upper level of the room. This results in poor air circulation within the room.
Clearly, there is a need for a more efficient air cooler capable of cooling large rooms/spaces while itself occupying minimum space. An air cooler that can be mounted at an elevation in a room, which does not impinge on the open/free space of the room and is capable of exploiting the full cooling potential of the air in the room while ensuring uniform air circulation in the room is the need of the day.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION;
The object of the present invention is to provide an air cooler that can be mounted at an elevation in a room or an enclosed space thereby not occupying open/free space of the room or enclosed space.
Another object of the invention is to provide an air cooler that eliminates the manual filling of water into the water storage chamber of the air cooler.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an air cooler which sucks in only hot and dry air from the upper level of the room and eliminates the shadow effect caused due to blocking of air by the object first in the path of the air expelled from the cooler, thereby providing uniform air distribution in the room.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention eliminates or substantially alleviates the disadvantages and shortcomings in the prior art air coolers.
Typically, an air cooler comprising a housing having a water storage chamber connected to the said housing, an evaporative cooling media, a pump to circulate water from said water storage chamber to the said evaporative cooling media, means to blow out air from within the said housing characterized in that the said air cooler (1) interalia
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comprises a housing (2) mounted at an elevation, preferably on a wall; the said housing (2) having a first water storage chamber (3); a pump (5) to circulate water from the said first water storage chamber (3) to, on and over the evaporative cooling media (4); a second water storage chamber (9) away from the said housing (2) with means to transport water from the said second water storage chamber (9) to the said first water storage chamber (3).
Typically, the said housing has one or more air inlets (11) and one or more air outlets (10).
Typically, the said housing does not abut the surface on which it is mounted.
Typically, the said air outlets (10) have foldable and oscillating louvers.
Typically, the said means to transport water from the said second water storage chamber (9) to the said first water storage chamber (3) includes a pump (8) and a duct (7).
Typically, the said additional pump (8) is a low voltage pump;
Typically, at least one water level sensor is provided to indicate the water level inside the said first water storage chamber (3).
Typically, at least one sensor activates said means to transport water from the said second water storage chamber (9) to the said first water storage chamber (3) whenever water level in the said first water storage chamber (3) is below the predetermined level and de-activates the said means when the water level in the said first water storage chamber (3) is above the predetermined level.
Typically, the first water storage chamber (3) is provided with a drain attachment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION;
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein the same numerals are used to denote the same parts. However, it is made clear
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that the description and the drawings only illustrate the invention and in no way limit the same.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram illustrating the said air cooler embodying the features of the present invention;
Fig. 2 and 3 show side views of the present invention; and
Fig. 4(a) to 4(d) show the various possible views of the present invention
It will be understood that, for purposes of clarity, certain elements may be intentionally omitted from certain views where they are believed to be illustrated to better advantage in other views.
The following are the details of the main components of the air cooler in accordance with the invention, which are used with reference to Figure 1 to Figure 4:
1 = Air Cooler
2 = Housing
3 = First water storage chamber
4 = Evaporative Cooling Media
5 = Water Circulation Pump
6 = Means to blow air
7 = Transportation means
8 = Additional Pump
9 = Second water storage chamber
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10 = Air Outlet
11 = Air Inlet
12 = Sensor
13 = Remote Control
14 = Louvers
Referring to Figure 1, most of the components used in the said air cooler of the present invention are shown therein. The said figure 1 shows an air cooler (1) having a generally sealed housing (2) mounted at an elevation on the wall of a room. The air cooler (1) inter alia comprises of a first water storage chamber (3) to which water is pumped through a water circulation pump (5) which is present inside the said first water storage chamber (3). The said first water storage chamber (3) may be connected to a second water storage chamber (9) which serves as a water containment reservoir for continuous water supply to the first water storage chamber (3). The second water storage chamber (9) is away from the housing (2). The said second water storage chamber (9) contains an optional additional pump (8) which helps to transport the water in the said first water storage chamber (3) with the help of a transportation means (7) such as a hosepipe or duct connected to the said first water storage chamber (3). Further, the said air cooler (1) comprises a means to blow air (6) such as a blower or a fan and cooling media (4) inside the said housing (2). When the means to blow air (6) is in operation, the said cooling media (4) is wetted by water lifted from the said first water storage chamber (3) by the said water circulation pump (5) through a hosepipe/duct (7) present inside the said housing (2) to, on or over the cooling media (4) to thoroughly wet its fibres. The said air cooler (1) can be operated with the help of a remote control (13) as shown. In a preferable embodiment of the present invention, the said air cooler (1) is mounted on the wall in a manner wherein the housing (2) does not abut the wall surface on which it is mounted. This prevents the blocking of the air inlets (11) of the air cooler (1).
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Figure 2 shows a side view of the said air cooler (1). According to one of the preferable embodiments of the present invention, the air cooler (1) has one or more air inlets (11) and one or more air outlets (10). The said air outlets (10) extend horizontally across the full width of the said housing (2) and are connected to the said means to blow air (6). Further, the said air outlets (10) have foldable and oscillating louvers (14) which open up when the air cooler (1) is switched on and close once the said air cooler (1) is switched off. In another preferable embodiment of the present invention, the air cooler (1) is provided with vertical louvers on the inside of the air cooler (1) placed behind the horizontal louvers (14) and next to the means to blow air (6). The angle of the louvers may be suitably adjusted with the help of the remote control (13). Since the said louvers (14) are fully closed when the said air cooler (1) is in switched off condition, dust does not accumulate inside the said air cooler (1). This keeps the cooler clean on the inside. It also prevents insect breeding inside the said first water storage chamber (3). In yet another preferable embodiment of the present invention, the air cooler (1) is provided with a drain attachment to drain out water when the cooler is not in use.
Figure 3 shows the sensor (12) installed in the said first water storage chamber (3) and connected with the second water storage chamber (9), which sensor helps to monitor and maintain the water level inside the said first water storage chamber to a predetermined level. In a preferable embodiment of the present invention, the air cooler (1) has at least one sensor. The sensor (12) also optionally activates the additional pump (8) to automatically transport water from the second water storage chamber (9) to the first water storage chamber (3) whenever water level in the said first water storage chamber (3) is below predetermined level and de-activates the said means when the water level in the first water storage chamber (3) is above predetermined level. In a preferable embodiment according to the present invention, the first water storage chamber (5) is provided with more than one sensor (12). In yet another preferable embodiment of the present invention the additional pump (8) is a low voltage pump drawing power supply directly from the said cooler (1). This avoids shock hazard that may be suffered by a user.
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Figure 4 shows the various possible views of the present invention. Fig. 4(a) shows the top view of the said air cooler (1). It shows a front cover of the said air cooler (1). Fig. 4(b) and 4(c) show the front view of the said air cooler (1). More particularly, they show the front cover, the control panel, the horizontal louvers of the cooler, the retractable drain attachment placed on the left of the cooler (1) and the retractable means for transporting water to the first water storage chamber placed on the right of the cooler (1). Fig. 4(d) shows the side view of the said air cooler (1).
The air cooler (1) of the present invention is designed to be used for the convenient cooling of any room or similarly enclosed space such as house, office, shop, warehouse, assemble hall etc. without occupying the free/open space of the said enclosed spaces.
In addition to the above mentioned embodiments, it is to be understood that various other modifications and alterations with regard to the types of materials used, their method of joining and attachment, and the shapes, dimensions and orientations of the components as described may be made without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure is not to be considered as limiting and the appended claims are to be interpreted as encompassing the entire spirit and scope of the invention.
ADVANTAGES:
• The air cooler is lightweight and can be mounted on a wall or other surface at a desired height in the room.
• The air cooler does not obstruct the free/open space in the room nor blocks the window(s).
• Performance of the air cooler is better as it is mounted at an elevation in the room and avoids shadowing of air from the cooler.
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• The air cooler is user friendly and is provided with a pump for automatically filling water in the first water storage chamber.
• Water level sensor(s) help to monitor and maintain the water level in the first water storage chamber automatically.
• Since the oscillating and foldable louvers are fully closed when cooler is in switched off condition, dust, fine particles do not accumulate inside the air cooler. It also prevents breeding of mosquitoes inside the water tank.
• The remote control displays all the operational functions and status displays of the air cooler making it convenient to operate the cooler.
• The drain attachment makes the draining of water from the cooler convenient.
• The horizontal and/or vertical louvers in the chamber can be made to function simultaneously for better air circulation.
• The transportation means is connected with the pump in the second water storage chamber at its one end and with the socket point and first water storage chamber provided inside the cooler at its other end. Thus, the power required for functioning of the pump is derived from the air cooler. Also, low voltage operation of such a pump ensures electric safety to the user.
• The air cooler has an attractive look due to its slim body. Unlike indoor unit of split air conditioner, the air cooler does not need any corresponding outdoor unit and does not need any concealed copper piping or cabling for the purpose of connecting indoor and outdoor units.
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200027845
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We claim:
1. An air cooler comprising a housing having a water storage chamber connected to the said housing, an evaporative cooling media, a pump to circulate water from said water storage chamber to the said evaporative cooling media, means to blow out air from within the said housing characterized in that the said air cooler (1) interalia comprises a housing (2) mounted at an elevation, preferably on a wall; the said housing (2) having a first water storage chamber (3); a pump (5) to circulate water from the said first water storage chamber (3) to, on and over the evaporative cooling media (4); a second water storage chamber (9) away from the said housing (2) with means to transport water from the said second water storage chamber (9) to the said first water storage chamber (3).
2. An air cooler (1) as claimed in claiml, wherein the said housing has one or more air inlets (11) and one or more air outlets (10).
3. An air cooler (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said housing does not abut the surface on which it is mounted.
4. An air cooler (1) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said air outlets (10) have foldable and oscillating louvers.
5. An air cooler (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said means to transport water from the said second water storage chamber (9) to the said first water storage chamber (3) includes a pump (8) and a duct (7).
6. An air cooler (1) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the said additional pump (8) is a
low voltage pump.
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7. An air cooler (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one water level sensor is provided to indicate the water level inside the said first water storage chamber (3).
8. An air cooler (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 5, wherein at least one sensor activates said means to transport water from the said second water storage chamber (9) to the said first water storage chamber (3) whenever water level in the said first water storage chamber (3) is below the predetermined level and de-activates the said means when the water level in the said first water storage chamber (3) is above the predetermined level.
9. An air cooler as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first water storage chamber (3) is provided with a drain attachment.
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