Flexible register boot for heated and cooled air

Abstract

A register boot which has a duct opening at one end and a register opening at the other end that protrudes through a hole in a structure that is made of flexible material that is deformable and also restores itself to the natural shape of the register boot. Because the register boot is deformable it is able to pass through the hole in the structure. The register boot then restores itself to its original shape. The register boot as described allows for a method of installation that allows a single person to install the register boot.

Claims

1. A register boot comprising: (a) an end to connect to ductwork that provides a flow of air; (b) a second end that fits within a wall, floor, or ceiling to provide air to a room; (c) a body between the two ends; and (d) wherein the end, second end and body form the register boot and are made of a flexible resilient material.

2. The register boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the register boot is self sealing.

3. The register boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the body has smooth contours that reduce turbulence and improve airflow and has no sharp angles.

4. The register boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the register boot is a one piece structure.

5. The register boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the register boot does not have a seam or a joint that is transverse to the direction of the air flow.

6. The register boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the register boot is a two piece structure joined or welded together longitudinally.

7. The register boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the register boot provides for more efficient air flow than a prior art sheet metal boot.

8. The register boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the register boot is manufactured as a sealed boot that does not require any sealing from the installer.

9. The register boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the second end has a mechanism so that installation to the floor, wall or ceiling is sealed without the installer applying sealant.

10. The register boot as recited in claim 1 wherein the end has a mechanism so that the connection with the ductwork is self sealing.

11. The boot register of claim 1 wherein vibration of the register boot is reduced.

12. The boot register of claim 1 wherein the register boot reduces noise of a HVAC system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible boot of the present invention with rectangular opening oriented in a direction perpendicular to the boot.

(2) FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with a boot that is designed to be attached to the end of a circular pipe.

(3) FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2, but with the rectangular opening oriented longitudinally relative to the boot.

(4) FIGS. 4A-C show the flexible register boot being installed by being deformed so that it is inserted into and through the hole and then restored to its natural shape to form a self sealing register boot.

(5) FIGS. 5A-5D show the prior art sheet metal register boot having multiple seams and sharp angles.

(6) FIGS. 6A-6C show the flexible register boot having beveled edges and the lower edge having significant bevel to account for different opening thicknesses.

(7) FIGS. 7A-7D show an alternate straight register boot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a flexible register boot 10 having a duct opening end 12 that is circular in this embodiment and a register opening end 14 that is rectangular in this embodiment. The duct opening end 12 could have other shapes such as rectangular. The register opening end 14 could have other shapes such as circular. The duct end 12 is arranged for sealing attachment 13 to a circular pipe (not shown) that delivers conditioned air to the boot 10. The sealing attachment 13 is a gasket type formation that can interact with the male end of the duct. The male end of the duct can have an indentation, fold or bead that interacts with the sealing attachment 13 to create an air tight seal. Some examples of sealing mechanisms can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,992,904 and 8,429,803, both to Gudenburr, the teachings of which are both hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. The sealing attachment 13 can be made to be used with Ductmate's GreenSeam+ snap lock pipe. The register opening end 14 is designed to enter and be installed into a hole in a structure. The structure is typically the floor or wall of a building structure such as a residential home.

(9) The body 16 of boot 10 is designed to provide a smooth flow of air from circular end 12, through body 16 to rectangular end 14. As can be seen, there are no sharp angles and the inside is free of seams in order to reduce turbulence and improve air flow through the boot 10. The entire boot 10 is molded from a flexible material such as rubber that can be distorted so that either duct opening end 12 or the register opening end 14 can be forced through a corresponding hole in a floor or wall to the extent that outer flange 18 is within the room in which the hole in structure which can be the floor or wall and is formed and inner flange 20 remains outside the hole on the internal side of the structure. The flexible material can be any type of elastomeric polymer. The elastomeric polymer should be flexible enough so that it can be deformed to fit through a hole and then be able to restore itself to its original shape. The two flanges 18 and 20 sealingly secure the flexible register boot 10 within the floor or wall when the boot 10 that has been deformed to position it within the register hole returns to its natural state. A typical floor is of inch. Preferably, the flanges are spaced between of an inch and 1 inch to accommodate for different thicknesses. As shown in FIG. 6C, inner flange 20 can be tapered to accommodate for different structure thicknesses. Additionally, the flange structure could include multiple tapered notch flanges spaced apart to accommodate for the different spacing needed for different structures with each notch used for a different thickness (not shown). The notches could be spaced inch or smaller apart. In another embodiment (not shown), the inner flange 20 could be adjustable. The inner flange 20 would be slideably connected to the boot 10 so that it could slide toward the structure and lock so that the boot 10 is sealed to the structure between outer flange 18 and inner flange 20. Outer flange 20 can also be tapered as show in FIG. 6B.

(10) FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a flexible register boot 24 that has a rectangular end 26. The rectangular end 26 of boot 24 is oriented in a direction parallel to boot body 30 whereas in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rectangular end 14 is oriented perpendicularly to boot body 16. The circular end 28 receives a circular pipe (not shown) and the outer flange 32 and the inner flange 34 (in FIG. 3) are positioned on each side of the register hole in the floor or wall as described in connection with the boot 10.

(11) The heavy dark lines in FIGS. 2 and 3 between the circular end and the register end of boot 24 can be part of the invention depending on the thickness of the material, but would only be on the outside to provide rigidity. When they are not part of the invention, they are shown only to further demonstrate the contours of boot bodies 16 and 30, respectively, that provide a smooth air passage through the respective boots 10 and 24.

(12) FIGS. 4A-4C show the flexible register boot being installed by being deformed so that it is inserted into and through the hole 40 and then restored to its natural shape to form a self sealing register boot. As can be seen, a single installer 42 can install this boot into the hole 40 in the structure 44. The person is able to deform the register boot 10 so that it can be inserted into and through the hole 40. Outer flange 18 is then pulled down so that it seats on an outside surface 46 of the structure 44 and seals to the exposed outside surface 46, while inner flange 20 seats to an inner surface of the structure 44.

(13) FIGS. 5A-5D show the prior art sheet metal register boot having multiple seams 48 and sharp angles 50 (all angles and all seams not marked). Typically when this boot is installed one installer has to hold the boot in the hole from the bottom or inside when a second installer has to go to the top or outside and nail the boot to the hole. Additional steps are then required to seal the boot. A smooth curvature can be one that allows for increased air flow over the prior register boot shown in FIGS. 5A-5D.

(14) FIGS. 6A-6C show the flexible register boot having beveled edges and the lower edge having significant bevel to account for different opening thicknesses.

(15) FIGS. 7A-7D show an alternate straight register boot.

(16) The following tables show the improved air flow through a duct system having the flexible register boot as claimed and described versus the prior art sheet metal boot. It should be noted that the register boot was also connected with an improved take off as shown in Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/682,938, filed Aug. 14, 2012, so that the improvement is combined improvement. The measure is air flow through the prior art system shown in Table A. In Table B, the prior art register boot was replaced with register boot claimed and described. Additionally, the take off was replaced with a take off as claimed and described in Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/682,938.

(17) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE A Prior Art Target FPM Actual FPM CFM 2 4 Duct 360 370.8 103.0824 6 Pipe 507 560 Trk Duct 1214.3 1517.875

(18) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE B New Target FPM Actual FPM CFM 2 4 Duct 360 419.6 116.6488 6 Pipe 507 608 119.32 Trk Duct 1153.4 1441.75

(19) Various changes could be made in the above constructions and method without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims below. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description, as shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting. 10 flexible register boot 12 duct opening of 10 13 sealing attachment 14 register opening end 16 boot body 18 outer flange 20 inner flange 24 flexible boot 26 rectangular end of 24 28 circular end of 24 30 boot body 32 outer flange 34 inner flange 40 hole 42 single installer 44 structure 46 outside surface 48 seams 50 sharp angles