Personal distribution terminal

Abstract

A personal distribution terminal is designed to provide a self-contained free standing or stand-alone enclosure for an easy placement wherever office personnel require a convenient access to building services. The placement of this enclosure may be in the vicinity of a standard desk or other workstations or where people congregate. The occupant of the nearby workstation has control over the personal air comfort. The enclosure is so constructed to provide displacement ventilation for the surrounding area to provide greater indoor air quality and reduce energy consumption. Incorporated into the enclosure are other services in the modern office such as electric, both constant or interruptible, communication terminals and internet connections. The use of this terminal eliminates floor and wall grilles for better esthetics and easier housekeeping. The result of this inventive concept is substantial energy savings based on individual control of personal air supply and displacement ventilation permitting overall higher operating temperatures. The overall result is a simple installation of the terminal for easy and less expensive construction and ease of relocation.

Description

[0001]This application is a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 11 / 415,638 which in turn is a Continuation-In-Part of application Ser. No. 11 / 069,453FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention at hand relates to either heating or cooling the air in a building, especially with a floor area having a multiple of persons working therein. The invention is directed 1) primarily to the personal comfort of a person working at a desk by directing conditioned air to the immediate vicinity of the person or persons present at those workstations and by giving those workstations the use and control of the conditioned air, and 2) to provide displacement air ventilation to the surrounding area while at the same time providing for a cleaner environment while using less energy and 3) provide other services required.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]In the field of heating and cooling, generally known as “air conditioning” there are known problems causing discomfort to the occupants in the build...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The invention is a system for distributing building services, including conditioned air, throughout an open office layout in a most efficient way. The system provides individual control over personal air supplies, resulting in energy savings and improved comfort. Prior art systems were inefficient and did not provide individual control. The invention also addresses the issue of uncomfortable or dissatisfied workers by providing a system that can provide a flow of conditioned air directly to a person's workstation, without creating a draft or causing discomfort. The system uses the natural buoyancy of warm air to provide ventilation and comfort, and can be installed in various ways to optimize air flow and save energy."

Problems solved by technology

In a building, whether large or small, the control of temperature, air flow, humidity and the like, or even individual rooms and workstations leaves many persons in the building or in a room uncomfortable or dissatisfied with the condition of their particular environment.

Also, different locations in a building or on a floor, or even in a single room or closer yet in the vicinity of a workstation, are not satisfactorily heated or cooled, that is, air conditioned, which will rise to complaints about discomfort and illness, resulting in absenteeism and, of course, loss of productivity and wasted energy.

Further, conventional air conditioning systems generally require expensive duct work installations, usually in ceilings or floors or both.

This causes unnecessary heating or cooling of unused space.

The above mentioned duct work also increases an energy demand for the movement of the air through the ducts and additionally presents difficulties in cleaning.

Such prior art systems also created complaints of discomfort caused by high or low air velocities or high or low temperatures depending on the location of the air outlet grilles.

Also, air conditioning outlet grilles and the ducts associated therewith frequently need to be removed to accommodate changes in air conditioning loads or a rearrangement of the work space or the individual workstations in an open office layout and do not provide for displacement ventilation.

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