Screwless air-conditioning coil attachment apparatus and method
An assembly and method is provided for an air-conditioning system coil housing and a plastic drain pan wherein the coil housing has one or more sheet metal walls. A first flap is cut and formed in at least one sheet metal wall which is resiliently bendable away from the metal wall. A second flap is cut and formed in the first flap. The drain pan comprises an outwardly extending lip portion such that when the coil housing is mounted to the drain pan then the sheet metal wall slidingly engages a drain pan wall whereby the first flap portion bends outwardly to catch the lip portion such that the second flap engages an underside of the outwardly extending lip portion.
1 . An attachment assembly for an air-conditioning system, said air-conditioning system comprising an air-conditioning coil housing and a drain pan, said attachment assembly comprising:
at least one receptacle wall for said drain pan which defines at least one receptacle within said air-conditioning drain pan for receiving liquids,
a coil housing wall for said air-conditioning coil housing;
a gripping arm extending from said coil housing wall whereby said gripping arm is engageable with an opposite side of said at least one receptacle wall from said coil housing wall, said gripping arm further defining a stop element;
an enlarged portion on said at least one receptacle, said coil housing wall and said at least one receptacle wall mating together such that once said gripping arm is inserted over one side of said enlarged portion with said coil housing wall on an opposite side of said at least one receptacle wall, then said stop element prevents removal of said coil housing wall from said at least one receptacle wall due to engagement of said enlarged portion with said stop element.
2 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein said gripping arm is comprised of elastic material which when bent open from an original shape to be inserted over said one side of said enlarged portion is then biased to return to said original shape.
3 . The assembly of claim 2 , wherein said coil housing wall is comprised of metal.
4 . The assembly of claim 2 , wherein said gripping arm is defined by one or more cuts in said coil housing wall which permit said gripping arm to be moveable away from said coil housing wall.
5 . The assembly of claim 4 , wherein said stop element is defined by one or more cuts in said gripping arm.
6 . The assembly of claim 5 , wherein said coil housing wall and said gripping arm and said stop element are comprised of sheet metal.
7 . The assembly of claim 1 wherein said enlarged portion is formed along an edge of said at least one receptacle wall.
8 . The assembly of claim 1 , wherein said air-conditioning drain pan defines an opening therein through which access to said gripping arm is available for an operator whereby an operator is able to engage and open said gripping arm outwardly to allow removal of said coil housing wall from said at least one receptacle wall by preventing engagement of said enlarged portion with said stop element.
9 . A method for making an attachment assembly for an air-conditioning system for securing an air-conditioner coil housing to a drain pan, comprising:
forming an enlarged portion on a first wall within an air-conditioning system comprising said air-conditioning coil housing and said drain pan;
providing a flexible and resilient gripping arm on a second wall within said air-conditioning system which is resiliently expandable; and
providing that said first wall and said second wall are slidingly engageable whereby when said first wall and said second wall are slidingly engaged then said gripping arm is expandable around said enlarged portion to thereby catch said enlarged portion between said resilient gripping arm and said second wall to thereby secure said first wall and said second wall together.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein said first wall comprises a plastic material and said second wall comprises sheet metal.
11 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising forming an access opening in said drain pan through which said gripping arm is accessible to be bent outwardly to thereby release said enlarged portion from said gripping arm by bending said gripping arm away from said enlarged portion.
12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
forming said first wall out of sheet metal;
cutting said first wall to thereby define a first flap; and
bending said first flap to form said gripping arm.
13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising cutting said first flap to form a second flap and bending said second flap to provide a stop surface which is engageable with said enlarged portion to prevent separation of said first wall from said second wall.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
providing that said second wall defines a liquid receptacle, said second wall having a length, and providing alignment surfaces adjacent opposite ends of said second wall;
providing that said first flap is sufficiently wide that edges of said first flap engage said alignment surfaces to prevent or reduce side-to-side movement of said first wall with respect to said second wall.
15 . An attachment assembly for an air-conditioning system, said air-conditioning system comprising an air-conditioning first component and a air-conditioning second component, said air-conditioning first component and said air-conditioning second components consisting of at least one of a plenum, a plenum section, a coil housing, or a drain pan, said assembly comprising:
at least one first wall of said air-conditioning first component;
a flap portion formed on said at least one wall which is resiliently bendable away from said wall;
at least one second wall for said air-conditioning second component, a lip portion formed on said at least one second wall, said at least one first wall being positioned such that when said air-conditioning first component is mounted to said air-conditioning second component then said at least one first wall slidingly engages said at least one second wall whereby said flap portion bends away from said at least one first wall such that said lip portion is caught between said flap portion and said at least one first wall, said first flap portion being biased to return to an original position and thereby engaging said enlarged portion to thereby clamp said at least one first wall to said at least one second wall.
16 . The assembly of claim 15 , further comprising a second flap portion extending outwardly from said first flap portion.
17 . The assembly of claim 16 , wherein said lip portion is formed from plastic material.
18 . The assembly of claim 16 , wherein said second flap is positioned to engage said lip portion to thereby secure a coil housing wall and at least one receptacle wall together.
19 . The assembly of claim 16 , further comprising alignment surfaces provided on either side of said at least one second wall, said first flap comprising outer edges that engage said alignment surfaces to resist side-to-side movement of said at least one receptacle wall with respect to said at least one metal wall.