IP Library Granted Patent US 12,152,804
Granted Patent B2
US 12,152,804 · App. 17/480,997 · Granted Nov 26, 2024

Terminal unit control box barrier

Inventors: Phillip Addison Baxter (Dallas, TX); Alexander Contreras (Dallas, TX); Chris Theodore Way (Enchanted Oaks, TX); Cameron Travis West (Dallas, TX)
Assignee: Air Distribution Technologies IP, LLC
F24F13/20F24F11/89F24F13/10
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,152,804
App. No.
17/480,997
Granted
Nov 26, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a terminal unit of a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system. The terminal unit includes a control box assembly including an electric enclosure with electronics disposed within a cavity of the electric enclosure. The terminal unit also includes a duct assembly including a casing and a control valve configured to coordinate with the electronic controls to manage air flow through the casing. Further, the terminal unit includes a see-through barrier coupled to the electric enclosure such that the electronics are positioned between a base of the electric disclosure and the see-through barrier.

Claims (35)

1. A terminal unit for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a control box assembly including an electric enclosure;

a cavity of the electric enclosure defined by a base and sides of the electric enclosure;

terminal unit electronics disposed within the cavity of the electric enclosure;

a duct assembly including a casing;

a control valve configured to coordinate with the terminal unit electronics to manage air flow through the casing;

a see-through barrier coupled to the electric enclosure and positioned such that the terminal unit electronics are located between the base of the electric enclosure and the see-through barrier; and

a door assembly including a door coupled to the electric enclosure via a hinge, wherein the door assembly is configured to transition between an open configuration and a closed configuration, and wherein the door is positioned adjacent the see-through barrier in the closed configuration of the door assembly.

2. The terminal unit of claim 1 , wherein the terminal unit electronics comprise a controller configured to control operation of the control valve.

3. The terminal unit of claim 1 , comprising an electric heater, wherein a portion of the electric heater is positioned within the cavity between the base of the electric enclosure and the see-through barrier.

4. The terminal unit of claim 1 , wherein the terminal unit electronics comprise one or more fuses arranged to be visible via the see-through barrier.

5. The terminal unit of claim 1 , comprising a connector, wherein a first portion of the connector is located within the electric enclosure between the base of the electric enclosure and the see-through barrier and a second portion of the connector passes through an opening in the see-through barrier.

6. The terminal unit of claim 1 , wherein the see-through barrier comprises a polycarbonate sheet.

7. The terminal unit of claim 1 , wherein the see-through barrier comprises a mesh.

8. The terminal unit of claim 1 , wherein the cavity is a first cavity and the terminal unit comprises a second cavity of the electric enclosure that is separated from the first cavity by an internal wall.

9. The terminal unit of claim 8 , wherein the see-through barrier is offset from the second cavity such that the see-through barrier does not block physical access to the second cavity.

10. A terminal unit for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

a control box assembly including an electric enclosure that defines a cavity therein;

terminal unit electronics disposed within the cavity of the electric enclosure;

a duct assembly including a casing configured to transmit an air flow;

a heater, a fan, a valve, or a combination thereof configured to operate with the terminal unit electronics to adjust one or more aspects of the air flow; and

a see-through barrier coupled to the electric enclosure and positioned within the cavity such that the terminal unit electronics are located between a base of the electric enclosure and the see-through barrier.

11. The terminal unit of claim 10 , wherein the terminal unit electronics comprise electrical couplings of the heater, the fan, the valve, or the combination thereof.

12. The terminal unit of claim 10 , wherein the see-through barrier is coupled to the electric enclosure via brackets that offset the see-through barrier from the base of the electric enclosure by at least a threshold distance.

13. The terminal unit of claim 10 , comprising a door assembly, the door assembly including a door configured to transition between an open configuration and a closed configuration, wherein the door is positioned adjacent the see-through barrier in the closed configuration of the door assembly.

14. The terminal unit of claim 13 , comprising a connector extending from within the cavity, through an opening in the see-through barrier, and into engagement with the door in the closed configuration.

15. The terminal unit of claim 10 , wherein the see-through barrier engages with lips of the electric enclosure that are positioned about a portal into the cavity to resist flexing of the see-through barrier.

16. A terminal unit for a heating, ventilation, and/or air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:

an electric enclosure including an interior and a portal into the interior of the electric enclosure;

receptacles of a base of the electric enclosure configured to engage with terminal unit electronics and at least one air flow characteristic management device;

a duct assembly casing coupled to the electric enclosure, wherein the duct assembly casing is configured to transmit an air flow; and

a see-through barrier coupled to the electric enclosure and positioned such that physical access to the receptacles via the portal is blocked by the see-through barrier, wherein the see-through barrier comprises a mesh.

17. The terminal unit of claim 16 , comprising the terminal unit electronics coupled to the receptacles.

18. The terminal unit of claim 17 , comprising the at least one air flow characteristic management device communicatively coupled to the terminal unit electronics and configured to manage characteristics of the air flow transmitted through the duct assembly casing.

19. The terminal unit of claim 16 , comprising a connector, wherein a first portion of the connector is located within the electric enclosure between the base of the electric enclosure and the see-through barrier and a second portion of the connector passes through an opening in the see-through barrier.

Assignments (4)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 9, 2026
From: ACQUIOM AGENCY SERVICES, LLC
To: AIR DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGIES IP, LLC; AIR SYSTEM COMPONENTS, INC.
Reel/Frame 074282/0279 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 1, 2024
From: AIR DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGIES IP, LLC; AIR SYSTEM COMPONENTS, INC.
To: PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 068324/0782 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Aug 1, 2024
From: AIR DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGIES IP, LLC; AIR SYSTEM COMPONENTS, INC.
To: ACQUIOM AGENCY SERVICES LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 068550/0054 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 22, 2021
From: BAXTER, PHILLIP ADDISON; CONTRERAS, ALEXANDER; WAY, CHRIS THEODORE; WEST, CAMERON TRAVIS
To: AIR DISTRIBUTION TECHNOLOGIES IP, LLC
Reel/Frame 057566/0281 →