Air return assembly having a retractable grille

1. An air return grille assembly adapted to be installed within an air return opening having a first perimeter, the air return grille assembly comprising:

an air return housing including:

a frame establishing a housing channel and having a second perimeter sized smaller than the first perimeter of the air return opening, the frame including a first end, a second end, and a lateral wall extending therebetween, wherein the frame is configured to be at least partially disposed within the air return opening;

a flange extending inwardly from at least a portion of the lateral wall toward a centroid of the frame and configured to restrict an object from being disposed fully through the frame;

a retraction mechanism coupled to a portion of the lateral wall between the first end and the flange, the retraction mechanism including a link coupled to a grille and configured to transition the grille between a first position and a second position, wherein the retraction mechanism is biased toward the first position;

the grille having a third perimeter sized smaller than the second perimeter of the housing channel including:

a first surface, a second surface, and a body extending therebetween;

a slot disposed through the body from the first surface to the second surface and configured to permit airflow therethrough;

the grille configured to be at least partially received within the housing channel when in the first position ensuring that the object is secured between the grille and the flange of the air return housing when in the first position; and

wherein upon exceeding the biasing force of the retraction mechanism, the grille is transitioned from the first position to the second position.

2. The air return grille assembly of claim 1 , wherein the object is an air filter.

3. The air return grille assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flange is discontinuous with the lateral interior wall.

4. The air return grille assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flange includes a pass-through configured to permit the link of the retraction mechanism to be disposed through the flange.

5. The air return grille assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

a second flange extending inwardly from at least a portion of the lateral wall toward the centroid of the frame, the second flange disposed between the first flange and the second end of the air return housing, wherein the second flange is configured to abut the grille when in the first position.

6. The air return grille assembly of claim 5 , wherein the second flange includes a magnet coupled to a surface the second flange and configured to be magnetically attracted to the grille when the grille is in the first position, thereby securing the retractable grille to the frame.

7. The air return grille assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first end resides within a first plane and the second end resides within a second parallel plane.

8. The air return grille assembly of claim 1 , wherein the retraction mechanism is a tension reel.

9. The air return grille assembly of claim 1 , wherein the second surface of the grille includes a first attachment mechanism configured to couple to a second attachment mechanism of a tool, such that when the first and second attachment mechanisms are coupled together and the user exerts a downward force away from the air return grille assembly, the grille is transitioned from the first position to the second position.

10. An air return grille assembly adapted to be installed within an air return opening disposed within a ceiling, the air return opening having a first perimeter, the air return grille assembly comprising:

an air return housing including:

a frame establishing a housing channel and having a second perimeter sized smaller than the perimeter of the air return opening, the frame including a first end, a second end, and a lateral wall extending therebetween, wherein the frame is configured to be at least partially disposed within the air return opening;

a flange extending inwardly from at least a portion of the lateral wall toward a centroid of the frame and configured to restrict an air filter from being disposed fully through the frame;

a retraction mechanism coupled to a portion of the lateral wall between the first end and the flange, the retraction mechanism including a link coupled to a grille and configured to transition the grille between a first position and a second position, wherein the retraction mechanism is biased toward the first position;

the grille having a third perimeter sized smaller than the second perimeter of the housing channel, the grill including:

a first surface, a second surface, and a body extending therebetween;

a slot disposed through the body from the first surface to the second surface and configured to permit airflow therethrough;

the grille configured to be at least partially received within the housing channel when in the first position ensuring that the air filter is secured between the grille and the flange of the air return housing, when in the first position; and

wherein upon exceeding the biasing force of the retraction mechanism, the grille is transitioned from the first position to the second position, such that when in the second position, the grille is disposed away from the housing channel of the frame.

11. The air return grille assembly of claim 10 , wherein the flange is discontinuous with the lateral interior wall.

12. The air return grille assembly of claim 10 , wherein the flange includes a pass-through configured to permit the link of the retraction mechanism to be disposed through the flange.

13. The air return grille assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a second flange extending inwardly from at least a portion of the lateral wall toward the centroid of the frame, the second flange disposed between the first flange and the second end of the air return housing, wherein the second flange is configured to abut the grille when in the first position.

14. The air return grille assembly of claim 13 , wherein the second flange includes a magnet coupled to a surface of the second flange and configured to be magnetically attracted to the grille when the grille is in the first position, thereby securing the grille to the frame.

15. The air return grille assembly of claim 10 , wherein the first end resides within a first plane and the second end resides within a second parallel plane.

16. The air return grille assembly of claim 10 , wherein the retraction mechanism is a tension reel.

17. The air return grille assembly of claim 10 , wherein the second surface of the grille includes a first attachment mechanism configured to couple to a second attachment mechanism of a tool, such that when the first and second attachment mechanisms are coupled together, and the user exerts a downward force away from the air return grille assembly, the grille is transitioned from the first position to the second position.

18. An air return grille assembly adapted to be installed within an air return opening disposed within a ceiling, the air return opening having a first perimeter, the air return grille assembly comprising:

an air return housing including:

a frame configured to be at least partially disposed within the air return opening, the frame establishing a housing channel and having a second perimeter sized smaller than the perimeter of the air return opening, the frame including a first end opposite a second end, each of the first and the second ends defining an opening and a lateral wall extending therebetween, wherein the lateral wall includes a first and a second set of lateral surfaces in an orthogonal relationship with one another wherein the first set includes a first side opposite a second side and the second set includes a third side opposite a fourth side;

a first flange extending inwardly from at least a portion of the lateral wall toward a centroid of the frame and configured to restrict an air filter from being disposed fully through the frame;

a second flange extending inwardly from at least a portion of the lateral wall toward the centroid of the frame at a distance less than that of the first flange, the second flange disposed between the first flange and the second end of the air return housing, a magnet coupled to the second flange and configured to be magnetically attracted to the grille when the grille is in the first position thereby securing the retractable grille to the frame;

a retraction mechanism coupled to a portion of the lateral wall between the first end and the flange, the retraction mechanism including a link coupled to a grille and configured to transition the grille between a first position and a second position, wherein the retraction mechanism is biased toward the first position;

the grille having a third perimeter sized smaller than the second perimeter of the housing channel, the grill including:

a first surface, a second surface, and a body extending therebetween;

a slot disposed through the body from the first surface to the second surface and configured to permit airflow therethrough;

the grille configured to be at least partially received within the housing channel when in the first position ensuring that the air filter is secured between the grille and the flange of the air return housing when in the first position; and

wherein upon exceeding the biasing force of the retraction mechanism, the grille is transitioned from the first position to the second position.

19. The air return assembly of claim 18 , wherein the grille includes a trim piece extending outwardly from the second surface about the third perimeter, the trim piece configured to abut against a surface of the ceiling when the grille is in the first position.

20. The air return assembly of claim 19 , wherein the trim piece further includes a gasket disposed about the trim piece, such that when the grille is in the first position the trim piece forms an airtight seal with the surface of the ceiling, thereby ensuring that air flowing from a first space to the air return opening must pass through the air filter.