IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,535,242
Granted Patent B2
US 12,535,242 · App. 18/110,502 · Granted Jan 27, 2026

Air conditioner

Inventors: Jun Hwang (Suwon-si, KR); Hyungjin Kwon (Suwon-si, KR); Jinbaek Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Kyutae Park (Suwon-si, KR); Nayeong Byeon (Suwon-si, KR); Yongho Seo (Suwon-si, KR); Seonghyun Yoon (Suwon-si, KR); Joonho Yoon (Suwon-si, KR); Eunsung Jo (Suwon-si, KR); Donggi Han (Suwon-si, KR)
Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
F24F13/082F24F1/0284
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 12,535,242
App. No.
18/110,502
Granted
Jan 27, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An air conditioner including a housing; a heat exchanger in the housing; an outlet; a blower to discharge air forward toward the outlet, the air having exchanged heat with the heat exchanger; and a guide panel in front of the blower, and including an inner panel coupled with the outer panel, and a suck-in flow path formed by the inner panel and the outer panel, wherein the guide panel forms the outlet with the housing to release a first portion of the air discharged by the blower outside of the housing, and the suck-in flow path sucks in a second portion of the air discharged by the blower so as to guide the first portion of the air to flow outside of the housing in a direction different than when the second portion of the air is not sucked into the suck-in flow path.

Claims (72)

1 . An air conditioner comprising:

a housing;

a heat exchanger disposed in the housing;

an outlet;

a blower configured to discharge air forward toward the outlet, the air having exchanged heat with the heat exchanger; and

a guide panel covering a front of the blower, and including:

an outer panel,

an inner panel coupled with the outer panel, and

a suck-in flow path formed by the inner panel and the outer panel,

wherein the guide panel is configured so that:

the guide panel forms the outlet with the housing to release a first portion of the air discharged by the blower outside of the housing,

the outlet encloses a left edge, top edge, and right edge of the guide panel, and

the suck-in flow path sucks in a second portion of the air discharged by the blower so as to guide the first portion of the air to flow outside of the housing in a direction different than when the second portion of the air is not sucked into the suck-in flow path.

2 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein

the guide panel further includes:

a suction fan disposed in the suck-in flow path to form an air current in the suck-in flow path.

3 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein

the inner panel is disposed behind the outer panel, and

at least a portion of the suck-in flow path is disposed between the outer panel and the inner panel.

4 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein

the suck-in flow path includes:

a flow-in port communicating with the outlet to bring in the second portion of the air, and

a flow-out port configured to release the second portion of the air, brought in through the flow-in port, into the housing.

5 . The air conditioner of claim 4 , wherein

the flow-in port extends along a left edge, a top edge, and a right edge of the guide panel.

6 . The air conditioner of claim 4 , wherein

the flow-in port includes a plurality of flow-in ports respectively formed at a left edge, a top edge, and a right edge of the guide panel.

7 . The air conditioner of claim 2 , wherein

the suck-in flow path includes a plurality of suck-in flow paths, each including:

a flow-in port communicating with the outlet to bring in the second portion of the air, and

the suction fan includes a plurality of suction fans respectively corresponding to each of the plurality of suck-in flow paths.

8 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein

the inner panel is disposed in front of the blower to guide the air discharged by the blower toward the outlet.

9 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein

the outlet includes:

a first area adjacent a left edge of the guide panel,

a second area adjacent a top edge of the guide panel, and

a third area adjacent a right edge of the guide panel.

10 . The air conditioner of claim 9 , wherein

the suck-in flow path includes:

a flow-in port communicating with the outlet to bring in the second portion of the air, the flow-in port extending along a left edge, a top edge, and a right edge of the guide panel, and

a flow-out port configured to discharge the second portion of the air, introduced through the flow-in port, into the housing, and

the guide panel is configured so that:

the first portion of the air passing through the first area is discharged through the outlet toward the right,

the first portion of the air passing through the second area is discharged through the outlet downward, and

the first portion of the air passing through the third area is discharged through the outlet toward the left.

11 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein

the suck-in flow path includes:

a flow-in port communicating with the outlet to bring in the second portion of the air, the flow-in port extending along a left edge, a top edge, and a right edge of the guide panel, and

a flow-out port configured to discharge the second portion of the air, introduced through the flow-in port, into the housing, and

the outer panel includes:

a guide curve connected to the flow-in port on one side of the guide curve to guide the first portion of the air discharged through the outlet toward a center of the outer panel.

12 . The air conditioner of claim 11 , wherein

the outlet includes:

a first area adjacent the left edge of the guide panel,

a second area adjacent the top edge of the guide panel, and

a third area adjacent the right edge of the guide panel, and

the guide curve includes:

a first curve guiding the first portion of the air discharged through the outlet from the first area to the right,

a second curve guiding the first portion of the air discharged through the outlet from the second area downward, and

a third curve guiding the first portion of the air discharged through the outlet from the third area to the left.

13 . The air conditioner of claim 2 , wherein

the suction fan is disposed in a back of the inner panel.

14 . The air conditioner of claim 13 , wherein

the suck-in flow path includes:

a flow-in port communicating with the outlet to bring in the second portion of the air, the flow-in port extending along a left edge, a top edge, and a right edge of the guide panel, and

a flow-out port configured to discharge the second portion of the air, introduced through the flow-in port, into the housing, and

the guide panel further includes:

a flow-out duct coupled to a rear of the inner panel, a portion of the suck-in flow path being formed in the flow-out duct, and the flow-out port being provided at one end of the flow-out duct, and

the suction fan is disposed in the flow-out duct.

15 . The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein

the inner panel includes a coupling hook protruding rearward from a rear surface of the inner panel to be fixed to the housing.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 16, 2023
From: HWANG, JUN; KWON, HYUNGJIN; KIM, JINBAEK; PARK, KYUTAE; BYEON, NAYEONG; SEO, YONGHO; YOON, SEONGHYUN; YOON, JOONHO; JO, EUNSUNG; HAN, DONGGI
To: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 062721/0643 →
Priority Claims (1)
KR 10-2020-0111201 · Sep 1, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTKR2021010040 · Aug 2, 2021
Related Publication 20230194122A1 · Jun 22, 2023
References Cited (36)
US 9557070B2 · Song et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 9995494B2 · Song et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10126002B2 · Song et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10203121B2 · Song et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10386079B2 · Kim et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10627130B2 · Cho et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10976061B2 · Kim et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11035583B2 · Kim et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20060042288A1 · Downs · 2006 [cited by applicant]
US 20180347839A1 · Kim · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20210215389A1 · Chun et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
CN 104896590B · 2018 [cited by applicant]
EP 1950502A1 · 2008 [cited by applicant]
EP 3330620 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
JP 10196997 · 1998 [cited by applicant]
JP 2985801 · 1999 [cited by applicant]
JP 5712990 · 2015 [cited by applicant]
KR 100352443 · 2002 [cited by applicant]
KR 20030073152 · 2003 [cited by applicant]
KR 100484928 · 2005 [cited by applicant]
KR 100487977 · 2005 [cited by applicant]
KR 101430440 · 2014 [cited by applicant]
KR 101563483 · 2015 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020160131841 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020170018279 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020170059509 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020180055156 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020180072630 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020180087813 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
KR 101916127 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020190036840 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
KR 102086581 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
KR 1020210090475 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
KR 102379031 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report, PCT/ISA/210, dated Dec. 1, 2021, in International Application No. PCT/KR2021/010040. [cited by applicant]
Korean Office Action dated May 28, 2025 for Korean Application No. 10-2020-0111201. [cited by applicant]