Ventilator assembly and method of installing same

Abstract

The invention relates to a ventilator assembly and method for removing kitchen exhaust flumes entrained in a moving air stream from an, area surrounding a cooking unit. A roof-top blower moves the air stream from the cooking area through an air duct to the atmosphere. An overhanging hood defines a ventilation opening located above the cooking unit. One or more air vents are formed in a top wall of the hood and communicate with the air duct. The hood back panel has upper and lower longitudinal flanges, the lower flanges of which nests in a wall-mounted underlying first bracket securely earlier mounted on the kitchen side wall, while the hood upper flange is overlapped and retained by a second bracket holding the hood in an upright functional position.

1 . A ventilator assembly adapted for mounting on a vertical support wall for removing kitchen exhaust fumes and entrained in a moving airstream from an area surrounding a cooking unit, including a rooftop blower for moving the airstream through an air duct to the atmosphere, said ventilator assembly comprising: 
 (a) an overhanging venting hood defining a ventilation opening located above said cooking unit, said hood including a hood back panel, spaced-apart, two side panels, and a connecting front panel    (b) at least one planar panel secured vertically to a kitchen bearing wall and adapted to serve as a fixed support upon which the hood back panel of the ventilator assembly is to be fixedly mounted for regular usage;    (c) one or more air vents formed in the top panel of said hood which are in communication with the air duct;    (d) the back panel being provided with a lower and an upper substantially linear edges which abut the bearing wall;    (e) an underlying elongate first channel member, having an open channel configuration, when seen in vertical cross section, and being fixedly mounted on the planar panel, while supporting a lower first flange of the hood back panel;    (f) an overlying second top channel member having a wall offset configuration, when seen in vertical cross section, comprising first and second longitudinal segments, with the depending longitudinal segment thereof adapted to engage and retain an upper second flange of the hood back panel in abutment to the planar panel, and    (g) a third underlying channel member having an open channel configuration, and directly mounted on the bearing sidewall, while supporting the lower edge of the abutting one planar panel;    (h) a fourth overlying channel member having an inverted U-shaped open channel configuration, directly, mounted on the bearing sidewall, while supporting the upper edge of the planar panel on the bearing sidewall; and    (i) a fumes filter element positioned transversely within the venting hood and adapted for removing fumes from the moving air stream during the course of venting hood utilization;    
   
   
       2 . The ventilator assembly  claim 1  wherein there is a further included: 
 (a) a complemental pair of rigid, elongate support brackets adapted for supplemental support of the planar panel, the first of which brackets encloses and secures one vertical edge of the conjoined planar panel set, and the second bracket encloses and secures the opposing vertical edge of the planar panel set.    
   
   
       3 . The ventilator assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the third channel member is positioned on the planar panel at a vertical height so as to permit the hood back panel upper flange to be inserted upwardly so that the panel lower flange can be slipped into the lower first channel.  
   
   
       4 . The venting hood of  claim 1  wherein both of the first and second flange members are fabricated from stainless steel.  
   
   
       5 . The venting hood of  claim 1  wherein each of the flange members is secured to the support wall by a number of spaced-apart fasteners which engage vertical studs behind the vertical support wall.  
   
   
       6 . The venting hood of  claim 1  wherein the first flange of the hood is provided with a U-shaped channel which is sized to seat firmly in the trough of the first channel member.  
   
   
       7 . The venting hood of  claim 1  wherein the first flange is further provided with an outwardly projecting, leading edge which is adapted to contact and retain in place one lowermost longitudinal edge of the filter element.  
   
   
       8 . The ventilator assembly of  claim 1  wherein each vertically-aligned planar panel, when conjoined with a second planar panel, is provided with longitudinal flanges along the vertical edges thereof, permitting a sealing contact between abutting planar panel s.  
   
   
       9 . A method of removing kitchen exhaust fumes entrained in moving air stream from an area surrounding a cooking unit, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) mounting a blower means outside of the cooking area and in communication with the atmosphere for moving air from the cooking area to the atmosphere;    (b) mounting an elongate first linear bracket on the sidewall selected to support an overhanging hood located to just above the cooking area, said first channel being provided with an open channel adapted to receive an elongate lower flange which is integral with the overlying hood;    (c) mounting the hood adjacent the sidewall along its lower flange which lower flange engages an open channel, first bracket as the initial hood position;    (d) rotating the linearly supported hood into its normal upright second position adjacent the support wall while retaining same by manual means in that second position;    (e) mounting an elongate second linear bracket on the sidewall so as to overlap an upper flange which is integral with the upright hood;    (f) securing the second bracket to the sidewall with conventional fastening means; and,    (g) then removing the manual means initially used to retain the hood upright.