The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 23, 2003
Filed:
Jan. 16, 2003
Bruce A. Hotton, Montgomery, AL (US);
The Water Heater Industry Joint Research and Development Consortium, Rio Verde, AZ (US);
Abstract
A fuel-fired heating apparatus, representatively a forced draft or natural draft gas-fired water heater having a combustion chamber, is provided with a flammable vapor control system that functions, during firing of the apparatus, to substantially prevent entry into and combustion within the combustion chamber of extraneous flammable vapors externally adjacent the bottom of the apparatus, without detecting the extraneous flammable vapors or terminating firing of the apparatus. The flammable vapor control system includes a dilution air flow passage connected to a discharge portion of the apparatus vent structure and having an inlet externally adjacent a bottom portion of the apparatus and operative to draw dilution air and extraneous flammable vapors into the vent structure discharge portion, and a combustion air flow passage having an inlet disposed adjacent the upper end of the apparatus, and an outlet communicated with the interior of the combustion chamber.