State of the Art A typical application would be in a life science laboratory where lab animal colonies would be housed. Multiple colonies (groups/herds) are commonly housed in buildings with multiple rooms. In most cases researchers are trying to keep these colonies disease free. So, the clean room with the positive pressure controlled space would house the colony. But, if the colony did contract a disease the researches could reverse the design, with the colony now being in the negative pressure controlled space. This reversal of pressure could be done very quickly with the present invention.

Some of the many patents issued for clean air rooms include : 3,824, 909; 4,531, 956; 4,804, 392; 4,929, 262; 5,312, 465; 5,645, 480; and 6, 080,060. These patents are cited to illustrate different systems for providing a clean air room.

Summary This invention sets forth a clean air room which has a quick installation divider wall for providing the clean room with a positive or negative pressure. The system includes a HEPA filter in combination with a blower and suitable ducts through which air flow is directed into or from the clean air room.

It is therefore, an object of the invention to provide a clean air room having a quickly installed room divider.

Another object is to provide ducts for directing clean air into the room or air out of the room.

Yet another object is to provide a quick and easy way to convert a duct from directing positive pressure air into a room to directing negative air from the room.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from an understanding of the following disclosure including the drawings.

The Drawings Figure 1 illustrates a removable wall which separates a positive pressure space from a negative pressure space;

Figure 2 illustrates a positive pressure system shown without a room or room divider; Figure 3 illustrates a positive pressure system illustrating a positive pressure space divided from a space at atmospheric pressure or one at a lesser positive pressure space with one air blower and one duct; Figure 4 illustrates a positive pressure system with two ducts and two blowers ; Figure 5 illustrates a negative pressure system shown without a negative and positive pressure space; Figure 6 illustrates a negative pressure system with a negative pressure space and a positive pressure space using one blower and one duct; Figure 7 illustrates a negative pressure system using two blowers and two ducts ; and Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view through the collar shown in Figure 1.

Detailed Description Now referring to the drawings wherein each reference character refers to a like part throughout the several views. Fig. 1 illustrates a vinyl or any other desired material divider 10 having outer top and side surfaces provided with hooks 12 and loops 14 which match with loops 14 or hoops 12 on the inner top and side surfaces of the room.

Such connections are known as hook and loop fasteners, one brand of which is VELCRO @. The divider is provided with a door 16 having matching strips 18 made of the same or different material from that of the divider. The door 16 is configured such

that very little air leaks by the different sections. The divider is provided with one or more collars 20 which extend through the divider near the upper surface. Each of the collars are provided with hooks 12 and loops 14 which surround the outer and/or inner surfaces of the collars on opposite sides of the divider. The hooks or loops mate with loops or hooks on a connecting end of a blower duct and on one end of a flow duct which is secured to the collars by mating loops or hooks. The connecting end of the blower duct and flow duct has either hooks or loops on the outer or inner surface which matches loops or hooks on the outer or inner surface of the collars. It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that hooks on one of the surfaces match loops on the opposite surface or vice versa.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate a blower 22 with a HEPA filter, not shown, which directs clean air via a duct 24 that is connected to one end of the collar 20 on the blower side of the divider 10. The air is blown through the collar into an air flow duct 26 on the opposite side of the divider. The air flow duct has one end connected to the collar on the clean air positive pressure side of the divider. The duct 26 is provided with spaced apertures, not shown, in the bottom surface of the duct through which air is directed downwardly into the room as shown by the arrows in Figs. 2,3, and 4. The end of the flow duct 26 connected to the collar is provided with loops or hooks that mate with hooks or loops on the collar. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the end of the flow duct 26 is connected to the outside surface of the collar. The end of the duct not connected to the collar can be closed off by an end cap, not shown, or provided with apertures 28 as shown through which air can flow.

As shown in Fig. 2, the flow duct 26 is provided with a rolled sheet of vinyl 29 or any other desired material which closes off the apertures in the duct 28 when the rolled sheet is rolled along the bottom surface of the duct 26. The rolled sheet is not shown in Figs. 3 and 4 for simplification of the drawings. The purpose of the rolled sheet will be explained in the description of Figs. 5-7.

Fig. 3 illustrates a clean air source using one blower duct system. Fig. 4 illustrates two blower duct systems which can be used for air exchange on larger rooms than is compatible with one blower. The collar not used in the system of Fig. 3 can be closed off by an end piece which prevents air from leaving the room.

As shown in Figs. 3,4, 6 and 7, a side wall which would complete the room enclosure is not shown, has been omitted so that the air-blower system parts can be seen. The room enclosure would also have an upper (ceiling) wall as well as the omitted side wall, neither of which is not shown. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the room which includes the blower is a negative pressure space 30 and the room 32 including the flow duct 26 is a positive pressure space.

In the systems shown in Figs. 2-4, specimens used for research are in the positive pressure room. There are instances when the positive pressure room should be changed to a negative pressure room. This is one of the features of the invention.

Figs. 5-7 illustrate a pressure system in which the positive pressure room is changed to a negative pressure room.

If the occasion arises that the positive pressure space is to be changed to a negative pressure space the blower and the blower duct will be moved from the atmospheric pressure space to the space in which the specimens are located (previously positive space). After moving the blower and blower duct the outlet end of the flow duct 26 is connected to the outlet end of the blower duct so that now the outlet end of the flow duct 26 becomes the inlet end of the duct. The previous inlet end of the duct remains connected to the collar 20 and now becomes the outlet end of the negative pressure flow duct. The opposite end of the collar extending into the now positive pressure space becomes the outlet for the negative pressure space.

As shown in Figs. 5-7 the same equipment used for the positive pressure space is used for changing the positive pressure space into a negative pressure space. The change requires moving the blower 22, and the blower duct 24, into the specimen room and connecting the blower duct outlet end to the previous outlet end of the flow duct, which now becomes the air inlet end. The flow duct end connected to the collar remains connected thereto. Therefore the only requirement to change the positive pressure space to a negative pressure space is to disconnect the outlet end of the blower duct from the end of the collar in the room adjacent to the specimen room and to move the blower 22 and blower duct 24 to the specimen room and to connect the outlet end of the blower duct to the previously noted outlet end of the flow duct. The previously noted outlet end of the flow duct now becomes the inlet to the flow duct. The opposite end of the flow duct remains connected to the collar so there is no change in the flow duct connection with the collar.

In changing the flow duct 26 from a positive pressure flow to a negative pressure flow, the outlet apertures in the lower surface along the length of the flow duct are covered by the rolled sheet 29 secured at the inlet end of the positive pressure flow duct. The rolled sheet and lower surface of the flow duct are provided with matching loops and hooks, such as VELCRO @. The rolled sheet is unrolled and secured to the lower surface of the flow duct in order to prevent the negative air flow from being blown back into the room. Thus, the positive pressure room can be easily and quickly changed to a negative pressure space. A quick change is necessary to prevent contamination of the specimens in the specimen room.

In order to insure a smooth air flow between the connection of the blower duct with the collar for positive pressure or the end of the flow duct for negative pressure, the end of the blower duct should fit into the connecting end of the collar or the end of the flow duct. The end of the flow duct can be connected to the outside surface of the collar for positive pressure and for negative pressure; therefore, the connection could be used for both positive and negative pressure. If one skilled in the art feels it is necessary, the end of the flow duct can fit into the end of the collar. However this requires an additional change in moving from a positive pressure space to a negative pressure space.

The description has been set forth for a change from a positive pressure space to a negative pressure space; however the change could be reversed from a negative pressure space to a positive pressure space. Such a change would require a reversal of the procedure as described above. he foregoing relates to preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, it being understood that other variants and embodiments thereof are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, the latter being defined by the appended claims.