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US5513696A — Passive Temperature Regulating System for a Building (Baer, 1995)
Source: Steve Baer / Zomeworks archive
Stephen C. Baer / Zomeworks Corporation — Priority March 8, 1995
Google Patents: https://patents.google.com/patent/US5513696A Australian equivalent (AU5359096A): https://patents.google.com/patent/AU5359096A
Bibliographic data
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Patent number | US5513696A |
| Australian equivalent | AU5359096A (abandoned) |
| Title | Passive temperature regulating system for a building |
| Inventor | Stephen C. Baer |
| Assignee | Zomeworks Corporation |
| Priority date | March 8, 1995 |
| AU filing date | March 6, 1996 |
| Status | Granted (US); Abandoned (AU) |
Abstract
A passive temperature regulating system comprising:
- Roll-formed corrugated metal roof sections forming the exterior roof of a building
- Blow-molded plastic containers with a body portion (for water thermal storage in the building interior) and a heat exchanger portion shaped to fit within the corrugations of the roof sections
- Water circulates between the interior reservoir (body portion) and the roof heat exchanger by thermosiphon — density-driven natural convection, no pump required for cooling
The heat exchanger portion mates directly to the profile of the corrugated metal roof, eliminating a separate collector box. The plastic containers are blow-molded for production economy.
Prior art cited
- US 5,070,933 — Earlier Baer patent (referenced as prior art, indicating an earlier iteration of the system)
- Application 08/277,925 — Dave Harrison (Zomeworks VP and Beadwall inventor); related water-container application
Relationship to Cool Cell
This 1995 patent is the intermediate engineering step between the early DrumWall water-mass concept and the final Cool Cell system patented in 2001 (US 6,357,512 B1). Key differences from the 2001 patent:
| Feature | US5513696 (1995) | US6357512 (2001) |
|---|---|---|
| Container form | Blow-molded plastic, corrugation-fit heat exchanger | Ceiling-mounted reservoir + separate roof radiator |
| Circulation | Thermosiphon (no pump for cooling) | Thermosiphon for cooling; low-power pump for winter |
| Roof integration | Directly molded to corrugated profile | Roll-formed aluminum panels with separate containers |
| South-wall option | Not described | Yes — freeze-tolerant south-wall absorber |
The 1995 patent’s corrugated-roof integration concept — container shaped to mate with the roof profile — reappears in the 2002 Cool Cell brochure’s emphasis on roll-formed aluminum roofs as the structural and thermal element.
See also
- Cool Cell architectural climate-control
- DrumWall
- Thermosiphon
- Beadwall — Dave Harrison (cited in prior art)
- Steve Baer
Source: Google Patents US5513696A / AU5359096A. Fetched from web. URL: https://patents.google.com/patent/AU5359096A