U.S. patent application number 10/654782 was filed with the patent office on 2005-03-10 for tower fan assembly with telescopic support column.
This patent application is currently assigned to Atico International USA, Inc.. Invention is credited to Roach, Kenneth, Rosenberry, Thomas.
Application Number | 20050053465 10/654782 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34226015 |
Filed Date | 2005-03-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050053465 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Roach, Kenneth ; et
al. |
March 10, 2005 |
Tower fan assembly with telescopic support column
Abstract
A vertical axis tower fan apparatus having an adjustable support
column. The tower fan apparatus is comprised of a support base, a
telescopic support column adjustable between fixed, retracted and
extended positions, a vertical axis propeller encased within a
housing, and a motor. The vertical axis propeller is contained
within the cylindrical housing, wherein the housing is rotatably
coupled to one end of the support column. The fan is rotatably
connected to the top of the support column and is adapted to rotate
freely thereon, when activated. The opposing end of the column is
insertable into the support base. The telescopic column is
comprised of a hollow pillar and an extendable member removably
inserted within the hollow pillar. The column is manually
adjustable to a variety of heights to provide cooling air to
different target heights via the use of an adjustable locking
sleeve. The sleeve may be loosened, to allow the extendable member
to be extracted from within the hollow pillar and raised until the
fan reaches a desirable height. Conversely, the extendable member
may be retracted until the fan reaches another target height. When
the desired height is reached, the sleeve is tightened thereby
preventing the member from moving within the pillar. A keypad
located in the housing cover, or a remote control unit allows the
user to program the fan, via the use of a microcontroller within
the fan housing, to achieve a variety of speeds and wind patterns,
as well as activating an oscillation mode and a timer.
Inventors: |
Roach, Kenneth; (Fort
Lauderdale, FL) ; Rosenberry, Thomas; (Fort
Lauderdale, FL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CHRISTOPHER & WEISBERG, P.A.
200 EAST LAS OLAS BOULEVARD
SUITE 2040
FORT LAUDERDALE
FL
33301
US
|
Assignee: |
Atico International USA,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
34226015 |
Appl. No.: |
10/654782 |
Filed: |
September 4, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
416/101 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 25/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
416/101 |
International
Class: |
F04D 029/36 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A tower fan comprising: a height adjustable pedestal; a vertical
axis fan assembly rotationally coupled to the pedestal; and a
housing enclosing the fan assembly.
2. The tower fan of claim 1 further comprising a motor assembly
enclosed within the housing for oscillating the tower fan.
3. The tower fan of claim 1 further comprising a fixation mechanism
for maintaining the vertical axis fan assembly at a desired
height.
4. A height adjustable tower fan comprising: a base assembly; a
height-adjustable support column extendable from the base assembly;
a housing assembly rotatably mounted upon the support column; a
vertical axis fan assembly enclosed within the housing assembly and
rotatably mounted therein; and a motor assembly enclosed within the
housing for actuating the fan assembly from an inoperative to an
operative orientation; wherein the height-adjustable support column
has a first upper end rotatably coupled to the housing assembly and
a lower second end insertable within the base assembly, the support
column movable between fixed, retracted position and extended
positions.
5. The tower fan of claim 4 further comprising means for adjusting
the height of the column.
6. The tower fan of claim 5 wherein the support column is comprised
of an elongated hollow pillar member and an elongated extension
member having a diameter less than the circumference of the pillar
member, the pillar member adapted to slidably receive an end of the
extension member.
7. The tower fan of claim 6 wherein the means for adjusting the
height of the support column is a manually activated release
mechanism adapted to receive a portion of the pillar, wherein the
release mechanism, upon activation, permits movement of the
extension member between said fixed, extended and retracted
positions.
8. The tower fan of claim 7 wherein the release mechanism further
prevents unwanted movement of the extension member within the
pillar member thereby locking the fan assembly at a fixed
height.
9. The tower fan of claim 4 further comprising means for
controlling rotation of the housing assembly with respect to the
support column.
10. The tower fan of claim 9 further comprising means for
controlling speed of rotation of the fan assembly.
11. The tower fan of claim 10 wherein the means or controlling the
rotation of the housing and the speed of rotation of the fan
assembly is a keypad electrically coupled to a microcontroller, the
microcontroller programmed to send control signals to the motor
assembly.
12. The tower fan of claim 10 wherein the means or controlling the
rotation of the housing and the speed of rotation of the fan
assembly is a remote control unit wirelessly coupled to a
microcontroller, the microcontroller programmed to send control
signals to the motor assembly.
13. The tower fan of claim 4 wherein the housing assembly further
comprises a filter.
14. The tower fan of claim 4 wherein the base assembly further
comprises a weight ballast within the base assembly.
15. A method of adjusting the height of a tower fan assembly
comprising the steps of: providing an adjustable support column
rotatably supporting a vertical axis fan assembly, the support
column including an extendable member slidably insertable within a
pillar member; retracting or extending the extendable member to a
desired height; and locking the support column at the desired
height, thereby maintaining the fan assembly in a fixed
position.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of locking the support
column at the desired height comprises the steps of; encircling the
pillar member with a cylindrical sleeve mechanism; and activating
the sleeve mechanism to trap the extendable member within the
pillar member to prevent the extendable member from further
retraction or extension.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] n/a
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] n/a
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to a tower fan apparatus and
more specifically to a vertical axis tower fan assembly having a
telescopic support column.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Typical fixed-height floor fans are comprised of a base,
support column, and a large, circular grill that encloses revolving
fan blades. The fan is therefore at a fixed height, and though it
usually provides an oscillation mechanism to allow the grill and
fan blades to rotate thereby cooling an area in a region
substantially in front of the fan, the height of the column is
fixed. This limitation prevents a user from raising or lowering the
column in order to cool a wider target region.
[0005] Floor fans of the type described above are also heavy and
cumbersome, due to the large circumference of their grill. This is
to contain the large fan blades therein. If a fan is manufactured
with a smaller circumference grill, in order to provide a fan that
is easier to maneuver and transport, the fan blades must be
smaller, leading to a fan that may not sufficiently cool a larger
area. If the fan blades are larger, a larger cooling region might
be obtained, but the result is a fan that is large, unsightly and
difficult to maneuver and/or transport. Finally, no matter how one
may tilt the grill of the typical floor fan, there is an inherent
limitation based upon the fixed height of the column supporting the
grill. A non-adjustable column results in a fan that has a limited
cooling range. A floor fan with a very long fixed column may cool a
wider area but is ineffective for small target regions, i.e.
cooling a person sitting at a desk. On the other hand, a floor fan
with a short, fixed support column may be effective when targeting
a small region and when it is placed on a desk or table, but is
ineffective in cooling off a larger, or higher target area when
placed directly on the floor.
[0006] Height-adjustable grill fans have limitations due to fact
that grill fans do not direct the flow of cooled air in a specific,
narrow region. The grill represents the fan "housing" and does
nothing to direct the flow of air. Even though some grill fans may
be manually raised or lowered, they lack the general effectiveness
of tower fans, which provide a direct stream of cooled air to a
specific, targeted region.
[0007] Tower fans provide the benefit of a streamline housing,
which takes up significantly less space than typical circular grill
fans, and also provide a concentrated stream of directed cooled air
flow. Tower fans include vertical-axis propellers that rotate about
an axis perpendicular with the floor. However, tower fans possess
the same limitation as circular grill fans in that their height is
restricted due to the fixed height of its support column. Typical
tower fans with fixed-height fan blades project a narrow stream of
cool air, but only to a limited target region. In order to target a
greater region, the fan must be lifted and repositioned at a
precise location in order to change the cooled target region. The
user is without means to alter the height of the propeller blades
with respect to the floor.
[0008] What is therefore needed is a tower fan with vertical-axis
propeller blades that is height adjustable in order to provide a
user with a quick and easy way to target a wide range regions that
can receive cooled air.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention advantageously provides a tower fan
apparatus with an extendable and retractable support column to
allow a user to selectively adjust the column in order to vary and
target a variety of effective cooling regions proximate the fan
assembly.
[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a tower
fan is provided. The tower fan comprises a height adjustable
pedestal, a fan assembly rotationally coupled to the pedestal, and
a housing enclosing the fan assembly.
[0011] In another aspect of the present invention, a height
adjustable tower fan is provided. The height adjustable tower fan
includes a base assembly, a height-adjustable support column
extendable from the base assembly, a housing assembly rotatably
mounted upon the support column, a vertical axis fan assembly
enclosed within the housing assembly and rotatably mounted therein,
and a motor assembly enclosed within the housing for actuating the
fan assembly from an inoperative to an operative orientation. The
height-adjustable support column has a first upper end rotatably
coupled to the housing assembly and a lower second end insertable
within the base assembly, the support column movable between fixed,
retracted position and extended positions.
[0012] In another aspect of the present invention, a method of
adjusting the height of a tower fan assembly is provided. The
method includes the steps of providing an adjustable support column
rotatably supporting a vertical axis fan assembly, the support
column including an extendable member slidably insertable within a
pillar member, retracting or extending the extendable member to a
desired height, and locking the support column at the desired
height thereby maintaining the fan assembly in a fixed
position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] A more complete understanding of the present invention, and
the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily
understood by reference to the following detailed description when
considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tower fan assembly of
the present invention in a retracted position;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tower fan assembly of
the present invention in a extended position;
[0016] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the tower fan assembly of the
present invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a front view of the motor housing and power supply
subassemblies of the present invention; and
[0018] FIG. 5 is a front view of the decorative ring of the housing
assembly of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The present invention is a tower fan apparatus with a
telescopic support column that allows for a user to selectively
extend or retract the support column in order to raise or lower the
fan such that an appropriate range of target regions may be
reached. The apparatus includes a fan assembly having of a
plurality of vertical axis propeller blades disposed around a
spindle, wherein the spindle is rotatably mounted within a housing.
The housing is supported and rotatably mounted on the adjustable
column, which is itself supported by a base. Keypad control buttons
situated on the top of the housing allow the user to selectively
operate the fan and select from a variety of operating modes.
Functions include activation of the fan, the activation of an
oscillation mode, the activation of a timer, and the selection of
propeller speeds and wind patterns.
[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, the tower fan assembly of the present
invention can be seen. Tower fan assembly 10 includes a base 12, a
height-adjustable support column 14, and a vertical axis fan
assembly 16 within a housing 18. The fan assembly includes vertical
axis propeller blades situated around a spindle. The spindle is
rotatably mounted within the housing, and when activated, spins
about a vertical axis perpendicular with the floor. FIG. 1 shows
the assembled tower assembly 10 in a fully retracted position.
Housing 18, containing fan assembly 16, may be raised or lowered by
the manual raising or lowering of column 14. This provides the user
with the unique capability of directing the blades of the fan
assembly 16 at various target heights in a given area. In the
orientation shown in FIG. 1, for example, as fan assembly 16 spins
about its vertical axis within housing 18, cooling air may be
directed towards a target lower to the floor at, for example, a
person seated at a desk or sleeping in a bed, due to the retracted
position of column 14.
[0021] In FIG. 2, housing 18 has been raised to its maximum height.
Column 14 can be seen in its fully extended position. This
configuration may be beneficial to a user that wants to cool the
air in a larger area, for example, in a room where people are
standing. It should be noted here that housing 18 (and therefore
the propeller blades of fan assembly 16 therein) may be raised or
lowered to any position between the fully retracted position (FIG.
1) and the fully extended position (FIG. 2) by raising or lowering
column 14. This provides a wide range of target regions. Housing 18
may also oscillate about its vertical axis via use of keypad
controls 46 located in cover 40 of housing 18. Alternately a remote
control unit may be used to control oscillation of housing 18. The
remote control unit may be stored beneath a retractable door 48 in
a cover 40 of housing 18. The telescopic features of support column
14 will be discussed below.
[0022] It is within the scope of the present invention to provide a
tower fan that may be supported by any substantially flat surface,
such as a floor, table, nightstand or desk. Further, the fan
assembly 10 of the present invention may come in all sizes and
dimensions, and may be made of any sturdy material. For example,
the base 12, support column 14 and housing 18 may be made of
Polypropylene plastic or ABS Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
plastic. Base 12 may also be made of chrome plated aluminum or
steel. The material that comprises the components of assembly 10 is
not critical to the operation and function of the invention.
[0023] Referring now to FIG. 3, an exploded view of tower fan
assembly 10 can be seen. Base 12 provides support for fan assembly
10. Base 12 includes an aperture 19 into which the lower end of
column 14 may be inserted and secured. Base 12 may also include
weights embedded between its upper and lower surfaces in order to
provide additional ballast to the base in order to prevent the fan
assembly from toppling over due to the application of unwanted
tangential forces to its upper portion. Screws or other securing
devices may be used to fully secure column 14 within base 12.
Column 14 includes of a number of components. Elongated pillar 22
forms the lower section of column 14. The lower end of pillar 22 is
inserted into and secured within base 12. Pillar 22 is hollow and
comprised of sturdy material such as steel or hard plastic. Pillar
22 must have an inner diameter of sufficient size in order to
receive both elongated extension member 24 and power cord 26 (shown
in FIG. 4). In an alternate embodiment, power cord 26 exits not
through the bottom of base 12 but through the bottom of housing
18.
[0024] Cover 28 fits over the top of pillar 22. Cover 28 is
cylindrical and includes an aperture to allow for the insertion of
extension member 24 and other components, including power cord 26,
into pillar 22. A connecting flange 30 is comprised of two
components, a connecting cylinder 31 and a connecting plug 33. Plug
33 fits over cover 28 and receives cylinder 31. Connecting flange
30 allows for the connection between extension member 24 and pillar
22, which forms the prime components of the telescoping support
column 14 of assembly 10.
[0025] Column 14 includes a rotatable, cylindrical locking sleeve
32 that receives pillar 22. Extension member 24 is a hollow column
with an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of pillar
22. Extension member 24 is insertable within pillar 22 and freely
movable therein. However, sleeve 32 may be tightened or loosened to
prevent or enable (respectively) movement of member 24 within
pillar 22. For example, when sleeve 32 is turned and loosened,
extension member 24 may be moved downward, i.e. retracted further
within pillar 22, thereby lowering housing 18, which contains fan
assembly 16. Additionally, with sleeve 32 loosened, extension
member 24 may also be extended upward, i.e. extracted from within
pillar 22, thereby raising housing 18 and fan assembly 16. After
the user properly adjusts the height of housing 18 in this manner,
sleeve 32 may be turned, in the opposite direction, and tightened
around pillar 22 thereby trapping the portion of extension member
24 that is within pillar 22. The result is that member 24 remains
fixed and housing 18, and therefore fan assembly 16, becomes locked
into a fixed, desired position.
[0026] Housing 18 is comprised of a front enclosure 34, a back
enclosure 36, a grill or filter 38, a top cover 40, a bottom cover
50, and a decorative ring 44. Bottom cover 50 also acts as a
support for a motor 52, which drives the fan assembly 16. Housing
18 encloses a vertical axis fan assembly 16. Fan assembly is
comprised of a plurality of vertical axis blades 51 about a spindle
53. When activated, the propeller blades 51 of fan assembly 16
rotate about a vertical axis, which is perpendicular to the floor.
A motor 52 is situated at the bottom of housing 18 between fan
assembly 16 and a motor housing 42 and is electrically connected to
fan assembly 16. The spindle 53 of the fan assembly 16 is rotatably
mounted within motor housing 42. Upon activation, motor 52 drives
fan assembly 16, causing the spindle and blades to rotate about its
vertical axis, within housing 18. Grill 38 is situated over an
aperture within housing 18. The aperture allows air to be cooled by
the spinning blades 51. Grill 38 offers protection to fan assembly
16 from unwanted debris, while at the same time preventing fingers
or other objects from contacting the blades 51 of fan assembly 16.
Motor 52 may be any type of motor capable of driving fan assembly
16 with enough speed to sufficiently cool a target area. For
example, the specifications of a typical motor powerful enough to
be used in the present invention may be 120 V AC, 60 Hz., 0.45
amps, 53 watts.
[0027] The speed of rotation of fan assembly 16 can be controlled
via a keypad 46 situated on housing cover 40. Electrically
conductive wires connect the buttons of keypad 46 to the motor 52.
In addition to controlling the speed of rotation of fan assembly
16, buttons on keypad 46 may also activate or deactivate assembly
10, activate and deactivate the oscillation mode, activate and set
a timer, and control wind patterns created by fan assembly 16.
During oscillation mode, the housing 18 itself rotates back and
forth about the top of member 24 at pre-determined time intervals.
During the wind pattern mode, a variety of varying fan rotation
speeds may be programmed. A microcontroller, enclosed within
housing 18, receives input signals via the keypad 46 and controls
the various modes of operation of fan assembly 16 and housing 18.
An LED display 44 on cover 40, receives signals from the
microcontroller and allows the user to view and set the different
modes of operation. Finally, cover 40 includes a door 40 that can
be opened and used to cover a compartment which can house, among
other things, a remote control that can perform all of the
operations of the manual keypad.
[0028] Turning now to FIG. 4, the motor and power subassembly of
the present invention can be seen. Power cord 26 extends down from
the bottom of motor 52 through motor housing 42 and through the
interior of member 24 and pillar 22 where it protrudes from its
bottom of base 12 for connection to an AC power source.
Alternatively, power cord 26 may exit motor 52 and exit from the
bottom of housing 18. Tightening sleeve 32 can be seen clearly in
FIG. 4, enclosing a portion of pillar 22. Extension member 24 can
be seen protruding just above pillar 22, in a retracted position.
Motor housing 42 receives motor 52 and fan assembly 16. Housing 18
(not shown in FIG. 4) completely encloses fan assembly 16, motor,
52 and motor housing 42. Sleeve 32 may be turned in one direction
(for example counter-clockwise) in order to loosen the sleeve and
allow member 24 to slide either up or down in relation to pillar
22, thereby raising or lowering the housing 18 and fan assembly 16
therein. Turning sleeve 32 in the opposite direction prevents
further movement of member 24 thereby locking housing 18 and fan
assembly 16 at a fixed height.
[0029] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited
to the tightening sleeve 32 described above as the only means of
providing or prohibiting the height adjustment of column 14. Other
similar methods of achieving a telescopic relationship between
member 24 and pillar 22 may be used. For example, a cylindrical
locking sleeve may encircle pillar 22 and instead of twisting the
sleeve to lock extension member 24 at a fixed height, a lever may
be pressed, that maintains extension member 24 within pillar
22.
[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates the decorative ring 44 that includes one
or more LED displays 45 about its periphery. Each LED represents a
different setting for varying speeds, time designations, Sleep
Mode, or wind patterns. As described, these settings may be set via
use of the keypad controls 46 in cover 40 or via a wireless remote
control unit, preferably stored under door 48 in cover 40.
[0031] To use the tower fan assembly of the present invention,
assembly 10 is placed in a desired location on a substantially flat
surface such as the floor, a table, a night stand, a desk or the
like. The user may then activate the fan assembly 16 my pressing
the desired button on keypad 26, or by removing the remote control
unit from within cover 40 and pressing the proper button. The user
then loosens sleeve 32 and raises or lowers column 14 by either
raising or lowering housing 18 itself or by retracting or extending
extension member 24. Once housing 18 is at a desired height, the
user twists sleeve 32 in a direction opposite to the direction used
for allowing extension member 24 to retract or extend. This
prevents extension member 24 for retracting or extending further by
applying pressure on pillar 22, which, in turn, applies pressure
against extension member 24. This applied pressure prevents any
further movement of column 14. The user may now activate any of the
optional functions such as wind patterns and/or oscillation mode.
If the user wants to redirect cooling air exiting the housing 18,
he or she may simply repeat the steps above to readjust the height
of housing 18 to a new desired target area.
[0032] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that
the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly
shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was
made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the
accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications
and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is
limited only by the following claims.
* * * * *