U.S. patent application number 11/158857 was filed with the patent office on 2005-10-27 for multi-directional tower fan.
This patent application is currently assigned to The Holmes Group, Inc.. Invention is credited to Belsito, George, DiPalma, Michael.
Application Number | 20050238478 11/158857 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34634280 |
Filed Date | 2005-10-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050238478 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Belsito, George ; et
al. |
October 27, 2005 |
Multi-directional tower fan
Abstract
A multi-directional tower fan includes a base for supporting the
fan on a surface, a first housing attached to the base, a second
housing rotatably attached to the first housing, a single elongate
rotating blower extending within both the first and second housing
and a motor for rotating the blower. The first and second housings
both have an inlet opening, an outlet opening and an interior
chamber. The interior chambers of the housings are axially aligned
with each other and the blower extends from the interior chamber of
the first housing to the interior chamber of the second housing to
simultaneously force air out through the outlet openings of the
first and second housings. By rotating the second housing with
respect to the first housing, the air being forced out of the
outlet opening of the first housing may be directed in a different
direction than the air being forced out of the outlet opening of
the second housing.
Inventors: |
Belsito, George; (Worcester,
MA) ; DiPalma, Michael; (Pawtucket, RI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HOFFMANN & BARON, LLP
6900 JERICHO TURNPIKE
SYOSSET
NY
11791
US
|
Assignee: |
The Holmes Group, Inc.
|
Family ID: |
34634280 |
Appl. No.: |
11/158857 |
Filed: |
June 22, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11158857 |
Jun 22, 2005 |
|
|
|
10731048 |
Dec 8, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
415/53.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F04D 17/04 20130101;
F04D 25/10 20130101; F04D 25/166 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
415/053.1 |
International
Class: |
F25B 021/02; F04D
005/00; F04D 023/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A multi-directional tower fan comprising: a base for supporting
said fan on a surface; a first housing attached to said base, said
first housing having an inlet opening, an outlet opening and an
interior chamber; a second housing rotatably attached to said first
housing, said second housing having an inlet opening, an outlet
opening and an interior chamber, said interior chamber of said
second housing being axially aligned with said interior chamber of
said first housing; an elongate rotating blower for simultaneously
forcing air out through said outlet openings of said first and
second housings, said blower extending from said interior chamber
of said first housing to said interior chamber of said second
housing; and a motor for rotating said blower, wherein, by rotating
said second housing with respect to said first housing, the air
being forced out of said outlet opening of said first housing may
be directed in a different direction than the air being forced out
of said outlet opening of said second housing.
2. A multi-directional tower fan as defined in claim 1, wherein
said first housing is rotatably attached to said base.
3. A multi-directional tower fan as defined in claim 1, wherein
said blower has a longitudinal axis and said second housing is
rotatably attached to said first housing about said longitudinal
axis.
4. A multi-directional tower fan as defined in claim 1, wherein
said second housing is attached to said first housing along a
vertical axis by a flanged coupling.
5. A multi-directional tower fan as defined in claim 1, wherein
said second housing is attached to said first housing along a
vertical axis by a pin and slot arrangement.
6. A multi-directional tower fan as defined in claim 1, further
comprising an oscillating mechanism for rotating at least one of
said first and second housings with respect to said base.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S.
application Ser. No. 10/731,048, filed Dec. 8, 2003.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to portable fans and, more
particularly, to a tower fan having at least one rotatable housing
portion to direct the flow of air in a different direction from
that directed by another housing portion of the fan.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Portable electric fans have been used extensively to enhance
personal comfort by inducing air movement, and are generally
intended to be placed on floors, counters or other surfaces. A
common trait among portable fans is that they can be easily moved
from one location to another without any more preparation than
removing an electric cord from an outlet and physically relocating
the fan device.
[0004] The most popular forms of portable electric fans include
pedestal and box-type fans having propeller-like fan blades for
blowing air in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the
fan blade assembly. Recently becoming more popular are tower fans
having an elongate housing oriented in a vertical direction and
containing a cylindrical blower therein for blowing air in a
direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the blower.
Typically, air is drawn into one or more vertical surfaces of the
longitudinal housing and is directed out a separate vertical
surface by the cylindrical blower. These tower fans are desirable
for their compact size and space requirements and, depending on the
housing design, their efficient delivery of moving air.
[0005] Obviously, it is desirable for a fan to produce the maximum
amount of air circulation and to distribute the circulating air
over as wide an area as possible to provide maximum comfort in all
portions of the room in which the fan is disposed. Unfortunately,
both types of conventional fans often include a housing which is
fixedly mounted or integrally formed on a supporting base, which
causes the angular zone covered by the directed air to be fixed.
Thus, with these style fans, when the user wishes to alter the
direction or angular zone of the directed air, the user must
reposition the fan so as to face the desired target area.
[0006] One style of tower fan has been proposed wherein the air is
drawn in from the bottom of a cylindrical fan housing and blown out
through the entire circumferential surface of the housing in a
360.degree. pattern. This style of tower fan is designed to be
placed in the center of a room such that the air can be directed
around the entire room. Aside from the obvious drawback of having
to place the fan in the center of the room, another drawback with
this type of tower fan is that air cannot be blown in a specified
direction or within a certain desired angular range.
[0007] It is well known in the art to provide a fan with an
oscillating mechanism so that the direction of the blown air can
vary. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,004 discloses a tower fan
with an oscillating mechanism to provide a blower capable of
selectively blowing air in a predetermined angular range or through
an entire 360.degree. pattern. Thus, the use of an oscillating
mechanism on a standard fan enables the user to alter or enlarge
the angular zone of the directed air such that a greater area is
capable of being covered by the fan. However, there still remains a
drawback to this style of fan, in that, as the direction of blown
air oscillates from side to side, there will only be one area at
any given time that receives the benefit of directed air until the
fan returns to that area. Also, the angular zone of the directed
air is fixed and cannot be altered by the user.
[0008] In commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,034, a portable heater
is disclosed having two or more heating units that are rotatably
attached to each other so as to direct the delivery of heat toward
two or more separate directions. The rotatable heating units are
independent of each other and contain their own separate heating
elements and blowers. Thus, a heater is provided which allows the
user to easily alter the angular zone of the emitted heat without
depriving any of the intended area a continuous supply of heat.
[0009] Accordingly, it would be desirable to incorporate this
multi-directional heat delivery concept into a portable fan in a
simple and cost-effective manner. Moreover, it would be desirable
to provide such multi-directional capability to a tower fan so as
to minimize space requirements and to maximize the efficiency of
the circulated forced air.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is an object of the present invention to provide a fan
which has two or more separate housing sections which can direct
the flow of air in different directions as desired.
[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
tower fan which is portable and easy to use.
[0012] The multi-directional tower fan of the present invention
generally includes a base for supporting the fan on a surface, a
first housing attached to the base, a second housing rotatably
attached to the first housing, a single elongate rotating blower
extending within both the first and second housing and a motor for
rotating the blower. The first and second housings both have an
inlet opening, an outlet opening and an interior chamber. The
interior chambers of the housings are axially aligned with each
other and the blower extends from the interior chamber of the first
housing to the interior chamber of the second housing to
simultaneously force air out through the outlet openings of the
first and second housings. By rotating the second housing with
respect to the first housing, the air being forced out of the
outlet opening of the first housing may be directed in a different
direction than the air being forced out of the outlet opening of
the second housing.
[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the first housing is rotatably
attached to the base so that both housings may be pivoted. Also,
the blower preferably has a longitudinal axis and the second
housing is rotatably attached to the first housing about the
longitudinal axis. In alternative embodiments, the second housing
can be attached to the first housing along a vertical axis by a
flanged coupling or by a pin and slot arrangement. In another
preferred embodiment, the fan further includes an oscillating
mechanism for rotating the second housing with respect to the first
housing.
[0014] A preferred form of the multi-directional tower fan
according to the present invention, as well as other embodiments,
objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent
from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments
thereof, which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a multi-directional tower
fan formed in accordance with the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fan of FIG. 1 wherein
the upper housing section has been rotated with respect to the
lower housing section;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fan shown in FIG. 1
taken along the line 3-3;
[0018] FIGS. 4a and 4b are detailed views of alternative
embodiments of the interface between the upper and lower housing
sections; and
[0019] FIG. 5 is a partial cut-away view of an oscillating
mechanism for the housing sections of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The present invention is described below as having two
housing sections rotatably attached to each other about a common
axis. This disclosure is in no way intended to be limited to a
tower fan having only two directional housing sections rotatably
attached to each other, and modification of the present fan to
include more than two housing sections will be readily apparent to
one skilled in the art given the following detailed
description.
[0021] Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-3 show a tower fan 10
formed in accordance with the present invention. The term "tower
fan" is generally used to refer to a fan having a vertically
oriented elongate shape and a base designed for supporting the fan
on a horizontal surface. However, the present invention may take
other forms including horizontal orientations and/or having ceiling
and/or wall mountable bases.
[0022] The fan 10 generally includes a base 12 for supporting the
fan on a surface, two or more housing sections 14 and 16, a blower
18 disposed within the housing sections and a motor 20 for rotating
the blower. Each housing section 14 and 16 includes an inlet
opening 22, through which outside air is drawn into the housing
section, and an outlet opening 24, through which air is forced by
the blower 18. Preferably, the inlet and outlet openings 22 and 24
of the housings 14 and 16 are in the form of a grille having a
plurality of small openings through which the air can travel. Each
housing section 14 and 16 further define an interior chamber 26a
and 26b containing the blower 18.
[0023] In the preferred embodiment, the first housing 14 is
attached directly to the base 12 and the second housing 16 is
rotatably attached to the top of the first housing for rotating in
a direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 2. The first housing 14
may be fixedly attached to the base 12 or it may be rotatably
attached to the base for rotating in a direction indicated by arrow
B in FIG. 2. The second housing 16 is attached to the first housing
14 so that the interior chamber 26a of the first housing is axially
aligned with the interior chamber 26b of the second housing.
[0024] A single rotating blower 18 extends through the interior
chambers 26a and 26b of both housings 14 and 16. The blower 18 used
in conjunction with the preferred form of the present invention is
an elongate cylindrical "squirrel cage" type blower having a
plurality of vertically oriented vanes 19, which draw in air into
the housing inlet openings 22 and forces air out through the
housing outlet openings 24. The blower 18 may have a plurality of
blower sections which are fixed, or otherwise coupled, together
wherein the vanes 19 of each section are alternatingly spaced with
respect to the vanes 19 of the adjacent blower section, as shown in
FIG. 3. The blower 18 has a longitudinal axis 32, which, in the
vertical tower fan embodiment 10 shown in the drawings, will be
vertically oriented within both housings 14 and 16. Preferably, the
housings 14 and 16 are rotatably attached to each other about the
longitudinal axis 32 of the blower 18.
[0025] The rotating blower 18 is connected to and driven by the
motor 20. The motor 20 can be connected to either end of the blower
18 and may be housed within the base 12, the first housing section
14 or the second housing section 16. The motor 20 rotates the
blower 18 to simultaneously draw air in through the inlet openings
22a and 22b of both housings 14 and 16 and force air out through
the outlet openings 24a and 24b of both housings. Because the first
and second housings 14 and 16 are rotatably attached to each other,
the air being forced out of the first housing outlet opening 24a
can be directed in a direction different than the air being forced
out of the second housing outlet opening 24b.
[0026] The first and second housings 14 and 16 are preferably
semi-circular in cross-section with the inlet opening 22 being
provided on a circular peripheral surface 28 and the outlet opening
24 being provided on a flat peripheral surface 30. Each housing 14
and 16 may be formed in two separate sections, which are secured
together after the blower 18, the motor 20 and associated
electrical components are placed in their proper locations.
Securing of the housing sections can be accomplished by any means
known in the art, such as screws, glue, or a friction-fit, to name
a few. Of course, the housings and openings can be different in
configuration from those shown for functional and/or aesthetic
purposes.
[0027] Referring now to FIG. 4a, which is a detailed view of the
interface between the first housing section 14 and the second
housing section 16, in a first embodiment, the second housing 16 is
rotatably attached to the first housing 14 along the longitudinal
axis 32 of the blower 18 by a flanged coupling 34. The flanged
coupling 34 comprises an annular rim 36 which extends from the top
surface 38 of the lower first housing 14 through an opening 40
located in the bottom surface 42 of the second housing 16
positioned directly above the first housing. The annular rim 36
further includes a radially extending flange 37. The flange 37
operates to secure the first housing 14 to the second housing 16
such that the housings cannot be separated.
[0028] Preferably, and as shown in FIG. 4a, the inside diameter of
the annular rim 36 of the first housing 14 defines an opening 44 in
the lower first housing. The openings 40 and 44 cooperate to
provide a passageway connecting the interior chambers 26a and 26b
of the first and second housings 14 and 16, such that the single
elongate cylindrical blower 18 may rotate freely within both
housings, as described above.
[0029] Although the coupling of the first housing 14 to the second
housing 16 has been described as a flanged coupling 34 which
extends from the first housing into the upper second housing, it is
possible to reverse the components of the coupling such that the
annular rim 36 descends from the upper second housing 16 into an
opening on the lower first housing. Additionally, the coupling used
does not have to be a flanged coupling as described above, but
rather can be any coupling which will allow the housings 14 and 16
to pivot or rotate with respect to each other.
[0030] For example, an alternative embodiment of the coupling is
shown in FIG. 4b. Instead of a flanged coupling, a pin and slot
arrangement 46 is provided. The pin and slot arrangement 46
comprises at least one pin 48 extending from the top surface 38 of
the lower first housing 14 through at least one curved slot 50
formed in the bottom surface 42 of the second housing 16 positioned
directly above the lower first housing. The length of the curved
slot 50 therefore determines the range of rotation of the housings
with respect to each other. A bolt 52 is threaded into the pin 48
to secure the first housing 14 to the second housing 16 such that
the housings cannot be separated. Again, it is possible to reverse
the components of the pin and slot arrangement such that the pin
descends from the upper second housing 16 into a curved slot formed
in the lower first housing.
[0031] The tower fan 10 of the present invention may further
include an oscillating mechanism 54, as shown in FIG. 50, to
convert an input motion, such as a circular or rotary motion from a
motor, into oscillation. For the purposes of this discussion,
oscillation will be understood to refer to a repetitive motion
which causes at least one of the housings 14 and 16 to rotate with
respect to the base 12 and thereby direct air in a repeating
pattern of directions. Within this context, oscillation is a motion
wherein a housing 14 and/or 16 rotates through an arc and
subsequently moves in reverse direction through the same arc
returning to its original position.
[0032] For example, the oscillating mechanism 54 may comprise a
motor 56 having a shaft 57, a gear 58 attached to the shaft and
having a plurality of teeth 59, and a track 60 having a plurality
of teeth 61. As shown in FIG. 5, the motor 56 is attached to the
upper second housing 16, the track 60 is provided on the top
surface 38 of the lower first housing 14, and the gear 58 is
positioned within the track. The actuation of the motor 56 causes
the relative rotation of the gear 58 such that the 59 of the gear
engage the teeth 61 of the track 60 and force the gear to follow
the pattern of the track. Due to the fact that the motor 56 and
gear 58 are attached to the upper second housing 16, the movement
of the gear within the track 60 will cause the upper housing to
oscillate with respect to the lower first housing 14. When the gear
58 reaches the limit of the track 60, it will change direction and
force the second housing 16 to move in the reverse direction as
that previously traveled. This oscillating mechanism 54 allows for
the automatic rotation of the housings 14 and 16 with respect to
each other about the longitudinal axis of the central blower 18.
The oscillating mechanism described is but one mechanism which can
be effectively utilized to oscillate one or both of the housings 14
and 16 with respect to the base 12. Other mechanisms can
alternatively effectively provide for oscillation of the housings
of the present invention.
[0033] As is typical of portable fans, power is conducted to the
motor 20 from a power cord and plug (not shown). The components
required to enable operation of a fan with a power cord and plug
are well known in the art and need not be discussed in detail
herein. As shown in the drawings, at least one operator interface
62 is provided. The operator interface 62 can be provided on either
housing or on the base and may include an on/off switch, a speed
selector, an oscillating selector and/or a display panel. All of
the switches used in conjunction with the present invention can be
touch, toggle, dial or button operated, the selection of switch
type being a matter of design and cost considerations.
[0034] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-5, the lower first
housing 14 is attached to a base 12 for supporting the fan on a
surface in a vertically oriented configuration. The base, however,
can be an integral part of the first housing or can simply be the
bottom portion of the first housing. Moreover, the tower fan 10 of
the present invention can be further expanded to include additional
fan housings rotationally attached to one another, with a longer
blower extending through all of the housings, until the desired
number of housings is obtained.
[0035] Thus, while the foregoing detailed description has disclosed
what is presently believed to be the preferred embodiments of the
invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other and
further changes and modifications can be made without departing
from the scope or spirit of the invention, and it is intended that
all such other changes and modifications are included in and are
within the scope of the invention as described in the appended
claims.
* * * * *