CEILING FAN HANGING SYSTEM
Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ceiling fan hanger system that includes a hanging bracket and a shield that allows quick, easy and less troublesome installation of a ceiling fan in an electrical outlet box. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Traditionally, ceiling fans have been installed through laborious, time-consuming, and often problematic practice. The conventional ceiling plate is secured to an electrical outlet box by passing the conductive wires of the outlet box through a central circular opening of the ceiling plate. Mounting screws are passed through two elongated openings in the ceiling plate, to be threadably coupled with two threaded holes diagonally spaced one from the other on the periphery of the outlet box. In an alternative way, wooden dowels are passed through the roof plate and the exit plate, and into a wooden dowel that supports the exit box. In any case, the screws are tightened until the roof plate is securely mounted on the outlet box. The typical ceiling plate includes a hanger hook having a first portion extending vertically downwardly from the ceiling plate, at a location approximately midway between one end and the central circular opening. A hanger hook terminates in a second portion having a free end that bends back toward the central opening of the ceiling plate. When a typical ceiling fan assembly is mounted on the ceiling plate, the motor, the fan blades, and an optional light assembly, are secured to a escutcheon by a downward rod or hanging rod. The descending rod passes through a central opening of the escutcheon, with a ball assembly located at one end of the descending rod, coupled with a periphery of the escutcheon opening. A tooth extending radially inward, projecting from the periphery of the shield opening engages a groove in the ball assembly, to allow the pivoting of the fan assembly with respect to the escutcheon. The escutcheon includes, in each of two opposing locations, a hole and an L-shaped groove. When assembled, the fan assembly is lifted by the escutcheon, so that a hole is fitted on one side of the escutcheon. through the free end of the roof hook. In this way, the fan assembly is suspended from the ceiling hook.
Electric wires are then connected from the ceiling plate to the wires from the fan motor. When the electrical connections are finished, a screw is installed in each of the two screw holes located on the opposite sides of the ceiling plate. The fan assembly installer, which is normally placed at a high height by a ladder or some other element, must then lift the entire fan assembly and release the fan assembly from the ceiling plate, removing the escutcheon from its coupling with the free end of the roof hook. The allowable amount of movement of the fan assembly is limited by the connection of the electrical conductor wires. Accordingly, only a small amount of movement of the fan assembly is possible before voltage is applied to the wiring connections. The escutcheon and fan assembly are raised until the L-shaped slots on the opposite sides of the escutcheon are fitted over the bolts of the bolts secured on the opposite sides of the roof plate. At the beginning the escutcheon is raised vertically until the stem of each screw engages with the lower part of the L-shaped slot portion, which starts at the uppermost edge of the escutcheon. The gusset, and therefore the entire fan assembly, is then twisted, so that the screws of the roof plate screws slide into the remaining portion of the L-shaped grooves of the shield. The gusset of the fan assembly is twisted until the holes on the opposite sides of the gusset line up with the two remaining screw holes on the opposite sides of the ceiling plate. A third and a fourth screw are inserted, respectively, across the opposite sides of the escutcheon and into the ceiling plate, to anchor the escutcheon, and consequently, the entire fan assembly, on the ceiling plate, and Suspend the fan from the ceiling. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above drawbacks associated with known systems for installing a ceiling fan, the present invention provides a hanging bracket and a gusset to secure a fan assembly to an electrical outlet box in a faster operation, easier, and less problematic than what is currently available. This is achieved by the use of a hanging bracket and a shield, which incorporate the principles of the present invention. The hanging bracket is initially secured to an electrical outlet box. The hanging bracket includes two escutcheon hooks on one end. A screw hole is located between the two hooks of the escutcheon. The other end of the hanging bracket is provided with a single screw hole. The escutcheon includes two separate slots, configured and located to receive the two escutcheon hooks of the hanging bracket. With the gusset hooks extending through the corresponding grooves of the gusset, the fan assembly is pivotally mounted on, and suspended from, the hanging bracket. This allows the installer to make full use of both hands to connect the conductive wires of the outlet box, and the wires of the fan assembly. The installer can then easily pivot the fan assembly around the gusset hooks to a vertical orientation. No additional lifting of the fan assembly is required, regardless of whether the fan assembly is supported by the hanging bracket. To further secure the assembly, a second screw is inserted through a hole in the escutcheon, and into the screw hole of the hanging bracket, located between the two escutcheon hooks. A single screw is inserted through the escutcheon into the screw hole of the hanging bracket at the end of the hanging bracket opposite the end that includes the escutcheon hooks. An automatic alignment is made between the hole in the escutcheon and the screw hole in the hanging bracket when the fan assembly is pivoted to a vertical orientation. The hanging bracket incorporating the teachings of the present invention provides a direct connection between the conductive wires and the wires of the fan assembly. A greater possibility of access to the conductive wires of the outlet box is achieved, because the escutcheon is pivoted on escutcheon hooks located on an outer edge of the hanging bracket. In accordance with the foregoing, by the present invention, the installer only needs to lift the fan assembly once to suspend the fan assembly by hooks of the hanging bracket. When the wiring of the fan assembly is completed, the installer simply pivots the gusset around the gusset hooks on the hanging bracket, to move the fan assembly to its end-use position. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a ceiling fan hanger system that includes a hanging bracket and a gusset, with the hanging bracket mounted in an electrical outlet box. The hanging bracket has at least one escutcheon hook that fits through an opening in the escutcheon to pivotally mount the escutcheon and its associated ceiling fan assembly on the hanging bracket. This feature makes it possible to connect the electrical conductor wires, and the subsequent pivoting of the escutcheon and its associated ceiling fan assembly to a vertical position, whereby the escutcheon is then fixed to the hanging bracket. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a ceiling fan hanger system having a hanging bracket and a gusset pivotally mounted on the hanging bracket, such that only a ceiling fan lift is required, and the pivoting of the gusset on the hanging bracket, for the installation of the ceiling fan in a vertical orientation. Still another object of the present invention is to quickly and easily install a ceiling fan on an electrical outlet box, by pivotally mounting a roof fan gusset on a hanging bracket secured to the electrical outlet box, such that the installer only has to lift the ceiling fan once to pivotally mount the escutcheon on the hanging bracket, and upon completion of the electrical interconnection of the conductive wires, pivot the escutcheon and ceiling fan to a vertical orientation, and aligning a hole in the escutcheon and a screw hole in the hanging bracket to fix the escutcheon with the ceiling fan in a vertical orientation. These and other objects of the invention, as well as many of their intended advantages, will become clearer when reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a ceiling fan including the hanger system of the present invention. Figure 2 is a partial sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a partial sectional view illustrating an initial draped position of a gusset and its associated fan motor, pivotally mounted on a hanging bracket secured to an electrical outlet box. Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view illustrating the interconnection between the hanger brackets of the hanging bracket that extend through the grooves of the escutcheon. Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4. Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 4.
Figure 7 is an enlarged view of one end of the hanging bracket, including the two hooks of the escutcheon, and a threaded opening located between the two hooks of the escutcheon, on the end side of the hanging bracket. Figure 8 is a perspective view of the hanging bracket of the hanger system incorporating the principles of the present invention. Figure 9 is a perspective view of the escutcheon of the hanger system embodying the principles of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Preferred Modes In the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the specific terminology will be used for clarity. However, it is not intended to limit the invention to the specific terms so selected, and it should be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. With reference to the drawings, in general, and to the
Figures 1 to 3, in particular, a ceiling fan hanger system incorporating the teachings of the present invention, is generally designated as 10. With reference to its orientation in Figure 1, the ceiling fan 10 includes a motor housing of fan 12, a plurality of fan blades 14 mounted by clamps 16 to the motor, and a switch housing 18 in which a light fixture (not shown) can optionally be mounted. A down rod 20 interconnects the motor in the motor housing 12 and a gusset 22 by a ball assembly 24. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 9, the gusset
22 includes a central opening 26 for receiving the ball assembly 24. The fingers 28 project radially inwardly of the opening 26, to engage in a slot 30 of the ball assembly 24. On one side of the shield 22, there is a circular opening 32. On an opposite side of the escutcheon 22, there are two rectangular-shaped grooves 34, with an oval opening 36 located therebetween, as seen in Figure 4. Cooperating with the escutcheon, there is a hanging bracket 38, as shown in Figure 8. The hanging bracket includes opposite ends 40 and 42. A central circular opening 44 is located in the flat upper plate 46. In addition, two elongated holes 48 are located in the upper plate 46, together with four circular holes 50. At the end 40, the upper plate 46 is thickened by the inclined ramp surface 52 to the flat surface 54. Two L-shaped escutcheon hooks 56 project from the end 40. A portion 57 of the hooks 56 they extend in the plane of the surface 54. The hooks 56 and the portions 57 end in erect projections 58, which extend substantially perpendicular to the portion 57. Located between the hooks 58, as best seen in Figures 5 and 7, on the side surface 60, there is a threaded opening 62. At the opposite end 42 of the hanging bracket 38, there is an inclined ramp surface 64 leading from the upper plate 46 going down to another flat surface 66. A side surface 68 at the end 42, it includes the threaded circular opening 70. Both lateral surfaces 60 and 68 include a curvature that engages an internal curvature of the escutcheon 22. This allows the hanging bracket 38 to fit inside the escutcheon 22, and contact the escutcheon along its inner edge. The separation of the surfaces 54, 66 below the upper plate 46 allows a tolerance for the pivoting of the escutcheon on the escutcheon hooks 58, while also maximizing the space between the escutcheon 22 and the hanging bracket 38 for the connection of conductor wires. Referring again to Figures 3 and 8, in the installation of the ceiling fan hanger system in accordance with the principles of the present invention, the hanging bracket 38 is initially secured in the outlet box 72 by two screws 77, which extend through the slots 48, and engage in the threaded openings of the outlet box 72. The outlet box is fixed in a ceiling to a plug 74, or to an expansion plug (not shown) located between two roof plugs. Alternatively, wooden pins (not shown) pass through the holes 50 of the hanging bracket, and are secured to the socket 74 located above the outlet box. The escutcheon 22, with its associated fan assembly, connected to the ball assembly 24, is lifted and hung from the escutcheon hook 56 of the hanging bracket 38, as shown in Figure 3. The openings 34 are initially passed over the portions 58 of the escutcheon hooks 56, and the uppermost edge of the openings 34 is allowed to rest on the portion 57 of the escutcheon hooks 56. In this position, the escutcheon, and consequently, the fan assembly, supported pivotally by the ball assembly 24 in the opening 26 of the shield 22, it is hung from the roof bracket 38. The lead wires 70 extend from the electrical outlet box 72, and are connected to a power source not shown. The conductor wires include bare ends 78. The fan assembly includes corresponding conductive wires 80 that extend through the ball assembly 24 and the down rod 20, which also have bare ends 82. With the shield 22, and therefore, its associated ceiling fan assembly, suspended from the hanging bracket 38, the ceiling fan installer can use both hands to connect the lead wires 70, 80 with the wire nut connectors 84, as seen in Figure 2. Since the escutcheon 22 hangs from the edge of an end 40 of the hanging bracket 38, the maximum space between the hanging bracket 38 and the escutcheon 22 is provided for the connection of the lead wires 70, 80. Once they are connected the conductor wires, then the installer can pivot the escutcheon 22 very easily and safely to the position shown in Figure 2. Then a screw 84 is passed through. through the opening 32 of the gusset 22, and into the threaded opening 70 of the end 42 of the hanging bracket 38. The gusset is sized to surround the hanging bracket and cover it from the view when the fan assembly is in a position of use. As an additional safety feature, before the wires are connected, a screw 86 can be passed through the oval opening 36 in the side of the escutcheon 22, through which the hooks 58 of the escutcheon 22 project. The oval shape of the opening 36 allows the screw 86 to be inserted while the fan assembly is suspended at an angle. The screw 86 also engages with the threaded opening 62, to prevent the escutcheon from becoming dislodged. In the assembled condition, only the portions 58 of the escutcheon hooks 56 are visible through the escutcheon 22, in addition to the heads of the bolts 84 and 86. Accordingly, by the present invention, an installation is achieved Safer, easier with the user, and quicker of the ceiling fan by a single lifting of the ceiling fan assembly. The pivotal mounting of the escutcheon allows the escutcheon to be supported at all times once the escutcheon hooks have been passed through the openings in the side of the escutcheon. The above description should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Since the experts in this field will easily think of numerous modifications and changes, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and in accordance with the foregoing, it is possible to resort to all the modifications and suitable equivalents that fall within the scope of the invention.