TW201402955A - Spiral tower fan - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a tower fan having a base and a column coupled to the base. A blower is positioned within the column. The blower has an inlet and an outlet, and the outlet twists about an exterior of the column along a longitudinal axis of the column.

Description

Spiral tower fan

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 61/313,277, entitled SPIRAL TOWER FAN, filed on March 12, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference. The entire disclosure of the above-referenced provisional application is incorporated herein by reference.

Tower fans are favored in a variety of situations due to the relatively small amount of floor space dedicated to the fan. Unfortunately, typical tower fans blow air in the narrow blower range along the height of the blower. In the past, air circulation over a wider range has been achieved by providing an oscillating tower fan. These oscillating tower fans require a second motor to allow oscillation of the column. Further, the oscillating fan provides an inconsistent air circulation pattern when the fan oscillates, thereby actually preventing full room circulation. Therefore, there is a need to provide a tower fan that is capable of circulating air through a wider range of horizontal blowers without the additional expense of oscillating the motor. Further, there is a need to provide a tower fan that is capable of circulating air through a wider range of horizontal blower while maintaining a constant air circulation pattern without adversely affecting full room circulation.

A tower fan includes a base and a cylinder coupled to the base. A blower is positioned in the column. The blower has an inlet and an outlet, and the outlet is twisted around the outside of the cylinder along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the tower fan 10 includes a cylinder 12 mounted to the base 14. The cylinder 12 extends generally perpendicularly about the longitudinal axis. The cylinder 12 can be a The various components, or alternatively, the cylinder 12 and the susceptor 14 may be formed as a single unit by molding or other manufacturing process. As shown, the base can include two halves 16 and 18 to facilitate manufacturing and assembly. The foot 20 can be coupled to the base 14 to allow the tower fan to be placed horizontally on a surface such as the ground. The handle 19 can be placed or coupled to the post 12 to facilitate selective positioning of the tower fan 10 by a user. A variable speed blower is disposed within region 22 of cylinder 12 that is coupled such that blower blades 24 (shown in FIG. 4) cross flow and extend vertically through blower height 26. The blower inlet 28 is covered by a cross shield 30 that is shown as a slat (which may be horizontal). In some embodiments, the slats may be louvered to obscure the interior of the cylinder 12. The cross shield 30 can be coupled to the vertical support 32. The cross cowl 30 and the vertical support 32 can be configured to limit access to the blower blades 24. An outlet is provided and shown as having a generally vertical slat 31 for directing air flow away from the blower and away from the column 12. The vertical slats 31 can be coupled to the transverse ribs 33. The vertical slats 31 and the transverse ribs 33 can be configured to limit access to the blower blades 24. A control member can be provided on the control panel 34. On the tower fan 10, the controls can be positioned on the top surface of the cylinder 12. In other embodiments, the controls may be disposed on the sides of the cylinder 12 or on the base 14. An indicator light can also be provided that visually indicates the blower speed or other parameters. The illustrative controls and indicators can include a power button 36, a speed selector 38, a timer 40, and an indicator light 42 for visually displaying the operational status of the tower fan 10.

A recessed area 44 can be disposed on the top surface of the tower fan 10 and configured to receive and retain a remote control (not shown) for operating the tower fan 10. The remote controller can be an infrared type remote controller, in which case the remote sensor window 45 can be in the tower One side of the fan 10 is positioned near its top. In other embodiments, the remote control can be an ultrasonic, radio frequency or other alternative suitable type of remote control.

In some embodiments, it is contemplated that the tower fan 10 is positioned such that the base 14 is on the ground and the cylinder 12 extends upward therefrom. The blower height 26 may extend along from about one-half to two-thirds or as much as three-quarters or more of the total height of the cylinder 12. In some such embodiments, the blower height 26 may extend along a greater or lesser portion of the total cylinder height. The inlet 28 and outlet of the blower are twisted about the longitudinal (vertical) axis of the tower fan 10. This allows the blower to direct air along the height of the tower fan 10/cylinder 12 in a wider range of blowers. This provides a larger air circulation without having to use an oscillating design.

A power source for the motor can be supplied by a cord and disposed in the base 14 and/or region 22. Wire route 46 provides a wiring conduit to connect control panel 34 to the motor and power source.

Referring to Figure 4, the tower fan 10 shows some aspects of the tower fan 10 in more detail along the cross-section of line B-B of Figure 2. The tower fan 10 is shown to further include a cylinder 12 that is shown as being formed from two parts; a back portion 13; and an inlet portion 48. This construction can be chosen for ease of manufacture, or another suitable configuration can be selected. As the blower or fan blade 24 rotates, air is drawn in a path generally indicated by the arrow. Air passes through the inlet 28 via the space between the cross shield 30 and the gap between the vertical supports 32. Air flows through the inlet air baffle 50 and is directed around the interior of the cylinder 12. The airflow exits between the vertical slats 31, which are generally shown as having an airfoil shape. The airflow is partially confined back to the inlet 28 by the outlet air baffle 52. The outlet air baffle 52 is shown as being molded with a wire path 46, however, such components may alternatively be formed separately. The leading edge of the vertical slat 31 may be provided with a blunt portion 54 to create a suitable back pressure to reduce noise and/or vibration.

Referring to Figure 5, two cross-sectional views of the tower fan 10 taken along lines A-A and B-B are shown. The cross section B-B is clearly shown. As can be seen, the air inlet baffle 50 is provided in the same relative position in both cross sections, while the outlet air baffle 52 moves radially about the cylinder 12 with the outlet. Lines C and D show extreme tangent lines from the exit, whereby the transverse distribution of the tangential air is in the range of about 75° without oscillating. Other angles of lateral distribution can be achieved by varying the sweep angle of the exit or the total height of the tower. The vertical slats 31 are shown as being arranged in an approximately parallel configuration, but the slats may be radially arranged to provide a more extreme spread of outlet air at a given cross section.

In other embodiments, the blower range may traverse 90°, which may be preferred if the fan is to be placed in a corner of a room or work area having a generally rectangular shape. In still other embodiments, the blower range may traverse 60°, 180°, 360°, or any other desired angle. In some embodiments, the smaller tower fan 10 can be used as a table fan and placed on a table or other piece of furniture to circulate air in the area closest to the user. In some alternative embodiments, the tower fan can be combined with a heating method such as a heating element disposed within the column to provide a heating function.

Referring to Figure 6, the blower 24 can be a helical blower having vanes 60 that are helically disposed in a manner similar to the vertical slats 31 shown in the previous figures. The blower 24 may further include a plurality of support members 62 that are fixedly coupled to the vanes 60. In some embodiments, a plurality of subunits including blades 60 delimited by two support members 62 are configurable The opposite ends are joined to form the body of the blower 24. Two end caps 64 and 66 are also provided. The end cap 66 is shown positioned at the top of the blower 24 and can be coupled to the internal structure within the cylinder 12 to align the blower 24. The end plate 64 can be positioned at the base of the blower 24 and is closest to the drive motor. The end plate 64 includes a heat sink 68, an aperture 70, and a central opening 72. The central opening 72 can be configured to receive a collar or other means for coupling the blower 24 to the drive shaft. A heat sink 68 is provided to dissipate heat from the drive motor during use. The apertures 70 are placed between the fins 68 and allow hot air located above the motor casing to be drawn into the blower 24. This further helps the motor to cool and allows the blower 24 to be driven using a smaller and less expensive motor.

Although a few exemplary embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, the invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiments described. It is to be understood that those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the invention and its equivalents.

The terminology used in the description of the present invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular forms "a", "the" and "the" are used in the s

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning meaning meaning All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

It will be further understood that the term "comprising", when used in the specification, is intended to mean the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, components and/or components, but does not exclude one or more other features, integers, steps, operations The presence or addition of components, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures.

In addition, it should be understood that the terms, elements, regions, layers, and/or These terms are limited. The terms are only used to distinguish one feature, element, region, layer, or section from another feature, element, region, layer or section. Thus, a first feature, component, region, layer or section discussed hereinafter may be termed a second feature, element, region, layer or section, and, similarly, a second feature, element, region, layer or section The features, elements, regions, layers or sections may be referred to without departing from the teachings of the invention.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or an intervening element can be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there is no intervening element. Further, as used herein, the term "plural" refers to at least two elements. In addition, like numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Accordingly, several embodiments of the novel invention have been shown and described. It is apparent that certain aspects of the invention are not limited by the specific details of the examples described herein, and thus other modifications and applications or equivalents thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The terms "have" and "include" to And similar terms as used in the above description are used in the sense of "optional" or "included" rather than as "required". However, many variations, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after the description and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention are considered to be covered by the present invention, which is limited only by the scope of the following claims. The scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is intended to be in accordance with the scope of the claims. "One and only one", but "one or more." All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments of the present invention, which are known to those skilled in the art, The scope covers.

10‧‧‧ tower fan

12‧‧‧Cylinder

13‧‧‧ Back part

14‧‧‧ pedestal

16‧‧‧ half

18‧‧‧ half

19‧‧‧Hands

20‧‧‧ feet

22‧‧‧Area

24‧‧‧Air blower blades

26‧‧‧Air blower height

28‧‧‧Air blower inlet

30‧‧‧ transverse protective cover

31‧‧‧Vertical slats

32‧‧‧Vertical support

33‧‧‧ transverse ribs

34‧‧‧Control panel

36‧‧‧Power button

38‧‧‧Speed selector

40‧‧‧Timer

42‧‧‧ indicator light

44‧‧‧ recessed area

45‧‧‧Remote sensor window

46‧‧‧Wire route

48‧‧‧ Entrance section

50‧‧‧Inlet air baffle

52‧‧‧Export air baffle

54‧‧‧blunt part

60‧‧‧ leaves

62‧‧‧Support members

64‧‧‧End board

66‧‧‧End cap

68‧‧‧ Heat sink

70‧‧‧ pores

72‧‧‧Center opening

A-A‧‧‧ line

B-B‧‧‧ line

C‧‧‧ line

D‧‧‧ line

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a spiral tower fan.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the spiral tower fan of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is another perspective view of the spiral tower fan of Figure 1.

4 is a cross-sectional view of the spiral tower fan of FIG. 1 taken along line B-B.

Figure 5 is an overlay of two cross-sectional views of the spiral tower fan of Figure 1 taken along lines A-A and B-B, respectively.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a spiral blower suitable for use in the tower fan of Figure 1.

10‧‧‧ tower fan

12‧‧‧Cylinder

14‧‧‧ pedestal

16‧‧‧ half

18‧‧‧ half

22‧‧‧Area

28‧‧‧Air blower inlet

30‧‧‧ transverse protective cover

31‧‧‧Vertical slats

32‧‧‧Vertical support

33‧‧‧ transverse ribs

36‧‧‧Power button

40‧‧‧Timer

42‧‧‧ indicator light

44‧‧‧ recessed area

45‧‧‧Remote sensor window

46‧‧‧Wire route

Claims (4)

A tower fan includes: a base; a cylinder coupled to the base; and a blower necessarily located in the column, the blower having an inlet and an outlet; wherein the outlet is along a longitudinal direction of the cylinder The axis is twisted around the outside of one of the cylinders. The tower fan of claim 1, wherein the blower is an axial blower and extends along a portion of the cylinder. A tower fan of claim 2, wherein the outlet comprises a plurality of slats having a cross-sectional shape of one of the airfoils. A tower fan of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the slats have a blunt leading edge.