US1436850A

US1436850A - Fan

Info

Publication number: US1436850A
Application number: US450153A
Authority: US
Inventors: Arthur J Aylesworth
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1921-03-07
Filing date: 1921-03-07
Publication date: 1922-11-28
Anticipated expiration: 1939-11-28

Description

A. J. AYLESWORTH.

FAN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7.1921.

1,436,850. Patented Nov. 28, 1922..

ARTHUR J. AYLESWORTH,

or Lann'srnn, rarcniean.

` ran.

Application led March f7,

.To all whom t may concern.'

Beit known that l, ARTHUR J. AYLns- WORTH, citizen of the United States, residing at Lakeside, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fans, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to hand operated devices in which reciprocating movement is translated into rotary movement, the invention being of particular utility in the construction of hand operated fans, though it is'not to be limited to such use.

The device of my invention includes a reciprocable gear actuating element which is manually operable in one direction, when employed in a hand operated device and is preferably given restoring movement by means of a. light spring. There isa guide for confining this gear actuatingelement to its line `of travel and this guide is preferably tubular to constitute it also 'a housing for the gearing and a handle by which the entire device may be held. rlhe load shaft is desirably co-aXial with said tubular housing whichcarries suitable bearings for it.

The gear element that is actuated by the aforesaid reciprocable gear actuating element preferably surrounds the load shaft on which it is loose and is'capable of limited movement longitudinally thereof. rl`his gear element is formed to have ta spiral thread that is engaged by the reciprocable gear actuating element when this actuating element is moved in one direction, by hand in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the gear element engaged thereby being brought into driving engagement or connection-with the load shaft thatit thereafter rotates. When the gear actuating hand pressure upon .the gear actuating element is released at the conclusion of or at any point in the travel of this actuating element, said gear element is disengaged from the load shaft by the action of the light spring which then is also preferably eec tive to place the gear actuating element at one limit of its travel. If the load upon the shaft happens to. be in the form of fan blades, they may be folded to lie along their aiXs of rotation, whereafter they may be drawn into the tubular housing or handle. The invention will `be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment 192i. `serial No. 450,153.

thereof and in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of afan 4structure enr bracing the invention, the fan blades being shownk unfolded; Fig. 2 vis a view of the parts shown in Fig. 1 with'the blades drawn into the hollow handle; Fig. 3 is a view in elevation, partially broken away, of the structure adjusted as illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an end view; and 'Figs 5 and are sectional views respectively taken on `lines i Like parts are indicated by similar characters of referencethroughout the different figures.

` As illustrated,`the load shaft` 1 is journaled at its ends upon bearings 2 and 3 `that are atthe oppositeends of a tubular shell 4.

The bearing 3 is preferably a ring in the outer end of an inner shell 5 that is securely anchored within a. recess 6 in the bottom of the shell 4. rlihe shaft has a iiange 1 engaging bearing balls 3 to take up shaft thrust. Fan blades 8 are illustrated in the present embodiment of the invention as the load which is to be driven by `said shaft. Each blade is curled at its inner end about the wire of a wire ring 9 that is disposed withina hollow ymounting collar 10. This wire ring 9 is resilient and slightly eXpansible to permit it to be separated `from the shaft with which it is coupled. The outer end of collar 10 is formed with a recess that hooksover the hinged ends of the blades 8 so that these blade ends may be forced into and out of their seat 1l inthe shaft head 12 to establish or break their driving connection with the shaft 1, the resilient wire ring 9 permitting the separation of the blades and shaft and establishing the connection of the blades and shaft, according to the adjustment of saidring that iseffected by the collar'lO. y

A. spiral gear 13 `surrounds and is loose upon theload shaft and isy adapted to move longitudinally of the lshaft to a ylimited eX- ftent defined' bythe o uter shaft ring 3 and the inner shaft flange y 14. VFor economy and simplicity of' construction the spiral gear 13 is a spiral helix of stiff wire whose inner end is brought into driving engagementwith the inner shaft 'angef14 which is formed with recesses forengagement with saidvinner end of the .wireghelix The shaft to the limited extent permitted by the ring 3 and flange 14 and is also rotated by means of the gear actuating element 16 movable longitudinally of the shaft and directly guided in its travel byslot 17 that is formed longitudinally in the inner shell forming a `part of the handle Structure and in which slot the gear actuating element slides. The gear actua-ting element is preferably in the 4form of a pin that enters the spiral space defined by the wire of the spiral gear groove. This pin is carried by a cylindrical sliding block 18 that is in close sliding fit `within the handle. Movement longitudilIlally of the handle or shell 4 is imparted to thepin 16 by means of a trigger thumb piece 19 pivotally mounted upon the sliding block at 20 and passing through a guiding slot 21 formed longitudinally of and in the hollow7 handle'fl, this slot 21 being the main guiding iniuence of the Lgear actuating element.

lhen the gearactuating element is in fan operating' adjustment the heel 422 of the trigger'is engaged with the seat formed in the hollowI sliding block 18. A light Icoiled spring 24 is bottomed. at one end upon the inner end 4of the shell 4 and has its other end in thrusting relation with the gear actuating element 16 preferably through the intermediation of the sliding block 18, whereby said gear actuating element is restored to the outer end of the shell 4 and the spiral gear 13 is normally maintained out of driving' connection with the load shaft flange 14. Then the fan is to be operated, the gear actuating element 1G is manually depressed against the force of the light spring 24, being consequently moved longitudinally of the shaft to acquire driving connection with the load shaft flange 14 to rotate it and its shaft as the manually effected movement of the gear actuating element continues. Vhcn the gear actuating element is released at any place to which it is manually brought, the light spring 24 will operate to reverse the direction of travel thereof yto restore it to idle position. ln this return movement of the actuating element 16 the gear 13 will be thereby lifted out of driving connection with 'the load shaft so that such shaft will not be positivelyI rotated thereby on the spring effected return movement of said gear actuating element. This construction permits the spring 24 to be very light and easily overcome by the hand pressure employed to turn the shaft. By engaging the element 19 by the thumb and the hollow 26 in the base of the tubular shell 4 by a finger the device may readily be held and operated with the fan blades close to the face.

`When the fan is not in use, its bladesv 8 may be folded or collapsed, to which en d their mounting collar 10 is inwardly pressed toV bring the hinged ends of the blades nasser-io out of their receiving groove 11, whereafter this collar and the blades assembled therewith are drawn into the tubular shell. The trigger 19 may alsobe folded against the side of the handle after it is moved to the base of the handle, as `indicated in Fig. 2. ln this foldingoperation of the trigger the trigger tail 2"? engages the sliding block 28 and forces it inwardly against the force of the spring 24, and so warps the positions of the trigger and the parts moving therewith, that they will be retainedl at the base of the handle.

lin the'embodiment of the invention illustrated a pair of. claws 29 are mounted upon the inner sliding hollow block 28. They pass through camways 30 in the sliding block 18, which normally hold lthese claws out of action. Vhen the fan blades are to be collapsed the folding of the trigger will force the rearward movement of the inner sliding block 28 that carries with` it the claws 29 and causes these claws to engage the flange 31 on the collar 107 the trigger, liowevenbeing given its folding adjustment when it is at the outermostr end of its travel. The claws 29,r being now engaged with the flange 31, will draw the collar 10 within the handle 'as the trigger 19 is moved rearwardly, the collar separating the hinged ends of the fan blades from the recess 11 and carrying these hinged ends of the fan blades within the handle. The shaft head 12 carries a guiding formation 32 that engages the fan blades as their inner ends, are moved rearwardly within the hollow handle whereby the folding of the fan blades isV effected so that they will be substantially'entirely en- .closed by the handle when the trigger has been moved to its rearrnost position in which it is held by the warping of the parts before described. lWhen the fan is again put in use the trigger is put in its unfolded position shown in F 1, whereupon the spring 24 will be effective to place the blocks 18 and 110 28 in their outermost position together with the trigger to enable the fan tobe operated in the manner described ln this adjustment the claws 29 are disengaged from the collar 10, the hoolr ends thereof lying in the zone that is between the flanges 31 and 33. Features not herein claimed are claimed in my divisional application Serial No. 57 2,111, filed June 28, 1922.

TWhile' l have herein shown and particu- 120 larly described the preferred embodimentof my invention l do not wish to be limited to the precise details of vconstruction shown as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention Ielaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. A. fan structure includ-ing a. rotatable fan blade foldable to lie along its' axis of ro- 130 tation; manually7 operated mechanism for rotating the blade; and a shell constituting a handle for the fan structure and a support for the operating mechanism, said fan blade being insertable; when folded; within said shell.

2. A fan structure including a rotatable fan blade foldable to lie along its axis oi rotation; manually operated mechanism .for rotating the blade; means for connecting the fan blade with and disconnecting it from said driving mechanism; and a shell constituting a handle for the fan structure and a support for the operating mechanism, said fan blade being insertable when folded and uncoupled, Within said shell.

3. A fan structure including a rotatable fan blade Jfoldable to lie along its axis of rotation; manually operated mechanism for rotating the blade and including a shaft upon and with Which the fan blade is separately coupled; means for connecting the fan blade with and disconnecting it from said driving mechanism; and a shell constituting a handle for the :fan structure and, a support Jfor the operating` mechanism; said fan blade being insertable1 when folded and uncoupled, With- .invsaid shell.

4;. A fan structure including a rotatable fan blade foldable to lie along its axis of rotation; manually operated mechanism for rotating the blade and including a shaft upon and With which the fan blade is separably coupled; means :for connecting the fan blade with and disconnecting it from said driving mechanism; a shell constituting a handle for the fan structure and a support for the operating mechanism, said fan blade being insertable, when folded and uncoupled, Within said shell.; and means assembled With the shell and movable along the same that is coupled with the blade structure of the fau to move it Within the handle.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this second day of March D., 1921.

ARTHUR J. AYLEsWoRTH.