US2123448A

US2123448A - Air circulator

Info

Publication number: US2123448A
Application number: US132223A
Authority: US
Inventors: Weber Max
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1937-03-22
Filing date: 1937-03-22
Publication date: 1938-07-12
Anticipated expiration: 1955-07-12

Description

'July 12, 1938.

M. WEBER AIR CIRCULATOR Filed March 22, 193'? lllllHiIi 5f' 2 sheets-sheet 1 M. WEBER AIR CIRGULATOR July 12, 193s'.7

Patented July 12, A1938 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE am ccULA'roR Y Max Weber, Ghicago, lill. application Maron .22, i937, seriali No. 132,223

i claims. y(ci. 2st-m3) The present invention relates generally to air circulators. More particularly the invention relates to that type of air circulator which is designed for general use, that is; for use in ventilat- 5 ing and circulating air in homes, oillces and other establishments, and comprises an electric motor, a fan wheel on one end of the armature shaft of the motor, a wire formed guard around the fan -wheel, and a bracket for supporting the assembly io. of motor, fan wheel and guard so that it is adjustable into different angular positions and the stream of air emanating from the fan wheel during operation of the circulator may hence be directed as desired. 15. One object of the invention is to provide an air circulator ,of this type which is .generally an improvement upon, and operates with less vibration and noise than, previously designed circulators of the same general character by reason of 2 0 the fact that the wire formed guard carries the electric motor for driving the fan wheel and in turn is mounted on and supported by the bracket and hence serves not only yieldingly to support the motor but also to absorb any vibration resulting from drive or operation of the motor and fan Wheel and thus prevent it from being transmitted to the bracket.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air circulator of the last mentioned character in which the bracket supports the assembly of electric motor, fan wheel and guard for complete or entire universal adjustment, and comprises (1) a base which is designed or adapted to be placed either on the iioor or a table or like support or k against a wall or panel, and (2) a IIJ-shaped member which has, its central part connected pivotally tothe base and its end parts or ex remities connected pivotally to diametrically opposite portions of the guard.

A further object of the invention is to provide an air circulator of the type and character under consideration in which the conductors forV supplying current to the electric motor are so arranged that they do not in any way interfere with universal adjustment of the assembly of motor, fan Wheel and guard, and include sections which extend upwards through the base of the bracket and then branch outwards andextend upwardly through and longitudinally of the end parts of the U-shaped member and other sections which extend from the pivotal connections between the extremities of lthe U-shaped member and the guard to the motor casing.

A still further object of the invention is to provm/'ide an air circulator which is generally of new and improved construction and may be produced at a low and reasonable cost due to the construction thereof and the specific arrangement of its parts.

I Other objects of the invention and the various 5 I advantages and characteristics of the present air circulator will be apparent from a consideration of the following'detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth and are l@ more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

lin the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification or disclosure and in which like numerals ot reference denote correw spending parts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a iront view oi' an air circulator 1 embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the assembly 'of motor, fan wheel and guard tilted into a posi- '20 tion wherein the fan wheel extends horizontally and is adapted to direct air upwards;

Vltigure 3 is a top view illustrating the manner in which the U-shaped member of the bracket is pivotally connected to the base so that the assem- 25 bly may be swung or rotated bodily about an axis at right angles to the base;

Figure 4 is a sideview of the lcirculator illustrating the manner in which the pivotal connections between the end parts or extremity of the -`30 U-shaped member of the bracket and the `wire formed guard permit the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard to tilt angularly about an axis at right angles to the axis about which the assembly is free to rotate or turn; 35

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the pivotal connections between the end parts of the U-shaped member; and Y Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the pivotal connection between the central part of the 40 U-shaped member and the base of the bracket.

The air circulator which is shown in the draw-4 ings constitutes the preferred embodiment of the invention. Itis adapted for general use or application in connection with Ventilating, or the cir- 45 culation of air in, homes, omces and other establishments and lcomprises as the main parts thereof an electric motor ll., a fan wheel t, a hollow guard il and a bracket llt.

The motor l operates to drive the fan wheel 8 50 in order to cause the latter to draw in the surrounding vair in back of it and project or propel it forwards in a concentrated high velocity stream.

It embodies a substantially cylindrical casing Il and an armature l2 and is supplied with current 55 ductor I3 consists of a pair of sections |38' and I3b and includes in the section |3El a switch I1. The conductor I 4 consists of a pair of sections I4n and I4b and its section I4a and the section I3EL of the conductor I3 extend through a hole I8 in the casing and are suitably connected to the field windings of the motor. The switch |1 is mounted on the rear end Wall of the motor casing and embodies an actuating element I9 for shifting into its open and closed positions. When the plug I6 is in place within a socket and the switch is shifted into its closed position by manipulation of the actuating element I9 the circuit for the motor 1 is closed with the result that the armature revolves and through the medium of the shaft I drives the fan wheel. Upon shift of the switch into its open position the motor circuit is broken with the result that drive of the fan wheel stops.

The fan `wheel 8 is disposed within the guard 9 and consists of an elongated hub 20 and a plurality of blades 2|. The hub is provided with a pyramidal front end 22 and has a longitudinal or axial socket 23 in its rear end. 'I'he projecting end of the armature shaft I5 ts within this socket and is attached or connected to the hub of the fan wheel by means of a set screw 24 which extends through a transverse hole in the rear end of the hub and is provided with a kerf v 25 at its outer end whereby it may be turned by way of a screw driver or similar turning tool. The blades 2| are formed integrally with and project radially from the front end of the hub 20. They are angularly disposed or arranged and embody suction faces 2| at one side thereof and pressure faces 2|b at their other side. The fan Wheel is preferably like that which is shown in and forms the subject matter of United States Letters Patent No. 1,933,948, granted to me November '7, 1933, and Whenit is driven as the result of operation of the electric motor 1 the suction faces 2| thereof operate to draw inwardly the air surrounding the motor and to deliver such air `into the path of the pressure faces 2|b and the latter project or propel the air forwardly.

The hollow guard 9 serves to prevent objects from being brought at random into contact or engagement with the blades of the fan wheel. It is fabricated or formed from pieces of Wire, as shown in the drawings, and comprises a main or centrally disposed ring 26, three front rings 21, a pair of back rin'gs 28, and a clamping ring 29. The main ring 26 is slightly greater in diameter than the fan wheel 8 and is disposed in encircling spond in diameter to the outer and intermediate front rings and are concentrically arranged and slightly axially offset. They serve as guards or protectorsr for the suction faces 2|a of the blades 2| of the fan wheel and are secured in place by means of wire connecting pieces 3| which extend between and are welded to the back rings and also the main ring 26. The clamping ring 29 is of the split variety and is connected to the back rings 28 of the guard by Way of wire L-shaped connecting pieces 32. It encircles the front end of the casing of the electric motor 'I and is securedin clamped relation with respect to the motor casing by way of a bolt 33 which extends through the ends of the ring 29. 'I'he L-shaped connecting pieces 32 are welded to the clamping ring and extend substantially radially therefrom. 'I'hey outer ends of the pieces 32 are arranged in interwoven relation with the back rings 28 and are welded to the latter in such manner that the clamping ring 29 is concentrically positioned with respect to such rings. The clamping ring 29 constitutes means whereby the electric' motor 1 is carried by the wire formed guard 9. In order to assist the radially extending connecting pieces 3|) and 3| in holding the rings in concentric relation the guard is provided with a pair of diametric pieces 34 of wire. These pieces extend across the front of the guard and have the central portions thereof welded to the front rings 21. The ends of the diametric pieces 34 contact with and are welded to the main ring 26. The inner back ring 28 is of such size and the L-shaped connecting pieces 32 are so arranged that in assembling the circulator the fan wheel 8 may be passed or manipulated through the inner back ring into the space within the guard. After manipulating the fan wheel in this manner, the motor 'I is inserted into the clamping ring 29 and the projecting end of the armature shaft is fixed to the hub of the fan wheel by inserting it into the socket 23 and then tightening the set screw 24.

The bracket I0 serves to support the assembly of motor, fan Wheel and guard so that it is adjustable universally. It permits said assembly to be placed on the floor or a table or like support or hung against a wall or panel and consists of a base 35 and a U-shaped member 36. The base is preferably in the form of a metal stamping and comprises a circular top 31 and a depending annular side wall 38. 'I'he top together with the side wall denes a compartment 39 and has a radially extending slot 48 therein whereby the base may be mounted on a hook, nail, or like supporting medium when it is desired to hang or suspend the circulator against a wall or panel. U-shaped member 36 consists of an inner senilcircular section 36B and an outer semicircular section 36b and is arranged so that the central portion thereof is centrally disposed with respect to the top 31 of the bracket base 35. The inner section 36 of the U-shaped member nts against and is welded or otherwise secured to the outer section 36h. The central portion of the U- shaped member 36 rests on a disk 4I and is fixedly secured tothe latter by means of a polygonal pin 42. The disk 4| is rotatably mounted in a cylindrical socket 43 in the central portion of the top 31 of the base of the bracket and forms a pivotal connection between the central portion of the U- shaped member 36 and the base whereby the U- shaped member together with the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard is permitted to rotate throughout 360 about an axis at right angles to the base. The socket 43 is preferably formed by depressing the central portion of the base top '31. The pin 42 extends through registering ror aligned polygonal holes 44. 45 and 46, which are The.

formed in the central portions of theinner scction 3Iil and the outer section 36b and the disk 4I respectively. The upper end of the pin embodies an enlarged head 41 and' the lower end of the pin has a reduced externally threaded stein 4B. The latter extends through a hole 49 in the center of the top 31 of the base 35 and projects into the compartment 39 and is provided with a nut 50. A compression spring 5I surroundsv the stem 48 and extends 'between the` nut 5I) and a Washer 52. This spring operates through the medium of the nut 50 and the pin d2 to bring the central portion of the U-shaped member 36 in contact with the disk 4I and also to force the disk into irictional engagement with the socket forming portion of the base top 31 in order to retain the latter together with the U-shaped member 36 and the assembly of motor, fanwheel and guard in place after rotative adjustment about the axis of the cylindrical socket 43. The washer 52 bears against the inner face of the socket forming portion of the base top 31 and the nut 50 on the end to the outer blocks.

of the stem within the compartment 31 is pinned.,

comprise outer -blocks 54 and inner blocks 55.

'I'he outer blocks, as shown' in Figure 5 of the drawings, are disk-like in design and fit against and are pinned or otherwise iixedly secured to the inner faces of the upper ends of the inner sections 36a of the U-shaped member 33 of the bracket. They are `formed of insulatingmaterial and iit within the outer ends of cylindrical sockets 56 in the outer ends of the blocks 55 with the result that the inner blocks are rotatable relatively of any suitable metal and have V-shaped notches 51 in the inner ends thereof in which the adjacent portions of the main ring 25 of the wire formed guard vil .rit and are welded. The guard is arranged so that the diametric pieces I4 thereof extend between the blocks 55, and the ends of the pieces 34 fit within thenotches 51, as shown in Figure 5, and are welded to the walls of the blocks 55 which deiine the notches. The inner blocks 55 of the pivotal connections 53 embody outwardly extending centrally disposed integral reduced' stems 58. These stemsproject axially through the cylindrical sockets 56 andtheir outer ends extend throughl aligned holes 59 in thefextremities of the inner and outer sections 435'* and- 36" `of the U-shaped member 36jand have externally threaded extremities 60 on which nuts 6| are mounted. These nutsbear against the outer faces of the extremities or end parts of the outer sections 36b of the U-shaped member 35 and when tightened draw the inner blocks 55 toward the outer blocks 54 and operate either to retard tilting of the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard or to lock the assembly in place. When it is desired to tilt the assembly so as to change the direction in which the stream of air emanating fromthe fan wheel is projected it is only necessary to loosen the nuts 6I and tilt the assembly into the desired position. By reason of the piv- The blocks 55 are formed otal connection between the central portion of the U-shaped member 36 and the base 35 of the bracket and the pivotal connections 53 between the end parts or extremities of the U-shaped member 36 and the main rin'g 26 of the wire formed guard 9 the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard may be adjusted universally and hence it is possible when the base I0 of the bracket is ixed in place to direct the stream of air emanating from the fan wheel in any direction.

From the above described construction and arrangement of parts it will be apparent that when l the nuts 6I remain untightened the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard will be freely suspended in a vertical plane with the Amotor a't the lowermost position due to the fact that the plane of suspension passing through the pivotal l connections 53 lies on the side of the center of mass of the assembly adjacent the fan wheel. Figures 2 and 3 are illustrative of the position assumed by the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard when freely suspended by the pivotal connections. If the base 35 of the bracket I0 is mounted on a table or floor the pivotal connection between the central portion ofthe U-shaped member 36 and the base permits the assembly to be rotated throughout 360 about a vertical axis and the pivotal connections 53 permit the assembly to be tilted vertically throughout 360 about a horizontal axis at right angles to the aforementioned vertical axis. If the base 35 of the bracket is mounted against a wall or panel the pivotal connection between the central portion of the U-shaped member 36 and the bracket base 35 permits the assembly to be rotated throughout 360 about a horizontal axis and the pivotal connection 53 between the end parts or 4 extremities oi the U-shaped member 36' and the guard permit the assembly to be tilted throughout 360 about an axis at right angles to the aforesaid horizontal axis. Regardless of whether the base 35 of the bracket is horizontally or vertically positioned the assembly may merely by rotation or tilting thereof be adjusted in order to cause the i'an Wheel to project its stream in any desired direction. By reason of the fact that the wire formed guard 9 supports or carries the electric motor 1 and in' turn is supported by the bracket I0 vibration resulting from operation of the motor is absorbed by the guard and hence is not transmitted to the bracket. In addition the air clrc'ulatorl design or construction as a whole is simplified and occupies but a small amount o f space in proportion to its capacity.

The conductors I3and I4 for supplying current to the electric motor 1 are arranged so they do not impair in anyway universal movement of the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard with respect to the bracket I0. The sections IilD and `I4h of the two conductors extend through a hole 62 in the depending annular side Wall 38 of the bracket base 35 and into the compartment I9.

vThese ducts lead from the holes 44 and 45 in the central portions of said sections 36HL and 38b and terminate adjacent to the `holes 59. From the ducts 65 the conductor sections i3b and I4b extend inwards through aligned holes in the end parts of the inner section 36a of the U-shaped section 36 and the outer blocks 54 of the pivotal connections 53 and are soldered or otherwise fixedly attached to washers 66 of any suitable conducting material in the sockets 56. These Washers fit in annular grooves 61 in the blocks 54 and are pinned or otherwise secured against rotation or turning relatively to said blocks 54. As shown in Figure 5, the washers 66 are spaced from the stems 58 and the surrounding portions of the inner blocks 55 and bear against washers 68. The latter are formed of conducting material such as brass and t within annular grooves 69 in pieces 10 of insulating material. The pieces 'l0 are confined against rotation in the inner ends of the sockets 56 and serve to insulate the washers 68 from the inner blocks 55 of the pivotal connections 53. The conductor sections |33 and Illa are connected to the washers 68 and lead through holes 'il in the inner blocks 55 of the pivotal connections 53 and thence across the back portion of the wire formed guard 9 and into the motor casing 1 where they are attached to the eld windings of the motor, as hereinbefore described. The sections of the two conductors are wrapped with suitable insulating material so that they are protected from contact with the metal parts of the air circulator with the exception of the washers 66 and 68. The latter by reason of the fact that they bear against one another and are associated with and held against rotation with respect to the outer blocks 54 and the inner blocks 55 respectively, form sliding contacts between the contiguous ends of the conductor sections i3b and I4b and the conductor sections IllV and I4 whereby the two sets of conductor sections maintain electrical contact between one another regardless of the tilting of the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard.

The herein described air circulator may be produced at a comparatively low cost due to the construction and arrangement of its parts. Itis not only adapted for general use because of the fact that its fan wheel may be shifted universally into any desired position but also issubstantially noiselessby reason of the fact that the wire formed guard 9 absorbs all vibration from the motor.;

The invention' is not to be understood asrestricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow guard, a. fan wheel within the guard, an electric motor attached to and supported by the rear part of the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, and a bracket adapted to support the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard for universal adjustment, said bracket comprising a base and a U-shaped member having the central portion thereof pivotally connected to said base and its end portionsextending around the guard and pivotally connected to diametrically oppo-- site side portions of the guard on an axis at substantially right angles with said pivotal connection between the base and central portion of the U-shaped member.

`2. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow guard, a fan wheel within the guard, an electric motor attached to and supported by the rear part of the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, and a supporting bracket including a base and a U-shaped member having the end portions thereof extending around the guard and pivotally connected to diametrically opposite side portions of the latter so that the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard is free to tilt, and having'the central portion of said supporting bracket pivotally connected to the base so that the supporting bracket together with said assembly is bodily rotatable about an axis at substantially right angles to the tilting axis.

. 3. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow guard, a fan wheel within the guard, an electric motor attached to and supported by the rear part of the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, and a supporting bracket including a U-shaped member extending around the guard, and pivotal connections between the side portions of the guard and the end parts of said U-shaped member of such a character that the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard may be titled into different angular positions and including innerv blocks with notches the-rein in which` said side portions of the guard fit and are seated.

4. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow wire formed guard having a diametric reinforcing piece extending across its front and terminating at the side portions thereof, a. fan Wheel within the guard, an electric motor attached to and supported by the rear part of the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, and a supporting bracket including a member extending around the guard and pivotal connections between the side portions of the guard and the adjacent portions of the member of such a character that the assembly of motor, fan Wheel and guard may be tilted into different angular positions and including inner blocks with notches therein in which said side portions of the guard and the ends of the reinforcing piece t.

5. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow circular wire formed guard embodying at the back thereof a clamping member of the split ring type and having a diametric reinforcing piece extending across its front and terminating at the side portions thereof, an electric motor mounted in and held in place by the clamping member and connected to drive the fan wheel, and a supporting bracket including a U- shaped member extending around the guard. and pivotal connections between the end parts of said U-shaped member and the side portions of the guard of such a character that the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard may be tilted into different angular positions and including inner blocks with notches therein in which said side portions of the guards and the ends of the reinforcing piece fit and are seated.

6. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow guard, a fan wheel within the guard, an

electric motor attached to and supported by the rear part of the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, a suppo. ting bracket including a member extending around the guard and pivotal connections between the sides of the guard and the adjacent portions of the member so constructed and arranged that the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard may be tilted into different angular positions, and a pair of conductors for supplying current to the motor extending inwardly through the pivotal connections and thence along the back of the guard and to the motor.

7. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow guard,'a fan wheel within the guard, an electric motor attached to and supported by the rear part of the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, a supporting bracket including a U-shaped member extending around the guard and pivotal connections between the end parts of the U-shaped member and diametrically opposite side portions of the guard of such a character that the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard may be tilted into dilerent angular positions, and a pair of conductors for supplying current to the motor extending in opposite directions from the central portion of the U-shaped member along the end parts and thence across the pivotal connections and the back part of the guard to the motor.

8. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow guard, a fan wheel within the guard, an electric motor attached to and supported by the rear part of the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, a supporting bracket including a U-shaped member extending around the guard and pivotal connections between the end parts of the U-shaped member and diametrically oppo-` site side portions of the guard of such a character that the assembly-of motor, fan wheel and guard may be tilted into different angular positions, and means for supplying current to the motor including a conductor consisting of a section extending longitudinally along one of the end parts of the U-shaped member and terminating adjacent to the pivotal-connection between said one end part and the contiguous side portion of the guard and a second section extending from said last-mentioned pivotal connection across the rear part of the guard to the motor, and a pair of rotary contacts associated with the relatively rotatable parts of said last-mentioned pivotal connections respectively and applied respectively to the contiguous ends of the two sections.

9. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow guard, a fan wheel within the guard, an electric motor attached to and supported by the rear part of the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, and a bracket adapted to support the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard for universal adjustment and including a base and a U-shaped member having the central portion thereof pivotally connected to the base and its end portions extending around the guard and provided with pivotal connections between them and the side portions of said guard, a pair of conductors for supplying current to the motor extending through the pivotal connection between the central portion of the U-shaped member and the base and thence in opposite directions along the end parts of said U-shaped member and then through said pivotal connections and across the rear part of the guard to the motor. v

10. An air circulator comprising in combinationa hollow guard, a fan wheel within the guard, an electric motor supported by the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, and a substantially U-shaped bracket for supporting the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard so that it is rotatable throughout 360 about one axis and is also rotatable throughout 360 about an axis at substantially right angles with said one axis.

11. An air circulator comprising in combina- 'tical axis and is also rotatable throughout 360o on a horizontal axis in the same plane as the vertical axis.

12. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow guard, a fan wheel within the guard, an electric motor attached to and secured by the rear part of the guard and connected to -drive the fan wheel, a supporting bracket comprising a base and a U-shaped member having the end portions thereof extending around the guard, a b

pivotal connection between said base and central portion of the U-shaped member having an axis substantially vertical with respect to said base, pivotal connections between said end portions of the U-shaped member and diametrically opposite portions of said guard having axes lying in a plane at substantially right angles with the axis of said first-mentioned pivotal connection.

13. An air circulator comprising in combination a hollow wire formed guard, a fan wheel within the guard, an electric motor attached to and supported by the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, a substantially U-shaped member extendingfpartially around the guard, pivotal connections between the end portions of said member and diametrically opposite side portions of the guard whereby the assembly of motor, fan wheel and guard may be tilted into different angular positions about said pivotal connections and means for supporting the U-shaped member adjacent the central portion of said member.

14.V An air circulator comprising the assembly of a hollow guard, a fan wheel Within the guard, and an electric motor secured to the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, with a supporting bracket comprising a substantially U-shaped bracket, means supporting said bracket adjacent the central portion thereof, and pivotal supporting means adjacent the end portions of said bracket for supporting said assembly on an axis adjacent the fan wheel which axis is removed from the center of mass of the assembly whereby the free suspension of the assembly will be in a vertical plane with the motor at the lowermost position.

15. An air circulator comprising the assembly of a hollow wire guard, a fan wheel within the guard and an electric motor supported by the guard and connected to drive the fan wheel, with a supporting bracket comprising a substantially U-shaped bracket extending around the guard, means supporting said bracket adjacent the central portion thereof, and pivotal connections between the end portions of said bracket and diametrically opposite side portions of the guard for resiliently supporting said assembly on an axis adjacent thev fan wheel which axis is removed from the center of mass of the assembly whereby the free suspension of the assembly will be in a vertical plane with the motor at the lowermost position.

` MAX WEBER.