US2541251A - Portable electric fan - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 13, 1951 F. HONERKAMP ET AL PORTABLE ELECTRIC FAN Filed April 29, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS mdrllch lflwwi'karnp, Le01wcLR.Ph1ZLip-s,

finale/WE Feb. 13, 1951 F. HONERKAMP ET'AL PORTABLE ELECTRIC FAN 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 29, 1948 //Vl/ Y7'O 86 iedfzbhHonerk Leonard R.Phi

Feb. 13, 1951 HQNERKAWB ETAL 2,541,251

PORTABLE ELECTRIC FAN Filed April 29, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE ELECTRIC FAN Friedrich Honerkamp, Woodside, N. Y&, and Leone ard It. Phillips, Teaneck, N. J assignors, to. Anemostat Corporation of America, New York,, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application April'29, 1948, SerialNo; 23,928

4 Claims.

This invention relates to; portable electric fans, and has for one of its objects to provide a portable electric fan which is of distinctive, attractive appearance and in which moving parts such as the motor and the fan blades are concealed from view.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable electric fan including an air circulating unit and a combined support and handle therefor combined therewith in a novel manner.

Another object or" the invention is to provide a portable electric fan including an a r circulating unit and a casing therefor combined therewith in a novel manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable electric fan including novelnieans for supplying to the air circulated by the same a vapor for air scenting, deodorizing or other purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable electric fan including means for filtering, heating and subjecting to the action of a germicidal lamp the air circulated by the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable electric lamp in which the means mentioned are assembled in a practical, compact manner and in which the various different elements comprising the complete fan assembly are designed to facilitate their manufacture and assembly.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in a portable electric fanem bodying the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as are illus trated by way of example in the accompanying drawings and as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different Views:

Fig. 1 is a central, longitudinal section through a portable electric fan constructed in-accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in top plan and partly in horizontal section of the fan.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig; 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the lined-4 of-rFig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the fan.

Referring to the drawings in detail, it will be observed that the present fan comprises, gene erally speaking, an air circulating unit, desig 2 nated generally as'A,'; and a support therefor, designated generally, as B;

While the unit A may be of any suitable, type, it preferably is of the axial flow type comprising a motor housing I0; an open-ended annular member II surrounding said motor housing and connected thereto by airflow directing vanes ii; an electric motor l3 mounted in said motor housing, and blades l4 driven by said motor for circulating air forwardly through said annular member H. V

In accordance with the invention an openended tubular member, I5 ofv sheet, metal or, other suitable materialis suitably secured at itsfront end to the rear end of the'annular member lland extends rearwardly from the latter inaxial alinement. therewith constituting, ineffect, a

rearward extension of said annular member H In the tubularmember i5 is suitably mounted an electrical heating element Iii-10f any suitable type for:v heating air, flowing-through said tubue larmember. Also suitably mounted in said tubular member l5-is a bracket I! which carries abase It for a germicidal lamp 19 which, when energized, is effective todestroy harmful germs which may be contained in air flowing through. said tubular member. A, starter 20 and a ballast; element 21 for said lamp I9 also are carriedbythe bracket I .1.

Enclosing the unit A and the tubular member l5 is a casing 22 which is composed of sepa-- rate front and rear portionsr23-and 24, respectively, the front end portion of the former of which is inturned and engaged over the, front,

sembled in enclosing relationship to the unit A and the tubular member l5;

In the casing 22, preferably at the bottom thereof, is mounted a switch 26 for controlling the motor l3 and the heating element It, and a switch 2'! for controlling the germicidal lamp l9.

The casing 22 is open at its front and rear,

ends, and 1 at its front-end carries a plurality of.

In any event, due, to the casing 22 beingdivided into front and rear sections, the same may be produced readily and, easily and may equally, readily and easily be as-- open-ended, hollow, flaring, annular members 28 which are spaced apart to provide a plurality of flaring air passageways a therebetween. Air circulated by the unit A is delivered from the device through the passageways a in a plurality of separate flaring streams whereby it is diffused and creates little or no sensation of draft.

M At the rear end of the casing 22 is a louver unit 29 which is composed of a plurality of openended annular members 30 which are spaced from the casing 22 and from each other to provide a plurality of annular passageways b for inlet of air to the fan. The members 30 are joined together in a unitary assembly by a plurality of arms 31 which extend into the rear portion of the casing 22 and are detachably connected thereto by screws 32 or by any other suitable means. Thus, said louver unit may readily be attached to and detached from said casing In the louver unit 29 is mounted suitable means 33 to filter air entering the rear end of the casing 22 through the passageways b in said louverunit, said means comprising, for example, a layer of spun glass fibres or other suitable material suitably mounted upon a screen 3 1 or other foraminous member which may be suitably mounted as, ior example, upon the arms 3|.

Constituting part of the louver unit 29 and disposed centrally thereof is a container 35 for a vaporizable material for air scenting, air deodorizing or any other desired purpose. In the container may be a body of absorbent material 35 to be saturated by the vaporizable material in the event the latter is of liquid form. However, the said vaporizable material may be of solid, granular or other form, in which event the absorbent material 35 is unnecessary.

The container 36 includes outer and inner walls 37 and 38, respectively, having therein openings 39 and 40, respectively, for circulation of air through said container. To regulate flow of air through said openings and hence through said container, a valve member 4| is disposed against the outer face or" the outer wall 31 and is rotatable to cover and uncover the openings 39 in said outer wall. A stem 42 extends inwardly from said valve member through the container 35 and through an arm $3 of the bracket ii and inwardly of said bracket arm is provided with a nut 44 or other suitable abutment between which and said bracket arm is interposed an expansion spring 45. Thus, the valve member il'is mounted for rotation and the spring 45, reacting from the bracket arm 43 through the nut 44 and the stem 52, holds said valve member tightly against the outer face of the outer wall of the container 35. ihe valve member 3| is removably mounted upon the stem 22 to permit ready removal of the louver unit 29 whenever desired.

The support B is formed from rod or rod-like material and is of novel, endless form. It comprises a horizontal base portion composed of a pair of laterally spaced apart arms 36 joined together at their rear ends by a curved, transversely extending arm .41, and an upright portion composed of a pair oi laterally spaced apart arms 48 constituting upward continuations of the arms 48 and joined together at their upper ends by a curved, transversely extending arm 49.

The fan proper comprising the air circulating unit A, the casing 22 and the elements contained in and carried by the latter, is disposed between and is mounted upon the arms 48 for tilting adjustments in a vertical plane by means of a pair of pivot members 50 which extend from said arms through the sides of the casing and are suitably connected to the annular member II. Said pivot members may, for example, be in the form of bolts extending through the arms 18 and threaded into the annular member H, and between said arms and the casing 22 may be interposed suitable friction washers 5! to be placed in compression by tightening of said bolts to hold the fan proper in any desired position of tilted adjustment relative to the support B.

The support B may be formed from a single length of rod, tubing or the like or it may be composed of two or more sections of the same or different materials. For example, the base portion thereof, including the arms 28 upward- 1y short distances above the pivot members 50, may be formed from metal tubing, and the top portion thereof, including the upper portions of the arms 48 and their connecting portion 49, may be formed from plastic rod to enhance the attractive appearance of the fan. In any event,

the connecting portion 4!; extends over the fan proper and constitutes a handle for use in placing the fan in any desired position.

The switch 25 is of a known type such that the heating unit 16 may or may not be energized when the air circulating unit A is energized. Thus, the air circulated by the fan may or may not be heated, as desired. Likewise, the lamp [9 may or may not be energized as desired during operation of the air circulating unit A.

When the air circulating unit 'A is in operation, air is drawn from the space in the rear of the fan through the louver passageways b into the casing 22, flows forwardly through said casing and the tubular and the annular members l5 and l i and is discharged through the flaring pas sageways (1, whereby it is diifused. In entering the casing 22 the air passes through the filtering element 33 and thereby is cleaned, and as it flows through said casing it may or may not be subjected to the action of the germicidal lamp l9, as desired. Moreover, the valve 4! may be adjusted to permit some of the air to flow through the container 35 to entrain vapor from the material contained in said container for air scenting, deodorizing or any other desired purpose.

As will be apparent, the present fan is of attractive appearance and all operating parts thereof are effectively housed and concealed from view.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that the construction and operation of the present fan will be clearly understood and its advantages appreciated. It is desired to point out, however, that while only a single structural embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, the same is readily capable of specifically difierent structural embodiments within its spirit and scope as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

I. A portable electric fan comprising a casing open at its rear end for inlet of air thereto and open at its front end for outlet of air therefrom, means within said casing for circulating air therethrough, a louver unit at the rear end of said casing comprising a plurality of annular spaced apart members and a plurality of arms connecting them together, and detachable connections between said arms and said casing, said louver unit including a container for a vaporiZ- able material provided with openings to permit flow therethrough of part of the air circulated through said casing, and valve means for regulating flow of air through said container and for thereby regulating the amount of vapor entrained by the air circulated through said casing.

2. A portable electric fan comprising an openended annular member, a motor mounted in said member, an open-ended tubular member mounted upon said annular member and extending rearwardly therefrom in axial alinement therewith, a casing surrounding said annular member and said tubular, member, blades driven by said motor for circulating air through said casing and said tubular member and said annular member, a bracket mounted in said tubular member, a container for a vaporizable material mounted upon the rear end of said casing and including rear and front walls having openings therein for flow therethrough of part of the air circulated by said blades, a valve disposed against the rear face of the rear wall of said container and movable to cover and uncover the openings therein to regulate the amount of air which flows through said container, a rod extending from said valve through said container and a portion of said bracket, and spring means cooperating with said rod and said bracket to hold said valve against the rear wall of said container.

3. A portable electric fan comprising an openended casing structure, a fan mounted in said casing structure for circulating air therethrough, a louver unit at the rear end of said casing structure through which air flows into said casing structure, said unit including a container for a vaporizable material having a wall provided with openings for flow of part of the fan-circulated Sit) air through said container, a valve disposed against said wall and rotatably adjustable to regulate flow of air through said openings, and spring means holding said valve against said wall.

4. A portable electric fan comprising an openended casing tructure, a fan mounted in said casing structure for circulating air therethrough, a container for a vaporizable material mounted upon said casing structure and including a wall having therein openings for flow of part of the fan-circulated air through said container, a valve disposed against said wall and movable to regulate flow of air through said container, a bracket in said casing structure, a rod extending from said valve through said bracket, and spring mean cooperating with said rod and said bracket to hold said valve against said wall.

FRIEDRICH HONERKAMP. LEONARD R. PHILLIPS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,170,526 Gaither Feb. 8, 1916 1,706,846 Fisher Mar. 26, 1929 1,840,918 Seale Jan 12, 1932 1,346,233 Van Daam Feb. 23, 1932 1,967,757 Losee July 24, 1934 2,015,251 Browning Sept. 24, 1935 2,050,333 Jordan -1 Aug. 11, 1936 2,054,200 Langford Sept. 15, 1936 2,149,689 Smith et a1. Mar. 7, 1939 2,303,447 Fay et a1 Dec. 1, 1942 2,415,621 Arnhym Feb. 11, 1947

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