This invention relates to ventilation exhaust fans, and in particular to apparatus, systems and methods of 50 CFM ventilation exhaust fans for bathrooms with lens covers and flaps/ears that allow the housings to mount directly to joists in a ceiling or wall.
Various types of bathroom ventilation fans have been proposed over the years. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,640 to Penlesky et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,851 to Sarnosky et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,175 to Larson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,579 to Larson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,770 to Larson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,203,416 to Craw et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,654,495 to Adrian et al.
There have been many problems with the prior art. For example, many bath fans are difficult to be installed into a ceiling since the housings cannot be easily attached to different locations of joists in the ceiling. If a joist is off center to the middle of bathroom ceiling the bath fan is not easy to center in the room. Additionally, many of the bath fans have numerous parts which add extra manufacturing costs. And as a result a bath fan that requires assembly of the bath fan at a job site will incur undesirable extra labor and material costs to install. Additionally, many bath fans have to be wired to components inside of the housings which also requires extra expensive labor costs to make the connections onside during the installation of the bath fan.
Thus, the need exists for solutions to the above problems with the prior art.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide exhaust fans, apparatus, systems and methods for use in bathrooms having flaps/ears on the housings and blowers that provides 50 (fifty) CFM (cubic feet of air per minute) of airflow.
A secondary objective of the present invention is to provide exhaust fans, apparatus, systems and methods for use in bathrooms, having lights where air flow does not pass into the light box so that moisture will not affect internal electrical components.
A third objective of the present invention is to provide exhaust fans, apparatus, systems and methods for use in bathrooms, where a motor and blower are mounted to a mounting plate, in order to allow for easy removal of the motor and blower for replacing parts and checking wires.
A fourth objective of the present invention is to provide exhaust fans, apparatus, systems and methods for use in bathrooms, where a motor and blower and mateable electrical connectors for the motor and a light are mounted to a mounting plate, in order to allow for easy removal of the motor and blower for replacing parts and checking wires.
A fifth objective of the present invention is to provide exhaust fans, apparatus, systems and methods for use in bathrooms, wherein electrical connections are inside of the box and not exposed to air and moisture outside of the box.
An exhaust fan embodiment can include a housing having closed side walls, an open top and open bottom, a blower wheel inside of the housing, a motor for running the blower wheel, a grill cover having vents for allowing air to be pulled into the housing by the blower wheel, a lens cover in the grill cover for covering a light source under the grill cover that is mounted in a light box, wherein the motor powered blower pulls air through the vents of the grill around the light box and not into the light box, in order to be exhausted from the housing.
The motor can be a 50 (fifty) CFM (cubic feet per minute) generating motor.
The housing can include external flaps attached to an exterior of the housing for mounting the housings directly to structural supports within a ceiling. The external flaps can include keyhole slots for allowing the housings to be flush mounted to the structural supports by fasteners being inserted into and locked with the keyhole slots. The flaps can include a base plate fastened to an external side corner of the housing, and flap plate attached at an angle to the base plate, the flap plate having a fastening opening for mounting the housing to a joist. The flaps can also have a hinge for allowing the flap plate to swing relative to the base plate.
The housing can include a removable mounting plate having the motor and the blower wheel pre-attached thereto, wherein the mounting plate with the motor and blower wheel are removable as a single piece from the inside of the housing. The removable mounting plate can include a central opening for extending the motor down therethrough. The mounting plate can include a bracket for attaching mateable electrical connectors for the light source and the motor, to the removable mounting plate.
The fan can also include a curved plate member to airflow and minimizes excess noise from air being moved from the blower wheel.
The lens cover can include a depressible and releaseable fastener for allowing the lens cover to be latched onto the grill cover by depressing a portion of the lens cover, and for allowing the lens cover to be removed by depressing the portion of the lens cover.
A ceiling mounted exhaust fan, can include a housing having closed side walls, an open top and open bottom, a motor attached to an impeller, and a mount plate member with an opening therethrough, the plate member having edge portions mounted inside of the housing so that the motor when mounted to the plate member allows for the motor to extend through the opening in the mount member, wherein the mount with mounted motor and attached impeller are removable as a single unit from the housing.
The motor can be a 50 (fifty) CFM (cubic feet per minute) generating motor.
The fan can include a bracket for attaching mateable electrical connectors for the light source and the motor, to the removable mounting plate
The fan housing can include a sealed light box, a light source mounted in the light box, and a removable lens cover overlaying the light source.
The housing can include external flaps attached to an exterior of the housing for mounting the housings directly to structural members inside of a ceiling. The flaps can include a base plate fastened to an external side corner of the housing, and a flap plate attached at an angle to the base plate, the flap plate having a fastening opening for mounting the housing to a joist.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiments which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings.
Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applications to the details of the particular arrangements shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments. Also, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.
50 CFM Bath Exhaust Fans with Flaps/Ears.
A list of the components for
Referring to
A curved metal type wind deflector 110, can be mounted by fasteners, such as but not limited to rivets, screws, and the like, to either or both the floor and/or interior sidewall(s) inside of the housing 120. The curved deflector 110, such as a curved metal plate, can direct air from the rotating blower 100 to be directed toward the outlet 160. The curved plate 110 can be used to both guide the airflow and minimizes excess noise.
The motor 90 that can be used in these bath fans can be an electrical motor that can rotate and generate air at 50 CFM. The electrical motor 90 can have a rotating axle portion 95 having an end that fits into a central portion 105 of a blower wheel (impeller) 100. The impeller 100 can have a disc shaped base 105 with blades perpendicular to and extending outward from a midportion therefrom in a cylindrical configuration.
The motor 90 with attached impeller 100 can be mounted into a central opening 85 of a metal type mounting plate 80, by flange edges 94 on the sides the motor 90 that attach to inwardly protruding flanges 84 on the mounting plate 80 using fasteners, such as but not limited to screws and bolts. Together, the motor 90 and impeller 100 are attached to the mounting plate 80 by the flanges 84 and 94 that can be easily attached and detached from one another by the removable fasteners (screws, bolts, and the like). Antivibration and anti-noise members, such as but not limited to rubber pads, and the like, can be sandwiched between the mounting flanges 84, 94.
When attached the impeller 100 with motor 90 can extend through the middle opening 85 of the mounting plate 80. The mounting plate 80 can have bent side edges 82 which allow the mounting plate 80 with mounted motor 90 and impeller 100 to be attached to interior sidewalls of the housing 120 by various removable type fasteners, such as screws and bolts, and the like. The bent edges 82 can also sit on plural ledge clip(s) 121 arranged about an interior perimeter edge inside of the housing 120.
In a preferred embodiment, the impeller 100 and motor 90 are preattached to the mounting plate 80 so that all of these components can be installed at once, and removed at once. The combined one piece motor/impeller/mount assembly allows inspectors, such as home inspectors, and the like, to be able to more easily attach and visually inspect electrical connections (130, 140, 150) by being able to insert and remove this one-piece assembly of components. Additionally, removing the combined plate 80 mounted motor 90 and impeller 100 allows for replacement of parts, such as a burned out motor to be more easily accomplished after the fan has been installed.
Additionally, the outer bent ends 52, 58 of the springs 50 can be located between the motor 90 and the perimeter of the opening 85, so that the expanding outer ends 52, 58 catch about the lip edge of the opening 85 in the mounting plate 80. The springs (spring clips) 50 can have an apex portion 55 that attach to inwardly protruding members 29 on the inside walls of the grill cover 20, so that the springs 50 attach the grill cover 20 to the housing 120.
The pair of spring clips 50 can springably hold the grill cover 20 to cover the top opening 125 of the blower housing 120. The pair of grill clips 50 can each be scissor clips each having an apex 55 that can attach to an inner protruding portion 29 (
Referring to
Light power line 182 and motor power line 92 connect to respective male plugs 130 which are mateably attached to female plugs 150, where the male and female connectors 130, 150 can be mounted inside of the housing 120 by a plug plate 140. The plug plate 140 can be attached to an opening in the motor plate 80 by fasteners, such as rivets, screws, bolts, and the like. As previously described, the combined one piece motor/impeller/mount assembly (mounted to plate 80) allows inspectors, such as home inspectors, and the like, to be able to more easily attach and visually inspect electrical connections (130, 140, 150) by being able to insert and remove this one-piece assembly of components.
The wire buckle fixed plate 70, shown in
The grill cover 20 can include grill vents 22, 28 on both sides of a central opening 25 with the light box 40 is beneath, and in which a lens cover 10 covers the opening 25.
The lens cover 10 with prong 400 and receptical 300 can be similar to the lens cover having prong and receptical used in the assignees copending application Ser. No. 13/269,171 filed Oct. 7, 2011, by the same inventor and assignee, which is incorporated by reference. This lens cover 10 can also include depressibly releaseable fasteners that include a male prong member 400 having a shaft 410 and an enlarged head 420 that fasten into a receptical 300 as in the co-pending application.
The lens cover can include an outwardly protruding hinge end 18, and an opposite push down end 12 having the downwardly extending male prong 400 (depressible fastener). The lens cover 20 can include sidewalls 14, 16 with a top translucent surface 15 that allows light to pass therethrough. The hinge end 18 of the lens cover 10 can insert into and pivot relative to the hinge slot 26 in an end portion of the central opening 25 of the grill cover 20.
Referring to
Once a fastener is screwed tight the outer leg side with the ears can be flush against the joist, J and will not move. The ear flaps allow for flush mounting the bath fans 1 to the joists in less steps and using less parts than other types of mount members such as telescoping members, and the like. The flap ears can be rigid L shaped members. Alternatively, the flap ears can have a hinge between the housing mount leg, and the perpendicular extending ear leg portion, so that the flap ears are more versatile when mounting the housing inside of the ceiling.
Although the invention uses a light cover and light, the invention can be practiced without a light cover and light.
While the preferred embodiment describes a 50 CFM fan, the invention can be practiced with a 60 CFM, 70 CFM, and 90 CFM motor and the like.
Although the preferred embodiments describe the housings to be attached directly to joists in ceilings, the invention can apply to attaching the housings to structural members in walls, and other structural members behind ceilings and/or walls.
While the invention has been described, disclosed, illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice, the scope of the invention is not intended to be, nor should it be deemed to be, limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended.
This invention is a Continuation-In-Part to U.S. Design patent application Ser. No. 29/401,838 filed Sep. 16, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. Des. 678,497, which is incorporated by reference in its' entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 29401838 | Sep 2011 | US |
Child | 13289312 | US |