This relates to the field of Ceiling Mounted Fans used to circulate air to provide convective cooling of the occupants of a space and to provide better temperature distribution during heating season and to a lesser extent, the general field of heating, ventilating and air conditioning.
The common bladed ceiling fan was invented in 1887 by Philip Diehl. Over the years, many improvements in function were made and there have been many variations in style, but the general form of a motor suspended from the ceiling, directly or at the end of a post, driving a plurality of pitched blades commonly referred to as paddles has remained the same.
For a discussion of existing ceiling fans of this type see, for example, Pearce, U.S. Design Patent 297,456 issued Aug. 30, 1988; Gajewski, U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,626 B2, issued Jan. 27, 2009; Wing Hang Chan, U.S. Design Patent D680,210 S.
Before the advent of mechanical air conditioning, ceiling fans were common in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, but they lost popularity with the increased penetration of central air conditioning.
Recently residential ceiling fans have experienced a resurgence, with many new homes often being equipped with multiple fans. The popularity or even necessity of ceiling fans has grown steadily with the cost of air conditioning and heating. Some concerns or drawbacks persist however. For example, bladed ceiling fans will cause flickering shadows if light passes through the rotating blades and flickering reflections in eyeglasses. These can cause headaches in people who are trying to focus their vision as in reading or doing close work Such as hand assembly. It is also believed that such flickering light could possibly trigger an epileptic seizure in some individuals. Bladed fans by nature of their design cause a pulsating air flow that some people find objectionable.
Low ceilings present a problem, even to those considering a close mounted fan, because the rotating blades pass too close to the occupants.
The primary direction of airflow from a common ceiling fan is axial to the rotation. When such a fan is mounted over a dining table, food is cooled too quickly.
Many interior designers consider a typical ceiling fan to be contrary to the aesthetic design intent of a living space and would prefer an attractive pendant, chandelier or other type of lighting fixture. As a result, existing fans are often replaced with such a fixture during remodeling.
Alternative designs have emerged to address some of these concerns for example, Hiner, U.S. Design Patents D6765435, Feb. 19, 2013, and D676952 S, Feb. 26, 2013, disclose a clever bladeless fan comprising a plurality of parallel, vertically spaced co-radial rings concentrically disposed and driven to rotate about the shaft of a driving motor. Frictional drag acting on the air disposed between the horizontal rings causes said air to rotate and be slung out by centrifugal force.
Of similar form and function are those U.S. Patents disclosed by Fiacco in U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,365, Dec. 21, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,005, Apr. 17. 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 6,514,304 B2 Feb. 4, 2003. These similar disclosures comprise an essentially circular assembly that is rotationally driven by a motor but differ from Hiner in the means by which air is accelerated and expelled, Flacco using a plurality of curved blades which are coupled with and extend from a rotated plate similar to a traditional radial fan.
Flacco also incorporates peripherally mounted filtration means, which rotate with the impeller, for the purpose of removing particulate such as pollen, dust and tobacco smoke from the discharged air. However, accumulated particulate in said rotating filters effects balance, causing the rotating assembly to wobble.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,514,304 B2, Flacco also discloses an assembly that is driven by a traditional ceiling fan motor that provides a wiring path and a means to attach a lighting fixture to the underside.
The design intent of these fans disclosed by Hiner and Fiacco is to create horizontal air flow parallel the ceiling and down the walls of the living space. This will more evenly distribute the temperature of the air within the living space but will provide little convective cooling since the air is not directed toward the occupants. Convective airflow over the skin of occupants has been shown to cause evaporation of a small amount of perspiration, allowing them to feel significantly cooler at higher temperatures. (Analysis of Standards Options For Ceiling Fans, PG&E May 2004)
A unique attempt to solve some of these problems can be seen in Day, U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,618 Feb. 24, 1999, disclosing an Air Movement Apparatus comprising, as disclosed, an essentially toroidal shaped body, having upper and lower cambered surfaces, a peripheral surface which defines a rim and an axial opening defining an essentially conical inner surface the larger diameter of which intersects with the said upper surface. A first barrier member resembles the frustum of an inverted cone, the conical surface of which is concentric and proximate with the conical internal surface of the toroidal body to form an annular air passage. An air movement means, located at the lower end of said air passage, impels air at a high velocity up through said passage where it exits at an acute angle to the upper surface of the toroidal body.
A low pressure area is established, in accordance with Bernoulli's principle, between the high velocity air flow, and the cambered upper surface, in a manner similar to an airfoil, the relatively high angle of attack together with an annular notch adjacent to the exit point of high velocity air, generates turbulence in the form of ring vortices, causing surrounding air to become entrained thus amplifying the amount of air that is in motion. These low pressure vortices follow the surface and wrap past the rim where they gradually shear off in an outward to downward direction.
The upper surfaces of this apparatus must be clear of obstruction to allow air to circulate. Therefore, the body of this apparatus must be mounted a distance below the ceiling on a post similar to a ceiling fan, as described in the disclosure of Day.
Another attempt to solve some of the stated problems can be seen in Seccareccia, WO 2011/054093 AI. May 12, 2011, in which a Centrifugal Ceiling Fan Is disclosed. This design comprises an upper, bowl shaped, housing with intake ports and a lower, bowl shaped, housing with outlet ports. The upper housing encloses a motor which drives a centrifugal impeller housed .in the lower housing. Air is drawn in through the intake ports and passes into the lower housing where it is expelled through the outlet ports. This design solves the problems caused by external rotating blades but still hangs from the ceiling similar to a common ceiling fan
A distinct disadvantage that the above disclosed devices of Day and Seccareccia share is the inability to reverse the direction of air flow from ceiling to floor for cooling season, or, from floor to ceiling, for heating season.
Ceiling Medallions are used to add aesthetic embellishment to a ceiling usually central to a room. In vintage homes they were generally hand crafted from wood or cast in various materials such as piaster. They can be created to reflect any architectural period and taste. A lighting pendent, chandelier or ceiling fan is most commonly mounted central to the medallion. They are also useful in relocating the hang point of a fixture within the perimeter of the medallion without the need to relocate wiring or patch the ceiling. For examples of ceiling medallions see: Julliard, U.S. Pat. No. 6,667,109 Sep. 23, 2002, Lackey, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,501,17382 Mar. 10, 2009 and Mc Ellen, U.S. Pat. No. 7,879,299B2 Feb. 1, 2011 which uniquely embodies UV Sterilization. This invention is intended to serve the same functions as a ceiling fan without the stated disadvantages but also to combine the function and general appearance of a ceiling medallion.
Any device that circulates air can also stir up dust and pollen and other particulate matter which can then be inhaled by the occupants of a space and also settle on furnishings. A static electrical charge can collect on the blades of most fans, which will cause an accumulation of said particulate on these blades. It is an optional intent-of the invention to provide means to filter said particulate from the airstream.
In an energy conscious society, it is advisable to leverage methods that may decrease the amount of energy consumed while maintaining an equal amount of work achieved. It is an optional object of the present invention to incorporate airflow amplification means, also known as fluid amplification, common to the art, to achieve these increased efficiencies. For a discussion of such amplification means see; Day, U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,618, Feb. 24, 1999 mentioned above as well as De Lisio, U.S. Pat. No. 2,488,467, Nov. 15, 1949; Davenport, U.S. Pat. No. 2,544,379, Mar. 6, 1951; Coanda, U.S. Pat. No. 3,047,208, Jul. 31, 1962; Fitton, U.S. Pat. No. 7,931,449, Apr. 26, 2011.
It is also advisable in such a society to provide heating or cooling only to those rooms of a building where it is needed. As an example, the south and west facing areas of a building may need to be cooled while the north and east facing areas may still require heat. it is also an optional intent of the invention to embody heating or cooling means that will be part of a central heating and/or cooling distribution system.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a quiet, attractive, energy efficient air circulating device that is mounted coplanar to, and extends a minimal distance from a ceiling, said device combining the functions of a ceiling fan with the functions and aesthetic appeal of a ceiling medallion but which also provides a solution to some of the stated shortcomings of the prior art.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a device from which a lighting fixture, pendent or chandelier may be mounted as shown in
It is a further object of some embodiments of the invention to optionally embody a means to filter dust, pollen and other particulate matter from the circulating airstream.
It is a further object of some embodiments of the invention to optionally embody, any of the following; heating, cooling, positive ion generation means, and/or air sterilization means.
According to a broad aspect of the present invention there is provided an air circulating device comprising a ceiling plate which is mounted coplanar to a ceiling and to which is mounted an air inlet; air impelling means which in preferred embodiments is driven by a motor; internal airflow channeling means; primary airflow discharge outlet and means to direct the discharge airflow in the direction intended. All of the forgoing is to be structured in such a manner that the outer surfaces provide an external appearance similar to a ceiling medallion.
It is within the scope of the invention that said structure may be generally circular, rectangular or polygonal and may have decorative embellishment about the perimeter and on downward facing surfaces.
In the simplest embodiment, the top surface of a ceiling plate is mounted coplanar to a ceiling, proximate to an electrical supply run within said ceiling and said ceiling plate is rigidly affixed to a supporting frame member of said ceiling. Additional fastening means may be required peripherally to hold the ceiling plate and corresponding assembly tightly to the ceiling sheeting material.
In preferred embodiments, the static part of a motor is fixedly mounted, centrally within the enclosing structure and an air impelling means is driven by the driving part of the motor. The motor drives the air impelling means rotationally causing air to be drawn in through an intake opening, be pushed through internal airflow channeling means and expelled through one or more air discharge openings. Air deflecting means proximate to said air discharge openings distributes discharged air about the surrounding area to provide the desired level of comfort. Optionally said air deflecting means may be alternately repositioned to distribute discharged air in a direction more or less downward from the ceiling in cooling season or an outward, horizontal direction across the ceiling in heating season.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, a wiring box on the downward facing side of the enclosing structure is provided to enclose motor controlling devices and for the optional mounting of a lighting fixture or chandelier.
According to a further optional aspect of the invention filtration means are mounted at the primary airstream inlet such that air drawn into the inlet must pass though said filtration means before it enters the area of the impelling means. it is fully within the scope of this aspect of the invention that the filtration means be either or both mechanical or electrostatic.
According to a further optional aspect of the invention, primary air discharged by said impelling means temporarily dwells within a plenum chamber where it is becomes pressurized before it is further discharged at high velocity through a narrow, slotted opening that is coincident with and tangent to a cambered surface such as to cause consistent fluid wall attachment of said discharged air.
Said fluid wall attachment is well known to the art as the Coanda Effect and said cambered surface is known as a Coanda Surface and the attached fluid flow is also known as a Wall Jet A significant amount of adjacent ambient air will then become entrained in the flow of the wall jet to create a secondary airflow. In preferred embodiments, a second cambered surface, is positioned a distance peripheral and adjacent to the said Coanda surface to act as a guide for said secondary airflow. In said embodiments, adjacent cambered surfaces converge near the horizontal mid- plane which is normal to the chord of both cambered surfaces, and diverge at both the inlet and outlet of secondary flow, thereby funneling ambient air into the area of convergence and causing an area of tow pressure at the discharge, and thereby drawing additional ambient air into the secondary airflow.
In the present invention a unique Coanda flow reversing mechanism is provided by a section of said Coanda surface that can be repositioned so as to close the slotted opening through which said wall jet is generated and to open a second slotted opening oriented in the opposite direction, causing a reversal of the wall jet and secondary airflow. This allows overall airflow to be directed from ceiling to floor in the cooling season and floor to ceiling in the heating season.
According to a further optional aspect of the invention, discharged air may be further conditioned by positive ion generation means or ultra violet radiation.
According to a further optional aspect of the invention, heating or cooling means may be mounted in the airstream.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention, is shown in
Referring to
A hollow conduit though motor stator 1A, provides a pathway for a wiring harness 8 from an electrical supply within the ceiling to an electrical wiring box 9, which is provided for electrical motor controlling devices and the optional mounting of a light or chandelier. Filter support 13, provides support for filtration means 4 and filter cover 3.
A cover 10 may be provided if no lighting fixture is to be mounted. Ceiling plate 12 provides a frame and support for the preceding assembly and also provides the means to affix the said assembly to the ceiling.
In this embodiment of the present invention, peripherally mounted air deflection means may be adapted to direct effluent air downward for summer cooling or horizontally across the ceiling to improve heat distribution during the heating season. In
In other embodiments of the present invention,
In this embodiment of the present invention,
In
Referring to
It is it is within the scope of the present invention that said heating means be of another type such as electric resistive heating.
It is also within the scope of the present invention that said heating or cooling means be either totally integrated within the present invention or be part of a heating and/or cooling system central to a building.
In a further embodiment,
Said cambered surface is one of a pair of peripherally offset, concentric and adjacent, cambered surface features. In this embodiment, a peripheral Flow Guide is positioned external to the circumference and concentric to said plenum chamber and has a cambered inner surface which is in mirrored relation to the Coanda Surface of said plenum chamber.
Ambient air is drawn in and entrained by the primary wall jet and by the low pressure zone, created, at the divergence of the two cambered surfaces. This significantly multiplies the total volume of air flow for a given motor size. The cambered Coanda surface of the plenum chamber is comprised of first and second fixed sections and a repositionable portion that defines the position and direction of the primary discharge slot and thus the direction of both primary and secondary airflow.
In
The peripherally facing surfaces of Plenum sections 15, 16 and 17, and the adjacent inward facing surface of Flow Guide 18, together form a pair of geometrically opposed cambered surfaces, converging at the entrance of airflow and diverging at the discharge. Ambient air becomes entrained with the primary wall jet, establishing a coincident secondary airflow.
An area of low pressure is formed near the point of discharge as air exits the flow path between said diverging walls causing additional ambient air to be entrained.
The flow of entrained ambient air shrouds the high velocity air flow from the plenum and acts as a barrier to attenuate sound created by said high velocity air flow.
In
This new geometry mirrors, to some extent, the geometry of this area revealed previously in
Said pressurized air is then discharged from said plenum chamber through a slot between either plenum sections 15 and 17 or 16 and 17 depending on the position of repositionable plenum section 17, coincident with a Coanda surface formed by the outward facing surfaces of either Plenum sections 15 and 17 or 16 and 17, The outwardly facing combined surfaces of said plenum chamber together with the inwardly facing cambered surface of flow guide 18 which essentially mirrors the cambered surfaces of said plenum chamber, form a pair of peripherally offset, adjacent and geometrically opposite cambered surfaces.
Said surfaces converge to funnel ambient air into the area influenced by the wall jet and cause an area of low pressure where these surfaces diverge.
In another embodiment of the device of the present invention revealed in
The rotating impeller causes air to be drawn in through intake grating, 3, and through filtration means, Item 4, after which it is directed through a passage formed between impeller shrouds 5, 23 and ceiling plate 12 into plenums 20, from which it is discharged and distributed about the room by diverters, Items 6.
This present continuation reissue application claims the benefit of and priority to its parent reissue application, filed as U.S. Reissue patent application Ser. No. 16/527,680, filed Jul. 31, 2019, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/901,285, filed May 23, 2013, and issued Aug. 1, 2017, as U.S. Pat. No. 9,719,525. Additionally, a related sibling continuation reissue application with Attorney Docket Number 72312-1389Ser. No. 17/459,028, filed Aug. 27, 2021, claiming the same priority as the present case, is being filed concurrently with this filing. Notice: More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissue of patent. The reissue applications are: U.S. Reissue patent application Ser. No. 16/527,680, filed Jul. 1, 2019, currently pending.This present Continuation Reissue application Ser. No. 17,459,001.The related Continuation Reissue Application, filed concurrently with the present Continuation Reissue Application Ser. No. 17,459,028.
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Gree Cassette, Type 3 Ton GS-36TW Air Conditioner, accessed on Jul. 30, 2019, available at https:/lacmartbd.com/product/gree-cassette-type-3-ton-gs-36tw-air-conditioner/. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16527680 | Jul 2019 | US |
Child | 13901285 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 13901285 | May 2013 | US |
Child | 17459001 | US | |
Parent | 13901285 | May 2013 | US |
Child | 16527680 | US |