Patent Application
20210310718
This present disclosure pertains to portable misting fans. More particularly, the present disclosure pertains to portable handheld or wearable misting fans.
Portable electric fans provide a popular means of keeping cool outdoors and in other non-climate controlled environments. Some are handheld, some connect to a necklace or lanyard to be worn about the neck, and some incorporate a water reservoir and spray mister to complement the air stream provided by the fan. Mist in the air stream can cool the air stream through evaporation before the air stream reaches a user's skin, as well as some of the mist reaching the user's skin in liquid phase and cooling the user's skin directly by evaporating therefrom. Still, there is a desire for a compact necklace misting fan having a flat profile against a user's chest or abdomen when worn, which provides a convenient way to actuate a misting spray when worn as well as resisting unintended actuation.
An aspect of the present disclosure is a misting fan. A housing of the misting fan has a top wall at a top side of the housing, a bottom wall at a bottom side of the housing, a first sidewall at a first lateral side of the housing, a second sidewall at a second lateral side of the housing, a front wall at a front side of the housing, and a rear wall at a rear side of the housing. The top side is spaced in a vertical upward direction from the bottom side, and the bottom side is spaced in a vertical downward direction from the top side, the downward direction being opposite to the upward direction. The first lateral side is spaced from the second lateral side in a first horizontal direction, and the second lateral side is spaced from the first lateral side in a second horizontal direction, the second horizontal direction being opposite to the first horizontal direction. A fan compartment is disposed within the housing. A centrifugal fan is housed within the fan compartment, the centrifugal fan being adapted and configured to rotate about a fan axis. The fan axis defines a horizontal axial forward direction, a horizontal axial rearward direction, and radial directions perpendicular to the axis. Thus, the housing front side is spaced in the forward direction from the housing rear side, and the housing rear side is spaced in the rearward direction from the housing front side. An air inlet at the front side of the housing is in fluid communication with the exterior of the housing and with the fan compartment. An air outlet at the top side of the housing is in fluid communication with the exterior of the housing and with the fan compartment. The centrifugal fan is adapted and configured such that, when the centrifugal fan is rotated about the fan axis, air is drawn into the fan compartment from the exterior of the housing in an intake air stream through the air inlet, and air is discharged generally upward from within the fan compartment to the exterior of the housing in a discharge air stream through the air outlet. A water reservoir is housed within the housing. The water reservoir has a fill opening and a water reservoir closure member. The closure member is adapted and configured to removably engage the fill opening to cover and seal the fill opening. A spray nozzle is disposed at the top side of the housing, spaced horizontally from the air outlet. A spray pump within the housing is adapted and configured to be in fluid communication with water in the water reservoir and with the spray nozzle. The spray pump is adapted and configured, when actuated and in fluid communication with water in the water reservoir, to draw water from the water reservoir to the spray pump, and to impel water from the spray pump to the spray nozzle and through the spray nozzle to the exterior of the housing. The spray nozzle is adapted and configured such that, when water is impelled through the spray nozzle to the exterior of the housing, a water spray is discharged from the spray nozzle to the exterior of the housing, at least a portion of the water spray being discharged in a generally upward direction. A spray pump actuator is movably mounted to the housing, being adapted and configured to actuate the spray pump when an actuation force is applied to the spray pump actuator to move the spray pump actuator from a home position relative to the housing to an actuation position relative to the housing.
Further features and advantages, as well as the operation, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Reference numerals in the written specification and in the figures indicate corresponding items.
An embodiment of a misting fan 10 in accordance with the present disclosure is illustrated in
An air inlet 42 is included at the front side 32 of the housing 12, the air inlet 42 being in fluid communication with the exterior of the housing 12 and with the fan compartment 37. An air outlet 44 at the top side 16 of the housing 12, the air outlet 44 being in fluid communication with the exterior of the housing 12 and with the fan compartment 37. The centrifugal fan 40 is adapted and configured such that, when the centrifugal fan 40 is rotated about the fan axis, air is drawn into the fan compartment 37 from the exterior of the housing 12 in an intake air stream through the air inlet 42 and air is discharged generally upward from within the fan compartment 37 to the exterior of the housing 12 in a discharge air stream through the air outlet 44.
A water reservoir 46 is included within the housing 12, the water reservoir 46 having a fill opening 48 (see
A spray nozzle 52 is provided at the top side 16 of the housing 12, the spray nozzle 52 being spaced horizontally from the air outlet 44. A spray pump 54 is included within the housing 12, the spray pump 54 being adapted and configured to be in fluid communication with water in the water reservoir 46 and with the spray nozzle 52, the spray pump 54 being adapted and configured, when actuated and in fluid communication with water in the water reservoir 46, to draw water from the water reservoir 46 through a dip tube 55 to the spray pump 54, and to impel water from the spray pump 54 to the spray nozzle 52 and through the spray nozzle 52 to the exterior of the housing 12. The spray nozzle 52 is adapted and configured such that, when water is impelled through the spray nozzle 52 to the exterior of the housing 12, a water spray is discharged generally upward from the spray nozzle 52 to the exterior of the housing. For example, the water spray, or a portion of the water spray, may be discharged in a direction inclined at least forty-five degrees, more preferably at least sixty degrees, or still more preferably at least seventy-five degrees from a horizontal plane. Preferably, at least a portion of the water spray is discharged in an oblique direction having an upward direction component and a slight horizontal direction component towards the air outlet 44, without diverting too much of the spray from being directed toward a wearer's face. That is, a portion of the water spray is discharged obliquely to the discharge air stream, so as to be directed into the discharge air stream, preferably in the form of a mist, so that evaporation of mist particles in the discharge air stream serves to cool the discharge air stream, and any liquid droplets carried by the air stream onto a user's skin serve to cool the user's skin directly by evaporating therefrom. Without limitation, the term “mist” here refers to a large number of tiny water droplets in air, the droplets being small enough that they tend either to evaporate or to float in the air, rather than being accelerated towards the earth by gravity. A spray may be (or include) a “mist” even if the spray also includes water droplets large enough to fall through the air.
The misting fan 10 further includes a spray pump actuator 56, movably mounted to the housing 12. The spray pump actuator 56 is adapted and configured to actuate the spray pump 54 when an actuation force is applied to the spray pump actuator 56 to move the spray pump actuator 56 from a home position relative to the housing 12, shown in
The misting fan 10 includes a motor 58 within the housing 12, the motor 58 being adapted and configured to drive rotation of the centrifugal fan 40 about the fan axis. An electrical power supply 60, which may be a standard AA battery as illustrated in cross section in
Preferably, the misting fan 10 includes a necklace or lanyard 38 that is connected to the housing 12, either permanently or removably, in such a manner that when the necklace is worn about the neck of a user, the housing 12 settles to an upright configuration, i.e., the downward direction defined by the housing aligns with the direction of gravity. Thus, the air outlet 44 and the spray nozzle 52 are aligned to direct the discharge a cooling combination of the air stream and water spray toward a user's neck, chin, and/or face. In the illustrated embodiment, the first lateral side 24 is a left side of the housing 12 and the second lateral side 28 is a right side of the housing 12. This conveniently allows a user wearing the misting fan 10 by the necklace 38 to reach a right hand across the front of the housing 12 and grip the housing 12 by the second sidewall 26 and the spray pump actuator 56 to depress the spray pump actuator 56 using two or more fingers of the right hand, typically including at least two adjacent fingers of the index, middle, ring, and little fingers, with the thumb or heel of the right hand braced against the second sidewall 26. An alternative embodiment of a misting fan (not shown), having elements in a mirror image arrangement with respect to those of misting fan 10, allows similar actuation by a user's left hand.
The misting fan 10 further includes a biasing member 62 operatively connected between the housing 12 and the actuator 56, the biasing member 62 being adapted and configured to bias the actuator 56 toward the home position. As seen in
Connectivity and components of a pump/spray system are best illustrated in
The actuator 56 has an actuation surface 64 The actuation surface 64 in the home position has an upward end 74 and a downward end 76, the actuation surface 64 in the home position facing generally in the first horizontal direction. The first sidewall 22 has a lower first sidewall portion 78 extending downward below the actuation surface downward end 76 in the home position, the first sidewall 22 having an upper first sidewall portion 80 extending upward above the actuation surface upward end 74 in the home position. An actuation surface of a necklace misting fan spray pump actuator according to the present disclosure is preferably “wide” enough to accommodate at least two typical adult fingers side-by-side, so that two or more fingers may comfortably cooperate to apply an actuation force. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the actuation surface 64 may have a height of at least 1.0 inch, or more preferably at least 1.5 inches, measured vertically from the upward end 74 to the downward end 76. Preferably, a ratio of a height of the housing 12, that is, a greatest vertical distance from the housing bottom side 20 to the housing top side 16, to the height of the actuation surface 64, is not greater than 4.0, and more preferably not greater than 3.0.
The spray pump actuator is mounted in a slot in the housing 12, the slot defined by open areas on the housing first lateral side 24, the housing front side 32, and the housing rear side 36. In particular, the housing first lateral side 24 has a housing first lateral side open area 82 extending vertically from the upper first sidewall portion 80 to the lower first sidewall portion 78 and horizontally from the housing front side 32 to the housing rear side 36. The actuation surface 64 in the home position extends over substantially an entire height of the housing first lateral side open area, vertically from the lower first sidewall portion 78 to the upper first sidewall portion 80. The housing first lateral side open area 82 has a substantial height, so as to accommodate that of the actuation surface 64. Preferably, the housing first lateral side open area 82 has a height not less than about 1.0 inch, more preferably not less than about 1.5 inches, and still more preferably not less than about 1.75 inches. The housing front side 32 has a housing front side open area 84, and the housing rear side 36 has a housing rear side open area 86, each of the housing front side and housing rear side open areas 84, 86 being adjacent to and extending in the second horizontal direction from the housing first lateral side open area 82. Preferably, each of the housing front side and housing rear side open areas 84, 86 extends vertically alongside the housing first lateral side open area 82 from the lower first sidewall portion 78 to the upper first sidewall portion 80.
Preferably, a portable misting fan spray pump actuator in the home position does not protrude or protrudes only minimally from a portable misting fan housing. More preferably, as in the illustrated embodiment, the spray pump actuator 56 does not extend forward beyond the housing front side open area 84, does not extend rearward beyond the housing rear side open area 86, and does not extend in the first horizontal direction beyond the housing first lateral side open area 82. Still more preferably, and also as In the illustrated embodiment, the spray pump actuator 56 is recessed rearwardly from the housing front side open area 84, recessed in the second horizontal direction from the housing first lateral side open area 82, and recessed forwardly from the housing rear side open area 86.
Several attributes of the actuator 56 work beneficially in combination with one another. The spray pump actuator 56 not protruding from the housing 12 essentially prevents accidental spray pump actuation by a force of practically any (non-destructive) magnitude from a broad, flat surface, such as an interior surface of a purse, handbag, or backpack, or from a broad flat surface of another object that may be carried inside such a parcel with the misting fan 10, such as that of a wallet or a book. At the same time, the actuation surface 64 of the actuator 56 is of sufficient height to accommodate actuation by two or more fingers side-by-side. This allows for a greater force biasing the actuator 56 to the home position than permitted by an actuator that only accommodates actuation by one finger, without compromising user ergonomics. In turn, a greater biasing force reduces the likelihood of accidental spray pump actuation by a smaller object impinging on actuator 56.
The outer dimensions of housing 12 provide the misting fan 10 with a relatively smooth and flat profile, so that the misting fan 10, when worn by the necklace 38 about a user's neck, rests comfortably and unobtrusively against the user's chest or abdomen. In addition to a height as defined above, the housing 12 has a housing width, the housing width measured horizontally from a farthest point in the first horizontal direction on the housing first lateral side 24, to a farthest point in the second horizontal direction on the housing second lateral side 28, and a housing depth, the housing depth measured axially from a farthest rearward point on the housing rear side 36 to a farthest forward point on the housing front side 32. Preferably, a ratio of the housing width to the housing depth is not less than about 2.5 and not greater than about 4.5, and a ratio of the housing height to the housing depth is not less than about 3.0 and not greater than about 6.5. More preferably, a ratio of the housing width to the housing depth is not less than about 3.0 and not greater than about 4.0, and a ratio of the housing height to the housing depth is not less than about 4.0 and not greater than about 5.5. Still more preferably, a ratio of the housing width to the housing depth is about 3.5 and a ratio of the housing height to the housing depth is about 4.75. In terms of absolute measurements, preferably, the housing height is not less than about 3 inches and not greater than about 7 inches, the housing width is not less than about 2 inches and not greater than about 5 inches, and the housing depth is not less than about 0.4 inch and not greater than about 2.0 inches. More preferably, the housing depth is not greater than about 1.5 inches and not less than about 0.5 inch, and still more preferably, the housing depth is not greater than about 1.0 inch and not less than about 0.5 inch.
Components of misting fan 10 may be made of any suitable materials, such as set forth here. Other than electronic components and circuitry, or as otherwise stated, components of and within housing 12 are preferably formed of molded plastic. Water reservoir 46 is preferably formed of a transparent or translucent molded plastic, the seam between forward member 47a and rearward member 47b forming a watertight seal. For example, the seam may be sonically welded. The water reservoir closure member 50 is preferably molded from a suitable elastomer. The necklace 38 may, for example, be a braided cord, wire, cable, chain, or strand of a suitable flexible material.
In view of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the misting fan described above has several advantages over the prior art.
It should also be understood that when introducing elements in the claims or in the above description of exemplary embodiments, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, the term “portion” should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing any relative position or time sequence between limitations.
As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
