WINDOW FAN WITH SCREEN COVERING

Abstract

A window fan system includes a housing unit having a front panel and a rear panel, the front panel and the rear panel having grilles, a fan disposed between the front panel and the rear panel, a covering, and a plurality of fasteners, each including a first fastening member on said housing unit and a second fastening member on said covering designed to connect with said first fastening member. The covering is configurable in a covered state and a stored state, a grille on said front panel or said rear panel is covered by the covering in the covered state and the grille on said front panel or said rear panel is not covered by the covering in the uncovered state. A holder supports the covering in the stored states, and the holder includes one of the plurality of fasteners, a storage fastener that is different from the plurality of fasteners, and a retainer.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a window fan with a removable screen covering.

BACKGROUND

Window fans are a practical low cost alternative to air conditioning units for maintaining a comfortable temperature and ventilation within a building. Like a portable window air conditioning unit, a window fan is typically installed within the frame of a window. However, unlike a portable window air conditioning unit, a window fan is relatively inexpensive to operate.

A window fan typically contains a housing unit with a front and rear panel, a fan, a motor and a control element. The front and rear panels both contain openings (e.g., grilles) so that when turned on, the window fan draws in air from the outside into the building (e.g., intake mode), or draws air from inside the building out (e.g., exhaust mode).

Because the exterior side of the window fan is exposed to the outside environment, the interior of the fan's housing is exposed to and can accumulate environmental elements such as dust, rain, ice, dirt, insects, spider webs, leaves, etc. which can decrease the performance of the window fan. Moreover, insects, spiders, airborne particles and debris, and the like may enter the building through the grilles when the fan is not in use.

To deal with these two potential problems, window fan users typically must remove or uninstall the window fan from the window frame so the window can be closed. When the user wishes to use the window fan again, he or she must reinstall the window fan.

As such, there is a need for an improved window fan or device that prevents the entry of insects, spiders, airborne particles and debris, and the like into a building and which does not have to be removed and reinstalled.

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a window fan system includes a housing unit having a front panel and a rear panel, the front panel and the rear panel having grilles, a fan disposed between the front panel and the rear panel, a covering, and a plurality of fasteners, each including a first fastening member on the housing unit and a second fastening member on the covering designed to connect with the first fastening member. The covering is configurable in an installed state and a stored state, a grille on the front panel or the rear panel is covered by the covering in the installed state and the grille on the front panel or the rear panel is not covered by the covering in the stored state. A holder supports the covering when the covering is in the stored state. The holder is one of one of the plurality of fasteners, a storage fastener, and/or a retainer.

The covering is a screen allowing passage of air therethrough and preventing then entry of insects, spiders, airborne particles and debris, and the like into the building.

The covering is rolled up in the stored state and held on a side of the grille in the stored state. Thus, the air flows more freely through the grilles and fan unit when the covering is in the stored state allowing the fans to more efficiently circulate air.

In one embodiment, the the holder includes the retainer that maintains the covering in the rolled up condition in the stored state. The retainer is, for example, a strap that is releasably connected to the housing unit or tie strings that are attached to the covering itself or to the housing unit.

In a further embodiment, the holder includes at least one of the plurality of fasteners and is connected in the stored state. The covering is releasably connected to the one of the plurality of fasteners so that the covering can be removed from the housing unit for cleaning and/or replacement.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the holder is a storage fastener, which is different from the plurality of fasteners. The storage fastener requires manipulation of a portion of the first fastening element to allow disconnection of the second fastening element and each of the plurality of fasteners allows disconnection of the second fastening element from the first fastening element without any manipulation of the first fastening element. The first fastening member of the storage fastener is in a closed state to maintain a connection between the first fastening member and the second fastening member of the storage fastener and includes a resilient element that is manipulable by an external force to open the closed state and release the connection between the first fastening member and the second fastening member.

In a further embodiment, the holder includes the retainer and one of the storage fastener or that at least one of the plurality of fastening elements. In this embodiment, the retainer includes tie strings attached to the covering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a window fan according to an embodiment of the present invention with a covering in an installed state attached to an interior side of a fan housing.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the window fan of FIG. 1 with the covering stored in a stored state.

FIG. 3A is an illustration of the section A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3B is an illustration of the section B of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3C is an illustration of the section C of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A is an illustration of an embodiment of a first fastening element on the housing unit.

FIG. 4B is an illustration of another embodiment of a first fastening element on the housing unit.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of another embodiment of a fastener for attaching the covering to the fan housing.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a further embodiment of a fastener for attaching the covering to the fan housing.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of yet another embodiment of a fastener for attaching the covering to the fan housing.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a further embodiment for holding the covering in the stored state.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of the cover attached to the window fan.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of Section A of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of Section B of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of another embodiment for holding the covering in the stored state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A window fan with a covering is herein provided which will overcome the deficiencies of the prior art window fan. A covering in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is preferably a flexible bug screen. Alternatively, the cover may also include a material impermeable to the elements. The impermeable cover goes over and seals the openings or grilles of the window fan, prevents the natural air flow or circulation of air from inside to outside (or vice versa) is stopped, and reduces the tendency of the window fan housing to accumulate enviromental elements.

In the present invention, the window fan comprises a housing unit having a front panel and a rear panel, the front and rear panels having grills; a fan disposed between the front and rear panels; a drive motor operatively connected to the fan; a control element operatively connected to the motor; at least one covering; a plurality of first fastening members on at least one side of the housing unit; and a plurality of second fastening members on the covering designed to connect with the plurality of first fastening members on the housing unit.

The fan blades may be of any shape conventionally used in window fans. The motor is connected to the fan and the control element, which may be any such control element known in the art to turn the power on/off and adjust the speed of the fan.

As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the window fan 10 includes a housing unit 12, which includes grilles 13 on both the rear and front panels 14 (only the front panel is shown in FIGS. 1-2). Because of these grilles 13, air will naturally flow from outside to inside or vice versa. A control element 17 of the window fan 10 can include several speeds for adjusting the speed of the fan /motor (e.g., high, low). In the embodiment shown, the control element 17 includes pushbuttons. However, a rotary switch or any other conventional switch(es) may also be used for the control element 17 instead of the pushbuttons.

The window fan 10 is provided with a covering 15 which covers the grilles 13 on the front panel 14. The covering 15 is preferably attached on the front panel 14 for ease of access. However, the covering 15 may be alternatively attached to the rear panel of the housing unit 12, or separate coverings can be attached to the rear and front panels.

As stated above, the covering 5 is preferably a screen similar to known window and door screens and can be made from a mesh of plastic wire, fiberglass, or any conventional screen materials. As an alternative, the covering 5 may be a solid cover made of fabric, plastic, rubber, or any other conventional cover materials. In one embodiment, the covering is designed to match the shape of grilles 13 or the shape of openings 13 on panel 14 of housing unit 12 and seal them from the environment. The covering 15 may be windproof, waterproof and/or insulated as well.

As shown in FIG. 1, the covering 15 is attached to the housing unit 12 by first fastening members 16a and second fastening members 16b (collectively referred to as fastening members 16a, 16b). The covering 15 can be attached to any part of housing unit 12, including grille 13. The fastening members 16a, 16b can be any fastening system known in the art, including but not limited to a female/male fasteners, a hook and eye/loop fasteners and connectors, etc.

Each of the fastenng members 16a, 16b includes a plurality of first fastening members 18a, 18b attached to the housing 12 and the covering 15 includes a plurality of second fastening members 19a, 19b attached to the covering 15 and designed to connect with respective first fastening members 18a, 18b on the housing unit 12. For example, as shown in FIGS. 3A-C, the plurality of first fastening members 18b on the housing unit 12 (such as the front panel 14) can be in the form of protrusions, extensions or mounting hooks which connect to the respective attachment loops or holes (representing the plurality of second fastening members 19b) on cover 15. In one example shown in FIG. 4A, the first fastening members 18a, 18b protrude from a surface of the front panel 14. In another example shown in FIG. 4B, the first fastening members 18a, 18b are flush with a surface of the front panel 14 and extend across a hole or depression 27 in the front panel 14. In this embodiment, the first fastening members 18a are the same as the first fastening members 18b and the second fastening members 19a are the same as the second fastening members 19b.

The plurality of first fastening members 18a, 18b on housing unit 12 can be located anywhere on housing unit 12, including on grille 13 and on either or both of front and rear panels. As shown in FIGS. 1, 3A-C, the covering 15 is attached to housing unit 12 for example, by simply connecting or mating the plurality of first fastening members 18a, 18b on the front panel 14 with the corresponding plurality of second fastening members 19a, 19b on the covering 15. In one embodiment, three first fastening members 18a, 18b are arranged on each side of the covering 15 in the installed state. Referring again to FIGS. 1, 3A-C, the upper first fastening member 18a, 18b extends at upward at an angle relative to a horizontal and the lower first fastening member 18a, 18b extends downward at an angle relative to the horizontal. This ensures that the screen is held taut against the grille 13.

The covering 15 is shown as being rectangular in FIG. 1. However, the covering 15 may by any shape or size particularly suited for a specific fan unit. For example, FIG. 9 shows an oblong shaped covering 15. The plurality of second fastening members 19a, 19b on covering 15 can be located anywhere on covering 15. Preferably, the plurality of second fastening members are located on covering 15 in locations which correspond to the location of the plurality of first fastening members 18a, 18b on housing unit 12 so that the connection can be more uniform. The second fastening members 19a, 19b can be any one of many known fastening devices, including loops of elastic, rubber, rope, nylon, metal, plastic, etc.; pile and loop fasteners, mechanical fasteners such as snaps or twist connectors. The second fastening members 19a, 19b can be sewn, secured or attached to the covering 15 using any conventional methods. Preferably, the second fastening members 19a, 19b are resistant to being pulled off the covering 15 (e.g., at least resistant to 15 pounds of pulling pressure).

The covering 15 is stored on a side of the grille 13 when the covering 15 is not in use according to another embodiment of the invention. For example, FIG. 2 shows the covering 15 stored in an uncovered or stored state. The covering 15 is a flexible material that can be folded or rolled up to be stored in the stored state. In a preferred embodiment, the covering 15 is rolled up in the stored state. However, covering may alternatively be folded, for example, by an accordion fold. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2, the rolled up covering 15 is stored on a lateral side of the grilles 13. However, the rolled up covering 15 may alternatively be stored above or below the grilles 13 in the stored state.

In one embodiment, the first fastening members 18a, 18b are in the form of protrusions, extensions or mounting hooks. In this embodiment, the second fastening members 19a, 19b are loops, preferably elastic loops, and are placed over respective ones of the first fastening members 18a, 18b to form a connection. The first fastening members 18a of the first fasteners 16a are connected with the respective loops 19a of the first fasteners 16a in both the stored state and the covered state. The first fastening members 18b of the second fasteners 16b are connected only when the covering is in the covered state and are disconnected in the stored state. Thus, the first fasteners 16a are storage fasteners that function as a holder in the stored state to support the covering 15 on the housing unit 12. The second fasteners 16b are deployed fasteners that are disconnected in the stored state.

In another embodiment, the first (storage) fasteners 16a are different than the second (deployed) fasteners 16b. In the following examples, the second (deployed) fasteners 16b include, for example, the first fastening members 18b and the loops 19b described above or any other fasteners. Because the first (storage) fasteners 16a are designed to support the covering 15 in the stored position, the first (storage) fasteners 16a are designed in this embodiment to be more difficult or require more force to disconnect than the seond (deployed) fasteners 16b. For example, FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the first (storage) fastener 16a is a hook and loop fastener or pile and loop fastener 24. In a further embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the first (storage) fasteners 16a that hold the covering 15 in the stored state are snap connectors 26. In yet another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the first (storage) fasteners 16a include a clip 28 with a movable portion, i.e., resilient arm 30, that rests against or forms a small gap with a base 31 and forms a ring or eye that holds the loop 19. The resilient arm 30 is manipulable (see arrow in FIG. 7) to open the ring or eye and allow removal of the loop 19a. Further, the first (storage) fastener 16a in the form of the clip 28 may be releasably connected to the housing unit 12 using a screw 31 so that a broken clip 28 can be easily replaced. Instead of the screw 31, a snap-fit connection, or other known releasable fasteners may be used to connect the clip 28 to the housing unit 12.

A retainer in the form of a retaining strap 20 holds the rolled up covering 15 in the rolled up condition when the covering 15 is in the stored state. The retaining strap 20 has one end 22 connected to the housing unit 12 and an opposite end with a connector 23. The one end 22 is preferably connected to housing unit 12 by an adhesive, plastic weld, screw, or bolt. The connector 23 is a releasable connector such as a snap connector as shown. Alternatively, the connector 23 is pile and loop fasteners or hook connector. Instead of the retaining strap 20, the retainer can include string ties 33 shown in FIG. 8 that hold the covering 15 in the stored state. The string ties 33 may be attached to the covering 15 or to the housing unit 12. Thus, the retainer can function as the holder to support the covering 15 either along or in combination with the first (storage) fasteners 16a.

As a further alternative, one of the elastic loops 19b attached to the covering 15 as shown in FIG. 12. In the FIG. 12 elastic loop 19b is attached to a first fastening element 18c used exclusively in the stored state. As yet a further alternative, the elastic loop 19b could be fastened to one of the first fastening elements 18a.

In one embodiment of the invention, only the retainer is the holder that supports the covering 15 on the housing unit 12 in the stored state and all of the plurality of fasteners 16a and 16b are disconnected in the stored state.

Having thus described the basic concept of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way of example only, and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, and modifications will occur and are intended to those skilled in the art, though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested hereby, and are within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A window fan system, comprising: a housing unit having a front panel and a rear panel, said front panel and said rear panel having grilles;a fan disposed between said front panel and said rear panel;a covering configurable in an installed state and a stored state, wherein said covering covers a grille on said front panel or said rear panel in the installed state and said grille on said front panel or said rear panel is not covered by said covering in the stored state;a plurality of fasteners, each including a first fastening member on said housing unit and a second fastening member on said covering designed to connect with said first fastening member at least in the installed state,a holder supporting said covering on the housing unit when said covering is in the stored state, said holder selected from the group consisting of at least one of said plurality of fasteners, a storage fastener that is different from said plurality of fasteners, and a retainer.

2. The window fan system of claim 1, wherein said covering is a screen.

3. The window fan system of claim 1, wherein said covering is rolled up in the stored state.

4. The window fan system of claim 3, wherein said covering is held on a side of said grille in the stored state.

5. The window fan system of claim 1, wherein said holder comprises the retainer and is configured to maintain said covering in the stored state.

6. The window fan system of claim 5, wherein the retainer includes tie strings attached to said housing unit.

7. The window fan system of claim 5, wherein the retainer includes a strap attached to said housing unit.

8. The window fan system of claim 1, wherein the holder includes said at least one of said plurality of fasteners and said at least one of said plurality of fasteners is connected in the stored state to support the covering on the housing unit.

9. The window fan system of claim 1, wherein the holder includes said storage fastener.

10. The window fan system of claim 9, wherein said covering is releasably connected to said storage fastener.

11. The window fan system of claim 10, wherein said storage fastener includes a first fastening member on said housing unit and a second fastening member on said covering, manipulation of a portion of said first fastening element to allows disconnection of said second fastening element and each of said plurality of fasteners allows disconnection of said second fastening element from said first fastening element without any manipulation of said first fastening element.

12. The window fan system of claim 11, wherein said first fastening member of said storage fastener is in a closed state to maintain a connection between said first fastening member and said second fastening member of said storage fastener and includes a resilient element that is manipulable by an external force to open the closed state and release the connection between said first fastening member and said second fastening member.

13. The window fan system of claim 1, wherein the holder includes said retainer and one of said storage fastener or said at least one of the plurality of fastening elements.

14. The window fan system of claim 13, wherein the retainer includes tie strings attached to the covering.