Fan with secondary air passage for motor cooling

A fan comprising:

• a housing including,
• an outer wall defining an inlet and an outlet of the fan, and a primary passage providing fluid communication between the inlet to the outlet;
• a motor enclosure disposed within the primary passage and defining a motor compartment, said motor enclosure further including a port extending through the motor enclosure and providing fluid communication between the primary passage and the motor compartment,
• a conduit connecting the motor enclosure to the outer wall and providing fluid communication between the motor compartment and ambient air surrounding the outer wall of the housing opposite the primary passage,
• said port and conduit in combination with the motor enclosure and the primary passage thereby defining a secondary passage providing fluid communication between the inlet of the fan and the ambient air surrounding the outer wall of the housing;
• a motor mounted within the motor compartment, the motor having a shaft rotatable about an axis and having a distal end extending through the motor enclosure into the primary passage;
• and
• a fan wheel having a hub driveably attached to the distal end of the shaft for rotation about the axis and further having blades attached to the hub for creating a flow of air from the inlet through the primary passage to the outlet and from the inlet through the secondary passage to the ambient air surrounding the outer wall of the housing.

A gasper vent system having a gasper boost fan for providing a flow of air in the gasper vent system, that gasper boost fan comprising:

• a housing including,
• an outer wall defining an inlet and an outlet of the fan, and a primary passage providing fluid communication between the inlet to the outlet, with said outlet including means for attaching the fan to the gasper vent system;
• a motor enclosure disposed within the primary passage and defining a motor compartment, said motor enclosure further including a port extending through the motor enclosure and providing fluid communication between the primary passage and the motor compartment,
• a conduit connecting the motor enclosure to the outer wall, and providing fluid communication between the motor compartment and ambient air surrounding the outer wall of the housing opposite the primary passage,
• said port and conduit in combination with the motor enclosure thereby defining a secondary passage providing fluid communication between the primary passage and the ambient air surrounding the outer wall of the housing;
• a fan impeller for creating a flow of air from the inlet through the primary passage to the outlet, and from the inlet through the primary and secondary passages in combination to the ambient air surrounding the outer wall of the housing;
• and
• a motor mounted within the motor compartment and operatively connected to drive the fan impeller;
• said secondary passage thereby allowing said impeller to provide a flow of air for cooling said motor should the flow of air through the primary passage or the gasper vent system become blocked or restricted.