Medallion fan
AssigneeHunter Fan Company
InventorJeffrey Butler Cunnane
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to a ceiling mounted air circulating apparatus comprising, in combination: a motor; an essentially centrally located radial or axial air impeller; air guiding means; optional airflow enhancement by means of air amplification means; optional centrally located wiring path from an electrical power source to a wiring enclosure suitable for hanging a lighting fixture or chandelier; and decorative embellishments, ail of which are arranged to blend with the architectural style of a space in a manner similar to a decorative ceiling medallion, the plariform of which, when viewed from below may be circular, rectangular, or polygonal. Optionally, the apparatus of the present invention may embody any of the following; heating, cooling, filtration means, positive ion generation means, and / or air sterilization means.
Claims22
A ceiling mounted air circulating device comprising:
- a ceiling plate with a top surface intended to be mounted coplanar to a ceiling;
- an impeller with a central axis extending downward perpendicular to the ceiling, the impeller configured to draw air in through an air inlet;
- a plenum chamber configured to receive air from the impeller, the plenum chamber comprising first and second fixed sections and a repositionable section;
- wherein the repositionable section is configured to move from a first position adjacent to the first fixed section, to a second position adjacent to the second fixed section;
- a flow guide located at a periphery of the air circulating device relative to the plenum chamber, the flow guide defining an airflow channel, the airflow channel comprising a first opening and a second opening;
- wherein said air impeller pressurizes air within the plenum chamber, from which air is subsequently discharged to the airflow channel, as a primary airflow, tangent to a cambered surface, establishing a wall jet which is fluidly attached to said cambered surface and causes ambient air to be entrained in the airflow channel;
- wherein, when the repositionable section is in the first position, the cambered surface is formed from the first fixed section and the repositionable section, and ambient air is entrained from the first opening of the airflow channel;
- wherein, when the repositionable section is in the second position, the cambered surface is formed from the second fixed section and the repositionable section, and ambient air is entrained from the second opening of the airflow channel.
A method of moving air with an air circulating device having a housing mounted to a ceiling, the method comprising:
- drawing an airflow into a bottom of the housing of the air circulating device in a first direction toward the ceiling;
- radially discharging the drawn in airflow from the air circulating device in a second direction, along the ceiling, through a sidewall of the housing below the ceiling, from the first direction;
- and
- selectively directing the discharged airflow from along the ceiling to downward away from the ceiling by vertically moving a repositionable diverter guide relative to the housing.
A method of moving air with an air circulating device having a housing mounted to a ceiling, the method comprising:
- drawing air into an impeller space located within the housing by an impeller located within the impeller space and rotationally driven by a motor about a rotation axis;
- discharging the drawn in air from the impeller space through a discharge outlet located in a sidewall of the housing and below the ceiling, with the discharged air flowing from the outlet in a radial direction relative to the rotation axis;
- diverting the discharged air with a repositionable diverter guide that is repositionable between a first position and a second position;
- wherein diverting the airflow with the repositionable diverter guide in the first position diverts the airflow from the impeller space along the ceiling;
- and
- wherein diverting the airflow with the diverter guide in the second position diverts the airflow from the impeller space downward from the ceiling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.