Ceiling Fan with Heating Assembly
An apparatus for distributing heated air to an environment comprises a ceiling fan assembly secured to a heating assembly. The ceiling fan assembly comprises a plurality of rotatable blades arranged substantially in a horizontal plane to drive airflow in a desired direction when the blades are rotated. The heating assembly comprises a heating element and a power supply for energizing the heating element to produce heat, whereby air driven by the ceiling fan contacts the heating element and passes into the environment. A lighting assembly and a guard may be included.
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to ceiling fans. More particularly, this invention relates to ceiling fans with heating elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the field of fans, ceiling fans are commonly utilized to assist in ventilation of air. Most ceiling fans comprise an electric motor suspended from the ceiling with a plurality of blades drivingly connected to the motor. The operation of the motor causes the blades to rotate about a vertical axis forcing air in a desired direction. These ceiling fans typically incorporate switches that control the operation of the ceiling fan. In addition to this assembly, many ceiling fans support housings for light bulbs.
The operation of ceiling fans is typically for the purpose of ventilation. Commonly ceiling fans are employed to merely move air within an enclosure without adding heat to the air which passes the fan.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for distributing heated air to an environment comprising a ceiling fan assembly secured to a heating assembly. The ceiling fan assembly comprises a plurality of rotatable blades arranged substantially in a horizontal plane to drive airflow in a desired direction when the blades are rotated. The heating assembly comprises a heating element and a power supply for energizing the heating element to produce heat, whereby air driven by the ceiling fan contacts the heating element and passes into the environment. A lighting subassembly and a guard may be included.
In one embodiment, the ceiling fan is suspended from the ceiling so that rotation of the plurality of blades forces air in a downward direction. A heating assembly is disposed below the plurality of rotatable blades. A controlled power supply is configured to energize the heating assembly to produce heating of that air forced downwardly past the heating assembly by the rotating blades. The cage of the present invention is carried by the ceiling fan and is designed to support the heating assembly in the preferred embodiment. The cage is permeable to air flow whereby air flow from the rotating blades passes over the heating assembly and through the cage into a room or other environment.
In one embodiment, the ceiling fan may include a lighting assembly disposed below blades of the ceiling fan assembly. In one embodiment, the lighting assembly may be disposed between the ceiling fan assembly and the heating assembly. In this case, the lighting assembly may include extended arms which position the lights beyond the perimeter of the cage to give unobstructed lighting of the room. The light bulbs are shielded for purposes that may include aesthetically pleasing qualities and/or to provide protection from the heat generated by the heating assembly of the ceiling fan. These aesthetically pleasing qualities are significant because light bulbs, specifically low-wattage or energy efficient light bulbs, can degrade the aesthetic environment.
The above-mentioned features of the invention will become more clearly understood from the following detailed description of the invention read together with the drawings in which:
A ceiling fan with heating assembly and optional lighting assembly is disclosed. The ceiling fan is illustrated generally at 10 in
As depicted in
A lighting subassembly 36 may be centrally disposed about the vertical axis 16 below the ceiling fan assembly 18. The lighting assembly 36 generally comprises a frame subassembly 38, which provides structure and means for mounting the lighting assembly 36, and an electrical supply. The lighting assembly 36 is secured to the ceiling fan assembly 18 by bolts, for example.
The frame subassembly 38, as illustrated in
The plurality of lighting arms 50, as illustrated in
As illustrated, in
The power source provided by the attachment subassembly 28 of the ceiling fan assembly 18 may be utilized to provide electrical connections for the light subassembly 36. The leads 30 from the attachment subassembly 28 transfer electrical power to the light sockets in each light bulb housing 72 mounted upon each lighting arm 50. This wiring is connected in a parallel circuit as is well understood in the art. Conventional low wattage light bulbs 78 are used to provide light and may be controlled by the conventional methods for the attachment subassembly 30. The usage of low wattage bulbs 78 increases the lifetime of the bulb and reduces power consumption.
One embodiment of a heating assembly 44 of the present invention is depicted in
The heating assembly 44, as depicted in
The heating element 86 of the heater subassembly 82 is supported by the cage subassembly 80. As illustrated by
The cage 92 is permeable to air flow while providing support to the heating element 86 without impeding the flow of air. The cage 92 is disposed in a substantially horizontal plane substantially parallel to the fan blades 22 and provides support for the heater subassembly 82 and restricting contact with the heating subassembly 82. As depicted in,
The cage 92 supports the heating element 86, in a spaced apart relationship to the cage, by a plurality of insulators 94 shown in
In alternative embodiments, a device of the present invention may be provided with light bulb shields 98 for protecting light bulbs 78 such that the light bulb 78 is not affected by heat generated by the heating element 86. The light bulb shield 98 comprises material which is heat resistant and noncombustible, whereby heat generated by the heating element 86 will not affect performance of a light bulb 78. The embodiment, as shown in
Alternative embodiments, as illustrated in
In other alternative embodiments, illustrated in
As illustrated in
While the present invention has been illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments have been described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicants general inventive concept.
Claims
1. An apparatus for distributing heated air to an environment, said apparatus comprising:
- a ceiling fan assembly comprising a plurality of rotatable blades arranged substantially in a horizontal plane to drive airflow in a desired direction when the blades are rotated; and
- a heating assembly secured to said ceiling fan assembly, said heating assembly comprising a heating element and a power supply for energizing said heating element to produce heat, whereby air driven by said ceiling fan contacts said heating element and passes into the environment.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heating assembly is disposed below said rotatable blades.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heating assembly is disposed above said rotatable blades.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said ceiling fan assembly defines a central axis and said fan blades extend outwardly from said axis by a distance greater than the extension of said heating element from said axis.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a cage comprising a plurality of members defines openings permeable to air flow in a substantially horizontal plane below said rotatable blades.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cage further comprises a plurality of insulators for mounting said heating element to said cage.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said insulators are formed of a heat resistant material.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said heating assembly further comprises a rheostat for controlling the power supplied to said heating element, whereby the quantity of heat output of said heating element can be adjusted to a desired level.
9. An apparatus in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising a light subassembly, said light subassembly comprising:
- a shell;
- a plurality of elongated arms extending outwardly from said shell;
- a plurality of light bulb sockets, each secured to the outboard end of one of said arms and containing a light bulb;
- a plurality of light bulb shields located adjacent to each of said light bulbs; and
- a power supply for energizing said light bulbs.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said light bulb shields are formed of a heat resistant noncombustible material.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said heating element is disposed below said rotatable blades.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said shell, said arms, said light bulb sockets, and said light bulb shields are disposed above said heating element and below said rotatable blades.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said shell, said arms, said light bulb sockets, and said light bulb shields are disposed below said heating element and said cage.
14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said heating element is disposed above said rotatable blades.
15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said ceiling fan assembly defines a central axis and said fan blades extend outwardly from said axis by a distance greater than the extension of said heating element from said axis.
16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said cage comprises a plurality of members which define openings permeable to air flow in a substantially horizontal plane below said rotatable blades.
17. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said cage includes a plurality of insulators for mounting said heating element to said cage.
18. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said heating assembly includes a rheostat for controlling the power supplied to said heating element, whereby the quantity of heat output of said heating element can be adjusted to a desired level.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 6, 2007
Publication Date: May 7, 2009
Inventor: Alvin E. Todd, JR. (Pigeon Forge, TN)
Application Number: 11/935,855
International Classification: F01D 25/00 (20060101); F01D 5/08 (20060101);