Tent – canopy – umbrella – or cane – Umbrella – Combined
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-14
2001-12-04
Canfield, Robert (Department: 3635)
Tent, canopy, umbrella, or cane
Umbrella
Combined
C417S313000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325084
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates primarily to a battery operated fan for a children's play umbrella which can also be adapted to full size adult patio umbrellas and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electric fans for patio umbrellas are known but are typically fairly complex, difficult to assemble, and AC powered.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,811 an electric motor turns a rotatable drive ring supported on the umbrella shaft by a number of bearings through a fairly complex gear train. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,582 an electric AC motor is connected by a belt to a pulley which in turn drives a gear in the base of the umbrella stand.
Other patents in this field include Nos. 5,172,711; 5,273,062; 5,349,975; 5,887,771; 5,967,161; 3,177,881; 1,148,332; and Des. 409,369, all incorporated herein by this reference. None of these fans are suitable for use by children nor are they particularly adapted for a child's play set which includes an umbrella, a play table, and a number of chairs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a simpler and easier to assemble combined umbrella and fan device.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a much safer fan for an umbrella.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a fan which is more universal in design and which can be used with a number of different types of umbrellas.
This invention results from the realization that a much simpler, easier to assemble, more universal, and much safer fan for an umbrella incorporates a simple rotatable fan drive collar on the umbrella shaft and a motor drive wheel which frictionally engages the drive collar to rotate soft foam fan blades attached to the drive collar until there is any interference, such as a child's hand, whereupon, although the motor drive wheel continues to rotate, the fan drive collar doesn't thereby protecting the child's hand.
This invention features a combined umbrella and fan device including an umbrella with a fabric canopy, an umbrella hub, a plurality of splines hingedly attached to the umbrella hub supporting the fabric canopy, an umbrella shaft extending from the umbrella hub, and a slide collar on the umbrella shaft including a plurality of support stays hingedly interconnected with the splines. The fan device includes a fan motor housing, a clamp for attaching the motor housing to the umbrella shaft below the slide collar of the umbrella, a fan blade hub assembly rotatably disposed about the umbrella shaft between the slide collar and the clamp and having fan blades extending therefrom, a drive collar about the umbrella shaft and attached to and disposed beneath the fan blade hub assembly, a bushing on the shaft between the clamp and the drive collar for rotatably supporting the drive collar, and a drive wheel extending from the motor housing and engaging the drive collar for rotating the drive collar.
In the preferred embodiment, the fan blade hub assembly includes a plurality of fan blade shafts extending therefrom, each fan blade secured below each fan blade shaft. The fan blades are preferably made of a resilient material and there are a plurality of planar reinforcement strips, each adhered on the bottom thereof to the top of a fan blade and each adhered on the top thereof to a fan blade shaft.
There is typically a spacer element between the fan blade hub assembly and the drive collar and the drive collar may include a circumferential frictional rubber element thereon. The drive wheel then includes a rubber tire for frictionally engaging the rubber element.
In the preferred embodiment, each fan blade is disposed at an angle such that the leading edge thereof is angled upward towards the umbrella canopy and the trailing edge thereof includes a cutout for clearing the drive wheel.
This invention also features a fan device for an umbrella, the fan device comprising a fan motor housing a clamp for attaching the motor housing to an umbrella shaft a fan blade hub assembly rotatably disposed about the umbrella shaft and having fan blades extending therefrom a drive collar about the umbrella shaft and attached to and disposed beneath the fan blade hub a bushing between the clamp and the drive collar for rotatably supporting the drive collar and a drive wheel extending from the motor housing and engaging the drive collar for rotating the drive collar, the fan blade hub assembly, and the fan blades.
A fan device for an umbrella in accordance with this invention includes a fan motor housing having a drive wheel extending therefrom a clamp for attaching the motor housing to an umbrella shaft and a fan blade hub assembly rotatably disposed on the umbrella shaft, the fan blade hub assembly including a plurality of fan blades, and a drive surface frictionally engaged with said drive wheel so that if there is interference with the rotation of the fan blades, the fan blade hub assembly immediately stops rotating without endangering a person or damaging the fan motor.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 409369 (1999-05-01), Vega
patent: 1148332 (1915-07-01), Onyskow
patent: 3177881 (1965-04-01), Covington
patent: 5007811 (1991-04-01), Hopkins
patent: 5172711 (1992-12-01), Mueller et al.
patent: 5273062 (1993-12-01), Mozdzanowski
patent: 5349975 (1994-09-01), Valdner
patent: 5765582 (1998-06-01), Molnar, IV
patent: 5887771 (1999-03-01), Perry
patent: 5967161 (1999-10-01), Neal
patent: 6017188 (2000-02-01), Benton
patent: 6027309 (2000-02-01), Rawls et al.
Canfield Robert
Iandiorio & Teska
Kids Only, Inc.
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