Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Electric switch details – Actuators
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-18
2001-03-20
Luebke, Renee (Department: 2833)
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Electric switch details
Actuators
C200S332100, C200S547000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06204461
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to ceiling fans. More particularly, this invention relates to aesthetic components for ceiling fans which aesthetically conceal various unsightly mechanical aspects of the ceiling fan from view.
2. Description of the Background Art
Motor driven fans suspended from the ceiling were used extensively in homes in the United States to provide air circulation before the introduction and popularization of central cooling units.
When the energy crisis dawned in the 1970s, the cost of a kilowatt hour skyrocketed in price and consumers searched for ways to reduce their heating and cooling costs. It has been well established that properly circulated air will raise the overall thermal efficiency of the home air conditioning and cooling system and hence, reduce the cost of maintaining a home at a desired comfort level year-round. Thus, ceiling fans were repopularized in the 1970s.
Indeed, ceiling fans have become so popular that competitiveness in the industry often depends upon the aesthetic features of one ceiling fan versus another. Hence, ceiling fans are usually designed with aesthetically pleasing canopies, motor housings, fan blades, and switch housings. Furthermore, a large variety of stylized light kits have been designed which may be readily connected to the ceiling fan's switch housing. Most predominantly, such light kits comprise three or four stylized bulb reflectors (for conventional incandescent bulbs), each of which may be pivoted in a different direction for spot lighting.
Unfortunately, even with the most aesthetic features incorporated within a ceiling fan, several mechanical aspects of the ceiling fan are not concealed from view by the consumer. Specifically, typical canopies are designed to conceal a conventional hanger bracket (secured to the electrical junction box in the ceiling) from which the ceiling fan is suspended by means of a down rod. The conventional design of such a canopy includes a plurality of holes formed about its upper peripheral rim. Such holes allow the canopy to be secured into position about the hanger bracket by means of machine screws which extend through the holes into corresponding threaded holes in the hanger bracket itself. Unfortunately, once installed in such a manner, the heads of the machine screws remain visible and create an unsightly appearance.
Furthermore, it is noted that more modern canopies, commonly referred to as “dual-mount” or “combo” canopies, that can be alternatively used with conventional down rods to suspend the ceiling fan from the ceiling or used as a means for directly connecting the ceiling fan to the hanger bracket to be substantially flush with the ceiling. This alternative combination is achieved by means of a plurality of holes formed in their lowermost peripheral rim of the canopy. The holes allow the canopy to be directly connected to the upper surface of the motor housing of the ceiling fan by means of machine screws so that the motor housing can be connected directly to the hanger bracket. However, in such a combo canopy, it is noted that the mounting holes present an unsightly appearance when the canopy is used for conventional down rod applications. Therefore, there presently exists a need in the ceiling fan industry for a way to conceal the machine screws and holes of such conventional canopies so that a more aesthetically pleasing appearance is presented to consumers.
Apart from conventional canopies, there are other components of conventional ceiling fans that do not present an aesthetically pleasing appearance to consumers. For example, most ceiling fans include two switches with pull chains mounted in the switch housing, one for controlling the on and off operation of a light kit that may be attached to the switch housing and the other for controlling the high/medium/low/off operation of the electric motor. In both instances, the switch is mechanically secured through a hole in the wall of the switch housing and secured into position by means of an unsightly knurled nut. Further, most ceiling fans include a slide switch, called a reverse switch, for controlling the clockwise and counter-clockwise operation of the electric motor. Typically, the reverse switch is mounted through a wall of the switch housing in such a manner that the switch knob extends through a hole in the wall of the switch housing. The mounting screws as well as the switch knob present an unsightly appearance to consumers.
More particularly, as shown in
FIG. 1
, a conventional reverse switch
10
of a conventional ceiling fan (not shown) is mounted on the inside of a switch housing
12
by a pair of mounting screws
14
that extend through a pair of holes
16
from the wall
18
of the switch housing
12
for threaded engagement with the reverse switch
10
. The switch knob
20
, usually square-shaped, extends through a rectangular hole
22
formed in the wall
18
of the switch housing
12
. It is noted that the rectangular hole
22
is of sufficient length to allow clearance for the back and forth movement of the switch knob
20
between its two switch positions. It is these exposed mounting screws
14
and the switch knob
20
that present an unsightly appearance to consumers.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the ceiling fan art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a reverse switch cover having an aesthetically and ergonomically pleasing appearance which is designed to be mounted to the wall of the switch housing about the switch knob and mounting screws of the reverse switch so as to conceal the unsightly knob and mounting screws thereof and present an aesthetically pleasing appearance to the consumer.
The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
For the purpose of summarizing this invention, this invention includes an aesthetic component for ceiling fans that is designed to conceal otherwise unsightly screw heads, holes and switches so that the ceiling fan has a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.
More particularly, the aesthetic component of the invention is a reverse switch cover having an aesthetically pleasing outward appearance so as to conceal the otherwise unsightly knob of the slide switch and associated mounting screws. Apart from the aesthetically pleasing outward appearance, the cover includes, in some embodiments, a structure that allows it to be conveniently installed without any modification to the design of conventional switch housings and slide switches and, in other embodiments, a structure for installation about a reverse switch that is recessed-mounted in the switch housing.
From the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the various aesthetic components of the invention solve needs in the industry for ways for increasing the aesthetic appearance of ceiling fans.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the con
Bucher Charles E.
Bucher John C.
Holland & Knight LLP
King of Fans Inc.
Luebke Renee
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