Fluid sprinkling – spraying – and diffusing – Combined or convertible
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-05
2001-07-10
Scherbel, David A. (Department: 3752)
Fluid sprinkling, spraying, and diffusing
Combined or convertible
C239S214000, C239S225100, C239S280000, C239S280500, C239SDIG002, C261S030000, C261S116000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06257501
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention pertains to the field of electric fans and more specifically to electric fans having a mister for the propagation of a fluid mist cloud.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electric fans have long been used to circulate air currents so as to produce a cooling effect for those sitting in front of the fan. Recently, misters capable of projecting water through a nozzle have been used in combination with electric fans in order to further enhance the cooling effect. These misters are often located close to the electric fan so that when water exist the mister nozzle, it is propelled forward by the air currents created by the fan blades, thereby creating a water mist cloud. Such fan/mister combinations have proven especially popular at theme parks, where patrons, who are hot and perspiring after standing in queues for hours, enjoy the ability to cool off by having a mist of water sprayed upon them.
One example of such a fan/mister combination can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,053 to Natschke et al, which discloses a conical mister containing a plurality of nozzles affixed to the central hub of an electric fan. Unfortunately, the prior art is limited. The propagation area of the mist cloud (i.e. the size of the mist cloud) is functionally proportionate to the distance between the water nozzles of the mister. As such, misters which contain nozzles relatively close to one another are capable of producing only small mist clouds. A larger mist cloud propagation area could be obtained by increasing the distance between the water nozzles. But, as the prior art teaches, the water nozzles are contained within a conical structure affixed to the central hub of the electric fan. Therefore, increasing the distance between the water nozzles necessarily increases the size of the conical section, which, in effect, would block the flow of air currents produced by the fan blades, thereby leaving the invention without the ability to generate a mist at all.
It would be beneficial then to have an electric fan/mister combination capable of producing larger mist clouds without blocking the flow of air currents produced by the fan blades.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a mister for use with an electric fan to achieve the propagation of a fluid mist cloud.
According one aspect of the invention, the mister is used in combination with an electric fan that has a central hub, rotary fan blades, and a blade guard grill and includes a housing that is arranged to define a curvature, the housing being attached to the blade guard grill to be concentric with the central hub, at least one nozzle supported by the housing, and a flexible hose extending at least from a junction on the housing to a location distal from the housing to convey fluid from a source to the nozzle.
According to another aspect of the invention, the housing is tubular to define a channel, and the nozzle and flexible hose are in fluid communication with the channel.
The electric fan is being mounted upon a vertical stand. The vertical stand includes a base structure, a connection structure that includes a curved portion with two curved arms that terminate at free ends that are pivotally mounted diametrically opposite each other on a circumferential edge of the electric fan, and an elongated pole between the base structure and the connection structure that raises the electric fan to an elevation higher than the base structure.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1066851 (1913-07-01), Siefert
patent: 1586997 (1926-06-01), Hull
patent: 2079117 (1937-05-01), Hays
patent: 2238120 (1941-04-01), Launder
patent: 4493457 (1985-01-01), Dilworth et al.
patent: 5062487 (1991-11-01), Siria et al.
patent: 5934349 (1999-08-01), Faller
patent: 6086053 (2000-07-01), Natschke et al.
Lee Don
Roach Kenneth
Shu Cobol
Atico International USA, Inc.
Cobrin & Gittes
Evans Robin O.
Scherbel David A.
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