Table fan with vise clamp

A portable electric fan including a housing defining an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening; a fan blade rotatably mounted within the housing and operable to produce air flow between the inlet opening and the outlet opening; an electric motor operatively coupled to the fan blade; a support attached to the housing; and a base retaining the support and defining a substantially planar support surface for engaging a substantially horizontal foundation surface, the base and surface adapted to stabily support the electric fan on the foundation surface. Also included with the fan is a clamp manually activatable into clamping engagement with a mounting so as to support the electric fan therefrom.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to a portable electric fan and, more 
particularly, to a portable electric fan that can be stabily mounted in a 
wide variety of locations. 
Portable electric fans are used extensively to enhance personal comfort by 
inducing air movement. Included above the wide variety of portable 
electric fans are so called floor and table fans used in various 
residential, commercial and industrial applications. Floor fans typically 
are supported on a floor surface of an enclosure while table fans 
typically are supported on planar surfaces provided, for example by 
tables, desks, or the like. Also known are portable fans having clamping 
mechanisms that facilitate mounting in locations where a convenient planar 
mounting surface is not available. Although each of the above portable fan 
types is useful for limited specific applications, prior portable electric 
fans have not been functional in many of the diverse conditions for which 
air movement is desired. 
The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide a portable electric 
fan that can be used conveniently to provide air flow in a large number of 
varied situations. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is a portable electric fan including a housing defining an 
air inlet opening and an air outlet opening; a fan blade rotatably mounted 
within the housing and operable to produce air flow between the inlet 
opening and the outlet opening; an electric motor operatively coupled to 
the fan blade; a support attached to the housing; and a base retaining the 
support and defining a substantially planar support surface for engaging a 
substantially horizontal foundation surface, the base and surface adapted 
to stabily support the electric fan on the foundation surface. Also 
included with the fan is a clamp manually activatable into clamping 
engagement with a mounting so as to support the electric fan therefrom. 
Use flexibility of the fan is enhanced by the combination of both a stable 
base and an attachment clamp. 
According to one feature of the invention, the clamp is retained by the 
base. Combining the base and clamp provides a compact and efficient 
support structure. 
According to another feature of the invention, the clamp is a vise having a 
pair of jaws for engaging opposing surfaces of the mounting, and an 
actuator means producing relative movement between the jaws. The vise 
provides secure mounting of the fan in situations in which a convenient 
level support surface is unavailable. 
According to yet another feature of the invention, the jaws project 
laterally from the base in directions susbtantially parallel to the 
support surface. This feature facilitates desirable orientations when the 
fan is used in a clamped mode. 
According to still another feature of the invention, the support is 
rotatably mounted on the base. This feature permits rotational adjustment 
of the fan when used in a clamped mode. 
According to a further feature of the invention, the base and one of the 
jaws are an integrally formed molded unit, and another of the jaws is 
movable relative thereto. Compactness and reduced costs are achieved with 
this feature. 
According to an additional feature of the invention, the base has a maximum 
lateral width at least one-half the maximum width of the housing. The 
provision of a base with substantial relative width enhances stability of 
the fan when used in a base supporting mode.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
An electric fan appliance 11 has a fan housing 12 supported from a base 13 
by an upright support member 14. Defined by the fan housing 12 is an inlet 
opening 15 and an outlet opening 16 aligned therewith. The inlet opening 
15 is covered by a grill 21 while the outlet opening 16 is covered by a 
grill 22. Rotatably mounted within the fan housing 12 is an environmental 
conditioning fan blade 25 that can be rotated to induce air flow between 
the inlet opening 15 and the outlet opening 16. An electric motor 26 
extends out of the fan housing 12 through a central portion of the inlet 
opening 15 and is operatively coupled to the fan blade 25. The electric 
motor 26 can be energized to produce rotation of the fan blade 25 by 
manual actuation of a rotary switch 28 mounted on a central portion of the 
front grill 22. 
The base 13 is formed by a molded block having a curved upper surface 31. 
Defined by the upper surface 31 is a socket 32 that rotationally retains 
one end 33 of the upright member 14. A bottom of the base 13 defines a 
planar support surface 35 (FIG. 5) for engaging a substantially horizontal 
foundation surface provided, for example, by a table top, desk or the 
like. 
An opposite end 41 of the upright member 14 terminates with a yoke portion 
42 having bifurcated legs 44 and 45. Received by the yoke portion 42 is a 
flange 43 extending downwardly from the motor 26. The flange 43 and the 
yoke 42 are connected by a pin 47 that extends through apertures in the 
legs 44, 45 and the flange 43 and permits pivotal movement of the fan 12 
on the upright member 14. Manually induced rotation of the upright member 
14 in the base 13 permits rotational positioning with respect thereto of 
the fan housing 12. 
Also included with the electric fan 11 is a vise clamp assembly 51 that is 
supported by the base 13. The vise 51 includes a pair of separate, spaced 
apart jaws 52, 53 that project laterally from the base 13 in directions 
parallel to the support surface 35. Another component of the vise clamp 
assembly 51 is a jack screw 55 which connects the jaws 52 and 53 and 
produces relative translational movement therebetween. The jackscrew 55 
has an end rotationally retained by the base 13 and a shank portion 
threadedly engaging the upper jaw 52. A knob 56 attached to an outer end 
of the jack screw 55 and projecting upwardly from the base 13 can be 
rotated to produce translational movement of the upper jaw 52 toward the 
lower jaw 53. Preferably, the jaw 53 is molded with the base 13 as an 
integral unit. 
During use, the electric fan 11 is positioned in a location in which air 
movement is desired. Typically, the fan 11 is placed on a suitable 
foundation surface provided, for example, by a desk or table top. The 
planar surface 35 on the bottom of the base 13 which has substantial width 
provides for the fan 11 a high degree of stability. Preferably, the base 
13 has maximum orthogonally related dimensions t and d (FIG. 5) each at 
least one-half the maximum width D of the circular fan housing 12. 
Alternatively, in the absence of a convenient foundation surface for the 
base 13, the vise clamp 51 is employed to secure the electric fan 11 to a 
suitable mounting provided, for example, by a relatively thin structural 
member 16 (FIG. 3) such as a table top, shelf or the like. For this 
application, the upper and lower jaws 52, 53 are passed over an outer edge 
of the member 16 to produce engagement thereof with the base 13. The knob 
56 on the jack screw 55 then is manually turned to produce closure 
movement of the upper jaw 52 toward the lower jaw 53 until they firmly 
engage the mounting member 61. 
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are 
possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the planar support 
surface 35 on the base 13 could be provided by ends of three legs. It is 
to be understood, therefore, that the invention can be practiced otherwise 
than as specifically described.