Abstract:
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.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY-SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0004]    The present invention relates to ceiling fans. More particularly, this invention relates to ceiling fans with heating elements. 
         [0005]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0006]    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. 
         [0007]    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 INVENTION 
       [0008]    In 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. 
         [0009]    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. 
         [0010]    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. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    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: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the embodiment of the present invention depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is an enlargement of one embodiment of a light bulb shield of the present invention depicted in  FIG. 1  and depicts a low energy bulb decorated by a light bulb shield constructed in accordance with various features of the invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4A  illustrates a flow diagram of the power supply and rheostat positions as represented by an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4B  illustrates a flow diagram of the power supply and rheostat positions as represented by an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4C  illustrates a flow diagram of the power supply and rheostat positions as represented by an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4D  illustrates a flow diagram of the power supply and rheostat positions as represented by an alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0019]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5B  is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5C  is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of the heater subassembly of the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5D  is a perspective view of one alternative embodiment of the heater subassembly of the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 5E  is a plan view of one embodiment of the ceiling fan assembly and heater subassembly of the present invention, showing the area in the plane which the heater subassembly may occupy. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0024]    A ceiling fan with heating assembly and optional lighting assembly is disclosed. The ceiling fan is illustrated generally at  10  in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 . As depicted, the ceiling fan  10  is designed for ventilation of an environment  12  that has a ceiling, or other structural support, from which the ceiling fan  10  may be suspended. The ceiling fan  10  is secured and suspended from the ceiling by conventional means, such as a pipe  11 . Power, at 120 volts or other effective amounts to power the fan, is supplied to the ceiling fan  10  through wiring extending through the pipe  11 . This suspension defines a vertical axis  16  down the center of the ceiling fan  10 , and further defines the axis about which the fan blades rotate. 
         [0025]    As depicted in  FIG. 1  and more clearly in  FIG. 2 , the ceiling fan assembly  18  comprises a housing  20  which encloses a conventional fan motor that, when energized, will rotate a plurality of fan blades  22  producing air flow in a desired direction. These fan blades  22  extend outward at equally spaced intervals around the vertical axis  16 . The fan blades  22  comprise wood, or other suitable material, in an oblong shape, in which two elongated sides are substantially parallel, one end defining a semicircle, and the other end having a decorative curve that forms a point, or shape with dimensions that are effective for creating air flow. A rigid arm  26  mounts the semicircle end of the fan blade to a conventional fan motor (not shown) at a desired angle to effectuate air flow by rotation of the fan blades  22 . Additionally, the bottom of the fan housing  20 , as depicted in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , provides a conventional attachment subassembly  28  which provides a power source leads  30  and a structure to mount attachments. In addition, the fan housing  20  provides conventional controls, as depicted by pull-chains  34  in  FIG. 2 , for the operation of the ceiling fan assembly  18 , a light subassembly  36  and the heating element  86 . Alternatively, fan controls may be provided through wall-mounted or radio frequency controls. 
         [0026]    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. 
         [0027]    The frame subassembly  38 , as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , comprises a shell  46 , which encloses a skeleton  48  providing structural support for mounting the lighting arms  50 . The shell  46  has an inverted bell shape, with a larger diameter at the top that tapers to a smaller diameter at the bottom. The shell  46  is open at the top which exposes the skeleton  48 . 
         [0028]    The plurality of lighting arms  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , comprise long, hollow, and cylindrically shaped, conventional pipe, which has a diameter adapted to provide rigid support for lights and to contain electrical wiring to the lights. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the length of the lighting arms  50  may extend outward farther from the axis  16  than the ceiling fan assembly  18  and the heating assembly  44 . Each of the lighting arms  50  comprises a rigid material which is hollow, to allow for the electrical assembly to remain hidden. As desired, the lighting arms may be telescoping to allow extension outwardly from the shell  46 . With additional extension of the lighting arms  50 , as is necessary for larger size ceiling fans, support brackets or chains may be provided to secure the lighting arms to the ceiling and prevent sagging of the lighting arms  50 . 
         [0029]    As illustrated, in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , in one embodiment of the present invention the lighting arm  50  may include a light bulb housing  72  which is disposed on the end of the arm  50 . The light bulb housing  72  is attached to the lighting arm  50  by conventional means. The light bulb housing  72  may be of aesthetically pleasing design. If the lighting arms  50  are telescoping, the light bulb housing  72  may be rotated to any desired orientation. Similarly, a joint may be provided in the each arm  50  to allow adjustable orientation of the light bulb housing  72 . 
         [0030]    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. 
         [0031]    One embodiment of a heating assembly  44  of the present invention is depicted in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 . This heating assembly  44  is disposed below the lighting assembly  36  about the vertical axis  16 . The heating assembly  44  is mounted to the ceiling fan assembly  18  through the shell  46  and secured therein. 
         [0032]    The heating assembly  44 , as depicted in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , comprises a heating element  86 , and electrical connection to a power supply  84  to energize the heating element  86  to produce heat. The depicted heating element  86  is disposed below the ceiling fan assembly  18  and the lighting assembly  36  surrounding the vertical axis  16 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the heating element  86  is essentially positioned in a horizontal plane which is substantially parallel to the plane of the fan blades  22  allowing for direct exposure of the heating element  86  to the air flow generated by the ceiling fan assembly  18 . As depicted in  FIG. 2 , the heating element  86  extends outwardly from the vertical axis  16  a distance of about half the length of the individual lengths of the fan blades  22 . The heating element  86  accepts power through two leads, terminal  90 A and terminal  90 B, which are connected through conventional wiring to a power supply  84 . In one embodiment, the power is supplied through an external 240V power supply. As desired, the terminals  90 A and  90 B may extend outwardly from the shell  46  to connect to the heating element  86 . 
         [0033]    The heating element  86  of the heater subassembly  82  is supported by the cage subassembly  80 . As illustrated by  FIG. 2 , the cage subassembly  80  comprises generally a cage  92  which protects against contact with the heating element  86  or fan blades  22  and insulators  94  for support of the heating element  86 . 
         [0034]    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,  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , one embodiment of the present invention the cage  92  comprises wire members formed into a configuration that provide large openings for air flow  24  while producing an aesthetically pleasing design. For a large cage  92  additional supports to the ceiling may be provided by chains and/or brackets, for example. 
         [0035]    The cage  92  supports the heating element  86 , in a spaced apart relationship to the cage, by a plurality of insulators  94  shown in  FIG. 2 . The insulators  94  are disposed in spaced apart relationship to one another around the perimeter of the heating element  86 . As depicted, these insulators  94  may be fixed to the cage  92  by welding or other suitable means. These insulators  94  may be triangular-shaped or other suitable design which give support and/or secure the heating element  86  to the cage  92 . The insulators  94  may be ceramic or other material suitable for insulation of electrical and heat energy. As depicted insulators  94  may comprise triangular-shaped ceramic plates with semicircle indentations  96 , having the interior diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the heating element  86 , at the apex of the triangle to support and mount the heating element  86  to the cage  92 . 
         [0036]    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  FIG. 1-3 , depicts the light bulb shield  98  as an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of leaves  108  removing the unsightly low wattage light bulbs  78  from significant view. 
         [0037]    Alternative embodiments, as illustrated in  FIG. 5A-B , may dispose the heating element  86  above the ceiling fan assembly  18 , or between the ceiling fan assembly  18  and the lighting assembly  36 . In either of such embodiments the length of the lighting arms  50  of the lighting assembly  36  may be reduced. 
         [0038]    In other alternative embodiments, illustrated in  FIG. 5C-D , the heating element  86  comprise a series of concentric circles  86 B each have a smaller radius than the previous, or a series of rectangles  86 C in which each rectangle has a smaller rectangle within the interior. Additionally, the heating element  86  may be positioned around the vertical axis  16  at distances between the inside edge and outside edge of the fan blades  22  such that the position of the heating element  86  is in the direct air flow  24  generated by ceiling fan  10  as illustrated in  FIG. 5E . 
         [0039]    As illustrated in  FIG. 4  A-D, the heating subassembly  82 , may be powered by means of the attachment assembly  30  power supply  34  of the ceiling fan assembly  18  or by an independent power supply  84  in the amount of 120V, 240V, or an effective amount of power to heat the heating element  86 . As illustrated by  FIG. 4B-D , placing a rheostat  110  in the circuit  112  of the heating subassembly  82  allows a user to adjust the power supplied to the heating subassembly  82  to increase or decrease the temperature at which the heating element  86  operates. As depicted in  FIG. 4A , in one alternative embodiment these controls for the heating subassembly may include a time control  114  to automatically turn on or off the heating subassembly. These types of controls save cost for heating. 
         [0040]    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.