Abstract:
A portable air movement apparatus with improved air blending is provided, having a housing, an air generator, an air outlet, and an ambient air passageway through the housing of the device. The impeller and other components, such as the heating element, are disassociated from the location of the air outlet, allowing for the ability to use more than one air outlet, which serves to spread the air stream over a greater area. The disassociation of the impeller and other components from the air outlet also minimizes the housing size required near the air outlet, thereby allowing ambient air to be entrained in the air flow produced by the apparatus. As such, the apparatus moves more room air through the apparatus and more rapidly blends the air into the entire area or room.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/797,047 filed Nov. 28, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNOLOGY FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a portable air movement apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to portable heaters and fans with improved air blending characteristics. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Portable air moving apparatuses have been used for many years to cool and heat a specific area. The ability to confine the effects of the device to the specific area in which the user is located compared to the need to heat or cool an entire building results in saving energy. 
         [0004]    Conventional portable air moving apparatuses commonly locate the impeller proximate the air outlet of the device. If the apparatus is used for heating, the additional components, such as the heating element, are also located near the heated air outlet of the device. These conventional structures are designed to accomplish an efficient and direct flow of air from the impeller and to immediately expel the air from the device. In an effort to achieve air flow efficiency, conventional air moving apparatus require that the housing shape and form located proximate the air outlet be of sufficient size to enclose the impeller and/or heating element. Additional structures, such as motor mountings, scroll housings (used with centrifugal impellers), air guides and air cut-offs (used with transverse impellers), for example, further increase the required housing dimension necessary to accommodate the proximate location relationship between the impeller, heating element, air outlet and other components. 
         [0005]    One disadvantage of conventional portable air moving apparatus is that the required size of the housing near the air exit impedes the ability of the device to entrain ambient air into the generated air stream. For example, entrainment of ambient air into a heated air stream as it exits the device would have an effect of increasing the overall temperature of a greater quantity of air in a room. In effect, such a device would more directly accomplish the goal of space heater use. This goal is, to some extent, impeded by the structure of conventional space heaters. 
         [0006]    Additionally, a conventional portable air moving device utilized to heat the air requires specific and/or carefully controlled air flow characteristics. This is needed to assure that the air flow is heated properly as it passes through the heating element. Such air flow characteristics include, for example, air velocities, air volumes, and the like. As such, the proximity of the impeller relative to the heating element and the desire of locating the heating element immediately proximate the air outlet limits the ability of the device to have multiple heated air outlets. Each of said air outlets would require a discrete heating element and possibly a discrete impeller. The additional parts within the structure increase the cost and complexity of the devise. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the following is a description of an air moving apparatus with improved air blending characteristics. 
         [0008]    As described, the ability to disassociate the impeller and other components, such as the heating element, from the location of the air outlet promotes the ability to cost effectively use more than one air outlet. The use of multiple air outlets serves to spread the air stream over a greater area, if desired. The use of multiple air outlets also serves to promote aesthetic designs hitherto unknown in the consumer market. 
         [0009]    The disassociation of the impeller, heating element and other components from the location of the air outlet also minimizes the housing size required near the air outlet(s). This minimization of the housing size in the air outlet area thereby allows the air moving apparatus with improved air blending characteristics of embodiments of the current invention to entrain ambient air into the air flow produced by the device. As such, the device moves more room air through the device and more rapidly blends the air into the entire area or room. 
         [0010]    The disassociation of the impeller and heating element from the location of the heated air outlet also allows the manufacturer to use the same impeller and heating element configuration regardless of the shape or location of the air outlet. As such, the heating element and impeller combination can be engineered for maximum efficiency and used in multiple device designs absent the need to re-engineer the performance characteristics of the impeller and heating element combination for each design. The multiple uses of a single impeller and heating element combination across various devices reduces development time required for each device. The potential high quantity use of the same impeller and heating element when used for multiple devise design facilitates high quantity manufacturing. High quantity manufacturing serves to lower the cost of these components, which in turn is an advantage to both the manufacturer and the consumer. 
         [0011]    Another advantage of the present invention is the ability to locate the impeller, heating element, motor and other components of mass in a lower portion of the device. Lowering the center of gravity reduces the need for a large base to maintain the stability of the device. This thereby minimizes the planar footprint of the device and reduces the floor space or desk space required. 
         [0012]    The end user is the beneficiary of a fully functional air moving apparatus that occupies less planar area than conventional devices and includes advanced ambient air flow entrainment. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]    The invention is best understood from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawing are not to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Included in the drawing are the following Figures: 
           [0014]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an air moving apparatus with improved air blending, according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a right side section view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a rear section view of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of an air moving apparatus with improved air blending, according to an additional embodiment; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a right side section view of another embodiment of an air moving apparatus with improved air blending; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a right side section view of yet another embodiment of an air moving apparatus with improved air blending. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]      FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  are front and rear perspective views, respectively, of an air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100 , according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, housing  110  has a vertical aspect ratio and includes air inlet  120 , air outlet  130 , and ambient air passageway  160 . Ambient air passageway  160  includes rear opening  162 , air pathway  164 , and front opening  166 , which facilitate the passage of ambient air  102  through housing  110 . Housing  110  defines first interior space  112 . Base  150  is used to maintain housing  110  in a vertical and upright position, and air flow generator  180  is located within first interior space  112 . According to an embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1 , control interface  170  is located on a front portion of housing  110 . Also shown in  FIG. 1  is section plane  4 - 4  which corresponds to  FIG. 4 ; and  FIG. 2  shows section plane  5 - 5  which corresponds to  FIG. 5 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100  of  FIG. 1 . Housing  110  includes rear housing  110   a,  front housing  110   b,  right side housing  110   c,  left side housing  110   d,  and housing top  110   e.  Located within housing  110  are: air generator  381 , electric heating element  382 , and plenum  310 . Plenum  310  includes multiple outlets: plenum outlet  332   a,  plenum outlet  332   b  which correspond to air directing fins  140  located on plenum cover  330 . 
         [0024]    As shown, rear opening  162  of ambient air passageway  160  is located in rear housing  110   a,  while front opening  166  of ambient air passageway  160  is located in front housing  110   b.  Front opening  166  corresponds with air outlet  130 . Air pathway  164  connects rear opening  162  to front opening  166  and includes portion  164   a,  portion  164   b,  and portion  164   c , which are part of rear housing  110   a,  plenum  310 , and plenum cover  330 , respectively. As shown, plenum outlet  332   a,  plenum outlet  332   b  of plenum  310  and air directing fins  140  located on plenum cover  330  are located on opposite sides of air pathway  164 . 
         [0025]    Also shown are control interface  170  and digital readout  176  mounted to power control board  174 . Digital readout  176  is visible through control window  172  located on front housing  110   b,  and control interface  170  is accessible through holes  178  located on front housing  110   b.    
         [0026]      FIG. 4  is a right side section view along section plane  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 . As shown, air generator  381  includes impeller  383 , motor  384  and scroll housing  385 . Intake air is drawn into interior space  112  along first flow path  402  and into scroll housing intake port  386 , and is subsequently expelled through scroll housing exit port  387  along second flow path  404 . Heating element  382  is located along second flow path  404  and heats the air as it passes therethrough. The heated air enters second interior space  312  defined by plenum  310  and subsequently exits plenum  310  through plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b.  The heated air exits air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100  along third flow path  406 . Heating the flow of air via heating element  382 , prior to entering the plenum  310 , also allows natural convection to aid the flow of the heated air stream into second interior space  312 . 
         [0027]    Transition  390  is utilized to adapt the size and shape of exit port  387  to the size and shape of heating element  382 . Transition  390  and the conformance of the lower portion of plenum  310  to the size of heating element  382  facilitates the free flow of air through heating element  382  by eliminating impediments to air flow along second flow path  404 . The free flow of air is important to achieve the proper thermal transfer for air moving apparatuses that utilize positive temperature coefficient (PTC) type elements. As shown, the walls of plenum  310  are straight in the area around heating element  382  and do not inhibit the flow of air along second flow path  404 . It is contemplated that the walls of plenum  310  in the area of heating element  382  may also diverge from one another. Although heating element  382  is shown as a PTC element, the invention is not so limited. It is contemplated that nickel-chrome hot wire, quartz heaters, and the like could be used as in lieu of a PTC type element. 
         [0028]    Rear wall  310   a  of plenum  310  inclines toward plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b  as the distance from heating element  382  increases. This feature assures that air exits across the length of plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b.  The incline of rear wall  310   a  also facilitates the directional transition of air flow between second flow path  404  and third flow path  406 . 
         [0029]    Air directing fins  140  located on plenum cover  330  are located proximate plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b  and serve to maintain a substantially straight vector flow of air along third flow path  406 . Maintaining a straight vector flow increases the distance that an exhaust air stream flowing along third flow path  406  is able to travel after exiting air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100 . The increased distance of travel will increase the penetration of heated exhaust air steam into the room. As shown, air directing fins  140  are external to plenum  310 . 
         [0030]    It is contemplated that power control board  174  could be so configured to allow heating element  382  to be de-energized while maintaining the functionality of impeller  383  and motor  384 . In this manner, the device can be used as a heating and/or a cooling device. 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  is a rear section view along section plane  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 . Second interior space  312  is divided into air channel A  312   a  and air channel B  312   b.  Second air flow path  404  is divided by flow divider  313  as the flow of heated air enters air channel A  312   a  and air channel B  312   b.  As can be seen, plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b  are located on opposite sides of ambient air passageway  160 . Similar to the incline of rear wall  310   a  of plenum  310  (see  FIG. 4 ), the width of air channel A  312   a  and air channel B  312   b  may narrow as the distance from heating element  382  increases. This feature also promotes air to exit across the length of plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b.    
         [0032]    Referring to both  FIGS. 4 and 5 , heated air exiting plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b  located on opposite sides of ambient air passageway  160  entrain ambient air flow  102  to flow through ambient air passageway  160 . As heated air exits plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b  along third flow path  406 , it efficiently blends with ambient air flow  102 , thereby more rapidly mixing the heated air into the entire area or room. 
         [0033]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , air channel A  312   a  and air channel B  312   b  join at the top of plenum  310 , while plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b  correspond only to opposite sides of ambient air passageway  160 . The invention is not limited by either of these aspects. It is contemplated that air channel A  312   a  and air channel B  312   b  may not join at the top or may alternatively be separated by a wall. It is also contemplated that plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b  may join at the top of plenum  310  and heated air could also exit along the top of air passageway  160 . 
         [0034]    The structuring of plenum  310  as described minimizes flow impediments along second flow path  404 . The absence of flow impediments allows the device to utilize lower pressures to move air efficiently through the device. In short, the need for high pressure and compression type air generators associated with these higher pressures is eliminated. The elimination of the need of a compression type air generator allows the manufacturer to use less expensive components, yielding a more affordable device for the end user. 
         [0035]    It has been found that the relationship of the flow through area of heating element  382 , the combined flow through area of plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b,  and the volume air channel A  312   a  and air channel B  312   b  have a direct effect on the ability of heating element  382  to efficiently impart thermal energy into the air flowing along second flow path  404 . As the combined flow through area of plenum outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b  is decreased as a proportion of the flow through area of heating element  382 , the volume of air channel A  312   a  and air channel B  312   b  may be increased to allow sufficient expansion of the air moving along second flow path  404  subsequent to heating element  382 . The expansion of the air prior to outlet  332   a  and plenum outlet  332   b  decreases the impediment of air flow in the entire system. 
         [0036]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of another embodiment of an air moving apparatus with improved air blending  600 . As shown, ambient air passageway  660  is not fully enclosed on all sides by housing  610 . Similar to ambient air flow  102  of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , ambient air flow  602  is efficiently blended with the air as it exits the device through air outlet  630 . In all other respects, air moving apparatus with improved air blending  600  is similar to air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 7  is a right side section view of air moving apparatus improved air blending  700 , according to an additional embodiment. Intake air is drawn into interior space  712  of housing  710  along first flow path  702  and into scroll housing intake port  786  and subsequently expelled through scroll housing exit port  787  along second flow path  704 . The air enters second interior space  713  defined by plenum  711  and subsequently exits plenum  711  through plenum outlet  732   a  and plenum outlet  732   b.  The air exits air moving apparatus with improved air blending  700  along third flow path  706 . Transition  790  adapts the form of exit port  787  to a lower portion of plenum  711 . 
         [0038]    Unlike air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100  of  FIG. 4 , air moving apparatus with improved air blending  700  is absent a heating element. The removal of the heating element from the structure permits the use of air generator  781 , which includes impeller  783  (having a larger diameter relative to impeller  383  of  FIG. 4 ), motor  784 , and scroll housing  785 . Impeller  783  can thereby generate an air flow along second flow path  704  having a greater velocity relative to the air velocities associated with the embodiment of  FIG. 4 . 
         [0039]    Air directing fins  740  associated with plenum cover  730  include extension portion  740   a.  It has been found that an even distribution of a higher velocity air flow across the vertical length of plenum outlet  732   a  and plenum outlet  732   b  is enhanced by extension portions  740   a.  As shown, extension portions  740   a  project the surfaces of air directing fins  740  into second interior space  713 , which aids in the transition of the high velocity air from second flow path  704  to third flow path  706 . The even distribution of a higher velocity air flow across the vertical length of plenum outlet  732   a  and plenum outlet  732   b  improves the entrainment of ambient air into and through ambient air passageway  160 . 
         [0040]    Plenum  711  includes rear plenum wall  711  a having a gradual and curved form. The form of rear plenum wall  711   a  provides a smooth transition between second flow path  704  and third flow path  706 . These features further improves the ability of air moving apparatus with improved air blending  700  to deliver a higher velocity air flow along third flow path  706  relative to the structure of air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100  of  FIG. 4 . In all other respects, air moving apparatus with improved air blending  700  is similar to air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 8  is a right side section view of air moving apparatus with improved air blending  800 , according to yet another embodiment. Unlike air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100  of  FIG. 4 , air generator  881  includes axial impeller  883  and motor  884 . Intake air is drawn into interior space  112  along first flow path  402  and into fan intake port  886  and subsequently expelled through fan exit port  887  along second flow path  404 . As can be seen, air generator  881  utilizes axial impeller  883  in lieu of centrifugal type impeller  383  of the embodiment of  FIG. 4 . Transition  890  functions similarly to transition  390  of the embodiment of  FIG. 4 . In all other respects, air moving apparatus with improved air blending  800  is similar to air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100 . 
         [0042]    It is contemplated that conventional assembly methods can be used to secure the components associated with air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100 ,  600 ,  700 , and  800 . Methods and devices such as screws, adhesives, snap fits, press fits, ultrasonic welding, heat welding, Velcro, tape, and the like may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
         [0043]    As shown, the disassociation of the impeller, heating element, and other components from the location of air outlet(s)  130  and  630  minimizes the size of housing(s)  110 ,  610 , and  710  required near the air outlet(s). This minimization of the housing size allows the air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100 ,  600 ,  700 , and  800  to more efficiently entrain ambient air into the air flow via ambient air passageways  160  and  660 . 
         [0044]    Aspects of the present invention result in the ability to locate the impeller, heating element, motor, and other heavy components in a lower portion of the device, providing an effectual method of lowering the center of gravity of the device. This in turn reduces the need for a large base to maintain the stability of the device. The reduced planar footprint of air moving apparatus with improved air blending  100 ,  600 ,  700 , and  800  reduces the floor space or desk space required. 
         [0045]    Although the apparatuses  100 ,  600 ,  700 , and  800  are shown and described to have a vertical aspect ratio with a vertically-oriented air outlet  130  and  630 , the invention is not so limited and other shapes, configurations, and/or forms may be implemented. For example, the apparatus may be square or substantially square with a substantially horizontal air outlet near a top portion of the housing. As another example, the apparatus may have a horizontal aspect ratio with a horizontally-oriented air outlet. In such an embodiment, the apparatus may have multiple air outlets and corresponding air flow generators; for example, one at each end of the apparatus. 
         [0046]    Although the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous changes and modifications may be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention and that such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit of the invention. It is therefore intended that the appended claims be construed to cover all such equivalent variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.