Patent Publication Number: US-6666647-B1

Title: Neck fan for personal cooling

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The instant application is a formal application of U.S. provisional application No. 60/306,919, filed on Jul. 20, 2001, and entitled NECK FAN FOR PERSONAL COOLING, and claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of said U.S. provisional application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to small portable electrical fans and more particularly to a fan device which can be supported by a lanyard around a wearer&#39;s neck so that a cooling breeze may be directed, toward the neck and face area of the wearer, to cool the wearer. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Numerous innovations for neck fans for personal cooling having been provided in the prior art that will be described. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention. 
     A first example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,765 to Waters teaches an air conditioning unit for use in the cooling of persons includes a fan secured below the person&#39;s neck. A moistened foam necklace may be wrapped around the neck or a moistened foam pad otherwise positioned between the fan and the neck of the user. The fan of the air conditioning unit includes a frame, an electric motor mounted on the frame, a fan blade operably connected with the motor and rotatable by the motor for moving air, a battery or other power source operably connected with the motor for actuation thereof, and a switch operably connected between the battery or power source and the motor for controlling the actuation of the motor. Furthermore, the air conditioning unit includes a flexible element attached to the frame, the flexible element being constructed and arranged to be worn around the user&#39;s neck so that air generated by the moving fan blade moves against the neck area after being evaporatively cooled by the foam necklace or pad. 
     A second example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,035 to Carter teaches a portable fan worn in a self-oriented position on a wearer for directing a current of cooling air toward the wearer. The fan has a housing made of lightweight material, a lightweight electric motor in the housing powered by a source such as a battery so that the motor does not require physical connected to a fixed location remote from the wearer, a mechanism for moving air including a shaft connected to the motor, a hub on the shaft and a plurality of vanes projecting radially outwardly from the hub, the shaft, hub and vanes being made of a lightweight material, a shroud made of lightweight material connected to the housing and substantially enclosing said air moving mechanism, and a mechanism for supporting the fan below the wearer&#39;s face in an orientation wherein said air moving mechanism directs a current of air upwardly toward the wearer&#39;s face without being manually held. 
     A third example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,714 to Hau teaches a necklace hanger for mounting on a portable fan to be worn is disclosed. The hanger includes a main body having a ring for fitly mounting on a fan and an extension for supporting the shroud of the fan. Then a cord is connected to the extension to form a loop for hanging the fan to one&#39;s neck. The hanger can selectively be combined with the fan by the user and is suitable for applying to other portable fans. Furthermore, the connecting mechanism of the cord and the main body is in a detachable manner that when an outer force applied to the connectors exceeds a certain extent, the cord will be released from the hanger to prevent from harming the wearer. 
     A fourth example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,564 B1 to Park teaches a portable electric fan is provided. The portable electric fan includes a handle constructed of a case in the form of a hollow column, having one end through which one or more power supplying batteries are installed, a motor connected to the electrode of the battery for providing a rotational driving force, a fan which is installed on a rotating shaft of the motor and is rotatably driven, a protecting member enclosing the fan rotated by the motor, and a cord attached to some part of the protecting member. Therefore, the portable electric fan can be operated, while hanging around some part of a user&#39;s body such as the neck. Accordingly, it is possible to freely use both hands. Also, it is possible to safely produce air movement since a protecting member enclosing the fan is formed. Also, holes are formed for allowing the circulation of air between the case and the fan, thereby carrying perfume from a perfume pocket put into a space in the case to a user by the air movement caused during the rotation of the fan. 
     A fifth example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,702 B1 to Shimagori teaches a personal cooling device that may be slung about the neck of a wearer for providing personal cooling under various conditions and wherein the device may be stowed about the waistband of a garment of the user of the device when not used for cooling purposes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a neck fan for personal cooling that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a neck fan for personal cooling that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. 
     Still another object of the present invention is to provide a neck fan for personal cooling that is simple to use. 
     Briefly stated, still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a neck fan for personal cooling which can be supported by a lanyard around a wearer&#39;s neck so that a cooling breeze may be directed to cool the wearer&#39;s face and neck area while the wearer&#39;s hands are free to be engaged in ordinary activities of work, leisure, play, etcetera. 
     The geometry of the construction of the fan device of the present invention is such that it lay close to the body of the wearer so as to minimize the fan device from coming into undesirable contact with other items in the wearer&#39;s environment. 
     The lanyard which supports the fan device about the wearer&#39;s neck is provisioned to allow the fan device to be adjusted so as to hang at a correct height, and an optimum angle so as to keep the wearer comfortable and efficiently cooled. The lanyard also may be provisioned with an optional break-away safety link so that should the fan device become accidentally entangled or pulled with sufficient force by items in the environment the break-away safety link will permit the lanyard to separate before the wearer will be choked, strangled, or otherwise seriously injured. 
     The novel features which are considered characteristic of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both so to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The figures of the drawings are briefly described as follows: 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a person wearing the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the portion of the present invention enclosed in the dotted curve indicated by arrow  2  in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top elevational view, with parts broken away, taken in the direction of arrow  3  in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view taken in the direction of arrow  4  in FIG. 2; and 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the support lanyard of the present invention enclosed in the dotted curve indicated by arrow  5  in FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     A MARSHALLING OF REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWING 
       10  wearer utilizing the fan device  12   
       12  fan device of the present invention 
       14  wearer&#39;s chest area 
       16  air flowing breeze to be angled at the face and neck 
       18  face and neck area of the wearer 
       20  arrow indicating intake air 
       22  protective grill 
       24  front face 
       26  rear baffle 
       28  electric fan component 
       30  open upper output air exit area 
       32  square face 
       34  left hand trapezoidal side 
       36  right hand trapezoidal side 
       38  bottom rectangular surface 
       40  axis of rotation 
       42  curve portion cut away from an upper edge  44  of electric fan component  28   
       44  upper rear edge of electric fan component  28   
       46  blades 
       48  center hub 
       50  circular venturi 
       52  electrical power cord assembly 
       54  battery pack 
       56  corner of a rear upper edge  44  of the electric fan component 
       58  corner of a rear upper edge  44  of the electric fan component 
       60  supporting main lanyard component 
       62  wearer&#39;s neck 
       64  frictional sliding length adjustment component 
       66  break-away safety link 
       68  two identical supplemental angle adjusting lanyard components 
       70  first ends of identical supplemental adjusting lanyard components 
       72  bottom corner edge of the prismatic shape housing  82   
       74  second ends of identical supplemental adjusting lanyard components 
       76  pair of sliding frictional adjustment blocks 
       78  directional movement arrow 
       80  directional movement arrow 
       82  prismatic shape housing 
       84  both ends of a supporting main lanyard component  60   
       86  point approximately equidistant from both ends  84  of a supporting main lanyard component  60   
       88  plug 
       92  optional on—off power switch 
       94  surface oriented at an acute angle  96  with respect to an axis of rotation  40   
       96  acute angle 
       98  corner edge 
       99  corner edge 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the figures, in which like numerals indicate like parts, and particularly to FIG. 1, shows a wearer  10  utilizing the fan device  12  of the present invention which is resting upon a wearer&#39;s chest area  14  and accordingly causes an air flowing breeze  16  to be angled at the face and neck area  18  of the wearer. 
     FIG. 2 shows an enlarged side elevational view of the portion of the present invention enclosed in the dotted curve indicated by arrow  2  in FIG. 1 in greater detail. It will be observed that intake air, indicated by arrow  20 , is drawn in through a protective grill  22  attached to a front face  24 , best seen in FIG. 4, of an electric fan component  28  of the fan device  12 . Accordingly because of the geometry of a prismatic shaped housing  82 , in which the electric fan component  28  is mounted, the intake air is caused to change direction approximately by 90 degrees, by a rear baffle  26  and exit from an open upper air exit area  30  thereof, as indicated by arrow  16 . This geometry permits the fan device  12  to have a relatively thin profile compared to devices of other prior art, and accordingly allows the device to lay close to a wearer&#39;s chest area  14  without projecting very far therefrom. 
     The fan device  12 , when viewed from a front direction, i.e. in the direction of arrow  4 , is illustrated typically as square face  32 , has the protective grill  22 , as best seen in FIG. 4, joined by two trapezoidal sides, i.e., a left hand trapezoidal side  34 , a right hand trapezoidal side  36 , as best seen in FIG. 2, which are further joined by a back baffle  26 , at corner edges  98 ,  99  and  72  respectively, which has a surface  94  oriented at an acute angle  96  with respect to an axis of rotation  40  of said electric fan component  28 , and a bottom rectangular surface  38  well seen in FIGS. 2,  3  and  4 , so as to generally form the prismatic shaped housing  82 . 
     Electric fan component  28  of the fan device  12 , having a center hub  48 , having at least two blades, but illustrated typically with seven blades  46 , is centrally mounted within the prismatic shaped housing  82  with its axis rotation  40  perpendicular to the square face  32 , and grill  22 , so that air  20  drawn in through a circular venturi  50 , behind protective grill  22 , mostly torn away for clarity exits an open upper air exit area  30 . A curved portion  42  is cut away from an upper rear edge  44  of electric fan component  28  so as to enlarge an exit of the open upper air exit area  30 . 
     An electric power cord assembly  52  communicates with a battery pack  54 , worn by the wearer  10 , or carried in a clothing pocket not shown, so as to supply the energy for rotating the electric fan component  28 . A plug  88  and optional on-off power switch  92  may be incorporated in the electrical power cord assembly  52  as well known by those in the art. 
     Both ends  84 , of a supporting main lanyard component  60  are suitably attached at two places to the prismatic shaped housing, near corners  56  and  58  of a rear upper edge  44  of the electric fan component  28 , for encirclement of the wearer&#39;s neck  62 . As best seen in FIG. 5, a frictional sliding length adjustment component  64 , which frictionally engages the supporting main lanyard component  60 , is provided and may accordingly be slid, as indicated by directional movement arrow  80 , along the supporting main lanyard component  60  so as to adjust the effective length of the lanyard, which supports the fan device  12  at a comfortable height upon the wearer&#39;s chest area  14 . A break-away safety link  66  is suitably attached at a point  86  approximately equidistant from both ends  84  of a supporting main lanyard component  60 , which will either fracture or otherwise permit the supporting main lanyard component  60  to separate at point  86 , before the wearer will be choked or strangled should the fan device  12  become entangled or pulled with sufficient force by items in the environment and accordingly prevent inadvertent accidental injuries to the wearer  10 . 
     Two identical supplemental angle adjusting lanyard components  68  have their first ends  70 , suitably attached near the bottom corner edge  72  of the prismatic shaped housing  82  of fan device  12 , and their second ends  74  embedded in a pair of sliding frictional adjustment blocks  76 , which frictionally engage the supporting main lanyard component  60 , close to where they are attached at two places to the electric fan component  28 , near corners  56  and  58  of a near upper edge  44  of the electric fan component  28 , so as to permit adjustment of the angle at which air is accordingly discharged at the wearer&#39;s face and neck area, by positioning the sliding frictional adjustment blocks  76  along the length of the supporting main lanyard component  60 , as indicated by directional movement arrow  78 , which accordingly causes the fan device  12  to tilt at a variety of different angular positions upon the wearer&#39;s chest area  14 . 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above. 
     While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodiments of a neck fan for personal cooling, however, it is not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
     Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.