Patent Abstract:
A magnetic-attaching structure for a fan includes a fan body and a magnetic unit. The magnetic unit is mounted with the fan body, and then the magnetic-attaching structure for a fan can be easily assembled or changed so that the air-inhaling or air-exhausting directions are also changed. The fans can be assembled conveniently and quickly, and additional fans can be added as required. No fixing holes are needed for the fans, nor are screws needed to fix the fans in place. The user can assemble or add fans conveniently as suits their requirements.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan, and in particular to a fan that can be assembled conveniently via a magnetic-attaching structure.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     There are many kinds of circuit boards and electronic elements in a computer housing. When the computer is operating, the temperature in the computer housing will rise because of the heat from the chips on the circuit board and the electronic elements of integrated circuits. If the temperature in the housing goes beyond the maximum limit of the electronic elements, it will cause the electronic elements to fail and the computer may even break down. The computer housing therefore usually has heat-dissipating holes and is assembled with fans, so that the heat from the electronic elements during operation can be exhausted outside the computer housing through the heat-dissipating holes by the air convection of the fans.  
         [0005]     A fan structure of prior art is shown in  FIG. 1 . A fan body  10   a  is formed with a through hole  11   a  at each of its four corners, respectively. A computer housing  20   a  has a plurality of fixing holes  21   a  corresponding to the through holes  11   a,  and a plurality of heat-dissipating holes  22   a . The fan body  10   a  is assembled to the computer housing  20   a  by screws  30   a  that pass through the fixing holes  21   a  and the through holes  11   a.  Therefore, the fan body  10   a  can exhaust heat outside the computer housing  20   a  through the heat-dissipating holes  22   a.    
         [0006]     However, the conventional fan structure can only be assembled at the position that is formed with the fixing holes  21   a . It also needs screws  30   a  to screw the fan to the computer housing  20   a . Moreover, the air-exhausting and air-inhaling direction of the fan cannot be changed easily. The assembly steps of the fan are troublesome and the application scope is limited, meaning it cannot be assembled at other positions quickly and other fans cannot be added for enhancing heat-dissipating effectiveness.  
         [0007]     Accordingly, the present invention aims to propose a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan that solves the above-mentioned problems in the prior art.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     An object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan, which allows for fans to be assembled more conveniently and quickly, and also allows for more fans to be added where they are needed. The present invention does not require fixing holes for the fans, nor screws, and as such the user can assemble or add fans more easily to better meet their needs.  
         [0009]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan, which can change the air-inhaling direction or air-exhausting direction of the fans quickly according to the user&#39;s requirements. A user can opt have the fan to inhale air or exhaust air, and the fixing manner is not limited and is more convenient.  
         [0010]     To achieve the first object, the present invention provides a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan, including a fan body, and a magnetic unit mounted with the fan body.  
         [0011]     To achieve the other object, the present invention provides a main housing, a magnetic unit, and a fan body that is magnetically attached to the main housing by the magnetic unit.  
         [0012]     Further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     The present invention can be fully understood from the following detailed description and preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a fan assembled with a computer housing of prior art;  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the first embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is an assembled perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the first embodiment assembled with a computer housing according to the present invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is an assembled perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the first embodiment assembled with a side board according to the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is an assembled perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the first embodiment assembled with another side board according to the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is an assembled perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the first embodiment assembled with another computer housing according to the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the second embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is an assembled perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the second embodiment assembled with a fan net according to the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 9  is an assembled perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the second embodiment assembled with a filter according to the present invention;  
         [0023]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the third embodiment according to the present invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the forth embodiment according to the present invention; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the fifth embodiment according to the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]     The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.  
         [0027]     Reference is made to  FIG. 2 . The present invention of a magnetic-attaching structure for a fan includes a fan body  10  and a magnetic unit  20 .  
         [0028]     The fan can be an axial-flow fan, a centrifugal fan, or a cross-flow fan. In this embodiment, the fan is an axial-flow fan. The fan body  10  has a square-shaped frame  11 . The frame  11  is embossed with an indicating mark  12  on its top surface for indicating the air-inhaling direction and the fin-rotating direction. The indicating mark  12  can coordinate with the magnetic unit  20 , so that the user can easily identify the air-inhaling direction when assembling the fan body  10 . The fan body  10  has an exhausting side  13  and an inhaling side  14  at its front and rear ends, respectively. The exhausting side  13  is opposite to the inhaling side  14 . Air is taken into the fan body  10  from the inhaling side  14 , and is exhausted outside the fan body  10  from the exhausting side  13 . The exhausting side  13  and the inhaling side  14  of the frame  11  respectively form a plurality of magnet receiving parts  15  at their four corners that are symmetrical related to diagonal lines. The magnet receiving parts  15  are circle-shaped and form an opening at their front surfaces, respectively.  
         [0029]     In this embodiment, the magnetic units  20  are circular permanent magnets, which are embedded and received in the openings of the magnet receiving part  15  to be fixed in the fan body  10 . Because the magnetic units  20  are magnetic, the exhausting side  13  and the inhaling side  14  of the fan body  10  can all be attached where required.  
         [0030]     Reference is made to  FIG. 3 . The computer housing  30  is made of iron. The computer housing  30  is formed with a plurality of heat-dissipating holes  31  at its rear end, which allows heat in the computer housing  30  to be exhausted out. The exhausting side  13  of the fan body  10  is attached magnetically to the computer housing  30  around the heat-dissipating holes  31  by the magnetic units  20 , and then the fan body  10  is mounted on the computer housing  30 . The heat in the computer housing  30  can be exhausted outside through the heat-dissipating holes  31  by means of the operation of the fan body  10  with cooling effect.  
         [0031]     Reference is made to  FIG. 4 . The computer housing has one side board  40  that is made of iron. The side board  40  is formed with a plurality of circular heat-dissipating holes  41 , which allow air outside the side board  40  to be taken in. The inhaling side  14  of the fan body  10  is attached magnetically to an inside surface of the side board  40  by the magnetic units  20 , and then the fan body  10  is mounted to the side board  40 . Air can be inhaled from the inhaling side  14  when the fan body  10  is operating. The cool air outside the side board  40  can be taken into through the heat-dissipating holes  41  of the side board  40 , which lowers the temperature inside the computer housing for fulfilling the cooling goal.  
         [0032]     Reference is made to  FIG. 5 . The computer housing has another side board  50  that is made of iron. The side board  50  forms a plurality of rectangular-shaped heat-dissipating holes  51 . The exhausting side  13  of the fan body  10  is attached magnetically to an inside surface of the side board  50  by the magnetic units  20 , and then the fan body  10  is mounted to the side board  50 . The heat in the side board  50  can be exhausted outside through the heat-dissipating holes  51  by means of the operation of the fan body  10 .  
         [0033]     Reference is made to  FIG. 6 . A computer housing  60  is formed with a plurality of ventilating holes  61 . The inhaling side  14  of the fan body  10  is attached magnetically to a section of the computer housing formed with the ventilating holes  61  by the magnetic units  20 , and then the fan body  10  is mounted with the computer housing  60 . The air outside the computer housing  60  can be taken in the computer housing  60  through the ventilating holes  61  for cooling by operation of the fan body  10 .  
         [0034]     Reference is made to  FIG. 7 . A fan body  70  has a rectangular-shaped frame  71  that is made of a magnet or an electromagnet. A magnetic unit  80  is formed integrally with the frame  71  of the fan body  70 . The frame  71  is embossed with an indicating mark  72  on its top surface for indicating the air-inhaling direction and the fin-rotating direction. The fan body  70  has an exhausting side  73  and an inhaling side  74  at a front surface and rear surface, respectively. The exhausting side  73  is opposite to the inhaling side  74 , and both can be attached magnetically via the magnetic units  80  as required by the user.  
         [0035]     Reference is made to  FIG. 8 . The inhaling side  74  of the fan body  70  is further attached magnetically to a fan net  90 , which is made of iron, by the magnetic unit  80 , and then the fan net  90  is mounted with the fan body  70 . The user therefore cannot touch the fins directly, and the net provides a protective function. The exhausting side  73  of the fan body  70  also can be attached as shown in FIGS.  3  to  6 . On the other hand, the fan net  90 , the exhausting side  73 , and the inhaling side  74  can be attached to any other position (as shown in FIGS.  3  to  6 ) as deemed appropriate by the user.  
         [0036]     Please refer to  FIG. 9 . The present invention can have a filter  100  attached to the inhaling side  74  of the fan body  70  by the magnetic unit  80 . The filter  100  has an iron rim  101  and a plurality of meshes  102  connected with the rim  101 . The filter  100  is attached to the inhaling side  74  for preventing impurities or dust in the air from being inhaled. The exhausting side  73  can be attached to another position for cooling.  
         [0037]     Please refer to  FIG. 10 . In this embodiment, the magnetic unit  20  of the present invention includes four magnets that are L-shaped and are embedded respectively to four corners of the fan body  10 . The fan body  10  is attached magnetically to the heat-dissipating holes  41  of the side board  40  by the magnetic unit  20 .  
         [0038]     Please refer to  FIG. 11 . In this embodiment, the magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the present invention includes a main housing  30 ′, a magnetic unit  20 , and a fan body  10 .  
         [0039]     The main housing  30 ′ can be a power supply, an emergency power supply, a personal computer, an industry computer, a server, an uninterruptible power supply, a disk array external enclosure, an external HDD enclosure, an external disc drive, a keyboard, a notebook heat sink, a housing of an overhead projector, or medical laboratory measuring instruments. In this embodiment, the main housing  30 ′ is a personal computer and has a shell  31 ′. The shell  31 ′ has eight accommodating portions  32 ′ adjacent to the heat-dissipating holes  311 ′. Each of the accommodating portions  32 ′ forms an opening at it&#39;s front surface, respectively.  
         [0040]     The magnetic unit  20  includes eight permanent magnets, which are embedded and received in the opening of the accommodating portion  32 ′, and the magnetic unit  20  can be mounted to the shell  31 ′ of the main housing  30 ′.  
         [0041]     The frame  11  of the fan body  10  can be made of iron or embedded with at least one iron sheet (not shown) therein, so that the fan body  10  can be attached magnetically to the main housing  30 ′ by the magnetic unit  20  on the shell  31 ′.  
         [0042]     Please refer to  FIG. 12 , the main housing  30 ′ has a magnetic or electromagnetic shell  31 ′. A magnetic unit  80 ′ is formed integrally with the shell  31 ′of the main housing  30 ′, and then the iron frame  11  of the fan body  10  can be attached magnetically to the main housing  30 ′ by the magnetism of the magnetic unit  80 ′.  
         [0043]     As described above, the advantages of the present invention are listed as follows:  
         [0044]     Firstly, the magnetic-attaching structure for a fan of the present invention is easier to assemble than conventional fans, which require many fixing holes and screws for attachment to the computer housing. The user can assemble the fan conveniently and quickly to wherever them deem heat-dissipation to be necessary, such as a housing of a power supply, a housing of an emergency power supply, a housing of a personal computer, a housing of an industrial computer, a housing of a server, a housing of a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), a housing of a disk array external enclosure, a housing of an External HDD Enclosure, a housing of an external disc drive, a housing of a keyboard, a housing of a notebook heat sink, a housing of an overhead projector, or housing of medical laboratory measuring instruments, or other housing mounted with cooling fans. The application scope is very wide, and the user can add fans freely. The air-inhaling direction or air-exhausting direction can changed quickly. If the exhausting side is attached magnetically to the computer housing, the airflow direction is exhausted from the housing. All that is required to change the direction of the airflow is attaching the inhaling side of the fan to the computer housing. Conversely, the airflow direction can be changed from air-inhaling to air-exhausting.  
         [0045]     While the invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, the description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as may fall within the scope of the invention defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

Technology Classification (CPC): 5