Abstract:
A lighted pole assembly comprising a weighted base, a base pole attached to the base, a mid pole telescopically attached to the base pole and a spring in the base pole section compressed by the mid-pole section to form a spring loaded connection. An electrical cord provided through the center of the base pole, connection and mid-pole, a fan assembly connected to a top end of the mid-pole, an umbrella provided on an upper portion of the fan assembly.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Applicant hereby claims priority under 35 USC 119 c to provisional application 61/214,336 filed Apr. 22, 2009. 
     
    
     STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND  DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
       [0003]    It is known to provide a variety of appliances appropriate for outdoor use. Applicant&#39;s prior U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,188 shows an outdoor combination pole fan, table shade canopy with lights. While this outdoor appliance is useful there is a need for additional outdoor appliances that will satisfy a variety of individual tastes and needs. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention is directed to an outdoor pole fan that includes a shade canopy. A lighted pole assembly comprising; 
         [0000]    a weighted base, a base pole attached to the base, a mid pole telescopically attached to the base pole and a spring in the base pole section compressed by the mid-pole section to form a spring loaded connection. An electrical cord provided through the center of the base pole, connection and mid-pole. A fan assembly connected to a top end of the mid-pole, an umbrella provided on an upper portion of the fan assembly. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]      FIG. 1  shows a view of the present invention, 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  shows details of a portion of the invention, and 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  shows details of a portion of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0008]    In accordance with the present invention,  FIG. 1  shows a view of the appliance  100  which includes an umbrella assembly  101  which includes an umbrella  102  for shade. The umbrella  102  is shown partially cut away for clarity. The umbrella  102  is supported on an upper central pole  104 . The umbrella  102  can be of a type that folds up and includes a folding frame  106  supported on a central ring  110  mounted concentric on the upper central pole  104 . The upper central pole  104  also includes an assembly tool and tool mounting  114 . 
         [0009]    The umbrella assembly  101  is mounted on a fan assembly  120 . The fan assembly  120  includes a motor assembly  122  mounted concentric with the upper central pole  104  and the upper central pole  104  is fastened to the motor assembly  122 . The fan motor assembly  122  includes a rotational central hub  124  to which a plurality of fan blades  126  are mounted. The fan assembly can include non-rotating lights  130 . 
         [0010]    There is a base assembly  140  supporting the umbrella assembly  101  and the fan assembly  120 . The base assembly  140  includes a weighted base  142  that might be cast metal or might be filled. The weighted base  142  supports a base pole section  144  and a mid-pole section  146 . The pole sections  144  and  146  telescope together and can include a lock such as a set screw  150  to lock the pole sections  144 ,  146  together. An electrical cord  152  can provide power to the fan assembly  120  and the electrical cord  152  is routed through the center of the pole sections  144 ,  146  and the base sectional pole  144  includes a notch  154  that allows the cord  152  to come outside the pole section  144 . Alternatively the base pole  144  could slip into a short pole section (not shown) on the base  142   
         [0011]      FIG. 2  shows a partial exploded view of the fan assembly  120 . The fan motor assembly  122  includes a concentrically mounted upper non-rotational shaft  160  that the upper pole  104  mounts over. The upper pole  104  includes a tool support  114  that holds an assembly tool  180  such as an Allen wrench that can be used to assemble and dis-assemble the appliance  100  by locking and unlocking fasteners  150 . The non-rotational shaft  160  supports the umbrella assembly  101 . The motor assembly  120  includes a non-rotational stub shaft  164  that supports the fan assembly on the mid pole section  146 . There is an electrical connection  170 ,  172  that electrically connects the fan assembly  120  to the cord  152  at the upper end  176  of the mid-pole section  146 . The connection  170 / 172  can be made in the field after the appliance  100  is shipped, and once the electrical connection  170 / 172  is made it can be hidden in the pole  146 .  FIG. 2  shows that the fan blade  126  can be attached to the motor  122  by a hinge  182  such that the blade can be pivoted down as shown by arrow B when the appliance is to be disassembled and shipped or stored. Alternatives the blade  126  can be removed by fasteners such as screws. 
         [0012]      FIG. 3  shows a cross sectional view of the poles  144  and  146 . The electrical cord  152  goes down the center of the poles  144 ,  146 . The base pole section  144  includes a spring  200  that compresses when the mid pole section  146  is telescoped into the base pole  144 . The spring  200  holds the electrical cord  152  and nylon sleeve  202  centered in the base pole  146  during assembly. The upper end of the cord  152  includes a clip  172  that plugs into the fan assembly  120 . 
         [0013]    The appliance  100  can be shipped partially unassembled. The tool  180  can be used to attach fasteners  150  that might be Allen set screws for example. In assembly, blades  126  can be attached to the motor assembly  122  and electrical clips  170 ,  172  can be fastened together. Pole section upper end  176  is fitted over the stub shaft  164  and fastened in place using one of the fasteners  150 . The mid-pole section  146  is telescopically fitted inside the upper end of base pole  144  and can be height adjusted by releasing the fastener  150 , this will allow the user to decide how tall they want the fan appliance  100  to be. As the pole sections  144 ,  146  slide together the spring  200  is compressed. The spring  200  provides several benefits including keeping the cord  152  and sleeve centered so that the cord  152  is not pinched during assembly. The spring  200  also tends to force the cord  152  plug end  204  out of the slot  154  and the spring  200  creates a rigidity that makes the pole assembly  144 ,  146  stronger and less prone to vibrate and wobble. This is important as the rotation of the fan assembly  120  will tend to mechanically work on the connection  210  between the two poles  144 ,  146 . Without the spring  200  the weight of the motor assembly  122  could begin to rock. Arrow ‘A’ shows the tendency of the pole section  146  to vibrate back and forth within the connection  210 , the spring  200  tends to eliminate this unwanted motion. The spring  200  also provides the benefit of partially supporting the weight of the umbrella  102  and fan assemblies during assembly and disassembly. For example, if a person loosens the fastener  150  between the mid shaft  146  and base pole  144  the spring  200  will tend to hold part of the weight of the fan and umbrella making it easier to lower and raise those assemblies. Once the pole sections  144  and  146  are telescoped together the fastener  150  is tightened to hold the connection together. 
         [0014]    It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the claims in the formal application and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.