Patent ID: 8647051

Claim:
A centrifugal fan, including: a hub rotatable on a hub axis and having a hub outer periphery disposed circumferentially about the hub axis; a plurality of blades spaced apart from the hub; and a blade mounting structure, narrower axially than the blades, supporting the blades integrally relative to the hub and spaced apart from the hub in a circumferential sequence about the hub for rotation with the hub about the hub axis in a forward rotational direction to determine in each blade a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein each blade comprises a forward region encompassing the leading edge and a rearward region behind the forward end region and encompassing the trailing edge; wherein the blade mounting structure comprises a plurality of blade-supporting struts, each strut being coupled to the hub periphery, to the rearward region of a first one of the blades associated with the strut, and to the forward region of a second one of the blades associated with the strut, wherein the second associated blade immediately follows the first associated blade in said sequence.