Patent ID: 8894377

Claim:
A personal fan device that automatically folds into a compact tower when not in use and automatically deploys when turned-on comprising: a base; an elongated tower attached to said base supporting a motor having a shaft, the shaft including a plurality of shaft races; an array of fan blades engaging the shaft, said shaft having at least one race for each blade; wherein each blade includes a central and distal blade portion that is curved to move air when said blade is in motion and a proximal portion that is adapted to function as a blade-root guide; wherein each blade-root guide engages a corresponding shaft-race such that the blades splay into an array when the fan is activated; a plurality of U-shaped longitudinal members that form a collapsible cage sufficient to surround the blades when the fan is in use; each longitudinal member engaging a cap that cooperates with the shaft to allow the longitudinal members to be snapped into place forming the cage for protection when the fan is activated; the longitudinal members collapsible by rotating around the shaft to a vertical stacked configuration when the fan is deactivated; the cap being laterally engaged with the shaft and adapted to hold the longitudinal members in a clamped configuration when the fan is in use, the cap being held with a spring attached to the shaft such that the cap may move laterally, but is held under spring tension in order to clamp the longitudinal members into a cage when the fan is in use.