Patent ID: 8069674

Claim:
A personal environment appliance that provides heating, cooling, or both heating and cooling in a localized area, the personal environment appliance comprising: at least one electric motor driving at least one fan; at least one inlet air path to a low pressure side of the at least one fan; at least one thermoelectric device comprising a plurality of thermoelectric elements which together produce a source of heating and a source of cooling; at least one heat exchanger in thermal communication with the at least one thermoelectric device, wherein air flows along the heat exchanger in a direction of flow and changes temperature, the heat exchanger comprising a plurality of heat exchanger elements in thermal communication with at least one of the source of heating and the source of cooling of the at least one thermoelectric device such that each heat exchanger element of the plurality of heat exchanger elements has a corresponding temperature and is in thermal communication with the air, the plurality of heat exchanger elements extending away from the side and substantially thermally isolated from one another in the direction of flow such that at least one of thermoelectric elements of the plurality of thermoelectric elements is substantially thermally isolated from the other thermoelectric elements of the plurality of thermoelectric elements in the direction of flow, such that the at least one thermoelectric device and the at least one heat exchanger improve thermodynamic efficiency of the appliance by reducing temperature differences between the air flowing along the heat exchanger and the corresponding temperature of the heat exchanger element; and at least one outlet for air that has passed the heat exchanger to provide temperature control of the localized area.