Patent ID: 6942457

Claim:
A spider for attachment to a central hub having a fastener and for use in fans no smaller than about 16 inches and no larger than about 24 inches in diameter, the fastener producing an amount of mass imbalance of the hub about an axis of rotation of the hub, the spider comprising: an axis of rotation of the spider; a central portion comprised of steel not greater than 0.080 inches in nominal thickness, the central portion adapted to be coupled to the central hub; and a plurality of radially projecting arms comprised of steel not greater than 0.080 inches in nominal thickness, each spider arm extending radially outward from the central portion of the spider; the spider having a shape that is asymmetrical about the axis of rotation of the spider, the shape of the spider producing an amount of mass imbalance about the axis of rotation of the spider, the spider adapted to be coupled to the hub at an angular orientation with respect to the hub in which the mass imbalance of the hub is substantially offset by the mass imbalance of the spider, whereby attachment of the spider having the asymmetrical shape to the hub at the angular orientation creates a substantially balanced spider assembly.