Patent ID: 7158716

Claim:
A portable pedestal electric heater apparatus for providing a heated exhaust air stream at an elevation above a support surface, said apparatus comprising: a tower electric heater comprising: i) an elongate housing having at least one sidewall, a top end, a bottom end, and a longitudinal length extending substantially upward from said bottom end to said top end; ii) at least one interior space within said elongate housing; iii) at least one inlet opening in said elongate housing allowing inlet air to enter said at least one interior space; iv) an air blower assembly disposed within said at least one interior space for receiving said inlet air, said air blower assembly comprising: (i) at least one air impeller; (ii) at least one motor for rotating said air impeller to generate an exhaust air stream; v) a substantially continuous and vertically oriented air outlet opening in said elongate housing; vi) a vertically oriented electric heating element disposed within said at least one interior space between said air blower assembly and said air outlet opening such that thermal energy is transferred from said electric heating element to substantially all of said exhaust air stream as said exhaust air stream; vii) an assembled alignment of said air impeller, said electric heating element and said air outlet opening, wherein said assembled alignment facilitates a substantially straight vector flow of said air stream through said electric heating element and said air outlet opening; viii) a heated exhaust air stream projected from said interior space of said elongate housing via said substantially continuous and vertically oriented air outlet opening, wherein said heated exhaust air stream forms a substantially continuous, vertically oriented, elongate column of heated exhaust air; a support riser for supporting said tower electric heater at an elevation above a support surface, said support riser comprising: i) a base in contact with said support surface; ii) riser having a longitudinal length extending substantially upward from said base, said riser comprising: a) a first end and connected to said base; b) a second end connected to said elongate housing; and an elevation of said heated exhaust air stream defined by a distance from where said support riser contacts said support surface to a vertical midpoint of said substantially continuous and vertically oriented air outlet opening of said tower electric heater, and said elevation of said heated exhaust air stream is about 14 inches or greater; wherein said heated exhaust air stream, having said substantially continuous, vertically oriented, elongate columnar shape, conforms to the shape of the human form, and wherein said support riser facilitates said elevation of said heated exhaust air stream, thereby more efficiently heating an upper portion of said human form.