Vehicle sun visor having an electric fan and heater assembly for clearing the vehicle windshield

• US 5,296,678 A
• Filed: 03/12/1992
• Issued: 03/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Allen C. Schnorf
• Original Assignee: Allen C. Schnorf
• Inventors: Schnorf, Allen C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartis, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US07/850,046
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 219/203, 392/372, 392/363, 392/360, 454/208, 454/212, 165/41, 165/42, 296/97.1, 296/97.5
• US Class Current: 219/203
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/2225 arrangements of electric heaters for heating air
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 2001/2293 Integration into other parts of a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 3/0204 Sun visors
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 1/54 using gas, e.g. hot air
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 3/0405 using electric energy supply, e.g. the heating medium being a resistive element; Heating by direct contact, i.e. with resistive elements, electrodes and fins being bonded together without additional element in-between F24H3/06, F24H3/08, F24H3/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 3/0482 Frames with integrated fan
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/32 heating conductor mounted on insulators on a metallic frame

Abstract

The conventional sun visor of a vehicle is provided with a fan system including a heater for defrosting and defogging the vehicle windshield. The fan system includes a fan subassembly body mounted in an opening in the sun visor by a retainer subassembly including first and second retainer frames having flanges insertable into the fan subassembly body for securing it in the visor opening. First and second grills are mounted over the faces of the subassembly body by mechanical fasteners which extend through the body and retainer frames. An electric heating element is mounted on at least one of the grills for heating the airstream geneated by the fan of the fan subassembly. The fan and heating element are selectively powered by the vehicle electrical system through an on-off switch.

Claims

1. A fan system for mounting on an object with an opening, which comprises:

(a) a fan subassembly including a body having a first face, a second face and a throughbore extending between and open at said faces, said fan subassembly also including fan motor means mounted on said body and fan blade means drivingly coupled to said motor means;

(b) a retainer subassembly for mounting said fan subassembly body on the object with the fan subassembly body positioned in the object opening, said retainer subassembly including a retainer flange;

(c) said fan subassembly body including a receiver receiving said retainer flange; and

(d) said retainer subassembly includes first and second retainer frames each mounted in proximity to a respective fan subassembly body face.

2. Invention of claim 1, which includes:

(a) each said retainer frame having a respective retainer frame opening; and

(b) each said retainer frame opening receiving said fan subassembly body.

3. The invention of claim 2, which includes:

(a) each said retainer frame having a respective retainer flange protruding into the retainer frame opening.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein:

(a) each said fan subassembly body face has a generally polygonal configuration with multiple corners; and

(b) said fan subassembly body includes multiple receivers each located between respective opposed pairs of fan subassembly body face corners;

(c) each said retainer frame opening has a generally polygonal configuration with multiple corners; and

(d) each said retainer frame includes a plurality of said retainer flanges projecting into a respective opening thereof adjacent to a respective frame opening corner.

5. The invention according to claim 1, which includes:

(a) a mechanical fastener extending through said fan subassembly body and said retainer subassembly, said mechanical fastener being connected to said fan subassembly body first and second faces.

6. The invention of claim 5, which includes:

(a) first and second grills each mounted on a respective fan subassembly body face.

7. A fan system for mounting in a vehicle visor including an edge, a strap extending along the edge and an opening positioned in proximity to the strap, which 1 comprises:

(a) a fan subassembly including;

(1) a fan subassembly body with first and second faces and a throughbore extending between said faces and open thereat;

(2) a fan motor-and-blade unit mounted at least partly within the fan subassembly body throughbore;

(3) said fan subassembly body having a perimeter; and

(4) a plurality of receivers in said body open at said body perimeter;

(b) a retainer subassembly including first and second retainer frames each including an opening and a plurality of retainer flanges projecting into the retainer frame opening; and

(c) a grill subassembly including a pair of grills each mounted on a respective fan subassembly body face and a plurality of mechanical fasteners extending through said grills, said fan subassembly body faces, and said retainer frames.

8. The invention of claim 7, which includes:

(a) said fan subassembly body having a generally rectangular configuration with each face thereof having four corners;

(b) a respective body perimeter receiver located between each opposed pair of fan subassembly body face corners; and

(c) each said retainer frame opening having a generally rectangular configuration with four corners and a respective retainer flange protruding into said retainer frame opening at each said retainer frame opening corner.

9. The invention according to claim 8, which includes:

(a) each said retainer frame having upper and lower edges and an inner face; and

(b) each said retainer frame having a recess extending along the upper edge thereof and open at the inner face thereof.

10. The invention according to claim 9 wherein:

(a) each said retainer frame comprises inner and outer layers, said inner layer having a lesser height than said outer layer to define said recess.

11. The invention according to claim 7, which includes:

(a) each said retainer flange including a horizontal leg and a vertical leg extending at substantially right angles with respect to each other and forming an intersection therebetween; and

(b) each said retainer flange including a retainer hole at a respective retainer flange leg intersection.

12. The invention according to claim 9 wherein each said recess is adapted to receive the visor strap.

13. The invention according to claim 8 wherein each said retainer frame includes first and second frame halves in engagement at upper and lower butt joints.

14. In combination with a vehicle visor including a visor rod, a bracket pivotally mounting the visor rod, a channel-shaped strap receiving strap receiving said visor rod and a hardboard core panel with an upper edge received in said strap and a generally rectangular opening in proximity to said strap, the visor being mounted in a vehicle with an electrical system, the improvement of a fan system which comprises:

(a) a fan subassembly mounted in said visor opening and including;

(1) a fan subassembly body with first and second generally rectangular faces having four fan subassembly body face corners each, a throughbore extending between and open at said faces, a perimeter, four retainer receivers each located between a respective opposed pair of fan subassembly body face corners and open at said perimeter;

(2) a fan motor-and-blade unit mounted within said body throughbore;

(3) each said fan subassembly body face corner having a fan body fastener hole;

(4) an electrical lead extending from said fan motor-and-blade unit to the vehicle electrical system; and

(5) a double-pole, double-throw electrical switch electrically interconnecting said fan motor-an-blade unit and the vehicle electrical system;

(b) a retainer subassembly including;

(1) first and second retainer frames each comprising left and right retainer frame halves and each including a retainer frame opening with a generally rectangular configuration including four corners;

(2) each said retainer frame including a retainer flange comprising horizontal and vertical legs extending substantially at a right angle with respect to each other and forming an intersection;

(3) each said retainer flange including a retainer flange fastener hole;

(4) each said retainer frame including upper and lower edges and an inner face; and

(5) each said retainer frame including a recess extending along said upper edge and open at said inner face;

(6) said retainer subassembly fixedly mounting said fan subassembly in the visor; and

(c) a grill subassembly including;

(1) a pair of grills each having a plurality of concentric rings, a centered, circular face plate and four grill fastener holes located in a generally rectangular pattern; and

(2) four mechanical fasteners each extending through respective opposed pairs of grill fastener holes, body fastener holes, retainer frame fastener holes and the visor opening.

15. The invention of claim 14 wherein:

(a) said grill subassembly includes heat source means for heating an air flow through the fan system.

16. The invention of claim 15 wherein:

(a) said heat source means comprises electrical resistance wire heater means.