Ventilating exhaust fan

• US 6,261,175 B1
• Filed: 12/18/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Broan-Nutone LLC (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Original Assignee: Broan-Nutone LLC (Melrose Industries Plc)
• Inventors: Karst, Daniel L., Penlesky, Robert G., Larson, David M., Klug, Alan G., Gahagan, Kevin P., Chvosta, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joyce, Harold
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOLES, DEREK
• Application Number:
  US09/465,252
• Time in Patent Office: 577 Days
• Field of Search: 454/354, 454/355, 415/204, 415/212.1
• US Class Current: 454/354
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2007/001 with exhausting air ducts
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/007 with forced flow using ducting systems F24F7/06

Abstract

An exhaust fan for use in bathrooms or similar areas has a generally rectangular fan housing formed from two independent structural members to reduce manufacturing waste and decrease production cost. The fan housing includes a receptacle panel that can be installed and removed from within the housing without additional tools. The fan housing includes two series of spaced view holes formed in its back wall such that during installation of the exhaust fan, the installer can view the ceiling joist to correctly position the fan housing relative to the bottom surface of the joist. The back wall of the fan housing also includes a pair of bend down tabs that can be placed in contact with the bottom surface of the joist to correctly position the bottom edge of the fan housing the required distance from the joist to accommodate the most common drywall thickness. The fan wheel contained within the fan housing includes a mounting hub having an expanded diameter insertion portion formed on its central bore to receive drive shaft of driving motor of the exhaust fan.

Claims

1. A ventilating exhaust fan comprising:

a fan housing having a base wall and four sidewalls attached thereto;

a centrifugal fan scroll contained within the fan housing and extending from the base wall to define a fan wheel chamber in the fan housing;

an exhaust outlet formed in one of the sidewalls of the fan housing, the exhaust outlet being in communication with the fan wheel chamber formed by the fan scroll;

a receptacle panel removably positioned in the fan housing, the receptacle panel including at least one electric receptacle, the receptacle panel being movable between an installed position in which the receptacle panel is supported between a pair of the sidewalls and an uninstalled position in which the receptacle panel can be removed from the fan housing;

a fan wheel rotatably positioned within the fan wheel chamber;

a motor supported within the fan wheel chamber and coupled to the fan wheel the motor being operable to rotate the fan wheel in the fan wheel chamber to direct a flow of air out of the exhaust outlet, wherein the receptacle panel includes a base plate, a first locking tab extending perpendicularly from the base plate, and a second locking tab extending perpendicularly from the base plate, wherein the first locking tab passes through a mating slot formed in one of the sidewalls of the fan housing and the second locking tab engages a retaining clip extending from the second sidewall of the fan housing and the second locking tab engages a retaining clip extending from the second sidewall of the fan housing when the receptacle panel is in the installed position.

2. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 1 further comprising a spacer tab extending from the base plate, wherein the spacer tab engages the fan scroll to space the base plate below the fan scroll when the receptacle panel is in the installed position.

3. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 1 wherein the receptacle panel further includes a removal tab extending from the base plate and positioned between the fan scroll and one of the sidewalls when the receptacle panel is in the installed position.

4. A ventilating exhaust fan comprising:

a fan housing having a base wall and four sidewalls attached thereto;

a centrifugal fan scroll contained within the housing and extending from the base wall to define a fan wheel chamber in the fan housing;

an exhaust outlet formed in one of the sidewalls of the fan housing, the exhaust outlet being in communication with the fan wheel chamber formed by the fan scroll;

a receptacle panel removably positioned in the fan housing, the receptacle panel including at least one electric receptacle, the receptacle panel being movable between an installed position in which the receptacle panel is supported between a pair of the sidewalls and an uninstalled position in which the receptacle panel can be removed from the fan housing;

a fan wheel rotatably positioned within the fan wheel chamber;

a motor supported within the fan wheel chamber and coupled to the fan wheel the motor being operable to rotate the fan wheel in the fan wheel chamber to direct a flow of air out of the exhaust outlet, wherein the fan wheel includes a mounting hub for attaching the fan wheel to a drive shaft of the motor, the mounting hub having a central bore having an internal diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the drive shaft, the central bore further including an insertion portion having an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the drive shaft such that when the fan wheel is initially applied to the drive shaft, the drive shaft is initially received in the insertion portion of the central bore.

5. A ventilating exhaust fan comprising:

a fan housing having a base wall and four sidewalls attached thereto;

a centrifugal fan scroll contained within the fan housing and extending from the base wall to define a fan wheel chamber in the fan housing;

an exhaust outlet formed in one of the sidewalls of the fan housing, the exhaust outlet being in communication with the fan wheel chamber formed by the fan scroll;

a receptacle panel removably positioned in the fan housing, the receptacle panel including at least one electric receptacle, the receptacle panel being movable between an installed position in which the receptacle panel is supported between a pair of the sidewalls and an uninstalled position in which the receptacle panel can be removed from the fan housing;

a fan wheel rotatably positioned within the fan wheel chamber;

a motor supported within the fan wheel chamber and coupled to the fan wheel the motor being operable to rotate the fan wheel in the fan wheel chamber to direct a flow of air out of the exhaust outlet, wherein the fan housing is formed from a sheet-like first structural member that is bent to define three of the sidewalls and a sheet-like second structural member that is bent to define the fourth sidewall and the base wall, the first and second structural member being joined to each other to define the fan housing.

6. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 5 wherein the first structural member includes a pair of mounting flanges formed on opposite sidewalls and the second structural member includes a second pair of mounting flanges formed on opposite sides of the sidewall, wherein the first pair of mounting flanges are aligned with the second pair of mounting flanges when the first and second structural members are joined to each other.

7. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 6 wherein the first and second structural members are formed from galvanized steel.

8. A ventilating exhaust fan comprising:

a fan housing having a base wall and four sidewalls attached thereto;

a centrifugal fan scroll contained within the fan housing and extending from the base wall to define a fan wheel chamber in the fan housing;

an exhaust outlet formed in one of the sidewalls of the fan housing, the exhaust outlet being in communication with the fan wheel chamber formed by the fan scroll;

a receptacle panel removably positioned in the fan housing, the receptacle panel including at least one electric receptacle, the receptacle panel being movable between an installed position in which the receptacle panel is supported between a pair of the sidewalls and an uninstalled position in which the receptacle panel can be removed from the fan housing;

a fan wheel rotatably positioned within the fan wheel chamber;

a motor supported within the fan wheel chamber and coupled to the fan wheel the motor being operable to rotate the fan wheel in the fan wheel chamber to direct a flow of air out of the exhaust outlet; and

a motor support plate supported between a pair of opposed sidewalls of the fan housing to support the motor within the fan wheel chamber, the motor support plate having a detent that contacts the fan scroll to support the motor support plate on the fan scroll, wherein the fan scroll includes a pre-load notch having a reduced height relative to the remaining portions of the fan scroll such that a motor support plate can pivot toward the pre-load notch about the detent.

9. A ventilating exhaust fan comprising:

a fan housing having a base wall and four sidewalls attached thereto;

a centrifugal fan scroll contained within the fan housing and extending from the base wall to define a fan wheel chamber in the fan housing;

an exhaust outlet formed in one of the sidewalls of the fan housing, the exhaust outlet being in communication with the fan wheel chamber formed by the fan scroll;

a receptacle panel removably positioned in the fan housing, the exhaust the receptacle panel including at least one electric receptacle, the receptacle panel being movable between an installed position in which the receptacle panel is supported between a pair of the sidewalls and an uninstalled position in which the receptacle panel can be removed from the fan housing;

a fan wheel rotatably positioned within the fan wheel chamber;

a motor supported within the fan wheel chamber and coupled to the fan wheel the motor being operable to rotate the fan wheel in the fan wheel chamber to direct a flow of air out of the exhaust outlet; and

a first series of view holes and a second series of view holes each vertically spaced along opposite edges of one of the sidewalls of the fan housing such that the view holes can be used to align the fan housing with a support member to which the fan housing is mounted.

10. A ventilating exhaust fan for mounting to a joist, the ventilating exhaust fan comprising:

a fan housing having a base wall, a pair of opposed sidewalls attached to the base wall, a front wall and a back wall, the pair of sidewalls, the front wall and the back wall defining a rectangular fan enclosure;

a pair of attachment flanges extending from the back wall, the mounting flanges being attachable to the joist to support the fan housing on the joist;

a first series of view holes and a second series of view holes being vertically spaced along opposed edges of the back wall such that the joist is visible through the view holes;

a centrifugal fan scroll extending from the base wall to define a fan wheel chamber in the fan housing;

an exhaust outlet formed in one of the sidewalls, the exhaust outlet being in communication with the fan wheel chamber formed by the fan scroll;

a fan wheel positioned within the fan wheel chamber; and

a motor supported within the fan wheel chamber and coupled to the fan wheel, the motor being operable to rotate the fan wheel in the fan wheel chamber and direct a flow of air out of the exhaust outlet.

11. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 10 further comprising a pair of bend down tabs formed in the back wall of the fan housing, the bend down tabs being movable to a horizontal, operating position in which the bend down tabs can be positioned in contact with the joist to position the fan housing in the correct vertical position relative to the joist.

12. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 11 further comprising a second pair of bend down tabs formed in the front wall of the fan housing.

13. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 10 further comprising a first series of view holes and a second series of view holes each vertically spaced along opposed edges of the back wall of the fan housing such that the view holes can be used to align the fan housing with a support member to which the fan housing is mounted.

14. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 13 further comprising a receptacle panel removably positioned in the fan housing, the receptacle panel including at least one electric receptacle, the receptacle panel being movable between an installed position in which the receptacle panel is supported between one sidewall and the front wall and an uninstalled position in which the receptacle panel can be removed from the housing.

15. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 14 wherein the receptacle panel includes a base plate, a first locking tab extending perpendicularly from the base plate, and a second locking tab extending perpendicularly from the base plate, wherein the first locking tab passes through a mating slot formed in the front wall of the fan housing and the second locking tab engages a retaining clip extending from the sidewall of the fan housing when the receptacle panel is in the installed position.

16. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 15 further comprising a spacer tab extending from the base plate, wherein the spacer tab engages the fan scroll to space the base plate from the fan scroll when the receptacle panel is in the installed position.

17. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 15 wherein the receptacle panel further includes a removal tab extending parallel to the base plate, the removable tab being engagable to remove the receptacle panel from the fan housing.

18. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 10 wherein the fan housing is formed from a sheet-like first structural member that is bent to define three of the sidewalls and a sheet-like second structural member that is bent to define the fourth sidewall and the base wall, the first and second structural members being joined to each other to define the fan housing.

19. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 18 wherein the first structural member includes a pair of mounting flanges formed on opposite sidewalls and the second structural member includes a second pair of mounting flanges formed on opposite sides of the sidewall, wherein the first pair of mounting flanges are aligned with the second pair of mounting flanges when the first and second structural members are joined to each other.

20. The ventilating exhaust fan of claim 10 further comprising an outlet fitting attached to the exhaust outlet, the outlet fitting including a damper flap pivotally mounted within the outlet fitting to prevent a reverse flow of air through the exhaust outlet, the damper flap including a pair of stop pins protruding therefrom, the stop pins contacting a stop surface formed in the outlet fitting to limit the rotation of the damper flap within the outlet fitting.