50/60 CFM bath exhaust fans with flaps/ears that allow housings to be mounted to joists

• US 9,097,265 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chien Luen Industries Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Chien Luen Industries Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tom, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Verdier, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US13/233,700
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 415/213.1, 415/214.1, 415/206, 415/203, 454/254, 454/349, 416/244.R, 416/246, 417/423.15, 417/424.1, 417/424.2, 417/360, 248/200, 248/201, 248/220.1, 248/300, 248/316.8
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 25/088 Ceiling fans
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/4226 Fan casings
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/624 especially adapted for elastic fluid pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/626 Mounting or removal of fans
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 13/20 Casings or covers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2013/205 Mounting a ventilator fan therein
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/007 with forced flow using ducting systems F24F7/06
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 7/06 with forced air circulation, e.g. by fan positioning of a ventilator in or against a conduit

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods of 50/60 CFM exhaust and ventilation fans for bathrooms with flaps/ears that allow the housings to mount directly to joists and/or other structural members inside of a ceiling or inside of a wall. The housing can include a mounting plate having a motor with attached impeller thereon, wherein the mounting plate with motor and attached impeller can be removed as a single unit from the housing for accessing and inspecting interior wire connections during inspection and for ease in replacing parts such as burned out motors overtime.

Claims

1. An exhaust fan, comprising:

a housing having side walls, a top and a bottom with an opening;

a blower inside of the housing;

a motor for running the blower, the blower being vertically oriented relative to the motor; and

external flaps adaptable for mounting the housing to joists, wherein the flaps each include a single base plate having a generally uniform thickness with a flat front face and a flat rear face, the flat rear face fastened to an exterior of the housing, and a single swinging rectangular flat flap plate with a flat front face and a flat rear face, the single swinging rectangular flat flap plate having a rectangular configuration with two long sides each having a longer length than two short sides, one of the long sides attached by a hinge to one side of the single base plate, the single flap plate having both a fastening opening and a keyhole slot for mounting the housing to a joist, wherein the single flap plate is bendable from a coplanar position with the single base plate to pivot about the hinge past a 90 degree angle relative to the single base plate.

2. The exhaust fan of claim 1, wherein the motor is a 50 (fifty) CFM (cubic feet per minute) generating motor.

3. The exhaust fan of claim 1, wherein the motor is a 60 (sixty) CFM (cubic feet per minute) generating motor.

4. The exhaust fan of claim 1, wherein the motor includes:

an open motor with C-frame.

5. The exhaust fan of claim 1, further comprising:

a removable mounting plate having a central opening therethrough with the motor and the blower pre-attached to the mounting plate, the mounting plate attached by removable fasteners to internally facing side portions along the side walls between the top and the bottom, the motor being substantially on one side of the plate and the blower being substantially on an opposite side of the plate with a rotatable axle portion which attaches the motor to the impeller, wherein the mounting plate with the motor and blower are removable as a single piece from the inside of the housing by removing the removable fasteners.

6. The exhaust fan of claim 5, wherein the internally facing side portions includes:

side ledge clips, and the mounting plate sits on the side ledge clips and the removable fasteners are selected from screws and bolts.

7. The exhaust fan of claim 6, wherein the motor includes:

open motor with C-frame.

8. A ceiling mounted exhaust fan, comprising:

a housing having side walls, an exhaust side opening, a top and a bottom with an opening, the top being parallel to and adapted to be above a ceiling, with the bottom adjacent to an opening in the ceiling;

a motor attached to an impeller in a vertical orientation;

a mount plate member with an opening therethrough, the plate member having edge portions mounted by removable fasteners to internally facing side ledge clips along the side walls between the top and the bottom inside of the housing so that the motor when mounted to the plate member allows for the motor and impeller to extend through the opening in the mount member, the motor being on one side of the plate member and the impeller being on an opposite side of the plate member with a rotatable axle portion which attaches the motor to the impeller, wherein the mount plate member with mounted motor and attached impeller are removable as a single unit from the housing by removing the removable fasteners from the plate member and the internally facing side ledge clips; and

external flaps adaptable for mounting the housing to joists, wherein the flaps each include a single base plate having a generally uniform thickness with a flat front face and a flat rear face, the flat rear face fastened to an exterior of the housing, and a single swinging rectangular flat flap plate with a flat front face and a flat rear face, the single swinging rectangular flat flap plate having a rectangular configuration with two long sides each having a longer length than two short sides, one of the long sides attached by a hinge to one side of the single base plate, the single flap plate having both a fastening opening and a keyhole slot for mounting the housing to a joist, wherein the single flap plate is bendable from a coplanar position with the single base plate to pivot about the hinge past a 90 degree angle relative to the single base plate.

9. The exhaust fan of claim 8, wherein the motor is a 50 (fifty) CFM (cubic feet per minute) generating motor.

10. The exhaust fan of claim 8, wherein the motor is a 60 (sixty) CFM (cubic feet per minute) generating motor.

11. The exhaust fan of claim 8, wherein the motor includes:

an open motor with C-frame.

12. A ceiling exhaust fan comprising:

a housing having side walls, a top parallel to and above a ceiling where the fan is mounted, and a bottom with an opening adjacent to an opening in the ceiling;

a motor attached to an impeller in a vertical orientation;

a mount member with an opening therethrough, the mount member having a plurality of edge portions mounted by removable fasteners to internally facing side ledges along the side walls between the top and the bottom inside of the housing so that the motor when mounted to the mount member allows for the motor and the impeller to extend through the opening in the mount member, the motor being on a lower side of the mount member adjacent to the bottom of the housing, and the impeller being on an upper side of the mount member adjacent to the top of the housing, wherein the mount member with mounted motor and attached impeller are removable as a single unit from the housing by removing the removable fasteners from the mount member and the internally facing side ledges; and

external flaps adaptable for mounting the housing to joists, wherein the flaps each include a single base plate having a generally uniform thickness with a flat front face and a flat rear face, the flat rear face fastened to an exterior of the housing, and a single swinging rectangular flat flap plate with a flat front face and a flat rear face, the single swinging rectangular flat flap plate having a rectangular configuration with two long sides each having a longer length than two short sides, one of the long sides attached by a hinge to one side of the single base plate, the single flap plate having both a fastening opening and a keyhole slot for mounting the housing to a joist, wherein the single flap plate is bendable from a coplanar position with the single base plate to pivot about the hinge past a 90 degree angle relative to the single base plate.

13. A ceiling exhaust fan, comprising:

a housing having side walls, a side exhaust, a top above and parallel to a ceiling in which the exhaust fan is adapted to be installed, and a bottom with an opening therethrough adjacent to an opening in the ceiling;

a blower inside of the housing;

a motor for running the blower, the blower being vertically oriented relative to the motor; and

external flaps adaptable for mounting the housing to joists, wherein the flaps include a single base plate having a generally uniform thickness with a flat front face and a flat rear face, the flat rear face fastened to an exterior of the housing, and a single swinging rectangular flap plate having a rectangular configuration with two long sides each having a longer length than two short sides, one of the long sides attached by a hinge to one side of the single base plate, the single flap plate having both a fastening opening and a keyhole slot for mounting the housing to a joist, wherein the single flap plate is bendable from a coplanar position with the single base plate to pivot about a hinge past a 90 degree angle relative to the single base plate.

14. The ceiling exhaust fan of claim 13, further comprising:

a removable mounting plate with an opening therethrough, the motor and the blower pre-attached to the mounting plate, the mounting plate attached by removable fasteners to internally facing side ledges along the side walls between the top and the bottom, the motor being substantially below the mounting plate and the blower being substantially above the mounting plate, wherein the mounting plate with the motor and blower wheel are removable as a single piece from the inside of the housing by removing the removable fasteners from the mounting plate and the internally facing side ledges.