Method of manufacturing an audio equipped fan assembly

• US 9,609,407 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2013
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Homewerks Worldwide LLC
• Original Assignee: Homewerks Worldwide LLC
• Inventors: Berkman, Peter D., Zhang, Ruilin, Pischke, Jeffrey Jon, Malaker, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Paul D
• Application Number:
  US13/962,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20140177900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 295/921, 295/94, 296/091, 181/141, 181/150, 181/199, 381/391, 381/395
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/02 Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein H04R1/28 takes precedence ; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/021 incorporating only one transducer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/021 Transducers or their casings adapted for mounting in or to a wall or ceiling

Abstract

An audio equipped fan is disclosed having a housing defining an inner cavity, a motor disposed at least partially in the inner cavity of the housing and having an output shaft extending therefrom that is rotatable by the motor, a fan connected to the output shaft of the motor and rotatable therewith, a grille connected to the housing and positioned in alignment with the fan, the grille having an interior side and an exterior side and defining first openings through which air may flow while the fan is rotated and second openings through which sound may travel, and having a speaker connected to at least one of the housing, motor, fan and grille and aligned on the interior side of the grille with the second openings of the grille so that sound may travel from the speaker through the grille. Related methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an audio equipped fan assembly comprising:

providing a housing defining an inner cavity, a motor disposed at least partially in the inner cavity of the housing and having an output shaft extending therefrom that is rotatable by the motor, a fan connected to the output shaft of the motor and rotatable therewith, a grille connected to the housing and positioned in alignment with the fan, the grille having an interior side and an exterior side and defining first openings through which air flows while the fan is rotated and second openings through which sound travels;

connecting a speaker to at least one of the housing, motor, fan and grille and aligned on the interior side of the grille with the second openings of the grille so that sound travels from the speaker through the grille; and

wherein the speaker is positioned along a central axis of the grille so that air flows around the speaker and through the fan without interruption and sound travels from the speaker located on the interior side of the grille, through the second openings to the exterior side of the grille, and connecting the speaker comprises fastening the speaker to the grille.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the grille includes a mount for mounting the speaker in alignment with the second openings and fastening the speaker to the grille comprises securing the speaker to the grille with at least one of a screw, bolt, rivet, adhesive, friction fit or snap fit.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the speaker has a round housing portion and the grille mount includes an annular wall extending from the interior side of the grille and sized to receive the round housing portion of the speaker and the method comprises inserting the round housing portion of the speaker at least partially within the annular wall.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the round housing portion of the speaker has a first diameter and the annular wall of the grille mount defines an opening with a second diameter with the second diameter being slightly larger than the first diameter so that the at least a portion of the round housing portion of the speaker is disposed in the annular wall of the grille when the speaker is connected to the grille, and fastening the speaker to the grille comprises friction fitting or snap fitting the speaker into the grille mount to secure the speaker to the grille.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the speaker has a round housing portion with a first diameter and the second openings of the grille are positioned about a central axis of the grille in a circular pattern having a second diameter and connecting the speaker comprises connecting the speaker to the grille of the fan so that the first diameter and the second diameter are aligned about the central axis of the grille.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the method further comprises making the first and second diameters generally equal in size to one another.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the method further comprises making the second diameter larger than the first diameter.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises making the first and second openings maintain similar shapes or patterns over the grille.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises making the first openings decrease in size from an outer circumference of the grille to a central axis of the grille and maintaining this pattern by making the second openings smaller in size than any of the first openings.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises making the first and second openings of distinct shapes or patterns so that the first and second openings can easily be distinguished from one another.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises defining a border between the first and second openings to separate and distinguish the first and second openings from one another.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises connecting the speaker and motor to a common power source.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein both the speaker and motor are powered via an AC power source and the method comprises connecting the speaker so that the speaker remains constantly powered and can be used to transmit sound regardless of whether power is being supplied to the fan.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises connecting the speaker to a battery and connecting the motor to an AC power source.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises connecting a first actuator and second actuator to the fan assembly so that the first actuator can turn on and off the fan and the second actuator can turn on and off the speaker so that the fan and speaker may be operated independent of one another.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises connecting a remotely controllable actuator to the fan assembly so that the fan or speaker may be turned on and off remotely.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the method further comprises connecting a controller to the actuator for detecting power line communication via toggling of the actuator on and off.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the method further comprises toggling the actuator on and off a first number of times to instruct the controller to turn on both the fan and the speaker.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the method further comprises toggling the actuator on and off a second number of times different than the first number of times to instruct the controller to turn on the speaker only and not the fan.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises sealing the speaker to prevent or reduce exposure of the speaker to moisture.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises positioning the speaker below the motor and fan to propagate sound waves downward and to avoid excessive transmission of sound waves upward.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the method further comprises aligning the grille, speaker, motor and fan along a common central axis.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the fan assembly is intended to be mounted in a ceiling of a room and the method further comprises insulating the housing to prevent or dampen upward or sideways propagation of sound waves from the fan assembly.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein the grille further includes a light-transmissive member to illuminate an area on the exterior side of the grille, and the method further comprises connecting a light to the audio equipped fan assembly on the interior side of the grille and in alignment with the light-transmissive member, and connecting an actuator to the fan assembly for turning on and off one or more of the fan, speaker and light.

25. A method of manufacturing an audio equipped fan assembly comprising:

providing a housing defining an inner cavity, a motor disposed at least partially in the inner cavity of the housing and having an output shaft extending therefrom that is rotatable by the motor, a fan connected to the output shaft of the motor and rotatable therewith, a grille connected to the housing and positioned in alignment with the fan, the grille having an interior side and an exterior side and defining first openings through which air flows while the fan is rotated and second openings through which sound travels;

connecting a speaker to at least one of the housing, motor, fan and grille and aligned on the interior side of the grille with the second openings of the grille so that sound travels from the speaker through the grille; and

creating a first grille region that permits downward propagation of sound waves while restricting admission of moisture into the speaker or a speaker interior space, and a second grille region that permits admission of moisture into and through the inner cavity of the fan housing or fan interior space while decreasing fan noise beneath the fan assembly.

26. A method of manufacturing an audio equipped fan assembly comprising:

providing a housing defining an inner cavity, a motor disposed at least partially in the inner cavity of the housing and having an output shaft extending therefrom that is rotatable by the motor, a fan connected to the output shaft of the motor and rotatable therewith, a grille connected to the housing and positioned in alignment with the fan, the grille having an interior side and an exterior side and defining first openings through which air flows while the fan is rotated and second openings through which sound travels;

connecting a speaker to at least one of the housing, motor, fan and grille and aligned on the interior side of the grille with the second openings of the grille so that sound travels from the speaker through the grille;

shielding at least one of the fan, motor and speaker or electrical wiring connecting these components from a power source to avoid the fan and motor from interfering with the speaker and the transmission of sound from the speaker, and

electrically isolating the motor and wiring connecting the motor to the power source from the speaker and speaker wiring to avoid motor interference with the speaker.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the fan assembly further includes a transceiver connected to the speaker and the method further comprises shielding the motor and wiring connecting the motor to the power source from the transceiver to prevent the motor from interfering with signals transmitted to or from the transceiver.