Tower fan assembly with telescopic support column

Abstract

A vertical axis tower fan apparatus having an adjustable support column. The tower fan apparatus is comprised of a support base, a telescopic support column adjustable between fixed, retracted and extended positions, a vertical axis propeller encased within a housing, and a motor. The vertical axis propeller is contained within the cylindrical housing, wherein the housing is rotatably coupled to one end of the support column. The fan is rotatably connected to the top of the support column and is adapted to rotate freely thereon, when activated. The opposing end of the column is insertable into the support base. The telescopic column is comprised of a hollow pillar and an extendable member removably inserted within the hollow pillar. The column is manually adjustable to a variety of heights to provide cooling air to different target heights via the use of an adjustable locking sleeve. The sleeve may be loosened, to allow the extendable member to be extracted from within the hollow pillar and raised until the fan reaches a desirable height. Conversely, the extendable member may be retracted until the fan reaches another target height. When the desired height is reached, the sleeve is tightened thereby preventing the member from moving within the pillar. A keypad located in the housing cover, or a remote control unit allows the user to program the fan, via the use of a microcontroller within the fan housing, to achieve a variety of speeds and wind patterns, as well as activating an oscillation mode and a timer.

1 . A tower fan comprising: 
 a height adjustable pedestal;    a vertical axis fan assembly rotationally coupled to the pedestal; and    a housing enclosing the fan assembly.    
   
   
       2 . The tower fan of  claim 1  further comprising a motor assembly enclosed within the housing for oscillating the tower fan.  
   
   
       3 . The tower fan of  claim 1  further comprising a fixation mechanism for maintaining the vertical axis fan assembly at a desired height.  
   
   
       4 . A height adjustable tower fan comprising: 
 a base assembly;    a height-adjustable support column extendable from the base assembly;    a housing assembly rotatably mounted upon the support column;    a vertical axis fan assembly enclosed within the housing assembly and rotatably mounted therein; and    a motor assembly enclosed within the housing for actuating the fan assembly from an inoperative to an operative orientation;    wherein the height-adjustable support column has a first upper end rotatably coupled to the housing assembly and a lower second end insertable within the base assembly, the support column movable between fixed, retracted position and extended positions.    
   
   
       5 . The tower fan of  claim 4  further comprising means for adjusting the height of the column.  
   
   
       6 . The tower fan of  claim 5  wherein the support column is comprised of an elongated hollow pillar member and an elongated extension member having a diameter less than the circumference of the pillar member, the pillar member adapted to slidably receive an end of the extension member.  
   
   
       7 . The tower fan of  claim 6  wherein the means for adjusting the height of the support column is a manually activated release mechanism adapted to receive a portion of the pillar, wherein the release mechanism, upon activation, permits movement of the extension member between said fixed, extended and retracted positions.  
   
   
       8 . The tower fan of  claim 7  wherein the release mechanism further prevents unwanted movement of the extension member within the pillar member thereby locking the fan assembly at a fixed height.  
   
   
       9 . The tower fan of  claim 4  further comprising means for controlling rotation of the housing assembly with respect to the support column.  
   
   
       10 . The tower fan of  claim 9  further comprising means for controlling speed of rotation of the fan assembly.  
   
   
       11 . The tower fan of  claim 10  wherein the means or controlling the rotation of the housing and the speed of rotation of the fan assembly is a keypad electrically coupled to a microcontroller, the microcontroller programmed to send control signals to the motor assembly.  
   
   
       12 . The tower fan of  claim 10  wherein the means or controlling the rotation of the housing and the speed of rotation of the fan assembly is a remote control unit wirelessly coupled to a microcontroller, the microcontroller programmed to send control signals to the motor assembly.  
   
   
       13 . The tower fan of  claim 4  wherein the housing assembly further comprises a filter.  
   
   
       14 . The tower fan of  claim 4  wherein the base assembly further comprises a weight ballast within the base assembly.  
   
   
       15 . A method of adjusting the height of a tower fan assembly comprising the steps of: 
 providing an adjustable support column rotatably supporting a vertical axis fan assembly, the support column including an extendable member slidably insertable within a pillar member;    retracting or extending the extendable member to a desired height; and    locking the support column at the desired height, thereby maintaining the fan assembly in a fixed position.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the step of locking the support column at the desired height comprises the steps of; 
 encircling the pillar member with a cylindrical sleeve mechanism; and    activating the sleeve mechanism to trap the extendable member within the pillar member to prevent the extendable member from further retraction or extension.