Whole house fan

Claim 2

A whole-house fan assembly for installation over joists in an opening in a ceiling, said assembly comprising (a) a venturi for defining an air path through said assembly, said venturi including an opening defining a throat, (b) a fan impeller for forcing air through said venturi throat, and (c) a motor for driving said fan impeller, characterized in that said venturi includes a depending skirt having means therein for accommodating joists to permit said skirt to fit over at least one of said joists and into close propinquity to said ceiling, said means for accommodating joists comprising openings in two opposed sides of said skirt, said openings in said skirt each having a height substantially equal to the height of said joists.

Claim 3

The fan assembly of claim 3 wherein said skirt includes a plurality of tabs for accommodating differently spaced joists.

Claim 4

A whole-house fan assembly for installation over joists in an opening in a ceiling, said assembly comprising (a) a venturi for defining an air path through said assembly, said venturi including an opening defining a throat, (b) a fan impeller for forcing air through said venturi throat, and (c) a motor for driving said fan impeller, characterized in that said venturi includes a depending skirt having means therein for accommodating joists to permit said skirt to fit over at least one of said joists and into close propinquity to said ceiling said means for accommodating said joists comprising pre-scored tabs.

Claim 5

A whole-house fan assembly for installation over joists in an opening in a ceiling, said assembly comprising (a) a venturi for defining an air path through said assembly, said venturi including an opening defining a throat, (b) a fan impeller for forcing air through said venturi throat, and (c) a motor for driving said fan impeller, characterized in that said venturi includes a depending skirt having means therein for accommodating joists to permit said skirt to fit over at least one of said joists and into close propinquity to said ceiling said means for accommodating said joists comprising pre-scored tabs.

Claim 6

The fan assembly of claim 3 wherein said tabs are scored to different heights, to accommodate joists of differing heights.

Claim 7

A whole-house fan assembly for installation over joists in an opening in a ceiling, said assembly comprising (a) a venturi for defining an air path through said assembly, said venturi including an opening defining a throat, (b) a fan impeller for forcing air through said venturi throat, and (c) a motor for driving said fan impeller, characterized by frame means for supporting said venturi, said fan impeller and said motor, and mounting means for mounting said frame means to the upper surfaces of said joists, said frame means comprising a pair of spaced-apart frame members, each of said frame members including a horizontal reach, said venturi further comprising a depending skirt extending a distance below said horizontal reaches of said frame members substantially equal to the height of said joists.

Claim 8

A whole-house fan assembly for installation over joists in an opening in a ceiling, said assembly comprising (a) a venturi for defining an air path through said assembly, said venturi including an opening defining a throat, (b) a fan impeller for forcing air through said venturi throat, and (c) a motor for driving said fan impeller, characterized by frame means for supporting said venturi, said fan impeller and said motor, and mounting means for mounting said frame means to the upper surfaces of said joists, said frame means comprising a pair of spaced-apart frame members, each of said frame members including a horizontal reach, said venturi further comprising a depending skirt extending a distance below said horizontal reaches of said frame members substantially equal to the height of said joists.

Claim 9

The fan assembly of claim 5 wherein said fan impeller is rotatable about a vertical axis and wherein said motor is mounted coaxially with and below said fan impeller.

Claim 10

The fan assembly of claim 6 wherein each of said frame members is U-shaped, said venturi being secured to up-turned arms of said members, and said motor and said fan being supported by horizontal reaches of said members, said skirt being adjustable with respect to said up-turned arms and with respect to said throat to accommodate joists of different heights without changing the relationship between said impeller and said throat.

Claim 11

A whole-house fan assembly for installation over joists in an opening in a ceiling, said assembly comprising (a) a venturi for defining an air path through said assembly, said venturi comprising a fan housing including an opening defining a throat, (b) a fan impeller for forcing air through said venturi throat, and (c) a motor for driving said fan impeller, characterized by frame means for supporting said fan impeller and said motor, and comprising a pair of spaced-apart frame members for mounting said fan impeller and said motor on the upper surfaces of said joists, each of said frame members including a horizontal reach, said housing including a depending skirt extending a distance below said horizontal reaches of said frame members substantially equal to the height of said joists.

Claim 12

A whole-house fan assembly for installation over joists in an opening in a ceiling, said assembly comprising (a) a venturi for defining an air path through said assembly, said venturi comprising a fan housing including an opening defining a throat, (b) a fan impeller for forcing air through said venturi throat, and (c) a motor for driving said fan impeller, characterized by frame means for supporting said fan impeller and said motor, and comprising a pair of spaced-apart frame members for mounting said fan impeller and said motor on the upper surfaces of said joists, each of said frame members including a horizontal reach, said housing including a depending skirt extending a distance below said horizontal reaches of said frame members substantially equal to the height of said joists.

Claim 13

In a fan to be installed in the ceiling of a house or other building for drawing air through the house and for exhausting air into the attic space of the building, said fan comprising an impeller for moving the air, a motor for driving said impeller, said ceiling of said building being constructed in such manner as to have at least two, generally parallel, horizontal joists spaced apart by a predetermined distance, a ceiling secured to the bottom faces of said joists, and an opening in said ceiling, wherein the improvement comprises: a frame securable to the upper surfaces of said joists, said frame carrying said motor and said impeller with said impeller in communication with said opening, a venturi having a throat through which air moved by said impeller is forced, and skirt means extending between said throat and the upper surface of said ceiling panel so as to form an air passageway between said ceiling opening and said throat, said skirt means being formed of sheet material and having four sides, two opposed sides of said skirt means having means preformed thereon for accommodating said at least two joists.

Claim 14

In a fan to be installed in the ceiling of a house or other building for drawing air through the house and for exhausting air into the attic space of the building, said fan comprising an impeller for moving the air, a motor for driving said impeller, said ceiling of said building being constructed in such manner as to have at least two, generally parallel, horizontal joists spaced apart by a predetermined distance, a ceiling secured to the bottom faces of said joists, and an opening in said ceiling, wherein the improvement comprises: a frame securable to the upper surfaces of said joists, said frame carrying said motor and said impeller with said impeller in communication with said opening, a venturi having a throat through which air moved by said impeller is forced, and skirt means extending between said throat and the upper surface of said ceiling panel so as to form an air passageway between said ceiling opening and said throat, said skirt means being formed of sheet material and having four sides, two opposed sides of said skirt means having means preformed thereon for accommodating said at least two joists.

Claim 15

A whole-house fan assembly for installation over joists in an opening in a ceiling, said assembly comprising (a) a venturi for defining an air path through said assembly, said venturi comprising a fan housing including an opening defining a throat, (b) a fan impeller for forcing air through said venturi throat, and (c) a motor for driving said fan impeller, characterized by frame means for supporting said fan impeller and said motor, and mounting means for mounting said frame means to the upper surfaces of said joists, said housing including a depending skirt extending a distance below said mounting means substantially equal to the height of said joists.

Claim 16

A whole-house fan assembly for installation over joists in an opening in a ceiling, said assembly comprising (a) a venturi for defining an air path through said assembly, said venturi comprising a fan housing including an opening defining a throat, (b) a fan impeller for forcing air through said venturi throat, and (c) a motor for driving said fan impeller, characterized by frame means for supporting said fan impeller and said motor, and mounting means for mounting said frame means to the upper surfaces of said joists, said housing including a depending skirt extending a distance below said mounting means substantially equal to the height of said joists.

Claim 17

The fan assembly of claim 10 wherein said skirt comprises removable means for permitting said skirt to fit over at least one of said joists.

Claim 18

In a whole-house fan installed above an opening in a ceiling, said ceiling being supported by a plurality of generally horizontal, parallel joists above said ceiling, the improvement wherein said fan is installed over a pair of adjacent joists without cutting either of said joists, said fan comprising a fan impeller for drawing air through said opening in said ceiling, said fan impeller having a vertical axis of rotation, said fan impeller including blades which extend over said pair of adjacent joists when said fan is in operation; a motor for driving said fan impeller; a frame for supporting said fan impeller and said motor on said joists; and a venturi for defining an air path through said fan, said venturi including an opening defining a throat and a depending skirt fitting into close propinquity to said ceiling, wherein said opening in said ceiling and said depending skirt extend beyond said pair of adjacent joists, wherein said depending skirt is formed with a plurality of means for accommodating joists of different heights and on different spacings, two pairs of said plurality of means having been utilized to define openings in two opposed sides of said skirt, said openings each having a height substantially equal to the height of said pair of joists, and wherein said frame comprises a pair of spaced apart frame members extending across said pair of joists at right angles thereto, said frame members also including mounting means accommodating joists on different spacings, two pairs of said mounting means having been utilized to mount said fan to the upper faces of said pair of joists.

Claim 19

In a whole-house fan installed above an opening in a ceiling, said ceiling being supported by a plurality of generally horizontal, parallel joists above said ceiling, the improvement wherein said fan is installed over a pair of adjacent joists without cutting either of said joists, said fan comprising a fan impeller for drawing air through said opening in said ceiling, said fan impeller having a vertical axis of rotation, said fan impeller including blades which extend over said pair of adjacent joists when said fan is in operation; a motor for driving said fan impeller; a frame for supporting said fan impeller and said motor on said joists; and a venturi for defining an air path through said fan, said venturi including an opening defining a throat and a depending skirt fitting into close propinquity to said ceiling, wherein said opening in said ceiling and said depending skirt extend beyond said pair of adjacent joists, wherein said depending skirt is formed with a plurality of means for accommodating joists of different heights and on different spacings, two pairs of said plurality of means having been utilized to define openings in two opposed sides of said skirt, said openings each having a height substantially equal to the height of said pair of joists, and wherein said frame comprises a pair of spaced apart frame members extending across said pair of joists at right angles thereto, said frame members also including mounting means accommodating joists on different spacings, two pairs of said mounting means having been utilized to mount said fan to the upper faces of said pair of joists.

Claim 20

The fan of claim 12 further including a shutter assembly mounted on a lower face of said ceiling.

Claim 21

The fan of claim 13 wherein said opening and said shutter assembly both extend below and beyond said pair of adjacent joists, said shutter assembly being surface mounted to said ceiling and including a plurality of shutters constructed and arranged to open below said pair of joists when said fan is operated.

Claim 22

The fan of claim 12 wherein said motor extends between and below the upper surfaces of said joists.