Exhaust fan

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a portable exhaust fan for removing airborne materials from a localized area is disclosed. The portable exhaust fan comprises: a housing having an inlet opening and a discharge opening and configured so as to define an air passageway between said inlet and discharge openings; a blower unit mounted within said housing such that rotating blades of said blower unit are located within said air passageway to draw air into said inlet opening and to cause said drawn air to travel through said air passageway and to exit through said discharge opening; a flexible tube having a proximate end connected to said inlet opening of said exhaust fan and a distal end for placement in the localized area such that air drawn into said inlet opening is air located primarily in the localized area and travels through said flexible tube; and an inlet filter removably attached over said inlet opening of said tube such that air drawn into said inlet opening travels through said inlet filter, wherein said inlet filter is constructed and arranged to remove airborne materials that can accumulate in said tube or said housing unit.

1 . A portable exhaust fan for removing airborne materials from a localized area comprising: 
 a housing having an inlet opening and a discharge opening and configured so as to define an air passageway between said inlet and discharge openings;    a blower unit mounted within said housing such that rotating blades of said blower unit are located within said air passageway to draw air into said inlet opening and to cause said drawn air to travel through said air passageway and to exit through said discharge opening;    a flexible tube having a proximate end connected to said inlet opening of said exhaust fan and a distal end for placement in the localized area such that air drawn into said inlet opening is air located primarily in the localized area and travels through said flexible tube; and    an inlet filter removably attached over said inlet opening of said tube such that air drawn into said inlet opening travels through said inlet filter, wherein said inlet filter is constructed and arranged to remove airborne materials that can accumulate in said tube or said housing.    
   
   
       2 . The exhaust fan of  claim 1 , wherein said exhaust fan further comprises: 
 an electrical box for housing electrical components mounted on said housing, said electrical box constructed and arranged to be substantially impenetrable by the airborne materials.    
   
   
       3 . The exhaust fan of  claim 2 , wherein said electrical box is secured within said housing.  
   
   
       4 . The exhaust fan of  claim 2 , wherein said electrical box is secured to an exterior surface of said housing.  
   
   
       5 . The exhaust fan of  claim 2 , wherein said electrical box is an explosion proof electrical box.  
   
   
       6 . The exhaust fan of  claim 2 , further comprising: 
 electrical wiring to carry power to the blower unit; and    a sealed conduit through which said electrical wiring travels within said air passageway, wherein said sealed conduit is substantially impermeable to the airborne materials.    
   
   
       7 . The exhaust fan of  claim 1 , wherein said airborne materials comprise paint overspray.  
   
   
       8 . The fan of  claim 7 , wherein said airborne materials comprise hazardous airborne materials.  
   
   
       9 . The fan of  claim 7 , wherein internal components of said exhaust fan that are exposed to said air is accessible and removable.  
   
   
       10 . The fan of  claim 1 , wherein said components comprise a blower fan blade.  
   
   
       11 . The fan of  claim 1 , wherein said exhaust fan is constructed and arranged such that the exhaust path prevents air from coming into contact with incendiary promoters.  
   
   
       12 . The fan of  claim 11 , wherein said incendiary promoters comprise: 
 high temperature surfaces, and    electrical components.    
   
   
       13 . The fan of  claim 12 , wherein said electrical components are further prevented from exposure to the localized environment.  
   
   
       14 . The fan of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a second inlet filter located adjacent to an inlet opening of the in the exhaust path, constructed and arranged to remove at least those airborne materials that can accumulate on or otherwise damage the internal fan components.    
   
   
       15 . The fan of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 an exhaust filter located adjacent to a discharge opening of the in the exhaust path, constructed and arranged to remove said hazardous materials and additional airborne hazardous materials that may damage the environment.    
   
   
       16 . The exhaust fan of  claim 1 , wherein the exhaust tube further comprises an accessible filter compartment disposed at a distal end of the tube.  
   
   
       17 . The exhaust fan of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 kill switches that monitor conditions in the exhaust fan and which prevent the exhaust fan from operating unless said conditions are in a particular state.    
   
   
       18 . The exhaust fan of  claim 17 , wherein said kill switches monitor the status of any doors on the exhaust fan.  
   
   
       19 . The exhaust fan of  claim 17 , wherein the kill switches monitor the status of the filters in the exhaust fan.  
   
   
       20 . The exhaust fan of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 accordion doors attached to opposing sides of the fan.    
   
   
       21 . The exhaust fan of  claim 20 , wherein the accordion doors are removably attached to the exhaust fan without the use of tools.  
   
   
       22 . The exhaust fan of  claim 21 , wherein the exhaust fan further comprises a compartment constructed and arranged to store said removable accordion doors.  
   
   
       23 . The fan of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a control panel through which a user controls the speed at which the blades of said blower rotate.    
   
   
       24 . The exhaust fan of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 an indicator panel having one or more indicators which visually prevent to the user the status of various conditions in the exhaust fan.    
   
   
       25 . The fan of  claim 24 , wherein the conditions comprise the operational status of the exhaust fan.