Household fan with gusts and varying airflow

Abstract

A household fan for providing the feel of a natural breeze includes a motorized impeller for providing airflow, a controller, an interface, and a breeze setting. The controller is coupled to the motorized impeller for changing one or more characteristics of the airflow. The interface is in communication with the controller for receiving human instructions for the controller. The breeze setting may be selected by way of the interface and implemented via the controller to operate the motorized impeller. When functioning in the breeze setting, the motorized impeller changes volumetric flow rate of the airflow with respect to time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A household fan for providing the feel of a natural breeze, comprising:
 a motorized impeller for providing airflow;   a controller coupled to the motorized impeller for changing one or more characteristics of the airflow;   an interface in communication with the controller for receiving human instructions for the controller; and   a breeze setting to be selected by way of the interface and implemented via the controller to operate the motorized impeller,
 wherein the breeze setting varies intensity of the airflow that is output by the motorized impeller, and 
 wherein the breeze setting varies periods of time between local peaks in intensity of the airflow; and 
   wherein the household fan is specifically distinguished from a duct fan of a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system within ductwork of the HVAC system where the ductwork tempers variations in airflow from such a duct fan.   
     
     
         2 . The household fan of  claim 1 , wherein, in the breeze setting, local extrema of the intensity are randomly or pseudo-randomly selected by logic of the controller within a bounded range. 
     
     
         3 . The household fan of  claim 2 , wherein, in the breeze setting, the periods of time are randomly or pseudo-randomly selected by the logic of the controller within a bounded range. 
     
     
         4 . The household fan of  claim 1 , wherein, in the breeze setting, the periods of time are randomly or pseudo-randomly selected by logic of the controller within a bounded range. 
     
     
         5 . The household fan of  claim 1 , wherein the household fan is a table fan that can swivel the motorized impeller and wherein another characteristic of the airflow varied via the breeze setting is direction of the airflow that is output by the motorized impeller, and wherein, in the breeze setting, the direction of the airflow is randomly or pseudo-randomly selected by logic of the controller within a bounded range. 
     
     
         6 . The household fan of  claim 1 , wherein, in the breeze setting, the motorized impeller gusts such that, during a gust, the motorized impeller changes volumetric flow rate of the airflow from a first quantity to a second quantity, and then from the second quantity to a third quantity, wherein the first quantity of the volumetric flow rate of the airflow is at least 50 cubic feet per minute less than the second quantity, and the second quantity is at least 50 cubic feet per minute greater than the third quantity, and wherein the third quantity occurs less than 10 seconds after the first quantity. 
     
     
         7 . The household fan of  claim 6 , wherein, during the gust, change in volumetric flow rate of the airflow with respect to time first increases and then decreases between the first and second quantities, thereby gentling transition of the volumetric flow rate. 
     
     
         8 . The household fan of  claim 6 , wherein the volumetric flow rate of the airflow increases by at least 20 cubic feet per minute per second for a period of time between the first and second quantities. 
     
     
         9 . The household fan of  claim 8 , wherein the volumetric flow rate of the airflow increases by the at least 20 cubic feet per minute per second for at least 200 milliseconds between the first and second quantities. 
     
     
         10 . The household fan of  claim 9 , wherein the volumetric flow rate of the airflow increases by the at least 20 cubic feet per minute per second for no more than 5 seconds between the first and second quantities. 
     
     
         11 . The household fan of  claim 9 , wherein the at least 20 cubic feet per minute per second increase is at least 50 cubic feet per minute per second. 
     
     
         12 . The household fan of  claim 9 , wherein the volumetric flow rate of the airflow increases at a magnitude of no more than 200 cubic feet per second per second between the first and second quantities. 
     
     
         13 . The household fan of  claim 6 , wherein the second quantity of the volumetric flow rate of the airflow is at least 150% of the first quantity. 
     
     
         14 . The household fan of  claim 1 , wherein the household fan is configured to provide airflow of at least one hundred and no more than fifteen hundred cubic feet per minute. 
     
     
         15 . A household fan in the form of a portable or table fan for providing the feel of a natural breeze, comprising:
 a motorized impeller for providing airflow, the motorized impeller comprising fan blades and an electric motor;   a grating surrounding the fan blades;   a power cord having a conductive conduit in communication with the electric motor;   a controller coupled to the motorized impeller for changing one or more characteristics of the airflow;   an interface in communication with the controller for receiving human instructions for the controller; and   a breeze setting to be selected by way of the interface and implemented via the controller to operate the motorized impeller,
 wherein the breeze setting varies intensity of the airflow that is output by the motorized impeller, and 
 wherein the breeze setting varies periods of time between local peaks in intensity of the airflow. 
   
     
     
         16 . The portable or table fan of  claim 15 , wherein, in the breeze setting, local extrema of the intensity are randomly or pseudo-randomly selected by logic of the controller within a bounded range. 
     
     
         17 . The portable or table fan of  claim 15 , wherein, in the breeze setting, the periods of time are randomly or pseudo-randomly selected by logic of the controller within a bounded range. 
     
     
         18 . A household fan in the form of a ceiling fan for providing the feel of a natural breeze, comprising:
 a motorized impeller for providing airflow;   hardware to mount the motorized impeller on or in a ceiling, whereby the airflow of the motorized impeller is directed generally downward from the ceiling;   a controller coupled to the motorized impeller for changing one or more characteristics of the airflow;   an interface in communication with the controller for receiving human instructions for the controller; and   a breeze setting to be selected by way of the interface and implemented via the controller to operate the motorized impeller,
 wherein the breeze setting varies intensity of the airflow that is output by the motorized impeller, and 
 wherein the breeze setting varies periods of time between local peaks in intensity of the airflow. 
   
     
     
         19 . The ceiling fan of  claim 18 , wherein, in the breeze setting, local extrema of the intensity are randomly or pseudo-randomly selected by logic of the controller within a bounded range. 
     
     
         20 . The ceiling fan of  claim 18 , wherein, in the breeze setting, the periods of time are randomly or pseudo-randomly selected by logic of the controller within a bounded range.