Portable fan

Abstract

A personal, portable, cageless cooling and sleeping fan designed to be collapsible and to minimize space requirements for travel, shipping, storage, and space. The fan includes at least one fan blade that may be moved or rotated between a first operational position and a second storable position. The fan also includes a radar sensor to stop the fan blades from rotating when an object comes into the vicinity of the fan blade.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A collapsible fan comprising:
 a housing supporting an electric motor having a shaft, the shaft extending forward of the motor; and   a blade guide assembly operatively coupled to the shaft, the blade guide assembly having a first fan blade assembly and a second blade assembly;   whereby each fan blade assembly comprises a fan blade; and   whereby the fan blade of the first fan blade assembly is moveable from a first position where it is spaced from and adapted to rotate on substantially the same rotational plane as the fan blade of the second fan blade assembly, to a second position where the fan blade of the first fan blade assembly is substantially nested with the fan blade of the second fan blade assembly.   
     
     
         2 . The collapsible fan of  claim 1 , whereby each fan blade assembly also comprise a blade support coupled to the fan blade. 
     
     
         3 . The collapsible fan of  claim 3 , whereby the blade support for the first fan blade assembly is on a different rotational plane than the blade support for the second fan blade assembly when the fan blade of the first fan blade assembly is substantially nested with the fan blade of the second fan blade assembly. 
     
     
         4 . The collapsible fan of  claim 1 , further comprising a radar sensor configured to detect the presence of an object within a predetermined vicinity of the sensor and/or rotational path of a fan blade. 
     
     
         5 . The collapsible fan of  claim 1 , whereby the fan blades are unprotected by any protective guard or cage. 
     
     
         6 . The collapsible fan of  claim 1 , whereby the fan blades are shaped to generate pink noise when rotating about the longitudinal axis of the blade guide. 
     
     
         7 . A fan comprising:
 at least one fan blade assembly engaged with a blade guide assembly having a rotational axis;   whereby the fan blade assembly is moveable relative to the blade guide assembly about the rotational axis of the blade guide assembly from a first position to a second position.   
     
     
         8 . The fan of  claim 7 , further comprising a radar sensor configured to detect the presence of an object within a predetermined vicinity of the sensor and/or rotational path of a fan blade. 
     
     
         9 . The fan of  claim 7 , whereby the fan blades are unprotected by any protective guard or cage. 
     
     
         10 . The fan of  claim 7 , whereby the fan blade assembly comprises a fan blade shaped to generate pink noise when rotating about a rotational axis of the blade guide assembly. 
     
     
         11 . A travel fan comprising:
 an electric motor having a shaft, the shaft extending forward of the motor for operatively rotating one or more fan blades about the longitudinal axis of the shaft; and   a radar sensor in communication with the electric motor, the radar sensor being configured to detect the presence of an object within a predetermined distance of the sensor and to cause a signal to be sent to stop or reverse operation of the electric motor when an object comes within the predetermined distance of the sensor.