Fan mounting bracket and mounting method thereof

Abstract

To improve the mounting structure of electric fans in air-conditioned clothing. [Solution] The fan mounting device comprises an annular base 11 attached to the opening edge of the fabric, an annular engaging portion 13 that detachably engages with the base, and a storage portion 15 that holds the electric fan between itself and the engaging portion, has an openable and closable electric fan insertion opening, and is breathable. The storage portion of the fan mounting device has a fastener that allows the electric fan insertion opening to be opened and closed, and the base and the engaging portion have hook-and-loop fasteners that engage with each other.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fan fixture for attaching an electric fan to a cloth body such as clothing and a method for attaching the same.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, heat stroke caused by working or exercising in high temperatures has been regarded as a problem. When heat stroke occurs, it is important to take appropriate measures promptly, and there are cases where death may result if the treatment is delayed.

[0003] In order to provide countermeasures against heat stroke and a comfortable working environment as described above, air-conditioned clothing that enables work while cooling the body is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such air-conditioned clothing, a substantially annular polypropylene sheet is provided on the fabric portion around the hole portion to which a blowing means such as an electric fan is attached. The blowing means has two detachable parts, and is attached to the fabric portion with the polypropylene sheet sandwiched between the respective parts. In addition, a kit for enabling an electric fan to be attached to clothing held by a user is also provided.

[0004] However, in conventional air-conditioned clothing, the work of disassembling the electric fan and sandwiching it into the hole portion is troublesome. In addition, since the electric fan has a predetermined weight, clothing made of a general fabric cannot sufficiently support the electric fan, and there is a possibility that the electric fan may fall off. Thus, there is still room for improvement in the attachment structure of the electric fan in conventional air-conditioned clothing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to improve the mounting structure of an electric fan in air-conditioned clothing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides: The ring-shaped base, An annular engaging portion that detachably engages with the base, A storage section that holds the electric fan between itself and the aforementioned engaging portion, has an openable and closable electric fan insertion opening, and is breathable, The present invention provides a fan mounting device characterized by comprising the following:

[0008] Furthermore, in the fan mounting device of the present invention, it is preferable that the storage portion has a fastener that can open and close the electric fan insertion opening.

[0009] Furthermore, in the fan mounting device of the present invention, it is preferable that the base portion and the engaging portion have hook-and-loop fasteners that engage with each other.

[0010] Furthermore, in the fan mounting device of the present invention, it is preferable that the base portion has a heat-sealed layer.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention is Prepare the fabric, A fan mounting device is prepared, having an annular base, an annular engaging portion that detachably engages with the base, and a storage portion that holds the electric fan between the engaging portion, has an openable and closable electric fan insertion opening, and is breathable. An opening is formed in the aforementioned body, The base is attached to the edge of the opening. The present invention also provides a method for installing a fan mounting fixture, characterized by including the procedure. Alternatively, an opening may be provided in the fabric beforehand, and a fabric with an opening may be prepared. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, an electric fan can be retrofitted to a fabric body. Furthermore, when attaching the electric fan, it is only necessary to place the electric fan into the storage compartment, eliminating the need for time-consuming work such as disassembling the electric fan and inserting it into the hole. Moreover, the attached electric fan is securely held between the storage compartment and the engagement part, preventing unintended detachment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] These are perspective views, front views, right side views, top views, bottom views, and rear views of a fan mounting bracket 10 according to a typical embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the attachment of the engaging portion 13 to the base portion 11, the insertion of the electric fan 3 into the housing portion 15, and a schematic diagram of the fan mounting fixture 10 housing the electric fan 3. [Figure 3] This diagram shows the process by which the electric fan 3 is housed in the fan mounting bracket 10. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing the procedure for forming an opening 1A in garment 1 and attaching a fan mounting bracket 10 to the opening 1A. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of the inner and outer surfaces of garment 1 to which the fan mounting bracket 10 is attached. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The following describes in detail a typical embodiment of the fan mounting device and mounting method according to the present invention with reference to the figures, but the present invention is not limited to those shown in the figures. Furthermore, since the figures are for conceptual explanation of the present invention, dimensions, ratios, or numbers may be exaggerated or simplified as necessary for ease of understanding. In addition, in the following description, the same or corresponding parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations may be omitted.

[0015] First, let's explain the configuration of the fan mounting bracket 10. The fan attachment 10 is retrofitted to the cloth body 1, enabling the electric fan 3 to be attached to the cloth body 1 (see Fig. 5). Examples of the cloth body 1 include, but are not limited to, clothes such as jackets and vests, and bags such as backpacks and pouches. Hereinafter, the components of the fan attachment 10 will be described in detail. In the following description, the clothes as an example of the cloth body 1 may sometimes be referred to as "clothes 1".

[0016] For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the fan attachment 10 has an annular base 11. The base 11 is a flexible fabric attached to the edge of the opening 1A formed in the cloth body 1. In this embodiment, the base 11 is substantially circular, but it may be substantially elliptical or substantially polygonal such as substantially square. Therefore, the center of the base 11 is open to form an opening 11A, allowing the intake of outside air by the electric fan 3.

[0017] The base 11 may have a fastener 11B on one surface that engages with the engaging portion 13 (see Fig. 2(A)). A surface fastener can be preferably used as the fastener 11B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0018] The base 11 may have a heat-sealing layer 11C on the other surface (the surface facing the edge of the opening 1A of the cloth body 1). The heat-sealing layer 11C is made of a resin material such as polyamide and fuses to the edge of the opening 1A of the cloth body 1 when heated with an iron or the like (see Fig. 4(E)). Therefore, the base 11 may be said to be a kind of emblem.

[0019] The fan attachment 10 also has an annular engaging portion 13. The engaging portion 13 is made of flexible fabric and can be detachably engaged with the base 11. The engaging portion 13 may have substantially the same dimensions and substantially the same shape as the base 11. Therefore, the center of the engaging portion 13 is also open to form an opening 13A (see Figs. 1(F) and 2(A)), allowing the intake of outside air by the electric fan 3.

[0020] When the engaging portion 13 is substantially circular in shape, it is preferable that the inner diameter of the engaging portion 13 is larger than the outer diameter of the electric fan 3. This prevents the electric fan 3 from unintentionally falling out of the fan mounting bracket 10.

[0021] The engaging portion 13 may have a fastener 13B (see Figure 2(A)) on one side that engages with the base portion 11 (and its fastener 11B). A hook-and-loop fastener can preferably be used as the fastener 13B, but is not limited to this.

[0022] A storage section 15 is attached to the other side of the engaging section 13. The storage section 15 is a bag-shaped member composed of substantially sheet-like breathable members 15a and 15b and a substantially strip-shaped breathable member 15c connecting them (see, for example, Figure 1).

[0023] To explain in more detail, the opening 13A of the engaging portion 13 is covered by the breathable member 15a that constitutes the storage portion 15 (see Figure 1(F)). Therefore, the electric fan 3 can draw air from outside the garment 1 into the garment 1 through the opening 13A and the breathable member 15a. The breathable member 15a is attached to the periphery of the inner surface of the opening 13A by fastening means such as sewing, but is not limited to this.

[0024] The ventilation members 15a, 15b, and 15c that constitute the storage section 15 may be made of, for example, a mesh fabric. The coarseness (size) of the mesh should be such that it does not obstruct the intake of outside air to the electric fan 3, and it should also have sufficient strength to prevent tearing when the electric fan 3 is inserted or removed. For simplicity, mesh and netting are not specifically shown in the drawings.

[0025] On the other hand, since the storage compartment 15 also serves to prevent foreign matter from entering the electric fan 3 from the outside, the mesh coarseness only needs to be fine enough (size) to prevent the passage of anticipated foreign matter.

[0026] From the above perspective, preferred specifications for the mesh fabric constituting the breathable members 15a, 15b, and 15c are as follows. Opening ratio: 20-80% (preferably 40-60%) Mesh count, representing the number of threads per inch: 2 to 30 threads Opening (spacing) representing the distance between threads: 1 mm to 30 mm Opening area (opening ratio) representing the space ratio of the mesh cloth: 1.5~2.0

[0027] Furthermore, the storage compartment 15 is designed to be breathable, house and hold the electric fan 3 inside, and preferably has dimensions that are tight enough to adequately restrict the movement of the housed electric fan 3 within the storage compartment 15, and also has sufficient strength to properly hold the housed electric fan 3.

[0028] The ventilation members 15a, 15b, and 15c that constitute the storage section 15 are connected to each other at their periphery by joining means such as stitching, forming an internal space sufficient to house the electric fan 3. The configuration of the internal space can be modified in various ways and is not limited to this. The mesh fabrics that make up the breathable members 15a, 15b, and 15c may be the same or different.

[0029] The storage section 15 has an insertion opening 151 (see, for example, Figure 1(D)). That is, the electric fan 3 is inserted into and removed from the storage section 15 through the insertion opening 151 (see, for example, Figure 3). The insertion opening 151 may be formed between the engaging section 13 and the storage section 15 by, for example, partially opening a strip-shaped breathable member 15c.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3(A), the opening width L of the insertion port 151 is preferably the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter D of the electric fan 3. Even if the opening width L is smaller than the outer diameter D of the electric fan 3, the flexibility of the storage section 15 allows the insertion port 151 to widen, so the electric fan 3 can be inserted into the insertion port 151. In addition, it is possible to prevent the electric fan 3 inside the storage section 15 from popping out of the insertion port 151 (even if the fastener 16 is open).

[0031] The insertion opening 151 can be opened and closed freely by a fastener 16. A hook-and-loop fastener is preferably used as the fastener 16, but other types of fasteners such as hooks or slide fasteners may also be used.

[0032] The fastener 16, acting as a hook-and-loop fastener, includes a first member 161 (e.g., a hook) attached to the upper edge of the breathable member 15b of the storage section 15, and a second member 162 (e.g., a loop) provided in the engaging section 13 at a position opposite to the first member 161. The insertion opening 151 is opened and closed by attaching and detaching the first member 161 to the second member 162 (see Figures 3(A) to (C)).

[0033] Next, the procedure for attaching the fan mounting bracket 10 to the fabric body 1 will be explained. Here, clothing is given as an example of the fabric body 1, but as mentioned above, it is not limited to this.

[0034] First, prepare garment 1 (see Figure 4(A)). At this stage, the opening 1A is not formed in garment 1. Examples of garment 1 include, but are not limited to, work clothes, disaster relief clothing, jackets, and vests. It can also be long-sleeved or short-sleeved. Here, a vest-type top is given as an example of garment 1.

[0035] In other words, garment 1 includes a bodice that covers the wearer's torso, and the bodice may consist of a front bodice and a back bodice. The bodice may also be made of various conventionally known fabrics. The fabric of the bodice may be any cloth or sheet material such as woven fabric, knitted fabric or nonwoven fabric, and various materials such as natural fibers, synthetic fibers, resin or rubber may be used for the fabric. Garment 1 may also include sleeves (not shown) and a hood (not shown).

[0036] In addition, prepare the fan mounting bracket 10 mentioned above. Details of the fan mounting bracket 10 have already been described.

[0037] Then, an opening 1A is formed at a desired position in garment 1. Here, the opening 1A is not for fixing the fan, but for supplying the fan with air from outside the garment 1. In the illustrated example, two openings 1A are formed on the lower sides or waist of the garment 1, but the openings 1A may be formed in other locations, or one or more openings 1A may be formed. Note that when the electric fan 3 is not installed, the openings 1A may be covered from the outside with fabric or the like (not shown).

[0038] To outline the procedure for forming opening 1A, first determine the position of opening 1A and mark it on the inside (or outside) of garment 1 with a pen or similar tool (see Figure 4(B)). Then, cut the fabric along the mark with scissors or similar tool to form opening 1A (see Figure 4(C)).

[0039] Next, the base 11 of the fan mounting bracket 10 is attached to the edge of the formed opening 1A. Specifically, the heat-sealing layer 11C of the base 11 is placed against the inner surface of the edge of the opening 1A of the garment 1, and the garment 1 is turned over and a pressing cloth is placed over the outer surface (see Figure 4(D)). An iron is applied over the pressing cloth to adhere the heat-sealing layer 11C of the base 11 around the opening 1A of the garment 1 (see Figure 4(E)). This procedure will be carried out for all openings 1A. In addition, the base 11 may be sewn to the garment 1 using a sewing machine or the like to strengthen the bond between the garment 1 and the base 11 (see Figure 4(F)).

[0040] This allows the integrated engagement portion 13 and storage portion 15 to be detachably attached to the base portion 11 (see Figures 4(G) and (H)). In other words, the fan mounting bracket 10 can be attached to the garment 1.

[0041] Therefore, by using the fan mounting bracket 10 according to this embodiment, an electric fan 3 can be retrofitted to a fabric body 1 such as clothing 1 (see Figures 5(A) and (B)).

[0042] Next, a method for using the garment 1, to which the fan mounting bracket 10 is attached, as a garment with a fan 1 will be explained.

[0043] First, prepare the garment 1 to which the fan mounting bracket 10 is attached, as well as an electric fan 3, a portable power supply (not shown), a cable (not shown), a switch (not shown), and other items.

[0044] Here, the electric fan 3 is, for example, an axial fan that draws in air from outside the garment 1 and brings it into the garment 1. That is, the air drawn into the garment 1 by the electric fan 3 causes the air inside the garment 1 to flow or circulate, cooling the wearer's body, and then the air is discharged outside the garment 1 from the neck area. Specifically, the electric fan 3 may have a rotating blade section and a case that houses the blade section. However, since the electric fan 3 is not fixed to the attachment hole of clothing as described in the prior art section, it does not need to have a flange section. Therefore, the electric fan 3 can be miniaturized.

[0045] Then, in order to attach the electric fan 3 to the storage section 15 of the fan mounting bracket 10, the fastener 16 is released and the insertion opening 151 is opened. The electric fan 3 is inserted through the insertion opening 151 and positioned inside the storage section 15. After that, the fastener 16 is engaged to close the insertion opening 151 (see, for example, Figures 3(A) to (C)). This process is simple and does not require the process of inserting the fan into the mounting hole of the garment 1, as in the conventional technology.

[0046] Next, connect the electric fan 3 to the power supply (not shown) with a cable, and store the power supply in a pocket (not shown). If necessary, attach other components (not shown), such as a switch, to the garment 1.

[0047] When the power is turned on, the electric fan 3 takes in outside air through the base 11 (opening 11A), the engaging part 13 (opening 13A), and the breathable member 15a, and sends it into the garment 1. The air then flows or circulates inside the garment 1, cooling the wearer.

[0048] Conversely, to remove the electric fan 3 from the garment 1, the fastener 16 is released to open the insertion opening 151, and the electric fan 3 is removed from the insertion opening 151. This operation is also simple; in other words, in this embodiment, attaching and detaching the electric fan 3 is effortless.

[0049] Furthermore, since the opening of the engaging portion 13 is covered with a breathable member 15a, the housed electric fan 3 will not fall out of the opening 13A, nor will any foreign matter enter the electric fan 3 from the outside.

[0050] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and other improvements and modifications exist without departing from the spirit and teachings of the claims. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that all such improvements and modifications fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0051] For example, the attachment device of the present invention can be widely applied to clothing and other garments and items, such as rainwear, training wear, helmet hoods, sunshades, hats, and stroller covers. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1 Cloth (clothing) 3 Electric fan 10 Fan mounting brackets 11 Base 13 Engaging part 15 Storage compartment

Claims

1. The ring-shaped base, An annular engaging portion that detachably engages with the base, A storage section that holds the electric fan between itself and the aforementioned engaging portion, has an openable and closable electric fan insertion opening, and is breathable, A fan mounting fixture characterized by having the following features.

2. The storage compartment has a fastener that allows the electric fan insertion opening to be opened and closed. A fan mounting device according to claim 1, characterized by the following:

3. The base and the engaging portion have hook fasteners that engage with each other. A fan mounting device according to claim 1, characterized by the following:

4. The base portion has a heat-sealed layer. A fan mounting device according to claim 1, characterized by the following:

5. Prepare the fabric, A fan mounting device is prepared, having an annular base, an annular engaging portion that detachably engages with the base, and a storage portion that holds the electric fan between the engaging portion, has an openable and closable electric fan insertion opening, and is breathable. An opening is formed in the aforementioned body, The base is attached to the edge of the opening. A method for installing a fan mounting fixture, characterized by including a procedure.

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