The invention concerns an apparatus for heating and humi¬ difying air in an internal environment- Objects in everyday use are electric heater fans, namely electric stoves with forced convection that, by means of an electrically operated fan, set up a stream of air around incandescent electric heating elements.

The air enters cold and comes out warm.

Also in everyday use are humidifiers, namely apparatuses for moisturizing the air that is too dry in homes or places of work, such as for example those with a "wetted surface" wherein a surface wetted by the liquid receives a flow of air with consequent production of steam. When a room is being warmed, especially with an electric heater fan, it becomes necessary or at least advisable to recover humidity by operating a humidifier.

This means practically doubling costs on account of having to purchase two apparatuses, as well as operational compli¬ cations in regulating both in their interconnecting effects so as to obtain good air conditioning.

A humidifier must operate for a considerable time in order to modify air conditions to an appreciable degree. The above invention eliminates or greatly reduces these drawbacks as well as providing considerable advantages as will be explained below.

Subject of the invention is an electric fan device in which the draught of air,created by an electrically driven fan, flows over electric heating elements and is mixed wi h steam produced by heating water in a boiler by another el c- rie element .

The steam emerges through small holes made immediately

below a grid from which the draught of air flows out hor- izontally .

Air and steam are therefore mixed immediately outside the apparatus since the mass of steam rises spontaneously. A lateral cavity surrounds the sides of the boiler which lies practically central in a watertight tank of water. At the base of the cavity and of the boiler there are aper¬ tures to allow passage of the water.

The purpose of this is to concentrate the heat, from the electric heating element inside the boiler, in the water contained in the boiler which water, on becoming steam, is replaced by water from the tank.

Steam generated by the boiler is distributed through the upper hole in a valve formedof a chamber placed on the top of said boiler.

Said valve comprises a heavy ball of a diameter greater than that of said hole and slightly smaller than the width of said chamber.

Therefore, if the apparatus is accidently knocked over, gravity will cause the ball to close the hole preventing water in the boiler, and consequently water in the tank, from draining out and spreading inside the whole apparatus

The electric elements for heating the air are set in two parallel dials coaxial with the axis of the fan and up- stream of said fan.

It is an advantage if the electric heater fan comprises a box-shaped body to house the fan and electric elements for heating the air, and if it also comprises a box-shaped base,placed below the box-shaped body, for housing the boiler.

Said body is associated to said base by hooks that can be

hooked and unhooked from the outside so that they can be ea ^' sily taken apart for filling up the tank with water. The electric controls enable the elements for heating air to be worked separately from the fan and from the heating element inside the boiler for heating the water, so that moisturized air can be obtained either cold or heated as preferred.

The described invention offers considerable advantages. By means of a single apparatus air can be heated and moi- sturized at the same time, fulfilling both functions hither¬ to possible only with two separate apparatuses, namely the electric heater fan and the humidifier.

The apparatus can also function as a humidifier only with the advantage of greater effectiveness and speed due to the draught of air.

The production of dry air as happens with ordinary elec¬ tric heater fans, is avoided.

For the user purchases and running costs are lower while in addition environmental air reaches, within a short time, the right temperature and degree of humidity, thus provi¬ ding an optimum type of air conditioning.

Characteris ics and purposes of the invention will be made still clearer by the following example of its execution illustrated by diagrammatic figures. Fig. 1 : External front perspective of the electric fan device • Fig. 2: Section on a vertical longitudinal plane of he electric fan, front view. Fig. 3: Section on a horizontal plane of the electric fan, plan view.

Fig. A: Section on a vertical transversal plane of he electric fan, side view.

The electric fan device 10 comprises a box-shaped body 11 associated to a box-shaped base 12 the front of which 13 is inclined .

The box-shaped body 11 comprises a front grid 14 with ho- rizontal apertures, a back grid 15 parallel to the first, with vertical apertures, the base 16, the conveyor 23.

The electric motor 17 mounted on supports 18, is fixed co- axially inside the back wall, on said motor's shaft the fan 19 is mounted and, on the supports 21, the crown 20 carrying the pair of electric heating elements 22 arranged on parallel dials coaxial to the axis of the fan 19.

The box-shaped base 12 forms the tank 40 for water 41, said tank being watertight.

Practically in the centre of said tank there is a boiler 42 surrounded by a lateral cavity 44.

The water 41 in the tank 40 can pass inside from said ca¬ vity through the lower holes 45, and from there to the boiler 42 through the lower holes 46.

The boiler 42, at the same level as the top of the wall 47, comprises the valve 48 with heavy ball 51 ,comunicating by the opening 49 with the boiler 42 and by the opening 50 with the cavity 44.

Inside said boiler 42 there is an armoured electric heat¬ ing element 52. Between the bottom 16 of the box-shaped body and the top 25 of the base 12 and the top 26 of the boiler 42, is the body 55 comprising the chamber 56 next to the valve 48, communicating with the duct 57 for passage of steam to the small holes 28 made on the front 27 of the box-shaped body 11.

The interposed packing 60 makes a seal between the bottom

16 of the box-shaped body 11, the body 55, the top 25 of the base 12, the top 26 of the boiler 42, the electric heating element 52 and the front 27 of the box-shaped body

I 1. There is a hole 61 in said packing where it meets the valve 48. The box-shaped body 11 is connected to the base 12 by means of the rotatable levers 30 turning on the pins 32 fixed to the sides of said body 11 and comprising the hooks 31 that hook onto the opposite hooks 34 fixed to the supports 35 mounted on the sides of the base 12.

The hooks 31 are pressed against the hooks 34 by the springs

33 acting on the levers 30.

These latter can be worked from outside the box-shaped body

I I through the windows 36. A transparent window 37 is inserted in the inclined front 13 of the base 12, to show the level of water 41 in the tank 40.

The water in the boiler 42 when heated by the electric ele¬ ment 52 turns into steam which after passing through the opening 49 in the valve 48 and through the hole 61 in the packing 60, enters the duct 57, then passes through the small holes 28 emerging from the front of the box-shaped body 11 immediately below the grid 14 from which emerges the draught of air produced by the fan 19. Said draught of air is supplied through the rear grid 15 and through the electric heating elements 22. Therefore, by turning on said elements hot air comes out from the grid 14. As seen in the figures, the wavelets 63 of air coming from the grid 14 mix with those 64 of steam emerging from the holes 28 and form wavelets 65 of humid air.

If the electric heating elements 22 are switched on, warm moist air will be produced for the internal environment, while if said elements are not switched on, the apparatus will produce cold moist air. If the apparatus should be accidently overturned, the ball 51 in the valve 48 will alter its position as shown in Fig. and will fall by gravity into the position 51' (shown by a dotted line) and in that position it closes the hole 61 in the packing 60 preventing water contained in the boiler 42 and in the tank 40 from spilling out and therefore from spreading throughout the inside of the box-shaped body.