US Patent 9062685 Fan assembly with tangential air inlet

A fan assembly for generating an air flow within a room includes an impeller and a motor for driving the impeller to draw an air flow into the fan assembly, and a casing having a continuous interior passage with a tangential air inlet through which the air flow enters the interior passage and at least one air outlet for emitting at least a portion of the air flow. The casing defines a bore about which the interior passage extends and through which air from outside the fan assembly is drawn by the air emitted from said at least one air outlet.