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Who invented the first bladeless desktop fan, Dyson or a Japanese inventor in 1981?
Serious questions are being raised tonight over whether James Dyson’s Company who yesterday held a launch event in Sydney for their new Dyson bladeless fan were the first to invent the bladeless fan or a Japanese company, Tokyo based Shibaura Electric, who lodged a patent in 1981, for a near identical bladeless desktop fan.
 Click to enlarge |
| Dyson Patent Declined Left 1981 Japanese Patent right. |
Prior to launching the fan last week the head of Dyson, Sir James Dyson was well aware of the existence of the Japanese patent.
The Air Multiplier from Dyson sucks in air at the base, and pushing it out at speed through a thin gap in the fan’s ring, meaning there are no visible blades in the fan.
This is almost identical to what the Japanese Company patented in 1981.
In an exclusive interview with SmartHouse Mr Dyson said that his Company got the idea after watching the airflow from their hand dryer that is used in public toilets. There was no mention of a prior patent.
According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper in the UK, documents at the Intellectual Property Office, formerly the Patent Office, indicate that Dyson was forced to re-submit its application for a worldwide patent last year, because it was too similar to the Japanese invention.
The Dyson version, “cannot be considered novel or cannot be considered to involve an inventive step”, the initial ruling from the IPO suggested.
The Telegraph said that Dyson’s most recent patent applications, which are still pending, have been changed substantially to include a key design feature of the Air Multiplier, a Coanda surface.
This is the aerofoil ramp over which the air is pushed out of the ring of the fan. Because of the angle of the Coanda surface, the air sucks in surrounding air into the air flow, creating a smooth and powerful blast of air for any office worker using the fan.
