Electric Heating/Warming Fabric Articles

• US 20080047955A1
• Filed: 03/07/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MMI-IPCO LLC
• Original Assignee: Malden Mills Industries Incorporated (Polartec LLC)
• Inventors: Rock, Moshe, Sharma, Vikram
• Application Number:
  US11/683,176
• Publication Number:
  US 20080047955A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/545
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0051 Heated garments heated divers' suits B63C11/28
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 31/065 using layered materials
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0233 connected to or incorporated in clothing or garments A61F2007/023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/007 characterised by electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/003 using serpentine layout
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/013 Heaters using resistive films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/036 Heaters specially adapted for garment heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/342 heaters used in textiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49083 Heater type

Abstract

Electric heating/warming composite fabric articles have at least a fabric layer having inner and outer surfaces, and an electric heating/warming element, e.g., including a bus, formed, e.g., of die cut, metallized textile or plastic sheeting or metal foil, affixed at the inner surface of the fabric layer and adapted to generate heating/warming when connected to a power source. A barrier layer may be positioned, for example, adjacent to the inner surface of the fabric layer; e.g., with the electric heating/warming element formed thereupon, including to protect the electric circuit, e.g. against abrasion.

Claims

1. A method of forming an electric heating/warming fabric article, the method comprising:

configuring a sheet-form conductive layer element into an electrically conductive circuit pattern including a bus; and

attaching said circuit pattern to one of a first and a second broad surface of a fabric body for producing localized heating of the fabric body upon application of electrical current to said circuit pattern.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring step comprises cutting.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the configuring step comprises die-cutting.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the configuring step comprises laser cutting or cutting using ultra sound.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring step comprises forming the electrically conductive circuit pattern and an integral bus.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said conductive layer element comprises a metallized sheet material selected from the group consisting of metallized textiles, metallized plastic sheeting, and metal foils.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuring step comprises subjecting a sheet material to metal coating, plating or deposition.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said attaching step comprises joining the conductive layer and fabric body with adhesive.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising forming an article of clothing including said fabric body.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the forming step comprises shaping the circuit pattern to conform to the shape of the article of clothing.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the article of clothing comprises an article selected from the group consisting of gloves, socks, sweaters, jackets, shirts, pants, hats, footwear, ear muffs, neck warmers, medical braces, medical bands, knee pads, back pads, and joint pads.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring the circuit pattern to comprise areas of relatively higher resistivity and areas of relatively lower resistivity to provide predetermined regions of relatively higher and relatively lower localized heating.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined areas of relatively higher and relatively lower resistivity are provided by varying the cross-sectional area of one or more selected regions of the circuit pattern.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the predetermined areas of relatively higher and relatively lower resistivity are provided by varying the conductivity of one or more selected regions of the conductive layer.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the electric heating/warming article is incorporated into an article of clothing, and the method further comprises configuring the circuit pattern to place said areas of relatively higher resistivity adjacent a wearer'"'"'s extremities when the article of clothing is worn.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the electric heating/warming article is incorporated into an article of clothing, and the method further comprises shaping the circuit pattern to place said areas of relatively higher resistivity adjacent regions of the wearer'"'"'s body where blood flow is close to the skin surface when the article of clothing is worn.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the electric heating/warming article is incorporated into an article of clothing, and the method further comprises shaping the circuit pattern to place said areas of relatively higher resistivity adjacent regions of the wearer'"'"'s body where blood flows through a major blood vessel or artery.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the circuit pattern is shaped to place a relatively high area of resisitivity over the user'"'"'s wrist.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the circuit pattern is shaped to place a relatively high area of resisitivity over the user'"'"'s throat.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the fabric body comprises a textile material selected from the group consisting of weft knitted materials, warp knitted materials, woven materials, and nonwoven materials.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising interposing a barrier layer between the fabric body and the sheet-form conductive layer.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising attaching an outer surface of the barrier layer to the fabric layer, and attaching an inner surface of the barrier layer to the sheet-form conductive layer.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said attaching steps comprise joining the layers with adhesive.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising connecting the circuit pattern to a power source, to generate heating/warming.

25. The method of claim 1 further comprising incorporating the electric heating/warming fabric article into a home furnishing textile article.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the home textile article comprises a blanket, throw, sleeping bag or mattress cover.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein said circuit pattern comprises a series circuit.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein said circuit pattern comprises a parallel circuit.

29. A method of forming an electric heating/warming fabric article, the method comprising:

configuring a sheet-form conductive layer element into an electrically conductive circuit pattern; and

attaching said circuit pattern to at least one of a first and a second broad surface of a fabric body for producing localized heating of the fabric body upon application of electrical current to said circuit pattern.

30. A method of forming an electric heating/warming fabric article, the method comprising:

die-cutting a sheet-form conductive layer to form an electrically conductive circuit pattern including a bus, wherein a first portion of the conductive layer is relatively narrower to increase localized heating and a second portion of the conductive layer is relatively wider to decrease localized heating;

attaching said circuit pattern to an outer surface of a fabric body;

incorporating the fabric body into an article of clothing; and

connecting a power source to the circuit pattern, thereby producing localized heating of the fabric body upon application of electrical current to said circuit pattern.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the circuit pattern is configured to place a relatively high area of resisitivity over the user'"'"'s wrist.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein the circuit pattern is configured to place a relatively high area of resisitivity over the user'"'"'s throat.

33. A method of forming an electric heating/warming fabric article, the method comprising:

die-cutting a sheet-form conductive layer to form an electrically conductive circuit pattern, wherein a first portion of the conductive layer is relatively narrower to increase localized heating and a second portion of the conductive layer is relatively wider to decrease localized heating;

attaching said circuit pattern to at least one surface of a fabric body;

incorporating the fabric body into an article of clothing; and

connecting a power source to the circuit pattern, thereby producing localized heating of the fabric body upon application of electrical current to said circuit pattern.