SELF CONTAINED ELECTROCHEMICAL HEAT SOURCE

• US 3,851,654 A
• Filed: 08/17/1973
• Issued: 12/03/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frederick P. Kober
• Original Assignee: Frederick P. Kober
• Inventors: Kober, Frederick P.
• Primary Examiner(s): McNeil, G. E.
• Application Number:
  US05/389,236
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• Field of Search: 132/33,9,36.2,40
• US Class Current: 132/229
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2/36 Hair curlers or hair winders with incorporated heating or drying means, e.g. electric, using chemical reaction
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/30 Devices for warming by making use of burning cartridges or other chemical substances
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0062 the gas being steam or water vapour
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/007 characterised by electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/03 thermophore, i.e. self-heating, e.g. using a chemical reaction
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/00 Primary cells; Manufacture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/32 activated through external addition of electrolyte or of electrolyte components
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/00 Ohmic-resistance heating

Abstract

An electrochemical heat source is described wherein an electrochemical cell is provided with an electrical shorting member which is connected to the anode and cathode electrodes of the cell to enable the electric energy of the cell to be dissipated as heat. A safe non-toxic electrochemical heater for hair waving, hot compresses and similar uses is described wherein an anode in the form of a foil of aluminum or aluminum alloys is spaced by a non-conductive separator from an air depolarized activated carbon electrode. An electrolyte of a solution of table salt is employed to activate the heater. Various configurations and sandwich structures are described.

Claims

1. In a heating device for hair waving operations the combination comprising a shell formed of a hair heat protective material and having a cell receiving recess, an electrochemical cell shaped to fit within the recess in heat transferring relationship with the shell, said electrochemical cell including an electrochemical cell structure formed of a generally thin electrically conductive first member made of an electrochemically active oxidizable material and a generally thin electrically conductive second member made of an electrochemically active non-metallic reducible material, said first and second members having therebetween, said first and second members being further selected for forming an electric heating current producing electrochemical couple capable upon electrical interconnection of the members of heating the electrochemical cell structure to a temperature which is sufficiently high for forming said self-contained heat source;

and a multiple of discrete electronically conductive elements extending between the electrochemically active oxidizable first member and the electrochemically active reducible second member for electrical contact therewith, said electronically conductive elements being spaced and selected to conduct an electric heating current between the first oxidizable member and the second reducible member for a uniform heating of the electrochemical cell structure during activation of the electrochemical cell to dissipate electrical cell energy within the shell to form heat for hair waving.

2. The heating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrochemical cell includes an air cathode electrode and an anode foil electrode formed of a material selected from the group consisting magnesium, magnesium alloys of aluminum and aluminum alloys, a porous non-conductive separator located between the electrodes, dry table salt enclosed between the electrodes, said electrically conductive element interconnecting said electrodes to short circuit the cell, whereby submersion of said electrochemical cell in water activates the cell for generation of electricity and heating of the short circuited cell.

3. The heating device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said foil anode electrode is located in heat transferring relationship with the shell and said air electrode faces inwardly from the shell for exposure to air within the recess.

4. The heating device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said shell has apertures extending to the recess and wherein said electrochemical cell is apertured for electrolyte fluid communication between the cell and the shell apertures.