Controllably heated clothing

• US 4,404,460 A
• Filed: 03/12/1982
• Issued: 09/13/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Appleton Papers Incorporated (Oldapco PDC Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Appleton Papers Incorporated (Oldapco PDC Corp.)
• Inventors: Kerr, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mayewsky, Volodymyr Y.
• Application Number:
  US06/357,404
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 219/211, 219/212, 219/486, 219/527, 219/528, 219/529, 219/545, 219/549, 219/496, 219/510, 128/379, 128/399, 128/400, 128/402, 2/69, 2/81, 2/2
• US Class Current: 219/211
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0051 Heated garments heated divers' suits B63C11/28
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0227 Applications
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/014 Heaters using resistive wires or cables not provided for in H05B3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/035 Electrical circuits used in resistive heating apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/036 Heaters specially adapted for garment heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/34 flexible, e.g. heating nets or webs

Abstract

Heated clothing includes:

(a) multiple clothing sections adapted to cover different portions of the human body,

(b) electrical wires carried by such sections and including bus wires and heater wires, and

(c) circuitry for controlling battery powered electrical current flow to such wires, and including switch structure connected in series with one or more of the heater wires for interrupting current flow thereto without requiring disconnection of bus wires.

Claims

1. In heated clothing, the combination comprising

(a) multiple clothing sections adapted to cover different portions of the human body,

(b) electrical wires carried by said sections and including bus wires and heater wires, said bus and heater wires being electrically insulated, and

(c) means including a temperature control connected in series with said wires for controlling battery powered electrical current flow to said bus and heater wires, and including manually operable switch means connected in series with at least one of said heater wires for interrupting current flow thereto without requiring disconnection of bus wires,

(d) there being a temperature sensor adapted to be carried by the wearer of the clothing to sense wearer'"'"'s body heating of the clothing, said sensor connected in controlling relation with said temperature control to cause an increase in current flow to said wires in response to a predetermined lowering of sensed body generated heating of the clothing,

(e) and structure to contain said control and to attach the control to the wearer'"'"'s clothing with the sensor carried by said structure to be exposed toward the wearer'"'"'s body.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said heater wires are carried by clothing sections adapted to cover portions of the trunk of the human body.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said heater wires are also carried by clothing sections adapted to cover portions of legs of the human body.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said heater wires are carried by clothing sections adapted to cover portions of legs of the human body.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein said switch means include

(i) a first switch connected in series with at least one heater wire carried by a clothing section defining a jacket,

(ii) second and third switches respectively connected with heater wires carried by clothing sections defining trousers.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein other clothing sections carrying heater wires include at least one of the following:

-

(iii) a sleeve

(iv) a glove

(v) a hood

(vi) a face mask

(vii) a slipper.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said heater wires are connected across electrically parallel bus wires.

8. In heated clothing, the combination comprising

(a) multiple clothing sections adapted to cover different portions of the human body, said sections being of electrically non-conductive material,

(b) electrical wires carried by said sections and including bus wires and heater wires, said bus and heater wires being electrically insulated, and

(c) means including a temperature control connected in series with said wires for controlling battery powered electrical current flow to said bus and heater wires, and including manually operable switch means connected in series with at least one of said heater wires for interrupting current flow thereto without requiring disconnection of bus wires,

(d) there being a temperature sensor adapted to be carried by the wearer of the clothing to sense wearer'"'"'s body heating of the clothing, said sensor connected in controlling relation with said temperature control to cause an increase in current flow to said wires in response to a predetermined lowering of sensed body generated heating of the clothing,

(e) and including a case for said control, a clip on the case to attach to the wearer'"'"'s clothing, and said sensor carried by the clip to be exposed toward the wearer'"'"'s body.

9. In heated clothing, the combination comprising

(a) multiple clothing sections adapted to cover different portions of the human body,

(b) electrical wires carried by said sections and including bus wires and heater wires, said bus and heater wires being electrically insulated, and

(c) means including a temperature control connected in series with said wires for controlling battery powered electrical current flow to said bus and heater wires, and including manually operable switch means connected in series with at least one of said heater wires for interrupting current flow thereto without requiring disconnection of bus wires,

(d) there being a temperature sensor adapted to be carried by the wearer of the clothing to sense wearer'"'"'s body heating of the clothing, said sensor connected in controlling relation with said temperature control to cause an increase in current flow to said wires in response to a predetermined lowering of sensed body generated heating of the clothing,

(e) said (c) means including:

(x₁) a comparator having two control inputs one of which is electrically connected with said sensor, and the other of which is electrically connected with an adjustable voltage source, and

(x₂) circuitry responsive to the comparator output to control current flow to said wires.

10. In heated clothing, the combination comprising

(a) multiple clothing sections adapted to cover different portions of the human body,

(b) electrical wires carried by said sections and including bus wires and heater wires, said wires being electrically insulated, and

(c) a temperature control connected in series with said wires, and

(d) a temperature sensor adapted to be carried by the wearer of the clothing to sense wearer'"'"'s body heating of the clothing, said sensor connected in controlling relation with said temperature control to cause an increase in current flow to said wires in response to a predetermined lowering of sensed body generated heating of the clothing,

(e) and including a case for said control, a clip on the case to attach to the wearer'"'"'s clothing, and said sensor carried by the clip to be exposed toward the wearer'"'"'s body.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said control includes

(x₁) a comparator having two controls inputs one of which is electrically connected with said sensor, and the other of which is electrically connected with an adjustable voltage source, and

(x₂) circuitry responsive to the comparator output to control current flow to said wires.