Modular snow melting carpet device

• US 6,278,085 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2000
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ziad Georges Abukasm
• Original Assignee: Ziad Georges Abukasm
• Inventors: Abukasm, Ziad Georges
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAHBOUR, HENRY
• Application Number:
  US09/492,123
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 219/211, 219/212, 219/213, 219/528, 219/539, 219/541, 219/544, 219/548, 219/549, 392/432, 392/435
• US Class Current: 219/213
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 11/265 Embedded electrical heating elements in floors F24D13/00; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/005 using multiple resistive elements or resistive zones isolated from each other
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/011 Heaters using laterally extending conductive material as connecting means
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/026 Heaters specially adapted for floor heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2214/02 Heaters specially designed for de-icing or protection against icing
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/06 Heater elements structurally combined with coupling elements or holders
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/36 heating conductor embedded in insulating material

Abstract

This modular snow melting carpet device for melting snow and ice on pathways comprises a flat sheet of generally rectangular shape, two conducting wires embedded in the sheet and running along the length of the sheet and generally close to their respective length edge. The conducting wires are connected at both of their extremities to a female single pin connector also embedded into the sheet and exposed at the width edges. The device also comprises a plurality of heating elements also embedded into the sheet and parallel connected along said conducting wires and, two male single pin connectors adapted to mate with the female connectors of one edge and connected to a power source. Additionally, an intersection device may comprise two crossover connecting wires embedded into the sheet and electrically insulated from the conducting wires and heating elements. Both extremities of each crossover wires are connected to an additional female single pin connector exposed at both length edges of the sheet and in close proximity to its respective width edge. Two of these additional connectors, close to a same width edge, are electrically connected to their respective closest connector. The crossover wires allow for interconnecting another device to any of the four edges of the modular device. All female connectors are maintained covered by removable insulating plugs that can be replaced by double male couplers to parallel connect two adjacent heating devices. All distances between each female connector and its respective closest sheet corner are equal to each other, in order to allow for electrical connection between two adjacent modular carpet devices.

Claims

1. A modular heating device for melting snow and ice on pathways, said device comprising:

a thick flat sheet having a length, a width, a first and a second length edges and a first and a second width edges;

two conducting wires embedded in said sheet, said conducting wires running along their respective length edge of said sheet and being substantially parallel to each other, said conducting wires being connected at one of their extremities to a first respective connector device, said connector devices being embedded into said sheet and exposed at said first width edge of said sheet, said conducting wires further connected at their second extremity to a second respective connector device, both said second connector devices being embedded into said sheet and exposed at said second width edge of said sheet;

both said second connector devices being maintained covered by removable insulating plugs, whereby said insulating plugs are removed and further including coupler devices to replace said plugs and parallel connect two of said heating device, all distances between each one of said connector devices and its respective closest length edge being equal to each other;

a plurality of heating elements parallel connected along said conducting wires, said heating elements being also embedded into said sheet, said heating elements being adjacent and substantially parallel to each other and perpendicular to said length whereby said sheet can be tailored along said length by cutting said sheet inbetween two of said heating elements;

a connection means adapted to mate with said first connector devices, said connection means being wire connected to an electrical power source, thereby providing power to said heating elements that uniformly dissipate heat over said sheet to melt said snow or ice present onto said heating device.

6. A heating device as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said heating elements includes a plurality of electrical resistors parallel connected to two secondary conducting wires, each one of said secondary wires runs from its respective conducting wire of said sheet towards its opposite conducting wire without reaching the latter, each of said secondary wire being electrically connected to its respective conducting wire only.

7. A heating device as defined in claim 6, wherein said first and second connector devices are female single pin connectors, said coupler devices are double male single pin couplers and, said connection means are male single pin connectors, said couplers and connectors include a sealing means to protect electrical connections from humidity.

8. A heating device as defined in claim 1, further including a temperature control circuit series connected to said heating elements, said temperature control circuit includes a first switching means for controlling the application of said power source, said temperature control circuit further includes a temperature sensor also embedded into said sheet, said temperature control circuit closing said first switching means when the temperature read by said temperature sensor is below a preset temperature.

9. A heating device as defined in claim 8, wherein said sheet further having a top surface, said heating device further including a precipitation control circuit series connected to said temperature control circuit, said precipitation control circuit includes a second switching means for controlling the application of said power source, said precipitation control circuit further includes a precipitation sensor being located onto said top surface of said sheet, said precipitation control circuit closing said second switching means when any precipitation on said top surface of said sheet is detected by said precipitation sensor.

10. A heating device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of attachment devices located along one of said edges of said sheet to secure the latter to any adjacent sheet located therealong.

11. A heating device as defined in claim 1, wherein said sheet further includes a top and a bottom surfaces, said surfaces include a plurality of parallel grooves generally running at an angle of about 45 degrees from said first width edge direction, whereby said grooves allow for water drainage towards said length edges of said sheet and improve traction thereon.

12. A heating device as defined in claim 1, wherein said conducting wires and heating elements are located at generally mid-thickness of said sheet.

13. A combination of a plurality of said heating devices as defined in claim 9, wherein said heating devices are all parallel connected to each other so as to cover large surfaces of different shapes, a first and a second group of said heating devices include a temperature sensor and a precipitation sensor respectively, and further including a temperature control circuit to close said first switching means to connect said power source to said heating elements when the average temperature read by the different temperature sensors is below said preset temperature, and precipitation control circuit to close said second switching means to connect said power source to said heating elements when any precipitation on said top surface of one of said sheets is detected by its respective precipitation sensor, all said precipitation sensors being parallel connected to each other.

2. A modular heating device for melting snow and ice on pathways, said device comprising:

a thick flat sheet having a length, a width, a first and a second length edges and a first and a second width edges;

two conducting wires embedded in said sheet, said conducting wires running along their respective length edge of said sheet, said conducting wires being connected at one of their extremities to a first respective connector device, said connector devices being embedded into said sheet and exposed at said first width edge of said sheet, said conducting wires further connected at their second extremity to a second respective connector device, both said second connector devices being embedded into said sheet and exposed at said second width edge of said sheet;

both said second connector devices being maintained covered by removable insulating plugs, whereby said insulating plugs are removed and further including coupler devices to replace said plugs and parallel connect two of said heating device, all distances between each one of said connector devices and its respective closest length edge being equal to each other;

a plurality of heating elements parallel connected along said conducting wires, said heating elements being also embedded into said sheet;

a connection means adapted to mate with said first connector devices, said connection means being wire connected to an electrical power source, thereby providing power to said heating elements that uniformly dissipate heat over said sheet to melt said snow or ice present onto said heating device;

two crossover connecting wires embedded into said sheet and electrically insulated from said conducting wires and heating elements, both extremities of each of said crossover wires being connected to an additional connector device, each of said additional connector devices being embedded into said sheet and exposed at its respective length edge of said sheet and in close proximity to its respective width edge and to its respective first or second connector device, said additional connector devices located in proximity to said first width edge being connected to its close respective first connector device, all additional connector devices being maintained covered by removable insulating plugs, all distances between each one of said additional connector devices and its respective close width edge being equal to said distance between each one of said connector devices and its respective close length edge, both of said connecting wires are parallel to each other, said heating elements are adjacent and substantially parallel to each other and said sheet is of generally rectangular shape, whereby said heating device being an intersection module allowing for electrical connection with an adjacent heating device from any of its width or length edges.

3. A heating device as defined in claim 2, wherein each of said heating elements includes a plurality of electrical resistors parallel connected to two secondary conducting wires, each one of said secondary wires runs from its respective conducting wire of said sheet towards its opposite conducting wire without reaching the latter, each of said secondary wire being electrically connected to its respective conducting wire only.

4. A heating device as defined in claim 3, wherein said first, second and additional connector devices are female single pin connectors, said coupler devices are double male single pin couplers and, said connection means are male single pin connectors, said couplers and connectors include a sealing means to protect electrical connections from humidity.

5. A heating device as defined in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of attachment devices located along one of said edges of said sheet to secure the latter to any adjacent sheet located therealong.

14. A modular heating device for melting snow and ice on pathways, said device comprising:

a thick flat sheet having a length, a width, a first and a second length edges and a first and a second width edges;

a first and a second conducting wires embedded in said sheet, said conducting wires running along their respective length edge of said sheet, said first conducting wire being connected at both of its extremities to its respective first and second connector devices, said second conducting wire being connected at one of its extremities to a second respective connector device, said second connector devices being embedded into said sheet and exposed at said second width edge of said sheet;

a plurality of heating elements parallel connected along said conducting wires, said heating elements being also embedded into said sheet;

an auxiliary conducting wire embedded in said sheet and electrically insulated from said conducting wires and heating elements, said auxiliary wire running along said second conducting wire, said auxiliary wire being connected at a first extremity to its first respective connector device and at a second extremity to said second respective connector device of said second conducting wire, said first connector devices being embedded into said sheet and exposed at said first width edge of said sheet, both said second connector devices being maintained covered by removable insulating plugs, whereby said insulating plugs are removed and further including coupler devices to replace said plugs and parallel connect two of said heating device, all distances between each one of said connector devices and its respective closest length edge being equal to each other;

a connection means adapted to mate with said first connector devices, said connection means being wire connected to an electrical power source, thereby providing power to said heating elements that uniformly dissipate heat over said sheet to melt said snow or ice present onto said heating device.

15. A heating device as defined in claim 14, wherein said auxiliary conducting wire has an insulating jacket and runs against said second conducting wire, each of said heating elements includes a plurality of electrical resistors parallel connected to two secondary conducting wires, each one of said secondary wires runs from its respective conducting wire of said sheet towards its opposite conducting wire without reaching the latter, each of said secondary wire being electrically connected to its respective conducting wire only.

16. A heating device as defined in claim 14, wherein said first and second connector devices are female single pin connectors, said coupler devices are double male single pin couplers and, said connection means are male single pin connectors, said couplers and connectors include a sealing means to protect electrical connections from humidity.

17. A heating device as defined in claim 14, further comprising a plurality of attachment devices located along one of said edges of said sheet to secure the latter to any adjacent sheet located therealong.

18. A heating device as defined in claim 14, wherein said sheet further includes a top and a bottom surfaces, said surfaces include a plurality of parallel grooves generally running at an angle of about 45 degrees from said first width edge direction, whereby said grooves allow for water drainage towards said length edges of said sheet and improve traction thereon.

19. A heating device as defined in claim 14, wherein said conducting wires and heating elements are located at generally mid-thickness of said sheet.