Soft electrical textile heater

• US 6,369,369 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2001
• Issued: 04/09/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thermosoft International Corporation
• Original Assignee: Thermosoft International Corporation
• Inventors: Kochman, Arkady, Gurevich, Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Tu Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/765,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20010002669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 219/211, 219/212, 219/529, 219/544, 219/545, 219/548, 219/549, 219/527, 219/528, 219/542, 219/543, 338/210, 338/211, 338/212, 338/208, 338/275, 338/262, 338/258, 338/259
• US Class Current: 219/545
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 13/0051 Heated garments heated divers' suits B63C11/28
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 1/148 the terminals embracing or surrounding the resistive element H01C1/142 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 17/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing resistors providing fillings for housings or enclosures H01C1/02; reducing insulation surrounding a resistor to powder H01C1/03; manufacture of thermally variable resistors H01C7/02, H01C7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 7/00 Non-adjustable resistors formed as one or more layers or coatings; Non-adjustable resistors made from powdered conducting material or powdered semi-conducting material with or without insulating material consisting of loose powdered or granular material H01C8/00; resistors having potential barriers, e.g. field-effect resistors, H01L29/00; semiconductor devices sensitive to electromagnetic or corpuscular radiation, e.g. photoresistors, H01L31/00; magnetic field controlled resistors H10N50/10; bulk negative resistance effect devices H10N80/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 5/043 the temperature dependent resistor being disposed parallel to a heating wire, e.g. in a heating blanket
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/003 using serpentine layout
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/004 using zigzag layout
• 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 2203/013 Heaters using resistive films or coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/017 Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/02 Heaters using heating elements having a positive temperature coefficient
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/026 Heaters specially adapted for floor heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/029 Heaters specially adapted for seat warmers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/036 Heaters specially adapted for garment heating
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/145 Carbon only, e.g. carbon black, graphite
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/342 heaters used in textiles
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/58 Heating hoses; Heating collars
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/038 Textiles used as reinforcing materials for organic insulating substrates H05K1/0366

Abstract

A soft heater, containing metal, carbon or conductive ink coated textile threads, embroidered on, laminated between or woven into a nonconductive substrate to form electrical heating circuits. The heating element may be manufactured in a form of strip, sheet, sleeve or strand of electrically conductive threads for incorporation into plurality of articles. The heating element is shaped or embroidered in a desired pattern. The embroidered heater may be used for a night vision identification purposes.

Claims

1. A soft heater having a durable construction for incorporation into a plurality of articles, said heater comprising:

electrically conductive textile threads, as electrical resistance heating means, said threads are embroidered in a desired pattern on a flexible nonconductive nonmetallic substrate,

a conductive electrode means for introducing an electrical current to said heating means.

2. The soft heater according to claim 1, wherein said conductive textile threads comprise carbon containing nonmetallic textile threads.

3. The soft heater according to claim 1, wherein said conductive textile threads comprise metal coated nonmetallic textile threads.

4. The soft heater according to claim 1, wherein said conductive textile threads comprise metal fiber containing textile threads.

5. The soft heater according to claim 1, wherein said embroidered threads are raised above a surface defined by said nonmetallic substrate to define an ornamental design.