Electric heating/warming fabric articles

• US 7,268,320 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MMI-IPCO LLC
• Original Assignee: MMI-IPCO LLC
• Inventors: Rock, Moshe, Doyle, Vincent III
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, THOR S
• Application Number:
  US11/145,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20060006168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 219/211
• 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

Abstract

Electric heating/warming composite fabric articles have at least a fabric layer having inner and outer surfaces, and an electric heating/warming element, formed, e.g., of die cut metallized textile or plastic sheeting or metal foil, affixed at a surface of the fabric layer and adapted to generate heating/warming when connected to a power source. A air-and-water droplet resistant and water vapor permeable barrier layer may be positioned, for example, adjacent to the fabric layer; e.g., with the electric heating/warming element formed thereupon or at least partially impregnated therein, e.g. in a fabric laminate or in a composite formed by application of heat and pressure to at least one layer of a barrier film disposed adjacent thereto, including to protect the electric circuit, e.g. against abrasion, moisture, and or against physical stress due, e.g., to repeated crushing, bending or flexing. Methods of forming electric heating/warming composite fabric articles are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A heating/warming fabric article, comprising:

a fabric layer having a broad first surface and a broad second surface, and,

attached to at least one of the broad first surface and the broad second surface, a planar, sheet-form conductive layer element, formed of material selected from the group consisting of metallized textile, metallized plastic sheeting, and metal foil, formed into an electrically conductive circuit with shape corresponding to a selected surface region of a wearer'"'"'s body and with one or more circuit regions of relatively higher resistivity among one or more circuit regions of relatively lower resistivity, the one or more circuit regions of relatively higher resistivity positioned for correlation with one or more selected heating regions of the wearer'"'"'s body, the sheet-form conductive layer element, upon application of electrical current to said circuit, producing localized heating in the one or more circuit regions of relatively higher resistivity of the circuit attached upon the fabric layer for preferential heating of the one or more selected heating regions of the wearer'"'"'s body.

2. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive metallized textile is impregnated with a suitable thermoplastic polymeric material that locks fibers of the electrically conductive metallized textile in a manner to resist local increase in resistivity due to physical stress of one or more of repeated crushing, bending and flexing.

3. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 2, wherein the impregnated, electrically conductive metallized textile is incorporated in a fabric laminate.

4. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 3, wherein the fabric laminate is a woven fabric laminate.

5. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 4, wherein the woven fabric laminate is a lightweight woven fabric laminate stable in warp and fill directions.

6. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 2, wherein the metallized textile is at least partially impregnated with a suitable thermoplastic polymeric barrier material having characteristics of being air-and-water-droplet resistant and being water vapor permeable.

7. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 6, wherein the metallized textile is at least partially impregnated with urethane.

8. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein the fabric layer comprises a textile material selected from the group consisting of weft knitted materials, warp knitted materials, woven materials, and nonwoven materials.

9. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein the fabric article comprises an article of clothing.

10. The heating/warming fabric article 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.

11. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein the fabric article comprises a blanket, throw, sleeping bag or mattress cover.

12. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, further comprising adhesive interposed between the conductive layer and fabric layer.

13. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein the areas of relatively higher resistivity and relatively lower resistivity comprise regions of relatively lesser cross-sectional area and relatively greater cross-sectional area, respectively.

14. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein the fabric article comprises an article of clothing, and the one or more circuit regions of relatively higher resistivity positioned for correlation with one or more selected heating regions of the wearer'"'"'s body is positioned adjacent a wearer'"'"'s extremities when the article of clothing is worn.

15. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein the fabric article comprises an article of clothing, and the one or more circuit regions of relatively higher resistivity positioned for correlation with one or more selected heating regions of the wearer'"'"'s body is positioned adjacent regions of the wearer'"'"'s body where arteries are close to the skin surface when the article of clothing is worn.

16. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, further comprising a barrier layer between the fabric layer and sheet-formed conductive layer.

17. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 16, wherein the barrier layer, fabric layer, and sheet-formed conductive layer are joined by adhesive.

18. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein said circuit comprises a series circuit.

19. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein said circuit comprises a parallel circuit.

20. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein said circuit is asymmetrical.

21. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of a portion of the circuit.

22. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 21, wherein said temperature sensor is configured to measure the temperature of a first portion of the circuit, and the first portion of the circuit is configured to have the same resistance as a second portion of the circuit, to allow the temperature of the second portion to be estimated by measuring the temperature of the first portion.

23. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 21, further comprising a controller configured to adjust the power supplied to the circuit in response to changes in the measured temperature.

24. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein at least one surface of the fabric layer has a smooth surface.

25. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein at least one surface of the fabric layer has a raised surface.

26. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 1, wherein at least one surface of the fabric layer has a brushed surface.

27. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 9, wherein the article of clothing is gloves.

28. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 9, wherein the article of clothing is footwear.

29. The heating/warming fabric article of claim 9, wherein the article of clothing is a garment such as a shirt or jacket.