Heating blanket

An electric heating blanket for warming a body of a person or a patient, the blanket comprising:

• a flexible sheet-like heating element comprising a first side, a second side, an upper edge, a lower edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge;
• a shell covering the heating element, the shell comprising a first sheet of flexible material and a second sheet of flexible material;
• a weld coupling the first sheet of the shell to the second sheet of the shell about the edges of the heating element to define a pouch that encloses the heating element without using an adhesive bond that adheres the first or second side of the heating element to the shell, wherein the weld is one of a RF weld, an ultrasonic weld, or a heat bond, the heating element being secured to the shell and held in position via the weld;
• a flexible insulating layer extending over the first side of the heating element and covered by the shell;
• a temperature sensor coupled to the heating element at a first location, wherein the heating element is in conductive contact with a body when the blanket is draped over the body, and wherein the first location defines a first temperature zone of the heating element;
• wherein the heating element has a surface area of generally uniform electrical resistance per unit area such that the heating element produces a substantially uniform watt density output across the surface area when the element is electrically powered;
• and
• wherein the blanket is conformable to curves of the body of the person or the patient.