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US 2018/0280190 A1Published application
Tri-modal localized heating garment
OwnerMax Betkowski, Dannick Alokele Liudziusinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A garment that heats a portion of a human body during warm-up prior to athletic endeavor having a heater pad member with a size between the size of a common index card and an ordinary sheet of paper for localized penetrating heating of tissue and muscles. Heating is achieved by electrical heating of a heater pad member having a reflective metal foil on one side of the heater pad and thermally conductive PVF sheets on the opposite side. On the one hand, the metal foil reflects optical radiation toward a human body, while on the other hand, the PVF sheets direct infrared radiation into the human body. Control electronics, a battery and the heater pad are contained in separate pockets of the garment that are electrically connected together.
Claims20
A garment for localized heating of a human body member comprising:
- an elastomeric wrap member having opposed outer and inner major surfaces, the wrap member having a length that envelops a human body portion with the outer major surface facing away from the body portion;
- a heater pad member supported within a heater pad pocket in the wrap member, having an electrically insulative and thermally conductive fabric confining a heater element with first and second ends, the heater pad member having a lengthwise dimension that is less than half the length of the wrap member;
- a shiny, reflective metal foil member within the heater pad pocket of the wrap member with a first foil surface facing heater pad member and a second foil surface facing the inner major surface of the wrap member, with areawise foil member dimensions generally corresponding to areawise dimensions of the heater pad member;
- a plurality of laminated PVF sheets forming a infrared radiation transmitting member generally corresponding in areawise dimensions to the heater pad member, the PVF sheets having a combined thickness of less than one millimeter, and having opposed major surfaces with one major surface facing the heater pad, and one major surface arranged for facing a human body member, the foil member and PVF sheets sandwiching the heater pad member therebetween, all within the heater pad pocket;
- at least one closed power pack pocket in the wrap member containing a removable flat battery, the power pack pocket laterally near the flexible heater pad pocket, the battery having a battery electrode electrically communicating power to a first end of the heater element of the flexible heater pad member;
- and
- a closed controller pocket with control electronics electrically connected between the power communicating battery electrode and the first end of the heater element, and a temperature sensor member associated with the controller pocket producing electrical signals governing temperature, the sensor having a temperature set point indicative of a predetermined maximum temperature so that the wrap member maintains a body member near the predetermined maximum temperature;
- whereby the reflective foil directs optical radiation from the heater pad member towards a body member and the PVF sheets direct infrared radiation towards the body member, while the heater pad thermally conducts heat towards the body member.
5 more elements
A garment for localized heating of a human body member comprising:
- an elastomeric wrap member having a thickness not exceeding 4 mm. and having opposed outer and inner major surfaces, the wrap member having a length that envelops a human body portion with the outer major surface facing away from the body portion;
- a heater pad member supported within a heater pad pocket in the wrap member, with a thickness of less than 2 mm and having a non-woven electrically insulative and thermally conductive fabric confining a heater element with first and second ends, the heater pad member having a lengthwise dimension that is less than half the length of the wrap member;
- a shiny, reflective metal foil member within the heater pad pocket of the wrap member with a first foil surface facing heater pad member and a second foil surface facing the inner major surface of the wrap member, with areawise foil member dimensions generally corresponding to areawise dimensions of the heater pad member;
- a plurality of laminated PVF sheets forming a infrared radiation transmitting member generally corresponding in areawise dimensions to the heater pad member, the PVF sheets having a combined thickness of less than one millimeter, and having opposed major surfaces with one major surface facing the heater pad, and one major surface arranged for facing a human body member, the foil member and PVF sheets sandwiching the heater pad member therebetween, all within the heater pad pocket;
- at least one closed power pack pocket in the wrap member containing a removable flat battery, the power pack pocket laterally near the flexible heater pad pocket, the battery having a battery electrode electrically communicating power to a first end of the heater element of the flexible heater pad member;
- and
- a closed controller pocket with control electronics electrically connected between the power communicating battery electrode and the first end of the heater element, and a temperature sensor member associated with the controller pocket producing electrical signals governing temperature, the sensor having a temperature set point indicative of a predetermined maximum temperature so that the wrap member maintains a body member near the predetermined maximum temperature;
- whereby the reflective foil directs optical radiation from the heater pad member towards a body member and the PVF sheets direct infrared radiation towards the body member, while the heater pad thermally conducts heat towards the body member.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.