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US 4,026,299 AGranted
Cooling and heating apparatus
AssigneeVari-Temp Manufacturing Co.
InventorJames W. Sauder
Life of this patent
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AssigneeVari-Temp Manufacturing Co.
InventorJames W. Sauder
Estimating the term…
An improved portable apparatus for selectively heating and cooling a body portion comprises a unit having at least one flexible pad and tubing for being wrapped around a body portion and acting as an evaporator on cooling and a condenser on heating, a compressor, a condenser acting as an evaporator on heating, a fan for moving air through the condenser, conduits for directing refrigerant composition in the unit, valve means for selectively reversing the flow of refrigerant to alternately cool and heat the pad and tubing, and a carrying case for the apparatus having a lid, bottom, front, back and side panels cooperating to form a chamber in which the apparatus is received, and a port in both the front and back panels for directing air into and from the chamber when the fan is operating. Other embodiments of the apparatus also include quick-connect couplings between the apparatus and pad refrigerant conduits, an auxiliary heat exchanger and heater, means for recharging the refrigerant composition in the apparatus, and novel flexible pads, especially useful for wrapping around human or animal body portions for cooling or heating thereof.
A portable apparatus for cooling a body portion comprising a cooling unit having an evaporator pad and tubing for being wrapped around said body portion and in which vaporized refrigerant composition cools said pad, a compressor and a condenser for liquefying refrigerant composition, a fan for moving air for cooling said condenser, an auxiliary evaporator, conduits for directing refrigerant composition in said unit and to and from said pad and tubing for cooling thereof, and a carrying case for said unit comprising a lid, a bottom, front, back and side panels cooperating to form a chamber in which said unit is received, wherein said front and back panels each have a port therein for directing air into and from said chamber when said fan is operating.
A portable apparatus for selectively heating and cooling a body portion comprising a unit having at least one flexible pad and tubing for wrapping around said body portion acting as an evaporator on cooling and a condenser on heating, a compressor, a condenser acting as an evaporator on heating, a fan for moving air through said condenser, conduits for directing refrigerant composition in said unit, and valve means for selectively reversing the flow of refrigerant to alternately heat and cool said pad and tubing, and a carrying case for said unit comprising a lid, a bottom, front, back and side panels cooperating to form a chamber in which said unit is received, wherein said front and back panels each have a port therein for directing air into and from said chamber when said fan is operating.
In a portable apparatus for selectively heating and cooling a body portion comprising a heat pump having at least one flexible pad and tubing for wrapping around said body portion acting as an evaporator on cooling and a condenser on heating, a compressor, a condenser acting as an evaporator on heating, a fan for moving air through said condenser, conduits for directing refrigerant composition in said unit, and valve means for selectively reversing the flow of refrigerant to alternately heat and cool said pad and tubing, the improvement comprising an auxiliary heat exchanger through which refrigerant is passed from said compressor during heating and from said pad during cooling.
In a pad for supplying heat or cold to a body portion, the improvement comprising a flexible thermal insulating sheet, a length of flexible hose removably non-insulating to one side of said insulating sheet and a non-insulating sheet detachably secured to said insulating sheet and covering said flexible hose.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.