Electrical heating device for use with aerosol containers

Apparatus for heating lather dispensed from a pressurized container and comprising:

• housing means for passing lather being dispensed and having an entrance orifice adapted to receive an outlet nozzle of a pressurized shaving lather container and an exit orifice for delivering heated lather,
• lather heating means said housing means for heating lather passing therethrough and having heat sink means for storing heat and for defining at least a portion of a conduit establishing operative communication between said entrance orifice and said exit orifice and electrical heating means for heating said heat sink means, and
• electrical connector means on said housing and electrically connected to said electrical heating means for conducting electrical current thereto,
• said connector means and said entrance orifice being so disposed one relative to the other that connection of said connector means with a source of electrical current prevents said entrance orifice from receiving an outlet nozzle of a lather container and receipt of outlet nozzle of a lather container by said entrance orifice prevents said connector means from connecting with a source of electrical current,
• said heat sink means having a thermal capacity capable of storing during conductance of electrical current through said electrical heating means thermal energy sufficient to heat a charge of lather to a desired temperature after conductance of electrical current has been interrupted by disconnecting of said connector means.

A method of heating fluid dispensed from a container and comprising the steps of

• providing a housing having an entrance orifice adapted to receive and communicate with the outlet of a container, an outlet orifice and a heat sink in heat exchange relationship with a fluid flow passage connecting the entrance orifice with the outlet orifice, said housing further having an electrical heating element for heating the heat sink to a predetermined temperature and electrical connector means on said housing for connecting the heating element to a source of electrical current, said connector and said entrance orifice arranged in such predetermined spaced relationship with each other on said housing that the connector and entrance orifice cannot be simutaneously connected, respectively, with a source of electrical power and the outlet of a container, said heat sink being capable, after having been heated to a predetermined temperature, of storing thermal energy sufficient to heat a charge of fluid flowing through said flow passage to a desired temperature,
• connecting the electrical connector with a source of electrical current while thereby preventing connection of the entrance orifice with a container outlet and while conducting electrical current through said electrical heating element housed in heat transfer relation with said heat sink and heating said heat sink to said predetermined elevated temperature, then
• disconnecting the electrical connector from the source of electrical current, then
• connecting the entrance orifice with the outlet of a container while thereby preventing connection of the electrical connector with a source of electrical current, and then
• dispensing fluid from the container while passing dispensed fluid through said flow passage in heat transfer relation with the heat sink and heating the dispensed fluid.