US 4,245,149 AGranted

Heating system for chairs

OwnerIan F. Fairlieinventor

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Abstract

The invention relates to a heating element for a heated chair which can be used as a covering material for the heated chair or which can be laid under the covering material or which can be draped over an ordinary chair to convert it to a heated chair. In accordance with the invention, the heating element has a glass fibre fabric layer made of intermixed glass fibre strands. An electrical resistance wire which consists of a core of glass fibre strands with a resistive wire wound around it, forms an undulating pattern in the glass fibre fabric layer, and top and bottom layers of thermoplastic material are heat fused or adhesively laminated to the glass fibre fabric layer. A metallic foil layer is applied to the side of the bottom layer which is remote from the glass fibre fabric layer. The heating element also includes a control for controlling the power delivered to the resistance wire. The said control is a simple dual proportional control which regulates the energy usage of the heating element.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A flexible heating element comprising:

a fibre fabric layer made of intermixed glass fibre strands;
electrical resistance heating wires in said fibre fabric layer and defining a regular pattern in said fibre fabric layer;
a top layer of a thermoplastic material on one side of said fibre fabric layer;
a bottom layer of a thermoplastic material on the other side of said fibre fabric layer;
and
a metallic foil layer applied to the bottom layer on the side remote from said fibre fabric layer;
said bottom layer and said metallic layer being fused to said fibre fabric layer, and
said top layer being fused with said bottom layer, whereby said top and bottom layers enclose said glass fibre fabric layer and said electrical resistance means to form an integral laminated sheet;
and further comprising means for connecting said resistance heating wires to a source of electrical power;
said means for connecting said resistance heating wires comprising terminals connected to said heating resistance wires and extending out of said laminated sheet;
control means in said connecting means for controlling power delivered to said resistance wire,
and wherein said control means comprises a first control for setting a power level;
and
a bimetallic switch;
said bimetallic switch being controlled by said power level and ambient temperature of air surrounding said control means;
whereby a comfort level is set by said first control and a duty ratio, sensitive to ambient temperature, is set by said bimetallic switch.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.