# US 8,769,729 B2 · Toilet seat apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,769,729 B2 - Document ID: US8769729B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/735,387 - Filed: 2013-01-07 - Published: 2013-05-16 - Granted: 2014-07-08 - Earliest claimed: 2007-03-12 - Assignees: Panasonic Corporation - Applicants: Panasonic Corporation - Inventors: Makoto Nishimura; Shigeru Shirai; Hideki Ohno; Yoshiharu Shimada - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8769729B2 ## CPC - A47K 13/24: Parts or details not covered in, or of interest apart from, groups A47K13/02 - A47K13/22 - A47K 13/305: {Seats with heating devices} - H05B 3/26: heating conductor mounted on insulating base {(for transparent areas H05B3/84, H05B3/86)} - H05B 3/267: {the insulating base being an organic material, e.g. plastic (H05B3/262 takes precedence)} - H05B 3/56: Heating cables - H05B 2203/014: Heaters using resistive wires or cables not provided for in H05B3/54 - H05B 2203/017: Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters - H05B 2203/029: Heaters specially adapted for seat warmers - A47K: SANITARY EQUIPMENT; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR, e.g. TOILET ACCESSORIES - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A linear heater is formed of an enamel wire composed of a heating wire and an enamel layer. The heating wire is made of a copper alloy containing silver, for example. The enamel layer is made of polyester imide (PEI), polyimide (PI) or polyamide imide (PAI), for example. The enamel layer is coated with an insulating coating layer. The insulating coating layer is made of fluororesin such as perfluoroalkoxy mixture (PFA), polyimide (PI), or polyamide imide (PAI). The linear heater is bonded to the lower surface of an upper toilet seat casing such that it is sandwiched between a metal foil and a metal foil made of aluminum, for example. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A toilet seat apparatus comprising: a toilet seat having a seat surface; a toilet seat heater that is provided on a back side of said seat surface, and includes a linear heater arranged in a serpentine form and first and second metal foils made of aluminum, said linear heater including a heating wire and an insulating coating on an outer peripheral surface of said heating wire, said first and second metal foils adhering each other with said linear heater sandwiched therebetween; a temperature detecting portion that is formed by part of said linear heater of said toilet seat heater, wherein an interval between adjacent portions of said linear heater arranged in the serpentine form in said temperature detecting portion is set to be smaller than an interval between adjacent portions of said linear heater arranged in the serpentine form in a portion other than said temperature detecting portion such that a density of said linear heater in said temperature detecting portion is higher than a density of said linear heater in the portion other than said temperature detecting portion; a safety device that is provided on said temperature detecting portion; a temperature measurer that measures a temperature of said toilet seat; an entrance detecting sensor that detects an entrance of a user; and a controller that controls supply of power to said linear heater based on a signal transmitted from said temperature measurer and a signal transmitted from said entrance detecting sensor, wherein said controller controls the supply of power to said linear heater when said entrance detecting sensor detects the entrance of the user such that said linear heater is supplied with power that is larger than power that has been supplied to said linear heater until said entrance detecting sensor detects the entrance of the user, in order to raise in a short time the temperature of said toilet seat to a set temperature for use by the user, and said safety device stops heat generation of said linear heater when the temperature of said toilet seat heater reaches an abnormal temperature. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said safety device is arranged over a plurality of portions of said linear heater arranged in the serpentine form in said temperature detecting portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein operating temperature of said safety device is set lower than an actually desired shutoff temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said metal foil and said safety device are provided with a heat conducting material sandwiched therebetween. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said heat conducting material includes a heat conductive sheet having elasticity. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said heat conducting material includes heat conductive grease. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said safety device includes a temperature fuse. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said safety device includes a the thermostat. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the safety device provided on said temperature detecting portion is a returning-type safety device or a non-returning type safety device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said temperature detecting portion is formed on each of opposite sides of a rear portion of said toilet seat, and provided with said safety device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 10, wherein one of the temperature detecting portions is provided with a returning-type thermostat, and the other of the temperature detecting portions is provided with a non-returning type thermostat. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The toilet seat apparatus according to claim 10, wherein one of the temperature detecting portions is provided with a returning-type thermostat, and the other of the temperature detecting portions is provided with a temperature fuse.