Trimmable heater

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10021739-B2
Application number	US-201514794550-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2015
Priority date	Jul 8, 2015
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A trimmable heater mat has a plurality of heater mat segments that together comprise a length of the heater mat. Each of the heater mat segments has a segment heater element connected to a power bus for generating heat. One or more of the heater mat segments can be severed from the others and removed from the heater mat to trim the length of the heater mat to a desired length. Heater mat segment boundary indicia on the heater mat indicate locations where one of the heater mat segments can be severed from the other remaining heater mat segments of the heater mat without interfering with the segment heater elements of the remaining heater mat segments or with the connections of the remaining segment heater elements to the power bus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Trimmable heater apparatus, comprising:
a heater mat which extends along a longitudinal length and comprises a plurality of heater mat segments, wherein each of the heater mat segments extends along a respective portion of the longitudinal length of the heater mat, and wherein each of the heater mat segments comprises a segment heater element, and wherein the respective segment heater elements are separated longitudinally from each other by respective trimmable distances;
a power bus comprising a first power conductor and a second power conductor which span all of the trimmable distances between the segment heater elements to extend in juxtaposed relation with at least a portion of each of the heater mat segments, wherein each of the respective segment heater elements is connected electrically to the first and second power conductors at respective segment connection locations in the power bus that are in juxtaposed relation with the respective heater mat segments which comprise the respective segment heater elements such that any two of the plurality of heater mat segments are severable from each other in the trimmable distance between the segment heater elements of said two heater mat segments in a manner that does not affect the electrical connections of the segment heater element in at least one of the two heater mat segments to the first and second power conductors in the power bus;
a displaceable cover sheet overlaying the heater mat and overlaying the power bus, said cover sheet being displaceable in a manner that uncovers the power bus in the trimmable distance in which one of the heater mat segments is severed from another of the heater mat segments to accommodate trimming of exposed ends of the power bus and said cover sheet being replaceable over the power bus to cover and electrically isolate the trimmed ends of the power bus.

2. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 1 , including heater mat segment boundary indicia on a surface of the heater mat in each of the trimmable distances, wherein the heater mat segment boundary indicia mark severable locations on the heater mat in the trimmable distances.

3. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 2 , including bus trim location indicia on the power bus between the respective segment connection locations in the power bus.

4. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the bus trim location indicia for each heater mat segment is longitudinally offset from the heater mat segment boundary indicia for that mat segment.

5. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the cover sheet is peelable away from the heater mat segments to reveal the heater mat segment boundary indicia.

6. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the cover sheet is peelable away from the power bus to reveal the bus trim location indicia.

7. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heater mat includes a thermal insulation layer positioned between the heater mat and the cover sheet.

8. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the heater mat includes a thermal insulation layer positioned between the heater mat and the cover sheet, and the heater mat segment boundary indicia is on an exterior surface of the thermal insulation layer.

9. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the power bus is positioned between the thermal insulation layer and the cover sheet.

10. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the power bus is positioned between the segment heater elements and the thermal insulation layer.

11. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heater mat includes a heater substrate on which the segment heater elements are positioned.

12. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the segment heater elements are sandwiched between the heater substrate and a heater superstrate.

13. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the thermal insulation layer is positioned between the heater superstrate and the cover sheet.

14. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the heater substrate comprises a thin film dielectric material.

15. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the segment heater elements are placed on a heater substrate sheet.

16. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the first and second power conductors of the power bus are placed on an interstitial isolation layer which is placed on the segment heater elements on the heater substrate sheet.

17. The trimmable heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second power conductors of the power bus are placed on the substrate sheet together with the segment heater elements.

18. A method of constructing a heater appliance, comprising:
with a plurality of heater mat segments, each of which heater mat segments has a segment heater element, assembled together as a heater mat in such a manner that there is a trimmable distance between the respective segment heater elements, connecting each respective one of the segment heater elements in electrical parallel relation to first and second power conductors in a power bus at respective segment connection locations of the power bus that are in juxtaposed relation with the respective heater mat segments in which such segment heater elements are positioned; and
providing respective heater mat segment boundary indicia on a surface of the heater mat at each of the respective trimmable distances to mark severable locations at which any two of the plurality of heater mat segments are severable from each other in a manner that does not affect the electrical connections of the segment heater element in at least one of the two heater mat segments to the first and second power conductors in the power bus; and
placing a displaceable cover sheet over the heater mat and over the power bus that is displaceable in a manner that uncovers the power bus in the trimmable distance and exposes the heater mat segment boundary indicia and the bus trim location indicia in a manner that is replaceable over the power bus to electrically isolate severed ends of the power bus after the power bus has been severed at the bus trim location indicia.

19. The method of claim 18 , including providing respective bus trim location indicia on the power bus between the respective segment connection locations of the power bus to mark severable bus locations at which the power bus is severable along with a respective heater mat segment in a manner that does not affect the electrical connection of a juxtaposed heater mat segment from which the respective heater mat segment is severable.

20. The method of claim 19 , including positioning the bus trim location indicia for each respective heater mat segment in a longitudinally offset relation to the respective heater mat segment boundary indicia.

21. The method of claim 20 , including placing a thermal insulation layer between the segment heater elements and the power bus.

22. The method of claim 20 , including placing the power bus in juxtaposed relation with the segment heater elements and placing a thermal insulation layer between the power bus and the displaceable cover sheet.

23. The method of claim 18 , including placing the plurality of segment heater elements on a thin film dielectric material.

24. The method of claim 23 , including forming the plurality of segment heater elements along with additional segment heater elements on a sheet of t

Assignees

• Mks Instr Inc

Inventors

• Kiernan Jeffrey D
• Hausmann Karl
• Dozoretz Paul

Classifications

• H05B2203/016

  Heaters using particular connecting means · CPC title

• H05B2203/021

  Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids · CPC title

• H05B2203/014

  Heaters using resistive wires or cables not provided for in H05B3/54 · CPC title

• H05B2203/017

  Manufacturing methods or apparatus for heaters · CPC title

• H05B3/58 Primary

  Heating hoses; Heating collars · CPC title