Low profile heater apparatus and method of manufacture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11737176-B2
Application number	US-202016823715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2020
Priority date	Mar 28, 2019
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

A novel low profile heater apparatus and method of manufacture is disclosed, which provides a lower assembly including a first sheet, a heating sheet including at least one heating element, a dielectric sheet, an intermediate sheet and one or more electrical leads configured to supply electrical power to the heating element, the electrical leads extending through a lead sleeve of an upper assembly. The upper assembly includes a top sheet with one or more split sleeves securely attached thereto, thereby forming one or more strain relief assemblies configured to prevent damage to the electrical leads. One or more stitches or coupling features securely attach the upper assembly to the lower assembly. One or more retention device are be used to securely retain the low profile heater apparatus to one or more pipes, tubes or conduits of a plumbing apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A low-profile heater apparatus, comprising:
at least one lower assembly, including at least one first sheet, at least one heating sheet including at least one heating element formed on one or more dielectric sheets, at least one intermediate sheet, and one or more electrical leads in electrical communication with the at least one heating element and configured to supply electrical power to the at least one heating element;
at least one upper assembly, including at least one top sheet with one or more passages formed therein, the one or more passages configured to allow at least one lead sleeve to traverse therethrough, the at least one lead sleeve and at least one lead sleeve passage extending therethrough, the at least one lead sleeve passage configured to accept the one or more electrical leads from the at least one lower assembly to pass therethrough;
at least one heater body, the at least one heater body including the at least one lower assembly and the at least one upper assembly coupled together with one or more perimeter coupling features; and
at least one strain relief structure, the at least one strain relief structure including one or more split sleeves extending from the at least one lead sleeve, wherein the one or more split sleeves are fastened to the at least one top sheet by one or more split sleeve coupling features configured to securely attach the one or more split sleeves to the at least one top sheet, wherein the at least one strain relief structure is configured to prevent damage to the one or more electrical leads.

2. The low-profile heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one heating sheet includes one or more pads formed thereon and in electrical communication with the at least one heating element, the one or more pads configured to allow one or more proximal ends of the one or more electrical leads to be attached thereto.

3. The heater apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one temperature sensor formed on or attached to the at least one heating sheet and in thermal communication with the at least one heating element.

4. The heater apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising one or more heater apparatus retention members slid over the heater apparatus, thereby engaging and securely retaining the heater apparatus in thermal contact with one or more tubes of at least one plumbing apparatus.

5. The heater apparatus of claim 1 , further including one or more reliefs formed in the at least one heater body.

6. The heater apparatus of claim 5 , further including one or more apertures formed in the at least one heater body, the one or more apertures configured to allow clearance for one or more fittings of one or more tubes of at least one plumbing apparatus.

7. The heater apparatus of claim 6 , further including one or more chamfers formed in the heater body, the one or more chamfers configured to allow clearance for at least one fitting or feature of the one or more tubes of at least one plumbing apparatus.

8. The heater apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising one or more heater apparatus retention members slid over the heater apparatus, thereby engaging and securely retaining the heater apparatus in thermal contact with one or more tubes of at least one plumbing apparatus.

9. The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more split sleeve coupling features and the one or more perimeter coupling features comprises one or more adhesives disposed between the at least one lower assembly and the at least one upper assembly.

10. The heater apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more split sleeve coupling features and the one or more perimeter coupling features comprises stitches of high-temperature thread.

11. A heater apparatus, comprising:
at least one lower assembly including:
at least one first sheet made from at least one heat-resistant fabric;
at least one heating sheet including at least one dielectric sheet, at least one heating element formed on the at least one dielectric sheet, and one or more pads formed on the at least one heating element, the one or more pads configured to allow one or more electrical leads to be attached in electrical communication with the at least one heating element;
at least one intermediate sheet, including one or more passages formed on or therethrough and configured to permit the one or more electrical leads to traverse through the one or more passages and be securely attached in electrical communication with the one or more pads formed on the at least one heating element;

at least one upper assembly including:
at least one top sheet with at least one passage formed therein, the at least one passage configured to allow at least one lead sleeve to traverse therethrough, the at least one lead sleeve further including one or more split sleeves and at least one lead sleeve passage extending therethrough, the at least one lead sleeve passage configured to accept the one or more electrical leads from the at least one lower assembly to pass therethrough; and
wherein the one or more split sleeves are fastened to the at least one top sheet by one or more split sleeve coupling features in the at least one top sheet; and
one or more perimeter coupling features applied around at least one perimeter of the at least one lower assembly and at least one perimeter of the at least one upper assembly, wherein the one or more perimeter coupling features are configured to securely attach the at least one upper assembly to the at least one lower assembly, to form at least one heater body.

12. The heater apparatus of claim 11 , wherein at least one temperature sensor is formed onto or attached to the heating sheet.

13. The heater apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising at least one electrical connector configured to be electrically connected to the one or more electrical leads.

14. The upper assembly of claim 11 , further comprising at least one cover sheet stitched to the at least one top sheet and the one or more split sleeves.

15. The heater apparatus of claim 11 , further including one or more reliefs formed in the at least one heater body.

16. The heater apparatus of claim 15 , further including one or more apertures formed in the at least one heater body, the one or more apertures configured to allow clearance for one or more fittings of one or more tubes of at least one plumbing apparatus.

17. The heater apparatus of claim 16 , further including one or more chamfers formed in the at least one heater body, the one or more chamfers configured to allow clearance for at least one fitting or feature of one or more tubes of the at least one plumbing apparatus.

18. The heater apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising one or more heater apparatus retention members slid over the heater apparatus, thereby engaging and securely retaining the heater apparatus the heater apparatus in thermal contact with one or more tubes of at least one plumbing apparatus.

19. The heater apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the one or more heater apparatus retention members are formed integral to the at least one heater body.

20. The heater apparatus of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the one or more split sleeve coupling features and the one or more perimeter coupling features comprises one or more adhesives disposed between the at least one lower assembly and the at least one upper assembly.

21. The heater apparatus of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the one or more split sleeve coupling feature

Assignees

• Mks Instr Inc

Inventors

• Kiernan Jeffrey D

Classifications

• H05B3/58 Primary

  Heating hoses; Heating collars · CPC title

• F16L53/38 Primary

  using elongate electric heating elements, e.g. wires or ribbons · CPC title

• H05B1/023

  Industrial applications · CPC title

• H05B3/03

  Electrodes · CPC title

• H05B3/06

  Heater elements structurally combined with coupling elements or holders · CPC title