Abstract: A mirror heating system includes a sheet heater, sized and adapted to cover most of the back of the mirror surface, that can be mounted on the wall or other flat surface before the mirror is put into place. The system is designed so that, despite the needed electrical connections, the front and rear surfaces of the heating system remain essentially planar and parallel.

Abstract: A truck trailer or similar bulk storage area is heated by providing electrical resistance heaters in longitudinally-extending metal ducts extending from and to a short distance below the floor level. Electrical sheet resistance heaters are attached to the underside of the metal plate forming the duct top, each duct is placed between a longitudinally-extending pair of wooden floor boards, and a pair of ducts are placed side-by-side near each edge of the trailer bed or floor of the storage area.

Abstract: An electrical resistance device includes a conductive metal pattern carried on an insulating surface. A portion of the conductive metal pattern includes a two-dimensional array of areas devoid of conductive material ("voids") within a mesh of conductive material. Typically, the voids are hexagonal and are arranged such that the adjacent edges of adjacent hexagons are parallel to each other and spaced apart a distance not more than about 0.10 in. The hexagonal voids typically are arranged so that the centers of sets of three adjacent voids lie on the corners of equilateral triangles.

Abstract: Heating devices, in which a semi-conductor pattern is carried on an insulating surface and a pair of spaced apart electrodes are electrically connected to the semi-conductor pattern, are characterized in that the semi-conductor pattern in at least one heating area of the device defines a two-dimensional array of areas that are devoid of semi-conductor material ("voids") within a continuous "mesh" of semi-conductive material. Preferably, the voids are hexagons arranged with the sides of adjacent hexagons parallel to each other, the centers of adjacent hexagons are at the corners of equilateral triangles, and the overall direction of current flow in the device is not parallel to any of the sides of the triangles.

Abstract: An electrical resistance device includes a conductive metal pattern carried on an insulating surface. A portion of the conductive metal pattern includes a two-dimensional array of areas devoid of conductive material ("voids") within a mesh of conductive material. Typically, the voids are hexagonal and are arranged such that the adjacent edges of adjacent hexagons are parallel to each other and spaced apart a distance not more than about 0.10 in. The hexagonal voids typically are arranged so that the centers of sets of three adjacent voids lie on the corners of equilateral triangles.

Abstract: This invention discloses a fiber optic lens holder and lamp assembly for use in lighting systems used beneath carpets and other types of floor or wall coverings. The lens assembly includes a housing having a cavity for receiving the lamp, an optically transparent web portion adjacent to the lamp cavity, and an annular end portion for receiving a bundle of optical fibers. The optical fibers are fused together at one end, preferably in a point, and are secured in the housing at the other within the annular section. The lens and lamp assembly is installed, typically with a flat cable conductor assembly, on the floor prior to laying of the carpet. Holes are cut in the carpet corresponding with the locations for the fiber optic bundles. The fiber optic bundles are passed through these holes as the carpet is laid down. After the carpet is laid down, the fused end of each bundle is cut off, freeing the fiber ends from fusion with each other so that the fiber ends are flush with the surface of the carpet.

Abstract: A flat, multi-cable assembly is provided by laminating a multiplicity of flat tinned-copper strip conductors between a pair of organic plastic insulating sheets, both of which adhere tightly to each other but at least one of which is not adhered to the copper strip conductors. The copper strip conductors are typically parallel to and spaced-apart (not less than about 1/8 inch) from each other, and the distance between adjacent conductors is typically about equal to (or a major fraction of) the width of the conductors. One of the conductors includes a plurality of electrically isolated portions each of which is electrically connected to a respective one of the other conductors. The latter connections are provided by a plurality of conductor connecting patterns carried on one of the plastic insulating sheets (typically printed thereon using a conductive graphite, nickel or silver ink).

Abstract: An electrical heating device comprises a substrate, a pair of parallel, spaced apart elongated conductors extending longitudinally of the substrate, and a semi-conductor pattern carried on the substrate and electrically connected to and extending between the conductors. The semi-conductor pattern produces a thermal image for an infrared target. In some embodiments, the thermal image is irregular or circular in shape and the semi-conductor pattern includes a plurality of transversely-spaced bars having relatively wide portions outside, and relatively thin portions within, the area producing the thermal image.

Abstract: A system in which a substrate having a number of longitudinally-extending patterns thereon is slit along longitudinally-extending parallel lines intermediate the patterns so that a longitudinally-extending portion between each pair of patterns may be removed. The substrate, with the portion(s) removed, is then guided between plastic sheets, and the plastic sheets are sealed to each other along the area from which the substrate portion(s) has been removed and along the outside edges of the substrate. The substrate is aligned relative to the slitter using a system that includes a fixed guide roll the axis of which is parallel to and spaced from the slitter and a second guide roll mounted so that its axis is rotatable relative to the axis of the fixed roll in a plane parallel to and about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the fixed guide roll.

Abstract: The heater of the present invention includes a paper or plastic substrate on which is printed a semi-conductor pattern (typically a colloidal graphite ink) having (a) a pair of longitudinal stripes extending parallel to and spaced apart from each other and (b) a plurality of identical bars spaced apart from each other and extending between and electrically connected to the stripes. A metallic conductor (typically copper stripping) overlies each of the longitudinal stripes in face-to-face engagement therewith, and the conductors are held in tight engagement with the stripes by a sealing layer that overlies the metallic conductors and is sealed, at opposite sides of the semi-conductor stripe associated with the particular metallic conductor, to portions of the substrate that are free from the printed semi-conductor pattern.

Abstract: An electrical heating device comprises a substrate, a pair of parallel, spaced apart elongated conductors extending longitudinally of the substrate, and a semi-conductor pattern carried on the substrate and electrically connected to and extending between the conductors. The semi-conductor pattern produces a thermal image for an infrared target. In some embodiments, the thermal image is irregular or circular in shape and the semi-conductor pattern includes a plurality of transversely-spaced bars having relatively wide portions outside, and relatively thin portions within, the area producing the thermal image.

Abstract: An electrical heating device comprising a substrate having an upper insulating surface, a semi-conductor pattern carried on the insulating surface, and a pair of metallic conductors mounted in face-to-face engagement with said semi-conductor pattern. The semi-conductor pattern includes a pair of spaced connector portions and at least one heating portion extending between and electrically connected to each of said connector portions, the connector portions have a electrical conductivity greater than that of said heating portion, and each of the metallic conductors is in face-to-face engagement with a respective one of said connector portions and has an area that is less than that of said respective one of said connector portions and an area:perimeter ratio greater than D/20 wherein D is the major dimension of the respective conductor portion.

Abstract: A sheet heater including a substrate, a semi-conductor pattern (typically of colloidal graphite) having a pair of parallel, spaced-apart, longitudinally-extending stripes and a central portion extending between and electrically connected to the stripes, and a pair of parallel, spaced-apart, longitudinally-extending conductors one of which overlies and engages each of the stripes. Each conductor is significantly wider than the underlying stripe of the semi-conductor pattern, and includes a longitudinally extending strip portions along the inner and outer edges of the conductor, and a plurality of longitudinally-spaced openings located therebetween. The strip portion at the inner edge of the conductor overlies and engages a respective stripe; and a sealing layer of insulating material overlies the respective conductor and is sealed to the substrate along the inner and outer edges of the conductor and through the longitudinally spaced openings.

Abstract: An electrical heating device comprises a substrate, an elongated conductor extending longitudinally of the substrate, a semi-conductor pattern carried on the substrate and electrically connected to and extending from the conductor pair, and a sealing layer overlying the conductor and sealed to the substrate at opposite sides of the conductor. The conductor comprises a pair of rectangular in cross-section metallic conductor elements, placed one on top of the other in face-to-face engagement with and unattached to each other. The bottom conductor elements faces towards the substrate and the upper conductor elements faces towards and engaging the sealing layer.

Abstract: The heater of the present invention includes a paper or plastic substrate on which is printed a semi-conductor pattern (typically a colloidal graphite ink) having (a) a pair of longitudinal stripes extending parallel to and spaced apart from each other and (b) a plurality of identical bars spaced apart from each other and extending between and electrically connected to the stripes. A metallic conductor (typically copper stripping) overlies each of the longitudinal stripes in face-to-face engagement therewith, and the conductors are held in tight engagement with the stripes by a sealing layer that overlies the metallic conductors and is sealed, at opposite sides of the semi-conductor stripe associated with the particular metallic conductor, to portions of the substrate that are free from the printed semi-conductor pattern.