With Heat Storage Or Transfer Means (e.g., Fins Or Plate) Patents (Class 219/540)
  • Patent number: 6847017
    Abstract: The electric heating arrangement (1) has a tubular housing (2) in which is provided at least one PTC heating element (20) and at least one pair of metallic heat dissipators (9) between which the at least one heating element (20) is clamped and which for this purpose each comprise a base portion (10) facing the at least one heating element and one or two curved legs (15) projecting from said base portion, which adapt themselves resiliently to the inner surface of the surrounding wall of the housing (2). The invention provides that the legs (15) taper toward their free ends and/or that the base portion (10) is thicker than the legs (15) projecting it.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2005
    Inventors: Roland Starck, Franz Flick, Frank Kamy
  • Publication number: 20040256380
    Abstract: An integrated form of a cooling fin in a heating body, and more particularly, to an integrated form applied for joining a ceramic heating element and a cooling fin. Three-dimensionally expanded adhering areas are formed at relative joining planes of the wave-like cooling fin and the ceramic heating element, thereby increasing an adhering interface thereof and providing spaces for accumulating the adhesive, and further accomplishing reinforced binding forces and buffer purposes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2003
    Publication date: December 23, 2004
    Inventor: Chia-Hsiung Wu
  • Patent number: 6828529
    Abstract: An integrated form of a cooling fin in a heating body, and more particularly, to an integrated form applied for joining a ceramic heating element and a cooling fin. Three-dimensionally expanded adhering areas are formed at relative joining planes of the wave-like cooling fin and the ceramic heating element, thereby increasing an adhering interface thereof and providing spaces for accumulating the adhesive, and further accomplishing reinforced binding forces and buffer purposes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Inventor: Chia-Hsiung Wu
  • Patent number: 6810203
    Abstract: An electrical air heating apparatus, especially for a motor vehicle, with electrical heating elements (3) for heating air and a housing (1) which has a ground connection (1a), an electrical supply connection and an electronic circuit (7) to control the supplying of electrical power to the heating elements (3). In the housing (1), the heating elements (3) are arranged in electrical contact with the ground connection and the electrical supply connection. The housing (1) is made of an electrically conducting material, for example, aluminum and is constructed in one piece with a molded-on ground connection (1a). The heating elements (3) and the electronic circuit (7) are arranged in direct electrical contact with the housing (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Beru AG
    Inventors: Thomas Alban, Dirk Wenske
  • Patent number: 6762395
    Abstract: A heat transfer material comprised of a polymeric material and a nitride or oxide is provided and is thermally conductive, but electrically non-conductive. The polymeric material may be silicone rubber, and the nitride or oxide may be aluminum nitride, boron nitride, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide or beryllium oxide. The material is made flexible by adding plasticizer and remains flexible after an extended period of use. A dielectric jacket for an electrical heating cable is thermally conductive and remains flexible so that it can be reused. The heat transfer material can be used on heating devices such as steam tubes and panels, where the heat transfer material does not bond to or adhere to the heated surface, which allows the heating device to be reused.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2004
    Assignee: Thermon Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Chandrakant M. Yagnik, Roy E. Barth, R. Knox Pitzer
  • Patent number: 6723966
    Abstract: A PTC heater mainly comprises PTC ceramic sheets and cooling fins, and it comprises an inner support in which the PTC sheets are disposed, two electrode plates being disposed on both sides of the support and the PTC sheets to abut against the PTC sheets tightly, the cooling fins being disposed at the exterior of the electrode plates, insulating plates being mounted between the cooling fins and the electrode plate, in the interior of upper and lower ends of the two cooling fins, corresponding clamping grooves being formed through which the two cooling fins are clamped together, and elastic rods being inserted in the clamping grooves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Inventor: Guomo Jiang
  • Patent number: 6720536
    Abstract: An electric heating device including PTC heating elements which have electrode sheets arranged on both sides thereof. These electrode sheets supply power to the PTC heating elements and each having connected thereto radiator elements for emitting the heat generated by the PTC heating elements. An electrically insulating layer is arranged between at least one of the electrode sheets and the respective radiator element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Catem GmbH & Co., KG
    Inventor: Franz Bohlender
  • Patent number: 6717113
    Abstract: This invention is a thermal management method for efficient, rapid, controllable and uniform thermal management over a wide temperature range. The method integrates a thermal source, thermal sink and a thermal diffuser. According to the invention, a thermal diffuser is positioned stationary relative to the wafer surface and coupled to a thermal source and a thermal sink, which are also stationary relative to the wafer surface. The thermal sink comprises a heat-carrying media with a controllable temperature. The wafer is heated from a first processing temperature to a second processing temperature during a heating time interval and then cooled to the first processing temperature from the second processing temperature during a cooling time interval. During heating and cooling, the wafer is constantly held in a fixed position. Zonal control of the thermal source and non-uniform flow of the thermal sink enable sensitive mitigation of thermal non-uniformity on a heating surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2004
    Assignee: ASML Holding N.V.
    Inventor: Dikran S. Babikian
  • Patent number: 6702186
    Abstract: The invention discloses in one embodiment a parallel probe array (N×M) incorporating thermal near-field heaters (or writers) as well as magnetic sensors (or readers), which can be moved en bloc as well as independently of each other. To this end, the present invention uses a suitable controlling electronics for coordinating a parallel or quasi-parallel reading/writing, as well as controlling the positioning of an individual probe in an array. The control electronics enables the addressing of an individual or preselected set of probes, for controlling reading and/or writing, thereby securing the considerable advantage of versatility and efficiency of reading/writing in a parallel operation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Netherlands B.V.
    Inventors: Hendrik F. Hamann, Yves Martin, Hemantha Kumar Wickramasinghe
  • Patent number: 6677555
    Abstract: An optical device module using an integral heat transfer module. The heat transfer module has an integrally formed heat source and a temperature sensor for reading temperature. A heat transfer path is simplified in packaging the optical device module, so that the optical device can avoid performance degradation due to nonuniform temperature distribution. The amount power consumption can be reduced and excellent workability can be ensured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Oh-Dal Kwon, Sun-Tae Jung, Tae-Gyu Kim
  • Publication number: 20030180033
    Abstract: An electrical air heating apparatus, especially for a motor vehicle, with electrical heating elements (3) for heating air and a housing (1) which has a ground connection (1a), an electrical supply connection and an electronic circuit (7) to control the supplying of electrical power to the heating elements (3). In the housing (1), the heating elements (3) are arranged in electrical contact with the ground connection and the electrical supply connection. The housing (1) is made of an electrically conducting material, for example, aluminum and is constructed in one piece with a molded-on ground connection (1a). The heating elements (3) and the electronic circuit (7) are arranged in direct electrical contact with the housing (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2003
    Publication date: September 25, 2003
    Applicant: BERU AG
    Inventors: Thomas Alban, Dirk Wenske
  • Publication number: 20030160043
    Abstract: A radiator element for an air heating device, and a corresponding heating device and manufacturing method are provided which reveal improved assembly properties. The radiator element comprises at least one lamella element and one radiator sheet, wherein the radiator sheet comprises on at least two edges projections for attaching the lamella element onto the radiator sheet. The projections may be folded for attaching the lamella element. For facilitating the bending process, a notch along the edge is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Publication date: August 28, 2003
    Applicant: David & Baader GmbH
    Inventor: David Clemens
  • Publication number: 20030095795
    Abstract: At least one aspect of the present invention relates to a system for heating a gas using positive temperature coefficient (PTC) elements. More particularly, aspects of the present invention are directed towards PTC element configurations and orientations. In one aspect of the present invention, PTC elements are interposed between heat sinks such that they transmit current from one heat sink to another. The PTC elements may be arranged in a radial configuration, which may have more than one PTC element per radial flange. The heat sinks may have grilles which allow air to flow perpendicular to the heat sinks and between the PTC elements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2001
    Publication date: May 22, 2003
    Inventors: Walter G. Birdsell, Bruce Chute
  • Publication number: 20030089182
    Abstract: A polymer-based flexible structure with integrated sensing/actuator means is presented. Conventionally, silicon has been used as a piezo-resistive material due to its high gauge factor and thereby high sensitivity to strain changes in a sensor. By using the fact that e.g. an SU-8 based polymer is much softer than silicon and that e.g. a gold resistor is easily incorporated in SU-8 based polymer structure it has been demonstrated that a SU-8 based cantilever sensor is almost as sensitive to stress changes as the silicon piezo-resistive cantilever.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2002
    Publication date: May 15, 2003
    Inventors: Jacob Thaysen, Ole Hansen, Aric Menon, Anja Boisen
  • Patent number: 6563086
    Abstract: A vehicle lights defroster device for ensuring that motorists following the school bus see the flashing lights. The vehicle lights defroster device includes a cover member being essentially transparent and having an outer rim and being adapted to fastenably mount upon a light of a vehicle; and also includes a heating element extending throughout the cover member; and further includes a connecting assembly for connecting the heating element to a power source for energizing the heating element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2003
    Inventors: Carl E. Meirndorf, Valerie L. Meirndorf
  • Patent number: 6541743
    Abstract: A safe electrical heat energy generator which comprises a heater unit equipped with a set of systematically organized heat radiating metal fins. A feature of the invention is its reenforced compact structure in which a heating element arrangement and the heat radiating metal fin arrangement are manufactured as a single heater unit structure. In such a structure, a heating element is surrounded with an insulating layer and enclosed inside a central heat conductive tubing of the framework for the metal fin arrangement, thereby defining the major components of the heater unit. In this manner, the entire heater unit structure is the source of radiant heat energy, not simply the heating element itself.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2003
    Inventor: Steve Chen
  • Patent number: 6532125
    Abstract: The invention discloses novel apparatus/methodology for writing/erasing high-density data on a digital recording media. A preferred embodiment of the invention features a novel thermal near-field heater that may be employed in the apparatus, particularly for realizing the methodology in a substantially thermal near-field mode. The invention provides advantages of data storage densities greater than that of diffraction limited systems, for example, data storage densities of approximately greater than 100 Gbit/inch2, and writing speeds approximately greater than 100 MHz.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Hendrik F. Hamann, Yves Martin, Hemantha Kumar Wickramasinghe
  • Publication number: 20030034344
    Abstract: A heat transfer material comprised of a polymeric material and a nitride or oxide is provided and is thermally conductive, but electrically non-conductive. The polymeric material may be silicone rubber, and the nitride or oxide may be aluminum nitride, boron nitride, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide or beryllium oxide. The material is made flexible by adding plasticizer and remains flexible after an extended period of use. A dielectric jacket for an electrical heating cable is thermally conductive and remains flexible so that it can be reused. The heat transfer material can be used on heating devices such as steam tubes and panels, where the heat transfer material does not bond to or adhere to the heated surface, which allows the heating device to be reused.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 7, 2002
    Publication date: February 20, 2003
    Applicant: Thermon Manufacturing Company a Texas corporation
    Inventors: Chandrakant M. Yagnik, Roy E. Barth, R. Knox Pitzer
  • Publication number: 20030015520
    Abstract: A PTC heater mainly comprises PTC ceramic sheets and cooling fins, and it comprises an inner support in which the PTC sheets are disposed, two electrode plates being disposed on both sides of the support and the PTC sheets to abut against the PTC sheets tightly, the cooling fins being disposed at the exterior of the electrode plates, insulating plates being mounted between the cooling fins and the electrode plate, in the interior of upper and lower ends of the two cooling fins, corresponding clamping grooves being formed through which the two cooling fins are clamped together, and elastic rods being inserted in the clamping grooves. Mechanical clamping method is adopted. The fitting structure of the elastic rod and the clamping grooves of cooling fins has taken the place of the traditional gluing structure, so the problem of aging of the silica gel and the lowering of power in traditional products is solved thoroughly.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2002
    Publication date: January 23, 2003
    Inventor: Guomo Jiang
  • Publication number: 20030000940
    Abstract: A heat dissipation device for a heater. The heater having a heater element portion, cold pin portions, and connectors. The cold pin portions are connected between the heater element portion and the connectors. The heat dissipation device is connected to the cold pin portions of the heater element to dissipate conducted heat from the heater element portion. This is done through convection to the surrounding air before the conducted heat reaches the connectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Publication date: January 2, 2003
    Inventors: Sidney Furlong, Edward J. Zelazny, Joey A. Anderson
  • Patent number: 6483080
    Abstract: An infant-support heater assembly having a heater element a radiator associated with the heater element and a sensing element in contact with at least a portion of the radiator. The sensing element is separate from the heater element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2002
    Assignee: Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
    Inventors: John H. Richards, Robert M. McDonough
  • Patent number: 6455822
    Abstract: There is disclosed a heat sink for a PTC heating element, which heat sink including a first end, a second end, and a pair of webs extending from the second end towards the first end, in which each of the webs is connected to the cover face via a respective curved section, and the curved section is inward of the respective web.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: Mega Dynamics Ltd.
    Inventor: Kee Hung Daniel Chang
  • Publication number: 20020108943
    Abstract: A safe electrical heat energy generator which comprises a heater unit equipped with a set of systematically organized heat radiating metal fins. A feature of the invention is its reenforced compact structure in which a heating element arrangement and the heat radiating metal fin arrangement are manufactured as a single heater unit structure. In such a structure, a heating element is surrounded with an insulating layer and enclosed inside a central heat conductive tubing of the framework for the metal fin arrangement, thereby defining the major components of the heater unit. In this manner, the entire heater unit structure is the source of radiant heat energy, not simply the heating element itself.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2001
    Publication date: August 15, 2002
    Inventor: Steve Chen
  • Patent number: 6418277
    Abstract: An electrical heating device (10) for heating liquids employing one or more positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistors as heating elements (11). These heating elements (11) are in direct thermal and electrical contact on opposing sides (22), which are coated with a conductive metal such as aluminum, with electrodes to supply electrical current. These electrodes are in turn in direct thermal contact on their outward-facing sides with respect to the heating elements with plates (15) which are formed of a thermally conductive and electrically insulating ceramic material such as AL203, and the plates are in direct thermal contact on their outward-facing sides with respect to the heating elements with heat radiation units (20) which include cooling fins for heat transfer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2002
    Assignee: A.T.C.T. Advanced Thermal Chips Technologies Ltd.
    Inventor: Gad Golan
  • Patent number: 6410893
    Abstract: A heat transfer material comprised of a polymeric material and a nitride or oxide is provided and is thermally conductive, but electrically non-conductive. The polymeric material may be silicone rubber, and the nitride or oxide may be aluminum nitride, boron nitride, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide or beryllium oxide. The material is made flexible by adding plasticizer and remains flexible after an extended period of use. A dielectric jacket for an electrical heating cable is thermally conductive and remains flexible so that it can be reused. The heat transfer material can be used on heating devices such as steam tubes and panels, where the heat transfer material does not bond to or adhere to the heated surface, which allows the heating device to be reused.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Thermon Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Chandrakant M. Yagnik, Roy E. Barth, R. Knox Pitzer
  • Patent number: 6399923
    Abstract: A multi-stage heating furnace for drying large-sized substrates arranged in a stack, including a furnace body, and shelf heaters arranged within the furnace body such that the shelf heaters are spaced from each other in a vertical direction at a predetermined spacing pitch and such that adjacent ones of the shelf heaters partially define drying chambers for accommodating the respective substrates, wherein each shelf heater consists of a far-infrared-radiation panel heater of double-side heating type including a heat radiating plate in which a heat-generating body is embedded, and the panel heater has opposite major surfaces covered with respective thin ceramic layers which emit a far infrared radiation when the heat radiating plate is heated by energization of the heat-generating body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: Noritake Co., Limited
    Inventors: Takahiro Kano, Hisayasu Tachikawa, Tamotsu Sakai
  • Patent number: 6392207
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electric heating device which is especially conceived as a heating device for use in automotive vehicles. A plurality of heating elements, which are stacked so as to define a heating block, form together with a control device a structural unit. For this purpose, the control device is accommodated in a lateral bar of the frame by means of which the heating elements are held together. The air to be heated flows through the heating block as well as through windows provided in the lateral bar, past cooling elements which are respectively connected to the power-electronics components of the control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Catem GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Klaus Beetz, Franz Bohlender
  • Patent number: 6392206
    Abstract: A modular fluid heating apparatus may be assembled from a plurality of modular heating components. Each modular heating component includes a first molded section defining a first opening therethrough and a second molded section defining a second opening therethrough. The molded sections are mated and define an enclosed area between the molded sections. The first and second openings are aligned to form a fluid tight passage through the modular heating component. A resistance heating element is secured between the first and second molded sections in the enclosed area. The resistance heating element includes a supporting substrate having a first surface thereon and an electrical resistance heating material fastened to the first surface of the supporting substrate. The resistance heating material forms a predetermined circuit path having a pair of terminal end portions fixed to a pair of electrical connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: Waltow Polymer Technologies
    Inventors: Theodore Von Arx, Keith Laken
  • Publication number: 20020040899
    Abstract: There is disclosed a heat sink for a PTC heating element, which heat sink including a first end, a second end, and a pair of webs extending from the second end towards the first end, in which each of the webs is connected to the cover face via a respective curved section, and the curved section is inward of the respective web.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 18, 2001
    Publication date: April 11, 2002
    Inventor: Kee Hung Daniel Chang
  • Publication number: 20020011484
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an electric heating device which is especially conceived as a heating device for use in automotive vehicles. A plurality of heating elements, which are stacked so as to define a heating block, form together with a control device a structural unit. For this purpose, the control device is accommodated in a lateral bar of the frame by means of which the heating elements are held together. The air to be heated flows through the heating block as well as through windows provided in the lateral bar, past cooling elements which are respectively connected to the power-electronics components of the control device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2001
    Publication date: January 31, 2002
    Applicant: CATEM GmgH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Klaus Beetz, Franz Bohlender
  • Patent number: 6278087
    Abstract: Ceramic igniters are provided that comprise two cold zones with an interposed hot zone, the hot zone having an electrical path length of from 0.51 cm to about 2 cm. Igniters of the invention can effectively diffuse power density throughout the igniter hot zone region, without producing isolated temperature gradients which can lead to premature igniter degradation and failure. The invention also provides new methods for forming ceramic igniters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2001
    Assignee: Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics, Inc.
    Inventors: Craig A. Willkens, James M. Olson, Scott M. Hamel
  • Patent number: 6259075
    Abstract: Disclosed is a ceramic-resistor heating plate for preventing corona discharge which is characterized in that an extruded insulating part is provided around the peripheral of the plate-shaped heating body. Therefore, the distance between the electrodes of the fin plates sandwiching the heating body can be increased and the problem of corona discharge can be prevented with reduced cost and enhanced safety.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Inventor: Chia-Hsiung Wu
  • Patent number: 6222160
    Abstract: A heated container for transport of prepared hot food has a combination of an electric heating element with an insulation layer comprising metal foil layers and fiber layers. The combination of metal foil layers, which spread the heat from the heating element, and the fiber insulation layers provides an efficient food transport container having sufficiently low power requirements to enable powering the heater element from an automotive 12 volt system while maintaining a food temperature inside the container at about 150° F.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: ATD Corporation
    Inventors: Matthew S. Remke, Jeanne L. Dahlke-Baumann
  • Patent number: 6215109
    Abstract: An air preheater system, and a method of operating the same, for use in connection with the requisite supply of heated air streams to the dispensing modules of apparatus for dispensing hot melt adhesives comprises the initial separation of the incoming ambient relatively cool air into separate air streams. The separate air streams are then individually and separately heated, and the exiting or discharged heated air streams are then recombined into a single heated air stream. In this manner, any variations in the temperature levels, density, and flow rate parameters within the individual or separate heated air streams are therefore averaged out and effectively eliminated. The single heated air stream is then conducted to a distribution manifold wherein unique structure of the distribution manifold renders uniform distribution of the separate air streams to the hot melt adhesive dispensing modules possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2001
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventor: Edward W. Bolyard, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6192790
    Abstract: Appliance for grilling a flat slice of food, the appliance being composed of a housing with a slot permitting access to a parallelepiped grilling chamber in the opposite main faces of which are respectively arranged facing each other two heating subassemblies. At least one of the subassemblies having a substantially homogeneous radiation plate heated by heating elements. The radiation face of this plate may be completed by elements which maintain a predetermined spacing of less than 1 centimeter with the slice, this face or this slice being in contact with these spacing elements along surfaces less than 1 millimeter wide. At least one of the subassemblies may be mounted to be relatively displaceable farther and closer with respect to the other in order to be applied to one side and the other of the slice with a predetermined pressure. The plates may be of a material and have dimensions such that they constitute heat storage plates for heating by convection or by radiation at a short distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: SEB S.A.
    Inventor: Jean-Marie Balandier
  • Patent number: 6180925
    Abstract: A heating element for a liquid heating vessel, comprises a metal substrate, an insulating layer provided over the substrate, and an electrically conductive heating track provided over the insulating layer. The heating track comprises a path extending between two contact pads, the heating track defining regions of relatively high density of track portions and regions of relatively low density of track portions. The contact pads are located in regions of relatively low density, and the layout of the heating track is designed such that in the event of thermal overheating of the element, the heating track ruptures at one of a predetermined set of locations in high density regions of the heating track. The heating track itself thereby functions as a thermal fuse.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Robin K. Moore, Sander Slegt
  • Patent number: 6175101
    Abstract: A thermoplastic material melting unit including various grid and reservoir configurations designed, for example, to optimize flow rate, melt rate and residence time within a melting unit. A main embodiment includes a supply hopper connected with a liquid reservoir having a plurality of heat exchanging elements, such as fins extending upward from its bottom wall. A melting grid is generally disposed between the supply hopper and the reservoir and includes both upwardly and downwardly extending heated fins. The downwardly extending fins intermesh with the upwardly extending fins of the reservoir. Additional embodiments of melting grids and heat exchange devices for melting solid thermoplastic material include bare element configurations, angled fin configurations and slotted fin configurations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2001
    Assignee: Nordson Corporation
    Inventors: Scott R. Miller, Laurence B. Saidman, Brian Betkowski, Christian B. Cook, Mark H. Farley
  • Patent number: 6147330
    Abstract: A PTC thermistor element for a heating device has a main body of a layered structure having a thinner layer and a thicker layer, sandwiched between electrodes formed on the main outer surfaces facing away from each other. The thinner layer has a thickness 0.05-0.43 times that of the thicker layer and is made of a PTC thermistor material with a Curie temperature which is lower than that of the thicker layer by 20.degree. C. or more. The center of heat generation is thus shifted towards the electrode formed on the thinner layer, and a heating plate contacting it can be effectively heated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yutaka Ikeda, Takashi Shikama, Yuichi Takaoka, Kenjiro Mihara
  • Patent number: 6118102
    Abstract: An immersion heating element comprises first and second heat conducting substrates defining top and bottom surfaces of the heating element. An electrically insulating layer is provided on one side of each substrate, and the two substrates are mounted together with the insulating layers facing each other and with a resistive heating track sandwiched between the insulating layers. This structure avoids the need for a thick protective insulating layer over the heating track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2000
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventor: Sander Slegt
  • Patent number: 6087638
    Abstract: A thermal actuator comprising a first conductive material encased in a second non-conductive expansive material wherein said first conductive material is constructed in the form of a corrugated heater element so as to increase the rate of thermal transfer to said second non-conductive expansive material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 6080970
    Abstract: In order to achieve concentric distribution of temperatures over a wafer supporting surface and improve the uniformity of heating, a heating resistor 4 having a configuration for providing a predetermined heater pattern buried in a ceramic substrate 2 constituting a wafer heating apparatus is made from arc portions 4a-4g which have different radii and are arranged to form concentric circles disposed at substantially the same intervals and straight portions 4h-4m which connect those of the arc portions 4a-4g that are adjacent to each other in the radial direction thereby to form a series circuit, while the arc portions 4a-4g and the straight portions 4h-4m are made in substantially the same strip width and the distance L1 between a pair of straight portions among the straight portions 4h-4m which are located on the same circle is made less than the distance L2 between the arc portions which are adjacent to each other in the radial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
    Inventors: Masao Yoshida, Suehiro Imaizumi
  • Patent number: 6076705
    Abstract: A heated follower plate for use with drum end loaders has a number of concentric downwardly facing ribs which have heating elements located in the lower ends thereof. A plurality of radial passages are provided which alternate between those which extend fully from the circumference of the plate to the center with those which extend only partially inwardly. The bottom surface formed by the ribs is actually slightly convex in shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: Graco Inc.
    Inventors: Rudolf A. Heckmann, Peter M. White
  • Patent number: 6060696
    Abstract: A food delivery container is provided for pizza or other food items and includes a heating element having a phase change material such as a ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene which transforms from a solid to a semi-solid at approximately 248.degree. -275.degree. F. The heating element comprises a rigid envelope which is permeable to prevent gaseous buildup during heating. The heating element, when placed within a suitable insulated container, will maintain food warm for several hours during storage or delivery. In one embodiment of the heating element, an electric resistance grid is provided for supplying heat energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: Vesture Corporation
    Inventor: William M. Bostic
  • Patent number: 6054692
    Abstract: In a heating device used for melting snow on a road, a roof or the like, or for room heating of in-door facilities, in order to heat a to-be-heated or heated object uniformly over its entire area and enable to utilize effectively a PTC heater, a heat diffusing plate 14 for diffusing heat generated from a heat generating body 16 is arranged on an upper face of the heat insulating member 12 and the heating body 16 is arranged in a recess portion 13 installed on its upper face. The heating body 16 is constituted by inserting a heat generating element 4 mounted with heat radiating plates 5 into a vessel 2 enclosed with a heat storing agent 3 of a latent heat absorbing type in a state in which the heat generating element is brought into contact with the heat storing agent 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2000
    Assignees: Takehiko Hitomi, Mitsukazu Ogawa
    Inventors: Takehiko Hitomi, Mitsukazu Ogawa, Toshio Saburi
  • Patent number: 6018149
    Abstract: A radiant electric heater has first, second and third heating zones (1, 2, 3) arranged substantially side-by-side. The first heating zone (1) is provided with at least one first heating element (9). The second heating zone (2) is arranged adjacent to the first heating zone and is provided with at least one second heating element (10). The third heating zone (3) is arranged adjacent to the second heating zone and is provided with at least one third and one fourth heating element (11, 12). A switch (15) is provided for switching between first, second and third heating states. In the first heating state the at least one first heating element (9) of the first heating zone (1) is energised alone, the at least one second, third and fourth heating elements (10, 11, 12) of the second and third heating zones (2, 3) being de-energised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2000
    Assignee: Ceramaspeed Limited
    Inventor: George Anthony Higgins
  • Patent number: 6009616
    Abstract: A method of making a heated injection molding nozzle with an integral tip insert. First, an inner portion, an outer collar portion, and an electrical heating element are made and integrally brazed together in a vacuum furnace using a first nickel alloy brazing material. Then a tip insert is made having a desired configuration and seated in the front end of the inner portion and a second nickel alloy brazing material is applied around it. The second brazing material has a melting temperature which is substantially below that of the first brazing material. The tip insert is then integrally brazed in place by heating them to a temperature above the melting temperature of the second brazing material and below the melting temperature of the first brazing material. In addition to not affecting the metallurgical bonding between the other components, this allows the tip insert to be easily removed for replacement by again heating the nozzle to this same temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2000
    Inventor: Jobst Ulrich Gellert
  • Patent number: 5995711
    Abstract: A heat-exchanging core portion includes a plurality of tubes arranged in parallel and a plurality of fin members disposed between a pair of adjacent tubes. While an electric heat emitting unit is constructed by supporting a heat emitting body including a heat emitting element inside a frame through a fin member. The electric heat emitting unit is installed into a space, which is defined in the heat-exchanging core portion, having a predetermined distance after the heat-exchanging core portion is assembled and integrally brazed while defining the space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Mikio Fukuoka, Mitsugu Nakamura, Michiyasu Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5968397
    Abstract: An apparatus for cooling a quartz halogen lamp is disclosed. Each lamp socket, used for connecting terminals of a quartz halogen lamp to an electrical supply, is mounted to a convector. Heat is conducted away from the terminals to the convector where the heat is then transferred by forced convection to the atmosphere. Alternatively, the convector can be mounted directly to one or more of the terminals. Cooling of the quartz halogen lamp terminals is achieved without passing cooling air directly past the quartz halogen lamp, thereby avoiding problems associated with contamination of the quartz halogen lamp that can lead to premature failure of the quartz halogen lamp.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1999
    Assignee: Amana Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Alvin D. Wyland, Joseph R. Adamski
  • Patent number: 5965046
    Abstract: A device for achieving vacuum conditions more quickly in a semiconductor processing system having a vacuum pump, a gate valve and a chamber includes a rigid body containing heating elements that contact the surface of the gate valve. The device may include a U-shaped retainer clip for holding the device to the gate valve. A method for heating a gate valve to drive off contaminants involves heating the lower portion of the gate valve to drive contaminants towards the vacuum pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Assignee: Applied Materials, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy Joseph Franklin, David Datong Huo
  • Patent number: 5966498
    Abstract: An oil-filled heater (22) comprises a plate (34) welded onto the top opening in a fin of the heater. The plate (34) has a threaded opening (36), and a bolt (38) is threaded into the threaded opening (36) to seal the top opening. The bottom opening of the fin is sealed by a heating element (42) welded onto the fin. The present invention further relates to a method of filling the oil-filled heater (22).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 12, 1999
    Assignee: Lakewood Engineering and Manufacturing Company
    Inventors: Stephen C. Kirchner, Andrei Illies