Patents by Inventor Ernst Merk

Ernst Merk has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9844098
    Abstract: A pliable heating device having a flexible electrical heating apparatus, which is operated by a control device and which has at least one flexible heating element that is connected to a flexible support and that has a heating conductor, which is situated in a heating circuit, and a flexible sensor conductor, which is separated from the heating conductor by an intermediate insulation, having a dampable oscillator, which is contained in the control device and is connected to the sensor conductor and whose output signal can be varied as a function of various functional states of the heating apparatus, which functional states are detected by the sensor conductor, and having an evaluation device by which fault states can be detected from the output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: Beurer GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Köhler, Ernst Merk, Thomas Wildermuth
  • Publication number: 20150014303
    Abstract: A pliable heating device having a flexible electrical heating apparatus, which is operated by a control device and which has at least one flexible heating element that is connected to a flexible support and that has a heating conductor, which is situated in a heating circuit, and a flexible sensor conductor, which is separated from the heating conductor by an intermediate insulation, having a dampable oscillator, which is contained in the control device and is connected to the sensor conductor and whose output signal can be varied as a function of various functional states of the heating apparatus, which functional states are detected by the sensor conductor, and having an evaluation device by which fault states can be detected from the output signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2012
    Publication date: January 15, 2015
    Inventors: Ralf Köhler, Ernst Merk, Thomas Wildermuth
  • Publication number: 20100292598
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for monitoring the physical fitness using a pulse watch part (1) for detecting heart pulse rate data and an evaluation apparatus for providing fitness information which can be displayed by means of a display device and for whose derivation a processing unit (16) is present which is designed for reading in and including personal supplementary data. The accuracy of the fitness information made available is favoured by the fact that the personal supplementary data comprises physiological additional data, for whose detection additional equipment with an additional measuring apparatus (2) is provided, which can be connected, in terms of data transfer, to the pulse watch part (1) directly or indirectly for the automatic transmission of the physiological additional data and/or heart pulse rate data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2007
    Publication date: November 18, 2010
    Applicant: BEURER GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Patricio Roschk, Ernst Merk, Marco Bühler, Werner Meternek
  • Publication number: 20050199609
    Abstract: A soft heating device such as a heat blanket, heat cushion or heat feather-bed, having at least one heating cord arranged on a base heating element, a connection cable for an energy supply connected by an externally insulated connecting means, and a control circuit. The heating device has a robust structure because the connecting means are grouped together in a connecting unit comprising a common carrier plate and/or a common encapsulating element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2004
    Publication date: September 15, 2005
    Inventors: Reinhold Wanner, Hans-georg Gingl, Ernst Merk, Ralf Kohler, Ingolf Rathgeb, Werner Bader
  • Patent number: 6927369
    Abstract: A heating system having an electrical heating conductor arrangement which is integrated into a flexible heating body that can be connected to a supply voltage by a connecting cable and has a first conductor and an adjacent second conductor, placed in series with the first and separated from it by an insulating device, having a heating circuit formed by the heating conductor arrangement and further elements, including a control element for a heating current. A control circuit is connected to the control member for affecting the heating current and regulating the temperature. Monitoring is extended because the insulating device has a resistance characteristic which decreases with temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Beurer GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Ernst Merk, Ralf Köhler
  • Publication number: 20050109752
    Abstract: A heating device having an electrical heating conductor arrangement integrated in a flexible heating body and connected to a supply voltage by a connector cable. A heating circuit is connected to the above and further elements, including a first control element embodied for a heating current and a drive circuit for varying the heating current and regulating the temperature, connected to the first controller and having a safety circuit. According to this invention, increased safety features are achieved, whereby the safety circuit has an error sensor device and an additional control element driven by the safety circuit and is arranged in series with the first control element in the heating circuit. The safety circuit also or only responds to an error in the control circuit and interrupts the heating current by driving the additional control element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2003
    Publication date: May 26, 2005
    Inventors: Ernst Merk, Ralf Kohler
  • Publication number: 20050092735
    Abstract: A heating device including an electric heat conductor arrangement which is integrated in a flexible heating element and can be connected to a supply voltage via a connection cable. The heating device also includes a heating circuit, which is formed with the heat conductor arrangement and with other elements including a control element for a heating current, and includes a trigger circuit, which has a control loop and is connected to the control element in order to vary the heating current and regulate the temperature, whereby the control element is triggered based on a deviation between an actual value and a set value. A simple design with reliable temperature regulation is obtained because the trigger circuit is also coupled to the heating circuit via a coupling branch in order to tap an electric measured variable current or voltage that varies according to the temperature of the heat conductor arrangement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2003
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Applicant: Beurer GmbH & Co
    Inventors: Ernst Merk, Ralf Kohler
  • Publication number: 20040211769
    Abstract: A heating system having an electrical heating conductor arrangement which is integrated into a flexible heating body that can be connected to a supply voltage by a connecting cable and has a first conductor and an adjacent second conductor, placed in series with the first and separated from it by an insulating device, having a heating circuit formed by the heating conductor arrangement and further elements, including a control element for a heating current. A control circuit is connected to the control member for affecting the heating current and regulating the temperature. Monitoring is extended because the insulating device has a resistance characteristic which decreases with temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2004
    Publication date: October 28, 2004
    Inventors: Ernst Merk, Ralf Kohler