US2674684A - Electrically heated garment - Google Patents

Description

s April 6, 1954 w. H. DUNCAN 2,674,684

ELECTRICALLY HEATED GARMENT Filed April 23, I951 Will/ 0177 h. Dun can I N V EN TOR.

BY A; 4013:". 1 Many 5m Patented Apr. 6, 1 954 UNITED STATES FATE 'l' OFFICE This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in electrically heated garments, and the principal object of the invention is to facilitate convenient and highly efiicient control of the heating effect in any predetermined portion of the garment, so as to assure proper heating of predetermined portions of the body.

The term garment as used herein, is employed broadly to designate any kind or type of covering for any particular portion of the body, an example illustrated in the accompanying drawing assuming the form of a glove adapted to be worn on the hand. However, the teachings of the invention may be applied, without structural modifications to other garments such as shoulder pads used by ballplayers, knee pads, leggings, footwear and the like.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its extreme simplicity of construction, in its convenient and efficient operation, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view, and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: 1

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an underside plan view, partially broken away, illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional detail, taken substantially on the plane of the line 3-4 in Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail, similar to that shown in Figure 3, but illustrating a modified terminal construction.

Like characters or reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, more particularly to Figures 1, 3 and 4, the general reference character l designates a garment, in this instance a glove, which is preferably constructed from so-called electric conductive rubber material I2, or in other words,

rubber which is impregnated with electricity conductive particles so as to facilitate flow of electric current therethrough.

The wrist portion of the glove I0 is provided with a conventional snap-type fastener member 14, while two similar members It, I8 are provided at the outer end of the hand portion of the glove, and an additional member as is provided on the thumb, as is clearly shown in Figure 1.

Two conductors 22, 24 of an electric cable 2% are provided at the free ends thereof with coacting, snap-type fastener members it which are selectively and separably engageable with the members Hi, it, It and 2G, whereby the conductors 22, 24 may be selectively connected to the conductive material I2 of the glove,

It will be apparent from the foregoing that by connecting the fastener member 28 of the conductor 22 with the member it and similarly connecting the member 23 of the conductor i l with the member 5 t, the members 2%, it and 28, it; will function as terminals, between which there will be established a difierence of potential so that an electric current will flow through the material E2 of the glove generally along a straight line path indicated at 33. Owing to the resistance of the material it, a considerable amount of heat will be generated in the material by the passage of electric current therethrough, and the portion of the glove surrounding the region of the path or line 30 will become substantially heated.

Of course, the two terminals or members 28 may be connected selectively with the members M, 16, I8 and 29, as exemplified at 32, whereby different portions of the glove may be heated, depending upon the terminals to which the conductors 22, 24 are connected.

A modified form of terminal construction is illustrated in the accompanying Figure 3, where in the terminals it, l8, l8 and 2d are substituted by internally screw threaded terminals 34 to receive externally screw threaded terminal members 36 at the ends of the conductors 22, M. In this instance, the ends of the conductors 22, 2d are provided with studs 38 on which the terminal members 36 are rotatable, the studs 38 having enlarged heads 4!! which are positioned and secured in the terminals 34 by the terminal members 35, so as to prevent the conductors 22, M from being accidentally disconnected from the love.

A modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying Figure 2 wherein the glove St is formed from any suitable flexible material 52, in which there are embedded a plurality of electric resistance elements 5t, 5t, 5%, extending from the respective terminals 68, t2 and 64 to a common terminal 66.

By connecting one electric conductor to the terminal 66 and the second conductor to any one 3 of the terminals 60, B2 and 64, the appropriate element 54, 5B or 58 may be energized, as desired.

It is to be observed that by virtue of the invention, the entire garment need not be heated in instances where heating of predetermined portions thereof is desired, such as for example, when gloves are worn while driving, it is primarily desirable to heat the fingers without necessarily heating the palm or the wrist.

Finally, as is illustrated in Figure 1, the material l2 of the glove It) may be provided with a plurality of vent openings or apertures so as to prevent perspiration and assure comfort.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed unnecessary.

While in the foregoing. there has been shown anddescribed the preferredembodimentof this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope oi the inventionas claimed.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

In an electrically heated garment constructed from rubber-like material impregnated with'electricity conductive particles to facilitate flow of electric current therethrough, a terminal providedon said. garment and comprising an internally screw-threaded socket having a closed bottom wall, an outturned marginal rim provided at the bottom of the socket, and an outturned annular flange provided on an intermediate portion of the socket, the bottom portion of the socket and said rim being embedded in the material of the garment and said flange abutting the surface of said material, a conductor including a wire core and an insulating jacket thereon, a connector provided at one end oisaid conductor and including a tubular member having said wire core secured therein and provided at one end thereof with a counterbore receiving said insulating jacket, an enlarged contact head provided at the other end of said member, and a coupling nut rotatably mounted on said member, said nut threadedly engaging said socket and said contact head being clamped against the closed bottom wall of the socket by said nut, whereby to separably connect said conductor to said terminal.

References Cited in the-file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,011,574 Carron Dec. 12, 1911 1,703,640 Schmidt-Predari Feb. 26, 1929 1,989,582 Becker Jan.c29, 1935 2,274,840 Marick et a1 Mar. 4, 1942 2,277,772 Marick Mar. 31, 1942 2,287,915 Taylor June 30, 1942 2,299,162 Marick Oct. 20, 1942 2,329,766 Jacobsen Sept. 21, 1943

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