Mitchell O Brewer

US Patent:

20040004070, Jan 8, 2004

Filed:

Jul 8, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/191953

Inventors:

W. Sullivan - Laurel MS, US
Mitchell Brewer - Waynesboro MS, US
Wayne Dearman - Laurel MS, US
Armando Alvite - Miami Lakes FL, US

Assignee:

Sunbeam Products, Inc. - Boca Raton FL

International Classification:

H05B001/02
H05B003/34

US Classification:

219/494000, 219/212000, 219/545000

Abstract:

A warming blanket having a temperature sensing element for sensing the temperature of the warming blanket. The temperature sensor may be a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) element that is threaded throughout the blanket. In one embodiment, the temperature sensing element runs perpendicular or transverse to the heating wires in the warming blanket, permitting the temperature sensing element to measure an average blanket temperature. In another embodiment, the heating element is supplied as a pair of buss wires extending along opposite sides of the warming blanket and having a number of heating wires extending therebetween. In this embodiment, the temperature sensing elements may run either parallel to or transverse to the heating elements. Temperature changes/signals in the temperature sensing element are sent to a microprocessor, which in turn changes the wattage of the heating elements to prevent overheating of the warming blanket.