US1052998A

US1052998A - Automatic electric heater.

Info

Publication number: US1052998A
Application number: US65142011A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lewis S Besley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1911-09-26
Filing date: 1911-09-26
Publication date: 1913-02-11
Anticipated expiration: 1930-02-11

Description

L. S. BESLEY.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC HEATER.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 26,'1911.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

l i"s UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

LEWIS s. B EsLEY, or sALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC HEATER.

. Specication of Letters Patent. y

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

Application led'September 26, 19'11. Serial No. 651,420.

To all whom t may concern.' A

Be it known that I,`LEwIs S. BEsLEY, citizen of t-he United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Electric Heaters, of which the .following is a specification.

My invention relates toelectric heaters, and particularly to a heater adapted to be attachedl to an ordinary electric light wire vand adapted to be used as a bed warmer or as a means of otherwise applying heat locally. t

The primary object of my invention is to provide a very convenient, simple and effectained within a casing shall act to break the circuit through the heating coils when the temperature of the heater has arrived at any desired point.

A. further object' is to provide means whereby the air may be compressed to a greater' or less degree so as to permit the heater to be raised to various temperatures before the circuit through'the heating coils is broken. y

Another object is to provide means whereby the circuit through the heating coils shall `be broken when the temperature rises to a dangerous degree.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein: y

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved heater. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the heater, on the line 2-*2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the heater on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying.drawsv ings by the samel reference characters.

Referrin to these drawings, 2 designates a casing o any desired shape but shown as cylindrical. This casing is preferably made of metaland is covered by any suitable in` sulation designated 3. I do not wish to limit myself to any part-icular'insulation or any particularA means for insulating vthe casing. Ig' have shown it as covered with a layer of insulating paint or enamel. This V ca ing is closed at oneend by means of a pl te or end piece having therein a spring section 4 of Aresilient metal and operating very much after the manner of the bottom of an oil can.,

The opposite end of the casing 2 is closed and provided with a plug or base such as used `in electric lighting. flDreferably the central terminal 5 of thls plug or base is electrically connected to a wire 6 which eX- tends 4from thel terminal 5 .throughl suitable insulation 7 to the interior ofthe casing. The exterior of the plug is of course formed with a screw threaded brass sleeve 8 which is in electrical connection wit-hthe metal forming the casing 2.

Supported 1n any sultable manner within the casing 2 is a mandrel or rod 9 which may be of any suitable material and `is preferably, though not necessarily, tubular so as to make it light. This rod 9 may be of insulating material, or it may be oit' non-insulating material covered with insulation.`

In the illustration of my invention herewith given, the Amandrel 9 is covered with insulating 1naterial, 10. As illustrated, the mandrel 9 is'supported at one end by projecting through the cap l1 which closes one endy of the casing 2, and the other end of the mandrel is supported by means of a suit-ably insulated spider 12.

' Wrapped upon the mandrel overthe insulation thereof is a wire forming the heating coils 13. This spirally wrapped wire extends from one end of the mandrel to the other, except that a small space is left at each end ofthe mandrel. The wire forming the coils 13 at one end is connected to a band 14 of copper or like material to which the wire G is electrically connected. The other end of the wire forming the heating coils 13 is electrically connected lto. a band 15 of copper or like material.

Projecting from the end of the mandrel toward the resilient end piece 4 is a contactpin 1G which is .electrically connected by the wire 17 to the copper ring 15. The extremity of this pin 16 is normally in contact. with the resilient end piece 4 but the resilientI end 4piece is capableofl springing lout and away from the end of the'pin 16,

thus breaking the circuit through the heating coils ,13.

So far as described, the operationo my improved heater is as 'ollowsz The plug carried upon the end of the casing is con` nected to an electric light socket (not shown). The current from the wire `con- 'nested to the socket passes through the terf back through the supply wire. The passage of the current through the heating coils 13 will raise the temperature of these coils, and this in tul'n will raise the temperature of the air contained within the casing 2. The airL-within the casing expands under the action of therheat, and eventually it will overcome the resilience of the spring end piece 4 and the end piece will spring outward under the pressure of the air, thus breaking the circuit through the heating coils. `When the temperature falls to such a'. degree that the-air within the casing 2 contracts beyond a certain point, the resilience of the end piece 4: will cause it to spring inward and into contact with the terminal 16, thus again establishing a circuit through the coils. Thus the action of the device is automa-tic just so long as it is connected in circuit with the source of supply.

Tt will be obvious /that the temperature required to expand the air contained within the casing, 2 so as to actuate the spring end piece 1 will depend upon the original pressure of the air within the casing 2, and for the purpose of varying this pressure and thereby varying the degree oi' heat to which the coils are raised before the circuit is broken, T provide means whereby the air within' the casing 2 .may be compressed to any desired degree. For this purpose T have provided an air inlet tube 18 which projects into the casing and preferably is carried upon the end piece 11. This air inlet tube is precisely the same as the air inlet tube ordinarily used on pneumatic tires, though T do not wish to be limited to this precise construction. Tt is provided with the internal valve 19 which opens upon pressure from the outside and closes upon pressure from the inside of the casing. Tt is preferably provided with a cap 20 which is removable to permit the vair inlet tube to be connected to any suitable air compressing means such as a bicycle pump.

noaaeee With this construction, the air may be rst compressed within the casing 2 to any desired degree and then the current turned on. Tt will be obvious that a certain degree of pressure of the air has already been secured by means of this compression. Hence a less degree of heat will be required to expand the air suiliciently to spring outward ythe end piece 4f than' if the air were not compressed. Inasmuch as, however, it is diflicultto regulate the degree of compression so as to secure a breakingQ the circuit through the heating coils when a certain temperature has been attained,v T preferably r-st turn the current through the heating coils until the heater has been raised to the proper temperature. Then air is pumped in until the end piece 4 snaps outward. This compression of the air breaks the circuit through the heating coils at the proper degree of heat, and when the temperature of this compressed air is lowered by the. breaking vot the circuit, then the spring end 4: will spring inward, again making contact with the pin 16. The temperature will thus b-e kept automatically at the predetermined degree.

llt will be obvious that the resilient end piece 4 constitutes a resilienty diaphragm which is forced in one direction by the compression of air within the casing and is returned to its original position upon a decrease in this pressure within the casing by the resiliency of the diaphragm. Vihile T have illustrated this diaphragm. as' itorming the end of the casing, it is to be understood that the diaphragm might be located intermediate of the ends of the casing and still perform vits function in practically the same manner as described..

In order to prevent'a too high amount of current from passing into the heater, T preferably provide a fuse 21. This fuse is secured by making the connection 17 of resilient wire 'which .tends to spring outward and away from the copper band 15. This wire 17 is held in cont-act'with the band 15 by easily fusible solder.. When the. temperature is raised too high, this solder will'l fuse 'and the wire 17 willspring outward, thus entirely breaking the circuit.' Tt will be understood that fused plu s or like devices might be used for brea 'ng this cir-v cuit upon the burning out of the fuse.

While T haveillustrated what T believe to be the best and most effective arrangement of my invention, T do not-wish to be limited to the details of the arrangement or the,y details of the construction as it is obvionsjthat the device might bemodiied in many vvvlfays without departing from the spirit of the '1nvention. My invention is simple, can be cheaply made and is thoroughly edective in use.

Whileil have described this device as bene v ing used with air alone as a filling for the casing, it is to be understood that I may'also use oil or like liquid within the casing together with air, the air being used to secure thei elasticity necessary to operate the spring en The snapping of the spring is a very vital and important part of my invention as without it the contacts would spark and would soon burn out.

It Will be obvious that the principle of my device may be applied to a large number of other devices than mere electric heaters and that it may be used wherever it is desired to cause a'circuitto break when a certain temperature has been reached.

What I claim is:

1. A11 electric heater including in. its orlor decreased.

2. An electrical heater including in its organization an outer casing, an end plate closing one end of the casing and aresiliently' deformable diaphragm closing the other end of the casing, a mandrel supportedwithin th'e casing andextending the whole length thereof, an electrical heating coil mounted upon said mandrel and insulated therefrom, afplug passin through the end ofthe casing opposite the iaphragtrr, said plug including a central contact and an exterior contact sleeve, a connection between the heating coil and the central contact of the plug, a rigid contact pin carried by the mandrel opposed to said iaphragm and normally in contact therewith, and means whereby fluid expansible under heatmay be initially compressed within the casing.

3. An electric heater including in its or- Vganizati'o-n an outer casing, electricheatingh thereof, said diaphragm'being movable into coils inclosed-within the casing andconnected in circuit with a source of energy, thermostatic means for breaking the circuit when the temperature within the casing has risen above a predetermined point and formaking 'p said circuit when the temperature therein has lowered below a predetermined oint,

said means including a member mova le in one directionby an increase of `pressure of the fluid contained within the casing and movable in an opposite direction by the decrease of pressure in said fluid, and a fluid pump connected to said ,casing for the purelng pose ofl adjustably varying the fluid pressure within the casing.

4. An electric heater including in its organization anouter casing having an inlet opening, electric heating coils inclosed Within the casing and connected in circuit with a source of energy, and thermostatic means :for breaking the circuit through said coils when the temperature within the casing has risen above a predetermined point and for making said circuit when the temperature therein has lowered below a predetermined point, said means including a member movable in one direction by an increase of pressure within the casing consequent upon a rise in temperature above a predetermined point and movable in the other direction by a decrease of pressure. within the casing consequent upon a decrease of temperature, and a pump detachably engaging the inlet opening of the casing.

5. An electric heater, including inits organization an outer casin having an' inlet opening, an inwardly opening valve disposed in said opening, said opening being provided with a screw-threaded nipple whereby it may be connected to fluid compressing devices, electric heating coils inclosed'within the casingand connected-in circuit with a source of energy, thermostatic means for breaking the-circuit through said coils when the temperature within the casing has risen above a predetermined point, and for making the said circuit when the temperature therein hasy lowered below a predetermined point, said means including a member movable in one direction by an increase of pressure within the casing consequent upon a rise in temperature, and movable in the other direc- -casing and the other electrically connected to the coil, and a diaphragm voperatively mounted upon saidcasing and forming part and out of electrical engagement with one terminal of said coil to make or break the circuit .therethrough and through the casing, said diaphragm being actuated in one or the other direction by increase or decrease of pressure within the casing.

In testimony whereof I aix my signa- 1 ture in presence of two witnesses.

' LEWIS S. BESLEY. [1.. a]l Witnesses:

' SNUEOEN,

S. ANDREW JACKSON.