Electric resistance heating devices – Heating devices – Convection space heater
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-05
2001-11-20
Jeffery, John A. (Department: 3742)
Electric resistance heating devices
Heating devices
Convection space heater
C392S440000, C219S476000, C219S525000, CD23S380000, CD23S317000, CD23S335000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321034
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable heaters which are rotatable such that the flow of heat can be directed in any desired direction.
2. Brief Discussion of the Prior Art
Portable heaters are intended to be placed on floors, counters or other surfaces. When desired, these heaters can be easily moved from one place to another. These devices often comprise a housing which is fixedly mounted or integrally formed on a supporting base. Because of the mounting arrangement of the housing on the supporting base, the angular zone covered by the emitted air is fixed. With these style heaters, when the user wishes to alter the angular zone of the emitted air, the user must reposition the heater so as to face the area intended to be heated.
It has been proposed, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,152 to provide a heater with an oscillating mechanism. The use of an oscillating mechanism on a standard heater enables the user to alter or enlarge the angular zone of the emitted air such that a greater area is capable of being covered by the heater. However, there still remains a drawback to this style of heater, in that, as the heater oscillates from side to side, the side from which the heater moved no longer obtains the benefit of the emitted heat until the heater returns to that side. Also, the angular zone of the emitted air is fixed and cannot be altered by the user.
Other style portable heaters have been proposed wherein the heat is emitted from all sides of the heater simultaneously. These portable heaters are typically circular in design and emit heat in a 360° pattern. This style heater is designed to be placed in the center of a room such that the entire room can be heated from one location. Although this heater style is effective in heating large rooms where the heater can be located remote from furniture and other flammable objects, it is less useful in smaller rooms because of the potential for heating unintended objects such as furniture or the walls. Similar to the oscillating heater, the circular heater emits air in a fixed zone which cannot be altered by the user.
Therefore, there still remains the need to provide a heater which allows the user to easily alter the angular zone of the emitted heat without depriving any of the intended area a continuous supply of heat.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a heater which has two or more separate heating units which can cause heat to flow in different directions if desired.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a heater which is portable and easy to use.
The heater of the present invention comprises two or more heating units which are rotatably attached to each other about a common axis. Each of the heating units include at least a housing having at least one opening and a heater element within the housing. In a preferred form of heater, a blower in fluid communication with the heater element is provided. The blower blows air past the heater element and out of the opening in the housing.
In the preferred embodiment, the heater includes a motor having a shaft. The shaft is coupled to the blowers of each heating unit so that actuation of the motor operates each blower simultaneously. Preferably, the longitudinal axis of the shaft is the common axis about which the heating units are rotatably attached. Alternatively, each blower can have its own motor.
In an additional embodiment, the heater of the present invention includes an oscillating mechanism which allows for the automatic rotation of the heating units with respect to each other about the common axis. Preferably, each heating unit is independently rotatable with respect to the other heating units.
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Hsu Johnson
Jones-Lawlor Heather
Hoffmann & Baron , LLP
Jeffery John A.
Marino Francis E.
The Holmes Group, Inc.
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