Claims
- 1. An electric heater comprising a helical heater coil and an insulator supporting said heater coil, said insulator comprising a body of electrically insulating material having one end engaging individual convolutions of said heater coil, said one end having a slot extending in a first direction from an upper edge of said one end downwardly into said body, said slot terminating in a first notch and receiving a convolution of said heater coil, a first guide surface sloping away from said slot in a second direction which forms an acute angle with said first direction, a second notch extending inwardly from a side of said body adjacent a lower terminus of said first guide surface and receiving a second convolution of said heater coil, the distance between an upper portion of said guide surface and said slot being less than the distance between said first and second notches, a second guide surface sloping away from said slot in a third direction which forms an acute angle with said first direction, wherein said first and second guide surfaces are on opposite sides of said slot, and a third notch extending inwardly from a location adjacent the lower terminus of said second guide surface in a second side of said body and receiving a third convolution of said heater coil, wherein the distance between an upper portion of said second guide surface and said slot is less than the distance between said third and first notches.
- 2. The heater of claim 1 wherein said second and third notches extend in respective directions oblique to said first direction.
- 3. The heater of claim 1 further comprising a first flat surface perpendicular to said first direction between the upper terminus of said first guide surface and the upper terminus of said slot and a second flat surface perpendicular to said first direction between said upper terminus of said slot and the upper terminus of said second guide surface.
- 4. The heater of claim 3 further comprising a third flat surface substantially parallel to said first direction and extending from the lower terminus of said first guide surface to said second notch, and a fourth flat surface parallel to said first direction and extending from the lower terminus of said second guide surface to said third notch.
- 5. The heater of claim 4 further comprising means for receiving means for grasping said body to support said body and said heater coil.
- 6. The heater of claim 4 further comprising a second end engaging individual convolutions of a heater coil and having a second slot extending from said second end in a direction opposite to said first direction and terminating in a fourth notch, and third and fourth guide surfaces extending from locations adjacent the outer terminus of said second slot to locations adjacent respective fifth and sixth notches.
- 7. The heater of claim 4 wherein each of said first and second guide surfaces is planar.
Parent Case Info
This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 555,019 filed Nov. 25, 1983, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,017.
US Referenced Citations (12)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
216604 |
Aug 1961 |
ATX |
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
555019 |
Nov 1983 |
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