The present invention relates to heating systems, and more specifically, to systems for heating surfaces, such as floors, walls, and ceilings, or for being embedded in thin multilayer structures, and busbar assemblies for use in installation of such heating systems.
Conventionally, floor-heating products consist of either bulky electrical wires (which provide resistive heating) or bulky liquid tubes (which provide hydronic heating) installed between the floor and the sub-floor. Installation of a heated floor thus required the homeowner to install either the bulky electrical wires or liquid tubes directly onto the sub-floor, with the flooring material (e.g. tile, hardwood, etc.) installed on top of the electrical wires or liquid tubes.
This process is time consuming, labor intensive and expensive. In addition, the heating elements (i.e. the wires or tubes) are placed well below the floor surface, due to the thickness of the flooring itself. As a result, the heat produced by the wires or the liquid filled tubes takes a long time to heat the actual walking surface of the floor. Therefore, this process is not energy efficient and creates a long lag time between activating the heater and the flooring actually reaching the desired temperature.
One aspect of the invention comprises, a busbar assembly, comprising at least two busbars, each busbar comprising a conductive metal preferably having a rectangular cross section having a ratio of width to thickness greater than 10, and a matrix of insulation connecting the at least two busbars together. The ratio of width to thickness may be greater than 13.3, or in thin-profile embodiments, greater than 100, preferably in a range of 100-700, and more preferably in a range of 150-600. The conductive metal may comprise copper and the matrix of insulation may comprises PVC. The conductive metal may have a thickness T in a range of 50 micron to 200 microns, and a width W in a range of 10-80 mm, and may be sandwiched between opposing sheets of insulating film having a thickness in a range of 50-200 microns. The insulating film and the conductive metal may be laminated together. At least one additional layer may be disposed over at least one of the opposing sheets of insulating film. The additional layer may comprise a non-woven scrim, comprising a material, such as PETV, for characteristically promoting bonding of the busbar assembly to plaster or cement. In another embodiment, the additional layer may comprise a contact adhesive, such as a contact adhesive covered by a removable covering.
Another aspect of the invention comprises a heating system comprising the busbar assembly described above as described herein, in particular a heating system disposed on or in a floor, wall, or ceiling. In one embodiment, the heating system may comprise at least one carbon veil heating element comprising at least two electrically conductive veil busbars spaced apart from one another, a connector busbar assembly comprising at least two connector electrical busbars connected to the at least two veil busbars, and a controller electrically connected to the connector busbars configured to apply electrical current to the connector busbars sufficient to cause the at least one carbon veil heating element to produce heat in a portion thereof located between the veil busbars. The connector busbar assembly comprises the connector electrical busbars and a matrix of insulation connecting the connector busbars together. The connector busbars comprising a conductive metal having a rectangular cross section with a width and a thickness in which a ratio of the width to the thickness is greater than 10. The carbon veil heating element may be disposed on or in a surface of a building, such as a floor, a wall, or a ceiling, and the connector busbar assembly may be disposed on or in the same surface as the heating element or on or in a surface different from but adjacent to the surface as the heating element. The connector electrical busbars may be connected to the veil busbars via one or more fasteners, each fastener protruding through and electrically connecting one electrical busbar in the connector busbar assembly to one electrical busbar in the heating element.
Another aspect of the invention comprises a method of installing any of the heating systems described herein, comprising disposing at least one carbon veil heating element on or in a floor, wall or ceiling, and connecting the at least one carbon veil heating element to the busbar assembly. One method for installing a heating system comprises the steps of (a) mounting at least one carbon veil heating element on or in a surface, the heating element comprising at least two electrically conductive veil busbars spaced apart from one another, (b) electrically connecting a connector busbar assembly to the veil busbars, and (c) electrically connecting the connector busbar assembly to a controller configured to apply electrical current to the connector busbar assembly sufficient to cause the at least one carbon veil heating element to produce heat in a portion thereof located between the veil busbars. The connector busbar assembly comprises at least two connector busbars and a matrix of insulation connecting the at least two connector busbars together, the connector busbars comprising a conductive metal having a rectangular cross section with a width and a thickness in which a ratio of the width to the thickness is greater than 10.
The method may further comprise covering the carbon veil heating element and the busbar assembly by plaster or cement, and disposing a covering over the plaster or cement. The step of connecting the carbon veil heating element to the busbar assembly may comprise penetrating the carbon veil heating element and the busbar assembly with a conductive fastener. The method may further comprise disposing a non-conductive covering, such as insulating tape or a polymeric or elastomeric sealant, over at least a portion of the conductive fastener disposed on and protruding from on an outermost surface of the connected heating element and busbar assembly.
In one embodiment, the connector busbars may comprise floor busbars that are recessed in a subfloor upon which a section of flooring is installed, or located behind a baseboard adjacent the section of flooring is installed. The floor busbars typically extend along a length of the section of flooring and are electrically connected to respective sets of veil busbars in the carbon veil heating element in a plurality of locations. The system may also comprise a temperature sensor positioned in a location operable to sense heat emitted from the section of flooring and in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is configured to apply electrical current to the busbars based upon an input signal from the temperature sensor. The flooring product may comprise visible indicia on a surface thereof aligned with each embedded busbar, such as temporary or removable marking or an element of a decorative pattern visible in a finished floor surface facing upward from the floor.
In one embodiment, at least two floor electrical busbars may be connected to and electrically isolated from one another by a matrix of insulation. At least a first length and a second length of continuous busbar track may comprise the at least two floor electrical busbars spaced apart from one another, each length having opposite ends, and one or more connectors configured to electrically connect at least a busbar from the first length to a respective busbar of the second length. Each of the at least two floor electrical busbars may protrude from the opposite ends of the busbar track, and the one or more connectors may comprise at least two annular busbar sheaths connected to and electrically isolated from one another by a matrix of insulation, each sheath internally dimensioned and positioned to mate with the protruding ends of respective busbars from adjoining lengths of busbar track. One or more fasteners may protrude through and electrically connect one busbar to one busbar sheath.
Still another aspect of the invention comprises a busbar track system for use in a heated floor system, the track system comprising at least two busbars, each busbar comprising a conductive metal having a rectangular cross section having a width and a thickness in which the width is greater than 10× the thickness, and a matrix of insulation connecting the at least two busbars together. Yet another aspect of the invention may comprise a busbar track connector for the busbar track system as described herein, the connector comprise at least two busbar sheaths, each busbar sheath comprising a annular conductive metal having a rectangular cross section internally dimensioned to receive one of the at least two busbars, and a matrix of insulation connecting the at least two busbar sheaths together.
Another aspect of the invention comprises a method for installing a heated floor system. The method comprises installing a section of flooring including an embedded carbon veil heating element onto an area of a floor, the carbon veil heating element comprising at least two electrically conductive veil busbars spaced apart from one another, installing at least two electrical floor busbars beneath the section of flooring or on a vertical surface adjacent to the floor, electrically connecting the electrical floor busbars to the veil busbars in the embedded carbon veil heating element, electrically connecting the electrical floor busbars to a controller configured to apply electrical current to the floor busbars sufficient to cause the carbon veil to produce heat in a portion thereof located between the veil busbars.
Still another aspect of the invention comprises a method of making a heated laminar product, the method comprising providing a roll of a carbon veil heating element having a width equivalent to a width of a desired finished roll of laminar product, the heating element having one or more pairs of veil busbars, feeding one end of the roll of the carbon veil heating element between respective ends of upper and lower layers of respective feedstocks of laminar intermediate material, and embedding the carbon veil heating element between the upper and lower layers to form the finished roll of laminar product, such that the carbon veil heating element is less than 1 mm from an upper surface of the laminar product. The laminar product may be, for example, a flooring product or a cover or tarp. In an embodiment in which the laminar product is a flooring product, the method may comprise laminating the roll of the carbon veil heating element between a top layer of flooring intermediate fed from a first roll and a bottom layer of flooring intermediate fed from a second roll. The first and second feedstocks may each be extruded. In an embodiment in which the laminar product is a floor underlayment, the first layer may comprise a film and the second layer may comprise a foam.
Yet another aspect of the invention comprises a carbon veil heating element feedstock comprising a carbon veil heating element having a plurality of pairs of electrically conductive veil busbars spaced apart from one another along a width of the feedstock and the feedstock configured as a spirally wound cylindrical roll along a length of the feedstock.
One aspect of the invention comprises a flooring product comprising an embedded electrically conductive nonwoven carbon veil. The carbon veil is constructed of electrically conductive material, such as discontinuous nonwoven carbon fiber, such as is described in PCT/IB2016/000095, incorporated herein by reference. Generally, the carbon veil may be formed by wet laid manufacturing methods from conductive fibers (specifically carbon), non-conductive fibers (glass, etc.), one or more binder polymers and optional flame-retardants. Preferred lengths of the fibers are in a range of 6 mm to 12 mm, but may vary. Exemplary binder polymers may include polyvinyl alcohol, co-polyester, crosslink polyester, acrylic and polyurethane. Exemplary flame retardant binders may include polyamide and epoxy. Suitable wet laid techniques for forming the carbon veil may comprise a state of the art continuous manufacturing process. Generally, the amount of conductive fiber required depends upon the type of conductive fiber chosen, the voltage and power that will be applied to the fiber, and a physical size/configuration of the heating element.
Carbon veils are beneficial for use in heating products in consumer applications (i.e., flooring) since they have desirable electrical characteristics, are exceptionally thin, and are relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Shown in
Shown in
The carbon veil heating element may be manufactured at generally any size (length, width, and at any thickness, but preferably with a thickness of less than 1 mm, and more preferably with a thickness of <40 μm, and having a weight of <50 g/m2. The extremely low weight and thickness makes the carbon veil non-invasive such that it does not change the properties of a product into which it is embedded. Additionally, because the veil is porous, it lends itself to being embedded in products in which the product matrix impregnates the veil, such as in flooring products (e.g. vinyl, PVC, or other polymer flooring sheet products, linoleum, underlayment for tile, hardwood, carpet, etc.). The characteristics of the veil are particularly beneficial for use in flooring applications comprising thin sheeting products, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring, which is typically only between 3 mm and 4 mm thick. The minimal thickness of the carbon veil permits it to be embedded just below the surface of the flooring (i.e., close to the walking surface). Embedding the carbon veil just below the walking surface of the flooring minimizes heat up time and energy consumption.
Performance of Heating Flooring Systems with Embedded Carbon Veils
A comparison between exemplary installations of a conventional electric wire/liquid tubing heater and an exemplary embedded carbon veil is illustrated relative to a cross section of a floor structure 210 depicted in
where Hc=thermal coefficient (constant)
K=thermal conductivity of floor material
T1=Temp of heater element
T2=Temp of floor surface
Ta=ambient air temp
A1=surface area heating element
A2=surface area of generated heat
Tables 1 and 2 below show a comparison between the characteristics of embedded carbon veil 214 and wires/tubes 212 shown in
Thus, heating the floor to a desired temperature with an embedded carbon veil just below the floor surface only requires heating the carbon veil to a much lower temperature than the electric cable and/or the water heating tubes, the carbon veil based system consumes much less power.
An example of the relative energy performance a veil embedded directly below the surface, and a veil positioned between the floor and subfloor, are shown in the plot of
Table 2 shows the difference in energy needed for respective heating elements to supply the desired temperature, including the difference between positioning the carbon veil at “Embedded” and “Base” positions as described above.
Exemplary Heated Flooring Systems with Embedded Carbon Veils
An example of a heated flooring system 508 including a controller is shown in
The operation of the heated flooring system shown in
Embedding the carbon veil into the flooring product greatly simplifies installation of a heated floor. Exemplary installations of a PVC floor product with an embedded carbon veil are shown in detail in
To make electrical connections with busbars 512 and 514, conductive fasteners, such as bolts and/or screws or the like 706 and 708, are utilized to penetrate the flooring product through the veil busbars and into the floor busbars. Each conductive fastener essentially pierces the electrically conductive veil busbars of the carbon veil and therefore establishes an electrical connection from the veil busbars to the floor busbars 512 and 514 (i.e., respective positive and negative busbars are connected to one another).
In general, floor busbars 512 and 514 are connected to controller 502 as shown in
Alternatively, rather than create a channel in the subfloor, floor busbars 512 and 514 may be installed on or in the adjacent wall 714, as illustrated in
In this example, once the busbars are installed on the wall or within the channel, the PVC flooring with the embedded carbon veil 700 may be laid on the subfloor. During installation, PVC flooring 700 may be cut to a greater length than the floor area to be covered, such that the flooring overlaps the wall a by a desired length (e.g. about 4 inches) to permit it to overlap the wall, wherein it is connected to floor busbars 512 and 514. The PVC flooring may be screwed directly to floor busbars 512 and 514 utilizing conductive fasteners in locations 706 and 708 or 802 and 804, similar to the installations described and shown previously on the floor, but in this case oriented on the wall rather than on the floor.
Once the flooring is installed throughout the desired area of the room, baseboard 702 may then be installed against the base of wall 714. The beneficial aspect of this embodiment is that not only are the floor busbars 512 and 514 hidden by the baseboard 702, but the fasteners 706 and 708 or 802 and 804 along the electrically connected edge of the floor are also covered by baseboard 702. This allows a seamless installation that is visually appealing, and also enables troubleshooting of the electrical connections by simply removing the baseboard rather than having to lift up a section of the flooring.
In the examples described in
As described, a benefit to the overall system is that the carbon veil may be embedded directly into the flooring sheet itself (e.g., embedded directly into the PVC flooring). This embedding process is performed during manufacturing of the PVC flooring itself.
Shown in
Finally, although well suited PVC flooring products that serve as the upper layer surface covering, the flooring products as described herein may refer to underlayments, such as may be installed under carpet, tile, hardwood, etc. Although the veil will typically be more than 1 mm below the uppermost floor surface when embedded in such an underlayment, the advantages of low energy consumption and evenly distributed heat are still present. Thus, for example, the flooring product as described herein may comprise an acoustic underlayment film. Typically, such films are typically 1.0 to 2.0 mm thick with a 2-3 mm insulating foam backing. The carbon veil may be thus embedded between the film and the foam. Such a veil may be manufactured by a lamination process as described above, or in an extrusion process, in which the polymer melt from the film extrusion penetrates the porous veil and fuses the acoustic film to the insulating foam.
It should also be understood that although described herein with respect to a flooring product, the manufacturing process herein described is not limited only to floor coverings, but may also be used to create any laminar product for any use known in the art, and may be particularly useful for fabricating wall coverings as well as tarps or covers. In particular, a laminating process as described above may be used for creating a heated tarp or cover for a dump truck or other open top truck, to prevent ice or snow build-up during the winter that may otherwise create a hazard for other drivers when built-up ice sloughs off non-heated covers at highway speeds. Thus, for example, a carbon veil as described herein may be embedded into a 3 mm thick PVC tarpaulin layer during production, similar to the method as described herein for flooring, so that the veil is safely embedded approximately 1 mm below the outer surface of the tarp and activated via the truck battery by a controller. The controller may, for example, have inputs connected to a sensor configured to sense a combination of moisture and temperature at which to apply heat to prevent ice build-up. Power connections to the tarp may be provided using a power cord with a positive terminal attached to one veil busbar and a negative terminal attached to the other veil busbar, using connectors that affix to and penetrate the tarp and the veil busbars in the appropriate positions.
For manufacturing of finished products in sheet form, it is therefore beneficial to provide the carbon veil in a spool or roll form comprising the carbon veil of a desired width, with the veil busbars spaced at desired widths to provide a desired level of heating potential. PVC flooring manufacturers can then simply order a spool of a carbon veil of a desired width and length with veil busbars at a desired spacing to provide a desired heating capability. This spool can then simply be fed into the already existing PVC floor laminating machinery along with the other layers of the PVC flooring to produce an overall heated floor product.
To facilitate easy installation of the flooring system described herein, sets of two or three conductive floor busbars may be integrated together into a single product comprising the busbars bound together in a common insulation matrix, as shown in
As shown in
Returning to
For example, the conductive strips may have a thickness T in a range of 50 micron to 200 microns, and a width W in a range of, preferably 10 to 80 mm, or more preferably 20-65 mm, depending upon the amperage rating of the strips. The busbars are not limited to any particular dimensions, although the width is characteristically much greater than the thickness, such as but not limited to a ratio within the ranges disclosed herein later. The insulation may comprise layers of PVC film insulation having a thickness in the range of 50-200 microns, or more preferably about 100 microns. The insulation may have additional layers disposed therein, such as a non-woven PEN scrim having a density of, for example but not limited to a range of, preferably 10 gsm to 100 gsm, more preferably 20-50 gsm, or most preferably about 36 gsm, to promote bonding of the assembly to substrates such as plaster or cement. The layers are preferably laminated together. The various layers may have adhesive therebetween or thereon. In other embodiments, the lamination step may be conducted at sufficient heat and pressure to cause at least some of the polymer materials in the multilayer structure to melt together.
As shown in close-up in
As shown in
In a typical round core wire applications in which the cables need flexibility, typical flexible cables feature insulated wires in a bundle, typically wrapped in a polymer and/or a textile to reduce friction. Friction caused by movement causes heat, which can lead to overheating. Use of flexible cables in an environment in which the cables move frequently over a period of time may also cause elongation or stretching of the cables after continuous use, which elongation or stretching leads to unstable electrical properties. By contrast, the thin-profile busbar assemblies disclosed herein are very flexible but also stable in geometry. A PVC outside insulating sleeve is often used in round core insulation layers. By contrast, the busbar embodiment described herein does not require the use of low friction materials in the cable because the busbars do not move relative to one another. This embodiment also offers other advantages over standard round core cables. The thin-profile design provides better heat dissipation than round cables, because there is more surface area for a given volume of conductive material. This larger surface area permits the flat conductive (typically copper) bus bars in the thin-profile busbar assembly to carry a higher current level or ampacity for a given temperature rise and for conductors of a given cross section. Thus, the thin-profile busbar assemblies described herein use less copper (e.g. typically up to 250% less) for the same ampacity compared to round cable
The thin-profile busbar assembly is thin (typically 350-500 microns thick, overall) and is therefore more flexible than standard round cables, for cables rated to carry the same amount of power. Because the thin-profile busbar assembly comprises very thin layers of conductive material, preferably copper, more preferably pure copper, disposed in a thin layer of insulation, such as PVC, some embodiments of the busbar assembly are transparent or translucent in the non-conductive portions, which allows easier use and simplifies coding, inspection, quality control and trouble shooting. The thin-profile allows easier installation, particularly in buildings or in retrofits, because there is no need to bury cables in the brickwork or concrete. In embodiments with scrim layers 1210 and/or 1260, the busbar assembly can be directly bonded to surfaces and embedded directly in materials. Some embodiments may further comprise a contact adhesive surface on the outer surface of one or more of outer layers 1210 or 1216, for direct bonding to a surface. In such instances, the contact adhesive may have a peelable layer over top that is removed to reveal the contact adhesive. Thus, in some embodiments, both outer layers 1210, 1216 may comprise a contact adhesive mounted on a first film, with a second peelable film as a cover. In installations in which the contact adhesive is desired, the second film may be removed. In installations that do not need the contact adhesive, one or both of the peelable layers can be left intact.
Exemplary dimensions of thin-profile busbar assemblies as disclosed herein are found in Table 3, with reference to “b” and “W” as indicated in
Thus, the ratio of busbar width to thickness in the thin-profile busbar assembly embodiment is greater than 100, and preferably in a range of 100-700, and more preferably in a range of 150-600. The overall track width to track thickness is also preferably over 100, preferably over 150, and more preferably in a range of 150-300. The rated amperage per sqmm of cross sectional area of the busbar (which corresponds to the amps per weight of conductive metal needed), is in the range of 10-25, and more preferably 12-21. Any number of additional ratios may be calculated using the values shown in the table above, which values are merely exemplary for one embodiment, and non-limiting.
It should be understood that although depicted in the figures as a 2-busbar assemblies (and corresponding connectors, in the applicable embodiment), embodiments with three busbars are essentially identical to the examples depicted herein, but with one extra busbar. Similarly, it should be understood that single busbar assemblies may also be manufactured using a similar process (and connected together using similar, single-busbar-sheath connectors, in the relevant embodiment). The busbar assemblies as described herein are not limited to any number of busbars. Whether integrated together in assemblies depicted herein, or separately, the insulated busbars or assemblies thereof may be manufactured in a continuous length and cut to length as required.
Although the floor busbars may be preferably provided in an assembled configuration for ease of installation, the invention is not limited to any particular configuration for the floor busbars. Similarly, although the busbar assemblies described herein are shown in combination with a veil heating system, such as for use in a floor, the assemblies described herein are not limited to any particular use.
Below are exemplary details of an exemplary system as described herein. It should be understood that this example in no way limits the invention to any of the specific details or characteristics provided, but is merely provided as one example of an operative installation.
Connection System
1) Floor Busbars
Metal electrical busbars (typically 2 or 3) with pure aluminium grade or pure copper electrical grade materials of construction. Busbars may be integrated in busbar assembly, as described above, or may be individually coated with insulation, such as an extruded polymer sheath. The busbars, whether integrated together in a busbar assembly, or separately, may be manufactured in a continuous length and cut to length as required.
2) Fasteners
Metal rivets or RIVNUT® brand metal fasteners, aluminum or stainless steel, 5 mm dia×12 mm long typical. CSK or flat head type. Protruding features of the fasteners are preferably insulated or isolated from where they might pose a risk of shock or current drain, either by the materials of construction of the subfloor and flooring materials, or by other means, such as an insulating tape covering, not shown. For example, as shown in
3) Busbar Assembly
4) Power Supply
Heated flooring with an embedded carbon veil heats up quickly and consumes little energy. Carbon veils and thin-profile busbar assemblies may be inserted into very thin products that traditional wires/tubes cannot typically accommodate. The carbon veil and thin-profile busbar assemblies do not add any significant thickness to the overall product and do not negatively affect installation of the product. In addition, the carbon veil, due to its nonwoven structure, always maintains a constant resistance regardless of the size of the veil. This is an additional benefit relative to standard electrical wires, which have a non-uniform resistance, in which the resistance increases with the wire length. Similarly, liquid filled tubes also provide uneven heating over their length, because the liquid temperature drops over the length of the tube as heat dissipates along the run.
The thin-profile busbar assemblies as described herein are especially well suited to bonding to a substrate, because of their large bonding area, and in particular in embodiments comprising a surface scrim of PET on the bonding surface. Although described primarily herein with respect to installations in floors, it should be understood that the subject systems are suitable for installation on or in any type of surface, including but not limited to floors, walls, and ceilings. Similarly, although described in one embodiment in which the busbar assembly is mounted on a wall adjacent the floor in which the heating elements are disposed, the busbar assembly may be mounted on the same surface as the heating elements or on any surface adjacent thereto. Thus, the heating elements may be on a wall, and the connecting busbar assembly in the floor or the ceiling, or for heating elements in the ceiling, the busbar assembly may be mounted on the wall. Alternatively, the busbar assembly and the heating elements may all be mounted to the same surface.
The thin-profile busbar assemblies, and accompanying heating elements, may also be included in flexible multilayer structures, such as tarps and covers as described herein, and in surfaces other than walls, floors, and ceilings (e.g. a counter, a car seat, a towel warmer, etc.). Although well suited for installation on typically planar surfaces, the flexibility of the thin-profile busbar assemblies and carbon veil heating elements permits installation on non-planar surfaces. Additionally, the heating elements and connected thin-profile busbar assemblies may be readily embedded in plaster, cement, or other wall, ceiling, or floor coverings (e.g. wall paper, ceiling tiles, paint/coating systems), particularly embodiments in which the heating elements and busbar assemblies have outer layers or surface treatments that promote bonding with the materials in which they are embedded.
In wall and ceiling embodiments, the thin-profile busbar assembly and connected planar heating elements may be mounted to the surface with an adhesive, such as an adhesive designed for bonding to plaster and concrete with long term durability in the building construction applications, and then covered over with plaster, wallpaper, fabric, paint, or the like. For example, a thin coating of plaster 1-1.5 mm thick may be applied over the heater, and then wallpaper or paint is applied over the plaster. Embodiments of the heater and thin-profile busbar assembly incorporating a polyester scrim non-woven material as an outer layer are particularly compatible with plaster/concrete substrates. In preferred embodiments, the maximum temperature of the heater is limited to 45 degrees C., which avoids detrimental effects to wallpaper, paint, or other coverings over the plaster. A typical voltage used in wall, ceiling, or floor embodiments for residential or commercial applications is 36 v AC, which poses no risks if a homeowner or other occupant inadvertently were to drill a hole in the wall or poke a nail or screw through a carbon fiber heating element or a busbar (so long as the nail/screw/hole does not completely sever the busbar. Thus, the design of the system and operations at low voltages are well suited to provide safe operation even in the event of abuse.
It should be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular materials of construction nor to any particular structural or performance characteristics of such materials, but that certain materials and structural performance characteristics may provide advantages, as set forth herein, and thus may be used in certain embodiments. Furthermore, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular combination of components, and that each of the components as described herein may be used in any combination with any other components described herein.
In addition, although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalence of the claims and without departing from the invention.
This application claims priority from PCT Application Ser. No. PCT/EP2018/079892, filed 31 Oct. 2018, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/579,472, filed on 31 Oct. 2017, both titled “THIN-PROFILE BUSBAR ASSEMBLIES AND HEATING SYSTEMS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED THEREWITH,” and is a continuation-in-part of PCT Application No. PCT/IB2017/000870, filed on 14 Jun. 2017, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/349,858, filed on 14 Jun. 2016, both titled “PRODUCTS WITH EMBEDDED CARBON VEIL HEATING ELEMENTS.” The contents of all of foregoing are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62579472 | Oct 2017 | US | |
62349858 | Jun 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/EP2018/079892 | Oct 2018 | US |
Child | 16220998 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/IB2017/000870 | Jun 2017 | US |
Child | PCT/EP2018/079892 | US |