Electrical Safety Heater

Abstract

An electrical safety heater apparatus includes an upper metal hot casing and a lower non-flammable electrically and thermally insulating lower section. The apparatus further includes a standard tungsten incandescent or halogen bulb or multiple bulbs and a removable crown top of the heater.

Claims

1. An electrical safety heater comprising: a. an upper metal casing having a top and bottom end; b. a lamp; c. a non-flammable lower casing having a top and bottom end; d. a lamp receptacle having a cord suitable for connection to an electrical power source; e. said bottom end of said upper metal casing connected to said top end of said lower casing; and f. said lamp situated within said upper casing and said lamp receptacle situated within said lower casing.

2. The electrical safety heater of claim 1 were in said lower casing is made of a material or group consisting of ceramic, ferro cement, and plastic.

3. Electrical safety heater of claim 1 further comprising a base connected to said bottom end of said lower casing and comprised of the same material as said lower casing.

4. The electrical safety heater of claim 3 further comprising legs attached to said base.

5. The electrical safety heater of claim 1 further comprising a crown top member attached to said top end of said upper metal casing.

6. The electrical safety heater of claim 5 wherein said crown top member is removably connected at said top end of said upper metal casing.

7. The electrical safety heater of claim 6 wherein said upper metal casing includes at least one additional upper member removably connected to said crown and connected to said top end of said upper metal casing.

8. The electrical safety heater of claim 1 wherein said lower casing further includes an aperture suitable for a cord to pass from within said lower casing to outside of said lower casing.

9. The electrical safety heater of claim 8 wherein said aperture is lined with a grommet.

10. The electrical safety heater of claim 1 further comprising multiple lamps.

11. The electrical safety heater of claim 1 further including a wall switch connected to said cord for turning said heater on and off.

12. The electrical safety heater of claim 1 wherein said cord is connected to a standard electrical outlet.

13. The electrical safety heater of claim 1 wherein said cord is connected to a battery suitable for providing power to said lamp.

14. The electrical safety heater of claim 1 wherein said the lower casing is non-flammable and electrically and thermally insulating.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 is a side view of the electric safety heater apparatus.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a top view from the perspective view 2 as denoted on FIG. 1 of the electric safety heater without the lamp installed and without the upper casing installed.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a bottom view from the perspective view 3 as denoted on FIG. 1 of the electric safety heater without the base installed.

[0035] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the electric safety heater apparatus.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a side view of the electric safety heater apparatus having multiple light bulbs.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a side view of the electric safety heater apparatus, with a conical shaped upper metal casing.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a side view of the electric safety heater with an additional upper member and an overhanging crown top.

[0039] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] The heater, to borrow gas turbine phraseology, has a hot section and a cold section.

[0041] The lower casing 12 cold section shown in FIGS. 1 and 4-8 consists of a wide, low (around 8 tall) enclosed base of dense and durable, electrically and thermally insulating, not-flammable material such as pottery, ceramic or Ferro cement. The shape and density of the base is chosen to provide a low stable center of gravity for the heater. Three or four equally spaced rubber button feet or legs 26 provide a solid stance on any even or uneven floor surface. If there are four feet, two adjacent feet will be screw-adjustable for leveling.

[0042] A suitable house current power cord 20 passes through a grommet 28 into the low periphery of the base as shown in FIG. 4 and is connected inside to an on/off switch 30 shown in FIG. 1 or an on/off/selector switch 34, as shown in FIG. 5, with both hot and common leads, made with suitable high temperature wiring to the porcelain lamp receptacle(s) 22. At the top of the cold section enclosure is a hole or holes large enough for the neck of the porcelain lamp receptacle(s) 22 to protrude through, and each lamp receptacle 22 is through-bolted to the underside of the lower casing top end 40 of the cold section enclosure, with the neck sticking up through the hole and electrical connection screws facing downward, in towards the cold section enclosure. In this configuration, the heat necessarily from the base of the heating bulb 16 is safely dissipated through the porcelain base of the lamp receptacle 22 to the top of the cold section and dissipates down the sides, leaving the electrical connections to the lamp receptacle 22 very cool in comparison as shown in FIG. 1. None the less, for safety, all electrical connections to the porcelain lamp receptacle 22 are made with high temperature wire, as stated before, with suitable slack for expansion and contraction.

[0043] In a configuration with two or more lamps FIG. 5, (the purpose being to retain at least some reduced heating capability if one or more lamps 16 fail) the porcelain receptacles 22 are spaced so as not to overlap one another to ensure safe, even heat dissipation. Multiple lamps are wired in parallel so one failed lamp will not turn out the others. Again, for safety, all electrical connections to and between the lamp receptacles 22 are made with high temperature wire with suitable slack for expansion and contraction.

The Hot Section

[0044] Fastened on top of the cold section base is a chamber which re-radiates the heat from the bulb(s) to the surrounding area. This is the upper metal casing 10 hot section, shown in FIGS. 1 and 4-8. It is capped by a flat metal cast or stamped crown with its periphery turned down at an angle all around, much like a pie pan turned upside down. This crown 18 must be readily removable to facilitate changing a burned out bulb(s). The crown 18 and hot section chamber 10 are formed of a high thermally transmissible metal such as aluminum, anodized to a dark color on the inside to absorb the heat of the bulbs which is re-radiated out. Enough space is provided around and above the heating bulb(s) so that the hot section temperature will not diminish the bulb's normal working life. Findings are reflected in the table below:

TABLE-US-00001 Hot Section Chamber Space Over Wattage Value Cu. Ft. Diameter Bulb(s) 150 .13 6 4 200 .25 8 8 300 .34 8 8 400 .52 12 6

[0045] The simplest shape for the hot section is cylindrical and assuming an 8 high cold section base, cylindrical heaters are from 16-20 tall as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4.

[0046] The hot section 10 may also be an inverted conical section as shown in FIGS. 6-8 or trapezoidal section, the sides of which radiate the heat downward, especially efficient and effective for warming feet and floors as is nice in a bathroom on a cold morning, or a cold office.

[0047] The increased volume at the top of an inverted cone/trapezoidal section allows a heater with a lower profile. Since hot air rises, the lower the profile the more effective the heater. This hot section shape yields a heater from 12-14 tall in 150 watts for example.

[0048] The shape of an effective hot section 10 as an inverted cone on the bottom joined to a narrow conical section, right side up, 44 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. This also radiates heat downward and the air rising around the joint between the two sections forms eddies which mixing, help to heat the air at some distance from the heater. This hot section shape also yields a heater of 12-14 tall in 150 watts. The crown 18 of this type of hot section requires a short lip or ring 56 protruding into the chamber to keep the crown keyed in place, yet still leave it easily removable for changing bulbs. In the two-piece hot section, the upper metal casing top end 36 is connected to the additional upper member 44 and the upper metal casing bottom end 38 is connected to the lower casing top end 40 as shown in FIG. 8. The lower casing bottom end 42 has mounting bosses 32 for connection to the base 24 also as shown in FIG. 8.

[0049] The crowns 18 of all the aforementioned types of chambers overhang the chambers enough to make an effective, easily cleaned dust cover to keep dust off the hot section sides and to form eddies as the surrounding hot air rises along the sides. For safer heating the crown 18 must fit loosely enough so if the heater is ever upset, the crown 18 will flop off allowing the heat in the hot section 10 to dissipate.

[0050] Any of these various hot section chamber 10 shapes may be used with any single or multiple bulb configurations as long as enough volume and head space is provided when increasing to higher wattage.

[0051] FIGS. 2 and 3 show the inside of the heater and show the periphery of the receptacle flange 48, the bolts for fastening the lamp receptacle 50, the hole 52 in the top surface of the lower casing 12 and the electrical connectors 54.

[0052] A stout wire handle 14 is provided to facilitate moving the heater, though in practice once the optimum spot for the heater is found it is rarely moved except to clean around it.