IP Verse

Flexible Heat Preservation Board With Heating Wire Encapsulated Therein

Patent No. US12349244 (titled "Flexible Heat Preservation Board With Heating Wire Encapsulated Therein") was filed by Guangdong Willing Technology Corp on Nov 7, 2024.

What is this patent about?

’244 is related to the field of heat preservation, specifically addressing the problem of keeping food warm at the table or providing hot meals for workers. Existing solutions often use rigid materials like metal or glass, which are bulky and difficult to store. The patent aims to provide a flexible and easily storable alternative for food warming.

The underlying idea behind ’244 is to create a flexible heating element by embedding a heating wire within a flexible pad. The pad has a groove that houses the wire, and the entire assembly can bend and roll up for easy storage. The design incorporates protrusions within the groove to help secure the wire and maintain its position during use and storage.

The claims of ’244 focus on a flexible heat preservation board comprising a flexible heating pad with a winding groove and projections, a flexible heating wire connected to a power supply, and a liquid adhesive encapsulating the wire within the groove. The groove features opposing protrusions with a gap smaller than the wire's diameter, creating an accommodating space. The adhesive secures the protrusions and wire, ensuring the assembly's structural integrity.

In practice, the heating wire, powered by a connected power supply, generates heat that is transferred to the surface of the flexible pad, thus warming any dishes placed on it. The winding pattern of the groove ensures a uniform temperature distribution across the pad's surface, maximizing the heated area. The flexibility of the pad allows it to be rolled up for compact storage when not in use.

This design differentiates itself from traditional rigid heating elements by using flexible materials for both the pad and the heating wire. The encapsulation of the wire within the groove, secured by protrusions and adhesive, provides mechanical stability and prevents the wire from detaching during bending and rolling. The addition of a thermochromic layer on the surface provides a visual indication of the pad's temperature, enhancing safety and preventing accidental burns.

How does this patent fit in bigger picture?

Technical landscape at the time

In the early 2020s when ’244 was filed, at a time when flexible heating elements were typically constructed by embedding resistive wires within a flexible substrate. Securing the heating wire and ensuring uniform heat distribution were common engineering constraints. Solutions often involved adhesives and specific groove designs to maintain wire placement and prevent damage during flexing.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The examiner allowed the claims because the prior art, taken individually or in combination, did not teach or suggest a flexible heat preservation board with a heating pad having a groove, a heating wire, and a liquid adhesive, where the groove has protrusions to secure the wire, and both the pad and wire are flexible. While Gabbay disclosed a flexible heat preservation board with a heating wire secured by adhesive, it lacked the groove with protrusions. Huang taught securing a heating wire in a groove with protrusions, but not with a liquid adhesive. Gehrmann taught securing a heating wire in a groove with protrusions and filling the groove with adhesive, but was directed to an inflexible plate.

Claims

US12,349,244 has 7 claims, with claim 1 being independent. Independent claim 1 is directed to a flexible heat preservation board comprising a heating pad, a heating wire, and a liquid adhesive. The dependent claims further define specific features and configurations of the flexible heat preservation board described in the independent claim.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
First protrusion
(Claim 1)		“A first inner surface of the groove is provided with a first protrusion, a second inner surface of the groove is provided with a second protrusion, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion face each other; a bottom surface of the groove, a lower surface of the first protrusion and a lower surface of second protrusion define an open accommodating space for receiving the heating wire. Secondly, in the proposed technical solution of the present disclosure, the first protrusion and the second protrusion in the groove effectively ensures the fixation of the heating wire in the groove and ensures the position of the heating wire is fixed during normal use and during the process of rolling up and storage, thereby ensuring the normal use of the product.”A protrusion on the first inner surface of the groove that faces a second protrusion, creating a space to accommodate and secure the heating wire.
Groove
(Claim 1)		“A first side of the heating pad is defined with a groove, the groove is arranged in a winding pattern, and the first side of the heating pad is also arranged with a plurality of projections having an equal height; wherein a first inner surface of the groove is provided with a first protrusion, a second inner surface of the groove is provided with a second protrusion, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion face each other; a bottom surface of the groove, a lower surface of the first protrusion and a lower surface of second protrusion define an open accommodating space for receiving the heating wire.”A winding channel defined on a first side of the heating pad, which accommodates the heating wire and includes protrusions to secure the wire.
Heating pad
(Claim 1)		“Proposed in the present disclosure is a flexible heat preservation board, including a heating pad, a heating wire, and a liquid adhesive. The heating pad is provided with a power supplier. As shown in summary, proposed in the present embodiment is a flexible heat preservation board, which consists of a heating pad and a heating wire made of flexible material, achieves the heat preservation effect of the heating pad after being powered on, and may also be stored by rolling up, and also maintains the normal use of the heating pad under repeated and continuous rolling up and releasing.”A flexible component of the heat preservation board that generates heat when connected to a power supplier.
Heating wire
(Claim 1)		“Proposed in the present disclosure is a flexible heat preservation board, including a heating pad, a heating wire, and a liquid adhesive. Both ends of the heating wire are connected to the power supplier. Firstly, in the proposed technical solution of the present disclosure, the heating pad and the heating wire are both made of flexible materials, i.e., the heat preservation board may be stored by rolling up, and the heating wire is sealed in the groove by adhesive, so that the normal work of the heat preservation board may be guaranteed by repeated rolling up and releasing, which greatly improves the storage convenience and ensures the service life of the product.”A flexible wire that generates heat when electricity is supplied to it, and is connected to the power supplier at both ends.
Liquid adhesive
(Claim 1)		“Proposed in the present disclosure is a flexible heat preservation board, including a heating pad, a heating wire, and a liquid adhesive. Firstly, in the proposed technical solution of the present disclosure, the heating pad and the heating wire are both made of flexible materials, i.e., the heat preservation board may be stored by rolling up, and the heating wire is sealed in the groove by adhesive, so that the normal work of the heat preservation board may be guaranteed by repeated rolling up and releasing, which greatly improves the storage convenience and ensures the service life of the product.”A liquid substance that encapsulates the first protrusion, the second protrusion, and the heating wire in the groove.

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US12349244

GUANGDONG WILLING TECHNOLOGY CORP
Application Number
US18939571
Filing Date
Nov 7, 2024
Status
Granted
Expiry Date
Apr 26, 2044
External Links
Slate, USPTO, Google Patents