E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Printable Heaters for Wearables and Other Articles

Abstract:

This invention provides improved printed heaters for use in articles such as wearable garments and seats. The improvement comprises replacing the single large area resistive material layer with columns of a number of small patches of resistive material or of continuous resistive material, i.e., replacing the single large area heater with a number of smaller individual heaters. A series of conductive strips across the columns render the heater more robust, less sensitive to local resistive area failure. Printing of the resistive material is facilitated since the area of each resistive material patch is greatly reduced. In addition, the embodiments enable the opportunity to provide a breathable heater.