Tutco, Inc.

Adams Industries, Inc.

H Keith Howard

Jimmy Lee Sherrill

Robert L Kirby

James Lee Sherrill

Michael Danko

Robert Kirby

An open coil resistance heater assembly is made for universal mounting between left and right hand installations in an appliance or other equipment. The heater assembly has its coils arranged symmetrically about a bisecting plane of the heater assembly and/or a center line of its terminal assembly aligned with the bisecting plane. The symmetrical coil arrangement and/or bisected terminal assembly allow the heater to be used in right hand or left hand installations.

Method of using open coil resistance heater in appliances with right and left hand installation capability

An open coil resistance heater uses one or more standoffs to engage and support the generally straight or uncoiled run of bare or insulated wire that is part of the resistance wire of the heater. The standoff has slots, which are sized to engage the bare or insulated wires for support purposes, and is removably mountable to the heater frame for supporting the run of uncoiled wire.

Standoff for use with uncoiled bare wire and insulated runs of an open coil electric resistance heater, method of use, and an open coil resistance heater using the standoff

A mica board open coil resistance heater assembly includes a mica board subassembly of at least one pair of mica boards, a resistance wire wound around the boards, an electrical connection clip secured to each mica board, wherein each end of the resistance wire is connected to a respective clip. A terminal plate subassembly includes a thermostat, a ceramic two-hole terminal block, and bus wires, the bus wires adapted to be attached to a portion of the electrical connection clip to connect the resistance wire to power. The ceramic two-hole terminal is able to receive push on terminals from power conductors.

Mica board electrical resistance wire heater, subassemblies, components, and methods of assembly

An electric heater includes an electric heating coil that extends above the sidewalls of an air flow channel. The coil is formed in sections that extend transversely to the channel and are spaced by the width of a coil section to allow two heaters to be arranged face to face for shipping. This arrangement is very efficient because one of the heaters provides protection to the coil of the other of the heaters to reduce packaging costs.

Open coil heater for efficient transport

An heater includes an electric heating coil that extends above the sidewalls of an air flow channel. The coil is formed in sections that extend transversely to the channel and are spaced by the width of a coil section to allow two heaters to be arranged face to face for shipping. This arrangement is very efficient because one of the heaters provides protection to the coil of the other of the heaters to reduce packaging costs.

Open coil heater for efficient transport with nestable heating elements

An electric heater incorporating simple support structure therefor. A frame is insulated from an electric resistance heater coil by insulator supports mounted within beam members of the frame. The supports incorporate structural features enabling the use of simplified supporting beams. The support insulators include additional structural features for retaining the resistance wire in place and for simplified engagement therewith. The insulators may project on both sides of the support beams and retain heater wires in two planes. The support insulators further provide an integrated structure easily fabricated and simply assembled to the frame.

Coil support insulator for an electric heater

A heater assembly includes a housing which both channels air flowing around a heating element and provides support structure for the elements holding the heating element. In one embodiment, a lower U-shaped channel has recesses in opposed sidewalls to engage down-turned ends of holding elements. A second U-shaped channel is attached to form a hollow duct open at opposite ends. In a second embodiment, a U-shaped channel is made of flexible material so that the spacing between opposed sidewalls may be varied. A holding element is secured between the sidewalls by separating the sidewalls to allow insertion of the holding means.

Heater assembly

An electric heater incorporating simple support structure therefor. A frame is insulated from an electric resistance heater coil by insulated supports mounted within beam members of the frame. The supports incorporate structural features enabling the use of simplified supporting beams. The support insulators include additional structural features for retaining the resistance wire in place and for simplified engagement therewith. The insulators may project on both sides of the support beams and retain heater wires in two planes. The support insulators further provide an integrated structure easily fabricated and simply assembled to the frame.

Growing community of inventors

Cookeville, TN, United States of America

H Keith Howard