The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 30, 1983
Filed:
Feb. 20, 1981
Vishwa N Shukla, Attleboro, MA (US);
Bernard M Kulwicki, Foxboro, MA (US);
Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
A fuel supply system having means for furnishing a mixture of air and alcohol or gasohol fuels to an automotive engine has a self-regulating, ceramic, electrical resistance heater for enhancing fuel evaporation during cold engine starting and incorporates a heater of improved structure to maintain stable heating properties in the alcohol-based system over a long service life. The heater has thin, all-metal contacts of electroless, deposited nickel formed directly on a ceramic material of positive temperature coefficient of resistivity in ohmic contact relation to the ceramic material and has a thin, substantially pore-free outer coating of electrolytically deposited nickel covering and shielding the ohmic contacts from the effects of an alcohol vapor atmosphere, whereby the ohmic contacts retain their contacting properties during thermal cycling in engagement with the oxygen-rich ceramic material and in the alcohol atmosphere so that the fuel supply system maintains uniform fuel evaporation properties over a long service life.