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:
May. 24, 2005
Filed:
Sep. 22, 2003
Barry N. Jackson, Woodbury, MN (US);
Barry N. Jackson, Woodbury, MN (US);
Rheem Manufacturing Company, New York, NY (US);
Abstract
A filament-wound tank portion of an electric water heater has a wall opening through which an electric heating element of other structure extends into the interior of the tank. The opening is reinforced by a stacked series of single layer, open weave patch members which are interdigitated with layers of the filament winding and through which the opening extends. The filament winding and the patches are impregnated with and intersecured by a cured resin material. As an alternative to cutting portions of the patches during formation of the tank wall opening, the patches may be provided with suitable pre-formed openings with reinforced peripheries, the subsequently formed tank wall opening extending through these reinforced, pre-formed patch openings. The single layer, open weave patches are also utilized to reinforce other types of filament-based tank wall structures.