Abstract:
A form fitting heating surface for children&#39;s safety car seats having a contoured deformable apertured shape that is adaptable within a car seat on which the child is positioned. The heating surface is electrically connected to the automobile&#39;s power supply and is thermostatically controlled. Attachment elements adjustably extend from the heating surface for engagement over a portion of the car seat holding the heating surface insert in place within.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This device relates to electrical devices for applying heat to the body of a person by electric resistant wires and more specifically heating pads made of flexible fabric material with a plurality of loop heating wires defining a circuit within. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Prior art devices of this type are generally referred to as electric blankets and heating pads. The electric blankets are generally used on beds to add additional heat to the sleeping environment. Heating pads are typically smaller and provide heat to specific portions of the user&#39;s body. These devices have electrical resistant heating wires positioned within. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,281,578, 4,736,088 and 5,151,578. 
     In U.S. Pat. No. 3,281,578 an electric heating mat is disclosed having a main body member with a plurality of heating elements within. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,088 is directed to a therapeutic heating pad and hand muff having a laminated structure which directs the flow of heat into the effective body member. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,578 discloses an anisotropically bendable heating pad having stiffening member channels that provide indirect stiffness thereto. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An electrical heating surface for a child&#39;s car seat having a contoured fabric body member with an enclosed electrical resistant wire loop. Apertures are provided within the surface to correspond to the access openings for the seat belt harness in the seat that secures a child and holds the child within. Attachment elements extend from the heating surface to secure same within the car seat. An electrical connection is provided to the automobile power supply which is thermostatically controlled to regulate heat output. Portions of the heating surface are contoured and adaptable to engage and hold within the car seat allowing access to the child safety harness. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the heating surface for a children&#39;s car safety seat; 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the heating surface as seen in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of the heating surface electrical resistant elements within the fabric containment member; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a child safety car seat representation in broken lines with the heating surface of the invention positioned within; and 
     FIG. 5 is a top plan view of an alternate form of the invention having a plurality of spaced paired deformable stiffening elements within as illustrated in dotted lines. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A heating surface  10  for a child&#39;s car seat  11  can be seen in FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings preferably formed from a pair of flexible fabric sheets  12  joined together to form a generally rectangular body member as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The fabric sheets  12  each have a plurality of openings at  13 ,  14 , and  15  which are correspondingly aligned between each sheet to form access apertures in the configured body member that will be described in greater detail later. 
     The sheets  12  are secured together by traditional fabrication techniques such as by stitching  16  about the perimeter edge and around the defined openings  13 ,  14  and  15  as is typical in fabric blanket construction, well known and understood by those skilled in the art. 
     Portions of the formed heating surface  10  are contoured at  17  and  18  respectively to define an area of decreased transverse dimension which is adjacent the hereinbefore described opening  15 , as best seen in FIG. 2 of the drawings. The opening pair of  13  and  14  are of a generally rectangular shape having oppositely disposed curved ends  13 A and  13 B,  14 A and  14 B respectively and are angularly aligned to one another as best seen in FIG. 2 of the drawings. 
     A pair of engagement hooks  19  and  20  extend from respective end corner portions  21  and  22  of the formed heating surface  10  opposite the opening pair  13  and  14  as hereinbefore described. Each of the engagement hooks  19  and  20  extend from pockets  21 A and  22 A in the heating surface  10  as hereinbefore described and best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. 
     An electric power cord  23  extends from the end of the heating surface  10  and is electrically connected to a loop of electrically resistant heating wire  24  shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2 of the drawings with a thermostatic switch  25  interconnected thereto. The heating wire  24  extends longitudinally within the heating surface  10  generally parallel to its perimeter edges  26  and  27  and then inwardly at  28  to define a secondary loop-like configuration at  29  in spaced parallel relation to the hereinbefore described apertures  13  and  14  and between the engagement hook pockets  21 A and  22 A. 
     In use, the area of the secondary loop  29  is where the head and upper back portion of a child (not shown) would be positioned in the car seat  11 , as best seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that in use the heating surface  10  of the invention is universal in that the respective openings at  13 ,  14 , and  15  will accommodate a variety of available car seats that have different strap configurations to hold the child in place. 
     Referring now to FIG. 5 of the drawings, an alternate form of the invention can be seen wherein a deformable heating surface  30  is shown having a generally flexible rectangular body member  31 . Multiple belt access openings  32 ,  33  and  34  are formed within the body member  31 . The access openings  32  and  33  are angularly disposed to one another and in spaced relation to the remaining access opening  34  as set forth in the primary form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings. 
     Portions of the deformable heating surface  30  at  35  and  36  define an area of decreased transverse dimension at  37 . An electric power cord  38  with a thermostat  38 A extends from one end of the deformable heating surface  30  and is interconnected to an electric resistant heating wire loop  39  within the body member  31  as indicated by broken lines. 
     Pairs of deformable support wires  41 ,  42  and  43  are positioned within the body member  31  shown in dotted lines. The first support wire pair  41  are in spaced parallel relation to one another inwardly of the respective perimeter edges  44  and  45 . Second support wire pair  42  are in spaced parallel relationship within the area of reduced transverse dimension at  37 . The third support wire pair  43  are also in spaced parallel relationship to one another inwardly of the respective perimeter edges  44  and  45  in oppositely disposed relation to said first wire pair  41 . 
     In this alternate form of the invention, the deformable heating surface  30  for the child&#39;s car safety seat can be positioned and conformed to hold within the seat by manually bending the respective support wire pairs  41 ,  42  and  43  which are positioned in critical angled transition points identified at  47 ,  48  and  49  respectively as best seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings. 
     It will be evident from the above description that the deformable heating surface  30  is of an increased longitudinal dimension compared to that of the primary form of the invention set forth in FIGS. 1-4 of the drawings so that the support wire pair  41  will bend over the top back  50  of the child safety seat  11  as illustrated. 
     It will thus be seen that a new and novel heating surface for children&#39;s safety car seats has been illustrated and described and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention.