Patent Publication Number: US-2013227757-A1

Title: Heated clothing controller

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a heated clothing controller, especially to a heated clothing controller that is securely fixed on heated clothing. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Most of heater controllers disposed on clothes available now are sewed on clothes along a periphery of the heater controller. While users moving, the clothes they wear is also pulled and moved. Under such condition, the heater controller comes loose and falls off gradually. Especially during washing, the clothes are pulled and twisted as the clothes get agitated in a washing machine. The controller sewn on the clothes is also dragged, getting loose and falling off gradually. 
     Moreover, a heater controller on the clothes is used to turn on/off heating plates and adjust heating temperature. However, while performing temperature adjustment, users can only learn the temperature by the number of the controller being pressed or the temperature they sensed. If there is a temperature indicator, users can exactly know the temperature after adjustment. The heater provides more effective heating. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a heated clothing controller which is fixed firmly on clothing for heat preservation. 
     In order to achieve the above object, a heated clothing controller of the present invention is composed of a front cover, a rear cover, a diffusion plate and a control unit. 
     The front cover includes a pressed part and a concave receiving part. The pressed part is disposed projectingly on a center of the front cover and is mounted in a through hole of a clothing body correspondingly. The concave receiving part is arranged at a rear surface of the pressed part. Sewing threads are sewn along a periphery of the pressed part to connect the clothing body and the front cover. 
     The rear cover is arranged at a rear side of the front cover and is sewn on the front cover along a periphery thereof by using sewing threads. 
     The diffusion plate is a transparent film disposed in the receiving part of the front cover. 
     The control unit is mounted between the front cover and the rear cover and having a substrate. A press button is arranged at a center of the substrate and a plurality of light emitting bodies is disposed around the press button. Both the press button and the light emitting bodies are arranged in the receiving part of the front cover, behind the diffusion plate. The substrate is further disposed with a microprocessor which is electrically connected to the press button and the light emitting bodies. 
     In the present invention, only the central area of the controller is connected to the clothing body while the periphery of the controller is separated from the clothing body. Thus the controller is in contact with the clothing body in a small area. During movement of users wearing the clothes with the controller or the washing of the clothes with the controller, a pulling force applied to the clothes is mainly acted on the clothing body and only less pulling force acted on the controller. Therefore the controller is fixed firmly on the clothing body. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an explosive view of an embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic drawing showing assembling of an embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an assembled view of an embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of an embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic drawing showing an embodiment in use according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an explosive view of another embodiment according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a cross sectional view of the embodiment in  FIG. 6  according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Refer to  FIG. 1 , a heated clothing controller of the present invention includes a front cover  1 , a rear cover  2 , a diffusion plate  3  and a control unit  4 . 
     The front cover  1  is disposed with a projecting pressed part  11  at a center thereof on one side and a concave receiving part  12  formed on a rear surface of the pressed part  11 . The pressed part  11  is mounted into a through hole  51  arranged at a clothing body  5  correspondingly. The clothing body  5  and the front cover  1  are connected to each other by using sewing threads  52  stitched along a periphery of the pressed part  11 . Thus the front cover  1  is fixed on the clothing body  5 . 
     The rear cover  2  is covered to a rear side of the front cover  1  correspondingly. A receiving space  21  is concavely mounted on a center of the rear cover  2  and two slots  22  set on opposite sides thereof. The slots  22  communicate with the receiving space  21 . The front cover  1  and the rear cover  2  are connected and sewn together also by using sewing threads  52  along their peripheries. 
     The diffusion plate  3  is a transparent film that diffuses light uniformly and is mounted in the receiving part  12  of the front cover  1 . 
     The control unit  4  is disposed in the receiving space  21  of the rear cover  2  and is having a substrate  41 , a press button  42 , a plurality of light emitting bodies  43 , a microprocessor  44 , and two conductive wires  45 . The press button  42  is arranged at a center of the substrate  41  and the light emitting bodies  43  are disposed around the press button  42  on the substrate  41 . Both the press button  42  and the light emitting bodies  43  are mounted in the receiving part  12  of the front cover  1 , located behind the diffusion plate  3 . As to the microprocessor  44 , it is also arranged at the substrate  41  and is electrically connected to both the press button  42  and the light emitting bodies  43 . The two conductive wires  45  are connected to the substrate  41  and are extended out from the substrate  41  through the slots  22  of the rear cover  2 . One of the conductive wires  45  is connected to a heating unit while the other conductive wire  45  is joined with a power supply unit. 
     While being assembled, refer to  FIG. 2 , the projecting pressed part  11  of the front cover  1  is passed through the through hole  51  of the clothing body  5  so that the pressed part  11  of the front cover  1  is exposed. Then the periphery of the pressed part  11  of the front cover  1  is sewed onto the clothing body  5  by using the sewing threads  52 . Refer to  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the diffusion plate  3  is placed into the receiving part  12  of the front cover  1  and then the control unit  4  is attached to the front cover  1 . Thus both the press button  42  and the light emitting bodies  43  are also received in the receiving part  12  of the front cover  1  and behind the diffusion plate  3 . Next the rear cover  2  is assembled with both the control unit  4  and the front cover  1 , allowing the conductive wires  45  of the control unit  4  extending out through the slots  22  of the rear cover  2 . The two conductive wires  45  are connected to the heating unit and the power supply unit respectively. The front cover  1  and the rear cover  2  are connected to each other by using the sewing thread  52  sewn along their peripheries. Both the diffusion plate  3  and the control unit  4  are mounted and fixed securely between the front cover  1  and the rear cover  2 . 
     Refer to  FIG. 5 , the heated clothing controller of the present invention is only sewed and fixed on the clothing body  5  at the central area thereof while the periphery of the controller is separated from the clothing body  5 . When users wear clothes with the controller of the present invention, the clothing body  5  is pulled and moved along with the movement of the users. Only a central part of the controller sewn and fixed on the clothing body  5  so that the movement of the controller along with the clothing body  5  is reduced and the controller remains fixed tightly on the clothing body  5 . Moreover, when the clothes get dirty and need to be washed, the force and torsion a washing machine acted on the clothes are dramatically reduced due to the design of the controller with only the central part thereof connected to the clothing body  5 . Thus the controller and the clothing body  5  will not be separated during washing processes. 
     Furthermore, the users can turn on/off the heating unit and adjust heating temperature of the heating unit by the controller of the present invention when users body temperature changes along with movement or changes of air temperature in external environment. Refer to  FIG. 4  and  FIG. 5 , the pressed part  11  exposed on the clothing body  5  is pressed by a force the user applied. The force is distributed uniformly through the diffusion plate  3  so as to avoid damages of the press button  42  caused by impulse of the pressing force. After being pressed, the press button  42  drives the electrically-connected microprocessor  44  to control the amount of current flowing from the conductive wire  45  to the heating unit for turning on/off and temperature adjustment of the heating unit. When the user presses the press button  42  to turn on/off the heating unit or adjust heating temperature through the microprocessor  44 , the light emitting bodies  43  electrically connected to the microprocessor  44  emit light with various colors corresponding to on/off state of the heating unit and different temperatures. The light from the light emitting bodies  43  is diffused uniformly after passing through the diffusion plate  3  to illuminate the pressed part  11 . According to the color of the light emitted from the pressed part  11 , users can learn the temperature or the on/off state of the heating unit clearly. The heated clothing for providing warmth or heat treatment achieves optimal effects. 
     Refer to  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 7 , another embodiment is revealed. The front cover  1  is further arranged with a mounting space  13  concavely on a rear side thereof. A seal part  23  corresponding to the mounting space  13  of the front cover  1  is disposed projectingly on the rear cover  2 . After the diffusion plate  3  and the control unit  4  being mounted in the receiving part  12  and the mounting space  13  of the front cover  1 , the mounting space  13  of the front cover  1  is sealed well by the seal part  23 . Then the front cover  1  and the rear cover  2  are sewed and connected to each other along their peripheries. By the corresponding concave-convex design of the mounting space  13  of the front cover  1  and the seal part  23  of the rear cover  2 , the front cover  1  and the rear cover  2  are assembled with each other more closely and tightly. Thus a better water resistance is provided and water will not infiltrate into the controller. Moreover, a slot  14  is disposed on one side of the front cover  1  and also on one side of the rear cover  2 , allowing two conductive wires  45  of the control unit  4  extending out through the slot  14  and connected to the heating unit and the power supply unit respectively. 
     In summary, the controller of the present invention has following advantages: 
     1. The heated clothing controller is sewed and fixed on a clothing body only at a central area thereof while a periphery of the heated clothing controller is separated from the clothing body. Thereby the central area of the controller is only contacted with and sewed on the clothing body in a small area. When users wear clothes with the controller for various activities or while the clothes with the controller being washed, most of a pulling force applied to the clothes is acted on the clothing body. Thus the pulling force delivered to the controller is reduced significantly. Therefore the heated clothing controlled is set on the clothing body tightly.
 
2. There is a plurality of light emitting bodies arranged in the control unit and electrically connected to the microprocessor. When users press the button to turn on/off or adjust heating temperature of the heating unit through the microprocessor, the light emitting bodies also work simultaneously. According to the on/off state and the heating temperature of the heating unit, the light emitting bodies emit light with different colors. Thus users can know the state of the heating unit and the temperature adjustment condition based on the light color so as to control the heating unit more efficiently.
 
3. By the diffusion plate disposed between the pressed part of the front cover and the press button of the control unit, the force users applied to the pressed part is distributed uniformly and then transferred to the press button of the control unit. Thus damages of the press button caused by impulse of the force can be prevented.
 
4. By the diffusion plate arranged between the pressed part of the and the light emitting bodies of the control unit, the light emitted from the light emitting bodies is diffused uniformly to illuminate the whole pressed part. According to the color of the light from the pressed part, users learn the on/off state and the heating condition of the heating unit so as to achieve more effective heating.
 
     Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and representative devices shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalent.