Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 9th Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 12th Feb.,
1889
1 JOHN VRATISLAV CAPEK, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings, and State of
New York, United States of America Electrician do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to utilize electricity in a simple and effective manner
for heating rooms and enclosed spaces.
Heretofore it has been attempted or proposed to accomplish this by the employ-
ment of electrical resistances of various kinds enclosed in chambers or cases and
forming stoves or heaters placed in the room to be warmed.
This has the disadvantage common to all modes of artificial heating hitherto
used that in it the heat is concentrated and is therefore not effective since parts of
the room in the neighborhood of the heater must be heated to an undesirable
extent in order that the more remote parts may be raised to the required temperature.
And the resistances must be so highly heated for this purpose as to make it, as all
artificial heating devices heretofore used are, a source of danger from setting fire'
to surrounding objects.
In my invention I employ a very widely extended heating surface, preferably
extending entirely around the room to be heated, whereby the heat will be equally
diffused throughout the room. It is evident that if the walls of a room are equally
heated at every part, it will not be necessary that the temperature thereof shall be
more than from 75 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, in order that the whole room shall
be comfortably heated.
This idea of diffusing the heat over all the walls of a room, enables me to employ
as heating resistances, widely spread, very thin, electrical conducting material placed
upon or within the walls and connected with a source of electricity so as to be
heated by the current.
It is evident that if all the walls of a room were covered with a thin coating of
carbon which could be connected at terminal points, in an electric circuit, such
carbon would form a heating resistance. This would embody the general principle
of my invention.

page_text: In practice I employ strips or pieces of suitable insulating material, covered with
a thin coating of carbon, which strips are placed upon the walls of the room, so,
for instance, as to form a wainscoting, the carbon being suitably protected from
contact; a suitable number of such slips or plates are connected, in multiple arc, in
series, or in multiple series, with the source of current, and they are thereby raised
to the required temperature, which will always be less than the igniting point of
wood, paper, and similar combustible materials, and so will never be high enough
to cause any danger of fire.
The resistance may be made by coating a plate or strip of refractory material
with a carbonaceous substance such as a sugar solution and then heating the same in
a closed chamber, whereby an even deposit of carbon will be formed on the plate or
strip; or the material may be heated in the presence of a hydro-carbon liquid or
vapor whose carbon will be deposited on the heated body.
I prefer, however, to employ the kind of carbon called graphite or plumbago
which is very adhesive and has a high resistance both to electricity and heat. I coat
pieces of heavy card-board or other suitable material with this substance. It may be
readily applied by rubbing it, in powdered form, either wet or dry upon the non-
conducting surface and will adhere thereto forming a conting of high electrical
resistance.
These strips or plates are preferably attached to wooden frames socured to the
wall, and suitable low resistance terminals are provided for them.
Since the carbon would be rubbed off by handling and external contact, I prefer
to provide it with a suitable covering which may be paper, such as ordinary wall-
paper, or a fabric of any suitable kind, or any suitable material may be used; and
such covering may be perforated if required; or I may cover the carbon surface
with a suitable paint or varnish.
The following is a convenient construction embodying my Invention.
A suitable number of the strips or plates are laid upon a wooden frame with
their edges meeting or nearly meeting at cross pieces with which the frame is
provided and are secured by screws or tacks. Then at the meeting edges of the
strips they are connected together by narrow conducting strips which are attached
to the cross pieces by screws or tacks. These strips may be of metal but I prefer
that they shall be strips of cardboard graphitizod on the under side somewhat more
thickly than the resistance strips are graphitized so that the connecting strips are of
greater conductivity than the resistance strips. A suitable number of the resistance
strips being thus joined in series, the series is provided with low resistance terminal
strips to which the circuit wires are joined. These may be simply metal strips
tacked or screwed to the end pieces of the frame. I prefer however to employ a
thin metal strip graphitized on both sides to prevent oxidation and over this to place
a strip of cardboard graphitized on its under side. This leaves only insulating parts
exposed and if desired the attaching screws or tacks may have heads of insulating
material such as porcelain. The connection of the plates as to multiple are and
series will depend upon the current employed and the temperature required in each
case.
It is not essential to place the heating strips upon the walls as they may be placed
on the ceiling or on the floor if properly covered and protected. They may sometimes
be made movable that is for instance in the form of screens, folding or otherwise
which will stand upon the floor and may be moved from place to place if desired.
Dated this Oth dow of Al 1000

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electrically Heating Rooms, Buildings, and the like.
I JOHN VRATISLAV CAPEK, of Brooklyn, in the County of Kings and State of
New York, United States of America, Electrician do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of my invention is to utilize electricity in a simple and effective manner
for heating rooms and like enclosed spaces.
For this purpose, I employ a very widely extended heating surface, preferably
extending entirely around the room to be hoated, whereby the heat will be equally
diffused throughout the room. It is evident, that if the walls of a room are equally
heated at every part, it will not be necessary that the temperature thereof shall bo
more than from 75 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, in order that the whole room shall be
comfortably heated.
This idea of diffusing the heat over all the walls of a room, enables me to employ
as heating resistances widely spread, very thin, electrical conducting material placed
upon the walls and connected with a source of electricity, so as to be uniformly
heated by the current. For example, if all the walls of a room were covered with a
thin coating of carbon, connected at terminal points, in an electric circuit, so that the
electric current is passed through the whole coating with uniformity, whilst the
resistance and radiating surface of the coating are so proportioned to the current that
such coating will be heated at every part to a uniform temperature, lower than the
igniting point of wood, paper or like combustible materials, this would embody the
general principle of my invention.
In practice, I employ strips or pieces of suitable insulating material, covered with a
thin coating of carbon, which strips are placed upon the walls of the room, so for
instance as to form a wainscoting, the carbon being suitably protected from contact ;
a suitable number of such strips or plates are connected, in inultiple arc, in series or
in multiple series, with the source of current, and they are thereby raised to the
required temperature, which will be uniform throughout and will always be less than
the igniting point of wood, paper, and similar combustible materials, and so will never
be high enough to cause any danger of fire.
The resistance may be made by coating a plate or strip of refractory material with
a carbonaceous substance such as a sugar solution and then heating the same in a
closed chamber, whereby an even deposit of carbon will be formed on the plate or
strip or the material may be heated in the presence of a hydro-carbon liquid or
vapour, whose carbon will be deposited on the heated body.
I prefer, however, to employ the kind of carbon called graphite or plumbago, which
is very adhesive and has a high resistance both to electricity and heat. I coat pieces
of heavy cardboard or other suitable material with this substance. It may be readily
applied by rubbing it, in powdered form, either wet or dry upon the non-conducting
surface, and will adhere thereto, forming a coating of high electrical resistance.
These strips or plates are preferably attached to wooden frames secured to the wall,
and suitable low resistance terminals are provided for them.

page_text: to provide it with a suitable covering, which may be paper, such as ordinary wall-
paper, or a fabric of any suitable kind, or any suitable material, may be used; and
such covering may be perforated if required; or I may cover the carbon surface with
a suitable paint or varnish.
As the resistance and radiating surface of the coating of electrical conducting
material, through which the electric current is passed, are so proportioned to the
current that such coating is heated uniformly to a temperature below the igniting
point of wood, papor and similar combustible materials, I am enabled to use such com-
bustible materials for the strips or pieces on which the coating is placed.
It is not essential to place heating strips upon the walls, as they may be placed
on the ceiling or on the floor, if properly covered and protected. They may some-
times be made movable, that is, for instance, in the form of screens, folding or
otherwise, which will stand upon the floor and may be moved from place to place il
desired.
A convenient construction embodying my invention is illustrated in the annexed
drawing.
Figure 1, is an elevation of the resistance supporting frame.
Figure 2, an elevation of the same with the graphitized plates upon it.
Figure 3, an elevation of the complete resistance strip.
Figure 4, a cross section of the same through one of the intermediate cross-bars
of the frame.
Figure 5, a section through one of the terminal strips: and
Figure 6, a view of the interior of a room provided with my invention.
A is a frame of wood or other suitable insulating material, having cross-pieces B, B.
C, C are strips of graphitized card-board or other insulating material, covered thinly
with carbon.
A suitable number of these strips are laid upon the frame A with their edges
meeting, or nearly meeting, at the cross-pieces B, B, and are secured by screws or
tacks a a.
Then at the meeting edges of the strips they are connected together by
narrow conducting strips D, D, which are attached to the cross-pieces B, B, by screws
or tacks b, b.
These strips D, D, may be of metal, but I prefer that they shall be strips of
cardboard, graphitized on the underside somewhat more thickly than strips (), C, are
graphitized, so that the connecting strips are of greater conductivity than the resistance
strips.
A suitable number of the strips C, C, being thus joined in series, the series is
provided with low resistance terminal strips E, E, to which the circuit wires c, c, are
joined. These may be simply metal strips tacked or screwed to the end pieces of the
frame. I prefer however to employ a thin metal strip, d, graphitized on both
sides to prevent oxidation, and over this to place a strip of cardboard, graphitized
on its under side. This leaves only insulating parts exposed, and, if desired,
the attaching screws or tacks a' may have heads of insulating material, such as
porcelain.
To protect the graphitized outer surfaces of the resistance strips, I may cover them
with paper e, or other fabric or material, or this covering may be of insulating paint or
varnish; and the covering of paint or varnish may be bronzed if desired.
The frames carrying the resistance strips may be arranged in any suitable manner
upon the walls of the room. In figure 6, they are shown as placed around the base
of the walls, as a wainscoting. The whole wall surface may, however, be covered
with them and the ceiling also if desired, or any required portion of the walls may be
covered.
The connection of the plates as to multiple arc and series will depend upon the
current employed and the temperature required in each case.
That is, if with a certain current it is found that the resistance of four strips con-
nected in series as shown in the drawing, will cause such strips to be raised to the
required temperature, then all the strips in the room will be connected in series of four,

page_text: each series being in multiple arc to the others, whereby all parts of the heating
system will be raised to the same temperature.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that
what I claim is :-
1. Electrically heating rooms, buildings and the like, by means of thin widely-
spread electrical conducting bodies, such as adherent coatings of carbon applied to
non-electrical conducting surfaces and placed upon the walls of a room or in other
convenient situations, the electric current being passed through the whole coating
with uniformity, and the resistance and radiating surface of the coating being so
proportioned to the current that such coating is heated at every part to a uniform
temperature, which is lower than the igniting point of wood, paper or like combustible
materials, whether the coating is or is not provided with a protecting covering, sub-
stantially as hereinbeforo described.
2. Electrically heating rooms, buildings aud the like, by means of strips or pieces
of combustible material such as wood or paper, covered with coatings of electrical
conducting material, through which the electric current is passed, the resistanco and
radiating surface of the coating being so proportioned to the current that such coating
is heated to a temperature below the igniting point of the combustible material on
which it is placed, substantially as hereinbefore described.
THOS. J. HANDFORD,
50, Bedford Row, London, W.C.,
Agent.