Patent ID: 8464963

Claim:
A supplemental heating system for vehicles, the vehicles having an engine and a crankshaft driven by the engine, said system comprising: a pump member for circulating a liquid coolant supplied to the engine; a viscous mechanism positioned in operable association with said crankshaft and pump member and positioned between the engine and said pump member; said viscous mechanism comprising: a pair of viscous clutch faces and a driven viscous plate positioned between said pair of viscous clutch faces; a reservoir of viscous fluid; a first working chamber for viscous fluid provided between said driven viscous plate and one of the viscous clutch faces, and a second working chamber for viscous fluid provided between said driven viscous plate and the other viscous clutch face; a viscous heater adjacent to and in contact with said first working chamber, said viscous heater selectively heating said liquid coolant flow present within said heater; and a valve member in operable association with said reservoir, said valve member selectively providing viscous fluid from said reservoir to one or both of said working chambers.