Moving heater strip temperature control

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH AN ELECTRICALLY HEATED STRIP CONVEYOR, WHEREIN SAID CONVEYOR INCLUDES A SERIES OF HEATER STRIPS DISPOSED IN SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL EDGEWISE RELATION, MEANS FOR CONVEYING SAID STRIPS THROUGH A CONTINUOUS TRAVEL PATH HAVING INITIAL AND FINAL POINTS IN SAID PATH AND IN ONE PLANE, AND ELECTRICAL MEANS FOR HEATING SAID STRIPS; A MEANS FOR REGULATING AND CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID STRIPS, COMPRISING A FIXED PLATE, HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE, DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE OPERATING ENVIRONMENT OF SAID HEATER STRIPS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE INITIAL POINT IN THE TRAVEL PATH OF SAID HEATER STRIPS AND LATERALLY OF SAID PATH, WITH SAID FIXED PLATE UPPER SURFACE SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANE OF SAID PATH; ELECTRICAL MEANS FOR HEATING SAID PLATE; AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT ADAPTED TO CONNECT THE RESPECTIVE HEATING MEANS FOR SAID STRIPS AND PLATE, IN PARALLEL, TO A SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY, SAID CIRCUIT INCLUDING AN ON AND OFF CONTROL SWITCH INTERMEDIATE SAID POWER SOURCE AND SAID HEATING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PLATE; AND ELECTRICAL MEANS TO ACTUATE SAID SWITCH INCLUDING MEANS FOR SENSING THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID PLATE AND SAID PLATE HEATING MEANS WITH REFERENCE TO A PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE VALUE FOR SAID HEATER STRIPS.