Electric heating apparatus for removing textile waste material

Claim 1

Apparatus comprising: manually portable housing means for enclosing components of the apparatus and having handle means for accommodating ready portability to a location of use, electrical supply conducting means extensible from within said housing means for delivering electrical Current through said housing means, elongate flexible air supply conduit means extending from said housing means and connectable with an external supply of pressurized air for delivering through said housing means a flowing stream of air having a predetermined volume rate of flow, manipulable handle means for manual control over the direction of air, elongate flexible air delivery conduit means extending between said housing means and said handle means for conducting the flowing stream of air from said housing means to said handle means in substantially unimpeded flow and for permitting application thereof at locations remote from said housing means, electrical resistance heater means extending from said handle means and interposed in the flow path of said flowing stream of air for heating air to an elevated temperature, electrical delivery conducting means extending between said housing means and said handle means for conducting electrical current to said heater means, means for binding said delivery conducting means and said delivery conduit means together into a single bundle extending between said housing means and said handle means, nozzle means extending from said heater means for directing heated air, and control means mounted within said housing means and operatively interconnected with said conduit means and said conducting means for coordinating delivery of electrical current and air to said heater means and including: air pressure electrical switch means interposed between said supply conduit means and said delivery conduit means for preventing energization of said heater means in the absence of the flowing stream of air and thereby protecting said heater means against failure otherwise possibly occurring due to energization thereof while no air is flowing therethrough, means for adjustably regulating the pressure at which the flowing stream of air is delivered to said electrical heater means and thereby for varying the velocity at which heated air issues from said nozzle means, and means for varying at least one characteristic of the electrical current flowing to said heater means and thereby varying the temperature at which air is delivered through said nozzle means.