Electric heating device for vehicle windows

Claim 1

In a heating device for a glass surface or the like, of the type including a lattice arrangement of laterally-spaced electrically-conductive foil strips electrically connected in parallel at their ends by transversely-extending electrical terminals for coupling the strips to a source of direct current, the improvement comprising: two elongated carrier strips each made of an electrically non-conductive material and having an adhesive layer on both sides thereof, said strips being securable to the glass surface by means of one of their adhesive layers in spaced-apart, generally parallel relationship so as to laterally delimit the surface area of the glass encompassed by the heating device; said foil strips comprising a plurality of thin, electrically conductive, foil strips, cut from an arbitrarily divisible continuous strip supply, each of which has an adhesive layer on one side, said strips extending between and disposed generally normally to, said carrier strips and being secured to said carrier strips and the surface of the glass therebetween in spaced apart relationship by means of said adhesive layer thereof, the ends of each foil strip overlying said carrier strips; and said terminals comprise two strip-shaped electrical conductors, one of said conductors being fastened onto a respective one of said carrier strips by the other adhesive layer on the carrier strip exposed between said foil strip ends, said conductors overlaying the ends of each of said foil strips and being in electrically conductive engagement therewith.

Claim 9

A method of mounting a heating device on a glass surface or the like, comprising the steps of: securing two electrically non-conductive carrier strips, each of which is provided with an adhesive layer on both sides to the glass surface in spaced-apart, generally parallel relationship to one another by means of one of their adhesive layers; cutting a plurality of electrically conductive foil strips, having an adhesive layer on one side thereof, from a continuous strip supply thereof, said strip being cut to a predetermined length generally equivalent to the distance between said carrier strips; securing the ends of said foil strips by means of their adhesive layers in overlying relation to said carrier strips, and the remainder of said foil strips by means of their adhesive layer to the surface of the glass between said carrier strips such that said foil strips are disposed generally normal to said carrier strips in spaced-apart relationship; securing a strip-shaped electrical conductor to each of said carrier strips by means of the other adhesive layer of said carrier strip exposed between the ends of the foil strips overlying the carrier strip, such that said strip-shaped conductors overlie the ends of each of said foil strips in electrically conductive engagement therewith and adhere to the exposed other adhesive layer of said carrier strips between said foil strips; and coupling one end of at least one of said conductors to a source of direct current.

Claim 10

A method of mounting a heating device on a glass surface or the like, comprising the steps of: securing two electrically non-conductive carrier strips, each of which is provided with an adhesive layer on both sides to the glass surface in spaced-apart, generally parallel relationship to one another by means of one of their adhesive layers; cutting a plurality of electrically conductive foil strips, having an adhesive layer on one side thereof, from a continuous strip supply thereof, said strip being cut to a predetermined length generally equivalent to the distance between said carrier strips; securing the ends of said foil strips by means of their adhesive layers in overlying relation to said carrier strips, and the remainder of said foil strips by means of their adhesive layer to the surface of the glass between said carrier strips such that said foil strips are disposed generally normal to said carrier strips in spaced-apart relationship; securing a strip-shaped electrical conductor to each of said carrier strips by means of the other adhesive layer of said carrier strip exposed between the ends of the foil strips overlying the carrier strip, such that said strip-shaped conductors overlie the ends of each of said foil strips in electrically conductive engagement therewith and adhere to the exposed other adhesive layer of said carrier strips between said foil strips; and coupling one end of at least one of said conductors to a source of direct current.