GB2212037A

GB2212037A - Electrically heated towel rail

Info

Publication number: GB2212037A
Application number: GB8726069A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kelvin Pearce
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-11-06
Filing date: 1987-11-06
Publication date: 1989-07-12
Anticipated expiration: 2007-11-06
Also published as: GB8726069D0; GB2212037B

Abstract

The towel rail comprises an arrangement of tubular cross members 1 to 3 and tubular upright members 6 to 8 joined by hollow ball connectors 9 and 10. The members contain an electrical heating tape 37, 39, 40 which comprises at least two current carriers and a heating element all contained within an outer sheath of electrical insulation material. The tape includes active heating zones disposed within the cross members 1 to 3, in which a section of the heating element is connected to the current carriers such that a current path exists from one current carrier to another through the element. The sections of the tape disposed with the upright members 6 and 7 have passive zones in which no current path exists through the corresponding section of heating element. Electricity is supplied to the heating tape via a concealed supply cable which extends through the end of a tubular section of the rail which is adapted for mounting against the surface of a wall or floor. <IMAGE>

Description

ELECTRICALLY HEATED TOWEL RAIL A known form of electrically heated towel rail comprises an S-shaped tube containing a continuous electrical heating element running throughout most of its length. As a result the upright sections of the tube are heated as well as the horizontal sections so that much of the heat is wasted.

One aim of the present invention is to provide a form of construction in which selected sections can be heated as required but which is also simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

The solution offered by the present invention lies in an electrically heated towel rail comprising at least one tubular cross member containing an electrical heating tape, the tape comprising at least two current carriers and a heating element all contained within an outer sheath of electrical insulation material, the tape comprising active heating zones along its length in which a section of the heating element is connected to the current carriers such that a current path exists from one current carrier to another through the element, and optional passive zones in which no such current path exists through the corresponding section of heating element.

The passive zones are optional since it would be possible to produce a towel rail within the scope of the invention comprising only a single cross member.

In such a case no passive zones would be necessary but the rail would still have distinct manufacturing advantages, namely simplicity and cost.

It is however preferred for the towel rail to comprise an arrangement of tubular cross members and tubular upright members. The tape could thus travel continuously from one cross member to another through an associated upright member, the cross members containing active zones and a passive zone being arranged in the upright member so that heating only takes place in the cross members.

The tape may include a branch or branches. The or each branch preferably comprises a moulded sleeve of electrical insulation material with one leg of the tape extending from one end of the sleeve and two further legs extending from the opposite end. Such an arrangement makes the task of assembling the towel rail easier than say a T-shaped branch, and also allows the diameter of the tubular members to be kept to a minimum.

In the earlier device described above electricity is fed to the heating element via a trailing cord. This is both unsightly and potentially dangerous in a bathroom for example. In the present towel rail electricity is preferably fed to the heating tape via a cable section which extends through the end of a tubular section of the rail for mounting against the surface of a wall or floor. The supply cable can be chased into the wall or concealed beneath the floor.

The invention will now be exemplified in the following description to be read in conjunction with ' the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front view of an electrically heated towel rail in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a side view of the rail, Figure 3 is a sectional detail of the upper mounting arm of the rail, and Figure 4 is a transverse section through a heating tape used in the towel rail.

Referring to Fig.s 1 and 2, the towel rail comprises three tubular cross members 1-3 and two upright side members indicated generally at 4 and 5. Each side member comprises two short upper and middle tubular sections 6, 7 respectively, each joining the cross members 1, 2 and 2, 3 respectively, and a lower tubular leg section 8. The lower and middle cross members 2, 3 are joined to the appropriate sections of the upright members 4, 5 by hollow ball-shaped T connectors 9, whereas the top cross member 1 is joined to each of the top upright sections 6 by a further ball-shaped connector 10 having three mutually perpendicular spigots 11. The third spigot receives a short, rearwardly extending mounting arm 12 (Fig. 2).The free end of arm 12 is secured to a mounting piece 13 comprising a collar 14 and an outwardly extendipg annular flange 15 through which fixing screws can be inserted to secure the upper end of the rail to a wall.

A similar mounting piece 16 is secured to the lower end of each leg section 8 for use in securing the rail to the floor.

In most cases the tubular sections are fixed inside the spigots of the ball connectors 9, 10 by screws or soldering for example. However, as shown in Fig. 3, the left hand arm 12 is slidable within the appropriate spigot 11 of ball connector 10. A 3-core heat resistant cable 20 passes through the arm 12, via ball connector 10 and into the top cross member 1. A brass bush 21 is secured in the adjacent end of this cross member by screws 22, 23. One end of the bush has an inwardly directed annular flange 24 to locate a strain relief bush 25 in which the cable 20 is in turn secured. The live and neutral wires (not shown) of cable 20 connect with an electrical heating tape 26 whereas the earth wire 27 doubles back and is secured by an earthing screw 28 to the bush 21. The electrical joint with the heating tape is covered by a sleeve 29 of electrical insulation.

The structure of the heating tape is shown in more detail in Fig. 4. This briefly comprises a pair of current carrying busbars 30, 31 provided with a covering 32 of high temperature electrical insulation material, and an electrical heating element 33 wrapped in a spiral configuration about a core of glass fibre filaments 34. These are all contained within a sheath of similar electrical insulation material 35. Any particular length of the heating element can be made active by connecting it across the busbars. On tke other hand, if a length of the element is connected to one busbar only, or neither, it will be inactive and no heat will be produced in that section of the tape. A tape of this kind is described more fully in UK Patent Specification No. 86. 20 093.

Referring back to Fig. 1, in the rail under description the tape comprises a first length 37 travelling within cross member 1 and upper section 6 to enter one end of a cylindrical moulded branch connector 38. From the opposite end of the connector 38 a second length 39 emerges to travel along substantially the entire length of middle cross member 2, and a third length 40 also emerges to travel down the associated middle section 7 and back along the lower cross member 3. Only the sections of the tape lying within the cross members 1-3 are rendered active as described.

In use, the cable 20 is connected to a terminal block 41 (Fig. 3) housed within a wiring box 42 set in a wall 43. A mains supply cable, which may be chased into the wall, also enters the wiring box and connects with the terminal block 41. The earthing wire from the supply cable is connected to the earth terminal 44 of the wiring box which in turn is connected by wire 45 to arm 12 by an earthing screw 46. The arm 12 is normally slid into the connector 9 for access to the wiring box, but when the connections have been completed the arm is extended and the mounting piece 13 is screwed to the wall to cover the wiring box 42 so that no electrical wiring is exposed. The arm. 12 may be secured to the ball connector 9 by a screw (not shown) inserted through spigot 11. If desired the cable 20 could be taken out through a lower mounting piece 16 and pass directly through a hole in the floor covered by the mounting piece. Sealing washers 47 are located between the flange of each mounting piece 13 and the wall.

The two lower ball connectors 9 could be replaced by ball connectors 10 and further arms 12 for mounting the rail independently of the floor. Indeed, any combination of cross members and uprights could be used within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An electrically heated towel rail comprising at least one tubular cross member containing an electrical heating tape, the tape comprising at least two current carriers and a heating element all extending lengthwise of the tape and all contained within an outer sheath of electrical insulation material, the tape comprising active heating zones along its length in which a section of the heating element is connected to the current carriers such that a current path exists from one current carrier to another through the element.

2. A towel rail according to Claim 1, in which the tape comprises a passive zone in which no such current path exists from one current carrier to another through the corresponding section of heating element.

3. A towel rail according to Claim 1 or 2, which comprises an arrangement of tubular cross members and tubular upright members.

4. A towel rail according to Claim 3 as appended to Claim 2, in which the heating tape extends continuously from one cross member to another through an associated upright member, the cross members containing active heating zones and the said upright member containing a passive zone.

5. A towel rail according to Claim 3 or 4, in which the tape includes at least one branch.

6. A towel rail according to Claim 5, in which the or each branch comprises a moulded sleeve of electrical insulation material with one leg of the tape extending from one end of the sleeve and two further legs extending from the opposite end.

7. A towel rail according to any of Claims 3 to 6, in which the cross members and uprights are coupled by hollow ball connectors each having at least two tubular connecting spigots.

8. A towel rail according to any preceding claim, in which electricity is supplied to the heating tape via a supply cable which extends through the end of a tubular section of the rail which is adapted for mounting against the surface of a wall or floor.

9. A towel rail according to Claim 8, in which the said end of the tubular section through which the supply cable extends is provided with an outwardly extending flance for connection to the wall or floor.

10. A towel rail 1 according to Claim 8 or 9, in which the said end of the tubular section through which the supply cable extends is connected with the rest of the towel rail in a telescopic mannerpermitting the said end to be withdrawn from the wall or floor with the towel rail mounted in situ.

11. An electrically heated towel rail substantially as described with reference to the drawings.