US2512559A - Comfort unit - Google Patents

Description

June 20, 1950 A. L. w. WILLIAMS 2,512,559

' COMFORT UNIT Filed Jan. 18, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ALF/ 0 Z. W. MLL/AMS ATTORNL') June 20, 1950 A. L. w. WILLIAMS COMFORT UNIT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 18, 1945 INVENTOR. Au'eso L 11/ Mum:

Patented June 20, 1950 UNITED S TAT ES PAT ENT PF ICE COMFORT UNIT Alf'reiiL. w. Williams, Cleveland Heights, Ohio Applicationllanuary 18, 1945;1Seria1 No. 573,427

22 Claims.

My invention pertains to a comfort unit and more particularly to apad or blanket or the like and an air conditioning unit associated therewith for heating a person-or for giving the person a-feeling ofapparent coolness object ofmy invention is to provide abomfort pad which may be usedin bed or the like for heating a person; I 7

Another object of my invention is to provide a comfort pad which may be used in bed or the like for giving a person a feeling of apparent coolness.

A further object of my invention is to provide a comfort pad-which will warm a personor which will give the person a feeling of apparent coolness;

It is also an object of my invention to provide a small, compact; quiet, device for heating and/or apparently cooling a person.

Another objectof my invention is to utilize theheating unitin a comfort device for maintaining the cooling unit" in eiiective operation.

A- further object of my invention is to provide a comfort pad for heating and/or apparently cooling a person which is automatically or semiautomatioa-lly controlled in accordance with thermostatic and humidity conditions.-

Qther objects and a fuller understanding of my invention may be had by referring to the following description and drawings-, wherein,

Figure 1'- illustrates partially schematically and partially in cross-section a comfort unit including a comfort pad and an air conditioning unit.

Figure 2- is a sectional view along lines 2-2 of Figure 3, showing amodified form of a portion of the air conditioning uni-t which may be used with the comfort pad shown in Figure 1-.

Figure 3 is a sectional view along line -33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a circuit diagram ofthe modified form of my invention shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 5 is a circuit diagram of the form of my invention shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6 illustrates a further modified form of my invention.

Figures 7 and 8 are enlarged cross-sectional views of portions of two types of comfort pads which may be used in my invention, and

Figure 9 schematically illustrates a multiple installation utilizing my invention.

With respect to Figure 1, the invention comprises a pad or blanket unit I!) which is connected to an air conditioning unit, indicated generally by the reference character 12, by means of a hollow air impervious tube [3 of suitable length.

The comfortpador blanket unit l0 may comprise any material through-which a small amount of previously conditioned air may be caused to flow. And it may be positioned near a person so that the conditioned air which flows out of it will come into Contact with the body of a person; or the comfort pad- 10 may be a mattress or pillow upon which a person may lie.

I prefer to utilize a pad comprised of two sheets of substantially air impervious material; these two sheets; being connected together at their edges and at a plurality of spots l4 throughout their area as is shown in Figure '7. One sheet of this pad has aplurality of small holes, such as pin holes 9 in it, through which the conditioned air furnished to the pad passes.

The material from which the pad ID is made is'relativel-y immaterial so far as my system is concerned.- However, I prefer to utilize Koroseal sheets, as the material is very pliable, is air impervious except where small pin holes are made, andadoes not rustle when it is bent and cr-iin-ped. This lack of rustle is of advantage when rny pad is used by a sleeping person as occasional turning and tossing about will not cause-noise towake the person up. Further, when a material such as Koroseal is utilized the connecticns l4 and the edge seal between the upper and lower layers may be made by momentarily applying an amount of heat sufiicient to slightly melt the Koroseal while simultaneously or immediately thereafter applying pressure while the spot cools to cause the two layers to weld together. This may be called spot welding as the two sheets become integral at the edges at the spot 14. It is also within the scope of my invention to sew the two layers together either in spots or in longlines, and to seal the needle holes in one of the layers by means of any hardenable sealing material but leaving the needle holes inthe other layer for the air to escape as shown by Figure 8.

The hose l3 may be connected to one corner of the pad Ill by any suitable means such as the fiat funnel l5 which may be comprised of plastic, metal, or the like, and which extends inside the corner of thepad, One end of the hose l3 may slip inthe tube-like portion l6 which is integral with funnel l5 and may be suitably connected thereto by clampingor gluing or by friction. Air which is blown through the hose l3 thereby encars the interior of the pad l0 and due to the slight amount of pressure which is built up by the resistance of the air to passing out through the small pin holes in the pad a slight balloon action or puffing of the pad is obtained. The plurality of points M where the two sheets comprising the pad are connected together prevent the pad from becoming too thick when it' 'pufis up. The slight pressure, say, for instance, 1 to 2 ounces, is sufficient to cause a flow of air through the numerous pin holes 9 in one side of the pad. Thus if the pad is thrown over a person with the pin-hole side down the air which flows out of the pad comes in contact with the persons body.

The pad I may be the size of a blanket so that tainer is shaped to fit within the housing 2| it can be tucked in around the mattress, or it may comprise the center section of a composite blanket the edges of which are of ordinary blanket material and adapted to tuck in around the mattress. The center section of the composite blanket would comprise the pad portion Hi which thereby is adapted to be positioned over that portion of a bed normally occupied by a person. Also, the pad may be small and adapted for insertion under the covers of a regular bed to that it would not need to be tucked in. It is also within the scope of my invention that the tube |3 may be connected to a mattress and the mattress may be air pervious or may have a plurality of holes by means of which the air could come in contact with the body of a person lyin in bed.

Connected to the end of the hose l3 opposite the'blanket end is an air conditioning unit in-' dicated generally by the reference character I2, and a switching mechanism indicated generally by the reference character 20 is provided for controlling the air conditioning unit. Details of this switching mechanism 20 will be more fully described later.

The air conditioning unit |2' comprises a hollow tubular member or housing 2| which may be cylindrical or oval or any other shape in crosssection, and the member may be formed of metal, plastic, or spirally wound paper the successive windings of which are connected to each other by glue or plastic material to form a hard, rigid tubular member. portions 22 and 23, integral respectively with two side wall portions. This construction facilitates assembly but it is to be understood that the housing 2| may comprise a single piece tubular member and the end portions 22, 23 may be connected thereto in any suitable manner. Through the end 22 there is an air inlet opening 23 having grill work 24 such as a plurality of finely spaced bars and/or a layer of cloth or the like for preventing the ingress of foreign matter into the housing 2|. The grill 24 may be snapped into the housing 2| by means of angle irons 33and nut and bolt devices 24, and comprises an electrically driven motor for driving an air impeller which may be 'any suitable 'typewhich delivers on the order of to cubic feet of air a minute at a pressure of about 1 or 2 ounces. The electric motor and pump should be sufiiciently quiet in their operation that a person trying to sleep would not be disturbed either by noise'or by vibrations. The

air pump unit 30 has an outlet 35 from which the air is blown against a heated such as an electrically energized coil of resistance wire 36. The

This housing 2| has two end with its wall portions snugly against the interior surface of the housing, and it has air pervious end closure means such as cloth stretched across the ends and connected to the walls of the container 50. Within the container 50 is a large amount of silica gel 5| or other moisture absorbing means. The cloth end closures prevent this silicagel 5| from spilling out of the container 58 into the housing 2| yet permit the air which flows through the container to pass through the container 50.

The end 23 of the housing 2| has an outlet opening 55 to which is connected one end of the hose I3. Any means may be utilized for connecting the hose at this outlet opening such as a number of spring clips 56. Mounted on the wall of the housing 2| preferably between the silica gel container 50 and the outlet opening 55 is a hygrostat 60 and a thermostat 40. These are schematically shown as a wide variety of commerically available hygrostats and thermostats may be utilized to control my air conditioning unit.

The angle irons 33 may be utilized for securing the'two portions of the housing together. The bolt arrangement 24 secures one end of the housing 2| and a bolt arrangement'BZ secures the other end of the housing to the angle iron 33. One or more externally mounted angle irons 63 may be connected to the housing 2| and to the internally mounted angle iron 33 by means of bolts 24, and each angle iron 63 may have a mounting hole 64 through it whereby the conditioning unit may be connected to the frame of a bed. Other suitable arrangements for connecting the air conditioning unit l2 to a bed may be utilized, such as by swinging it in a hammock which is suspended from the bed. This will prevent vibration from being transmitted from the air conditioning unit to the frame of the bed. Also, any of the well known rubber mounting devices may be utilized to reduce the transmission of vibration to a bed.

' The control panel 25 may be mounted on the head or on the side out the bed or, if desired, it may be a separate movable switch which may be positioned On a night table beside the bed. Connected to the control panel 23 is an electric cord 55 which may be plugged into any convenient source of electric power, such, for example, as a v. 60 cycle, A. C. supply, by means of a plug 66. One side ll? of the electrical suppl line [may go to terminal ll of the air pump unit 38 and the other side E2 of the supply line may be connected to terminal 13 of the air pump unit 38. The wires Hi and I2 extend through the housing 2| by means of a small hole drilled therein and this hole may be sealed by a grommet 15. The electric motor in the air pump unit 30 is in parallel with the electric heater coil 36, and'the electrical circuit through the heater coil 36 extends to one of the electrical contacts 16 (see Figure 5) of the thermostat ill. The other moi-aces 5. side or the motor circuit is connected to the" thermostat 40" by means of wire l l The thermostat 40 is arranged so that it opens the: circult through the heatersfi when ibis sati fied.

The hygrostat so is in parallel with the" then mcstat m and independently or the thermostat 41! supplies actuating current to the electric motor the air pump-unit as for starting the bump; and at thesame time coiiipletes'a circuit through the he'ater'co'il 35'. These functions are performed when the humidity within the hous i-ng 1 -2 is hizh.

IH-the Wintft'lIe air conditioning system operates as follows:

'I li'e" thermostat 4B, which may be manually adjustable over a wide-1rrange of temperatures, may be set any temperature for keeping a person comfortable. The comfort pad I!) is thrown over" a person either by" itself: or with blankets on top of it; 'ihe" operator throws the switch 81! on: the control: panel: 20 intomosition A". Poweris thus supplied to the electricar driving unit. in the air pump 30= which sucks in air through the opening 23 and blowsit by'mean's otf tube I 3 ihto the comfort pad in and from there it flows around a persons. body The thenmostat 40, not" being satisfied by the cool' air which is being taken in' at the inlet 23*, cstablishes an electrical circuit through the heater 36- andthe aii which is blown o'ut oi pump'mit- 161735" is heated; This air passes through the silica gel 5| therebyheating" the silica gel; and the warm: air passes through tube It which may be heat insulated; into the comfort pad it from; where it: out of the sznall yin holes 8 and. into contact with the bodyof the person in bed. Upon the-thermostat 49* becoming. satis'fied by" theheat supplied by the coil 3 b it op a l circuit which breaks the current supply to the coil 36 thereby shutting off the heat. The" air which is blown throughthe'silica gel 5! after the heater has been turned off; is" slightly warmed due to the heat that is stored hr the silica gel but soon: the-thermostat will no longer be satis lied and will close the coib energizing circuit therebysupplying current to the'heater 35.

While I' haveshown a heater device which is operated by a make and br eali thermostat it is alsot'o'b'e understood that it-is within the scope of m invention' to utilize a heater device which does not continually turn: on and 0E but which supplies a relatively constant amount of heat and the thermostat operates to adjust the amount from zero to a: large amount. The: hygrost'at 60' is not essential? for the winter opera tion as-largeamouhtsi of heat may be imparted to the air which is blown around the personi thus making the person feel warm regardless-of themoisturecontent of the air.

It-is well known-that the comfort ofv a person depends upon: several factors; among. them beingzthe'tempcrature of the air, the'humidity of the air; and the motion, or velocity or the air surrounding the person; Thus, an amount of warm dry air havingsufiicient velocity will give a personxther feeling of apparent coolness if it evaporates: moisture irom. the skin of the'person. It is this evaporationwhich makes the person apparently feel cool; In the winter'warm dry'air, ii itevaporates moistureirom the skin-of a person, might" make that person feel coolwhereas warm moist air would make him ieel warm; In the device showri in Figure 'l dry air is supplied to the person; How-wer, sufficient heat: may be imparted: to that air thatthe drynessthereof 6 becomes immaterial. The device shown in Fig ure's 2 and 3; which' is to be described in detail later, provides LfOI' supplying to a :person warm air which has not been dehydrated and thus not as much heat need beim parte'd to' the air.

In the" summer when the air is warm and its moisture content is high, the'device would oper ate as follows: The silica gel is dry. When the switch blade is position A the blower 33 is operating. Heater coil 36 is not energized: as thet'emperature'of the warin moist incoming air satisfies the thermostat 49 and its contacts are open" to break the :circuit through the coil. Eygrostat 63 is satisfied because the silica gel 51, being unsaturated, maintains the air within the container at a low moisture content. Thus its electrical circuit is broken. The warnimoist air is forced through the silica gel container 53 where substantially all of its moisture is removed, and this dry air is blown onto the person in bed thereby mak n him feel cool due to the evaporation of the body moisture. Sufiicient' silica gel 51 is in the housing 2! for a number of hours of operation, such, for example, as 10 hours.- This means that zere inust besuilieciezit silica gel to absorb the moisture from the which passes through the container in ten hours of operation; Thus the volume of air which blown about a person should be kept to a minimum. For this reason I provide pin holes only on the bottom layer of the material which com prises the pad I0.

After the device has been in operation all night the moisture which has been absorbed by the silica gel must be driven off in order to prepare the silica gel for the next hights operation. Thus, upon rising in the morning switch blade 80 is thrown into position B, where blade 8! establishes a circuit through wire 714, through switch (when hygrostat switch is closed), and through the heater 3'6a Blade 82 establishes a circuit through wire 15, through. switch 83 (when hygrostat switch is closed), and through'wire 12 to energizethe blower 3G The hygrostat switch will be closed due to the saturation or near saturation of the silica gel and. thus heater and blower will both be on regardless of the position of the thermostat switch M1, and hot air will be blown through the silicat gel 5% thereby taking substantially all of the moisture out of the silica gel; When the silicat gel 5i has become sufficiently dry or re-activated the air which is blown about the hygrostat 60 will become dry and the hygrostat will open the circuit Bthrough the motor and through'the heater thereby automatically shuttingboth of them off.

If the moisture content of the air which has beenpassing' through the air conditioner during a night operation isn'ot' high enough to saturate thesilica'gel; then throwing switch blade 83 into position B will not cause the motor 30 and the heater 36' to ,beenergized. The next night when the personwishes to retire, he throws switch 85 from position'B into position A. This starts the electric motor which operates the electric blower to cause air tobe blown through the silicagei 5| into the comfort pad in. Due to the-fact that the silica gel has either been reactivated or has not needed re-activation, the-air which-passes around the hygrostat'will be relatively dry and will not cause" the hygrostat 6i) totry to es'tablish'a contact. Howevenshouldthe silica gel become sat urated dueto long c'ontinued'use without the operator throwing the'switch 80 into position'B no 7 harm will be done by the closing of the hygrostat contacts as circuit B is open at the switch 80.

Figures 2, 3, and 4 illustrate another form of my device. The silica gel unit 85 extends only part way across the housing 2|. The remainder of the distance is closed by a flap arrangement 86 which is pivoted at 81 and which may seal against the abutment 88 for substantially preventing air i'rom flowing through the passageway 89. The flap 86 is under the control of a solenoid operated plunger 90 and the coil 9| of the solenoid operated plunger is arranged in the electrical circuit of the thermostat 40 as shown in the circuit diagram of Figure 4 so that when the thermostat 40 is not satisfied and is calling for heat the flap 8B is open allowing air to pass through the passage-way 89. Accordingly, in the winter time when heated air is bein supplied to the comfort pad I substantially all of the air icy-passes the silica gel and retains its moisture. Thus warm moist air is supplied to the person in bed rather than warm dry air, and it has been found that the amount of heat supplied to the air by the heater coil 36 in order that the person should feel a given degree of comfort is iCOIlsiderably less.

Silica gel and many of the other dehydrating agents have the characteristic of absorbing substantially all of the moisture in the air which passes through it until the silica gel reaches saturation, at which point the agent no longer absorbs any moisture. In other words, the silica gel, while active, takes substantially all of the moisture out of air. It is not always desirable or necessary to pass absolutely dry air around the body of the person in order to give him a feeling of comfort, and during very moist days the quantity of water to be absorbed during l0 hours of operation would be large, therefore requiring a large amount of silica gel in the housing with consequent higher pressure to force the air through the silica gel container. If, for instance, the atmosphere has 80% humidity and air of 40% humidity is blown about a person he will feel more comfortable. Accordingly, only a portion of the moisture in the air need be removed, thereby saving in silica gel and saving on the size of the unit.

Figure 6 illustrates a modified form of silica gel container for passing air to the comfort pad which is not substantially 100% dry. It comprises the container 50 having end closure means 52 similar to the end closure means in Figure 1. At the ends it has rigid supports 1! 00 and HH over which the cloth to retain the silica gel is stretched and to which it may be connected. Between these two supports extend a number of small air pipes I02. The silica gel Si is positioned around these pipes and the air which passes through the pipes does not become dehydrated as it does not contact the silica gel. The pipes I02 preferably should be of such size and number that there is established a resistance to the fiow of air therethrough which approximates the resistance to the flow through the silica gel. If the pipes were too large too much of the air would pass through them and not enough through the silica gel, resulting in insufficient dehydration of the air. If the resistance to the flow of air through the pipes H12 approximately equals the resistance to the flow of air through the silica gel then about one half of the air will pass through the silica gel and half will pass through the pipes. On a day which has, for example, 80% humidity, the humidity of the conditioned air of the comfort pad 8 will be about 40%. This is a suificient drop'to be readily noticeable by a person and would give an apparent feeling of coolness.

It is within the scope of my invention that moisture can be added to the air which is delivered through the comfort pad [2. This would be particularly valuable during dry winter nights. One method of adding moisture to the air would be to provide an opening in the top of the silica gel container 50 through which a small amount of water could be poured. The silica gel 5| will absorb this water and as warm air is forced through it, it will give the moisture up. Other methods which could be used would be to provide a tank of water with a wick of air pervious cloth or the like partially immersed in the water. Obviously a number of other methods could be used.

The comfort pad l 0 has been described as comprising two sheets of material connected to ether at their edges and at a plurality of spots throughout its area to establish a hollow pad which does not balloon up when air under pressure is supplied to the pad.

Figures '7 and 8 illustrate two methods of connecting the two sheets H0 and Ill together. In Figure 7 the sheets have been spot welded together by applying to localized spots sufficient heat to soften the material and while the material cools pressure is applied. At the spot M the two sheets H0, III fuse together and become integral. Between the sheets at areas where they are not connected together the air is free to flow.

In Figure 8 the two sheets H0, Ill have been stitched together with thread H2, and the needle holes in the sheet H0 have been sealed by means of a hardenable material such as plastic cement, glue, shellac or the like to prevent air from escaping. The needle holes in the sheet I l I remain open for air to escape, thereby obviating the necessity for special air holes 9.

Figure 9 illustrates a multiple installation utilizing a plurality of comfort pads l0 connected to a single air conditioning unit l2 which obviously may be of a larger size than that used for a single pad. It is contemplated that hotels could have a central condition unit and pipes leading to all of the rooms. To these pipes the comfort pad shown in Figure 1 could be connected. In an in stallation of this size it would be economical to actually cool the air which is delivered.

While I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity it is to be understood that numerous other arrangements of parts and many other different materials and processes of manufacture may be used without departing from my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a comfort unit; the combination including enclosure means having a plurality of small holes therethrough and adapted to be positioned near a person; hose means one end of which is connected to said enclosure means; air conditioning means connected to the other end of said hose means, said air conditioning means including means for dehumidifying air; and means for forcing air through said dehumidifying means for dehumidifying said air and through said hose into said enclosure means from where it passes through the holes therein into contact with the body of the said person for establishing a cooling effect.

2. In a comfort unit; the combination including enclosure means having a plurality of small holes therethrough and adapted to be positioned near a inerson; hose means one :end of which is connected :tosaidenclesu eimea s; airco dit o :in tmeans connect d otheriend cf .saidhos means; said. air .condit onin means in ludin means of "the moisture ab orbin tim or ehumidifyine air; ndmean ;.f.0r forcing a r th o gh said dehumidiit'inezmeans for dehumidify ng said air and throu h. sa d hose intosaid encl su e means from where it passes through the holes th rein into contact with the body o the Said person for establishin a coolin e ie t; an means -.cmnris.ing :a por i n of said a r conditioning means for reactivating said dehumidif ying means after vit j-has {absorbed a quantity of moisture. I

In a comfort unit; the combination includin enclosure means h in a {plurality of smal holes therethrough and adapted to be positioned near .a per o hose :means one .end of wh h connected to the other end of said hose-means, said air conditio n means including means of the absorbing type for ldehum-idifying air, means for forcing airpast said-,dehumidii-ying means for dehum diiying .sa d air and throng-h s id no e into said enclosure means from where it passes through the holes therein into contact with the body-of the said person iorlestablishing a cooling eifect; and heater means comprising a portion of. said air conditioning means for heating said dehumidiiying means to reactivate it after it has absorbed a quantity of moisture.

4. In a comfort unit; the combination including enclosure means having a plurality of small holes therethrough and adapted to be positioned near a person; hose means one end of which is connected to said enclosure means; air .conditioning means connected to :thecther end of said hose means, said air conditioning means including means of the moisture absorbing for dehumiditying air; means for forcing .air past said dehumidif-ying means for dehumidifying said air and through said hose into said enclosure means from where it passes through the holes therein into contact with the .body of said person for establishing .a cooling effect, and heater means .for heating said .dehumidif ying means to reactivate it after it has absorbed a quantity of moisture, said heater means also being adapted to heat the air passing through said conditioning means and passing into said enclosure means.

'5. In a comfortuni-t; the combination including enclosure means having a plurality of small holes therethrough and adapted to be positioned near a person; hose means one end of which is connected to said enclosure means; air conditioning means connected to the other end of said hose, said air conditioning means including means of the moisture absorbing type for dehumidifying air; means for forcing air through said dehumidifying means for dehumidifying said. air and through said hose into said enclosure means from where it passes through the holes therein into contact with the body of said person for establishing a cooling effect; electrical heater means; and thermostatic control means for controlling the energization of said heater means for warming the air which is forced through said enclosure means; said heater means also being adapted to heat the air passing through said dehumidifying means for reactivating it.

6. In a comfort unit; the combination including enclosure means having a plurality of small holes therethrough and adapted to be positioned near a person; means for supplying air to said enclosure means at sufilcient pressure to force 1.0 9. uantity of it through said small holes; means for partially dehumidifying said air which is supplied to said enclosure means; heater means for heating said air which is supplied to said enclosure means; and means for utilizing said heated air ,ior reactiv.ating :said .dehumidifying f 7.,.II an air conditioning unit, a housing having air inlet and air outlet openings, blower means ,i'or forcing air through said housing, moisture absorbing means within said housing for absorbing moisture from said air which is blown through said housing, means for heating the air which is blown through said housing, thermostat means tor regulating the heating of said air, a hygrostat within said housing, electrical circuit means connected through said hygrostat .to said blower and to said heater means, and switch means having a first and a second .position, said switch means in said first switch position controlling said electrical circuit means .to cause said blower and Said .heater means to operate together to blow warm air throu h said moisture absorbing means .and out through said housing outlet independentof the position of said hygrostat, and in said second switch position controlling said electrical circuit means to cause said blower and said heater means to operate together only when the humidity within said housing satisfies said hygrostat .to close the electrical circuit therethrough, said thermostat being operable when'saidswitch means is .in said first position to reduce the heat s pplied by said heater means.

18. The invention as i set forth in claim '7 iurther characterized in this: that said thermostat means is adjustable to regulate the heat supplied by said heater means.

9. The invention as set forth in claim 7 further characterized in this: that said moisture absorbingzrneanscomprises silica gel through which the air blown through said housing must pass.

10.Th8 invention as set forth in claim '7 further characterized in this: that all of the air which passes-through said housing passes through said moisture absorbing means.

11; The inv'ent-ion as set forth in claim '7 further characterized in this: that only part or the air which passes through said housing passes through said moistureabsorbing means.

12. An-air conditioning device including a pad pervious to air, means for supplying a stream of air to said pad at sufiicient pressure to cause said air to pass through said pad, and means for conditioning the air supplied to said pad by removing at least a portion of the moisture therefrom.

13. In a device as set forth in claim 12, the further characterization that said means for conditioning the air supplied to the pad includes means for heating the air; said means for removing moisture from the air is an absorption means; and said means for heating the air also heats said absorption means.

14. In a comfort pad as described, a plurality of thin sheets of material disposed in face-to-face relationship and connected together at a plurality of discrete locations throughout its area and connected together in a continuous line about the peripheral edge thereof, said pad having an air inlet opening communicating with the space between said sheets and having a plurality of smaller air outlet openings, the said plurality of air outlet openings being in only one of said sheets.

15. In a comfort pad as described, a plurality of thin sheets of thermoplastic material disposed in face-to-face relationship and integrally connected together at a plurality of discrete locations throughout its area and connected integrally together in a continuous line about the peripheral edge thereof, said pad having an air inlet opening communicating with the space between said sheets and having a plurality of smaller air outlet openings, the said plurality of air outlet openings being in only one of said sheets.

16. An air conditioning device as set forth in claim 15, further characterized in that said means for conditioning the air comprises a chemical dehydrator adapted to attract and hold moisture.

17. In a comfort unit; the combination including a flexible pad defining an enclosure having a plurality of small holes therethrough and adapted to be positioned near a person; air conditioning means connected to said flexible pad and including a supply of a chemical dehydrator adapted to attract and hold moisture, and means for forcing air into contact with said chemical dehydrator for at least partially dehumidifying said air and thence into said pad from where it passes through said holes into contact with the body of the said person for establishing a cooling effect.

18. In a comfort unit; the combination including enclosure means having a plurality of small holes therethrough and adapted to be positioned near a person, a housing having an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening connected to said enclosure means, blower means for forcing air through said housing, moisture absorbing means within said housing for absorbing moisture from said air which is blown through said housing, means for heating the air which is blown through said housing, thermostat means for regulating the heating of said air, a hygrostat within said housing, electrical circuit means connected through said hygrostat to said blower and to said heater means, and switch means having a first and a second position, said switch means in said first switch position controlling said electricalthe position of said hygrostat, and in said second switch position controlling said electrical circuit means to cause said blower and-said heater means to operate together only when the humidity within said housing satisfies said hygrostat to close the electrical circuit therethrough, said thermostat being operable when said switch means is in said first position to reduce the heat supplied by said heater means.

19. A comfort unit as set forth in claim 18, further characterized in this: that said thermostat means is adjustable to'regulate the heat supplied by said heater means.

20. A comfort unit as set forth in claim 18, further characterized in this: that said moisture absorbing means comprises silica gel through which the air blown through said housing must pass.

21. A comfort unit as set forth in claim 18, further characterized in this: that all of the air which passes through said housing passes through said moisture absorbing means.

22. A comfort unit as set forth in claim 18, further characterized in this: that only part of the air which passes through said housing passes through said moisture absorbing means.

ALFRED L. W. WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 96,989 Somes Nov. 16, 1869 157,851 Mayall Dec. 15, 1874 630,565 Safran Aug. 8, 1899 870,546 Cooke Nov. 12, 1907 1,667,316 Hartman et al. Apr. 24, 1928 1,721,795 Shilstone July 23, 1929 1,817,277 Uhlig Aug. 4, 1931 1,863,656 Hartman June 21, 1932 2,037,695 Brownlee et a1. Apr. 21, 1936 2,052,931 Lednum et al Sept. 1, 1936 2,093,334 Gaugler Sept. 21, 1937 2,124,932 Stark July 26, 1938 2,303,332 Dauphinee Dec. 1, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 692,589 France Oct. 4, 1930

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