Electrical heatable liner with concealed actuable control switch

1 . An electrically heatable article of apparel comprising:

an upper body enclosing fabric shell defining an open neck area;

said shell having a rear panel section and opposed frontal side panels;

detachable fastening means to connect said opposed frontal side panels together;

electrical heating wire circuits secured at predetermined locations in said upper body enclosing shell;

a control module having a programmed control circuit, said control module having a power input connection to receive electrical power from one or more batteries and an output connection to feed electrical power to said electrical heating wire circuits;

a finger actuating switch mounted on an outer side of a support in said control module to transmit communication signals in the form of time retention switch presses on said finger actuation switch to cause said programmed control circuit to perform stored programmed functions;

a haptic feedback device in the form of a disc is mounted on an inner side of said support to and generates vibration communication signals to the skin of a wearer person's body by the sense of touch, said support acting as a vibration transmitting medium to said finger actuating switch to permit a user person to simultaneously feel said vibration communicating signals generated by said time retention presses through a finger of said user person;

said control module being mounted in an accessible concealed area of said body enclosing shell and being invisible to the eye while providing easy access to said finger actuating switch by the fingers of a wearer person, and wherein said haptic feedback device is in close relationship with said wearer person's body to permit said vibration communicating signals to be sensed on said skin of said wearer person's body.

2 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said control module is mounted in a frontal upper area of one of said opposed frontal side panels.

3 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 2 wherein said frontal upper area is adjacent to the collar bone area of said wearer person and which collar bone area is highly sensitive to the detection of said vibration communication signals generated by said haptic feedback device.

4 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 3 wherein said control module is mounted in a fabric control module enclosure formed adjacent an upper edge in one of said opposed frontal side panels adjacent said fastening means to provide ease of access by the fingers of said wearer person for actuation of said finger actuating switch.

5 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 4 wherein said fabric control module enclosure is formed between an outer face of said upper edge and a fabric overlay with said finger actuating switch facing said fabric overlay, said fabric overlay providing ease of detection and retention of said finger actuating switch by the fingers of said wearer person.

6 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 2 wherein said heatable article of apparel is a lining type article of apparel, said lining being comprised of two layers of lining material secured to one another, said electrical heating wire circuits being in the form of heating panels immovably secured between said two layers of lining material and disposed in said rear panel section and said opposed frontal side panels.

7 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 6 wherein one of said opposed frontal side panels is provided with a battery storage pocket, an opening in said battery storage pocket for the passage and access of a battery connector secured at an end of a supply cable which is connected at an opposed end to said power input connection of said control module, said supply cable being concealed between said two layers of lining material.

8 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said battery storage pocket is located in an upper area of said one of said opposed front side panels.

9 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said support is a printed circuit board on which said programmed control circuit is mounted, said finger actuating switch being a push-button switch mounted on said printed circuit board.

10 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 9 wherein said control module is comprised of a protective housing having a front wall, a peripheral contour flange depending about said front wall, and a rear open end; a button opening in said front wall, said printed circuit board being mounted in said rear open end with said push-button switch extending through said button opening and extending above said front wall, said peripheral contour flange projecting above said printed circuit board, and a water-proofing soft silicone material bonded over said printed circuit board and said push-button switch and permitting said push-button switch to be time retention pressed to execute desired ones of said communication signals.

11 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 10 wherein said finger actuating push-button switch is depressed to provide two different types of said time delay signals to said programmed controller circuit, said two different types of time delay signals being comprised of a long retention switch press and a short retention switch press, said long retention switch press causing said programmed controller circuit to connect or disconnect power from said power input connection from said one or more batteries; said short retention switch press providing for a user person to cycle through two or more different heat intensity settings of said electrical heating wire circuits and to select ones of said heat intensity settings.

12 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said electrical heating wire circuits are secured in fabric pads, and one or more heat sensors are secured to said fabric pads and provide feedback signals to said programmed control circuit representative of the actual heat generated by said electrical heating wire circuits in said fabric pads.

13 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said heatable article of apparel is a liner in the form of a vest adapted to be worn on a wearer person's body and under an outer article of apparel to provide warmth to said wearer person's body during cold weather conditions.

14 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said heatable article of apparel is a liner removably secured to an inner surface of an outer article of apparel by detachable fastening means.

15 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 14 wherein said liner, when detached from said outer article of apparel, permits said outer article of apparel to be cleaned or washed without said liner, which is a non-washable liner.

16 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said programmed control circuit has a computer provided with a memory which is programmed to cause said haptic feedback device to generate said vibration communication signals, said programed control circuit having a wireless communication circuit to further permit wireless control of said haptic feedback device by smart wireless remote devices.

17 . The electrically heatable article of apparel as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upper body fabric enclosing shell is provided with one or more capacitive sensors mounted therein at one or more predetermined locations to detect the presence of a wearer person's body, said capacitive sensors providing signal information to said programmed control circuit which is programmed with a power disconnect function to effect a power disconnect when the signal information indicates that the wearer person's body is no longer present and that the power has been accidently maintained connected to said heating wire circuits.

18 . An electrically heatable article of apparel comprising:

an upper body enclosing fabric shell, said shell having a rear panel section and opposed frontal side panels;

detachable fastening means to connect said opposed frontal side panels together;

said upper body enclosing shell defining an open neck area;

electrical heating wire circuits secured at predetermined locations in said upper body enclosing shell;

a control module having a programmed control circuit mounted in a frontal upper area of one of said opposed frontal side panels adjacent to the collar bone area of a wearer person and which collar bone area is highly sensitive to the detection of vibration communication signals;

said control module being mounted in a fabric control module enclosure formed adjacent an upper edge in one of said opposed frontal side panels adjacent said fastening means to provide ease of access by the fingers of said wearer person for actuation of a finger actuating switch;

said fabric control module enclosure being formed between an outer face of said upper edge and a fabric overlay with said finger actuating switch facing said fabric overlay;

said fabric overlay providing ease of detection and retention of said finger actuating switch by the fingers of said wearer person;

said control module having a power input connection to receive electrical power from one or more batteries and an output connection to feed electrical power to said electrical heating wire circuits;

said finger actuating switch being mounted on a support in said control module to transmit communication signals in the form of time retention switch presses on said finger actuation switch to cause said programmed control circuit to perform stored programmed functions;

a haptic feedback device in the form of a disc is also mounted on said support and generates vibration communication signals to a wearer person's body by the sense of touch;

said support acting as a vibration transmitting medium to said finger actuating switch to permit a user person to feel said time retention presses through a finger, and wherein

said control module is mounted in an accessible concealed area of said body enclosing shell providing easy access to said finger actuating switch by the fingers of a wearer person and being invisible to the eye.

19 . An electrically heatable article of apparel comprising:

an upper body enclosing fabric shell;

said shell having a rear panel section and opposed frontal side panels;

detachable fastening means to connect said opposed frontal side panels together;

said upper body enclosing shell defining an open neck area;

electrical heating wire circuits secured at predetermined locations in said upper body enclosing shell;

a control module having a programmed control circuit;

said control module having a power input connection to receive electrical power from one or more batteries and an output connection to feed electrical power to said electrical heating wire circuits;

a finger actuating switch mounted on a printed circuit board on which said programmed control circuit is mounted, said finger actuating switch being a push-button switch mounted on an outer face of said printed circuit board and projecting there above;

a haptic feedback device is mounted on an inner face of said printed circuit board facing a wearer person's body;

said finger actuation switch transmitting communication signals to cause said programmed control circuit to perform stored programmed functions;

said haptic feedback device being a disc mounted on said printed circuit board and which generates vibration communication signals to a wearer person's body by the sense of touch;

said printed circuit board acting as a vibration transmitting medium to said finger actuating switch to permit a user person to feel said vibration communication signals through a finger;

said control module being comprised of a protective housing having a front wall with a peripheral contour flange depending about said front wall, and a rear open end;

a button opening in said front wall;

said printed circuit board being mounted in said rear open end with said push-button switch extending through said button opening and extending above said front wall;

said peripheral contour flange projecting above said printed circuit board;

a water-proofing soft silicone material bonded over said printed circuit board and said actuating push-button switch while permitting said finger actuating push-button to be pressed to execute desired ones of said communication signals, and wherein

said control module being mounted in an accessible concealed area of said body enclosing shell providing easy access to said finger actuating switch by the fingers of a wearer person while remaining concealed.