Fuel system having gasket heater

Claim 1

A fuel supply system for an internal combustion engine comprising throttle body means having passage means open at one end for communicating with a corresponding opening in an intake manifold of the engine to furnish an air-fuel mixture to the engine, the throttle body means having flange means disposed around the open end of the passage means and having nozzle means at a selected location relative to the throttle body flange means for furnishing a fluid to said passage means for forming an air-fuel mixture, and gasket means arranged between the throttle body flange means and mating flange means disposed on the engine around the opening in the intake manifold for sealing communication between the passage means and the engine, characterized in that the gasket means provides selected spacing between said flanges and provides compressible sealing means at respective opposite sides of the gasket means sealingly engage the throttle body flange means and the mating engine flange means, a chamber is provided in the gasket means at a location between portions of the throttle flange means and said engine flange means in a limited part of the gasket means at a selected location adjacent to said nozzle means, and electrical resistance heater means are accommodated in the chamber between portions of the throttle body flange means and said engine flange means to be energized therein for transferring heat to the throttle body flange means for preventing freeze-up of said nozzle means during furnishing of said fluid for forming said air-fuel mixture.