ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 5 -- United States Patent no. 12,241,657, issued on March 4.
"Polycarbonate solar water heater" was invented by Kim Pierson (Eau Claire, Wis.) and Rebecca Tollakson Jr. (Mahomet, Ill.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A solar water heater absorber absorbs the sun's energy on the surface of a twin-walled polycarbonate panel and conducts the heat from the sun through the panel wall into fluid flow through channels of the panel. The panel is an extruded polycarbonate glazing material that consists of two panes connected by longitudinal ribs to form a plurality of water channels that may further include twisted strips providing a helical water flow pattern that increases turbu...