Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
' _ 1 2l47694
Gas Curling Tongs
The invention relates to a gas-operated device for the
heat treatment of hair, in particular gas curling tongs
or the like, with a handle part comprising an orifice
into which a gas container with a first container form
can be introduced and arranged in the interior of the
handle part and with a closure part which is allocated to
the orifice in the handle part and can be connected to
the handle part and with which the gas container with the
first container form can be fixed in the interior of the
handle part.
Furthermore, the invention relates to an extension part
for a gas-operated device for the heat treatment of hair,
in particular for gas curling tongs or the like, wherein
the device is provided with a handle part comprising an
orifice into which a gas container with a first container
form can be introduced and can be arranged in the
interior of the handle part and which furthermore is
provided with a closure part which is allocated to the
orifice of the handle part and can be connected to the
handle part and with which the gas container with the
first container form can be fixed in the interior of the
handle part.
A device of the aforementioned type is generally
commercially available as gas curling tongs. An
advantage of such gas curling tongs is that they can be
operated independently of a stationary energy source, in
particular independently of an electric voltage. The
heat required for treating the user's hair is produced in
the switched on operating state of the gas curling tongs
by the combustion of the gas present in the gas
container. The user can then twist, smooth etc. her hair
by means of the heat.
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A particular advantage is that a user can take and use
such gas curling tongs when travelling. To enable the
user to take as little luggage as possible, special
travel gas curling tongs are commercially available
which, to reduce weight and space, are equipped with a
gas container which, in comparison with conventional gas
curling tongs, can only hold a rather smaller quantity of
liquid gas owing to its container form. The service life
until the gas contained in the gas container is used up
is therefore also comparatively rather short.
If these travel gas curling tongs are used daily at home,
the gas container has to be exchanged frequently owing to
its rather short service life.
An object of the invention is to afford a possibility
which also allows a longer service life, for example
during normal domestic use, in particular in the case of
curling tongs which are preferably used as travel gas
curling tongs.
According to the invention, this object is achieved in
that an extension part is provided which, instead of the
closure part, is allocated to the orifice in the handle
part and can be connected to the handle part and with
which a gas container with a second container form is
fixed in the interior of the handle part and of the
extension part.
The extension part allows the alternative use of a larger
gas container so a longer service life until the gas
container is exchanged can be achieved even in the case
of travel gas curling tongs. In particular, it is
possible to use a conventional gas container of the type
also used in the case of normal gas curling tongs so the
same service life can be achieved in this way with travel
gas curling tongs as with normal gas curling tongs.
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When travelling, the user inserts the smaller gas
container into the gas curling tongs and fixes it by
means of the closure part. In this way, the user
achieves the advantages of the low weight and the small
space requirement owing to the smaller gas container. At
home, the user exchanges the smaller gas container for
the larger gas container. The user inserts this larger
gas container into the gas curling tongs and slips the
extension part over the projecting part thereof. In this
way, the user achieves the advantage of the longer
service life owing to the larger gas container.
The invention enables the user, after each application of
the gas curling tongs, that is when used at home or
during travel, to use the gas container which is more
advantage for this respective application, i.e. the
larger gas container for a longer service life at home
and the smaller gas container for a smaller space
requirement when travelling. The gas curling tongs are
easily converted by exchanging the smaller and the larger
gas container and the respectively associated closure
part and extension part. This allows simple and reliable
handling of the gas curling tongs by the user.
In an embodiment of the invention, the closure part and
the extension part have different shapes from one another
in their region respectively facing the orifice of the
handle part, the handle part being adapted to these two
shapes in the region of the orifice. The method of
connection to the handle part can therefore be adapted
specifically to the closure part and the extension part
respectively. It is therefore possible to design the
connection of the closure part and of the handle part
differently from the connection of the extension part and
the handle part. In particular, the different stresses
to which the extension part is exposed in comparison with
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the closure part can be allowed for owing to these
different connections to the handle part.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the closure
part and the extension part have substantially identical
shapes in their region respectively facing the orifice of
the handle part, the handle part being adapted to these
shapes in the region of the orifice. Therefore, there is
no difference in the connection of the closure part and
of the handle part or of the extension part and the
handle part. The connection of the respective components
is therefore invariably identical, substantially
simplifying handling by the user.
In a development of the invention, the handle part is
designed as a hollow cylinder, the closure part as a cap
and the extension part as a hollow cylinder which is
closed at one end. In this way, the handle part can be
taken in the hand and used particularly well by a user.
The cap affords a simple possibility for closing the
handle part with the smaller gas container arranged
therein and for thus fixing the gas container in the
interior of the handle part. The extension part which is
designed as a hollow cylinder closed at one end provides
space inside the hollow cylinder for the part of the
larger gas container which is not to be arranged in the
interior of the handle part. Furthermore, the larger gas
container is fixed with respect to the handle part by the
extension part which is slipped on and then closed at the
free end.
It is particularly advantageous if the handle part and
the extension part are adapted to one another in form.
It is particularly expedient if the handle part and the
extension part act as an integral component for the user.
This simplifies handling of the gas curling tongs for the
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user and furthermore improves the appearance of the gas
curling tongs.
Further features, advantages and possible applications of
the invention will emerge from the following descriptions
of the embodiments which are illustrated in detail in the
drawings. All described and/or illustrated features form
the subject of the invention, individually or in any
combination, regardless of whether they are summarised in
the claims and/or referred to.
Figure 1 is a schematic view of gas curling tongs in
which a small gas container is arranged.
Figure 2 is a schematic view of the gas curling tongs
from Figure 1 in which a large gas container is arranged.
Figures 1 and 2 show gas curling tongs 1 essentially
comprising a handle part 2 and a hair treatment part 3.
The gas curling tongs 1 are rod-shaped in design, the
diameter of the handle part 2 being greater than the
diameter of the hair treatment part 3. The handle part
2 and the hair treatment part 3 have further components
such as bristles, actuating buttons, etc. which are not
however essential in the present context and therefore
are not described in detail.
The handle part 2 is essentially designed as a hollow
cylinder comprising a circular orifice 4 at its free end
remote from the hair treatment part 3.
In Figure 1, a gas container 5 having a first smaller
container form is arranged in the interior of the handle
part 2. The gas container 5 is cylindrical in design,
the diameter of the gas container 5 being smaller than
the diameter of the orifice 4. The length of the gas
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container 5 in the axial direction corresponds
substantially to the length of the handle part 2 in the
same direction.
In Figure 1, the orifice 4 is allocated a closure part 6
which is designed as a circular cap and is detachably
connected to the handle part 2, for example by means of
a screw fitting or bayonet fitting. The closure part 6
fixes the gas container 5 in the interior of the handle
part 2 and forms the end of the handle part 2.
In Figure 2, a gas container 7 having a second larger
container form is arranged in the interior of the handle
part 2. The gas container 7 is cylindrical in design,
the diameter of the gas container 7 being smaller than
the diameter of the orifice 4. The length of the gas
container 7 in the axial direction is greater than the
length of the handle part 2 in the same direction.
In Figure 2, the orifice 4 is allocated an extension part
8 which is designed as a hollow cylinder closed at one
end and is detachably connected to the handle part 2 for
example by means of a screw fitting or bayonet fitting.
The extension part 8 represents an axial extension of the
handle part 2 and has substantially the same diameter as
the handle part 2. That part of the gas container 7 for
which there is no room in the handle part 2 owing to the
greater axial length of the gas container 7 is located in
the interior of the extension part 8. The extension part
8 fixes the gas container 7 in the interior of the handle
part 2 and forms the end of the handle part 2.
The conversion of the gas curling tongs 1 from the
smaller gas container 5 shown in Figure 1 to the larger
gas container 7 shown in Figure 2 can be carried out in
the following manner:
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A user releases the connection between the closure part
6 and the handle part 2, therefore, for example, unscrews
the closure part 6 from the handle part 2. The user then
takes the smaller gas container 5 from the handle part 2
through the orifice 4 and instead introduces the larger
gas container 7 into the interior of the handle part 2
through the orifice 4. Owing to its greater length, the
larger gas container 7 projects beyond the free end of
the handle part 2. The user slips the extension part 8
over this projecting part of the gas container 7 and
connects it to the handle part 2, for example by
screwing.
The gas curling tongs 1 are accordingly reconverted in
the reverse sequence.
A plug or clip device may be sufficient for connecting
the closure part 6 and the handle part 2. A bayonet
fitting or a clip device which can be opened and closed
for example by a turn through about 20~ is preferably
provided for connecting the extension part 8 and the
handle part 2. It is also possible to design the
connection of the extension part 8 and of the handle part
2 as well as the connection of the closure part 6 and the
handle part 2 by means of a bayonet fitting.
