Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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INSTANT HEAT HOT AxR Ci~LING IRON
SACKGRt7DND OF THE xNVEIQTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hair styling product.
In particular, the present invention relates to hand-held,
electrically heated devices for heating, and manipulating and/or
curling hair. More particularly, the present invention relates
to a hair curling iron device that curls hair and additionally
uses hot air to dz~y hair. Most particularly, the present
invention relates to hair irons, such as curling irons and brush
irons, that employ a barrel to heat hair disposed or manipulated
about the barrel, and additionally blowing hot air to
simultaneously dry hair.
2. Description of the Prior Axt
Customarily, users o;~ such styling products require clean
hair that is also dry to achieve th.e best styling results.
Therefore, the hair has to be washed, blown, then styled. Some
users have combined the styling with drying o~ hair by using a.
blow dryer_ while simultaneously usa.ng a brush to curl. However,
this is a di~f_icult task and is predominantly a technique
performed at hair salons. Thus, there is a growing need for
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hair care devices that are convenient, portable, easily
manipulated and provide professional styling results.
Ha~.r manipulating devices that employ an iron, i.e., a tube
or barrel, to heat a.nd manipulate hair_ are well known. Such
devices include curling irons, thermal hot air ~.rons and brush
~.rons. Curling irons and some brush irons employ one or more
types of heating elements in the barrel to heat the barrel.
Examples of such heating elements include a rope heater, i.e., a
resistance heater wound on a glass rope and loopEd inside the
barrel, a resistance wire wound on mica and he7.d between metal
springs inside the barrel, and a ceramic heater suspended in the
barrel between metal, contacts and spr~.ngs. These heating
elements commonly extend through and fill the central portion of
the barrel. In brush irons, the barrel. wall has holes in it and
a tooth bar ~.s disposed in the barred. between the heating
element and the barrel wall so that teeth o~ the tooth bar
extend through the holes. However, heating the barrel from its
central portion does not provide for rapid initial. heat~.ng of
the barrel and. is not fully efficient. A thermal hot air iron
drives hot air through a barrel and through holes inn the wall of
the barrel.
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U.S. Patent No. 5,994,059 describes a hair curling iron
that includes an air heater and a blower disposed in the handle
portion of the curling ~.ron. ~ steam generator is disposed in
the barrel that extends from the handle portion. This patent
provides for the presence of a water ~ontainex located in the
baz~rel portion so as to enable steam to be generated from the
barrel portion. The present invention does not include a water
container, yet combines heat and air for curling and drying of
hair.
U.S. Patent No. 5,365,037 describes a hand-held electric
curJ.ing iron whose barrel is adapted to selectively join one of
a plurality of different diameter hair xollers. The handle
portion includes a fan, and the barrel portion includes a
plurality of apertures that enable heated air to be directed
onto a roller pos~.tioned about the barrel. In contrast, a hair
roller does not adapt onto the present device, but rather
directly and conveniently styles hair using its barrel portion.
U.S. Patent No. 4,935,027 describes a hair dryer/steamer
combination that includes a handle and a barrel portion. The
handle includes a blower and a heater for heating air.. The
heated air i_s blown into the barrel and exits from apertures
therein. The barrel portion inc7.udes a separate heater and
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water reservoir to enable steam to be produced and carried out
by the air flow. The pxesent invention does not have a water
reservoir in its barrel portion for a steaming function.
Instead, the air blown from the barrel of the present invention
is dry aix for quick drying of hair while styling.
U.S. Patent No. 4,602,143 describes a curling iron that
includes an infrared radiation source within a hollow barrel.
The baxrel is substantially transparent to the IR radiation.
The handle portion includes a fan fox blowing air over the IR
radiation source and out of apertures located at the distal end
of the barrel. The pxesent ~.nvEntion does not have an infxared
rad~.ation source for heated ai,x.
Th'e present invention provides an improved deva.ce that not
only has a hot barrel fox styling hazy, but also simultaneously
blows hot air to dry hair.
SIJ~ARY OF THE TNVENTTON
zt is an object of the present invention to provide a
device for curling hair.
It is another object of the present a.nvention to provide a
device for curling hair having a heatex therein.
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It is a further object of the present invention to pxovide
a hair curling device that substantially dries hair by using hot
air.
It is still a further object of the present invention to
provide a hair curling device that provides both high
temperature and heated air.
These and other objects and advantages of the present
invention are achieved by a hair curling device comprising. a
handle, a barrel or barrel poxtion having a cavity and having a
heatable surface w~.th one or more vents to release the heat from
the barrel, a heatex extending through the cavity of the barrel,
and a convector to direct heat from the heater through the vents
of the barrel portion. The handle has an interior for receipt
of a fan that blows hot air toward the barrel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA~PINGS
Fig. 1 is a plan view of the hair curling device of the
present invention:
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Fig. 2 is a cxoss-sectional view of the hair curling devzcE
o~ Fig. 1:
Fig. 3 is an end view of the dev~.ce of Fig. 2:
Fig. 9 is a plan view opposite that of Fig. ~, of the device
of Fig. 1;
Fig. 5 is a cxoss-sectional view taken a~.ong lines A-A of
Fig. 2: and
Fig. 6 is an exploded view of a p~'eferxed embodiment of the
invention.
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DBTAIZiED DESCRIPTION OF T8E INDENTION
Referring to the figures and, in particular, Figure 1, the
I hair curl~.ng and drying device of the present invention is
generally represented by reference numeral 1. The haa.r curling
device 1 has a body 200 that includes a handle 100 and a barrel
or barrel portion 300 secured to the handle. Preferably, handle
100 and barrel portion 300 are in axial alignment. trippers 101
are provided on handle 100 for secure holding of device 1.
Handle 100 also preferably has an LEL~ lens or display 107 to
advise a user when power is turned on., and a variable res~.stor
knob 115 to vary the temperature of the device 1.
Referring to Fig. 2, harzdlE 100 is connected to a power
source, such as an electrical outlet, via a power cord. with
bushing 7.25. Handle 7,00 has a swivel board J.11 to permit
rotation of power cord 125. Handle 1'00 preferably also has a
PCB assembly 109 that is operatively connected to and transmits
power from power cord 125 to components of curling device 1.
This connection includes a. self-tapping screw 123 holding PCB
assembly 109 in place. Handle 100 preferabJ_y also has a first
switch 103 and a second switch a.05. First switch 103 preferably
is an "ON" sw~.tch, and second. switch 105 preferably is an "OFF"
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switch. First switch 1.03 and second switch 105 preferably are
also each connected to PCB assembly 109.
Handle 100 preferably has a hollow or cavity that houses a
fan 117. Fan 117 i.s preferabl,y connected to a drive shaft snot
shown) of a motor 121 and adapted to rotate about a central
longitudinal axis 102 in response to motor 121. A motor mount
119, partially surrounding fan 7.17, preferably functions as a
ventilator_ to direct air into barrel portion 300. P~lso
preferably, PCB assembly 7.09 has a variable resistor cap 17.3,
which works in conjunction with a variable resistor knob 115 to
control the amount electric current running through a heater or
heatable element 216.
Barrel portion 300 houses heater 216. Heater 216 spans the
enta.re interior portion o~ barrel portion 300. Heater 216 is
connected by lead wire 209 to PCH assembly 109. Heater 216
preferably i,s made of mica.
Handle 100 is preferably substantially hollow and has an
upper part x.10 and a lower part 7.20 shown a.n Fig, 9. Both upper
part 110 and lower part 120 preferably have protuberances or
rows of grippers 101 to facilitate gr9.pping of handle 100 by a
user as shown in Figs. 1 and 9. Tt shou).d be understood that
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any known mechanism for facilitating handling of the device by a
user can be used, such as, for example, grooves and crevices, as
grippers.
Barrel portion 300 is secured to handle 100 by any suitable
known means, but preferably using one or more machine screws
201. An insulator 202 is pre~erab7.y positioned between baxrel
portion 300 and handle 100 to prevent heat from escaping from
either component. In one embodiment of the invention shaven in
F~.g. 3, barrel portion 300 preferably has a series of tines or
teeth 308 that protrude, preferably evenly, from the barrel and
axe adapted to d~.stribute hair.
As shown in Fig. 5, heater 216 in barxel portion 300 is
preferably z~ectangular in cross-.section and positioned in a heat
sink 208. the heat from heater 21C is drawn to heat sink 20B
and, preferably, via heat air apertures 307, to the exter~.or of
barrel portion 300 for styling hair. Apertures 307 can be
apertures or vents through the wall. of barrel portion 300 that
a~.low heat to be emitted from the interior of the barrel, to the
exterior of the barrel and ultimately to the hair of, a user.
The benefit of the pxesent curling device ~. is the
fol~.owing. A typical, air brush curling iron has temperatures
a
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that are below ?.00°C. This temperature range is considered low.
With the present curling device 1, high temperatures, namely
temperatures at around 150°C can be achieved. These high and/or
higher temperatures help to improve the curl. The present
curJ.ing device 1 has the benefit of heated aix, which
facilitates drying damp hair. These and related benefits
associated with the pxesent inventa.on can be achieved w~.th
heater 216, fan 117 and ventilator 119 being operatively
arranged within handle 100.
Figure 6 is an exploded view of one embodiment of the
present invention. Thzs embodiment incJ.u.des a spoon or clip 303
with. thumb grip 301, instead of tines, to secure hair, Also
from this perspective, add~.tional internal parts axe identified.
In handle 7.00, the handle housing shows upper part 110 of handle
100 as a separate section that connects to the J.ower part 120 of
the handle. The upper part of this embodiment shows separate
"On" and "Off" switches 1103 and 105 respectively), and includes
grippers 101 for better handJ_ing of the curling iron.
A vaxiable temperature controller 115 allows the user to
adjust the heat setting of the curling iron. Features such as
the following are found withzn the upper and lower halves of the
handle: PCH assembJ.y 109, swivel board 111, variable resistor
1 (1
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cap 113, fan. 117, motor mount 119 and motor J.21. Self-tapping
screws 123 are used to connect uppEr part 110 and lower part 7,20
together. Lower part 120 preferably has a fan control. or
momentary on/off switch 122 for controlling fan 117. Power cord
125 includes an immersion protection 127 as a safety feature.
Heater. 216 preferably includes an ~.nsulator 202, a lead
wire 204, at least one heat sink 208, a heater winding 212, a
motor dropping winding 219 and an insulating film 220, and
preferably Kapton insulation. Heater 216 is also preferably
adapted with a suitable temperature cut-off safety mechanism.
The cut-off safety mechanism can be any mechanism known in the
art. For example, heater 216 can be adapted wa.th a sensor 206,
and a fuse or thermal. cut-off 218. Sensor 206 ~.s preferably a
sensor bead (NTC) and adapted to monitor changes in temperature.
Thermal cut-off 218 is preferably adapted to break the flow of
electx~.cal current at a predetermined temperature and thus, shut
down devi ce J. .
Darrel portion 300 can have a clip or spoon structure 303
attached thereto for receiving and hold~.ng a lock of hair.
Spoon 303 can be adapted with a lever arm having a thumb grip
301 as mentioned above. Barrel portion 300 preferably has an
air. baffle 213 adjacent insulator 202. Baffle 213 fac~.litates
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in the distribution of air through barrel port~.on 300. Barrel
portion 300, preferably also has a cool tip 309 for easy
handJ.ing and a screw cap 311 to fasten the tip 309 onto the
barrel.
It should be understood that the foregoing description is
only illustrative of the present invention. Various
alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skil~.ed
in the art without departing from the present invention_
Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all
such alternative modif~.cations and variances.
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