Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HAIR STRAIGHTENING DEVICE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hair styling product. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a hair straightener or
straightening device that uses hot air to straighten or smooth the hair.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of different devices and methods may be used for
straightening hair. For example, the user may employ a hairbrush to place
tension on his or her hair while applying heated air with a hair dryer. In
particular, the user gathers a portion of hair and extends it away from the
user's head. The extended hair portion is then treated with heated air to
enable it to retain its extended shape. However, this method is a
two-handed procedure that requires agility, concentration and, thus, can be
strenuous and tiresome for the user.
An alternative method for hair straightening is use of a styler/dryer
appliance. The appliance has various styling attachments, such as a brush
or a comb, which attach to the nozzle of the hair dryer, and typically having
an elongated body with a head portion in which the hot air flow exits
laterally therefrom. Thus, the appliance can be manipulated in the same
fashion as a common brush, namely one's hair being dried and styled as
the user merely brushes or combs his or her hair. The air outlet in a
styler/dryer is a larger area than that of the typical blower/dryer and,
consequently, the air exits through this outlet at a lower velocity. This
lower
3o velocity and less concentrated air flow will not tend to adversely blow or
scatter the user's hair as much as the high velocity air in the blower/dryer,
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thereby facilitating the styling operation. U.S. Patent No. 5,842,286
discloses an example of such a styler/dryer.
Hair can also be straightened by applying a relaxing agent to break
down the natural curls of the hair. A hair dryer is then typically used to dry
the hair and, in some cases, provides the requisite heat necessary to
activate the relaxing agent.
Further, a curling iron or similar device may facilitate straightening of
1o hair by compressing the hair between flat surfaces of heated iron.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for
~5 straightening hair.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hair
straightener that straightens the user's hair by using hot air.
20 It is still another object of the present invention to provide a hair
straightener in which a various attachments can be readily attached and
detached from the body or handle of the device.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention
25 are achieved by the hair straightener of the present invention. The hair
straightener comprises a handle having a heat generator and a convector
to direct heat away from the handle, a housing connected to the handle and
having a heatable surface with one or more vents to release the heat from
the housing, a guide for directing hair onto the housing, and a heat
3o distributor adjacent the housing to direct heat from the handle through the
vents. The heat generated from the heat generator is directed by the
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convector into the housing. The heat distributor moves the heat through '
the housing, thereby heating the heatable surface of the housing and
directing heat out of the vents to facilitate the straightening of hair
secured
by the guide.
The present invention also provides an attachment for a hair care
device. The attachment comprises: a housing having a heatable surface
with vents to release the heat from the housing, a guide for directing hair
onto the housing, and a cone-shaped heat distributor in the housing to
1o direct heat from the handle through the vents. The cone-shaped heat
distributor also directs heat through the housing, thereby heating the
heatable surface of the housing and directing heat out of the vents to
facilitate the straightening of hair secured by the guide.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and still further objects and advantages of the present
invention will be more apparent from the following detailed explanation of
the preferred embodiments of the invention in connection with the
2o accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a top view of the hair straightener of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the hair straightener of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a side view of a portion the hair straightener of Fig. 1,
turned ninety degrees;
Fig. 4 is an opposite side view of the portion of the hair straightener
of Fig. 3;
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Fig. 5 is an end view of the portion of the hair straightener of Fig. 3;' '
Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the components of the hair straightener
of Fig. 1; and
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the path of the airflow
through the hair straightener of Fig. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the figures and, in particular, Figs. 1 and 2, a hair
straightener or straightening device of the present invention is generally
represented by reference numeral 10. Hair straightener 10 has a body
that includes a housing 50 and a handle 70 adapted to be connected to the
housing via an adapter 20. Preferably, housing 50 and handle 70 are in
axial alignment.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, handle 70 has a lower handle 72 and an
upper handle 74 that are adapted to be removably connected together.
2o They can be secured together by conventional means, such as, for
example, one or more screws or mating surfaces, one of which is female
and the other of which is male that are adapted to snap fit to each other.
Handle 70 also has a switch (not shown) and switch cover 76, preferably in
upper handle 74, that is adapted to activate a power source. The switch
cover 76 is secured to handle 70, such as, for example, one or more
screws 78. At the end 71 of handle 70, opposite body 50 is a cap or end
cap 80. End cap 80 is preferably removable. Between end 71 and cap 80,
there can be positioned a filter 82. It is noted that the portion of handle 70
that encloses filter 82 has a plurality of holes or apertures 81 to permit the
3o filter to breathe.
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Preferably, cap 80 is the connection from handle 70 to a power
source, such as, for example, an AC power source.
Both lower handle 72 and upper handle 74 are made of an
appropriate material, such as plastic, metal, rubber or wood. Preferably,
the material is plastic.
Referring to Fig. 3, housing 50 has a heatable surface or heat
transmissive plate 56 with one or more vents 58 that permit the release of
the heat from the housing. Housing 50 is adapted to receive a covering 60
about its outer exterior. Preferably, covering 60 is a two-piece structure
that surrounds heat transmissive plate 56. Covering 60 has two or more,
and preferably a series (which is at least three) of rings 61, and two or
more, and preferably a series of, guides or teeth or series of tines 62. The
~5 series of rings 61, are preferably curved, and surround the exterior of
housing 50. The teeth or series of tines 62 protrude from housing 50 to
evenly distribute hair. The covering 60 is held together at the top by a tip
52 and at the bottom by adapter 20. Adapter 20 operatively connects and
secures housing 50 and covering 60 to handle 70 and allows for the
2o transmission of air from the handle to the housing. Further, adapter 20
prevents any rotation or movement of covering 60, thereby allowing for hair
to be securely guided for straightening.
Heat transmissive plate 56 is preferably made of a material that is
25 capable of absorbing heat from the hot air produced by the fan located in
handle 70 and transmitting the absorbed heat to the user's hair. Such a
material is metal, such as aluminum, or a heat conducting polymer, such as
a talc-filled nylon, or a metal filled polycarbonate. Preferably, covering 60
is made of plastic. The rings 61 and teeth 62 may be made of plastic,
3o rubber, or any mixtures thereof. However, the curved rings 61 and teeth 62
may also be integral to covering 60 as shown in the figures.
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Referring to Fig. 7, housing 50 is preferably cylindrical. Housing 50
has an air restrictor or air baffle 66 that is connected to a heat distributor
or
air diverter 64. Preferably, the connection is removable. Baffle 66 is
preferably located in the center of housing 50. Heat transmissive plate 56
surrounds the air baffle 66 and air diverter 64. The one or more vents 58 of
heat transmissive plate 56 direct the heated air. The heat distributor or
diverter 64 in housing 50 directs heat from handle 70 through the one or
more vents 58. Preferably, diverter 64 is cone-shaped to facilitate the
1o direction of heat. In a preferred embodiment, the tip of the cone-shape of
diverter 64 is directed to handle 70.
As shown in Fig. 6, heat transmissive plate 56 is preferably laterally
curved so that the hair may glide over its upper surface. Also, heat
transmissive plate 56 is situated underneath covering 60 such that curved
rings 61 surround heat transmissive plate 56. The rings 61 are designed
so that neither the user's scalp nor neck, come into contact with heat
transmissive plate 56. The rings 61 help to separate and guide the user's
hair. The plurality of teeth 62 of covering 60 weave through the user's hair
2o and pull the hair to create tension so that the hair is drawn evenly and
tightly across heat transmissive plate 56. Thus, the tension of pulling the
user's hair straightens the hair, and the action of drawing the hair across
heat transmissive plate 56 causes the hair to be straightened.
As stated above, the heat generated from a heating coil or other
type of heat generator (not shown), in handle 70, is directed by a fan or
other type of convector (not shown), also in handle 70, into housing 50, and
diverter 64 moves the heat through the housing, thereby heating
transmissive plate 56 and directing heat out of the one or more vents 58 to
3o facilitate the straightening of the hair secured by the guide.
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Housing 50 is preferably connected to handle 70 by adapter 20,
which is preferably configured to releasably receive and secure both
housing 50 and handle 70. Adapter 20 also preferably is configured to
enable housing 50 to be releasably connected to various different hair care
s devices. However, any other method of connection which allows for the
transferability of housing 50 to other hair care devices may also be used.
Thus, housing 50 can be readily attached and detached from handle 70,
and readily attached onto another hair care device such as, for example, a
hair dryer.
Fig. 6 also shows adapter 20 and housing 50 with components
thereof that make up and connect the housing to handle 70. These
components include cap 52, air baffle 66, air diverter 64, heat transmissive
plate 56 with vents 58, and covering 60 with rings 61 and teeth 62. Air
baffle 66 preferably has a plurality of openings and functions to restrict the
flow of air from handle 70 to housing 50 and to distribute the airflow evenly
through and between each vent 58 in housing 50. Air diverter 64, as
described above, facilitates the transfer of heated air from housing 50 to
heat transmissive plate 56 and vents 58. Fig. 7 illustrates the air flow
2o pattern through housing 50.
An additional feature of the present invention is a "cool shot button"
that allows for momentary removal of heat from device 10 yet continues the
flow of air to cool and set hair after straightening. This is preferably
accomplished by the arrangement of the heat generator with the convector.
Preferably, a portion of the heat generator serves as a voltage dropping,
series resistor for the convector. Thus, preferably when the "cool shot
button" is actuated, the heat generator is switched off and the portion of the
heat generator that is in series with the convector remains open. This allow
3o for the convector to continue to operate and generate an airflow while the
heat generator ceases to produce heat thereby creating cool shot of air.
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It should be understood that the foregoing description is only
illustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be
devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention.
Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such
alternatives, modifications and variances.
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