Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Specification
Hair Iron
Technical Field
The present invention relates to improving the steam cutoff property of a hair
iron of
V-shaped, hair-sandwiching type used for various perm treatments, where hairs
are
sandwiched between a pair of openable/closable heating plates that are
attached on the
opposing surfaces of the hair-sandwiching arms of the hair iron.
The present invention also relates to a hair iron of V-shaped, hair-
sandwiching type offering
improved steam cutoff property with respect to one void space in the hair-
sandwiching arm
shielded by shielding members, by means of placing a heating plate with its
base end
tapered and then tight-fitting a gasket in the applicable tapered void.
The present invention further relates to a hair iron of V-shaped, hair-
sandwiching type fitted
with a gasket for the purpose of improving the steam cutoff property of the
connection area
between one void space in the hair-sandwiching arm in which a heat-source
plate and a
heating plate are stored and the other void space in the hair-sandwiching arm.
Background Technolo
Hair irons used for hair straightening include hair irons of V-shaped, grip
type having a pair
of heating plates attached in a manner facing each other, such as those
described in
Publications of Unexamined Patent Application Nos. Sho 62-172905, 2000-166634,
2001-137038 and 2002-291517 and Publication of Utility Model Registration No.
3072722.
A hair iron of this type has a pair of heating plates attached on the opposing
surfaces of
V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arms that are maintained by force in opening
directions, where
the V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arms are operated to sandwich a specified
amount of hairs
between the pair of heating plates and the heating plates are moved in this
condition in the
direction of extending the hairs. This so-called ironing motion removes any
frizzles and
curls and thereby straightens the hairs. Among hair irons of V-shaped, grip
type where a
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pair of openable/closable heating plates are placed in a manner facing each
other, the hair
iron disclosed in Publication of Unexamined Patent Application No. 2003-24127
is known
where the surface of the heating plate has grooves extending in the
longitudinal direction of
the arm so as to reduce the effect on the scalp of the steam generated by
heated perm
solution. When hair irons of this type are used in hair perms, generally perm
solution is
applied to the hairs. In the case of hair straightening, the temperature of
the heating plates is
controlled in the range of 100 to 170°C using the selector switch
provided on the hair iron.
[Patent Literature 1 ] Publication of Unexamined Patent Application No. Sho
62-172905
[Patent LiteraturePublication of Unexamined Patent Application
2] No. 2000-166634
[Patent LiteraturePublication of Unexamined Patent Application
3] No. 2001-137038
[Patent LiteraturePublication of Unexamined Patent Application
4] No. 2002-291517
[Patent LiteraturePublication of Utility Model Registration
S] No. 3072722
[Patent LiteraturePublication of Unexamined Patent Application
6] No. 2003-24127
With a hair iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching type, normally both of the pair
of facing
heating plates are controlled to an appropriate temperature. Hairs on which
perm solution
has been applied are then sandwiched between these heating plates and heated.
Some of
these hair irons store, in a void space formed by shielding members in each V-
shaped
hair-sandwiching arm, a heating plate, a heat-source plate to heat the heating
plate, and also
a handy switch and a temperature controller to switch the temperature. On
these hair irons,
the handy switch is operated to adjust the temperature controller in the range
of 100 to
170°C and hairs are sandwiched between the heating plates set to the
specified heating
temperature, as mentioned above. As hairs are sandwiched, the water content of
the perm
solution and other chemicals applied to the hairs evaporates instantaneously
and
high-temperature steam generates. This steam is then released from the heating
plates in
four directions. As a result, the high-temperature steam is trapped between
the heating
plates and eventually seeps into the void spaces in V-shaped, hair-sandwiching
arms that
are shielded by shielding members. This can cause the temperature selector
switch,
temperature controller, temperature display and other control devices to
suffer electrical
damage due to high-temperature steam, and for this reason the aforementioned
control
devices had to be placed away from the hair-sandwiching arms. Therefore, even
when the
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handy switch on the hair-sandwiching arm is operated to adjust the
temperature, it was an
extremely cumbersome task for the operator implementing hair perm to confirm
the actual
temperature every time the temperature was changed, by looking at the
temperature
controller or temperature display that had to be placed away from the V-
shaped,
hair-sandwiching arms.
Summary of the Invention
As explained above, conventional hair irons had the problem of high-
temperature steam
trapped along the periphery of the heating plates and eventually seeping into
the void
spaces shielded by shielding members via the gaps between the heating plate
attached to the
V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm and the shielding members. To prevent this
problem,
various ways to improve steam cutoff property have been proposed, such as
screw-tightening or bonding a gasket or filling calking agent between the
heating plate and
shielding members. However, filling calking agent makes it difficult to
disassemble the hair
iron into component parts. Screw-tightening a gasket permits easy assembly,
but such
attachment structure is vulnerable to large impact and exhibits poor
durability. When hairs
are sandwiched between the heating plates during the perm, repeated
pressurization of the
shielding members by the heating plate affects the shielding property between
the heating
plate and shielding members. This has sometimes led to the problem of high-
temperature
steam seeping into the void space along the shielding members in a V-shaped,
hair-sandwiching arm and contacting the heat-source plate to cause the complex
circuitry of
the temperature controller to suffer electrical damage. In addition to
presenting the risks of
fire resulting from such electrical damage, conventional hair irons had to
have their
temperature controller and temperature display installed away from the V-
shaped,
hair-sandwiching arms.
The present invention was devised in light of the aforementioned circumstances
and the
object of the present invention is to provide a safe, easy-to-operate hair
iron that eliminates
the possibility of electrical damage. This hair iron also permits easy
temperature adjustment
because the temperature controller and temperature display can be stored in a
void space in
the V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm that is shielded by shielding members,
which in turn is
made possible by changing the structure of the heating plate base supported by
the shielding
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members in the V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm and thereby improving the steam
cutoff
property of the shielded void space in the V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, a gasket offering excellent
heat resistance
and elasticity is fitted between the shielding members and the bases, on the
void space side,
of the heating plates that are attached in a manner facing each other and
maintained on the
V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arms (each comprising a pair of right and left
shielding
members) so that the plates remain open in normal condition, and the gasket is
secured
using a taper shape provided at each base of the heating plate. This prevents
high-temperature steam from seeping into the void space and thereby presents a
hair iron of
V-shaped, hair-sandwiching type wherein temperature-adjustable heat-source
plates,
temperature display and temperature controller are stored in the void spaces
in the
hair-sandwiching arms.
Specifically, the hair iron proposed by the present invention is characterized
by the basic
structure described below:
( 1 ) A hair iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching type, comprising a pair of
openable/closable hair-sandwiching arms that each store, in a void space
shielded by a pair
of right and left shielding members constituting each hair-sandwiching arm, a
temperature-adjustable heat-source plate and a heating plate that contacts the
heat-source
plate and sandwich hairs when the arms are closed, wherein the hair-
sandwiching arms are
openably/closably connected on one end by a pivot so that the force of a
spring provided at
a bearing maintains the pair of openable/closable arms in open directions in a
normal
condition, and the heating plates are affixed in a manner facing each other;
the hair iron
characterized in that the bases, on the void space side, of the heating plate
are tapered and a
gasket is fitted in gaps formed by the tapers in order to improve the steam
cutoff property of
the void space and also facilitate disassembly and assembly.
(2) A hair iron described in (1), characterized in that a gasket is placed in
the
connection area between one void space shielded by the shielding members of
the
hair-sandwiching arm in which the heat-source plate and the heating plate are
stored, and
the other void space also shielded by the shielding members of the hair-
sandwiching arm, in
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order to improve the steam cutoff property of both void spaces.
(3) A hair iron described in (1) or (2), characterized in that a temperature
controller
andJor a temperature display is placed in the one void space in which the heat-
source plate
and the heating plate are stored, or in the other void space.
As explained above, the hair iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching type proposed
by the
present invention comprises a pair of right and left shielding members, and
the bases of
each heating plate stored in the void space shielded by the shielding members
are tapered in
advance. In the process where the pair of shielding members are assembled and
installed
from both sides, the convex parts of the shielding members are engaged
completely in the
tapered voids along the tapered bases of the heating plate, thereby enhancing
the
airtightness of the void space and thereby improving the steam cutoff
property. As a result,
the hair iron proposed by the present invention prevents steam from seeping
into the void
space between the shielding members where the heating plate is attached, even
when steam
generates from the water content of the perm solution and other chemicals as a
result of
heating the heating plate during hair ironing. Consequently, this hair iron
can completely
cut off steam from the void space. Also, a heat-source plate, a temperature
controller and a
temperature display can also be stored in the void space of the V-shaped arm
shielded by
the pair of right and left shielding members, which allows the operator to
adjust the
temperature easily at his or her fingertips. Furthermore, such structure
prevents the risks of
fire caused by high-temperature steam seeping into the void space and
contacting the
heat-source plate. Moreover, the operator can easily adjust the temperature by
looking at the
temperature display near his/her operating hand. Also, simply connecting the
pair of
shielding members from both sides allows the gasket to align automatically
along the
tapered bases of the heating plate and completely fit the tapered voids, so
the shielding
members can be disassembled or assembled from right and left with ease.
The gasket fitted between the heating plate bases and shielding members must
be made of a
material that withstands high temperatures of well over 100°C. Any
material can be used as
long as it can act as a buffer, without swelling or dissolving, against the
various chemicals
contained in the steam of perm solution that generates and comes in contact
with the gasket
during the treatment. For example, a composition comprising an appropriate
blend of
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natural rubber and synthetic rubber such as polybutadiene rubber, polyisoprene
rubber,
styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrite rubber, polychloroprene, butyl rubber,
Hypalon, EPM,
EPDM, urethane rubber or fluorine rubber can be favorably used.
Brief Explanation of the Drawings
[Fig. 1 ] The heating plate used in the hair iron proposed by the present
invention, and the
gasket fitted to the heating plate
[Fig. 2] A side view of the gasket-fitted heating plate used in the hair iron
proposed by the
present invention
[Fig. 3] A cross-section view of the gasket-fitted heating plate used in the
hair iron
proposed by the present invention (cross-section view taken along line A-A of
Fig. 2)
[Fig. 4] A condition before the gasket is fitted to the body of the hair iron
proposed by the
present invention
[Fig. 5] A condition after the gasket is fitted to the hair iron proposed by
the present
invention as shown in Fig. 4
[Fig. 6] A side view of the hair-sandwiching arm constituting the hair iron
proposed by the
present invention
[Fig. 7] A cross-section view taken along line B-B of Fig. 6
[Fig. 8] A perspective view of a conventional hair iron
[Fig. 9] A conventional heating plate in a fitted state
Description of the Symbols
1 Heating plate
Ol
102 Gasket
103 Heating plate base
104 Shielding member
105 Tapered heating plate
base
106 Grip
107 Hair-sandwiching
arm
108 Pivot
109 Gasket
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109' Second gasket
110 Affixing part
111 Protective sheet
112 Force spring
113 Temperature controller
114 Temperature display
115 Heat-source plate
116 Shield joint
117 Convex part of shielding member
118 Void space (where a temperature controller is stored)
119 Tapered void
201 Heating plate
202 Gasket
203 Heating plate base
204 Shield
206 Grip
207 Hair-sandwiching arm
208 Pivot
211 Protective sheet
212 Force spring
215 Heat-source plate
216 Shield joint
218 Void space
220 Handy temperature selector switch
221 Screw
Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
An embodiment of the present invention is explained according to the drawings.
Fig. 1 shows the heating plate of the V-shaped hair iron proposed by the
present invention
and the gasket fitted to the heating plate. Fig. 2 is a side view of the
gasket-fitted heating
plate, while Fig. 3 provides a cross-section view of the gasket-fitted heating
plate
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(cross-section view of the section indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2). Fig. 4
shows a
condition before the gasket-fitted heating plate is installed on the iron
body, while Fig. 5
shows a condition after the gasket has been fully engaged with the iron body.
Fig. 6 shows
a side view of the hair-sandwiching arm constituting the hair iron proposed by
the present
invention, while Fig. 7 shows a cross-section view taken along line B-B of
Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a
perspective view of a conventional hair iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm
type, while
Fig. 9 is a cross-section view showing how a heating plate is supported on a
conventional
V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm.
As shown in Fig. 8, the conventional hair iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching
arm type has
the surface of a shielding member (204) covered by a protective sheet (211),
and a pivot
(208) of a grip (206) on one end of a hair-sandwiching arm (207) that supports
a heating
plate (201 ) by means of the shielding member (204) permits connection of the
heating
plates (201) openahly/closably, with the force of a spring (212) provided at a
bearing
maintaining the arms in open directions and a handy temperature selector
switch (220)
permitting temperature change. However, a temperature controller and
temperature display
(not shown) for heat-source plates had to be positioned far away, because a
void space
(218) formed in each hair-sandwiching arm (207) has poor steam cutoff
property. Even
when the temperature was switched using the handy selector switch (220),
therefore, the
operator had to perform the cumbersome task of checking the distant
temperature display
controlled by the temperature controller in order to confirm the actual
temperature.
Fig. 9 shows a cross-section of the heating plate supported on the same
conventional hair
iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm type where a gasket (202) is fitted at
a base (203)
of the heating plate (201) on the void space (218) side of a heat-source plate
(215). The
gasket (202) is fitted by means of accurately aligning, at a joint (216), a
pair of right and
left shielding members (204) from the right and left, and then securely
affixing to the
heating plate (201) using screws (221). The fitting method is not limited to
screw-in, and
the gasket can also be fitted by filling calking agent or by bonding.
Regardless of the fitting
method, however, the gasket (202) invariably changes its position due to
impact or a long
period of use and creates a gap between the shielding members (204) and the
heating plate
(201) as a result. This in turns causes high-pressure steam to seep into the
void space (218)
during the perm, and if a temperature controller or a temperature display is
placed in this
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void space, electrical damage may occur as explained earlier.
As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the hair iron proposed by the present invention has
a gasket
(102) fitted beforehand at each base (103) of a heating plate (101 ) where
hairs contact a
hair-sandwiching arm (107) (Fig. 2 shows a condition where the gasket (102) is
fitted,
while Fig. 3 shows a cross-section view taken along line A-A of Fig. 2). A
heat-source plate
(115) can be temperature-adjusted by means of a temperature controller (113),
and the base
(103) of the heating plate (101) placed adjacent to the heat-source plate
(115) is tapered
(105), so that the gasket (102) is fitted in a formed tapered void (119).
The hair iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm type proposed by the present
invention
comprises a pair of openable/closable hair-sandwiching arms (107). To
constitute the
hair-sandwiching arm, a pair of right and left shielding members must be
assembled to
securely support the heating plate (101). The heating plate (101) adjacent to
the heat-source
plate (115) has the gasket (102) pre-fitted as shown in Fig. 3, and this
gasket-fitted heating
plate (101) is securely supported by attaching a pair of right and left
shielding members
(104) from both sides and then affixing as appropriately a joint (116) of the
shielding
members (104) using screws, etc. When assembling the pair of right and left
shielding
members (104) from both sides, the shielding members (104) are moved closer
toward the
center from the right and left as shown in Fig. 4 (in the directions of the
right and left
arrows shown at the center of Fig. 4), in order to form a void space (118). As
the shielding
members (104) are moved closer toward the center from both sides, a convex
part (117) of
the inner wall of each shielding member moves toward the center (inward) along
the
tapered (105) surface of the heating plate base (103), consequently engaging
with the
tapered void (119) and sealing the void space. The heating plate moves toward
the joint
(116) of the shielding members (104) (in the direction of the downward arrow
shown at the
center of Fig. 4). As the convex part (117) of the shielding member moves, the
gasket (102)
is pressured against the heating plate (101) in all directions of right, left,
up and down, and
consequently the convex part (117) of the shielding member is completely
engaged with the
tapered void (119) as shown in Fig. 5, with the gasket (102) securely fitted
to the shielding
members ( 104) and thereby improving the steam cutoff property dramatically.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross-section view of one (upper) hair-sandwiching
arm (107) of the
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pair (upper and lower, in the figure) of hair-sandwiching arms each comprising
the heating
plate (101) as proposed by the V-shaped hair iron body of the present
invention. The
hair-sandwiching arm (107) securely supports the heating plate (101) in the
void space
(118) shielded by the shielding members (104), and the end of a grip (106) of
the
aforementioned arm is openably/closably connected to a pivot (108). The force
of a spring
(112) provided at a bearing maintains the pair of openable/closable arms in
open directions
in normal condition, while the pair of heating plates (101) are supported so
that they face
each other and can sandwich and heat hairs. The hair-sandwiching arm (107) has
an
appropriate protective sheet, an affixing part (110) and a temperature display
(114).
As explained above, the hair iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm type
proposed by the
present invention has the structure wherein the V-shaped grips (106) of the
pair of
openable/closable hair-sandwiching arms (107) are connected circularly movably
via the
pivotf (108). The spring force holds the heating plates (101) in parallel when
the arms (107)
of the V-shaped grips (106) are closed, thereby allowing the heating plates to
contact with
each other over their entire surface as they sandwich the hairs.
The arm (107) of each V-shaped grip (106) has the heat-source plate (115)
placed on the
back of the heating plate (101) (on the opposite side of the surface
contacting hairs), and a
temperature selector switch (120) is used to heat the heating plate (101)
located adjacent to
the heat-source plate (115) that is temperature-adjusted by the temperature
controller (113).
The temperature is then shown on the temperature display (114).
The hair iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm type proposed by the present
invention
comprises the pair of right and left shielding members (104) that are
assembled from the
right and left as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5, and these pair of
shielding members
create a void space in which the heat-source plate (115) and the heating plate
(101) are
stored, and another void space on the grip (106) side. In Fig. 6, the
temperature controller
(113) is positioned in the grip-side void space. Since the present invention
provides
improved steam cutoff property by way of tight-fitting a gasket, the
temperature controller
can also be placed in the void space (118) on the heating plate (101) side.
It is also effective to position a second gasket (109') at the joint (116) of
the pair of
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shielding members (104) connecting the void space in which the heat-source
plate and the
heating plate ( 1 O 1 ) are stored and the void space on the grip side, in
order to further
improve the steam cutoff property with respect to both void spaces. In other
words, by
placing the second gasket (109') as shown in Fig. 7 that is a cross-section
view taken along
line B-B of Fig. 6, high-temperature steam around the heating plate (101) can
be cut off and
steam can be completely cut off from the void space in which the heat-source
plate and the
heating plate are stored as well as from the void space on the grip side.
The aforementioned hair iron proposed by the present invention is used in the
same manner
as any conventional hair iron of V-shaped, hair-sandwiching arm type is used.
Specifically,
perm solution is applied to hairs, the heating plates (101) are heated to a
specified
temperature, and then the V-shaped grips (106) are operated to sandwich a
specified
amount of hairs between the heating plates (101). At this time, high-
temperature steam
generates as the perm solution on the hairs evaporates. This steam is released
from the
heating plates (101) in four directions. However, due to the gasket (102),
which allows the
heating plate base (103) and the convex part (117) of each shielding member to
engage
securely and completely in the tapered void along the taper (105) when the
pair of right and
left shielding members (104) are assembled from the right and left, the steam
is completely
cut off from the foamed void space. Therefore, the heat-source plate (115) and
the
temperature controller (113) stored in the void space on the grip side or the
heating plate
side can operate safely and stably.
Industrial Field of Application
As explained above, the hair iron proposed by the present invention allows a
gasket to be
securely fitted to the shielding members by utilizing the tapered shapes
provided at the
bases of heating plates attached on the opposing surfaces of the pair of
openable/closable
arms that constitute the V-shaped hair iron. Also, the elasticity of the heat-
resistant, elastic
gasket material is maximally utilized to completely prevent seeping in of
steam of perm
solution that generates during the perm. Also, a temperature controller and a
temperature
display can be provided near the operating hand, in addition to a temperature
selector
device, so that the operator can control the temperature at his or her
fingertips and check the
actual temperature with ease, which significantly reduces the time and trouble
of perm
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