Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HAIR CARE APPLIANCE
This invention relates to a handheld appliance and in particular to a hair
care appliance
such as a hot styling device.
In a conventional hot styling appliance, air is drawn into an inlet by a fan
unit and
directed towards the hair by an outlet. Often, one appliance is provided with
different
attachments, each having a different outlet configuration and thus a different
function,
for example drying, curling or volumising. Depending on the style desired, the
air may
or may not be heated. The attachment may include bristles onto which hair is
wrapped
and held for styling.
The appliance will have at least one user operated button which may be a push
button or
a sliding button. There is also generally a means for exchanging one
attachment for
another and whilst this can be achieved by twisting the attachment with
respect to the
head often, a there is a lock or catch to prevent inadvertent removal of the
attachment
during use. This lock or catch is frequently disengaged by a further user
activated
button allowing the user to remove an attachment when desired.
The invention provides a handheld appliance comprising a handle and a user
interface
comprising at least one user operated button. Preferably, the handle has an
elliptical
cross section having a major axis and a minor axis. In a preferred embodiment,
the
user interface is provided on a first vertex of the major axis Preferably, the
handle
additionally comprises a further user operated button and the further user
operated
button is provided on a second vertex of the major axis.
The major axis of the handle can be too large for some users to hold
comfortably if the
handle diameter were circular and the size of the major axis. The use of an
elliptical
handle gives the benefit of having the extra space provide by the major axis
whilst still
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having a handle that is comfortable to hold. There is a balance between the
ergonomics
and the space for internal components.
In a preferred embodiment, the appliance further comprises an attachment for
connection to the handle wherein the further user operated button operates a
mechanism
for removing the attachment from the handle.
Preferably, the user interface comprises three user operated buttons. In a
preferred
embodiment, the three user operated buttons are arranged in a triangular
configuration.
Thus, the user interface is triangular in configuration.
Preferably, each of the three user operated buttons are disposed at a vertex
of the
triangle.
In a preferred embodiment, a second of the three user operated buttons
comprises an
on/off switch. Preferably, a first and third of the three user operated
buttons control
temperature and flow through the appliance respectively.
Preferably, a second button is disposed at an apex of the triangle. This
distinguishes the
on/off function and enables a user to identify this button easily. Preferably,
the on/off
button is a different size and or shape to the second and third buttons to
further facilitate
this.
In a preferred embodiment, the second button is on a vertex of the user
interface distal
to the further user operated button. When the further user operated button
controls an
attachment mechanism for the attachment, it is positioned adjacent the end of
the handle
to which the attachment is attached. Due to the elliptical shape of the handle
it is
natural for a user to orient the major axis into the web between the thumb and
index
finger. In this orientation, the index finger has considerably more reach than
the thumb
and can be used to access the further user operated button and the thumb is
used to
access the three user operated buttons.
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Preferably, the handle had a first end and a second end. In a preferred
embodiment, the
attachment attaches to the handle at the first end. Preferably, the further
user operated
button is adjacent the first end.
In a preferred embodiment, the user interface is longitudinally spaced from
the first end
of the handle. Preferably, the second button is distal to the first end of the
handle.
Preferably, a second and third of the three user operated buttons are radially
spaced
around the handle.
In a preferred embodiment, the first and third buttons form a base of the
triangle.
Preferably, the appliance is a hair care appliance.
In a preferred embodiment, the hair care appliance is a hot styling appliance.
The invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the
accompanying drawings, of which:
Figures 1 shows an appliance on which a user interface according to the
invention can
be utilised;
Figures 2a and 2b show side views of a user interface with and without buttons
respectively;
Figure 3 shows the radially inner surface of actuators according to the
invention;
Figure 4 shows a cross section through part of an actuator according to the
invention;
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Figure 5 shows a cross section through an alternative actuator according to
the
invention;
Figure 6 shows an isometric view of an actuator according to the invention;
Figure 7a shows a side view of a user interface with all buttons in the first
position;
Figure 7b shows a side view of a user interface with all buttons in the second
position;
Figure 7c shows a side view of a user interface with all buttons in the third
position;
Figure 8 shows a cross section through an appliance according to the
invention; and
Figure 9 shows a cross section through one of the buttons of the appliance.
Referring to Figure 1, an example of a hand held appliance 10 is shown. The
appliance
has a handle 210 and an attachment 20 for styling hair. In order to enable a
user to
create different styles and to give the appliance multi functionality, the
attachment 20 is
removable and can be replaced with an alternative attachment. In addition, the
attachment 20 can be removed to allow easier storage of the appliance when not
in use.
The handle 210 includes a number of different user operated buttons 30, 138
enabling
the user to select between a number of different heat and flow settings. The
appliance
includes a fan unit and heater (both not shown), in use the fan unit draws
fluid in
through a fluid inlet 212, optionally heats the fluid which is then emitted by
the fluid
outlet 22 in the attachment 20.
This appliance 10 has two different button arrangements for controlling the
appliance.
In this embodiment, both arrangements have three different settings but one
arrangement controls a single switch whereas the other controls two switches.
A first
button arrangement 30 is more suitable for controlling a parameter of the
appliance such
as heat or flow and this button type controls a single switch. The second
button
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arrangement 130 is suitable for controlling two different aspects such as
turning the
appliance on and providing a cold shot function. Alternatively, the two
different aspects
could be temperature or flow with a cold shot function but these options are
more
restrictive as the cold shot could only be used with the highest or lowest of
these
5 functions and that may not always be appropriate.
Referring now to Figures 2a to 7c in particular, the first button arrangement
30 will be
described. The first button arrangement 30 has a single switch 32 with a lever
36
movable between first 36a, second 36b and third 36c positions. An actuator 40
extends
between a button 38 and the switch 32, the actuator 40 has a protrusion 42 for
engaging
with the button 38, the protrusion 42 is attached to an arm 44 which extends
to the
switch 32. The protrusion 42 is housed within a housing 46. The housing 46 has
an
aperture 48 through which the protrusion 42 extends. The housing 46 includes
three
detents 50 each one defining a position of the button 38, protrusion 42, arm
44 and lever
36. A ball 52 is adapted to move between the three detents 50 and a spring 54
biases the
ball 52 into one of the three detents 50 until a further movement of the
button 38 occurs.
The spring 54 is at least partially housed within a recess 42a provided
internal of the
protrusion 42 thus as the button 38 is moved the ball 52 also moves between
detents 50.
At or near the distal end 44a of the arm 44 from the housing, a recess 56 is
provided.
The recess 56 is generally V-shaped and is adapted to house and retain the
lever 36. In
a first position 36a, the lever engages with an internal surface 58 of the
recess 56. A
second position 36b of the lever corresponds to a neutral position of the
lever 36, where
it sits within the recess 56 without being pushed or pulled; this is the
middle button
position. In a third position 36c, the lever engages with a second surface 60
of the
recess 56. In the first and third positions, the lever 36 is retained in the
position by the
force applied by the spring 54 which biases ball 52 into a detent 50.
The button arrangement 30 additionally includes a button plate 62 which sits
between
the button 38 and the protrusion 42. The handle 210 has an outer wall 214 and
in order
for the button 38 to move or slide between each position, an aperture 216 is
formed in
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the outer wall 214 which accommodates the sliding between three positions thus
the
aperture 216 is larger than the button 38. The button plate 62 is located
inside the outer
wall 214 and is sized to completely cover the aperture 216 regardless of the
position of
the button 38. The button plate 62 prevents direct ingress of debris into the
handle 210.
The second button arrangement 130 will now be described; in this embodiment,
components illustrated and already described in relation to the first button
arrangement
30 have like reference numerals. The second button arrangement 130 has a first
switch
132 and a second switch 150. In this example, the first switch 132 provides
the off to
on function and the second switch 150 provides a cold shot. When the second
button
138 is in the off position as shown in Figure 7a neither the first switch 132
nor the
second switch 150 are activated. When the second button 138 is moved one
position, as
shown in Figures 2a and 7b, a push button 134 provided on a surface of the
first switch
132 is engaged and the appliance turns on.
A second actuator 140 extends between the second button 138 and the first
switch 132.
The second actuator 140 has a protrusion 42 for engaging with the second
button 138.
The protrusion 42 is housed within a second housing 146. The second housing
146 has
an aperture 48 through which the protrusion 42 extends. The second housing 146
includes two detents 50 each one defining a position of the second button 138
and a
second arm 144. A ball 52 is adapted to move between the two detents 50 and a
spring
54 is provided to bias the ball 52 into one of the two detents 50 until a
further movement
of the second button 138 occurs. The spring 54 is at least partially housed
within a
recess 42a provided internal of the protrusion 42 thus as the second button
138 is
moved the ball 52 also moves between detents 50.
The second actuator 140 has a surface 158 for engaging with the push button
134, as the
second button 138 is moved from the off position to the on position by a user,
the
second arm 144 moves and the surface 158 engages with the push button 134 and
depresses the push button 134.
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The second button 138 can be moved to a third position but this third position
is not
defined by a detent, instead it is only effected when the user applies a
pressure to the
second button 138 when the second button 138 is in the second position. The
distal end
140b of the actuator 140 from the first switch 132 is shaped to receive a
spring 152.
When a user pushes the second button 138 and protrusion 42 from the second
position
to the third position, the ball 52 moves out of the middle detent 50b and
against the
action of the spring 152. The second arm 144 has a second surface 160 formed
near the
arm end 144a distal from the second housing 146 and this second surface 160
engages
with the second switch 150 when the second button 138 is pushed against the
spring
152. The second switch 150 has a second lever 154 which is pushed from a
neutral or
free position when engaged by the second surface 160 and whilst the second
lever 154
is out of this neutral position, the heater (not shown) is deactivated and a
cold shot
provided.
.. The first switch 132 and the second switch 150 are longitudinally spaced
and the push
button 134 of the first switch 132 remains engaged when the second button 138
and
protrusion 42 are moved to the third position.
The second arm 144 has a first side 156 and this first side 156 includes the
surface 158
.. which engages with the push button 134. The second arm has a second side
162 and the
second side includes the second surface 160. This is advantageous as when both
switches are engaged, there is force applied to both sides of the second arm
144.
In this embodiment, the first button arrangement 30,30a is used twice, once
for
temperature settings and once for flow settings. Conveniently, the pair of
first button
arrangements 30, 30a are separated by the second button arrangement 130. This
means
the user has a small area on the outer wall 214 where all the controls for the
product are
situated. In order to assist the user, the second button 138 is larger than
the first buttons
38 and is displaced along the outer wall 214 to form a triangular UI (user
interface) 180
(Figure 2a). Over time the user will be able to identify the second button 138
by touch
and change the setting without needing to see the UI.
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In the example shown (see Figure 8), all the switches are mounted into a
substrate 70,
for example a PCB (printed circuit board). Such substrates are usually flat,
but so that
the substrate 70 does not take up a significant proportion of the internal
space in of the
handle 210 in one embodiment the substrate is formed in two pieces 70a, 70b
with a
flexible portion 72 connecting the two parts. This enables the substrate 70 to
be bent
slightly into a V-shape which more closely follows the shape of the outer wall
214 of
the handle 210. As the fluid flow path extends through the inside of the
handle 210,
bending the substrate 70 causes less restriction to fluid flowing inside the
handle 210.
The second arm 144 is positioned approximately centrally on the substrate,
over the
flexible portion 72 and engages the push button 134 on one side which
corresponds to
one piece 70a of the substrate 70. The second arm 144 engages the second
switch 150
on the other side which corresponds to the other piece 70b of the substrate.
Whilst the
second arm 144 extends away from the second housing 146 in a first direction X-
X
which is parallel to a longitudinal axis A-A of the handle 210 it also extends
in a second
direction Y-Y substantially perpendicular to the first direction. This
produces an L-
shaped profile near the distal end 144a of the second arm 144 from the second
housing
46. The second direction Y-Y extends from the outer wall 214 towards the
substrate 70.
The L-shaped profile enables a single arm 144 to engage with both the first
switch 132
and the second switch 150 across the bend of the substrate 70.
Referring now to Figure 9, in this embodiment, in addition to the UI having
the user
operated buttons 38, 138 a further button 100 is provided. This further button
100
operates an attachment mechanism (not shown) for retaining and releasing the
attachment 20 with respect to the handle 210.
The outer wall 214 of the handle 210 is elliptical in cross-section. The
handle 210 has a
major axis B-B and a minor axis C-C. The major axis is the one having the
larger
radius and diameter. Having an elliptical handle 210 provides a number of
benefits: it
orients the handle 210 in a user's hand; and it provides increased space
internal to the
handle 210 compared to the circular equivalent of the minor axis.
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It is natural for a user to orient the major axis into the web between the
thumb and index
finger. The user operated buttons 38,138 and 100 are provided proximate the
major axis
enabling easy access by the thumb or index finger. In one embodiment, the
further
button 100 is diametrically opposite the second button 138. This has a number
of
advantages, it assists in orienting the user as to the orientation of the
appliance in the
user's hand, it balances the product and it is visually appealing.
The user interface 180 comprises a first button arrangement 30, 30a and a
second button
arrangement 130 and is provided at a first vertex 182 of the major axis B-B.
Specifically, in the embodiment shown, the second button arrangement 130 is
provided
on the first vertex 182 with each of the first button arrangements 30, 30a
being radially
offset one to each side of the first vertex 182 in order to form the
triangular user
interface 180. The second of the three user operated buttons comprises an
on/off
switch. Conveniently, the pair of first button arrangements are referred to as
the first
and third buttons and these control temperature and flow through the appliance
respectively. Advantageously, the first and third buttons are longitudinally
displaced
from the second button and form a base of the triangular user interface. The
second
button 138 is positioned at the apex of the triangle.
The further user operated button 100 is provided on the second vertex 184 of
the major
axis B-B. The further user operated button 100 is therefore diametrically
opposite the
second button arrangement 130.
.. The increased space internal to the handle 210 is achieved without the
overall
impression of the diameter of the handle 210 being significantly increased.
The use of
the ellipse masks the size of the major axis. Also, having a handle with a
circular cross
section the size of the major axis would be too large for many people to hold
comfortably.
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The user interface 180 is triangular and has one user operated button at each
vertex of
the triangle. As there are two of the first button arrangement 30, 30a, in one
embodiment the triangular user interface 180 is in the form of an isosceles
triangle and
the two first button arrangements are provided at a respective corner of the
base of the
5 triangle.
In one embodiment, the further user operated button 100 is longitudinally
displaced
from the user interface 180. One reason for this is that this further user
operated button
100 operates an attachment mechanism by which attachments 20 are attached to
and
10 released from the handle 210 of the appliance 10 thus this mechanism is
simplified if
the further user operated button 100 is adjacent or proximate a first end 210a
of the
handle 210 to which the attachments 20 are attached. A second benefit of this
arrangement is that the internal mechanisms which function to facilitate the
operation of
the further user operated button 100 and the user interface 180 can be
separated within
the handle 210 thus, any internal reduction in the cross sectional area due to
these
internal mechanisms is longitudinally separate within the handle 210. A third
reason is
that this configuration naturally assists a user in positioning the appliance
in a hand
having the triangular user interface 180 with the first, second and third
buttons all
accessible by a thumb and the further user operated button 100 diametrically
opposite
and closer to the first end 210a of the handle 210. In this embodiment, the
second
button 138 is on a vertex of the user interface 180 distal to the further user
operated
button 100 and the first end 210a of the handle 210.
In the example described, the first button arrangement 130 has three settings;
this is not
essential so there can be more settings or fewer settings. In addition, the
first and
second switches are provided in opposite sides of the arm again this is not
essential and
depending on space restraints, the two switches may be provided on the same
side of the
arm.
The two first button arrangements 30, 30a are slightly different in the
embodiment
shown; there are slight differences in the configuration of each recess 60,
60a. These
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differences are merely due to space considerations on the substrate 70. So,
the two
recesses 60, 60a may alternatively be the same.
In the Figures, and in particular in Figures 7a to 7c, the buttons are shown
in the same
position at the same time; this was merely for ease of explaining the
invention and each
combination of each of the three button positions can be used with the others.
For
example, each temperature setting can be used with each of the flow settings
when the
machine is on and the cold shot can be used with any flow setting.
The invention has been described in detail with respect to a hot styling
device however,
it is applicable to any appliance that draws in a fluid and directs the
outflow of that fluid
from the appliance.
The appliance can be used with or without a heater; the action of the outflow
of fluid at
high velocity has a drying effect.
The fluid that flows through the appliance is generally air, but may be a
different
combination of gases or gas and can include additives to improve performance
of the
appliance or the impact the appliance has on an object the output is directed
at for
example, hair and the styling of that hair.
The invention is not limited to the detailed description given above.
Variations will be
apparent to the person skilled in the art.
