CN101291602A - hair styling equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A hair styling apparatus (100) comprising a handle (120), a styling head (140) and heating means (146), wherein the handle (120) comprises a pair of pivotally connected arms (1202, 1204) and the styling head (140) comprises a pair of styling members (1402, 1404) which cooperate to form a styling surface (142) of the styling head (140), whereby each styling member (1402, 1404) is extendable from and retractable into the handle (120).

Description

hair styling equipment

technical field

The present invention relates to a hair styling appliance, and more particularly to a handheld hair styling appliance with a retractable styling head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a tong-type hair styling device having a retractable hair styling head.

Background technique

Hair styling devices are widely used for hair styling, such as curling hair and straightening hair. A typical hair styling device includes a handle and a heated styling head for contact or non-contact styling. A typical contact hair styling device is in the shape of a pair of tongs and includes a pair of articulated arms with a pair of heated styling heads. A styling head protrudes from the free end of the articulated arm, and the hair styling surfaces face each other. Typically, the hair is styled when the hair is held between a pair of heated styling heads and the pair of heated styling heads are squeezed into engagement. Styling is achieved, for example, with a pair of heated curling or straightening heads. Another common hair styling device is the stick type, where the styling head and handle are approximately co-linear.

While tong-type hair styling devices as well as rod-type hair styling devices provide useful and convenient devices for styling hair, they are somewhat bulky and inconvenient for travellers. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved hair styling appliance and apparatus that overcomes the disadvantages of conventional tong-like hair styling appliances.

Contents of the invention

According to the present invention there is provided a hair styling appliance comprising a handle, a styling head and heating means, wherein the handle comprises a pair of pivotally connected arms and the styling head comprises a A pair of styling members for a styling surface of the head, the hair styling apparatus being characterized in that each styling member is extendable from and retractable into said handle.

A hair styling device having a telescoping head facilitates a compact design, which is advantageous for storage and is especially convenient for travel, while still allowing hair styling with conventionally sized styling devices.

In a preferred embodiment, each styling member telescopically extends from and telescopically retracts into a corresponding one of the pair of pivotally connecting arms. A telescoping hair styling device having a telescoping extension structure facilitates convenient extension and retraction of the hair styling head with minimal space requirements. Another advantage of the retractable design is easy storage and optimal use of the space inside the handle. An added advantage of the telescoping extension design is that it is possible to have a styling head with multiple extendable and/or retractable sections so that the overall size can be minimized.

Preferably, each of the pair of pivotally connecting arms includes a hollow receptacle into and out of which each of said styling members is slidable. By utilizing the hollow portion of the handle to temporarily store the styling member, better use of the space within the hollow handle can be achieved and the overall weight can be reduced.

In an exemplary embodiment, each of the styling members is elongated, each of the hollow containers is elongated, and each of the styling members is pivotable along the pair of The axis perpendicular to the pivot axis of the connecting arm moves relative to the hollow container.

Preferably, each of the pair of profiled members is independently movable such that one of said profiled members is slidably movable relative to the other of said profiled members.

Preferably, the pair of pivotally connected arms is movable between an open configuration in which the pair of styling members are not in contact and a closed configuration in which the pair of styling members are in compressive contact, said hair styling apparatus being characterized in that , when the pair of pivotally connecting arms is in the closed configuration, the pair of profile members engage each other such that retraction or extension of one of the profile members will respectively retract the other of the profile members or extend.

Preferably, at least one of said styling members includes built-in electrical heating means for heating hair engaged by the pair of styling members. The styling member with built-in electric heating means will provide the necessary heating to the hair styling surface when the styling member has been extended to the operating position.

Preferably, each of said styling members includes a thermally conductive hair styling surface, each said thermally conductive hair styling surface being mounted on an insulating housing, with said thermally conductive hair styling surfaces of the pair of styling members facing oppositely.

Preferably, the molding member is elastically mounted on the insulating housing. The elastically mounted styling surface facilitates uniform pressure on the lock of hair when it is pinched by the pair of styling members.

Preferably, each said thermally conductive hair styling surface is surrounded by said insulating housing.

Preferably, the pair of hair styling members is movable between a closed position for engaging hair and an open position for releasing hair, and in said closed position said thermally conductive hair styling surfaces of the pair of hair styling members are Sandwiched between a pair of insulating housings.

Preferably, an electric heating device is installed in the cavity defined between the heat conducting shell and the insulating shell of the molding member.

Preferably, said styling member is connected to said arm by a rail-to-rail arrangement.

In a preferred embodiment, power is supplied to said heating means by a pair of rails extending axially along said arm, a major part of which is insulated and exposed at a distal end so that in said The styling member makes electrical contact between the heating device and the rail when extended to a predetermined length.

Preferably, a slide button is formed at a proximal end of the styling head, wherein the proximal end is adjacent to a pivot hinge connecting the pair of arms, and the slide button projects laterally from the styling head.

Preferably, said slide button of the pair of hair styling members is operable by a single thumb when said handle is in the closed position.

Preferably, said slide button extends laterally from both sides of said styling head. Slide buttons extending laterally provide convenience for left-handed and right-handed users.

Preferably, the styling member is retractable towards the pivot joint of the handle.

Advantageously, the handle is suitable for one-handed operation.

Preferably, the heated styling surface and/or the handle comprise nanosilver substances.

Preferably, the handle comprises a hollow plastic shell defining a hollow container.

Preferably, the styling member includes electrical heating means and power is supplied to the heating means only when the styling member has extended a predetermined length from the pivot joint. This preferred safety feature has the effect that the risk of accidental operation of the heating device before the styling member has been moved to its designed operating position is reduced.

Description of drawings

The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the form of examples, in the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 shows a side view of a first preferred embodiment of a hair styling appliance according to the invention,

Figure 2 shows a top view of the hair styling device of Figure 1,

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the hair styling device of Figure 2 in an "open" position,

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the hair styling appliance of Figure 3 in a "closed" position,

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the device of Figure 4 with the hair styling head fully retracted,

Figure 6 is a partially exploded side view of the apparatus of Figure 4 with the hair styling head partially retracted,

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device of Figure 2 along the longitudinal section A-A,

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hair styling device of Figure 7 along section A-A with the hair styling head partially retracted,

Figure 9 is a longitudinal sectional view along section A-A with the hair styling head fully retracted, and

Figure 10 shows an exploded view of the components of the hair styling appliance of Figure 3 .

Detailed ways

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a hair straightener 100 as one example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The hair straightener 100 includes a handle 120, a styling head 140 and an electric heating device.

The handle 120 includes a pair of arms 1202, 1204 pivotally connected at respective distal ends. Each of the pivotally connected arms includes a hollow housing 122 defining a hollow receptacle for receiving styling members of a styling head as will be described below. The arm's hollow shell 122 is preferably made of durable plastic or other insulating material, providing good thermal and electrical insulation. The hollow container is elongate and extends in an axial direction perpendicular to the pivot axis of the pivot joint interconnecting the pair of arms 1202, 1204. A coil spring 154 is mounted at the pivot joint to provide a spring bias for urging the pair of arms towards the open configuration. The handle is suitable for one-handed operation and is preferably palm-sized. As a suitable embodiment, the length of the plastic shell 122 of the arm is about 15 cm to 20 cm, ie about 1.5 to 2 times the width of the palm. The handle can be in, for example, a fully closed configuration for storage or for hair styling (as shown in FIGS. shown) operate between. As a suitable example, for one-handed use, the maximum angle between the pair of arms is about 20 to 30 degrees, and preferably less than 35 degrees. A latch is provided at the pivot joint to releasably lock the pair of arms at a user selected angle.

In order to supply power to the electric heating means, a pair of supply rails (not shown) are provided. The pair of supply rails extend between the pivoted distal end and the free proximal end of the insulating housing of the arm. The rail is covered by insulation over most of its length and is exposed at both ends to be in contact with the power supply line 128 at one end and the heating means at the other end, respectively. The insulation of the power supply rails reduces the risk of electric shock when the styling members 1402, 1404 are moved out of the arm housing 122 due to the exposure of the inner bottom 124 of the arm housing 122. In this power supply device, user safety is further enhanced since electrical contact is only made between the power cord 128 and the bend of the electrical contact 150 after the styling head 140 has been fully extended. By using such a position-dependent power supply, the styling head cannot be unintentionally heated when it is in the intermediate position.

A pair of axially extending rails 128 for guiding the movement of the molding members 1402, 1404 are arranged inside the insulating hollow shell, and the pair of rails extend transversely inwardly towards each other, thereby forming a pair of parallel guides.

Styling head 140 includes a pair of styling members 1402,1404. Each styling member 1402 , 1404 is designed to be retractable and then retained within the handle 120 . In particular, each hair styling member 1402, 1404 is designed to be retracted into the elongate hollow chamber 127 of the corresponding arm as desired, such as for storage during travel or transport. More specifically, each styling member includes an insulating housing 144 carrying a thermally conductive member 149 for forming a thermally conductive hair styling surface 142 thereon. At least one of the styling members includes electrical heating means for heating the adjacent or proximate hair styling surface, although having electrical heating means on both styling members will be more thermally efficient.

In a preferred embodiment, hair styling surface 142 and/or the insulative housing including insulative housing 144 and handle housing 122 may include nanosilver for antimicrobial effect. Nanosilver can be applied as a coating, or mixed integrally during the formation of the individual parts.

One example of a suitable heating means is a distributed heating element comprising resistive heating elements mounted on a metal plate to distribute the heat evenly, as shown in FIG. 10 . As can be seen from FIG. 10 , the heating member 146 is elongated and extends axially generally perpendicular to the pivot axis connecting the pair of arms 1202 , 1204 . The electric heating device is enclosed within a hollow insulating housing 144 and is arranged adjacent to the heat conducting surface 142 for efficient heat transfer. In this arrangement, the heating means is arranged intermediate the heat conducting member 146 and the insulating housing 144, so that during use the pair of heat conducting surfaces is substantially surrounded by the insulating housing of the pair of styling members. When the pair of arms is in the closed position, only a small portion of the heating surface is exposed because the heating surface is retracted laterally from the sides of the insulating housing and the thickness of the metal member is very small compared to its width, for example less than 10%.

In order to move the styling member into and out of the arm hollow portion 127 , and to allow for the mounting of the heating means on the styling member, the heating means and the heat conducting means may be mounted on a carrier 148 . Carrier 148 includes a molding configured to receive an electrical heating device and to connect to an insulated slide button 152 at the distal end of the carrier (ie, the end closest to the pivot joint). The slide button 152 is adapted to enable the user to drive the styling member into or out of the handle with the push of a thumb or finger. To accommodate both left-handed and right-handed users, a slide button 152 extends laterally from the handle portion. The bridge 126 is provided to connect the left and right portions of the slide button 152 .

A pair of guide grooves or guide slots 147 are formed on the lateral sides of the insulating housing of the molding member, which extend axially. The pair of axially extending grooves 147, when mated together with corresponding counter axial rails 128 on the arm's insulative housing 122, form a pair of rail-rail arrangements for guiding the movement of the styling head in and out of the arm's insulative housing .

An electrical heating device is mounted on the rear surface of the heat conducting member and is connected to a pair of electrical contacts 150 at the distal end of the carrier. The electrical contact 150 is a spring-type electrical contact having a bent portion that is biased toward the insulating housing (or away from its base contact). The bend protrudes above the insulating housing and engages a pair of exposed power rails when the profile member extends to a predetermined length. In this specific embodiment, the predetermined position when the bent portion of the contact is in contact with the power supply rail is the position when the molding member is fully unfolded.

Each styling member is independently movable when the pair of arms is in the closed configuration. A pair of catches are formed on corresponding surfaces of the profile members so that when the pair of arms are in the closed position, the pair of profile members move synchronously due to the engagement of the pair of catches. When the pair of arms leaves the closed knot, the pair of detents are no longer engaged so that the styling members can move independently. An advantage of this individual movement feature of the styling head is that the device can be configured for use as a hair iron with a single heating surface.

In Figures 1-4 and 7, the hair styling device 100 is in a fully deployed configuration. In this configuration, the two styling members 1402, 1404 are fully extended from within their respective insulating arm housings such that the respective hair styling surfaces are directly opposite each other. With the hair styling appliance 100 in the fully extended configuration, the pair of electrical contacts 150 engage the power supply rails so that the heating means will operate automatically to heat the hair styling surface. Of course, a switch can be provided to control the operation of the electric heating device when necessary.

In Figures 1, 2 and 4, the hair styling appliance 100 is shown in a closed configuration. The closed configuration may be due to the pair of arms being held together momentarily by the user or by a latch. When the hair styling device 100 is in the closed configuration, the pair of heated styling surfaces are in closest proximity to each other so that a lock of hair engaged between the pair of contacting styling surfaces can be held in compression while heat styling is performed.

In Fig. 3, the hair styling appliance 100 is shown in an open configuration. The open configuration may be due to the resilient thrust of the pair of arms when the user releases the grip or by unlocking the latch.

In Figures 5 and 9, the pair of hair styling heads are shown in a fully retracted state. In this state, both styling members are fully retracted into the hollow housing of the arm, and the slide button is also fully retracted towards the distal end, ie the pivot joint. When the pair of hair styling heads is fully retracted into the hollow housing of the handle arm, the length of the hair styling device is minimal. This retracted state is particularly advantageous for travel, transport and/or storage. It will be appreciated that due to the greater protection provided by the insulating housing of the handle arm, the risk of accidental burns to the user due to the exposed heated hair styling surface is further reduced when the hair styling device is in the fully retracted position.

Power is provided by a pair of flexible wires concealed within the housing of the insulated arms, which continuously power the electric heating unit and are controlled by a user-operable power switch. By adopting the power supply device which has no power supply and position, the electric heating device can be continuously supplied with power regardless of the position or posture of the styling head, and the electric energy can be controlled by using a power switch.

When using a position-independent power supply, because the user can adjust the overlap of the opposing hair styling surfaces of the styling members, intermediate extensions of the styling head between fully retracted and fully extended configurations can be used to customize the styling as desired. A pair of hair styling surfaces having an intermediate longitudinal length is provided.

Furthermore, while a pliers-type hair styling device is described, it should be understood that the combination of a retractable styling head and handle for contact or non-contact hair styling could readily be applied to a rod-type hair styling device for purposes of public interest middle.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above examples or preferred embodiments, it should be understood that these are merely examples to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not restrictive. Variations or modifications and improvements made obvious or obvious to those skilled in the art shall be considered equivalents of the present invention.

Furthermore, although the present invention has been described with reference to a pliers-type hair straightener, it should be understood that the present invention can be applied, with or without modification, to other hair styling devices and apparatus without loss of generality.

Claims (21)

1. A hair styling appliance comprising a handle, a styling head and a heating device, wherein said handle includes a pair of pivotally connected arms, and said styling head includes a styler that cooperates to form said styling head A pair of styling members for a surface, each of which is extendable from and retractable into said handle. 2. The hair styling apparatus of claim 1, wherein each styling member is telescopically extendable from and telescopically retractable into a corresponding one of the pair of pivotally connected arms. 3. The hair styling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of pivotally connecting arms includes a hollow receptacle, each of the styling members being slidable into and out of the hollow receptacle. container. 4. The hair styling apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of said styling members is elongated, each of said hollow containers is elongated, and each of said styling members Each is movable relative to the hollow container along an axis perpendicular to the pivot axis of the pair of pivotally connecting arms. 5. A hair styling apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the pair of styling members is individually movable so that one of the styling members can move relative to one of the styling members. Another slidable movement of . 6. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pair of pivotally connected arms can be in compressive contact with the pair of styling members in their open configuration when the pair of styling members are not in contact movement between closed configurations, characterized in that, when the pair of pivotally connecting arms is in the closed configuration, the pair of contoured members engage each other such that retraction or extension of one of the contoured members will respectively Retracting or extending the other of the styling members. 7. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of said styling members includes built-in electrical heating means for heating the hair styling member joined by the pair of styling members. hair. 8. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of said styling members comprises a thermally conductive hair styling surface, each mounted in an insulating housing and the thermally conductive hair styling surfaces of the pair of styling members face opposite. 9. The hair styling appliance of claim 8, wherein each of said thermally conductive hair styling surfaces is surrounded by said insulating housing. 10. The hair styling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the pair of hair styling members is movable between a closed position for engaging hair and an open position for releasing hair, and in said closed position The thermally conductive hair styling surfaces of the pair of hair styling members are sandwiched between a pair of insulating housings. 11. The hair styling appliance of claim 8, wherein an electric heating device is mounted within a cavity defined between the thermally conductive housing and the insulating housing of the styling member. 12. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the styling member is connected to the arm by a rail-to-rail arrangement. 13. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein power is supplied to the heating means via a pair of rails extending axially along the arm, a majority of the pair of rails is insulated and exposed at the distal end to make electrical contact between the heating device and the rail when the styling member extends to a predetermined length. 14. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a slide button is formed at a proximal end of the styling head, wherein the proximal end is adjacent a pivot hinge connecting the pair of arms , and the slide button protrudes laterally from the styling head. 15. The hair styling appliance of claim 14, wherein the slide buttons of the pair of hair styling members are operable by a single thumb when the handle is in the closed position. 16. The hair styling appliance of claim 14, wherein the slide button extends laterally from both sides of the styling head. 17. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the styling member is retractable towards a pivot joint of the handle. 18. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle is adapted for one-handed operation. 19. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the heated styling surface and/or the handle comprise a nanosilver substance. 20. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the handle comprises a hollow plastic housing defining a hollow receptacle. 21. A hair styling appliance according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the styling member comprises electric heating means and is only turned on when the styling member has been extended from the pivot joint by a predetermined length. The heating device is powered.

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