US3238639A - Hair dryer - Google Patents

Description

March 8, 1966 R. DESCARRIES HAIR DRYER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 15. 1961 HIIIIIIlll March 8, 1966 R. DESCARRIES HAIR DRYER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 15, 1961 INVENTOR.

ATTOK/Vf) March 8, 1966 R. DESCARRIES 3,238,639

HAIR DRYER Filed Aug. 15. 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 40 FIG. /0 FIG. /2

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March 8, 1966 R. DESCARRIES HAIR DRYER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 15 1961 INVENTOR. W flh 4% BY 4 Wm 49 477'0/P/VF) March 8, 1966 R. DESCARRIES HAIR DRYER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. '15, 1961 INVENTOR. BYW

United States Patent 3,238,639 HAIR DRYER Raymond Descarries, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Aktiebolaget Electrolux, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Filed Aug. 15, 1961, Ser. No. 131,554 10 Claims. (Cl. 34-99) My invention relates to hair dryers.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved hair dryer of simplified construction which can be readily assembled.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved lightweight hair dryer and an upright telescopically adjustable rigid air supply tube therefor which forms part of a unit to which warm air is adapted to be supplied by a household suction cleaner which is the heaviest component of the unit and serves as a base for supporting the air supply tube and the hair dryer.

The invention, together with the above and other objects and advantages thereof, will be more fully understood upon reference to the following description and accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view illustrating one form of a hair drying unit embodying my invention and the manner in which it can be used;

FIG. 2 is a side perspective view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating another form of hair drying unit embodying the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the hair dryer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hair dryer being adjustable from its solid line position to the dotted line positions illustrated;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the hair dryer shown in FIG. 3;

FIG 5 is a bottom plan view of the hair dryer taken at line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken at line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of parts shown in FIG. 6 to illustrate details more clearly;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are fragmentary sectional views taken at lines 88 and 99 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view taken at line 10-10 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a horizontal sectional view taken at line 11--11 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at line 1212 of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of parts illustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken at line 14-14 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly in section, taken at line 15-15 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, of an end of the suction cleaner shown in FIG. 1, the rear wheels being omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the hair drying unit embodying my invention comprises a hair dryer 10, an upright hollow conduit 11 for supplying warm air to the dryer, and a suction cleaner 12 which serves as a source of supply of warm air delivered under pressure to the conduit 11. In both FIGS. 1 and 2, the tank-type suction cleaner 12, which is the heaviest component of the hair drying unit, as will be explained hereinafter, serves as a base for holding the upright conduit 11 which in turn functions as a support for the hair dryer 10.

The suction cleaner 12 comprises a casing 14a, a front end cover 15 and a rear end cover 16. The casing 14a Patented Mar. 8, 1966 MCe is provided with a handle 17 and wheels 18 and 19 to' facilitate movement thereof on a supporting surface, the wheels 18 being at opposing sides of the casing and the single caster wheel 19 at the front end of the casing being disposed between the side walls of the cleaner.

The front end cover is formed with an inlet 20 to which a suction hose (not shown) is adapted to be removably connected. Suitable cleaning tools may be connected to a wand which in turn is connected to the outer free end of the suction hose and through which air flows into the front end of the casing by a suitable motor-fan unit 21 disposed therein. The motor-fan unit 21 is connected in an electrical circuit having a switch (not shown) provided with a manually operable control member 22 at the top of the casing 14a. Dirt entrained in air drawn into the inlet 20 is separated from air when it passes through a dust collecting member 23, and air from which dirt has been removed is discharged from the casing 14a through an outlet 24 in the rear end cover 16.

As shown in FIG. 16, the rear end cover 16 is provided With a pair of arms 25 at the bottom thereof which are pivoted at 26 to brackets 27 at the bottom of the casing 14a upon which the rear wheels 18 may be journaled. The rear end cover 16, which is hinged at 26 and movable from and toward its closed position in FIG. 16, is provided with a movable latch member 28 for releasably latching the cover at the rear end of the casing 14a. When the rear end cover 16 is latched in its closed position, the latch member 28, which has a top 28a and side walls 28b extending downward therefrom, is in the position shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.

An opening 29 is formed in a side wall of the rear end cover 16 through which is adapted to pass an electrical cord 30 at the outer free end of which is provided a conventional connecting plug 31 which arrests inward movement of the cord through the opening. The cord 39, which is arranged to be wound on a reel 32 with the aid of a spring (no-t shown), is rotatably mounted on a tube 33 within the rear end cover 16. As seen in FIG. 1, the plug 31 is adapted to be connected to a suitable outlet 34 for connecting the suction cleaner 12 to a source of electrical supply.

As diagrammatically shown in FIG. 1, the motor-fan unit 21 is mounted at 21a within casing 14a in such manner that all of the air circulated through the casing 14a passes through the motor to effect cooling thereof. The heat dissipated by the motor heats the air flowing in thermal exchange relation therewith, whereby the air discharged under pressure from the outlet 24 of the suction cleaner 12 serves as an excellent source of supply of warm air for the hair dryer 10. When the suction cleaner 12 is is employed as a source of supply of warm air, the dust collecting member 23 may be removed from the cleaner or a clean dust collecting member may be installed in the cleaner.

In the form of the invention shown in FIG. 1, the upright conduit 11 is provided with a short stiff horizontal section 11c at its lower end. As shown in FIG. 16, the conduit section 11c is provided with a fitting 35 for detachably connecting the conduit 11 to the cleaner outlet 24. The fitting 35 comprises a hollow member formed of metal or plastic which conforms to the inner wall surface of the tube 33 and is provided with spring-pressed rollers 36 which are resiliently held in a circular groove 37 at the outlet 24.

In accordance with my invention, in order to hold and support the warm air supply conduit 11 in its upright position, a supporting bracket 38 is fixed to its lower end. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the bracket 38 comprises a flat plate which extends horizontally from the conduit 11 to the rear end cover 16 and is formed with a U-shaped slot 3811 at its outer end in which the latch member 28 fits, the sides of the slot bearing against the vertical sides 28b of the latch member 28 below its top 28a to brace the conduit 11 in its upright position. When it is desired to use the suction cleaner 12 for conventional cleaning purposes, the conduit 11 is moved to the right from its detachably connected position illustrated in FIG. 16. Conversely, when it is desired to use the hair drying unit being described and to connect the conduit 11 to the suction cleaner 12, the conduit 11 in its upright position is moved toward the l ft in FIG. 16 to connect the fitting 35 to the outlet 24 and to position the bracket 38 at the end of the cleaner so that it will embrace the latch member 28.

The upright warm air supply conduit 11 comprises respectively upper and lower rigid sections 11a and 111) which telescopically fit one within the other, the section 11a being axially movable with respect to the section 11b to adjust the hair dryer vertically, as from the solid line position to the lower dotted line position illustrated in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 14, the upper conduit section 11a may telescopically fit within the lower conduit section 11b. The upper open end of conduit section 111) is bent inward at 1112' while the lower open end of conduit section 11a is bent outward at 11a to prevent separating the two conduit sections. The ends of the conduit sections 11:: and 1112 may be provided with gaskets 11a" and 11b" which may be formed of a material like felt, for example, to provide an airtight joint between the conduit sections. As shown in FIG. 14, the gaskets are ringshaped with the gasket 11a fixed to the outer surface of inner conduit section 11a and the gasket 11b" fixed to the inner surface of outer conduit section 11b. With this arrangement suflicient friction is developed between the gaskets and the surfaces against which they bear to hold the conduit section 11a to any position to which it is adjusted on conduit section 11b. It will now be understood that the rigid conduit sections 11a and 11b forming a part of the air supply line to the hair dryer 10 function to transmit the dead-weight load of the hair dryer directly to the suction cleaner casing 14a.

War arm is introduced from conduit 11 into the hair dryer 10 in a manner to be explained presently. In accordance with my invention, the hair dryer 10 comprises a double-walled hood 40 having an outer shell 41 and an inner liner 42 defining a gap 43 therebetween, and a collar or rim 44 of convex shape in transverse section which is bent inward and then back upon itself at 44a and defines an opening 45 into the interior space 46 of the hood defined by the inner liner 42.

As best shown in FIGS. 6, 10 and 12, the outer shell 41 is of parabo-loidal shape which is closed at its apex at one end and has an outwardly extending flange 41a at its open end. The inner liner 42, which is more rounded than the outer shell 41 and of semispherical shape, is formed with an outwardly extending flange or wall means 42a which is notched at 42b at its extreme outer end, at the side thereof facing the apex of the outer shell 41, to form a seat for the flange 41a of the outer shell 41. The end of the collar 44 removed from the extreme outer end 48a of the hood 40 is formed with a U-shaped flange 44b having a closed end and spaced arms defining an inwardly open groove which snugly receives the outer extremities of the flanges 41a and 42a of the outer shell 41 and inner liner 42, respectively. One arm of the U-shaped flange 44b overlies the flange 41a of the outer shell 41 and the other arm thereof overlies the flange 42a of the inner liner 42.

The extreme outer rounded end 40a of the hood 4% is of undulating form, as best seen in FIGS. 4, 6 and 10. Each of the front and rear portions of the outer rounded end 40a of the hood 40 is slightly curved and of concave form and arched upward, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 10. The side portions of the outer rounded end 40a of the hood are curved and of convex form, as illustrated in FI 6. By providing t e 140 4 49 wi h the outer rounded end a of the shape illustrated and just described, the sides of the hood 40 extend downward sufficiently to cover the hair at the back and sides of the head while suflicient clearance is provided at the vicinity of the forehead to permit a person to read comfortably, if desired, while the hair drying unit is being used, as shown in FIG. 1.

As previously explained, the collar 44 is bent back upon itself at 44a to form a U-shaped groove 47 opening into the space 46 defined by the inner liner 42. The groove 47 extends about the collar 44 and is deep at the front of the hood and shallow at the rear of the hood, as illustrated in FIG. 6. The portion of the groove 47 extending across the front of the hood 40 essentially is of uniform height, as seen in FIG. 10. Similarly, the portion of the groove 47 extending across the rear of the hood is of uniform height. The portions of the groove 47 at the opposing sides of the hood decrease in height from the front to the rear of the hood, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

The flange 42a of the inner liner 42, about the sides and front part of the hood 40 between the points 48 and 49, is formed with elongated slots 50 which become increasingly wider toward the front of the hood due to the shapes of the outer shell 41 and the inner liner 42 at their open ends, as illustrated in FIG. 11. Therefore, the slots 51? of the apertured section of the flange 42a define an air outlet which enables a larger quantity of air to flow through the outlet at the front of the hood 40 than at the sides thereof per unit length of the apertured section of the flange 42a. In FIG. 11 it will be seen that the portions of the flange 42a between the elongated slots 50 more or less function as radially extending tabs 42a to hold and support the inner liner 42 within the outer shell 41 at the vicinities of the slots 50. The outer ends of the tabs 420 are connected to a ring-shaped rim portion 42a of the apertured section of the flange 42a extending across the front and sides of the hood 40 between the points 48 and 49. FIG. 11, which is a view taken at line 11--11 of FIG. 10, illustrates the bottom side of the flange 42a which is substantially flat and extends radially outward from the open end of the inner liner 42 to the outer periphery of the rim 42a", as best shown in FIG. 12. Hence, the apertured section of the flange 42a, between the points 48 and 49, includes the radially extending tabs 42a and the outer rim 420". In FIG. 12 the rim 42a" is clamped between the horizontal flange 41a of the outer shell 41 and the bottom horizontal arm of the U-shaped flange 44b of the collar 44. The slots 50 are positioned to discharge air therefrom tangentially along the outer side wall 44 of the groove 47, and the deflected air is directed tangentially from the inner side wall 44a of the groove into the space 46 at a zone which is unobstructed by the inner liner 42. Stated another way, the inner side wall of the groove 47 is spaced inward from a plane through which the inner liner 42 would pass if extended into the collar 44. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 11, it will be seen that the inside wall 44a of the groove 47 is at one height at the sides of the hood 40 and at a greater height at the front thereof. With this arrangement, the inside wall 44a of the groove 47 will be highest at the region of the apertured section at which the slots 50 are widest and the quantity of air flowing through the outlet per unit length of the; apertured section of the flange 42a is largest.

The outer shell 41 of hood 40 is formed with a wing 51 which extends radially outward from the hair dryer 10 and defines a passageway 52 for conducting warm air from the upright conduit 11 to the gap 43 between the outer shell 41 and the inner liner 42. The wing 51 is widest at the air inlet end of the passageway 5-2, at the vicinity adjacent to the open end of the hood 40, and merges with the outer shell 41 at the apex of the hood, as best shown in FIG. 3. The lower open end of the wing 51, which is formed with spaced sides or ears 51a and a connecting top 51b, as seen in FIGS. 6, 7 and 13, defines a socket to receive the upper open end of the upper con-.

duit section 11a which is in the form of a rectangularshaped receptacle open at the top and having a bottom 53, spaced side walls 54 and a curved end wall 55, the opposite end 56 of the receptacle being open at 57 and in communication with the upper end of conduit section 11a.

The side walls 54 are apertured at 58 and formed with indented regions 59 extending from the apertures to the top edges of the side walls. The apertures 58 receive the inwardly extending pins 60 formed at the inner surfaces of the ears or sides 51a of the wing 51 of hood 40, as best seen in FIGS. 6, 7 and 13.

The apertures 58 and pins 60 provide a pivotal connection for the hood 40 at the upper end of the upper conduit section 11a. As shown in FIG. 7, the end wall 55 is provided respectively with ridges 61 and 62 at its top and bottom which are in the path of movement of the U- shaped flange 44b of the collar 44 of hood 40 and limit upward and downward pivotal movement of the hood on the upright conduit 11. The pivotal connection for the hood 40 permits it to be angularly adjusted between the solid line position and the upper dotted line position illustrated in FIG. 3.

In order to provide a lightweight hair drying unit, the upright rigid conduit sections 11a and 11b and the outer shell 41, inner liner 42, collar 44 and all other parts of the hood may be formed of a lightweight material like plastic, for example. Desirably, the plastic employed is of a type that will provide upright conduit sections and component parts of the hood 40 that are rigid and selfsustaining and will keep their shapes, as illustrated and described above. When the hood parts 41, 42 and 44 are formed of plastic, a suitable cement or hardening agent may be employed to unite these parts at 44b.

By employing a suitable plastic of the kind just referred to, the pivotal connection for the hood 40 at the upper end of conduit section 11a can be formed to provide an airtight seal between the rectangular-shaped receptacle at the upper end of the upper conduit section and hood in all positions of the hood. Thus, the side walls 54 may be spaced to fit snugly between the ears 51a on the wing 51. When these parts are formed of a material like plastic, for example, they will yield and flex toward one another while the pins 60 slide over the indented regions 59 when the parts being described are connected to one another. After the pins 60 snap into position in the apertures 58, the side walls 54 will spring apart and provide a snug frictional fit with the ears 51a of the wing 51.

As the U-shaped flange 44b on hood 40 is moved between the ridges or stops 61 and 62 on end wall 55, the extreme lower edge of the top 51b of the wing 51 will always be in good physical contact with the end wall 56, as indicated in FIG. 7. Also, as the hood 40 is being moved about its pivotal connection at the upper end of upper conduit section 110, a portion of the U-shaped flange 44b of the hood 40 will always be in good physical contact with the outer surface of the end wall 55, it being assumed that these parts are formed of rigid plastic which is slightly flexible and will yield sufficiently when relative movement of the parts being described is effected. Not only will a good airtight seal be provided with this arrangement, but there will be sufficient frictional engagement of the parts to permit the hood 40 to stay in any angular position to which it is adjusted at the upper end of conduit section 11a.

As explained above, the flange 42a of the inner liner 42 forms part of structure for connecting the inner liner 42 and outer shell 41 at their open ends. The wing 51 forms a part of the outer shell 41 and the top connecting wall 51b thereof defines a wall of the passageway 52, the opposite wall of which is defined by a part of the inner liner 42, as best shown in FIG. 6.

The connecting structure, which includes the flange 42a, is imperforate at the rear of the hood 40 between the points 48 and 49. The remainder of the flange 42a, which extends across the front and sides of the hood 40 between the points 48 and 49, is provided with elongated slots 50 and is apertured. The apertured remainder of the flange 420, between the points 48 and 49, is of C- shape and defines the air outlet which, due to the slots 50 being wider at the front than at the sides of the hood 40, enables a larger quantity of air to flow through the outlet at the front of the hood than at the sides of the hood per unit length of the C-shaped apertured remainder of the flange 42a.

By forming the upright rigid conduit 11 and all parts of the hood 4% of a lightweight material like plastic, for example, the suction cleaner 12 will become the heaviest component of the hair drying unit, as previously pointed out. Hence, in FIG. 1, in which the suction cleaner 12 is in a horizontal position and supported by the wheels 18 and 19 on a suporting surface, the suction cleaner effectively serves as a relatively heavy supporting base for the hair drying unit. In FIG. 2, the suction cleaner 12, which is like the suction cleaner shown in FIG. 1 and described above, is supported in an upright position in an open frame or stand 64 so that the inlet 28 at the front end cover 15 will be spaced from the floor or other suporting surface. In FIG. 2 the upright conduit 111 comprises upper and lower rigid conduit sections 111a and 11112 which are vertically adjustable, and the lower end of the lower conduit section 111b is provided with a fitting like the fitting 35 in FIG. 16 for detachably connecting the conduit 11 to the outlet of the upright suction cleaner. Accordingly, in the form of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the suction cleaner 12, together with the stand 64, serves as a relatively heavy supporting base for the hair drying unit.

During operation of the hair drying units illustrated and described above, warm air is discharged from the outlet 24 of the suction cleaner 12 and flows upward through upright conduits 11 and 111 and passageway 52 to the apex of the outer shell 41. In this way all of the warm air is introduced to the hood 40 through the passageway 52 which provides a path of flow for air over the outer face of the inner liner 42 and directs the air flowing therethrough from the apex of the outer shell 41 through the gap 43 between the outer shell 41 and the inner liner 42 of hood 40. The warm air in space 43 will pass through the air outlet formed by the slots 50 in the apertured section of the flange 42a at the front and sides of the hood 40, between the points 48 and 49 indicated in FIG. 11, into the deepest portion of the groove 47 at the forward part of the hood. The path of flow of warm air in the gap 43 toward the slots 50 is indicated by the arrows 65 in FIGS. 6, 10 and 11. The warm air is deflected upward in the groove 47 and divided into several paths of flow about the head, these paths of flow being indicated by the arrows 66 and 67 in FIGS. 5, 6 and 10. The air deflected upward in the forward part of groove 47 is divided into air streams 66 at either side of the head and flows tangential to the side walls of the inner liner 42, as indicated in FIG. 5. Air deflected upward in the forward part of groove 47 also is divided into air streams 67directed upward at the front of the head, as indicated in FIG. 6. The air streams 66 passing at each side and the air streams 67 passing over the top of the head meet at a zone 68 at the rear of space 46, at which region turbulent air movement is developed. This is a distinct advantage, because it is at this region that the greatest amount of evaporation of moisture from the hair is needed. I have found that the pattern of air circulation in the hood 40 illustrated by the arrows and just described will promote uniform and rapid drying of hair, the air delivered to the interior space 46 of the hood being diffused over and through the hair before it passes from the hood.

Although I have shown and described particular embodiments of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the particular arrangements set forth, and I intend in the following claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A hair dryer comprising a double-walled hood which is closed at its apex at one end thereof and open at the opposite end thereof, said hood including an outer shell and an inner liner having a gap therebetween, means including an apertured part of said hood for directing air from said gap into the space defined by said inner liner, said gap between said outer shell and inner liner being enlarged at the rear of said hood from the apex of said outer shell to a region adjacent to the open end thereof, said shell and liner including parts which form the enlarged part of said gap and define a four-sided air passageway having an inlet at said region through which all of the air is introduced to said hood, said inner liner part forming one side of said passageway, said outer shell part being of winglike form and defining three sides of said air passage which is widest at the inlet of said passageway and merges with said outer shell at the apex of said hood, said winglike part having spaced parallel sides projecting radially outward from said hood and a connecting top wall therebetween, a support including a hollow member defining an open-top receptacle having a bottom and an upstanding side including spaced side walls and first and second connecting end walls, means coacting with the Spaced sides of said winglike part and side Walls of said receptacle to provide a pivotal connection with the spaced sides of said winglike part overlying the side Walls of said receptacle and the connecting top wall of said winglike part disposed over the open top of said receptacle and covering the latter, at least a part of said connecting top of said winglike part overlying the first connecting end Wall of said open-top receptacle and remaining in physical contact therewith when said hood is angularly moved through an acute angle with respect to said hollow memher about the pivotal connection, said second connecting end wall of said open-top receptacle being in physical contact with said inner liner part forming one side of said air passageway when said hood is angularly moved through said acute angle with respect to said hollow member about the pivotal connection, and said hollow member having an opening in its lower part for supplying air thereto.

2. A hair dryer as set forth in claim 1 which includes means to limit angular movement of said hood on the support, said last-mentioned means including a projection on said inner liner part and spaced stops on said receptacle in the path of movement of the projection.

3. A hair dryer comprising a double-walled hood which is closed at its apex at one end thereof and open at the opposite end thereof, said hood including a semi-spherical inner liner member having a peripheral edge of annular form at the open end of the hood and defining a space therein, an outer shell member enveloping said inner liner member and having a peripheral edge which is at the open end of the hood and at the vicinity of the peripheral edge of said inner liner member, structure which extends about the axis of the hood across the front of the hood and along its sides to the rear of the hood for connecting the peripheral edges of said inner liner member and outer shell member to support said liner member Within said shell member, said outer shell member and inner liner member having a gap therebetween, said connecting structure being imperforate at the rear of the hood and the remainder of which is apertured across the front and along the sides of the hood the remainder of said connecting structure which is apertured being C- shaped and defining an air outlet which enables a larger quantity of air to flow through the outlet at the front of the hood than at the sides thereof per unit length of the apertured C-shaped remainder of said connecting structure, a collar which is fixed to the hood at its open end, said collar being bent inward and back upon itself to form a groove having spaced inner and outer side walls, respectively, the outer side wall serving as an extension of said outer shell member at the open end of the hood and the inner side wall defining an opening into the space within said inner liner member, said groove being disposed to receive air discharged from the outlet and to deflect the air and direct it into the space, and said inner liner member and outer shell member including parts defining an air passageway therebetween having an air inlet which is adjacent to the open end of the hood and through which all of the air is introduced to the hood, said air passageway providing a path of flow for air over the outer face of said inner liner member for directing air flowing therethrough from the apex toward the air outlet at the front and sides of the hood.

4. A hair dryer as set forth in claim 3 in which said connecting structure which extends about the axis of the hood across the front of the hood and along its sides to the rear of the hood comprises wall means bridging the gap at the air outlet, the wall means at the rear of the hood providing said connecting structure which is imperforate and the remainder of the wall means being C- shaped and providing the remainder of said connecting structure which is apertured, the remainder of said wall means which is C-shaped having elongated slots extending lengthwise thereof and defining the air outlet, the wall means being wider at the front of the hood than at the sides thereof, and the slots being wider at the front of the hood than at the sides thereof.

5. A hair dryer as set forth in claim 4 in which the wall means at the rear of the hood providing said connecting structure which is imperforate is narrower than the C-shaped remainder of the wall means which is apertured and at the sides of the hood.

6. A hair dryer as set forth in claim 3 in which the inner side wall of said groove formed by said collar is spaced inward from a plane through which said inner liner member would pass if extended into said collar, whereby said groove is adapted to receive air discharged from the outlet and to deflect the air and direct it into the space defined by said inner liner member, and the inside wall of the groove being at one height at the sides of the hood and at a greater height at the front thereof, wereby the inside wall of the groove will be highest at the region of the apertured section at which the quantity of air flowing through the outlet per unit length of the apertured C- shaped remainder of the connecting structure is largest.

7. A hair dryer as set forth in claim 3 in which said outer shell member and inner liner member each have an outwardly extending flange, the side of the flange of said inner liner member facing the apex of the hood being notched at its outer end to form a seat for the flange of said outer shell member, and said connecting structure including the flanges of said outer shell member and said inner liner member and a U-shaped flange on said collar having a closed end and spaced arms defining an inwardly open groove for receiving the flanges of said outer shell member and said inner liner member to secure said shell, liner and collar to one another to support said inner liner member within said outer shell member and provide the gap therebetween, one arm of the U-shaped flange overlying the flange of said outer shell member and the other arm thereof overlying the side of the flange of said inner liner member facing the open end of the hood, and the flange of said inner liner member serving to space its open end from the open end of said outer shell member providing said connecting structure which is imperforate at the rear of the hood and said C-shaped remainder of said connecting structure which is apertured across the front and along the sides of the hood.

8. A hair dryer as set forth in claim 3 in which the part of said outer shell member defining said air passageway projects radially outward from the rear of the hood, the part of said inner liner member defining said air passageway being closely adjacent to said projecting part, said projecting part extending from the air inlet adjacent to the open end of the hood toward the apex thereof and merging with the outer shell member at the apex of the hood whereby said air passageway provides a path of flow for air over the outer face of said inner liner for directing air flowing therethrough from the apex toward the air outlet at the front and sides of the hood.

9. In apparatus of the class described having a hair dryer comprising a double-walled hood open at one end, the hood including an outer shell and an inner liner having a gap therebetween, means including an apertured part of the hood for directing air discharged from said gap into the space defined by said inner liner, said gap having an air inlet removed from the apertured part of the hood, an air supply line comprising a hollow tube having telescopically fitting upper and lower rigid sections, and means for supporting the hood at the upper end of said hollow tube with said air inlet in communication therewith, the combination of a suction cleaner including a casing having an inlet and outlet for air and means for supporting said cleaner in a stable position on a supporting surface, said suction cleaner functioning as a source of supply of air for the hood, said rigid lower tube section at its lower end including a stiff horizontal portion having an open end, structure for supporting said rigid tu'be sections on said suction cleaner casing in communication with the air outlet and in a stable upright position at a region laterally removed from said suction cleaner casing, said supporting structure including a fitting at the open end of the stilt horizontal portion of said lower rigid tube section for detachably connecting said hollow tube to the air outlet of said suction cleaner casing to receive air therefrom, and a member connected to said lower rigid tube section and extending toward a part of said suction cleaner casing and coacting therewith to brace said telescopically fitting rigid tube sections in an upright position, said air supply line comprising said telescopically fitting rigid tube sections functioning to transmit the dead-weight load of the hair dryer directly to said suction cleaner casing.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 in which said suction cleaner is of a horizontal tank type, the casing being elongated with the air inlet and outlet at its opposite ends, said suction cleaner casing including a part at the vicinity of the outlet having spaced vertical sides, and said member connected to said lower rigid tube section being notched at its outer end, said Suction cleaner casing part coacting with said member by receiving the outer notched end thereof between its vertical sides.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,775,704 9/1930 Suter 34-99 1,987,425 1/1935 Suter 34-100 2,004,488 6/1935 Kelly 34-99 X 2,281,993 5/1942 Pritchard 34100 X 2,618,864 11/1952 ONeil 34-99 2,712,950 7/1955 Siebert 285-7 2,832,157 4/1958 Hudson 34-99 FOREIGN PATENTS 502,245 3/ 1939 Great Britain. 604,311 7/ 1948 Great Britain.

WILLIAM F. ODEA, Primary Examiner.

NORMAN YUDKOFF, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 3. A HAIR DRYER COMPRISING A DOUBLE-WALLED HOOD WHICH IS CLOSED AT ITS APEX AT ONE END THEREOF AND OPEN AT THE OPPOSITE END THEREOF, SAID HOOD INCLUDING A SEMI-SPHERICAL INNER LINER MEMBER HAVING A PERIPHERAL EDGE OF ANNULAR FORM AT THE OPEN END OF THE HOOD AND DEFINING A SPACE THEREIN, AN OUTER SHELL MEMBER ENVELOPING SAID INNER LINER MEMBER AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL EDGE WHICH IS AT THE OPEN END OF THE HOOD AND AT THE VICINITY OF THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID INNER LINER MEMBER, STRUCTURE WHICH EXTENDS ABOUT THE AXIS OF THE HOOD ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE HOOD AND ALONG ITS SIDES TO THE REAR OF THE HOOD FOR CONNECTING THE PERIPHERAL EDGES OF SAID INNER LINER MEMBER AND OUTER SHELL MEMBER TO SUPPORT SAID LINER MEMBER WITHIN SAID SHELL MEMBER, SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER AND INNER LINER MEMBER HAVING A GAP THEREBETWEEN, SAID CONNECTING STRUCTURE BEING IMPERFORATE AT THE REAR OF THE HOOD AND THE REMAINDER OF WHICH IS APERTURED ACROSS THE FRONT AND ALONG THE SIDES OF THE HOOD THE REMAINDER OF SAID CONNECTING STRUCTURE WHICH IS APERTURED BEING CSHAPED AND DEFINING AN AIR OUTLET WHICH ENABLES A LARGER QUANTITY OF AIR TO FLOW THROUGH THE OUTLET AT THE FRONT OF THE HOOD THAN AT THE SIDES THEREOF PER UNIT LENGTH OF THE APERTURED C-SHAPED REMAINDER OF SAID CONNECTING STRUCTURE, A COLLAR WHICH IS FIXED TO THE HOOD AT ITS OPEN END, SAID COLLAR BEING BENT INWARD AND BACK UPON ITSELF TO FORM A GROOVE HAVING SPACED INNER AND OUTER SIDE WALLS RESPECTIVELY, THE OUTER SIDE WALL SERVING AS AN EXTENSION OF SAID OUTER SHELL MEMBER AT THE OPEN END OF THE HOOD AND THE INNER SIDE WALL DEFINING AN OPENING INTO THE SPACE WITHIN SAID INNER LINER MEMBER, SAID GROOVE BEING DISPOSED TO RECEIVE AIR DISCHARGED FROM THE OUTLET AND TO DEFLECT THE AIR AND DIRECT IT INTO THE SPACE, AND SAID INNER LINER MEMBER AND OUTER SHELL MEMBER INCLUDING PARTS DEFINING AN AIR PASSAGEWAY THEREBETWEEN HAVING AN AIR INLET WHICH IS ADJACENT TO THE OPEN END OF THE HOOD AND THROUGH WHICH ALL OF THE AIR IS INTRODUCED TO THE HOOD, SAID AIR PASSAGEWAY PROVIDING A PATH OF FLOW FOR AIR OVER THE OUTER FACE OF SAID INNER LINER MEMBER FOR DIRECTING AIR FLOWING THERETHROUGH FROM THE APEX TOWARD THE AIR OUTLET AT THE FRONT AND SIDES OF THE HOOD.

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