CN114449920A

CN114449920A - Hair styling device

Info

Publication number: CN114449920A
Application number: CN202080067568.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 肖恩·普尔弗雷; 奥斯汀·欧文斯; 丹·佩雷特; 艾里奥·乔丹诺
Original assignee: Tangle Teezer Ltd
Current assignee: Tangle Teezer Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-23
Filing date: 2020-09-23
Publication date: 2022-05-06
Also published as: AU2020356433A1; WO2021058944A1; US20220354231A1; MX2022002826A; CA3153220A1; EP4033936A1; KR20220066121A; JP2022548971A; BR112022004887A2

Abstract

A hair styling apparatus includes a hair brush portion and an air mover portion including a heating element and a fan. The hair brush portion includes a hollow brush head. The hollow brush head comprises bristles and holes to enable air to leave the brush head in the area of the bristles. The brush head includes at least one baffle disposed within the hollow brush head and extending radially inward from an inner wall of the hollow brush head to separate air from a periphery of a flow through the hollow brush head and direct the air through the apertures.

Description

Hair styling device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to hair styling apparatus.

Background

Various devices for styling hair are known, such as combs, brushes, hair dryers and hair straighteners. These devices may be used in different situations, and sometimes in combination. Such as hair dryers and combs/brushes, are often used by professional hair stylists to straighten, curl or otherwise style hair.

Another type of device is known as a "hot air molder," hot air brush, "or" blower brush. The hot air styler is actually a hair dryer with various brush head attachments. Typically, hot air stylers have an elongated handle of constant diameter through which cold air is drawn by a fan from one end, a heating element at the opposite end, and a brush head attachment adjacent the heating element. The brush head is arranged with holes so that the air that has been heated when passing through the heating element exits through the holes and assists in the styling process.

These hot air stylers have a number of weaknesses that make them undesirable to hair stylists; the lack of popularity of hot air stylers with hair stylers has led them to be less popular with the purchasing public, who tends to consider hot air stylers as the last-adopted hair styling devices, as well as devices from (and for) previous generations.

Some of the weaknesses of hot air molders include:

bulky — arranging the fan, heating element, and brush head on the handle of one device results in a product that is much larger than a conventional hair brush, which makes the hot air styler more difficult to handle.

Weight distribution — the placement of the heating element, typically between the handle and the brush head, results in a top heavy design, again making the hot air styler more difficult to handle than a conventional hair brush.

Imprecise-removable head placement tends to result in a lack of rigid connection between the brush head and the handle.

Throttling-placing the fan and heater in the handle tends to throttle the flow through the device, which means that the fan and heater do not make good use of the heater's power.

These weaknesses make precise hair styling difficult.

However, it is believed that an arrangement comprising a brush head and a supply of hot air is desirable.

Disclosure of Invention

According to three separate but related aspects of the invention, there are provided: (a) a hair styling device comprising a hair brush portion and an air mover portion; the hair brush portion includes a hollow brush head; the hollow brush head comprises bristles (or "teeth") and holes to enable air to leave the brush head in the region of the bristles; and the air mover section includes a heating element and a fan; (b) a hair brush portion for use with such a hair styling apparatus; the hair brush portion includes a hollow brush head; the hollow brush head comprises bristles (or "teeth") and holes to enable air to leave the brush head in the region of the bristles; and (c) an air mover section for such a hair styling apparatus, the air mover section including a heating element and a fan.

The optional features listed below relate to each of the three associated aspects, as the case may be; that is, the features of the brush head relate to (a) the hair styling device and (b) the brush head portion, and the features of the air mover relate to (a) the hair styling device and (c) the air mover portion. Of course, (a) the hair styling device may have (preferably does have) the optional features of (b) the brush head portion listed below, and (c) the optional features of the air mover portion listed below.

The hair brush portion and the air mover portion may be separable. The hair styling apparatus may include a plurality of separable hair brush portions and air mover portions.

The hair brush portion may include a hollow handle. The brush head may be arranged/formed on the hollow handle. The brush head may be arranged/formed at one end, i.e. the distal end, of the handle. The handle may be integral with the brush head.

By "handle integral with the brush head" is meant that the handle and brush head are formed as a single component, cannot be removed from each other without damaging the components, but are not necessarily formed from the same piece of material.

For example, the brush head portion may include: a brush handle section comprising a handle and a brush head support; and a bristle sleeve, which is a sleeve integrally formed with the bristles, the brush head support and the bristle sleeve being attached to each other, e.g. glued together. The hair brush portion may further include an end cap portion that is bonded to the bristle sleeve and/or the brush head support.

However, the handle and brush head may alternatively be formed from the same piece of material. Likewise, the brush handle section and the brush head support may be formed from the same piece of material.

Forming the brush head on the handle (ideally, integrally with the handle) provides better control of the brush head, since the connection between the part (handle) which the user grips and the brush head is not weakened by the removability of the two parts.

Alternatively, the brush head may be detachable from the handle of the hair brush portion, for example, to assist in cleaning the brush head.

Thus, in practice, the device is a hair brush arranged with an air propulsion portion (comprising a heating element and a fan), rather than a hair dryer arranged with a brush portion (which is of prior art nature).

The handle may have a gripping portion on which the user wraps his/her hand in use. The gripping portion should be long enough to be easily grasped by a user using a normal sized hand. For example, the length of the gripping portion may be at least 7cm, at least 10cm, or at least 15 cm. Those skilled in the art will have no difficulty in measuring the length of the gripping portion from the portion of the hair brush portion in which the bristles are formed.

The handle may comprise at its proximal end (i.e. the free end, at the other end opposite the brush head) a section of larger diameter (larger in diameter than the gripping portion), for example a flared section of increased diameter, making gripping more difficult in areas of larger diameter. The length of the handle from the brush head to the larger diameter (e.g. flared) section may be at least 7cm, at least 10cm or at least 15 cm. While 7cm should be just enough to hold so that most of the hand wraps around the gripping portion, 10cm provides room to move the hand back and forth to some extent to enable holding different positions for different grooming movements, or to hold different positions depending on the user's choice.

Ideally, the gripping portion has a diameter that can be comfortably grasped by a user with a normal sized hand. For example, the maximum diameter of the gripping portion may be 7cm or 5cm or 4cm, ideally less than 34mm, along a length of at least 7cm, 10cm or 15 cm. The handle is detachable from the air mover portion of the device. By "detachable" is meant detachable without damaging the rest of the device.

This enables the hair brush sections (handle and brush head) to be used individually without the other parts of the device. This also makes it possible to provide different brush heads for different functions, for example to choose between paddle-shaped heads or heads with radial brushes, or indeed to choose between radial heads with different diameters or brushes with different bristles.

The hair brush portion and the air mover portion may be connected or connectable to enable relative rotation between the handle of the hair brush portion and the heating element and fan of the air mover portion. The hair brush portion and the air mover portion may be connected or connectable to enable at least 360 degree rotation in use; more preferably a connection enabling infinite rotation in use.

This allows the handle held by the user to be precisely manipulated while the fan and heating element of the air mover section effectively form a motor-driven sub-assembly that can be rotated or held stationary relative to the hair brush section as desired. The air mover portion may include a power cable that may be secured to the air mover portion (e.g., non-rotatably) to rotate in cooperation with the fan and the heating element; thus, rotation between the handle and the air mover section avoids tangling of the electrical cable without the need for a slip ring arrangement to transmit electricity through the rotary connection.

The handle may be arranged with attachment means for attaching and detaching the handle to and from the air impeller portion. The attachment means may be arranged at one end of the handle.

The air impeller portion may be arranged with attachment means for attaching and detaching the air impeller portion to and from the hair brush portion.

The attachment means may enable rotation between the hair brush portion and the air mover portion.

The attachment means may comprise a connection arranged on the air mover portion. The attachment means may comprise a connection portion on the hair brush portion. The coupling portion on the air mover section and the coupling portion on the hair brush section may each be non-rotatable relative to their respective sections, but rotatable relative to each other when interconnected in use. In particular, the respective connection may enable a rotation of at least 360 degrees of rotation in use; more preferably, a connection can be achieved that rotates indefinitely in use.

Alternatively, in use, the connections on each part need not be rotatable relative to each other, but rather: the hair brush portion may be arranged such that its connection portion is rotatable relative to the handle of the hair brush portion; or the connection of the air mover section may be rotatable relative to the fan and the heating element. These methods will also achieve the effect of enabling relative rotation between the handle on the one hand and the fan and heating element (and optionally the cable) on the other hand. However, these alternatives are not preferred as they may be more complex and costly to implement than a rotatable connection between one connection and another.

The connection on the handle may be at its proximal end.

The connection on one portion (optionally the air mover portion; or alternatively the hair brush portion) may comprise a clip ring. The gripper ring may be continuous. The clamping ring may comprise a sloped front face. The clamp ring may be disposed on an outer surface of the air mover portion.

The connection on the other portion (optionally, the hair brush portion; or alternatively, the air mover portion) may include one or more gripping features. The gripping features may be partial. The gripping features may be circumferentially arranged to correspond with the gripping ring. 2, 3, 4, 5 or more gripping features may be provided, which may be evenly spaced. The gripping features may be disposed on an inner surface of the hollow handle portion of the hair brush portion. The gripping feature may have a sloped front face.

The inclined front face of the connecting portion makes it easier to clamp the components together than to loosen them. The or each rear face of the or each connection or at least one connection may be "untilted", i.e. substantially untilted, i.e. substantially steeper than the inclined face of the inclined face, making separation more difficult and the connection between the parts being secure.

In the region of the connection, the proximal bearing may be arranged between the air impeller portion and the hair brush portion. The proximal bearing may be a plain bearing provided by an annular bearing surface on the respective portion. The connection on the handle portion may be disposed closer to the end of the hair brush portion than the proximal bearing. In this way, the bearing will ensure a rigid and stable connection even in cases where the connection through the connection is not particularly tight (which may be necessary to ensure that the connection can be easily attached/detached).

The hair brush portion (optionally, the handle of the hair brush portion) may be arranged with a thinner region between the proximal bearing and the connecting portion. The thinner region may enable portions in the region of the clip portion to deform to enable connection and disconnection, while the remaining regions may be thicker to maintain strength and rigidity.

The device may be arranged such that the hot air travels through the handle. The handle may be arranged between the heating element and the brush head, in particular between the heating element and the fan, and the brush head. This provides better weight distribution, enabling more accurate combing.

The air mover section may include an inlet and an outlet and a nozzle through which air travels from the inlet to the outlet. Air may travel from the inlet, past the fan and heating element (optionally first past the fan and then past the heating element) and then through the nozzle.

The nozzle may be relatively long. The spray bar may be at least 50%, 70%, 80%, 90% of the length of the handle or gripping portion of the hair brush section, or substantially as long as the handle or gripping portion of the hair brush section.

The handle of the hair brush portion may extend around the outside of the nozzle when attached to the air mover portion. In particular, at least 50% of the length of the handle may extend around at least 50% of the length of the spout; at least 60% of the length of the handle may extend around at least 60% of the length of the spout; at least 70% of the length of the handle may extend around at least 70% of the length of the spout; at least 80% of the length of the handle may extend around at least 80% of the length of the spout; or at least 90% of the length of the handle may extend around at least 90% of the length of the spout.

This ensures that the hot air flows through the nozzle towards the brush head, rather than directly into the interior of the handle (which would require the handle to be very insulated to avoid discomfort or even burning of the user's hand).

One or both of the handle and spout (preferably at least the spout) may be provided with insulation within the interior thereof. For example, an insulated tube (e.g., a mica tube) may be disposed within the spout/handle.

The minimum internal diameter of the nozzle may be at least 15mm, preferably at least 19 mm. This is sufficient to allow a sufficient amount of air to pass freely through to the hair brush section.

An attachment device may be disposed at the proximal end of the handle.

The hot air traveling through the handle may travel within an inner tube, the outer tube forming the handle. There may be a gap between the inner tube and the outer tube. The gap may be annular. Ambient (cold) air may be provided in the gap between the inner and outer tubes. Ambient air may be forced through the gap between the inner and outer tubes. Thus, the cool air may act as a heat exchanger, being heated and then exiting as it moves through the gap, being replaced by cooler air being forced through.

To achieve this, the air impeller portion may be configured to divert unheated air between the handle and the spout, outside the spout but inside the handle, in the gap between the handle and the spout. This may help keep the handle cool enough. In particular, in the air impeller portion, apertures may be formed downstream of the inlet and upstream of the heating element to allow unheated air to enter the gap between the nozzle and the handle.

One or more bearings (e.g., sliding bearings) may be disposed between the handle and the spout. In particular, the accessory device and the proximal bearing may be arranged at a proximal end of the handle and the distal bearing may be arranged at a distal end of the handle. This may maintain a rigid/secure but rotatable connection between the two parts of the device, in particular between the handle and the spout. This may enable the handle to be less rigid than would be required without the spout, and conversely, may enable the spout to be less rigid than would be required without the handle, particularly when there is a substantial overlap between the handle and the spout, for example at least 5cm, at least 10cm or at least 15cm overlap between the proximal bearing and the distal bearing.

A gap may be disposed on the distal bearing to enable air in the gap between the handle and the spout to pass through the distal bearing. This may be achieved by arranging a sliding bearing surface on one part and a discontinuous bearing surface on the other part, for example, on the air impeller part and on the brush head part (i.e. a bearing surface with gaps through which air can travel). Alternatively, a vent may be formed at the distal end in the handle or spout to enable air to flow through the gap to exit, either into the atmosphere (there being a vent in the handle), or into the spout to join with the heated air (there being a vent in the spout).

In another alternative, the nozzle may extend into the brush head of the hair brush portion and the vent may be arranged in the brush head portion, preferably in the region without bristles, to enable cool air to be expelled in the region away from the bristles whilst warmer air (from within the nozzle) exits through the apertures adjacent the bristles (i.e. the region where drying and styling of the hair is required). In such an embodiment, a barrier extending from the interior of the hollow brush head into the nozzle can be arranged to prevent cold air from entering the bristle head and the corresponding aperture in the region of the bristles.

Instead of "drawing" air through the gap, air is "sucked out" by entrainment, i.e. at or near the distal end of the handle, one or more openings may be arranged between the handle and the spout, and at or near the proximal end of the handle, one or more openings may be arranged from the handle to the surrounding atmosphere, such that the flow within the spout draws air from the atmosphere into the spout through the openings in the handle.

The brush head may include at least one baffle disposed within the hollow brush head and extending radially inward from an inner wall of the hollow brush head to separate air from a periphery of a flow through the hollow brush head and direct the air through the apertures in the brush head.

The hollow brush head may have a central longitudinal axis extending through the hollow brush head. The at least one baffle may be disposed outboard of the central longitudinal axis. This arrangement separates the air from the periphery but does not obstruct the main flow of air too much, so that flow along the centre of the brush head is retained.

The at least one baffle may be arranged at an acute angle to the central axis. The baffle may be curved. The curvature of the baffle may be such that the acute angle of the baffle to the central axis increases outwardly.

The brush head may be cylindrical and the at least one baffle may be a frusto-conical baffle.

The bristles may be arranged along the length of the hollow brush head. The bristles may extend further towards the distal end of the brush head than the aperture. Since air tends to exit the aperture at an angle, air flows past the bristles even though the bristles are closer to the distal end of the brush head than the aperture.

The brush head may have an open proximal end through which the brush head receives air and a closed distal end. The bristles may extend along the length of the brush head between the proximal and distal ends. At least one baffle may be disposed adjacent the inner wall of the brush head toward the proximal end.

At least one baffle may be disposed adjacent the inner wall of the brush head in an area of the half of the bristles closer to the proximal end. In other words, the area of the brush head where the bristles are arranged may be divided in half, half being close to the proximal end and half being close to the distal end, and the at least one baffle may be arranged such that the edge of the at least one baffle adjacent to the inner wall is arranged in the half being close to the proximal end.

At least one baffle may be disposed adjacent the inner wall of the brush head in an area of one third of the bristles closer to the proximal end. The at least one baffle may be arranged adjacent to the inner wall of the brush head in an area of one quarter, even one fifth, of the bristles closer to the proximal end. The respective third, fourth and fifth may be determined as described above.

The baffle may be arranged such that when the baffle extends inwardly, the baffle extends towards the proximal end of the brush head. This ensures that the acute angle is arranged in the correct direction to separate air as required rather than directing air from the periphery towards the central longitudinal axis.

An annular gap may be arranged between the end of the baffle (or the baffle closest to the lance in the case of a plurality of baffles) and the lance, the annular gap having at least 80mm²Or at least 100mm²(e.g., 105 mm)²) Cross-sectional area of.

The hollow brush head may comprise at least one (optionally only one) further baffle. Additional baffles are arranged in line with the central longitudinal axis to direct air from the centre of the flow towards the inner wall of the brush head and out of the aperture. The further baffle may (further, preferably) be arranged at an acute angle to the central axis. The further baffle may (further, preferably) be curved. The curvature of the further baffle may (furthermore, preferably) be such that the acute angle of the baffle to the central axis increases outwards. The further baffle may (further, preferably) extend radially inwardly and from the periphery towards the proximal end of the brush head. The further baffle may extend across the entire interior of the hollow brush head. The further baffle may be tapered.

A further baffle may be arranged adjacent to the inner wall of the brush head towards the distal end.

A further baffle may be arranged adjacent the inner wall of the brush head in the region of the half of the bristles closer to the distal end. In other words, the area of the brush head where the bristles are arranged may be divided in half, half being close to the proximal end and half being close to the distal end, and the further barrier may be arranged such that the further barrier has an edge adjacent to the inner wall arranged in the half being close to the distal end.

A further baffle may be arranged adjacent the inner wall of the brush head in the region of the third of the bristles closer to the distal end. Further baffles may be arranged adjacent the inner wall of the brush head in a quarter, even a fifth, of the area of the bristles closer to the distal end. The respective third, fourth and fifth may be determined as described above.

The hollow brush head may comprise only two baffles. The hollow brush head may comprise only at least one baffle and a further baffle. While additional baffles may be useful, fewer baffles interfere less with air flow and make manufacturing/assembly easier. In tests, only the two baffles listed provided a very effective way of splitting the peripheral flow at the proximal and distal ends to ensure that enough air left the brush head (without the baffles, most of the air would naturally exit) while not interfering with the flow too much and avoiding throttling, which could be introduced by arranging an excessive number of baffles or the like within the air flow.

The or each baffle may be unperforated-the perforations tend to increase turbulence or interfere with flow.

Interfering with the stream is undesirable for two reasons; firstly, the purpose of the device is to blow air out of the brush head in the region of the bristles to assist in styling-therefore any reduction in the amount of air blown out is to be avoided and increasing the proportion of air blown out that can exit from the brush head enables the use of a smaller, cheaper fan. Secondly, any disturbance or restriction that reduces the flow out of the orifice may result in air being "stranded up" in the nozzle of the device, which requires the fan to run harder and if the fan is not sufficiently robust, which may lead to the fan burning out, better robustness generally corresponding to higher cost and/or greater size/weight, which is undesirable in itself as it makes the device less maneuverable.

The aperture may be an elongated slot. The slots may be arranged longitudinally, i.e. the length of the slots may be along the same axis as the longitudinal axis of the brush head portion.

At least some or all of the bristles may comprise a first portion which tapers from the base and a second portion which is narrower relative to the relatively wide first portion and which extends from the first portion to the free end; the bristles are arranged in two or more spaced apart offset rows, wherein the centerlines of the rows are spaced apart such that at least a portion of a first portion of the bristles in one row extends between adjacent bristles in an adjacent row; and/or, when viewed perpendicular to the rows, the width of the first portion of bristles in a row is, for a portion of its length, equal to or greater than the space between adjacent bristles in an adjacent row, to partially block the space between bristles in an adjacent row; and the bristles are sized and arranged such that: in use, the second portion is used to penetrate and separate hair between the bristles, and the first portion of the bristles enables tension to be applied to the hair as it flows between the bristles.

The second portion of the bristles helps to separate the hair easily and helps to eliminate entanglement. The second portion of the bristles is also useful in smoothing out the outer layer of combed hair. Due to the larger width of the first portions of the bristles and the arrangement of the bristles, the space between the first portions of the bristles is smaller than the space between the second portions. Thus, when hair flows between the first portions of the bristles, there is greater friction between the bristles and the hair, enabling tension to be applied to the hair.

Providing this type of bristle can greatly reduce the amount of air or heat required, as well as the time it takes to style the hair.

The first and/or second portions of the bristles may be flexible and may be resiliently flexible. The second portion of the bristles may be more flexible than the first portion.

The first portion of the bristles may have a larger transverse cross-sectional area than the second portion.

All or a majority (e.g., at least half) of the bristles in the array or in the hair brush portion may be arranged with the first portion and the second portion. All of these bristles, or indeed all or substantially all of the bristles in the array or in the hair brush sections, may have substantially the same shape.

The widest part of the first portion of the bristle having the first and second portions may be at least twice, three times or four times as wide as any part of the second portion or at least twice, three times or four times as wide as the second portion at or near its free end when viewed in the same direction. The width of the widest part of the first portion of the bristle having first and second portions may be no more than twelve or fifteen times the width of the bristle at any part of the second portion or no more than twelve or fifteen times the width of the bristle at or near its free end when viewed in the same direction. The length of the bristles having the first and second portions may be no greater than seven, nine or ten times the maximum width of the bristles. The length of the bristles having the first and second portions may be no less than twice the maximum width of the bristles.

In some preferred embodiments, the ratio of the width of the base of the bristles to the width of the bristles at or near the tip, or to the width of any part of the second portion, varies between four and ten, with about six bits being particularly useful. The ratio of the total length to the maximum width of the bristles may vary between 2 and 5, with a bit of about 3 being particularly useful.

The various ranges mentioned above have been found to provide a satisfactory balance between the performance of the first and second portions of the bristle.

The width of the bristles may vary continuously or discontinuously between the base and free ends of the bristles. Along a portion of the length of the bristles, and preferably within the first portion of the bristles, the width of the bristles may taper at a greater angle than the angle of the cone of uniformly tapered bristles of the same length and varying width. This allows the space between the second portions of the bristles in the array to be much greater than the space between the first portions, as compared to bristles which are uniformly tapered. This enables the two portions of the bristle to perform their different functions without being unduly long.

The two opposing edges of the first portion of the bristles comprising the first and second sections may taper towards each other at a minimum average angle of at least 10 degrees between the opposing edges over the length of the first section, and the opposing sides of the second section may taper towards each other at a maximum average angle of 5 degrees between the opposing sides over the length of the second section. The two opposing edges of the first portion may taper towards each other at a minimum average angle of at least 15 degrees or 18 degrees.

The angle between the opposing edges of the first portion may increase from the base of the bristles to the end of the first portion. The opposite edges of the first portion may be curved.

All opposing edges of the first portion may taper towards each other at a minimum average angle of at least 5 degrees between the opposing edges over the length of the first portion.

The taper of the bristles may be abrupt at the interface between the first and second portions of the bristles.

These features provide bristles having a first portion which is relatively tapered over its length or over a small portion of its length, as compared to a second portion which is only tapered.

The first portion may have a non-circular transverse cross-section over substantially all of its length or at least a portion of its length. The cross-sectional shape may be elongate and may be generally elliptical. The first portion has a non-circular cross-section at its base that gradually transforms into a generally circular cross-section at the point where the first portion meets the second portion. The first portion of those bristles having a first portion and a second portion may terminate at the region where the second portion begins. The bristles may comprise only a first portion and a second portion.

In the case where at least a portion of the first portion has an elliptical cross-section, the edges of the first portion lying on the long axis of its elliptical cross-section may approach each other in a curved path over the length of the first portion. The edges of the first portion on the short axis of its elliptical cross-section may approach each other in a substantially straight path over the length of the first portion.

The second portion may have a substantially circular cross-section over its entire length or substantially its entire length.

All opposing edges of the second portion may taper towards each other at a maximum average angle of 3 degrees between the opposing edges over the length of the second portion.

The length of the second portion may be at least one quarter or one half of the length of the first portion. The length of the second portion may be no longer than the length of the first portion or twice the length of the first portion.

The bristles may all be spaced apart from one another. This reduces the risk of hair becoming tangled in the brush portion.

At least some or all of the bristles may have a transverse cross-section of elongate shape over part or substantially all of their length and be arranged in two or more spaced, offset rows, wherein the centre lines of the rows are spaced apart such that at least part of a first portion of the bristles in one row extends between adjacent bristles in an adjacent row; and/or the width of the bristles in one row is equal to or greater than the space between adjacent bristles in an adjacent row for a portion of its length when viewed perpendicular to the rows, to partially block the space between bristles in an adjacent row.

The elongate shape may be substantially elliptical. The bristles may have substantially the same shape, over all or part of the array.

The bases of adjacent bristles in each row may be spaced apart by a distance that is less than half the maximum width of the bases of the bristles.

In one embodiment, the bristles are spaced apart by a distance of at most 2.5 mm.

The bases of the bristles in one row may be spaced from the bases of the nearest bristles in an adjacent row by a distance that is less than the space between adjacent bristles in that row.

In one embodiment, the bases of the bristles in one row are spaced apart from the base of the nearest bristle in an adjacent row by a distance of up to 2 mm.

The width and shape of the bristles in a row may be such that the bristles only partially obstruct the spaces between bristles in adjacent rows.

Each row of bristles may be substantially straight or may be curved. The rows are generally parallel. The bristles in each row, or at least a plurality of adjacent rows, may be evenly spaced apart by substantially the same distance.

Adjacent rows may be offset relative to each other such that the center of each bristle in one row is substantially aligned with the midpoint between the bristles in an adjacent row.

The bristles may be tapered, the cross-section of the bristles decreasing from the base to the free end. With this arrangement, the space between the bristles decreases towards their base. Thus, the more the hair is moved into the bristles, the more it is gripped by the bristles, as the space between the bristles is reduced and the path is more complex, thereby enabling greater tension to be applied to the hair.

There may be at least three or four rows of bristles.

Bristles having a generally elliptical cross-section may form an elongated rectangular array of bristles formed from generally parallel long rows and generally parallel short rows of bristles. In this arrangement, the major axis of the elliptical cross-section of each bristle may be substantially aligned with the direction of the long row, each bristle forming part of the long row.

The bristles may be moulded (e.g. as part of a bristle sleeve) and may be moulded from a plastics material (in particular, a resiliently flexible plastics material, for example a polymer elastomer, such as hytrel (RTM) available from dupont (RTM), for example hytrel (RTM) grade 5556).

The air mover section may be arranged with the feet arranged such that when resting with said feet on a surface, the hair brush section is supported away from the surface. This is particularly useful when the bristles are formed from a resiliently flexible plastics material, since the bristles may deform if the device is placed against them (especially when hot). The foot may be arranged (substantially) perpendicular to a longitudinal axis through the brush head such that the longitudinal axis through the brush head extends (substantially) vertically when standing on a horizontal surface by the foot, and for stability the foot may be arranged such that the foot is slightly inclined towards the power cord, for example at an angle of 5 to 10 degrees, when extending substantially vertically through the longitudinal axis of the brush head. The longitudinal axis of the brush head may be coaxial with the axis of air flow through the inlet and outlet of the air impeller portion. A gap may be disposed between the feet to enable flow to the inlet. The gap may be provided by a longitudinally forward extending cut-out (as defined by the foot) of the rear portion of the air mover device. The incision may be a scoop. The total cross-section of the scoop portion perpendicular to the longitudinal axis can be greater than or equal to the smallest transverse cross-sectional area of the air mover portion. In this way, even when the air mover section is standing by the foot, sufficient air can be drawn through the cutout to allow for the normal flow of air through the device. The foot may be disposed about the inlet. This avoids the inlet being blocked and can prevent overheating. The feet may be evenly spaced. There may be at least three feet or only three feet. Alternatively, there may be only two feet, in which case the feet may be long. The foot may be formed of an elastic material (which provides additional traction). Alternatively, the foot may be integral with the air mover portion, or may be coated with, rather than formed from, a high-adhesion material.

The fan comprises a motor and an impeller, and the heating element of the air impeller portion may be adapted to receive the motor of the fan and/or may be stepped. The heating element may include a heater coil and a heater coil support. The heater coil support part may be stepped. The heater coil support part may have at least two steps in a diameter of an outer surface thereof, which decrease in size in a direction from the rear to the front. The heater coil support part may have at least three steps. The largest step may enable a cut-out to be present diametrically inward from the outer surface of the step to receive the motor (i.e., at least a portion of the motor). An outer surface of one or more of the steps may receive and may be adapted to receive a heater wire of the heater coil. In particular, one or more of the steps may be arranged with teeth between which the wire is received.

The largest step may not receive and may not be adapted to receive the heating wire of the heating coil. The second large step may receive and may be adapted to receive a heating wire of the heating coil. The third major step may receive and may be adapted to receive the heater wire of the heater coil. The front portion of the support portion may not receive and may not be adapted to receive the heating wire of the heating coil. The front portion of the support portion may be inclined.

The slope of the front portion of the support portion may be greater than the slope of the step. The steps may be substantially non-inclined, of constant diameter or of a diameter that varies little, for example the total angle of the steps does not exceed 15 degrees or 10 degrees.

The stepped arrangement enables the width of the device to be reduced from the rear to the front, enabling a thin handle once the width is reduced. This can be achieved by a tapered heater support, but the tapered shape is not easily wound and the diameter of the tapered shape decreases rapidly with length, which limits the distance the motor end can protrude into the heater support. However, if the heater coil support is stepped, winding is easier and enables the use of a longer motor having a longer service life to protrude into the end of the heater coil support. This arrangement of the heater wire also allows it to more fully enter the annular region of the flowing air (generated by the impeller) to increase the efficiency of heating the air and reduce heating around the body of the air mover.

Drawings

For a more clear understanding of the present invention, one or more embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a hair styling device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hair styling device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the hair styling device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view in the region of the brush head of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged isometric cross-sectional view in the area of the brush head of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-section through the device of FIG. 1 along line A-A in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the device of FIG. 1 in the region of the connection between the brush head portion and the air mover portion;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view through the air mover portion of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a portion of the air mover section of the device rotated slightly from the perspective of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the rear portion of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the components of the air mover portion of the device of FIG. 1 with the outer housing removed;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of a portion of an alternative brush head portion for use with the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of a portion of the alternative brush head portion of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the brush head portion of FIGS. 13 and 14;

FIG. 16 is a side view of the hair styling device of FIG. 1 in use;

fig. 17 is a transverse cross-sectional view through another embodiment of a hair styling device in the region of the brush head.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings, and in particular to fig. 1-5 and 16, a hair styling apparatus 1 includes a radial hair brush portion 2 and an air mover portion 3. In an embodiment, radial hair brush portion 2 and air mover portion 3 are easily separable, and an alternative paddle-like hair brush portion 2a (as shown in fig. 13-15) is provided, which may be substituted for radial hair brush portion 2 as desired, and described in further detail below. Additional alternative hair brush sections may also be provided, such as radial hair brush sections of different diameters.

The radial hair brush portion 2 comprises a tubular brush handle section comprising a hollow handle 4 having a flared section 6 at the rear and a support section 5 at the front. The brush handle section may be formed as a single body from injection molded plastic. The brush head support section 5 is generally cylindrical, although the brush handle sections up to the flared rear section are strictly trilobal in cross-section to facilitate gripping (of course, other shapes are possible) and are generally cylindrical. Furthermore, the brush head supporting section is not strictly cylindrical, as it has a gentle taper with a total included angle of about 2 degrees, increasing in diameter from the front to the rear. The outer diameter of the handle (up to the flare) is about 3cm to 3.5cm (as a function of taper). The handle 4 is approximately 10cm in length between the brush head support section 5 and the flared section 6. This is the grip portion, which, as shown in fig. 16, is to be held by the user holding the grip portion in his/her hand with the longitudinal axis of the grip portion across the palm of the hand, and the user wrapping his/her fingers and thumb (usually circumferentially) around the periphery to use the brush as a hair brush alone or to attach the brush to the air mover section 3 to serve as a hot air styler. In this embodiment, the gripping portion of the handle 4 is smooth and is shown in fig. 16, where a typical female hand is wrapped around the gripping portion. It is understood that the average width of the female hand (corresponding to the width across the palm at the widest point) is 74mm and the average width of the male hand is 84 mm-of course, a larger person may still grip the grip portion of the handle and wrap the hand around the grip portion in the same manner, but the palm of the larger person would extend partially to the flared section 6 of the handle 4. The rear of the radial hair brush portion 2 is open.

Although the gripping portion of the hair brush portion tapers only slightly towards the flared section 6, the diameter of the flared section 6 itself increases more steeply at a total included angle of about 30 degrees.

In front of the brush head support section 5 (the distal end of the radial hair brush portion 2 furthest from the connection with the air impeller portion 3), a notch or cut-out is arranged in the tubular brush handle section. The notches or cut-outs receive end caps 7, which may also be injection molded from plastic and provide closed front/distal ends. The end cap 7 may be attached by a resistance/interference fit, gluing, plastic welding or other known techniques. The end cap 7, best seen in fig. 4, is generally cylindrical, although the outward facing (distal) end is flat (open in this embodiment), but the inner end is tapered, extending radially inwardly from the inner wall of the brush head support section 5 and into the brush head support section 5 towards the flared section 6 to form a tip. The walls of the tapered section are curved to provide a curved outer surface which forms a baffle 8 to direct air (flowing from the air impeller portion 3 towards the distal end of the radial hair brush portion) towards the edge.

The tip of the conical baffle 8 is arranged in line with the central longitudinal axis to direct air from the centre of the flow towards the inner wall of the brush head support section 5. Due to its conical shape, the conical baffle 8 is arranged at an acute angle to the central axis. The curvature of the baffle is such that the acute angle of the conical baffle 8 to the central longitudinal axis increases radially outwardly.

Approximately halfway between its ends, the end cap 7 is arranged with a circumferential rib 9 extending radially outwards. The ribs 9 are arranged slightly beyond (e.g. 1mm to 2mm beyond) the distal end of the brush head section 5 to provide a circumferential gap or groove.

The brush head supporting section 5 is thicker than the gripping portion of the handle 4, and a bristle sleeve 10 is arranged around the outer circumferential surface of the brush head supporting section 5. The bristle sleeve 10 is another injection molded plastic component. The plastic of the bristle sleeve 10 is different from the other components (which may be formed of PP, for example) and may be formed of, for example, a polyester elastomer, in particular hytrel (RTM) available from dupont (RTM), for example, hytrel (RTM) grade 5556. This is because, although the main requirements for the rest are an attractive appearance and sufficient strength/stiffness, the bristle sleeve 10 comprises an array of bristles 11, the characteristics of which (in particular the flexibility) are important for the hair styling function of the device 1.

The bristle sleeve 10 has a hollow tubular inner surface and extends over the entire length of the brush head support section 5 and over the rib 9 to provide a brush head. The bristle sleeve has a radially inwardly extending circumferential flange 12 at the distal end, which circumferential flange 12 fits into the gap between the distal end of the tubular brush head support section 5 and the rib 9, and may further comprise radially inwardly extending attachment means (e.g. a clip or the like at the proximal end) to clip into a corresponding groove in the outer circumferential surface of the brush head support section 5. The circumferential flange may also be adhered or otherwise bonded/fastened to the brush head support section 5.

In this embodiment, the array of bristles 11 is arranged in six groups, each group being separated from an adjacent group by a series of holes 13. In this example, each series of apertures 13 is arranged as four elongate slots arranged longitudinally along the end of the bristle sleeve 10 in abutment. Each of the flutes near the grip portion of the handle starts at a position closer to the grip than the first of the bristles 11, on the other hand, at the opposite distal end, the last of the four flutes ends at a position closer to the grip than the last of the bristles 11 (i.e. the flutes are offset proximally with respect to the group of bristles 11).

Each bristle 11 of each set of bristles 11 comprises a first portion 14 tapering from a base and a second portion 15 which is narrower relative to the relatively wider first portion 14 and extends from the first portion 14 to a free end. The bristles 11 in each set are arranged in four spaced, offset rows, wherein the centerlines of the rows are spaced such that at least a portion of the first portions 14 of the bristles 11 in one row extends between adjacent bristles 11 in an adjacent row; also, the width of the first portion 14 of the bristles 11 in one row is greater over a portion of its length than the space between adjacent bristles 11 in an adjacent row, when viewed perpendicular to the rows, to partially block the space between the bristles 11 in the adjacent row. The bristles 11 are thus sized and arranged such that, in use, the second portion 15 serves to penetrate and separate hair between the bristles, and the first portions 14 of the bristles enable tension to be applied to the hair as it flows between the bristles 11.

The second portions 15 of the bristles help to separate the hair easily and help to eliminate entanglement. Due to the larger width of the first portions of the bristles and the arrangement of the bristles 11, the space between the first portions 14 of the bristles is smaller than the space between the second portions 15. Thus, as the hair flows between the first portions 14 of the bristles 11, there is greater friction between the bristles 11 and the hair, enabling tension to be applied to the hair, improving styling ability compared to hot air stylers having conventional bristles.

The bristles 11 are resiliently flexible and the second portion of the bristles 11 is more flexible than the first portion, which is more rigid due to having a larger transverse cross-sectional area than the second portion 15.

The width of the widest part of the first section 14 of each bristle 11 is approximately four times the width of any part of the second section 15. The length of the bristles 11 is approximately four times their maximum width.

The two opposing edges of the first portion 14 of each bristle 11 taper towards each other at a minimum average angle of at least 10 degrees between the opposing edges over the length of the first portion 14, and the opposing sides of the second portion 15 taper towards each other at a maximum average angle of 5 degrees between the opposing edges over the length of the second portion 15.

The angle between the opposing edges of the first portion 14 increases from the base of the bristles to the end of the first portion 14 such that the opposing edges are curved.

The taper of the bristles 11 is abrupt at the interface between the first 14 and second 15 portions of the bristles.

Each first portion 14 has an oval transverse cross-section at its base which gradually transforms into a substantially circular cross-section at the point where the first portion meets the second portion 15. Each second portion 15 has a substantially circular cross-section over its entire or substantially its entire length. All of the opposing edges of each second portion 15 taper toward each other at a maximum average angle of 3 degrees between the opposing edges over the length of the second portion.

The length of the second portion 15 is approximately one quarter of the length of the first portion 14, and the bases of adjacent bristles in each row are spaced apart by a distance which is one third of the maximum width of the bases of the bristles.

Each row of bristles 11 is substantially straight. The rows are generally parallel. The bristles 11 in each row are evenly spaced apart by substantially the same distance. Adjacent rows are offset relative to each other such that the center of each bristle 11 in one row is substantially aligned with the midpoint between the bristles 11 in the adjacent row. In this embodiment, each of the six groups of bristles 11 comprises four long rows of bristles 11, each long row comprising twelve bristles 11 or thirteen bristles (adjacent rows alternate between twelve and thirteen bristles).

The major axis of the oval cross-section of each bristle 11 is substantially aligned with the direction of the long row, the bristles forming part of the long row.

As best seen in fig. 4, each of the six series of apertures 13 separating the six groups of bristles 11 is arranged as four elongate slots arranged longitudinally alongside the ends of the bristle sleeve 10 and in alignment with a corresponding series of apertures 16 in the brush head support section 5. Each series of holes 16 is arranged as two

elongated slots

16a, 16b arranged longitudinally alongside the brush head support section 5 ends. The position of the first of the elongate slots 16a in each series of apertures 16 through the brush head support section 5 corresponds to the position of the slot through the grip portion of the bristle sleeve 10 adjacent the handle 4. The second elongated slot 16b extends from the proximal end of the next slot through the bristle sleeve 10 all the way to the distal end of the last of the four slots at the distal end of the brush head support section 5.

Between the first and

second slots

16a, 16b, i.e. towards the proximal end of the brush head support section 5, a baffle 17, generally frustoconical, is arranged within the brush head support section 5 and is integrally formed therewith (best seen in fig. 3 to 5). A frusto-conical baffle 17 extends radially inwardly from the inner cylindrical wall of the brush head support section to separate air from the periphery of the flow through the hollow brush head and to direct the air through a first elongate slot 16a in the brush head support section and out of the corresponding slot 13 at the proximal end of the bristle sleeve 10.

The truncated-cone baffle 17 is arranged outside the central longitudinal axis to separate only the air extending along the longitudinal axis from the periphery, but not to obstruct the main flow of air too much, so as to maintain the flow along the centre of the brush head towards the conical baffle 8, which is arranged towards the distal end.

The truncated cone baffle 17, although generally truncated in shape, is curved as is the case with the conical baffle 8. The curvature is such that the angle of the baffle with respect to the central axis is acute and becomes smaller as the frusto-conical baffle 17 extends inwardly. The frusto-conical baffle 17 is arranged such that as it extends inwardly, the frusto-conical baffle extends towards the proximal end of the hair brush portion 2. This ensures that the acute angle is arranged in the correct direction to separate air as required rather than directing air from the periphery towards the central longitudinal axis.

As mentioned above, the bristles 11 are arranged along the length of the hollow brush head. The bristles extend further along the brush head (towards the distal end) than the holes 13, the holes 13 starting closer to the proximal end than the bristles 11. The separation of air by the curved frusto-conical baffle 17 and the curved conical baffle 8 results in the air tending to leave the aperture 13 at an angle, taking into account the acute angle of the

baffles

8, 17. Thus, air exiting the holes 13 flows through the bristles 11, even though the bristles extend further along the brush head than the holes 13.

Thus, the arrangement of

baffles

8, 17 relative to bristles 11 is such that frusto-conical baffle 17 extends inwardly within the first third of the bristles closest to the proximal end. In particular, the frustoconical baffles extend inwardly from a location along the bristles 11 approximately one sixth of the distance from the proximal end.

On the other hand, the tapered baffles 8 are arranged such that they extend inwardly from the inner wall of the brush head support section 5 in the last third of the area of the bristles furthest from the proximal end. In particular, the tapered baffles extend inwardly from a location about five sixths of the distance along the bristles 11 from the proximal ends (i.e., from one of the sixth of the distal ends of the bristles 11).

Like the frusto-conical baffle 17, the conical baffle 8 is of course intended to direct air away from the holes. The conical baffle is intended to direct all air passing through the central hole in the truncated cone baffle 17 away from the

holes

13, 16b in the brush head in as undisturbed/throttleless a manner as possible.

Each

baffle

8, 17 is imperforate, i.e. each baffle is solid except for a single large central hole defined by the radially inner edge of the truncated cone shaped baffle 17.

Air is supplied from the outlet of the nozzle 18 of the air impeller portion 3 to the brush head of the radial hair brush portion 2. The outlet/mouth of the nozzle 18 is arranged in the proximal end of the brush head support section 5, the nozzle 18 extending rearwardly from its mouth, coaxially arranged within the handle 4.

In this particular embodiment, the internal diameter of the mouth is 21mm and the diameter of the radially inner edge of the truncated conical baffle is 11 mm. The mouth of the nozzle is axially spaced 6mm from the frusto-conical baffle 17. This results in the mouth beingAn annular gap between the inner diameter and the radially inner edge of the frusto-conical baffle 17, the annular gap having a cross-sectional area of 105mm²。

This gap is important because it is necessary for a sufficient amount of air from the mouth of the nozzle to reach the curved surface of the truncated cone baffle 17 and be separated by the first slot 16a, while the remainder of the air flows through the hole defined by the inner edge of the truncated cone baffle and exits from the second slot 16 b.

The entire hair brush section 2 is arranged to rotate relative to the entire air mover section 3. In order to achieve this arrangement, a bearing is arranged in the region of the mouth of the spray tube 18 between the spray tube 18 and the brush head support section 5. Similar bearings, described further below, are arranged in the region of the ends of the horn-shaped sections 6 of the radial hair brush sections.

The bearing between the spray tube 18 and the brush head support section 5 is provided by a plurality (six in total) of discrete slide bearing assemblies 19 formed equidistantly around the inside of the proximal end of the brush head support section 5 of the hair brush portion and arranged to bear on an annular bearing surface 24 on the outer circumferential surface of the spray tube 18. Each plain bearing assembly is about 3.5mm long (axially), extends (laterally) across about 4.4mm of the inner circumference of the hair brush portion, and is spaced about 9mm from each of its adjacent assemblies such that the bearing assembly blocks less than one third of the circumference of the gap.

With particular reference to fig. 3, 8 and 9, the nozzle or "nose cone" 18 of the air impeller portion 3 is injection molded from plastic to have a tubular section 20 coaxially disposed within the gripping portion of the handle 4, and a tapered section 21 at the rear thereof, the tapered section 21 being coaxially disposed within the flared section 6 of the radial hair brush portion 5 and increasing in diameter rearwardly from the tubular section 20. As best seen in fig. 9, a heat reflective insulating tube 22 formed of mica is die cut, rolled and disposed within the tubular section 20, while a similar heat reflective insulating "cone" 23 made of mica is die cut, rolled and disposed within the tapered section 21. These mica inserts reduce the extent to which the spout 18 heats up during use.

To further reduce the extent to which the gripping portion of the handle 4 heats up (if any), an annular air gap is arranged between the outer circumferential surface of the spout 18 and the inner circumferential surface of the handle 4, the outer circumferential surface of the spout and the inner circumferential surface of the handle being spaced apart from each other by an average spacing of about 1.5 mm.

As described above, in addition to the bearing formed in the area of the mouth of the nozzle 18 between the nozzle 18 and the brush head supporting section 5 of the hair brush part 2, the second bearing between the air impeller part 3 and the hair brush part 2 is arranged in the area of the end of the horn-shaped section 6 of the radial hair brush part 2. The proximal second bearing is a sliding bearing formed by an annular sliding bearing surface 25 (best seen in fig. 7-9) on the outer circumferential surface of the air impeller portion 3 aft of the conical section 21 and an annular sliding bearing surface 26 (best seen in fig. 7) formed on the inner circumferential surface of the trumpet section 6. Both annular sliding bearing surfaces 25, 26 are shaped with a constant diameter along their length (as opposed to the trumpet-like or generally conical nature of the part to which they belong).

As best shown in fig. 10, the attachment means/connection means are arranged to the rear of the annular bearing surfaces 25, 26 of the proximal bearing, which enables relative rotation between the handles of the radial hair brush portion 2 and the air impeller portion 3, and simple detachment/attachment of the radial hair brush portion 2 and the air impeller portion 3.

The attachment means includes a connection portion formed on the outer surface of the air impeller portion 3 and a connection portion formed on the inner surface of the hair brush portion 2. The connection is non-rotatable relative to the respective part of the connection, but in use is infinitely rotatable (i.e. the two parts can rotate more than 360 degrees relative to each other and theoretically infinitely, without any object preventing further rotation).

The connection on the air impeller portion 3 is a continuous clamping ring 27, i.e. a ring extending radially outwards and around the outer circumferential surface, to which the connection on the radial hair brush portion 2 can be clamped. The gripping ring 27 has an inclined front face 29, i.e. the face facing towards the mouth of the nozzle 18 is tapered to form a ramp of increasing diameter from its front to its rear to form an angle of about 20 degrees with the longitudinal axis. On the other hand, the rear face is not inclined, i.e. the rear face is not substantially inclined, but almost perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and has an angle of about 60 degrees.

On the other hand, the connection on the hair brush portion 2 includes a plurality of localized gripping features 28 (visible in fig. 7, but not visible in fig. 3 or 10 due to the localization of the gripping features). The gripping features 28 are evenly spaced around the inner circumferential surface of the flared portion of the hollow handle portion and are disposed at the distal end thereof. The gripping features 28 each have an inclined front face 30, i.e. the face facing towards the gripping ring 27 when the gripping features are attached to each other is tapered to form a ramp that increases in diameter from front to rear, forming an angle of about 20 degrees with the longitudinal axis. As with the rear face of the gripper ring 27, the rear face is not inclined, i.e. the rear face is not substantially inclined, but almost perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and has an angle of about 60 degrees.

The flared section 6 of the radial hair brush portion 2 has a thinner region (about 1mm thinner compared to a typical thickness of 2mm) between the gripping feature 28 and the annular bearing surface 26 of the proximal bearing. This means that when the inclined front faces 30 of the gripping features 28 are pushed into the inclined front faces 29 of the gripping ring 27 (pushing the gripping features 28 radially outwards), the area between the gripping features 28 may be deformed radially inwards to enable the gripping features 28 to be pushed over the gripping ring 27 to effect the connection. Similarly, although separation is more difficult, the thinner regions between the gripping features 28 provide elastic flexibility due to the steep, non-sloping rear surface, meaning that these parts can be separated by pulling or better by rotating and pulling the hair brush part. The steep non-inclined face on the rear of the gripping feature 28 in combination with the degree of overlap and compliance means that the brush will not fall out in normal use, but can be pulled down (in particular in combination with rotation). The provision of bearing

surfaces

25, 26 between the connection portion and the handle 4 of the radial hair brush portion 2 means that a rigid and stable connection is provided (see above).

At the rear of the clamping ring 27, at the rear of the lance 18 of the air impeller portion 3, the mouldings forming the lance 18 and the clamping ring 27 form part of a double-walled, substantially cylindrical housing 31 which extends to the very rear of the air impeller device 3. The rear of the air impeller device 3 is open, forming an inlet 35 so that air can flow into the nozzle 18 from the rear and exit through the mouth of the nozzle. The rear part of the cylindrical housing 31 of the air impeller portion has a specific shape. The rear of the cylindrical housing is arranged with three elastomeric feet 32 equally spaced around the rear, visible in fig. 1 to 3 and 6 to 10. The first foot 32 is arranged adjacent to an injection moulded strain relief boot 33 which surrounds a cable 34 which extends radially adjacent to the first foot 32. The other two feet 32 have their midpoints forming 120 degrees with the midpoint of the first foot (and the midpoint of the strain relief boot 33), each foot extending about 30 degrees and having a flat base perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the air impeller portion 3, so that the air impeller portion 3 can stand on a flat horizontal surface resting on the base of the feet 32 with the nozzle tube 18 extending vertically and the bristles 11 held away from the surface on which the device stands.

As previously mentioned, the rear of the cylindrical housing 31 of the air impeller portion 3 has a particular shape-for this purpose, scoops 36 (best seen in fig. 1) are arranged between adjacent feet 32, so that when the air impeller portion 3 rests on the feet 32, access to the inlet 35 is provided by the gaps provided by the (three) scoops 36. When arranged on a flat surface, the total area of the gap provided by the scoop is approximately equal to the minimum cross-section through the air impeller 3 (at the mouth of the nozzle 18) to enable sufficient air to pass through.

A removable grill (not shown) including a washable filter (not shown) is disposed axially forward of the scoop portion 36 and extends across the inlet 35 to limit or prevent the entry of hair or the like.

Within the cylindrical housing 31 and the conical section 21 of the lance 18 are arranged a heating element 37 and a fan 38. When the fan 38 and the heating element 37 are operating, the fan 38 draws air through the inlet 35 to the heating element 37, which heats the air. The air then continues to flow through the tubular section 20 of the nozzle 18 (within the handle 4 of the air brush head portion), out the outlet of the nozzle 18 to the brush head support section 5 and out the apertures 13 between the bristles 11 of the brush head portion 2.

The switch 39 is arranged on the outer circumference of the air impeller portion 3 and is arranged in a rim 40 extending through a hole in the cylindrical housing 31 diametrically opposite the power cable 34. When operated, the switch 39 directs electrical power from the cable 34 to the fan 38 and heating element 37. Those skilled in the art will readily envision suitable switches and circuitry to achieve the desired selection of heat (determined by the power of heating element 37) and speed of air flow (determined by the power of fan 38), but in this embodiment switch 39 is slidably mounted in the bezel. In this embodiment, as best seen in fig. 12, the power cable 34 is connected to the head PCB 41 by a bond wire 42, wherein the bond wire 42 enables connection between the head PCB 41 and the lines of the heating element 37 and the motor PCB 43 (best seen in fig. 9), and another bond wire 44 connects the switch 39.

A stator or fan support 48 forms part of the inner wall of the double-walled housing 31 and an arrangement for supporting the fan 38. In particular, the fan 38 is formed by a motor 46 and an impeller 47, the fan support 48 comprising a cup portion arranged to receive the motor 46 such that the shaft of the motor extends through the base of the cup portion along the central longitudinal axis of the air impeller portion 3 towards the inlet 35. The impeller 47 is a plastic injection molded part and is of course attached to the shaft of the motor and is arranged with vanes 49 arranged radially outside the cup portion to direct air flow through the outer circumference of the cup portion and the motor 46 held within the cup portion. The cup is separated from the inner wall of the double walled housing 31 by a series of webs 45 which provide minimal obstruction to the air flow through the motor 46, in effect acting as stator vanes to redirect the flow more axially.

As can be seen from figure 12, a series of slits (six in total) are arranged equally spaced apart on the sides of the cup of the fan support, extending from opposite open ends towards the base. Each of these slots receives the radially inner rear edge of one of three support plates which together constitute the heater coil support 50 or "frame". Each support plate is a die-cut mica sheet. The radially outer rear edge of each support plate is mounted in a corresponding slot in the inner wall of the double-walled housing 31. By carefully investigating the interaction of the three support plates in fig. 9 and 11, particularly looking at the central axis, it can be seen that the three support plates are embedded (slotted) together to form the heater coil support 50.

Each support plate is arranged with a cut-out at its rear, which extends from the central longitudinal axis to a diameter equal to the inner diameter of the cup portion, i.e. equal to the outer diameter of the motor 46. The cut-out in the support plate defines a recess into which the rear of the motor 46 can extend so that the heater coil support 50 is supported by the motor 46.

The outer edge of each support plate (and thus the entire heater coil support 50) is stepped. In the region of the connection 27, the largest first step 51 is arranged radially outside of the rear two thirds of the motor (accommodated in the cutout) and radially inside-inside the rear of the nozzle 18, this part of the air mover being shaped to match the outer diameter of the heater coil support to hold the heater coil in place. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the first step is 49 mm.

A second large second step 52 is arranged in front of the first step 51, the second step having a very gradually decreasing diameter of 42mm at the rear and decreasing to 39.5mm at the front, and at an angle of about 5 degrees to the longitudinal axis. The second step has recesses (10 in total) formed along its outer diameter to form teeth between which the resistance wire 55 is held. The resistance wire 55 forms a heater coil, and constitutes the heating element 37 together with the heater coil support 50. As best seen in fig. 12, the resistance wire is wavy, which enables the length of the resistance wire between adjacent support plates to be increased compared to a straight extending wire, and enables the wire to be disposed radially inward of the outer diameter of the support plates, so the wire is farther from the nozzle 18, so the nozzle is less likely to be heated, and this coincides with more air that will flow from the impeller, so that heat will be more easily transferred to the air.

It is easier to wind such a wavy wire around a step having a constant or only slightly reduced diameter than to wind the wire 55 around a conical support having a diameter that is reduced at the same angle as the conical section 21 of the spout 18. Furthermore, the stepped arrangement places the line 55 further inwardly (at least towards the rear of the step) than: the outer diameter of the support 50 follows the same conical shape as the conical section of the spout 18.

However, the second step 52 is arranged within the conical section 21 of the nozzle 18, so that the inner diameter of the conical section 21 decreases at the front. Therefore, the second step 52 does not accommodate the entire resistance line 55. Alternatively, a smaller (third largest) third step 53 is provided. In this embodiment, the third step 53 has a diameter of 34.5mm at the rear, and is reduced to 31mm at the front at an angle comprising 5 degrees. The third step also has recesses (17 in total) formed along its outer diameter to form teeth between which the resistance wire 55 is held.

At the front of the third step 53, the front of the support is inclined at a slightly greater angle than the angle of the insulated cone 23 made of mica, so that the support can be easily inserted (smaller diameter at the front due to the greater angle), but maintains an interference fit with the insulated cone 23 in the region where their respective diameters are substantially the same.

The heater wire 55 is arranged entirely within the conical section 21, around which conical section 21 the flared section 6 (instead of the gripping portion of the handle 4 having a constant diameter) extends. Although the hot air will flow within the gripping portion of the handle 4, the hot air is separated from the handle 4 by the air gap between the handle and the tubular section 20 of the air mover 3, the tubular section 20 itself, and the internal insulating tube 22, and therefore the gripping portion of the handle 4 is not heated by the heater wire 55.

To further mitigate the possibility of overheating the gripping portion of the handle 4 or not heating it at all, ambient (cold) air is forced through the gap between the nozzle 18 of the air impeller portion 3 and the handle 4 of the radial hair brush portion 2, the cold air acting as a heat exchanger, being heated as it moves through the gap and exits through the gap between the discrete bearing assemblies 19 into the hair brush support section 5, being replaced by the cooler air forced through.

To provide this flow of cold air, the air mover section 3 is arranged with "vents" or openings 56 to divert unheated air between the handle 4 and the spout 18. An opening 56 is formed downstream of the inlet 35 and impeller 38 and upstream of the heating element 37 to enable unheated air to enter the gap between the spout 18 and the handle 4.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 7 to 9, each opening 56 is located just in front of the bearing surface 25, which is itself located in front of the connecting portion 27, so that the connection between the two annular bearing surfaces 25, 26 can be secure. The opening is formed in a conical region 57 of the air impeller, the angle of the opening being greater than the angle of the remainder of the conical section of the nozzle, in this embodiment the angle of the opening is about 45 degrees. This means that the openings have a relatively large axial cross-section, so that the air does not need to pass radially outwards into the gap, but can continue along its axial path, thereby reducing disturbances to the flow. To further assist the flow, a channel 58 made of a thinner material is arranged on the outer surface of the nozzle 18 of the air impeller portion, extending forward along a substantial part of the nozzle, all the way along the conical section 21 and along about two thirds of the way along the tubular section 20. The size and number of the openings 56 are selected to match the cross-section of the gap so that sufficient air can flow into the gap through the openings 56 and through the gap quickly enough to provide sufficient cooling capacity over a long period of use. In this embodiment, six vents are formed to provide axial channels rather than just openings.

As mentioned above, although much of this description refers to the radial brush portion 2, an alternative paddle-like hair brush portion 2a is also provided, as shown in fig. 13-15, which may be substituted for the radial hair brush portion 2 as desired.

The handle portion 4a of the paddle hair brush section 2a is identical to the handle portion of the radial hair brush section 2, having the same dimensions, flared sections, bearings, connections, etc., to enable connection in the same manner and to enable an effective air gap between the handle 4a and the nozzle 18 of the air impeller section. The difference is in the shape of the head 59, which is generally rectangular and therefore the other relevant features are also different.

Of course, the generally rectangular head 59 is hollow to receive air from the air impeller portion 3. The generally rectangular head is arranged with bristles 11 of the same type as the radial hair brush portions 2. In this case there are four sets of bristles 11, each set comprising three rows of fourteen or fifteen bristles, the central row (of fifteen bristles) in each set being longitudinally offset relative to the two rows on either side (of fourteen bristles). Each of the four groups of bristles 11 is separated from its adjacent group or groups by a series of two longitudinally extending elongate slots 60 arranged end-to-end and extending from the proximal end of the group of bristles 11 (closest to the handle 4a) to about two thirds along the length of the group. There are three series of grooves 60, so there are six grooves in total.

As best seen in fig. 15, a pair of

baffles

61, 62 are disposed in the paddle brush portion 2a, as with the radial hair brush portion 2. The first baffle 61 extends from a position approximately one third of the distance from the distal ends of the bristles 11. The first baffle 61 extends across the entire width of the hollow and curves from the interior of the front wall 63 towards the proximal end of the paddle-like hair brush portion 2a, at an acute angle to the central longitudinal axis which decreases away from the front wall 63 over the entire width of the hollow and extends all the way to the rear wall 64.

The second baffle 62 is arranged across the entire width of the hollow but not across the entire depth. The second baffle 62 extends from a position approximately one third of the distance from the proximal end of the group of bristles 11 on the inner side of the front wall 63 and between two slots 60 of each series of slots 60. However, the second baffle 62 extends radially inwardly only across slightly more than half of the depth of the hollow. The second baffle is arranged at an angle to the central longitudinal axis and the acute angle decreases in a direction away from the front wall 63 (i.e. becomes smaller relative to the central longitudinal axis). Thus, the second baffle 62 separates air from the periphery adjacent the front wall 63 and out of the proximal slot 60, while the first baffle 61 directs air passing over the second baffle out of the distal slot 60.

As with the radial brush portion 2, the air, once it exits the aperture, will continue to flow in the axial direction, and thus will reach the hair being combed by the distal bristles 11 of the distal slot 60.

In use, the

hair brush sections

2, 2a can be used alone (without connection to the air mover section) to comb hair in the usual manner — that is, a user can use the gripping portion of the

handles

4, 4a to grip the hair brush sections and move the hair brush sections so that the bristles are drawn through the hair to comb the hair. If desired, although not presently believed necessary, the air mover section 3 can be plugged into a power source (via a plug, not shown, at the end of the cable), switched on, and used as a hair dryer to direct warm air from the mouth of the nozzle 18 to the hair while combing the hair with one or the other of the

hair brush sections

2, 2 a.

However, a more common usage is to attach the desired

hair brush portion

2, 2a to the air mover portion 3. The method is the same regardless of which

hair brush section

2, 2a is used. To attach the radial hair brush portion 2, the user grips the grip portion of the handle 4 with one hand and the cylindrical housing 31 of the air impeller portion 3 with the other hand. The nozzle 18 is inserted (first the mouth) into and guided into the opening at the rear of the radial hair brush portion 2 and pushes the nozzle towards the brush head support, and finally, as the mouth of the nozzle 18 approaches the distal first bearing, the front face 29 of the grip ring 27 and the front face 30 of the grip feature 28 abut each other and the grip feature 28 passes over the grip ring 27. At this point, the substantially non-inclined rear faces of the coupling portions abut one another, the sliding bearing assembly 19 of the distal bearing bears on the annular bearing surface 24, and the sliding bearing surfaces 25, 26 of the proximal bearing bear on one another, thereby forming a secure but rotatable connection between the hair brush portion 2 and the air impeller portion 3.

The user can then plug the air mover section 3 into the power supply and switch it on (using switch 39) so that the heating element 37 heats up and the fan 38 draws air through the inlet 35, some of which passes through the opening 56 and through the annular gap between the nozzle 18 and the handle 4, the remainder of which passes through the heating element 37, flows through the nozzle 18 and into the hair brush head support section 5 where it is directed by the baffle to exit through the aperture 13 in the region of the bristles 11.

Thus, the user can comb his/her hair with the device by holding the handle 4, with the brush head formed on the handle for easier control, while the motor sub-assembly of the air impeller portion 3 is rotated as needed to avoid the cable 34 from tangling or interfering with the combing. The nature of the bristles 11 makes styling of the hair with hot air extremely effective.

During brushing (e.g. when applying the product to the hair) or forming a hair bundle for brushing, the device may be placed on its foot 32, whereupon the bristles 11 are held away from the surface on which the device is placed and do not deform, air continues to be drawn in through the scoop/cut-out, avoiding motor burn-out or cut-off, and ensuring that ambient air continues to flow through the gap between the handle 4 and the spout 18 to keep the handle sufficiently cool.

To remove the radial hair brush portion 2 and replace it with another hair brush portion (e.g., paddle brush portion 2a), the rear of the flared section 6 is gripped and pulled while ideally rotating the brush portion 2 relative to the air impeller portion 3, and further, the rear of the flared section may be twisted and pulled to overcome the engagement between the substantially non-inclined surfaces of the connection and easily pulled down. Thus, the radial hair brush portion 2 can be cleaned in a manner that may not be suitable for electrically powered components, or used as a stand-alone brush as discussed. The paddle brush portion 2a may be arranged to the air impeller portion 3 in the same manner as discussed in relation to the radial hair brush portion.

Fig. 17 shows a further embodiment of the invention which is similar in all material respects to the first embodiment and all features not discussed in the following are identical to the first embodiment. The difference is that: this alternative embodiment includes vents 100 in radial hair brush portion 102; air mover portion nozzle 118 extends further into radial hair brush portion 102, closer to frusto-conical baffle 117, and importantly, annular barrier 200 extends inwardly from the inner edge of the hair brush portion to abut the outer circumferential surface at the end of nozzle 118. This means that the air flowing between the nozzle 118 and the handle 104 does not join the air flowing through the nozzle and exiting through the holes 113 in the region of the bristles 111, but instead the cold/cooled air that has passed between the handle and the nozzle exits separately, so that the air exiting in the region of the bristles remains warmer and is able to dry the hair more quickly.

One or more embodiments are described above by way of example only. Many variations are possible without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A hair brush section for a hair styling apparatus, said hair styling apparatus comprising an air mover section, said air mover section comprising a heating element and a fan; the hair brush portion includes a hollow brush head; the hollow brush head comprises bristles and apertures to enable air to exit the brush head in the region of the bristles; the brush head includes at least one baffle disposed within the hollow brush head and extending radially inward from an inner wall of the hollow brush head to separate air from a periphery of a flow through the hollow brush head and direct the air through the aperture.

2. The hair brush section of claim 1 wherein said brush head is cylindrical.

3. The hair brush portion of any preceding claim wherein the at least one baffle is a frusto-conical baffle.

4. The hair brush portion of any preceding claim wherein the hollow brush head has a central longitudinal axis extending therethrough and the at least one baffle is disposed outboard of the central longitudinal axis.

5. The hair brush portion of claim 2 wherein said at least one baffle is disposed at an acute angle to the central axis.

6. The hair brush section of any of the preceding claims wherein the baffles are curved.

7. The hair brush portion of claim 6 when dependent on claim 5 wherein the curvature of the baffles is such that the acute angle of the baffles to the central axis increases outwardly.

8. The hair brush portion of any preceding claim wherein said bristles are arranged along the length of said hollow brush head and extend further than said aperture towards the distal end of said brush head.

9. The hair brush portion of any preceding claim wherein said brush head has an open proximal end through which the brush head receives air, and a closed distal end; wherein the bristles extend along a length of the brush head between the proximal end and the distal end.

10. The hair brush portion of claim 9 wherein said at least one baffle is disposed adjacent the inner wall of the brush head in an area of one-third of the bristles closer to the proximal end.

11. The hair brush portion of claims 9 or 10 wherein the baffles are arranged such that when the baffles extend inwardly, the baffles extend towards the proximal end of the brush head.

12. The hair brush section of any preceding claim wherein the hollow brush head comprises at least one further baffle.

13. The hair brush portion of claim 12 wherein said hollow brush head includes only said at least one baffle and said at least one additional baffle.

14. The hair brush portion of claim 12 or 13 wherein said further baffles are arranged in line with said central longitudinal axis to direct air from the centre of said flow towards the inner wall of said brush head and out of said apertures.

15. The hair brush portion of any of claims 12-14 wherein said additional baffles are arranged at an acute angle to said central axis.

16. The hair brush section of any of claims 12-15, wherein the additional flap is curved.

17. The hair brush portion of claim 16 when dependent on claim 15 wherein the curvature of the further flap is such that the acute angle of the flap to the central axis increases outwardly.

18. The hair brush portion of any one of claims 12-17 when dependent directly or indirectly on claim 9, wherein the further baffle extends radially inwardly from the periphery and towards the proximal end of the brush head.

19. The hair brush portion of any of claims 12-18 wherein the additional baffles extend across the entire interior of the hollow brush head.

20. The hair brush section of any of claims 12-19 wherein the additional baffles are tapered.

21. The hair brush portion of any of claims 12-20, wherein the additional baffles are arranged adjacent to an inner wall of the brush head in an area of the bristles that is closer to one half of the distal end.

22. A hair brush section as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the or each baffle is non-perforated.

23. The hair brush portion of any of the preceding claims wherein the apertures are elongated slots and are arranged longitudinally.

24. A hair brush portion according to any preceding claim wherein at least some or all of the bristles comprise a first portion which tapers from a base and a second portion which is narrower relative to the relatively wide first portion and which extends from the first portion to a free end; the bristles being arranged in two or more spaced apart offset rows, wherein the centerlines of the rows are spaced apart such that at least a portion of the first portion of bristles in one row extends between adjacent bristles in an adjacent row; and/or, when viewed perpendicular to the rows, the width of the first portion of bristles in a row is, for a portion of its length, equal to or greater than the space between adjacent bristles in an adjacent row, to partially block the space between bristles in an adjacent row; and the bristles are sized and arranged such that: in use, the second portion is for penetrating and separating hair between the bristles, and the first portion of the bristles enables tension to be applied to the hair as it flows between the bristles.

25. The hair brush portion of claim 24 wherein the first and second portions of the bristles are resiliently flexible and the second portion of the bristles are more flexible than the first portion; wherein each first portion has a non-circular transverse cross-section at its base which gradually transforms into a substantially circular cross-section at the point where it meets the second portion, and the second portion has a substantially circular cross-section over its entire length or substantially its entire length.

26. A hair styling device comprising an air mover portion and a hair brush portion according to any preceding claim, the air mover portion comprising a heating element and a fan.

27. A hair styling device comprising an air mover portion and a hair brush portion, the air mover portion comprising a heating element and a fan; the hair brush portion includes a hollow handle and a hollow brush head; the hollow brush head comprises bristles and apertures to enable air to exit the brush head in the region of the bristles; the brush head is disposed on the hollow handle at a distal end of the hollow handle; and the handle has a gripping portion on which, in use, a user wraps his/her hand; wherein, in use, hot air travelling through the handle travels within an inner tube and an outer tube forms the handle with a gap between the inner and outer tubes; wherein ambient air is provided in a gap between the inner tube and the outer tube.

28. The hair styling device of claim 27 wherein at least some or all of the bristles comprise a first portion that tapers from a base and a second portion that is narrower relative to the relatively wide first portion and extends from the first portion to a free end; the bristles being arranged in two or more spaced apart offset rows, wherein the centerlines of the rows are spaced apart such that at least a portion of the first portion of bristles in one row extends between adjacent bristles in an adjacent row; and/or, when viewed perpendicular to the rows, the width of the first portion of bristles in a row is, for a portion of its length, equal to or greater than the space between adjacent bristles in an adjacent row, to partially block the space between bristles in an adjacent row; and the bristles are sized and arranged such that: in use, the second portion is for penetrating and separating hair between the bristles, and the first portion of the bristles enables tension to be applied to the hair as it flows between the bristles.

29. The hair styling device of claim 27 or 28 wherein the ambient air is forced between the inner tube and the outer tube.

30. The hair styling device of any one of claims 27 to 29 wherein the inner tube is a nozzle; the nozzle forms part of the air mover portion through which air travels from an inlet to an outlet.

31. The hair styling device of claim 30 wherein the nozzle is at least 90% of the length of the handle of the hair brush portion.

32. The hair styling device of claim 30 or 31, wherein the air mover section is configured to divert unheated air between the handle and the nozzle, outside the nozzle but inside the handle, in a gap between the handle and the nozzle.

33. The hair styling device of any one of claims 30 to 32 wherein the nozzle is arranged with insulation inside the nozzle.

34. The hair styling device of any one of claims 27 to 33 wherein the handle is arranged with insulation inside the handle.

35. The hair styling device of claim 33 or 34 wherein the thermal insulation comprises a thermal insulation tube.

36. The hair styling device of claim 35, wherein the insulating tube is a mica tube.

37. The hair styling device of any one of claims 27 to 36 wherein the hair brush portion is the hair brush portion of any one of claims 1 to 25.