Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45D—HAIRDRESSING OR SHAVING EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT FOR COSMETICS OR COSMETIC TREATMENTS, e.g. FOR MANICURING OR PEDICURING
  • A45D26/00—Hair-singeing apparatus; Apparatus for removing superfluous hair, e.g. tweezers
  • A45D26/0061—Hair-singeing apparatus; Apparatus for removing superfluous hair, e.g. tweezers with means for reducing pain during hair removal

Definitions

• the present invention relates to anti-puffer means for a hair removal device of the type comprising a rotary roller provided with pliers intended to pluck unwanted hair, unwanted from the human body.
• This type of apparatus comprises tongs in the form of blades or discs arranged on a rotary roller, the tongs being caused to close and open periodically so as to clamp the hairs close to the skin and, respectively, evacuate the hairs pulled out by the rotation of the roller. Pulling out hair is a very effective method against regrowth, but often it causes significant pain.
• WO 97/00032 has also proposed a rotary pliers epilator comprising a series of movable rollers pushed radially by centrifugal force and / or by springs, rollers which apply mechanical impulses to the skin in order to camouflage the pain caused by pulling out the hairs.
• This solution is however complicated, it also requires precision and high costs for its components.
• the vibrating frame perpendicular to the skin further comprises a finger which follows a groove made in the epilation head to describe an additional movement in a longitudinal direction relative to the skin .
• this system can only be implemented with an oscillating mechanism for driving the epilation head which performs oscillations of very low amplitude, since such a finger placed on a roller with pliers would be torn off during rotation of the roller.
• this oscillating movement mechanism is known to be ineffective for hair removal by plucking the hairs.
• Document WO 97/19613 describes an epilator comprising a comb or a hand with flexible pins, vibrating mounted on the housing, outside of the clamp roller.
• this solution requires an even more sophisticated, therefore complex, vibration mechanism.
• the depilatory appliance is provided with means for stretching the skin, these means being in the form of two articulated arms arranged on either side of the head. to be depilated and actuated in pivoting or translation so as to stretch the skin during tearing and to release it immediately after tearing. Aside from the fact that the epilation zone is masked by said articulated arms, a tension applied to the skin can cause pain and / or irritation, especially in the bone areas of the user's body.
• the object of the invention is to remedy, at least in part, the abovementioned drawbacks and to propose an epilator with rotary tweezers with tweezers comprising pain-relieving means intended to act mechanically on the zone to be epilated when the hairs are pulled out. so as to effectively calm the pain felt during hair removal.
• Another object of the invention is a depilatory device with pain-relieving means which act during the removal, while leaving the area to be depilated visible.
• a further object of the invention is a hair-removing device provided with reliable pain-relieving means, of simple construction and which lend themselves to manufacture in large series, for lower manufacturing costs.
• Another object of the invention is to provide an accessory incorporating effective pain-relieving means which can be used with practically any epilating appliance provided with movable pliers, without having to make constructive modifications to the appliance and / or the device.
• a hair removal device comprising a housing which contains an electric motor for driving a rotary system with pinching devices and actuation means in a cyclic closing / opening movement of at least one device. pinch intended to pluck the hairs from the skin, said device comprising at least one movable element arranged next to the depilatory head intended to come into contact with the skin, because said element performs a massage by means of a displacement in the plane of the skin during hair removal.
• rotary system with pinching device any device capable of supporting and driving the tweezers in a continuous movement of rotation around at least one axis of rotation.
• a device can in particular be a rotary roller with pliers, but also a belt carrying pliers, a chain driving articulated modules carrying tweezers, etc.
• the contact surface of said movable element with the skin be smooth, fine, felted, or , more generally, that it has a reduced coefficient of friction.
• the contact surface with the skin may have protrusions or depressions more or less spaced apart, for example with a height of between 0.5 to 2 mm and a pitch of 2 to 10 mm.
• the skin can be driven in movement by the mobile element, which adds to the friction on the skin of the mobile element and contributes to improving the soothing effect sought.
• a liquid which would be coated by friction on the skin, between the latter and the contact surface with the skin of the movable element.
• Such a liquid could be, for example, an oil, fat, ointment. This liquid could be brought to the skin area during the massage or it could be contained in a reservoir supported by the hair removal device.
• said mobile element is actuated in an alternative translational movement, and this in a direction perpendicular to that of movement of the device on the skin during depilation.
• an oscillatory movement in translation, having a sufficiently large amplitude, of said movable element makes it possible to obtain a massage by sustained friction on the skin.
• the direction of this movement it has been found that such a direction makes it possible to carry out a friction on the skin at the same time as the movement for the purpose of depilation of the apparatus on the skin without thwarting the advancement of the device on the skin.
• the movement is carried out in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the epilation head, which makes it possible to recover the movement of the latter, in particular for actuation in translation of the tweezers, to transmit it to the movable element and thus simplify the construction of the actuating means of the latter.
• said movable element is driven in an oscillatory translational movement at a frequency equal to or greater than 30 Hz.
• said movable element is supported by the housing behind the epilation head as seen in relation to the normal direction of movement of the device on the skin.
• One or more mobile elements could be arranged on one side only or on all or part of the periphery of the depilation window.
• an arrangement behind the epilation head is preferred since this allows good visibility of the area to be epilated.
• the contact surface with the skin of said movable element is substantially planar, or it can also be slightly convex and / or it can have protuberances.
• the contact surface between the skin and the mobile element is optimized, which gives massage more efficiency.
• the protrusions also make it possible to massage the deeper layers of the skin at the same time as the surface massage is carried out, the skin penetrating between the flat surface of the pad and that of said protuberances.
• the epilating device comprises means for actuating said movable element in movement, said means being constituted by means producing rotational oscillations and means transforming these oscillations into oscillations in translation.
• Such actuating means are of simple and reliable construction, while remaining discreet in order to be able to be easily integrated into the construction of a hair removal device.
• Rotational oscillations can be produced in a simple way, using the movement of one of the rotating parts of the device, in particular the motor or a part of the gear train of the device. These oscillations are then transformed by appropriate means in alternative translational movements of the mobile element on the skin.
• said means producing rotational oscillations comprise an eccentric part in rotation about an axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the epilation head.
• said means producing rotational oscillations comprise an unbalanced part in rotation about an axis perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the epilation head.
• said means producing rotational oscillations are driven in movement independently of the means for driving the tweezers.
• said movable element is driven in movement directly by the epilation head.
• said movable element engages with the lateral flanges of the head and follows the movement of the latter.
• said mobile element is supported by an accessory comprising means for fixing to the housing of the device and means connecting said mobile element to the actuation means.
• the massage means, the motor and the drive means could be part of an accessory (admittedly a little heavier) which would be connected to the epilator by fixing means and electrical connection connections.
• such an accessory could be used with virtually any hair removal device without having to make constructive modifications to the latter.
• such an accessory can be easily dissociated from said device for cleaning, sterilization or replacement of its parts in contact with the skin.
• the invention also relates to a method of hair removal by plucking the hairs with an apparatus according to the invention, comprising performing a rubbing massage of the skin area adjacent to that of hair removal at the same time as hair removal.
• FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a hair removal device according to a first embodiment of the invention, part of the housing being removed;
• FIG. 1 shows a top view of the apparatus of Figure 1;
• FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an actuating sub-assembly according to a first variant of the first embodiment of the invention
• - Figure 4 shows a perspective view of an actuating sub-assembly according to a second variant of the first embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a hair removal device according to the second embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 6a, 6b show an accessory of the apparatus of Figure 5;
• FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of the apparatus shown in Figure 5.
• a hair removal device using pain relief means according to the invention is described in document FR 2 758 060 in the name of the applicant. It is however obvious that this device is only one example of use, since any hair removal device, in particular with a rotary roller with pliers, can be adapted for use with such means.
• a hair removal device comprising a roller 1 rotatably mounted around an axis 4.
• the roller 1 comprises several gripping devices, each device consisting of two blades side by side 2,3.
• the clamps are actuated by a cam mechanism, the rotary roller 1 and the cam mechanism receiving the drive of an electric motor 10, via a gear train 9, all these components being arranged in the housing 7 of the hair removal device.
• a movable blade 2 In operation, under the action of the cams arranged on the external faces of the flanges 5, 6, the latter move in translation and cause the clamping devices to move.
• a movable blade 2 is capable of moving away from an adjacent blade 3 and, alternatively, of pressing against it.
• the actuation in translation of the movable blade 2 causes the closure, respectively the opening of the tweezers, in order to tighten the hairs and pluck them, and to release them after plucking, this as the rotation of the roller 1.
• the bristles of the area to be epilated occurring in front of a window 8 of the housing 7, are torn off following the rotation of the roller 1 or of the epilation head.
• the epilating device also includes a movable element or pad 12 actuated by drive means, the structure and operation of which will be explained below, to effect movement in the plane skin.
• This movement is preferably a back-and-forth movement carried out in the direction indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2.
• One or more soothing pads could be mounted on the periphery of the depilation window 8.
• the shoe 12 is held relative to the housing 7 by a support part 14 on guide rods 15 fixedly mounted in corresponding orifices made in the support part 14.
• the shoe 12 has guide grooves 13 allowing sliding along the rods 15, parallel to the axis 4 of the gripper roller 1.
• the shoe 12 is mounted relative to the housing 7 at a predetermined height so that its upper part is almost at the same height as the periphery of the roller 1.
• the end of the nip blades 2,3 and that of the shoe 12 are contained in the same plane which corresponds, in operation, to the theoretical plane of the skin.
• the actuation in alternative translational movement of the shoe or mobile element 12 is effected by means of a subassembly 17 for actuation different from that for driving and actuating the pliers hair removal, mounted in the same housing 7 of the appliance.
• the sub-assembly 17 consists of an axis 18 receiving the rotational drive movement in its lower part 19 which can be coupled for this purpose to the output shaft of an electric motor or another rotating part, via appropriate coupling means.
• the axis 18 is mounted vertically with respect to the horizontal plane passing through the axis of the roller 1.
• the axis 18 has in its upper part 20 an eccentric or eccentrically mounted finger 21 capable of cooperating with an oblong orifice 23 of a connecting rod 22.
• the connecting rod 22 is mounted fixed relative to the shoe 12 so as to impart to it the movement transmitted by the axis 18.
• the movement of rotation of the vertical axis 18 is transformed by the eccentric finger 21, which moves relative to the connecting rod 22, in translation vibrations of the shoe 12 in a horizontal plane.
• the shoe 12 describes movements back and forth in the plane of the skin and performs therefore a massage action on the latter.
• the sub-assembly 17 also comprises a vertical axis 18, but having at its end 20 an unbalance 25.
• a flexible coupling 27 allows the oscillation in rotation of the unbalance 25 during the drive of the axis 18.
• the upper end 26 of the axis 18 is mounted fixed relative to the shoe 12.
• the unbalance 25 When the vertical axis 18 is rotated, the unbalance 25 generates vibrations in rotation around this axis, vibrations transmitted entirely to the shoe 12.
• the shoe 12 is guided in its movement by the fixed rods 15 and of this does the rotational vibrations received by the shoe are transformed into translational vibrations along the guide 13, therefore parallel to the axis 4 of the roller 1.
• the axis 18 is driven in rotation by the motor 10 of the device, by means of a bevel gear, in particular a bevel gear, or it can be actuated by a separate motor.
• FIGS. 1 and 4 show such an engine 28 comprising a drive shaft coaxial with the axis 18 of the sub-assembly 17.
• Figures 5 and 6 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention where the driving of the movable element or pad 12 is carried out directly by the epilation head.
• the shoe 12 can be permanently mounted on the housing 7 of the device to receive the movement in alternative translation of the epilation head or it can be removably mounted relative to the latter, in particular by being produced as accessory of the hair removal device.
• the pad 12 will be disposed adjacent to the epilation window, behind the head in the direction of movement of the device on the skin.
• FIGS. 6a, 6b illustrate such an accessory 30 consisting of a frame 31 forming a cover intended to be mounted on the upper part of the epilating appliance, the pad 12 being mounted on the upper part of the frame 31, next to the depilation window 8 made in the frame 31. It can be fixedly mounted or removable from the latter.
• the frame 31 has inside the side walls or arches 35,36 bearing on the depilatory head, in particular on the side flanges 5,6 of the latter.
• the frame 31 also includes means for fixing 32,33 to the housing 7 of the hair removal device.
• These fixing means consist in particular of a hook 33 which is inserted into a corresponding orifice of the housing 7, as well as a hollow fixing tongue 32 bearing on the housing 7 of the device and inside which just introduce a lug of the housing 7.
• the female parts of each of the means for fixing the frame to the housing have dimensions allowing a displacement in translation of the corresponding male parts according to the amplitude of the movement described by the accessory.
• the cyclic translational movement of the epilation head is transmitted, via the flanges 5,6, to the accessory 30, in particular to the arches 35,36 of the frame 31.
• the accessory 30 is thus driven in one movement oscillating in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation 4 of the roller 1.
• all the parts of the accessory 30 follow the epilation head in its translational movement, the parts for fixing the frame 31 to the housing 7 of the apparatus moving in corresponding orifices.
• the skate describes in the plane of the skin a back and forth movement which massages the area of skin after the pulling of the hairs, which confers a soothing effect, quickly calming the pain.
• the rotary roller 1 rotates at a speed of the order of 1300 rpm, the head performs 2 back and forth movements by rotation of the roller, which generates vibrations in the mobile element or shoe 12 at a frequency of 40 Hz. Vibrations at such a frequency or a higher frequency calm the feelings of pain due to the pulling out of the hairs. Solutions to amplify the frequency of the vibrations of the shoe 12 can be envisaged, in particular the actuation of the flanges 5,6 by cams having a greater number of axial protuberances and which thus increases the number of va- back and forth of the flanges by rotation of the clamp roller.
• the amplitude of the back-and-forth movement described by the moving part can be, for example, between 1 and 3 mm.
• the contact surface of the pad 12 with the skin must be sufficiently smooth so as not to injure the skin.
• the roughness R a of such a surface should preferably be less than 3.2.
• the material chosen for the skate is a material that is hard enough not to adhere to the skin and to entrain it during the friction exerted on the latter by the moving skate.
• a material can be, for example, a plastic material of the polyamide type loaded with a glass bead or POM which is a material known to have a low coefficient of friction due to its good sliding properties.
• Figure 7 is shown a variant of the accessory shown in Figures 6a, 6b and intended for use with the apparatus shown in Figure 5.
• the movable shoe 12 is arranged on both sides and d other of the epilating head or the epilation window 8. Thus, it performs a massage movement by friction on the skin before, during and after the operation of pulling out the hairs.
• massage pins or protrusions 38 projecting from the plane of the contact surface with the skin of the pad are provided. 12.
• the pins or protuberances 38 can thus penetrate the skin, each pin constituting an anchoring point which causes the skin to move in order to increase the massage effect even in the deeper layers of the skin.
• the pins or protrusions 38 have the end in contact with the rounded skin so as not to strike the skin when they come to rub on this last. They are also made of a hard material, which does not adhere to the skin, as previously described.
• the protrusions 38 have a height of preferably between 0.5 and 2 mm for an indicative pitch of between 2 and 10 mm.
• the average diameter of a protuberance 38 which may be in the form of a sphere, cylinder or truncated cone, is between 1 and 4 mm.
• a movable pad 12 having a contact surface with the corrugated, striated skin or comprising any other rounded shape projecting relative to the plane of the contact surface with the skin of the pad 12.
• Other variants may be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Pain & Pain Management (AREA)
• Percussion Or Vibration Massage (AREA)
• Massaging Devices (AREA)
• Materials For Medical Uses (AREA)
• Brushes (AREA)
• Surgical Instruments (AREA)
• Cosmetics (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Acyclic And Carbocyclic Compounds In Medicinal Compositions (AREA)

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Publications (2)

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• 2000
  • 2000-06-27 FR FR0008272A patent/FR2810516B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-06-22 AT AT01947579T patent/ATE299345T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2001-06-22 PT PT01947579T patent/PT1294249E/pt unknown
  • 2001-06-22 AU AU2001269236A patent/AU2001269236A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-06-22 ES ES01947579T patent/ES2243519T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-06-22 WO PCT/FR2001/001968 patent/WO2002000058A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2001-06-22 DE DE60111942T patent/DE60111942T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-06-22 EP EP01947579A patent/EP1294249B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

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