EP1618807A2

EP1618807A2 - Hood hairdryer fitted with ion generator

Info

Publication number: EP1618807A2
Application number: EP04027066A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roberto Colombo
Original assignee: Muster e Dikson Service SpA
Current assignee: Muster e Dikson Service SpA
Priority date: 2004-07-20
Filing date: 2004-11-15
Publication date: 2006-01-25
Also published as: ITMI20040348U1; EP1618807A3

Abstract

This invention relates to a hood hairdryer fitted with a device designed to enrich the hot air used with negative ions.

Said hairdryer comprises a motor (4) which activates a fan (5) that generates an airflow, and is characterised in that it includes a negative-ion generating device (7), an electrode of said device being positioned inside the airflow so that said airflow is enriched with negative electrical charges suitable to neutralise the positive electrical charges that accumulate in the hair at the drying stage, due to the effect of the flow of hot air through the hair.

Description

This invention relates to a hood hairdryer fitted with a device designed to enrich the hot air used with negative ions.
The hood type of hairdryer has existed for a very long time, and has been gradually improved over the years in terms of both manufacturing techniques and the addition of devices which make it more efficient and above all give better hair treatment results, such as more accurate control of air temperature and flow.
It is known that the friction generated when the hair is brushed or combed charges the hair electrostatically with positive electrical charges. This is undesirable, because electrically charged hair is difficult to comb, and can attract dirt and dust.
The hair is often brushed or combed while it is being dried with a small manual hairdryer. In this case the jet of hot air is sent to the hair at exactly the point at which the brush or comb is employed. To eliminate the effect of the positive electrical charges generated, many hairdryers are fitted with negative ion generators designed to neutralise said positive electrical charges.
Patent WO 01/15185 describes a manual hairdryer designed to generate a current of ionised air able to neutralise the electrical charges that accumulate in the hair at the combing stage.
The problem of electrostatically charged hair also exists, however, even if the hair is not brushed or combed, as the jet of hot air is enough to electrify it. The problem therefore also arises in the case of the hood type of hairdryer; the fact that the hair is electrically charged means that the individual hairs tend to separate, thus increasing their apparent volume and becoming "fluffy", especially during the last stage of drying. Under these conditions the airflow may tangle the hair, hindering subsequent combing, and the fact that the hair is electrically charged also makes it more difficult to comb.
The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the drawback of electrification of the hair at the drying stage with the hood type of hairdryer by designing a hood hairdryer as claimed in claim 1, equipped with a device for the generation of negative ions, which neutralises the positive electrical charges that build up in the hair.
Said ion-generating device is known in itself. The invention consists of the fact that it is applied to a hood hairdryer, which enables drying to be completed while neutralising the electrostatic charges, with no need to perform subsequent treatments with other types of apparatus.
The invention will now be described by way of example but not of limitation, according to a preferred form of embodiment, by reference to the annexed figures, wherein:

figure 1 shows a hairdryer according to the invention;
figure 2 shows the hairdryer according to the invention in cross-section;
figure 3 shows a schematic view of the ion generator.

In fig. 1, reference number (1) indicates a hood hairdryer according to the invention. Said hairdryer (1) consists of a first casing (2) which contains all the activation devices, said casing being positioned immediately above a second casing (3) in the shape of a hood which is positioned on the head of the person whose hair is to be dried.
Said activation devices contained in said first casing (2), shown in fig. 2, comprise a motor (4) with a fan (5), air heating elements (6) and an adjustable-intensity negative-ion generating device (7).
Said negative-ion generating device (7) can be operated separately, switches of known type being fitted, for example, on the first casing (2) of hairdryer (1).
When motor (4) is switched on, fan (5) generates an airflow which is conveyed through a pipe (C), where it is heated by said elements (6) and enriched with negative ions if the corresponding device (7) is activated. Said air is then conveyed into the second, hood-shaped casing (3), where it dries the hair.
Said negative-ion generating device (7), shown in fig. 3, comprises an electrode (8) connected to a high-voltage current generator (9), which said generator (9) is powered through wiring (10) by the mains electricity supply. Said power supply will obviously be controlled by a switch (not shown) which is activated by the operator.
Said ion-generating device (7) is positioned inside casing (2) in such a way that when the airflow comes into contact with said electrode (8), it is charged with negative electrical charges able to neutralise the positive electrical charges generated in the hair by the flow of hot air.
The advantage of the hairdryer according to the invention is that hair drying is optimised because the same dryer contains the device for neutralising the electrostatic charges, and said device can also be activated individually, including the possibility of regulating its intensity, as required.
In other words, the ion generator can be used above all at the final stage of drying, when the nearly dry hair is most liable to accumulate electrostatic charges.
The use of a hairdryer according to the invention therefore eliminates the need for a final stage with a manual hairdryer equipped with an ioniser, thus reducing the treatment time, and also prevents the accumulation of positive electrical charges in the hair which, in particularly sensitive people, can cause headaches and various disorders.
The hairdryer according to the invention is described herein by way of example but not of limitation, according to a preferred form of embodiment. A person skilled in the art could find numerous other embodiments, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the claims that follow.

Claims

Hood type hairdryer comprising a motor (4) which activates a fan (5) to generate an airflow, which said hairdryer is characterised in that it comprises a negative-ion generating device (7), an electrode (8) of said device (7) being positioned inside the airflow so that said airflow is enriched with negative electrical charges able to neutralise the positive electrical charges that accumulate in the hair at the drying stage, due to the effect of the flow of hot air through the hair.
Hairdryer as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said negative-ion generating device (7) is contained in a casing (2) which also encloses said motor (4) and said airflow-generating fan (5).
Hairdryer as claimed in claims 1 and 2, characterised in that the intensity of said negative-ion generating device (7) can be regulated.
Hairdryer as claimed in claims 1 and 2, characterised in that said negative-ion generating device (7) can be operated separately from the hot-air generating device.