EP1860973A1

EP1860973A1 - Foldable hair styling apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP1860973A1
Application number: EP06722077A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Wing Kin Block A-B-C 4th Floor CHAN
Original assignee: Dickson Industrial Co Ltd
Current assignee: Dickson Industrial Co Ltd
Priority date: 2005-03-19
Filing date: 2006-03-20
Publication date: 2007-12-05
Also published as: WO2006099795A1; CN100405949C; CN1833570A

Abstract

Hair styling apparatus comprising a pair of pivotally connected handles, a pair of heated styling heads and a latch mechanism, said styling heads being connected to the non-pivoted end of the respective handles, each said heated styling head comprises a contact styling surface for contact styling of hair when in cooperation with the contact styling surface of a counterpart styling head, said pivotally connected handle being under spring bias to urge away from each other, said styling heads being pivotally connected respectively to said handles and foldable about a pivotal axis which is substantially orthogonal to the pivotal axis joining said pair of handles, said latch mechanism holds said pair of handles in a fully closed position so that said handles and said styling heads are substantially parallel with the free ends of said styling heads adjacent the pivotal joint between said handles when folded.

Description

FOLDABLE HAIR STYLING APPARATUS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to hair styling means and apparatus and, more particularly, to hair styling irons such as hair curling irons and hair straightening iron which are foldable. More specifically, although of course not solely limited thereto, this invention relates to foldable handheld hair styling with heated styling heads.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hair styling apparatus are widely used in hair applications. A common type of hair styling apparatus resembles the shape of a pair of tongs and comprises a pair of hinged arms with a pair of heated styling heads. The styling heads are mounted on the free ends of the hinged arms with the styling surfaces facing each other. Typically, hair is styled when the hair is held between the pair of heated styling heads and when they are in compressive engagement. Styling is done, for example, by a pair of heated curling or straightening heads. The aforementioned hair styling apparatus are commonly and collectively known as hair styling irons.

Although tong-shaped hair styling irons provide a useful and convenient means for hair styling, they are somewhat bulky and inconvenient for travellers.

Hence, it will be desirable if improved hair styling means and apparatus can be provided to alleviate shortcomings of conventional tong-shaped hair styling means.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved hair styling means. At a minimum, it is an object of this invention to provide alternative hair styling means as a useful alternative for the public.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a hair styling apparatus comprising a pair of pivotally connected handles, a pair of heated styling heads and a latch mechanism, said styling heads being connected to the non-pivoted end of the respective handles, each said heated styling head comprises a contact styling surface for contact styling of hair when in cooperation with the contact styling surface of a counterpart styling head, said pivotally connected handle being under spring bias to urge away from each other, said styling heads being pivotally connected respectively to said handles and foldable about a pivotal axis which is substantially orthogonal to the pivotal axis joining said pair of handles, said latch mechanism holds said pair of handles in a fully closed position so that said handles and said styling heads are substantially parallel with the free ends of said styling heads adjacent the pivotal joint between said handles when folded.

Preferably, said pair of styling heads undergo approximately a 180-degree turn between folded and unfolded.

Preferably, the pivotal joint between said styling head and said handle being offset from the longitudinal axis of both said styling heads and said handles. Preferably, the pivotal joint between said styling head and said handle comprises a partially circular portion which protrudes from said handle, said protruding partially circular portion forms one end of the folded apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of this invention will be explained in further detail below by way of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a side view of a first preferred embodiment of a hair straightener of this invention in its closed position,

Fig. 2 is a side view of the hair straightener of of Figure 1 from another side,

Fig. 3 is a top view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 ,

Fig. 4 is the styling apparatus of Fig. 1 in its fully folded position,

Fig. 5 is the apparatus of Fig. 3 in the opened position,

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1 showing its movable styling head,

Fig. 7 is an exploded view of the apparatus of Figure 1 , and

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus of Figure 1 along line AA.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to Figs. 1 to 8, there is shown a handheld hair styling apparatus illustrating a first preferred embodiment of this invention. The hair styling apparatus 100 comprises a handle 110 and a pair of styling members 130. The handle resembles a pair of tongs and comprises a pair of arms 113, 115 which are pivotally joined at a hinge 117 near their respective ends so that arms 113,115 are pivotally movable about the pivotal hinge 117 between a fully "opened" position and a fully "close" position. The pair of styling members comprises a pair of styling heads 131, 133 which are pivotally mounted to the handle at near the fee ends of the handles which are distal to the hinge 117. The handle 110 and the styling heads 131 , 133 are disposed so that, when the pair of arms is at the "closed" position, tresses of hair can be engaged under pressure by the styling surfaces 135, 137 for contact hair styling. On the other hand, when the pair of arms is at the "opened" position, tresses of hair can be captured or released. The pair of arms is preferably ergonomically shaped so that a user can operate the styling apparatus 100 with a single hand.

Each of the arms comprises a hollow and elongated main housing 121,123 for accommodating electrical parts or other components which are necessary or useful for controlling styling operation, for example, heating, by the styling heads. The main housing can be made of durable plastics or other appropriate insulating materials known to persons skilled in the art. Insulating materials are preferred to alleviate adverse heat conduction from the styling heads. An electrical power cord is connected to near the pivotal end of the handle so that operating power can be supplied to the electrical parts, for example, heating elements of the styling apparatus. A master electrical switch is provided on the main housing to control power supply between the electrical parts and the mains power supply. The master electrical switch can be a conventional electrical switch such as a slide switch, a push-button switch, a rocker switch or other appropriate switches.

The pair of arms is joined at pivotal hinge 117 and is under spring bias so that the arms are urged towards the open position when a user or a locking mechanism is not holding the arms together. The spring is, for example, a coiled spring with the spring axis parallel to the hinge axis. A pair of latch 119 for holding the pair of arms at the closed position is provided near the pivoted ends of the arms. The latch can be a simple plug-and-socket type which can be easily latched and separated as and when necessary.

Each styling head 131, 133 comprises a contact styling surface 135, 137, and electrical heating means. The contact styling surface 135, 137 is formed from a thermally conductive material for optimal heat transfer. Aluminium, aluminium alloys, copper and copper alloys, coated glass are examples of suitable materials. Electric heating means 141,143 for providing distributed heating to the contact styling surface are disposed underneath the contact styling surface. Resistive heating elements, Infra-red heating elements, glass-type coated heaters, PTC heating elements and other distributed heating elements are examples of suitable heating means.

Each of the styling heads 131, 133 is mounted on an elongated hollow styling head housing 145, 147 with the corresponding styling surfaces oppositely aligned with each other. The hollow styling head housing is made of durable plastics similar to that of the handle housing for thermal and electrical insulation. Electrical wiring connecting the electrical heating means to the power supply is run through the hollow handle housing and the hollow styling head housing via the pivotal junction between the two housings. The styling head housing 145 covers the back side of the styling heads and is adapted in a manner such that the heated surfaces are substantially covered or practically not accessible to a user when the apparatus is in the fully closed position to mitigate the risks of causing burn to a user.

To facilitate a compact design for travelling and transportation, the styling head housing is pivotally mounted to the free end of the handle housing which is distal from the pivotal joint between the pair of arms. The hair styling apparatus can be folded into a more compact configuration as shown in Figure 4 when not in use or during transportation. As can be seen in Fig. 4, the hair styling apparatus is folded with the pair of styling heads parallel to and adjacent to the pair of the handle housings. Because the pair of styling head housings and the handle housings are of substantially the same length, the overall length of the folded apparatus is about half of the unfolded length. In the course of folding, the styling head has rotated for about 180 degree from its fully extended position to its fully retracted position. In other words, the orientation of the styling head housing is fully or almost fully reversed. To enable a 180 degree or near 180 degree folding so as to maximise the reduction in length, the pivotal junction is off-set from the longitudinal axis of the elongated handle portion.

The pivotal joint 151 between the styling heads and the handles comprises a partially circular portion which protrudes from the handle portion. The circular portion provides a circular track for relative pivotal movement between the handles and the styling heads and also forms a compartment for allowing electrical wiring to pass through. The pivotal axis is substantially orthogonal to the pivotal axis connecting the handles so that the styling heads is pivotally movable in a plane containing the longitudinal axes of the pair of handles. The pivotal joint 151 is offset from the longitudinal axes of the handles, so that the partial circular portion of the pivotal joint forms the end of the folded apparatus and caps the pivoted end of the styling head as shown in Fig. 4. Although the axis of pivotal joint 151 is off-set from both the handle and the styling head, it may off-set from only either the styling head or the handle without loss of generality.

Furthermore, the latch mechanism 119 holds the four limbs of the apparatus when folded closely together against spring urge due to the spring 153 which urges the handles apart.

As an alternative example, this invention can be applied in a rod-type styling device which comprises a styling head with a rod-type handle in which the styling head is pivotally movable relative to the handle to make a 180 degree fold. The hair styling head can be one which is similar to that described above.

While the present invention has been explained by reference to the examples or preferred embodiments described above, it will be appreciated that those are examples to assist understanding of the present invention and are not meant to be restrictive. The scope of this invention should be determined and/or inferred from the preferred embodiments described above and with reference to the Figures where appropriate or when the context requires. In particular, variations or modifications which are obvious or trivial to persons skilled in the art, as well as improvements made thereon, should be considered as falling within the scope and boundary of the present invention. Furthermore, while the present invention has been explained by reference to hair straighteners and handheld hair curlers, it should be appreciated that the invention can apply, whether with or without modification, to other hair styling apparatus without loss of generality.

Claims

1. Hair styling apparatus comprising a pair of pivotally connected handles, a pair of heated styling heads and a latch mechanism, said styling heads being connected to the non-pivoted end of the respective handles, each said heated styling head comprises a contact styling surface for contact styling of hair when in cooperation with the contact styling surface of a counterpart styling head, said pivotally connected handle being under spring bias to urge away from each other, said styling heads being pivotally connected respectively to said handles and foldable about a pivotal axis which is substantially orthogonal to the pivotal axis joining said pair of handles, said latch mechanism holds said pair of handles in a fully closed position so that said handles and said styling heads are substantially parallel with the free ends of said styling heads adjacent the pivotal joint between said handles when folded.

2. Hair styling apparatus according to Claim 1 , wherein said pair of styling heads undergo approximately a 180-degree turn between folded and unfolded.

3. Hair styling apparatus according to Claim 1 , wherein the pivotal joint between said styling head and said handle being offset from the longitudinal axis of both said styling heads and said handles.

4. Hair styling apparatus according to Claim 1 , wherein the pivotal joint between said styling head and said handle comprises a partially circular portion which protrudes from said handle, said protruding partially circular portion forms one end of the folded apparatus.