EP2433519A1

EP2433519A1 - Hair iron and method of use thereof

Info

Publication number: EP2433519A1
Application number: EP11182412A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Andy Harris; Charlotte Nixon; Nichola Hargreaves; Paul Overend; Simon Myers
Original assignee: NRB Computech Ltd
Current assignee: NRB Computech Ltd
Priority date: 2010-09-24
Filing date: 2011-09-22
Publication date: 2012-03-28
Also published as: GB201016028D0

Abstract

A hair iron is provided comprising at least two arms connected via joint means to allow the arms to be moved between an open position and a closed position. At least one heating plate is mounted in or on one arm and substantially opposite to at least one heating plate mounted in or on an other arm. At least one fan is mounted in or on at least one of the arms. The at least one fan, or at least an air outlet of the at least one fan, is located at or adjacent one or more of the heating plates, or closer to one or more of the heating plates than to the joint means, so as to provide a flow of air at or across said one or more heating plates.

Description

The invention to which this application relates is a hair iron for styling a person's hair including, but not limited to, curling, straightening and adding flicks to the hair, and a method of using a hair iron.
Hair irons are typically used to style a person's hair. For example hair straighteners typically comprise a pair of arms joined together at one end by a hinge, each arm bearing a heating plate such that a person can grip their hair between the plates, and slide the device through the hair, heating the hair as it is passed between the heating plates.
Hair is typically curly, wavy, kinky or straight due to hydrogen bonds in the hair's cortex. The heat applied by the plates causes the hydrogen bonding to break and reform, thereby temporarily styling the hair.
It is known to mount a fan on the end of the hair iron adjacent to the hinge, such that air can be directed along the body of the styler to the other end where it is expelled across the hair as it is passed between the heating plates. The airflow cools the hair after heating and allows the desired style to be set more quickly and easily.
In such devices, the fan is located at the hinge end of the hair iron away from the hair, to avoid strands being sucked into the air inlets of the fan casing. Thus the distance between the fan and the heating plates helps prevent the fan from causing mechanical damage to the hair, which could be uncomfortable or painful for the user and lead to terminal failure of the fan.
However, because the fan is located at the hinge end of the hair iron, by the time the air reaches the air outlet located near to the heating plate where it is blown across the hair, the airflow velocity is substantially reduced and uneven along the length of the air aperture outlet next to the heating plates, due to the internal aerodynamics and the distance the air has travelled. As a consequence the quality of the hair style is compromised and the consistency of the style is reduced.
An aim of the present invention is to provide a hair iron which overcomes the above issues and allows the user to create hair styles of higher quality and consistency.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a method of using a hair iron.
In an aspect of the invention, there is provided a hair iron, said hair iron comprising:

at least two arms connected via joint means to allow the arms to be moved between an open position and a closed position;
at least one heating plate mounted in or on one arm and substantially opposite to at least one heating plate mounted in or on an other arm;
at least one fan is mounted in or on at least one of the arms, characterised in that the at least one fan, or at least an air outlet of the at least one fan, is located at or adjacent one or more of the heating plates, or closer to one or more of the heating plates than to the joint means, so as to provide a flow of air at or across said one or more heating plates.

Thus when a user pulls the heating plates through the hair, the heating plates heat the hair, and the flow of air passing across the hair therebefore and/or thereafter cools the hair, thereby increasing the style quality. As there is less distance for the air to travel between the at least one fan and the heating plates compared to prior art hair irons, the air velocity remains high and more constant across the hair compared to known devices.
Preferably the hair iron includes a pair of arms.
Preferably the at least one fan is mounted in, embedded in, located internally of or located in an interior cavity of at least one of the arms. By providing the fan or fans located in, embedded in or within the arm(s), this improves the aesthetic appearance of the hair iron to the user.
Preferably a plurality of fans are provided and all the fans are mounted in, located internally of or located in an interior cavity of at least one of the arms.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a hair iron comprising:

at least two arms connected via joint means to allow the arms to be moved between an open position and a closed position;
at least one heating plate mounted on one arm, substantially opposite at least one heating plate mounted on the other arm;

Preferably the at least one fan and/or an air outlet of the at least one fan is mounted in the arm at or adjacent the one or more heating plates, or closer to the one or more heating plates than to the joint means, so as to provide a flow of air at or across said one or more heating plates.
In one embodiment at least one arm is provided with a plurality of fans therein, at or adjacent the heating plate or closer to the heating plate than to the joint means.
In one embodiment both arms are provided with at least one fan and further preferably both arms are provided with a plurality of fans.
Typically the one or more fans and/or the air outlets of the one or more fans are mounted or located along or substantially parallel to the length of the heating plates, to provide substantially even airflow therealong. For example, the one or more heating plates are typically substantially elongate in form and the one or more fans and/or fan air outlets are typically located substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the heating plates and/or arms.
In one embodiment one or more air outlets are located on one of the arms adjacent one side thereof and one or more air outlets are located on the other arm adjacent the opposite side thereof. This provides air flow adjacent each side of the heating plates; an airflow on one side of the heating plates from one arm and an airflow on the opposite side of the heating plates from the other arm.
In one embodiment one or both arms are provided with one or more air inlets to allow air to enter the one or more fans. The one or more air inlets are typically in fluid communication with the one or more fans.
Preferably one or both arms include a housing and the one or more air inlets are defined in one or more walls of the housing. The one or more fans are mounted within the housing.
Preferably a plurality of air inlets are provided at spaced apart intervals along the length of one or both arms.
Preferably the one or more air inlets are a spaced distance apart from the one or more heating plates so as to prevent hair from being sucked or drawn into the air inlets in use.
In one embodiment the one or more air inlets are located closer to the joint means than to the one or more heating plates. Thus the risk of hair entering the air inlets and being caught by a fan is reduced, as the air inlets are positioned away from the location where the user slides their hair between the heating plates.
In one embodiment at least part of the one or both arms are formed from an air permeable material, thereby allow air to enter the one or more fans located in said arm(s) through said air permeable material.
Typically at least one of the fans is uniaxial or allows air to enter the fan in one direction or at a first angle and exit the fan in a different direction or at a second angle different to the first angle. Preferably the at least one fan is arranged to output air therefrom along an axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the fan. It will be appreciated that axial fans or fans that allow air to enter the fan in one direction or a first angle and exit the fan in the same direction or same angle could also be used without affecting the overall function of the device, although the aesthetics and overall shape of the styler may be affected.
The definition of a fan used herein is a generic term used to describe an air movement device. Different types of fans can be used with the present invention and these different types of fans may generate different air flow paths and/or be provided with or without a housing. In one example, a blower fan is used. In another example a feeder fan or an axial fan is used.
A blower fan is typically a device which allows air to enter from one angle and leave via another angle due to centrifugal forces.
In one embodiment at least one of the fans in an arm of the hair iron is a feeder fan, directing air from the one or more air inlets of the arm to one or more other fans, such as for example blower fans, in that arm.
Typically the fan, blower fan, feeder fan and/or air inlets of the fan(s) are arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the one or more heating plates. Preferably at least the feeder fan is located at or adjacent the one or more heating plates.
Preferably the fan, blower fan and/or feeder fan, if present, is uniaxial in form or allows air to enter the fan in one direction or a first angle and exit the fan in a different direction or second different angle. This ensures the blower and/or feeder fan is unlikely to suck air or hair thereinto as it only moves air which is freely available to it.
The fan, feeder fan and/or blower fan can be axial and provided with hair ingress prevention means to protect hair from being sucked into the fan in use.
In one embodiment the feeder fan, blower fan and/or one or more air inlets are offset from, spaced longitudinally from or a spaced distance apart from the heating plates so as to prevent hair being sucked into the same in use.
Typically the one or more air inlets are meshed, have a mesh or have hair ingress prevention means or cover means associated therewith. This provides a secondary form of protection against hair ingress and/or dirt ingress into said one or more air inlets in use.
In one embodiment the one or more fans are angled or tilted relative to each other and/or relative to the one or more heating plates and/or the feeder fan if present. This provides the one or more fans with the maximum air output therefrom. For example, the one or more fans can be located at an acute angle equal to or less than 45 degrees to the longitudinal axis of the one or more heating plates. In one example, the one or more fans can be located at an acute angle equal to or less than 45 degrees to an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the heating plates.
In one embodiment one or more air outlets are provided on one or both arms to allow air from the one or more fans located in the arm(s) to exit from the arm(s). The one or more air outlets are typically positioned so as to direct air from the one or more fans substantially in the direction in which the hair is moved across or between the one or more heating plates.
Preferably the one or more air outlets are provided along at least one lateral edge of the one or more heating plates.
In one embodiment one or more air outlets are provided along a lateral edge of the one or more heating plates on one arm and one or more air outlets are provided along an opposite lateral edge of the one or more heating plates of the other arm.
In one embodiment whichever arm the air enters in use the air will exit from the same arm. For example, if air enters the top arm through one or more air inlets, the air will exit from one or more air outlets in the top arm. If air enters the bottom arm through one or more air inlets, the air will exit from one or more air outlets in the bottom arm.
In one embodiment guide means are provided to guide air flow from the one or more air inlets to the one or more fans, between two or more fans and/or from the one or more fans to the one or more air outlets. The guide means are preferably located internally of an arm or within the housing of an arm.
Typically the guide means are formed as an internal air management system inside an arm and preferably at, adjacent or along one edge of said arm, such that air is directed to and/or from one side of the heating plate. This arrangement allows cool air to enter the air inlets and/or cool air to be blown onto the hair air once the hair is heated by the one or more heating plates.
Typically the guide means in one arm is provided on an opposite side of the arm to the guide means in the other arm.
The guide means can include any or any combination of one or more channels, ducts, wings, protrusions, walls and/or the like.
In one embodiment director means are provided to allow a change in the side of the arm from which air is directed into and/or from the arm (i.e. via the air inlets and/or air outlets). In one embodiment the director means comprises a manual switch to allow a user to manually determine which side of the hair iron air is to be direction to and/or from. In an alternative embodiment the director means includes a sensor or sensing means which is able to automatically sense the orientation and/or movement of the hair iron and therefore determine which side air should be directed to and/or from.
Typically one or more fans are mounted behind or to the rear of the one or more heating plates, and preferably mounted within the one or more arms. The hair contacts a front of the one or more heating plates in use.
In one embodiment heat sink means, heat-insulating and/or noise damping means or material is provided at or adjacent the one or more fans or between the one or more heating plates and the one or more fans. In one example the heat-insulating and/or noise damping material is an aerogel.
The heat-insulating and/or noise damping material can include a single layer or a plurality of layers of material.
In one embodiment the one or more heating plates form part of a heater plate assembly. Preferably one or more coating layers are provided as part of the heater plate assembly. The heater plate assembly in one example typically includes a coated aluminium extrusion on an outer heater surface of one or more ceramic heating plates. The heat-insulating and/or noise damping material can also form part of the heater plate assembly in one embodiment.
In one embodiment ion generation means are provided for generating and/or directing ions to at least one of the heating plates.
In one embodiment power supply means are provided to power heating means of the one or more heating plates, power the one or more fans and/or power the ion generation means. Typically the power supply means is mains electricity and/or a battery.
In one embodiment switching means are provided to switch the one or more fans between on and off conditions. If a plurality of fans are provided, the switching means can be used to switch each fan individually or to switch the plurality of fans substantially simultaneously and/or in a pre-determined sequence or combination.
In a further embodiment control means are provided to allow the speed of the fans to be controlled, adjusted or varied. The control means can be actuated manually by a user or can be actuated automatically, such as for example, in response to one or more sensed conditions.
For example, if micro-processing means provided on the hair iron is able to detect damage or malfunction to one or more of the fans, the micro-processing means can actuated the control means to adjust the power output and/or speed of one or more remaining working fans.
In one embodiment micro-processing means can be used to control one or more components of the hair iron as required, such as for example, the operational status of the one or more fans, the speed of the fans, the operational status of the heating plates, the temperature of the heating plates, the operational status of the ion generation means, the output of the ion generation means and/or the like.
In an alternative embodiment one or more switches for controlling one or more components of the hair iron are actuated manually and an analogue system is provided in the hair iron.
In one embodiment the speed of the fans is selectively adjustable, typically in relation to the voltage provided thereto. Typically the voltage is selectively adjustable from around 1V to around 10V, and preferably between 3V and 6V.
In one embodiment the speed of the fans is selectively adjustable from around 2000rpm to around 20000rpm. Typically this produces an average air flow velocity of around 0.5 m s^-1 to around 5 m s^-1 respectively. It will of course be appreciated that larger and/or more powerful fans could be used to provide increased air flow velocity if required.
Typically, the speed of the fans is selectively adjustable from around 10000rpm to around 16000rpm, typically producing an average air flow velocity of around 2 m s^-1 to around 4 m s^-1 respectively.
In one embodiment the volumetric flow rate through the aperture is around 200 ml s^-1 to around 2000 ml s^-1. Typically the volumetric flow rate through the aperture is around 400 ml s^-1 to around 500 ml s^-1.
In a further embodiment the speed of the fans is fixed at approximately 11000rpm. Typically the fans are powered at approximately 5.5V.
In a yet further embodiment the voltage supplied to the feeder and/or blower fan is higher than that to the other fans. Typically the feeder and/or blower fan is powered at around3.5V.
In one embodiment three fans are provided and preferably one feeder fan is provided and three other fans receive air directed from the feeder fan.
In one embodiment switching means are provided to switch the heating plates on and off.
In one embodiment control means are provided to allow adjustment of the temperature of the heating plates in use. The control means can be actuated manually or can be actuated as a result of one or more sensed conditions associated with the hair iron.
In one embodiment actuation of the fans is linked to or results in actuation of the one or more heating plates. For example, all the fans can be switched on or off when the heating plates are respectively switched on or off.
In one embodiment the temperature of the heating plates is selectively adjustable from around 60°C to around 230°C. Typically, the temperature of the heating plates is between around 175°C and around 210°C.
In one embodiment the joint means is or includes a hinge, pivot and/or the like to allow linked movement of the arms but it will be appreciated that other means could be used for forming the same.
Preferably the joint means are provided at one end of the arms and preferably the heating plates are provided at or adjacent an opposite end of the arms.
In one embodiment the joint means has an angular movement range of around 0° to around 20°. Typically the maximum angle of movement of the arms is around 12°.
Typically biasing means are provided to bias the arms to an open position. The biasing means can include one or more springs, sprung material and/or the like.
Typically heating means are provided to heat the heating plates. Typically the heating means comprise or include ceramic material.
Typically the heating plates are made from or include extruded and/or coated aluminium.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of using a hair iron, said hair iron comprising:

at least two arms connected via joint means to allow the arms to be moved between an open position and a closed position;
at least one heating plate mounted in or on one arm and substantially opposite to at least one heating plate mounted in or on the other arm;
at least one fan is mounted in or on at least one of the arms, said method including the steps of locating a user's hair between the heating plates when the arms are in an open position and moving the arms to a closed position to clamp the hair between the arms, moving the heating plates relative to the hair to provide a required style, characterised in that the at least one fan, or at least an air outlet of the at least one fan, is located at or adjacent one or more of the heating plates, or closer to one or more of the heating plates than to the joint means, so as to provide a flow of air at or across said one or more heating plates and thus said hair in use.

Specific embodiments of the invention are now described wherein:-

Figure 1 illustrates a hair iron according to an embodiment of the invention: (a) front isometric view; (b) rear isometric view; (c) top view; (d) side view; (e) bottom view; (f) rear view; (g) front view.
Figure 2 illustrates an exploded isometric view of part of the upper arm of the hair iron illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 3 illustrates an exploded isometric view of part of the upper arm of the hair iron according to a second embodiment.
Figure 4 illustrates part of the hair iron illustrated in Figure 1 and the airflow through the upper arm: (a) side cutaway view; (b) bottom cutaway view.
Figure 5 illustrates the fan tray assembly used in the hair iron illustrated in Figure 1: (a) isometric view; (b) exploded view.
Figure 6 illustrates samples of hair which have been curled using a hair iron at different air velocities (a) 0 m s^-1; (b) 1.85 m s^-1; (c) 3.2 m s^-1; (d) 7 m s^-1; (e) 10 m s^-1.
Figure 7a illustrates a front isometric view of a hair iron according to a further embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 illustrates a fan tray assembly used in the hair iron according to a further embodiment: (a) isometric view; (b) exploded view.

With reference to Figure 1, there is illustrated a hair iron device 2 comprising a pair of arms, an upper arm 4 and a lower arm 6, which are connected together via joint means in the form of a hinge assembly (not shown) at one end 8 of the device.
The hinge assembly biases the arms to an open position, with an angle between the arms of about 12°, such that when the user grips the hair iron they can overcome the biasing force to reduce the angle to around 0° to move the arms to a substantially closed position.
On each of the arms 4, 6 there is provided a substantially elongate heating plate 12, 14 which converts electricity to heat when power is supplied thereto. The heating plates 12, 14 are typically located at or adjacent end 9 of the device substantially opposite to the hinge end 8 of the device.
The hinge end 8 of the device is provided with an aperture 10 through which a power cable may be connected for the supply of electricity to components located within the interior of the arms.
The ends 9 of the arms opposite the hinge end 8 are each optionally provided with a heat-insulated finger grip 62 to allow the user to hold both ends of the device without burning their fingers, so the device can be slid through the hair using both hands, for greater control.
An ion emitter brush 17 is located on an inner face 19 of the upper arm (i.e. the surface of the upper arm opposite the lower arm) to supply a burst of negative ions which are directed towards the heating plates. The burst of negative ions can be actuated automatically via processing means in the hair iron, as shown in figures 1a-1b. Alternatively, a button 16 can be provided, as shown in figure 7a, to allow a user selective control of the burst of negative ions. Button 16 and/or ion emitter brush 17 are optional features.
Control means is provided in the form of a switch 18 on the inner face 21 of the lower arm to allow the user to selectively control the supply of electricity to the device (i.e. to allow the user switch the device between on and off conditions). It will be appreciated that the heating plate temperature could be linked to the control means if required to allow the temperature of the heating plates to be selectively adjusted by the user.
In this embodiment each of the arms defines a housing and each housing is provided with a plurality of fans located in an interior of said housing. The fans can be moved between on and off conditions via switch 20. In the illustrations switch 20 is provided on a side wall of the upper arm housing but it could be located in any suitable position on the arms as required. In addition, separate switches 20 could be provided to control the fans in the upper and lower fan substantially simultaneously and/or independently of each other. It will be appreciated that the fan speed of the plurality of fans could be linked to the control means to allow the same to be adjusted by a user in use.
For example, one switch 20 can be provided on one side of the top arm for controlling the air flow out of the top arm adjacent a first edge or side and a further switch 20 can be provided on the other side of the top arm for controlling the air flow out of the bottom arm adjacent an opposite edge or side.
Each arm 4, 6 is provided with a plurality of air inlets 22, 24 respectively for supplying air to the fans located within the arm housing. The air inlets 22, 24 are positioned at spaced apart intervals longitudinally of the arms and are typically a spaced distance from the heating plates so as reduce the risk of hair ingress into the air inlets in use. In the illustration the air inlets are provided on a side wall of the upper and lower arm housing but the air inlets could be located in any suitable position on the arms as required. It is advantageous if the air inlets are a spaced distance away from where the user will locate their hair or a hand when gripping the hair iron in use.
An air outlet in the form of an elongate aperture 25 extends along one lateral edge of the heating plate 14 of lower arm 6 to direct air from the fans located in the lower arm housing across the heating plates and/or hair located between the heating plates in use. The upper arm 4 also includes an air outlet in the form of an elongate aperture which extends along a lateral edge of the heating plate 12 but on the opposite side of the device to lower aperture 25. This means that air is blown along both edges of the heating plates 12, 14 so the device does not have to be held in a particular orientation. In addition the device is easier to manufacture as the arms have a similar internal layout.
With reference to Figure 2, there is illustrated an exploded view of part of the upper arm, showing the components thereof. It will be appreciated that the components of the lower arm may have a similar layout.
The arm includes a two part housing; an inner housing 26 and an outer housing 28, within which the heating plate assembly 30, thermal insulation means 40 and a fan tray assembly 32 are situated.
The fan tray assembly 32 in this embodiment includes three blower fans 36, 36', 36", all mounted on a support 38. It will be appreciated that the arrangement of fans and the tray on which they are attached could be redesigned into one unit for ease of manufacture. In addition, the number, size, angle, orientation, shape and/or the like of the fans can differ according to particularly manufacturing requirements whilst still falling within the scope of the present invention.
Air which is freely available in the ambient atmosphere surrounding the device moves through the air inlets 22 passes into the the blower fans 36, 36', 36" and exits through air outlets provided adjacent the heating plates. Guide means are typically provided to direct air from the air inlets to the fans 36-36". Air passes through the inlet of the blower fans 36, 36', 36", and exits via their side outlets (not shown) towards the air outlet 25 in the housing located next to the heating plate 12. Guide means in the form of protruding wings 43 provided on one side of the innermost wall of the inner housing 26 define channels 42, direct air from the blower fan outlets to the air outlet 25.
As the fans are temperature-sensitive, heat-insulating material such as aerogel 40 is situated between the heating plate assembly 30 and the fan tray assembly 32 to prevent heat from the plate 12 from causing the environment around the fans to exceed the upper limits of their operating temperatures.
In an alternative embodiment, a feeder fan 34 can be provided in addition to the blower fans 36, 36', 36" and an example of this arrangement is shown in figures 8a-8b. The feeder fan 34 takes air from the ambient atmosphere into it through air inlets 22 and directs air over the blower fans 36-36" via side outlet 48. Guide means are provided to direct air from the air inlets into the feeder fan 34. Air from the feeder fan outlet 48 then passes through the inlet of the blower fans 36-36" as previously described. The feeder fan also helps cool the blower fans via the airflow therefrom.
In the illustrated example the blower fans run at the manufacturer's rating voltage (VDC) of about 3V, which produces a default speed of around 12500rpm and an air flow velocity of approximately 3.09 m s^-1 from the fan outlet 48 which has an area of about 33mm². This corresponds to a volumetric flow rate of around 103 ml s^-1. The feeder fan is run at a slightly higher voltage such as 4.5V, to improve air flow.
With reference to Figure 3, an exploded view of the upper arm is illustrated from the reverse angle for the embodiment in which a feeder fan is provided, more clearly showing the channels 42 in the inner housing 26, which are formed from a series of protrusions or protruding wings 43. The fan support tray 38 which makes up part of the fan assembly 32 can be screwed to the inside of the upper housing 28 via screw holes 44 and screw posts 46. It will be appreciated that other forms of fixation may be used to ensure the fan support tray 38 remains in place.
With reference to Figures 4a-b the airflow is indicated via arrows, air 52 being moved through the air inlets 22 into the air cavity of the outer housing 28 and across the inlets of the blower fans 36, 36', 36", which in turn blow air 56 towards the lateral edge of the heater plate via the air management guide channels 42.
Thus, it will be appreciated that if the feeder fan is not provided, air enters air inlets 22, 24 and is directed directly onto the one or more blower fans. If the feeder fan is provided, air enters air inlets 22, 24 and passes into the feeder fan and then through the one or more blower fans.
With reference to Figures 8a-8b the fan tray assembly with the feeder fan is illustrated in more detail, wherein the feeder fan 34 has an outlet 48 which directs air towards the respective inlets 50, 50', 50" of the blower fans 36, 36', 36". The blower fans have outlets similar in size to outlet 48.
With reference to figures 5a-5b the fan tray assembly is illustrated when a feeder fan is not included. The blower fans 36, 36', 36" are located on fan support tray 38.

With reference to Figures 6a-e, samples of hair 58 are shown, each sample being held together with a bulldog clip 60 and are curled using hair stylers under different fan air velocity conditions. Four samples were used in each test and three people then agreed a subjective non-biased score for each curl on a scale of 1-10 (1 being poor 10 being the best), thereby providing 12 evaluations per condition. The results are indicated in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Air flow	Sample No./Curl Score
(m S^-1)	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Average
0	3	1	2	1	3	3	4	2	3	1	1	1	2.1
1.85	3	3	3	4	2	3	6	7	5	5	5	10	4.7
3.2	6	7	8	9	8	3	8	6	3	9	8	8	6.9
7.0	8	8	8	8	8	6	9	8	6	8	8	8	7.8
10	6	2	7	4	4	4	4	3	5	5	6	8	4.8

It can be seen that the best curls, being tighter and with less droppage, were attained when an external air velocity of 7 m s^-1 was applied as seen in Figure 6d, which also correspond to the most consistent results in Table 1. It is also noted that too much air velocity can be detrimental to the curl, as indicated by the lower scores in Table 1 corresponding to Figure 6e.

The average volumetric flow rate of an embodiment of the invention was determined by multiplying the air velocity by the aperture size of the air outlet 25. The air velocity was measured at different positions along the air aperture 25 and ranged from around 2 m s^-1 to around 5 m s^-1, as illustrated in Table 2 below.

Table 2

Air flow	Position along aperture							Average Velocity m S^-1	Volumetric Flow Rate ml S^-1
Fully Functional	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Average Velocity m S^-1	Volumetric Flow Rate ml S^-1
All fans working, 1	2.2	3.8	3.6	4	3.5	2.7	2.8	3.2	387.4
All fans working, 2	2.5	4.5	4	4.5	3.9	3.3	2.7	3.6	435.4
All fans working, 3	2.6	5	4	4.9	4.3	4.2	3.2	4.0	483.4
Average	2.4	4.4	3.9	4.5	3.9	3.5	3.6	3.6	435.4

Potential Problems
Feeder fan off and internal on	2.7	4.7	3.5	4.9	3.6	2	3.2	3.5	421.7
Feeder fan on and internal off	0.1	1.4	1.5	1.5	2	1.3	1.4	1.3	157.7
Air intakes blocked	0.9	5.1	4	5	3.5	3	2.1	3.4	407.9

The aperture size 25 in the illustrated example is around 120mm², and thus the average volumetric flow rate along the air aperture is around 435 ml s^-1.
Thus in use a person switches on the heating plates and fans, and allows the arms to open. When the heating plates have reached the appropriate temperature, the user places hair between the heating plates and grips the arms to clamp the heater plates onto the hair.
The user then slides the heater plates through the hair to heat the hair, immediately after which the hair is cooled via the fans to set the style. As the hair is heated and cooled quickly, the style is rapidly set with a high quality.
Thus for ease of use the customer is able to turn all the fans on in both arms to cool the hair both before and after it is heated. This overcomes the potential problem that some users may otherwise find it difficult to ascertain which arm of fans to switch on in order to cool the hair after heating.
Thus the invention allows the user to create hair styles of higher quality compared to known devices.
It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention may also include further additional modifications made to the device which does not affect the overall functioning of the device.

Claims

A hair iron, said hair iron comprising:
at least two arms connected via joint means to allow the arms to be moved between an open position and a closed position;

at least one heating plate mounted in or on one arm and

substantially opposite to at least one heating plate mounted in or

on an other arm;

at least one fan is mounted in or on at least one of the arms,
characterised in that the at least one fan, or at least an air outlet of the at least one fan, is located at or adjacent one or more of the heating plates, or closer to one or more of the heating plates than to the joint means, so as to provide a flow of air at or
across said one or more heating plates.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that the at least one fan is mounted in, embedded in, located internally of or located within an interior cavity of at least one of the arms.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that the one or more fans, one or more air inlets of the fans and/or one or more air outlets of the at least one fan is/are located along or substantially parallel to the length or longitudinal axis of the heating plates.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that one or more air inlets are defined in one or more of the arms and/or at least part of the one or more arms are provided with air permeable material to allow air to enter the arm and flow to the one or more fans.
A hair iron according to claim 4 characterised in that the one or more air inlets are located a spaced distance apart from the heating plates or are closer to the joint means than to the heating plates so as to prevent hair from being sucked into the air inlets in use.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that at least one of the fans is arranged so as to allow air to enter the fan in one direction or at a first angle and exit the fan in a different direction or at a second angle, or at least one of the fans is arranged so as to allow air to enter the fan in one direction or at a first angle and exit the fan in the same direction or same angle.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that at least one of the fans in an arm is a feeder fan for directing air from one or more air inlets to one or more other fans in that arm.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that the one or more air outlets are provided along at least one lateral edge of the one or more heating plates.
A hair iron according to claim 8 characterised in that an air outlet is provided along a lateral edge of the one or more heating plates on one arm and an air outlet is provided along an opposite lateral edge of the one or more heating plates on the other arm.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that guide means are provided to guide air flow from one or more air inlets to the one or more fans, between two or more fans and/or from the one or more fans to one or more air outlets of the one or more arms.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that director means are provided to allow a change in the side of the arm from which air is direction into the arm and/or from which air exits the arm.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that heat sink means, heat-insulating and/or noise damping means or material are provided at or adjacent the one or more fans or between the one or more heating plates and the one or more fans in the one or more arms.
A hair iron according to claim 1 characterised in that any or any combination of the following are provided: ion generation means, power supply means, switching means for switching the one or more heating plates, fans and/or one or more other components between on and off conditions, micro-processing means, control means for controlling or adjusting one or more components of the hair iron.
A hair iron according to claim 13 characterised in that the control means are actuated manually by a user or are actuated automatically in response to one or more sensed conditions.
A method of using a hair iron, said hair iron comprising:
at least two arms connected via joint means to allow the arms to be moved between an open position and a closed position;

at least one heating plate mounted in or on one arm and

substantially opposite to at least one heating plate mounted in or

on the other arm;

at least one fan is mounted in or on at least one of the arms,

said method including the steps of locating a user's hair between the heating plates when the arms are in an open position and

moving the arms to a closed position to clamp the hair between the arms, moving the heating plates relative to the hair to provide a required style, characterised in that the at least one fan, or at least an air outlet of the at least one fan, is located at or adjacent one or more of the heating plates, or closer to one or more of the heating plates than to the joint means, so as to provide a flow of air at or across said one or more heating plates and thus said hair in use.