EP2642884B1

EP2642884B1 - Hair-drying device

Info

Publication number: EP2642884B1
Application number: EP11807990.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Marco Magagnini
Original assignee: Pellegrino Maria Rosanna
Current assignee: Pellegrino Maria Rosanna
Priority date: 2010-11-22
Filing date: 2011-11-21
Publication date: 2014-08-27
Anticipated expiration: 2031-11-21
Also published as: ITBO20100696A1; IT1404304B1; CN103281930A; CN103281930B; WO2012069983A1; EP2642884A1; ES2524743T3

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the technical sector relating to hair-drying devices, with special reference to an improved hair-drying particularly applicable to both professional and domestic use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Figure 1 illustrates a hair-drying device of known type, denoted in its entirety with reference numeral 100, comprising a grip 101 for supporting an elongate casing 102 provided with a rear section 103 for inlet of environmental air and a front section 104 for dispensing the treated air (for example heated, ionized, etc.).
Inside the elongate casing 102, lodging is afforded for an electric motor 105, to the axis of which a fan 106 is keyed, which fan 106 can create a flow of air from the rear section 103 to the front section 104, and electric means 107 interposed between the fan 106 and the front section 104 able to provide at least heating of the dispensed air, possibly also ionising it.
The grip 101 is provided with buttons (not illustrated for the sake of simplicity) for commanding both the electric motor 105 (ON/OFF, speed variation) and the electric means 107 (temperature variation, ionisation etc); it is further provided with a cable for supplying the motor 105 and the electric means 107.
Accessories are generally fixed to the front section 104, for treatment of hair or for conveying the dispensed air flow, with diverging geometry.
The rear section 103 is provided with a protective netting 108, snap-fitted, for filtering the inlet of extraneous bodies (for example hair and dust) internally of the casing 102, such as to preserve the integrity of the fan 106 and the electric motor 105.
The greatest drawback of a like hair-drying device 100 of known type is represented by its noisiness during functioning, also for reduced functioning velocity, due mostly to the turbulence in the air flow created between the rear section 103 and the front section 104.
In the professional field this drawback is exacerbated by the presence of several hair-drying devices which function over a long time period and often contemporaneously, which factors lead to annoyance both to the operators and the client.
As far as the operators are concerned, the noisiness of the work environment can lead to the onset of professional illnesses connected with the hearing apparatus.
US 2010/0064542 discloses a hair-dryer comprising a sound absorving material.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to obviate the above-mentioned drawbacks by providing an improved hair-drying device able to guarantee a particularly low noise level with respect to the solutions at present on the market.
A further aim of the invention is to provide an improved hair-drying device which is particularly applicable for professional use, being able to prevent any feeling of discomfort both for the customer and the operator, especially in order to prevent onset of professional illnesses connected with the hearing.
The above-indicated aims are obtained by means of an improved hair-drying device, in accordance with claim 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The characteristics of the invention will emerge in the following, in which some preferred but not exclusive embodiments of the invention are described purely by way of non-exclusive example, with reference to the accompanying figures of the drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a schematic view of a lateral view in partial section of a hair-drying device of known type;
figures from 2 to 5 show lateral views in partial section of four embodiments of the improved hair-drying device, in a first version thereof;
figures 2a, 5a show corresponding views of the element, denoted by the arrows A, B shown in figures 2, 5;
figure 6 illustrates a lateral view of the hair-drying device according to both versions; and
figures from 7 to 10 are the same view as in figures from 2 to 5, concerning the second embodiment rather than the first.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the tables of the drawings, generic reference numeral 1 relates to the improved hair-dryer in its entirety, which comprises, in known ways set out in the introductory preamble:

a grip 11 designed to support a casing 12 which extends perpendicularly thereto and which is provided with a rear section 13 for ambient air inlet and a front section 14 for dispensing of treated air;
there being provided, internally of the casing 12, an electric motor 15, to an axis of which at least a fan 16 is keyed, which fan 16 is capable of creating an air flow from the rear section 13 to the front section 14, and electric means 17 interposed between the fan 16 and the front section 14, which electric means 17 are able to heat the air coming from the rear section 13 and dispensed via the front section 14;

means for electrical supply and for command of the electric motor 15 and the electrical means 17 being associated to the grip 11;
means 18 for filtering extraneous elements (for example dust, hair etc.) conveyed by the ambient air in inlet being associated to the rear section 13.

The improved hair-drying device 1 comprises, in a novel way, according to the first version, first sound-absorbing means 2 positioned internally of the casing 12, interposed between the rear section 13 and the fan 16, destined to reduce the noise level and/or the turbulence associated to the air flow W which is created between the rear section 13 and the front section 14.
The first sound-absorbing means 2 comprise at least a sleeve 20, realised in a spongy sound-absorbing material, internally passed-through by the air flow W which is created between the rear section 13 and the front section 14.
The sleeve 20 is positioned preferably coaxial to the rear section 13 of the casing 12, in line with the fan 16.
The sleeve 20 is advantageously shaped in to a hollow conical structure having a divergent internal section proceeding from the rear section 13 towards the fan 16.
In a preferred embodiment, illustrated in figure 2, the first sound-absorbing means 2 further comprise a tubular insert 21, positioned coaxially internally of the sleeve 20, having a honeycomb celled structure interested by the air flow W which is created between the rear section 13 and the front section 14.
The tubular insert 21 advantageously exhibits an external profile which is complementary to an internal profile of the sleeve 20.
Preferably, the tubular insert 21, as shown in the figures of the drawings, comprises a plurality of parallel honeycombs, substantially tubular, having parallel axes to the axis of symmetry of the insert 21.
According to further embodiments, illustrated in figures from 3 to 6, the improved hair-drying device 1 comprises a closing capsule 3 suitable for removably coupling with the casing 12 in proximity of the rear section 13, and provided with a plurality of peripheral holes 30 able to allow inlet of the ambient air and conveying the air to the rear section 13 through a hollow space 4 identified between the casing 12 and the closing capsule 3.
The peripheral holes 30 are distributed aligned on a peripheral crown of the capsule 3 lying on a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the casing 12, preferably in proximity of the coupling section with the casing 12.
In detail, the holes 30 are radial with respect to the longitudinal axis of the casing 12 and are preferably circular with the centre on axes which are arranged radially with respect to the longitudinal axis, such that the holes are facing in different directions from one another.
Once more preferably, the rear part of the device 1 comprising the rear section 13 and destined to couple with the capsule 3 is axialsymmetric with respect to the longitudinal axis and so is the closing capsule 3 too.
In practice, the rear part has lateral annular walls covered by the annular lateral walls of the capsule 3 (when coupled), such as to define, between them, the hollow space 4 which has at least a partly annular shape, with a conical progression, and is symmetrical with respect to the previously-cited longitudinal axis of the casing 12.
The hollow space 4 can taper in a distancing direction from the coupling section and can terminate in an internal chamber.
In a different embodiment, the capsule 3 is integrated to the casing or, in other words, is coupled thereto unremovably.
To minimise the noisiness and/or the turbulence associated to the air flow Z coming from the hollow space 4, the improved hair-drying device 1 comprises second sound-absorbing means 5, associated to the bottom 31 of the closing capsule 3, comprising at least a plate 50 realised with spongy sound-absorbing material and arranged facing the rear section 13 of the casing 12.
By way of example, in figure 3 the plate 50 and the bottom 31 of the capsule 3 are profiled in a planar geometry, while in figure 4 the plate 50 and the bottom 31 are profiled concave with respect to the air flow Z coming from the hollow space 4.
In a further embodiment, illustrated in figure 5, a conical appendage 51 emerges from the plate 50, which appendage 51 projects towards the facing rear section 13 of the casing 12, still with the aim of reducing noisiness and/or the turbulence associated to the air flow Z coming from the hollow space 4.
From the above it is clear how the proposed improved hair-drying device is able to guarantee especially lower levels of noise with respect to the solutions at present available on the market, thanks to the presence of the first sound-absorbing means positioned internally of the casing, interposed between the rear section and the fan, possibly acting in combination with the second sound-absorbing means associated to the bottom of the closing capsule, if present.
The first and/or second sound-absorbing means are advantageously made of a spongy material having a predetermined porosity.
The improved hair-drying device is therefore particularly useful for professional use, being able to prevent any sensation of discomfort and annoyance due to the working noise level, both for the customer and the operator.
As far as the operator is concerned, in particular, the improved hair-drying device enables preventing the onset of professional illnesses connected to the hearing apparatus.
The same advantages are obtained with the second version of the-hair-drying device, in which in place of the first sound-absorbing means 20, sound-insulating means 200, 21 are provided, positioned internally of the casing 12, interposed between the rear section 13 and the fan 16, provided for reducing the noisiness associated to the air flow W which is created between the rear section 13 and the front section 14, which sound-insulating means comprise a sound-insulating element 200 having an internal passage 22 for enabling the flow W to cross it, and conforming a plurality of small fins 201, the respective free edges of which at least partially define the internal passage 22, the fins being distanced from one another such that between one and the other there is an empty space (see figures from 7 to 10).
The sound-insulating element 200 is preferably made of PVC, although other materials, such as plastic materials, can be used.
The fins 201 are annular, parallel and coaxial.
In the preferred embodiment of this second version, the internal edges of the fins 201 are located on the lateral surface of an ideal cone diverging from the rear section 13 towards the fan 16.
The cone can be regular, i.e. a circular cone, or not.
In a similar way to the first version, the sound-insulating means further comprise a tubular insert 21, positioned in the internal passage 22 of the sound-insulating element 200, having a honeycomb structure suitable for being interested by the air flow W.
This tubular insert 21 can be like the insert of the first version.
In detail, preferably the sound-insulating element 200 has an axialsymmetric annular shape and comprises an engaging section 202 the internal lateral surface of which partly defines the internal passage 22.
In this case, as can be seen in the figures, the tubular insert 21 has an axialsymmetric form, is located in the engaging section 202 such as to occupy a part of the internal passage 22, and has an external lateral surface located in contact with the internal lateral surface of the engaging section 202, the two surfaces having complementary shapes.
The coupling between the tubular insert 21 and the engaging section 202 can be a friction coupling or can be achieved by gluing or known fixing means.
In particular, in this version too, the insert 21 comprises a plurality of parallel honeycombs 210, the axis of which is parallel to the axis of symmetry of the insert and the axis of symmetry of the sound-insulating element 200.
The second version of the invention can comprise embodiments in which it comprises the closing capsule 3 made exactly like the one in the first version, in all its variants.
It is understood that the improved hair-drying device, though being particularly designed for professional use, is very effective also in simple and sporadic domestic use.

Claims

An improved hair-drying device comprising:
- a grip (11) designed to support a casing (12) which extends perpendicularly thereto and which is provided with a rear section (13) for ambient air inlet and a front section (14) for dispensing of treated air;

- an electric motor (15), located internally of the casing (12), to an axis of which at least a fan (16) is keyed, which fan (16) is also located in the casing, able to create a flow of air from the rear section (13) to the front section (14);

- electric heating means (17), located in the casing (12) and interposed between the fan (16) and the front section (14) able to provide at least heating of the air coming from the rear section (13) and dispensed through the front section (14);

- electric supply and command means of the electric motor (15) and of the electric heating means (17) located on the grip (11);

- means (18) for filtering extraneous elements conveyed by the ambient air in inlet, associated to the rear section (13);

- sound-insulating means (200, 21), positioned internally of the casing (12), interposed between the rear section (13)' and the fan (16), provided for reducing the noise associated to the air flow (W) which is created between the rear section (13) and the front section (14), which sound-insulating means comprise a sound-insulating element (200) having an internal passage (22) for enabling the flow (W) to cross through it;
said device being characterized in that the sound-insulating element (200) conforms a plurality of annular, parallel and coaxial fins (201), distanced from one another such that an empty space is afforded between one and the other, the respective free edges of which at least partly define the internal passage (22).
The device of the preceding claim, wherein the internal edges of the fins (201) are located on the lateral surface of an ideal cone diverging from the rear section (13) towards the fan (16).
The device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sound-insulating means further comprise a tubular insert (21), positioned in the internal passage (22) of the sound-insulating element (200), having a honeycomb structure suitable for being interested by and crossed by the air flow (W).
The device of the preceding claim, wherein the sound-insulating element (200) has an annular axial-symmetric shape and comprises an engaging section (202), the internal lateral surface of which partly defines the internal passage (22), and wherein the tubular insert (21) has an axial-symmetric shape, is located in the engaging section (202) such as to occupy a part of the internal passage (22) and has an external lateral surface located in contact with the internal lateral side of the engaging section (202), the two surfaces having a complementary shape.
The device of the preceding claim, wherein the insert (21) comprises a parallel plurality of honeycombs (210), an axis of which is parallel to the axis of symmetry of the insert and to the axis of the sound-insulating element (200).
The device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sound-insulating element (200) is made of PVC.