GB2167089A - Hair dryers and clothes irons - Google Patents

Abstract

A combined hair dryer and clothes iron device is provided including a body (1), a hair dryer part (2) of the body (1) having means (10, 11 and 12) for producing a stream of electrically heated air for hair drying purposes, a clothes iron part 3 of the body 1 having an electrically heatable sole plate 4 for clothes ironing purposes, and switch means 5 selectively operable to switch, by movement of a handle 14 between first and second end positions, the power source either to the hair dryer part 2 or to the clothes iron part 3 in accordance with whichever part it is desired to operate. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Hair dryers and clothes irons This invention relates to hair dryers and clothes irons.

Nowadays, particularly when travelling on holiday or business, people frequently find it desirable to carry an electrically operated hair dryer to dry their hair after washing, and an electrically operated clothes iron to press or iron their items of clothing after carrying then in a suitcase or after washing and drying them. Conventional hairdryers and conventional irons, even if portable, are relatively heavy and relatively large, thus adding undesirable weight to the suitcase to reduce the weight allowance permissible when travelling by air and taking up valuable space in the suitcase. Additionally it is relatively expensive to purchase both a hairdryer and a clothes iron.

There is thus a need for hair dryers and clothes irons which reduce these disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a device including, a body, a hair dryer part of the body having means for producing a stream of electrically heated air for hair drying purposes, a clothes iron part of the body having an electrically heatable sole plate for clothes ironing purposes, and switch means selectively operable to switch, when the device is operatively connected to a source of electrical power, the power source either to the hair dryer part or to the clothes iron part in accordance with which ever part it is desired to operate.

Preferably the body is elongated and substantially tubular in shape defining therealong, between a rear air inlet opening and a front air outlet opening, an internal airflow passage extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the body, in which flow passage the hair dryer part heating means in the form of an electric heater and an electric fan are located and operable to draw, by the fan, air at ambient temperature through the air inlet opening along the passage, through the heater, and discharge the heated air from the passage to the air outlet opening for hair drying purposes.

Conveniently the clothes iron part sole plate, which is elongated and substantially planar in shape, extends along and is mounted on, or to form, an exterior surface of the body substantially parallel to the logitudinal axis of the body, an electric heater for the sole plate being provided in the body.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a device according to the invention with a body thereof shown vertically sectioned, Figure 2 is a view similar to that of Figure 1 showing a handle part of the device partially sectioned and in two operative positions, Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line A-A of Figure 1, Figure 4 is a front view of the device of Figure 1 taken in the direction B, Figure 5 is a rear view of the device of Figure 1 taken in the direction C, Figure 6 is a view from above of the device of Figure 1 taken in the direction D, and Figure 7 is a schematic circuit diagram for the device of Figures 1 to 6.

As shown in the accompanying drawings a device of the invention is basically a hair dryer and a clothes iron combined together in one body 1. This body 1 has a hair dryer part generally indicated at 2 and a clothes iron part generally indicated at 3.

The hair dryer part 2 has means for producing a stream of electrically heated air for hair drying purposes and the clothes iron part 3 has an electrically heatable sole plate 4 for clothes ironing purposes.

The device also includes switch means 5, as shown in Figures 2 and 7, selectively operable to switch, when the device is operatively connected to a source of electrical power 6 as shown in Figure 7, the power source 6 either to the hair dryer part 2 or to the clothes iron part 3 in accordance with which ever part it is desired to operate.

The body 1 is elongated and substantially tubular in shape, being made of any convenient material such as metal but preferably plastics. This body 1 defines therealong, between a rear air inlet opening 7 and a front air outlet opening 8, an internal air flow passage 9 extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the body 1. The openings 7 and 8 can be formed in any convenient manner and preferably are provided with grills thereacross, as illustrated, to prevent the fingers of a user contacting the interior of the passage 9 and to prevent ingress of harmful materials thereto.

The hair dryer part heating means, in the form of an electric heater 10, preferably of coil form, and an electric fan 11 are located in the flow passage 9 in the body 1 and are operable to draw, by the fan 11 and blades 12, air at ambient temperature through the air inlet opening 7 along the passage 9, through the heater 10 and discharge the heated air from the passage 9 through the air outlet opening 8 for hair drying purposes.

The clothes iron part sole plate 4, which is elongated and substantially planar in shape is made of any convenient material such as iron, steel, alloy or preferably light metal alloy material, extends along and is mounted on, or to form, an exterior surface of the body 1 substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body. An electric heater 13 for the sole plate 4 is provided in the body 1.

The device includes an elongated handle 14, made of any convenient material such as plastics or metal and in any convenient manner such as by moulding, pivotally connected at 15 at or adjacent one end 14a to the side 1a of the body 1 opposite to the side on which the sole plate 4 is mounted.

This pivotal connection 15 is such that the handle 14 may be swung between a first end position shown in solid lines in Figures 1 and 2, in which it extends substantially at right angles to the body 1 to provide a handle for hair dryer operation of the device and a second end position, as shown in chain dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2, in which it extends substantially parallel to and along the body side 1a to provide a handle for clothes iron operation of the device. Releasable means 16 are provided on the body side 1a and both ends of the handle 14 for releasably securing the handle in the first and second end positions.

The switch means 5 is located in the handle 14 adjacent the handle end 14a and adjacent the pivotal connection 15. Two fixed triggers 17 and 18 as shown in Figure 2, are provided in spaced apart location on the body 1 adjacent the pivotal connection 15 for cooperation with the switch means 5.

Thus when the device is connected to an electric supply source 6 by means of a plug and cable 19, when the handle 14 is in the first end position as shown in solid lines in Figures 1 and 2, the switch means 5 is engaged by the first trigger 17 and operates to connect the hair dryer heater circuit only to the electric supply source 6 so that the hair dryer part 2 only can be used in this position of the handle 14. When the handle 14 is swung up into the second end position, as shown in chain dotted lines in Figures 1 and 2, the switch means is engaged by the second trigger 18 and operated to connect the clothes iron sole plate heater circuit only to theelectric supply source 6 to ensure that in the second end position of the handle 14 only the clothes iron part 3 of the device can operate.

As shown in Figures 1 and 7 the clothes iron sole plate heater circuit includes a thermostat 20 and operating temperature variation means controllable by a selector knob 21 mounted on the body side 1a. Onloff means are connected to the selector knob 21 for switching the clothes iron part 3 on or off. Additionally the clothes iron sole plate heater circuit is provided with an indicator lamp 22, a fuse 23 and a diode 24 by means of which the operating temperature may be variably controlled by the selector knob 21.

The hair dryer air heater circuit includes an on/ off switch, and operating temperature selector switch 25 mounted on the handle 14. This switch 25 is connected via a diode 26, and a fuse 27 to a thermostat at 28 of the hair dryer air heater circuit.

The switch 25 can be operated to by-pass the diode 26 so that full power is supplied to the hair dryer heater 10 or to supply electric current from the source 6 via the diode 26 and thus cut the power supplied to the hair dryer heater 10 by half.

For example the power supplied to the hair dryer heater 10 can be altered from 1,200 Watts to 600 Watts.

Additionally the device of the invention includes a duel voltage selector means 29 mounted on the handle 14, whereby the voltage used by the device can be selected at 110 Volts or 240 Volts to suit the voltage of the supply source 6. The electric fan 11 is provided with diodes 30.

Thus the device of the invention provides a convenient size and weight portable combined hair dryer and clothes iron which can readily and safely be utilized to provide either hair drying or clothes ironing facilities. The switch means 5 ensures that the device can only function in one mode of operation at a time namely as either a clothes iron or a hair dryer and not in both modes simultaneously.

Claims (9)

1. A device including a body, a hair dryer part of the body having means for producing a stream of electrically heated air for hair drying purposes, a clothes iron part of the body having an electrically heatable sole plate for clothes ironing purposes, and switch means selectively operative to switch, when the device is operatively connected to a source of electrical power, the power source either to the hair dryer part or to the clothes iron part in accordance with whichever part it is desired to operate.

2. A combined hair dryer and clothes iron device according to claim 1, wherein the body is elongated and substantially tubular in shape defining therealong, between a rear air inlet opening and a front air outlet opening, an internal airflow passage extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the body, in which flow passage the hair dryer part heating means in the form of an electric heater and an electric fan are located and operable to draw, by the fan, air at ambient temperature through the air inlet opening, along the passage, through the heater and discharge the heated air from the passage through the air outlet opening for hair drying purposes.

3. A combined hair dryer and clothes iron device according to claim 2, wherein the clothes iron part sole plate, which is elongated and substantially planar in shape, extends along and is mounted on, or to form, an exterior surface of the body substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the body, an electric heater for the sole plate being provided in the body.

4. A combined hair dryer and clothes iron device according to claim 3, including an elongated handle pivotally connected at or adjacent one end to the side of the body opposite to the side on which the sole plate is mounted, the pivotal connection being such that the handle may be swung between a first end position in which it extends substantially at right angles to the body to provide a handle for hair dryer operation of the device and a second end position in which it extends substantially parallel to and along said body side opposite to the sole plate side, to provide a handle for clothes iron operation of the device, releasable clip means being provided for releasably securing the handle in said first or second end positions.

5. A combined hair dryer and clothes iron device according to claim 4, wherein the switch means is located in the handle for cooperation with two spaced apart triggers provided on the body adjacent the pivotal connection, so that, with the device operatively connected to an electrical supply source as aforesaid, when the handle is in the first end position the switch means is engaged by the first trigger and connects the hair dryer heater circuit only to the electrical supply source and when the handle is in the second end position the switch means is engaged by the second trigger and connects the clothes iron sole plate heater circuit only to the electrical supply source.

6. A combined hair dryer and clothes iron device according to claim 5, wherein the clothes iron sole plate heater circuit includes a thermostat, operating temperature variation means controllable by means of a selector knob mounted on the body side along which the handle extends in the second end position, and on/off means connected to the selector knob.

7. A combined hair dryer and clothes iron device according to claim 6, wherein the hair dryer air heater circuit includes an on/off switch and an operating temperature selector switch mounted on the handle, which operating temperature selector switch is connected to components at the circuit so as to vary the power supplied to the hair dryer air heater.

8. A combined hair dryer and clothes iron device according to claim 7, including dual voltage selector means incorporated in the handle.

9. A combined hair dryer and clothes iron device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.