GB2222078A - Hair curlers - Google Patents

Abstract

A winding member (1) of a hair curler of the type having a winding member (6) and a clasp member (7) comprises a stiff central core (17) of hard material and a sleeve (16) surrounding the core of softer material. The diameter of the sleeve (16) is not significantly compressed during winding of a tress of hair since the core (17) supports it. The winding member (1) comprises only two components: the sleeve (16) and another component defining the core and the remainder of the winding member. The sleeve is preferably integrally moulded onto the core and is made of PVC to assist gripping of hair to be wound by the winding member. The core (17) may have a non-round cross-section. <IMAGE>

Description

HAIR CURLERS This invention relates to hair curlers of the kind having a winding member around which in use a tress of hair is wound and a clasp member by which the curler is retained to the wound hair tress, the winding member being joined to the clasp member by means of a joint which enables the winding member to be swung towards and away from the clasp member and to be rotated relative to the clasp member about its own longitudinal axis, and the two members being provided with complementary components of a latch for holding the members in a substantially parallel spaced apart relationship and preventing substantial relative movement between the members. Such hair curlers will be referred to hereinafter as "of the kind described".

A hair curler of the kind described is known, as described in British Patent 834,983, in which the winding member comprises two parallel skeletal arms defining a slot between them into which an easily compressible resilient spongy member is pushed. The spongy member is compressed and deformed by the hair tresses as they are wound onto the winding member.

We are also aware of hair curlers of the kind described in which the winding member comprises a substantially solid rod of plastics material and has many small spikes on its surface to assist in holding a "perming" paper which is wrapped around a tress of hair to be "permanently" curled before that tress and its protective perming paper is wound onto the winding member. The perming paper protects the hair and is more readily gripped by the winding member than that member would grip just the hair.

According to a first aspect of the invention a hair curler of the kind described has a winding member which comprises an integrally formed sleeve surrounding and supported by a stiff central core, the core being of relatively hard material and the sleeve being of a softer material whilst being sufficiently rigid as to be substantially undeformable by hair wound around the winding member during use of the hair curler.

The sleeve is preferably a tubular member.

Our hair curler thus has a winding member whose diameter substantially resists compression and has no substantial change in size dependent upon the tension to which the tress of hair being curled is wound. This gives better control of the size of curl which will be produced using the curler. In addition our curler grips the hair, or perming paper, better than a curler made entirely from hard plastics and it is not essential for spikes to be provided on the winding member, although spikes and/or other formations may be provided to enhance the grip further if desired.

Preferably the winding member comprises only two components: the sleeve, and another component defining the core and the remainder of the winding member.

The sleeve is preferably of a material of higher co-efficient of friction than the core and may have one or more grip-assisting formations such as a pattern of grooves or ridges and even spikes, as previously mentioned, on its external surface to improve its grip. The sleeve may be of non-porous material.

The thickness of the wall of a tubular sleeve may be relatively small in comparison with the external diameter of the sleeve.

Preferably the core has a cross-section which is non-round, for example, an angular, cross-shaped or square cross-section, and the size of which may vary along the length of the core.

A pair of abutment shoulders may be defined by the other component between which the sleeve extends and which locate the sleeve on the other component.

According to a second aspect of the invention we provide a winding member for use in a hair curler in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.

An embodiment of the invention, and modifications of it, will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a hair curler in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a longitudinal cross-section through the winding member of the hair curler; Figure 3 is a cross-section on line III-III of Figure 2; and Figures 4 to 6 show a similar cross-section to that of Figure 3, but of modified hair curlers.

Figures 1 to 3 show a hair curler comprising a winding member 1 articulately connected at one end to an adjacent end of a clasp member 2 by means of a joint 3. The opposite ends of the two members define complementary components 4 and 5 of a latch 6.

The clasp member 2 is a moulding of plastics material and comprises a long, relatively slender, clasp bar 7 of rectangular cross-section. One end of the bar 7 has two integral parallel, spaced apart, walls 8 and 9 extending transversely away from the bar with their planar surfaces aligned with the axis of the bar. A slot 10 is defined between the walls 8 and 9.

Each wall 8, 9 has a hole 11 extending through it and registering with the hole in the other wall.

The other end of the bar 7 defines component 5 of the latch and comprises an end plate 12 extending transversely away from the bar 7. The end plate 12 is opposed to the walls 8 and 9 and has an end face 13 in a plane transverse to the axis of the bar 7. A projection 14 extends from the end plate 12 towards the walls 8 and 9.

The winding member 1 comprises a main component 15 moulded from stiff plastics material and an integral sleeve 16 of softer, more tactile, plastics or rubber material moulded around the main component 15. The main component 15 comprises a long, relatively slender, central core portion 17 (best shown in Figure 2) with an integral bell-shaped head portion 18 at one end and an integral bell-shaped base portion 19 at the other end. An annular abutment shoulder 20 is formed on the head portion and projects annularly outwards from the core portion 17 and faces the base portion 19.

Component 4 of the latch is defined by the head portion 18 and comprises a hollow 21 at the outer end of the head portion and a series of radial slots 22 defined in the end face of the head portion 18. Another abutment shoulder 23 is provided on the base portion 19 which also projects angularly outwards from the core portion 17 and faces the head portion 18. Abutment shoulders 20 and 23 define the longitudinal extent of the core portion 17. A central spigot 24 extends from a base face 25 of the base portion 19 and carries a ball 25 at its end. The ball 25 is of larger diameter than the slot 10 of the clasp member and is received in the slot 10 projecting into the holes 11 of the walls 8 and 9 so as to define joint 3.Thus the winding member 1 can be rotated about its own axis relative to the clasp member (to allow hair to be wound onto the winding member) and the clasp member can be swung towards and away from the winding member about a pivotal axis extending through the ball 25 and holes 11 transverse to the axis of the winding member.

As most clearly shown in Figure 2, the sleeve 16 comprises an annular tube, which is moulded directly onto the core portion 17, and extends from the abutment shoulder 20 to the abutment shoulder 23. The outer surface of the sleeve 16 has shallow circular grooves 26 formed in it. The thickness of the annular walls of the sleeve is relatively small in comparison with the external diameter of the sleeve and corresponds to the outward projection of the abutment shoulders 20 and 23 from the core portion 17.

Figure 3 shows the cross-section of the core portion 17 as being substantially square. This prevents the sleeve from turning on the core portion.

Alternative cross-sections are possible to achieve the same effect. The contact between the sleeve 16 and the core portion 17 may be sufficiently strong as to prevent rotation of the sleeve about a core of circular cross-section during use of the curler. A core of circular cross-section is illustrated in Figure 4.

The sleeve 16 is made from a material of high co-efficient of friction to enable the sleeve to grip hair to be curled, or a perming paper when one is used. The embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 has a sleeve of non-porous PVC to provide a gripping surface on the winding member 1 of a resilient "rubbery" tactile nature.

The sleeve is of a material such that its diameter does not vary as hair is wound onto it. This gives far more control over the size of curl to be produced than curlers which have soft spongy inserts which deform during winding of the hair on the curler. The size of the curl produced using the curler thus does not vary with the tension to which the tress of hair is wound.

The central core portion 17 supports the sleeve 16, gives the winding member rigidity, and prevents the sleeve from distorting too much during use, whilst the softer sleeve prevents damage to the hair and improves the grip of the winding member. By having a sleeve of relatively thin wall thickness on a supporting central core portion any tendency for the sleeve to be compressed in use is substantially resisted. This enables the use of less stiff material to form the sleeve.

Since the sleeve is moulded onto the central core portion and is held between the two abutment shoulders it cannot become detached accidentally from the core portion.

Although the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3 has a PVC sleeve other relatively soft plastics materials may be used, or natural and synthetic rubbers, or other elastomeric materials.

The use of the hair curler with or without a perming paper will be self-apparent. It will also be appreciated that because of the presence of the relatively soft sleeve 16 a perming paper is no longer essential to increase the grip of the winding member on the hair, and to protect the hair from damage.

Figures 5 and 6 show the use of a core portion 17 with a cross-shaped cross-section. In Figure 5 there is a space defined between parts of the core portion and the sleeve.

Claims (21)

1. A hair curler having a winding member around which in use a tress of hair is wound and a clasp member by which the curler is retained to the wound hair tress, the winding member being joined to the clasp member by means of a joint which enables the winding member to be swung towards and away from the clasp member and to be rotated relative to the clasp member about its own longitudinal axis, and the two members being provided with complementary components of a latch for holding the members in a substantially parallel spaced apart relationship and preventing substantial relative movement between the members, in which the winding member comprises an integrally formed sleeve surrounding and supported by a stiff central core, the core being of relatively hard material and the sleeve being of a softer material whilst being sufficiently rigid as to be substantially undeformable by hair wound around the winding member during use of the hair curler.

2. A hair curler according to claim 1, in which the sleeve comprises a tubular member.

3. A hair curler according to claim I or claim 2, in which the sleeve is of material which in use has a higher frictional grip on hair being curled than would a sleeve made of the material which constitutes the core.

4. A hair curler according to any preceding claim, in which the outer surface of the sleeve has one or more grip-assisting formations which assist the winding member to grip hair being wound.

5. A hair curler according to any preceding claim, in which the sleeve is of non-porous material.

6. A hair curler according to any preceding claim, in which the sleeve is of plastics material.

7. A hair curler according to any preceding claim, in which the sleeve is moulded around the core during the manufacture of the hair curler.

8. A hair curler according to claim 2, in which the thickness of the wall defining the tubular sleeve is relatively small in comparison with the external diameter of the sleeve.

9. A hair curler according to any preceding claim, in which the core has a cross-section which is non-round.

10. A hair curler according to claim 9, in which the core is of angular, square, or cross-shaped cross-section.

11. A hair curler according to any preceding claim, in which the winding member comprises only two components: the sleeve and another component defining the core and the remainder of the winding member.

12. A hair curler according to claim 11, in which said other component defines a pair of opposed abutment shoulders between which the sleeve extends, the abutment shoulders engaging the sleeve and assisting in locating it on said other component.

13. A winding member for a hair curler of the kind described, comprising an integrally formed sleeve surrounding and supported by a stiff central core, the core being of a relatively hard material and the sleeve being of a softer material whilst being sufficiently rigid as to be substantially undeformable by hair wound around the winding member during use.

14. A hair curler substantially as described and illustrated herein with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A hair curler substantially as described and illustrated herein with reference to Figures 1,2 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A hair curler substantially as described and illustrated herein with reference to Figures 1,2 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

17. A hair curler substantially as described and illustrated herein with reference to Figures 1,2 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.

18. A winding member substantially as described and illustrated herein with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

19. A winding member substantially as described and illustrated herein with reference to Figures 2 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

20. A winding member substantially as described and illustrated herein with reference to Figures 2 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

21. A winding member substantially as described and illustrated herein with reference to Figures 2 and 6 of the accompanying drawings.