GB2283911A

GB2283911A - Hair curling apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2283911A
Application number: GB9321313A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wing-Kin Chan
Original assignee: China Pacific Trade Ltd
Current assignee: China Pacific Trade Ltd
Priority date: 1993-10-15
Filing date: 1993-10-15
Publication date: 1995-05-24
Also published as: GB9321313D0

Abstract

Hair curling apparatus comprises a hair curling iron and a roller. The hair curling iron comprises a housing 1 and an elongate shaft member 5 for insertion in the roller. The end-face of the housing includes a projection for engaging an aperture in the end of the roller to hold the roller in place. The projection may comprise a pin 7 and the aperture may comprise a circular array of holes, or the projection may comprise a polygonal block that engages in a polygonal aperture. Means may also be provided to secure engagement of the projection in the aperture. <IMAGE>

Description

HAIR CURLING APPARATUS The present invention relates to hair curling apparatus.

One well known device for use in curling hair is a curling drum. The device comprises a cylindrical drum, and a cover or sleeve which is snap fit on the drum. In use the drum and sleeve are heated in a heating apparatus. When they have been heated, they are brought to the hair, the hair is curled about the drum, and the sleeve is fitted over the drum to retain the hair in the curled configuration. As the drum and sleeve gradually cool down, they warm the hair which then retains the curled configuration upon subsequent removal of the drum and sleeve.

There are a number of disadvantages with hair curling drums. The principal disadvantage is that the operation of curling the hair is laborious for the hairdresser, and lengthy for the person whose hair is being curled. Additionally the results may not always be as desired. These disadvantages arise because the drum and sleeve cannot usually store sufficient heat to effect complete curling. Thus the hairdresser must remove the cooled drum and replace it with a heated drum, and this cycle of removal and replacement must be carried out repeatedly, which is very laborious for all parties concerned. Furthermore, during removal and replacement, some of the hairs which were curled around the drum being removed may escape being curled around the replacement drum, and vice versa.

Additionally, in the final cycle of operation, the hair may become overcurled.

A second well known device for use in curling hair is a curling iron. This device comprises a perforated barrel, a housing at one end of the barrel which serves 'firstly as a handle for the device, and secondly contains an electrically powered mechanism for generating a stream of hot air which is blown axially through the barrel, and a retaining finger extending from the housing along the length of the barrel.ln operation, the curling iron is connected to a power supply by means of an electrical lead, is brought to the hair, the retaining finger is withdrawn from the barrel, the hair is curled around the barrel, the retaining finger is returned to its operational position to retain the hair curled around the barrel, and the device is activated to blow hot air through the barrel and its perforations so as to curl the hair. Hair curling irons however suffer from their own disadvantages.If a large number of curls are required, either a large number of curling irons must be used, which is expensive and would require the person whose hair is being curled to bear the weight of all these irons, or alternatively a single iron must be moved sequentially from place to place in the persons hair, which is time consuming.

To overcome these problems apparatus has been proposed (UK Patent Application 9003785.4) comprising a handle, including a heater-blower assembly for producing a stream of heated air, an elongate barrel for insertion into a hair curling roller located in a persons hair and being hollow with apertures defined along its length for delivering a stream of heated air to the roller and to hair wound thereon. Such apparatus can be moved sequentially from roller to roller located in the user's hair to deliver a charge of heat to the individual curling rollers. One disadvantage of this proposed apparatus, however, is that retention means are required to secure the barrel in place when inserted in the roller. In UK application 9003785.4 this retention means takes the form of a clip provided on the housing which engages an aperture formed on a collar of the roller.This arrangement is not ideal since it requires actuation to engage and disengage the clip from the aperture, and in use this can be awkward and time consuming when moving from one roller to another.

According to the present invention there is provided hair curling apparatus comprising, a hair curling iron comprising a housing including therein a heater-blower assembly for producing a stream of heated air, said housing including an end-face, said apparatus further comprising an elongate shaft member extending from said end-face of said housing, and a hair curling roller comprising a generally cylindrical roller body and a pair of end members, wherein projecting means are provided on said housing end-face adjacent the end of said elongate shaft member for engaging an aperture defined in at least one of said roller end members.

By means of this arrangement there is provided a very simple manner of engaging the shaft member in the roller. The act of inserting the shaft member in the roller will simultaneously cause the projecting means on the housing to engage in the aperture of the roller end member.

Preferably at least one such aperture is provided in each end member of the roller so that it does not matter which way the shaft member is inserted into the roller. Also preferably means are provided whereby the shaft member may be located in the roller in a number of different relative rotational orientations in order that the shaft member does not have to be inserted in the roller in one specific position. For example this may be achieved by providing a plurality of apertures disposed in a circular array about the central axis of the cylindrical roller whereby the projecting means, for example a pin, may engage any one of the apertures.Alternatively the projection may be centrally located on the end face of the housing and have a polygonal cross-section, with the aperture on the end member of the roller also being centrally located about the axis of the roller and having a polygonal crosssection corresponding to that of the projecting means. For example the projecting means and the aperture may be pentagonal, hexagonal or heptagonal. The dimensions of the polygonal projection are preferably such that the projection tapers away from the end-face whereby the roller will be securely engaged in use by means of a tight fit.

Viewed from a further aspect the invention provides a hair curling iron comprising a housing including therein a heater/blower assembly for producing a stream of heated air, said housing including an end-face, and an elongate shaft member extending from said endface, wherein adjacent said shaft member the housing is also provided on the end-face with projecting means extending parallel or coaxially with said shaft member for engaging a hair curling roller.

Viewed from a still further aspect the present invention provides a hair curling roller comprising a cylindrical body and two end members, each said end member surrounding a central opening and each being provided with either a plurality of apertures arranged in a circular array about said central opening, or a single aperture coaxial with said central opening, for engaging a hair curling iron.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention with the shaft member disengaged from the roller, Fig.2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment, looking in the opposite direction from Fig. 1, showing the roller engaged on the shaft member, Fig.3 is a side view of the first embodiment showing the region of the end-face of the housing, but without the roller, Fig.4 is a view similar to Fig.3 but including the roller, and Fig.5 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a second embodiment of the invention.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1 there is shown a hair curling iron comprising a handle in the form of a housing 1. Located within the housing 1 is a conventional electrically powered heater/blower assembly operated by a slide switch 2. In use the heater/blower assembly draws air into the housing 1 through rear air inlet 3. The housing 1 is provided with an endface 4 at the end remote from the air inlet 3. Extending from this end-face 4 is an elongate shaft member 5 in the form of a barrel element. In operation the heater/blower assembly draws air through the air inlet 3 and expels heated air into the elongate shaft member 5.

Although not shown in the drawings, the shaft member 5 is provided with an arrangement of apertures that permit the heated air to be expelled for application to the hair when the shaft member 5 is inserted in a roller 6 around which the hair is curled.

As can be seen from Figs. 1-4, a dowel pin 7 is provided extending from the end-face 4 of the housing 1. The pin 7 is provided adjacent the end of the shaft member 5 and extends parallel thereto. As can be seen particularly in Fig.3 the pin 7 is provided with a head 8. If desired the head 8 may be slightly enlarged. The roller 6 comprises a generally cylindrical body 9 and two end members 10 in the form of annular flanges surrounding a central opening 11 for receiving in use the shaft portion 5. The end members 10 are each provided with a plurality of holes 12, in this case six, arranged in a circular array around the central opening 11. The holes are preferably slightly smaller than the enlarged head 8 of the pin 7.

It will be understood that when the shaft member 5 is inserted into the roller 6 through the central opening 11, the head 8 of the pin 7 passes through one of the holes 12 and, because of the enlarged size of the head 8, the shaft member 5 is firmly engaged in the roller. The dimensions of the head 8 of the pin 7 and the holes 12 in the roller are of course chosen so that while a firm engagement of the shaft member in the roller is provided, at the same time the shaft member can easily be removed when desired. It will be understood that the pin 7 can pass through whichever of the holes 12 is most conveniently located.

Referring to Fig.5 there is shown a second embodiment in which the pin 7 is replaced by a projection in the form of a polygonal block 13 that extends from the end-face 4 of the housing 1 and which is centered on the central axis of the housing l so that it surrounds the end of the shaft member. In the embodiment shown the projection 13 is hexagonal in crosssection, though clearly other cross-sections are also possible. It should also be noted that the cross-section of the block 13 tapers away from the end-face 4 of the housing 1. That is to say the dimensions of the sides of the polygon are greater closer to the end-face 4.

As will also be seen from Fig.5 the end members of the roller are each provided with a correspondingly shaped polygonal aperture 14 surrounding and coaxial with the shaft receiving aperture of the roller. Upon insertion of the shaft member 5 in the roller 6 the polygonal aperture 14 engages the polygonal projection 13 and, by virtue of the taper provided on the projection 13, a secure tight fit is provided which securely engages the roller on the shaft member. It will also be understood that the polygonal shape of the projecting means and the corresponding aperture allows the projection to engage the aperture in as many relative rotational positions as there are sides of the polygon in question. In the embodiment of Fig.5 the polygon is a hexagon giving six different engaging positions.

Claims

1. Hair curling apparatus comprising, a hair curling iron comprising a housing including therein a heater-blower assembly for producing a stream of heated air, said housing including an end-face, said apparatus further comprising an elongate shaft member extending from said end-face of said housing, and a hair curling roller comprising a generally cylindrical roller body and a pair of end members, wherein projecting means are provided on said housing end-face adjacent the end of said elongate shaft member for engaging an aperture defined in at least one of said roller end members.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one said aperture is provided in each said end member.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said projecting means is adapted to engage said roller in a plurality of predefined rotational positions.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein each said end member includes a circular array of apertures arranged about the central axis of the roller body, and said projecting means comprises a pin extending parallel to said shaft member.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said pin is formed with an enlarged head.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein each said end member comprises a polygonal aperture coaxial with the central axis of the roller body, and said projecting means has a polygonal cross-section coaxial with said shaft member.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said polygonal projecting means tapers away from said end-face.

8. A hair curling iron comprising a housing including therein a heater/blower assembly for producing a stream of heated air, said housing including an end-face, and an elongate shaft member extending from said end-face, wherein adjacent said shaft member the housing is also provided on the end-face with projecting means extending parallel or coaxially with said shaft member for engaging a hair curling roller.

9. Hair curling apparatus substantially as described with reference to Fig.5 of the accompanying drawings.

9. A hair curling roller comprising a cylindrical body and two end members, each said end member surrounding a central opening and each being provided with either a plurality of apertures arranged in a circular array about said central opening, or a single aperture coaxial with said central opening, for engaging a hair curling iron.

10. Hair curling apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.