GB2589101A

GB2589101A - A hair tool

Info

Publication number: GB2589101A
Application number: GB1916832.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Zheleva Georgieva Mariana
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-11-19
Filing date: 2019-11-19
Publication date: 2021-05-26
Also published as: GB201916832D0

Abstract

A hair tool 99 comprising an elongate body 37 defining a first end A and a second end B, second end B tapering to first end A. The first end A provides an epilator head 4 which includes an epilator (29, Figure 4) and a skin contact portion 444, which in use is arranged to contact a user’s skin and space the epilator (29, Figure 4) therefrom. A grading element (68, Figure 4) provided at first end A that directs hair of a greater length than that defined by the grading element (68, Figure 4) to the epilator (29, Figure 4) is also disclosed. Provided at second end B is a connector 1 which receives an electrical current from a supply of electricity. First end A may comprise a light source in the form of a ring around the head 4. Head 4 may be displaceable. The first end A may have an adjustable, displaceable comb grading element (49, Figure 5). Also disclosed is a hair tool 99 where epilator head 4 is replaced by a trimmer head (40, Figure 5). Trimmer head (40, Figure 5) may comprise at least one transversely reciprocating blade (45, Figure 5).

Description

A HAIR TOOL

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hair tool, in particular a tool for providing hair removal or epilation; more particularly but not exclusively a tool for providing controlled definition of a variety of hair lengths.

Background

Increasing numbers of people in increasing numbers of societies are keen to style their facial features and may use a variety of means to do so.

These may include cosmetics or even cosmetic surgery.

An easy way to alter and improve facial aspect is provided by styling of eyebrows in particular which can be shaped relatively easily to have a big impact on the aesthetics of the face.

There are various means of styling eyebrows but these are often imprecise, as epilators will remove hair from around 0.5mm and other methods are often suited to longer or more abundant hair.

Prior Art

W0201369006 TWEG discloses a depilation device for tweezing hairs of a selected area of a skin surface, comprising: a motor; a tweezing element formed with at least two tweezing members, the tweezing element comprising a tweezing region at an end portion thereof proximal to the skin surface, the tweezing region defining a region on the tweezing element that is in contact with the hairs sometime during operation of the depilation device; a transmission assembly for transmitting movement of the motor to the tweezing element; and a depilation enclosure for enclosing at least the tweezing region and comprising an opening designed to be placed on the selected area; the selected area being defined by a breadth and length, wherein the breadth is relatively narrow comprising a skin surface wherein a single or a few hairs grow therefrom, the depilation enclosure being configured substantially without any components peripheral to the depilation device, which components would disable an operator to view, during operation of the depilation device, an area adjacent to the breadth of the selected area, wherein the adjacent area defines an area enabling sufficient visibility of the depilation enclosure for substantially accurate targeting of 5 the selected area for depilation of the hairs therefrom, the tweezing element moving in an elliptical path; and the tweezing element is designed to depilate the hairs while the depilation enclosure is generally continuously in contact with the skin surface and while moving along said elliptical path, thereby allowing continuous depilation along the length of the selected area without necessitating removal of the depilation device 10 above the skin surface.

JP 2012 130 486 (MURAKI et al) discloses a depilator that is compact and can favorably perform a depilation treatment to a region with unevennesses around the region. The depilator includes: a body having an elongated cylindrical shape, of which outer periphery is gripped by a user; a depilating part provided at one end of the body in a longitudinal direction L and operating a depilation movement; and a driving part for rotating the depilating part. The depilating part includes: a rotary cylinder for being rotated about a shaft; and a depilating claw opened and closed on the outer circumference of the rotary cylinder, wherein the rotary axial direction of the rotary cylinder is inclined relative to the longitudinal direction L at a sharp angle, and the depilating part is provided at the one end.

CN 2 492 357 (WONG) discloses a foil-type electric razor includes a coaxial motor and cutter. The coaxial relationship between the motor and the cutter permits a simplified suspension and drive assembly. The driven end of the cutter is supported and driven by a flexible drive shaft connected to the motor shaft. The opposite end of the cutter is supported for rotation by a flexible support shaft extending from the cutter to a bearing mounted accessory drive stud. Both the drive shaft and support shaft are constructed from coil springs. The coil spring shafts effectively combine the suspension, drive and support functions that in the prior art required multiple components. An optional nose hair trimmer may be driven by the flexible support shaft.

The present invention arose in order to overcome problems suffered by existing 35 devices.

Summary of the Invention

According to the present invention there is provided a hair tool comprising: an elongate body with first and second ends, the second end tapers to the first end, the first end provides an epilator head which includes an epilator and a skin contact surface, which in use is arranged to contact a user's skin and space the epilator therefrom, and a grading element that directs hair of a greater length than that defined by the grading element to the epilator, and a connector is provided at the second end and receives an electrical current from a supply of electricity.

It may be envisaged that the body tapers towards the first end to provide a more manoeuvrable device, and a smaller head, better arranged for epilating and accessing around eyebrows. For example the head may comprise two or three tweezing or epilating rows.

It may be envisaged that the first end, or more particularly the head, is not more than 5mm wide, so as to allow for effective manipulation in delicate areas around the eyes so as to aid in shaping and maintenance of shape of the eyebrows. In some embodiments the skin contact surface may be slant, pointed, pointed-slant, square, round or curved with reference the epilator.

In some embodiments the first end comprises a light source, so as to illuminate around the head.

In some embodiments the light source comprises a ring light source around the head.

In some embodiments the hair tool comprises a displaceable head portion, wherein the epilator head may be replaced with a trimmer or trimming head. For example such head may be arranged to comprise a transversely reciprocating trimmer blade.

In some embodiments the trimmer head comprises a displaceable comb. Such comb may comprise slots for passage of hair which act to set length of hair reaching the blades of a trimmer head, so as to allow for different lengths of hair trimming.

In this way the hair tool advantageously enables control over length that the hair is trimmed to, or more particularly the length the trimmer blades cut the hair to or at as well as length of hair epilated.

In some embodiments the trimmer head comprises a mesh with perforations sufficiently large to allow passage of hairs to the blade or blades. Such mesh may be combined with a reciprocating blade so as to provide at least one cutting datum or surface for the one or more blades.

In some embodiments the epilator may rotate to provide a tweezing action.

In some embodiments the epilator comprises a single rotating part, for example a helicoidal screw part. In some embodiments the rotation direction and speed of such part may be controlled. For example in some such embodiments the speed and 15 direction of the rotation may be progressively controlled.

Some embodiments may have multiple rotating metal disc parts that clamp together and apart during rotation, pulling away unwanted hair. Other embodiments may provide a spring epilator head with springs instead of rotating metal discs, wherein the springs coil together or apart so as in use to capture the hairs and pull them out. As this embodiment of the epilator head will need the springs to be changed, it may be envisaged that springs can be bought separately. In further embodiments the epilator head may comprise a rotating disc head which functions similarly to the spring type of epilator, but instead of using coiled springs, it uses rotating discs.

The grading element may comprise a displaceable portion to vary spacing of the epilator from the surface so as to vary thickness or other spacing properties of the grading element. The surface may therefore be spaced axially by this displaceable portion from the epilator head.

The contact surface provides a distance, gap, or space between the outer surface of the grading element and the epilator or trimmer and thereby defines the grade or length of the trim or epilation. In this way moving the grading element closer to, or further from the epilator or trimmer changes the grade, as would changing the thickness of the grading element.

In some embodiments the epilator head comprises a grading element provided by a portion displaceable in part or whole. Such grading element may provide the surface for skin contact and may act to set length of hair reaching the blades of an epilator head, so as to allow for different lengths of hair being epilated. In this way the epilator head provides control over the length of hair left on the user, where shorter hair is removed from the root as required.

In some embodiments the epilator head comprises a plurality of grading element portions, which act to space a user's skin from the one or more blades.

In some embodiments the hair tool comprises an internal rechargeable battery and an induction coil at the second end, and a stand for connection to the electrical source.

In some embodiments the displaceable grading element substantially comprises the end of the body in use. In some embodiments the grading element comprises an interference fit to the cover or body for example comprising a displaceable or detachable or replaceable comb.

In some embodiments the surface comprises raised and lowered, for example fines or fingers or spacers, wherein the surface comprises an axially raised and lowered surface for guiding hair. This surface may enable the hair to pass the surface but prevent skin doing so.

In some embodiments the hair tool may comprise a collection reservoir for trimmed or epilated hairs. In some embodiments the hair tool may comprise a pre-epilation moisturising section.

In some embodiments the hair tool may comprise a plurality of controls at a control means. This may enable one or more blades or parts to rotate or move in a plurality of different directions and/or speeds. Some embodiments may comprise sliders to change direction of rotation. This control or control means may be arranged to allow a user to change direction and/or speed of a central spindle, which spindle is effective as a drive part to drive the epilator and/or trimmer.

In some further embodiments the one or more parts or blades may comprise an electronic, electric or laser blade.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example 5 only and with reference to the Figures in which:

Brief Description of Figures

Figure 1 shows an isometric view of an embodiment of the epilator according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a reverse isometric view of the embodiment of the epilator shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows an exploded isometric view of the embodiment of the epilator shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a reverse exploded isometric view of the embodiment of the epilator 20 shown in Figure 1; Figures 5 shows an exploded isometric view of a trimmer head for the embodiment of the device shown in Figure 1; Figure 6 shows a comb grading element; and Figure 7 shows an exploded isometric view of an embodiment of an epilator head for the embodiment shown in Figure 1.

Detailed Description of Figures

With reference to the figures there is shown an embodiment of the hair tool 99 generally comprising an elongate body 37 defining a first end A and a second end B, wherein the second end comprises a connector 1 for electrical connection to an electrical source, and the first end comprises an epilation head 4, which head is comprised by an epilator 29 and a displaceable portion comprising the grading element 68 which displaceable portion is arranged to set length of hair reaching the epilator 29.

In particular reference to the pictured embodiment the connector 1 comprises a stand 5 comprising the electrical source, which stand comprises a vertically extending member 11 which member is arranged to enter a female connector on the second end B of the hair tool.

The hair tool comprises an elongated thermoplastic body 37, moulded in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic or similar and tapered from a larger cylindrical cross section to a smaller diameter cross section at the first end, wherein the skin contact surface of the first end has a width of 5mm. The cross-section of the first end is oval, and provides a substantially rectangular contact surface 444.

A control means 3 is provided on one side of the body comprising simple activation buttons for on/off, and speed or direction of rotation control button, comprising a rocker arrow button. In this way the speed and direction of rotation of a rotating drive part of the epilator may be easily controlled, progressively for example in increments of rotation in linear terms. In addition or the alternative it may be envisaged that speed and direction of rotation of a rotating spindle drive part within the hair tool may be controlled.

The first end comprises the epilation head as pictured in Figure 1. The epilation head comprises a spindle driven by an electrical motor 25 contained within the body. 25 The body further comprises a rechargeable battery 27 and battery and motor housing 26, as well as an induction coil 28 for charging the battery 27.

The spindle extends axially and turns a mitre gear 70, which mitre gear is arranged transversely. The mitre gear in turn rotates two axially extending cogs on either end 30 of an axle, which axle provides the epilator. The parts comprise multiple rotating discs that clamp together and apart as the axle rotates, pulling away unwanted hair.

In the embodiment pictured the hair tool comprises a displaceable portion provided by the epilation head 4, which epilation head may then be replaced with a trimmer 35 head 40 as pictured in Figure 5.

This trimmer head 40 comprises a reciprocating blade 45, and a mesh cover 44.

The trimmer head further comprises a displaceable portion comprising a comb grading element 49. The displaceable comb 49 is displaceable in a longitudinal or axial direction so as to increase or decrease the length of hair reaching the blade 45, and comprises a moulded thermoplastics portion, with an interference bump fit onto the basal portion 48 of the first end.

In this way the comb is displaceable axially to alter the thickness of the grading 10 element for the trimmer head.

It may be envisaged that the trimmer head 40 converts rotary motion from the spindle to a transverse reciprocating motion through gears and plates.

With reference to Figure 6 the comb 49 for the trimmer head 40 comprises a series of slots through which the hair may pass. With reference to Figure 7 the epilator head 4 is envisaged in the pictured embodiment to displaceably include a blank cap 66, and two displaceable combs 67, 68 for spacing the contact surface from the epilator head 4 or more particularly epilator and thereby providing a grading element that directs hair of a greater length than that defined by the comb to the epilator.

A first comb 67 comprises a larger central rectangular perforation for passage of more hair, and a second comb 68 comprises a smaller central rectangular perforation for passage of less hair as well as a raised perimeter for providing a greater thickness and spacing the contact surface further axially from the epilator 29. The smaller perforation is bounded perimetrically along long edges by a raised and lowered surface envisaged to guide hair.

The invention has been described by way of examples only and it will be appreciated 30 that variation may be made to the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the scope of invention as defined by the claims, in particular but not solely combination of features of described embodiments.

Claims

Claims 1 A hair tool comprising: an elongate body with first and second ends, the second end tapers to the first end, the first end provides an epilator head which includes an epilator and a skin contact surface, which in use is arranged to contact a user's skin and space the epilator therefrom, and a grading element that directs hair of a greater length than that defined by the grading element to the epilator, and a connector is provided at the second end and receives an electrical current from a supply of electricity.
2. A hair tool comprising: an elongate body with first and second ends, the second end tapers to the first end, the first end provides a trimmer head which includes a trimmer and a skin contact surface, which in use is arranged to contact a user's skin and space the trimmer therefrom, and a grading element that directs hair of a greater length than that defined by the grading element to the trimmer, and a connector is provided at the second end and receives an electrical current from a supply of electricity.
3. A hair tool according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the first end comprises a light source to illuminate an area around the head.
4. A hair tool according to claim 3 wherein the light source is in the form of a ring around the head.
5. A hair tool according to any preceding claim wherein the head is displaceable.
6. A hair tool according to claim 2 or any of claims 3 to 5 when dependent on claim 2 wherein the trimmer head comprises at least one transversely reciprocating blade.
7. A hair tool according to any preceding claim wherein the first end has a comb grading element.
8. A hair tool according to claim 7 wherein the comb grading element is adjustable to vary the distance between the epilator or trimmer and the skin contact surface.
9. A hair tool according to claim 7 or 8 wherein the comb grading element is displaceable.
10. A hair tool according to any preceding claim wherein the skin contact surface of the first end has a width of 5mm.
11. A hair tool according to any preceding claim comprising a rotating drive part arranged to be rotated at more than one speed of rotation.
12. A hair tool according to any preceding claim comprising a rotating drive part arranged to be rotated in more than one direction of rotation.