KR20060089734A - Curling iron with variable timer and audible signals - Google Patents

Abstract

A curling iron (1) having a variable timer to control audible signals that are referenced to and adjusted according to the actual temperature of the barrel as well as to the curl setting. The temperature of the barrel and the curl setting can be adjusted by the user, which alters the signaled time of exposure. A turbo setting (7) can be employed to rapidly increase the temperature of the barrel.

Description

Hair iron with variability timer and audible signal {CURLING IRON WITH VARIABLE TIMER AND AUDIBLE SIGNALS}

The present invention relates to an electric hair iron that employs an audible signal controlled by a variability timer and changes temperature and time to suit ambient conditions.

It is known in the art to provide an electric hair iron with an audible signal that is opened and closed by a timer to exhibit a recommended duration of applying the hair iron to the hair. Such a signal represents the optimal time for exposure to hot irons and is intended to prevent burning of the hair and provide a choice of loose or firm curls.

It is also well known in the field of hair irons to provide a variable cylinder temperature. Currently manufactured instruments provide temperatures over 70 ° C. from low to high temperatures. However, the curl tightness is directly proportional to both exposure time and temperature, so there is a problem in providing both variability temperature and variability time indications. Hair irons that are characterized by a time setting that ignores the temperature setting will have uncertain results. Thus, there is a need for a hair iron controller that uses common logic to adjust the time and temperature together to standardize the resulting curl.

The cylinder temperature of the hair iron depends not only on the power supplied to the heating element, but also on the accuracy of the temperature control. When applied to the hair, the surface temperature decreases quickly, and all controls have a window of accuracy within the range that ignores the actual temperature. In the prior art hair iron, the size of this window was about 30 ° C. Such fluctuations in temperature can have a significant effect on the exposure time required to set the curl. If the cylinder operates at the extremes of standard temperature, the audible signal may be inaccurate. Thus, feedback is needed between the actual cylinder temperature and the time signal.

Another feature of the prior art hair irons with an electronic timer and an audible signal is that this signal only appears in one sound. The time setting can only be determined by the switch position. Since hair irons are generally used behind the head, there is a need for a more meaningful audible signal that can be represented by sound whether the actual setting employed and whether the curl is loose or solid.

Object and Summary of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new control system for hair irons which addresses the above mentioned disadvantages of the prior art. These and other objects are achieved by the invention described herein.

The present invention relates to a novel application of a variability timer in hair irons to control the actual temperature of the cylinder as well as the audible signal which is adjusted accordingly with reference to the curl setting.

The invention is more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description which illustrates an embodiment in conjunction with the figures shown below.

1 is an orthographic illustration of a preferred embodiment of a hair iron with an LCD display.

2 is an illustration of an LCD display in a preferred embodiment of an electronic hair iron with an audible signal.

3 is an illustration of an LED display in a preferred embodiment of an electronic hair iron with an audible signal.

Detailed description of the invention

1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a hair iron with an electronic temperature control and an LCD display 1. The improved hair iron of the present invention is characterized by an audible signal indicative of the elapsed time from the start time. Elapsed time is the exposure time relative to the actual cylinder temperature required to set the loose or firm curl. The improved hair iron works to automatically reduce the exposure time signaled as the cylinder temperature increases and to automatically lengthen the exposure time signaled as the temperature decreases. In a preferred embodiment, this is accomplished by electronic circuitry that refers to thermally sensitive components in the vicinity of the cylinder, and the detailed circuit logic can be accomplished by various well known circuit designs. LCD display panel 2 is employed in the preferred embodiment of the hair iron.

2 illustrates a typical LCD display, which appears on the control panel of the preferred embodiment. In this preferred embodiment, the on / off button 6 starts the iron. Next, the "curl timer button 3" is pressed to the lower side, and the plus or minus buttons 4 and 5 are set to "hardness of the curl setting". The firmness of the curl setting is "loose", "medium" or "tight". The audible signal countdown timer can be started or reset by setting the desired curl firmness, releasing the pressed state of the "curl timer button" and then momentarily pressing the same "curl timer button". In another embodiment, an LED display can be used, which is illustrated in FIG. 3.

The cylinder temperature setting is indicated by the light emitting portion on the bar graph and the numerical display set from 1 to 25. The desired temperature setting can be increased or decreased by pressing the "plus" or "minus" button. In other embodiments, the numerical display may also indicate the current actual cylinder temperature.

In a preferred embodiment an additional feature is the turbo setting. If the "Turbo" button (7) is pressed down, the cylinder temperature increases by more than 15-20 ° C of the current setting while this button is pressed. In another embodiment, the "turbo" button can be pressed once without the need to secure the button to the bottom. This increases the cylinder temperature by 30-60 seconds to above 15-20 ° C of the current setting when the temperature is at the highest setting. When the temperature is not at the highest setting, the cylinder temperature increases to 2-20 ° C. When the "Turbo" button is pressed, two bars light up beyond the current setting in the bar graph, meaning that the "Turbo" button is in use.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed and described herein, it is understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (16)

handle; A cylinder extending from the end of the handle; A heating device inside the cylinder adapted to control the temperature of the cylinder; An audible signal generator adapted to emit an audible signal that is an indication of a predetermined time period; And Electronic circuit adapted to control the audible signal Hair irons included. 2. The hair iron of claim 1, further comprising a timer button on the handle for starting a countdown of the predetermined time period. 3. The hair iron of claim 2, wherein the countdown can be reset at any time by pressing the timer button. 3. The hair iron of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of second buttons on the handle for increasing or decreasing the predetermined time period. 2. The hair iron of claim 1, wherein the audible signal comprises one of a plurality of notes, each note being associated with a different time setting. 2. The hair iron of claim 1, further comprising a turbo button for rapidly increasing the temperature of the cylinder by a predetermined amount. 7. The hair iron of claim 6, wherein the turbo button is adapted to be depressed or depressed. 7. The hair iron of claim 6, wherein the temperature of the cylinder increases for a duration of time that the turbo button is pressed. 7. The hair iron of claim 6, wherein the turbo button increases the temperature of the cylinder to about 15-20 [deg.] C. when the cylinder is at its highest temperature. The hair iron of claim 6, wherein the turbo button increases the temperature of the cylinder to about 2-20 ° C. when the cylinder is not at the highest temperature. 7. The hair iron of claim 6, further comprising an LCD display panel adapted to display the set values of the hair iron. 12. The hair iron of claim 11, wherein the LCD display panel indicates the temperature of the cylinder by a plurality of light emitting portions and numeric displays on a bar graph. 13. The hair iron of claim 12, wherein the plurality of light emitting portions on the bar graph increase to two when the turbo button is pressed. 7. The hair iron of claim 6, further comprising an LED display panel adapted to indicate the set values of the hair iron. 15. The hair iron of claim 14, wherein the LED display panel indicates the temperature of the cylinder by a plurality of light emitting portions and numeric displays on a bar graph. 16. The hair iron of claim 15, wherein the plurality of light emitting portions on the bar graph increase when the turbo button is pressed.

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