RU2127993C1 - Hair dryer diffuser - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: hair care equipment. SUBSTANCE: diffuser has casing with side surface defining air channel adapted for communicating two openings, with one opening being connected with dryer nozzle and other opening being overlapped with perforated surface. Perforations define system of airducts for discharging heated air to user's head surface. Some airducts are provided with members for forming heated air flows and directing them away from user's head surface. Each member may become part of system or it may be independent member. It may be arranged within or outside casing or may be of mixed arrangement. Such construction of diffuser does not require user's head to be inclined downward to obtain increased-volume coiffure, and it does not require participation of user's both hands during hair laying and drying. EFFECT: simplified construction and process, improved appearance of coiffure independent of user's qualification and skills. 11 cl, 12 dwg

Description

 The invention relates to means for hair care, namely, nozzles for hair dryers and comb brushes for styling and drying hair.

 There are known designs of electric guns, consisting of their body, inside of which there is an electric motor, an impeller and a heating element, while the case of the electric gun has two holes, one of which is used as an intake, and the second as an outlet for a stream of heated air and it can be made in the form of a nozzle, which is part of the electric gun body. When the hair dryer is plugged into the electric network, the electric motor with the impeller installed on it starts to rotate and will drive air through the heating element in the hair dryer’s body from the air intake to the air outlet, from where the stream of heated air through the protective grill installed in the air outlet is supplied to the consumer, / USSR copyright certificate N 1818066 dated 12/13/90, MKI 5 A 45 D 20/10 FEN. The described design is typical and allows you to quickly dry the hair, however, without special nozzles for styling, connected to the nozzle (outlet), creating a finished hairstyle while drying the hair is quite difficult and without special professional techniques is often impossible.

 There are a number of finger nozzles-diffusers for hair styling firms "PHILIPS", "BABILIS", "BROWN", which produce professional and semi-professional hair dryers. The design of the hair dryer "BROWN Supervolume Twist / PF 1600 SUB4, PX 1200 SUB3 /" is known, which is equipped with a special finger nozzle to give the hair volume and splendor, as well as for styling hair in curls and curls. The fingers of such a nozzle are in the form of solid rod-shaped elements parallel to each other, while the diffuser itself has a grating at the base that provides uniform air flow during drying and styling. During operation, the fingers of such a nozzle are pressed against the scalp and rotate in small circles. Turning around the fingers, the hair "creeps" up them. At the same time, the ring with the outer row of fingers can rotate with the other hand of the user, directing hair around the fingers located in the center of the nozzle. Thus, using this nozzle, you can get wavy hair, increasing to a certain extent their volume.

 However, the hair wound onto solid fingers is not immediately dried from the inside, which certainly slows down the drying process, in addition, the heated air exiting through the holes in the base of the nozzle nails the hair not trapped by the fingers to the head, not allowing the basal part to be lifted, although the volume hairstyles are created precisely by this part of the hair.

 These shortcomings are partially eliminated in the design of the diffuser, made in accordance with US patent application N 5275339 dated 10.12.92, IPC 5 A 45 D 20/12 "HAIR DRYER DIFFUSER". In accordance with this application, which the author selects as a prototype, the diffuser, attached to the nozzle of the dryer emitting heated air, has a housing, the side wall of which forms the first hole in communication with the nozzle, and the second hole. The diffuser body has an air channel that allows air to pass between the first and second openings. The second hole is blocked by a protective grill forming several outlet openings. Several hollow fingers protrude from the grill to the outside, which form additional openings for the release of heated air. There are valves for regulating the discharge of air through the openings in said grill and hollow fingers. The presence of hollow fingers-air ducts in the described design of the diffuser will certainly accelerate the process of drying and styling the hair, however, according to the author of the present invention, it will not allow to raise the basal part of the hair again due to the “nailing” effect, which can be eliminated in the above designs only in case you lower your head down and dry your hair in this position. Obviously, this creates certain inconveniences during operation.

 The purpose of the present invention is the creation of a whole class (row) of nozzles (class "MAX" / class "MAX"), which are devoid of these shortcomings and convenient to use when creating a voluminous, lush hairstyle.

 This goal is achieved in that, in contrast to the known prototype, having a body, the side surface of which forms an air channel connecting two holes, the first of which communicates with the nozzle, and the second is blocked by a surface having any number of holes that are a system of air ducts emitting heated air towards the surface of the user's head, in the inventive design of the diffuser, at least part of the duct system is equipped with elements that ensure the formation of a heated stream spirit in the direction from the surface of the user's head.

 According to the author of the present invention, the presence of the specified element-shaper will provide during the drying process the rise of the basal part of the hair by picking it up with a stream of heated air in the direction from the surface of the user's head and fixing / holding it in this stream until it is completely dried.

The essence, distinguishing features and principle of operation of the inventive device (diffuser) will become clear from the following description, which is accompanied by the following graphic materials:
FIG. 1 - the inventive diffuser of a hair dryer, one of the options;
FIG. 2 - versions of air ducts with a forming element;
FIG. 3 - options for the implementation of ducts with a removable element-former;
FIG. 4 is a diagram of the conditional division of the space surrounding the diffuser into zones;
FIG. 5 - embodiment of a diffuser with an additional air channel;
FIG. 6 is an embodiment of a diffuser with a duct system, some of which are unilaterally oriented along the “chord";
FIG. 7 is an embodiment of a diffuser with a screen mounted along the envelope of the contour of the second hole;
FIG. 8 is an embodiment of a diffuser with a screen mounted with a gap to the envelope of the contour of the second hole;
FIG. 9 is an embodiment of a diffuser with a hollow screen mounted with a gap to the envelope of the contour of the second hole having a duct system, part of which has shaper elements;
FIG. 10 is an embodiment of a diffuser with a hollow screen installed with a gap to the envelope of the contour of the second hole having a duct system, part of which is unilaterally oriented along the “chord";
FIG. 11 - embodiment of a diffuser with an ejector;
FIG. 12 is an embodiment of a diffuser with solid fingers and a valve / valve mechanism.

 The inventive diffuser of the hair dryer, attached to the nozzle of the dryer, emitting a stream of heated air, has a housing 1 (Fig. 1), the side surface 2 of which forms a first hole (inlet) 3, communicating with the nozzle of the dryer, and a second hole (outlet) 4, while in the diffuser housing there is an air channel 5, which ensures the passage of the heated air flow between the first 3 and second 4 holes. The second hole 4, the inventive diffuser is blocked by a surface 6 having several, that is, any number of outlet openings 7, forming a duct system, while any part of the outlet openings can be located on surface sections 6, which are protrusions 8 on it (in the prototype, hollow fingers ) Thus, the duct system will consist of outlet openings 7 located on the surface 6, and the same outlet openings 7 located on the protrusions 8, which belong to the surface 6. Moreover, the protrusion 8 itself, in cross section, may have an arbitrary shape, which can arbitrarily vary along its length, and it can be made removable, and have a massage device. The protrusions 8 have openings 7 through which a stream of heated air leaves them, and some of these openings 7 are equipped with a forming element 10, which ensures the formation of this flow in the direction from the surface of the user's head 11, which will allow you to raise the hair above the surface of the head.

 It should be noted that the element-shaper 10 can be made in different ways, for example: element 10 is made (Fig. 2), as one unit with the protrusion 8, that is, is an integral part of it; the element 10 is made (Fig. 4) separately, as an independent part, and is mounted on the protrusion 8. In turn, the element 10, made as a whole with the protrusion 8, can have different designs, among them, for example: external design - the element 10 protrudes outward beyond the outer surface of the protrusion 8; internal design - the element 10 extends into the inside of the inner surface of the duct 8 (element 10 is "recessed" in the inner channel of the protrusion 8); mixed version - a combination of external and internal performance; “intra-wall” execution - element 10 is formed (made) due to the wall thickness of the protrusion 8, while it (element 10) does not protrude from the external or internal surface of the protrusion 8. An embodiment of element 10, as an independent part mounted on the protrusion 8, depends on where this element 10 will be installed, for example; when it is installed in hole 7, it can be fixed in it according to the “plug principle”, due to friction forces; when installed at the end of the protrusion 8, it can be made by analogy with a thimble that is worn on a finger; it can be made in such a way that it will be retained from such a material that on the protrusion 8, due to the constructive solution of himself and his seat on the protrusion 8. The above can be applied to the elements - shapers 10 mounted on the surface 6 that overlaps the second hole 4 of the claimed diffuser. It is possible that when the diffuser duct system simultaneously uses shaper elements made in different designs. According to the author, element 10 is preferably placed as close to the root of the hair as possible.

 The inventive diffuser operates as follows.

 When approaching the surface of the head of the user 11 of the hair dryer with the inventive diffuser and its inclusion, the user begins to dry the hair. Wet hair will be dried on the surface of the head 11, located in the area bounded by the protrusions 8, while the flow of heated air 12 coming out of the protrusion 8 through the hole 7 provided with the forming element 10 will “entrain” the hair behind itself in the direction from the surface of the user's head 11, thus raising their basal part, acting similarly to curlers on which hair is wound, thereby increasing the volume and splendor of the hairstyle. It should be noted that the directional distribution of the heated air stream in the solid angle with the vertex at the point of exit of the elementary stream from the hole that is part of the duct system is taken as the direction from the surface of the user's head, and the sides of this angle asymptotically approach the plane drawn through the top of the solid angle and perpendicular to the normal dropped from the top of this corner to the surface of the user's head.

 The use of the inventive diffuser does not require tilting the head down to obtain a voluminous hairstyle, and also does not require participation in the process of styling and drying the hair of both hands of the user, which certainly simplifies the process of obtaining the desired end result regardless of the user's qualifications and skills.

For clarity and convenience of explanation of occurring phenomena / processes, we introduce the concept of zones (Fig. 4):
Zone "A" - the space bounded by the lateral surface 2 of the diffuser and its surface 6, overlapping its second hole 4;
Zone "B" - the space between the surface 6, overlapping the second hole 4 of the diffuser, and the surface of the head of the user 11, excluding the internal cavity of the protrusions 8;
Zone "C" - the space above the side surface 2 of the diffuser (above zone "B");
Zone "E" - the space surrounding zones "A", "B", "C" and limited on one side by the surface of the user's head 11.

 The rise of the basal part of the hair when using the inventive diffuser occurs as a result of the reduction (elimination) that took place in the prototype of the negative effect of “nailing” (pressing) the hair to the head, in zone “B”, with a stream of heated air discharged towards the surface of the head from the zone "A", and due to the formation of a stream of heated air in the direction from the surface of the head and "entrainment" (lifting) of the hair by this formed stream of air.

 In order to enhance the described effect of “entrainment” of the hair by the flow of heated air from the head surface while simultaneously lifting the basal part of the hair, the author proposes to provide a connecting zone “B” with zone “C” directly through the diffuser body 1 at least one additional air channel in the design of the diffuser 13. (Fig. 5), through which the flow of heated air, while maintaining the direction from the surface of the head of the user 11, rush into the zone "C", that is, there will be a redistribution of the flows of heated air. As a result, in the described embodiment of the diffuser design, the effect of raising the basal part of the hair in zone "B" will increase, and the effect of smoothing the hair will decrease.

 The effect of using the laws of aerodynamics, for example, the creation of a swirling in one direction stream ("vortex") of heated air is ejected from the protrusions 8 (Fig. 6) through openings 7, unilaterally oriented in the direction of the "chord", inside the space bounded by the protrusions, will also allow lift the basal part of the hair and dry it in a stream of heated air formed in the direction from the surface of the user's head. Note that the direction along the “chord" is the directional propagation of the elementary stream of heated air in a solid angle, with the vertex of the angle at the point of exit of the elementary stream from the duct, the sides of this angle asymptotically approach on one side a half-plane drawn from a straight line connecting the vertex of the angle and the point that is its projection onto the surface of the head through the center of gravity of the figure formed by the projections of the outlet openings 7 involved in creating the swirling flow (“vortex”) onto the surface of the head, with the other side to the plane drawn through the vertex of the corner, and the tangent line drawn to the figure at the point that is the projection of the vertex of the angle onto the surface of the head.

 The combined use in the design of the inventive diffuser of the just considered option and the shaper element 10 will allow you to get the best result and to the maximum extent take into account such characteristics of the hair as their length and stiffness.

 However, the spread of heated air from zone “B” to zone “E” will still occur and will reduce the effect of hair lifting. In order to eliminate its negative effect on the drying and styling process, it is necessary to separate zone “B” from zone “E” with a screen 15 (Fig. 7) installed along the envelope of the contour of the second hole 4. To eliminate the effect of slowing down the flow of heated air in zone “C” "passing through an additional air channel 13, it is advisable to provide for the use of the screen 15 and to separate the zone" C "from zone" E ".

 It should be noted that the screen 15 (Fig. 8) can be installed with a gap 16 to the envelope of the contour of the second hole 4 of the diffuser, which is equivalent to the introduced additional air channel 13, and from the point of view of manufacturability it may be preferable, in addition, the gap 16 can be adjustable. If there is a gap 16, the screen 15 can be attached to the body of the diffuser 1, for example, using a certain number of ribs 17. In this case, it makes sense to use the screen 15 to separate the zone "C" from the zone "E". In all cases, the screen 15 can be made removable.

 It is possible that the screen 19 (Fig. 9, 10) is made hollow and is connected to the air channel 5 of the inventive diffuser by a number of hollow ribs 18, while on the surface of the hollow screen 19 there are outlet openings 20, which are a duct system, some of which can be equipped with an element 10 (Fig. 9) or one-sided oriented along the "chord" of the screen 19 (Fig. 10), or both of these options are made together.

 More favorable conditions for removing the exhaust stream of heated air will be created by installing the ejector 21 (Fig. 11) in the air channel 5 between the first 3 and second 4 holes of the inventive diffuser, made with a screen 15, as shown in Fig. 8, 9, while in the lateral surface 2 of the diffuser there are a number of holes 22.

 To regulate the pressure head of the heated air flow, it is advisable to place a valve / valve element on the side surface 2 of the diffuser, made, for example, in the form of a split ring 23, overlapping the hole 24 in the side surface 2 of the diffuser and held thereon due to friction forces or elastic forces of the material, from which is made of this ring (Fig. 12). To combine the drying and combing functions of hair, it is advisable to place somewhere a certain number of solid fingers 25, for example, on the surface 6 that overlaps the second hole 4 of the diffuser, either on the surface of the protrusion 8, or on the surface of the screens 15, 19, or any combination of the above options .

Thus, the hallmarks of the claimed diffuser are:
- the presence in the duct system of the diffuser of a new structural element-former;
- placement of the shaper element along the length of the duct;
- options for the design of the shaper element (external, internal, mixed, "intra-wall", stationary, removable);
- A variant of the design of the removable duct;
- the presence in the design of the diffuser of an additional air channel penetrating the diffuser body through, for the redistribution of air flows;
- A variant of the design of the diffuser duct system with openings unilaterally oriented in the direction along the "chord";
- the presence in the design of the diffuser of dividing screens;
- the presence in the design of the diffuser separating a hollow screen having outlet openings, which are a duct system, part of which has a forming element and / or one-sided oriented in the direction of the "chord";
- the presence of an ejector in the diffuser structure;
- the presence in the design of the diffuser valve / valve element;
- the presence of solid fingers for combing hair.

 Experimental samples of the inventive design of the diffuser can be performed on the basis of commercially available domestic manufacturers of hair dryers, brushes, combs and hair dryers. In this case, the diffuser itself can be made of soft plastic materials, can be made of different materials; metal and plastics, plastics and rubber, and these soft materials can be reinforced. Production methods can also be different: by pressure or stamping, as well as by injection molding using standard stamping and molding equipment available at enterprises producing similar or similar technology products.

 Tests of prototypes of the inventive diffuser showed the effectiveness of the solutions embedded in its design even in combination with outdated models of dryers, with a flexible long air duct, type FPN 1.2 / 3 "KUDESNIK-3" GOST 22314-84, which is in the future for industrial development will upgrade a number of old models, ensuring their commercial implementation.

 Thus, according to the author of the claimed invention, the proposed design of the diffuser is promising both for new models of hair dryers and for the refinement of existing structures, and is also new, has an inventive step and is industrially applicable, that is, meets all the criteria for patentability of the invention.

Claims (11)

 1. The dryer of the hair dryer, attached to the nozzle of the dryer emitting heated air, having a first hole in communication with the nozzle, and a second hole blocked by a surface with any number of holes forming an air duct system for discharging heated air, wherein the diffuser body has an internal an air channel connecting both of its openings, characterized in that at least part of the duct system is equipped with shaper elements that ensure the formation of a heated air stream discharged through a duct system, away from the surface of the user's head.  2. The diffuser according to claim 1, characterized in that part of the duct system is equipped with a removable shaper element.  3. The diffuser according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the diffuser body has at least one additional air channel penetrating it through.  4. The diffuser according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that part of the duct system is removable.  5. The diffuser according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that part of the duct system is unilaterally oriented in the direction of the "chord" and ensure the formation of a swirling flow ("vortex") of air.  6. The diffuser according to paragraphs. 1 to 5, characterized in that the diffuser has a screen mounted along the envelope of the contour of its second hole.  7. The diffuser according to paragraphs. 1 to 6, characterized in that the diffuser has a screen mounted with a gap to the envelope of the contour of its second hole.  8. The diffuser according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the screen installed with a gap to the envelope of the contour of its second hole is hollow, while the inner cavity of the screen is communicated by a number of hollow ribs with an air channel connecting both holes of the diffuser, this hollow screen in its surface has outlet openings that form a duct system for the exit of heated air, and part of the duct system or is equipped with a shaper element that ensures the formation of a stream ejected through it and heated air in the direction from the surface of the user's head is either unilaterally oriented in the “chord” direction and ensures the formation of a swirling flow (“vortex”) of air, or it consists of air ducts equipped with a shaper element and air ducts unilaterally oriented in the direction of chord.  9. The diffuser according to claims 6 and 7, characterized in that an ejector is installed in the diffuser between the first and second holes, while a number of holes are located in the side surface of the diffuser.  10. The diffuser according to claims 1 to 9, characterized in that an additional number of solid fingers depart from the surface that overlaps the second hole of the diffuser to the outside.  11. The diffuser according to claims 1 to 10, characterized in that on the side surface of the diffuser there is a valve / valve element.

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