US2563042A

US2563042A - Device for drying hair

Info

Publication number: US2563042A
Application number: US8196A
Authority: US
Inventors: George F Jaubert
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-03-01
Filing date: 1948-02-13
Publication date: 1951-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 1968-08-07

Description

Filed Feb. 13, 1948 G. F. JAUBERT 2,563,042

DEVICE FOR DRYING HAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet l //V VE/VTOK Ems 42' gin/c0410 641%64 Aug. 7, 1951 e. F. JAUBERT DEVICE FOR DRYING HAIR 2 Sheeis-Sh'eet 2 Filed Feb. 15, 1948 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 7, 1951 DEVICE FOR DRYING HAIR,

George F. J aubert, Paris, France Application February 13, 1948, Serial No. 8,196 In France March 1, 1947 Claims. (01. 3480) My invention relates "in an improved process and to devices and apparatus for a quick and economicaldrying of female hair after washing.

In the practice of hair-dressing, one branch of which comprises hair-dyeing operations, washing has an important role; and the said dyeing and.

washing operations require of necessity subsequent drying.

To this end, various forms of apparatus have been designed, and those are used in hair-dressing salons; they usually comprise a kind of hood or helmet or head set which covers the customers head; on top of this head set there is provided an electric fan or ventilator which draws in the outside air and forces it through the hair to be dried, this air being pre-heated by means of an electric resistor (generally accommodated within the head set) In spite of the use of this contrivance, this procedure unfortunately requires a rather long time for drying the hair thoroughly, especially if the latter is full of curls or ringlets; this time can vary between 30 and 40 minutes.

Gne of the objects of my invention consists in an improvement in the already known methods for drying. the hair, which is characterized by a preliminary dehydration of the air used for drying the hair, this dehydration being achieved, as thoroughly as possible, before the admission of the air into the utilization apparatus, preferably by means of a dehydrant which can be restored, that is to say, regenerated by heating at a relatively low temperature.

Other objects of my invention consists in devices which permit of putting this improvement into practice.

These devices substantially comprise a ventilator which sucks in the outside moist air and forces it through the dehydrant, transferring to the same any moisture it contained. This dry air, as it leaves the dehydrant, is already moderately warm (at about 40 C.) because of the release of heat due to the phenomenon of condensation of the water-vapor that was dissolved in the surrounding air. I have ascertained that this rise in temperature amounts to about2.5 0. per gram of water contained in a cubic meter of dried air.

According to a modification of my invention, the ventilator which forms a part of every modern drier helmet employed in hair-drying is used as a means for propelling the air. In this latter case, the ventilator sucks in the air through a receptacle of any shape, which contains the dehydrant; this receptacle may be an integral part of the helmet, or is connected to the latter by way of a flexible pipe.

Just as it is, this dry, tepid air may be employed for drying hair, but as this air is completely dehydrated, it would bring about through the quick evaporation of the water permeating the hair, a fall intemperature of about 20 C., which could cause the customer to catch a chill (cold in the head, coryza, etc.) so it is preferable to warm up this air to about 50 or 0., its temperature being raised by 10 to 20 through any known means whatever.

As the hair becomes dry, damp air is rejected in the outside atmosphere.

Of dehydrants which can be regenerated at a low temperature, generally in situ, between and C., and which may be especially recommended for the particular application in view of my invention, one, called Carbagel, is well known; others are equally well suited as for instance silica gel, activated alumina, etc. These will have the advantage of being dry substances, in the form of grains having the size of a pea 0r hazel-nut, and offering hereby but a small loss of pressure to the passing of air blown or sucked in by the ventilator.

On the other hand, for their regeneration, when made electrically, they involve an important waste of energy, practically of the order of 2 to 3 kilowatt-hours per kilogram of water to be evaporated.

It is therefore essential to make use of their dehydrating properties only in the strict proportion of the need of the dehydrated air which is required for supplying with dry air the hair drier or hair driers in service as will be hereinafter described.

My invention will be better understood by means of the accompanying drawings and corresponding descriptions, illustrating, by Way of nonlimitative examples, several types of embodiment.

Figure 1 is a sectional drawing of the simplest possible equipment, employing the ventilator'of a hair-drier of the usual type for sucking-in the outside air through the substance of the dehydrant, and ensuring also the subsequent regeneration in-situ of the latter;

Fig. 2 is a sectional drawing of an equipment comprising a ventilator separate from the hairdrier, insufllating the outside air through the dehydrant;

Fig. 3 shows how the latter equipment operates in the regeneration stage of the dehydrant;

Fig. 4 shows a central plant for dehydrating the air, supplying a bank of hair-driers by means of a ventilator;

Fig. 5 shows in profile one of the hair-driers of the said bank; and

Fig. 6 shOWs a modification of the central dehydrating plant which operates by means of compressed air furnished from a distribution pipe- Work.

According to Fig. 1, an apparatus with one single drier helmet is constituted in the following manner. A certain quantity of dehydrating matter C islcontained inatank'B in the formiof a tight box, the bottom of which comprises an aperture A. This box is supported by a stand U. A basket-like container Q bearing on bars J is accommodated in the box B. The side walls of: this container, which are not tight, let the air flow therethrough, whereas its upper and under walls are tight.

In the direction of the axis of the container, there is provided a cylindrical recess R whose walls are apertured in a like manner asare-the side walls of the container. An electric resistor E forheating the air is placed in the. interior of this recess; this heater E is connected to the terminals s and maybe protected by a perforated flue L which is connected to the inlet A- The volume of the tankB. leftoutside' the: container Q is: connected by way of the flexible pipe T with the inlet tube'of theventilator V blowing into the helmet K, the set being. mountedon an adjustable stand F.

During a hair-dressing operation, outside'air sucked in by apertureiA fiows through :thezsubstance C which takes ofi'its moisture; then it passes by way of the-"piping T into ventilator V' which blows it into helmetKthrough'the pa- 7 ti'ents hair.

During a regeneration, resistor E is switched on; ventilator V sucks in the heated air charged with the water-vapor coming out from the ab sorbing substance that was permeated with water in the course of the drying operations, and this air is blown outin the outside atmosphere.

With the modification shown inFigiZ, the ventilator is separate from the hair-drier proper: it is accommodated in the stand of the container containing the dehydrating matter. On the other hand, the heater E- is accommodated in'a receptacle arranged outside the said container at its outlet. In that figure, thesame members are designated by the same reference characters as in Fig: 1, without'being further described. The. intake A of the container B is connected to the outlet of the ventilator V by the intermediary of a four-way cock X. 'Theoutlet' or the container B is connected to the receptacle enclosing the heater E, the other end of this receptacle being connected to the helmet'K by the flexible pipe T through the'cockX. Fig; 2 shows the device in-working condition; the resistor E can then be used to warm up the dried air, as was. already explained.

Fig. 3 shows the device in regenerating condition. Cock X has been turned on, Whi'ch'brings about a reversal of the air circulatiomasindicated by the arrows, with respect to the circulation in Fig. 2.

It will be seen that the outside air sucked in bythe ventilator is at first forced through the heater E powered by line P; this air warms; up and is further forced into container B through the dehydrating matter, taking off" the water that was fixed thereon; finally, the'air'charged with water vapor is blown out in the outside atmosphere through the cock'X' and exhaust W.

In Figs. 2 and 3, there is shown at Ya device for regulating the flow; it is a by-pass. channel situated between the inlet and'ou'tlet' oi" the ven- 4 tilator V, which is controlled by a valve provided with a calibrated spring. When pressure rises at the exhaust, that is to say when the utilization flow is being reduced, the valve Y is increasingly opened, and thus the volume of air admitted into the ventilator is more and more diverted from the exhaust, so as to reduce con- I sumption: in the-same-proportion.

In thecase ofa hair-'dressing'salonof a large scale, where several hair-drying helmets are available, instead of having one air-dehydrating .deviee-oithe kind described for each helmetwhich devices could be set to work according to the needs, i.=e. the presence and number of customers-4t is more convenient and also more economical, if one considers the costs involved by dehydration of damp air, to use but one dehydrating plant, that could be called the central plant; this plant supplies with dry air, by means of an. appropriate piping, the severaliseparate helmets installed: in the. salon.

If the separate. helmets are eachprovidedwith a ventilator, it is only necessary to'connect them to a main piping which: is amply dimensioned and which ends in a big tank of the kind-shown in Fig. 1, containing the dehydrant'; eachfiex'ible pipe connects the main piping toiahair-idrier provided with a valve permanently." closed when the ventilator of the .tha-iredrier not; so as to avoid any' passage of dampail" into the main piping.

On the contrary, if one ventilator only plies the individual hair-driers, noxone ofithem having its ownventilator, it necessary,;ior using the restorable dehydrant' in the mosteconomi'cal way, that this central plant: for drying the air could deliver dry air only in proportion of the number of the helmets actually in service at'a time, even if there-were one of them only, the optimum pressures. appropriate. for? a. particular helmet being ensured inany case, as'can: be readily well conceived.

The device of'Fig. ifulfills these requirements.

The installation, comprising thehel mets- K1, K'a'Kx, etc. tapped on themainpiping D, .is supplied with'air under pressure by meansof-an electric ventilator througha device which will be, inthe general caseconsideredxa device quite similar to; the one of Fig. 2, comprisingthe same members designated by the same reference-characters. The ventilator will be'capable'of delivering a quantity of air large enough for ensuring the service-of the'total ityof thehelmets'Ki, K2,

etc. when they work'all at" the same time. It is necessary to limit the fiow of the venti lator to the normal value correspondin to the number-of helmets 'in serviceso to as toprop- 'erl'y use-the restorable dehydrant.

To this end, there is introduced between the stop valv Z1, Z2, Z3, etc. of-each helmet Kr, K2, K3, etc. and thehelmet itself an optical regulating device comprising a gauged aperture 0 and a sensitive manometer M indicating the pressure existing between the valve and the gauged hole, which pressure is adjusted at its optimum value once for all; this pressure is maintained in the course'of a drying of. hair'hy actuating the valve, whateverbe the number. of helmets'in serviceysoasto ensure the appropriate. flow of dry air inthe helmet used.

Thustheflow 'deliveredlby the ventilator is moderated, with the result. that, although the ventilator runs at, constantspeed, there. passes through the restorable dehydrantbut thenceessary fraction of the volume normally delivered by the ventilator when it blows air with a maximum of power, or, in other words, when it supplies simultaneously with dry air the whole bank of helmets.

It is also possible, while still maintaining the full flow of the ventilator, to make use of the regulating method of auto-pumping, meaning thereby the return to the ventilator intake of the air blow in excess, by means of the by-pass with the calibrated valve Y, the operation of which has already been explained in the foregoing.

According to a modification of my invention, (Fig. 6), instead of a ventilator, I employ compressed air distributed by a system of pipes, as exists in certain large cities equipped with a municipal system of distribution of compressed air.

With a view to reduce the expense of compressed air, the same is only used as motive power supplying an injector system I of a known type, which sucks in an important and gratuitous proportion of outside air. These two fluids, mixed together, then flow through the apparatus containing the dehydrant.

In this modification, adjustment for the number of helmets in service can be made either directly by the valve G regulating the admission of compressed air to the injector, Or automatrcally by making use of the auto-pumping system Y as indicated in Figs. 2 to 4.

In other respects, the apparatus comprises the same members as in the foregoing embodiments, which are referred to by the same characters.

What I claim is:

1. Device for hair drying, comprising: at least one drier helmet having an air supply passage therein; a dehydrating apparatus containing as a dehydrating mass, grains of a material regenerable at a temperature between 100 and 150 C. by circulation of hot air between said grains, said apparatus having two openings; a heating system having two openings, one of which is connected to a corresponding one of the dehydrating apparatus; an apparatus for forcibly blowing air; a four-way cock, one way being connected to the exhaust opening of the airblowing apparatus, another to the air supply passage of the said drier helmet and the two others to passages leading to said heating system and said dehydrating apparatus.

2. Device with several helmets, according to claim 1, in which the intake and exhaust openings of the air blowing apparatus are connected to gether by a by-pass having a valve with a calibrated spring, for automatically controlling the flow of the air blown to the number of helmets in service.

3. A device according to claim 1, in which the air blowing apparatus is a jet injector connected to a supply pipe distributing compressed air.

4. A device with several helmets, according to claim 1, including between the air supply passage and each helmet a visual adjustment system for the optimum flow of air, the said system being constituted by an adjustment valve, a constricted orifice arranged in the supply passage to each helmet, an extension pipe connected with said supply passage between said valve and said orifice, and a manometer connected with said extension pipe.

5. Device for hair drying, comprising: at least one drier helmet having an air supply passage therein, a dehydrating apparatus containing a dehydrating mass, grains of a material regenerable at a temperature between and C. by circulation of hot air between said grains, said apparatus having two openings, a heating system having two openings, one of which is connected to a corresponding one of the dehydrating apparatus, an apparatus for forcibly blowin air, a four-way cock, one way being connected to the exhaust opening of the airblowing apparatus, another to the air supply passage of the said drier helmet and the two others to passages leading to said heating system and said dehydrating apparatus, and means for connecting the openings not interconnected of said dehydratin apparatus and or" said heating system selectively on one hand to the air supply passage of said drier helmet and to the exhaust opening of the air blowing apparatus respectively, and on the other hand to said exhaust opening and to said air supply passage respectively.

GEORGE F. JAUBERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,924,255 Prat Aug. 29, 1933 1,924,849 Fonda Aug. 29, 1933 1,970,766 Pfahl Aug. 21, 1934 2,066,847 .McShea Jan. 5, 1937 2,083,732 Moore et a1 June 15, 1937 2,125,646 Nessell Aug. 2, 1938 2,127,121 Kelley Aug. 16, 1938 2,190,168 Armistead Feb. 13, 1940 2,278,854 Hunsicker Apr. 7, 1942