US3377646A

US3377646A - Cleaning device for hairbrushes, combs and the like

Info

Publication number: US3377646A
Application number: US470798A
Authority: US
Inventors: Werder William Von
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-07-09
Filing date: 1965-07-09
Publication date: 1968-04-16
Anticipated expiration: 1985-04-16

Description

Apnl 16, 1968 w. VON WERDER 3, 7

CL ANING DEVICE FOR HAIRBRUSHES, COMES AND THE LIKE Filed July 9, 1965 ATTORNEY 0 6804 E a 2232 4/ w a f 08 I III I II a 5% I I United States Patent 3,377,646 CLEANING DEVICE FOR HAIRBRUSHES, COMBS AND THE LIKE William Von Werder, Langley Park, Md., assignor to Helen Ozella Von Werder, El Reno, Okla. Filed July 9, 1965, Ser. No. 470,798 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-311) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cylindrical container, having a central upwardly projecting vertical tube, has a motor interposed in the upper portion of the central tube. The motor drives a fan by one end of its shaft and bristles at the other end of the shaft within the upper end portion of the central tube. The fan communicates with a vacuum chamber extending around the tube from the fan to the brush chamber. The fan also provides a current of air downwardly through the central tube which agitates cleaning fluid around articles placed on a rack in the bottom portion of the container.

The present invention relates generally to cleaning and sterilizing devices for hair-brushes, combs and the like which are used in the hairdressing art. This invention incorporates improvements of the cleaning and drying devices disclosed in my prior Patent No. 3,170,181, issued Feb. 23, 1965, for Cleaning and Drying Device.

The object of the present invention is to make an improved hair and dirt removing device for combs and brushes for use either as a separate device, or as an attachment for a cleaning and drying device of the type disclosed in my prior patent mentioned above.

A further object is to make an efifcctive loose hair removing device having a hair loosening rotating bristle means which will not clog up with entangled hair on the bristles, but will collect the loosened hair and dirt in a vacuum bag through a suction nozzle located at the periphery of the rotating bristle means, so as to draw off the hairs centrifugally thrown off from said rotating bristle means after being removed from the brush or other article which is being cleaned.

A further object is to mount this rotating hair loosening and removing bristle means on an extension of the shaft of a suction fan which provides the vacuum at the suction nozzle.

A further object is to provide a separate motor to operate the rotating bristle means.

A further object is to adapt the above hair and dirt loosening and removing device for use as a blower means for supplying air to the cleaning and drying devices of the type disclosed in my prior patent, with or without heater means to serve as a turbulence inducing means during the cleaning and drying operation.

Other and more specific objects will become apparent in the following detailed description of some preferred forms of the present invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. lis an elevational view partly in section, of a preferred form of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof in section taken on the line 22 in FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is an elevational view partly in section of a the motor 28,

3,377,646 Patented Apr. 16, 1968 modifiedform of the invention wherein separate motors are used for rotating the bristle means and for the vacuum and blower fan.

In the hairdressing art, combs, brushes and other hairdressing implements have to be kept clean and the health codes normally require sterilization of these articles before using them on a new customer. This cleaning and sterilization are time consuming and often difficult processes. The present hair removal and cleaning and drying devices make these processes easy and quick.

As in the previous Patent No. 3,170,181, the present devices comprise a container It] for cleaning and drying the articles and brush means on top for loosening the hair and dirt caught in the articles used by the hairdresser. It will be seen, however, that the present devices afford a quicker and better means of cleaning and drying of these articles, since they provide a vacuum to carry away the loosened hair and dirt during the preliminary process of brushing out the loose hairs and dirt from the articles before they are placed into the cleaning and sterilizing container, where they are thoroughly cleaned and quickly dried for use on the next customer.

The container 10 is preferably cylindrical and has a substantially central vertical tube 12 projecting through the top 14 to form a collar 16 with pins 18 for cooperation with the bayonet slots in the base of the sleeve 20 of the upper separable unit 22 of the present device, comprising the heater element 24 mounted across the lower end of the sleeve 20, a blower fan 26, driven by a motor 28 mounted centrally in said sleeve by means of a spider frame support bracket 30. The sleeve 20 is closed at the top by a partition 32 serving as the floor of the bristle brush chamber 34 in which the bristle brush rotates. The shaft 36 of the bristle brush is driven by which also drives the blower fan 26.

A vacuum conduit 38 extends helically around the bristle brush chamber 34 which is in the upper end of sleeve 20, from a substantially rectangular nozzle opening 40, at one side of the open front of the bristle brush chamber, around the back of said chamber down to a wide opening in the front of the sleeve 20 just below the partition 32.

The tube 12 extends downwardly nearly to the bottom of the container 10, and is supported by legs 42 to form a peripheral air nozzle for discharging air from the tube 12 radially outwardly along the bottom of the container 10. This causes a substantially toroidal circulation of the fluid in the container, whether it be some cleaning liquid 44 during the cleaning cycle, or just air during the drying cycle.

The container 10 is further provided with a screen support 46 forming a false bottom on which the articles to be cleaned are placed, during both the cleaning and the drying cycles. A baffle 48 is mounted to rotatably slide around the tube 12 over a spider ring 50 which is rigidly fixed in the container.

A shield 52 extends forwardly from the outer side and the top and bottom of the rectangular suction nozzle opening 40 partially around the open front of the bristle brush chamber 34. A screen door 54 may be hinged at the outer end of the shield 52 for closing over the opening to the bristle brush chamber when the brush is not being used.

The partition 32, forming the floor of the bristle brush chamber, is coextensive with the top of the vacuum conduit 38 in front of the brush chamber and the bottom of 3 he shield 52; and the top of the sleeve 20 is coextensive vith the top of the shield 52.

In the modification shown in FIG. 3, the upper separable mit 22' comprises the same arrangement of parts, except hat the sleeve 29 has an additional motor 58 supported )Il the spider frame support bracket 56, for separately lriving the bristle brush, and the motor 28 driving the Fan 26 for producing suction at the nozzle 40 and for )lowing air into the cleaning and drying container .o produce turbulent circulation with or without heat prolided by the heating element 24 at the bottom of sleeve Thus in this modification, the load of operating the aristle brush is not carried by the blower motor and may 9e separately turned off when the bristle brush is not in ise, without turning off the cleaning and drying turbu- .ence producing operation.

In either modification, the motor 28 and the heavier element 24 are controlled by a three-way switch 66 having an off position, a motor-on position and a position for turninging on the motor and heater element simultaneously.

The heater is never turned on without the fan operating, for obvious safety precautions. An additional switch 62 is provided in the modifications of FIG. 3 for controlling the separate motor 58 for operating the bristle brush.

A vacuum bag d3, of sufficient length and porosity to produce negligible restriction to the flow of air, is held at its open end by a frame around the rim of the nozzle 40, and may be removed occasionally for cleaning, or replacement if it is disposable.

The screen door 54 is not necessary in the modification shown in FIG. 3, because the bristle brush is turned off when not in use. When using the bristle brush, in any case, the screen door is opened, if there is one, the brush is turned on and the article to be cleaned is held against the bristles which are revolving at high speed in the direction of the nozzle 40. The fiat surface at the bottom of the shield 52 provides a guide surface for the articles, against which they may be steadied while presenting different portions of the articles against the periphery of the bristle brush, at various an les to permit the bristles of the brush to loosen the hair and loose dirt from the article and throw them outwardly in the vicinity of the nozzle 40 where they are picked up by the air stream within the shield space entering the nozzle where the suction is greatest.

When the loose hair and dirt have been removed, the article is dropped into the cleaning and drying container through the hinged door 64 in the top 14 of the container. If the container has a cleaning solution 44 in it at the time, and it is necessary to have the baffie 48 in its splash preventing position under the hinged door, which is normally opened when the blower is operating, the articles may be dropped over the back of the bafiie into the solution, without turning the blower off. The articles are held on the screen 46 off the bottom of the container, so that the air stream discharged radially at the bottom of the tube 12 will have no obstructions in inducing a flow of the cleaning or drying fluid in the container in a toroidal fashion as shown by the arrows in FIG. 1.

When the articles in the cleaning solution have been sufficiently cleaned, the solution is drawn off through the drain cock 66 and the blower is continued in operation, with the heater on if desired, for the drying operation. After the drying operation, the battle 48 is moved out of the way and the articles may be readily reached for removal before the next cleaning operation is initiated by filling the container with a suitable cleaning solution.

Sterilization may be carried out by a disinfectant in the cleaning solution or in a following rinse, or the heater element may be turned on long enough to sufliciently raise the temperature of the cleaning solution or rinse during the cleaning operation, or of the air during the drying operation.

The upper separable unit may be used independently of the container, by mount g it n a corresp g yonet collar base on a bench, for use of the bristle brush alone.

Many obvious modifications in the form and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cleaning and drying device for hairdressing articles such as hairbrushes, combs and the like, comprising a container having an air tube extending centrally through the top thereof and downwardly to a level close to the bottom of the container, for conducting air supplied at the top of the tube to the bottom of the container to spread radially therein and cause a turbulence in the fluid in the container around articles placed therein for cleaning and drying, said container having a screen thereacross spaced from the bottom to hold the articles at a level above the bottom and provide an unrestricted passage for the air from said tube to spread toward the periphery of said container to provide better turbulence throughout said container in a toroidal manner, a drain cock in the bottom of said container, a hinged door in the top of said container, a movable baffle in said container below said hinged door over the level of any liquids therein, for intercepting splashes of said liquids out of the container when the hinged door is open, said battle being movable out of the way when direct access to the bottom of the container is desired through said hinged door, as for removal of the articles therein, a preliminary cleaning attachment having a sleeve, the lower end of which is adapted for connection to said blower attaching means, said preliminary cleaning attachment comprising a rotating bristle brush in the upper part of said sleeve, having a peripheral portion, exposed through an opening in said sleeve for brushing out loose hairs and dirt from articles held against said rotating bristles, a motor mounted in said sleeve for driving said bristle brush above it and having its shaft extetnding below it, a fan driven by the lower extension of said shaft to provide a flow of air downwardly and cause a suction in said sleeve above it, a heater element in said sleeve below said fan, a partition in said sleeve between said motor and said brush, and a suction conduit from said sleeve below said partition to a nozzle opening positioned adjacent the edge of said sleeve opening at the side toward which the bristle brush is rotating for picking up the loose hair and dirt brushed out of said articles and thrown out from said bristles by centrifugal force.

2. A preliminary cleaning attachment for removing loose hair and dirt from hairdressing implements such as hairbrushes, combs and the like, comprising an upright sleeve having a motor axially mounted therein in spaced relation to the sleeve and a drive shaft extending upwardly,

a bristle brush mounted on said drive shaft and having a peripheral portion exposed through an opening in the sleeve,

a second motor similarly mounted in said sleeve below the first motor and having a drive shaft extending downwardly,

a fan mounted on said downwardly extending shaft, for blowing air downwardly and causing a suction in the sleeve above it,

a partition in said sleeve between said first motor and said bristle brush,

a suction nozzle adjacent the edge of said sleeve opening in the direction of the bristle brush rotation,

a conduit extending around said sleeve from said suction nozzle to the suction portion of said sleeve, and

a vacuum bag mounted in said conduit having its inlet end mounted over the rim of said nozzle to collect the loose hairs and dirt thrown off by the bristle brush, when a hairdressing implement is being cleaned by holding its dirty portions against the exposed bristle brush.

5 3. A preliminary cleaning attachment as claimed in claim 2, and

separate switches for turning on said motors, so that the attachment may be used as a blower without operating the bristle brush. 4. A preliminary cleaning attachment as claimed in claim 3,

a heater element mounted in the lower end of said sleeve, for supplying hot air when desired, said switch for controlling said second motor being a three-way switch having an off position, a motoron position, and a motor and heater-on position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 553,677 1/1896 Hoyt ....134183X 6 1,542,018 6/1925 Tunstall 68---18 1,898,676 2/1933 Magnus 68--18 2,753,434 7/1956 Storm 15-344 I 3,170,181 2/1965 Von Werder 15- FOREIGN PATENTS 1,029,759 3/1953 France. 1,390,897 1/1965 France.

841,824 6/ 1952 Germany.

ROBERT W. MI'CHELL, Primary Examiner.