US3727321A

US3727321A - Portable hair dryer

Info

Publication number: US3727321A
Application number: US00127666A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Waters; R Liedtke
Original assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Current assignee: Sunbeam Corp
Priority date: 1971-03-24
Filing date: 1971-03-24
Publication date: 1973-04-17
Anticipated expiration: 1990-04-17
Also published as: GB1376675A; GB1376674A; FR2131559A5; CA958209A; AU3912072A; AU456326B2; DE2205009A1; IT954396B; DE7203972U

Abstract

An appliance for drying hair including a flexible hat or bonnet which provides a manifold for circulating air which is heated and propelled by means of a motor driven fan supported in the center of the crown portion of the hat. The motor driven blower being mounted with a portion thereof positioned within the hat and a portion extending outwardly therefrom. The blower unit being secured to the flexible hat by means of a semiflexible frame, heat sealed to the cap and adapted to be snapped into engagement with the peripheral portions of the motor driven blower housing.

Description

United States Patent [191 Waters et al.

[451 Apr. 17, 1973 PORTABLE HAIR DRYER [73] Assignee: Sunbeam Corporation, Chicago, 111. [22] Filed: Mar. 24, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 127,666

52 us. Ci. ..34/99, 34/90, 34/91 Primary Examiner-Kenneth W. Sprague Asxistant Examiner-James C. Yelung Attorney-George R. Clark [57] ABSTRACT An appliance for drying hair including a flexible hat or bonnet which provides a manifold for circulating air which is heated and propelled by means of a motor driven fan supported in the center of the crown portion of the hat. The motor driven blower being mounted with a portion thereof positioned within the hat and a portion extending outwardly therefrom. The blower unit being secured to the flexible hat by means of a semiflexible frame, heat sealed to the cap and adapted to be snapped into engagement with the peripheral portions of the motor driven blower housmg.

18 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures FATENIEUAPRmm SHEETEUFS mmm PATENTED APR 1 HUS SHEET 3 OF 5 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention is concerned with a portable hair drying appliance of the type having a motor driven blower to circulate heated air through the hair of the user to dry the same. At the present time, there are several broad types of portable home hair dryers on the market, one of these types being characterized by having a hat or bonnet made of an air impervious material and formed to provide a manifold through which heated air iscirculated to various portions of the head. At the outset, these socalled soft hat hair dryers included a motor driven blower which was connected to the soft hat or bonnet by means of a flexible conduit through which the heated air was circulated from the blower to the manifold within the hat.

In order to simplify the design and eliminate need for the rather bulky flexible air conduit from the motor driven blower to the bonnet, there have been hair dryers manufactured and sold in which the motor driven blower unit is attached directly to the hair dryer bonnet. An example of one such hair dryer is shown in Taylor US. Pat. No. 3,383,700.

One of the problems associated with hair dryers of the type shown in the Taylor patent is the fact that there is no convenient place to support the motor driven blower when it is attached directly to the hat. In some instances, such as in the Taylor patent, the motor driven blower is made as small as possible to minimize the problem created by the motor driven blower hanging from the hat and tending to disturb the carefully styled hair which is being dried. Nevertheless, the weight of the motor driven blower hanging at the back of the cap is annoying and tends to displace the hat and to disturb the set of the hair.

Another approach to the problem of supporting the motor driven blower on the hat is disclosed in Parker US. Pat. No. 3,032,891 in which a separate supporting frame is provided within the flexible hat to support the blower spaced above the head and hair of the user. Such an approach is less than satisfactory since it complicates the structure of the hair dryer considerably and complicates the problem of applying the hat to the hair after it has been set. Both the Taylor and Parker patents also have other disadvantages flowing from the lack of proper means to circulate the air to the various portions of the hair being dried.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The hair dryer of the instant invention provides an improved means of supporting a motor driven blower on a flexible hair drying bonnet in such a way that it is virtually weightless as far as the user is concerned and so that is arranged in a manner to provide optimum circulation of air to the various portions of the hair being dried. The housing for the motor driven blower is made somewhat pancake in shape with the housing being connected to the flexible hat around its periphery in such a manner that approximately half of the housing protrudes outwardly from the hat while the other half is positioned within the hat. The hat itself is of such dimensions that when the manifold contained therein inflates, the outer layer of the hat expands outwardly from thehead of the user and thereby tends to support the motor driven blower and its housing in spaced relation to the head and hair of the user. Accordingly, the

motor driven blower is supported, at least in part, by'

the cushion of air pumped into the manifold of the bonnet by the motor driven blower.

The housing of the motor driven blower is formed with a slight peripheral flange which snaps into engagement with a semiflexible frame heat sealed to the flexible bonnet. This construction permits the motor driven blower and its housing to be readily disengaged from the bonnet so that the bonnet may be washed or replaced. The housing for the motor driven blower comprises two cup-shaped members which are assembled to provide air circulation in one direction through the motor and then in a reverse direction to the peripheral opening which lies between the adjacent edges of the two housing halves. This arrangement provides optimum distribution of the air to all points of the bonnet by virtue of the location of the motor driven blower in the middle of the crown portion of the hat.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved portable hair dryer of the type having a motor driven blower mounted directly on a flexible hat or bonnet.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved soft hat hair dryer having a motor driven blower unit which is detachably mounted directly on the soft hat.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved portable hair dryer of the type in which the motor driven blower unit is connected directly to the flexible hat and wherein the weight of the motor driven blower unit is supported by a cushion of air formed within the hat manifold.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable hair dryer having a motor driven blower unit mounted in the crown portion of a flexible hat including an air distribution manifold and wherein the blower unit discharges the air around the periphery of a flat pancake housing.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved motor driven blower unit for a hair dryer wherein the housing therefor is formed by two cup-shaped housings which mount a heater supporting insulating plate therebetween and which are spaced apart so that the heated air is discharged around the en-' tire periphery of the housing.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with more par ticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer embodying our invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1 but showing the motor driven blower and housing in full lines as well as the head of the user; i

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 44 of FIG. 3 showing the motor driven blower and its housing in full lines;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the hair dryer showing the motor driven blower and the adjacent portions of the hair dryer hat with portions of the motor driven blower housing cut away to expose the internal portions thereof;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG. 5 assuming FIG. 5 shows the complete structure of the motor driven blower unit;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 7 7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a layout drawing showing the shape of the hat material prior to its being heat sealed but after having been blanked;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of an inflated portion of the hat manifold;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 10-l0 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the flexible hat with the motor driven blower unit detached therefrom; and

FIG. 12 is a schematic circuit diagram of the electrical circuit for the hair dryer embodying our invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a portable home hair dryer which is designated generally by reference numeral 20. The hair dryer includes a flexible hat or bonnet 21 which is made up of an outer impervious layer 22 and an inner perforate layer 23. The outer and

inner layers

22 and 23 are formed of a suitable vinyl plastic which will be impervious to the air enclosed between the two layers and which may be easily washed. The outer and

inner layers

22 and 23 are of identical shape and are blanked in a somewhat starshaped form shown in FIG. 8 providing a plurality of outwardly extending

projections

25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30. The adjacent edges of the

layers

22 and 23 are heat sealed to provide continuous seam forming a manifold therebetween having manifold projections which extend outwardly from the central or crown portion of the hat 21.

As may also be seen in FIG. 8, the inner layer 23 is provided with a plurality of perforations 32 which are dispersed more or less evenly over the entire portion of the hat 21. To prevent ripping or tearing of the heat sealed plastic in the area between the

projections

25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30, reinforced sealing areas 33 are provided in a somewhat circular form as is evident from FIG. 8. In order to form the

layers

22 and 23 into the cup-shaped form which will receive the head of the user, the adjacent heat sealed edges of the

projections

25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 are themselves heat sealed together in overlapped relation as at 35 to form the hat 21, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 11. FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate the manner in which the mouth of the formed hat 21 is reinforced by the application ofa folded over strip 34 which is stitched to the heat sealed edge of the hat to prevent tearing of the vinyl material.

The outer layer 22 of the hat 21 is formed with a generally hexagonal opening 37 positioned centrally between the projections 25 through 30. Secured to the outer layer 22 along the edges defining opening 37 is a light, flexible vinyl frame 38 which is formed with a central opening 39. The purpose of the vinyl frame 38 is to detachably mount a motor driven blower unit 40 in sealed position in the opening 37 in the outer layer22 of the bonnet 21. The blower 40 is provided with a housing 41 which consists of an outer or cover portion 42 and an inner housing portion 43. The cover portion 42 of the housing is generally conical in shape having sloping side walls 44 which terminate inwardly at a central opening 45 which serves as the air inlet opening for the motor driven blower 40.

Extending downwardly from the opening 45 is a fan shroud 46 which is generally cylindrical in configuration and closely encloses a fan 50. In order to prevent engagement of the fan 50 by the hands or fingers of the user, a protective grill 51 is formed in the opening 45 by a plurality of radially extending fins 52 which extend from a hub 53 outwardly into engagement with the walls of cover portion 42 defining the central opening 45.

The outermost edge of the cover portion 42 of the housing is formed with a cylindrical flange 54 which is adapted to be received snugly within the opening 39 formed in the mounting frame 38. For the purpose of detachably retaining the motor driven blower 40 with respect to the vinyl frame 38, the housing 41 has formed on the walls 44 adjacent to the flange 54 a plurality of peripherally spaced latching projections 55 which extend into holes 56 formed in the vinyl frame 38, as is best shown in FIG. 6. When all of the six latching projections 55 are snapped into engagement in the holes 56, as shown in FIG. 6, the motor driven blower 40 is securely attached to the frame 38 and the adjacent portions of the hat 21. The flexibility of the frame 38 permits the motor driven blower 40 to be quickly and easily removed from the hat 21 without the aid of any tools when the user finds it necessary to wash the hat 21. In the assembled position on the hat 21, the cover portion 42 of the motor driven blower 40 is sealed to the frame 38 by virtue of the flange 54 which extends through the opening 39 in the frame 38 and by the fact that the outer terminus of the walls 44 is formed by a projecting wall or shoulder 57. The wall 57 forms a hexagonal frame and extends into engagement with an upstanding bead 58 formed on the frame 38, as is best shown in FIG. 11.

The inner housing portion 43 is of generally cupshaped configuration having a bottom wall 60 and upwardly extending side walls 61 which terminate at an upper circular lip 62. The bottom wall 60 is formed with three equally spaced upwardly extending projections 63 (one of which is shown in FIG. 6) which extend into engagement with corresponding depending projections 64 formed on the cover portion 42 of the housing 41. Assemblyscrews 65 extend through the projections 63 into threaded engagement with the pro-- jections 64 to retain the

housing portions

42 and 43 assembled, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6. In this assembled position, the lip 62 on the inner housing portion 43 is spaced inwardly from the flange 54 providing a continuous annular space or opening 66 through which air may be delivered from within the housing 41 to the manifold formed by the hat 21.

Mounted within the housing 41 below fan 50 is a motor 67 which is supported on the bottom wall 60 of the inner housing portion 43. The bottom wall 60 is formed with integral projections and recesses which receive and locate the various portions of the motor 67 as will be explained in greater detail below. The motor 67 includes a rotary armature 68 including an armature shaft 69 which extends upwardly into driving and supporting engagement with the fan 50. Surrounding the armature 68 is a cylindrical permanent magnet field 70 which is supported by an inverted cup-shaped frame member 71. The frame member 71 has an upper wall 72 into whichfis press fitted a bronze bearing 73 which journals the upper end of the armature shaft.

The lower end of the frame 71 is formed with a peripheral flange 74 which is supported on upwardly extending curved posts 75 which are stepped at their upper ends to extend partially with the cylindrical end of frame 71 as well as to support the flange 74. In order to secure the frame 71 to the inner housing portion 43, there are provided two diametrically positioned, upwardly extending bosses 76 which receive assembly screws 77, the head of which overlie the flange 74, as best shown in FIG. 5 and 6. The lower end of the armature shaft 69 is journalled by a spherical bearing 78 which is received in a pocket 79 formed in the bottom wall 60. The bearing 78 is retained in position by a U- shaped bearing retainer 80. The central portion of the U-shaped retainer 80 engages the bearing 78, as shown in FIG. 6, and the upwardly extending legs thereof engage the flange 74 of the frame 71 thereby urging the retainer 80 into seated engagement against bearing 78.

The motor 67 includes a commutator 82 which is positioned immediately above the lower armature bearing 78, as best shown in' FIG. 2. Mounted on the bottom wall 60 and positioned to engage the commutator 82 are a pair of radially extending carbon brushes 83 which are slidably supported in upwardly facing channels 84 formed in the bottom wall 60 of the inner housing portion 43.The brushes 83 are provided with suitable biasing springs 85 and pigtail connectors 86. In order to retain the brushes 83 and their biasing springs 85 in seated position within the channels 84, there are provided coverplates 87 which are retained in position by screws 88 and extend inwardly overlying and closing the channels 84. By forming the channels 84 integrally with the inner housing portion 43, there is provided a simple and effectivemeans for supporting the brushes 83 in an easily accessible position within the housing 41. In summary, it should be noted that the motor 67 and its various components are supported by the integrally formed portions of the bottom wall 60 of the inner housing portion 43.

The motor 67 serves to rotate the fan 50 at a relatively high velocity so that the angled blades of the fan 50 draw air inwardly through the opening 45 in the cover portion 42 of the housing 41. The scroll 46 tends to direct and restrict the movement of the air drawn in. After passing the inner edge of the cylindrical scroll 46, the air divides with some of it passing radially outwardly toward the annular discharge opening as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2. Some of the air, however, is urged downwardly thereby passing across the motor 67. Supported within the air stream is a heater assembly 90 which consists of a mica card 91 having a generally hexagonal outer. configuration and being provided with a central opening 92. The card 91 is formed with three mounting openings 93 through which the upper ends of the projections 63 extend, as is best shown in FIG. 6. The three projections 63 are formed with ends of reduced diameter, as indicated at 94, thereby provided a shoulder which limits axial movement of the card 91 with respect to the motor 67. i

The heater assembly includes a low wattage heating element 95 and a high wattage heating element 96, both of which consists of helical coils of resistance wire which extend around the periphery of the card 91 and are interlaced with the card extending through slots 98 in the card thereby presenting adjacent sections of the elements positioned above and below the card 91 as shown in FIG. 5. The slots 98 are formed with ovalshaped inner ends 98a through which the element 95 extends and intermediate enlargements 98b through which the larger, higher wattage element 96 extends. To minimize the possibilities of short circuiting the two heating elements, the adjacent portions of the low and high wattage elements are positioned on opposite sides of the card 91, as is evident from FIG. 5. Also mounted on the card 91 and included with the heater assembly 90 is a safety thermostat 97 and a rectifier 99 which are shown in FIG. 5 and schematically in FIG. 12.

Also mounted on the projections 63 and adjacent to the heater assembly 90 is a cylindrical baffle 100 which surrounds and is spaced outwardly from the motor 67, as is best shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6. The cylindrical baffle 100 has three integrally formed apertured ears 101 which extend outwardly from the upper edge thereof, as shown in FIG. 6, to be received on the reduced diameter portions 94 of the projections 63. The purpose of the cylindrical baffle 100 is to direct air which flows axially with respect to the motor 67 downwardly toward the bottom wall 60 so as to obtain satisfactory cooling of the motor by the air which has passed directly through the opening 92 in the heater assembly 90 and has been unaffected by the

heating elements

95 and 96. After passing across the motor 67, the air reverses direction upon passing around the lower end of baffle 100 and flows upwardly across the heating assembly 90 and thence to the annular discharge opening 66 where it exits from the housing 41 and enters the manifold between the outer layer 22 and inner layer 23 of the hat 21. This arrangement of the heater assembly 90, the motor 67, and the baffles within the housing 41 provides an extremely flat and compact arrangement which circulates and heats a large volume of air and discharges the air outwardly of the motor driven blower 40 so as to facilitate circulating the air to the various portions of the hat 21.

In order to provide power for the motor 67 and the heating assembly 90, there is provided a power cord 105 which includes a plug 106 suitable for connection to a conventional utility line outlet. Also included with the power cord 105 in a position where it is reasonably accessible to the operator is a three position switch 107 which is shown schematically in F I6. 12. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the switch 107 is positioned reasonably close to the hair dryer 20 so that it may be draped over the shoulder of the user in a position where it may be conveniently operated. It should be understood that the portion of the cord 105 extending from the switch 107 to the plug 106 will normally be of substantial length thus permitting the user to take full advantage of the portability of the hair dryer 20. Because of the light weight and the lack of any dangling hose connections between the hat and the motor driven blower, the hair dryer of the instant invention permits the user to conveniently perform many household tasks, such as ironing, cleaning, dishwashing, and the like even while the hair is being dried.

The inner end of the power cord 105 extends from the switch 107 into the housing 41 through a strain relief 108, as best shown in FIG. 7. A suitable opening 109 is formed in the cover portion 42 of the housing while a somewhat L-shaped clamping member 110 is secured to the housing 41 in a position overlying the cord 105 in the area of the opening 109, as shown in FIG. 7. The outer end of the clamping member 110 is formed with spaced, parallel legs 111 which straddle the cord 105 and extend through opening 112 into engagement with the inside of the cover portion of the housing portion 42. The inner or upper end of the clamping member 1 10 is secured in place by a retaining screw 113 which is in threaded engagement with a hole in the cover portion 42. The clamping member 110 is formed with a pair of spaced walls 1 14 which cooperate with an intermediate wall 1 15 formed on the cover portion 42 to provide a tortuous passageway which grips the cord 106 and provides a suitable strain relief. The three conductors of the cord 105 extending through the opening 109 extend into connection with the heating assembly 90, the thermostat 97, and the rectifier 98, as shown schematically in FIG. 12.

When the motor driven blower 40 is energized causing air to be circulated into the manifold of the hat 21,

'the portions thereof inflate, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and

4 of the drawings. The hat 21 has the motor driven blower 40 mounted in the crown portion with the six

manifold projections

25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30 radiating outwardly therefrom. The fact that the air discharge or outlet 66 of the blower 40 extends completely around the housing 41 results in direct delivery of the heated air into each of the projections 25 through 30 with a minimum loss in efficiency. As the manifold projections are inflated, they tend to expand inwardly against the head of the user, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The sectional view of FIG. 4 is taken through the front and rear

inflated manifold projections

28 and 25, respectively. Similarly, the sectional view of FIG. 3 is taken forward of the crown portion through the

manifold projections

27 and 29 with the more rearwardly located

manifold projections

26 and 30 visible in full lines. FIG. 3 and 4 serve to demonstrate the manner in which the manifold projections 25 through 30 inflate causing the inner layer 23 of the manifold to snugly enclose the styled hair of the user. Thus, as the heated air is discharged through the perforations 32, the air passes directly through the hair and is most efficient in performing the drying function.

It should also be noted from FIGS. 3 and 4 that the outer layer 22 of the hat 21 billows outwardly raising up the frame 38 which supports the motor driven blower 40. As a consequence, the blower 40 tends to be supported on the cushion of air which inflates the entire manifold area within the hat 21. Accordingly, the

blower 40 is almost weightless as positioned on the top i of the head and has little or no tendency to disturb the set of styling of the hair.

The hat 21 is made sufficiently large so that it will accommodate any of the bouffant hair styles which require setting with enlarged, bulky rollers. Because of the inflatability of the manifold projections 25 through 30, the hat 21 is adapted to accommodate itself to and function properly with less bulky hair styles, such as the one shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In the case of some children or people with small heads, however, it may be desired to lessen the size of the bonnet slightly. This may be accomplished easily by use of a pair of interengaging snaps 117 and 118 which are secured to the outer layer 22 of the hat 21, as is best shown in the sectional view of FIG. 10. Securing the

snaps

117 and 118 together reduces the circumferance at the mouth of the hat by approximately 5 inches. This provides additional versatility and permits the hat 21 to function properly on a wide range of head sizes and types of hair styles.

As may be readily appreciated, the position of the blower 40 with respect to the head and hair style will vary considerably depending on the size of the head and type of hair styling. If the interior of the hat is well filled by hair which has been styled using large, bulky rollers, there will be less space or opportunity for the manifold projections 25 through 30 to inflate in the manner shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Accordingly, there is provided on the bottom wall 60 of the inner housing portion 43 a cushion or pad 120 which will serve to cushion or support the blower 40 with respect to the head of the user. In situations when the manifold projections 25 through 30 are well inflated, there will be little or none of the weight of the blower 40 resting on the pad 120 and the head. In other instances, however, the large size of the head with its styled hair may decrease the inflation of the hat and result in the blower 40 being largely supported by the pad 120.

In considering the flow of air from the blower 40, it is evident that the air passes from the outlet 66 in the housing 41 almost directly into the manifold projections 25 through 30. There is, however, a certain portion of the inner layer 23 which lies directly below the housing 41 and it might be thought that there would be a tendency for the pad 120 to obstruct passage of the air through the holes 32 located immediately below the blower 40. In actuality, however, there is a limited amount of heat which is directed downwardly from the housing 41 thus improving the drying conditions immediately below the blower 40. As a consequence, the hair immediately below the blower 40 dries at approximately the same rate as the hair elsewhere on the head in spite of the limited obstruction to air flow which occurs in that area.

There are many advantages accruing from the construction and arrangement of the motor driven blower unit 40 and the hat 21 described above. The entire assembly is obviously very compact and easy to store as a consequence of the compact shape of the unit 40 and the central location of the unit in the crown portion of the hat. In addition, the discharge of the air from the unit 40 through an annular opening with which the open ends of the manifold projections communicate directly provides maximum efficiency for circulating heated air from the blower unit 40 to the various part of the head. By minimizing the distance the air must travel from the blower unit to the discharge openings 32 in the inner layer, the efficiency of the air delivery system is increased requiring less power and a smaller motor to circulate the heated air. 7

By contouring the cover portion 42 of the housing 41 to the general shape of the hat 21, a pleasing appearance is achieved while obtaining the above mentioned advantages .as to efficiency. The inner housing portion 43 of the housing 41 is essentially hidden or obscured when the appliance 20 is in use since it is effectively recessed within the inflated manifold formed by the two layers of the hat 21. This positioning of the housing 41 offers the further advantage of reducing or eliminating the weight of unit 40 carried by the head as a result of the supporting frame 38 on the outer layer 22 of the hat being elevated by the inflated manifold so that the unit 40 is supported by the cushion of air in the manifold.

While there have been illustrated and described particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intended in theappended claims to cover all those changes and modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A portable hair drying appliance comprising a hair enclosing hat having manifolds formed by flexible material to circulate heated air to all portions of the hair, an opening formed in the central crown portion of the hat to detachably mount a motor driven blower unit, said unit having a motor driving a fan and a flat generally circular housing with mounting means to secure said housing to said hat surrounding said opening, said housing having a cover portion extending outwardly of said mounting means and an inner portion within said hat when said unit is secured to said hat whereby portions of said motor and fan are positioned within said hat and portions of said motor and fan are outside of said hat, said hat material extending between said inner portion of said housing and the head and hair of the user, an air inlet opening in said cover portion, said housing having an annular air discharge within said hat to deliver heated air into said manifolds, said unit being supported in part by the air which inflates said manifolds, the inflation of said manifolds causing said hat to snugly enclose the head and hair of the user and positioning said motor driven blower unit with respect to said head. i

2. The hair drying appliance of claim 1 wherein said hat includes a plurality of outwardly extending manifold projections opening adjacent to said annular air discharge, said projections terminating at the mouth opening of said hath 3. The hair drying appliance of claim 1 wherein said hat is formedby an outer layer of flexible material and an inner layer of flexible material, said layers being joined together along'seams which define said manifold projections, the inner and outer layers of material at the outer ends of said projections being joined together along a seam which extends around the mouth opening in said hat, said inner layer having a plurality of air discharge openings through which heated air is discharged into the hair of the user.

4. The hair drying appliance of claim 2 wherein said hat is formed by outer and inner layers of flexible material joined together along a plurality of seams to form said manifold projections, the volume between said layers inflating with air discharged from said hous ing, said inner layer gripping the head to retain said appliance on the head of the user and said outer layer. inflating outwardly to provide support for said unit.

5. The hair drying appliance of claim 1 wherein said hat is formed with inner and outer layers of flexible material which define said manifolds, said cover portion being a flat conical shape and secured at its edges to said outer layer, said inner portion of said unit being between said inner and outer layers of material, and a resilient pad secured to the bottom of said inner portion of said unit to provide a cushion between said unit and the inner layer of material.

6. A hair drying appliance as claimed in claim 1 wherein said motor driven blower is mounted centrally within said circular housing, an annular heater within said housing encircling said motor driven blower, said annular heater being positioned adjacent to and co-extensive with said annular discharge means. i 7. A hair drying appliance as claimed in claim 1 including a heater assembly disposed within said housing between said motor driven blower and said annular discharge means, said assembly comprising a mica card on which is mounted an elongated coil of resistance wire.

8. A hair drying appliance as claimed in claim 7 wherein said assembly includes two elongated coils of resistance wire mounted on said mica card, a power cord for connecting said motor driven blower and said heater assembly to a source of electrical power, switch means between said power cord and said motor driven blower and said heater assembly for selectively connecting to said cord said blower and one of said coils for low heat operation or connecting to said cord the other of said coils in parallel with said blower and said one of said coils for high heat operation.

9. A portable hair dryer comprising an enlarged hat of flexible material having an outer layer and an inner perforated layer secured together to form an air delivery manifold, said hat having seams at which the inner and outer layers are secured together, said seams radiating from the crown portion of the hat to form manifold projections which are inflatable to cause the inner layer to snugly enclose the hair of the user, an enlarged opening in the outer layer in the crown portion of the hat positioned inwardly of the ends of said seams, a motor driven blower having a housing mounted in said opening with said housing sealed to the portion of said outer layer defining said opening, an air inlet to said blower located in said housingoutside of said hat and an air outlet insaid housing located within said hat between said outer and inner layers, said motor driven blower having heating means for heating air drawn in through said inlet and discharged through said outlet into said manifold projections to dry the hair of the user, said air delivery manifold including said projections inflating to position and support said motor driven blower on the top of the head of the user.

10. Theportable hair dryer of claim 9 wherein the air outlet in said blower housing is an annular opening which extends around the periphery of said housing, air discharged from said air outlet being delivered simul taneously to all of said manifold projections which are open adjacent to said annular opening and closed at their ends remote from said crown portion of said hat.

11. A portable hair dryer comprising an enlarged hat of flexible material having an outer layer and an inner perforated layer secured together to form an air delivery manifold, said hat having seams at which the inner and outer layers are secured together, said seams radiating from the crown portion of the hat to form manifold projections which are inflatable to cause the inner layer to snugly enclose the hair of the user, an enlarged opening in the outer layer in the crown portion of the hat positioned inwardly of the ends of said seams, a motor driven blower having a housing mounted in said opening with said housing sealed to the portion of said outer layer defining said opening, an air inlet to said blower located in said housing outside of said hat and an air outlet in said housing located within said hat between said outer and inner layers, said motor driven blower having heating means for heating air drawn in through said inlet and discharged through said outlet into said manifold projections to dry the hair of the user, said housing is mounted to said outer layer of said hat by a supporting frame which is sealed at its periphery to the portion of said outer layer defining said opening, the outer periphery of said housing abutting said frame to prevent leakage of air between said housing and said hat, latching means for detachably securing said housing to said frame.

12. The portable hair dryer of claim 11 wherein said housing comprises a flat pancake-shaped enclosure a portion of which extends outwardly from said hat and supporting frame and a portion of which extends inwardly between said inner and outer layers of said hat, said outer layer of said hat permitting said hat to be inflated by the air delivered from said motor driven blower whereby said motor driven blower is supported at least in part by the cushion of air within said manifold.

13. The portable hair dryer of claim 12 wherein said outwardly extending portion of said blower housing is of generally conical shape with said air inlet opening being centrally positioned therein, an axial flow fan positioned within said outwardly extending portion, said inwardly extending portion of said housing being generally cup-shaped and having a motor supported on the bottom wall thereof with its shaft extending upwardly into driving engagement with said fan, a generally circular air heater disposed between said outwardly and inwardly extending housing portions and located generally outwardly of said motor, said fan drawing air inwardly into the bottom of said cupshaped housing wherein said airreverses direction and passes upwardly across said heater and outwardly through said discharge opening which is located immediately adjacent to said supporting frame.

being separable from said housing bg flexure of said frame to remove said motor driven lower from said flexible hat.

15. A portable hair dryer comprising a head enclosing hood, a motor driven blower unit mounted in the top central portion of said hood, said hood having inner and outer walls forming a manifold for conducting air therebetween to distribute air to the interior of said hood, said unit having an outer housing portion which is shaped to the contour of said hood when in use and which is detachably connected to said outer wall, said unit having an inner housing portion positioned between said inner and outer walls and forming with said outer housing portion an enclosure within which a motor driven fan is mounted, said outer housing portion being formed with a peripherally extending shoulder which engages and seals against a corresponding shoulder carried by said outer wall, said unit being readily detachable from said hood by manually actuable retaining means operating between said unit and said hood, a power cord for said motor connected to said unit through said outer housing portion separate from said hood, and air inlet means in said outer housing portion outside of said hood and air discharge means in said inner housing portion between said inner and outer walls.

16. The portable hair dryer of claim 15 wherein said inner and outer housing portion comprise facing cupshaped members which are connected together with their edges spaced to form an annular discharge opening positioned between said inner and outer walls, and delivery manifolds opening adjacent to said discharge opening and extending radially outwardly from said unit to deliver air to all portions of said hood.

17. The portable hair dryer of claim 15 wherein said power cord extends through a cord opening in said outer housing portion into electrical connection with an air heater and said motor within said enclosure, a strain relief for said cord including an L-shaped clamping member overlying said cord opening and clamping a portion of said cord against the outer wall of said outer housing portion.

18. The portable hair dryer of claim 15 wherein said retaining means include projections and cooperating means on the shoulders formed on the outer housing portion and said hood, said shoulders formed on said hood being flexible to disengage said projections and cooperating means to detach said unit from said hood.

Claims

1. A portable hair drying appliance comprising a hair enclosing hat having manifolds formed by flexible material to circulate heated air to all portions of the hair, an opening formed in the central crown portion of the hat to detachably mount a motor driven blower unit, said unit having a motor driving a fan and a flat generally circular housing with mounting means to secure said housing to said hat surrounding said opening, said housing having a cover portion extending outwardly of said mounting means and an inner portion within said hat when said unit is secured to said hat whereby portions of said motor and fan are positioned within said hat and portions of said motor and fan are outside of said hat, said hat material extending between said inner portion of said housing and the head and hair of the user, an air inlet opening in said cover portion, said housing having an annular air discharge within said hat to deliver heated air into said manifolds, said unit being supported in part by the air which inflates said manifolds, the inflation of said manifolds causing said hat to snugly enclose the head and hair of the user and positioning said motor driven blower unit with respect to said head.

2. The hair drying appliance of claim 1 wherein said hat includes a plurality of outwardly extending manifold projections opening adjacent to said annular air discharge, said projections terminating at the mouth opening of said hat.

3. The hair drying appliance of claim 1 wherein said hat is formed by an outer layer of flexible material and an inner layer of flexible material, said layers being joined together along seams which define said manifold projections, the inner and outer layers of material at the outer ends of said projections being joined together along a seam which extends around the mouth opening in said hat, said inner layer having a plurality of air discharge openings through which heated air is discharged into the hair of the user.

4. The hair drying appliance of claim 2 wherein said hat is formed by outer and inner layers of flexible material joined together along a plurality of seams to form said manifold projections, the volume between said layers inflating with air discharged from said housing, said inner layer gripping the head to retain said appliance on the head of the user and said outer layer inflating outwardly to provide support for said unit.

6. A hair drying appliance as claimed in claim 1 wherein said motor driven blower is mounted centrally within said circular housing, an annular heater within said housing encircling said motor driven blower, said annular heater being positioned adjacent to and co-extensive with said annular discharge means.

7. A hair drying appliance as claimed in claim 1 including a heater assembly disposed within said housing between said motor driven blower and said annular discharge means, said assembly comprising a mica card on which is mounted an elongated coil of resistance wire.

9. A portable hair dryer comprising an enlarged hat of flexible material having an outer layer and an inner perforated layer secured together to form an air delivery manifold, said hat having seams at which the inner and outer layers are secured together, said seams radiating from the crown portion of the hat to form manifold projections which are inflatable to cause the inner layer to snugly enclose the hair of the user, an enlarged opening in the outer layer in the crown portion of the hat positioned inwardly of the ends of said seams, a motor driven blower having a housing mounted in said opening with said housing sealed to the portion of said outer layer defining said opening, an air inlet to said blower located in said housing outside of said hat and an air outlet in said housing located within said hat between said outer and inner layers, said motor driven blower having heating means for heating air drawn in through said inlet and discharged through said outlet into said manifold projections to dry the hair of the user, said air delivery manifold including said projections inflating to position and support said motor driven blower on the top of the head of the user.

10. The portable hair dryer of claim 9 wherein the air outlet in said blower housing is an annular opening which extends around the periphery of said housing, air discharged from said air outlet being delivered simultaneously to all of said manifold projections which are open adjacent to said annular opening and closed at their ends remote from said crown portion of said hat.

13. The portable hair dryer of claim 12 wherein said outwardly extending portion of said blower housing is of generally conical shape with said air inlet opening being centrally positioned therein, an axial flow fan positioned within said outwardly extending portion, said inwardly extending portion of said housing being generally cup-shaped and having a motor supported on the bottom wall thereof with its shaft extending upwardly into driving engagement with said fan, a generally circular air heater disposed between said outwardly and inwardly extending housing portions and located generally outwardly of said motor, said fan drawing air inwardly into the bottom of said cup-shaped housing wherein said air reverses direction and passes upwardly across said heater and outwardly through said discharge opening which is located immediately adjacent to said supporting frame.

14. The portable hair dryer of claim 11 wherein said supporting frame is a semi-rigid member having a supporting flange which engages a cooperating flange extending around the periphery of said housing, said latching means comprising projections on said motor housing spaced around the periphery thereof which engage complementary means on said frame to retain said frame and said housing in engaged relation, said frame being separable from said housing by flexure of said frame to remove said motor driven blower from said flexible hat.

16. The portable hair dryer of claim 15 wherein said inner and outer housing portion comprise facing cup-shaped members which are connected together with their edges spaced to form an annular discharge opening positioned between said inner and outer walls, and delivery manifolds opening adjacent to said discharge opening and extending radially outwardly from said unit to deliver air to all portions of said hood.