Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45D—HAIRDRESSING OR SHAVING EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT FOR COSMETICS OR COSMETIC TREATMENTS, e.g. FOR MANICURING OR PEDICURING
  • A45D2/00—Hair-curling or hair-waving appliances ; Appliances for hair dressing treatment not otherwise provided for
  • A45D2/001—Hair straightening appliances
  • A45D2/002—Hair straightening appliances with combs
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
  • A45D—HAIRDRESSING OR SHAVING EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT FOR COSMETICS OR COSMETIC TREATMENTS, e.g. FOR MANICURING OR PEDICURING
  • A45D20/00—Hair drying devices; Accessories therefor
  • A45D20/04—Hot-air producers
  • A45D20/08—Hot-air producers heated electrically
  • A45D20/10—Hand-held drying devices, e.g. air douches
  • A45D20/12—Details thereof or accessories therefor, e.g. nozzles, stands

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a hair dryer or styling brush accessory intended for shaping the hairstyle. More precisely, it relates to a device for straightening the hair comprising means for being fixed to the outlet of the blown air of a hair dryer or a blower brush:
• a smooth hairstyle meets practicality criteria, being easier to maintain than a hairstyle with volume, as well as fashion criteria, since many people with long or medium hair prefer it.
• a smooth hairstyle gives a neat appearance to the hair, and this with less effort to do on the part of the user than to obtain a puffy hairstyle.
• the methods for straightening the hair, initially curled naturally or artificially, consist mainly of mechanical or thermal actions on the hair.
• the known methods for straightening the hair can be either cold or hot, so they imply the use or not of heat during the straightening.
• the device described essentially comprises a clamp with two articulated arms, the inner surface of which comes into contact with the hair is covered with an absorbent material, soaked in a solution to make cold perms.
• the wick to be treated is immobilized in the forceps, the forceps are closed by a lock, its tip being wound around a roller made of an absorbent material.
• the roller is then fixed in the clamp fixing ears, at a predetermined distance from the latter so as to stretch the wick and process it in this position.
• This method is very laborious, it requires time to grasp and fix each wick in the device described and also time for the reaction of the applied solution.
• This metal surface could be the base of the teeth of the comb, as described in document US Pat. No. 2,474,406, the comb being in this case made up of a stack of non-heat conducting blades forming the teeth of the comb, these blades being separated by washers of a metallic material in contact with a hub enclosing the heating element.
• Such a comb apart from the problems associated with a complex assembly, can pose problems of burning of the hair in contact with the heating surface forming the base of the comb.
• the heat-transmitting metal surface can be formed by the front faces of the teeth of a heating comb as described in document US 4 126 143.
• the teeth of such a comb made from a material thermally insulating, are elongated and arranged transversely to the metallic cylindrical body in contact with the heating element. They are coated with a metallic material on their part adjacent to the heating body.
• the comb is introduced into the hair, the insulating part of the comb penetrating first into the hair separates and combs the strands of hair in contact. The wicks thus first combed are then brought into contact with the metal parts facing the teeth of the comb. The hair is then straightened while being held between two fixed heating flat surfaces.
• Such an accessory is described in document US 3,939,850.
• This accessory has the shape of a comb fixed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the device, at the outlet end of the blown air. Using such a device, the hair is first combed, tensioned by the comb and dried in this stretched position.
• Another type of hair dryer accessory is described in document US Pat. No. 5,553,632. It performs shaping by penetrating inside the hair, lifting the hair and drying it in this same position. It consists of a comb secured to the upper part of the blower nozzle. The comb has two rows of overlapping teeth and means for moving one row of teeth relative to the other. In operation, the teeth of the comb penetrate into the hair, grasp it and retain it to allow it to exert traction on it when the hair dryer moves, the hot air sent by the hair dryer drying it in this position, near the root.
• the object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing an accessory for hair straightening which is effective, quick and easy to use and which at the same time respects the treated hair.
• Another object of the invention is to provide an accessory for straightening the hair intended for use with an appliance of the hair dryer or blower brush type and which is effective in use independently if the blown air is heated or if it is at room temperature.
• a further object of the invention is to increase the efficiency of the known devices and methods, by associating with the means proper for straightening, other means for preparing the hair before straightening, as well as means for fixing the smoothed hairstyle. .
• Another object of the invention is to offer an accessory whose structure is simple enough to allow production in large numbers at reduced cost.
• the means in contact with the hair must be able to have a declutching function, ensuring, if necessary, their putting out of contact of the hair during operation. In the same way, one can also adjust the clamping tension of the clamping means.
• the accessory according to the invention must be able to be pivotally mounted relative to the device using it, this allowing easier handling of the device equipped with the accessory all around the head of the user.
• An additional objective of this invention is to provide an accessory which is reliable in operation.
• an accessory intended to be fixed to the blowing end of an apparatus for shaping or drying hair comprising a hollow body supporting means for pinching a lock of hair, characterized in that said means for clamping comprise at least one clamping surface coming, under the action of elastic means, against a complementary bearing surface opposite to clamp and smooth a lock of hair, the surface of clamping and / or the bearing surface having a chamfer for introducing a lock of hair and being arranged in the flow of blown air, substantially parallel thereto.
• the accessory according to the invention makes it possible to implement the combined action of several factors: mechanical stress, temperature and / or working in a humid environment.
• the main advantage of this invention is to deform the hair without damaging it, by applying as little mechanical stress as possible.
• the means of pressure deformation of the hair are associated directly with drying means in this same position.
• the means deforming the hair by pressure are constituted by pinching means comprising at least one clamping surface coming, under the action of elastic means against a complementary bearing surface vis-à-vis for clamping and straightening a lock of hair, the clamping surface and / or the bearing surface having a chamfer making it possible to gently introduce a lock of hair to be treated between these surfaces arranged in the flow of blown air, substantially parallel to it this. he more precisely allows to press by pressure a lock of hair between the flat surfaces of said means during the drying of said lock and to dry it in this position.
• Such an arrangement makes it possible to reduce the force exerted on the drill bit, since at least one clamping surface is used which, under the action of elastic means, against a complementary bearing surface.
• the clamping surface actuated by elastic means deforms or moves automatically, reacting to the force applied to it, under the action of the hair with which it comes into contact.
• the hair is damp before penetrating between said surfaces, which allows the use of easily deformable or displaceable means, which therefore exert a reduced force on the hair.
• the clamping surface is constituted by a part, in particular rigid, pushed by a spring.
• a part in particular rigid, pushed by a spring.
• the clamping surface is constituted by a flexible blade. This is for reasons of simplification of construction and reduction of manufacturing and assembly costs of the accessory.
• the bearing and clamping surfaces are planar surfaces. This allows good contact between these surfaces and the wick to be treated.
• the means of the invention advantageously make it possible to exert on the wick to be treated a pinching force, included in particular in the range of aforementioned forces, from 2 to 10 ⁇ 10 ⁇ 2 Pa, depending on the temperatures used and the contribution of the humidity practiced. This allows to work the hair gently.
• the clamping means used are in the form of a set of two flexible blades arranged opposite.
• Such a construction limits the deformation of the blade by comparison with an arrangement in cooperation with a rigid surface.
• the flexible blades have chamfers in their lower part to allow the introduction of a lock of hair between the flat surfaces of said blades with which it remains in contact during the drying of the hair.
• the pinching blades of the accessory are made of a material having good elasticity properties and the surface of which is machined to allow good sliding of the hair between the surfaces of said blades.
• a material could for example be metallic with a surface treatment by polishing, or even comprising a PTFE or enamel coating.
• such a material allows a good transfer of heat from the blown air in case this accessory is used with a device blowing hot air.
• the pinching means are supported by an internal wall of the device. This provides a more compact construction of the accessory.
• such an arrangement allows the blades to be located in the flow of blown air which accelerates the drying of the wicks present between said blades.
• the blades are fixed to a comb-forming means. This arrangement gives a better angle of attack to the pinching means when they advance towards the drill bit to be treated and, moreover, it allows a slight disentangling before the pinching.
• the blades are provided with disengaging means to ensure the spacing of the blades in contact with the hair.
• An additional advantage is constituted by the possibility of adjusting the spacing existing between the pinching means and, consequently, the clamping tension which they exert on the lock of hair.
• the accessory is provided with means for moistening the hair before pinching. This gives better treatment effectiveness.
• the accessory comprises brush or comb means also located upstream of the gripping means. This arrangement allows better combing or disentangling of the hair before pinching.
• means having the shape of a comb or a brush are located downstream of the pinching means. Such an arrangement makes it possible to better fix the hairstyle after treatment. This is all the more obvious since these means cooperate with the cooler air blown by the device.
• the pinching means as well as the means located upstream or downstream of the latter are mounted removable on the body of the accessory.
• Such a construction makes it easy to clean the accessory after use and to repeat the following operation with a clean accessory.
• the accessory is fixed to the blowing end of the device in a pivoting manner relative to the outlet axis of the blown air.
• the accessory is mounted, for example, on a rotating ring relative to the part for fixing to the device. This arrangement makes it possible to use the accessory in all 360 ° positions and facilitates the use of the device especially for inaccessible areas, for example behind the head.
• the invention also relates to a method for shaping or drying the hair, characterized in that it comprises a first step consisting in the moistening, combing or brushing of a lock of hair to be treated, followed by a pinching with a view to drying the wick between two flat facing surfaces arranged at the outlet of an apparatus for shaping or drying the hair and a last step consisting in fixing the hairstyle thus obtained by combing or brushing under the action of air blown by the same device.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembly forming hair straightening accessory according to the invention.
• - Figure 2 shows a front view of the smoothing accessory assembly according to the invention
• - Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view, in the direction A-A, of the smoothing accessory assembly according to the invention
• - Figure 4 shows, in its first half, a top view of the accessory hair straightening assembly according to the invention and, in its second half, an axial sectional view of the same assembly;
• - Figure 5 illustrates, also on an enlarged scale, an axonometric view of one of the gripping means according to the invention;
• FIG. 6 shows a schematic sectional view of the declutching device of the gripping means according to the invention.
• Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a first assembly forming an accessory 1 for hair straightening comprising a body 2 provided at its end 3 with connection means to the blowing end of a hair dryer or a blower brush.
• a hair dryer comprises a housing forming manual gripping means, an inlet grid for the suction of ambient air and an outlet end of the blown air.
• Inside the housing there is a fan capable of propelling the outside air into the body of the device, an electric motor to drive the fan in rotation and a heating resistor to heat the air powered by the fan.
• the device is also provided with command and control means, such as on / off switches for controlling the motor and / or the heating resistor, or even with means for controlling and regulating the flow of blown air or the temperature.
• Such an accessory is the subject of the present invention and it comprises, supported by the body 2, made for example of a plastic material by injection, the clamping means 6, 7 arranged perpendicular to the direction of the flow of air blown by the device fan.
• the gripping means 6,7 consist essentially of two surfaces 6 ", 7" which are substantially parallel in the closed position, at least one of which is capable of moving and / or deforming in order to define, with respect to the second, a space to introduce a lock of hair in order to exert pressure on it.
• at least one of the latter has an attack surface of the wick in the form of a chamfer 6 ′, 7 ′ on the part which comes into contact with the hair just before it is introduced between the 6 ", 7" pinch surfaces.
• Such a chamfer acts as a funnel facilitating the insertion of the lock of hair between the pinching means by simply driving the accessory in contact with the hair and by exerting a slight pressure of the hand in the direction of pinching on the handle. of the device supporting the accessory.
• a gripping surface 6 In order to be able to move and / or deform a gripping surface 6 relative to the other 7, at least one is constituted by a flexible blade.
• the shape of this blade is better visible in FIG. 5 where we can notice the chamfer 6 'and the nipping surface 6 ".
• This part also comprises fins 6a and 6b intended for fixing this blade on the body of We also note that it is symmetrical, for reasons that will be explained later.
• a flexible blade makes it possible to have an easily deformable part, by simple pressure on its surface, and which returns to its initial position when the deformation action has ceased. It thus acts as a spring exerting a predetermined force on the surface with which it comes into contact.
• Such a blade is preferably made of a material having good elasticity characteristics, such as stainless steel, a copper or aluminum alloy, or even a plastic material, such as polypropylene.
• the thickness of such a blade is, for example, between 0.05 and 2 mm.
• the edge or contour of the blade is rounded so as not to cut the pliers hair when they are introduced between the pinching means.
• two flexible blades face to face are used as gripping means 6,7.
• the blades are mounted in a support fixed to the body 2 of the accessory, they each have the shape shown in Figure 5, they therefore have chamfers 6 ', 7' to channel a lock of hair towards the flat contact surfaces 6 ", 7".
• the blades can be mounted fixed relative to each other, mobile or in a configuration where one is fixed and the other is mobile. This relative displacement of one with respect to the other allows an adjustment of the play between the blades and, consequently, of the tension which they exert on the hair.
• a surface treatment such as very fine polishing or to cover the surface of the latter with a coating of the PTFE or enamel type.
• the covered surface can be flat or with slight reliefs or spikes.
• an accessory having a large width is provided, for example of an order of magnitude comparable to that of the human hand, and there are several pairs of flexible blades 6,7 parallel, side -by side, substantially along this dimension.
• the blades are all mounted on a common support on the body 2 of the accessory.
• the set of blades 6,7 is arranged inside the accessory, supported by the inner wall 20 thereof. Such an arrangement allows the hair tightened by the blades to be in the air flow blown by the device via the conduit 16.
• the set of blades is preferably centered relative to the median plane of the blown air jet by the device.
• the height of the pinch blades is between 1/3 and 3/3 of the height of the nozzle or the outlet end of the supply air jet. As visible in the drawings, the height of the teeth is substantially equal to their length.
• the wick to be treated is entirely subjected to the flow of blown air, over its entire length and also over its depth, which ensures a significant gain in treatment efficiency.
• the hair is therefore dried at the same time as it is aligned, flattened by pinching between the blades 6,7. This makes it possible to reduce the value of the stress applied to the hair, because as mentioned, humidity is a factor allowing good deformation of the hair at lower values of the force applied.
• the set of blades 6,7 is arranged on the external part of the accessory, for example above the outlet axis of the air flow blown by the 'apparatus. In such an arrangement, the hair would first be dried by the blown air and then deformed by pressure following their penetration between the blades 6,7.
• the set of blades 6, 7 could be arranged upstream of the direction of outlet of the blown air. In this case, the hair would first be gripped by said blades, pulled to be tensioned and dried in this stretched position.
• the blades 6,7 are supported by a comb 4.
• they are mounted inside the comb to the 'using fins 6a, 6b which are fixed in grooves of similar shape present in the body of the comb.
• the comb has the shape of a hollow body formed by a plurality of hollow teeth, the part opposite to that which comes into contact with the hair is integral with a frame forming a means of fixing the comb to the wall. internal 20 of the accessory.
• each tooth has fixing grooves 5a, 5b for the fins 6a, 6b of each flexible blade.
• the comb supporting all of the blades is removably mounted in the body of the accessory by clipping means, by screwing or by any other known means.
• the comb is made of a plastic material by injection or extrusion techniques also known.
• the body 2 of the accessory is produced in two parts which can be dismantled, one with respect to the other, so as to be able to clean the interior of the accessory or its various components arranged inside.
• the accessory for example the comb 4 supporting the pinching blades 6,7.
• the protruding part of the body 2 thereof is brought into contact with the hair to be treated in the part corresponding to the height where we want to start straightening, preferably as close to the hairline.
• the teeth 5 of the comb 4 separate a portion of hair into several small locks, to possibly untangle it and thus lead it towards the lower part, forming a funnel 6 ', 7', of the blades 6,7.
• the hair arriving in this zone is channeled towards the flat surfaces facing 6 ", 7" of the blades 6,7, clamped between these surfaces and at the same time dried by the air flow passing through the accessory at the level of the blades 6 , 7.
• the accessory is moved slowly enough along the wick to allow time for the hair to dry and therefore deform. The operation is repeated in the same way throughout the mass of hair, the result being a rapid and uniform smoothing of all the hair.
• FIG. 6 illustrates a device for disengaging and adjusting the clearance between the blades 6,7.
• This device comprises a cradle 24 supporting a pin 26 on which are mounted the movable blades 7, a compression spring 30, the cam 28 and, at its end the knurled button 34.
• the support or cradle 24 has a rib with slope 32 which cooperates in operation with the cam 28 located on the axis 26.
• the entire device can be fixed on the body 2 of the accessory or on the body of the comb 4 to be removed at the same time as the latter for cleaning .
• the accessory consists of fixed 6 and movable blades 7 supported by the body of the comb 4.
• the movable blades 7 are mounted with play in the grooves of the comb to allow relative movement of these relative to the fixed blades 6.
• the cam 28 In operation, by turning the knurled knob 34, the cam 28 is rotated, which, bearing on the inclined surface of the rib 32, displaces the axis 26 supporting the movable blades 7 and thus it moves the movable blades 7 relative to the fixed blades 6.
• the movable blades 7 can thus be moved between a first position in which they bear on the fixed blades 6, the cam 28 being in contact with the base of the slope of the rib 32, which corresponds to a tension maximum clamping, and a second in which they are completely spaced from the fixed blades 6, the cam 28 being this time at the top of the slope of the rib 32, corresponding to the declutching position. Any other relative displacement of the blades between these two limit positions corresponds to positions for adjusting the tension of the blades pressing on the lock of hair to be treated.
• the accessory comprises means forming a cylinder 8 arranged upstream of gripping means 6,7, said means thus being the first to be brought into contact with the hair to be treated.
• said cylinder means consist of a humidifying pad soaked in a liquid.
• the flow of blown air arriving through the conduit 14, constituted by the internal walls of the body 2 of the accessory strikes the tampon and evaporates the liquid which it contains, sending thereafter to the hair to be treated with a flow of air charged with moisture.
• the humidifier pad is replaced by a liquid reservoir provided with outlet orifices through which the liquid which it contains flows by capillary action thus humidifying the hair with which it is in contact.
• the humidifying liquid used can be water or another liquid having a composition which gives it hair fixing properties, such as the solutions conventionally used in perms.
• a cylindrical brush is provided in place of the humidifying pad.
• Such an arrangement allows brushing to arrange the hair or untangle it before it is introduced between the clamping means 6,7.
• in place of the cylindrical brush one can imagine several parallel rows of bristles and / or spikes, the rows of bristles and spikes being arranged substantially perpendicular to the surface of the body 2, in the extension of the teeth of the comb 4.
• the bristles of the brush are produced, for example, using synthetic fibers and the pins in a plastic material.
• the means forming a cylinder 8 can be replaced by a comb having a function of disentangling the hair before treatment.
• the means forming a cylinder 8 or forming a comb are dismountable on the body 2 of the accessory by means of clipping of known type.
• the smoothing accessory comprises means for fixing the hairstyle after smoothing carried out by the means 6,7.
• the accessory is provided in its upper part, downstream of the part for shaping by pinching between flexible blades, with means 10 which act by combing or brushing on the treated hair.
• the action of the fixing means is combined with the sending of an air flow by the hair dryer.
• the air sent during the operation of fixing it must be cooler.
• the body 2 of the accessory is provided with orifices or openings 12, their cross sections of which have been dimensioned so as to allow the suction of ambient air by the Venturi effect.
• the aspirated air is mixed with the air blown by the device into the conduit 18, the resulting air flow then being sent to the means 10 for fixing the hairstyle.
• the comb or the brush used to fix the hairstyle are made of a material with antistatic properties.
• a material with antistatic properties may be, by way of nonlimiting example, the one known under the name of PERMASTAT ® which is a plastic material having antistatic properties are due to a permanent surface treatment, temperature stabilized.
• PERMASTAT ® which is a plastic material having antistatic properties are due to a permanent surface treatment, temperature stabilized.
• other parts of the accessory are made of this material, respectively all of its plastic components coming into contact with the hair.
• Such a material eliminates static electricity from the hair, electricity due in particular to combing or brushing and thus obtaining a smooth hairstyle having more stability and a more neat appearance.
• the means 10 for fixing the hairstyle are removably mounted on the body 2 of the accessory in order to facilitate their cleaning.
• the smoothing accessory is mounted at the outlet end of the blown air by a hair dryer or a blower brush by bayonet fixing means.
• the body of the accessory comprises means for rotating the accessory relative to the longitudinal axis of the device.
• the body of the accessory can be rotatably mounted on a ring belonging to the part comprising the means for fixing to the body of the device.
• Such an arrangement allows the accessory to be used in all the desired positions by rotating it around its longitudinal axis through 360 °. This facilitates the use of the device, especially in areas that are not easily accessible to the user, for example behind the head.
• the accessory could be used as it is, simply with a handle attached, by any suitable means, directly to the end 3 of the body 2 of the accessory.
• the accessory / handle assembly can simply be passed through the hair which will already be somewhat smoothed by clamping between the means 6,7 of the accessory 1.
• the latter can therefore be used without necessarily being connected to a blowing device, which further simplifies the smoothing operation, the handling of the assembly, or the cost thereof.
• the invention also relates to an apparatus for shaping and / or drying hair blowing an air flow towards the latter, such as hairdryers or styling brushes.
• Such an apparatus may include at its blowing end an accessory of the type described.
• such an apparatus comprises, at the blowing end, a part 1 arranged to be traversed by the air sent to the exterior of the apparatus which comprises a hollow body 2 supporting means 6,7 for pinching a lock of hair.
• Said means for pinching comprises at least one clamping surface 6 "coming, under the action of elastic means, against a complementary bearing surface 7" opposite to clamp and smooth a lock of hair, the clamping surface and / or the bearing surface having a chamfer 6 ′, 7 ′ for introducing a lock of hair and being arranged in the air flow, substantially parallel to the latter.
• Such a device is specially intended for straightening the hair, it has a more compact construction, the straightening part being integrated into the body of the device, as well as keys for controlling the air flow and the temperature according to specific values. hair straightening.
• a hair shaping and / or drying appliance intended to be used with an accessory of the type described comprises means for controlling the temperature and / or the air flow rate sent to the hair to be treated.
• control means such as a specific additional key for smoothing with the help of which one could select the optimal values of the flow rate and the air temperature to obtain a good smoothing.

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• Cleaning And Drying Hair (AREA)
• Cosmetics (AREA)
• Brushes (AREA)
• Golf Clubs (AREA)
• Scissors And Nippers (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

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Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (15)

Citations (9)

• 1998
  • 1998-10-30 FR FR9813890A patent/FR2785159B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 1999
  • 1999-10-29 TR TR2001/01175T patent/TR200101175T2/tr unknown
  • 1999-10-29 ES ES99950889T patent/ES2205889T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-10-29 AT AT99950889T patent/ATE245917T1/de active
  • 1999-10-29 CN CN99812805A patent/CN1117536C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-10-29 EP EP99950889A patent/EP1124466B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-10-29 DK DK99950889T patent/DK1124466T3/da active
  • 1999-10-29 PT PT99950889T patent/PT1124466E/pt unknown
  • 1999-10-29 BR BR9914639-8A patent/BR9914639A/pt active IP Right Grant
  • 1999-10-29 RU RU2001114508/12A patent/RU2228696C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-10-29 DE DE69910057T patent/DE69910057T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-10-29 WO PCT/FR1999/002659 patent/WO2000025623A1/fr active IP Right Grant
• 2002
  • 2002-04-12 HK HK02102765.7A patent/HK1041182B/zh not_active IP Right Cessation

Patent Citations (9)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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