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
  • A45D20/00—Hair drying devices; Accessories therefor
  • A45D20/22—Helmets with hot air supply or ventilating means, e.g. electrically heated air current
  • A45D20/30—Electric circuitry specially adapted for hair drying devices
• • 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 hairstyling device of the type comprising, inside a housing, means for circulating a flow of hot air applied to an outlet opening of the housing for drying and / or hair shaping.
• the present invention relates more particularly to a hair dryer provided with control and adjustment means making it possible to select the speeds and temperatures of the air flow used for drying or shaping the hair.
• Hair dryers known in the state of the art generally comprise a switch with three positions, a stop position and two others allowing to pass from a value of low power of the heating element and of the speed of the flow d 'air, to a higher value of these parameters.
• a switch In document DE 39 03 442, such a switch also presents a window for displaying the selected position, making it possible to quickly inform about this position.
• such an apparatus does not make it possible to independently regulate the value of the temperature and that of the speed of the air flow.
• a similar device is described in document DE 91 14 242 U where the handle of the hair dryer also includes an actuation button allowing the user to adjust the value of the couple speed and temperature of the air and to display it. in a handle window.
• This apparatus further comprises a pressure button arranged in the center of said actuation button to cut the supply to the heating element and send cold air through the outlet when the pressure button is actuated.
• this device does not allow individual adjustment of the temperature and air speed and, moreover, it does not inform the user by a display specific when the appliance operates in a mode other than that of adjustment, in particular that corresponding to the sending of cold air through the air outlet orifice of the appliance.
• Document JP 4-246303 describes a hair dryer comprising means for controlling the operating parameters of the appliance, in particular air temperature and speed, as well as means for storing the preset values, values which can be found during later use. Complex in construction, this device has also proved to be difficult to use because of the multiplicity of control keys and the fact that the user must find the correct keys himself in order to store the values of the operating parameters. . In addition, the user being able to select and store a couple of temperature and air speed, there may be the danger that he selects inadequate values, far from the optimal ones adapted to a specific use.
• document US Pat. No. 6,393,718 describes a hair dryer comprising, inside its housing, a fan actuated by an electric motor to send the air sucked through a heating element towards the outlet of the air, as well as an ion generator intended to send an ion flow to the air outlet of the hair dryer.
• the handle of this box has a control panel with several sensitive buttons, one of which controls the operation of the another ion generator and another one to adjust the air speed.
• Indicators are provided on the same handle, one to indicate the start-up state of the ion generator and three others to indicate the value of the speed of the air blown by the device.
• This document describes only one device provided with several control keys capable of adjusting an independent operating parameter. It does not describe an operating mode control button corresponding to a combined setting of at least two parameters at the same time.
• the object of the invention is to remedy these drawbacks at least in part and to propose a hair dryer comprising an improved device for controlling the heating power and the air speed allowing rapid treatment, while offering good protection of the hair during treatment.
• a further object of the invention is a hair dryer comprising means for controlling the operating mode, chosen from several possible modes, which are capable of clearly indicating the chosen mode allowing easier use of the appliance, while leaving the possibility for the user to adjust the operating parameters.
• Another object of the invention is a hair dryer provided with indication means allowing good viewing from all angles.
• Another object of the invention is to propose a hair dryer comprising means for controlling and indicating the selected values of temperature and air speed which are of simplified construction, while being reliable in operation and easy to industrialize. for a lower cost.
• a hair dryer comprising a housing provided with an air inlet opening drawn in by a motor-fan and sent to an air outlet opening through an electric heating element, control means.
• the operation mode of the hair dryer according to different power levels of the heating element and / or the fan, as well as a selection display, because it comprises a control button making it possible to switch between a so-called manual adjustment operating mode and a so-called predetermined automatic adjustment operating mode, said control button being connected to the display to inform of the operating mode chosen.
• manual adjustment operating mode an operating mode which allows the user to independently adjust the temperature or the air speed according to his own selection criteria.
• the apparatus comprises several switches which are activated one by one in this manual adjustment mode, each of which carries out a separate adjustment of an independent parameter, for example: adjusting the air temperature, adjusting the air speed, or even the control of the emission of an ion flow, etc.
• predetermined automatic adjustment operating mode a predetermined operating mode allowing a combined adjustment of at least two parameters simultaneously.
• the power level of the heating element and the speed of the fan motor are imposed by the manufacturer so as to ensure, during operation and without any other prior adjustment, rapid drying, good shaping and protection of the hair.
• Such a predetermined or preset automatic adjustment mode can, for example, be an optimum drying mode which ensures rapid drying without damaging the hair.
• the predetermined operating mode can be a mode called cold air during which the chosen treatment temperature is very low, the heating element being able to be cut or even supplied at very low power, the speed having a value chosen in the above range.
• the preset mode may have a temperature chosen from the above-mentioned range, while the speed can have a maximum value, ensuring ultra-fast drying.
• the preset mode can be a comfort mode, the speed and temperature values being chosen to treat sensitive hair. We can also consider a brushing mode where styling of the hairstyle is facilitated, etc.
• the chosen operating mode is obtained by actuating a control button which acts on an electric switch to change the operating parameters of the heating element and of the motorized fan. .
• This control button simultaneously activates a display which indicates the current operating mode of the device.
• the user can choose either quick drying, without adjustment, but which is, for example, optimum, or another mode where he can adjust the operating parameters of the hair dryer.
• the operating mode made active being clearly indicated by the display of the invention.
• such a device allows the user to be guided in his choice, by offering him an adequate couple of air speed and temperature, which ensures good treatment of the hair and a significant saving of time.
• control button of the device of the invention makes it possible to switch between an operating mode where the user can manually adjust the various parameters of the device and a mode where this adjustment is made automatically by the device, each operating mode being indicated by a display provided for this purpose.
• Such an apparatus has considerable flexibility in its control means, while allowing pre-established optimum operation.
• said control button is connected to the display by a control mechanism.
• said display is placed in the handle of the hair dryer and it includes a transparent window behind which scroll two indicator surfaces set in motion by said control mechanism.
• a transparent window can be arranged outside the handle, while the control mechanism and the indicator surfaces can. be arranged inside the handle, behind said window, which makes it possible to have a compact construction of the device, while having good visibility of the message conveyed by the indicating surfaces. This allows the display of different messages in the same window of the handle.
• the transparent window could be replaced by a simple opening in the handle of the hair dryer.
• said control mechanism transforms the longitudinal sliding movement of the control button into a pivoting movement of the indicator surfaces about an axis parallel to the sliding direction of the control button.
• the control button is preferably located in the handle of the hairdryer, for better maneuverability of the appliance, the longitudinal sliding movement in the direction of the handle being used first to actuate the contacts of the switch which switches between the two possible operating modes.
• This sliding movement of the control button is also used to actuate a display which changes image behind a window of the housing, in particular by a pivoting movement of the indicator surfaces. A pivoting of these indicator surfaces around an axis parallel to the sliding direction of the control button allows to bring these surfaces in a plane parallel to this direction, for better visibility.
• said indicator surfaces form an angle greater than 30 ° therebetween and are caused to pivot around pins located at the end of each surface.
• each indicator surface initially arranged in parallel and at a short distance from the display window, remains parallel and close to the display window after pivoting, which allows good visibility, through the transparent window, of the indications inscribed on each indicator surface.
• said indicator surfaces are pivoted by being actuated by a lever set in motion by a cam connected to the control button.
• said indicator surfaces are connected together by two toothed sectors which mesh with sections of rack mounted fixed relative to the housing.
• the first indicator surface bears indications different from those written on the second indicator surface, these indications being in the form of text. This makes it possible to indicate, by scrolling each surface behind the transparent window of the display, a message in the form of text clearly, unequivocally indicating the operating mode of the device.
• said display comprises a transparent rectangular window, arranged with its largest dimension in the longitudinal direction of the handle.
• a hairdressing or hair treatment appliance comprising a housing containing a motor-fan and / or an electric heating element, means for controlling the operating mode of the appliance. according to different power levels of the heating element and / or the fan, as well as a selection display, due to the fact that it includes a control button making it possible to switch between an operating mode known as manual adjustment and a mode said predetermined automatic adjustment operating mode, said control button being connected to the display to inform of the operating mode chosen.
• Such a hairstyling device can be a heating and / or blowing brush, a heating and / or blowing comb or any other device intended for shaping and / or drying the hair.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer of the invention
• - Figure 2 is a front view of a hair dryer of the invention, a detail view C on an enlarged scale being shown alongside;
• - Figure 3 is an axial sectional view, along the section plane AA of Figure 2;
• FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an assembly of the handle, the shell shells of the handle being removed;
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to that of Figure 4, but viewed from a different angle;
• FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a control mechanism of a display for a hair dryer according to the invention.
• the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 is a hair dryer comprising a tubular casing 1 provided with a handle 7 disposed transversely to the casing 1.
• the casing 1 contains ventilation means represented by a motor-fan group 4 (fig.3) , intended to draw air inside the housing from an air inlet 2. The sucked air is then directed to an air outlet 3, possibly being previously heated by an electric heating element placed inside the housing, between the electric motor and fan 4 assembly and the air outlet 3.
• the air outlet end of the device can be fitted with various accessories such as nozzles, diffusers, brushes or combs for drying and / or shaping the hairstyle.
• the handle 7 receives the electrical supply cables which are connected to the electrical components (motor, heating element) of the housing 1 via control and adjustment means located in the handle 7.
• the control means comprise, as visible in FIGS. 1 to 3, two lateral adjustment cursors, respectively a temperature adjustment cursor 9 and a speed adjustment cursor 10. These cursors move by sliding along the handle, relative to visible marks in a window 8 of the housing, each cursor 9,10 comprising a tip 9a, 10a of indication coming opposite with a mark of window 8.
• the temperature adjustment slider 9 is integral with a bar 11, extending in the longitudinal direction of the handle downwards, which is connected, by a flange 11a, to a switch 14 for adjusting the temperature.
• the switch 14 has several pairs of pads which are switched online by the temperature adjustment slider 9 to connect the heating element to several power levels.
• the electrical heating element of the device can be an electrical resistance of the wire type wound around an insulating support comprising several sockets connected to the switch 14 so as to divide the resistance into several parts to obtain different power modes.
• the switch 14 switches between three power modes corresponding to the references represented by 1, 2.3 in the display window 8.
• the air speed adjustment slider 10 is itself integral with a bar 12 parallel to the bar 11, bar 12 which is connected, by a flange 12a, to a switch 15 for adjusting the speed.
• the switch 15 is thus switched online by the speed adjustment slider 10 and can establish several levels of speed of the motor-fan by being, for example connected to a potentiometer varying the supply voltage of the electric motor and allowing d thus obtaining several values for the speed of rotation of the fan motor 4.
• the switch 15 switches between three speed values corresponding to the marks represented by 0, L, H in the display window 8 .
• the control means further comprise a control button 21 capable of moving by sliding along the handle 7 to actuate, as best seen in Figures 4 to 5, two switches 16,17.
• the control button 21 is integral with a bent rod 22 whose upper arm 23 has two flanges 24.25 connected to the switches 16.17.
• the control button 21 makes it possible to choose between two possible operating modes. For this, during the sliding of the control button 21, the arm 23 switches the contacts of the switches 16,17 online between two positions: a first, called adjustment, putting in circuit the switches 14, 15 with the heating element, respectively the motor-fan so that they operate according to the setting chosen by the user, and a second position, called optimum in the example presented in the figures, where the switches 14, 15 are short-circuited, the switches 16, 17 switching on the heating element and the motor-fan with another part of the circuit making it possible to automatically obtain a single torque, of predetermined value, for the power of the heating element and the speed of the fan motor.
• a single multi-channel switch can be used in place of the two switches 16,17.
• the device comprises a display 19 connected to the control means which is capable of indicating, in window 8, the operating mode chosen by the user.
• a control mechanism 20 is provided connecting the control button 21 to the display 19. The components of this control mechanism 20 are better visible in FIG. 6 and in part in FIGS. 4 and 5.
• FIG. 6 there is the control button 21 fixed on the bent rod 22 which has two parallel arms: upper 23 and lower 27, extending in the longitudinal direction of the handle 7.
• the upper arm 23 supports the control button 21 and ends, at its upper end, with the flanges 24,25 for actuating the switches 16,17.
• the lower arm 27 is guided in sliding by a longitudinal slot made in the base 32 of a cradle 31.
• the cradle 31 has a U-shape and is mounted fixed relative to the handle 7, the two arms of the U forming walls transverse 33 which support, in articulations 30, a pivoting lever 29.
• the transverse walls 33 terminate in the upper part by rack sections 34.
• the pivoting lever 29 has, at its lower end, several pins inserted in a groove 28 of the lower arm 27 and it ends, in its upper part by two forks 37.
• the groove 28 has a cam path which prints on the pivoting lever 29 a rotating movement when the arm lower 27 is pushed in sliding.
• the forks 37 pivotally support an indicator piece constituted by a first indicator surface 39 and a second indicator surface 40 connected and forming a right angle between them.
• Each indicator surface carries, on its external face, a printed indication in the form of a row of markers, or a message, or even a different coloring or decoration.
• the first indicating surface 39 on the first indicating surface 39 are printed two vertical rows of marks indicating, on one side the marks 1, 2,3 (relating to ascending values of the power of the heating element) and on the other 0, L, H (relating to ascending values of the speed of the blown air which could be, for example, zero, low and high), while on the second indicating surface 40 is printed a message in one word, for example, OPTIMUM. These messages correspond to the operating mode chosen by the user.
• the two indicator surfaces are connected at their ends by two toothed sectors 35 each carrying a pin 36 around which the forks 37 of the pivoting lever 29 rotate.
• the toothed sectors 35 are in an arc of a center circle situated in the intersection of the two indicator surfaces .
• the teeth of the toothed sectors 35 mesh with those of the rack sections 34 of the transverse walls 33, so that when the pivoting lever 29 rotates, it drives in movement the indicator piece showing, next to the push button 21, either the first indicator surface 39 or the second indicator surface 40.
• the indications carried by these indicator surfaces appear through the same window 8 which is transparent thus informing the operating mode which has been activated.
• the user begins by actuating the control button 21 to choose the desired operating mode. If the mode chosen is that represented in FIGS. 1 and 4, that is to say if the references 1, 2,3 and O, L, H are displayed in the window 8, the user can then slide the sliders 9 and 10 to independently adjust, on the one hand the power level of the heating element, corresponding to a desired temperature of the air blown, and, on the other hand, the value of the speed of the air blown by the device.
• the user wishes to activate the optimum operating mode of the device, he slides the push button 21 until a new message appears in the window 8, for example that of the figure 2. At this time, the user knows with certainty that there is no adjustment to be made and that he can use the hair dryer operating according to this predetermined automatic adjustment mode to obtain rapid drying and good shaping of the hair, while having protected his hair.
• optimum operation can be obtained for a temperature between 50 ° and 70 ° C, preferably 60 ° C and an air speed between 35 m 3 / h and 70 m 3 / h, preferably 55 m 3 / h
• Other alternative embodiments of the invention can be envisaged, without departing from the scope of its claims.

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• Cleaning And Drying Hair (AREA)
• Cosmetics (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=32320019

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (13)

Cited By (1)

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Citations (8)

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• 2002
  • 2002-12-05 FR FR0215365A patent/FR2848075B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2003
  • 2003-12-02 PT PT03796137T patent/PT1567029E/pt unknown
  • 2003-12-02 BR BR0307466-8A patent/BR0307466A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-12-02 ES ES03796137T patent/ES2266906T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-12-02 DE DE60306677T patent/DE60306677T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-12-02 PL PL03371021A patent/PL371021A1/xx not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-12-02 AU AU2003298391A patent/AU2003298391A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-12-02 RU RU2004130449/12A patent/RU2362469C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-12-02 AT AT03796137T patent/ATE332093T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-12-02 WO PCT/FR2003/003559 patent/WO2004052142A1/fr active IP Right Grant
  • 2003-12-02 EP EP03796137A patent/EP1567029B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-12-02 CN CNB2003801004052A patent/CN100396207C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-12-02 JP JP2004558157A patent/JP2006508751A/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (8)

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