WO2022136834A1

WO2022136834A1 - Haircare appliance

Info

Publication number: WO2022136834A1
Application number: PCT/GB2021/053288
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ayrton PEEL
Original assignee: Dyson Technology Limited
Priority date: 2020-12-23
Filing date: 2021-12-14
Publication date: 2022-06-30
Also published as: GB2602324A; GB2602324B; US20240065409A1; GB202020487D0; CN116801767A

Abstract

Disclosed is a haircare appliance (10) comprising: an air inlet (101); a moveable member (102) comprising an air outlet (104); an airflow generator (16) for generating an airflow from the air inlet (101) to the air outlet (104); a heater (18) for heating the airflow; and a hair treatment chamber (103) for receiving hair, the hair treatment chamber (103) comprising an opening (105) through which hair is insertable into the hair treatment chamber (103), the opening (105) defined by a rim (110) of the hair treatment chamber (103); wherein the moveable member (102) is moveable between an extended position at which the moveable member (102) extends from the rim (110) by a first extent and a retracted position at which the moveable member (102) extends from the rim (110) by a second extent less than the first extent.

Description

HAIRCARE APPLIANCE

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a haircare appliance, and an attachment for a haircare appliance.

of the Invention

Haircare appliances are generally used to treat or style hair, and some may treat or style hair using airflow.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an attachment for a haircare appliance, the attachment comprising an air inlet, a moveable member comprising an air outlet for emitting an airflow, and a hair treatment chamber for receiving hair, the hair treatment chamber comprising an opening through which hair is insertable into the hair treatment chamber, the opening defined by a rim of the hair treatment chamber; wherein the moveable member is moveable between an extended position at which the moveable member extends from the rim by a first extent and a retracted position at which the moveable member extends from the rim by a second extent less than the first extent.

The attachment according to the first aspect of the present invention may be advantageous as it provides a moveable air outlet which may be positioned depending on the needs and requirements of this user, providing greater flexibility to the user and enhancing the user experience. In the extended position, the moveable member may extend from the rim away from the hair treatment chamber, and this may, for example, enable the moveable member to extend away from the hair treatment chamber and toward the head of a user in use. This may allow heated airflow to be directed to the roots of a user’s hair in use whilst a tress of hair is located within the hair treatment chamber, which may enable targeted drying of the roots of hair in use.

The moveable member may extend away from the rim in a direction parallel to a central axis of the hair treatment chamber in the extended position.

The movable member may be movable within an orifice formed in the rim between the extended position and the retracted position. The second extent may be zero, for example such that the movable member is fully retracted relative to the rim in the retracted position. The movable member may be located within an interior of the rim in the retracted position, for example with a portion of the movable member level with an outer surface of the rim.

The movable member may be biased into the retracted position. This may allow the attachment to be more compact when not in use as the moveable member is not extended.

The moveable member may be moveable between the retracted position and the extended position in response to airflow from the airflow generator in use. For example, a force exerted on the moveable member by the airflow may cause the moveable member to move to the extended position. This may mean that no other mechanical means are necessary to move the moveable member from the retracted position to the extended position, reducing the complexity of the attachment, and may provide automatic movement between the retracted and extended positions without the need for user interaction.

The moveable member may be moveable between the retracted position and the extended position when the airflow from the airflow generator exceeds a pre-determined flow rate. The moveable member may move from the retracted position to the extended position when the airflow exceeds the pre-determined flow rate, and the moveable member may move from the extended position to the retracted position when the airflow is below the pre-determined flow rate. This airflow generator may be configured to operate in a first mode where a flow rate greater than or equal to the pre-determined flow rate is provided, and a second mode where a flowrate less than the pre-determined flow rate is provided. The user may be able to select which mode the airflow generator works in, depending on whether they wish for the moveable member to be in the extended position or the retracted position. The movable member may be located in the retracted position when no airflow is provided by the airflow generator.

The attachment may comprise a switching arrangement configured to move the moveable member between the extended position and the retracted position. This may provide the user with a convenient way to move the moveable member between the extended and the retracted position. The moveable member may be configured to be locked into the extended position or the retracted position or at a discrete position between the retracted and extended positions. This may allow a user to select a position for the moveable member which is most comfortable and/or efficient for them.

The switching arrangement may comprise a rotational mechanism configured to move the moveable member between the extended position and the retracted position. The user may rotate the rotational mechanism to move the moveable member between the extended position and the retracted position. The rotational mechanism may allow for ease for operation by a user, for example by providing first and second components rotatable relative to one another under application of a twisting force by a user.

The switching arrangement may comprise a first portion and a second portion. One of the first portion and the second portion may be configured to slide along a surface of the other of the second portion and the first portion. The first portion may comprise the moveable member and the moveable member. The moveable member may be configured to move between the retracted position and the extended position when the one of the first portion and the second portion slide along the surface of the other of the second portion and the first portion. The surface of one of the first portion and the second portion may be sloped such that when the other of the second portion and first portion slides along the slope, the respective portion has a component of motion normal to the sloped surface. Thus may allow for movement of the movable member between the retracted and extended positions.

Airflow through the air outlet may be unrestricted when the moveable member is in the extended position. Airflow through the air outlet may be restricted when the moveable member is in the retracted position. When the moveable member is in the retracted position, airflow through the air outlet may be prevented. This may allow the user to turn off airflow through the air outlet if they wish, for example if their head is becoming too hot, increasing the user experience and comfort of the attachment and haircare appliance.

The movable member may comprise a substantially hollow member defining at least part of a flow path between the air inlet and the air outlet.

The moveable member may be configured to move between the extended position and the retracted position in response to a force applied by a user to the moveable member. For example, when the moveable member is in the extended position, the user may apply a force to an end of the moveable member, in a direction substantially toward the rim, to move the moveable member to the retracted position. In use, airflow from the airflow generator may move the moveable member from the retracted position to the extended position. The user may place the attachment against their head to provide a force against the extended moveable member. This may cause the moveable member to move toward the retracted position. This allows the user to move the moveable member to the retracted position easily without having to use a hand not holding the attachment or haircare appliance. When the moveable member moves to the retracted position, airflow out of the air outlet may be reduced or restricted. As such, the user may move the moveable member to the retracted position when they wish to reduce the amount of airflow or heat being applied to their hair. This may improve the comfort of using the attachment or haircare appliance and help to prevent the user’s hair being damaged from excess drying and/or heating.

The air outlet may be configured to direct airflow toward the opening in the extended position. As such, the air outlet may be configured to direct airflow substantially away from a user’s head in use. This may reduce the amount of heat being applied directly to the user’s head to help to prevent the user’s head from becoming too hot and improve the comfort of using the attachment or haircare appliance.

The air outlet may be configured to direct airflow away from the opening in use. For example, the air outlet may be configured to direct air towards the user’ s head in use. The airflow from the air outlet may have a component of motion away from the opening, substantially parallel to the central axis of the hair care chamber. This may allow airflow to be directed at the roots of the user’s hair to increase the amount of heat applied to the roots, which may provide targeted drying of roots of hair in use.

The attachment may comprise a plurality of moveable members. For example, the attachment may comprise two, three, four, five, ten or twenty moveable members. The moveable members may be evenly distributed around the rim. Providing a plurality of moveable members may increase the stability of the attachment when the moveable members are extended in use.

The plurality of moveable members may each comprise a respective air outlet. Alternatively, any other number of the plurality of the moveable members may comprise respective air outlets. Providing additional air outlets may help to increase the amount of airflow that can be applied to the user’s hair, which may increase the efficiency of drying the user’ s hair.

The hair treatment chamber may comprise a wall, an aperture formed in the wall and a further air outlet, the further air outlet may be configured to direct airflow away from the opening and toward the aperture in use. As such, the airflow from the further air outlet may initially be directed away from the head of the user in use. This may reduce an amount of direct heat being applied to the user’s head which may increase the comfort of using the attachment or haircare appliance, particularly over an extended period of time. The aperture may enable airflow to escape from an interior of the hair treatment chamber in use, without having to pass through the opening through which hair is inserted into the hair treatment chamber.

The further air outlet may be configured to direct airflow in a different direction to the air outlet. For example, the further air outlet may be configured to direct airflow in a direction opposite to the air outlet. This may allow different parts of the user’s hair to be dried at the same time with the attachment.

Airflow may flow through the further air outlet when the moveable member is in the extended position and the retracted position. As such, if the user does not wish to apply any heat or airflow through the air outlet, for example if their head is becoming too hot, airflow can be restricted through the air outlet of the moveable member, but still continue to flow through the further outlet to continue to dry the user’s hair.

The rim may be substantially hollow in form, and may at least partially define a flow path from the air inlet to the further air outlet. The movable member may at least partially define a flow path from an interior of the rim to the air outlet. The air outlet may be located externally of the rim in the extended position and internally of the rim in the retracted position. Thus airflow may be contained within the interior of the rim when the movable member is in the retracted position, and airflow may exit through the further air outlet into the hair treatment chamber when the movable member is in the retracted position.

The further air outlet may extend about at least a part of a periphery of the hair treatment chamber. The further air outlet may extend about the entire periphery of the hair treatment chamber. The further air outlet may comprise an annular slot provided about at least a part of the periphery of the hair treatment chamber. The further air outlet may be located on the rim such that airflow is directed away from a periphery of the opening in use. The rim may be formed by a projection on the wall of the hair treatment chamber and the further air outlet may be formed in the projection.

A width of the further air outlet may vary about the periphery of the hair treatment chamber. Advantageously, this may enable to airflow rate to remain consistent about the entire further air outlet, irrespective of distance from the airflow generator.

The hair treatment chamber may hold the user’s hair in place during use such that the user’s hair is less likely to be disrupted by the flow of air into the hair treatment chamber. As such, relatively high flow rates of air can be used without significantly disrupting the user’s hair, which may increase the efficiency and/or speed of drying the user’s hair. The airflow generator may be configured to generate airflow at a flow rate of at least 6 litres per second, at least 10 litres per second, or at least 13 litres per second.

The further air outlet may be configured to direct airflow substantially along a surface of the wall in use. The wall of the hair treatment chamber may be shaped to further direct the airflow from the further air outlet in use. For example, the wall may be curved and the airflow may be directed to follow the curve of the wall. This may cause the airflow to remain in contact with the wall and be further directed away from the opening. Airflow may flow from the further air outlet into an interior of the hair treatment chamber in use.

The hair treatment chamber, for example the wall of the hair treatment chamber, may be shaped to define a hemi- spherical interior. This may help to maximise the space available in the hair treatment chamber to receive the user’s hair.

The wall may comprise a porous material. The porous material may define the aperture. The porous material may be, for example, a mesh. The porous material may be air permeable such that air can flow through the permeable material. The porous material may help to retain the hair of a user within the hair care chamber while also confining the air in the hair treatment chamber. As such, air in the hair treatment chamber may heat to higher temperatures to increase the efficiency and/or speed of drying the user’s hair.

The wall of the attachment may compromise a plurality of apertures. For example, there may be two, four, six, eight, ten, one hundred, one thousand or ten thousand apertures. The plurality of apertures may be spaced about the periphery of the hair treatment chamber. In the first configuration airflow through the plurality of apertures may be unrestricted and in the second configuration airflow through the plurality of apertures may be restricted. Providing a plurality of apertures may provide more diffuse airflow from the hair treatment chamber in use.

The attachment may comprise a sensor configured to output a signal indicative of a property of hair within the hair treatment chamber. This signal may be indicative of the user’s hair being sufficiently dry and, for example, the user may be provided with an indication to stop using the attachment based on the signal. For example, the user may be provided with a visual indicator, such as a light, when the signal indicates that their hair is sufficiently dry. The airflow generator may be configured to modify the airflow when the signal indicates that the user’s hair is sufficiently dry. For example, the airflow generator may be configured to reduce the flow rate, or stop the generation of airflow, in response to the signal. Alternatively or additionally, the heater may be configured to modify the amount of heat provided to the airflow in response to the signal. For example, the heater may be configured to reduce the amount of heat provided to the airflow, or stop heating the airflow, in response to the signal. This may help to prevent damage to the user’s hair which may be caused by excessive or unnecessary drying and/or heating.

The sensor may be in located within or adjacent to the hair treatment chamber. Multiple sensors may be provided to provide redundancy in the event of a sensor failing.

The sensor may comprise any of a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, a sensor capable of spectral analysis, or a sensor capable of capacitive sensing for moisture. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a haircare appliance comprising: an air inlet; a moveable member comprising an air outlet; an airflow generator for generating an airflow from the air inlet to the air outlet; and a hair treatment chamber for receiving hair, the hair treatment chamber comprising an opening through which hair is insertable into the hair treatment chamber, the opening defined by a rim of the hair treatment chamber; wherein the moveable member is moveable between an extended position at which the moveable member extends from the rim by a first extent and a retracted position at which the moveable member extends from the rim by a second extent less than the first extent.

The haircare appliance may comprise a handle unit within which the airflow generator is disposed, and an attachment comprising the air inlet, the moveable member comprising the air outlet, and the hair treatment chamber, that attachment removably attachable to the handle unit. Providing the air outlet described above as part of a removable attachment may allow the functionality described herein to be selectively provided by a user.

The haircare appliance may further comprise a heater for heating the airflow.

The attachment may be for a haircare appliance comprising an airflow generator disposed in a housing. The attachment may communicate with the handle unit, or other component of the haircare appliance, to modify operation of the haircare appliance. For example, the attachment may communicate with the airflow generator to modify the airflow provided to the attachment. The attachment may communicate with the haircare appliance to transfer information indicative of a desired air flow rate. The airflow generator may be operated on the basis of the information to provide the desired air flow rate. The attachment may comprise an RFID tag which includes information indicative of the air flow rate desired for the attachment. This information may be read from the RFID tag and transmitted to the airflow generator to cause the airflow generator to generate airflow with the desired flow rate. Alternatively or additionally, the attachment may communicate with the haircare appliance by Bluetooth™ or other suitable wireless communication standard, and/or by a wired connection.

Optional features of aspects of the present invention may be equally applied to other aspects of the present invention, where appropriate.

of the Drawings

Figure 1 illustrates a haircare appliance according to an example;

Figure 2 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a handle unit of the haircare appliance of Figure 1.

Figure 3 illustrates a schematic view of an attachment of the haircare appliance of Figure 1;

Figure 4 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the attachment of Figure 3;

Figure 5a illustrates a schematic side view of the attachment of Figure 3;

Figure 5b illustrates a further schematic side view of the attachment of Figure 3;

Figure 6a illustrates a schematic side view of a moveable member in a retracted position;

Figure 6b illustrates a schematic side view the moveable member of Figure 6a in an extended position;

Figure 7a illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of an example switching arrangement; and

Figure 7b illustrates a further schematic view of the switching arrangement of Figure 6a. Detailed Description of the Invention

A haircare appliance according to the present invention, generally designated 10, is shown schematically in Figure 1.

The haircare appliance 10 comprises a handle unit 12, and an attachment 100 removably attachable to the handle unit 12.

The handle unit 12 comprises a housing 14, an airflow generator 16, a heater 18, and a control unit 20, as can be seen schematically in Figure 2.

The housing 14 is tubular in shape, and comprises an air inlet 22 through which an airflow is drawn into the housing 14 by the airflow generator 16, and an air outlet 24 through which the airflow is discharged from the housing 14. The airflow generator 16 is housed within the housing 14, and comprises an impeller 26 driven by an electric motor 28. The heater 18 is also housed within the housing 14, and comprises heating elements 30 to optionally heat the airflow.

The control unit 20 comprises electronic circuitry for a user interface 32, a control module 34 and an RFID reader 24. The user interface 32 is provided on an outer surface of the housing 14, and is used to power on and off the haircare appliance 10, to select a flow rate (for example high, medium and low), and to select an airflow temperature (for example hot, medium or cold). In the example of Figure 1, the user interface comprises a plurality of sliding switches, but other forms of user interface 32, for example buttons, dials or touchscreens, are also envisaged. The RFID reader 24 is to interrogate an RFID tag that forms part of the attachment 100.

The control module 34 is responsible for controlling the airflow generator 16, and the heater 18 in response to inputs from the user interface 32. For example, in response to inputs from the user interface 32, the control module 34 may control the power or the speed of the airflow generator 16 in order to adjust the airflow rate of the airflow, and the power of the heater 18 in order to adjust the temperature of the airflow.

Examples of the attachment 100 are shown schematically in Figures 3 and 4. The attachment 100 comprises an air inlet 101, a moveable member 102 and a hair treatment chamber 103. The moveable member 102 comprises an air outlet 104. The hair treatment chamber 103 is for receiving hair and comprises an opening 105 through which hair is insertable into the hair treatment chamber 103.

The hair treatment chamber 103 further comprises a wall 106 and a plurality of apertures 107 formed in the wall 106. The apertures 107 enable airflow to escape from an interior of the hair treatment chamber 103 in use, without having to pass through the opening 105 through which hair is inserted into the hair treatment chamber 103.

The hair treatment chamber 103 defines a confined space into which the user’s hair is placed. As hot air passes into the confined space, the ambient temperature within the hair treatment chamber 103 rises, which can help dry the hair of the user. Moreover, as the hair treatment chamber 103 holds the user’s hair in place during use, the user’s hair is less likely to be disrupted by the flow of air into the hair treatment chamber 103. As such, relatively high flow rates of air can be used without significantly disrupting the user’s hair, which may increase the efficiency and/or speed of drying the user’s hair. The flow rate may be at least 6 litres per second, at least 10 litres per second, or at least 13 litres per second.

The wall 106 of the hair treatment chamber 103 comprises a porous material 108. In the example shown in Figure 3, a porous material 108 is disposed in the aperture 107 such that collectively the wall 106, which is non-porous, and the porous material 108, define a boundary wall of the hair treatment chamber 103. In Figure 3, the porous material 108 in shown in a single aperture 107. In some examples, the porous material 108 is disposed in all of the apertures 107. Alternatively, the porous material 108 is disposed in a select number of apertures 107. Pores of the porous material 108 define further apertures in the wall. In the example of Figure 3, the porous material 108 is a mesh. Alternatively, any other suitably porous material 108 can be used.

The porous material 108 helps to retain the hair of a user within the hair treatment chamber 103 while also confining the air in the hair treatment chamber 103. As such, air in the hair treatment chamber 103 may heat to higher temperatures to increase the efficiency and/or speed of drying the user’s hair.

In the example of Figures 3 and 4 in combination with Figure 1, the air inlet 101 and the air outlet 104 of the attachment 100 are provided at a first end of the housing 14. The air inlet 101 is therefore disposed in an airflow path between the airflow generator 16 and the air outlet 104. As shown in Figure 1, the handle unit 12 also has its own air inlet 22 into the housing 14. The airflow generator 16 is configured to generate an airflow from the air inlet 22 of the handle unit 12, through the air inlet 101 of the attachment 100 and to the air outlet 104 in use.

The opening 105 illustrated in Figure 3 is generally circular in shape, however other forms and shapes of opening 105 are envisaged. For example, the opening 105 may be substantially oval or semi-circular shaped. In the example shown in Figures 3 and 4, the hair treatment chamber 103 is shaped to define a hemi-spherical interior. In other examples, the hair treatment chamber 103 is shaped to define any other suitable hollow interior in which hair can be received.

The attachment 100 comprises a sensor 109 configured to output a signal indicative of a property of hair within the hair treatment chamber 103 in use. The sensor 109 shown in Figure 4 is a moisture sensor. In other examples, the sensor 109 is a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor. The signal output by the sensor 109 is received by the control module 34 which is configured to control the haircare appliance 10 in response to the signal from the sensor 109. In some examples, the sensor 109 comprises an RFID tag to transmit information via RFID to the RFID reader 24. In some examples, it is envisaged that other forms of communication, including, for example Bluetooth™ or near-field communication (NFC), may be utilised.

Similarly, although thus far wireless methods of communicating between the sensor 109 and the control module 34 have been discussed, it will be appreciated that examples that utilise physical communications connections are also envisaged. For example, the handle unit 12 and the attachment 100 may comprise corresponding contacts which, when connected when the attachment 100 is connected to the handle unit 12, define a communications pathway.

In some examples, the signal from the sensor 109 is indicative of the user’s hair being sufficiently dry and the user is provided with an indication to stop using the haircare appliance 10 based on the signal. For example, the user is provided with a visual indicator, such as a light, when the signal indicates that their hair is sufficiently dry. In some examples, the airflow generator 16 is configured to modify the airflow when the signal indicates that the user’s hair is sufficiently dry. For example, the airflow generator 16 is configured to reduce the flow rate, or stop the generation of airflow, in response to the signal. In some examples, the heater 18 is configured to modify the amount of heat provided to the airflow in response to the signal. For example, the heater 18 may be configured to reduce the amount of heat provided to the airflow, or stop heating the airflow, in response to the signal. This may help to prevent damage to the user’s hair which may be caused by excessive or unnecessary drying and/or heating.

The hair treatment chamber 103 comprises a rim 110 which defines the opening 105 and a further air outlet 111 which directs airflow in a different direction to the air outlet 104 of the moveable member 102. This may allow different parts of the user’s hair to be dried at the same time with the haircare appliance 10.

The further air outlet 111 is configured to direct airflow away from the opening 105 and toward the aperture 107 in use. As hair is inserted through the opening 105, and airflow is directed away from the opening 105, airflow may be directed away from the roots of the hair that is located within the hair treatment chamber 103 in use. This may reduce an amount of direct heat being applied to the user’s head which may increase the comfort of using the haircare appliance 10, particularly over an extended period of time.

The moveable member 102 illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 is moveable between an extended position at which the moveable member 102 extends from the rim 110 by a first extent (as shown in Figures 3 and 4) and a retracted position at which the moveable member 102 extends from the rim 110 by a second extent less than the first extent. The moveable air outlet 104 allows the user greater flexibility in positioning depending on their needs and requirements.

In the example of Figure 3 and 4, airflow flows through the further air outlet 111 of the hair treatment chamber 103 when the moveable member 102 is in the extended position and the retracted position in use. As such, if the user does not wish to apply any heat or airflow through the air outlet 104, for example if their head is becoming too hot, airflow can be restricted through the air outlet 104 of the moveable member 102, but still continue to flow through the further outlet 111 to continue to dry the user’s hair.

As shown in Figure 3 and 4, in the extended position, the moveable members 102 extend away from the rim 110 in a direction parallel to a central axis of the hair treatment chamber 103. As such, the moveable members 102 extend away from the hair treatment chamber 103 and toward the head of a user in use. This may allow heated airflow to be directed to the roots of a user’s hair in use whilst a tress of hair is located within the hair treatment chamber 103, which may enable targeted drying of the roots of hair in use.

The attachment 100 comprises a plurality of moveable members 102. In the example of Figures 3 and 4, each moveable member 102 comprises a respective air outlet 104. This may help to increase the amount of airflow directed toward the roots of a user’s hair, therefore increasing drying efficiency. In other examples, some of the plurality of moveable members 102 do not comprise a respective air outlet 104. Figure 5a illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the attachment 100 of Figures 3 and 4 with the moveable members 102 in the extended position. Figure 5b illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a part of the attachment 100 of Figures 3 and 4 with the moveable members 102 in the retracted position. In the extended position, the moveable members 102 extend from the rim 110 by a first extent. In the retracted position, the moveable members 102 extend from the rim 110 by a second extent which is smaller than the first extent. In the example of Figure 5b, no part of the moveable member 102 extends from the rim 110 in the retracted position. In other examples, a part of the moveable member 102 extends from the rim 110 in the retracted position.

When the moveable member 102 is in the extended position, airflow through the air outlet 104 is unrestricted. When the moveable member 102 is in the retracted position, airflow through the air outlet 104 is restricted. In the example of Figure 5b, when the moveable member 102 is in the retracted position, airflow through the air outlet 104 is prevented. In other words, no airflow can pass through the air outlet 104 when the moveable member 102 is in the retracted position.

Figure 6a schematically illustrates the moveable member 102 in the retracted position and Figure 6b schematically illustrates the moveable member 102 in the extended position. As shown in Figures 6a and 6b, the moveable member 102 defines a flow path 201 from an interior of the rim 110 to the air outlet 104. When the moveable member 102 is in the retracted position, the air outlet 10 is located internally of the rim 110 and when the moveable member 102 is in the extended position, the air outlet 104 is located external of the rim 110. As such, when the moveable member 102 is in the retracted position, airflow is contained in the rim 110 and airflow exits through the further air outlet 111. Airflow can also exit through the further air outlet 111 when the moveable member 102 is in the extended position.

In the example of Figures 6a and 6b, the moveable member 102 is biased toward the retracted position. This may help to save space as the moveable members 102 do not extend fully from the rim 110 when not in use, and this may also help to prevent damage to the moveable members 102 when the attachment 100 is being moved. In other examples, the moveable member 102 is biased toward the extended position. The biasing may be achieved via use of a resiliently deformable member such as a spring.

Although the biasing of the moveable member 102 is discussed above with reference to a spring, in some examples the biasing is achieved with airflow and without a spring or other resiliently deformable member. In the example of Figures 6a and 6b, an airflow provided to the attachment 100 by the airflow generator 16 moves the moveable member 102 from the retracted position to the extended position. As such, the moveable members 102 can remain in the extended position during use, and move to the retracted position when the supply of airflow is stopped. In some examples, the moveable members 102 are configured to move to the extended position when a predetermined flow rate of airflow is reached. When the airflow is below the predetermined flow rate, the moveable members 102 remain, or return to, the retracted position. As such, the airflow generator 16 can be configured to provide a different flow rate depending on an input to the user interface 32 by the user. The user may select a lower flow rate when they do not want to use the air outlets of the moveable members 102, or a higher flow rate when they want the moveable members 102 to move to the extended position.

As shown in Figure 6b, when the moveable member 102 is held in the extended position by airflow, the user may move the moveable member 102 to the retracted position by applying a force to an end of the moveable member 102. For example, the user may press the moveable members 102 against their head 202 to move the moveable members 102 to the retracted position. This allows the user to easily control how much airflow is being directly applied to, or near, the roots of their hair. This may improve the comfort of using the haircare appliance 10 and help to prevent the user’s hair being damaged from excess drying and/or heating.

Figures 7a and 7b illustrate an alternative example switching arrangement 300 configured to switch the moveable member 102 between the extended position and the retracted position. The switching mechanism 300 comprises a first portion 301 and a second portion 302. In the example of Figures 7a and 7b, the first portion 301 is configured to slide along a surface of the second portion 302. In other examples, the second portion 302 is configured to slide along a surface of the first portion 301. The first portion 301 comprises the moveable members 102 and the moveable members 102 move from the retracted position to the extended position when the first portion 301 slides along the surface of the second portion 302.

Figure 7a illustrates the moveable members 102 in the retracted position. Corresponding surfaces of the first portion 301 and the second portion 302 are shaped to be sloped. As such, when the first portion 301 and the second portion 302 slide relative to each other, an upper surface 303 of the first portion 301 moves away from a lower surface 304 of the second portion 302. Although a surface of both the first portion 301 and the second portion 302 is sloped in Figures 7a and 7b, in some examples only one of the first portion 301 and the second portion 302 are sloped.

As shown in Figure 7b, as the first portion 301 moves relative to the second portion 302 in a first direction 305, the moveable members 102 have a component of motion in a second direction 306 such that they extend from the rim 110. In the example of Figure 7a and 7b, the first portion 301 linearly slides along the surface of the second portion 302. In other examples, the first portion 301 and the second portion 302 rotate relative to each other. To cause the first portion 301 and the second portion 302 to rotate relative to each other, the user may twist or rotate a part of the attachment 100. For example, an outer surface of the attachment 100 may be operatively connected to one of the first portion 301 and the second portion 302 such that when the outer surface is twisted or rotated, the first portion 301 slides along the surface of the second portion 302.

Examples are also envisaged where, rather than the haircare appliance 10 comprising a handle unit 12 and an attachment 100, the haircare appliance 10 is a single-piece unit, for example taking the form of the combined handle unit 12 and attachment 100 previously described.

Claims

1. An attachment for a haircare appliance, the attachment comprising an air inlet, a moveable member comprising an air outlet for emitting an airflow, and a hair treatment chamber for receiving hair, the hair treatment chamber comprising an opening through which hair is insertable into the hair treatment chamber, the opening defined by a rim of the hair treatment chamber; wherein the moveable member is moveable between an extended position at which the moveable member extends from the rim by a first extent and a retracted position at which the moveable member extends from the rim by a second extent less than the first extent.

2. An attachment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movable member is biased into the retracted position.

3. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the movable member is moveable between the retracted position and the extended position in response to airflow from the airflow generator in use.

4. An attachment as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the attachment comprises a switching arrangement configured to move the moveable member between the extended position and the retracted position.

5. An attachment as claimed in claim 4, wherein the switching arrangement comprises a rotational mechanism configured to move the moveable member between the extended position and the retracted position.

6. An attachment as claimed in any of claims 4 to 5, wherein the switching arrangement comprises a first portion and a second portion, one of the first portion and the second portion configured to slide along a surface of the other of the second portion and the first portion, wherein the first portion comprises the moveable member and the moveable member is configured to move between the retracted position and the extended position when the one of the first portion and second portion slides along the surface of the other of the second portion and the first portion.

7. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the moveable member is configured to move between the extended position and the retracted position in response to a force applied by a user to the moveable member.

8. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein airflow through the air outlet is unrestricted when the moveable member is in the extended position.

9. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein airflow through the air outlet is restricted when the moveable member is in the retracted position.

10. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the air outlet is configured to direct airflow toward the opening in the extended position.

11. An attachment as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the air outlet is configured to direct airflow away from the opening in the extended position.

12. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the attachment comprises a plurality of moveable members.

13. An attachment as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plurality of moveable members each comprise a respective air outlet.

14. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hair treatment chamber comprises a wall, an aperture formed in the wall and a further air outlet, the further air outlet configured to direct airflow away from the opening and toward the aperture in use.

15. An attachment as claimed in claim 14, wherein the further air outlet is configured to direct airflow in a different direction to the air outlet.

16. An attachment as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein airflow flows through the further air outlet when the moveable member is in the extended position and the retracted position in use.

17. An attachment as claimed any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the wall comprises a porous material.

18. An attachment as claimed in claim 17, wherein the porous material defines the aperture.

19. An attachment as claimed in any of claims 14 to 18, wherein the attachment comprises a plurality of apertures formed in the wall.

20. An attachment as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the attachment comprises a sensor configured to output a signal indicative of a property of hair within the hair treatment chamber in use.

21. A haircare appliance comprising: an air inlet; a moveable member comprising an air outlet; an airflow generator for generating an airflow from the air inlet to the air outlet; and a hair treatment chamber for receiving hair, the hair treatment chamber comprising an opening through which hair is insertable into the hair treatment chamber, the opening defined by a rim of the hair treatment chamber; wherein the moveable member is moveable between an extended position at which the moveable member extends from the rim by a first extent and a retracted position at which the moveable member extends from the rim by a second extent less than the first extent. 22

22. A haircare appliance as claimed claim 21, wherein the haircare appliance comprises a handle unit within which the airflow generator is disposed, and an attachment comprising the air inlet, the moveable member comprising the air outlet, and the hair treatment chamber, that attachment removably attachable to the handle unit.