U.S. patent application number 11/886330 was filed with the patent office on 2008-09-11 for hair straightener with magnetic means.
Invention is credited to Wing Kin Chan.
Application Number | 20080216859 11/886330 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36992431 |
Filed Date | 2008-09-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080216859 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chan; Wing Kin |
September 11, 2008 |
Hair Straightener with Magnetic Means
Abstract
A hair styling apparatus includes a styling head, the styling
head has a contact styling surface for contact styling of hair, a
heater and a magnet. The magnet is disposed so that magnetic force
due to the magnet appears on the styling surface.
Inventors: |
Chan; Wing Kin; (Hong Kong
Sar, CN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BUCHANAN, INGERSOLL & ROONEY PC
POST OFFICE BOX 1404
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22313-1404
US
|
Family ID: |
36992431 |
Appl. No.: |
11/886330 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
March 14, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2006/009465 |
371 Date: |
September 14, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
132/224 ;
132/223; 219/222; 219/225 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D 1/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
132/224 ;
132/223; 219/225; 219/222 |
International
Class: |
A45D 2/40 20060101
A45D002/40; A45D 1/04 20060101 A45D001/04; A45D 2/36 20060101
A45D002/36 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 15, 2005 |
US |
11079669 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. (canceled)
3. (canceled)
4. (canceled)
5. (canceled)
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. (canceled)
9. (canceled)
10. A hair styling apparatus comprising a pair of heated styling
heads arranged for contact styling of hair, and a pair of cooling
heads defining a pair of contact cooling surfaces, wherein said
cooling heads are disposed immediately adjacent said heated styling
heads and are arranged for compressively engaging hair upon exit of
said hair from said contact styling surface for contact cooling of
said hair, and a heat sinking mass is attached to a cooling head
for dissipating heat away from said contact cooling surface.
11. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said
heat sinking mass is non-metallic and comprises a slab of rock-like
substances with a high heat mass.
12. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a
metallic heat sink is attached to said non-metallic heat sinking
mass for dissipating heat away from said non-metallic heat sinking
mass.
13. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 12, further
comprising a magnet, wherein said magnet is disposed so that
magnetic force appearing on said styling surface has a magnetic
density of between 300-20,000 Gauss.
14. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said
magnetic density is about 4,000 Gauss.
15. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said
magnet comprises a permanent magnet slab, said contact styling
surface being magnetic permeable, said magnet slab being disposed
underneath said styling surface so that magnetic field of said
magnet slab is distributed on said contact styling surface.
16. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said
permanent magnet slab, said heating means and said contact styling
surface forms a sub-assembly which is resiliently movable relative
to the main housing of said styling apparatus.
17. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said
non-metallic heat sinking mass and said metallic heat sink are
formed as a module and resiliently supported on a housing of said
hair styling apparatus.
18. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said
pair of heated styling heads and said pair of cooling heads are
side-by-side arranged for hair straightening.
19. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said
pair of cooling heads are arranged for cold shocking hair upon exit
of heated hair from said pair of styling heads.
20. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said
pair of cooling heads is pivotally mounted such that the pair of
contact cooling surfaces can be flipped in for contact cooling and
flipped out for non-contact with hair.
21. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 18, wherein an
elongate air-gap is disposed intermediate a heated styling head and
an adjacent cooling head for insulating said cooling head from said
heated styling head.
22. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said
permanent magnet slab, said heating means and said contact styling
surface forms a sub-assembly which is resiliently movable relative
to the main housing of said styling apparatus.
23. A hair styling apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said
rock like substance is selected from the group comprising granite,
marble, quartz and mica.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to hair styling means and apparatus
and, more particularly, to hair styling irons such as hair curling
irons and hair straightening irons. More specifically, although of
course not solely limited thereto, this invention relates to
handheld hair styling with heated styling heads.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Hair styling apparatus are widely used in hair applications.
A common type of hair styling apparatus is tong-shaped and
comprises a pair of hinged arms with a pair of heated styling
heads, which are mounted on the free ends of the hinged arms with
the styling surfaces facing each other. Hair is typically styled,
for example, by a pair of curling or straightening heads, when the
pair of heated styling heads is in compressive engagement. Another
common type of hair styling apparatus is flute-shaped and comprises
a handle with an elongated metallic rod which is substantially
coaxial with the handle. The elongated metallic rod comprises a
heated styling head and a spring-biased clamping arm, which is
hinged to the apparatus near the junction between the handle and
the metallic rod. Hair is compressively held between the clamp and
the styling head during styling. The aforementioned hair styling
apparatus are commonly and collectively known as hair styling
irons.
[0003] Although heated styling heads provide a useful and
convenient means for hair styling, the degree and duration of
heating required is known to be damaging to hair. Hence, it will be
desirable if improved styling means can be provided to alleviate
shortcomings of conventional hair styling means.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide improved hair styling means. At a minimum, it is an object
of this invention to provide alternative hair styling means as a
useful alternative for the public.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Broadly speaking, the present invention has described a hair
styling apparatus comprising a styling head, said styling head
comprises a contact styling surface for contact styling of hair,
heating means and a magnet, characterised in that said magnet is
disposed so that magnetic force due to said magnet appears on said
styling surface.
[0006] According to a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided a hair styling apparatus comprising a
pair of styling heads, each said styling head comprises a contact
styling surface for contact styling of hair when in cooperation
with the contact styling surface of a counterpart styling head,
heating means and a magnet, characterised in that said magnet is
disposed so that magnetic force due to said magnet appears on said
styling surface, wherein the magnetic polarity on the contact
styling surfaces of a counterpart pair of styling heads is the
same.
[0007] According to another preferred embodiment, there is provided
a hair apparatus comprising a pair of heated styling heads, a
magnet and a pair of cooling heads, each said heated styling head
comprises a contact styling surface for contact styling of hair
when in cooperation with the contact styling surface of a
counterpart styling head, each cooling head comprises a cooling
surface for contact cooling of hair exiting from said contact
styling surface, wherein said magnet is disposed so that magnetic
force due to said magnet appears on said styling surface, said
cooling heads are disposed immediately adjacent to said heated
styling heads and said cooling surface comprises a non-metallic
heat sinking mass.
[0008] Preferably, a magnetic density of between 300-20,000 Gauss
appears on said styling surface.
[0009] Preferably, said magnetic density is about 4,000 Gauss.
[0010] Preferably, said magnet comprises a permanent magnet slab,
said contact styling surface being magnetic permeable, said magnet
slab being disposed underneath said styling surface so that
magnetic field of said magnet slab is distributed on said contact
styling surface.
[0011] Preferably, said permanent magnet slab, said heating means
and said contact styling surface forms a sub-assembly which is
resiliently movable relative to the main housing of said styling
apparatus.
[0012] Preferably, said non-metallic heating mass comprises a slab
of rock-like substances with a high heat mass, such as granite,
marble, quartz, mica or the like.
[0013] Preferably, a metallic heat sink is attached to said heating
mass for dissipating heat away from said contact cooling
surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be
explained in further detail below by way of examples and with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a first preferred embodiment
of a hair straightener of this invention in its closed
position,
[0016] FIG. 1A is a side view showing the apparatus of FIG. 1 in
its open position,
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a top view of the styling apparatus of FIGS. 1
and 1A,
[0018] FIG. 3A shows a cross section of the styling head portion of
the apparatus of FIG. 2 along the section line A-A,
[0019] FIG. 3B illustrates in more detail the internal structure of
the head portion of FIG. 3A,
[0020] FIG. 4A shows a cross section of the cooling head of the
hair styling apparatus of FIG. 2 along the section B-B,
[0021] FIG. 4B shows in more detail the internal structure of the
cooling head of FIG. 4A,
[0022] FIG. 5 shows a second preferred embodiment of a hair
straightener of this invention,
[0023] FIG. 5A shows the apparatus of FIG. 5 with the cooling heads
in the open position,
[0024] FIG. 5B is an end view showing the cooling heads of FIG. 5A
in the flipped open position,
[0025] FIG. 6 is a top view of a third preferred embodiment of a
hair straightener of this invention, and
[0026] FIG. 6A is a side view of the apparatus of FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4B, there is shown a handheld hair
styling apparatus illustrating a first preferred embodiment of this
invention. The hair styling apparatus 100 comprises a handle 110
and a pair of styling members 130. The handle resembles a pair of
tongs and comprises a pair of arms 113, 115 which are pivotally
joined at a hinge 117 near their respective ends so that arms
113,115 are pivotally movable about the pivotal hinge 117 between a
fully "opened" position and a fully "close" position. The pair of
styling members comprises a pair of styling heads 131, 133 which
are disposed at corresponding locations near the fee ends of the
handles distal to the hinge 117. The handle 110 and the styling
heads 131, 133 are disposed so that, when the pair of arms is at
the "closed" position, tresses of hair can be engaged under
pressure by the styling surfaces 135, 137 for contact hair styling.
On the other hand, when the pair of arms is at the "opened"
position, tresses of hair can be captured or released. The pair of
arms is preferably ergonomically shaped so that a user can operate
the styling apparatus 100 with a single hand.
[0028] Each of the arms comprises a hollow and elongated main
housing 120 for accommodating electrical parts or other components
which are necessary or useful for controlling styling operation by
the styling heads. The main housing can be made of durable plastics
or other appropriate materials known to persons skilled in the art.
An electrical power cord 140 is connected to near the pivoted end
of the handle so that supplying operating power can be supplied to
the electrical parts, for example, heating elements of the styling
apparatus. A master electrical switch (not shown) is provided on
the main housing to control power supply between the electrical
parts and the mains power supply. The master electrical switch can
be a conventional electrical switch such as a slide switch, a
push-button switch, a rocker switch or other appropriate
switches.
[0029] The pivotal hinge 117 joining the pair of arms may be spring
biased so that the arms are urged towards the open position when a
user or a locking mechanism is not holding the arms together. A
pair of latch 119 for holding the pair of arms at the closed
position is provided near the pivoted ends of the arms. The latch
can be a rotary lock as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. As can be seen in
FIG. 3, the pair of handles are locked in the closed position when
the ridge on the rotary lock is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis
of the handle. In the ridge position of FIG. 5 when the ridge is
parallel to the handle's longitudinal axis, the handles are in the
opened position. This rotary lock 119 keeps the pair of styling
heads and arms in a bundle form for a very compact design with the
longitudinal axes of all the four pieces substantially parallel of
course, other locks can be used to lock and un-lock the pair of
handles to prevent them from spring apart. As a convenient example,
another appropriate lock comprises a rotary wedge which is
rotatable about an axis which is substantially parallel to the
pivotal axis. The rotary wedge is disposed at the pivoted end of
the handles and beyond the pivotal joint so that the rotary wedge
can slide to fit into the space or gap between the ends of the
handles to keep them in the closed position, like a wedge.
Likewise, the handles are opened when the rotary wedge are rotated
away from the space between the ends of the handles, whereby the
handles are released.
[0030] Each styling head 131, 133 comprises a contact styling
surface 141, 143, electric heating means 145 and a magnet 147. The
contact styling surface 141, 143 is formed from a thermally
conductive material which is permeable to magnetic field. Aluminum,
aluminum alloys, copper and copper alloys, coated glass are
examples of suitable materials. Electric heating means 145 for
providing distributed heating to the contact styling surface are
disposed underneath the contact styling surface. Resistive heating
elements, Infra-red heating elements, glass-type coated heaters,
PTC heating elements and other distributed heating elements are
examples of suitable as heating means. The magnet is installed so
that its magnetic force will appear on the contact styling surface
to supplement styling by the heating means to be explained
below.
[0031] In this example, the contact styling surface comprises a
metallic sheet which is magnetic permeable. The magnet 147 is a
permanent magnet slab which is disposed underneath the contact
styling surface 141, 143 and the heating means 145. With this
arrangement, the magnetic strength of the magnetic slab can
penetrate the contact styling surface and interact with tresses of
hair being styled by the heating means during styling operation.
The magnetic slab can be made of ferro-, nickel-, cobalt-magnetic
materials, magnetic alloys or appropriate magnetic substances.
Experiments and studies show that the application of a magnetic
flux of about 300-20,000 Gauss at the contact styling surface
during styling will significantly mitigate adverse influence of
hair due to the heating required for styling. Hence, a magnet slab
which produces a magnetic flux of 300-20,000 Gauss, preferably
4,000 Gauss, is used in this example. As an alternative or in
addition, an electromagnet can be used to produce the
above-mentioned appropriate level of magnetic flux to supplement
heated hair styling. If an electomagnet is used, the electromagnet
can be heat conductive and can be disposed intermediate the contact
styling surface and the electric heating means.
[0032] It is noted that when the magnets on the corresponding
styling heads are disposed so that the magnetic polarity of the
magnetic filed appearing on the pair of corresponding contact
styling surfaces are the same, the styling effects are better. To
further make use of the advantage of magnetism on human body, a
negative magnetism or negative magnetic polarity as known to
therapeutic applications is applied to appear on the contact
styling surface. Because of like magnetic polarity on the contact
styling surface, the pair of styling heads is repulsive to each
other.
[0033] In this example, the styling head 131, 133, comprising the
heating means 145, the magnet 147 and the contact styling surface
141, 143, is a module contained in a non-magnetic permeable
metallic housing. The styling head module is resiliently supported
on the main housing and is under spring bias 151 so that tresses of
hair engaged between the pair of styling heads are under an
appropriate maximum compressive stress. Although the contact
styling surface is planar in this example so that the apparatus is
essentially a hair straightener, it will be understood that the
contact surfaces can be made correspondingly wavy, curvy, ribbed,
rippled etc for hair curling or other styling applications.
[0034] As an alternative example, this invention can be applied in
a rod-type styling device which comprises a styling head with a
rod-type handle and a spring urged hair clamp pivotally attached to
the handle under spring bias. The hair styling head can be one
which is similar to that described above. A magnet slab is disposed
on the hair clamp so that magnetic flux of the same polarity as
that of the contact styling surface of the styling head will appear
on the corresponding contact surfaces of the hair clamp and the
contact styling surface. In an alternative design, the clamp arm is
not equipped with a magnet slab or is not made of a magnetic
material so the magnet slab is the sole source of magnetic flux for
hair styling. Likewise, the styling head of this rod-type apparatus
can be cylindrical with a convexly curved contact styling surface.
A curved, non-curved or appropriately shaped magnet slab,
including, for example, an ensemble of magnet strips or elongated
magnetic slabs, can be disposed underneath the convex contact
styling surface without loss of generality.
[0035] Although the precise mechanism by which magnetic flux
interact with hair to mitigate damage due to heating is not yet
fully understood, it is believed that the application of an
appropriate level of magnetic flux to hair during heated styling
helps to retain moisture in hair or help to alleviate or mitigate
damage to protein or other organic substances of the hair. It is
further believed that moisture retention may relate to ionic
interaction with the magnetic flux. As a result, enhanced hair
styling can be achieved.
[0036] Hair styling by direct heating on hair is convenient and
efficient for most practical hair styling applications. The styling
surfaces of a hair styling appartus are usually heated to between
120.degree. C.-200.degree. C. in order to provide a more permanent
hair styling while not burning hair. However, heating of hair to
this elevated temperature range is damaging to hair. For example,
studies show that heating of hair at an elevated temperature of
180.degree. C. (which is usual for a heated hair styling ion) for
2-3 seconds is sufficiently damaging to hair. To alleviate such
adverse side effects of heated hair styling apparatus, a cooling
means is provided in this invention. This cooling means provides a
two-fold advantage. Firstly, the cooling means helps to depress the
temperature of the hair which has just exited from the heated
contact surface to below a hair damaging temperature. Secondly, the
cooling performs as a cold shock to the hair just heated and
provides better setting.
[0037] In the first preferred embodiment of this invention as
described above, a cooling means is also provided. However, it
should be understood that this cooling means is provided only as a
useful option and is not a necessary part of the above-described
hair styling apparatus with a magnetic hair styling head.
Specifically, the heated styling heads can be without a magnet to
illustrate a styling apparatus with the cooling means.
[0038] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4A and 4B, the hair styling apparatus
further comprises cooling means in the form of a pair of cooling
heads 161, 163 attached to the unpivoted ends of the handle 110.
The pair of cooling heads 161, 163 are disposed, immediately
adjacent to the pair of heated styling heads 131, 133 and are
disposed in such a manner that immediately after tresses of hair
having been heated by the contact hair styling surfaces, the
tresses of hair will be compressively engaged by the contact
cooling surfaces 165, 167 of the pair of cooling heads when the
hair being styled is being drawn so that the temperature of the
tresses of hair can be depressed quickly to below the damaging
temperature. An elongated air-gap 171 is disposed between a cooling
head 161, 163 and a heated styling head 131, 133 to insulate the
cooling head from the heated styling head. A plurality of venting
apertures 169 are provided on the cooling heads for more efficient
heat dissipation or sinking.
[0039] Turning to FIGS. 4A and 4B, a preferred example of a cooling
head 161, 163 is illustrated. The cooling head comprises a heat
sinking means which has a relatively large heat mass so that heat
from the hair can be readily absorbed by the heat sinking mass
without significantly raising the temperature of the heat sinking
mass. This large heat mass ensures an effective heat sinking for a
reasonably long period during the operation of the heat styling
apparatus. A slab 171 of marble, granite, quartz, mica, ceramics
and other rocks, rock-like materials or minerals of a sufficiently
large heat mass is utilized as a passive heat sinking means.
Alternatively, active cooling means, such as the use of Peltier
elements, can be used as an active cooling means.
[0040] To further enhance the heat sinking capacity of the heat
sinking mass, a heat sink 173 is attached to the back side of the
heat sinking mass which is not in contact with the tresses of hair.
The heat sink can be a thermally conductive plate made, for
example, of aluminum, aluminum alloy, steel or other approprate
substances which are made into appropriate heat sinking surface
configurations for more effective heat sinking. A plurality of heat
sinking apertures 169 are disposed on the main housing 169 of the
cooling head and along the length of the heat sinking mass to
facilitate more efficient heat dissipation by ventilation. The
combination of the heat sinking mass and the heat sinking
back-plate are formed as a module supported by a spring 175 so that
the combination module is resiliently supported on the main housing
of the cooling head so that the tresses of hair being engaged can
be compressively held or under a reasonably constant or maximum
pressure. Although the heat sinking means shown in this example is
a planar stone slab for a hair straightener, it will be appreciated
that the stone slab can be appropriately shaped for other styling
applications as mentioned in relation to the magnetic styling
head.
[0041] Referring next to FIGS. 5, 5A and 5B, a second preferred
embodiment of this invention. The second preferred embodiment of a
hair styling apparatus is in the form of a hair straightener 200
comprising a pair of pivotally joined handles, a pair of heated
styling heads 231, 233 and a pair of cooling heads 261, 263. The
internal structure of a pair of heated styling hair and a pair of
cooling heads are substantially similar to those described above or
other appropriate structures as known to persons skilled in the art
upon reading the above. In this preferred embodiment, the pair of
cooling heads 261, 263 are pivotally mounted at their respective
longitudinal ends so that the contact cooling surfaces 265, 267 can
be flipped in or flipped out so that the cooling step can be
applied or not applied respectively.
[0042] FIGS. 6 and 6A illustrates a third preferred embodiment of a
similar tong-hair straightener 300 comprising a pair of pivotally
joined handles, a pair of heated styling heads 331, 333 and a pair
of cooling heads 361, 363. In this preferred embodiment, the main
housing of the hair straightener 300 comprises a slide engagement
means so that the pair of cooling heads can be slidably attached or
detached from the main housing of the hair straightener 300 so that
cooling can be applied or not applied according to the will of a
user.
[0043] In the above preferred embodiments with cooling heads
comprising passive heat sinking masses such as slabs of marble or
other rocks, it will be understood that since the hair styling
apparatus is usually stored in room temperature before use and
because of the large heat mass of the passive heat sinking mass,
hair can be quickly cooled down to room temperature or near room
temperature upon exit from the heated styling heads. Consequently,
satisfactory hair setting by heating can be achieved without
excessive damage to the hair.
[0044] While the present invention has been explained by reference
to the examples or preferred embodiments described above, it will
be appreciated that those are examples to assist understanding of
the present invention and are not meant to be restrictive. The
scope of this invention should be determined and/or inferred from
the preferred embodiments described above and with reference to the
Figures where appropriate or when the context requires. In
particular, variations or modifications which are obvious or
trivial to persons skilled in the art, as well as improvements made
thereon, should be considered as falling within the scope and
boundary of the present invention.
[0045] Furthermore, while the present invention has been explained
by reference to hair straighteners and handheld hair curlers, it
should be appreciated that the invention can apply, whether with or
without modification, to other hair styling apparatus without loss
of generality.
* * * * *