Liquid Recycling Kit

Abstract

A liquid recycling kit for hair treatment is provided. The liquid recycling kit includes a liquid guiding device to be worn on one head and a liquid collecting device detachably coupled to the liquid guiding device. The liquid guiding device includes an inner wall and an outer wall collectively defining a guiding channel. The liquid guiding device receives a hair treatment liquid dripping from the head and guides the received hair treatment liquid to at least one rear outlet of the liquid guiding device by gravity along the guiding channel. The liquid collecting device includes a container wall defining a collecting space located under the rear outlet of the liquid guiding device. The collecting space receives the guided hair treatment liquid flowing out from the rear outlet of the liquid guiding device for recycling the hair treatment liquid.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is a nonprovisional application claiming benefit from a prior-filed provisional application bearing a Ser. No. 62/847,471 and filed May 14, 2019, the entity of which is incorporated herein for reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a hair treatment auxiliary, and more particularly to a liquid recycling kit for hair treatment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Perm is a usual method of styling the hair in which the curliness of the hair could be changed as desired. The hair is treated with chemicals such as a hair perm liquid to break and reform bonds of the hair to set the shape of the hair. When the hair perm liquid is applied to the hair wrapped on rollers, a cotton strip is put near or around the hair line to absorb extra solution to prevent it dripping down or flowing over the face, skin or clothes to cause irritation or damage. Once the cotton strip is locally saturated with the hair perm liquid, it needs to be replaced. It is usually required to replace the cotton strip several times depending on the usage amount of the hair perm liquid. Another problem is that the liquid would flow down through the gap if the cotton strip does not provide perfect sealing around the hair line. A Further problem is that the hair perm liquid on the cotton strip still touches the skin to cause irritation or discomfort. Therefore, it is inconvenient and unfavorable to use the cotton strip to absorb the dripped hair perm liquid. Furthermore, the absorbed hair perm liquid can not be reused and is washed out, and it wastes a great amount of the hair perm liquid. The same problems occur during other hair treatment such as hair dyeing or hair bleaching

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] An aspect of the present disclosure provides a liquid recycling kit for hair treatment. The liquid recycling kit includes a liquid guiding device to be worn on one head and a liquid collecting device detachably coupled to the liquid guiding device. The liquid guiding device includes an inner wall and an outer wall collectively defining a guiding channel. The liquid guiding device receives a hair treatment liquid dripping from the head and guides the received hair treatment liquid to at least one rear outlet of the liquid guiding device by gravity along the guiding channel. The liquid collecting device includes a container wall defining a collecting space located under the rear outlet of the liquid guiding device. The collecting space receives the guided hair treatment liquid flowing out from the rear outlet of the liquid guiding device for recycling the hair treatment liquid.

[0005] In an embodiment, the liquid guiding device is made of silicone, polyvinyl chloride or a combination thereof, and the inner wall is in tight contact with and closely fits to a contact surface of the head.

[0006] In an embodiment, the liquid collecting device is made of silicone, polyvinyl chloride or a combination thereof.

[0007] In an embodiment, there are transition portions formed on the liquid guiding device. A first portion of the liquid guiding device is located between a front end of the liquid guiding device and the transition portions and has a first inclination. A second portion of the liquid guiding device is located between a rear end of the liquid guiding device and the transition portions and has a second inclination greater than the first inclination.

[0008] In an embodiment, the liquid guiding device has a strip structure, and the liquid recycling kit further includes an adjustable structure connected to two ends of the inner wall of the liquid guiding device to adjust a size of the liquid guiding device.

[0009] In an embodiment, the adjustable structure is an adjustable securing structure to secure the two ends of the inner wall of the liquid guiding device together.

[0010] In an embodiment, the adjustable securing structure includes a hook and loop fastener, an adjustable snap fastener, a buckle or a clasp.

[0011] In an embodiment, the adjustable structure is an elastic strip connected to the two ends of the inner wall of the liquid guiding device.

[0012] In an embodiment, the elastic strip and the liquid guiding device are integrally formed by double injection molding and have different flexibilities.

[0013] In an embodiment, the liquid collecting device includes a hooking structure. The hooking structure includes a holding plate, a first end of which is connected to the container wall; and a hooking plate connected to a second end of the holding plate and extending toward the collecting space of the liquid collecting device.

[0014] In an embodiment, an adjustable structure connected to two ends of the liquid guiding device is entirely located in a gap defined by the holding plate and the hooking plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The above objects and advantages of the present disclosure will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating the appearance and the use of a liquid recycling kit for hair treatment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the liquid guiding device of the liquid recycling kit along a cutting line A-A in FIG. 1;

[0018] FIGS. 3A-3D are schematic diagrams illustrating adjustable structure of liquid guiding devices according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the liquid collecting device of the liquid recycling kit; and

[0020] FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams illustrating that the liquid collecting device is coupled to the liquid guiding device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0021] The present disclosure will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this disclosure are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.

[0022] Please refer to FIGS. 1A and 1B, which are schematic diagrams illustrating the appearance and the use of a liquid recycling kit for hair treatment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the specification, hair perming is taken as an example of the hair treatment, and the liquid recycling kit is used for recycling the hair perm liquid. However, the liquid recycling kit could be used for other hair treatment such as hair dyeing or hair bleaching according to the concepts of the present disclosure to recycle specific chemicals, and similar description will not be given again.

[0023] The liquid recycling kit 10 includes a liquid guiding device 2 and a liquid collecting device 3. The liquid guiding device 2 and the liquid collecting device 3 are detachably coupled to each other. After the hair perm liquid is applied to the hair wrapped on rollers, the hair perm liquid which is not adhered to the hair would enter the liquid guiding device 2, as indicated by arrows 90 in FIG. 1A. The dripped hair perm liquid is guided to at least one rear outlet 25 (two are shown in FIG. 1A) of the liquid guiding device 2 by gravity, and then enters the liquid collecting device 3. Once the liquid collecting device 3 is filled or collets a certain amount of the hair perm liquid 91, the collected liquid is taken and then applied to the hair again for recycling. These steps may be repeated several times during the perming. The hair perm liquid may be drawn from the liquid collecting device 3 by suction, e.g. using a pipette. In another embodiment, at least two liquid collecting devices 3 may be provided for replacement. According to the concept of the present disclosure, the total usage amount of the hair perm liquid is reduced, and the hair perm liquid flowing out during one hair perming process can be recycled, instead of being viewed as waste immediately. Also, chemical pollution is reduced.

[0024] Please refer to FIG. 2, which is a cross-sectional view showing the liquid guiding device of the liquid recycling kit along a cutting line A-A in FIG. 1A. The liquid guiding device 2 includes an inner wall 21 to be in contact with the skin and an outer wall 22, both of which collectively define a guiding channel 23 having a top entrance 24 so as to face up to receive the hair perm liquid 91. The liquid guiding device 2 including the inner wall 21 and the outer wall 22 has a U-shaped cross section. When in use, the inner wall 21 closely fits the hair line (head) or the skin, and the rear outlets 25 are located at a lowest position or a relatively low position compared with other portions of the liquid guiding device 2. The rear outlets 25 are arranged near the nape. Going through the process, the hair perm liquid 91 drips down or flows, along the direction 90, into the guiding channel 23 through the top entrance 24, and then flows, along the guiding channel 23, down toward the rear outlets 25. The present disclosure does not limit the relative height of the inner wall 21 to the outer wall 22. For example, the inner wall 21 is higher or lower than the outer wall 22, or both are of equal height. It is only required that the guiding channel 23 can hold enough liquid. The depth of the guiding channel 23 depends on the heights of the inner wall 21 and the outer wall 22. The liquid guiding device 2 has a main body made of a flexible and pliable material which bends smoothly along the curvature of the contact surface and clings to the contact surface. Thus, the liquid guiding device 2, at least the entire portion between two rear outlets 25, is in tight contact with and closely fit the skin to prevent from forming a gap between the inner wall 21 and the skin where the hair perm liquid would flow down therethrough. It is to be noted that the flexible and pliable material should be firm enough to make the outer wall 22 stand well to hold the dripped hair perm liquid without collapsing. In addition, the flexible and pliable material should be waterproof and chemical resistant and should not cause skin irritation. For example, the flexible and pliable material may be medical grade silicone, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or a combination thereof.

[0025] The liquid guiding device 2 in FIG. 1A is substantially a ring band. Another structure is shown in FIG. 1B wherein there are transition portions 200 near ears. Hence, the liquid guiding device 2 has a first portion and a second portion with different inclinations. For example, assuming that the reference surface is the horizontal surface, the first portion 2001 is located between the front end of the liquid guiding device 2 and the transition portions 200 (i.e. between the forehead and the ears) and has a less inclination; and the second portion 2002 is located between the rear end of the liquid guiding device 2 and the transition portions 200 (i.e. between the nape and the ears) and has a greater inclination. Such design conforms to the hair line better so that the liquid guiding device 2 can closely fit the hair line or the skin to catch the dripped hair perm liquid. Further, the hair perm liquid can flow toward the rear outlets 25 spontaneously and rapidly to assist the collection of the hair perm liquid. More transition portions may be provided to form body portions with different inclinations to fit special head.

[0026] The present disclosure further provides an adjustable liquid guiding device 2. An adjustable (securing) structure is formed at the rear end of the liquid guiding device 2. As shown in FIG. 3A, the liquid guiding device 2 has a strip structure having a first end 201 and a second end 202. At the first end 201, a hook and loop fastener 411 and 412 is mounted on an outer surface of the inner wall 21 wherein one is a hook piece and the other one is a loop piece. At the second end 202, a connector ring 42 is connected to the inner wall 21. The first end 201 of the inner wall 21 goes through the connector ring 42 and folds back to make the hook piece and the loop piece 411 and 412 face to and catch each other at a specific relative position. Thus, the size of the ring band can be adjusted to fit any user. FIG. 3B illustrates another embodiment of an adjustable liquid guiding device 2, in which the liquid guiding device 2 has a strip structure having a first end 201 and a second end 202. The adjustable (securing) structure includes a hook and loop fastener 431 and 432 whose hook piece and loop piece are respectively mounted on an inner surface of the inner wall 21 at the first end 201 and an outer surface of the inner wall 21 at the second end 202. The hook piece and the loop piece 431 and 432 are secured to each other at a specific relative position to fit the user head. FIG. 3C illustrates a further embodiment similar to the two embodiments in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. The difference is that the adjustable (securing) structure is implemented by an adjustable snap fastener 44 including a female piece (holes) 441 connected to the first end 201 and a male piece (posts) 442 connected to the second end 202. The relative position is adjustable by pressing a certain posts into corresponding holes to have the adjustable (securing) structure with desired length. FIG. 3D illustrates a further embodiment of an adjustable liquid guiding device 2, in which the liquid guiding device 2 has a strip structure having a first end 201 and a second end 202. The adjustable structure is implemented by an elastic strip 45 made of fiber or rubber and connected to two connector rings 451 fixed to two ends 21 and 202 of the liquid guiding device 2. The elastic strip 45 is stretchable and resilient so as to adjust the length of itself to fit the user head. Further, the liquid guiding device 2 can adopt any known adjustable securing structure, e.g. buckle or clasp, but is not limited to the embodiments. The other known adjustable securing structure is not particularly given herein, but the application or modification is included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0027] In another embodiment, the adjustable securing structure and the liquid guiding device 2 may be integrally formed. As shown in FIG. 1A, the adjustable structure is an elastic strip 45 connected between two ends of the inner wall 21 near the rear outlets 25. The elastic strip 45 is also made of a flexible and pliable material which bends smoothly along the curvature of the contact surface and clings to the contact surface. Thus, the elastic strip 45 can be in tight contact with and closely fit the skin to prevent from forming a gap between the elastic strip 45 and the skin where the hair perm liquid would flow down therethrough. The flexible and pliable material is also waterproof and chemical resistant and should not cause skin irritation. For example, the flexible material may be medical grade silicone, polyvinyl chloride or a combination thereof. The elastic strip 45 and the liquid guiding device 2 may be manufactured by double injection molding to have distinct flexibilities and stretchabilities. Therefore, the elastic strip 45 has an adjustable length based on the tension applied thereon.

[0028] Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic diagram illustrating the liquid collecting device of the liquid recycling kit for hair treatment. The liquid collecting device 3 includes a container wall 33 defining therein a collecting space 34 and a top collecting opening 35. The container wall 33 is connected to one end of a holding plate 302, and the other end of the holding plate 302 is connected to a hooking plate 301 which extends toward the collecting space 34. There is a gap 303 between the holding plate 302 and the hooking plate 301, both of which collectively form a hooking structure (reverse U-shaped structure) 30. The hooking structure 30 is configured to hook on the adjustable structure or the inner wall 21 wherein the adjustable structure or the rear inner wall 21 is interposed into the gap 303. At this time, the holding plate 302 is disposed between the adjustable structure or the rear inner wall 21 and the skin so that the adjustable structure or the rear inner wall 21 could sustain against the hooking structure 30 of the liquid collecting device 3. Now, the liquid collecting device 3 and the liquid guiding device 2 are assembled together. To remove the liquid collecting device 3, the hairstylist just slightly pulls the liquid guiding device 2 outward to create a gap for allowing the hook structure 30 to move up and slide off. According to such design, the liquid collecting device 3 could be coupled to the liquid guiding device 2, replaced or detached from the liquid guiding device 2 in a much convenient and easy manner. It is to be noted that in the assembled liquid recycling kit 10, the rear outlets 25 of the liquid guiding device 2 should be entirely located above the top collecting opening 35 to well catch the dripped hair perm liquid and prevent the hair perm liquid from flowing outside the collecting space 34. The hair perm liquid which would drip along the nape could flow into the collecting space 34 along the hooking plate 301. Since the holding plate 302 of the liquid collecting device 3 is in contact with the skin, the material of the liquid guiding device 2 described in the foregoing may be selected as the material of the liquid collecting device 3, or other soft and flexible material which has no uncomfortable factor may be selected for the liquid collecting device 3.

[0029] If the elastic strip 45 (FIG. 3D) is not made of waterproof material, the elastic strip 45 will absorb dripped hair perm liquid when they are touching. It is possibly that the elastic strip 45 suffers damage more readily or the absorbed liquid touches the skin. In this situation, the hooking plate 301 is designed to be extended to entirely cover and protect the elastic strip 45 from the dripped hair perm liquid (FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B). The hair perm liquid, instead of flowing along the nape, flows along the hooking plate 301 and into the collecting space 34 directly without touching the elastic strip 45. In FIG. 5A, the hooking plate 301 is interposed between the rear inner wall 21 and the rear outer wall 22 of the liquid guiding device 2, and only the rear inner wall 21 is located in the gap 303 in the hooking structure 30. In FIG. 5B, the hooking plate 301 covers both the rear inner wall 21 and the rear outer wall 22 of the liquid guiding device 2, and both the rear inner wall 21 and the rear outer wall 22 are located in the gap 303 in the hooking structure 30. Both arrangements are applicable in the present disclosure.

[0030] The liquid recycling device 10 of the present disclosure can effectively recycle the hair treatment liquid and protects the skin and the clothes below the hair line from contact of the chemical liquid. The liquid collecting device 3 could be easily taken off the liquid guiding device 2 and the collected chemical liquid could be easily drawn and then reused and reapplied on the hair immediately. It significantly reduces the usage and waste amount of the chemical liquid for hair treatment. Hence, the provided liquid recycling kit is not only cost-saving for hair treatment, but also environment-friendly because of reduction of environment impact, which bring high practicability.

[0031] While the disclosure has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.

Claims

1. A liquid recycling kit for hair treatment, comprising: a liquid guiding device to be worn on one head, comprising an inner wall and an outer wall collectively defining a guiding channel, the liquid guiding device receiving a hair treatment liquid dripping from the head and guiding the received hair treatment liquid to at least one rear outlet of the liquid guiding device by gravity along the guiding channel; and a liquid collecting device detachably coupled to the liquid guiding device, comprising a container wall defining a collecting space located under the rear outlet of the liquid guiding device, the collecting space receiving the guided hair treatment liquid flowing out from the rear outlet of the liquid guiding device for recycling the hair treatment liquid.

2. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 1, wherein the liquid guiding device is made of silicone, polyvinyl chloride or a combination thereof, and the inner wall is in tight contact with and closely fits to a contact surface of the head.

3. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 1, wherein the liquid collecting device is made of silicone, polyvinyl chloride or a combination thereof.

4. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 1, wherein there are transition portions formed on the liquid guiding device, a first portion of the liquid guiding device being located between a front end of the liquid guiding device and the transition portions and having a first inclination, a second portion of the liquid guiding device being located between a rear end of the liquid guiding device and the transition portions and having a second inclination greater than the first inclination.

5. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 1, wherein the liquid guiding device has a strip structure, and the liquid recycling kit further comprises an adjustable structure connected to two ends of the inner wall of the liquid guiding device to adjust a size of the liquid guiding device.

6. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 5, wherein the adjustable structure is an adjustable securing structure to secure the two ends of the inner wall of the liquid guiding device together.

7. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 6, wherein the adjustable securing structure comprises a hook and loop fastener, an adjustable snap fastener, a buckle or a clasp.

8. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 5, wherein the adjustable structure is an elastic strip connected to the two ends of the inner wall of the liquid guiding device.

9. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 8, wherein the elastic strip and the liquid guiding device are integrally formed by double injection molding and have different flexibilities.

10. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 1, wherein the liquid collecting device comprises a hooking structure, comprising: a holding plate, a first end of which is connected to the container wall; and a hooking plate connected to a second end of the holding plate and extending toward the collecting space of the liquid collecting device.

11. The liquid recycling kit according to claim 10, wherein an adjustable structure connected to two ends of the liquid guiding device is entirely located in a gap defined by the holding plate and the hooking plate.

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