U.S. patent application number 16/443872 was filed with the patent office on 2020-12-24 for hair dryer.
This patent application is currently assigned to Tressily, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Loletta Darden, Thomas Darden, Nicole Morris. Invention is credited to Loletta Darden, Thomas Darden, Nicole Morris.
Application Number | 20200397112 16/443872 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004158995 |
Filed Date | 2020-12-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200397112 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Morris; Nicole ; et
al. |
December 24, 2020 |
Hair Dryer
Abstract
The invention relates to a hand-held hair dryer that includes a
cylindrically shaped housing having a central axis extending
between a first end and a second end of the housing. The housing
includes an air inlet located at the first end of the housing and
an air outlet opposed to the air inlet, wherein the air outlet is
located at or near the second end of the body. The housing supports
a fan disposed inside the housing for generating an airflow from
the air inlet to the air outlet. The housing also supports a heater
disposed inside the housing for heating the airflow. The housing
further supports an attachment engaged with the second end of the
housing such that the attachment is in communication with the air
outlet and receives the airflow from the housing. The attachment
supports one or more tines, and in one embodiment a plurality of
tines, wherein the tines include a length and at least one air exit
defined along the length.
Inventors: |
Morris; Nicole; (Brooklyn,
NY) ; Darden; Loletta; (Brooklyn, NY) ;
Darden; Thomas; (Brooklyn, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Morris; Nicole
Darden; Loletta
Darden; Thomas |
Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn |
NY
NY
NY |
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Tressily, LLC
Brooklyn
NY
|
Family ID: |
1000004158995 |
Appl. No.: |
16/443872 |
Filed: |
June 18, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D 20/12 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A45D 20/12 20060101
A45D020/12 |
Claims
1. A hand-held hair dryer comprising, a cylindrically shaped body
having a central axis extending between a first end and a second
end of the body; an air inlet located at the first end of the body,
an air outlet opposed to the air inlet and located at the second
end of the body; a fan disposed inside the body for generating an
airflow from the air inlet to the air outlet; a heater disposed
inside the body for heating the airflow; an attachment engaged with
the second end of the body in communication with the air outlet to
receive the air flow; and one or more tines supported by the
attachment, wherein the one or more tines include a length and at
least one air exit defined along the length.
2. The hair dryer according to claim 1, wherein the attachment is
detachably secured to the body.
3. The hair dryer defined in claim 1, wherein the length of the one
or more tines includes a first end and a second end, wherein the
second end defines tapered end.
4. The hair dryer according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
tines are metal tubes having an inner and outer diameter.
5. The hair dryer according to claim 4, wherein the one or more
tines have an outer diameter of 10, 12, 16, 20 or 21 gauge.
6. The hair dryer according to claim 1, wherein the one or more air
exits may be of uniform or non-uniform size.
7. The hair dryer according to claim 1, wherein the one or more
tines are plastic tubes having an inner and outer diameter.
8. The hair dryer according to claim 7, wherein the one or more
tines have an outer diameter of 10, 12, 16, 20 or 21 gauge.
9. The hair dryer according to claim 1, including a handle or
gripping surface supported by the body.
10. The hair dryer according to claim 1, including electronics
supported by said housing that adjust heater temperature settings
based on hair porosity, wherein said adjustments may be made
manually by a user or automatically by dryer electronics based on
input data regarding hair porosity.
11. The hair dryer according to claim 1, including electronics
supported by said housing that adjust fan speed rotation based on
hair porosity, wherein said adjustments may be made manually by a
user or automatically by dryer electronics based on input data
regarding hair porosity.
12. A hand-held hair dryer comprising, a cylindrically shaped body
having a central axis extending between a first end and a second
end of the body; an air inlet located at the first end of the body,
an air outlet opposed to the air inlet and located at the second
end of the body; a fan disposed inside the body for generating an
airflow from the air inlet to the air outlet; a heater disposed
inside the body for heating the airflow; an attachment engaged with
the second end of the body in communication with the air outlet to
receive the air flow; and a plurality of tines supported by the
attachment, wherein the plurality of tines include a length and at
least one air exit defined along the length.
13. The hair dryer defined in claim 12, wherein the plurality of
tines include a plurality of air exits defined along the
length.
14. The hair dryer defined in claim 12, wherein the length of the
plurality of tines includes a first end and a second end, wherein
the second end defines tapered end.
15. The hair dryer defined in claim 12, wherein the attachment is
detachably secured to the body.
16. The hair dryer defined in claim 12, including a handle or
gripping surface supported by the body.
17. The hair dryer according to claim 12, including electronics
supported by said housing that adjust heater temperature settings
based on hair porosity, wherein said adjustments may be made
manually by a user or automatically by dryer electronics based on
input data regarding hair porosity.
18. The hair dryer according to claim 12, including electronics
supported by said housing that adjust fan speed rotation based on
hair porosity, wherein said adjustments may be made manually by a
user or automatically by dryer electronics based on input data
regarding hair porosity.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to Provisional Patent
Appln. No. 6268588, filed on Jun. 15, 2018, entitled Hair Dryer,
naming Nicole Morris, Loletta Darden and Thomas Darden as
inventors.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a hair dryer, more
specifically a hand-held hair dryer.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0003] In a typical hair dryer, the hair dryer includes a fan
motor, a heater unit, and a housing arranged to cover the fan motor
and the heater unit. The fan motor drives an impeller or another
suitable rotor in order to induce a flow of air from an inlet in
the housing past a heater unit to an outlet of the housing.
[0004] The typical dryers found in commercial use include the turbo
dryer, which is an application of a vane axial fan, and the
professional dryer, which is an application of a centrifugal
fan.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In illustrative embodiment, the dryer may be a hand-held
hair dryer that includes a cylindrically shaped housing having a
central axis extending between a first end and a second end of the
housing. The housing includes an air inlet located at the first end
of the housing and an air outlet opposed to the air inlet, wherein
the air outlet is located at or near the second end of the body.
The housing supports a fan disposed inside the housing for
generating an airflow from the air inlet to the air outlet. The
housing also supports a heater disposed inside the housing for
heating the airflow. The housing further supports an attachment
engaged with the second end of the housing such that the attachment
is in communication with the air outlet and receives the airflow
from the housing. The attachment supports one or more tines, and in
one embodiment a plurality of tines, wherein the tines include a
length and at least one air exit defined along the length.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer formed in
accordance with the teaching of this invention.
[0007] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the hair dryer
shown in FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a cross-section of the hair dryer shown in FIG.
1.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention
shown in FIG. 1, the hair dryer 10 includes a housing 12, an
attachment 30 and one or more tines 32. The hair dryer in one
embodiment may be a hand-held hair dryer.
[0010] As illustrated by a preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 2
and 3, the hair dryer 10 includes a cylindrically shaped housing 12
having a central axis 14 extending between a first end 16 and a
second end 18 of the housing 12. The housing 12 also includes an
air inlet 20 located approximate the first end 16 of the housing 12
and an air outlet 22 opposed to the air inlet 20 and located at the
second end 18 of housing 12.
[0011] The housing 12 may support a handle (not shown) having a
first end supported by the housing 12 and a second end distal from
the housing 12. Alternatively, the housing 12 may support a
gripping surface (not shown) wherein the gripping surface may
extend circumferentially or axially along the outer periphery
housing 12. The gripping surface and handle may be made of a
plastic, including thermoplastic, materials, rubber, a combination
of rubber and plastic materials or other materials suitable for
providing a gripping surface or handle having a cooler temperature
than the housing 12.
[0012] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing 12 also supports a
fan 24 and motor 26 disposed within the housing 12 for generating
an airflow 28 from the air inlet 20 to the air outlet 22. The
housing 12 also supports a heater 30 disposed inside the housing 12
for heating the airflow 28. The fan 24 and motor 26 are coupled
using known techniques so that the motor 26 drives the fan 24 or
other air-moving device to induce airflow 28 from the air inlet 20
in the housing 12 past the heater 30 and through the air outlet 22.
In a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the motor 26 drives a
fan 24 so as to send air downstream along the central axis 14
through the hollow cylindrical housing 12 supporting the heater 30,
fan 24 and motor 26 to an outlet 22 downstream of the inlet 20. In
other embodiments, the fan may be a centrifugal fan or turbo fan or
other air-moving device.
[0013] As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing 12 further
include an attachment 32 supported by the second end 18. The
attachment 32 includes a body 46 having a first end 48 and a second
end 50. The first end 48 of the attachment 32 is supported by the
housing 12. The first end 48 of the attachment 32 may be detachably
supported by the housing 12 at second end 18. In an alternative
embodiment, the attachment 32 and the housing 12 may be a unitary
construction. The attachment 32 is in fluid communication with the
air outlet 22 and receives the airflow 28.
[0014] As best seen in FIG. 3, the attachment 32 may support one or
more tines 34. The one or more tines 34 are received in a tine end
plate 34a that is detachably supported by attachment 32. In an
alternative embodiment, the tine end plate 34a and the attachment
32 may be formed as a unitary piece.
[0015] The one or more tines 34 include a first end 36, a second
end 38 and a length 40 between the first end 36 and the second end
38. In a preferred embodiment, the second end 38 of tines 34 define
a tapered or angled end 38a. In a preferred embodiment, tapered or
angled end 38a may include an angle in the range between 15 to 45
degrees, with the ideal angle being 15 degrees.
[0016] The one or more tines 34 may be formed as hollow metal or
plastic tubes having an inner and outer diameter. The inner
diameter of the tines 34 or prongs may be uniform or of a variable
diameter. The outer diameter of the tines 34 may also be of a
constant or variable diameter. In a preferred embodiment, the one
or more tines have an outer diameter selected from the outer
diameters of 10, 12, 16, 20 and 21 gauge diameters. Depending on
the desired speed of airflow 28 through the housing 12 and tines
34, larger or smaller gauge tubes or diameters may be used.
[0017] The configuration of the tines/prongs 34 depends on whether
the hair dryer 10 is used to increase or decrease the velocity of
the air speed leaving the air exit 44 associated with the tines 34.
As is known in fluid dynamics, decreasing the diameter of a pipe
through which air flows increases the velocity of the airflow
through the pipe and increasing the diameter of the pipe slows the
air's velocity. The hair dryer 10 of the present invention may be
designed to increase or decrease air discharge rates depending on
the application of the hair dryer 10. In a preferred embodiment,
the distal end 38a of the tines/prongs 34 are angled to increase
the velocity of the air discharged through the tines/prongs 34. The
increased speed helps to improve moisture evaporation. For
instance, if the hair dryer 10 is used in the manner one would use
a diffuser, it may be desirable to slow the velocity of the airflow
exiting the tines 34.
[0018] This configuration of the tines/prongs 34 also works well
for individuals seeking to dry their natural hair that's resides
underneath a hair construction or their natural hair styled in a
hairstyle as defined in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/287,734
filed on Oct. 6, 2016, which claims priority to Provisional Appln.
62/239,846 filed Oct. 9, 2015. The tines/prongs 34 are constructed
to be able to pierce a hair construction or natural hairstyle as
defined below.
[0019] The second end 38 includes a distal end 38a that defines a
taped end, which may result in a hairstyle having the definition
set forth in application Ser. No. 15/287,734. The term hair
construction means, but is not limited to, regular sew-in weaves,
net weaves, lace front weaves, stocking cap weaves, lace front
weaves, or molded weaves. The terms "hairstyles" and "hairstyle"
mean, but are not limited to, braids, twists, dreadlocks, dreadlock
up-dos, natural styles and natural hair up-dos. In most hair
constructions and some natural hairstyles, the hair construction or
natural hairstyle creates a barrier blocking direct access to the
scalp or root of the hair. The dryer of the present invention
having tines/prongs configured as long thin tubes having an angled
end permits the tines/prongs to penetrate the hair construction or
natural hairstyle without dislodging or causing significant damage
to the hair construction or hairstyle.
[0020] Ideally, the angle of taper for distal end 38a defines a
tine second end 38 that pierces the hair construction or hairstyle
without dislodging or significantly damaging the hair construction
or hairstyle. As used herein, a hair construction is dislodged if
upon first insertion of tine 34 it becomes undone or breaks apart.
A hair construction is significantly damaged if its breaks apart or
suffers radial line cracking at the point of insertion upon first
use of tines 34, except one will understand that under some hair
constructions the hair construction may bear radial punctures
therein at the point of insertion of the tines 34. These radial
punctures are to be expected with certain hair constructions.
[0021] Turning now back to FIG. 3, the length 40 of tines 34
defines an airflow path 42 that extends between the first end 36
and the second end 38 and at least one air exit 44. The air exit 44
may be formed at the distal end 38a of second end 38 or along the
length 40. In a preferred embodiment, the length 40 may define a
plurality of air exits 44 along the length 40, wherein the
plurality of air exits 44 may be of uniform or non-uniform
size.
[0022] The hair dryer 10 may further include an electronics system
for controlling the speed of the fan and the temperature of the
heater unit, wherein the heater may be disabled to provide for the
flow of unheated air through the hair dryer 10. The electronics may
include a printed circuit board ("PCB") (not shown) including the
control electronics for the hair dryer 10, The PCB may be located
in the housing 12. The PCB may be ring shaped and extend around the
inner circumference of the housing 12 near the air inlet 20. The
PCB is in fluid communication with airflow 28. The PCB extends
about the airflow path for airflow 28.
[0023] The PCB controls such parameters as the temperature of the
heater 30 and the speed of rotation of the fan 24. Internal wiring
(not shown) electrically connects the PCB to the heater 30 and the
fan 24 and the cable/plug 52. Control buttons 54, 56, 58 and 60 are
provided and connected to the PCB to enable a user to select from a
range of temperature settings for the heater 30 and fan 24 speed.
Internal wiring or other wireless circuitry connects the PCB to
sensors (not shown) placed in airflow path 28 through the housing
12 and/or through airflow path 42 through the tines 34. The sensors
sense the temperature of the air and sends a signal to the PCB to
increase or decrease the temperature of the heater 30 and fan 24
speed rotation. The PCB may include sensors that adjust heater 30
temperature setting and fan 24 speed rotation based on hair
porosity, wherein said adjustments may be made manually by a user
or automatically by dryer electronics based on input data regarding
hair porosity. In an alternative embodiment, the PCB may also
contain electronics that automatically selects or recommends heater
30 temperature settings and fan 24 speed rotation based on a data
input regarding the hair porosity of a user.
[0024] In use, fluid is drawn into the inlet 20 by the action of
the fan 24. The air is optionally heated by the heater 30 and exits
the housing 12 at housing 12 second end 18. Air from the second end
18 is received by attachment 32 where it flows through tines 34
over flow path 42 and out the distal end 38a of tines 34.
[0025] Power is supplied to the hair dryer 10 via a cable 52. At a
distal end of cable 52 from the hair dryer 10 a plug (not shown) is
provided, the plug may provide electrical connection to an
alternating current source or to a battery pack for example. The
housing 12 supports an on/off switch 54 in electrical communication
with cable 52 such that activating or deactivating the on/off
switch 54 actives or deactivates the motor 26 and heater 30.
[0026] Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal
the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying
current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications
without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art,
fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic and
specific aspects of my contribution to the art and, therefore, such
adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the
meaning and range of equivalence of the disclosed invention.
* * * * *