U.S. patent number 3,560,704 [Application Number 04/812,610] was granted by the patent office on 1971-02-02 for electrically heated hair curler.
Invention is credited to John R. Albert.
United States Patent |
3,560,704 |
Albert |
February 2, 1971 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
ELECTRICALLY HEATED HAIR CURLER
Abstract
Tubular hair curlers containing electric heating elements with
capped terminals are heated on a support having conductor bars
across which the curlers are laid. A series of curlers are heated
simultaneously to about 170 F. in 6 to 7 minutes, the heat loss
being only about 1.degree. F. per minute while the curlers are in
the hair. The caps are made to conduct electric current but are
highly resistant to heat transfer. The caps are in the form of
metallically coated insulators electrically connected to the
heating element terminals through use of a metallized adhesive or a
spring clip.
Inventors: |
Albert; John R. (Leawood,
KS) |
Family
ID: |
25210114 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/812,610 |
Filed: |
April 2, 1969 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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782214 |
Dec 9, 1968 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
219/222; 132/229;
219/541; 219/242 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D
4/16 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45D
4/16 (20060101); A45D 4/00 (20060101); A45d
002/36 (); A45d 004/12 (); H05b 001/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;219/222--226,242,541
;137/33,34,36,36.1,36.2,39 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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98,026 |
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Feb 1964 |
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DK |
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784,873 |
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May 1935 |
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FR |
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897,296 |
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May 1944 |
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FR |
|
Primary Examiner: Bartis; A.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation-in-part of my now abandoned copending
application Ser. No. 782,214 filed Dec. 9, 1968, entitled "System
For Heating Curlers. "
Claims
I claim:
1. In a hair curler:
an elongated, tubular body adapted for curling of hair thereabout
and provided with end closures;
an electric heating element in said body provided with opposed
terminals;
a cap on each terminal extending through a corresponding
closure;
each of said caps comprising a nonmetallic tubular member
constructed of low thermally and electrically conductive material
and being coated internally and externally with an electrically
conductive metallic coating; and
said terminals extending into the interior of a respective member
and being electrically connected to the metallic coating.
2. The invention of claim 1, each cap having a metallized adhesive
electrically connecting the metallic coating on the cap to its
terminal.
3. In a hair curler:
an elongated, tubular body adapted for curling of hair thereabout
and provided with end closures;
an electric heating element in said body provided with opposed
terminals;
a cap on each terminal extending through a corresponding
closure;
each of said caps comprising a nonmetallic, tubular member having
an external metallic coating and constructed of low thermally and
electrically conductive material; and
each terminal having a spring clip of electrically conductive
material connecting the terminal with said coating.
Description
My present invention provides a system for heating hair curlers
embodying a self-contained heating element in the form of a wire
resistance coil enclosed within a ceramic body to the end that the
curlers may be heated prior to use, requiring no outside source of
heat energy while the curlers are in the hair. A support for a
series of curlers is adapted to cause heating of a series of
curlers simultaneously through use of conductor bars on the support
that are engaged by capped terminals at the ends of the curlers
which are in turn coupled with a resistance coil in each curler
respectively.
It is an important object of my instant invention to cap the
terminals in such manner as to conduct electrical current when the
curlers are on the support while, at the same time, prevent burns
to the head, ears and neck of the user from the caps when the
heated curlers are applied to the hair and in use therein.
Another important object of the present invention is to accomplish
the aforesaid results through use of caps in the form of
metallically coated insulators attached to the terminals through
use of a metallized adhesive.
In the drawing:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a support for heating hair curlers made
pursuant to my present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the support shown in FIG. 1,
partially broken away and partially in section for clearness;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to
a portion of FIG. 3; and
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing a slightly modified
curler.
In FIGS. 1--5, hair curlers 10 each include an elongated, hollow,
molded plastic, tubular body 12 adapted for curling of hair
thereabout among a plurality of outwardly extending prongs 14
integral with body 12. Body 12 is closed by an end wall 16 and an
end plug 18 having a snap fit into body 12 as shown in FIG. 3. An
electric heating element 20 in body 12 has a wire resistance coil
(not shown) enclosed within a ceramic coating 22 and provided with
metallic terminals 24 and 26 supported by wall 16 and plug 18
respectively.
Each of the terminals 24 and 26 has a cap 28 thereon which includes
a tubular heat insulator 50 plated internally and exteriorly with
an electrical conductor 52. Terminals 24 and 26 have portions which
extend into corresponding caps 28 and which are coated with an
adhesive 54 containing electrically conductive material.
The heat insulators 50 may be made from any suitable substance
whose thermal conductivity is relatively low such as an asbestos,
but since this class of minerals usually has rather high electrical
insulating characteristics it is necessary to provide the same with
plating 52 as aforesaid.
However, there are many so-called plastic materials, natural or
synthetic, which may be used for the heat insulators 50, it being
necessary to select a type which can be shaped while soft into the
form illustrated and which will harden into a durable condition.
Moreover, such materials must remain rigid at the temperatures to
which they will be subjected when the curlers 10 are heated as
hereinafter set forth.
Representative plastic materials are rubber and the various natural
and synthetic plastics, such as those made by the polymerization of
organic substances, which include cellulose acetate,
phenol-formaldehyde, urea-formaldehyde, certain of the acrylates
and the like. Manifestly, such plastics may well contain the usual
fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, pigments, etc. Certain
inorganic materials may also be used as well as those materials
which are commonly referred to as resins, having starting materials
that include one or more of the chemically homogenous polymers.
Copper is of course suitable for the plating 52 because of the fact
that it is a good conductor of electricity and more resistant to
atmospheric corrosion than certain other electrically conductive
materials. On the other hand, nickel also has good resistance to
corrosion and can easily be coated onto the insulators 50 as shown
in FIG. 5. But many other materials may be selected for the
conductor 52, as desired.
An epoxy resin may be selected for the adhesive 54 because of the
advantages attained by its thermosetting properties, and when
copper, nickel or other granules or particles of a like nature are
mixed into the resin, an electrical path is established between
terminals 24 and 26 and the plating 52.
On the other hand, if the material selected for the insulators 50
has both low thermal conductivity and high electrical conductivity,
the coating 52 need not be used except as may be desired for
appearance, strength and corrosive resistant purposes.
A support 30 for curlers 10 has a pair of elongated, hollow frame
pieces 32 and 34, joined at their ends by crossmembers 36 and 38
which hold the frame pieces 32 and 34 slightly elevated. Frame
pieces 32 and 34 contain longitudinally extending conductor bars 40
and 42 respectively which are adapted for coupling with a source of
electrical energy through wires 44 and 46 extending through member
36.
Note Notches 48 in the frame pieces 32 and 34 receive the caps 28
for engagement with and support by the bars 40. It has been found
that through use of a 2,000 ohm, 10 watt watt resistor in a
suitable ceramic coating 22, the row of curlers 10 on support 30
will heat to about 170.degree. F. in six to seven minutes. Coatings
22 will hold the heat while the curlers 10 are in the hair for the
normal 10 minute period of time needed to complete the curling
operation, the temperature drop being only about 1.degree. F. per
minute.
The caps 28, made as above described, will readily conduct the
electrical current when curlers 10 are placed in the support 30 as
illustrated, and when the heated curlers 10 are placed in the hair
the danger of burns from the caps 28 is eliminated because of the
low heat conductivity of the material 50.
In FIG. 6, curler 110 differs from curler 10 in the elimination of
the need for coating 52 within bore 156 of insulator 150 and the
elimination of the need for establishing an electrical path through
adhesive 154. Instead, a metallic spring clip 158 has a press fit
on terminal 124 and is provided with a plurality of fingers 160
which yieldably receive the inner end of cap 128 in engagement with
coating 152 made of the same material as coating 52.
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