U.S. patent number 3,645,007 [Application Number 05/002,736] was granted by the patent office on 1972-02-29 for hair dryer and facial sauna.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sunbeam Corporation. Invention is credited to William H. Scott.
United States Patent |
3,645,007 |
Scott |
February 29, 1972 |
HAIR DRYER AND FACIAL SAUNA
Abstract
A hair dryer of the type having a rigid hood within which a
person's head is positioned in order to dry the hair by means of
heated air discharged through perforations on the inner wall of the
hood toward the hair to be dried. Means are provided to circulate
steam into the helmet and out through the perforations whereby the
steam fills the volume under the hood. A detachable extension is
provided on the hood to extend the lower edge of the hood
downwardly to horizontal plane thereby providing an enclosure
within which the entire head may be received for the purpose of
treating the hair and face with steam. Control means on the
enclosure permit adjustment of the level of steam enclosed within
the hood and the extension.
Inventors: |
Scott; William H. (Lombard,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Sunbeam Corporation (Chicago,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
21702240 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/002,736 |
Filed: |
January 14, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
34/60; D28/17;
34/91; 34/99; 392/383; 392/394 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D
20/44 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45D
20/44 (20060101); A45D 20/00 (20060101); A45d
020/24 () |
Field of
Search: |
;34/72,83,98-100,90,91,60 ;132/9 ;128/156 ;4/165 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,267,051 |
|
Jun 1961 |
|
FR |
|
1,393,528 |
|
Feb 1965 |
|
FR |
|
Primary Examiner: Matteson; Frederick L.
Assistant Examiner: Ramey; Harry B.
Claims
What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent
of the United States is:
1. A hair dryer and facial sauna comprising a rigid helmet having
an opening through which the head of the user is inserted whereby
the helmet may receive and enclose the entire head including the
face of the user, said helmet being formed by an inner perforate
wall and a spaced outer imperforate wall which provides
therebetween an air distribution manifold, said inner perforate
wall enclosing only the top of the head including the hair, said
outer imperforate wall extending downwardly beyond said inner
perforate wall to enclose the lower portion of the head including
the face, air supply means including a motor driven blower and
heater which delivers heated air to said manifold, steam generating
means connected to supply steam to said manifold, control means for
said air supply means and said steam generating means permitting
selective alternative operation of either said air supply means or
said steam generating means to deliver heated air or steam to the
head of the user, and means mounting said helmet with the walls
defining said opening lying on a common horizontal plane whereby
said helmet may be filled completely with steam before said steam
begins to discharge from said opening, said helmet being formed
with a bleed hole in the side wall thereof, said bleed hole
extending from the interior of said helmet to the exterior thereof
whereby steam discharged into said helmet interior through said
inner perforate wall may discharge through said hole, closure means
for varying the size of said bleed hole to regulate the level of
steam within said helmet, said bleed hole is situated in said side
wall up from said opening as to be located in closely spaced
relation to the nose and mouth of the user in said portion of said
imperforate wall extending downwardly beyond said perforate
wall.
2. A hair dryer and facial sauna comprising a rigid helmet having
an opening through which the head of the user is inserted whereby
the helmet may receive and enclose the entire head including the
face of the user, said helmet being formed by an inner perforate
wall and a spaced outer imperforate wall which provides
therebetween an air distribution manifold, said inner perforate
wall enclosing only the top of the head including the hair, said
outer imperforate wall extending downwardly beyond said inner
perforate wall to enclose the lower portion of the head including
the face, air supply means including a motor driven blower and
heater which delivers heated air to said manifold, steam generating
means connected to supply steam to said manifold, control means for
said air supply means and said steam generating means permitting
selective alternative operation of either said air supply means or
said steam generating means to deliver heated air or steam to the
head of the user, and means mounting said helmet with the walls
defining said opening lying on a common horizontal plane whereby
said helmet may be filled completely with steam before said steam
begins to discharge from said opening, said walls defining said
manifold terminate above said opening, said helmet including a
generally cylindrical rigid member which is detachably secured to
said walls and extends downwardly from the lower terminal edges of
said manifold walls, said member being removable when said hair
dryer and facial sauna is to be used for drying or treating hair
and being assembled to said manifold walls when said hair dryer and
facial sauna is to be used for facial saunas.
3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said member is formed with a
steam discharge means in the wall thereof, said steam discharge
means being located adjacent the nose and mouth of the user and
comprising a plurality of wall openings disposed in a generally
circular pattern beneath a rotary shutter mounted on the outer wall
of said member, said shutter having openings corresponding in size
and location to the openings in said member, and said shutter being
rotatable to align said wall openings and shutter openings or to
obstruct said wall openings.
4. The combination of claim 2 wherein said lower edge of said
manifold walls and the upper edge of said member are formed with
abutting flanges which support said member in telescoped relation
to said manifold walls extending downwardly from the lower edge
thereof.
5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said member is formed to
mount in either of two alternative positions, one of said positions
being a use position extending downwardly from the support flange
on said helmet and the other being a storage position extending
upwardly from the support flange on said helmet.
6. An attachment for use with a rigid helmet type of hair dryer of
the type having a heated air and steam supply means for delivering
either hot air or steam through a supporting conduit to a rigid
helmet which is adapted to receive and partially enclose the head
of the user, comprising a rigid frustoconical extension which
detachably mounts on the lower edge of said helmet, said extension
forming with said helmet an enclosure of sufficient size to receive
the entire head and face of the user, the side walls of said
extension being greater in the front of said helmet than in the
rear, the lower edges of said extension being in a common
horizontal plane to permit said helmet to be completely filled with
steam to treat the face of the user, said extension is provided
with a bleed hole in the front side wall thereof, said hole being
positioned in closely spaced relation to the nose and mouth of the
user whose head may be received within said helmet.
7. The combination of claim 6 including adjustable shutter means
for said bleed hole to vary the effective size of said hole, a
manually adjustable control on the front of said attachment for
varying the setting of said shutter.
8. In a hair drying appliance of the type having a rigid helmet
within which the head is partially received to dry the hair, a base
which supports said appliance and includes a motor driven blower
and a heater for heating the air circulated by said blower, a
combined support and air conduit extending between said base and
said helmet, said helmet as supported by said conduit being
positioned with the entrance opening thereto inclined to the
horizontal to facilitate inserting of the head therein and to leave
the face exposed when the hair is being dried, a rigid detachable
helmet attachment which extends downwardly from said entrance
opening to increase the size of the head receiving enclosure formed
by said helmet and said attachment attachment, said attachment
extending completely around said entrance opening and being of
substantially greater diameter than said entrance opening, said
attachment has sidewalls of varying height with the greater height
wall being at the front of the helmet, the lower edges of said
attachment walls lying in a single horizontal plane and extending
down to such an extent that the enclosure formed by said helmet and
attachment encloses the entire head and face of the user.
9. The combination of claim 8 wherein said base includes means for
generating steam which is delivered through said conduit to said
helmet where it is discharged into the hair of the user, said steam
filling said entire enclosure to provide steam treatment of the
head and face of the user.
10. In combination of claim 8 wherein said attachment comprises a
frustoconical member which is telescopically received over said
rigid helmet, said helmet and said attachment having cooperating
assembly means which support said attachment in either of two
alternative positions on said helmet, in a first position said
attachment is positioned with the walls thereof providing a
downward extension of the walls of said helmet, and in a second
position the walls of said attachment surround said helmet.
11. In a hair drying appliance of the type having a rigid helmet
within which the head is partially received to dry the hair, a base
which supports said appliance and includes a motor driven blower
and a heater for heating the air circulated by said blower, a
combined support and air conduit extending between said base and
said helmet, said helmet as supported by said conduit being
positioned with the entrance opening thereto inclined to the
horizontal to facilitate inserting of the head therein and to leave
the face exposed when the hair is being dried, a rigid detachable
helmet attachment which extends downwardly from said entrance
opening to increase the size of the head receiving enclosure formed
by said helmet and said attachment, said attachment extending
completely around said entrance opening and being of substantially
greater diameter than said entrance opening, said base including
means for generating steam which is delivered through said conduit
to said helmet where it is discharged into the hair of the user,
said steam filling said entire enclosure to provide steam treatment
of the head and face of the user, said attachment includes an
adjustable steam bleed means at the side thereof adjacent the face
of the user, said bleed means including means for controlling the
flow of steam from said enclosure.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In connection with the care and treatment of women's hair, it has
been well known to provide hair dryers having hoods or bonnets
which serve to direct heated air against the hair and scalp for
drying purposes. The means for accomplishing the delivery of the
heated air to the helmet or bonnet which encloses the head of the
user has varied considerably depending on whether or not the
equipment was of a professional type for use in a beauty parlor or
portable, lightweight equipment for use in the home. In any event,
this equipment is characterized by including some type of motor
driven blower which supplies heated air through a hose or conduit
to the helmet or bonnet. The term helmet is usually used to
describe a rigid hemispherical member having a double-walled
construction with air discharge perforations on the inner wall. The
soft bonnet type construction is characterized by having a
double-walled fabric or flexible plastic hat which completely
encloses the hair of the user and serves as a manifold to conduct
the heated air to various areas of the head where it is discharged
through perforations in the inner wall of the hat.
The above described equipment is used principally to dry women's
hair after it has been washed. Much of this equipment is designed
or adapted to not only dry the hair but also treat it with steam or
other materials. The steam treatment is particularly useful if one
desires to set curls in the hair without going through the
procedure of washing the hair preliminary to setting it. The hair
is set in curlers and then subject to a hot steam treatment and
then dried to provide a reasonably long lasting hair set.
Another appliance which has become popular in the beauty care field
is the facial sauna. This is an appliance which includes means for
generating steam and for directing such steam against the face
usually by means of a funnel-shaped conduit. The steam thus
discharged on the face is useful in cleaning the skin by opening
the pores. In addition, the steam also softens the face and opens
the pores so that certain softening creams may be more effectively
applied to the skin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises a combined hair dryer and sauna which
essentially performs all the functions of the prior art hair dryers
and facial saunas and is relatively simple is design and
construction. The conventional hard hat or helmet type of hair
dryer is provided with an attachment or extension which extends
downwardly from the lower edge of the hair dryer helmet to a common
horizontal plane thereby providing an enlarged enclosure within
which the entire head and face of the user may be received.
Connected to the helmet is a motor driven blower and a steam
generator arranged to supply either heated air or steam to the
helmet of the hair dryer. When steam is supplied to the helmet, it
discharges through the perforations on the inner wall against the
head and hair of the user. If it is desired to treat the face with
steam, the sauna attachment is employed to create an enlarged
enclosure for steaming the face. As the steam is discharged into
the helmet and the enclosure formed by the attachment or extension,
the steam has a tendency to rise because it is lighter than air. As
the steam rises, it fills up the enclosure driving the air out
until the entire enclosure is filled with steam. With the entire
head and face of the user positioned within this enclosure, the
steam is effective to treat both the hair and face. Since there is
sometimes difficulty experienced in breathing within such a steam
filled enclosure, control means are provided on the attachment or
hold extension to enable the user to periodically bleed off some of
the steam to facilitate breathing. In this manner, it is possible
to treat all parts of the hair and face completely with steam while
maintaining comfortable conditions for breathing.
The hood extension may also be useful in connection with the normal
drying or treating the hair. Although the hood or helmet has been
designed to accommodate the head of the user when the hair has been
set in curlers, women have recently begun using hair curlers of
from 2 to 3 inches in diameter and the conventional helmet is not
large enough to accept the head when the hair is set with such
curlers. The hood extension of my invention provides a larger
enclosure which will receive a head having hair set with the larger
curlers and which will dry such hair satisfactorily.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an
improved hair dryer which includes a facial sauna.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hair
dryer of the type adapted for steam treatment of hair with a shield
or extension which adapts the hair dryer for use as a facial
sauna.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hair dryer
attachment which adapts the hair dryer for use as a facial
sauna.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
generally conical extension for a hard hat hair dryer which adapts
the hair dryer for use as a facial sauna by providing an enlarged
enclosure, the lower edges of which lie on a substantially
horizontal plane.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hair dryer
attachment that increases the helmet capacity to accommodate larger
hair curlers and styles.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an
attachment for a hard hat hair dryer which telescopes over the
rigid hood in either of two positions. In one of these positions,
the attachment provides an extension to the lower edge of the hood
whereby an enlarged enclosure is formed for use in connection with
facial saunas. In the other position, the attachment is stored in a
convenient manner telescoped around the rigid helmet of the hair
dryer.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of
novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with
particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this
specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may
be had to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer and facial sauna
embodying my invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the hair dryer of
FIG. 1 with portions thereof cut away for illustrative
purposes;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged exploded view of the control means
for the facial sauna positioned at the forward portion of the
appliance;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the
facial sauna control means; and
FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along line
5--5 of FIG. 2, assuming that FIG. 2 shows the complete
appliance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a hair
dryer and facial sauna 11 which includes a base housing 12 within
which is enclosed a motor driven heater and blower assembly 13
which is adapted to supply hot air through an upwardly extending
air supply conduit 14, as is best shown in FIG. 2. The upper end of
the conduit 14 is connected to a rigid helmet or hood 15 which is
formed by an outer imperforate wall 16 and an inner wall 17 which
is formed with a plurality of spaced perforations 18. The outer
wall 16 and inner wall 17 are spaced to provide an air conducting
channel or manifold 19 by means of which the air is delivered from
the conduit 14 to the perforations 18.
Under normal circumstances, when the appliance 11 is used for
drying hair, the head is positioned within the hood 15, as shown in
FIG. 1, and the motor driven heater and blower assembly 13 is
energized to supply heated air through the conduit 14, the manifold
19, and through the perforations 18 where it is discharged against
the hair.
As is shown in FIG. 5, the assembly 13 includes a motor 20, a
heater 21, and fan 22. A control means 23 is provided to
selectively energize the motor 20 and the heater 21 in a manner
which is well known in the art.
Also enclosed within the base housing 12 is a steam generator 26
which is adapted to be selectively actuated by the control 23. The
steam generator 26 consists of a boiler housing 27 which is heated
by an electrical, cast in, sheathed heating element 28. Measured
quantities of water are admitted to the boiler 27 by means of a
push button control 29, as is evident from FIGS. 2 and 5. The steam
generated within the boiler 27 is discharged through an outlet 30
upwardly into the conduit 14 from which it passes into the helmet
manifold 19 and through the perforations 18 into the interior of
the helmet 15. Hair dryers of the type having the rigid helmet 15
and the means for supplying hot air or steam to the helmet in the
manner described above are known in the art. My invention involves
the combination with such a hair dryer of novel elements which
adapt the hair dryer for use as a facial sauna in addition to
performing the functions normally associated with the prior art
hair dryers. These novel elements include a cylindrical or
frustoconical member 35 which is formed at its upper edge with a
shoulder or rim 36 which is supported on a corresponding shoulder
37 formed on the rigid helmet 15, as is best shown in FIG. 2. The
member 35 is telescoped over the rigid helmet 15 and seats with the
shoulder 36 merely resting against the shoulder 37 on the helmet.
The inner diameter of the rim 36 corresponds to the outer diameter
of the helmet at the point immediately above the shoulder 37. As
may be seen in FIG. 2, the height of the member 35 varies from its
narrowest point at the rear of the hair dryer, designated by
reference numeral 35a in FIG. 2, to its greatest height at the
forward part of the hair dryer, as designated by reference numeral
35b. This difference in height of the member 35 is an outgrowth of
the fact that the lower edge of the helmet 15 is inclined to the
horizontal a substantial amount when the hair dryer is in its
conventional use position. The member 35 is so designed that when
assembled to the hood 15, it provides an extension of the lower
edges of the hood or helmet so that the mouth of the opening into
the enclosure defined by the helmet and extension lie in a
horizontal plane. In addition, it should be noted that the member
35 extends down sufficiently far from the lower edge of the helmet
15 so that the entire head and face of the user are received within
an enclosure 39 which is formed by the helmet 15 and the member
35.
When the appliance 11 is used to give a facial sauna, the control
23 is set to the steam or mist position, as it is shown in FIG. 5,
thereby energizing the heating element 28 in the steam generator
26. A suitable quantity of water has been placed in the boiler 27
to provide steam which with the heating element 29 energized will
issue from the discharge 30 and pass upwardly through the conduit
14 into the manifold 19 and then into the enclosure 39. As was
stated above, steam is lighter than air and, accordingly, tends to
remain at the upper portion of the helmet 15 with the result that
the enclosure 39 fills with steam starting at the top and filling
downwardly. With the lower edge of the cylindrical member 35 lying
along a common, horizontal plane, the enclosure 39 fills up
completely with steam before the steam begins spilling around the
edge and then passing upwardly around the outsides of the member 35
in the helmet 15. This arrangement assures that the head and face
of the user will be completely enveloped in the steam produced by
the generator 26 and discharged into the enclosure 39.
Although the complete filling of the enclosure 39 with steam
produces the optimum results in treating the face, it is necessary
that means be provided to permit air to enter the enclosure for the
user to breathe. For this purpose, the member 35 is provided on its
forward portion a control means 40 which serves to allow steam to
escape from the enclosure 39 and for air to enter into the
enclosure for breathing purposes. As is best shown in FIG. 3, the
control means 40 consists of a generally circular recessed area 41
on the front wall of the cylindrical member 35. A plurality of
inlet holes 42 are positioned around a central bearing hole 43. A
limit slot 44 is also formed in the recessed area 41 between the
bearing opening 43 and the inlet openings 42.
For the purposes of regulating the flow through the inlet openings
42, there is mounted in the recessed area 41 a control knob 45
which includes a central, manually actuable portion 46 and a
peripheral flange 47. The peripheral flange 47 is formed with
spaced openings 48 which are positioned to correspond to the
location of the inlet holes 42. In addition, the control knob 45
includes a stop pin 49 which extends through the slot 44 to limit
the amount of movement possible in the control knob 45. As assembly
screw 50 extends through the bearing opening 43 into threaded
engagement with the central portion of the control knob 45 to
retain the control knob assembled to the recessed area 41 and
mounted for rotatable movement thereon. The stop pin 49 is
positioned so that when engaged with one end of the slot 44, the
inlet holes 42 and the flange openings 48 are in alignment to
permit steam to issue therethrough. When the stop pin 49 is
positioned at the other end of the slot 44, the flange openings 48
are out of registry with the inlet holes 42 with the result that
the control means 40 is closed preventing any steam or air from
passing or bleeding off through the front wall of the cylindrical
member 35.
In actual use of the appliance 11 in connection with facial saunas,
it has been found that individuals have different tolerances or
requirements with respect to breathing during the facial sauna. In
some instances, the user may feel it is necessary to move the
control means 40 to the full, open position so that steam issues
through the openings 42 thereby permitting air to pass upwardly
into the mouth and nose of the user. This, of course, lessens
somewhat the effectiveness of the steam sauna. In some instances,
therefore, the user will operate the control means to some
intermediate position to allow the entrance of a limited amount of
air for breathing or will actuate the control means to the full
open position only periodically at which time a breath of air may
be inhaled. It is also well known that many people prefer to inhale
the steam feeling that it is healthful and desirable and that it
tends to eliminate nasal and bronchial congestions. Accordingly,
the amount and manner in which the control means 40 will be
employed by the user will vary considerably.
In view of the fact the appliance 11 will often be used simply as a
hair dryer and not in connection with a facial sauna, it is
desirable to remove or displace the member 35 to a position where
it will not obstruct the use of the helmet 15 for hair drying.
Because of the substantial size of the member 35, it would provide
a substantial storage problem if completely removed from the helmet
15. The abutting portions of the member 35 and the helmet 15 have
been constructed so that the member 35 may be lifted from the
position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and replaced in an inverted
position in which the member 35 extends upwardly from the rim 36,
as is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2. In this position, the
reverse side of the rim 36 is positioned in engagement with the
helmet shoulder 37. In this storage position, as shown by the
dotted lines in FIG. 2, the cylindrical member 35 is positioned so
that it interferes in no way with the use of the helmet 15 in
drying the hair. The head of the user may be easily inserted and
removed from the interior of the helmet 15, and the member 35 will
no longer present an obstruction to the user's reading or engaging
in other activities which are not possible in a more limited use
type of hair dryer.
Although the hood extension of member 35 is intended for use
primarily in steam treating the face and neck, there are instances
in which it would be desirable to use member 35 in connection with
the normal drying or treating of the hair. The helmet 15 has been
designed so that it is large enough in its internal dimensions to
accept the head of the user when the hair is set with conventional
curlers. In recent years, there has been a trend toward many
unusual hair styles which require very large curlers or, in some
instances, have the hair extending substantially away from the
head. Some of the curlers used in this connection are as much as
21/2 or 3 inches in diameter when the hair is set with such large
rollers and the user may find it difficult, if not impossible, to
position her head far enough within the helmet 15 to achieve
satisfactory drying results. In such instances, the member 35
effectively increases the helmet capacity or the size of the
enclosure so that a woman having her hair styled even with the
large rollers may obtain satisfactory drying results. The member 35
is of large interior diameter and serves to direct the drying air
inwardly against the hair in the case of a woman who is not able to
position her head entirely within the helmet 15.
While there has been shown and described a single embodiment of the
present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art
that various changes and modifications may be made without
departing from the invention in its broader aspects and it is,
therefore, contemplated in the appended claims to cover all such
changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope
of the present invention.
* * * * *