U.S. patent number 3,897,794 [Application Number 05/449,697] was granted by the patent office on 1975-08-05 for grooming implement.
Invention is credited to John W. Branch.
United States Patent |
3,897,794 |
Branch |
August 5, 1975 |
Grooming implement
Abstract
A pocket-sized self-contained battery-powered hair comb having
oscillating teeth for separating, unsnarling, and smoothing
difficult hair.
Inventors: |
Branch; John W. (Chicago,
IL) |
Family
ID: |
23785134 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/449,697 |
Filed: |
March 11, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
132/119.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D
24/007 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45D
24/00 (20060101); A45D 024/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;132/11R,11A
;128/32 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
3272023 |
September 1966 |
Ferguson et al. |
3474795 |
October 1969 |
Hantman et al. |
|
Primary Examiner: McNeill; G. E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Threedy; Edward C.
Claims
Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire
to protect by Letters Patent is:
1. A pocket-sized hair comb comprising
a. a hollow casing providing an open end and a removable cover
therefor,
b. means within said casing for mounting a plurality of combing
teeth thereto,
c. a plurality of elongated combing teeth carried in spaced
parallel relation by said mounting means and extending
longitudinally of the open end of said hollow casing,
d. a motor and a rotatable driven shaft within said casing,
e. teeth-oscillating means within said casing movable in a
reciprocal linear plane transversely to the long axis of said teeth
by said rotatable driven shaft of said motor, and
f. means provided by each of said combing teeth coupling said teeth
to said oscillating means for oscillating said teeth about their
longitudinal axis.
2. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 1 wherein said
motor is battery-operated.
3. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 1 wherein said
means within said casing for mounting a plurality of combing teeth
thereto comprises a rectangularly shaped member frictionally
positioned within said open end of said casing and providing a
plurality of passages extending therethrough and through which a
portion of said combing teeth is freely journalled.
4. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 3 wherein said
motor is battery-operated.
5. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 1 wherein said
teeth-oscillating means comprises an elongated plate adapted to be
reciprocally moved through its longitudinal plane by said motor and
said rotatable driven shaft for oscillating said combing teeth
about their longitudinal axes.
6. A pocket-sized hair comb as defined by claim 5 wherein said
motor is battery-powered.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is a compact,
pocket-sized hair comb including within its case a battery-powered
motor, the driven shaft of which is mechanically coupled to an
oscillating plate, which in turn contacts the stems of each of the
combing teeth for oscillating the same about their respective
longitudinal axes.
It is within the concept of this invention that less than all of
the teeth may be caused to oscillate and that the combing teeth may
be of varying lengths, such as alternately long and short, with
either set being oscillatory, as desired.
It is also within the concept of this invention that the motorized
portions thereof, while primarily being battery-operated, can be
constructed to be utilized with AC or DC current, with the battery
being rechargeable.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The preferred form of the invention is shown in the embodiment
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention showing portions of
the casing and interior components in dotted lines;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the casing for the
invention;
FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the casing, showing some of
the mechanical components in sectional detailed relationship;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the comb teeth holder;
FIG. 5 is an end view of the comb teeth holder;
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the comb teeth holder;
FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the comb teeth holder;
FIG. 8 is a side and end elevational view of a preferred form of
comb tooth, as embodied in the invention;
FIG. 9 is a side and end elevational view of a modified comb tooth
construction;
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the
oscillating plate and drive mechanism therefor, used in the
invention;
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary top plan view of the oscillating plate
showing in dotted lines a tooth positioned relative thereto;
and
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the components of the invention in
an unassembled and exploded relation.
The principal object of this invention is to provide a compact
pocket-sized battery-powered comb, the combing teeth of which may
be of a desired length or, in modification, alternately long and
short, with the teeth being of a particular width and so arranged
as to be oscillated through their longitudinal axes.
To accomplish the object of this invention, there is provided a
casing 10 as well as a cover 11 (shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1)
which has a releasable snap-on connection to the casing 10 and
which covers and protects the combing teeth of the invention.
The casing 10 comprises two complementary sections 12 and 13, as
shown in FIGS. 3 and 12. When the sections 12 and 13 are connected
together, such as by plastic welding or the like, they will provide
a battery compartment 14 defined by a base wall 15 and divider 16.
Within the casing 10 there is a motor compartment 17 and, defined
by the divider 16, partial walls 18 and 19 and a shelf 20. The
divider 16 as well as the shelf 20 are provided with suitable
relieved portions 21 through which suitable electrical connections
can be made between a battery 22 and a battery-powered motor 23,
both shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1.
The open end 24 of the casing 10 has the side and end walls thereof
formed to provide a rib 25 which in turn provides a recessed
channel 26 within the open confines of the open end 24 of the
casing 10 as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 12. The open end of the casing
10 is provided with an enlarged internal recess 27, with one side
wall portion of the recess 27 being of a lesser inner diameter by
reason of a depending shoulder 28 provided by the section 12 of the
casing 10 as shown in FIG. 3.
A combing teeth holder is formed of two complementary parts 29 and
30. The confronting wall faces of the parts 29 and 30 are provided
with a series of parallel semi-circular grooves 31 which, when the
parts 29 and 30 are mated together (as shown in FIG. 5) form
circular passages 32 (see FIGS. 4 through 6). The passages 32
terminate into recessed substantial triangular grooves 33 formed in
the bottom wall of the combing teeth holder.
The combing teeth holder, when assembled as shown in FIG. 5,
provides a top wall 34 having a peripheral flange 35 adapted to sit
upon the end wall portions of the casing 10 within its open end 24.
The side and end walls of the teeth holder provide a convex rib 36,
which is adapted to snap into the internal channel 26 formed in the
inner wall surfaces of the open end 24 of the casing 10.
A tooth-oscillating plate 37 (as shown in FIGS. 3 and 12) is
provided and consists of a raised shoulder portion 38 extending
through the length of the plate 37, which shoulder 38 has one side
edge thereof notched so as to provide teeth 39 extending
transversely to the longitudinal length of the plate 37.
Formed in the bottom wall of the plate 37 is a circular recess 40
which is adapted to receive an eccentric 41, which is fixedly
mounted to the end of a rotatable shaft 42 provided as a part of
the motor 23. Thus, by rotation of the shaft 42 about its
longitudinal axis, the eccentric will be caused to rotate within
the recess 40, effecting longitudinal movement of the oscillating
plate 37 within the casing 10. The oscillating plate 37 is adapted
to be positioned within the recess 27 with its narrower
longitudinal edge projecting under the shoulder 28 as shown in FIG.
3.
Before the parts 29 and 30 of the teeth holder are mated together,
the combing teeth, such as those shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, are
mounted therein. To accomplish this, the combing teeth, such as
that shown at 43 in FIG. 8, are formed to provide a stem portion 44
of a size to fit within the openings 32 provided by the combing
teeth holder. An end plate 45 is connected to the stem 44 and has a
portion thereof positioned within the substantially triangularly
shaped grooves 33 formed in the bottom wall of the combing teeth
holder and with the remaining portions thereof positioned between
respective teeth 39 of the oscillating plate 37, as shown in FIG.
3.
As shown in FIG. 9, there is a modified combing tooth 46 having a
stem 47 and a base plate 48 which is positionable and functions in
the same manner as the combing tooth 43 heretofore described, but
which is of a lesser length.
The pocket-sized comb may be used simply by removing the cover 11
so as to expose the combing teeth thereof. In the event that the
user desires, through a suitable switch, such as that shown at 49,
the motor 23 may be battery-powered to rotate the shaft 42 and
effect oscillatory movement of the plate 37, which in turn through
its connection with the base plate 45 of the combing teeth, may
cause the same to oscillate in their openings 32 about their
longitudinal axes. This will aid in unsnarling and smoothing
difficult hair.
The device may be provided with a receptacle socket 50 for
convenient connection to an AC/DC power source for operating either
the motor 23 or recharging the battery 22. This latter desirable
addition to the present embodiment constitutes no part of the
inventive concept thereof.
While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of
construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable
of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of
the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the
precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail
myself of such variations and modifications as come within the
scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *