HAIRCARE APPLIANCE

Abstract

A haircare appliance is described having first and second arms that define a hair treatment chamber, an emitter configured to emit radiation into the hair treatment chamber, and an airflow generator configured to generate an airflow within the hair treatment chamber. The emitter includes an incandescent source of radiation.

Claims

1: A haircare appliance comprising first and second arms that define a hair treatment chamber, an emitter configured to emit radiation into the hair treatment chamber, and an airflow generator configured to generate an airflow within the hair treatment chamber, wherein the emitter comprises an incandescent source of radiation.

2: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emitter comprises an incandescent source of infrared radiation.

3: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emitter is configured to emit radiation comprising a peak wavelength in the region of 700 nm-1 mm.

4: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emitter extends along at least 50% of the length of the hair treatment chamber.

5: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emitter is located in one of the first and second arms, and the haircare appliance comprises a further emitter located in the other of the second and first arms.

6: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 5, wherein the further emitter extends along at least 50% of the length of the hair treatment chamber.

7: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the first and second arms comprises an air outlet through which airflow from the airflow generator is discharged into the hair treatment chamber.

8: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the air outlet comprises a length greater than or equal to a length of the emitter.

9: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the air outlet comprises a single aperture.

10: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the air outlet has a maximal width of less than 4 mm.

11: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the haircare appliance comprises an air inlet, the airflow generator is configured to generate airflow from the air inlet to the air outlet along an airflow path, and the emitter is disposed in the airflow path.

12: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 7, wherein the other of the second and first arms comprises a further air outlet through which airflow from the airflow generator is discharged into the hair treatment chamber.

13: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 12, wherein the further air outlet comprises a length greater than or equal to a length of the emitter.

14: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 12, wherein the further air outlet comprises a single aperture.

15: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 12, wherein further the air outlet has a maximal width of less than 4 mm.

16: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first and second arms comprises a hair contacting rib.

17: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second arms are movable relative to one another to selectively vary a width of the hair treatment chamber, and the hair treatment chamber has a minimal width of greater than or equal to 5 mm.

18: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the emitter is configured to output radiation comprising a power density greater than 10 W/cm.sup.2.

19: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the haircare appliance comprises a first mode of operation in which the emitter is configured to output radiation comprising a first power density, and a second mode of operation in which the emitter is configured to output radiation comprising a second power density less than the first power density, and the first power density is greater than 10 W/cm.sup.2.

20: The haircare appliance as claimed in 19, wherein the airflow generator is configured to generate airflow at a first flow rate in the first mode of operation, and at a second flow rate less than the first flow rate in the second mode of operation.

21: The haircare appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein the haircare appliance comprises a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of hair within the hair treatment chamber in use, and a controller configured to modify power supplied to the emitter in response to an output of the temperature sensor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a haircare appliance according to the present invention;

[0037] FIG. 2 is a first schematic cross-sectional view of the haircare appliance of FIG. 1;

[0038] FIG. 3 is a second schematic cross-sectional view of the haircare appliance of FIG. 1, taken orthogonal to the first schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 2; and

[0039] FIG. 4 is a third schematic cross-sectional view of the haircare appliance of FIG. 1, taken orthogonal to the first schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 and the second schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] A haircare appliance, generally designated 10, according to the present invention is shown schematically in FIGS. 1-4.

[0041] The haircare appliance 10 comprises a main body 12 and first 14 and second 16 arms pivotally connected to the main body 12. The haircare appliance 10 may take the general form of a hair straightener.

[0042] The main body 12 is generally tubular and hollow in form, and houses an airflow generator 18, a power source 20, and a controller 22. The main body 12 has an air inlet 24, which comprises a plurality of apertures, and the airflow generator 18 comprises a motor driven impeller to draw airflow into the main body 12 via the air inlet 24. An example of an appropriate airflow generator 18 is the Dyson digital motor V9, produced by Dyson Technology Ltd.

[0043] The power source 20 is a battery that is configured to supply DC electrical power to the airflow generator 18 and other electrical components of the haircare appliance such as infrared emitters 26,28 disposed in the first 14 and second 16 arms, as will be discussed hereafter. Although shown here as comprising a power source 20, it will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments the haircare appliance may comprise an electrical connection for connecting to an AC mains power supply, with appropriate circuitry for converting the AC power to DC power for the airflow generator 18, for example.

[0044] The controller 22 is configured to control the airflow generator 18 and the infrared emitters 26,28, as discussed in more detail hereafter. Although shown here as a single controller 22 controlling both the airflow generator 18 and the infrared emitters 26,28, it will be appreciated that embodiments with multiple controllers are also envisaged, and that in such embodiments the controller(s) for the infrared emitters 26,28 may be disposed in the first 14 and/or second 16 arms, for example. The main body 12 has a user interface 30, which may take the form of buttons or a touch-sensitive display, for example, and first 32 and second 34 air outlets, illustrated schematically in FIG. 2, which enable airflow from the airflow generator 18 to pass into the interior of the first 14 and second 16 arms. The first 32 and second 34 air outlets of the main body 12 may be flexible or extendible conduits to account for relative motion between the first 14 and second 16 arms and the main body 12 in use.

[0045] The first 14 and second 16 arms are generally hollow, and each have a first section 36 and a second section 38. The first sections 36 are located in the region of the main body 12, and the first sections 36 have hollow portions (not shown) within which the main body 12 can be received to varying degrees depending on whether the first 14 and second 16 arms are in an open configuration, a closed configuration, or any state between the open and closed configurations. The first 14 and second 16 arms are typically biased toward the open configuration in the absence of any other applied forces, as seen in FIG. 1. The first section 36 defines a handle portion of the haircare appliance 10 which can be grasped by a user to selectively move the first 14 and second 16 arms relative to one another.

[0046] The second sections 38 of the first 14 and second 16 arms are spaced apart to define a hair treatment chamber 40 therebetween. The hair treatment chamber 40 has a maximal width when the first 14 and second 16 arms are in the open configuration of FIG. 1, and a minimal width when the first 14 and second 16 arms are in the closed configuration illustrated in FIG. 4. A user of the haircare appliance 10 can selectively vary the width of the hair treatment chamber 40 between the maximal and minimal widths by applying pressure to the first 14 and second 16 arms, typically in the region of the first section 36.

[0047] The second sections 38 of the first 14 and second 16 arms each house a respective infrared emitter 26,28, and each comprise a hair contacting rib 42,44, an air outlet 46,48 and an infrared transmissive window 50,52, as can be seen from FIG. 4.

[0048] Each infrared emitter 26,28 extends along the length of the second section 38 of its respective arm 14,16, with the infrared emitters 26,28 extending along at least 50% of the length of hair treatment chamber 40, and in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 extending along around 75% of the length of the hair treatment chamber 40. The infrared emitters 26,28 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 are tungsten halogen lamps, which are incandescent sources of infrared radiation.

[0049] Each hair contacting rib 42,44 extends along an inwardly facing surface of a respective one of the first 14 and second 16 arms. Each hair contacting rib 42,44 extends along the length of the second section 38 of its respective arm 14,16, with the hair contacting ribs 42,44 extending along at least 50% of the length of hair treatment chamber 40, and in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 extending along around 75% of the length of the hair treatment chamber 40. Each hair contacting rib 42,44 has a length substantially corresponding to a length of a corresponding infrared emitter 26,28, air outlet 46,48 and infrared transmissive window 50,52.

[0050] The hair contacting ribs 42,44 are intended to contact hair in use, for example to tension hair held within the hair treatment chamber 40, and each hair contacting rib 42,44 is formed from a material, for example coated aluminium to enable the haircare appliance to slide along hair when the hair is held between the hair contacting ribs 42,44 in use.

[0051] The hair treatment chamber 40 is defined between the first 14 and second 16 arms, with the hair contacting ribs 42,44 disposed upwardly of the hair treatment chamber 40 in FIG. 4. The hair contacting ribs 42,44 are dimensioned such that when the hair contacting ribs 42,44 are in full contact with hair 56 in use and the first 14 and second 16 arms cannot move closer together, the hair treatment chamber 40 is at its minimal width. An appropriate minimal width for the hair treatment chamber 40 is 5 mm or more, as will be discussed hereafter.

[0052] Each air outlet 46,48 extends along an inwardly facing surface of a respective one of the first 14 and second 16 arms. Each air outlet 46,48 extends along the length of the second section 38 of its respective arm 14,16, with the air outlets 46,48 extending along at least 50% of the hair treatment chamber 40, and in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 extending along around 75% of the length of the hair treatment chamber 40. Each air outlet 46,48 has a length substantially corresponding to a length of a corresponding infrared emitter 26,28, hair contacting rib 42,44 and infrared transmissive window 50,52.

[0053] Each air outlet 46,48 is disposed on a respective arm 14,16 between a hair contacting rib 42,44 and a corresponding infrared transmissive window 50,52. The air outlets 46,48 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 comprise generally rectangular slots formed in a wall of the respective first 14 and second 16 arms, with each slot having a width of 2 mm or less, typically between 1-1.5 mm.

[0054] In use, the air outlets 46,48 receive airflow from the airflow generator 18 via the first 32 and second 34 air outlets of the main body 12. The air outlets 46,48, as seen in FIG. 4, are angled obliquely relative to the hair contacting ribs 42,44 and the infrared transmissive window 50,52, and angled so as to introduce airflow into the hair treatment chamber 40 in use. The infrared emitters 26,28 are disposed between the respective first 32 and second 34 air outlets of the main body 12 and the respective air outlets 46,48 of the first 14 and second 16 arms, such that air flows over the infrared emitters 26,28 in use. In particular, air may flow over drive electronics of the infrared emitters 26,28, which may enable cooling of the drive electronics in use.

[0055] Each infrared transmissive window 50,52 extends along an inwardly facing surface of a respective one of the first 14 and second 16 arms. Each infrared transmissive window 50,52 extends along the length of the second section 38 of its respective arm 14,16, with the infrared transmissive windows 50,52 extending along at least 50% of the hair treatment chamber 40, and in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4 extending along around 75% of the length of the hair treatment chamber 40. Each air outlet 46,48 has a length substantially corresponding to a length of a corresponding infrared emitter 26,28, hair contacting rib 42,44 and air outlet 46,48.

[0056] The infrared transmissive windows 50,52 form part of the surface of the respective arms 14,16, and define at least part of the hair treatment chamber 40, as seen in FIG. 4. The infrared transmissive windows 50,52 are generally rectangular in form, and are formed from any appropriate material which enables passage of infrared radiation from the infrared emitters 26,28. An appropriate material may comprise infrared transmissive glass. The infrared transmissive windows 50,52 are aligned with the respective infrared emitters 26,28, such that infrared radiation emitted by the infrared emitters 26,28 can pass into the hair treatment chamber 40 in use.

[0057] A temperature sensor 54 is located within the first arm 14 adjacent to the infrared transmissive window 50, and is configured to measure a surface temperature of hair within the hair treatment chamber 40 in use. The temperature sensor 54 is an infrared temperature sensor in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4.

[0058] The haircare appliance 10 of FIGS. 1-4 has a first so-called drying mode in which the haircare appliance is configured to dry hair 56 located within the hair treatment chamber 40. The first 14 and second arms 16 are moved to the closed configuration by application of pressure by a user, such that hair 56 is located within the hair treatment chamber 40 and tensioned by the hair contacting ribs 40,42. The infrared emitters 26,28 are configured to emit infrared radiation having a peak wavelength in the region of 700 nm-1 mm, typically greater than 900 nm, and in some instances having a peak wavelength in the region of 2000-3000 nm. The emitted infrared radiation has a power density greater than 10 W/cm.sup.2, and in some instances a power density in the region of 20 W/cm.sup.2. Such infrared radiation may be particularly suited to drying hair at a relatively quick rate.

[0059] At the same time as introducing infrared radiation into the hair treatment chamber 40 via the infrared transmissive windows 50,52, the airflow generated by the airflow generator 18 is fed into the hair treatment chamber 40 via the air outlets 46,48 of the first 14 and second 16 arms, where it flows over hair located in the hair treatment chamber 40 before leaving via open sides of the hair treatment chamber 40. This assists with the drying process by removing evaporated liquid from the hair treatment chamber 40, and may result in increased drying efficiency and reduced drying times, along with greater styling control.

[0060] The airflow generator 18 is configured to generate airflow at a flow rate of greater than 4 L/s, and in some examples around 13 L/s, and such a flow rate has been found to be beneficial to drying efficiency. In view of the flow rates used, the minimal width of the hair treatment chamber 40, ie the minimal width of the hair treatment chamber when the first 14 and second 16 arms are in the closed configuration, is greater than 5 mm. This may avoid adverse pressures being experienced within the hair treatment chamber 40 in use.

[0061] The temperature of airflow introduced into the hair treatment chamber 40 is typically less than 60 C., for example less than 50 C., or less than 40 C., even where the airflow generated by the airflow generator 18 picks-up some heat through convective heating, for example where the airflow travels over drive electronics of an infrared emitter 26,28 in use.

[0062] The temperature sensor 54 monitors a surface temperature of the hair within the hair treatment chamber 40, and feeds back to the controller 22. The controller 22 may then automatically control the airflow generator 18 and/or the infrared emitters 26,28, for example to increase or decrease airflow rate and power or wavelength of emitted infrared radiation, or provide an alert to a user of the haircare appliance 10, in response to the monitored temperature.

[0063] In some embodiments the haircare appliance 10 has a second so-called styling mode where the infrared emitters 26,28 are configured to emit infrared radiation having a lower wavelength and/or lower power density than infrared radiation emitted in the first drying mode, and/or the airflow generator 18 is configured to generate airflow at a flow rate lower than the flow rate generated in the first drying mode. This may enable the haircare appliance 10 to provide flexibility and be utilised for both drying and styling hair.

[0064] In some embodiments the infrared emitters 26,28 may be independently actuable, for example with one infrared emitter configured to be on whilst the other is off, or one infrared emitter configured to emit infrared radiation at a high or lower wavelength and/or a higher or lower power density than the other infrared emitter. This may provide greater flexibility when drying or styling hair.

[0065] Whilst described above with the first 14 and second 16 arms pivotally connected to the main body, and with each of the first 14 and second 16 arms having a respective infrared emitter 26,28 and a respective air outlet 46,48, it will be appreciated that other configurations of the haircare appliance 10 are also envisaged.

[0066] For example, in some embodiments only one of the first 14 and second 16 arms may be pivotally connected to the main body 12. Embodiments are also envisaged where the airflow generator 18 and/or the power source 20 and/or the controller 22 are located in one of the first 14 and second 16 arms rather than in the main body 12.

[0067] In some alternative embodiments, only one of the arms 14,16 may comprise an infrared emitter 26,28 and an air outlet 46,48, or one arm 14,16 may comprise an infrared emitter 26,28 with the other opposing arm 16,14 comprising an air outlet. In each embodiment, however, the infrared emitter may be configured to emit infrared radiation having a peak wavelength greater than 900 nm, such that the haircare appliance 10 may be used to efficiently dry hair within the hair treatment chamber in use.