Cleaning device for removing allergen particles from hair
20250280948 ยท 2025-09-11
Inventors
Cpc classification
International classification
Abstract
A cleaning device (10, 100, 200) for removing pollen and/or allergen particles from human and allergen particles from human and animal hair, comprising a handle device handle device (12) and a particle pick-up device (14, 214) detachably connected thereto (14, 214), wherein the particle pick-up device (14, 214) comprises a removal device (20) for removing the pollen and/or allergen particles. (FIG. 8) Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Claims
1. Cleaning device (10, 100, 200) for removing pollen and/or allergen particles from human and animal hair, comprising a handle means (12) and a particle receiving means (14, 214) detachably connected thereto, wherein the particle receiving means (14, 214) comprises a removal means (20) for removing the pollen and/or allergen particles.
2. Cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning device is designed as a brush (100), having at least one housing part (102, 104), which has a plurality of bristles (108), the particle pick-up device (14) having a plurality of openings for the passage of the bristles (108), as a result of which the particle pick-up device (14) can be plugged onto the bristles (108).
3. Cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that one of the housing parts (102, 104) has an at least partially circumferential and projecting edge (138) which has a mechanical latching or clamping device for releasably fastening the particle pick-up device (14).
4. Cleaning device according to claim 3, characterized in that an engagement recess (144) is provided in a region of the edge (138), into which recess a tool and/or a finger can be inserted for removing the particle pick-up device from the mechanical latching or clamping device.
5. The cleaning device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the bristles (108) are arranged on a movable bristle holder (106), wherein the bristle holder (106) is thus movable within the housing parts (102, 104), that the bristles (108) can be moved in and out of the housing part (102, 104), wherein the bristles (108) can be moved into the housing part (102, 104) in such a way that they do not or only slightly protrude from the particle receiving device (14) and/or the housing part (102, 104).
6. Cleaning device according to claim 5, characterized in that the brush (100) has a rotary section (132) which is coupled by means of a linear converter to a guide carriage (116) which has guide openings (114) for receiving a section of the bristle holder (106), in particular a guide pin (112), wherein the coupling of the linear converter and the guide carriage (116) is designed such that it converts a rotary movement of the rotary section (132) into a linear movement of the bristle holder (106) and thus of the bristles (108) out of or into the housing part (102, 104).
7. Cleaning device according to claim 6, characterized in that the bristles (108) can be releasably fixed in their extreme positions, i.e. in a completely extended state and in a completely retracted state.
8. Cleaning device according to one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that distances from centres of gravity of the bristles (108) are, for example, 0.75 cm to 2.5 cm, 1 cm to 1.5 cm, 1.2 cm to 1.5 cm, 1 cm, 1.2 cm, 1.25 cm or 1.5 cm.
9. Cleaning device according to one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the bristles (108) are arranged in a grid or in lines offset from one another, wherein a row of a grid or a line comprises 2 to 8, 3 to 5 or 3 to 4 bristles (108), and wherein 10 to 15, 11 to 12 or 11 rows or lines are provided.
10. Cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the cleaning device is a comb (200), wherein the handle means (12) comprises a handle part (212) and the particle pick-up means (14) comprises a comb part (214) having prongs (216), characterized in that the comb part (214) comprises at least one receptacle (224) for receiving the pick-up means (20).
11. Cleaning device according to claim 10, characterized in that at least one recess extends as a receptacle (224) over a side surface of the comb part (214), the side surface being delimited by a base portion of the tines (216).
12. Cleaning device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that at least one receptacle (214) is arranged in a contact surface (226) arranged between two tines (216).
13. Cleaning device according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the tines (216) have a length along the comb part (214) of more than 12 mm, more than 15 mm or more than 17 mm and/or the distance between two tines (216) at the level of their base section is more than 9 mm, more than 10 mm or more than 12 mm.
14. Cleaning device according to one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that the comb part (214) has five to eight, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven or twelve tines (216) and/or in that the tines (216) have a conical or pyramid-like basic shape.
Description
[0044] Further features and variants of the invention can be seen in the attached figures, which merely show schematic embodiments of the invention. They show in detail:
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[0061] Some of the figures contain simplified, schematic representations. In some cases, identical reference symbols are used for identical or functionally identical, but possibly not identical, elements. Different views of the same elements may be scaled differently. Directional indications such as left, right, top and bottom are to be understood with reference to the respective figure and may vary in the individual representations with respect to the object shown.
[0062] Furthermore, in the description and the patent claims, the phrase at least partially includes the term completely. The formulation one includes the formulation at least one, unless explicitly stated otherwise.
[0063] A cleaning device 10 shown in
[0064] A feed-through section 22 is provided between each of the gripping devices 16. The feed-through section 22 is designed in such a way that hair that is fed through it comes into contact with the removal device 20 and thus the retention layer over as large an area as possible.
[0065] The cleaning device 10 thus forms a kind of comb by means of which allergen particles can be removed from hair. For this purpose, the cleaning device 10 is passed through the hair several times just like a comb. In this way, the retention layer of the removal device 20, which covers at least part of the surfaces of the engaging devices 16, for example the surfaces of the teeth of the comb, comes into contact with the surface of as many hairs as possible. The allergen particles are thereby removed from the hair by the retaining layer of the removal device 20 and retained in the retaining layer.
[0066] When the removal device 20 has picked up a certain number of allergen particles, its efficiency is reduced. Depending on the material used for the retention layer, the pick-up device 20 can then be cleaned. If the material cannot be cleaned, the particle pick-up device 14 must be replaced with a new particle pick-up device 14.
[0067] In some embodiments, it is possible for the removal device 20 to be detachably attached to the particle pick-up device 14, for example, so that only the removal device 20 needs to be replaced.
[0068] The cleaning device 10 is suitable for removing pollen particles from human hair, synthetic hair and animal hair. The handle device 12 serves to hold the cleaning device 10 and to be able to move and guide it for removing pollen particles.
[0069] The particle pick-up device 14 can be replaced as soon as a filter material used in the pick-up device 20 has reached a maximum pollen particle pick-up capacity. The engaging devices 16 of the particle pick-up device 14 can form prongs, teeth, teeth or rods, which are guided through the hair in order to simultaneously touch as many hairs as possible and to brush or comb the pollen particles adhering to the hair into the filter material of the pick-up device 20 by means of a combing movement.
[0070] In order to enable the particle pick-up device 14 to be replaced, the handle device 12 and the particle pick-up device 14, as shown in
[0071] In addition, the fastening section 26 has a groove 28 at which the engaging devices 16 can pass through the second fastening section 26.
[0072] To replace the particle pick-up device 14, the particle pick-up device 14 is pulled out of the second fastening section 26 along the axis and a new particle pick-up device 14 is then pushed into the second fastening section 26.
[0073] As can be seen in the section in
[0074] In further embodiments, one of which is shown in
[0075] The particle pick-up device 14 can be detachably fastened in the handle device 12. For example, a push button or other actuating device can be provided to release the particle pick-up device 14.
[0076] The removal device 20 is merely clamped to the gripping devices 16 for temporary attachment, for example. In some embodiments, for example, a simple detachable connection, such as a clamp or clip connection, may be provided for fastening the removal device 20.
[0077] In some embodiments, the removal device 20 comprises, for example, a microfiber fabric, a microfiber woven fabric, a microfiber nonwoven fabric or generally a nonwoven fabric or a woven fabric. Microfiber nonwoven fabric is particularly well suited for use in the removal device 20, as it has many densely packed fibers in the micrometer range to which allergen particles can adhere. In addition, microfiber nonwovens can be designed in such a way that they have an electrostatic charge, which attracts the allergen particles. This material is not known to have any properties that are hazardous to human health.
[0078] The invention is not only suitable for reliably removing allergen particles from human hair, but also from the hair of animals after a walk, for example. This can prevent allergen particles, in particular pollen, from spreading in a home. This reduces the need to treat symptoms with medication. In addition, the cleaning device 10 is portable and compactly stowable so that it can be taken to different places very easily.
[0079] In some embodiments, the cleaning device 10 can be designed as a brush 100, as shown as an example in
[0080] A base surface of the bristle holder 106 is designed such that it has guide sections 110 at its edges. The guide sections 110 are shaped in such a way that they can rest with lateral surfaces against walls of the housing parts 102, 104 for guidance. As a result, these guide sections 110 can, for example, serve to arrange and guide the bristle holder 106 in the housing parts 102, 104. In this embodiment example, the bristle holder essentially has a rectangle with rounded corners as a base surface, wherein recesses are arranged on the sides and the guide sections 110 are formed by the rounded corners. The housing part 104 can furthermore have guide rails which run along a displacement direction of the bristles 108 through the bristle guide openings 118, so that the individual bristles 108 are permanently centered with respect to the respective bristle guide openings 118 and/or holes in the housing part 104 and cannot slip with respect thereto.
[0081] The bristles 108 are aligned with bristle guide openings 118 disposed in the upper housing portion 104 so that, once the bristles 108 are disposed in the bristle guide openings 118, they are restricted in their movement such that they can substantially only move back and forth through the bristle guide openings 118. The bristles 108 and thus also the bristle holder 106 connected to them are thus also guided by means of the bristle guide openings 118.
[0082] The bristles 108 can be designed such that, in the retracted state, they are aligned with an outer surface, for example an outer surface of the particle receiving device 14, thereby forming, for example, a substantially flat surface.
[0083] The bristles 108 can be flexible or rigid. For example, the bristles 108 may have a conical shape.
[0084] Compared to a conventional hairbrush, the number of bristles 108 is reduced so that the bristles 108 are larger and spaced further can be arranged at a distance from each other. This results in a large contact surface that is still comfortable to use. In addition, the usable area of the removal device 20 is increased.
[0085] In some embodiments, a number of the bristles 108 may be, for example, 25 to 50, 30 to 45, 35 to 40, or 39. In some embodiments, the bristles 108 are arranged on the bristle holder 106 for example in a grid or in lines offset from each other, wherein a row of a grid or a line comprises for example 2 to 8, 3 to 5 or 3 to 4 bristles 108, wherein for example 10 to 15, 11 to 12 or 11 rows or lines may be provided, which may for example each comprise a different number of bristles 108. In some embodiments, a distance between center points and/or center axes of the bristle guide openings 118 and thus also between centers of gravity and/or, in the case of rotationally symmetric bristles 108, center axes of the bristles 108 may be, for example, 0.75 cm to 2.5 cm, 1 cm to 1.5 cm, 1.2 cm to 1.5 cm, 1 cm, 1.2 cm, 1.25 cm or 1.5 cm. In some embodiments, the bristles 108 are spaced apart from an outer edge of the bristle holder 106 by at least 6 mm or at least 8 mm, for example. It is apparent from these dimensions that the brush 100 is usually larger than conventional hairbrushes.
[0086] Guide pins 112 are arranged on long sides of the bristle holder 106, which can be inserted into guide openings 114 of a guide carriage 116. The guide carriage 116 has first guide rails 120 on a side facing away from the bristle holder 106, which are arranged to engage in second guide rails 122 arranged in the lower housing part 104. Due to this engagement of the guide rails 120, 122 with one another, the guide carriage 116 is only displaceable in a control direction extending along the guide rails 120, 122.
[0087] The guide carriage 116 has second guide pins 124 in an actuation area 128, which engage in elongated holes 126 arranged in a grip area of the lower housing part 102. The elongated holes 126 are arranged and aligned such that the guide carriage 116 is linearly displaceable along the control direction.
[0088] The bristle holder 106 cannot be displaced in the control direction, since it rests with its guide sections 110 in this direction against one of the housing parts 102, 104. At the same time, the guide pins 112 of the bristle holder 106 are inserted into the guide openings 114. If the guide carriage 116 is displaced in the control direction, then the guide pins 112 follow the shape of the guide openings 114. The guide openings 114 are designed, for example, as elongated holes which are arranged at an angle to the control direction.
[0089] In some embodiments, the guide openings 114 have, for example, a short retaining section at the end that is arranged parallel to the control direction. The retaining section can be designed in such a way that the guide pins 112 can engage in at least one of their end positions in such a way that an increased operating force is required to move them out of the end position. At the same time, this can have the effect that, for example, the bristle holder 106 is temporarily locked in the extended position of the bristles 108 for use.
[0090] In some embodiments, the rotating section 132 may be stabilized and/or fixed by a small trough in the rotating mechanism within the rotating section at the highest point of extension and retraction of the bristles 108 by a latching and/or clamping mechanism. This serves to prevent the bristles 108 from retracting again directly on contact with the hair and scalp or from accidentally extending out of the housing. A counter-movement simply releases the stabilization or fixation and allows the bristles 108 to move again.
[0091] Due to the elongated holes as well as the guidance through the housing parts 102, 104, the bristle holder 106 is moved with its bristles 108 through the bristle guide openings 118 perpendicular to the control direction when the guide carriage 116 is moved in the control direction. The bristle guide openings 118 and thus also the bristles 108 are arranged, for example, in rows and/or columns, wherein the rows and/or columns can be arranged offset relative to one another.
[0092] The bristles 108 can be moved into the housing by means of the guide carriage 116 in such a way that they do not protrude from the particle receiving device 14 and/or the openings 118 of the upper housing part 104. Bristle guides 148 can be provided on an inner side of the housing part 104, which hold the bristles 108 in position even when they are retracted into the housing. This prevents the bristles 108 from slipping out of the bristle guide openings 118 when they are retracted into the housing, which improves the handling of the brush 100. Thus, it is also possible for the outer surface to be flat when the bristles 108 are retracted, since the bristles 108 can be completely retracted into the housing without a safety margin. In some embodiments, the bristle guides 148 are designed as short, hollow cylinder-like projections arranged around an inner edge of the bristle guide openings 118.
[0093] A rotary section 132 is provided for operating the guide carriage, which is terminated by means of an end section 130. A rotary movement of the rotary section 132 carried out by an operator is converted into a movement in the control direction by means of a linear converter integrated therein. By rotating the rotating section 132, the bristles 108 can thus be extended from the upper housing part 104 and retracted into it completely, for example.
[0094] The housing parts 102, 104 can have, for example, latching lugs 134 and/or latching openings 136 which latch into one another when the housing parts 102, 104 are assembled and thus provide sufficient load-bearing capacity.
[0095] The particle pick-up device 14 has a carrier 140 in addition to the pick-up device 20. The removal device 20 is arranged and attached to the carrier 140, so that the carrier 140 stabilizes and supports the removal device 20. The upper housing part 104 has a recess 142 with an edge 138, which at least partially has a clamping or latching projection, by means of which the carrier 140 and/or the particle pick-up device 14 can be detachably fastened in the recess 142. The rim 138 may, for example, be 1 mm to 3 mm, 2 mm to 5 mm or 2 mm high. In some embodiments, the height of the rim 138 may be adapted to the thickness of the carrier 140 and/or the particle receiving device 14. In order to simplify the assembly of the brush 100, the carrier 140 can be designed without a removal device 20 in an edge region that can be clamped by the edge 138.
[0096] The carrier 140 can, for example, be formed from a deformation-resistant material and has a thickness of, for example, 1 mm to 5 mm, 2 mm to 3 mm or 2 mm.
[0097] In particular, the take-off device 20 has a nonwoven material or is formed by such a material. The nonwoven material should be selected in such a way that it allows particularly good removal of pollen. Nonwoven material made of PP+PAN fibers has proven to be a suitable material for this purpose.
[0098] In some embodiments, the removal device 20 is firmly connected to the carrier 140, for example with a material bond. To accommodate the removal device 20 and/or to simplify its alignment on the carrier 140, the carrier 140 may have a recess whose depth is adapted to the thickness of the removal device 20, for example. In some embodiments, a depth of the recess may correspond to a thickness of the take-off device 20 so as to provide a flat surface, or the material of the take-off device 20 may protrude slightly.
[0099] The upper housing portion 104 further includes an engagement recess 144 into which a user may engage, for example, with a finger, fingertip, or suitable narrow object to disengage the particle pickup device 14 from the recess 142. The particle receiving device 14 may also have an engagement portion, for example in the region of the engagement recess 144, to facilitate its removal from the recess 142.
[0100] The particle receiving device 14 has openings 146 in the support 140 and the removal device 20 which, when the particle receiving device 14 is disposed in the recess 142, are aligned with the bristle guide openings 118 so that the bristles 108 can be pushed through the upper housing portion 104 and the particle receiving device 14.
[0101] In some embodiments, the cleaning device 10 may be formed as a comb 200 as shown as an example in
[0102] The receptacles 224 are arranged, for example, on both sides of the base section 218. In addition, a receptacle 224 is arranged between the prongs 216 in at least one of the contact surfaces 226.
[0103] The receptacles 224 are designed, for example, as recesses and each have a base surface and/or side surfaces to which the removal devices 20 can be attached. This ensures, in particular, that the removal devices 20 are each securely fastened to the comb part 214 and cannot be displaced or pulled out of the receptacles 224 by adhesion to the hairs, for example on contact with the hairs. The pick-off devices 20 can be non-detachably connected to sections of the receptacles 224, for example by adhesive bonding. Since the receptacles 224 are designed as recesses which are, for example, between 1.5 and 3 mm, between 1.5 and 2.5 mm or between 1.8 and 2.2 mm deep, they can have at least partially circumferential support edges on which the removal device 20 can be supported in each case.
[0104] In some embodiments, for example, the base portion 218 extends over between 50% and 90% of a height h of the comb portion 214, such that the prongs 216 extend over between 20% and 50% of the height of the comb portion 214. Prongs 216 may, for example, have a spherical or conical shape at least in sections or the shape of an at least three-sided pyramid or a four-sided pyramid.
[0105] In contrast to conventional combs, which are mainly used for separating strands of hair and for combing out knots, it can be advantageous for comfortable use of the comb 200 if there is a balanced relationship between the combing effect, i.e. the order and/or arrangement of the hair, and the cleaning effect, for example in the form of pollen removal. In addition, it can be advantageous to find a balance between a combing effect and the cleaning effect in the form of pollen pick-up. Removal devices 20 are arranged in the holders 224, which may, for example, have a fabric, in particular a microfiber fabric, which has an increased static friction when in contact with hair relative to a conventional comb tine with a smooth surface. In order to achieve a balanced ratio between combing effect and cleaning effect, in some embodiments it is provided, for example, that tips of the tines 216 have a spacing of between 1 cm and 2.5 cm, between 1.2 cm and 2.2 cm, between 1.5 cm and 1.9 cm or between 1.6 cm and 1.8 cm. As a result, in some embodiments, a comb portion 214 has, for example, only six to eight, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven or twelve prongs 216. Such embodiments can also provide particularly large contact surfaces with correspondingly large pick-up devices 20, which make the cleaning process more convenient and efficient, as indicated above.
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[0107] A detachable fastening device, by means of which the back section 236 can be detachably held in the guide opening 230, can for example be formed by means of a latching or clamping connection. In some embodiments, for example, the comb portion 214 has latching clips 234 at the end, which can engage in latching grooves 232 of the handle portion 212 to form the releasable latching connection.
[0108] In some embodiments, particularly in embodiments configured as a brush 200, the replaceable particle pickup device 14 is prepared for commercial exploitation such that the carrier 140 and the pickup device 20 are non-detachably connected to each other. In embodiments which are designed as a comb 200, this preparation takes place by inserting the removal devices 20, for example the nonwovens, into the receptacles 224. The particle pick-up device 14 prepared in this way can be used to replace a used particle pick-up device 14 that is no longer efficient due to limited pollen pick-up capacity.
[0109] Providing the particle pick-up device 14 in this way has the advantage over embodiments that provide the pick-up device 20 separately that the pick-up device 20 can be used in a sterile manner, for example in an automatic production machine. If this is carried out by a user, the user can contaminate the removal device 20, for example by pressing it by hand, so that its useful life is shortened.
[0110] In some embodiments, the handle device and the particle pick-up device are detachably connected to each other.
[0111] This makes it easy to replace the particle pick-up device if, for example, it can no longer pick up any more allergen particles after prolonged use.
[0112] In some embodiments, the pick-up device is detachably attached to the particle pick-up device
[0113] Depending on the embodiment, this allows the removal device alone, which removes the allergen particles from the hair, to be replaced. This reduces material consumption in an environmentally friendly manner.
[0114] In some embodiments, the particle pick-up device has a plurality of engaging devices for engaging between a plurality of hairs, with the pick-up device being arranged on a surface of the engaging devices.
[0115] This forms a kind of comb that can be guided through the hairs. The hairs sweep along the surface of the engaging devices on which the removal device is arranged. The removal device then removes the pollen particles with their allergens from the hair, which is pulled over it. In this way, an allergic reaction can be reduced, avoided or prevented by simply combing or brushing the hair.
[0116] In some embodiments, the removal device is arranged such that the surface of the engaging devices is at least partially covered by the removal device.
[0117] This increases the surface area on which the hair comes into contact with the removal device.
[0118] In some embodiments, the engaging devices are aligned parallel to each other.
[0119] If a particle pick-up device designed in this way is pulled through hair, a particularly uniform cleaning of the hair is achieved.
[0120] In some embodiments, the engaging devices are arranged on a first side of the particle pick-up device at an engaging portion, wherein the pick-up device is attachable to at least a plurality of the engaging devices such that it is arranged adjacent to the engaging portion.
[0121] Such a particle pick-up device is used, for example, to form a hairbrush, depending on the shape of the first side. By attaching the pick-up device to the engaging devices, a particularly large surface area of the pick-up device is provided for contact with the hair.
[0122] In some embodiments, the engaging devices are lined up along a straight line on the particle pick-up device.
[0123] Such a cleaning device forms a comb, for example. It can be designed to be particularly space-saving, so that a pollen allergy sufferer can take it with them when traveling, for example.
[0124] In some embodiments, the removal device has a retention layer for retaining allergen particles.
[0125] Such retention layers have, for example, a surface to which the allergen particles adhere due to a chemical reaction, for example sticking, and/or a physical process, for example by hooking fine structures, and can thus be removed from hair. Advantageously, the retention effect of the retention layer is stronger against allergen particles than against hair.
[0126] In some embodiments, the retention layer comprises a nonwoven or a fabric, in particular comprising microfibers.
[0127] Nonwovens, woven fabrics and microfiber fabrics, in particular microfiber nonwoven fabrics, are fine-pored and yet have a high density, which gives them ideal filter properties. In addition, many such materials have electrostatic properties so that they can generate an electrostatic field in their environment, which attracts allergen particles. PP (polypropylene) and PAN (polyacrylonitrile) fibers are a particularly advantageous material to use.
LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS
[0128] 10 Cleaning device [0129] 12 Gripping device [0130] 14 Particle pick-up device [0131] 16 Engaging device [0132] 18 Base section [0133] 20 Removal device [0134] 22 Feed-through section [0135] 24 First fastening section [0136] 26 Second fastening section [0137] 28 Groove [0138] 29 Base structure [0139] 30 First side (of particle pick-up device 14) [0140] 100 Brush [0141] 102 Lower housing section [0142] 104 Upper housing section [0143] 106 Bristle holder [0144] 108 Bristles [0145] 110 Guide section [0146] 112 Guide pin [0147] 114 Guide opening [0148] 116 Guide carriage [0149] 118 Bristle guide opening [0150] 120 First guide rail [0151] 122 Second guide rail [0152] 124 Second guide pin [0153] 126 Oblong hole [0154] 128 Actuation section [0155] 130 End section [0156] 132 Turning section [0157] 134 Latching lug [0158] 136 Latching opening [0159] 138 Edge [0160] 140 Carrier [0161] 142 Recess [0162] 144 Recessed recess 146 Opening [0163] 148 Bristle guide 200 Comb [0164] 212 Handle part [0165] 214 Comb part [0166] 216 Tine [0167] 218 Base section [0168] 222 Distance [0169] 224 Mounting [0170] 226 Contact surface [0171] 228 Guide strip [0172] 230 Guide opening [0173] 232 Locking groove [0174] 234 Locking clamp [0175] 236 Back section