Hot hair styling appliance holder

Abstract

A hair appliance holder receives and retains the hot end of a hair appliance, such as a curling iron, into a cup shaped liner made of an insulating material that is held within a surrounding housing. The outer surface(s) of the liner are spaced apart from the inner surface(s) of the housing. Holes in a bottom portion of the liner communicate with vent opening(s) in a bottom wall of the housing. Air flows into the vent opening(s) of the housing, through the holes into the inner volume of the liner and exits from the top opening of the liner. Air from the vent opening(s) also flows through a gap between the housing and the liner to insulate the housing from the liner and direct heat out of the housing. Elongated ribs may project from the inner sidewall surface(s) and into the inner volume of the liner to define air flow passageways surrounding the hot hair appliance.

Claims

1. A hair appliance holder, comprising: at least one cup shaped liner having a sidewall with an inner surface and an outer surface, a flange protruding or extending outward from a top portion of the sidewall, and a bottom wall, wherein the bottom wall defines two or more holes therethrough establishing fluid flow communication into an internal volume of the at least one cup shaped liner; a housing surrounding the at least one cup shaped liner, the housing having at least one housing sidewall and a housing bottom wall, wherein the housing sidewall has an inner surface and an outer surface and the inner surface is spaced apart from the outer surface of the at least one cup shaped liner creating a fluid receiving space, wherein the housing bottom wall defines at least one vent opening sufficiently aligned with at least one of the two or more holes of the at least one cup shaped liner to define a fluid passage into the internal volume of the cup shaped liner, and wherein the housing bottom wall defines at least one other vent opening sufficiently aligned with the fluid receiving space between the outer surface of the at least one cup shaped liner and the inner surface of the housing sidewall to define a second fluid passage; and a lid overlying a top of the sidewall of the housing.

2. The holder of claim 1, wherein the lid defines an opening to receive the cup shaped liner, and the flange of the cup shaped liner seats over at least a portion of the lid.

3. The holder of claim 1, wherein the lid has one or more vent openings communicating with the second fluid passage.

4. The holder of claim 1, wherein the housing sidewall has one or more vent openings communicating with the second fluid passage.

5. The holder of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of ribs projecting from the inner surface of the at least one cup shaped liner and establishing fluid flow channels therebetween, wherein the fluid passage communicates with at least some of the fluid flow channels between the ribs.

6. The holder of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of ribs projecting from the outer surface of the at least one cup shaped liner and establishing fluid flow channels therebetween, wherein the at least one other vent opening in the housing is sufficiently aligned with the fluid receiving space between the outer surface of the cup shaped liner and the inner surface of the housing sidewall so that the second fluid passage communicates with at least some of the fluid flow channels between the ribs.

7. The holder of claim 1, wherein the cup shaped liner is formed of a high temperature resistant insulative material.

8. The holder of claim 7, wherein the high temperature resistant insulative material is selected from the group consisting of: silicone, silicone rubber, fiberglass, and ceramic.

9. The holder of claim 1, wherein the housing is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of: silicone, plastic, metal and wood.

10. The holder of claim 1, further comprising a mounting feature to removably clamp the holder to a surface.

11. The holder of claim 10, wherein the mounting feature is either integrally formed with the housing or is removably attachable to the housing.

12. The holder of claim 10, wherein the mounting feature has opposing clamp plates with clamp plate surfaces, and the clamp plate surfaces are covered with or coated with a nonslip surface.

13. The holder of claim 1, further comprising a mounting feature to removably attach the holder to a vertical surface.

14. The holder of claim 13 wherein the mounting feature is either integrally formed with the housing or is removably attachable to the housing.

15. The holder of claim 13, wherein the housing bottom wall is supported by a base and wherein the mounting feature is attached to or removably attachable to the base.

16. The holder of claim 1, further comprising legs extending from the housing bottom wall, wherein said legs support the holder on a horizontal surface and establish an airspace between the bottom of the housing and the horizontal surface.

17. The holder of claim 16, wherein the housing bottom wall is supported by a base and the legs extend from the base.

18. The holder of claim 1, further comprising a hair appliance, wherein the hair appliance is selected from the group consisting of: a curling iron, a hair straightener, a styling iron, a blowout brush, a hair waver and a hair dryer.

19. The holder of claim 1, further comprising a fan or blower to force fluid flow into one or more of the vent openings defined by the housing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of the disclosure, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the disclosure, there is shown in the drawings embodiments of holders for heated hair styling appliances that are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

(2) In the drawings:

(3) FIG. 1 is a left side view of a first embodiment of a holder for a hair styling appliance, with a curling iron positioned therein, said first embodiment incorporating a clamp so that the holder may be clamped to a horizontal surface, such as a table or counter;

(4) FIG. 2 is a left bottom perspective view of the first embodiment of the holder of FIG. 1 showing bottom vents and clamp detail;

(5) FIG. 3 is a left top perspective view of the first embodiment of the holder of FIG. 1 showing the holder clamped to a tabletop;

(6) FIG. 4 is a right top perspective view of a second embodiment of a holder for a hair styling appliance, with a curling iron positioned therein, said second embodiment incorporating a wall mount structure so that the holder is mountable to a vertical wall surface, as shown;

(7) FIG. 5 is a left side exploded view of the second embodiment of the holder of FIG. 4 showing orientation of component parts thereof;

(8) FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the holder taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 8 showing the fluid space to receive a fluid (such as air) established between the liner and the housing of the holder, as well as the fluid flow passages into the inner volume of the liner;

(9) FIG. 7 is a left bottom perspective view of the second embodiment of the holder of FIG. 4 showing vent openings in the bottom of the housing and vent holes in the liner of the holder; FIG. 8 is a top view of the second embodiment of the holder, depicting the liner in the housing and showing particularly the ribs and bottom holes of the liner;

(10) FIG. 9 is a left side view of a third embodiment of a holder for a hair styling appliance, with a curling iron positioned therein, said third embodiment comprising a stand adapted for supporting the holder on a tabletop or countertop;

(11) FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the holder taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 14, showing the air channel established between the liner and the housing of the third embodiment of the holder;

(12) FIG. 11 is a top front perspective view of the liner component of the holder of FIGS. 9 and 10, showing ribs of the inner sidewall of the liner and bottom holes therein utilized in all embodiments illustrated in this disclosure;

(13) FIG. 12 is a right front perspective view of the third embodiment of the holder for a hair styling appliance;

(14) FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the third embodiment of the holder for a hair styling appliance, showing particularly the bottom of the housing and the vents therein;

(15) FIG. 14 is a top view of the third embodiment of the holder for a hair styling appliance, showing particularly the ribs and bottom holes of the liner;

(16) FIG. 15 is a left side view of a fourth embodiment of a holder for a hair-styling appliance, with a curling iron positioned therein, said fourth embodiment incorporating an alternate clamp so that the holder may be clamped to a table;

(17) FIG. 16 is a left bottom perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the holder of FIG. 15 showing bottom vents and clamp detail with optional forced induction module, such as a fan; and

(18) FIG. 17 is a left top perspective view of the fourth embodiment of the holder of FIG. 15 showing the holder clamped to a tabletop.

(19) FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line 18-18 of FIG. 19 showing enlarged detail of air-cooling channels between the liner and the housing of the first embodiment of the holder of FIG. 1; and

(20) FIG. 19 is a top view of the first embodiment of a holder for a hair styling appliance of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(21) It should be appreciated that the present invention provides a holder for heated hair-styling appliances such as curling irons that incorporates heat dissipating air-cooling channels to direct air flow between the liner and the housing so that the exterior surface of the housing remains cool to the touch. Additional objectives, advantages, features and application possibilities of the present invention ensue from the description below of an embodiment referring to the drawings. In this context, all the described and/or depicted features, either on their own or in any meaningful combination, constitute the subject matter of the present invention, also irrespective of their compilation in the claims or the claims to which they refer.

(22) Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms a, an and the are not limited to one element, but instead should be read as meaning at least one. The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof and words of similar import.

(23) It also should be understood that the terms about, approximately, generally, substantially and like terms, used herein when referring to a dimension or characteristic of a component of the invention, indicate that the described dimension/characteristic is not a strict boundary or parameter and does not exclude minor variations therefrom that are functionally similar. At a minimum, such references that include a numerical parameter would include variations that, using mathematical and industrial principles accepted in the art (e.g., rounding, measurement or other systematic errors, manufacturing tolerances, etc.), would not vary the least significant digit.

(24) The present invention will be described in detail by way of examples with reference to the attached drawings. Throughout this description, the preferred embodiments and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than as limitations on the present invention. As used herein, the present invention refers to any one of the embodiments of the invention described herein, and any equivalents. Furthermore, reference to various feature(s) of the present invention throughout this document does not mean that all claimed embodiments or methods must include the referenced feature(s). The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventors of carrying out their invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is defined by the accompanying claims.

(25) Referring now to the drawings, wherein the depictions are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of the subject matter herein only and not for limiting the same, FIGS. 1-3, 18 and 19 show an illustrative view of a first embodiment of the hair styling appliance holder 100. In FIGS. 1 and 3, a hair curling iron 18 is positioned within the holder assembly. This first embodiment of the holder assembly is designed to be clamped to a table or countertop surface. The holder assembly comprises a main housing 6 and a liner 2 held within the housing 6. The liner 2 is a generally cylindrical cup with a bottom, a sidewall and a top flange 2c. The top flange 2c (see FIGS. 18 and 19) seats on the housing lid 4. As shown in FIG. 11 a series of spaced apart ribs 2b are provided on the inner sidewall of the liner 2. A plurality of holes 2a are formed in the bottom wall of the liner 2. The liner 2 preferably is constructed of silicone. The liner 2 can be made of any high temperature resilient heat insulating material like silicone, silicone rubber, fiberglass, ceramic, etc. The housing 6 may be made from plastic, wood or metal.

(26) The tip of the curling iron 18 will rest on the inside bottom surface of the liner 2, and the hot wand portion of the curling iron 18 may rest on the inside top ribs 2b of liner 2 thereby limiting direct contact by the hot surface of the curling iron 18 to the liner 2. The ribs 2b of liner 2 allow air to flow around the curling iron through the gaps between the ribs 2b, further enhancing the ability to cool the area surrounding the hot curling iron 18. Limiting the direct contact of the heated wand portion of the curling iron 18 to such contact with the liner 2 reduces the heat transfer through the liner 2 thus to the housing 6 and outer surfaces of the housing 6.

(27) In some instances, the very tip of the curling iron 18 has a cap on it that is not heated and thus does not directly transfer heat to the bottom inside surface of the liner 2. If a cap is present, the heating zone of the curling iron 18 is typically above this cap and up to but not to the handle/control area of the iron.

(28) FIG. 2 shows a perspective of the holder clamping features for clamping the holder to a surface, FIG. 19 shows a top view of the holder 100, and FIG. 18 shows a cross-section of the holder 100. The clamping features include a surface clamping jaw 10 with opposed flat clamping surfaces that each have a non-slip surface 22. The non-slip surface may comprise a coating or an applied tape or pad layer, such as an adhesive backed urethane resilient pad (Reference 3M Bumpon Resilient Roll stock). The clamping features further include a protective handle 8, a T-bolt 14 received within a channel of the protective handle 8, and a tightening wheel 12 that advances the T-bolt 14 and thereby indexes the top clamping surface toward or away from the bottom clamping surface. In this embodiment, the bottom clamp plate 16 is stationary and the top clamp plate 10 of the clamping jaw 10 translates up and down as the T-Bolt 14 is advanced by the wheel 12. The clamping features may be removably attached to the housing 6 of the holder 100 with screw connection 20 (see FIG. 18).

(29) FIG. 3 shows the holder 100 with the integrated clamping features having been secured to a tabletop 50. This mounting to a tabletop edge isolates the heat of the curling iron 18 so that the mounting surface is not damaged or marred or scorched by the heated curling iron 18 held in the holder 100.

(30) As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 18 and 19, the housing 6 defines inner channel vents 6b to permit air to flow from the environment below the housing 6 and into the liner 2 interior. The liner 2 defines holes 2a within the bottom wall of the liner 2 that receive air from the inner channel vents 6b. The liner 2 has projecting ribs 2b on the inside surface of the liner 2 that establish spaces or air channels therebetween that receive a fluid such as air from the inner channel vents 6b. Air flowing into the inner channel vents 6b thus is directed into the holes 2a and the spaces between the ribs 2b and flows around the curling iron 18 when the curling iron 18 is held within the holder 100. Such air flow depicted by arrows A in FIG. 18 draws heat away from the curling iron 18 and away from the liner 2.

(31) The housing 6 further defines one or more outer fluid flow (e.g., air flow) channel vents 6a through which air from the environment outside of the holder 100 enters and flows between the exterior surface of the liner 2 and the inner surface of the housing 6. Such air flow depicted by arrows B in FIG. 18 is directed through the outer channel vents 6a to draw heat away from the liner 2. The air flow exits from the housing 6 through a passage 4a created between the housing lid 4 and the sidewall of the housing 6. The housing top rim or lid 4 could have vents therein at the top surface instead of under the overhang of the lid 4a as shown in FIG. 18.

(32) Referring next to FIGS. 4-8, a second embodiment of the holder 200 for a heated hair styling appliance is mountable to a vertical wall surface 60 directly via a bracket 9 as shown in FIGS. 5 (exploded view) and 4. The housing 6 and the liner 2 are of a same or similar construction as shown in the first embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, 18 and 19. The housing 6 receives the liner 2 therein. The liner 2 defines holes 2a through the bottom surface and defines ribs 2b that project inwardly from the sidewall of the liner 2.

(33) FIG. 6 (a cross section) shows how the liner 2 incorporates a flange 2c to seat on the housing lid 4. The sectioned view of FIG. 6 also shows the air flow paths B along the channel between the housing 6 and the liner 2 and the exiting vents under the overhang 4a at the housing top 4. The vents 6a as best shown in FIG. 7 allow the convection flow of air between liner 2 and housing 6 to exit the holder 200 and thereby draw heat away from the liner 2.

(34) FIG. 7 shows the perspective view of housing 6 from the bottom and the vents 6a which allows for the airflow depicted by arrows B to the channels between the liner 2 and housing 6. This figure also shows the region beneath the housing lid top 4 and housing 6 where the upper vents 6c are located (beneath the overhang of the housing lid top 4). FIG. 7 further shows the vents 6b through which airflow depicted by arrows A (see FIG. 6) may flow to the holes 2a and the channels between the ribs 2b of the liner 2 held inside the housing 6. Such airflow also draws heat away from the liner 2 and away from the curling iron 18 held in the liner 2.

(35) FIG. 8 shows the top view of the holder for a hair styling appliance of the second embodiment (for wall mounting) with the liner 2 housing top 4 and its features that enhance cooling and minimize heat transfer, incorporating holes 2a in the bottom of the liner 2 that allow airflow (depicted by arrows A), as well as ribs 2b limiting contact of the hot surface of the curling iron.

(36) As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the wall mounting bracket 9 has a grooved surface 24 configured to receive a mating elongated projection 26 extending from the outer sidewall of the housing 6. In this configuration, the elongated projection 26 slidably engages with the grooved surface 24 and is secured for retention therein by a top detent 28.

(37) FIGS. 9-14 illustrate a third embodiment of a hair styling appliance holder 300. In the third embodiment the holder 300 can be placed on a horizontal surface, such as a countertop or a tabletop. The holder 300 receives the curling iron 18 within the liner 2 of the housing 6. In this third embodiment, the housing 6 has four side walls forming a square post shape that is supported by legs 5 to create a standoff from any horizontal surface upon which the holder 300 is positioned. The legs 5 have a height to establish an air gap below the bottom surface of the housing 6 to ensure that air can still reach the vents 6a and 6b which operate in the same manner as the vents 6a, 6b described above with respect to FIGS. 6 and 14. The vents 6a, 6b for this third embodiment are shown in FIG. 13.

(38) In an advantageous variation of the third embodiment of the holder 300, the base 5 could be made of metal to add weight to enhance stability of the holder 300.

(39) FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of the third embodiment of the holder 300 with the housing 6 and the vented top 4 and liner 2.

(40) FIG. 10 shows a cross section of the holder 300 taken along line 10-10 in FIG. 14. In FIG. 10, the air channels between liner 2 and housing 6 for this tabletop version, as well as the vented top 4, can be seen. FIG. 10 also shows the base with legs 5 to create a standoff from a surface to allow fluid flow (e.g., air flow) beneath holder 300 when placed on a horizontal surface, such as a tabletop or countertop.

(41) FIG. 11 shows the liner 2 in a top perspective view without the housing. In FIG. 11, the holes 2a through the bottom wall of the liner 2 and the ribs 2b projecting inwardly from the inner surface of the liner 2 can be seen more readily. FIG. 13 shows the bottom of the holder 300 with the housing 6 having vents 6a and 6b that support the flow of air into the channels between the liner 2 and the housing 6 as well as through the holes 2a in the liner 2. FIG. 14 shows the top view of the holder 300 of the third embodiment with the liner 2 held in the housing 6.

(42) Referring next to FIGS. 15-17, an illustrative view of a fourth embodiment of the hair styling appliance holder 400 is shown. In FIGS. 15 and 17, a hair curling iron 18 is positioned within the holder assembly. This fourth embodiment 400 of the holder assembly is designed to be clamped to a table or countertop surface 50. Comparable to the holder 100 shown in FIG. 1, the holder assembly of the fourth embodiment 400 comprises a main housing 6 and a liner 2 held within the housing 6. The configuration of the liner 2 and the housing 6 is substantially the same as shown in FIGS. 1-3, except that the fourth embodiment 400 of the holder has a different clamping mechanism and includes an optional fan 40 or blower to force fluid flow into one or more of the vent openings 6a, 6b defined by the housing. The liner 2 preferably is constructed of silicone. The liner 2 can be made of any high temperature resilient or high heat insulative material like silicone, silicone rubber, fiberglass, ceramic, etc. The housing 6 may be made from plastic, wood or metal.

(43) FIG. 16 shows a perspective view of the holder clamping features for clamping the holder 400 to a surface, and FIG. 17 shows the holder 400 with a curling iron 18 therein clamped to a horizontal surface. The clamping features of this embodiment include surface clamping jaws 34, 36 with opposed flat clamping surfaces that each have a non-slip surface 22. The non-slip surface may comprise a coating or an applied tape or pad layer, such as an adhesive backed urethane resilient pad (Reference3M Bumpon Resilient Roll stock The top clamp plate 36 is stationary and the bottom clamp plate 34 translates up and down as the tightening wheel 30 of the bolt 32 is turned. The tightening wheel 30 rotates the bolt 32 and thereby indexes the bottom clamping plate 34 surface toward or away from the top clamping plate 36 surface. The clamping features may be removably attached to the housing 6 of the holder 400 with a screw connection, or the top clamping plate 36 may be monolithically formed together with the housing or with the housing lid 4.

(44) FIG. 17 shows the holder 400 with the alternative integrated clamping features having been secured to a tabletop 50. This mounting to a tabletop edge isolates the heat of the curling iron 18 so that the mounting surface is not damaged or marred or scorched by the heated curling iron 18 held in the holder 400.

(45) An optional force induction module or fan unit 40 is shown adjacent to the bottom surface of the housing 6 in FIGS. 15-17. The fan unit 40 blows or forces fluid, such as air, into the vent openings 6a, 6b through the housing 6 and into the fluid receiving space between the housing 6 and the liner 2, and into the holes 2b formed in the bottom of the liner 2. Representative fluid flow (air flow) is depicted by arrows A and B in FIG. 18. In an alternative configuration, the fan unit 40 could be installed inside the housing 6 below the bottom wall of the liner 2. In such configuration, the fan unit then draws air into the housing through the vent openings 6a, 6b.

(46) While FIG. 18 is the cross-section for the first embodiment of the holder 100 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 18 illustrates the typical fluid flow paths A which is through the bottom of housing 6 and up through liner 2 and B for the channel of air between the liner 2 and the housing 6 that are incorporated into all the holders 100, 200, 300 and 400 shown in FIGS. 1, 4, 9, and 15. The primary air path(s) A surrounding the hot curling iron 18 will rise out of the top opening in the liner 2. The hot rising air will pull cooler air through the vents 6b in the housing 6 bottom and that air will flow via flow path(s) A around the outside of the curling iron and out the top opening in the liner 2. A second air flow channel is established up through the outer vents 6a of the housing 6 bottom and then up through the inside channel created by the outside of the liner 2 and the inside of the housing wall 6, then out vents 6c shown in FIG. 7 in the upper side wall of the housing which are located under the overhanging top of housing 4. Allowing this fluid flow of air via flow path(s) B through the holder 100, 200, 300, 400 helps to cool the liner 2 and the housing 6, thereby insulating the housing from the hair styling appliance (curling iron 18) held in the liner 2 and lowering the temperature of the external surfaces of the housing 6. This cooling effect minimizes risk of harm to a user, such as by burning when touching the housing. The housing 6 exterior surface remains cool enough to be touched even while a hot curling iron 18 is present within the holder 100, 200, 300, 400.

(47) In an advantageous variation, the housing top rim or lid could have vents therein at the top surface instead of under the overhang of the lid as shown in FIGS. 6 and 18.

(48) While the liner 2 is shown as a circular cylindrical cup, alternatively, the cup shaped liner 2 could be formed as a cup with a different configuration, including but not limited to, square, rectangular, round, octagonal, oblong or oval. The liner 2 can be sized to retain or store other hot tools used in hair styling besides curling irons, including but not limited, to flat irons used for hair straightening. The liner 2 can be sized to retain or store two or more hair styling appliances or hot tools at a same time.

(49) While the housing 6 is shown advantageously clamped to a counter or table edge 50 in the FIGS. 3 and 17 herein, the housing 6 alternatively could instead have a bracket incorporated into the housing design enabling the holder 6 to be wall mounted. One embodiment showing a bracket 9 for a wall mounted holder 6 is shown in FIGS. 4-8.

(50) One embodiment showing a holder 300 with a housing 6 that is formed with legs 5 to create a base or stand to receive the liner 2 and thereby support the liner 2 on a horizontal countertop or table top surface is shown in FIGS. 9-13, described as the third embodiment. Another option is to incorporate a base with legs on the bottom of the housing 6 of either the first embodiment or the second embodiment so that the housings of these embodiments alternatively could be placed on a countertop or table top (without clamps or brackets), while still allowing air to flow through the vents provided through a portion of the bottom of the housing.

(51) In an exemplary embodiment, the cup shaped liner may have a cylindrical configuration with an inner diameter of about 1.25 inches or larger and an outer diameter of at least about 0.1 inches greater than the inner diameter. The cup shaped liner may have a height of at least about 3 inches. The series of holes in the bottom of the cup shaped liner may have hole diameters of about 0.05 inches or greater. In an exemplary embodiment, the cup shaped liner has at least two holes in the bottom wall of the cup, and a flange surrounds the top rim of the cup.

(52) The cup shaped liner may have a configuration that is round, rectangular, square, octagonal or oval, or any other geometric shape. The liner may have one sidewall or multiple sidewalls.

(53) The cup shaped liner may have ribs projecting from its inner surface into the interior volume of the cup shaped liner. The ribs may project a distance of about 0.10 inches or greater from the inner wall. Alternatively, the cup shaped liner may have ribs projecting from its outer surface (radially away from the outer surface). The outwardly projecting ribs may project a distance of about 0.10 inches or greater. Optionally, the liner may be provided with both inwardly directed ribs and outwardly directed ribs.

(54) In an exemplary embodiment, the housing may have a cylindrical configuration such that the housing inner wall that surrounds the outer diameter of the cup shaped liner has an inner diameter that is about 0.10 inches greater than the outer diameter of the cup shaped liner. The housing is provided with at least one vent hole in the bottom wall that can be placed in fluid communication with the vent holes of the cup shaped liner to be held in the housing. The housing gap between the liner and the housing of this exemplary embodiment directs air flow to a vent opening established outside of the liner and inside the housing wall.

(55) The housing may have a configuration that is round, rectangular, square, octagonal, or oval, or any other geometric shape. The housing may have one sidewall or multiple sidewalls. The configuration of the liner does not have to match the configuration of the housing. One nonlimiting example is shown in FIGS. 9-14, where the housing has four sidewalls and forms a square post, whereas the liner has a generally cylindrical shape with a single sidewall.

(56) In another exemplary embodiment, the housing may include top vents that are any suitable geometrical shape, including but not limited to rectangularly shaped, with dimensions of about 0.04 inch by 0.04 inch. The housing lid may have an overhang of greater than 0.05 inches.

(57) In still another exemplary embodiment, the housing may have legs extending from a base. The legs of this embodiment allow an offset from the supporting surface of greater than 0.1 inches to allow fluid flow (e.g., air flow) beneath the housing when the housing is supported on the supporting surface.

(58) While not wishing to be bound by one particular theory, we believe our invention overcomes the problems encountered with prior curling iron holders and stands because specific cooling paths and isolation are implemented to protect the user as well as the surroundings (countertops, tabletops, and walls within the styling space). Prior holders and stands failed to do a good job of protecting the user, and more specifically, did not provide good protection to the surrounding environment, like the countertop onto which curling irons are typically placed, exposing the radiant heat of the iron onto the surface and leading to damage to that surface. The approaches that employed metal holders still allowed the metal surface to get hot and create a risk of a burn to the user. Moreover, other people nearby may be unaware that a curling iron is hot and could touch the hot curling iron that is resting on a stand or on a surface within the home. Our invention eliminates those risks to the user and the surrounding environment with the combined use of the silicone liner that defines air channels allowing air flow to cool the curling iron, and the outer housing spaced around the silicone liner with air channels keeping the outer housing insulated from the liner and therefore retaining the housing at lower temperatures, thus minimizing the impact that the hot curling iron has on both user and surrounding surfaces.

(59) Our invention provides several possible uses as a hair-styling appliance holder. The embodiments illustrated herein show a curling iron held within the holder, but our holder is suitable for other heated hair-styling appliances. The holder can be mounted conveniently on a wall, counter or tabletop, and is especially convenient in tight spaces such as recreational vehicles or bathrooms with reduced counterspace. The holder offers the ability to withstand high temperatures, enabling the use of a hot curling iron or other appliance safely. Users conveniently may reposition the holder even while the holder retains the hot hair-styling appliance therein without risk of injury.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

(60) 2silicone cup shaped liner 2aholes within the bottom of the silicone liner 2bribs on inside surface of the silicone liner 2cFlange at top of silicone liner 4housing lid 4ahousing lid overhang gap 5base with legs 6main housing 6abottom housing outer channel vents 6bbottom housing inner liner vents 6chousing upper channel vents 8protective handle 9bracket 10surface movable clamping jaw 12tightening wheel 14T-Bolt 16stationary clamp plate 18curling iron 20screw hardware 22nonslip surface 24groove in bracket for wall mounting 26mating slide to fit in groove 28detent clasp 30tightening wheel 32bolt 34movable clamp plate 36stationary clamp plate 40fan unit 50horizontal support surface-tabletop or countertop 60vertical support surface-wall 100holder 200holder 300holder 400holder