Patent Application
20240374010
The field of the invention is blow dryer attachments.
The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided in this application is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Hair maintenance and styling is a massive industry. From hair product to clean and condition, to blow dryers that can make hair smooth, shiny, volumized, and straightened. When it comes to blow dryers, quality can range dramatically. Some blow dryers are very basic, performing only the task of pushing hot air out of one end. High end blow dryers try to account for all kinds of different situations, including static build up, overheating hair to the point of burning, and so. These types of devices can be better at smoothing hair, they can be designed for use with various attachments that can, for example, curl hair, and they can be better at straightening hair, among other things.
In the area of blow dryer attachments, many different devices are available. Attachments can be used to curl hair, straighten hair, and so on. But existing attachments fail to take full advantage, for example, physical phenomena that can be harnessed to improve blow dryer attachment function. For example, it has yet to be appreciated that the Coanda effect can be useful in the context of a blow dryer attachment because the Coanda effect can be used to straighten and dry hair faster than ordinary blow dryers.
The Coanda effect describes a tendency of a stream of flowing gas to “stick” to a nearby surface convex. When a stream of flowing gas passes over the convex surface, resulting pressure differentials cause that stream of gas to adhere to the convex surface, and that tendency can be used to create more effective blow dryers. For example, by creating a blow dryer attachment that has a convex surface near the attachment's air outlet, air exiting the attachment can be subject to the Coanda effect, which can in turn be harness to improve the product.
Thus, there is still a need in the art for improved blow dryer attachments.
The present invention provides apparatuses, systems, and methods directed to blow dryer attachments. In one aspect of the inventive subject matter, an attachment for a blow dryer is contemplated, the attachment comprising: an adapter configured to couple with the blow dryer and with an attachment assembly; the attachment assembly comprising an interior portion, an outlet from the interior portion, and a curved surface; where the curved surface comprises a heating element and is configured to create Coanda effect with air leaving the outlet; and tines coupled with the attachment assembly and positioned near the curved surface.
In some embodiments, the heating element comprises a metal. The attachment assembly can have an upper housing and a lower housing, where the tines are configured to couple with the upper housing. The attachment assembly can also have an upper bracket and a lower bracket, wherein the upper bracket and the lower bracket form the interior portion and the outlet. In some embodiments, the adapter has a magnet configured to facilitate coupling with the blow dryer.
In another aspect of the inventive subject matter, an attachment for a blow dryer comprises: an upper housing and a lower housing that couple together; an upper bracket and a lower bracket configured to couple together and configured to at least partially fit within the upper housing and the lower housing; where the upper bracket and the lower bracket form an interior portion having an inlet and an outlet; where the inlet receives air from the blow dryer and where air from the blow dryer exits the interior portion at the outlet; where the lower bracket comprises a curved surface that air that has exited the outlet passes over; where the lower bracket comprises a heating element that is curved according to the curved surface and coupled with the curved surface; a set of tines that couples with the upper housing; and where the curved surface is configured to create the Coanda effect with air leaving the outlet.
In some embodiments, the heating element comprises a metal (e.g., aluminum). The upper housing can have two upper housing tines that are thicker than the tines, and the tines can be configured to fit between the upper housing tines. In some embodiments, the adapter has a magnet configured to facilitate coupling with the blow dryer.
In another aspect of the inventive subject matter, an attachment for a blow dryer comprises: an adapter configured to couple with the blow dryer and with an attachment assembly; the attachment assembly comprising an interior portion, an outlet from the interior portion, and a curved surface; and where the curved surface comprises a heating element and is configured to create Coanda effect with air leaving the outlet.
In some embodiments, the tines couple with the attachment assembly and are positioned near the curved surface. The adapter can include a magnet configured to facilitate coupling with the blow dryer, and the heating element can include a metal (e.g., aluminum).
One should appreciate that the disclosed subject matter provides many advantageous technical effects including using structural elements that give rise to the Coanda effect to improve hair dryer attachment performance for hair straightening, smoothing, and the like. Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
The following discussion provides example embodiments of the inventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter is considered to include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus, if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment comprises elements B and D, then the inventive subject matter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.
As used in the description in this application and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description in this application, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Also, as used in this application, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term “coupled to” is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms “coupled to” and “coupled with” are used synonymously.
In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as concentration, reaction conditions, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. Moreover, and unless the context dictates the contrary, all ranges set forth in this application should be interpreted as being inclusive of their endpoints and open-ended ranges should be interpreted to include only commercially practical values. Similarly, all lists of values should be considered as inclusive of intermediate values unless the context indicates the contrary.
Embodiments of the inventive subject matter are directed to attachments for blow dryers that takes advantage of the Coanda effect to blow dry and straighten a user's hair. The Coanda effect describes a tendency of a fluid or gas jet to stay attached to a convex surface. So as air flows out of a blow dryer and out the end of an attachment of the inventive subject matter, air follows the flat, convex curved surface of the attachment.
This is especially advantageous in the context of a blow dryer attachment because air can be caused to follow along the curved surface of a heating element, causing hair caught in that airflow to flow straight away from the end of the attachment. This helps to both straighten and dry the user's hair, giving the appearance of a smoother finish.
Heating element 104 is affixed to bottom bracket 116, and both heating element 104 and bottom bracket 116 are curved. These curved surfaces are what create the Coanda effect, causing air to flow along the curved surface as it exits outlet 122. In some embodiments, as hot air from the blow dryer passes by heating element 104, heating element 104 heats up to create a single heated surface that works in tandem with hot air from the blow dryer. The view in
Magnet 120 can couple with adapter 118 by, e.g., pressure fit, adhesive, snapping into place, or any combination there. Adapter 118 can then fit onto an end of a blow dryer by fitting over an outer portion of the blow dryer. Thus, an inner diameter of adapter 118 can be sized and dimensioned to fit over the end of a blow dryer such that attachment 100 can fit onto a blow dryer by pressure fit. In some embodiments, the interior surface of adapter 118 can be formed to decrease slightly in diameter (e.g., as a cone) so that as adapter 118 is coupled with a blow dryer, adapter 118 can be snugly fit into place.
Many components can be made from plastics. For example, all components except for heating element 104 can be made from thermoplastic materials, such as polyamide 66 (sometimes called nylon 66). Polyamide 66 (PA66) is frequently used in manufacturing in place of metal components because it exhibits desirable material properties, including: high strength and stiffness at high temperature; good impact strength, even at low temperature; very good flow for easy processing; good abrasion and wear resistance; excellent fuel and oil resistance; good fatigue resistance; and good electrical insulating properties. Because, for example, PA66 has high heat resistance, it is a good material for a blow dryer attachment that is frequently subject to high temperatures.
As mentioned above, embodiments of the blow dryer attachment described in this application are designed to take advantage of the Coanda effect. To maximize the Coanda effect, these elements are designed so that airflow from the blow dryer generates sufficient force to attract hair toward the curved surface and then push it away as air leaves the curved surface (e.g., as shown in
Thus, specific systems and methods directed to attachments for blow dryers are disclosed. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts in this application. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the disclosure. Moreover, in interpreting the disclosure all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to the elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps can be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced.
