Body hair treating implement

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a body hair treating implement which can be advantageously used to cut or dress unwanted body hair of arms or legs, etc., or underarm hair, before e.g., one wears a bikini.

2. Description of the Related Art

For instance, if a cutting tool, such as scissors or a razor, is used to cut unwanted hair before one wears a hi-leg swimsuit or leotard, the tips of the cut hair are sharp due to shear cutting. The sharp tips of the cut hair can easily penetrate through the material of the swimsuit, etc., and protrude out of the material, or cause the wearer to feel pain upon touching.

The applicant of the present application has proposed a hair treating implement having an electrical heating element (electrical heating wire) which burns and cuts the body hair so as to leave a rounded tip on the hair.

In this hair treating implement, provision is essentially made for two comb tooth plates which are juxtaposed and spaced from one another at a distance of approximately 5 to 10 mm; and an electrical heater, such as a nichrome wire, which is provided between the opposed comb tooth plates, and is in contact with the body hair between the adjacent comb teeth of the comb tooth plates. With this arrangement, when electrical power is supplied to the nichrome wire, the nichrome wire generates red-heat, and burns and cuts the body hair brought into contact therewith.

The body hair which is in contact with the nichrome wire can be easily burned and cut. The tip edges of the burned and cut hair are not sharp but rounded, unlike the conventional hair remover using a cutting tool such as a razor or scissors, etc., in which the hair is sheared.

The proposed hair treating implement can be also used as a hair dressing tool in a barber or beauty shop. Namely, the tips of the dressed hair can be rounded, curled or frizzled to obtain a desired hair style by burning and cutting the dressed hair with the heating element whose nichrome wire portion is brought into slide-contact therewith.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a further improved body hair treating implement which has useful functions which cannot be achieved in the prior art, and which has an enhanced operability.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body hair treating implement including two opposed comb tooth plates each having a plurality of comb teeth; an electrical heating wire which extends between the comb tooth plates, and which is arranged to generate red heat due to electrical power supplied thereto, and to burn and cut body hair combed with the comb teeth; and a illumination device for illuminating front of the comb tooth plates and the inside thereof when the body hair is being burnt and cut by the electrical heating wire.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body hair treating implement including two opposed comb tooth plates each having a plurality of comb teeth; an electrical heating wire which extends between the comb tooth plates, and which is arranged to generate red heat due to electrical power supplied thereto, and to burn and cut body hair combed with the comb teeth; and a vibration device for vibrating at least the comb tooth plates when the body hair is being burnt and cut by the electrical heating wire.

According to further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body hair treating implement including two opposed comb tooth plates each having a plurality of comb teeth; an electrical heating wire which extends between the comb tooth plates, and which is arranged to generate red heat due to electrical power supplied thereto, and to burn and cut body hair combed with the comb teeth; a illumination device for illuminating front of the comb tooth plates and the inside thereof when the body hair is being burnt and cut by the electrical heating wire; and a vibration device for vibrating at least the comb tooth plates when the body hair is being burnt and cut by the electrical heating wire.

According to further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body hair treating implement including two spaced and opposed upper and lower comb tooth plates which respectively have a plurality of comb teeth, and which lie horizontally with respect to a base implement body of the body hair treating implement; an electrical heating wire which extends between the comb tooth plates, and which is arranged to generate red heat due to electrical power supplied thereto, and to burn and cut body hair combed with the comb teeth; and a grip portion extending upward from said base implement body of the body hair treating implement.

According to still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body hair treating implement including two spaced and opposed upper and lower comb tooth plates which respectively have a plurality of comb teeth, and which lie horizontally with respect to a base implement body of the body hair treating implement; an electrical heating wire which extends between the comb tooth plates, and which is arranged to generate red heat due to electrical power supplied thereto, and to burn and cut body hair combed with the comb teeth; a grip portion extending upward from the base implement body of the body hair treating implement; and a illumination device for illuminating front of the comb tooth plates and the inside thereof when the body hair is being burnt and cut by the electrical heating wire.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body hair treating implement including two spaced and opposed upper and lower comb tooth plates which respectively have a plurality of comb teeth, and which lie horizontally with respect to a base implement body of the body hair treating implement; an electrical heating wire which extends between said comb tooth plates, and which is arranged to generate red heat due to electrical power supplied thereto, and to burn and cut body hair combed with the comb teeth; a grip portion extending upward from the base implement body of the body hair treating implement; and a vibration device for vibrating at least the comb tooth plates when the body hair is being burnt and cut by the electrical heating wire.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body hair treating implement including two spaced and opposed upper and lower comb tooth plates which respectively have a plurality of comb teeth, and which lie horizontally with respect to a base implement body of the body hair treating implement; an electrical heating wire which extends between said comb tooth plates, and which is arranged to generate red heat due to electrical power supplied thereto, and to burn and cut body hair combed with the comb teeth; a grip portion extending upward from the base implement body of the body hair treating implement; a illumination device for illuminating front of the comb tooth plates and the inside thereof when the body hair is being burnt and cut by the electrical heating wire; and a vibration device for vibrating at least the comb tooth plates when the body hair is being burnt and cut by the electrical heating wire.

The body hair treating implement preferably includes a rotatable head in which the two spaced and opposed upper and lower comb tooth plates, and the electrical heating wire are provided. Furthermore, the rotatable head can be made rotatable with respect to the base implement body of said body hair treating implement.

The upper comb tooth plate or the lower comb tooth plate can be detachably attached to the base implement body of the body hair treating implement.

The lower comb tooth plate is preferably made of aluminum die cast.

The body hair treating implement is preferably provided with a timer function which is activated by the turning ON of a switch to activate a power supply circuit for the electrical heating wire. The timer function is arranged to interrupt power supply to the electrical heating wire after a lapse of a predetermined time from the turning ON of the switch even when the switch is being kept ON.

The body hair treating implement can include a protection cap which is detachable from the body hair treating implement, and covers at least the two comb tooth plates when the protection cap is attached to the body hair treating implement.

The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-230565 (filed on Aug. 6, 2004) and Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-351467 (filed on Dec. 3, 2004) which are expressly incorporated herein in their entirety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be discussed below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a body hair treating implement with a protection cap attached thereto;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the body hair treating implement with the protection cap detached therefrom;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the body hair treating implement in use;

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F show a front elevational view, a right side elevational view, a left side elevational view, a plan view, a back view and a bottom view, of the body hair treating implement, respectively;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a base implement body of the body hair treating implement and a rotatable head;

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are explanatory views showing an angular displacement of the rotatable head;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the base implement body of the body hair treating implement;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the rotatable head of the body hair treating implement;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing a power receiving electrode plate, a heating wire supporting electrode plate, and a heating wire;

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a tensioning mechanism for the heating wire;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of the heating wire supporting electrode plate to which the heating wire is secured;

FIG. 12 is a bottom view of a lower housing of the rotatable head;

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of comb teeth of the rotatable head;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a slip ring mechanism between the rotatable head and a second circuit board;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an electric circuit system;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are plan views of inner and outer (bottom) sides of a lower comb tooth plate;

FIGS. 17A and 17B are plan views of inner and outer sides of a lower comb tooth plate having a higher-density comb teeth arrangement;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the lower comb tooth plate having the higher-density comb teeth arrangement; and

FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a symmetrical arrangement of comb teeth of the lower and upper comb tooth plates;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a body hair treating implement in which the illumination lamps are mounted on the rotatable head; and

FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of the rotatable head in which the illumination lamps are provided.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a body hair treating implement 1 with a protection cap 2 attached thereto. In this embodiment, as will be discussed hereinafter, the body hair treating implement 1 includes (i) spaced and opposed upper and lower comb tooth plates (two opposed comb tooth plates) 24 and 23 which are provided horizontally with respect to a base implement body 8 of the body hair treating implement 1, and which constitutes a comb tooth portion 3, (ii) an electrical heating wire 27 (hereinafter, a heating wire; see FIG. 8) which extends between the upper comb tooth plate 24 and the lower comb tooth plate 23, and is brought into contact with the body hair combed by the adjacent comb teeth of the comb tooth plates 24 and 23, and (iii) a grip portion 4 which protrudes upward from the base implement body 8. Accordingly, when the heating wire 27 is supplied with electricity, the heating wire 27 generates red-heat, and burns and cuts the body hair brought into contact therewith.

The protection cap 2 is arranged to protect and to keep the comb tooth portion 3 (the comb tooth plates 24 and 23) clean when the body hair treating implement 1 is not used. When the protection cap 2 is mounted, the body hair treating implement 1 and the protection cap 2 are made integral in shape, so that the comb tooth portion 3 is covered and becomes externally invisible. When the body hair treating implement 1 is being used, the protection cap 2 is removed therefrom. FIG. 2 shows the protection cap 2 detached from the body hair treating implement 1.

To supply electricity to the body hair treating implement 1, a commercial AC power source 100 (see FIG. 15), as an external power supply source, can be used. As shown in FIG. 3, the body hair treating implement 1 is connected to the AC power supply source through an adaptor (AC-DC converter and voltage regulator) 101.

An output plug 103 is provided at the front end of an output cord 102 of the adaptor 101. The output plug 103 is inserted in a power receiving socket 13 (see FIG. 7) which is fixed, through an insertion hole 5 (see FIGS. 4E and 4F) formed in the rear surface of the grip portion 4, to a first circuit board 11. Accordingly, the body hair treating implement 1 is electrically connected to the AC power source.

Upon the body hair treatment implement 1 being electrically connected to the AC power source via the adapter 101 as shown in FIG. 3, the user holds the right and left portions of the grip portion 4 of the body hair treating implement 1 with his or her thumb 104 and fore finger 105 of right or left hand, while abutting an upper end 4a of the grip portion 4 against the palm between the thumb 104 and the fore finger 105 of the right or left hand. Consequently, the user can stably handle the body hair treating implement 1, while holding the grip portion 4.

When the user who is holding the body hair treating implement 1 depresses one or both of switching push buttons (key tops) 6-6 provided on the right and left portions of the grip portion 4 corresponding to the tips of the thumb 104 and forefinger 105, a heating wire drive circuit 52 (see FIG. 15) provided on the first circuit board 11 in the grip portion 4 is activated; thereby the heating wire 27 (see FIG. 8) in the comb tooth portion 3 is supplied with electricity. Consequently, the heating wire 27 generates red heat.

The user brings the heating wire 27 generating red heat into contact with the body hair between the adjacent comb teeth of the comb tooth portion 3, while combing the body hair by the comb tooth portion 3. As a result, the body hair brought into contact with the heating wire 27 is easily burnt and cut. The body hair tips which have been burnt and cut are rounded, unlike in the case of shearing by a cutting tool, such as scissors or a razor.

In the body hair treating implement 1 of the illustrated embodiment, as mentioned above, the upper comb tooth plate 24 and the lower comb tooth plate 23, constituting the comb tooth portion 3, is mounted on the base implement body 8, and substantially lie in horizontal planes; and the grip portion 4 extends upward from the base implement body 8.

Due to the upwardly extending grip portion 4, a (downwardly oriented) pressing force, from the user's hand, to hold and move the body hair treating implement 1 on the user's skin where the body hair is being cut and burnt can be smoothly and adequately transmitted thereto. Accordingly, the lower surface of the comb tooth portion 3, i.e., the lower (bottom) surface of the lower comb tooth plate 23 can be smoothly moved on a user's skin while keeping close surface contact therewith. Therefore the body hair can be easily combed.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E and 4F show a front elevational view, a right side view, a left side view, a plan view, a back view and a bottom view, of the body hair treating implement 1, respectively. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the body hair treating implement 1 includes (i) the base implement body 8 having the grip portion 4 and a rotatable-head receiving pocket 7, and (ii) a disc-shaped rotatable head 9 (hereinafter, the rotatable head 9) in which the comb tooth portion 3, constituted by the upper comb tooth plate 24 and the lower comb tooth plate 23, is formed.

The rear half of the rotatable head 9 is inserted in the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7 of the base implement body 8; and an upward shaft 33 is provided on an upper surface of the rotatable head 9, and a downward shaft 35 is provided on a lower surface of the rotatable head 9. These upward shaft 33 and the downward shaft 35 are respectively inserted and engaged in shaft receiving holes 7a and 7b formed in the inner-upper and inner-lower surfaces of the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7. Accordingly, the rotatable head 9 is rotatable about the shafts 33 and 35, with respect to the base implement body 8 of the body hair treating implement 1.

When the rotatable head 9 is manually rotated with respect to the base implement body 8, the direction of the comb tooth portion 3 is varied from an angular position of 0°, in which the comb tooth portion 3 is oriented forward as shown in FIG. 6A, to an angular position of +/−45° as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C. The angular displacement is restricted by right and left stop projections 22a of the rotatable head 9, which interfere with right and left edges 7c formed at the opening portion of the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7. The angular position of the rotatable head 9 is stably held at any angular position within an angle range of approximately 90°, due to friction between an O-ring 37 and the inner surface of the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7. Since the direction of the comb tooth portion 3 can be adjusted by manually rotating the rotatable head 9 to a desired direction with respect to the base implement body 8, the operability of the body hair treating implement 1 can be enhanced.

The base implement body 8 of the body hair treating implement 1 includes the first circuit board 11 and a second circuit board 12 incorporated therein.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the base implement body 8 of the body hair treating implement 1. The base implement body 8 is constituted by split-type right and left housing halves 10-10 which are registered and connected to each other (for example, by fitting or an adhesive) to thereby form the grip portion 4 and the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7.

The first circuit board 11 is secured in the grip portion 4 of the base implement body 8.

The second circuit board 12 is secured in the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7 of the base implement body 8.

Namely, the first circuit board 11 is considered to be a vertical circuit board; while, the second circuit board 12 is considered to be a horizontal circuit board.

The power receiving socket 13 is fixed to the upper end of the first circuit board 11; and the output plug 103 of the power source adaptor 101 is arranged to be inserted into the power receiving socket 13. In addition, the first circuit board 11 is provided, on a central surface portion of each surface of the first circuit board 11, with micro switches 14-14, and provided, on the lower portion of the first circuit board 11, with a vibrator motor 15 as a vibration generator (vibrator) secured thereto with a holder 16. An illumination lamp (illumination device) 17 (e.g., a high brightness white LED) is fixed to the lower end of the first circuit board 11 below the vibrator motor 15. The illumination lamp 17 is fixed to face forward, and oriented toward the inside of the rotatable head 9.

The second circuit board 12 is electrically connected to the first circuit board 11. The front end of the second circuit board 12 is formed to be an arched shape as shown in FIG. 7. On the upper and lower surfaces of the arched-shape front end of the second circuit board 12, metal plates 18-18 for power supply to the heating wire 27 (hereinafter, the power-supply metal sliding-surfaces 18-18) are provided.

The right and left push buttons (switches) 6-6 are exposed from holes 10c-10c formed on the right and left housing halves 10-10, corresponding to the right and left micro switches 14-14 provided on the first circuit board 11.

When the push button 6 is depressed to turn the corresponding micro switch 14 ON, the power supply circuit of the circuit board 11 is closed.

When the push button 6 is released, the switch is turned OFF, so that the power supply circuit is open.

FIG. 8 shows a exploded perspective view of the rotatable head 9. The rotatable head 9 includes a disc-shaped lower housing 21, a disc-shaped upper housing 22, the lower comb tooth plate 23 which is detachably attached to the lower surface of the lower housing 21, and the upper comb tooth plate 24 which is integrally formed in the upper housing 22.

The body housing halves 10-10, the lower housing 21 and the upper housing 22 of the rotatable head 9, and the protection cap 2 are molded out of a heat-resistant resin material, such as ABS resin, polycarbonate resin, or DELRIN.

In the lower housing 21, a pair of right and left power receiving electrode plates 25-25, a pair of right and left heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26, a heating wire 27 extending between the right and left heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26, and a tensioning device 28 which is arranged to tension the heating wire 27, are mounted.

FIG. 9 shows an exploded perspective view of the power receiving electrode plates 25-25, the heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26, and the heating wire 27.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the tensioning device 28 for the heating wire 27.

The tensioning device 28 for the heating wire 27 includes (i) a stem 30 (support member) which is held so as to slide in the forward and backward direction in the lower housing 21 through a bracket 29 which is substantially provided at the center portion thereof, (ii) a stem carrier (cover member) 31 which covers the bracket 29 to prevent the stem 30 from being detached from the bracket 29, and (iii) a piano wire 32, as a spring member, whose right and left ends are respectively fixed to engagement portions 21a-21a in the lower housing 21, and which is located on the side opposite to the heating wire 27 with respect to the stem 30.

The stem 30 is provided on the front end thereof with a recess 30a, in which an intermediate portion of the heating wire 27 is engaged, and on the rear end thereof with a recess 30b in which an intermediate portion of the piano wire 32 is engaged. Consequently, the stem 30 is movably supported between the heating wire 27 and the piano wire 32 due to the flexural elasticity of the piano wire 32. As a result, the heating wire 27 is continuously tensioned.

The right and left power receiving electrode plates 25-25 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) are arranged to be brought into elastic contact with the power-supply metal sliding-surfaces 18-18 (see FIG. 14) to establish stable electrical connection. To this end, the power receiving electrode plates 25-25 are made of a metal plate of higher hardness with higher elasticity.

The heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26 partly overlap the right and left power receiving electrode plates 25-25, respectively, and are mounted in the lower housing 21. Therefore the right and left heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26 are electrically connected to the right and left power receiving electrode plates 25-25, respectively.

The heating wire 27 is secured and supported at its right and left ends by the right and left heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26 in such a way that the right and left heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26 are partly cut to form raised portions (punched portion) 26a-26a, in which the ends of the heating wire 27 are inserted, held and are crimped to immovably secure the heating wire 27 (by pushback or downward pressing).

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of the heating wire supporting electrode plate 26 to which the heating wire 27 is secured. In order to secure the ends of the heating wire 27 to the heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26 by crimping, it is necessary for the heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26 to have a certain thickness and to be made of a softer material than a nichrome wire, of which the heating wire 27 is made (softer than the power receiving electrode plates 25 which is required to be resilient). Namely, the heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26 are made of a softer material, such as a pure copper (annealed copper) or an aluminum, which is soft enough not to damage the heating wire 27 when the heating wire 27 is crimped to the raised portions 26a-26a.

In the illustrated embodiment, the heating wire 27 can be easily secured to the heating wire supporting electrode plates 26-26 by inserting the heating wire 27 in the raised portions 26a-26a, and crimping each end of the heating wire 27 to the raised portions 26a-26a, so that the manufacturing costs can be reduced.

In the rotatable head 9, as shown in FIG. 8, a circular groove 34 for receiving the O-ring 37, formed concentrically around the upward shaft 33. On the other hand, FIG. 12 shows a bottom view of the lower housing 21. The downward shaft 35 is provided on the lower (bottom) surface of the lower housing 21, and a circular groove 36 for receiving the O-ring 37 is formed concentrically around the downward shaft 35.

The upper housing 22 is abutted against and connected to the lower housing 21, in which the components 25 through 32 have been incorporated therein, by fitting or an adhesive. The lower comb tooth plate 23 is mounted to the lower surface of the lower housing 21. The O-ring 37 made of a rubber or resin is respectively fitted in the O-ring receiving grooves 34 and 36 formed in the central portions of the upper surface of the upper housing 22 and the lower (bottom) surface of the lower housing 21. Consequently, the assembly of the rotatable head 9 is completed. The upward shaft 33 of the upper housing 22 and the downward shaft 35 of the lower housing 21 are aligned on a common vertical axis.

As shown in FIG. 13, the comb tooth portion 3 of the rotatable head 9 include the upper comb tooth plate 24 of the upper housing 22 and the lower comb tooth plate 23 of the lower housing 21. The upper comb tooth plate 24 and the lower comb tooth plate 23 are spaced at a distance of, for example, 5 to 12 mm. The heating wire 27 is located between the two comb tooth plates 23 and 24 and close to the base ends of the comb teeth. The distance between the heating wire 27 and the inner surface of the lower comb tooth plate 23 is, for example, approximately 2 to 6 mm.

After the rotatable head 9 has been assembled, the rear part of the rotatable head 9, located opposite to the comb tooth portion 3, is inserted in the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7 of the base implement body 8 of the body hair treating implement 1; and the upward shaft 33 and the downward shaft 35 are respectively fitted in the shaft receiving holes 7a and 7b (see FIG. 5) formed in the upper and lower surfaces inside the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7. Consequently, the rotatable head 9 is rotatable about the these shafts 33 and 35.

When the rotatable head 9 is assembled into the rotatable head receiving pocket 7, rear contacts (sliding contacts) 25a-25a of the right and left power receiving electrode plates 25-25 in the rotatable head 9 are, as shown in FIG. 14, elastically in contact with the power-supply metal sliding-surfaces 18-18 mounted on the upper and lower surfaces of the arched-shape front end of the second circuit board 12.

The contacts 25a-25a and the power-supply metal sliding-surfaces 18-18 constitute a slip ring mechanism. Due to the slip ring mechanism, the electrical connection between the power supply circuit of the second circuit board 12 and the power supply circuit, in the rotatable head 9, for the heating wire 27 is stably established, regardless of the rotational angle of the rotatable head 9.

In the state where the rotatable head 9 is incorporated in the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7 so as to rotate about the upward shaft 33 and the downward shaft 35, the O-rings 37 on the upper and lower surfaces of the rotatable head 9 are brought into frictional contact with the inner surfaces of the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7. Due to the frictional contact between the O-rings 37 and the inner surfaces of the rotatable-head receiving pocket 7, the rotatable head 9 can be stably held at any angular position within the angular displacement range (see FIG. 6). Since the direction of the comb tooth portion 3 can be adjusted by manually rotating the rotatable head 9 to a desired direction with respect to the base implement body 8, the operability of the body hair treating implement 1 can be enhanced.

FIG. 15 shows a block diagram of an electric circuit system for the body hair treating implement 1. As mentioned above, the AC-DC converted power which has dropped to a predetermined voltage can be supplied from the AC power source 100 to the electric circuit system of the body hair treating implement 1 through the power source adaptor 101, the output cord 102, the output plug 103 and the power receiving socket 13.

More specifically, according to FIG. 15, the electric circuit system includes a control circuit 51, a heating wire drive circuit 52, an illumination lamp drive circuit 53, and a vibrator motor drive circuit 54.

The control circuit 51 activates the heating wire drive circuit 52, the illumination lamp drive circuit 53, and the vibration motor drive circuit 54, when at least one of the right and left push buttons 6-6 is depressed to turn the corresponding micro switch 14 ON. Furthermore, the control circuit 51 has a timer function.

When the heating wire drive circuit 52 is activated, electricity is supplied to the heating wire 27, so that the heating wire 27 generates red heat.

The illumination lamp 17 is illuminated when the illumination lamp drive circuit 53 is activated.

The vibrator motor 15 is driven when the vibrator motor drive circuit 54 is activated.

When the illumination lamp 17 is illuminated, light emitted therefrom is transmitted to the rotatable head 9, so that the inside space between the upper comb tooth plate 24 and the lower comb tooth plate 23, i.e., the inside of the comb tooth portion 3, is illuminated. The light illuminating the inside of the comb tooth portion 3 is further emitted from the comb tooth portion 3. In FIG. 3, the symbol L represents the illumination light which is emitted from the comb tooth portion 3 to the outside thereof to illuminate front of the comb tooth portion 3, i.e., front of the comb tooth plates 23 and 24.

Accordingly, the user can bring the heating wire 27 generating red heat with the body hair between the adjacent comb teeth of the comb tooth portions 3, and burn and cut the body hair, while combing the body hair by the com tooth portions 3 under the illumination light.

In the prior art, the inside of the comb tooth portion is dark, and light emitted from a room lamp is often intercepted by the user him/herself during the cutting operation. Having no illumination device makes it difficult for the user to suitably cut the body hair.

On the other hand, since (i) the illumination lamp 17 is arranged to illuminate the inside of the comb tooth plates 23 and 24, and (ii) the light from the illumination lamp 17 is also arranged to be emitted from the comb tooth portion 3, the operability of the body hair treating implement is enhanced.

The illumination lamp 17 further serves as a pilot lamp. When the use sees the emitted light in and from the comb tooth portion 3, the user can confirm that the heating wire 27 is supplied with electricity.

The body hair treating implement 1 is vibrated by the vibrator motor 54. In a conventional body hair treating implement, when the body hair is being cut, most users draw and tension the body hair with their fingers and cut the body hair by the heating wire brought into contact therewith. In this case, the tip of cut hair tends not to be sufficiently round. It is desirable that the body hair be cut without tensioning the same, i.e., the body hair be burnt and cut only by contacting the heating wire with the body hair.

In the illustrated embodiment, since the body hair treating implement 1 is arranged to be vibrated, the body hair which is combed by the comb tooth portion 3 is finely vibrated and less tensioned, so that the tip of the cut hair can be made as round as possible. The vibration of the body hair caused by the vibration of the comb tooth portion 3 contributes to easy combing of the body hair by the comb tooth portion 3. It has been experimentally found that the magnitude of the vibration to be applied to the body hair treating implement 1 can be small enough to be approximately equal to that of a cellular phone.

In the body hair treating implement 1 of the illustrated embodiment, the power supply circuit is activated to supply the power to the heating wire 27 when at least one of the micro switches 14 is turned ON via the corresponding push button 6. While the micro switch 14 is kept ON, the power supply to the heating wire 27 is automatically terminated after the lapse of a predetermined time set by a timer. Namely, the timer function of the control circuit 51 begins counting from the time when the micro switch 14 is turned ON. Even if the micro switch 14 is kept ON, the heating wire drive circuit 52, the illumination lamp drive circuit 53, the vibrator motor drive circuit 54 are deactivated, when the timer counts for about 30 seconds, in the illustrated embodiment. Consequently, it is possible to prevent the heating wire 27 from overheating which would otherwise occur if the power supply to the heating wire 27 continues for a longer time. A user can recognize that the timer function has been activated, by the turning-Off of the illumination lamp 17, and by the stopping of the vibrator motor 15. If the push button 6 is depressed again to turn the micro switch ON, the timer is reset. Consequently, the heating wire drive circuit 52, the illumination lamp drive circuit 53, and the vibrator motor drive circuit 54 are activated again. After the timer counts the time in response to the operation of the micro switch 14, if the micro switch 14 is turned OFF within about 30 seconds, the control circuit 51 immediately deactivates the heating wire drive circuit 52, the illumination lamp drive circuit 53, and the vibrator motor drive circuit 54.

It is also possible to selectively use the vibration function using a selection switch 55, as shown in FIG. 15.

The heating wire 27 can be made of a nichrome wire. In the illustrated embodiment, the heating wire 27 has relatively a large diameter (e.g., φ 0.2 to 0.32 mm) for the purpose of preventing a slack of the wire due to thermal expansion as minimum as possible. Such a slack may occur when the wire generates red heat (400° C.). Also, a thick heating wire tends not to break easily.

When electricity is supplied to the heating wire 27, thermal expansion occurs according to the length of the heating wire 27. Therefore even if the heating wire 27 has a large diameter, slack still occurs. To prevent a thermal deformation of the comb teeth due to the slacked heating wire 27 coming close to the comb teeth, the stem 30 is provided for the heating wire 27 as mentioned above (see FIGS. 8 and 10).

The stem 30 is made of a punched stainless steel plate, and the piano wire 32 is used to control the slack of the heating wire 27. Due to this arrangement, if the heating wire 27 loosens, the heating wire 27 is moved forward by the stem 30 to maintain a distance of the heating wire 27 from the lower comb teeth, in order to prevent the heating wire 27 from coming into contact with the lower comb teeth.

The heating wire 27 has a relatively large diameter, and the stem 30 is positioned at the intermediate portion of the heating wire 27 to minimize the slack thereof. Consequently, no additional self-tensioning mechanism to automatically tension the wire is necessary in the illustrated embodiment. No additional self-tensioning mechanism simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces the manufacturing costs.

In the body hair treating implement 1, the lower comb tooth plate 23 of the rotatable head 9 is detachable from the lower surface of the lower housing 21 of the rotatable head 9 in order to remove the cut pieces of body hair in or on the comb tooth portion 3. When the lower comb tooth plate 23 is detached, the heating wire 27 is exposed, so that the heating wire 27, the upper comb tooth plate 24 and the lower comb tooth plate 23 can be cleaned using a cleaning brush or the like, attached as an accessory. The detached lower comb tooth plate 23 can be washed with water.

FIG. 16A shows a plan view of the inner side of the lower comb tooth plate 23, and FIG. 16B shows a bottom view thereof. The lower comb tooth plate 23 is made of aluminum die cast. The lower comb tooth plate 23 is provided on its inner surface with heat radiation fins to enhance radiation efficiency.

As shown in FIG. 8, to attach the lower comb tooth plate 23 to the lower housing 21, right and left engagement side portions 23b-23b of the lower comb tooth plate 23 are engaged with engagement guide edges 21b-21b of the lower housing 21, and thereafter the lower comb tooth plate 23 is slid rearward. When the lower comb tooth plate 23 is sufficiently moved rearward, an engagement projection 21c (see FIG. 9) of the lower housing 21 is engaged in an engagement recess 23c (see FIG. 16B) of the lower comb tooth plate 23. Thus, accidental detachment of the lower comb tooth plate can be prevented.

Conversely, a forward movement of the lower comb tooth plate 23 causes the disengagement of the projection 21c from the engagement recess 23c, so that the lower comb tooth plate 23 can be detached from the lower housing 21. In order to ensure a secure sliding movement of the lower comb tooth plate 23, antiskid rough surface portions 23d are provided on the outer surface thereof (see FIG. 16B).

Although the number of the comb teeth of the lower comb tooth plate 23 (density of the comb teeth) is smaller than the number of the comb teeth of the upper comb tooth plate 24 in the illustrated embodiment (see FIG. 8), the number of the comb teeth of the lower comb tooth plate 23 can be the same as the number of the comb teeth of the upper comb tooth plate 24, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, and 18.

The cross-sectional shape of the comb teeth of the lower comb tooth plate 23, with respect to a side elevational view, is different from the shape of the comb teeth of the upper comb tooth plate 24 in the illustrated embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13; however, as shown in FIG. 19, the cross-sectional view of the comb teeth of the lower comb tooth plate 23 and that of the upper comb tooth plate 24 can be made symmetrical.

The illumination lamp 17 which illuminates the inside of the comb tooth portion 3 and emits light therefrom is provided in the base implement body 8 in the illustrated embodiment; however, the illumination lamp 17 can be provided in the rotatable head 9.

FIGS. 20 and 21 show another arrangement of the illumination lamp 17 (e.g., a high brightness white LED), in which the two illumination lamps 17 are provided in the rotatable head 9. AS clearly shown in FIG. 20, one illumination lamp 17 is mounted in the vicinity of a side of the comb tooth portion 3, and the other illumination lamp 17 is mounted in the vicinity of the other side of the comb tooth portion 3. More specifically, according to FIG. 21, each illumination lamp 17 is installed in a hole 22b, formed on the upper housing 22, in the vicinity of each side of the upper comb tooth plate 24.

Due to this arrangement, when the illumination lamps 17 are illuminated, the inside space between the upper comb tooth plate 24 and the lower comb tooth plate 23, i.e., the inside of the comb tooth portion 3, is illuminated. The light illuminating the inside of the comb tooth portion 3 is further emitted from the comb tooth portion 3. In FIG. 20, the symbol L represents the illumination light which is emitted from the comb tooth portion 3 to the outside thereof to illuminate front of the comb tooth portion 3, i.e., front of the comb tooth plates 23 and 24. Since the illumination lamps 17 are mounted on the rotatable head 9, even when the rotatable head 9 is rotated, the illumination lamps 17 can be suitably oriented toward a target (desired) area on the user's skin where the body hair is being cut and burnt. Consequently, sufficient illumination can be constantly given to the target (desired) area on the user's skin. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 21, the illumination lamps 17 are connected to a printed circuit board 40. The printed circuit board 40 is mounted on the lower housing 21 of the rotatable head 9; and contacts 40a and 40 are arranged to resiliently come into contact with terminals 26b and 26b of the supporting electrode plates 26-26. Consequently, the printed circuit board 40 is electrically connected to the supporting electrode plates 26-26; and when electricity is supplied to the heating wire 27, electricity is also supplied to the illumination lamps 17.

Also, it is possible to provide the illumination lamp 17 on the upper surface of the upper housing 22 of the rotatable head 9 to illuminate the inside and front of the comb tooth portion 3.

It is sufficiently enough to apply vibration to at least the comb tooth portion 3; accordingly, the vibrator motor (vibration generation device) 15 can be incorporated in the rotatable head 9. It is also possible to externally provide the vibrator motor 15 onto the body hair treating implement 1.

The commercial AC power source 100 is used for the body hair treating implement 1 in the illustrated embodiment, and the body hair treating implement 1 is electrically connected to the commercial AC power source 100 using the electrical cord 102, through the power source adaptor 101 to supply electricity to the body hair treating implement 1. In place of such an external power supply source, it is possible to provide an internal power supply system using a battery or rechargeable battery incorporated in the body hair treating implement 1.

The lower comb tooth plate 23 is detachably mounted to the body hair treating implement 1 in the illustrated embodiment; however, it is possible to make the upper comb tooth plate 24 detachable. Furthermore, both the lower comb tooth plate 23 and the upper comb tooth plate 24 can be detachably mounted to the body hair treating implement 1.

According to the present invention, the body hair treating implement has the illumination device which illuminates front of the comb tooth plates and the inside thereof when the body hair is being burnt and cut by the electrical heating wire. It is therefore advantageous for a user to use the body hair treating implement, under the illumination by the illumination device, to burn and cut the body hair located between the adjacent comb teeth, while combing the body hair by the comb teeth. Consequently, the operability of the body hair treating implement can be enhanced.

According to the present invention, the body hair treating implement has the vibration device for vibrating the two comb tooth plates. Accordingly, it is possible to finely vibrate the body hair being combed by the comb teeth to thereby reduce the tension, so that the cut end of the body hair can be made rounded. Also, as the body hair is vibrated due to the vibration of the comb teeth, combing the body hair by the comb teeth can be more easily carried out.

According to the present invention, the body hair treating implement is provided with the arrangement of (i) the two spaced and opposed upper and lower comb tooth plates which respectively have a plurality of comb teeth, and which lie horizontally with respect to a base implement body of the body hair treating implement, and (ii) a grip portion extending upward from the base implement body of the body hair treating implement.

Due to the upwardly extending grip portion, a (downwardly oriented) pressing force, from the user's hand, to hold and move the body hair treating implement 1 on the user's skin where the body hair is being cut and burnt can be smoothly and adequately transmitted thereto. Accordingly, the lower surface of the comb tooth portion, i.e., the lower (bottom) surface of the lower comb tooth plate can be smoothly moved on a user's skin while keeping close surface contact therewith. Therefore the body hair can be easily combed.

According to the present invention, the body hair treating implement has the rotatable head in which (i) the two spaced and opposed upper and lower comb tooth plates are provided, i.e., the comb tooth portion is provided, and (ii) the electrical heating wire is provided. Due to the rotatable head, the angular position of the comb tooth portion with respect to the base implement body of the body hair treating implement can be made adjustable. Consequently, the operability of the treating implement can be enhanced.

Number	Date	Country	Kind
2004-230565	Aug 2004	JP	national
2004-351467	Dec 2004	JP	national

Body hair treating implement

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CPC

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Priority Claims (2)