DEHUMIDIFYING HAIR DRYER

Abstract

A dehumidifying hair dryer comprising: a housing having an air handling assembly carried by the housing; a filter included in air handling assembly configured to receive ambient air from an inlet end wherein the filter is removable from the air handling assembly; an evaporator coil configured to receive air from the first filter; a condenser coil configured to receive air from the evaporator coil; a first fan configured to move air from an ambient location through the air handling assembly; a heating element configured to receive air from the condenser coil; and, a second fan configured to move air into a hood. A dehumidifier can be included to remove moisture from the ambient air thereby requiring less heating for faster drying times.

Description

BACKGROUND

1) Field

This system is directed to a hair drying system including a system for dehumidified air to provide for faster drying times and gentler drying conditions. The system can also be used on hair, pets, cloth, skin and the like.

2) Description of Related Art

It is common for individuals to dry their hair after activities that include bathing, showering, styling, and the like. Further, the ambient humidity can lengthen the drying time. The length of time to properly dry hair is a problem in the industry that has been recognized as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,129,471. Traditionally, heat was used to encourage the evaporation of water and improve the drying time. There have also been attempts to improve drying time using a chemical based dehumidifying agent made of a porous material and placed in a certain part of an air flow passage of the hair dryer. See Korean Patent Application Publication KR20150135001 (Desiccant Hair Dryer). However, none of these prior attempts are well suited for a commercial environment where continuous use without constant service and ease of maintenance is desired.

Further, when ambient air is used, the initial condition of the air (e.g., its humidity, temperature, and particular content can vary from location to location. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 440,153 simply circulates existing ambient air without any conditioning of the air except heating. Moisture content and impurities were simply not known and not handled in the prior art. A system that provide consistent air would be advantageous. Some attempt to filter air have been attempted such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,911. But such attempts are cumbersome, not easily used and generally are not sufficient for filtering more than hair, fluff, dust or the like.

Further, prior attempts to reduce drying time have generally used increased heat. However, increased heat can damage hair, negatively impact the scalp and decrease the look (e.g., shine) of hair.

Therefore, it is an object of the present system to provide for a dehumidifying hair dryer that can use a lower temperature with dry air to reduce the chances of damage to the hair or object being dried. Said temperature can be varied based upon the need and material being dried.

It is another object of the present invention to provide for a commercial hair dryer environment and has ease of use and maintenance.

SUMMARY

The above objectives are accomplished by providing a dehumidifying hair dryer comprising: a housing having; an air handling assembly contained in the housing; a filter included in air handling assembly configured to receive ambient air from an inlet end wherein the filter is removable from the air handling assembly; an evaporator coil included in the air handling assembly configured to receive air from the filter; a condenser coil included in the air handling assembly configured to receive air from the evaporator coil; a first fan configured to move air from an ambient location through the air handling assembly; a heating element included in the air handling assembly configured to receive air from the condenser coil; and, a second fan configured to move air into a hood.

The air handling assembly can include a first outlet for directing air from the air handling assembly to the hood. The hood can be a second hood; and the air handling assembly can include a second outlet for directing air from the air handling assembly to a second hood. The system can include a container for collecting fluid removed from the ambient air. A catch can be included to collect fluid removed from the ambient air and direct it to the container. The catch can be configured to collect fluid removed from the ambient air and direct it to a drain. Said drain can be plumbed to the waste water disposal system of the building thus eliminating the need to empty or service the container.

A compressor can be included in the air handling assembly and configured to compress fluid that can expand relative to the fluid being transferred from the evaporator coil to the first heating element to create a temperature difference between the two coils. An upper outlet can be included in the system for delivering air generally horizontally relative to the air flow from the hood and to the back of an individual. The system can include a seat support connected between the seat and the housing.

The first fan can be positioned generally vertically relative to the seat and the second fan is positioned horizontally relative to the seat. The second fan can be is disposed at the top of the housing. The hood can include a front opening for improving access to the hood by the user. The hood may also move up and down to improve access to the hood by the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description of the invention will be better understood reference to the following drawings that are incorporated and made part of the written specification:

FIG. 1A is a schematic of components of the system;

FIG. 1B is a schematic of components of the system;

FIG. 1C is a schematic of components of the system;

FIG. 1D is a schematic of components of the system;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of component of the system;

FIG. 2B is a schematic of components of the system;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of components of the system;

FIG. 3B is a side view of components of the system;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic of components of the system.

DESCRIPTION

The following presents a general summary of some aspects of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of this invention. This summary is not intended as an extensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description provided below.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1D, the air handling cartridge includes a cartridge housing 10 that can include an inlet 12 that can include a grate 14 to prevent or reduce objects from entering the housing. The housing can include a filter 16, designed to remove particulates from the ambient air, that can be removed from the housing so that it can be replaced or cleaned. The housing can include an evaporator coil 18 and a condenser coil 22 that can be included in a dehumidifier assembly 20 wherein the evaporator coil can have a temperature less than that of a condenser coil 22. A compressor 24 can be included in the dehumidifier assembly 20 and be configured to compress fluid that can expand in the evaporator coil 18 relative to the fluid being in the condenser coil 22 to create the temperature difference between the two coils. A fan 26 can be used to assist with the movement of a fluid, such as air or moist air, from the exterior of the housing 10 along a direction shown as 28. The air can move across the dehumidifier assembly 20 which can cause condensation when the moisture is removed from the air producing drier air. The condensation can be gathered by catch basin 30 which can direct the condensation into a container 32 outside of housing 10. The container 32 may be user serviceable, i.e., removable connected under or to the housing allowing for the container to be periodically emptied. In a different embodiment, the container 32 may feature a liquid outlet 33 to be plumbed to a disposal system such as a drain and the like.

The air, after exiting the dehumidifier assembly 20, can pass through a second filter 34. The second filter can be configured to remove particulate or moisture or both from the air. A heating element 36 can be disposed in the housing and can heat the air as the air passes by or through the heater. A second fan 38 can assist with moving the air to an output area 40.

In another embodiment of the air handling cartridge, the air can enter the inlet 12 in a horizontal direction and exit the output area 40 in a vertical direction. The change in direction of the air can be accomplished by placing the first fan 26 so as to direct air flow horizontally from outside the inlet 12 and through or over the dehumidifying assembly 20. The second fan 38 is placed generally perpendicular to the first fan 26 so as to direct the air having already passed over or through the dehumidifying assembly 20 vertically over or through the heating element 36 and to the output area 40. Such configuration allows the inlet 12 to be placed on a side of the air handling cartridge and thereby increases the possible installation configurations while reducing the amount of debris and dust that would be directed into the cartridge if the inlet 12 faced the floor or other horizontal surface.

The output area can include a first outlet 42 and a second outlet 44. The outlets can be connected to one or more hair dryer hoods, a second distribution assembly such as a splitter, a fixed hair dryer or other dryer and any combination thereof. The outlets can direct air horizontally, vertically at an angle or any combination. By using dehumidified air, the temperature of the air used for drying can be lower than the traditional hair dryers.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, and in one embodiment, the air handling cartridge can be configured to allow for easy installation and removal within a housing. The air handling cartridge can have a power connection point 71 and an electronic control connection point 72 capable of user connection and disconnection to allow for easy wiring of the air handling cartridge. The connection points 71 and 72 connect the air handling cartridge to the power and control infrastructure of the assembly housing 70 the air handling cartridge. In this embodiment, a user can easily uninstall an old air handling cartridge by disconnecting the power and electronic controls and removing the air handling cartridge. A new air handling cartridge can then be installed into the housing 70 and the power and electronic controls connected. The housing 70 need not be changed nor replaced to upgrade the air handling cartridge.

The assembly housing 70 can be configured to removably hold the container 32 beneath the catch basin 30 such that a user can easily remove, empty, and replace the container 32. In an alternative embodiment, container 32 may be included within the air handling cartridge configured such that a user can easily remove, empty, and replace the container 32. A practitioner skilled in the art will find that in the average environment the air handling cartridge can run continuously for a work day without generating significant liquid in the container. If, however, more significant liquid is removed from the air, the container 32 can include a safety device, such as a float switch, to disengage the air handling cartridge if the liquid in the container exceeds a safe level. The container 32 can include a liquid outlet 33 capable of being in fluid communication with a drain or other plumbing system to direct collected liquid to a disposal system. The liquid outlet can be attached to the housing or can be attached to the basin. A pan can be disposed under the basin to catch moisture that escapes the basin, and a second liquid outlet can be in fluid communications with the pan to allow moisture to exit the housing. Air outlets 76 can be in fluid communication with the first 42 and second 44 outlets of the air handling cartridge. The air outlets can direct air to the hood or flexible container or other pathway so that the air is directed to the target to be dried.

The air handling cartridge 10 can support electronic controls including multispeed fan controls, multi-temperature heating controls, and on/off controls for the compressor and unit. The controls can be disposed on the assembly housing as well. The fan speed control may control a single fan independent of other fans, or may be configured to control all fans in conjunction with one another. The controls can be linked in any number of ways to simplify use and increase safety. Safety features include, but are not limited to, a thermal break for overheat protection, a tip sensor, a float sensor in container 32, linking the heater and compressor to the fan to require the fan to run before the remainder of the unit operates, and having a master on/off switch.

The housing 70 can be configured to house electronic controls accessible by the user outside the housing 70 and to have a power provision source 73 that allows the user to connect the housing 70 to an external power source and routes that power internal the housing 70 for connection to the air handling cartridge. The electronic control connection point 72 provides a connection interface between the user-controlled input 74 such as switches, button touch screen and the like and be in communications with a controller disposed internal to the housing and the electronic controls internal the air handling cartridge.

The air handling cartridge can include one or more temperature sensors 75 to detect the temperature of the evaporator coil 18, the condenser coil 22, the heating element 36 or the output area 40. Said temperature can be fed to a user readable output or may be used internally to control the temperature of expelled air or to prevent overheating. The air handling cartridge may include a safety function to disengage the heater, the compressor, the fans, or any combination thereof, to prevent overheating of the unit and the user. The housing can also include a tilt sensor so that if the housing tilts past a predetermined angle, the assembly can be switch off.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, and in one embodiment, the housing can be a hair dryer assembly 50. In said embodiment, the air handling cartridge is in fluid communications with a hair dryer hood 58 or can be installed within the hair dryer assembly 50. The hair dryer assembly 50 can hold the air handling cartridge 10 which can include the dehumidifier assembly defined by 18, 22 and 24 (FIG. 1) and the heating element 36 (FIG. 1). Air can enter the hair dryer assembly, enter the air handling cartridge, pass through or around the dehumidifier assembly, pass through or around the heating element and delivered to the hood 58 to facilitate the drying of a user's hair. The hood 58 can be in fluid communications through direct connection to the air handling cartridge or through an intermediary such as a hose or duct 62. The first outlet 42 (FIG. 1) of the air handling cartridge can be connected to a first hood and the second outlet 44 (FIG. 1) of the air handling cartridge can be connected to a second hood. In an alternative, the outlets can be connected to the hood 58 and the neck outlet 60 to increase the air delivered to a single user. Said connections to direct air can be integral to the air handling assembly and can be configured to abut openings into said connections and expel air into said connections.

The inlet 12 can be disposed at the side, front or rear of the hair dryer assembly 50. The air that enters the inlet 12 can be directed upwards and can be delivered to the hood 58. A user can position a chair or other sitting device beneath the hood 58 and against the hair dryer assembly 50 so as to position the user's head in the hood 58 and the user's neck in front of the neck outlet 60. By directing air that has been through or around the dehumidifier assembly and through or around the heater, dry heated air can be delivered to the user at the back and the top the user's head. To better control the air delivered, one or more temperature sensors can be included in the hood 58. Said sensors may be responsive to user-controlled switches or may function with internal controls of the air handling cartridge to ensure safe temperatures are not exceeded. The cartridge can be inserted into the assembly housing and a cover door 63 used to cover the cartridge.

In one embodiment, the dehumidifier assembly and the heater can be in fluid communications without necessarily having to be in the same housing. In this embodiment, there can be one or more dehumidifiers assemblies and one or more heaters in various combinations. Tubes or other air directing elements can connect the dehumidifier assembly to the heater. Tubes or other air directing elements can connect the intake, dehumidifier assembly, filter, heater, outlet, or any combination.

In one embodiment, the housing can be designed to receive one or more air handling cartridges and to direct treated air through the furniture to a desired output area. Said output area could be a kennel or series of kennels for use in drying animals, clothing racks for use in drying clothes, a moist wet area, such as a steam shower, or any other environment where drying is desired. The number of cartridges can be increased in parallel to increase the output of dried air or in circuit to further dry the air. In such configurations, the furniture can hold additional heaters or fans as necessary for the desired application. The air handling cartridge housing can be in fluid communications with a hood by tube. The hood can be configured as a diffuser to better direct air for the purpose of drying hair. The hood 58 can include vertical outlets directing heated dry air downward and horizontally directed outlet directing dry heated air to the back and side of the user's head. The hood 58 can include an opening 64 allowing the user to enter the hood 58 without necessarily pulling the hood down onto the user's head. The inlet 12 can be disposed in the housing 10 at the front of the housing 10 so that access to the filter 16 is facilitated.

Referring to FIG. 4, the air cartridge received in the assembly housing 70 can be used to provide air to a first hood 58a and a second hood 58b. The hoods can provide air flow independent of each other while sharing the same cartridge and components.

Referring to FIG. 5, the system can include a controller 100 that can control the air flow, humidity content and temperature of the air to be delivered to the hood. The controller can include a microprocessor that can be in electrical communications with the components including the condenser 102, first fan 104, heater 106 second fan 108 and the like. The fan can be in communication with a controller so that when the controller receive input from the input panel 110, the controller activates one or more fans. One or more sensors 112a through 112d can be disposed at the inlet for determining the humidity, temperature and particulate concentration of the ambient air entering the inlet. Sensors can be disposed along the air flow path so that the controller can determine the impact on the ambient air of each component.

For example, the controller can determine that the ambient air humidity is low and disengage the dehumidifier. Or, if the ambient air is excessively humid, the dehumidifier can be activated and the fan slowed allowing the ambient air more time in contact with the condenser coil.

For example, the controller can determine that the ambient air temperature is high and lower the temperature setting of the heating coil. Of, if the ambient air is cold, the heating coil temperature can be increased. Similar adjustments may be made off of the temperature of the conditioned air which is expelled from the device.

For example, the controller can determine that the fan is requiring increased power to provide a certain air flow indicating that the filter is allowing less air through indicating that a filter replacement is needed. The controller can provide operational information to the display for the user's review. The operational information can include airflow, actual drying time, anticipated drying time, fan speed for the first and second fan, temperature, and the like.

The controller can be in communication with a remote device 114, such as a computer, so the remote device can provide the functionality of the controller without a user needing to be in physical contact with the controller. The connection can be wired or wireless. The controller or remote device can store prior setting of the system so that when a client returns, the system can preset the temperature, humidity, drying time and any combination for that client. The setting can be reviewed on a display 116.

A practitioner in the art will see the benefits of this system and other applications for its use. As described, the hair drying assembly can be used to reduce hair drying time by half while also reducing the temperature and noise the user is subjected to. In fact, a typical user can conduct a phone call while using the described hair drying assembly. Professionals in the hair care industry will immediately see the benefits of decreased drying time. Similar improvements may also be possible in other industries such as pet care and clothes drying.

Of course, many modifications to the system and assembly and/or methods may be made without departing from the invention. For example, the hood can be attached to the hosing thou a flexible connection and one housing can service more than one hood. With respect to the operation and method, additional steps may be added, various described steps may be omitted, the content of the steps may be changed and/or changed in order, and the like, without departing from the invention. Therefore, while the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above-described structures and methods. Thus, the spirit and scope of the invention should be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A hair dryer comprising: a housing having an inlet and a hood;a fan carried by the housing to draw an ambient air into the housing;a condenser coil carried by the housing adapted to cool the ambient air producing a drier air through condensation of moisture from the ambient air;a heating element carried by the housing adapted to heat the drier air;an outlet included in the housing adapted to direct heated air to the hood.

2. The hair dryer of claim 1 including a container received in the housing and adapted to collect the moisture generated from the condenser coil.

3. The hair dryer of claim 1 including a filter carried by the housing adapted to remove particulates from the ambient air prior to the condenser coil.

4. The hair dryer of claim 1 including an evaporator coil operatively associated with the condenser coil to produce drier air through condensation of moisture from the ambient air.

5. The hair dryer of claim 1 including a basin carried by the housing to collect moisture removed from ambient air.

6. The hair dryer of claim 1 including a cartridge removably carried by the housing wherein the cartridge includes the fan, condenser coil, heating element and any combination thereof.

7. The hair dryer of claim 6 including a catch basin removably carried by the cartridge.

8. The hair dryer of claim 1 wherein the hood is a first hood, the outlet is a first outlet and a second outlet is included in the housing for directing heated air to a second hood carried by the housing.

9. The hair dryer of claim 1 including a liquid outlet in fluid communications with the condenser coil adapted to direct liquid to a drain.

10. The hair dryer of claim 1 where the fan is a first fan and the first fan is positioned generally vertically relative to the hood and a second fan is positioned generally horizontally relative to the hood.

11. The hair dryer of claim 1 wherein the hood includes a front opening for improving access to the hood by a user.

12. A hair dryer comprising: a housing having an inlet and a hood;a fan carried by the housing to draw ambient air into the housing;a dehumidifier carried by the housing adapted to produce drier air from the ambient air through condensation of moisture from the ambient air;a heating element carried by the housing adapted to heat the drier air to produce heated air;an outlet included in the housing adapted to direct heated air to the hood.

13. The hair dryer of claim 12 including a filter in an airflow path that include the dehumidifier and the heating element.

14. The hair dryer of claim 12 including a cartridge removable from the housing and for containing a filter, the fan, the dehumidifier, the heating element and any combination thereof.

15. The hair dryer of claim 12 having a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of air expelled from the hood where the temperature sensor is configured to place the hair dryer in a safe mode if a temperature of an expelled air expelled from the hood exceeds a predetermined temperature.

16. A hair dryer comprising: a housing having a hood;a cartridge removable received in the housing;a fan carried by the cartridge to draw ambient air into the housing;a dehumidifier carried by the cartridge adapted to produce drier air from the ambient air through condensation of moisture from the ambient air;a heating element carried by the cartridge adapted to heat the drier air to produce heated air directed to the hood.

17. The hair dryer of claim 16 including a basin removable carried by the cartridge adapted to be removed from the cartridge when the cartridge is disposed in the housing.

18. The air handling cartridge of claim 16 having a sensor taken from the group consisting of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a particulate sensor and any combination thereof.

19. The hair dryer of claim 16 including a controller in communication with the fan, dehumidifier and heating element and adapted to actuate the fan, dehumidifier, and heating element.

20. The hair dryer of claim 19 including a remote computer device in communications with the controller and adapted to actuate the fan, dehumidifier and heating element.