Patent Application
20240180322
A thermally conductive hairstyling assembly being thermally conductive for conducting static electricity from the hair to ground.
Personal grooming of hair is frequently accomplished using a hair dryer and brush or comb. This can result in damaged hair due to the brush or comb comprising synthetic materials, such as a nylon or plastic. These types of dielectric materials do not adequately conduct and/or retain heat properly and lead to electrostatic charge build up causing hair to be more prone to frizz, fly-away, split ends, dullness, dry and itchy scalp. Also, the use of polymer composites in the beauty industry hair tools consists of traditional plastic and nylon polymers that have performed adequately but because of the high-heat and high-style trends, have shorter life expectancies. Combs and brush bristles bend, melt, and break under the high heat/high stress conditions.
Hair styling devices such as brushes and combs in general are known in the art. Wood combs have been well known for decades for their antistatic capabilities. Metal brushes and combs are known to have excellent anti-static qualities, as well as, for being more conductive with the heat of a blow dryer. Compounds and coatings have been developed to give brush bristles and brush barrels non-static properties, but brushes treated with them do nothing to dissipate the static electricity built up in the hair. Even though static charge has been better managed in the bristles and barrel of the brush, this does not help with the electrical charge build up that takes place over the rest of the body of the styling device. Static charge needs a place to be truly remediated. Creating connected pathways of positive ionic flow from the hair styling tool to the user is the only means of effective static charge remediation.
A hair styling tool having antistatic qualities is U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,135 issued Dec. 30, 1986 to Lenting et al. This patent describes a comb connected to a device having a high-voltage source arranged in a holder and a plurality of electrodes electrically connected to the source for generating ions and projecting into the air. These ions neutralize the positive charge of the hair caused by the friction between the hair and the movement of the comb over the hair.
Likewise, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0016066 issued Jan. 29, 2004 introduces a static removing hairbrush that dissipates electrostatic charges from the hair and brush by providing a circuit away from the hair being brushed and away from the user. The brush has a plurality of conductive bristles connected to a ground wire that is attached to an electrical ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,966 issued Jan. 17, 1989 to Fong describes an antistatic hairbrush that eliminates the electrostatic charge in a user's hair by providing a discharge circuit from the brush handle to the user's hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,665,443 issued Jun. 4, 1949 to Simon et al., teaches bristles of a hairbrush made from dielectric materials combined with etymols to create antistatic properties within bristles.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,925 issued Sep. 9, 1986 teaches bristles of a hairbrush having a nylon or polyester core and a compatible polymeric sheath containing carbon to create antistatic properties within the bristles.
WIPO Patent Application Publication No. WO2018001196 issued on Jun. 30, 2016 to Xu Jiacai introduces an antistatic hair brush where the main body of the brush is coated with an electrically conductive film and a resin film that lowers the static property of the brush handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,101 issued on Feb. 15, 200 to Garner discusses a hair styling brush having a brush head that is conductive and coated with a temperature sensitive color-changed material to indicate a minimum threshold temperature for hair styling.
Similarly, WIPO Patent Application Publication No. WO 2014001879 issued on Jun. 26, 2013 teaches a brush having a heat conductive coating allowing for continuous application of heat at lower temperatures.
The subject invention provides such an assembly for a hairstyling assembly with a material makeup including:
The invention in its broadest aspect is a hairstyling assembly that
thermally conducts heat from a source such as a blow dryer for hair styling and statically dissipates static electricity buildup on a person's hair and grounds the static electricity through the user by a combination of parts having a material makeup of a graphene polymer composite.
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENT
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a hairstyling assembly 20 of the type for styling hair is generally shown in
The device, generally indicated in
A barrel 34 of the styling device is retained in the cup-shaped end 28 of the handle 22 and axially aligned with the center axis A and extending to an open end 36.
A bristle tree assembly 46, shown in
The handle 22 a molded polymer, and is characterized by a coating 60 disposed on the handle 22. The coating 60 comprises,
The graphene polymer based thermal coating 60 can be applied to the substrate surface of any polymer. The coating 60 transforms the surface of the polymer into having a thermal conductivity of about 6-8 Watts per meter Kelvin (W/mK), a surface resistivity of 1×104˜106, and increased mechanical and tribological strength. The paint base can also have different finishes such as a rubber finish, leather finish, suede finish, metallic finish, faux finish, plaster finish, texture sand finish, sandstone finish, flat finish, and satin finish. Other suitable paint bases including polyurethane paint. elastomer paints, and other rubberized and plastic paint coatings may be used.
The barrel 34 comprises:
The POM graphite polymer composite transforms the polymer into having a thermal conductivity of about 4-8 Watts per meter Kelvin (W/mK), and a surface resistivity of 1×104, as well as, increased qualities of higher tensile and mechanical strength and improved antibacterial properties. POM is the preferred polymer base for the graphene polymer composite, but can be substituted by nylon, polypropylene, ABS, and other like polymer based materials. Alkyl sulphonate is the preferred antistatic agent. Ionic antistats of cationic compounds, quaternary ammonium, phosphium, or sulfonium salts, and nonionic compounds, including sodium salts of sulfonates, phosphates, and carboxylic acids, can replace the alkyl sulphonate. Nonionic antistats including glycerol esters of fatty acids, and ethoxylated teriary amines, can also replace alkyl sulphonate. N002-PDR nano graphene platelets is preferred, but can be replaced with graphene oxide. Other additives can also be added into the current invention including, antioxidants, thermal stabilizers, antimicrobial agents, flame retardants, colorants, lubricants, clip agents, and radiation stabilizers.
The rod 48 comprises of any type of conductive material, such as, aluminum, iron, steel which is preferably rust-proof, or a composite plastic with conductive qualities.
The bristles 56 comprise:
The graphene nylon polymer composite transforms the polymer into having increased thermal conductivity by transferring the heat energy form the initial point of contact down and throughout the entire bristle 56 of the styling device and therefore preventing structural failure in a localized area of the bristle 56. Static dissipation is reduced to a surface resistivity of 1×106˜109, as well as, increased qualities of higher tensile and mechanical strength and improved antibacterial properties.
The percentage of graphene nano platelets dispersion varies upon the level of static dissipation desired contrasted with the level of mechanical stiffness desired for the bristle 56. Graphene Oxide (GO) can also be introduced into the formula as a partial substitute for graphene nanoplatelets to increase the flexibility of the bristles 56.
Alkyl sulphonate is the preferred antistatic agent for the bristle 56 formula. Ionic antistats of cationic compounds including quaternary ammonium, phosphonium, or sulfonium salts, and nonionic compounds, including sodium salts of sulfonates, phosphates, and carboxylic acids, can replace the alkyl sulphonate. Nonionic antistats including glycerol esters of fatty acids, and ethoxylated teriary amines, can also replace alkyl sulphonate.
Tourmaline powder can be used as an additive by emitting anions to help eliminate moisture form the hair. Other additives can also be added into the current invention including, antioxidants, thermal stabilizers, antimicrobial agents, flame retardants, colorants, lubricants, slip agents, and radiation stabilizers. The top cap 58 is molded in one piece from plastic/polymer material and coated with the coating 60.
The graphene and antistatic agent is for retaining energy and for electrically conducting static electricity from a person's hair the bristles 56 and barrel 34 and the handle 22 to ground.
The general characteristics, particle size distribution and physical sizes of the N002-PDR Nano Graphene Platelets are as follows in Tables 1-3 (Data retrieved from Angstron Materials Technical Data Sheet, revision date Apr. 1, 2014).
The general characteristics. particle size distribution and physical sizes of the N006-010-P Nano Graphene Platelets are as follows in Tables 4-6 (Data retrieved from
Angstron Materials Technical Data Sheet, revision date Aug.14, 2012).
Please note that the composites described in the present invention include, but are not limited to, compounded polymers such as PP, POM, LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE, ABS, PA6, PA46, PLA, Nylons, UHMWPE, and TPEs.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described while within the scope of the appended claims. That which is prior art in the claims precedes the novelty set forth in the “characterized by” clause. The novelty is meant to be particularly and distinctly recited in the “characterized by” clause whereas the antecedent recitations merely set forth the old and well-known combination in which the invention resides. These antecedent recitations should be interpreted to cover any combination in which the inventive novelty exercises its utility. The use of the word “said” in the apparatus claims refers to an antecedent that is a positive recitation meant to be included in the coverage of the claims whereas the word “the” precedes a word not meant to be included in the coverage of the claims. In addition, the reference numerals in the claims are merely for convenience and are not to be read in any way as limiting.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/548,153 filed Aug. 21, 2017.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62548153 | Aug 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16640125 | Feb 2020 | US |
| Child | 18200841 | US |
