CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not applicable
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a hair drying apparatus, and more specifically to a hair drying bag for wigs and hair extensions.
2. Description of the Background
When performing routine hair stylings and haircuts, many hair stylists prefer to work with dry hair extensions and wigs before installation, maintenance, and styling on a wearer. Both hair stylists and the wearers wash the hair extensions and wigs to keep them clean and comfortable use. Thus, the hair extensions and wigs often need to be dried before use, installation, maintenance, or styling.
There is a continued need for a hair drying apparatus for hair extensions and wigs.
SUMMARY
In some aspects of the invention, a hair drying apparatus includes a bag that defines a top, a bottom, a front side and a back side. The hair drying apparatus further includes an air displacement device that is connected to the bag. The bag includes an interior wall and an exterior wall, and the interior wall of the bag has vents on the front side and the back side of the bag. The vents on the interior wall of the bag are configured to surround a hair holder compartment within the bag.
In some embodiments, the air displacement device is connected to the bag through a tube. In some embodiments, the bag defines an upper section, a midsection, and a lower section that each comprises about a third of the length of the bag from top to bottom, and the tube may be connected to the bag in the midsection or the lower section of the bag. In some embodiments, the tube is connected to the bag in the lower section of the bag. In some embodiments, the air displacement device is a hair dryer. In some embodiments, the hair drying apparatus further comprises a hanger located at a top of the bag. In some embodiments, the hair drying apparatus further comprises a handle located at a top of the bag. In some embodiments, the hair drying apparatus comprises one or more elastic loops on a back side of the bag that are configured to hang the bag. In some embodiments, there may be one or more suction cups on a backside of the bag that are configured for hanging the bag. In some embodiments, the hair drying apparatus further comprises a hair holder within the hair compartment of the bag configured to hold bundles of hair located in an upper section of the bag. The hair holder may be an elastic strap. In some embodiments, a zipper is disposed on the front side of the bag.
According to some aspects of the invention, a hair drying apparatus includes a bag that has an interior wall and an exterior wall and defines a front side and a back side. Further, a tube is connected to the bag. The interior wall of the bag has vents on the front side and the back side, such that the vents are configured to surround a hair holder compartment.
In some embodiments, the bag defines an upper section, a midsection, and a lower section, and the tube is connected to the bag in the lower section. In some embodiments, the tube is connected to an air displacement mechanism that is configured to heat and output air into the tube that is connected to the bag.
According to some aspects of the invention, a method of drying hair includes inserting one or more bundles (e.g., two, three, or more bundles) of hair into a hair drying apparatus that has a bag that has an interior wall and an exterior wall and a front side and a back side along with air vents on the front side and the back side of the interior wall. The method further includes closing the bag using a zipper, initiating an air displacement mechanism that is connected to the bag to dry the one or more bundles of hair, turning off the air displacement mechanism, and removing the one or more bundles of hair from the bag.
In some embodiments, the method also includes hanging the wet hair in the bag on a hair holder that is an elastic strap located within the bag. In some embodiments, the bag has one or more suction cups on the back side of the bag that are configured to hang the bag. In some embodiments, the bag is connected to the air displacement mechanism through a tube. In some embodiments, the bag defines an upper section, a midsection, and a lower section that each comprises about a third of the length of the bag, and the tube may be connected to the bag in the midsection or the lower section.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a hair drying apparatus in a partially open configuration;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the hair drying apparatus of FIG. 1 in a closed, operative configuration;
FIG. 3 is a front, partial view of the hair drying apparatus of FIG. 1 being shown inside-out configuration;
FIG. 4 is front, partial view of the hair drying apparatus of FIG. 1 in an opened configuration showing a hair piece therein;
FIG. 5 is a front, partial view of the hair drying apparatus of FIG. 1 in an opened configuration showing a hair piece disposed therein;
FIG. 6 is a rear view of the hair drying apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of a hair drying apparatus;
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method for drying hair; and
FIG. 9 is a front view of another hair drying apparatus; and
FIG. 10 is a side view of the top portion of the hair dying apparatus of FIG. 9 in a hanging configuration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present disclosure is directed to a hair drying apparatus. The hair drying apparatus is configured to allow a cosmetologist and/or a hair stylist to quickly dry hair extensions and wigs for their clients. Currently, there are two common solutions to drying the hair extensions or wig of the client: 1) using a traditional hair dryer and drying both the natural hair and the hair extensions (or wig) while both attached to the head of the client; and 2) removing the hair extensions (or wig) from the client for drying separately from the natural hair. A limitation of solution 1) is that hair extensions (or wig) can often become tangled, damaged, or displaced from the head of the client. A limitation of solution 2) is that removing the hair extensions from the head of the client and drying the hair on the head of the client and the hair extensions separately is time consuming and laborious. For example, the hair extensions are dried by having the stylist hold hair extensions in one hand and use a hair dryer in the other hand. Thus, there is a need for a hair drying apparatus specific to drying hair extensions and wigs.
Unless otherwise expressly specified, all of the numerical ranges, amounts, values and percentages such as those for the amount of time that elapses for hair drying and others in the following portion of the specification may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the value, amount, or range. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present disclosure. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.
Referring to FIG. 1, a hair drying apparatus 100 is shown. The hair drying apparatus 100 includes a bag 104 that has an interior wall 108 and an exterior wall 112. In some embodiments, the interior wall 108 and the exterior wall 112 may be integrally formed, e.g., as a unitary component. The interior wall 108 and the exterior wall 112 can include panes 116 that are sewn together to form the bag 104. The interior wall 108 and the exterior wall 112 are configured to have a cavity 120 that is disposed between the interior wall 108 and the exterior wall 112. In the illustrated embodiment, the cavity 120 is provided as a singular, continuous cavity that extends around a hair compartment 124. In some embodiments, the cavity 120 includes a plurality of cavities corresponding with the panes 116 of the interior wall 108 and the exterior wall 112, such that dividers (not shown) or other interruptions such as seams are provided. In some embodiments the interior wall 108 and the exterior wall 112 are separate and distinct components that are coupled together during assembly and, thus, are not integral. In some embodiments the interior wall 108 and the exterior wall 112 are a unitary component.
Referring to FIG. 2, the bag 104 is connected to an air displacement mechanism 128. The air displacement mechanism 128 may be a hair dryer, or any blower or device or machine capable of providing a pressure different to drive air flow into the bag (e.g., air at a selected volume or temperature). In some embodiments, the air displacement mechanism 128 is configured to heat the outputted air to facilitate faster drying times. In the illustrated embodiment, a tube 132 connects the bag 104 to the air displacement mechanism 128. The tube 132 may be integral to the bag 104, such that the tube 132 may be made of the same material as the bag 104. In some embodiments, the tube 132 may be any suitable air duct to connect the air displacement mechanism 128 and the bag 104, such that the tube 132 is configured to allow air to flow from the air displacement mechanism 128 into the cavity 120 of the bag 104. In some embodiments, the tube 132 may be connected to the air displacement mechanism 128 using a fastener (not shown) to provide an airtight seal at the connection point between the air displacement mechanism 128 such as a hair dryer and the tube 132. In some embodiments, the tube 132 may be connected to the air displacement mechanism 128 using a rigid clasp, such as a hose clamp, an elastic band or gasket, an adhesive strip, and/or any other connection known in the art for a providing a removable, adjustable airtight connection. In some embodiments, the tube 132 may be a separate member of the hair drying apparatus 100 that is coupled, e.g., removably attached, to the bag 104 and/or the air displacement mechanism 128. For example, the tube 132 can be attached to the exterior wall 112 and placed in fluid communication with an air supply opening (not shown) formed therethrough. The interior wall 108 and/or the exterior wall 112 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 5) of the bag 104 may be made of a synthetic water-resistant material, e.g., nylon, polyurethane, polyester, microfiber, rubber or latex, oilcloth, or a natural water-resistant material, e.g., beeswax, lanolin, or leather, or some combination thereof. In some embodiments, the bag 104 may have a zipper 136 that is disposed along a front side 140 of the bag 104 for selectively accessing or enclosing the cavity 120. The zipper 136 may be disposed in various locations on the bag 104, such as on a back side 144 that is opposite the front side 140.
Still referring to FIG. 2, a longitudinal axis 148 defines a longitudinal plane 152 that bisects the front side 140 and the back side 144 of the bag 104, such that the longitudinal plane 152 divides the bag 104 into a right side 153 and a left side 154. Accordingly, the longitudinal plane 152 bisects the hair drying apparatus 100 and is disposed equidistant between the right side 153 and the left side 154 of the bag 104. Further, a horizontal axis 156 that defines a horizontal plane 160 intersects the right side 153 and the left side 154 of the bag 104 and is disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal plane 152. Accordingly, the horizontal plane 160 bisects the longitudinal plane 152 in a midsection 164 of the bag 104 such that the horizontal plane 160 is disposed equidistant between a top 161 and a bottom end 162 of the bag 104. The midsection 164 is located between an upper section 168 and lower section 172 of the bag 104. The upper and lower section 168, 172 are defined in relationship to a ground surface 176 and each section 164, 168, and 172 comprises roughly one third of the overall height the bag 104. In some embodiments, a hanger 180 is disposed at the top end 161 of the bag 104 and configured to allow the bag 104 to hang from any suitable supporting structure (not shown), such as, e.g., a rod mounted to a wall(s), a door, a doorknob, a door frame, a hook mounted to a wall, or even a fastener (not shown). In some embodiments, the hanger 180 is provided as a loop or a hook as discussed further below.
Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the bag 104 has one or more vents 182 that are configured as openings on the interior wall 108 to allow the airflow from the air displacement mechanism 128 (shown in FIG. 2) into the cavity 120 between the interior and exterior walls 108, 112 and into the hair compartment 124 of the bag 104. In some embodiments, the vents 182 may be slits or holes in the interior wall 108 of the bag 104. In some embodiments a plurality of vents 182 are formed on the interior wall 108 on both the front side 140 (see FIG. 3) and the back side 144 (see FIG. 1) of the bag 104 as shown. By having at least one vent 182 on the front side 140 and at least one vent 182 on the back side 144, the vents 182 are configured to at least partially surround the hair compartment 124.
Referring to FIG. 3, the hair drying apparatus 100 is shown in an inside out configuration such that the interior wall 108 is on the outside of the bag 104 and exposed to the environment and the exterior wall 112 is on the inside of the bag 104. The inside out configuration is shown to better depict the vents 182 on the interior wall 108 of the hair drying apparatus 100. In FIG. 3, the vents 182 are shown to be placed in a set of vertical columns 183 that run parallel to the zipper 136 the bag 104. In some embodiments, the vents 182 may be arranged in a hexagonal pattern, a circular pattern, in rows that run perpendicular to the zipper 136, and/or any other configuration. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is merely a representative example and that many other different configurations and patterns of the vents 182 are possible. In some embodiments, the vents 182 are small enough such that the interior wall 108 is formed of a mesh-like material having mesh-type holes, e.g., greater than 6 holes per square inch. In some embodiments, the vents 182 are larger than typical mesh-type holes, e.g., fewer than 6 holes per square inch. Various alternative arrangements of the vents 182 are discussed below in connection with FIG. 7.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the hair compartment 124 of the bag 104 of the hair drying apparatus 100 is shown with FIG. 4 providing a view of the bag 104 and FIG. 5 providing a view of the upper section 168 of the bag 104 and the hair compartment 124. The hair compartment 124 is the volume disposed within the bag 104 that is between the front side 140 of the interior wall(s) 108 and the back side 144 of the interior wall(s) 108 of the bag 104. As shown in FIG. 5, the hair drying apparatus 100 may have one or more hair holders 184 that are configured to secure one or more bundles of hair 188 in the hair compartment 124 in the upper section 168 of the bag 104 while the hair drying apparatus 100 is in operation. In some embodiments, the hair holder 184 may be an elastic strap.
Now referring to FIG. 6, the hair drying apparatus 100 is provided with one or more suction cups 192 that are attached to the back side 144 thereof. The suction cup(s) 192 may be made of silicone; nitrile, synthetic rubber, fluoropolymer elastomer, vinyl, and/or urethane. Further, the suction cup(s) 192 may be configured to secure the hair drying apparatus 100 to a wall or door (not shown). Although the rear view of the hair drying apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 5 does not illustrate the interior wall 108 of the bag 104 or the vents 182, it will be appreciated that the vents 182 may be arranged on the back side 144 of the bag 104 on the interior wall 108 of the bag 104 with or without the suction cup(s) 192.
Referring to FIGS. 1-6, the hair drying apparatus 100 may be configured to dry the bundles of hair 188 which may comprise a variety of hair types that could include clip-in hair extensions, tape-in hair extension, sew-ins hair extensions, glue-ins hair extensions, halo extensions. Further, the hair drying apparatus 100 may be used to dry synthetic wigs and hair extensions that have the appearance of human hair but containing little or no actual human hair, which may include polyurethane (“poly”) wigs, mesh units, monofilament wigs, or combinations thereof. In some instances, the synthetic materials used for wigs and hair extensions may be formulated to withstand repeated exposure to high temperatures and, thus, the hair drying apparatus may be configured for expedited drying at higher temperatures.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the hair drying apparatus 100 uses the air displacement mechanism 128 to produce an air stream that passes through, over, and/or around the bundles of hair 188 that may be hanging from a hair holder 184. The air stream that is produced by the air displacement mechanism 128, in combination with the configuration of the hair drying apparatus 100, decreases drying times for the inserted bundles of hair 188 as compared to traditional methods, e.g., a stylist holding the bundles of hair 188 and using a hair dryer. For example, using the hair drying apparatus 100 of the present disclosure resulted in about a 10% decrease in drying time, as represented in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1
|
|
Drying Time using the
|
Number of
Traditional Method of
Drying Time Using the Hair
|
Bundles
Drying Hair
Drying Apparatus 100
|
|
1 Bundle
20 Minutes
18 Minutes
|
|
In some embodiments, the hair drying apparatus 100 provides a greater decrease in drying times for the inserted bundles of hair 188 when more than one bundle of hair 188 is dried at the same time. For example, drying a single bundle of hair 188 may be associated with a first drying time, while drying two bundles of hair 188 simultaneously may be associated with a second drying time that is about double the first drying time. However, because the hair drying apparatus 100 allows multiple bundles of hair 188 to be arranged therein for drying simultaneously, efficiencies can be realized so that the second drying time is reduced to be less than double the first drying time when using the hair drying apparatus 100 of the present disclosure. For example, the second drying time for two bundles of hair 188 may be reduced by 15% or more, or 20% or more, or 30% or more, or even 40% or more by use of the hair drying apparatus 100 of the present disclosure as compared to traditional methods. Similarly, reduced drying times may be further compounded by the inclusion of three or more bundles of hair 188 arranged in the hair drying apparatus 100, such that greater efficiencies are realized by drying multiple bundles of hair 188 simultaneously. In some embodiments, the hair drying apparatus 100 may yield a consistent 10% decrease in drying times despite the quantity of bundles of hair 188 being dried, which may be influenced by factors such as a relative humidity inside the hair drying apparatus 100, moisture content in the bundles of hair 188, the materials or types of bundles of hair 188, the number and arrangement of the bundles of hair 188, the number and arrangement of vents 282, and characteristics of the air supply (e.g., temperature, velocity, relative humidity) of the air displacement mechanism 228, among other factors.
In order to achieve the decrease in drying time that is presented above, the hair drying apparatus 100 may be configured to have the tube 132 connect to the bag 104 in the lower section 172 or the midsection 164 of the bag 104 and be connected to the air displacement mechanism 128 that is configured to output heated air. By having the connection between the tube 132 and the bag 104 and in the lower section 172 or the midsection 164 and the air displacement mechanism 128 outputting heated air, the tube 132 is able to direct the air into the bag 104 in a manner in which the air enters in the lower section 172 or the midsection 164 naturally rises to the upper section 168 due to the heated air having a lower density than the cooler air present in the bag 104. Thus, the air circulates throughout the bag 104 as the result of the warm air rising which lowers the drying time for the bundles of hair 188. Further, the vents 182 may be configured to optimize the recirculation paths of the air to maximize the exposure of the heated air to the bundles of hair 188. For example, the vents 182 may be arranged such that there are more vents 182 in the midsection 164 and fewer vents in the upper and lower section 172, 168 such that the recirculation of the air is configured to flow in a more efficient manner to dry bundles of hair 188.
FIG. 7 depicts a schematic representation of a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of a hair drying apparatus 200. In this embodiment, elements that are shared with—i.e., that are structurally and/or functionally identical or similar to—elements present in the previous embodiments (see FIGS. 1-6) are represented by like reference numerals increased by 100. Accordingly, the hair drying apparatus 200 comprises a bag 204 that has an interior wall 208 and an exterior wall 212. As shown in FIG. 7, the interior wall 208 can have panes 216 that are attached, e.g., sewn, to the exterior wall 212 to form the bag 204. The hair drying apparatus 200 defines a cavity 220 between the interior wall 208 and the exterior wall 212, a hair compartment 224, an air displacement mechanism 228, a tube 232, a zipper 236, a front side 240, a back side 244, and a midsection 264 that is located below an upper section 268 and above a lower section 272. The hair drying apparatus 200 further includes a hanger 280, one or more vents 282, a hair holder 284, one or more bundles of hair 288, and one or more suction cups 292.
Still referring to FIG. 7, the hair drying apparatus 200 includes seams 296 that are used to attach the panes 216 of the interior wall 208 to the exterior wall 212. It is contemplated that the seams 296 may be configured to permit air from the air displacement mechanism 228 to pass through. In some embodiments, the seams 296 are breathable so as to offer relatively little resistance to air passing through them. In some embodiments, the seams 296 are not breathable and significantly impede or resist airflow. As show in FIG. 7, there may be various configurations and layouts of the vents 282. For example, the vents 282 may be configured to surround the hair compartment 224 by having vents 282 positioned on the front side 240 and vents 282 positioned on the back side 244. In some examples, the vents 282 may be arranged geometric configuration 298 that comprises of columns and rows such as what is shown the right side of the lower section 272 of the bag 204. Further, the vents 282 may have a circular shape, a rectangular shape, an ellipse shape, a star shape, and or/any other shape that allows for the transfer of air between the cavity 220 and the hair compartment 224.
A flow chart showing a method 400 of drying hair is shown in FIG. 8. The method 400 includes a first operation 404 of providing the hair drying apparatus having bag with vents on all sides of the interior wall of the bag and an air displacement mechanism, such as the air displacement mechanism 128 or 228, that is connected to the bag. A second operation 408 of the method 400 includes inserting wet or damp hair into the bag 104, 204. In a third operation 412, the air displacement mechanism 128, 228 is energized to apply air, preferably heated air, to the wet hair in the bag 104, 204 until the hair is dry. In some instances, the third operation 412 may be associated with a predetermined amount of time based on various inputs, e.g., a manual timer, aspects of the hair piece being dried, a selectable number or % age of vents 182 being opened or closed, an ambient temperature, relative humidity, or some combination thereof. In a fifth operation 420, the air displacement mechanism is de-energized, whether manually or automatically based on expiration of the predetermined amount of time. A sixth operation 424 includes removing the now-dry hair from the bag 104, 204. At various times in the method 400, a user may check the condition of the hair, whether visually or through use of a sensor (not shown), with regard to a dryness level, which may be in addition to or alternative to the predetermined amount of time. Further, in some embodiments, the hair may not be completely wet when it is put into the bag 104, 204 or completely dry when it is taken out of the bag 104, 204. In some embodiments, the air displacement mechanism 128, 228 outputs heated air to accelerate the rate at which the hair bundles are dried. In some embodiments, the bag 104, 204 or tube 132 comprises an insulating material to reduce the heat loss from the air displacement mechanism 128, 228 to the hair drying apparatus.
Now referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, another embodiment of a hair drying apparatus 500 is shown. The hair drying apparatus 500 is similar to the hair drying apparatus 100 of FIGS. 1-6 and the hair drying apparatus 200 of FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 9, the hair drying apparatus 500 has a bag 504 that defines a top 508 and a bottom 512. Further, the bag 504 defines a front side 514 and a back side 516. The bag 504 defines an upper section 520, a midsection 524, and a lower section and 528 that each comprises about a third of the length of the bag 504. The hair drying apparatus 500 also has an air displacement mechanism 530 connected to the bag 504 via a tube 532. As shown in FIG. 10, the hair drying apparatus 500 has a handle 536 that is disposed on the top 508 of the bag 504 and two elastic loops 540 that are disposed on the back side 516 of the bag 504. In some embodiments, the bag 504 may have one elastic loop 540. In some embodiments, there may be more than two elastic loops 540 on the back side of the bag 504.
Still referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the handle 536 and the elastic loops 540 (shown in FIG. 10) are configured to assist with suspending or hanging the bag 504 from a mounting structure. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the handle 536 is substantially centrally disposed on the bag 504 for hanging from a single mounting structure, such as a hook 544 or a door handle (not shown). In this way, the handle 536 affords the bag 504 with a quick and self-leveling support mechanism. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the elastic loops 540 are laterally spaced apart from one another for hanging the bag 504 from two mounting structures, such as the hooks 544. The bag 504 is configured to support larger, heavier hair extensions or wigs even when saturated or wet due to the presence of two elastic loops 540 that distribute the weight. Further, due to the elastic material, the bag 504 is supported by a suspension mechanism with ample flexibility for maintaining a hanging position that is substantially level with the ground, i.e., the longitudinal plane 152 (see FIG. 2) is substantially perpendicular to the ground.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
Numerous modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construed as illustrative only and is presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to make and use the same. The exclusive rights to all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims are reserved.
Patent Application
20240407522
