This application claims the priority of United Kingdom Application No. 1521716.9, filed Dec. 9, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a hair styling appliance. Heated hair styling appliances are designed to use the action of heat and, optionally mechanical means to form hair into a desired shape or style.
In particular the present invention relates to a heating plate for a hair straightener, otherwise known as a hair styling iron. Hair straighteners conventionally include two articulated arms which are pivotally attached to each other at one end and to which one or more heating plates are attached at the other end. Where both arms have a heating plate they are generally positioned on inner opposed surfaces of the arms. The heating plates generally have hair contacting surfaces which are designed to come into contact with hair to be styled during use of the hair straighteners. Such a straightener can be seen in WO2014/056957.
Heating plates for hair straighteners are conventionally made from a solid metal, ceramic or a combination of the two. They are also often resiliently mounted to the arm of the hair straightener such that they can move up and down or rock slightly as hair is pressed between the two arms. These resilient mounts help to ensure that hair pressed between the heating plates isn't subjected to too much pressure. They can also help to ensure that the plates remain flat and parallel during use. An example of such a resilient mounting can be seen in EP2745728.
In order to reduce the damage to hair caused by over compression, hair straighteners have been described where the heating plate, or an opposed surface which contacts the heating plate is segmented to help it conform to the hair which is pressed between the arms of the straightener. Examples of such schemes are shown in EP2745728 and US2011/0083695. A problem does exist with such schemes however in that strands of hair can get trapped between the segments during use of the hair straightener.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved heating plate and hair straightener.
A first aspect of the present invention therefore provides a heating plate for a hair styling appliance, the heating plate having a length a depth and a width, the heating plate comprising a first continuous hair facing surface and a second surface opposite the first surface, the heating plate comprising at least one groove which run across the width of the heating plate, each groove extends from the second surface towards the first surface and allows the heating plate to flex.
This invention is advantageous because the at least one groove allows the heating plate to flex but the first continuous hair facing surface ensures that hair does not get trapped. The word “continuous” means that the first surface has no joints and is unbroken. The first surface is preferably formed from a single piece. In a preferred embodiment there may be a plurality of grooves.
In a preferred embodiment the first surface is smooth. In a preferred embodiment the first surface may be flat. It is possible that the first surface could be slightly curved or have an undulating surface as long as it is continuous. In a particular embodiment the heating plate may be rectangular in shape.
In a particularly preferred embodiment the whole heating plate may be monolithic.
A layer is preferably formed between the first surface and the top of each of the grooves. The layer may have a depth (D2) of from 0.001 mm to 1 mm. In a preferred embodiment the depth (D2) may be from 0.01 mm to 0.1 mm Most preferably the depth (D2) of the layer is 0.05 mm. This layer is preferably thin enough to be able to flex.
The depth (D1) of the heating plate may be from 0.01, or 0.06, or 0.5, or 1, or 3 to 5, or 7, or 10 mm. In a particular embodiment the depth (D1) of the heating plate may be from 0.06 mm to 2 cm. In a most preferred embodiment the depth (D1) of the heating plate is 3 mm Preferably the ratio between the depth (D2) of the layer and the depth (D1) of the heating plate is 1:60.
In a particular embodiment there are from 20, or 30, or 40, or 50 to 60, or 70, or 80, or 90 to 100 grooves. In a preferred embodiment there are 80 grooves. Each groove 16 may be from 0.01, 02 0.1, or 0.2, or 0.3, or 0.4 to 0.5, or 0.6, or 0.7, or 0.8, or 0.9 mm wide. Ideally each groove is 0.4 mm wide. The heating plate is preferably from 20, or 40, or 60, to 80, or 100, or 125, or 150 to 200 mm in length. Ideally the heating plate is 90 mm in length.
Walls are preferably present on each side of each groove and the walls define the grooves. The walls are preferably from 0.01, or 0.2, or 0.4, or 0.6, or 1 to 1.2, or 1.4, or 1.6, or 2 mm wide. Preferably the walls are 0.6 mm wide. In a particularly preferred embodiment the walls are wider than the grooves as this helps to increase the thermal mass of the heating plate.
The heating plate may be formed from any suitable material, for example Aluminium, Copper, Steel, Titanium or Beryllium Copper. The heating plate can be manufactured using any suitable method. The layer may be formed in one piece and the walls may then be added to the layer to form the heating plate. Alternatively the whole heating plate may be formed in one piece and may therefore be monolithic.
The heating plate may be formed using any suitable technique, for example by the use of extrusion, casting, wire cutting, computer numerical control machining (CNC), laser cutting, water jets, electro discharge machining (EDM), precision electro chemical machining (PECM) or additive manufacture.
The heating plate may further comprise a first channel which runs along the length of a side of the heating plate. Preferably a first channel is arranged on both sides of the heating plate. The first channel(s) ideally house a first strip of material which is softer than the remainder of the heating plate. It may have a shore value which is lower than the shore value of the heating plate. The first strip of material may be arranged to protrude slightly from the first channel such that the top of the first strip of material is level with the first surface of the heating plate. This first strip of material can therefore act as a protective smooth edge.
The heating plate may also further comprise a second channel which runs along the length of a side of the heating plate. Ideally a second channel will be arranged on both sides of the heating plate. The second channel(s) preferably house a resilient member. The resilient member may be a strip of resilient material which runs the length of the second channel(s). Alternatively the resilient member may be one or more springs located within the second channel(s). The resilient member is also preferably less conductive than the heating plate. The resilient member advantageously may help to allow the heating plate to flex when pressure is applied to the first surface of the heating plate. The resilient member may help to allow local flexing of an area of the heating plate.
In a particular embodiment the heating plate may further comprise an elongate recess formed in the second surface. The elongate recess may extend the full length (L) of the heating plate.
A second aspect of the present invention provides a hair straightener comprising a heating plate as described above. In a preferred embodiment the hair straighteners comprise first and second arms which are connected such that they can move between an open position and a closed position for the purpose of gripping hair.
Such hair straighteners are advantageous over prior hair straighteners because whilst the heating plate is flexible and therefore hair being straightened is subjected to controlled pressure, the first continuous hair facing surface is formed in one piece and therefore hairs cannot become trapped. This may advantageously reduce hair breakage and may improve the final style of the straightened hair.
Ideally each arm has a heating plate arranged such that the first continuous hair facing surfaces are opposed and are brought together when the arms are moved into the closed position. In a particular embodiment only one of the heating plates may have the structure described above. The additional plate may be a rigid plate or a rigid plate which is resiliently mounted. However in a preferred embodiment both of the heating plates may have the structure described above and they may both therefore be capable of flexing.
In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, an embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The hair straightener 1 shown in
Each arm 2, 4 further comprises a heating plate 10 located at the end of the arm furthest from the hinge 6. Wiring 9 from the power supply cable 8 connects to a printed circuit board (PCB) 11 which controls the hair straighteners 1. Each heating plate 10 has a hair contacting surface 12 and an opposed outer surface 14. The hair contacting surfaces 12 on each plate 10 are arranged such that they face each other. The arms 2, 4 are hinged such that they can move between an open position, as shown in
It can be seen that the heating plate 10 has a smooth hair contacting surface 12 which is formed in a single piece and in the embodiment shown is flat. The hair contacting surface 12 is rectangular in shape. The heating plate 10 may be formed from any suitable material which can transfer heat from the heating plate 10 to the hair to be straightened. Examples of suitable materials are metals and alloys of metals such as Aluminium, Copper, Steel, Titanium and Beryllium Copper.
The heating plate 10 has an opposed surface 14 which is opposite the hair contacting surface. The whole heating plate 10 is ideally formed in one piece or from one piece of material. The heating plate 10 can be seen to have a length (L) a depth (D1) and a width (W). The heating plate 10 can be seen to have a plurality of grooves 16 each of which runs across the full width (W) of the heating plate 10. Each groove 16 extends from the opposed surface 14 towards the hair contacting surface 12. The grooves 16 stop short of the hair contacting surface 12. The grooves 16 allow the heating plate 10 to flex. This flexing can be seen in
A layer 20, shown best in
Preferably there are from 20 to 100 grooves 16. In a preferred embodiment there are 80 grooves. Each groove 16 may be from 0.01 to 10 mm wide. Ideally each groove is 0.4 mm wide. Walls 22 are present on each side of each groove 16. The walls 22 help to define the grooves 16. The walls 22 are preferably from 0.01 mm to 10 mm wide. Preferably the walls 22 are 0.6 mm wide. In a particularly preferred embodiment the walls 22 are wider than the grooves 16 as this helps to increase the thermal mass of the heating plate 10.
The heating plate 10 is preferably from 20 mm to 200 mm in length. Ideally the heating plate 10 is 90 mm in length.
The heating plate 10 can be manufactured using any suitable method. The layer 20 may be formed in one piece and the walls may then be added to the layer 20 to form the heating plate 10. Alternatively the whole heating plate 10 may be formed in one piece and may therefore be monolithic.
Suitable methods of manufacture include the use of extrusion, casting, wire cutting, computer numerical control machining (CNC), laser cutting, water jets, electro discharge machining (EDM), precision electro chemical machining (PECM) and additive manufacture.
A second embodiment of the heating plate 10 can be seen in
In
In
From
In
The plate carrier 48 can be seen in more detail in
It can be seen in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1521716.9 | Dec 2015 | GB | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3170469 | Solomon | Feb 1965 | A |
3556114 | Simon | Jan 1971 | A |
4242567 | Carter | Dec 1980 | A |
4917078 | Zaborowski | Apr 1990 | A |
5887599 | Habibi | Mar 1999 | A |
8230868 | Choi | Jul 2012 | B2 |
8927910 | Wirtz | Jan 2015 | B2 |
9420861 | Israel | Aug 2016 | B1 |
9848683 | Sayers | Dec 2017 | B2 |
20060196523 | Choi | Sep 2006 | A1 |
20100101599 | Choi | Apr 2010 | A1 |
20100116818 | Gabbay | May 2010 | A1 |
20110083695 | Abbasi et al. | Apr 2011 | A1 |
20120145357 | Moon | Jun 2012 | A1 |
20120227758 | Ford | Sep 2012 | A1 |
20120271324 | Yannone | Oct 2012 | A1 |
20130263881 | Story | Oct 2013 | A1 |
20140124499 | Wei | May 2014 | A1 |
20140332023 | Kaizuka | Nov 2014 | A1 |
20150296567 | Tuengler | Oct 2015 | A1 |
20160302546 | Fan | Oct 2016 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1833571 | Sep 2006 | CN |
202634728 | Dec 2012 | CN |
103315503 | Sep 2013 | CN |
2 106 195 | Sep 2009 | EP |
2 745 728 | Jun 2014 | EP |
2 405 584 | Mar 2005 | GB |
2 431 326 | Apr 2007 | GB |
2 442 614 | Apr 2008 | GB |
2545233 | Jun 2017 | GB |
2001-104036 | Apr 2001 | JP |
3153008 | Aug 2009 | JP |
2013-20854 | Jan 2013 | JP |
10-0858147 | Sep 2008 | KR |
10-2010-0120876 | Nov 2010 | KR |
20-2013-0005054 | Aug 2013 | KR |
2008062293 | May 2008 | WO |
WO-2009007823 | Jan 2009 | WO |
WO-2012093045 | Jul 2012 | WO |
WO-2014056957 | Apr 2014 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Search Report dated Apr. 27, 2016, directed to GB Application No. 1521716.9; 1 page. |
International Search Report and Written Opinion dated Feb. 22, 2017, directed to International Application No. PCT/GB2016/053691; 10 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20170164707 A1 | Jun 2017 | US |