Patent Application
20100269845
Various features pertain to hair styling devices. At least one aspect pertains to a glove having a hair curling component attached to the palm region of the glove.
In modern societies, women (and sometimes men) have invested considerably in unique and fashionable hair styles. As a result, there is a very profitable industry relating to hair styling services and products. At least one hair “style” that has been ubiquitous and lasting is adding temporary curls to one's hair whether the hair is straight, substantially straight, or even curly. Temporarily adding curls to one's hair can add beauty, bounce and style among other benefits.
A conventional method of adding temporary curls to one's hair is the use of a plurality of sponge rollers. These sponge rollers generally include a clipping mechanism for locking the roller into place once hair is wrapped around the roller. Typically, the user's hair is wet when the roller is incorporated into the hair. A user or stylist may tease out a portion of hair, place the roller at the end of the portion of hair, roll the roller toward the scalp, and then clip the clipping mechanism into place. This process is repeated until the desired number of rollers is applied. One usually applies the rollers before sleeping so that the hair “sets”. The following day and/or after the hair dries, the rollers are removed resulting in temporary curls throughout the hair wherever the rollers were placed. Rollers which are capable of being pre-heated may also be utilized using this process. This conventional method suffers from obvious disadvantages such as being inconvenient, cumbersome, and time-consuming. Moreover, many women prefer to wash their hair in the morning before starting their day; however, this conventional method obviously does not allow for that.
Another conventional method of adding temporary curls to one's hair is the use of a curling iron. A curling iron is a tool used to change the structure of the hair, e.g., from straight to curly, with the help of heat. Typically, a curling iron includes a rod on a proximal end and a heating “tong” on a distal end. The curling iron generally includes a power cord which is adapted to couple to a power outlet. The user or stylist may grip the proximal end (which remains cool to the touch) and may use a thumb to manipulate the heating “tong” to curl and/or hair. A user or stylist may tease out a portion of hair, open the heating “tong” by depressing a spring-mechanized pressing mechanism, release the spring-mechanized pressing mechanism to grip the portion of hair, and then roll the curling iron toward the scalp. After seconds or minutes, the curling iron is released by depressing the spring-mechanized pressing mechanism and removing the curling iron from the portion of hair. This process is repeated until the desired number of curls is reached. This conventional method suffers from disadvantages such as being inconvenient due to the power cord which may become entangled due to repeated use. Moreover, many stylists find curling irons inconvenient because the stylist is often multi-tasking with his/her hands when styling hair. Using a curling hair may limit the use of the stylist's hands when styling and may also limit unique or subtle styles that the stylist may effectuate in view of that the curling iron is used as an extension tool (to the stylist's hand or hands).
A hair styling device, comprising: (i) a glove adapted to fit over a hand of a user; and (ii) a heat-conducting curling component attached to the glove is herein disclosed. The hair styling device may further include means for removably attaching the heat-conducting (hair) curling component to a palm area of the glove. The means for removably attaching the heat-conducting curling component to the glove may include at least one of a pressure-fit fastener, a threaded male and female mechanism, and/or Velcro™. The heat-conducting curling component may be made from at least one of a metal and ceramic material. The heat-conducting curling component may be hollow or solid and may include a plurality of apertures symmetrically spaced thereon. The curling component may further include a plurality of bristles symmetrically spaced about the heat-conducting curling component. In some implementations, the heat-conducting curling component may have a cylindrical shape with a diameter between one centimeter and five centimeters. The glove may include a heat-resistant material to insulate the user's hand from the heat being imparted onto the hair and/or the curling component. In some implementations, the hair styling device may even include means for wirelessly heating (e.g., an electrical resistive heating coil or rod) the heat-conducting curling component wherein the means for wirelessly heating the heat-conducting curling component may be incorporated within the glove. The heat-conducting curling component may be passive (i.e., does not generate its own heat) and may be removably attached to a palm portion of the glove. The heat-conducting curling component may be exchangeable with other heat-conducting curling components.
A method of styling hair, comprising: (i) placing a heat-resistant glove on a hand of a user; (ii) attaching a heat-conducting curling component to a palm portion of the heat-resistant glove; and (iii) manipulating hair about the heat-conducting curling while applying heat to achieve hair curling is herein disclosed. The method may further include selecting a heat-conducting curling component from a plurality of heat-conducting cylinders, each heat-conducting cylinder having a different-sized diameter. In some implementations, the diameter of each heat-conducting cylinder may be between one centimeter and five centimeters. The method may further include heating the heat-conducting curling component prior to attaching the heat-conducting curling component to the palm portion of the heat-resistant glove. Alternatively, the heat-conducting curling component may be heated due to hot air being blown toward the curling component (e.g., by a blow drier, etc.) during the hair curling process. That is, the heat-conducting curling component may retain heat from hot air from an external blow drier to curl the hair. Additionally, the heat resistant glove may be interchangeable between a left hand and a right hand and the heat-conducting curling component is also attachable to opposite sides of the glove.
An apparatus, comprising: (i) a heat-resistant glove; (ii) means for curling hair; and (iii) means for coupling the means for curling hair to a palm region of the glove is herein disclosed. The means for curling hair may include at least one characteristic selected from the group consisting of a cylindrical configuration, a hollow configuration and a plurality of apertures symmetrically spaced thereon.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention.
Embodiments of the invention are directed to hair styling devices for curling and/or styling hair. In one embodiment, the hair styling device includes a glove with a cylinder removably or permanently attached thereto. The glove may be heat-resistant and the cylinder may be heat-conducting. In one embodiment, the cylinder may be positioned in a palm region of the glove.
The heat-conducting cylinder 204 may be made of a heat-conducting material such as a metal or ceramic material. For example, aluminum may be used as the heat-conducting material since it heats and cools quickly. In one embodiment, heat-conducting cylinder 204 may be coated with a heat-conducting coating such as those known by one of ordinary skill in the art. The heat-conducting cylinder 204 may be approximately between one (1) centimeter to about five (5) centimeters in diameter. The heat-conducting cylinder 204 may be hollow and may include a plurality of apertures 212 symmetrically spaced thereon; however, other configurations are within the scope of the invention. The heat-conducting cylinder 204 may be positioned within the palm portion 208 of the form-fitting glove 206. However, other suitable positions for the heat-conducting cylinder 204 are within the scope of the invention.
The heat-conducting cylinder 204 may be removably attached to form-fitting glove 206 by any attachment means 214 known by those of ordinary skill in the art. Attachment means 214 include, but are not limited to, pressure-fit fasteners, a threaded male/female fastener or mechanism or Velcro™. In one embodiment, attachment means 214 is a threaded male/female mechanism. For example, an internally threaded ring may be fixedly attached to palm portion 208 of form-fitting glove 206. Heat-conducting cylinder 204 may include an externally threaded base portion. Thus, a user may threadedly engage the externally threaded base portion of heat-conducting cylinder 204 to the internally threaded ring attached to palm portion 208 of glove 206 to secure heat-conducting cylinder 204 thereto. In other embodiments, the cylinder 204 may be fixedly coupled or attached to the glove 206. Also, in some embodiments, heat-conducting cylinder 204 may include a plurality of bristles (not shown, explained in more detail below).
In one embodiment, the heat-conducting cylinder 204 may be preheated using a heating tray such as that shown in
In another embodiment, the glove 206 may incorporate a heating element, such as a mica heater, to heat heat-conducting cylinder 204. An example of a mica heater is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,055, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
In another embodiment, the hair styling device 200 may be used in conjunction with a hair dryer and without preheating of the heat-conducting cylinder 204. For example, a user or stylist may simultaneously blow dry hair while using the hair styling device 200 with the cylinder 204 attached thereon to create waves or curls in the hair to achieve a desired style. The user or stylist may grasp a portion of hair (wet or dry) with hair styling device 200 and wrap it around heat-conducting cylinder 204. The user or stylist applies air from hair dryer (may be heated or non-heated air from the hair dryer) to the hair until the portion of hair is dry or until a desired curl or style is achieved (e.g., between five seconds and five minutes). The heat and/or air (heated or non-heated) from the hair dryer assists in “setting” the waves or curls in the hair. For example, hot air may be utilized to soften and/or curl hair around the heat-conducting cylinder 204 and then cool air may be applied to set the curl. Additionally, when heated air is utilized, the hot air may serve to heat the cylinder 204 which facilitates curling of the hair wrapped thereon.
Note that while the styling device 200 may be used by a hair stylist to curl another person's hair, the styling device 200 may also be used by a user to curl his/her own hair.
Embodiments of the invention have several advantages over prior art methods and devices for styling hair. For example, a user or stylist is able to simultaneously use a hair dryer and the hair styling device to style hair while drying the hair. In this manner, the user or stylist can impart waves or curls in the hair while drying instead of drying the hair first followed by styling the hair with, for example, a curling iron. Also, because the hair styling device does not require a power cord, the user or stylist is able to avoid entangling a power cord in the hair when imparting waves or curls to the hair. Other advantages will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art.
In a more general sense, the heat-conductive cylinder 204 may be one type of heat-conductive curling component. Such heat-conductive curling component may be cylindrical in shape but may also have other shapes and/or sizes. For example, the heat-conductive curling component may be elliptical, octagonal, triangular, and/or square in shape. Additionally, the heat-conductive curling component may be contoured along its length. For instance, rather than being purely cylindrical (e.g., where the diameter is the same along its length), the heat-conductive curling component may have a contoured shape along its length (e.g., where the diameter changes along its length). In some examples, the heat-conductive curling component may be “passive” in the sense that it does not provide or generate its own heat for curling hair.
While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention is not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art.
