The present invention relates to a hair treatment arrangement and more specifically, to a highly portable, finger manipulable hair treatment device.
Various portable heated hair treatment arrangements have been proposed. However, these arrangements inevitably include manually operable scissor, tong or clamp arrangements which enable heating pads or the like to be forced into contact with hair which is being styled or straightened, and thereafter held in contact with the hair as the heating pads or elements are slid over the hair in a manner which produces the desired effect.
These manually operable arrangements, however, increase the size, bulk and weight of the arrangements and therefore reduce their portability. In addition, these arrangements lack optimal maneuverability.
The invention is directed to providing a highly portable arrangement which enables highly dexterous heat treatment of hair.
More specifically, a first aspect of the invention resides in a hair treatment arrangement comprising: a first pad configured to be supported on a first digit of a user's hand so as to be exclusively movable therewith; and a second pad configured to be supported on a second digit of the user's hand so as to be exclusively movable therewith. This separate disposition on separate digits permit highly dexterous maneuvering of the pads.
This aspect further comprises a housing operatively connected with each of the first and second pads through flexible leads and configured to selectively supply electrical current to heating elements in the first and second pads. By way of example the first and second digits of the hand are the thumb and index finger.
To improve the utility of the arrangement, the housing is configured to be supported in a palm of the user's hand. In at least one embodiment of the invention the housing is a pod-shaped housing. The housing can be supported on the wrist or the back of the hand using a support strap.
The first and second pads further comprise ring members through which the first and second digits of the hand can be inserted. In at least one embodiment of the invention, the ring members are detachably connected to the first and second pads.
The housing contains a self-contained source of EMF (electromotive force). This can be a battery or batteries such as two commercially available AA batteries. To control the supply of current from the self-contained source of EMF, the housing is provided with a button operated switch.
To impart ease of manipulation the first and second pads are connect to each other only by flexible leads which respectively extend from the housing.
A second aspect of the invention resides in a hair treatment arrangement comprising: separate finger supported pads which are each configured to be supported on a finger or thumb of a hand; and a heating element disposed in at least one of the pads and configured to apply heat as the pads are pressed together and slid over selected strands of hair.
The pads have ring-shaped members configured to receive the finger or the thumb. These ring-shaped members are, in one embodiment, detachably connected to the pads by a connection arrangement and are configured so that they can be disposed on the finger or the thumb and then connected with the pads to allow a desired disposition/orientation of the pads with respect to the finger or thumb.
The connection arrangement comprises a hook and eye connection arrangement wherein a first half of the hook and eye arrangement is fastened to a ring and the second half of the hook and eye arrangement is fastened to a pad. The housing is configured to fit in a palm of a users hand and to be gripped by at least one of the ring and little fingers of the hand. The housing is operatively connected with the at least one heating element and further configured to supply electrical current to the at least one heating element. The housing includes a switch which is configured to control the supply of electrical current to the heating elements. In at least one embodiment of the invention this switch is configured to be operated by a button provided on the housing.
A further aspect of the invention resides in a method of treating hair comprising: supporting separate pads, at least one of which has a heating element disposed therein, on first and second digits of a hand so that the first and second pads are respectively movable with the first and second digits; and selectively supplying electrical current to the at least one heating element while gripping hair between the first and second pads and sliding the first and second pads along the hair. This aspect further includes supporting a housing, which is configured to supply the electrical current to the at least one heating element through at least one flexible lead, in the palm of the hand, or on a support strap on the wrist or the back of the users hand.
The various advantages and merits of the embodiments of the invention will become more clearly appreciated as a detailed description of the exemplary embodiments are given with reference to the appended drawings in which:
Each of the pads 100 can be constructed in a manner such as exemplified in
With this arrangement, the heating plate 110, PCT ceramic member 112 and the back plate 114 can be assembled and set in a mold. The lower housing 108 can then formed using a suitable molding technique.
As shown in
It should be noted, that the invention is not limited to this particular construction and that various other pad constructions fall within the scope of the invention.
The upper member or housing top 106 is formed with a recess 106A in its outer upper outer surface in which one half 116A of a connector arrangement 116 is fixed. In this embodiment, the connector arrangement 116 takes the form of a hook and eye connector (e.g. Velcro®) is disposed and bonded or staked in position. The upper member 106 is further formed with a lower concavity or recess configured to receive the lower housing member 108 and to be connected thereto by adhesive or the like type of bonding agent 117.
A thumb/finger loop 118 is connected to the second half 116B of the connector arrangement. As shown in
In the embodiments of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-5, the thumb/finger loops 118 are covered with a soft covering 118A. This covering 118A improves comfort, prevents slippage and further insulate the user's digits from any warmth that might reach the upper member 106.
Electrical power for the heating plates 110 is provided by a battery pack or the like which is disposed in a housing 102. The battery pack can be arranged to be receive commercially available cells (e.g. 2×AA cells) which, in this embodiment, are rechargeable. The button 102B operates the switch and controls the connection between the battery pack and the heating plates 110.
In operation, the loops 118 are placed on the finger and thumb (for example) in the manner illustrated in
It should be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention are generally limited to the treatment of fringes and small strands due to the limited amount of power and heating surface area that are available.
Although the invention has been described with reference to only a limited number of embodiments it will be understood that a person or skill in the art to which the invention pertains or mostly closely pertains, would, given the proceeding disclosure, be able to envisage various variations/embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention which is limited only by the appended claims.
For example, while the embodiment of the invention has been described as having a heating element in each of the pads, it is possible to provide only one heating element in one of the two pads and use this to apply heat to the hair being treated. Under these conditions, the other pad would be provided with a thermal insulative plate which could be made of or coated with a IR reflective material to reflect back heat from the electrically heated element.
In addition, the length and shape of the pads can be varied. The surfaces of the pads which contact the hair can be rippled or contoured to increase the surface area in contact with the hair and/or provided some desired styling effect. Alternatively, the pads can be replaced with a wire or wires which reduces the mass of the heating elements and thus shorten the period necessary for the heating elements to reach a suitable operating temperature.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/IB2005/052140 | 6/28/2005 | WO | 00 | 8/6/2008 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60584202 | Jun 2004 | US |