This disclosure relates to hair brushes and particularly to heated hair iron brushes.
Typical hair styling devices such as non-heated hair brushes, hot hair brushes, hair irons, and combination blow dryer/hair brushes are ineffective for straightening and styling hair, especially thick hair. Such devices often include curved surfaces or bristles attached to curved surfaces which contact a user's hair. These curved configurations often produce curve or curl in the hair, which is undesirable in scenarios where the user desires the hair to be straightened. Typical devices designed to straighten hair, such as paddle brushes or flat hair irons, are time consuming to use and lack the capability to both straighten and curve and/or curl hair using the same device. Such devices also lack the capability to separate, heat, and straighten hair simultaneously.
The present teachings provide: a hair brush comprising: (a) a handle; (b) a brush body having: (i) a first side; (ii) a second side; (iii) a third side; and (iv) a fourth side that are connected together forming a substantially square shape; and (c) bristles located in a row along each of the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side.
A hair brush comprising: (a) a handle; (b) a brush body having: (i) a first side; (ii) a second side; (iii) a third side; (iv) a fourth side that are connected together forming a substantially square shape; (v) an arm; (vi) a side of the brush body connected to and extending from the arm, the side of the brush body extending along two sides of the brush body; and (vii) a space located between two arms; (c) a coupler that connects the handle to the brush body; (d) bristles; and (e) inserts including bristles having rows, the inserts being located in the space on the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side.
The disclosure is best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is emphasized that, according to common practice, the various features of the drawings are not to-scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of the various features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.
Described herein are devices for straightening and/or styling a user's hair, including heated hair straightening iron brushes, also referred to as hair brushes. The disclosed hair brushes include a brush head having bristles, a heating element for heating the brush head and bristles, and a handle attached to the brush head for manipulating the brush head through hair. The brush head includes flat sides with bristles located on each side. For example, the hair brush may include four sides (i.e., a first side, second side, third side, and a fourth side). The flat shape of the sides of the brush head and the heat emitted by the brush body via the heating element efficiently straighten hair while the hair brush is pulled through the user's hair. Further, the heated bristles attached to each side of the brush head pull the user's hair into contact with the flat sides of the brush head and separate the user's hair to more efficiently apply heat and straighten the hair. The user may also use bristles located on multiple sides of the brush body to style curves, curls, or angles into the user's hair. In this manner the user may selectively straighten, curve, angle, or curl hair using the same hair brush.
The handle 102 may include a switch 202 for activating and deactivating the heating element 200. The handle 102 may include a display (e.g. display screen) configured to display a temperature of the heating element 200, the bristles 112, and/or the brush body 106. The handle 102 may include one or more indicator lights configured to indicate whether the heating element 200 is on, whether the hair brush 100 is receiving power, whether the temperature of heating element 200 is above a predetermined temperature, and/or whether the temperature of the heating element 200 has reached a maximum temperature. The handle 102 may include a temperature control configured to control the temperature of the heating element 200. The temperature control may include any button, wheel, dial, touch screen display, or the like. The hair brush 100 may include a controller in electrical communication with the switch 202, the heating element 200, the indicator lights, the display, and/or the temperature control. The controller may be configured to control operation of any of these components.
The bottom portion 304 may include an exterior profile shaped to correspond with an interior profile of an aperture (not shown) located on the distal end of the handle 102. In this configuration, the bottom portion 304 of the coupler 116 may be attached to the interior of the handle 102. In other embodiments, the bottom portion 304 may include an interior profile shaped to correspond with an exterior profile of the distal end of the handle 102. In this configuration, a portion of the handle 102 is located inside the coupler 116. The bottom portion 304 may be attached to the handle 102 using chemical bonding, interference fit, fasteners, or any other means of attachment. The cross-sectional shape of the bottom portion 304 may be square, rectangular, or any other shape. The bottom portion 304 may include a width of 0.5-1.5 inches, or any other width. For example, the bottom portion 304 may include a width of 1.03 inches.
The top portion 302 of the coupler 116 may be attached to or integral with the bottom portion 304. The height of the coupler 116 including the top portion 302 and the bottom portion 304 may be 0.5-1.0 inches or any other height. For example, the height of the coupler 116 may be inches. The top portion 302 may include a width greater than the width of the bottom portion 304. For example, the top portion 302 may include a circular shape where the diameter of the top portion 302 is greater than the width of the bottom portion 304. In other embodiments, the top portion 302 may include any other shape. A bottom surface of the top portion 302 may be attached to and/or adjacent to the distal end of the handle 102.
A cross-sectional shape of the brush body 106 may include a square, rectangular, triangular, stadium, be symmetrical, be asymmetrical, or any other suitable shape. Each side 400 of the brush body 106 may have a width of one inch or any other width. The sides 400 of the brush body may have equal or unequal widths. The brush body 106 may include a length of 5.0-6.0 inches or any other length. For example, the brush body 106 may include a length of 5.25 inches. Each side 400 of the brush body may include an arm 402. Each arm 402 may be shaped to create a space 406 that receives a bristle insert (described with respect to
The first bristle inserts 108 may include one or more columns of apertures 506 extending from an exterior surface of the first bristle inserts 108 to the opening 500. The apertures 506 may be located on the flat portion 502. For example, the apertures 506 may be located on the flat portion 502 of the first bristle inserts 108 in one or more columns (e.g. two columns), where one column is vertically offset from the adjacent column. In this configuration, the bristles 112 attached to the first bristle inserts 108 inside the apertures 506 can be easily pulled through the user's hair to separate the user's hair into groups of strands and pull the hair into contact with the flat sides of the heated brush body 106. In other embodiments, the first bristle inserts 108 may include the apertures 506 forming any pattern on the first bristle inserts 108. The apertures 506 may be located on any portion of the first bristle inserts 108.
The bristles 112 and apertures 506 may extend along any length and width of the first bristle insert 108. One or more bristles 112 may be attached to the first bristle inserts 108 inside each of the apertures 506. A portion of the bristles 112 may be located inside the opening 500. The bristles 112 may be attached to the first bristle inserts 108 via interference fit, chemical bonding, or any other means of attachment. The first bristle inserts 108 may conduct heat from the heating element 200 or may be made of a thermal insulating material such that he first bristle inserts 108 conduct minimal heat from the heating element 200. The first bristle inserts 108 may be made of any metal (e.g. aluminum), plastic, or any other suitable material. The bristles 112 may conduct heat from the heating element 200 and may be made of any metal (e.g. aluminum, copper, silver, steel), other conductive materials, or any other suitable material. The bristles 112 may have one metal coated with another metal. The bristles 112 may have a resistive material coated with a conductive material or vice versa.
The first bristle inserts 108 may be removeable from the channels 404 of the brush body 106 such that different first bristle inserts 108 having varying characteristics can be inserted in the channels 404. The different first bristle inserts 108 may, for example, be made of different heat conducting or insulating materials, may include a different pattern of apertures 506 and bristles 112, or may include bristles 112 having different lengths or bristles 112 made of different heat conducting or insulating materials.
The hair brush 100 shown in
The top portion 702 may include a width greater than the bottom portion 700 and may be shaped to be received by a top surface of the brush body 106. For example, the bottom surface of the top portion 702 may include protrusions shaped to be received by the channels 404 in the brush body 106. The cross-sectional shape of the top portion 702 may be square or any other shape. The top portion 702 may have a width of 1 inch, a length of 1 inch, or may have any other length and/or width. The end cap 114 may be made of any plastic or any other suitable material. The end cap 114 may be attached to the brush body 106 and/or the bristle inserts via chemical welding, interference fit, or any other means of attachment. The end cap 114 may be removable from the brush body 106 to allow removal and replacement of the first bristle inserts 108 and/or the second bristle inserts 110.
The end cap 114 may include a body having a recess shaped to receive the distal end of the brush body 106 and the first and second bristle inserts 108, 110. In this configuration, a portion of the brush body 106, the first bristle inserts 108, and the second bristle inserts 110 are located within the recess. In other embodiments, the hair brush 100 may not include the end cap 114 and the first and second bristle inserts 108, 110 may be otherwise attached to the brush body 106.
Variation 1 may comprise: a hair brush comprising: (a) a handle; (b) a brush body having: (i) a first side; (ii) a second side; (iii) a third side; and (iv) a fourth side that are connected together forming a substantially square shape; and (c) bristles located in a row along each of the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side.
Variation 2 may comprise the hair brush of variation 1 and may include: wherein the rows are two rows.
Variation 3 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-2 and may include: wherein the bristles are groups of bristles that include ten or more bristles in each of the groups.
Variation 4 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-3 and may include: wherein the bristles are individual bristles.
Variation 5 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-4 and may include: wherein the hair brush includes heating elements.
Variation 6 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-5 or Sand may include: wherein the heating elements are located within the brush body.
Variation 7 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-6 and may include: wherein the brush body includes a central aperture that extends through a length of the brush body, arms extending away from the central aperture, and sides extending outward from the arms.
Variation 8 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-7 or 7 and may include: wherein the sides have a “V” shape.
Variation 9 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-8 or 8 and may include: wherein the sides have an apex with a wall extending in a first direction along a side and a second wall extending in a second direction along a second side.
Variation 10 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-9 or 9 and may include: wherein a bristle insert extends into a space between the sides and the arms.
Variation 11 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-10 or 7 and may include: wherein a space is located between two of the arms and the sides and a heating element extends into one or more of the spaces.
Variation 12 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-11 and may include: comprising an end cap at an end of the brush body.
Variation 13 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-12 and may include: comprising a coupler that connects the handle to the brush body.
Variation 14 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-13 or variation 9 and may include: wherein one or more of the bristle inserts include a heater channel and one or more of the bristle inserts are free of a heater channel.
Variation 15 may comprise a hair brush comprising: (a) a handle; (b) a brush body having: (i) a first side; (ii) a second side; (iii) a third side; (iv) a fourth side that are connected together forming a substantially square shape; (v) an arm; (vi) a side of the brush body connected to and extending from the arm, the side of the brush body extending along two sides of the brush body; and (vii) a space located between two arms; (c) a coupler that connects the handle to the brush body; (d) bristles; and (e) inserts including bristles having rows, the inserts being located in the space on the first side, the second side, the third side, and the fourth side.
Variation 16 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-14 or 15 and may include: wherein the sides of the brush body have a “V” shape.
Variation 17 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-14 or 15-16 and may include: wherein one or more of the inserts include a heater channel.
Variation 18 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-14 or 15-17 and may include: wherein the hair brush comprises heating elements one or more of the heating elements extend into the heater channel.
Variation 19 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-14 or 15-18 and may include: wherein one or more of the inserts are free of a heater channel.
Variation 20 may comprise the hair brush of variations 1-14 or 15-19 and may include: wherein the sides have an apex and having a side that extends in a first direction and a second side extending in a second direction.
The word “example” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word “example” is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or”. That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X includes A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X includes A; X includes B; or X includes both A and B, then “X includes A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Moreover, use of the term “an implementation” or “one implementation” throughout is not intended to mean the same embodiment or implementation unless described as such.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with certain embodiments, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is permitted under the law.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/864,777, filed Jun. 21, 2019, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference
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