Patent Grant
10006707
The present invention relates to accessories for handheld hair dryers, also called blow-dryers, for hair. The present invention also relates to devices useful for drying wigs and caps or hats.
Devices for ventilating and drying wigs are known. Typically, such devices are head shaped and have holes for ventilation purposes. One such example is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,398 to LaMont. LaMont provides a head shaped wig support with large holes for ventilation and suction cups for holding the device to a surface. LaMont teaches that forced air may be used to aid in the ventilation or drying of a wig on the support taught therein, but that such forced air is not necessary. When used, the forced air is directed to the wig via an elbow-like shaped member. Another example is taught in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0163066A1 of Robinshtain. Robinshtain teaches a head shaped wig support with ventilation holes and a built in fan. The fan is intended to draw air into an intake hole from which the air is intended to flow up and out exit holes in the skull portion of the device.
The wig supports and dryers known in the art are typically bulky and expensive. Nevertheless, a means for holding a wig when the wig is not in use and for allowing a wig to have ventilation for general airing and for drying after washing is critical for wig longevity and enjoyment of use. Known prior art wig supports and dryers are particularly cumbersome for traveling, and usually are not realistically or readily packable for overnight air travel. A need exists for an efficient, economical, and portable/packable wig dryer.
The present invention provides a portable stand for supporting a wig, cap or hat, for aeration and/or drying. The stand comprises a hollow base with legs that allow air flow beneath the base, a wig support having perforations for air flow, and a hollow cylinder for connecting the wig support to the base. The cylinder also preferably has perforations for air flow.
The portable stand of the invention is adapted for use with a portable hairdryer so that the hairdryer can be used to provide heated air to and through the stand to expedite drying of a wig positioned on the wig support of the stand. Any portable hairdryer having a base or bottom housing a fan, a nozzle, and a handle in a hand gun configuration may be used with the invention. Such hairdryer typically has an electric switch on the handle for turning the hairdryer on and off.
For use, the portable hairdryer's bottom housing the fan is positioned within the base of the stand of the invention such that the base holds the hairdryer in a position that causes the hairdryer nozzle to point away from the base and blow air in a direction away from the base. The cylinder fits over the hairdryer nozzle and connects the wig support to the base. For drying, a wig or cap is placed atop the wig support and the hair dryer is turned on to blow air up through the cylinder and the wig support and out the perforations in the wig support.
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Hairdryers typically used today are relatively small, easy to pack and carry, and are commercially available in an assortment of sizes, strengths, and types. Most such hairdryers today, however, are hand-held and generally have a gun-shaped configuration. That is, such hairdryers have a base or bottom housing a fan, a nozzle for directing air flow, and a handle for holding the hair dryer, also commonly called a blow-dryer. These hairdryers are electrically driven and generally work by drawing air in through an intake, directing the air over heating coils, and then blowing the heated air out directionally through an exhaust nozzle. Typically, a user holds the hairdryer by the handle and directs its air flow at the hair to be dried.
The present invention works as an accessory for this type of portable, hand-gun style hairdryer or blow-dryer, and as used herein with respect to the invention, the term “hairdryer” shall mean this type of hairdryer. When used with such a hairdryer, the present invention provides a portable, packable means for quickly and easily drying a wig or cap.
This adaption of a hairdryer and use of the invention will be appreciated from referring to the Figures herein.
Base 10 is shown in the Figures as being bowl shaped for example, and other shapes could alternatively be used, such as for more non-limiting examples, a box-like shape or a pyramidal type shape. Base 10 should however, be sufficiently deep and broad with a hole 15 having a diameter sufficiently large to receive the bottom or fan section of a portable hairdryer or blow dryer. While such commercially available hairdryers are typically similar in shape and size, they nevertheless vary in shape and size. To accommodate such variances, base 10 may have an adapter 22 as shown in
The stand of the invention, and particularly base 10, cylinder 12, and wig support 14, may be made of any material which is relatively durable, able to withstand heat at temperatures achievable with and/or associated with a hairdryer, and also preferably light in weight. Various hard type plastics such as for non-limiting examples high-density polyethylene and acrylics are examples of such suitable materials for comprising the invention, being light in weight and contributing to the invention's portability and suitability for packing and travel. Ceramics are another non-limiting example of materials suitable for comprising the invention although ceramics are generally heavier and more easily broken than plastics and thus not as well-suited for portability. It is believed that when the hairdryer is positioned in base 10, the stand of the invention with the hairdryer will have sufficient weight as to be balanced so as not to easily or readily tip over when a wig or cap or hat is placed on the wig support 14 of the stand. That is, the hairdryer in the stand of the invention affords the stand sufficient weight for balance to support a wig or cap thereon without need for the stand itself to be comprised of a heavy material, or a heavier than hard plastic material, so long as the material comprising the stand of the invention is sufficiently strong as to be able to withstand the weight of the wig or cap without breaking or buckling when such wig or cap is wet and thus at its heaviest when placed on the stand.
Base 10 has legs 16 for holding base 10, and the hairdryer positioned in and being held in base 10, above the surface on which base 10 is sitting. Any planar surface would be suitable but most preferably the surface should be heat resistant and in any case not easily flammable since the hairdryer will give off heat in use. Legs 16, in one embodiment numbering about three or four, allow flow of air beneath base 10 and the stand of the invention for better operation of the hairdryer. Although shown in the Figures as legs projecting from the bottom of base 10, “legs” 16 could alternatively be vents in the sides of base 10 for accommodating and facilitating air flow to and from the hair dryer. As used herein, the term “legs” shall be understood to include such vents or any other similar means for effecting air flow to and from the hairdryer in the stand of the invention. Not shown, legs 16 might also be or have appended or appendable thereto suction cups for holding the stand to certain types of surfaces, usually smooth, such as glass or stainless steel. While it is contemplated that the invention will usually be used on a flat, horizontal surface with the nozzle of the hairdryer pointed vertically, as shown in
As shown in the Figures, wig support 14 has a hollow bowl like shape, with perforations 18 there through for air flow. Wig support 14 might alternatively have a dome shape. In some embodiments, wig support 14 may have a shape similar to base 10, particularly in the embodiments such as shown for example in
Support 14 has an internal groove 21 as illustrated in
In use, cylinder 12 will extend downward from support 14 toward base 10, as shown in
The discussion of any reference herein is not an admission that the reference is prior art to the present invention, especially any reference that may have a publication date after the priority date of this application. At the same time, each and every claim below is hereby incorporated into this detailed description or specification as additional embodiments of the present invention.
Although the wig and cap and hat stand described herein and its use with a hairdryer has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. Those skilled in the art may be able to study the preferred embodiments and identify other ways to practice the invention that are not exactly as described herein. It is the intent of the inventors that variations and equivalents of the invention are within the scope of the claims while the description, abstract and drawings are not to be used to limit the scope of the invention. The invention is specifically intended to be as broad as the claims below and their equivalents. No limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. While products and methods are described in terms of “comprising,” “containing,” “having,” or “including” various components or steps, the products and methods can also “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the various components and steps. Whenever any numerical range with a lower limit and an upper limit is disclosed, any number and any included range falling within the range is specifically disclosed. In particular, every range of values (of the form, “from about a to about b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a to b,” or, equivalently, “from approximately a-b”) disclosed herein is to be understood to set forth every number and range encompassed within the broader range of values. Also, the terms in the claims have their plain, ordinary meaning unless otherwise explicitly and clearly defined herein.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| D541493 | Peet | Apr 2007 | S |
| 20070137060 | Woodson | Jun 2007 | A1 |
| 20070193059 | Carey | Aug 2007 | A1 |
| 20150075028 | Agoro | Mar 2015 | A1 |
| 20150230589 | Davidson | Aug 2015 | A1 |
