Combined Hot Air and Steam Hair Dryer

(a) Field of the invention

This invention relates to the field of hair dressing and styling, and has for its objective the creation of a blow dryer with a coordinated stream or vapor sprayer selectively functional through the blower aperture, for the dressing and styling of hair. In the dressing and styling of hair, for ladies particularly, it is necessary to wet the hair, wind tresses thereof around curlers or brushes, and then blow dry the hair, so as to form substantially long lasting waves, wisps, curls, flips, tendrils, and the like. Since human hair ranges from thin fine hair to coarse curly hair, the procedure must be accommodated to the particular texture of hair involved, that is to say, with a standard procedure, thin fine hair will tend to become limp, while coarse hair cannot be properly controlled and styled for any permanence. Thus, various hair textures require appropriate modifications of procedure. For example, hair which dries rapidly under the hot air blower requires further wettings in the process and a more limited time of exposure to heat, while other textures require a more extensive exposure. To accomplish these variations of application may require selective further sprayings of the hair involved during the drying and styling process.

(B) Prior art

In the present state of the art the methods of selective further wetting or spraying of the hair involved, during the course of the blow drying, are inconvenient and time consuming, and render a proper styling difficult, if not impossible. For this reason various efforts have been made heretofore to combine some form of spray or vapor ejection with the dryer itself, for greater convenience and expedition of operation, better results and to shorten the time consumed for the job. One such present device combines an independent pump-reservoir for water with, and attached to, the dryer, by means of which a mist or spray can be selectively ejected upon the hair through an independent spray nozzle (U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,379), but such spraying procedure merely provides a cold mist or spray to the hair. Another device (U.S. Pat. No. 3,947,659) combines an independent vapor ejection system with the hair blower, to eject a warm or hot spray to the hair involved and worked on, during the course of drying and styling, through a secondary nozzle, in dependent of the blower nozzle. Since this device requires both an independent ejection nozzle as well as a complete, independent heating system, unrelated to the blower system, its disadvantages in terms of structure, complication and function are obvious. It further requires movement of the device to varying positions, so that the air from the dryer and the spray from the secondary nozzle may be directed upon the particular section of hair treated.

The aforementioned disadvantages are overcome by my invention, which provides a combined hot air and steam hair dryer, wherein both the hot air, and, selectively, steam or vapor spray, are ejected through a single nozzle or aperture of the dryer to the identical hair area involved, without unnecessary repositioning of the device, with both the blower system and the spraying system heated by a single heating system incorporated therein, and with the combined device held by one hand of the operator, leaving the other hand free to move and shape the hair being treated.

It is therefore the principal object of my invention to provide a combined hot air and steam hair dryer by which hot air and steam spray can be directed through a single aperture of the device to the identical hair area being worked on.

A second important object of my invention lies in the provision of a dryer of the type above described which is capable of being operated by one hand of the user, leaving the other hand free to touch, move, adjust and style the hair worked on simultaneously with its operation.

A third important object of my invention lies in the provision of a device of the type described, wherein the blower and spraying systems employ the same heating arrangement.

A fourth important object of my invention lies in the provision of a device of the type described which is provided with a wide discharge aperture for large area application without constant movement of the dryer.

Still another important object of my invention lies in the provision of a water reservoir, for the creation and development of the steam spray, which is readily and easily removable and refillable as required.

These and other salient objects, advantages and functional features of my invention will become more readily apparent from an examination of the following description, taken with the accompanyings drawings, wherein.

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a preferred embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken on lines 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken on lines 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged exploded view, partly broken away, showing the construction of the steam spray elements; and

FIG. 6 is a diagram of the electrical circuitry of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the different views.

Illustrative of the embodiment shown by the drawings my combined hot air and steam hair dryer D comprises a hollow housing or shell 10 having a roof 12, floor 14, and side walls 16 and 18. The front end 20 of the housing 10 is flared to define an enlarged, substantially wide discharge aperture 22 provided with a series of protective bars 24, and the rear end 26 is enlarged and is extended laterally to contain and support a fan motor 28 in the extension 30. The fan blades 32 attached to the shaft of the motor 28 are disposed in the enlarged area 34 and are operative to direct air, sucked into the housing 10 through the air holes 36 provided adjacent thereto, in the direction of the aperture 22.

The housing 10 is provided centrally with a support post or base 38, of a diameter to permit the dryer D to be comfortably held and manipulated with one hand, with the base 38 so disposed as to equalize the weight from either end of the dryer D, so that the dryer D can be comfortably moved and turned. The lower edge of the base 38 is provided with an enlarged flange 40 so as to provide maximum stability to the dryer D when rested upon a flat surface.

Within the forward portion of the chamber 42 in housing a 10 roof 12 is formed with depending members 44, and the base 38 with a curved tongue 46 entering into the chamber 42 near its floor 14 and having raised members 48 corresponding to the depending members 44, to support and engage between them a series of heating coils 50 mounted on insulated supports 52, as shown.

Forward of the coils 50 the roof 12 of the chamber 42 is provided with a curved tongue member 54, from which there is suspended a wiring channel 56, which supports a steam generating casing 58 of horseshoe cross-section having a series of small holes 60 in its narrow wall 62 facing the aperture 22. A heat rod 64 is disposed laterally within the steam generating casing 58, with its utilization to be hereafter described.

The heat rod 64, coils 50 and motor 28 are connected in a circuit to lead wire 66, which terminated in plug 68 adapted for engagement to an electric source (not shown), and are activated simultaneously by means of a switch 70 located on the wall of the base 38, as shown in FIG. 1 and by FIG. 6.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 5, the hollow base 38 is provided with a water reservoir 72 which is secured to and within the base 38 as by a threaded engagement 74, and removeable therefrom by disengagement of the threads with the rotation of the reservoir 72 by means of the finger piece 76 recessed within the base 38. A tube 78 is connected to a pump 80 provided with a compression plunger 82 extending out of the base 38, as seen in FIG. 3, with the free end of the tube 78 submerged in the water W within the reservoir 72. A spring 84 disposed within the pump 80, as seen by FIG. 3, abuts the end of the plunger 82 and affords reciprocal movement of the latter to pump water from the reservoir 72. The top of the pump 80 is provided with a fitting 86 to which is connected on end of a hollow tubing 88 leading into the steam generating casing 58. The other end of the tubing 88 is secured by fitting 90, with a check valve 92 disposed within the fitting 90 and adapted to regulate the flow of water into the casing 58 and to prevent reentry of water therefrom into the tubing 88.

Referring now to FIG. 4, disposed behind the aperture 22 there is seen the interior of the casing 58, which is fitted with insulated supports 94 for the heat rod 64, which is thereby supported laterally within the casing 58 and engaged to terminals 96 of the lead wire 66 through the wiring channel 56, completing the circuit heretofore described

In the operation of my invention the switch 70 is activated to close the circuit, thereby energizing the heat rod 64, coils 50 and the motor 28, causing air to be sucked into the chamber 42 through the air holes 36 and thence through the chamber 42 towards and through the aperture 22, with the air passing through the heat coils 50 and around the casing 58, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 5, thereby being doubly heated by the coils 50 and heat rod 64 before discharge.

When it is desired to spray the hair being dried and styled, the operator compresses the plunger 82 several times to force water from the reservoir 72 into the pump 80 and thence through the tubing 88 into the casing 58, whereby the water is injected against the heated walls of the casing 58 and against the heat rod 64. The heat generated within casing 58 is in excess of 220.degree. F., whereby the water is expanded into steam which is forced out of the casing 58 through the holes 60 and through the aperture 22 in the form of a hot spray, the spray mingling with the hot air coming through the chamber 42 and propelled by the fan blades 32.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention it is obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes of structure and elements may be made within its scope.

For example, instead of the manual pump 80 shown and described, an electrical pump can be substituted, which could be connected to the electrical circuit, as shown by the broken lines of FIG. 6, with the pump 98 activated by switch 100. There could also be substituted a pressurized container for the water, thereby eliminating the need for a pump.

Additionally, while the embodiment shown disclosed a single position switch 70, the unit could be designed with a positional switch to control the speed of the motor 28, as well as to control the degree of heat by removing and adding heat coils connected to the circuit.

Further, it is preferred that the housing 10 and base 38 be formed integrally in two sections of lightweight material, such as high temperature plastic. They may also be formed, alternatively, of any other material suitable for the purposes.

Consequently, it is to be understood that the embodiment shown and described is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and that various changes may be made in the construction, composition and arrangement of parts without limitation upon or departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof inherent therein, all of which are herein claimed.