Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to blow drying appliances. More particularly, the present invention relates to blow drying appliances with adaptor accessories for a particular end use. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to blow drying apparatus adapted with heat absorbing and liquid absorbing accessories in the form of roller and non-roller type elements for personal or industrial use.
Description of the Prior Art
The prior art relating to the present invention concerns: (1) personal and industrial blow dryer appliances having detachable accessories that primarily serve to focus the flow of air at an object, and (2) singular roller elements that are attachable to a pole and commonly used in the painting industry. Blow dryer accessories are known to attach to the blow dryer's nozzle-end. The mechanical interface used by paint rollers include a forked mechanical means attachable to the pole at one end and bearing means at opposing end at the other end for facilitating rolling of the roller element. It is also known to use the blow dryer appliance for personal uses such as drying of the hair and body parts by directing the air nozzle at the hair and body parts and either brush, comb or merely impart a rubbing action using the hands to accelerate the drying process. Other personal use item include hand-held massage units having radiant heat generating means to accomplish a massage or physiotherapy task. Industrial applications for the blow dryer include the high wattage appliances whose nozzle is directed at a workpiece, such as at shrink tubing used in electric cable harnesses. Also, roller elements are known to exist in other forms, in particular, roller elements in the painting industries include a highly porous surface texture material supported on a rigid core body.
While accessories of many type have been adapted for use with the blow dryer, there are no known appliances that combine the attributes of the blow dryer with those of heat absorbing/liquid dispersing type elements to enhance a task involving these elements.
Therefore, need is seen to exist for an apparatus that combines the attributes of a blow dryer with those of heat absorbing/liquid dispersing type devices.
A particular need is seen to exist for a blow dryer apparatus that includes roller accessories for performing a task that involves forcing conditioned air onto the roller accessory to enhance the task performable by the roller accessory.
A particular need is also seen to exist for a blow dryer apparatus that includes a roller element accessory for drying a person's body by blowing heated air onto the roller element and dispersing moisture collected on the roller surface.
Another particular need is seen to exist for a blow dryer apparatus that includes either a roller accessory or non-roller accessory for massaging a person's body.
Still another particular need is seen to exist for an industrial blow dryer apparatus that includes a roller element accessory for applying uniform heat to a surface.
A further need is also seen to exist for an industrial blow dryer apparatus that includes a roller element accessory for applying a liquid substance such as paint onto a surface and accelerating drying of the painted surface.
Summary of the Invention
Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that combines the attributes of the blow dryer with those of heat absorbing/liquid dispersing type elements.
Related objects of the present invention are to provide a blow dryer apparatus that includes: roller or non-roller accessories for performing related tasks enhanced by the blow drying action, including drying a person's body by blowing heated air onto the roller element of the roller accessory and dispersing moisture collected from the body onto the roller surface, massaging a person's body utilizing a flexible rib structure on a roller or non-roller type element, applying uniform heat to a surface utilizing a smooth heat conductive roller element surface, and applying a liquid substance, such as paint, onto a surface and accelerating drying by blowing heated air onto the roller element.
The foregoing objects are accomplished by providing a a blow dryer member and a detachable accessory member, said detachable accessory member comprising a mechanical interface portion and at least one accessory element, said mechanical interface portion having a first attachment means for facilitating detachable securement to said blow dryer member, said at least one accessory element comprising a roller or non-roller heat absorbing element portion having a perforated body member for uniformly distributing hot air emanating from said blow dryer member and enhancing performance of a predetermined task involving a combined use of said blow dryer and said roller or non-roller heat absorbing element portion.
Therefore, to the accomplishments of the foregoing objects, the invention consists of the foregoing features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the accompanying drawings and the following disclosure describing in detail the invention, such drawings and disclosure illustrating but one of the various ways in which the invention may be practiced.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blow dryer appliance according to the present invention, illustrating a roller accessory attached to the outlet port of a blow dryer.
FIG. 1a is an exploded view of the present invention, illustrating a snap-on mechanical interface for detachable securement to the blow dryer of either a ribbed structured massage roller or a highly porous roller element.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention, illustrating a cylindrical-type mechanical interface for detachable securement to the blow dryer's cylindrical outlet port and also showing a generalized roller accessory of the type shown in FIG. 1a.
FIG. 3 is a personal use application view, illustrating a person utilizing the present invention for drying moisture from the body.
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the present invention, illustrating a sideward attachment mechanical interface for detachable securement to the blow dryer any one of various types of heat absorbing/liquid dispersing accessories, including a highly absorbent singular roller, a dual highly absorbent set of rollers, a non-roller ribbed massage accessory, a non-roller curved sponge-like surface massage accessory and a smooth, highly heat conductive roller accessory.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4 illustrating an arbitrary roller accessory attached to the sideward mount mechanical interface and showing also the flow of heated air emanating from a heating element found within the blow dryer member.
FIG. 6 is an industrial application view of the present invention, illustrating a person applying a liquid substance to a wall for purposes of accelerating the drying process.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 show blow dryer appliance apparatus 100, 200 and 300 according to the present invention. Apparatus 100 utilizes a snap-on mechanical interface means, apparatus 200 utilizes a cylindrical mechanical interface means and apparatus 300 utilizes a sideward mechanical interface means for securing the workpieces/accessories to the outlet port of the blow dryer member. Apparatus 100 is seen to comprise a blow dryer member 110, a snap-on mechanical interface 120 and, by example only, roller accessory 123. It should be appreciated that blow dryer member may be energized from an electrical wall outlet using electrical cord 112 or may be otherwise energized by batteries (not shown). Blow dryer 110 is designed to emanate heated air A, while accessory 123 is designed to rotate about bearing portions 121b on the mechanical interface 120 to effect rolling action R. FIG. 1a shows snap-on mechanical interface 120 having flexible tabs 121a for detachable securement to the mating peripheral flange 111 of the air outlet port 113 of blow dryer 110. FIG. 1a also shows two roller accessories 122 and 123, both selectively detachable to bearing portions 121b. Accessory 122 comprises a ribbed heat absorbing element portion 122b disposed on a longitudinally flexible body 122c having respective shaft portions 122a protruding at opposing ends, each of said shaft portions 122a being rotationally secured by said bearing portions 121b to facilitate roller action R. Heat absorbing accessory 122, in combination with heated air from blow dryer member 110, is preferably used for roller manipulation of human tissue for massage or physiotherapy purposes. Similarly, accessory 123 comprises a heat absorbing element portion 123b having a highly heat absorbing texture T disposed on a longitudinally flexible body 123c having respective shaft portions 123a protruding at opposing ends, each of said shaft portions 123a being rotationally secured by said bearing portions 121b to facilitate roller action R. Highly absorbent heat absorbing accessory 123, in combination with heated air from blow dryer member 110, is preferably used for roller tasks including, tasks such as drying a human body by the combined absorbing and heated air treatment of collected water droplets from the human body and dispersement by evaporation caused by the heated air, or painting a surface with a roller and accelerating the drying task by the combined absorbing and heated air treatment of collected paint from the surface and associated dispersement/evaporation caused by the heated air.
FIG. 2 shows embodiment 200 with mechanical interface 220 having a first attachment means formed as a cylindrical end member 222b and a second attachment means 221 comprising a plurality of laterally spaced, bearing portions 221a for facilitating rotational securement to at least one roller accessory element, shown generally as accessories 122 and 123, (see FIG. 4 for a dual roller accessory attached to the bearing portions). Blow dryer member 210 comprises a cylindrical air outlet port 210a whereby said at least one roller accessory element can be detachably secured to said blow dryer member 210 by engagement of said cylindrical end member 222b with said cylindrical air outlet port 210a.
FIG. 4 shows blow dryer apparatus embodiment 300, according to the present invention, where a sideward type of mechanical interface is utilized to detachably secure any one of several roller/non-roller heat absorbing/liquid dispersing accessories to blow dryer member 310. The roller accessories are seen to comprise mechanical portions 321, 322 and roller elements 123 and 324, where mechanical interface portion 321 is used with a single roller type element having protruding shaft portions 123a for rotational securement to bearing interface portions at 321a. The single roller type elements include a highly absorbent roller element 123, or a smooth, highly conductive roller element 324, and where mechanical interface portion 322 is used with a dual set of roller elements 123 having protruding shaft portions 123a for rotational securement to bearing interface portions 322a and 322b. The non-roller accessories are seen to comprise, by example, a mechanical interface portion 323 for use with heat absorbing massage accessories 325 and 326. In either mechanical interface portions 321, 322 or 323, a first attachment means, comprising an outwardly extending flange member 321a, 322a and 323a, is used to mate with a grooved flange member 311a disposed around a peripheral portion of air outlet port 311. Highly absorbent roller 123 is textured with a material suitable for contacting a person's body in a personal type of application, as shown in use by a person P in FIG. 3, and may be formed in different sizes and having different textures T. In the industrial applications of roller 123, such as where a painting task is involved, the surface material on the roller element may be the same as that presently used in the painting industry. FIG. 6 shows a person P applying paint to a wall W using any one of embodiments 100, 200 or 300 for accelerating the paint drying process. One difference in the roller design for personal versus industrial application being that, in the case of a personal application, the body member, beneath the absorbent material is formed as a perforated, longitudinally flexible body to conform to curved body parts, and in the case of an industrial applications the body member beneath the absorbent material is a longitudinally rigid body member to maintain contact with a flat surface. In both cases, the perforations P beneath the absorbent material serve to facilitate uniform air flow through the roller element to accelerate dispersement of a liquid absorbed by the roller element. In the case of highly heat conductive roller element 324 the surface material is intended to uniformly transfer heat onto a surface, such as a task where a linoleum floor is being heated to soften the underlying adhesive used to originally install the linoleum. Here, the longitudal body member is provided with perforations P to assure uniform heated air distribution onto the heat conductive surface. In a similar fashion, the massage accessories 325 and 326 are provided with a longitudinal body member 327, 328 respectively, having perforations P to uniformly distribute the heated air onto the massage structure.
FIG. 5 shows a cross-section view of roller accessory 123 attached to blow dryer member 310. In particular is shown flange 321a engaged with groove 311a to effect the sideward mount mechanical interface. Also shown, is the flow of heated air A surrounding the roller element 123, as well as showing heating element HE found within the blow dryer member 310.
Therefore, while the present invention has been shown and described herein in what is believed to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures can be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which scope is therefore not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus.