RU2228696C2 - Auxiliary device for hair straightening - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: hair care equipment. SUBSTANCE: hair strengthening device is designed for attachment at end of blowing-through branch pipe of apparatus used for hair arrangement or drying. Straightening device has hollow case adapted for retaining of hair tress pinching members. Hair tress pinching members have at least one compression surface biased by flexible members to opposite additional supporting surface for providing compression and straightening of hair tress. Compression surface and/or supporting surface have beveled edge adapted for insertion of hair tress. Said surfaces and beveled edges are arranged in air flow substantially in parallel with longitudinal axis of air flow. EFFECT: increased efficiency, simplified construction, easy positioning and removal and gentle treatment of hair under processing. 27 cl, 6 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to an auxiliary device or nozzle for a hairdryer or hair brush with air blowing, designed for styling hair or forming a hairstyle. More specifically, this invention relates to a device for straightening hair and containing means that enable it to be connected to the outlet pipe for supplying air from a hair dryer or from a hair brush with air injection.

A smooth hairstyle meets the criteria of practicality, since it is easier to care for it than for a voluminous or whipped hairstyle. She also meets the criteria of fashion, since many people with long or medium length hair prefer a smooth hairstyle. In addition, a smooth hairstyle gives the hair a well-groomed appearance with a significantly lower expenditure of effort on the part of the owner of these hairs than to form a fluffy or whipped hairstyle.

The methods used to straighten hair that is originally curly in a natural or artificial way consist mainly in mechanically or thermally acting on that curly hair.

Accordingly, known methods for straightening curly hair can be either “cold” or “hot”, and they either require the use of heat in the process of straightening hair or do not require its use.

The so-called cold hair straightening method is described in US Pat. No. 3,065,758. The device described in this patent mainly comprises a clip with two pivotally connected levers, the inner surface of which comes into direct contact with the hair, is coated with absorbent material impregnated with a special solution intended for the implementation of a cold wave or permanent.

The strand of hair to be processed is fixed in this clamp, after which the clamp is locked with a latch, and the end of the processed strand is wrapped around a roller made of absorbent material. Then this roller is fixed in the ears of the clamp at a certain predetermined distance with respect to this clamp in order to thereby pull this strand and process it in this tensioned position.

This method is very time-consuming and it requires a certain amount of time to capture and fix each hair strand in the device described above, as well as the time required to carry out the reaction of the solution used in this case.

Among hair straightening methods that use heat to the hair, mention may be made of combing the hair with a brush using a hand-held hair brush and a hair dryer that supplies hot air. This method requires special skill and dexterity and is very tiring for the person performing these operations, since this person must simultaneously hold the brush in one hand in order to hold this lock of hair and keep the hair dryer in the other hand in order to direct the flow of hot air on this strand processed in this case.

It has already been proposed several types of heating devices used to straighten curly hair. The most famous devices of this kind are irons or curling irons. Straightening of curled hair in this case consists in pinching the strand of hair to be processed and holding it for some time between two heated plates. The disadvantage of this technology is that it requires a long time to implement, since the hair treatment in this case is carried out sequentially, strand by strand, and also leads to damage to the hair, because the temperatures used are very high.

Other known devices used to continuously straighten curly hair are combs or combs with heat. In this case, the hair is first combed using comb teeth that penetrate the hairstyle, and then bring them into contact with a metal surface that is heated directly or transfers heat.

This heated metal surface may be the base of the teeth of the comb, as described in US patent 2474106, and this comb in this case is formed by a package of plates that are not thermally conductive and form the teeth of the comb, and these plates are separated from each other by washers made of metal material and in direct contact with the core covering the heating element.

Such a comb, if you do not take into account the problems associated with the complexity of its assembly, can cause burnout of hair in contact with the heated surface that forms the base of this comb.

The metal surface that transfers heat can be formed by the front surfaces of the teeth of the heated comb, as described in US Pat. No. 4,126,143. The teeth of such a comb, made of heat-insulating material, are elongated and are transverse to the body of the metal cylinder in contact with the heating element . These heat-insulating teeth are coated with a metal material on the part that abuts the heated housing.

In the process of using such a comb, its teeth are inserted into the mass of hair, and the heat-insulating part of this comb first of all penetrates the hair and combs the locks of hair that are in contact with it. The strands combed in this way then come into contact with metal parts located against the teeth of the comb. At the same time, the hair is straightened, being held between two fixed flat and heated surfaces.

However, in order to effectively perform its function, such a comb must create a high temperature on the surfaces of its teeth in contact with the hair in order to achieve satisfactory straightening of the hair as a result of a simple passage of this comb through the hair. This temperature can destroy the proteins contained in the hair and thus damage the treated hair.

In order to solve the problems associated with the use of too high temperatures in direct contact with the hair, specialists develop auxiliary devices or nozzles that are mounted on devices that blow hot air, for example, on hair dryers or hair brushes with the injection of heated air.

Such an auxiliary device is described in US Pat. No. 3,939,850. This auxiliary device is in the form of a comb fixed perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of this device to the outlet pipe for supplying air blown by it. When using such a device, the hair is first combed, stretched with a comb, and then dried in this extended position.

However, such an auxiliary device has limited effectiveness and, in addition, it requires the use of a device whose body has an elongated shape.

US Pat. No. 3,939,850, mentioned above, describes an auxiliary device for straightening curly hair intended for installation on a hair dryer and comprising an upper part holding the elements of this device for straightening hair and a lower part for fixing this device on the outlet of the hair dryer.

Providing hair straightening elements are a metal plate that transfers heat from the flow of hot air from the hair dryer, and the comb itself. During the operation of the hair dryer with such an auxiliary device, the hair is caught by the teeth of the comb, then extended, penetrating to the base of its bevel teeth in order to come into contact with the curved heated surface of the said metal plate.

However, such an auxiliary device treats hair only superficially, that is, on that part of the strand that is in direct contact with the heated metal plate, and it is not suitable for use on very thick hair.

Another disadvantage of this auxiliary device is that during operation, a hot metal plate is located very close to the scalp and the heat radiated by it can damage this skin.

In addition, the use of a comb with tightly shifted bevel teeth can lead to the need to apply significant pulling forces, especially in tangled hair and depending on the professional skill and dexterity of the person who uses this device.

Another type of hair dryer accessory is described in US Pat. No. 5,553,632. The proposed device allows hair styling by penetrating the hairstyle, lifting the hair and drying it in the same position.

This accessory is a comb mounted on the top of the hair dryer outlet. This comb contains two rows of teeth overlapping each other, as well as means designed to enable the displacement of one row of these teeth in relation to another row.

During the operation of this auxiliary device, the teeth of this comb penetrate into the hair, grab and hold them in order to provide the possibility of applying tensile force to them during the movement of the hair dryer, and the hot air supplied by the hairdryer dries the hair in this position right to its roots.

Such an auxiliary device, however, is not quite convenient to use, because whenever you want to move this device in the thick of the hair, you need to release the trigger, which moves the teeth of this comb in relation to each other, in order to free the already processed strand of hair and grab the new strand to be processed.

The aim of the invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages and to offer an auxiliary device designed to straighten hair, which is quite effective, can be used quickly and conveniently, and which at the same time provides a careful attitude to the treated hair.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hair straightening aid for use with an appliance such as a hair dryer or a hair brush with air blowing, and is quite effective in use regardless of whether the air being blown is hot or if it has an ambient temperature .

Another additional objective of the present invention is to increase the efficiency of known devices and methods for treating hair by combining the actual means of straightening curly hair, as well as other means of preparing hair before straightening and means of fixing already straightened hair.

Another objective of the present invention is to offer an auxiliary device, the design of which is simple enough to enable its manufacture in large quantities at a relatively low cost.

In addition, such an auxiliary device should be characterized by the simplicity and ease of dismantling its parts that are in direct contact with the hair, to ensure the convenience of cleaning these parts after using this device.

In addition to the possibility of dismantling and to ensure greater safety, the means that are in direct contact with the hair should have a disconnect function, which, if necessary, removes these means from contact with the hair during the operation of this device. Similarly, you can also adjust the tension pulling means pinched hair.

Taking care of acceptable ergonomic characteristics, the auxiliary device in accordance with the invention should be able to be mounted rotatable with respect to the device used, which makes it easier to manipulate the said device equipped with this auxiliary device and moved around the user's head.

An additional objective of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary device characterized by reliable operation.

The said goals are achieved by means of an auxiliary device designed to be fixed on the blowing end of a device used for styling or drying hair and containing a hollow body on which means are provided for pinching a strand of hair, characterized in that said pinched means contain at least at least one compression surface, pressed under the action of elastic means to the additional supporting surface located opposite it in order to ensure that it is pinched e and straightening hair strands treated, wherein said compression surface and / or said supporting surface comprise a beveled edge for introducing the hair strand to be treated and disposed in a flow of forced air substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the stream.

In the process of numerous studies, it was found that in the case of hair deformation as a result of applying a compressive force to them, a compressive stress should be used, the value of which, in particular, is in the range from 2 to 10 · 10 ^-2 Pa depending on the temperature of the injected air and depending on the moisture of the treated hair.

In care of the safety of the hair in general and damaged hair, in particular, the auxiliary device in accordance with the invention allows the combined action of several factors, namely the mechanical compression stress, elevated temperature and / or functioning in a humid environment.

The main advantage of the invention is the deformation of the hair without damaging it by applying as little mechanical stress to it as possible. To do this, with the means of deformation of the hair by compressing them directly combine the means of drying them in the same position.

More specifically, in accordance with the invention, the means that deform the hair by compressing it are formed by pinched means containing at least one compression surface that is pressed by elastic means against an additional supporting surface located against it in order to compress and straighten a strand of hair, wherein said compression surface and / or said abutment surface comprise a chamfered edge, which allows you to carefully enter the strand of hair to be processed between these surface Located in a stream of forced air substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the stream.

More specifically, the proposed device allows you to squeeze the processed strand of hair between the flat surfaces of the mentioned funds in the drying process of this strand and dry it in this position.

Such a constructive solution allows to reduce the force acting on the hair strand, since in this case at least one compression surface is used, which is pressed by elastic means to an additional supporting surface located opposite it.

This compression surface, driven by elastic means, is deformed or moved, automatically responding to the force that is applied to it under the action of the hair with which it comes into contact. In addition, the hair is wet before it enters the space between these surfaces, which allows the use of easily deformable or movable means, which thus create reduced pressure on the hair.

Advantageously, said compression surface is formed by a component, in particular a rigid component, on which the spring exerts a pushing force. Such a technical solution allows, by selecting the dimensional parameters of this spring, to establish the optimal value of the compressive stress acting on the processed strand of hair.

In a preferred embodiment, the compression surface is formed by an elastic plate. This is done for reasons of simplifying the design and reducing the cost of manufacturing and installation of this auxiliary device.

Advantageously, the compression surface and the abutment surface are flat surfaces. This allows for satisfactory contact between these surfaces and the strand of hair to be treated.

The means of the present invention make it possible in a favorable way to create a crushing force on the hair strand to be treated, the magnitude of which lies in the range already mentioned above from 2 to 10 · 10 ^-2 Pa depending on the temperature of the air used and on the degree of pre-moistened hair. This allows you to carefully treat the hair in this case.

In a preferred embodiment, the used means of pinched hair are made in the form of a set of two elastic plates located opposite each other. Such a constructive solution limits the deformation of the plate in comparison with its location in interaction with a rigid surface.

Advantageously, the said elastic plates contain beveled edges in their lower part in order to enable the introduction of the strand of hair to be processed between the flat surfaces of these plates with which the strand remains in contact during hair drying.

In a preferred embodiment, the pinched plates of hair in this auxiliary device are made of a material having good elastic properties, and the surface of this material is machined so as to ensure good gliding of the hair between the surfaces of these plates.

Such a material can be, for example, a metal material with the polishing of the respective surfaces or even coated with PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or enamel. In addition, such a material provides a good transfer of heat coming from the blower-supplied air flow in the case when this auxiliary device will be used together with the device that supplies hot air.

In a preferred embodiment, several pairs of elastic plates are arranged adjacent to each other, arranged substantially across the entire width of the aid. This allows for simultaneous processing of several small strands of hair, which increases the overall performance of such processing.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, said pinched hairs are held by the inside wall of the device. This allows you to get a more compact design of this device. In addition, this design solution allows the said plates to be located in the flow of injected air, which accelerates the drying of the strands of hair located between these plates.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, said plates are fixed to the comb forming means. This constructive solution allows you to provide the best angle of penetration of the hair in the means of pinching in the case when these funds are moving along the hair strand to be processed. In addition, this design solution allows you to pre-comb or untangle the hair before pinched.

In a preferred embodiment, these plates are provided with release means in order to allow the separation of the plates in contact with the hair. This circumstance provides increased safety of use, since if the hair tangles or if it gets stuck between the plates, this auxiliary device can be disconnected at any time from the processed strand, and the straightening operation can be resumed after unraveling or releasing the stuck hair.

An additional advantage is that there is the possibility of regulating the breeding existing between the means of pinched hair and, therefore, the compression stress that affects this strand of hair.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, this auxiliary device is provided with means for moisturizing the hair before being pinched. This allows you to ensure the highest efficiency of hair treatment.

In accordance with another method of implementing the present invention, this auxiliary device comprises means forming a brush or comb and also located in front of the jamming means. Such a constructive solution allows you to best ensure combing or untangling hair before being pinched.

In accordance with a favorable embodiment of the invention, the means in the form of a brush or comb are located behind the means of pinching. This design solution allows you to best fix the hairstyle after hair treatment. This is all the more obvious because in this case the said means interact with the colder air pumped by the device used.

In a favorable way, the means of crushing, as well as the means located in front of or behind these crushing means, are mounted in a removable manner on the housing of this auxiliary device. Such a constructive solution makes it easy to clean this auxiliary device after using it and begin the subsequent hair treatment operation with a clean device.

In a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary device is mounted on the air blowing end of the device used, with the possibility of rotation relative to the output axis of the flow of injected air. For this, this auxiliary device is installed, for example, on a ring rotating relative to the fastening part of this device. This design solution allows you to use this auxiliary device in any angular position in the range of a full revolution of 360 °, facilitates the operation of this device with such a device, especially in hard-to-reach areas, for example, in the occipital part of the head.

The present invention also relates to a method for styling or drying hair, characterized in that the method comprises a first step comprising moistening and combing the hair strand to be treated with a brush or comb, followed by pinching this hair strand to dry it between two opposed each other with flat surfaces located at the outlet of the device for styling or drying hair, and then the last step is performed, which consists in fixing the resulting straight hairstyles by combing hair with a brush or comb under a stream of air pumped by the same device.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following description of non-limiting examples, illustrating methods for its implementation, where references are made to the drawings in the appendix, including:

figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a device representing an auxiliary device for straightening curly hair in accordance with the invention;

figure 2 is a front schematic view of an accessory for straightening hair in accordance with the invention;

figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line AA of an auxiliary device in accordance with the invention;

4 is in its first half a schematic top view of an auxiliary device for straightening hair in accordance with the invention, and in its second half a schematic axial section of the same device;

figure 5 is a perspective schematic view on an enlarged scale of one of the means of pinched hair in accordance with the invention;

6 is a schematic sectional view of a device for disconnecting hair pinch devices in accordance with the invention.

Figure 1, 2 and 3 schematically shows a first embodiment of a system forming an auxiliary device 1 for straightening hair. This auxiliary device comprises a housing 2, provided at its end 3 with means for connecting to the blowing end of a hair dryer or a hair brush with air injection.

Such a device for drying hair usually comprises a housing forming means for holding this device with your hands, an inlet grill designed to suck in ambient air, and an outlet end for blowing air. Inside this housing there is a fan capable of sucking in external air and pumping it into the outlet pipe of the housing of this device, an electric motor designed to bring this fan into rotational motion, and an electric heating element designed to heat the air pumped by said fan.

This device is also equipped with means for controlling and monitoring its functioning, such as on and off switches, designed to control the engine and / or electric heating element, as well as, if necessary, control and regulation means for the discharge air flow or its temperature.

The advantage provided by such a device is that, having a fairly simple design, it can be used in conjunction with many different accessories or nozzles that attach to its output end of air blowing in order to provide various types of exposure to the hair and / or various ways to care for your hair or scalp.

One of such auxiliary devices is an object of the present invention and contains means for pinching hair 6, 1, located perpendicular to the direction of movement of the air flow pumped by the fan, and mounted on a housing 2 made, for example, of plastic material by injection molding.

Said hair pinching means 6, 7 are formed mainly by two surfaces 6 ″, 7 ″ substantially parallel to each other in the closed position of this pinching means, at least one of these surfaces being able to move and / or deform for in order to form some space with respect to the other of these surfaces, intended for introducing a lock of hair into it in order to apply a compressive force to this lock.

In order to facilitate access of a given strand of hair to the space between the means of pinching them, at least one of these means contains a penetration surface of the given strand of hair, made in the form of a beveled edge 6 ', 7' on that part of it that comes into direct contact with hair before these hairs are introduced into the space between the surfaces of their pinching 6``, 7 ''.

Such a beveled edge acts as a funnel facilitating the insertion of the strand of hair to be processed into the space between the pinched means, simply transferring this auxiliary device into direct contact with the hair and creating slight pressure in the direction of pinched hair from the side of the user's hand on the handle of the device on which this auxiliary device.

In order to be able to move and / or deform the compression surface 6 ’’ relative to the other surface 1 ’’, at least one of these surfaces is an elastic plate.

The shape of this plate is best seen in FIG. 5, where a beveled edge 6 ’and a compression surface 6’ ’can be distinguished. This part further comprises wings 6a and 6b for securing this plate to the housing of this accessory. It should also be noted here that this plate is symmetrical for reasons that will be discussed in more detail below.

Using an elastic plate allows you to have a part that is easily deformed as a result of simple pressure on its surface and which returns to its original position when the action of the deforming force ceases. This plate thus acts as a spring having a predetermined effect on the surface with which it comes into contact.

Such an elastic plate is preferably made of a material having good elastic characteristics, for example stainless steel, copper or aluminum alloy, or even a plastic material such as polypropylene. The thickness of such an elastic plate has a value, for example, in the range from 0.05 to 2 mm. The edge or contour of this plate is rounded so as not to cut the hair to be pinched at the moment when it is inserted into the space between the pinched means.

In a preferred embodiment, two opposed elastic plates are used as pinch means 6, 7. These plates are mounted on a base fixed to the housing 2 of this accessory, and each of these plates has the shape schematically shown in FIG. 5. Thus, these plates contain beveled edges 6 ’, 7’ designed to orient the strands of hair to be processed towards the flat contact surfaces 6 ’’, 7 ’’.

These plates can be mounted motionless relative to each other, can be mounted to move relative to each other, or can be mounted in such a configuration that one of these plates is stationary and the other is movable. This relative movement of one plate relative to another allows you to provide the ability to control the gap between these plates and, therefore, the amount of mechanical stress that they exert on the hair.

In order to reduce the coefficient of friction of the said plates with hair and to ensure the best glide of the hair between the contact surfaces 6 '', 7 '', it is possible to carry out special processing of the said surfaces such as polishing them very fine or applying PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or enamel coatings to these surfaces . A surface having such a coating may be flat or may present a slight embossment or roughness.

In order to process several strands of hair at the same time, an auxiliary device is provided having a sufficiently large width comparable, for example, with the width of the palm of a normal human hand, and having several pairs of elastic plates 6, 7 placed next to each other and parallel to each other, placed along creature along this dimensional direction. All of these elastic plates are mounted on a common bracket fixed to the housing 2 of this auxiliary device.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1-3, a set of plates 6, 7 is placed inside this device and held by its inner wall 20.

Such a constructive solution allows the hair sandwiched between the plates to be in the air stream blown by this device through channel 16. The set of plates in the preferred embodiment is centered with respect to the middle plane of the air stream blown by this device.

The height of the jamming plates has a value in the range from 1/3 to 3/3 of the height of the outlet pipe or the outlet end of the air stream blowing. As can be seen in the figures given in the appendix, the height of the teeth of the comb is essentially equal to their length. Thus, the strand of hair to be treated is completely exposed to the blown air stream along its entire length, as well as along its entire depth, which provides a significant increase in the efficiency of hair processing.

Thus, in this case, the hair is dried at the same time as it is straightened, being pinched between the plates 6, 7. This allows you to reduce the amount of mechanical stress applied to the hair, because, as mentioned above, their moisture content is a factor that allows satisfactory deformation hair with lower values of the applied compressive force.

In addition, if in this case we use plates made of heat-conducting material for an auxiliary device installed on a device blowing hot air, deformation of the hair as a result of this occurs at a higher temperature, which ensures the best conditions for their processing.

In an embodiment not shown in the figures given in the appendix, it can be imagined that the set of plates 6, 7 will be placed on the outside of the auxiliary device, for example, above the longitudinal axis of the outgoing air stream pumped by the device. With this constructive solution, the hair will first be dried by the flow of injected air, and then deformed by compression after it penetrates into the space between the plates 6, 7.

In another embodiment, it is possible to place a set of plates 6, 7 in front of the outlet pipe for supplying injection air. In this case, the hair will first be caught by said plates, then stretched to create a pulling tension and dried in this elongated position.

In the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3, the plates 6, 7 are held by a comb 4. In order to obtain a sufficiently compact system, that is, an auxiliary device with reduced dimensions, these plates are installed inside the comb using wings 6a, 6b, which are fixed in grooves of the corresponding form, made in the housing of this comb.

To this end, said comb has the shape of a hollow body formed by a plurality of hollow teeth 5, a part of which, opposite to its part that comes in direct contact with the hair, is rigidly connected to a frame forming a means of attaching this comb to the inner wall 20 of the auxiliary device. From the inside, each tooth of the comb contains mounting grooves 5a, 5b, intended for wings 6a, 6b of each elastic plate.

In order to reduce the cost of manufacture, as well as the installation of the plates 6, 7, the implementation of these plates in the form of parts of a symmetrical shape, as shown in Fig.5. Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 3, even if one plate is fixed using three wings, four wings are still provided on it in order to use the same type of plate for the entire system.

Thus, a system of plates is formed by first setting the first plate in the position intended for it and installing the second plate after it, having previously rotated it 180 ° around its axis.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the comb on which the plate system is held is mounted and removably fixed in the housing of the auxiliary device by means of clamping fastening means, fastening with screws or by any other known means.

This comb is made of plastic material by injection molding or extrusion, also known to specialists in this field of technology.

The housing 2 of the auxiliary device is preferably implemented in the form of two parts interconnected in a detachable manner so that it is easy to clean the internal cavity of this auxiliary device or its various parts located inside this device, for example a comb 4 holding the jamming plates 6, 7.

In the process of using the auxiliary device of the type described above, the protruding part of its body 2, represented by the teeth 5 of the comb 4, is brought into contact with the hair to be treated in that part that corresponds to the height of the desired beginning of straightening of these hairs and preferably, possibly closer to their roots.

In this case, the teeth 5 of the comb 4 divide the hairstyle into several small strands so that, if necessary, untangle them and thus lead to the bottom of the plates 6, 7, forming a funnel 6 ’, 7’. The hair falling in this zone is directed to the flat surfaces 6 ’’, 7 ’’ located opposite each other, clamped between these surfaces and simultaneously dried by the air flow passing through this auxiliary device at the level of the plates 6, 7.

In an alternative embodiment, this auxiliary device is moved rather slowly along a given strand of hair in order to give the hair time to dry and deform accordingly. This operation is repeated in a similar way throughout the mass of hair, and the result of these manipulations is a quick and uniform straightening of all treated hair.

6 schematically shows a device for disconnecting and adjusting the gap between the plates 6, 7. This disconnecting device includes a tray 24 holding the axis 26, on which the movable plates 1 are mounted, a compression spring 30, a cam 28 and a knurled knob 34, fixed at the end of said axis.

The bracket or tray 24 contains a stiffener with an inclined plane 32, which interacts during operation with a cam 28 located on the axis 26. This device as a whole can be mounted on the housing 2 of this auxiliary device or on the housing of the comb 4 so as to be dismantled simultaneously him for cleaning.

In this embodiment, the accessory is constituted by fixed plates 6 and movable plates 7 held in the comb housing 4. The movable plates 7 are mounted with some clearance in the grooves of the comb in order to allow these plates to move relative to the fixed plates 6.

During the operation of this auxiliary device, the user, turning the knurled knob 34, rotates the cam 28, which abuts against the inclined surface of the stiffener 32 and as a result moves the axis 26 on which the movable plates 7 are fixed, thus releasing these movable plates 7 from fixed plates 6.

Thus, the movable plates 7 are able to move in the space between some first position in which they abut against the fixed plates 6, in which case the cam 28 is in contact with the base of the inclined surface of the stiffener 32, which corresponds to the maximum compression stress and some second the position in which these movable plates are completely retracted from the fixed plates 6, this time the cam 28 is on top of the inclined surface of the stiffener 32, and which corresponds to the position of separation.

Any other relative movement of the plates in the space between these two extreme positions corresponds to different positions for adjusting the voltage of the plates, based on the strand of hair to be treated.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary device comprises means forming a cylinder 8 and placed in front of the hair trapping means 6, 7, these cylinder forming means being the first to come into contact with the hair to be treated.

In one embodiment of this embodiment, said cylinder forming means are formed by a moisturizing swab soaked in some liquid. In this case, as can be seen in Fig. 3, the flow of injected air entering through the channel 14 formed by the inner walls of the housing 2 of this auxiliary device washes the mentioned swab and ensures the evaporation of the liquid contained in it, then going to the hair to be treated, already being hydrated.

Thus, as already mentioned above, it is possible to straighten hair with more efficiency, which at the same time becomes wetter, or even hair that was generally dry from the beginning.

In another embodiment of this embodiment, said moisturizing tampon is replaced with a reservoir with some liquid provided with outlet openings through which said liquid flows out due to a capillary effect, thereby wetting the hair with which this reservoir comes into contact.

The moisturizing liquid used in this case may be water or some other liquid having a chemical composition that gives it properties that fix the hair, for example, a solution of the type commonly used for perming.

In accordance with yet another embodiment of said embodiment, a cylindrical brush is provided in place of a moisturizing swab. Such a constructive solution allows combing the hair with this brush in order to tidy it up or untangle it before these hairs are introduced into the space between the pinched means 6, 7.

In accordance with another embodiment, instead of the aforementioned cylindrical brush, several parallel rows of hairs and / or burrs can be provided, said rows of these hairs or burrs being located essentially perpendicular to the surface of the housing 2 along the teeth of the comb 4. The brush hairs are made, for example, using synthetic fibers, and said burrs can be made of plastic material.

In accordance with another implementation option, not shown in the figures given in the appendix, the means forming the cylinder 8 can be replaced by a comb that performs the function of arranging tangled hair before it starts processing.

In a preferred manner, the means forming the cylinder 8 or forming the comb are removably mounted on the housing 2 of the auxiliary device by means of fasteners of a known type.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the hair straightening aid comprises means for fixing the hairstyle 10 after hair straightening made using means 6, 7. Thus, this auxiliary tool in this case is provided in its upper part and behind the part that provides deformation of the hair by compressing it between the elastic plates, means 10, which act by combing the hair to be treated with a comb or sludge and brush.

These tools 10, made in the form of a comb or a hair brush, come in direct contact with hair that has already been straightened, which leaves the space between the plates 6, 7 and exerts a pulling effect on them, which finally emphasizes the initial straightening effect, while giving the hair an increased durability and stability.

The action of the said fixation means is combined with the supply of an air stream from a hairdryer. In order to provide increased stability of the hairstyle, the air supplied during the process of fixing or styling this hairstyle should be cooler. For these reasons, the housing 2 of this auxiliary device is provided with holes or cutouts 12, the dimensional parameters of the cross section of which were determined so as to ensure the possibility of intake of external air due to the Venturi effect.

The external air so sucked in is mixed with the air pumped by this hair dryer in the channel 18, and the resulting air stream is then directed to the hair fixation means 10.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the comb or hair brush used to fix the hairstyle is made of a material having antistatic properties.

Such material may be, as non-limiting example the material known as PERMASTAT ^® and being plastic material, antistatic properties which relate to permanent surface treatment, stabilized with respect to temperature.

You can also imagine that other parts of this auxiliary device are made of this material, that is, accordingly, all its components are made of plastic material, which come into direct contact with the hair.

Such a material makes it possible to eliminate the occurrence of static electricity on the hair, the formation of which can be a consequence, in particular, of combing it with a comb or hair brush, and thus ensure a smooth hairstyle with higher stability and a more well-groomed appearance.

In a preferred embodiment, said hairstyle fixation means 10 are removably mounted on the housing 2 of this accessory in order to facilitate cleaning.

The proposed auxiliary device for straightening hair is installed on the output end of a hair dryer or hair brush with air injection, providing an outlet for blown air, using bayonet-type fasteners.

Preferably, the housing of the auxiliary device comprises means for rotating the device with respect to the longitudinal axis of the device. For this purpose, the housing of this auxiliary device can be mounted with the possibility of its rotation on the ring belonging to its part containing means of attachment to the housing of the device used.

This design solution allows you to use this auxiliary device in any desired position by turning this device around its longitudinal axis at any angle in the range up to 360 °. This circumstance facilitates the use of this device, in particular, in areas inaccessible to the user, for example, in the occipital part of the head.

In accordance with an embodiment not shown in the drawings in the appendix, this auxiliary device itself can be used simply with a handle attached to it, fixed directly to the end 3 of the housing 2 of this device using any suitable means.

Thus, the system that combines this auxiliary device and its handle can simply be passed through the hair, which will already be straightened to a certain extent by squeezing between the mentioned means 6, 7 of this auxiliary device 1.

Thus, this auxiliary device can be used without having to attach it to the air blowing device, which further simplifies the hair straightening operation, as well as manual manipulations with this system, and reduces its cost.

The present invention also relates to a device for styling and / or drying hair and blowing out a stream of air directed at the hair, such as a hair dryer or hair brush with air injection. Such a device may comprise at its output end an auxiliary device of the type described above.

In accordance with another possible implementation option, such a device contains at its output end of the blowing air stream part 1, which is located so that through it passed the air directed outside the limits of this device. Moreover, the aforementioned part of this device contains a hollow body 2, holding means 6, 7, designed to pinch a strand of hair.

Said pinched means comprise at least one compression surface 6 ″, which is pressed under the action of corresponding elastic means against an additional supporting surface 7 ″ located opposite it in order to compress and straighten the hair strand, said compression surface and / or said supporting surface comprise chamfered edges 6 ′, 7 ′ intended to facilitate insertion of the hair strand, and are arranged in a stream of blown air substantially parallel to its longitudinal axis.

Such a device is specifically designed for straightening hair and it has a more compact design, and its part, designed to straighten hair, is integrated into the body of this device, as well as controls for the intensity of air flow and its temperature in accordance with the values of these parameters characteristic of the operation hair straightening.

At the same time, a device for styling and / or drying hair and used in conjunction with an auxiliary device of the type described above contains means for controlling the temperature and / or flow rate of air pumped in the direction of the hair being treated in this case.

You can also imagine such a device, equipped with controls such as a special additional switch designed to control the hair straightening mode, with which you can select the optimal values of the flow rate of the air pumped by this device and its temperature to ensure satisfactory hair straightening.

Numerous improvements can be made to the design of the auxiliary device described above for straightening hair, or to the design of a device used in conjunction with it, without going beyond the scope of the claims of this invention.

Claims (27)

1. An auxiliary device used to straighten hair and intended to be fixed on the end of the blowing nozzle of a device used for styling or drying hair, containing a hollow body (2), holding means (6, 7), designed to pinch hair strands, these the means for pinching the hair contain at least one compression surface (6 ″), which is pressed under the action of elastic means against the additional supporting surface (7 ″) located opposite it, so as to provide compression and disjunction splitting a hair strand, characterized in that said compression surface and / or said abutment surface comprise a beveled edge (6 ′, 7 ′) for introducing a hair strand, and also that these surfaces and these beveled edges are located in an air stream, essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of this air stream. 2. The accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that said compression surface (6 ’’) is formed by a part, which is pushed by the spring. 3. The accessory according to claim 1, characterized in that said compression surface (6 ’’) is formed by an elastic plate. 4. Auxiliary device according to any one of the above paragraphs, characterized in that said compression surface (6 ’’) and / or said supporting surface (7 ’’) are flat surfaces. 5. Auxiliary device according to any one of the above paragraphs, characterized in that the said means of pinching hair (6, 7) are located relative to each other so as to create a compressive force having a value in the range from 2 to 10 × 10 ^-2 Pa and acting on a strand of hair with which these pinched means come into direct contact. 6. Auxiliary device according to any one of claims 1 or 3-5, characterized in that the said means of pinching (6, 7) are formed by two elastic plates (6) and (7), which are located opposite each other. 7. Auxiliary device according to claim 6, characterized in that said plates (6, 7) contain beveled edges (6 ’, 7’) in their lower parts. 8. An accessory according to any one of Claims 6 or 7, characterized in that said flat surfaces (6 ’’, 7 ’’ ’) of the plates (6, 7) are subjected to special surface treatment or contain a coating that reduces the coefficient of friction with the hair. 9. An auxiliary device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that this device contains several pairs of said plates (6, 7) located next to each other. 10. Auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that the said means (6, 7) are fixed on the inner wall (20) of this auxiliary device. 11. An auxiliary device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that said means (6, 7) are fixed on a means forming a comb (4) for orienting hair in the direction of these plates (6, 7). 12. An auxiliary device according to any one of claims 10 and 11, characterized in that said comb (4) holding means (6, 7) is removably fixed to the housing (2) of this auxiliary device (1). 13. An auxiliary device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that this device comprises means for disconnecting (22) and / or adjusting the tension of said plates (6, 7). 14. Auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that this device contains means forming a cylinder (8) in front of the means (6, 7) for the first contact with the hair before giving it the desired shape. 15. Auxiliary device according to 14, characterized in that the said means forming a cylinder (8) are a moisturizing swab soaked in a particular liquid. 16. Auxiliary device according to claim 14, characterized in that said means forming a cylinder (8) are a reservoir with liquid. 17. Auxiliary device according to any one of p. 15 or 16, characterized in that the said liquid is water or a special liquid having the properties of hair fixation. 18. An accessory according to claim 14, characterized in that said means forming a cylinder (8) are a hair brush. 19. Auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that this device contains means forming a comb located in front of the means (6, 7) and intended for first contact with the hair before giving it the desired shape. 20. Auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that this device contains means for fixing the hair (10) after giving the hair the desired shape with the help of means (6, 7). 21. Auxiliary device according to claim 20, characterized in that the said means of fixing the hair (10) are a comb or brush for hair. 22. Auxiliary device according to claim 20, characterized in that this device contains openings (12) for suctioning air with an ambient temperature into the air supply channel (18) injected by this device to the hair fixing means (10). 23. Auxiliary device according to any one of claims 14 to 22, characterized in that said means forming a cylinder (8), a comb (10) or a hair brush (10) are removably mounted with respect to the body (2) of the auxiliary device (1). 24. Auxiliary device according to any one of the above paragraphs, characterized in that this device is fixed on the blowing end of the device for styling or for drying hair with the possibility of rotation of this device with respect to this end around an axis parallel to the axis of the outlet discharge air stream. 25. A device for styling or drying hair, containing a device according to any one of the preceding paragraphs, characterized in that it contains means for controlling the temperature and / or flow rate of the injected air to ensure its functioning with the said device. 26. Device for styling or drying hair, containing on its blowing end part (1), placed in such a way that air coming out of this device passes through it and containing a hollow body (2) that holds means (6, 7) intended for pinching the hair strand, wherein said hair pinching means comprise at least one compression surface (6 ″) pressed against the additional supporting surface (7 ″) located against it to compress and straighten the hair strand , excellent characterized in that this compression surface and / or this abutment surface comprises a beveled edge (6 ', 7') for introducing a strand of hair, and also that these surfaces and these beveled edges are arranged in a stream of blown air essentially parallel to the direction his movements. 27. A method of styling or drying hair, comprising a first step consisting in moistening and combing the hair strand to be treated with a comb or brush and a second step consisting in fixing the hair obtained in this way by combing the hair with a comb or brush under the influence of air pumped by the device itself, characterized in that this method includes an intermediate step of pinching in order to dry said strand of hair using pinching means containing at least one surface compression (6``), pressed under the action of elastic means against the additional supporting surface (7 '') located against it to compress and straighten said strand of hair, said compression surface and / or said supporting surface contain a beveled edge (6 ', 7 '), intended for introducing a strand of hair, and both of these surfaces and their beveled edges are located in a stream of air, essentially parallel to the direction of movement of this stream.

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