US20030079367A1

US20030079367A1 - Hair dryer with high handiness

Info

Publication number: US20030079367A1
Application number: US10/259,301
Authority: US
Inventors: Adriano Troletti
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-10-25
Filing date: 2002-09-30
Publication date: 2003-05-01
Also published as: EP1306028A3; ITMI20010566U1; EP1306028A2

Abstract

A hair dryer with high handiness, which comprises an enclosure with a first portion forming a grip region and a second portion forming an air delivery duct that leads externally. The enclosure accommodates an electric motor connected, through its shaft, to an impeller actuated, by the same motor, to produce a stream of air through the air delivery duct. At least one electric resistor, powered to heat air as it passes through the delivery duct is arranged along the delivery duct. The hair dryer comprises at least one light source suitable to emit light through the outlet of the air delivery duct.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hair dryer with high handiness.

As is known, hair dryers are substantially constituted by an enclosure, generally made of electrically insulating synthetic material, which is shaped so that one of its portions forms a grip region and another of its portions, very often orientated substantially at 90° to the grip region, forms a duct for delivering air with an outlet that leads outward.

The enclosure accommodates internally an electric motor whose shaft is connected to an impeller, which can be actuated by means of said electric motor in order to draw in air from outside the enclosure and convey it out again through the air delivery duct.

One or more electric resistors are arranged inside the air delivery duct and can be powered to heat the air as it passes through the air delivery duct.

When using this kind of device, very often there is the need to have an adequate lighting of the region of the hair being dried and struck by the air stream emitted by the device.

It should be noted, in fact, that hair drying is generally performed in bathrooms, in front of a mirror, with a lighting that illuminates the user from the front and therefore leaves in the shadow the rear part of the head, forcing the user to turn his head continuously in order to expose to the light the region being dried.

Furthermore, the hair itself, lifted by the air stream emitted by the appliance, limits the viewing field by casting shadows onto the underlying hair.

It should be noted that poor visibility of the hair subjected to drying can be a danger for the user, since said user might move the air delivery outlet of the appliance too close to the hair, with the risk of scorching it or, worse still, burning it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the present invention is to obviate the drawbacks noted above, by providing a hair dryer that allows the user to view perfectly the region of the hair that is being dried in each instance, even in poorly lit spaces.

Within the scope of this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a hair dryer that by adequately highlighting the region of the hair being dried, allows quicker and easier drying.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hair dryer that can have aesthetic effects that appear particularly original and pleasant for the user.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hair dryer that offers the greatest assurances of safety during use.

This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a hair dryer, comprising an enclosure in which a first portion thereof forms a grip region, and a second portion thereof forms an air delivery duct that leads externally, said enclosure accommodating an electric motor that is connected, by way of its shaft, to an impeller that can be actuated, by way of said motor, to produce a stream of air through said air delivery duct, at least one electric resistor that can be powered in order to heat the air as it passes through said delivery duct being arranged along said delivery duct, characterized in that it comprises at least one light source suitable to emit a beam of light through the outlet of said air delivery duct.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages will become better apparent from the detailed description of a hair dryer according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: [0014]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hair dryer according to the present invention; [0015]
FIG. 2 is a partially sectional lateral elevation view of the hair dryer according to the present invention.[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the figures, the hair dryer according to the present invention, generally designated by the [0017] reference numeral 1, comprises in a per se known manner an enclosure 2 that is preferably formed by molding electrically insulating synthetic material.
A portion of the [0018] enclosure 2 forms a grip region 3 and another one of its portions forms an air delivery duct 4 whose outlet is located at one of its ends.
An [0019] electric motor 7 is accommodated in a manner known per se, inside the enclosure 2 and is connected, through its shaft 13, to an impeller 5, also of a known type, which is also accommodated in the enclosure 2.
In a region of the [0020] enclosure 2, proximate to the impeller 5, there are suitable openings through which the impeller 5, actuated by the electric motor 7, draws in air from the outside in order to propel it back out of the enclosure 2 through the air delivery duct 4.
One or more [0021] electric resistors 6 are arranged inside the air delivery duct 4 and can be powered to heat adequately the air as it passes through the air delivery duct 4.
According to the invention, the hair dryer comprises at least one light source, which is suitable to emit a beam of light through the outlet of the [0022] air delivery duct 4.
The light source is constituted by at least one [0023] light bulb 8, which is preferably accommodated within the air delivery duct 4 in the region arranged upstream of the electric resistor or resistors 6 along the direction of the flow of air generated by the impeller 5 along the air delivery duct 4.
Conveniently, the light source also comprises at least one parabolic reflector [0024] 9, which is arranged substantially coaxially to the air delivery duct 4 and is orientated so that its concavity is directed toward the outlet of the air delivery duct 4.
The reflector [0025] 9 has a diameter that is adequately smaller than the diameter of the air delivery duct 4 so as to avoid hindering the air flow. The arrangement of the light bulb 8 and of the reflector 9 upstream of the electric resistor or resistors 6 also achieves an effective cooling of the light bulb and of the reflector by means of the air, as yet unheated, propelled by the impeller 5.
Advantageously, at least on the side walls of the [0026] air delivery duct 4 there are transparent or translucent regions 10, which allow the passage of part of the light emitted by the light bulb 8, achieving pleasant and unusual aesthetic effects. Depending on the effect sought, these regions might be annular, arrow-shaped or otherwise shaped and might also be variously colored.
The hair dryer is completed by an electric circuit that is accommodated in the [0027] enclosure 2 and is connected to an electric power supply cord for connecting the hair dryer to the electric mains.
According to the requirements, it is possible to provide, in a per se known manner, a single switch with one or more positions for varying the speed of the [0028] impeller 5 or two switches 11 and 12, respectively for controlling and optionally adjusting the rotation rate of the impeller 5 and one for controlling and optionally adjusting the supply of power to the electric resistor or resistors in order to vary the temperature of the air emitted by the hair dryer.
The electric power supply of the [0029] light bulb 8 can be controlled by the same switch that controls the impeller 5 or can be controlled by means of an additional switch.
The use of the hair dryer according to the invention is evident from what has been described and illustrated. In particular, it is evident that during use the hair dryer, by virtue of the [0030] light bulb 8, projects a beam of light along the air stream, adequately lighting the region of the hair affected by said air stream and thus allowing the user to view perfectly the region being dried even in a scarcely lit environment.
In practice it has been found that the hair dryer according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim, since by virtue of the possibility to cast a beam of light together with the air stream it makes the hair drying operation easier and safer. [0031]
Another advantage of the hair dryer according to the invention is that it can have particular aesthetic effects by virtue of the light emitted by the light bulb. [0032]
In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art. [0033]
The disclosures in Italian Utility Model Application No. MI2001U000566 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference. [0034]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A hair dryer, comprising: an enclosure with a first portion thereof forming a grip region and a second portion thereof forming an air delivery duct with an outlet for supplying an air stream: an impeller; an electric motor with a shaft that is connected to said impeller for actuation thereof, to produce said air stream through said air delivery duct; at least one electric resistor, arranged along said delivery duct, and powered in order to heat the air stream while passing through said delivery duct; at least one light source arranged so as to emit a light beam through the outlet of said air delivery duct, said impeller, electric motor and electric resistor being accommodated in said enclosure.

2. The hair dryer of claim 1, wherein said at least one light source comprises at least one light bulb that is accommodated in said air delivery duct.

3. The hair dryer of claim 2, wherein said at least one light bulb is arranged upstream of said at least one electric resistor along a direction of the air stream generated by said impeller along said air delivery duct.

4. The hair dryer of claim 2, further comprising at least one light parabolic reflector that is arranged substantially coaxially to said air delivery duct and is orientated with a concavity thereof facing the outlet of said air delivery duct.

5. The hair dryer of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of regions which are transparent for allowing passage of the light beam produced by said at least one light source, said transparent regions being provided at least on side walls of said air delivery duct.

6. The hair dryer of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of regions which are translucent for allowing passage of the light beam produced by said at least one light source, said translucent regions being provided at least on side walls of said air delivery duct.