Nozzle attachment for a hair dryer

A nozzle attachment for a hair dryer has a cylindrical element for connecting a flow-directing member to the nozzle of a hair dryer. The flow-directing member deflects the air coming from the hair dryer by a certain acute angle. The flow-directing member is rotatable relative to the cylindrical element. Vanes are provided within the flow-directing member. They are slanted to the direction of air flow from the hair dryer, so that impingement of air on the vanes causes the flow-directing member to rotate thus providing air flow having a continually varying flow direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a nozzle attachment for a hair dryer. 
Hair dryers which blow a stream of hot air onto hair to be dried have been 
known for many years. A basic hair dryer comprises a fan, a heating 
element and a casing forming a direction nozzle through which air heated 
by the heating element is blown by the fan. 
It is an object of the invention to provide a nozzle attachment for a hair 
dryer which improves hair drying. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The nozzle attachment for a hair dryer according to the present invention 
is primarily characterized by: 
a flow-directing member with an inlet and an outlet for air, the 
flow-directing member being rotatable about an axis of rotation; 
means for driving the flow-directing member in rotation, the means for 
driving connected to the flow-directing member; and 
the outlet deflecting the air entering through the inlet at an acute angle 
to the axis of rotation of the flow-directing member. 
Preferably, the means for driving comprises a turbine connected inside the 
flow-directing member. The turbine advantageously comprises at least one 
vane positioned radially within the flow-directing member perpendicular to 
a direction of flow of air entering through the inlet, the vane slanted 
relative to the direction of flow of air. 
The flow-directing member expediently comprises an angled pipe section. The 
outlet is provided at a free end of the angled pipe section and is slanted 
relative to a direction of flow of air entering through the inlet. 
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle attachment 
further comprises means for attaching the flow-directing member to the 
hair dryer. The flow-directing member is advantageously rotatable relative 
to the means for attaching. 
The means for attaching is a substantially cylindrical element having at a 
first end thereof a means for engaging a snap fit connector at the nozzle 
of a hair dryer and having at a second end thereof a means for receiving 
the flow-directing member. 
Expediently, the means for receiving comprises a connector positioned on 
the central axis of the cylindrical element. The turbine comprises a boss 
and a central spindle extending through the boss and inserted into the 
connector such that the turbine together with the flow-directing member is 
rotatable within the connector. 
The boss comprises a throughbore through which the spindle extends, whereby 
the throughbore is provided with a friction-reducing bearing. 
The means for receiving comprises ribs extending radially between the 
connector and an inner wall of the cylindrical element for fastening the 
connector to the cylindrical element. 
Advantageously, the connector has a cylindrical shape and is positioned 
such that a longitudinal axis thereof coincides with the central axis of 
the cylindrical element. The connector has a conical end pointing toward 
the first end and a frusto-conical bore open toward the second end for 
receiving the central spindle. 
The flow-directing member has a cylindrical section with an external 
cylindrical surface. The cylindrical element has at the second end a 
section with an internal cylindrical surface. The radius of the internal 
cylindrical surface is larger than the radius of the external cylindrical 
surface. The external cylindrical surface is received in the section with 
the internal cylindrical surface. 
According to the present invention the nozzle attachment for a hair dryer 
provides means for varying the direction of air flow exiting from the hair 
dryer. The means for varying is in the form of a rotatable flow-directing 
member. The nozzle attachment has a means for driving the flow-directing 
member in rotation, wherein the outlet of the flow-directing member 
directs the air at an angle to the axis of rotation of the flow-directing 
member. 
Preferably, the means for driving comprises a turbine having at least one 
vane disposed radially in the flow-directing member, the vane being 
slanted relative to the direction of air flow so that air impingement 
causes a rotational force to be exerted on the flow-directing device. 
According to the present invention, the flow directing devices rotates due 
to the vanes disposed therein. With the vanes the flow direction of the 
air from the hair dryer is also rotated, thus causing greater disturbance 
to the hair than direct impingement of air resulting in a faster drying 
action of the hair dryer. Since the hair is disturbed to a greater extent, 
the hair will have greater body when dried.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
With reference to the Figures, an embodiment of the invention is shown 
which comprises a means for attaching 100 for connecting the nozzle 
attachment to a hair dryer and a flow-directing member 200 connected to 
the means for attaching 100 so as to be rotatable relative thereto. 
The means for attaching 100 comprises a cylindrical element 120 having a 
means for engaging 110, for example, in the form of a groove arranged at a 
first end 121 to engage a corresponding internal snap fit connector of a 
hair dryer nozzle (not shown). It will be readily understood that this 
means for engaging can be adapted to suit any make or model of hair dryer 
to allow the means for attaching 100 to engage the hair dryer nozzle. 
The generally hollow cylindrical element 120 has three radially aligned 
ribs 122 disposed therein. The ribs 122 together serve to mount a means 
for receiving (connector) 124 arranged on the central axis C of the 
cylindrical element 120. The connector 124 is provided with a 
frusto-conical bore 126 and, in order to reduce drag, is provided with a 
conical end 128 pointed in the direction of oncoming air flow A. 
The flow-directing member 200 includes a hollow cylindrical section 210 
with an inlet 202 and an outlet 201. The cylindrical section 210 has an 
external cylindrical surface 212 of slightly smaller diameter than a 
corresponding internal cylindrical surface 140 of a section of the 
cylindrical element 120 at the second end 123. A turbine comprising three 
vanes 220 is provided within the cylindrical element 120. The vanes 220 
support a boss 230 which is provided with an axial throughbore 232. The 
vanes 220 are slanted relative to the direction of air flow A entering the 
flow-directing member 200 at the inlet 202 as shown in FIG. 3. 
The cylindrical section 212 is connected to a flow-directing section 240 
which comprises a curved portion having the outlet 201 positioned at a 
slant (acute angle .alpha.). 
The means for attaching 100 and the flow-directing member 200 are shown 
connected in FIG. 4. A steel pin 300 is passed through the throughbore 232 
in boss 230 and engages with an interference fit the connector 124. 
Washers 310 and a Teflon bearing 320 are also provided in order to reduce 
rotational friction between the flow-directing member 200 and the means 
for attaching 100. 
In use, the flow-directing member 200 will cause air blown in from the hair 
dryer through cylindrical element 120 to change direction to that of 
arrows B in FIGS. 2 and 4. Accordingly, the air exits from the 
flow-directing member 200 at an acute angle of, for example, approximately 
30.degree. (as shown in the described embodiment) to the central axis C of 
the cylindrical element 120 and the rotational axis R of member 200. 
However, the flow of the air through the nozzle attachment also impinges 
upon vanes 220 causing the flow directing member 200 to rotate about pin 
300 (axis of rotation R). The net result is that the air from the hair 
dryer will not only be deflected to flow direction B, but will also rotate 
as a function of the speed of rotation of the flow-directing member 200 
thus providing air flow substantially shaped as a cone. Such an air flow 
pattern provides greatly improved drying characteristics compared to the 
uni-directional air flow of a conventional hair dryer. 
Although the invention has been described in reference to a self-driven 
flow-directing member, this is not to be construed as a limiting example. 
It is conceivable to provide a separate motor or a geared connection to 
the hair dryer fan motor. Furthermore, although the invention has been 
disclosed as a nozzle attachment to be connected to a hair dryer, the 
invention may be realized by forming the nozzle attachment as an integral 
part of a hair dryer. 
The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the specific 
disclosure of the specification and drawings, but also encompasses any 
modifications within the scope of the appended claims.