Hand-held hair dryer with selectively positionable baffle

Abstract: A hand-held electrically powered hair dryer includes a main outlet nozzle (1) and secondary air outlets (2) for producing a diffuse distribution of air. A baffle arrangement (5) is moveable between first and second positions to selectively deflect some or all of the air from the nozzle (1) to the secondary air outlets (2). The baffle arrangement consists of a flexible crown-shaped metal foil (10) disposed on the inside of the nozzle, and a mechanism for bending the foil radially inwardly to partially or completely block the nozzle when the baffle is moved toward the second position.

Description: The present invention relates to variable airflow hand-held hair dryers of the type which comprise a nozzle for directing a flow of warm air towards hair to be dried, styled and set. Variable airflow hand-held hair dryers of the type described have previously been proposed. U.S. Patent Specification No. 4,097,722 to Soler proposes a hand-held hair dryer including a selectively adjustable air deflecting damper provided in the barrel for adjusting the area of the nozzle. The damper may be operated to constrict the area of the nozzle, thereby producing a more concentrated airflow. U.S. Patent Specification No. 4,232,454 to Springer discloses a similar arrangement, with a pair of trap doors located in the barrel. The above proposals relate to variable airflow hand-held hair dryers which allow the flow of air to be further concentrated. However, in many cases it is desirable to reduce the concentration of the airflow, because a very concentrated stream of air may disturb the arrangement of the hair which is being dried, styled or set. A hair dryer according to the preamble of Claim 1 is known from DE-A-4 109 775. According to the the invention there is provided a hand-held hair dryer comprising a nozzle for directing warm air towards the hair and a baffle for controlling the flow through the nozzle, whereby air outlets are provided in a wall of the hair dryer upstream of the nozzle, and the baffle arrangement may be selectively set to allow substantially all of the air to flow through the nozzle or to deflect substantially all of the air away from the nozzle and out through the air outlets, the baffle arrangement comprising a flexible metal foil having the shape of a segmented crown, each segment having a flexible apex with the apices being directed in an axial direction and whereby the crown is disposed circumferentially outwardly about the inside wall of the nozzle so as to leave a substantially unobstructed central passage through the crown for air flow through the nozzle, and a guide element is located within the nozzle in axial alignment with the segmented crown and shaped to deflect the apices of the crown towards the center of the nozzle, and a mechanism is provided for selectively causing relative axial movement of the metal foil baffle element and the guide element so that the crown may be moved towards the guide element and the apices deflected by the guide element radially inwardly into an overlapping relationship to close off the central passage through the baffle arrangement and deflect the air towards the air outlets. Thus there is provided a hair dryer of the type described with an improved air flow arrangement. In a preferred construction the air outlets comprise secondary air outlets for producing a diffuse distribution of air flowing to the hair and air vents for directing air away from the hair and a further baffle arrangement is provided for the secondary air outlets, said further baffle arrangement comprising a baffle element movable between a first position in which the baffle element leaves a substantially unobstructed passage for air flow through the secondary air outlets, and a second position in which the baffle element substantially closes off the secondary air outlets. There now follows a description of preferred embodiments of the invention, by way of example, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer according to the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view on a larger scale illustrating the baffle arrangement; Figures 3, 4 & 5 are views of individual components of the baffle arrangement; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the nozzle with the baffle in an open position; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the nozzle with the baffle in a closed position; and Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 2 of a modified construction. Referring to the drawings and in particular to Figure 1, the hair dryer is of the conventional "pistol type" arrangement. The barrel includes three different types of air outlets, namely an air nozzle 1, secondary air outlets 2, and air vents 3. The barrel includes an internal conical collar 4 for directing air to the nozzle 1. The barrel includes a baffle arrangement generally designated 5 (see Figure 2), which may be operated to deflect air from the nozzle 1 to the secondary air outlets 2. The hair dryer also includes a rotatable collar 6 which is rotatable to close-off or to open the secondary air outlets 2. The baffle arrangement 5 may be adjusted to intermediate settings so that some of the air flows through the nozzle 1 while some is deflected to the secondary air outlets 2. The rotatable collar 6 may be rotated to intermediate settings between a position in which the secondary air outlets 2 are fully covered and a position in which the secondary air outlets are fully open. The airflow and the adjustment thereof will now be described in more detail. Air passing through the nozzle 1 produces a concentrated drying effect over a small area. Air passing through the secondary air outlets 2 produces a moderate drying effect over a wider area. Air emerging through the air vents 3 is directed away from the hair, and the primary purpose of these vents is to prevent any air back-pressure which might cause overheating of the electrical heating element of the hair dryer. With three different possible outlets 1,2,3 for the air, and with a baffle arrangement 5 and a rotatable collar 6 each of which may be varied over a range of settings, a wide variety of different patterns of airflow can be produced. A number of these different airflow patterns will now be described. The hair dryer may be operated in the same way as a conventional hair dryer, that is to say with a stream of warm air coming through the nozzle 1. This airflow pattern is achieved by not bringing the baffle arrangement 5 into operation, so that air may flow freely through the nozzle 1. Figure 6 illustrates this mode of operation. The hair dryer may be used to produce a more diffuse pattern than is possible with a conventional hair dryer, so as to assist in styling and setting. The diffuse pattern of airflow is produced by rotating the collar 6 so that the secondary air outlets 2 are open, and by operating the baffle arrangement 5 so that all the air is deflected back from the nozzle 1 to the secondary outlets 2. Figure 7 illustrates this mode of operation. The hair dryer may be operated in similar manner to a conventional hair dryer, but with a much reduced airflow. This reduced airflow pattern is achieved by rotating the collar 6 to partially close the secondary air outlets 2, and by partially operating the baffle arrangement 5 so that some of the air reaching the nozzle 1 passes out through the nozzle, but some of the air is deflected back to the secondary air outlets 2. It will be appreciated that a variety of other air patterns may be produced. The manner of adjusting the air flow pattern will now be desribed. The baffle arrangement 5 is operated by means of a finger trigger 7 on the handle of the hair dryer which is connected by means of a linkage 15 to the baffle arrangement 5. A locking mechanism (not shown) is provided for locking the baffle arrangement 5 in a particular state. The collar 6 is rotated manually. The construction of the baffle arrangement 5 will now be described. The baffle arrangement 5 comprises essentially an annular holder 9 which is located within the nozzle 1 and moveable linearly along the nozzle, a crown shaped flexible metal foil 10 which is mounted on the holder 9, a locking ring 11 for holding the metal foil in position, and an open frame guide element 12 which is fixed within the nozzle 1, a shaft 13 which is connected to spokes 9a on the moveable holder for pulling the moveable holder 9 and crown shaped metal foil 10 towards the guide element 12, and a coil spring 14 for biassing the holder 9 and the metal foil 10 away from the guide element 12. The open frame guide element 12 is generally cup-shaped and comprises an annular rim 12a that is fixed to the nozzle, a central hub 12b at the base of the cup, and a plurality of spaced curved ribs 12c that extend from the rim 12a to the hub 12b. The shaft 13 slidably extends through a central hole in the hub 12b. If the finger trigger 7 is not operated, the metal foil 10 remains in the state shown in Figure 6, allowing air to pass freely along the nozzle 1. However, if the finger trigger 7 is operated the moveable holder 9 and metal foil 10 move linearly towards the fixed guide element 12 against the bias of the spring 14 to cause the apices 10a of the crown shaped metal foil to engage the curved ribs 12c of the guide element 12, which causes the flexible foil apices 10a to curve inwardly, gradually closing off the nozzle. When the finger trigger 7 is fully retracted the segments of the crown shaped metal foil overlap one another to completely block the nozzle 1, as shown in Figure 7. The internal conical collar 4 assists in producing a streamlined flow of air. Firstly, the inner surface of the internal conical collar 4 serves to direct air from the hair dryer to the nozzle 1, and in particular ensures that the air flows in a streamlined flow to the centre of the nozzle 1 and does not escape through the air vents 3. Secondly, when the baffle arrangement 5 is operated so that air is deflected back from the nozzle 1, the outer surface of the conical collar 4 then serves to direct the air to the air vents 3, and in particular the collar is shaped and dimensioned to ensure a streamlined flow of air back to the vents 3, without any interference between the flow of air to the baffle 5 and the flow of air back from the baffle arrangement 5 which might cause air turbulence and overheating. Figure 3 is a side view of the metal foil 10, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the holder 9, and Figure 5 is a perspective view of the locking ring 11. Figure 8 shows a modified construction in which the baffle arrangement 105 has been reversed in direction relative to the construction described so that in the closed position of the baffle air flowing along the nozzle from right to left as seen in Figure 8 encounters and is reflected from a concave baffle instead of a convex baffle. The baffle arrangement 105 comprises essentially an annular holder 109 which is located within the nozzle (not shown) and moveable linearly along the nozzle, a crown shaped flexible metal foil 110 which is mounted on the holder 109, a locking ring 111 for holding the metal foil 110 in position, and an open frame guide element 112 which is fixed within the nozzle, a shaft 113 on which the spokes 109a of the movable holder 109 are slideably mounted so that the movable holder 109 and crown shaped metal foil 110 may be pushed forward along the nozzle, and a coil spring 114 for biassing the holder 109 and metal foil 110 away from the guide element 112.

Claims: A hand held hair dryer comprising a nozzle for directing warm air towards the hair and a baffle for controlling the flow through the nozzle, whereby air outlets are provided in a wall of the hair dryer upstream of the nozzle, and the baffle arrangement may be selectively set to allow substantially all of the air to flow through the nozzle or to deflect substantially all of the air away from the nozzle and out through the air outlets, characterized in that the baffle arrangement comprises a flexible metal foil having the shape of a segmented crown, each segment having a flexible apex with the apices being directed in an axial direction and the crown being disposed circumferentially outwardly about the inside wall of the nozzle so as to leave a substantially unobstructed central passage through the crown for air flow through the nozzle, a guide element being located within the nozzle in axial alignment with the segmented crown and shaped to deflect the apices of the crown towards the center of the nozzle, and a mechanism being provided for selectively causing relative axial movement of the metal foil baffle element and the guide element so that the crown may be moved towards the guide element and the apices deflected by the guide element radially inwardly into an overlapping relationship to close off the central passage through the baffle arrangement and deflect the air towards the air outlets. A hand held hair dryer in accordance with claim 1 characterized in that the air outlets comprise secondary air outlets for producing a diffuse distribution of air flowing to the hair and air vents for directing air away from the hair and wherein a further baffle arrangement is provided for the secondary air outlets, said further baffle arrangement comprising a baffle element movable between a first position in which the baffle element leaves a substantially unobstructed passage for air flow through the secondary air outlets, and a second position in which the baffle element substantially closes off the secondary air outlets.

Inventors: MCDOUGALL JOHN GREGORY, MCDOUGALL, JOHN GREGORY
Applicants: ASIA WORLD TRADE LTD
Application year: 1992
Main classification: A45D20
IPC codes: A45D20