Abstract:
A hair straightener or straightening device is provided that includes a handle adapted to be attached to a housing. The housing has a heat transmissive plate surrounded by a cover formed by curved rings and teeth, which serve to guide and tension the hair along the heat transmissive plate. The heat transmissive plate is heated by hot air. The air is directed and diverted to heat the transmissive plate to a temperature hot enough to straighten hair.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a hair styling product. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hair straightener or straightening device that uses hot air to straighten or smooth the hair.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Prior Art  
           [0004]    A variety of different devices and methods may be used for straightening hair. For example, the user may employ a hairbrush to place tension on his or her hair while applying heated air with a hair dryer. In particular, the user gathers a portion of hair and extends it away from the user&#39;s head. The extended hair portion is then treated with heated air to enable it to retain its extended shape. However, this method is a two-handed procedure that requires agility, concentration and, thus, can be strenuous and tiresome for the user.  
           [0005]    An alternative method for hair straightening is use of a styler/dryer appliance. The appliance has various styling attachments, such as a brush or a comb, which attach to the nozzle of the hair dryer, and typically having an elongated body with a head portion in which the hot air flow exits laterally therefrom. Thus, the appliance can be manipulated in the same fashion as a common brush, namely one&#39;s hair being dried and styled as the user merely brushes or combs his or her hair. The air outlet in a styler/dryer is a larger area than that of the typical blower/dryer and, consequently, the air exits through this outlet at a lower velocity. This lower velocity and less concentrated air flow will not tend to adversely blow or scatter the user&#39;s hair as much as the high velocity air in the blower/dryer, thereby facilitating the styling operation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,286 discloses an example of such a styler/dryer.  
           [0006]    Hair can also be straightened by applying a relaxing agent to break down the natural curls of the hair. A hair dryer is then typically used to dry the hair and, in some cases, provides the requisite heat necessary to activate the relaxing agent.  
           [0007]    Further, a curling iron or similar device may facilitate straightening of hair by compressing the hair between flat surfaces of heated iron.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for straightening hair.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a hair straightener that straightens the user&#39;s hair by using hot air.  
           [0010]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide a hair straightener in which a various attachments can be readily attached and detached from the body or handle of the device.  
           [0011]    These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are achieved by the hair straightener of the present invention. The hair straightener comprises a handle having a heat generator and a convector to direct heat away from the handle, a housing connected to the handle and having a heatable surface with one or more vents to release the heat from the housing, a guide for directing hair onto the housing, and a heat distributor adjacent the housing to direct heat from the handle through the vents. The heat generated from the heat generator is directed by the convector into the housing. The heat distributor moves the heat through the housing, thereby heating the heatable surface of the housing and directing heat out of the vents to facilitate the straightening of hair secured by the guide.  
           [0012]    The present invention also provides an attachment for a hair care device. The attachment comprises: a housing having a heatable surface with vents to release the heat from the housing, a guide for directing hair onto the housing, and a cone-shaped heat distributor in the housing to direct heat from the handle through the vents. The cone-shaped heat distributor also directs heat through the housing, thereby heating the heatable surface of the housing and directing heat out of the vents to facilitate the straightening of hair secured by the guide. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    The foregoing and still further objects and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed explanation of the preferred embodiments of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a top view of the hair straightener of the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a side view of the hair straightener of FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion the hair straightener of FIG. 1, turned ninety degrees;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is an opposite side view of the portion of the hair straightener of FIG. 3;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is an end view of the portion of the hair straightener of FIG. 3;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the components of the hair straightener of FIG. 1; and  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the path of the airflow through the hair straightener of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0021]    Referring to the figures and, in particular, FIGS. 1 and 2, a hair straightener or straightening device of the present invention is generally represented by reference numeral  10 . Hair straightener  10  has a body that includes a housing  50  and a handle  70  adapted to be connected to the housing via an adapter  20 . Preferably, housing  50  and handle  70  are in axial alignment.  
         [0022]    Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, handle  70  has a lower handle  72  and an upper handle  74  that are adapted to be removably connected together. They can be secured together by conventional means, such as, for example, one or more screws or mating surfaces, one of which is female and the other of which is male that are adapted to snap fit to each other. Handle  70  also has a switch (not shown) and switch cover  76 , preferably in upper handle  74 , that is adapted to activate a power source. The switch cover  76  is secured to handle  70 , such as, for example, one or more screws  78 . At the end  71  of handle  70 , opposite body  50  is a cap or end cap  80 . End cap  80  is preferably removable. Between end  71  and cap  80 , there can be positioned a filter  82 . It is noted that the portion of handle  70  that encloses filter  82  has a plurality of holes or apertures  81  to permit the filter to breathe.  
         [0023]    Preferably, cap  80  is the connection from handle  70  to a power source, such as, for example, an AC power source.  
         [0024]    Both lower handle  72  and upper handle  74  are made of an appropriate material, such as plastic, metal, rubber or wood. Preferably, the material is plastic.  
         [0025]    Referring to FIG. 3, housing  50  has a heatable surface or heat transmissive plate  56  with one or more vents  58  that permit the release of the heat from the housing. Housing  50  is adapted to receive a covering  60  about its outer exterior. Preferably, covering  60  is a two-piece structure that surrounds heat transmissive plate  56 . Covering  60  has two or more, and preferably a series (which is at least three) of rings  61 , and two or more, and preferably a series of, guides or teeth or series of tines  62 . The series of rings  61 , are preferably curved, and surround the exterior of housing  50 . The teeth or series of tines  62  protrude from housing  50  to evenly distribute hair. The covering  60  is held together at the top by a tip  52  and at the bottom by adapter  20 . Adapter  20  operatively connects and secures housing  50  and covering  60  to handle  70  and allows for the transmission of air from the handle to the housing. Further, adapter  20  prevents any rotation or movement of covering  60 , thereby allowing for hair to be securely guided for straightening.  
         [0026]    Heat transmissive plate  56  is preferably made of a material that is capable of absorbing heat from the hot air produced by the fan located in handle  70  and transmitting the absorbed heat to the user&#39;s hair. Such a material is metal, such as aluminum, or a heat conducting polymer, such as a talc-filled nylon, or a metal filled polycarbonate. Preferably, covering  60  is made of plastic. The rings  61  and teeth  62  may be made of plastic, rubber, or any mixtures thereof. However, the curved rings  61  and teeth  62  may also be integral to covering  60  as shown in the figures.  
         [0027]    Referring to FIG. 7, housing  50  is preferably cylindrical. Housing  50  has an air restrictor or air baffle  66  that is connected to a heat distributor or air diverter  64 . Preferably, the connection is removable. Baffle  66  is preferably located in the center of housing  50 . Heat transmissive plate  56  surrounds the air baffle  66  and air diverter  64 . The one or more vents  58  of heat transmissive plate  56  direct the heated air. The heat distributor or diverter  64  in housing  50  directs heat from handle  70  through the one or more vents  58 . Preferably, diverter  64  is cone-shaped to facilitate the direction of heat. In a preferred embodiment, the tip of the cone-shape of diverter  64  is directed to handle  70 .  
         [0028]    As shown in FIG. 6, heat transmissive plate  56  is preferably laterally curved so that the hair may glide over its upper surface. Also, heat transmissive plate  56  is situated underneath covering  60  such that curved rings  61  surround heat transmissive plate  56 . The rings  61  are designed so that neither the user&#39;s scalp nor neck, come into contact with heat transmissive plate  56 . The rings  61  help to separate and guide the user&#39;s hair. The plurality of teeth  62  of covering  60  weave through the user&#39;s hair and pull the hair to create tension so that the hair is drawn evenly and tightly across heat transmissive plate  56 . Thus, the tension of pulling the user&#39;s hair straightens the hair, and the action of drawing the hair across heat transmissive plate  56  causes the hair to be straightened.  
         [0029]    As stated above, the heat generated from a heating coil or other type of heat generator (not shown), in handle  70 , is directed by a fan or other type of convector (not shown), also in handle  70 , into housing  50 , and diverter  64  moves the heat through the housing, thereby heating transmissive plate  56  and directing heat out of the one or more vents  58  to facilitate the straightening of the hair secured by the guide.  
         [0030]    Housing  50  is preferably connected to handle  70  by adapter  20 , which is preferably configured to releasably receive and secure both housing  50  and handle  70 . Adapter  20  also preferably is configured to enable housing  50  to be releasably connected to various different hair care devices. However, any other method of connection which allows for the transferability of housing  50  to other hair care devices may also be used. Thus, housing  50  can be readily attached and detached from handle  70 , and readily attached onto another hair care device such as, for example, a hair dryer.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 6 also shows adapter  20  and housing  50  with components thereof that make up and connect the housing to handle  70 . These components include cap  52 , air baffle  66 , air diverter  64 , heat transmissive plate  56  with vents  58 , and covering  60  with rings  61  and teeth  62 . Air baffle  66  preferably has a plurality of openings and functions to restrict the flow of air from handle  70  to housing  50  and to distribute the airflow evenly through and between each vent  58  in housing  50 . Air diverter  64 , as described above, facilitates the transfer of heated air from housing  50  to heat transmissive plate  56  and vents  58 . FIG. 7 illustrates the air flow pattern through housing  50 .  
         [0032]    An additional feature of the present invention is a “cool shot button” that allows for momentary removal of heat from device  10  yet continues the flow of air to cool and set hair after straightening. This is preferably accomplished by the arrangement of the heat generator with the convector. Preferably, a portion of the heat generator serves as a voltage dropping, series resistor for the convector. Thus, preferably when the “cool shot button” is actuated, the heat generator is switched off and the portion of the heat generator that is in series with the convector remains open. This allow for the convector to continue to operate and generate an airflow while the heat generator ceases to produce heat thereby creating cool shot of air.  
         [0033]    It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances.