Patent Publication Number: US-9883725-B1

Title: Wall-mounted hair dryer

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is entitled to the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/830,080 filed on Jun. 1, 2013, the specification of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a wall-mounted hair dryer that frees a user&#39;s hands for other tasks. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     A conventional blow dryer must be held in one hand while the hair is styled with the other. Complicated hair styles may require the dryer to be repeatedly placed onto and retrieved from a support surface, which is burdensome and inconvenient. For those with arthritis, Parkinson&#39;s disease or similar ailments, using a conventional blow dryer without assistance may be impossible. 
     Accordingly, there is currently a need for a hair dryer that is easier to operate than a conventional, handheld blow dryer. The present invention addresses this need by providing a wall-mounted hair dryer having repositionable air nozzles surrounding an adjustable mirror for conveniently drying the hair without using the hands. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a wall-mounted hair dryer comprising a housing having at least one outer wall with a turbo air blower received therein. On the outer wall are a pair of control switches for adjusting the blower speed and the intensity of an internal heater. At the upper end of the housing is a manifold in fluid communication with the air blower. The manifold includes at least a left, a right and a central conduit, each having an outlet with an adjustable, louvered nozzle mounted thereon. The nozzles surround an adjustable mirror for assisting a user with styling the hair. The blower housing is mounted on a wall or door using one of three mounting brackets. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hair dryer that is mounted on a wall to free a user&#39;s hands for other tasks. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a wall-mounted hair dryer having adjustable air nozzles surrounding a mirror to allow a user to easily project hot air to a desired location. 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the attached drawings and the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front, plan view of the hair dryer according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the hair dryer. 
         FIG. 3  is an isolated view of the manifold. 
         FIG. 4  is an isolated view of an exemplary air-delivery nozzle. 
         FIG. 5  is an isolated, side view of a first mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 6  is an isolated, rear view of the first mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 7  is an isolated, top view of the first mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a second mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 9  is front, plan view of the second mounting bracket. 
         FIG. 10  is a front, plan view of a third mounting bracket and associated spine. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The present invention relates to a wall-mounted hair dryer comprising a housing  1  having at least one outer wall with a turbo air blower  60  received therein. On the outer wall are a pair of control switches  2  for adjusting both the intensity of an internal heater and the blower speed. Furthermore, a button  54  allows a user to selectively activate the turbo blower or to operate the dryer using a normal blower speed. Preferably, the heater is infused with tourmaline, titanium dioxide and silver for eradicating bacteria from the heated air and for shining the user&#39;s hair. The air intake to the blower/heater includes a screen and a replaceable or washable filter for removing particulates. 
     At the upper end of the housing is a manifold  3  in fluid communication with the air blower. The manifold includes at least a left  4 , a right  5  and a central conduit  6 , each having an outlet with an air-delivery nozzle  7  mounted thereon. Each nozzle includes adjustable louvers  8  for redirecting or completely disabling airflow, if desired. The louvers are mounted within a first section  9  having a chamfered rear surface  10  that abuts a chamfered front surface  11  on an adjacent section  12 . Therefore, as the first section is rotated, the nozzle changes directions to allow a user to redirect hot air, as desired. Furthermore, the louvers pivot within the first section to allow further adjustment. There is minimal friction between the louvers and first section so that the louvers can be easily pivoted but will remain in a select position when released. 
     The nozzles surround an adjustable mirror  13  for assisting a user with styling the hair. On a rear surface of the mirror is a ball-and-socket joint  14  that is attached to the central conduit on the manifold. 
     The blower housing is mounted on a wall or door using one of three mounting brackets. A first bracket  15  includes a central, I-shaped spine  16  having a cross member  17  at both the upper end and the lower end. Each cross member includes several slots  18  for receiving fasteners that attach the bracket to a wall. Extending from the front surface of the spine are a pair of adjustable, circular clamps  19  for gripping the housing exterior. 
     A second bracket  20  is configured to fasten the blower housing to a door and includes a plurality of tabs  21  on the rear surface of a linear spine  70 . A receiver plate  22  includes an L-shaped latch  23  on an upper end that fits over the upper edge of a door  24 . The receiver plate includes a plurality of cavities  25  longitudinally formed thereon that are positioned and dimensioned to receive the tabs on the spine. Therefore, the spine can be secured at a desired position on the receiver plate to mount the blower housing at a desired height. 
     A third bracket  26  includes a receiver plate  27  having cross members  82  and slots  83  for fixedly attaching the receiver plate  27  to a wall with fasteners, in a similar manner as the first bracket. The receiver plate includes cavities  28  longitudinally disposed thereon that receive tabs  29  on the rear surface of a linear spine  80  to adjustably mount the housing on a wall. 
     The above-described device is not limited to the exact details of construction and enumeration of parts provided herein. For example, though the device has been primarily depicted and described as being a stand-alone unit, the device may not include an integral blower. Instead, several adapters would allow a conventional, handheld blow-drier to be attached to the device. Furthermore, the size, shape and materials of construction of the various components can be varied. 
     Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims.