Patent Publication Number: US-2005122009-A1

Title: Compact shop and cabinet for hair dressing and beauty

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present invention relates to a compact shop for hairdressing and beauty that can be set in a suitable place internally and externally of a room, and a cabinet for hairdressing and beauty that may be utilized in the shop.  
     BACKGROUND ART  
      A shop for hairdressing and beauty in a conventional manner was run inside a room in a building equipped with: a chair for hairdressing and beauty; a mirror, a sink, a shelf and the like along a wall, or a partitioning wall with these equipments being provided. That is, a conventional shop for hairdressing and beauty is based on an idea utilizing a room inside a building as a hairdressing and beauty room (salon).  
     DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention has been accomplished on the basis of a new idea in which a simple assembled set is used as a compact shop without modification, different from the conventional idea such that a room in a building is used as a hairdressing and beauty room (salon). An object of the present invention is to provide a compact shop for hairdressing and beauty capable of being assembled in a desired place even indoor, premises or outdoor if a flat place of about 1 Tsubo (about 3 to 4 m 2 ) is available and capable being used without modification, and a cabinet for hairdressing and beauty.  
      A compact shop for hairdressing and beauty of the present invention is characterized in that the shop is comprised of, at least, a small type of floor base having a space where a customer can sit on a chair and a barber or a beautician is able to perform hairdressing or beauty work therearound, a cabinet for hairdressing and beauty stood upright on one side of the floor base, and a partition stood upright on the other side of the floor base opposing thereto, and is capable of being assembled. The compact shop for hairdressing and beauty can also be assembled only by the small type of floor base and the cabinet for hairdressing and beauty stood upright on one side of the floor base.  
      In a preferred embodiment, the floor base is a main body whose plane is substantially circular, and the cabinet is provided in a shape so as to be stood upright along the circumferential edge of the floor base. The floor base is made compact by being formed to be in a substantially circular shape in a range of about 1.5 to 2.5 m in diameter.  
      Further, in another preferred embodiment, a mirror is provided on the front portion of a cabinet provided with a space and a shelf for storage, a vacuum cleaner for hair cleaning is installed inside the cabinet, and an air hose connected to the cleaner is supported rotatably within the cabinet in a manner that an end of the air hose is capable of being turned and pulled from the inside of the cabinet to the forward side of the front of the cabinet. An outer door is provided on the front side of the cabinet, the whole front of the cabinet is covered by the outer door in the closed state, and the outer door is arranged along the peripheral edge of the floor base in the open state to function as a partition. A partition is stood upright on the other side of the floor base so as to oppose to the cabinet, and a mirror is installed on the inner surface of the partition so as to oppose to the mirror in the front portion of the cabinet so that the back of a customer is reflected in the mirror.  
      Further, in another preferred embodiment, a cash reception machine is installed on the front side of the cabinet. A structure may be employed in which an illuminator is installed on the upper part of the cabinet and the illuminator is turned on when cash is paid in the cash reception machine. A foot rest for customers is detachably installed on the floor base on the front side of the cabinet. The interior of the foot rest may be utilized as a dust storage portion. The foot rest is formed so as to be fitted within the floor base area inside the outer door in the state that the outer door of the cabinet is closed.  
      Further, in another preferred embodiment, a controller having a storage processing function for input information is provided inside the cabinet, and a cash insert slot of a cash reception machine for transmitting payment information to the controller and an information input/output terminal device for transmitting and receiving information on the barber and beautician and customers are provided on the front side of the cabinet.  
      A cabinet for hairdressing and beauty of the present invention is characterized by a structure where a mirror is provided in the front portion, a vacuum cleaner for hair cleaning is installed internally, an air hose connected to the cleaner is internally and rotatably supported in a manner that an end of the air hose is capable of being turned and pulled from the inside to the forward of the front on the outside, and an outer door for covering these members is further provided on the front side.  
      In another preferred embodiment, the outer door is formed so as to function as a partition in the open state. Further, a controller having a storage processing function for input information is provided internally, and a cash insert slot of a cash reception machine for transmitting payment information to the controller and an information input/output terminal device for transmitting and receiving information on the barber and beautician and customers are provided on the front side. The front and back surfaces of the cabinet are formed to be curved surfaces along the substantially circular arc shape, and the outer door can be also likewise formed outwardly expanded curved surfaces. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of a compact shop for hairdressing and beauty according to the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a view showing the front side of a cabinet of the shop in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  is a cutaway end view of the whole shop taken on line A-A of  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 4  is a cutaway end view of the cabinet portion taken on line B-B of  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 5  is a cutaway end view of the cabinet portion taken on line C-C of  FIG. 2 .  
       FIG. 6  is a schematic plan view in the state that an outer door of the shop in  FIG. 1  is opened.  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view in the state that an outer door of the shop in  FIG. 1  is closed.  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view in the state that an outer door of the shop in  FIG. 1  is opened.  
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view when an illuminator is mounted on the shop in  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a cabinet for hairdressing and beauty.  
       FIG. 11  is a view showing the cabinet front side in an embodiment in which a cash reception machine and an information input/output terminal device are provided side by side.  
       FIG. 12  is an external view of one example of the information input/output terminal device to be installed in the cabinet.  
      FIGS.  13 (A), (B) and (C) show examples of installation of the compact shop for hairdressing and beauty.  
    
    
     BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION  
      Preferred embodiments of the compact shop for hairdressing and beauty and the cabinet for hairdressing and beauty according to the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings.  
      The compact shop for hairdressing and beauty shown in FIGS.  1  to  6  is constituted by a floor base  1 , a cabinet for hairdressing and beauty (merely referred to as a cabinet)  2  and a partition  3  being assembled, and a chair  4 , a foot rest  5  and the like being disposed.  
      The floor base  1  is constituted such that a cabinet mounting plate  11   b  expanded to be concentric circular with suitable width and depth is connected to one side of a circular plate  11   a  to form a floor board  11 , a skirting  12  is placed in the outer peripheral edge of the floor board  11 , and a reinforcing material is suitably disposed under the floor board. The floor board  11  is formed to be about 1.5 to 2.5 m, preferably about 2 m in a diameter, and the skirting  12  is made to be an arbitrary form where the cabinet  2  and the partition  3  can be vertically arranged and fixed, for example, having a latch structure by being provided with latch portions on suitable places. The chair  4  is fixed to the central portion of the floor base  1 . This chair  4  has a mechanism that a seat  42  is moved up and down to adjust the height by operation of a pedal  41  projected to the side. It is noted that the chair  4  may also be placed in a freely moveable manner on the floor base  1 , in which case, preferably, when an outer door  2 A of the cabinet  2  described later is closed, it is stored in the outer door.  
      The cabinet  2  is placed on the floor base  1  while engaging with the cabinet mounting plate  11   b  and the skirting  12  portion of the floor base  1 , and further with a splint disposed in the boundary between the circular plate  11   a  and the mounting plate  11   b  as necessary, and is firmly fixed at suitable places by means of screws or the like. The cabinet  2  is comprised of a front surface  21  in the form of a curved surface along the circular arc surface of the circular plate  11   a , and a rear surface  22  in the form of a curved surface in parallel maintaining suitable depth (storage spacing), and is further comprised of left and right side surfaces, an upper surface, a bottom surface and a partitioning surface. A storage door  23  is provided in the central upper portion of the front surface  21 , and a front mirror  24  is integrally mounted on the front surface of the storage door  23 . The storage door  23  is installed capable of being slidably opened and closed laterally (the form to be opened and closed by rotation may be employed), and the inside of the door is utilized as a storage for storing a jacket, baggage or the like of customers.  
      A vacuum cleaner for hair cleaning (not shown) is installed in the storage portion provided in the central lower portion of the cabinet  2 , an air hose  25  connected to the cleaner is extended and lifted up to the upper portion of the cabinet, a horizontal portion  25  bent horizontally at the upper end is bridged over within the storage clearance on the lower side of the upper surface of the cabinet  2 , and an expandable hang-down portion  25   b  connected to the end of the horizontal portion  25  and a suction port  25   c  connected to the end of the hang-down portion  25   b  are stored in a side corner portion of the cabinet  2 . The air hose  25  is supported rotatably about a vertical axis inside the cabinet, and as shown in  FIG. 6 , the horizontal portion  25  connected to the air hose  25  is turned about the support portion and pulled from the inside of the cabinet to the forward side of the front of the cabinet whereby the cut hair on the head of a customer seated in the chair  4  can be vacuumed from the suction port  25   c.    
      Further, as shown in  FIG. 2 , a multi-stage storage shelf  26  is provided on one side of the cabinet  2 , on the right side in the figure, to store an ultraviolet sterilizer in the middle stage and a dust box in the lower stage, for example. On the other side of the cabinet  2 , an air conditioner is installed on the upper stage, an air blow-out port  27  and a ventilation louver are formed in the front surface portion and rear surface portion thereof, respectively, a cash reception machine  28  is installed on the middle stage, and a cash insert slot is exposed to the front surface portion. A washer or a supersonic washer  29  is installed on the lower side of the cash reception machine  28 .  
      Further, double-door type outer doors  2 A,  2 A are mounted on the front surface of the cabinet  2 . The outer doors  2 A,  2 A are formed to be a curved surface, outer edges of which are connected to front ends on left and right sides of the cabinet  2  in a freely rotatable manner through hinges so as to become a continuous surface with respect to the left and right sides of the cabinet  2  in the door-closed state and to constitute a curved wall surface expanded forward of the cabinet contrary to the rear surface portion  22  to cover the whole front surface of the cabinet  2 . Further, in the door-open state, the outer doors  2 A,  2 A are arranged along the peripheral edge of the floor base  1  matched to the circular arc of the skirting  12  so as to function as a partition for shielding a customer seated in the chair  4  from the outside at the left and right sides.  
      The partition  3  is stood upright on the other side of the floor base  1  opposing to the cabinet  2  stood upright on one side of the floor base  1 . The partition  3  is formed to have a suitable width capable of hiding the space at the rear of the floor base  1 , leaving an enough gap for a customer can come in and out of the floor base  1  between the partition  3  and the side end of the outer door  2 A in the open state. Both left and right ends of the partition  3  are connected to support columns  31 ,  31  secured to the skirting  12  and stood upright. As shown in  FIG. 6 , a back mirror  32  is mounted at a suitable position of the inner surface of the partition  3 , that is, at a position where a customer seated in the chair  4  can see the reflection of his (her) own back of the head in a front mirror  24 .  
      As shown in FIGS.  3  to  6 , preferably, a foot rest  5  is provided on the floor base  1  between the chair  4  and the cabinet  2 . The foot rest  5  is formed to be in a size and shape capable of being stored between the front surface portion  21  of the cabinet and the outer door  2 A in the state that the outer door  2 A of the cabinet  2  is closed. It may be constituted so that the interior of the foot rest  5  is made to be a cavity, and a lid portion for opening the cavity by stepping a pedal is provided on the front side wall of the foot rest, a dust storage portion (dust box) that can be taken in and out from an opening is installed, and a sweep off opening corresponding to the opening is formed in the front wall portion of the dust storage portion.  
      As described above, the compact shop for hairdressing and beauty of the present invention is of the assembly type in which the cabinet  2  is stood upright on one side of the floor base  1 , the partition  3  is stood upright on the other side, and the chair  4  and the foot rest  5  are installed. In case of the form shown, the compact shop has basically a cylindrical outer shape, where the cabinet  2  is projected in a concentric circular manner from one side of the floor base  1 . According to this shop, when the shop is closed, the outer doors  2 A,  2 A are closed and suitably locked as shown in  FIG. 7 , whereas when the shop is open, the outer doors  2 A,  2 A are opened and set above the skirting  12  to be used as a partition as shown in  FIG. 8 .  
       FIG. 8  shows the form that an illuminator  6  is installed in the compact shop for hairdressing and beauty having the structure described above. A support pole  61  is bridged and installed above the cabinet  2  and the partition  3  and the illuminator  6  is installed in the central portion of the support pole  61 . In this case, the cash reception machine  28  and the illuminator  6  are electrically connected so that cash is inserted into a cash insert slot, and when the cash reception machine  28  confirms the payment, a circuit for connecting both is closed to turn on the illuminator  6 , which indicates a sign of completion of reception of a customer.  
      In the shop having the structure, a reception is completed when a customer enters the floor base  1  and makes a payment for hairdressing and beauty work to the cash insert slot of the cash reception machine  28 . The illuminator  6  is turned on as payment is made. The customer&#39;s jacket or baggage is then stored into the cabinet  2  by opening the storage door  23 , and the customer is made to sit in the chair  4 . The barber or beautician steps the pedal  41  to adjust the height of the seat  42  of the chair  4 , and takes tools out of the storage shelf  26  to perform the hairdressing or beauty work. After the haircut, the air hose  25  is pulled out of the cabinet  2 , the switch of the vacuum cleaner for hair cleaning is turned on to start the cleaner, and the cut hair or the like of the customer is sucked into the suction port  25   c.    
      The compact shop for hairdressing and beauty of he present invention, in case of installing indoor, can be formed as a shop even without the partition installed. Further, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the compact shop of the invention can be formed as a shop by only arranging the cabinet  2  and the chair  4  in the front thereof, without using the floor base  1 . In this case, the foot rest  5  may be arranged arbitrarily. Further, the cabinet  2  without the outer door  2 A mounted can also constitute a shop.  
       FIG. 11  shows a form in which a controller having storage processing function of input information and an information input/output terminal device for transmitting and receiving information on barber and beautician and customers are installed on the cabinet  2 . More specifically, a controller (not shown) is installed inside the cabinet  2  in place of the air conditioner, the information input/output terminal device  7  is installed on the front side of the cabinet  2 , payment information is input into the controller from the cash reception machine  28 , information on the barber and beautician and customers is input into the controller from the information input/output terminal device  7 , and information output from the controller is displayed and output onto the display screen of the information input/output terminal device  7 .  
      The information input/output terminal device  7  is constituted by arranging various operating keys  71  and a liquid crystal display screen  71  on the front side of the cabinet  2 .  
      The operating keys  71  are constituted by function keys for inputting information relating to the barbers and beauticians who work in the shop and their customers, such as shop open or closed, registration No. of barber and beautician in charge, start or end of work, working hours, gender or age of customers, number of customers, whether and the like; ten keys; and other keys for inputting various information. Information input by operating the operating keys  71  is input in the controller in order. Further, payment information is input from the cash reception machine  28  into the controller every time a customer visits and makes payment for hairdressing or beauty work to the cash reception machine  28 .  
      The controller has a function of controlling the operation of the information input/output terminal device  7  and the cash reception machine  28 , and also a function of processing and storing various information. Further, the controller is connected to a server and internet and other suitable communication lines installed in a management head office for operating and managing business carried out in the shop so that various information can be transmitted and received between the controller and the management head office. More specifically, the various information to be input from the information input/output terminal device  7  by the barber or beautician in charge of the shop, and payment information output from the cash reception machine  28  are transmitted to the server of the management head office from the controller, and the management head office can grasp information about the business performance, sales achievement and the like of the shop on the basis of the transmitted information. Further, various instructions from the management head office to the barber and beautician are transmitted from the server to the controller so that the controller is able to display and output the transmitted information on the liquid crystal display screen  71  to inform the barber and beautician. Further, information such as various advertisements, news and the like for customers are also transmitted from the server so that these information can be displayed and output to the liquid crystal display screen  71  to inform customers of various information.  
      Such a compact shop for hairdressing and beauty as described can be an individual single shop. In case of installing a plurality of shops, there can be various forms of arrangement in consideration of environment, shape or width of a space, the adjacencies and the like of installation place. The arrangement conditions shown in FIGS.  13 (A), (B) and (C) are one example.  
      Further, the compact shop for hairdressing and beauty can be installed indoors, by arranging one or plurality of the shops side by side, such as an air port, an open ground, various con-courses, train station platforms and other desired premises of a building, or desired outdoors such as outside a building, a street corner, a park and the like. Moreover, the shop is compact, and can be opened in a space of, for example, 1 Tsubo (approximately 3 to 4 m 2 ). Even only the cabinet for hairdressing and beauty can be taken as a shop for hairdressing and beauty by itself Further, this shop can be easily assembled or disassembled, requiring no foundation work.  
      The outer door of the cabinet for hairdressing and beauty prevents the stored items and equipments in the cabinet from being stolen in the closed state, while in the open state, it functions as a partition which divides the shop into inner and outer sections.  
      As described above, the present invention provides a shop for hairdressing and beauty in a compact form. The structure of each part or section is not limited to the description of the embodiments described previously, but modifications in des can be made and various changes belong to the present invention. The shape of the floor base is not limited only to a regular circle, but an elliptic, other circles, a polygon or the like may be employed. Further, the outer circumferential shape of the floor base may be formed to be uneven, and the whole floor board including the cabinet mounting portion may be formed to be a continuous shape or a separate shape.  
      According to the present invention, a small type compact shop for hairdressing and beauty can be realized by assembling a fixed shaped cabinet for hairdressing and beauty; a fixed shaped floor base and a cabinet for hairdressing and beauty; or a fixed shaped floor base, a cabinet for hairdressing and beauty and a partition. This shop is manufactured at less cost, its carrying, storage, assembly and disassembly are simple, and a selection of its installation place can be remarkably widened in both indoor and outdoor.  
      Further, a single assembly can be taken as a shop, and it is also possible to arbitrarily arrange a plurality or a number of the assemblies to form a shop. This shop is flexible in desirable design affording the shop, to appeal its beauty as an object to the surrounding environments. For example, the floor base is made to be circular, whereby there can be constituted a small type shop of about 1 Tsubo (about 3 to 4 m 2 ) which is good in external appearance, and excellent in function. In the cabinet for hairdressing and beauty, equipment for hairdressing and beauty can be made sufficiently compact, and if the outer door is provided, the shop can be protected when it is close, and it can be functioned as a partition.