Abstract:
An electric hair curler is disclosed as including a handle; and a heating tube engaged with the handle and having a longitudinal axis, and the heating tube is adapted to be releasably engaged with hair and is operable to heat hair engaged therewith, and the heating tube is rotatably movable relative to the handle about the longitudinal axis of the heating tube.

Description:
This invention relates to an electric hair curling apparatus, in particular such an apparatus having a surface on which hair to be heated and curled may be wound. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   An electric hair curler usually has a heating part fixedly engaged with a handle. The heating part is generally cylindrical in shape around the outer surface of which hair may be wound. The free end of hair is then held between the outer surface of the heating part and a clamp. The whole electric hair curler is rotated to curl the hair wound thereon, and thereafter activated to heat the hair. 
   A shortcoming with such an arrangement is that it is inconvenient for a user to rotate the whole hair curler to have his/her own hair wound thereon. In addition, during such rotation, the electric cable connected with and powering the hair curler is also twisted, which may, after repeated use, weaken the integrity and strength of the cable, including both the plastics sheath and the electrically conductive wires. 
   It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an electric hair curling apparatus in which the aforesaid shortcomings are mitigated, or at least to provide a useful alternative to the public. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to the present invention, there is provided an electric hair curling apparatus including a handle member; and a heating member engaged with said handle member and having a longitudinal axis, wherein said heating member is adapted to be releasably engaged with hair and is operable to heat hair engaged therewith, and wherein said heating member is rotatably movable relative to said handle member in at least a first direction about said longitudinal axis of said heating member. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an electric hair curling apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with a clamp in an open position; 
       FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 , with the switch in the foremost position and the heating tube rotated in a first direction; 
       FIG. 4  is a side view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 , with the switch in a middle position; 
       FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 , with the switch in a rearmost position and the heating tube rotated in a second direction; 
       FIG. 6A  is a side sectional view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the switch in the foremost position; 
       FIG. 6B  is an enlarged view of the encircled part in  FIG. 6A ; 
       FIG. 7A  is a side sectional view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the switch in the middle position; 
       FIG. 7B  is an enlarged view of the encircled part in  FIG. 7A ; 
       FIG. 8A  is a side sectional view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1  with the switch in the rearmost position; 
       FIG. 8B  is an enlarged view of the encircled part in  FIG. 8A ; 
       FIG. 9A  is an enlarged perspective view showing the position of the gear and ratchet stoppers when the switch is in the foremost position; 
       FIG. 9B  is a top view of the gear and ratchet stoppers of  FIG. 9A ; 
       FIG. 9C  is a side view of the gear and ratchet stoppers of  FIG. 9A ; 
       FIG. 10A  is an enlarged perspective view showing the position of the gear and ratchet stoppers when the switch is in the middle position; 
       FIG. 10B  is a top view of the gear and ratchet stoppers of  FIG. 10A ; 
       FIG. 10C  is a side view of the gear and ratchet stoppers of  FIG. 10A ; 
       FIG. 11A  is an enlarged perspective view showing the position of the gear and ratchet stoppers when the switch is in the rearmost position; 
       FIG. 11B  is a top view of the gear and ratchet stoppers of  FIG. 11A ; and 
       FIG. 11C  is a side view of the gear and ratchet stoppers of  FIG. 11A . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   An electric hair curler according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and generally designated as  10 . The hair curler  10  has a handle  12  and a heating tube  14  which are engaged with each other for relative rotational movement, in a manner to be discussed below. 
   The handle  12  has an ON/OFF button  16  which is movable to activate or deactivate the curler  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the heating tube  14  is generally cylindrical in shape and around which hair may be wound. The hair is kept wound around the outer surface of the heating tube  14  by a clamp  18 . The clamp  18  is spring-biased to the position as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
   In operation, a lever  20  is pressed down to raise the clamp  18  away from the heating tube  14  to allow hair to be positioned between the heating tube  14  and the clamp  18 . The lever  20  is then released to return the clamp  18  to the normal position shown in  FIG. 1 , so as to retain the hair wound between the clamp  18  and the heating tube  14 . The heating tube  14  together with the clamp  18  are then rotated relative to the handle  12  to wind the hair around the heating tube  14 . After the hair is properly wound, the button  16  is pushed to the ON position to activate an electric circuit to heat up the heating tube  14 , so as to heat and curl the hair. After sufficient heating and curling, the heating tube  14  and the clamp  18  are rotated relative to the handle  12  in the reverse direction to un-wind the hair. Finally, the clamp  18  is raised again from the heating tube  14  to release the hair. 
   The handle  12  also has a switch  22  which is movable among a foremost position as shown in  FIG. 3 , a middle position as shown in  FIG. 4 , and a rearmost position as shown in  FIG. 5 , to control the direction in which the heating tube  14  may be rotated relative to the handle  12 , about the longitudinal axis of the heating tube  14 . In particular, when the switch  22  is in the foremost position, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the heating tube  14  is rotatable relative to the handle  12  only in the direction indicated by the arrow R, but not in the opposite direction. When the switch  22  is in the rearmost position, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the heating tube  14  is rotatable relative to the handle  12  only in the direction indicated by the arrow S, but not in the opposite direction, i.e. the direction indicated by the arrow R in  FIG. 3 . When the switch  22  is in the middle position, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the heating tube  14  is rotatable relative to the handle  12  in both directions. 
   As shown in  FIGS. 6A to 8B , the switch  22  has an two legs  24   a ,  24   b , each acting on a respective ratchet stopper  26   a ,  26   b  facing each other. 
   As shown more clearly in  FIGS. 9A to 9C , when the switch  22  is in the foremost position, the leg  24   a  acts on an outer end of the ratchet stopper  26   a , whereby the inner end of the ratchet stopper  26   a  is raised, whereas the leg  24   b  acts on and brings down an inner end of the ratchet stopper  26   b . The heating tube  14  is fixedly engaged with a gear  28  for simultaneous rotational movement. When the switch  22  is in this position, the ratchet stopper  26   a  is clear of the gear  28 , whereas because of the resilience of an inwardly extending finger  30  of the ratchet stopper  26   b , the gear  28  may rotate relative to the ratchet stopper  26   b  and the switch  22  in the direction indicated by the arrow T in  FIG. 9A , which is the same as the direction indicated by the arrow R in  FIG. 3 , but not in the opposite direction. 
   When the switch  22  is in the middle position, and as shown in  FIGS. 10A to 10C , the legs  24   a ,  24   b  act on the respective stoppers  26   a ,  26   b  to raise their inner ends clear of the gear  28 . The gear  28 , and thus the heating tube  14  fixedly engaged with it, may thus rotate relative to the handle  12  about the longitudinal axis of the heating tube  14  in both directions. 
   When the switch  22  is in the rearmost position, and as shown in  FIGS. 11A to 11C , the leg  24   b  acts on an outer end of the ratchet stopper  26   b , whereby the inner end of the ratchet stopper  26   b  is raised, whereas the leg  24   a  acts on and brings down an inner end of the ratchet stopper  26   a . The ratchet stopper  26   b  is thus clear of the gear  28 , and because of the resilience of an inwardly extending finger  32  of the ratchet stopper  26   a , the gear  28  may rotate relative to the ratchet stopper  26   a  and the switch  22  in the direction indicated by the arrow W in  FIG. 11A , which is the same as the direction indicated by the arrow S in  FIG. 5 , but not in the opposite direction. 
   As a user may hold both the handle  12  and the heating tube  14  for relative rotational movement during use, the user may be hurt by the hot heating tube  14  if no protection is provided. In this connection, and as shown in  FIG. 1 , a free longitudinal end of the heating tube  14  is fixed with a heat insulating and electrically insulating element  34  to be held by a user in use. The element  34  may be made of polybutylene terephthalate or glass-reinforced polybutylene terephthalate. 
   It should be understood that the above only illustrates an example whereby the present invention may be carried out, and that various modifications and/or alterations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention. 
   It should also be understood that various features of the invention which are, for brevity, described here in the context of a single embodiment, may be provided separately or in any appropriate sub-combinations.