Patent Description:
Most related hair straighteners are wired hair straighteners which are connected by a wire at a lower end for power supply. When in use, the hair straightener is frequently moved or rotated, during which the wire often interferes with the movements of the hair straightener, which is quite problematic. In order to solve this problem, cordless hair straighteners have recently been developed.

For the hair straighteners, a hinge structure is generally used for allowing the movements of the upper and lower arms, but such hinge structure has a problem of being exposed to the outside, deteriorating aesthetics and it is also directly exposed to external shocks. Further, when connecting to a charging wire for use, there is a problem in that the wire hinders the movements of the hair straightener.

Further, as the hair straightener is repeatedly moved between an open position and a closed position, the internal wires are put under strain, which causes the wires to be easily worn out. Further, because a handle of the hair straightener should be sized so that it can be easily held in one hand for use, this should be taken into consideration when designing wiring structure.

Document <CIT> discloses a hair straightening apparatus having two arms pivotably coupled together and a heating plate on a facing side of at least one arm. Document <CIT> discloses a hair styling device, comprising a main body part and a clamping part, wherein the main body part comprises a main body outer shell and an air suction assembly, the main body outer shell has a first cavity, a first air inlet and a first air outlet which are communicated with one another, and the air suction assembly is located in the first cavity.

In order to solve one or more problems (e.g., the problems described above and/or other problems not explicitly described herein), the present disclosure provides a cordless hair straightener according to claim <NUM>.

The first hinge may be accommodated in the first housing and not exposed to the outside, and the second hinge may be accommodated in the second housing and not exposed to the outside.

The body may include a guide hole on a lower side surface, and when pressurizing equipment is inserted along the guide hole, the protrusions of the first hinge may be retracted, allowing the first housing to be attached or detached.

The cordless hair straightener may further include a swivel assembly connected to a cable that supplies external power supply, in which the body may include a guide hole and a charging terminal on a lower side surface, the swivel assembly may be fixedly coupled with the body through the guide hole, and the swivel assembly may electrically connect the cable and the charging terminal, while allowing infinite rotation of the body without twisting the cable.

The swivel assembly may include an upper assembly fixedly coupled with the body, a lower assembly coupled with the cable, and a cable fixing member fixing the cable so as not to be separated.

The cordless hair straightener may further include a charging cradle including a magnet disposed in a lower portion of the body, a hall effect sensor, an output terminal configured to contact the input, and a controller that controls application of external power supply to the output terminal.

The controller of the charging cradle is configured to, if the hall effect sensor does not sense the magnetic force of the magnet, block application of the external power supply to the output terminal so as to prevent a short circuit due to short of the output terminal, and if the hall effect sensor senses the magnetic force of the magnet, start applying the external power supply to the output terminal.

The controller of the charging cradle may be further configured to, if the hall effect sensor senses the magnetic force of the magnet, gradually increase amount of power applied to the output terminal, thereby preventing a generation of sparks in an incomplete contact state.

An elastic member may be disposed between the first housing and the body, and an elastic member may be disposed between the second housing and the body.

The cordless hair straightener may further include a first wire electrically connecting the output of the battery and the first heater unit, and a second wire electrically connecting the output of the battery and the second heater unit.

The input of the battery may be disposed in the lower portion of the body, the output of the battery may be disposed in an upper portion of the body, the first heater unit may be disposed so that at least a part of the lower side surface faces at least a part of the upper side surface of the body, the second heater unit may be disposed so that at least a part of the lower side surface faces at least a part of the upper side surface of the body, one end of the first wire may be connected to the output of the battery, and the other end of the first wire may be connected to the upper side portion of the first heater unit, one end of the second wire may be connected to the output of the battery, and the other end of the second wire may be connected to the upper side portion of the second heater unit.

At least a part of the first wire may be located between the first housing and the first heater unit, and at least a part of the second wire may be located between the second housing and the second heater unit.

The first heater unit may include a first recess in which the first wire located between the first housing and the first heater unit is disposed, and the second heater unit may include a first recess in which the second wire located between the second housing and the second heater unit is disposed.

The body may include a first accommodating unit accommodating at least a part of the first wire and a second accommodating unit accommodating at least a part of the second wire, and the first accommodating unit and the second accommodating unit may be formed in the upper portion of the body.

The part of the first wire accommodated in the first accommodating unit includes at least one bent curved portion, and the part of the second wire accommodated in the second accommodating unit includes at least one bent curved portion.

The part of the first wire accommodated in the first accommodating unit may include a plurality of bent curved portions to prevent disconnection of the first wire while the first heater unit is moved between the closed position and the open position, and the plurality of curved portions of the first wire may be formed by being bent in different directions, respectively, and the part of the second wire accommodated in the second accommodating unit may include a plurality of bent curved portions to prevent disconnection of the second wire while the second heater unit is moved between the closed position and the open position, and the plurality of curved portions of the second wire may be formed by being bent in different directions, respectively.

A cordless hair straightener having dual hidden hinge structure which is aesthetically pleasing can be provided.

The tension applied to the wires is alleviated to prevent the wires from being easily worn out or cut.

The power loss of the cordless hair straightener can be minimized and the use time of a user can increase.

As the volume of the wires accommodated in the body decreases, the overall size of the body that serves as a handle of the cordless hair straightener also decreases, and as a result, user convenience also increases.

User can operate the cordless hair straightener using a DC charging cable even when the battery is not fully charged.

It is possible to prevent a situation during use in which the cordless hair straightener is separated from the cable and the lower assembly, or the power supply stops.

When the user uses the cordless hair straightener with the cable connected to the lower assembly, the cable can be prevented from being twisted.

A short circuit due to a short of the output terminal in the charging cradle can be prevented.

It is possible to prevent a generation of sparks in incomplete contact state between the output terminal and the first charging terminal of the cordless hair straightener.

The wires can be stably accommodated in the two recesses while the cordless hair straightener is moved between the open position and the closed position.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Hereinafter, example details for the practice of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations will be omitted if it may make the subject matter of the present disclosure rather unclear.

In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are assigned the same reference numerals. In addition, in the following description of various examples, duplicate descriptions of the same or corresponding components may be omitted. However, even if descriptions of components are omitted, it is not intended that such components are not included in any example.

Advantages and features of the disclosed examples and methods of accomplishing the same will be apparent by referring to examples described below in connection with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples disclosed below, and may be implemented in various forms different from each other, as long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims, and the examples are merely provided to make the present disclosure complete, and to fully disclose the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains.

The terms used herein will be briefly described prior to describing the disclosed example(s) in detail. The terms used herein have been selected as general terms which are widely used at present in consideration of the functions of the present disclosure, and this may be altered according to the intent of an operator skilled in the art, related practice, or introduction of new technology. In addition, in specific cases, certain terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and the meaning of the terms will be described in detail in a corresponding description of the example(s). Therefore, the terms used in the present disclosure should be defined based on the meaning of the terms and the overall content of the present disclosure rather than a simple name of each of the terms.

As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates the singular forms. Further, the plural forms are intended to include the singular forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates the plural forms. Further, throughout the description, if a portion is stated as "comprising (including)" a component, it is intended as meaning that the portion may additionally comprise (or include or have) another component, rather than excluding the same, unless specified to the contrary.

Prior to describing the examples of the present disclosure, it is to be noted that the upper direction of the drawing may be referred to as "upper portion" or "upper side" of the configuration shown in the drawing, and the lower direction may be referred to as "lower portion" or "lower side". In addition, in the drawings, a portion between the upper and lower portions of the configuration shown in the drawings, or a portion other than the upper and lower portions may be referred to as "side portion" or "side". Relative terms such as "upper portion" and "upper side" may be used to describe the relationship between components shown in the drawings, and the present disclosure is not limited by these terms.

Further, the term "module" or "unit" used herein refers to a software or hardware component, and "module" or "unit" performs certain roles. However, the meaning of the "module" or "unit" is not limited to software or hardware. The "module" or "unit" may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium or configured to play one or more processors. Accordingly, as an example, the "module" or "unit" may include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and at least one of processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, micro-codes, circuits, data, database, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Furthermore, functions provided in the components and the "modules" or "units" may be combined into a smaller number of components and "modules" or "units", or further divided into additional components and "modules" or "units.

The "module" or "unit" may be implemented as a processor and a memory. The "processor" should be interpreted broadly to encompass a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, and so forth. Under some circumstances, the "processor" may refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and so on. The "processor" may refer to a combination for processing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other combination of such configurations. In addition, the "memory" should be interpreted broadly to encompass any electronic component that is capable of storing electronic information. The "memory" may refer to various types of processor-readable media such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic or optical data storage, registers, and so on. The memory is said to be in electronic communication with a processor if the processor can read information from and/or write information to the memory. The memory integrated with the processor is in electronic communication with the processor.

<FIG> are perspective views of a cordless hair straightener <NUM> in an open state and a closed state. <FIG> shows the cordless hair straightener <NUM> in an open state, and <FIG> shows the cordless hair straightener in a closed state. As shown, the cordless hair straightener <NUM> includes a first housing <NUM>, a second housing <NUM>, a first heater unit (not shown), a second heater unit <NUM>, and a body <NUM>.

The first heater unit and the second heater unit <NUM> receive power supply from a battery (DC power supply, not shown) disposed in the cordless hair straightener <NUM>. The battery is included in the body <NUM>. Further, the first heater unit and the second heater unit <NUM> may include a heating resistor (not shown) and may operate as a heating element by the power supplied from the battery.

The first housing <NUM> moves the first heater unit between a closed position and an open position. Similarly, the second housing <NUM> moves the second heater unit <NUM> between a closed position and an open position. In the open position, at least a part of the body <NUM> located between the first housing <NUM> and the second housing <NUM> may be exposed to the outside. Meanwhile, in the closed position, the body <NUM> may be almost shielded by the first housing <NUM> and the second housing <NUM>.

The first housing <NUM> and the second housing <NUM> accommodate at least a part of the body <NUM>. For example, the first housing <NUM> may accommodate a part of the left side of the body <NUM>, and the second housing <NUM> may accommodate a part of the right side of the body <NUM>. The first housing <NUM> and the second housing <NUM> accommodate at least a part of the first heater unit and at least a part of the second heater unit <NUM>, respectively. For example, the second housing <NUM> may accommodate a part of the second heater unit <NUM> by covering all of a plurality of surfaces of the second heater unit <NUM> excluding at least one surface. In this case, the at least one surface of the second heater unit <NUM> exposed to the outside may include a surface to be in contact with the hair of a user.

<FIG> is a perspective view of the cordless hair straightener with the first housing <NUM> and the second housing <NUM> removed. The first heater unit <NUM> may be disposed so that at least a part of a lower side surface faces at least a part of an upper side surface of the body <NUM>. For example, when the first heater unit <NUM> is in the closed position, the lower side surface of the first heater unit <NUM> may face a part of the upper side surface of the body <NUM>, and when the first heater unit <NUM> is in the open position, a part of the lower side surface of the first heater unit <NUM> may face a part of the upper side surface of the body <NUM>. Similarly, the second heater unit <NUM> may be disposed so that at least a part of a lower side surface faces at least a part of the upper side surface of the body <NUM>.

The first heater unit <NUM> may accommodate at least a part of wires <NUM> to <NUM>. For example, the wires <NUM> to <NUM> may be accommodated inside the first heater unit <NUM>, and at least a part of the third wire <NUM> and the fourth wire <NUM> may extend to be disposed in a first recess <NUM> of the first heater unit <NUM>. In <FIG>, while only the first recess <NUM> accommodating the third wire <NUM> and the fourth wire <NUM> therein is shown, the first heater unit <NUM> may also include a second recess (not shown) that accommodates the first wire <NUM> and the second wire <NUM> therein. In addition, similarly to the first heater unit <NUM>, the second heater unit <NUM> may include two recesses to accommodate at least a part of the wires located between the second heater unit <NUM> and the second housing <NUM>.

The body <NUM> may accommodate at least a part of the wires <NUM> to <NUM> in the accommodating unit <NUM> formed on one side of an upper portion of the body <NUM>. Specifically, the wires <NUM> to <NUM> disposed along the two recesses may be extended and accommodated in the accommodating unit <NUM>. In this case, each of the wires <NUM> to <NUM> accommodated in the accommodating unit <NUM> may include a plurality of bent structures which will be described in detail below with reference to <FIG>. Similarly, an accommodating unit may also be formed on the other side of the upper portion of the body <NUM> to accommodate at least a part of the wires connected to the second heater unit <NUM>.

A first hinge <NUM> and a second hinge <NUM> are disposed on a lower portion of the body <NUM>. The first housing <NUM> is engaged with the first hinge <NUM> so as to be movable on the first hinge <NUM> between the closed position and the open position. In this process, the first heater unit <NUM> is moved between the closed position and the open position together with the first housing <NUM>. Similarly, the second housing <NUM> is engaged with the second hinge <NUM> so as to be movable on the second hinge <NUM> between the closed position and the open position.

As shown, when the first hinge <NUM> and the first housing <NUM> are engaged with each other, the first hinge <NUM> may be accommodated in the first housing <NUM> and not exposed to the outside. Similarly, when the second hinge <NUM> and the second housing <NUM> are engaged with each other, the second hinge <NUM> may be accommodated in the second housing <NUM> and not exposed to the outside. With this configuration, a cordless hair straightener having a dual hidden hinge structure can be provided, in which the hinge is not exposed to the outside and which is aesthetically pleasing.

The body <NUM> may include an elastic member <NUM>. Specifically, the elastic member <NUM> may be disposed on a lower end of the body <NUM> to provide elastic restoring force for the first housing <NUM> to be moved from the closed position to the open position. Similarly, an elastic member may be additionally disposed between the second housing <NUM> and the body <NUM>.

<FIG> is an exploded view of a first heater unit. The first heater unit may be disassembled into a first member 210_1 and a second member 210_2. The first member 210_1 may be a structure for accommodating/fixing a heating resistor. The second member 210_2 may include a first recess <NUM> and a second recess <NUM> for accommodating the wires <NUM> to <NUM>. For example, a part of the third wire <NUM> and the fourth wire <NUM> may be accommodated in the first recess <NUM>, and a part of the first wire <NUM> and the second wire <NUM> may be accommodated in the second recess <NUM>.

The two recesses <NUM> and <NUM> may refer to the recessed paths for the wire disposed between the first housing <NUM> and the first heater unit to be received therein. For example, the two recesses <NUM> and <NUM> may be configured with appropriate width and depth so as to accommodate two wires, and accordingly, the wires <NUM> to <NUM> can be stably accommodated in the two recesses <NUM>, <NUM> while the first heater unit is moved between the open position and the closed position. With this configuration, a part of the wires <NUM> to <NUM> may be disposed between the first housing <NUM> and the first heater unit. The second heater unit may be configured similarly to the first heater unit.

<FIG> are perspective views showing wire arrangement between the body <NUM> and the two heaters <NUM> and <NUM>. <FIG> is a side perspective view of the two heaters <NUM> and <NUM>. The first heater unit <NUM> may be connected to the output of the body <NUM> (e.g., to a main board of the body) or the output of the battery through a first set of wires <NUM> to <NUM>, and the second heater unit <NUM> may be connected to the output of the body <NUM> (e.g., to the main board of the body) or the output of the battery through a second set of wires <NUM> to <NUM>. A first part P1 of the first set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> may be accommodated in the two recesses of the first heater unit <NUM>. Similarly, a first part P1 of the second set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> may be accommodated in the two recesses of the second heater unit <NUM>.

A second part P2 of the first set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> and the second set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> may be accommodated in the two accommodating units of the body <NUM>, respectively. In this case, the output of the battery (not shown) may be disposed in an upper portion of the body <NUM>, so that one end of the second part P2 of the first set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> and the second set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> may be electrically connected to the output of the battery. The second part P2 of the first set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> and the second set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> may include a bent curved portion. For example, the second part P2 is bent in z-shape, s-shape, etc., so that the tension applied to the wires <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM> are relieved while the two heaters <NUM> and <NUM> are moved between the open position and the closed position. With this configuration, the wires <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM> can be prevented from being easily worn out or disconnected.

<FIG> is a rear perspective view of the second heater unit <NUM>. One end on the first part P1 of the second set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> may be electrically connected to an upper side portion of the second heater unit <NUM> to supply power to the second heater unit <NUM>. Similarly, one end of the first part P1 of the first set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> may be electrically connected to an upper side portion of the first heater unit <NUM> to supply power to the first heater unit <NUM>.

<FIG> are a perspective view and an exploded view of the body <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the body <NUM> may include a locking member <NUM>, batteries <NUM> and <NUM>, and dual hinges <NUM> and <NUM>.

The inputs of the batteries <NUM> and <NUM>, which are connected to external power supply (e.g., AC power supply for charging the batteries), may be disposed in the lower portion of the body <NUM>. Further, the outputs of the batteries <NUM> and <NUM> for supplying power to the first and second heater units may be disposed in the upper portion of the body <NUM>. Specifically, the outputs of the batteries <NUM> and <NUM> may be disposed in the upper portion of the body <NUM> and electrically connected to the first and second heater units through the wires <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the wires accommodated in the accommodating unit of the body <NUM> may include a curved portion <NUM>. One wire may include a plurality of curved portions. Each of the curved portions may be formed by being curved (bent) in different directions from one another.

<FIG> is a schematic view showing wiring structure of the wires <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>. As shown, the first set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> may electrically connect the first heater unit <NUM> and an output <NUM> of the battery. Similarly, the second set of wires <NUM> to <NUM> may electrically connect the second heater unit <NUM> and the output <NUM> of the battery. Further, the output <NUM> of the battery may be positioned in the upper portion of the body <NUM>, and an input <NUM> of the battery may be positioned in the lower portion of the body <NUM>.

As shown, the vertical length of the body <NUM> is longer than that of the first heater unit <NUM> and the second heater unit <NUM>. Accordingly, when the wires <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM> extend from the output <NUM> of the battery disposed in the upper portion of the body <NUM> toward the lower portion of the body <NUM>, and extend back to the upper portion of the body <NUM> and connected to the lower side portions of the first heater unit <NUM> and the second heater unit <NUM>, the length of the required internal wire is longer than that of the wires <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM> in <FIG>. Since the length of the wire is proportional to the power loss, the configuration described above can minimize the power loss of the cordless hair straightener and increase use time. Further, as the volume of the wires accommodated in the body <NUM> decreases, the overall size of the body <NUM> that serves as a handle of the cordless hair straightener also decreases, thereby increasing user convenience.

<FIG> shows examples of operation of the dual hinges <NUM> and <NUM> coupled with the body <NUM>. As shown, a lower side surface of the body <NUM> may include the dual hinges <NUM> and <NUM>, two guide holes <NUM> and <NUM>, first charging terminals <NUM> and <NUM>, and a DC charging port <NUM>. The first charging terminals <NUM> and <NUM> and the DC charging port <NUM> may be configured to be electrically connected to the input (not shown) of the battery located in the body <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an example in which the dual hinges <NUM> and <NUM> are in protruded states. When there is no external pressure applied to the dual hinges <NUM> and <NUM>, at least a part of the dual hinges <NUM> and <NUM> may be protruded externally from the body <NUM>. Specifically, two protrusions (not shown) of each of the dual hinges <NUM> and <NUM> may be protruded in opposite directions to each other. The details of the structure of the protrusions will be described below with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> shows a state in which the first and second housings are removed, but the first and second housings may be engaged with the first hinge <NUM> and the second hinge <NUM>, respectively. In this case, the protrusion of the first hinge <NUM> may be engaged with a fastening groove (not shown) present on an inner side surface of the first housing, thereby fixing the first housing to the body <NUM>. Accordingly, the first hinge <NUM> can be prevented from being exposed to the outside of the cordless hair straightener. Similarly, the protrusion of the second hinge <NUM> may be engaged with a fastening hole (not shown) present on an inner side surface of the second housing, thereby fixing the second housing to the body <NUM>.

When the lower portion of the body <NUM> is coupled with a charging cradle (not shown), power may be supplied to the cordless hair straightener through the first charging terminals <NUM> and <NUM>. An example in which the lower portion of the body <NUM> is coupled with the charging cradle will be described below with reference to <FIG>. Additionally, even when a DC charging cable (not shown) is connected to the DC charging port <NUM>, power can be supplied to the cordless hair straightener. With the above configuration, even when the battery is not fully charged, user is able to operate the cordless hair straightener by using the DC charging cable.

<FIG> shows an example in which the first hinge <NUM> is in retracted state. When pressurizing equipment <NUM> is inserted along the first guide hole <NUM>, the protrusions of the first hinge <NUM> may be retracted. The retraction of the protrusions of the first hinge <NUM> may allow the first housing to be detached and attached. Similarly, when the pressurizing equipment <NUM> is inserted into the second guide hole <NUM>, the protrusions of the second hinge <NUM> may be retracted to allow the second housing to be detached and attached.

<FIG> is a detailed view of the first hinge <NUM>. As shown, the first hinge <NUM> includes two protrusions <NUM> and <NUM>, a hinge housing <NUM>, and a guide hole <NUM>. The guide hole <NUM> may be in communication with the first guide hole <NUM> of the body <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Although only the first hinge <NUM> is shown in <FIG>, the second hinge <NUM> may also include two protrusions, a hinge housing, and a guide hole connected to the second guide hole <NUM>. The first hinge <NUM> and the second hinge may be disposed in the body to face each other.

The hinge housing <NUM> may fixedly accommodate at least a part of the two protrusions <NUM> and <NUM>. Accordingly, when the pressurizing equipment (not shown) is inserted into the guide hole <NUM> and external force is applied to the two protrusions <NUM> and <NUM> in a predetermined direction, the first protrusion <NUM> and the second protrusion <NUM> may be moved in a predetermined direction.

<FIG> is a view showing the first hinge with the hinge housing removed. As shown, <FIG> shows an example in which external force by the pressurizing equipment <NUM> is not applied to the first hinge. The first protrusion <NUM> has a first inclined surface <NUM>, and the second protrusion <NUM> has a second inclined surface <NUM>. As shown, the first inclined surface <NUM> and the second inclined surface <NUM> are not in parallel. The first protrusion <NUM> and the second protrusion <NUM> are disposed in opposite directions on the same axis.

<FIG> shows an example in which the pressurizing equipment <NUM> applies external force in a predetermined direction A to the first inclined surface <NUM> and the second inclined surface <NUM>. As shown, when external force is applied to the first inclined surface <NUM> and the second inclined surface <NUM> in the predetermined direction A, the two protrusions <NUM> and <NUM> of the first hinge may be retracted. Specifically, the first protrusion <NUM> is moved in a first direction C, and the second protrusion <NUM> is moved in a second direction B opposite to the first direction C. The direction A is perpendicular to the directions B and C. Accordingly, a distance between an end of the first protrusion <NUM> and an end of the second protrusion <NUM> may be reduced from L1 to L2.

As described above in <FIG>, the two protrusions <NUM> and <NUM> of the first hinge <NUM> may be engaged with the fastening hole in the first housing. However, when external force is applied to the first inclined surface <NUM> and the second inclined surface <NUM> in the predetermined direction A, the two protrusions <NUM> and <NUM> may be retracted, which in turn causes the first protrusion <NUM> and the second protrusion <NUM> to be released from the fastening with the fastening hole, and the first housing may be separated from the body.

<FIG> shows an example in which a swivel assembly <NUM> and a cable <NUM> are connected to the cordless hair straightener <NUM>. The cable <NUM> may supply external power supply to the cordless hair straightener <NUM>. Further, the swivel assembly <NUM> may prevent the cable <NUM> from being twisted while the user uses the cordless hair straightener <NUM> with the cable <NUM> connected. That is, when the swivel assembly <NUM> is engaged with the cordless hair straightener <NUM>, the user may use the cordless hair straightener <NUM> in infinite rotation without twisting the cable <NUM> even when the cable <NUM> is connected.

<FIG> shows an example of fixing the cable <NUM> to the swivel assembly <NUM>. As shown, the swivel assembly <NUM> may include an upper assembly <NUM>, a lower assembly <NUM>, and a cable fixing member <NUM>. Further, the upper assembly <NUM> may include two locking parts <NUM> and <NUM>. The swivel assembly <NUM> may be engaged with the body as the locking parts <NUM> and <NUM> are fixedly coupled with the two guide holes included in the lower side surface of the body (not shown). Accordingly, the upper assembly <NUM> of the swivel assembly <NUM> may be fixedly coupled with the cordless hair straightener.

The cable <NUM> may be coupled with the lower assembly <NUM>. Specifically, a terminal of the cable <NUM> may be coupled with a port of the lower assembly <NUM>. In a state in which the cable <NUM> and the lower assembly <NUM> are coupled with each other, by moving the cable fixing member <NUM> in a direction B , the cable <NUM> may be fixed so as not to be separated from the lower assembly <NUM>. On the contrary, when the cable fixing member <NUM> is moved again in a direction A, the cable <NUM> may be separated from the lower assembly <NUM>. With this configuration, separation from the cable <NUM> and the lower assembly <NUM> or cut of the power supply can be prevented while the user uses the cordless hair straightener.

<FIG> shows an example of rotation directions A and B. As described above, the upper assembly <NUM> of the swivel assembly <NUM> may be fixed to the guide holes included in the lower side surface of the body by two locking parts <NUM> and <NUM>. Additionally, the upper assembly <NUM> and the lower assembly <NUM> may be configured to be rotated infinitely while maintaining electrical connection. Accordingly, the swivel assembly <NUM> may electrically connect the cable <NUM> and a charging terminal included in the lower side surface of the body, while allowing the body to be rotated infinitely in the direction A or B without having the cable <NUM> twisted. With this configuration, even when the user uses the cordless hair straightener with the cable <NUM> connected to the lower assembly <NUM>, it is possible to prevent the cable <NUM> from being twisted.

<FIG> are exploded views of the swivel assembly <NUM>. <FIG> is an exploded view in a direction of the upper assembly <NUM>. As shown, the cable fixing member <NUM> may be hinge-coupled to the lower assembly <NUM>. In this case, when the cable fixing member <NUM> is positioned in parallel to the rotational axis of the lower assembly <NUM>, the cable may be fixedly coupled with the fixing member <NUM>.

<FIG> is an exploded view in a direction of the lower assembly <NUM>. As shown, the lower assembly <NUM> may include second charging terminals <NUM> and <NUM>. The second charging terminals <NUM> and <NUM> may be electrically connected to the first charging terminals (<NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) of the body, so that the cable and the first charging terminal of the body can be electrically connected.

<FIG> is a perspective view of a charging cradle <NUM>. When the cordless hair straightener is not in use, the user may place the cordless hair straightener in the charging cradle <NUM> to charge the battery of the cordless hair straightener. As shown, the charging cradle <NUM> may include a holder <NUM> and output terminals <NUM> and <NUM>. In this case, the output terminals <NUM> and <NUM> may include spring fingers respectively.

The holder <NUM> may have a recessed shape. Specifically, the holder may have a recessed shape which is the same or similar to an outer surface of the lower portion of the cordless hair straightener (or of the first housing and the second housing) so as to be fixedly held as the lower portion of the cordless hair straightener is inserted into the holder <NUM>. In addition, the output terminals <NUM> and <NUM> may be positioned in the holder <NUM>, so that the cordless hair straightener may be charged upon being placed on the holder <NUM>. With this configuration, the output terminals <NUM> and <NUM> may be electrically connected to the first charging terminals (<NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) of the body, so that the cable and the first charging terminal of the body may be electrically connected. That is, the charging cradle <NUM> may serve as both a holder and a charger for the cordless hair straightener. Although the cable is not connected in <FIG>, the cable may be connected to the charging cradle <NUM> to charge the cordless hair straightener.

<FIG> shows an example in which the cordless hair straightener <NUM> is held by the charging cradle <NUM>. <FIG> shows an example of the cordless hair straightener <NUM> before being held by the charging cradle <NUM>. The cordless hair straightener <NUM> may include a magnet <NUM> on a lower side portion. Additionally, the charging cradle <NUM> may include a hall effect sensor <NUM> which detects the magnetic force of the magnet <NUM>. Before the cordless hair straightener <NUM> is held, the hall effect sensor <NUM> may not detect the magnetic force of the magnet <NUM> so that charging of the cordless hair straightener <NUM> may not start.

<FIG> shows an example of the cordless hair straightener <NUM> held by the charging cradle <NUM>. As shown, the lower side portion of the cordless hair straightener <NUM> may be held by the holder of the charging cradle <NUM> to be stably fixed. Further, as the cordless hair straightener <NUM> is held in place, the magnet <NUM> may be in proximity to the hall effect sensor <NUM>. Accordingly, the charging cradle <NUM> may detect the magnetic force of the magnet <NUM> and start charging the cordless hair straightener <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram of the charging cradle <NUM>. As shown, the charging cradle <NUM> may include a hall effect sensor <NUM>, a controller <NUM>, and output terminals <NUM> and <NUM>. In this case, the output terminals <NUM> and <NUM> may be configured to be electrically connected to the input of the battery of the cordless hair straightener.

The controller <NUM> may include a soft start circuit <NUM> and an N-channel FET <NUM>. The controller <NUM> may control the application of external power supply to the output terminals <NUM> and <NUM>. If the hall effect sensor <NUM> does not sense the magnetic force of the magnet <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may block external power supply from being applied to the output terminals <NUM> and <NUM>. With this configuration, short circuits due to short of the output terminals <NUM> and <NUM> can be prevented. Meanwhile, if the hall effect sensor <NUM> senses the magnetic force of the magnet <NUM>, the controller <NUM> may gradually increase amount of power applied to the output terminals <NUM> and <NUM> through the soft start circuit <NUM>. With this configuration, generation of sparks in an incomplete contact state between the output terminals <NUM>, <NUM> and the first charging terminals (<NUM>, <NUM> of <FIG>) of the cordless hair straightener can be prevented.

The methods, operations, or techniques of the present disclosure may be implemented by various means. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Whether such a function is implemented as hardware or software varies according to design requirements imposed on the particular application and the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

In a hardware implementation, processing units used to perform the techniques may be implemented in one or more ASICs, DSPs, digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure, computer, or a combination thereof.

Accordingly, various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed with general purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of those designed to perform the functions described herein. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any related processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a DSP and microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, or any other combination of the configurations.

In the implementation using firmware and/or software, the techniques may be implemented with instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD), magnetic or optical data storage devices, etc. The instructions may be executable by one or more processors, and may cause the processor(s) to perform certain aspects of the functions described in the present disclosure.

Claim 1:
A cordless hair straightener (<NUM>), comprising:
a body (<NUM>) which includes a battery including an input (<NUM>) and an output (<NUM>) and charged by an external power supply through the input (<NUM>);
a first heater unit (<NUM>) and a second heater unit (<NUM>) electrically connected to the output (<NUM>) of the battery;
a first housing (<NUM>) accommodating at least a part of the body (<NUM>) and at least a part of the first heater unit (<NUM>), and moving the first heater unit (<NUM>) between a closed position and an open position; and
a second housing (<NUM>) accommodating at least a part of the body (<NUM>) and at least a part of the second heater unit (<NUM>), and moving the second heater unit (<NUM>) between a closed position and an open position;
wherein the first housing (<NUM>) is engaged with a first hinge (<NUM>) disposed in a lower portion of the body (<NUM>) and is movable on the first hinge (<NUM>) between the closed position and the open position, characterized in that
the second housing (<NUM>) is engaged with a second hinge which is different from the first hinge (<NUM>) and disposed in the lower portion of the body (<NUM>), and is movable on the second hinge between the closed position and the open position;
the first hinge (<NUM>) includes a first protrusion (<NUM>) having a first inclined surface (<NUM>) and a second protrusion (<NUM>) having a second inclined surface (<NUM>),
the first protrusion (<NUM>) and the second protrusion (<NUM>) are disposed in opposite directions (B, C) on the same axis, and
when external force is applied to the first inclined surface (<NUM>) and the second inclined surface (<NUM>) in a predetermined direction (A), the first protrusion (<NUM>) is moved in the first direction (C), and the second protrusion (<NUM>) is moved in the second direction (B) opposite to the first direction (C), allowing the first housing (<NUM>) to be attached and detached.