Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Hair washing machine or device or accessory
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-20
2001-06-26
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Hair washing machine or device or accessory
C004S518000, C004S601000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249922
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic hair washer which is established in a beauty salon, a barber's shop or the like and automatically washes a person's hair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 3
is a diagram illustrating a construction of a prior art automatic hair washer.
In the figure, reference numeral
1
designates a mixing tank for mixing water and hot water, which is delivered from an external water supply and an external hot water supply via a curb stop, a strainer, and a check valve (which are not shown) and preparing wash water having a temperature suitable for hair washing. Numeral
2
designates a motor valve. Numeral
3
designates a hot water storing tank for storing the wash water supplied from the mixing tank
1
via the motor valve
2
. Numeral
4
designates a thermistor provided at a lower position of the hot water storing tank
3
to measure a temperature of the wash water in the hot water storing tank
3
. Numeral
5
designates a float switch for detecting an amount of the wash water in the hot water storing tank
3
. Numeral
6
designates a hot water supplying pump for pumping out the wash water from the hot water storing tank
3
. Numeral
7
designates a valve for hand shower. Numeral
8
designates a drawable hand shower used for washing off hairs, shampoo agent, or rinse agent which are attached to a cistern, or in finishing hair washing. Character A
1
designates a hot water supply pipe, one end of which is connected to the hot water supplying pump
6
to lead the wash water pumped out by the hot water supplying pump
6
. Numeral
9
designates a drainage electromagnetic valve provided in midway of the hot water supply pipe A
1
to drain unnecessary wash water. Numerals
10
a
to
10
k
designate hot water supplying electromagnetic valves. Characters SV
1
to SV
11
designate shower heads, each being connected to an end of the branched hot water supply pipe A
1
to spout the wash water. Numeral
11
designates a shampoo tank for storing shampoo agent. Numeral
12
designates a rinse tank for storing rinse agent. Numeral
13
designates a shampoo supplying pump for pumping out the shampoo agent from the shampoo tank
11
. Numeral
14
designates a rinse supplying pump for pumping out the rinse agent from the rinse tank
12
. Numerals
15
and
16
designate check valves. Numerals
17
a
to
17
f
designate nozzle heads, each being connected to an end of the branched hot water supply pipe A
1
to spout the wash water mixed with the shampoo agent or the rinse agent which is pumped from the shampoo tank
11
or the rinse tank
12
. Numeral
28
designates a hot water supplying electromagnetic valve control unit for controlling opening and closing operation of the hot water supplying electromagnetic valves
10
a
to
10
k.
FIG. 4
is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a cistern in the prior art automatic hair washer.
In the figure, the same reference numerals and characters as those in
FIG. 3
designate the same or corresponding parts. Character B designates a cistern. A person whose hair is to be washed lies on his back and inserts his head into this cistern B to have his hair washed. As shown in the figure, a plurality of washing nozzles are provided inside the cistern B, and the wash water is spouted from these washing nozzles and reaches to the head of the person.
Hereinafter, operation of the prior art automatic hair washer will be described.
First, in an initial operation, hot water and cold water is given to the mixing tank
1
from an external water supply and an external hot water supply via a curb stop, a strainer, and a check valve. The hot water and the cold water is mixed in the mixing tank
1
to be warm water having a temperature suitable for hair washing, and supplied to the hot water storing tank
3
via the motor valve
2
. The wash water stored in the hot water storing tank
3
is sucked by the hot water supplying pump
6
and supplied to the hot water supply pipe A
1
.
Next, the hot water supplying electromagnetic valve
10
a
is opened by the hot water supplying electromagnetic valve control unit
28
and the wash water is spouted from the shower heads SV
1
. After the wash water flows during a predetermined period, the hot water supplying electromagnetic valve
10
a
is closed.
Then the hot water supplying electromagnetic valve
10
e
is opened and the wash water is spouted from the shower head SV
2
. Thereafter, as shown in
FIG. 5
, the wash water is spouted from the shower heads SV
3
to SV
11
by turns with a time interval.
When the spouting of the wash water from the shower heads SV
1
, to SV
11
ends, the subsequent process, i.e., shampooing process is started. The shampoo agent pumped out by the shampoo supplying pump
13
is spouted from the nozzle heads
17
a
to
17
f
together with the wash water. When the shampooing process ends, the subsequent rinsing process and the process for washing with clean water follow, and a series of washing processes ends.
In using the above-described prior art automatic hair washer, there is a time interval after the wash water is spouted from a washing nozzle and before spouting from the following washing nozzle. Therefore the wash water is intermittently spouted to the head of the person. As a result, while the wash water is not spouted, the person under hair washing may feel anxious about whether the automatic hair washer might have stopped or from which direction the wash water will be spouted next.
In addition, if the wash water is forcibly spouted from the washing nozzles, the person may be surprised with the wash water being unexpectedly spouted over the head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic hair washer which enables adjustment of the timing of spouting of the wash water or the hydraulic pressure of the wash water flowing from the washing nozzles.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description and specific embodiments described are provided only for illustration since various additions and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art from the detailed description.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an automatic hair washer having a plurality of washing nozzles for spouting wash water pumped out from a hot water storing tank for storing the wash water to hair comprises a pump for pumping out the wash water from the hot water storing tank, an electromagnetic valve for controlling spouting of the wash water from the washing nozzles, an electromagnetic valve control means for controlling the electromagnetic valve so that the wash water flows from part of the washing nozzles during a predetermined period and, by opening the electromagnetic valve of another set of washing nozzles while the wash water flows out from the first set of washing nozzles, the wash water flowing out from the washing nozzles overlaps, and a pump control means for controlling the pump to decrease the hydraulic pressure of the wash water supplied to the first set of washing nozzles just before opening the electromagnetic valve of the second set of washing nozzles, and to gradually increase the hydraulic pressure of the wash water supplied to the washing nozzles to be a predetermined hydraulic pressure at the same time that the electromagnetic valves of the second set of washing nozzles are opened. Therefore, the wash water is spouted from the washing nozzles continuously and the power of the wash water flowing from the washing nozzles is weak at first and gradually gathers strength, whereby the person under hair washing does not become excessively nervous about timing or power of wash water splashing, and can have his hair washed more comfortably.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3521647 (1970-07-01), Mercer
patent: 4867189 (1989-09-01), Moineau
patent: 5121511 (1992-06-01), Sakamoto et al.
patent: 5414879 (1995-05-01), Hiraishi et al.
patent: 2-134121 (19
Burr & Brown
Douglas Steven O.
Huynh Khoa
Oohiro Works Ltd.
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