Electric resistance heating devices – Heating devices – Concentrated heated air stream
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2001-04-24
Jeffery, John A. (Department: 3742)
Electric resistance heating devices
Heating devices
Concentrated heated air stream
C034S097000, C219S541000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06222988
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an electrically powered appliance for the treatment of hair, in particular a hair dryer, having a fan motor for generating a current of air and a heater unit for heating the air current and a housing with an air inlet port and an air outlet port as well as a connector element, for example, a plug-and-socket element for connecting, in particular electrically, the hair dryer to an implement for hair treatment. This implement is equipped, in particular for the styling and/or drying of hair, with an electrical load, for example, an electric motor, and is attachable to the air outlet port of the hair dryer. The connector element includes terminal devices for electrical connection to at least one voltage-carrying component in the hair dryer.
An appliance of this type is known from JP 7-51117. This specification describes a curling iron with a handle member and an accessory. Accommodated in the handle member are a fan and a heater unit. The accessory, for example, a round brush, contains further electrical components and is connectible with the air outlet end of the handle member by means of electrical connectors.
From DE-U-9305195.6 an electrically powered hair dryer is known which has a socket which is adapted to be connected with a plug of an implement operable by an electric motor.
In the manufacture of hair dryers and implements attachable thereto, particularly in the manufacture of large quantities and different types of hair dryer and implement, it has proven to be disadvantageous that, in order to combine a particular type of hair dryer with a particular type of implement, it is usually necessary that a connector element be constructed individually.
Considering that different types of additional implement are generally operated at different electric voltages, a relatively high engineering effort is involved in providing the respective operating voltage required by the particular implement on the hair dryer. Hence, for example, provision is made in the hair dryer to accommodate a wide variety of electrical components, in particular connectors, which are fitted to suit the particular hair-dryer-and-implement combination individually and in consequence have to be made available in the corresponding wide variety and also have to be assembled individually.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a simplified configuration of a connector element which is fitted to a hair dryer and suitable for establishing a connection with an additional implement. Particularly, it is desirable that the number of electrically conducting components necessary for the equipment of various types of hair dryer and the connection of different additional implements operating at different voltages be appreciably reduced for the connector element, and that the assembly of the connector elements be facilitated, hence enabling them to be produced more economically.
According to the present invention, this object is accomplished in an appliance incorporating the features described in the foregoing in that the terminal device is connected with the heater unit, in particular with the spiral coil heater, and is disposed essentially outside the heater unit. On the one hand, this connection of the terminal device with the spiral coil heater proposes a flexible possibility for making available the electric voltage necessary for the respective implement in simple manner. Thus it is possible, particularly by a voltage tapping using a terminal device on a spiral coil heater, to make available nearly any desired electric voltage that is lower than the supply voltage existing in the particular case. Hence it is no longer necessary to make provision for different electric terminal devices to accommodate different operating voltages; rather, these operating voltages are determined by the respective point of contact of the terminal device with the spiral coil heater. The requisite number of electrically conducting parts for the connector element, in particular the terminal device, is thus appreciably reduced. On the other hand, with the arrangement of the terminal device essentially outside the heater unit a simple assembly possibility is proposed, enabling the terminal device to be connected with the heater unit in a simple and positionally flexible manner after the spiral coil heater is wound. Advantageously, this results in greater economy of manufacture of the hair dryer, particularly of the electric connector element between the hair dryer and an additional implement.
In a particularly advantageous further feature of the present invention, the terminal device is routed from nearly any desired location on the outside through the housing wall of the hair dryer, in particular a heater tube, extending into the interior of the hair dryer where the terminal device is connected with the heater unit. Advantageously, there is thus proposed a particularly flexible connection possibility for the terminal device on the heater unit which, owing to the nearly free choice of the connecting point between the terminal device and the heater makes it possible to generate any desired electric voltage to be supplied to an additional implement. Furthermore, since the terminal device can be routed from outside through the housing wall, particularly through the heater tube, it is possible to accomplish an extremely simple and cost effective connection following fitting of the heater unit in the hair dryer.
In another further feature, the terminal device has its one end connected to a heat conducting wire of the heater unit, particularly the spiral coil heater. With this arrangement, an advantageous simple connection of the terminal device with a voltage-carrying component in the hair dryer is proposed which, by reason of the flexible choice of the point of contact of the terminal device with the heat conducting wire, makes it possible to provide the requisite electric voltage in simple manner.
In a further advantageous aspect of the present invention it is proposed providing the terminal device as an electric voltage tap using a standard component including standard variants. Accordingly, a standardized terminal device is of such geometrical shape that one and the same terminal device can be employed for the generation of a variety of electric voltages. This has the advantage of eliminating the need to provide individual terminal devices as heretofore required for the generation of different voltage values. It will be understood, however, that the standardized configuration of the terminal devices may also include a standardized variant, with the number of such standard variants being advantageously significantly lower than the heretofore required number of individual variants of the terminal devices.
In a particularly advantageous further feature, the terminal device comprises an electrically conducting bar and a contact terminal. A bar affords at its one end a simple possibility of establishing a connection with a further electric conductor arranged, for example, in an additional implement. At the other end of the bar a contact terminal may be connected with this bar, establishing an electrical connection to the electrical load, in particular a spiral coil heater. By reason of its elongated dimension the bar is thus advantageously capable of covering a large area of the spiral coil heater's turns and is therefore variable in the selection of the contact point of the contact terminal for generating the respective electric voltage.
The bar itself may be configured in particular as a straight bar or, alternatively, as a helical bar. In cases in which a straight bar configuration is selected, a particularly simple and cost effective variant is proposed; a helical bar configuration enables a nearly infinitely variable adjustment of an electric voltage for an additional implement.
In a further feature of the present invention, the bar is secured to the outside of the heater unit, particularly to the outside of a heater tube surrounding the
Behrendt Jurgen
Rolf Wilfried
Braun GmbH
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Jeffery John A.
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