Supports – Brackets – Article holding means
Reexamination Certificate
1998-06-18
2001-11-20
King, Anita (Department: 3632)
Supports
Brackets
Article holding means
C248S231410, C248S309100, C034S099000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318691
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to handheld hair dryers, and more particularly to devices used to support handheld hair dryers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electric hair dryers are a common appliance used to blow-dry and style one's hair after washing it. Such electric hair dryers typically include a handle and an air-discharge nozzle or snout extending generally perpendicularly from the handle. During the use of such hair dryers, it is often necessary to put the hair dryer down to be able brush or shape the hair. During such instances, users often turn the unit off, and then turn it back on again when blow-drying is to continue. However, continuous starting and stopping of the unit tends to shorten the life of the electric motor and the heater coils within the unit. Some users have attempted to simply leave the unit running on a countertop while manipulating their hair, but the vibration of the motor can send the unit moving across the counter. This poses a safety hazard, as the heated air may be directed against the user's body or against some object that can be damaged by excessive heat; moreover, the hair dryer could fall into a sink filled with water and pose an electrical hazard.
In the past, others have proposed various devices for holding a hair dryer. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,090 to Hamilton, a wall-mounted base is provided for permanent attachment to a wall. The base includes an open-sided receiving hole for receiving the handle of the hair dryer, and allows the handle to be rotated to direct heated air in different directions. The holder of the Hamilton patent is described as permitting hands-free operation of the hair dryer and directs heated air in a generally horizontal direction. It is not adapted to permit ready insertion of the hair dryer therein, or ready removal of the hair dryer therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,154 to Payne discloses a stand and holder for a hair dryer. Like the Hamilton device, the holder disclosed by Payne is intended to allow a hair dryer to be used in a hands-free fashion. Also like the Hamilton holder, the Payne holder supports the hair dryer to discharge heated air in a generally horizontal direction. One of the objects stated in the Payne patent is to provide such a holder that is free standing. However, the stand complicates the device and increases-its expense.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,313 to Gettleman discloses a clamp for engaging the air outlet end of an electric hair dryer; a relatively complicated pair of pivoting arms are used to support the hair dryer from a wall or stand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,931 to Barr, Jr. discloses a wall-mounted hair dryer caddy which has a hole formed therein to engage the handle of the hair dryer in a manner which permits heated air to be discharged in a generally horizontal direction. Like the Hamilton and Payne holders, the Barr, Jr. holder is intended to support the hair dryer for hands-free operation.
U.S. Design Patent No. Des. 335,935 illustrates a support bracket for a hair dryer. While no textual description is provided in such patent, the illustrated bracket includes a pair of holes which appear to be intended to receive mounting screws for mounting such bracket to a vertical support surface, such as a wall.
None of the aforementioned hair dryer holders provides a simple and inexpensive holder to temporarily support a hair dryer while allowing the user to quickly insert, and quickly remove, the hair dryer therefrom for hand operation of the hair dryer.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive apparatus to support an electric hair dryer.
It is a another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which safely allows the hair dryer to be left on and running while the user manipulates and styles his or her hair.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which can be quickly and easily secured to a conventional bathroom cabinet drawer, or removed therefrom, as desired without the need for tools, screws, or the like.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is adapted to releasably engage the nozzle, or air-discharge end, of a conventional hair dryer for directing heated air safely toward the floor.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art as the description of the present invention proceeds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, and in accordance with a preferred embodiment thereof, the present invention relates to a hair dryer holder used to support a hair dryer from a pullout drawer. The hair dryer holder includes a generally planar support member having opposing first and second ends. The first end of the planar support member includes a nozzle engager for releasably engaging the nozzle of the hair dryer. The second end of the planar support member is supported upon the drawer front of the pullout drawer. A first, or forwardmost, drawer engager, and a second, or rearmost, drawer engager are both coupled to the planar support member near its second end. The forwardmost and rearmost drawer engagers are spaced apart from each other by at least the width of the drawer front; these members are themselves preferably planar, and may extend perpendicularly downward from the second end of the planar support member. The forwardmost drawer engager extends in front of the drawer front, and the rearmost drawer engager extends behind the drawer front. The forwardmost and rearmost drawer engagers cooperate with the planar support member to support the hair dryer upon the pullout drawer.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the nozzle engager provided at the first end of the planar support member is an aperture formed therein for receiving the nozzle of the hair dryer. The aperture is preferably circular in shape and has a diameter commensurate with the outer diameter of the nozzle of the hair dryer.
Most typically, the pullout drawer is housed within a bathroom vanity which includes a countertop that normally covers the pullout drawer. Preferably, the pullout drawer is partially closed after the hair dryer holder is installed for allowing the second end of the planar support member to extend under the countertop for additional stability.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to an assemblage of a hair dryer and a hair dryer holder, of the type described above, for supporting the hair dryer from a pullout drawer. The forwardmost and rearmost drawer engagers cooperate with the generally planar support member to support the assemblage of the hair dryer and the hair dryer holder upon the pullout drawer.
A further aspect of the present invention relates to a method for supporting a hair dryer from the drawer front of a pullout drawer of a cabinet or vanity. The hair dryer includes a handle portion for being grasped by a user and an air discharge nozzle for blowing hot air. The method includes the step of providing a generally planar support member having front and rear opposing ends, and releasably engaging the nozzle of the hair dryer with the front end of the generally planar support member; this releasably engaging step is preferably accomplished by extending the nozzle of the hair dryer through an aperture formed within the front end of the generally planar support member. The method of the present invention further includes the step of supporting the rear end of the planar support member upon the drawer front for allowing the generally planar support member to extend generally horizontally therefrom, with the nozzle of the hair dryer being directed downwardly toward the floor. To further stabilize the generally planar support member, the pullout drawer is preferably closed after the step of supporting the rear end of the planar support member upon the drawer front. This step advantageously engages the apparatus between the top of the drawer front and the countertop of the cabinet or
Toth Mary Jo
Toth, Jr. Steven C.
Baxter Gwendolyn
Cahill Sutton & Thomas P.L.C.
King Anita
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