Toilet – Hair device – Having hair shaping surface or form
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-09
2004-10-12
Campbell, Thor (Department: 3742)
Toilet
Hair device
Having hair shaping surface or form
C132S221000, C392S386000, C126S401000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06802320
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a hair-shaping appliance, in particular steam styling tongs, having a tubular drum which treats the hair and is provided with through-passages, having a heating device, in particular for heating up the drum, having a dosing device, upon the actuation of which liquid passes out of an outlet of a liquid container via a liquid-channeling device, having an evaporating device which is supplied with heat by the heating device and evaporates liquid into steam, and having a steam-distributor chamber which adjoins the evaporating device and via the through-passages of which steam flows outward.
DE-C-26 31 798, for example, discloses an apparatus for the metered discharge of liquid for a hair-shaping appliance, for example steam curling tongs. For the discharge of the steam, use is made of a pumping device which is provided with an elastic diaphragm, is integrated in a water tank and, in a metered manner, feeds water to a liquid-channeling device, preferably comprising a sponge with an adjoining nozzle, where the water then ultimately comes into contact with a heating plate for evaporation purposes. In order to improve the transportation of water in the liquid-channeling device, a one-way valve may be arranged on the water tank.
DE-C-26 34 '972 also discloses a hair-shaping appliance of the type described in the introduction. In the case of this hair-shaping appliance, the liquid-channeling device, preferably formed from a sponge and an adjoining tube, are inserted in a tubular housing. The tubular housing is arranged in a water tank, which can be filled with water and is likewise of tubular design, and, for the discharge of water, comprises two housing parts which can be displaced one inside the other counter to the force of a spring and, when displaced, serve for compressing the sponge and relieving the latter of loading. When the water tank is displaced counter to the force of a restoring spring supported on the drum, first of all the free end of the tube of the liquid-channeling device is brought into abutment against the heating device, until upon further displacement of the water tank, one housing part is displaced in the other housing part and compresses the sponge in the process. In this case, the sponge, for its part, discharges water, which then passes, via the liquid-channeling device, onto the surface of the heating device and evaporates there. The resulting steam passes outward into the free atmosphere via the through-passages formed on the drum.
Upon release of the evaporating device, the movable housing part is displaced away from the sponge again, on account of the pre-stressing of the spring, until its strike against an annular collar formed on the water tank. As stressing is relieved, air can penetrate into the chamber of the liquid container, via the equalizing bores formed on the sleeve, in order that no negative pressure forms in the chamber and no more water can thus flow out. The air taken in by suction flows around the outer surface of the sponge, on which the spring is centered, and thus passes into the chamber of the water tank.
In the case of this arrangement, it should be regarded as being less advantageous that if the evaporating device is actuated, for example, a number of times one after the other the heating device is fed more water than it can evaporate in the short period of time. Consequently, the evaporating device floods and excess water passes out at the through-passages. The result may be, on the one hand, that the hair is wetted too much but, on the other hand, also that the skin is burnt when the heated water passes out of the through-passages onto a user's skin. It is also possible, when the hair-shaping appliance is not used for a relatively long period of time, for the water located in the liquid container to flow, via the liquid-channeling device, into the steam-distributor chamber and to be capable of flowing outward, via the through-passages, there without evaporating beforehand. This may result, for example, in corrosive damage to the hair-shaping appliance or also in an excess amount of steam and/or hot water passing out when the appliance is next used, as a result of which a user could sustain burns.
JP-A-11 46839, furthermore, discloses a gas-operated hair-shaping appliance in the case of which flame-free combustion of a gas takes place by means of a catalyst for heating up the heating tube. Provided in this case too is a steam-distributor chamber which is supplied with water by a liquid container. The liquid container is provided with an exchange valve, via which air flows in when water flows out of the liquid container. As has already been mentioned above, it is also possible here, when the appliance is not in use, for water to pass into the steam chamber via the liquid-channeling device and then to pass outward via the through-passages. On account of the fact that the through-passages, which are connected to the evaporating chamber, are arranged in the hair-shaping appliance separately from the outlets, which are connected to the combustion chamber, differing temperatures may occur at various locations of the drum, i.e. the temperature at the outlets is usually considerably higher than the temperature at the through-passages. A result of this is the non-uniform distribution of hot waste gases and steam on the circumference of the drum.
DE-A-27 27 665 discloses a steam-emitting hair-shaping appliance with a control arrangement for regulating the flow-medium discharge of the type described in the introduction. In the case of this hair-shaping appliance, which is preferably designed as steam curling tongs, there is formed between the outlet of the liquid container and the evaporating device a bimetallic plate, which changes under temperature and only opens the outlet of the liquid container when a predetermined temperature is reached, with the result that water can pass into the evaporating device and evaporate there. This ensures that steam can only be emitted from the hair-shaping appliance within certain temperature limits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention features an electric or gas-operated hair-shaping appliance, in particular steam styling tongs.
The invention can prevent liquid from passing out of the drum even in the case of the dosing or pumping device being actuated a number of times in quick succession. This should also be the case when the hair-shaping appliance is not in use.
In the case of gas-operated hair-shaping appliances, the invention can prevent the ignition and combustion operations of the catalyst from being adversely affected by liquid. The invention can simplify the construction and the assembly of the hair-shaping appliance and to reduce the production costs.
In one aspect of the invention features an appliance for shaping the hair, comprising a forward and reverse stroke liquid dosing device, a tubular drum constructed to contact the hair, the tubular drum having through-passages and an evaporating device. The evaporating device comprises an evaporator chamber, a heating device and a steam distributor chamber. The evaporating device is constructed to produce steam from liquid delivered to the evaporator chamber and to deliver the steam through the through-passages in the tubular drum to treat the hair. During the return stroke of the dosing device, the appliance removes excess liquid from the evaporator chamber preventing excess water from collecting in the evaporating device and potentially spilling out on the consumer during use or storage. Even when the dosing device is actuated a number of times in quick succession, the evaporating device can be prevented from overflowing since during the return stroke of the dosing or pumping device, on account of the “closed” liquid tank, excess water is sucked back into the water tank again via the liquid-channeling device. In addition, an undesirably high level of steam formation may be avoided by some aspects of the invention. Certain aspects of the invention can be used both for electrically opera
Henninger Friedrich
Janouch Peter
Kern Heinz
Lange Peter
Liebenthal Dieter
Braun GmbH
Campbell Thor
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