Electric heating – Heating devices – Combined with container – enclosure – or support for material...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-05
2001-10-30
Pelham, Joseph (Department: 3742)
Electric heating
Heating devices
Combined with container, enclosure, or support for material...
C219S222000, C219S521000, C132S229000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310322
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to electrical devices and, more particularly, to a heated roller and a heated roller assembly.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
Heated roller assemblies have been used for years to curl or “set” hair. Typically, a heated hair roller assembly includes a plurality of rollers disposed on a metallic heating platform that is heated via a power source, such as electricity. Most conventional assemblies include a housing and a cover attached thereto commonly via a hinge or the like. The cover of the assembly must be in a closed position to properly heat the rollers.
When the rollers have each been sufficiently heated, a user typically removes a roller from the assembly, engages a portion of hair onto the roller, and winds the roller around the hair until the roller is in contact with the user's head. At this point the user typically adheres a clip to the roller and hair wrapped thereon to maintain the position of the roller and hair. The process is repeated with a second roller of the assembly, a third roller, a fourth roller, and perhaps more depending upon how much hair is wrapped around each roller, until all portions of the user's hair are wrapped around one of the rollers. The heated rollers are left in the user's hair for an amount of time (e.g., 5-10 minutes) sufficient to curl the user's hair a desired way.
Each roller of the conventional heated hair roller assembly includes an outer portion and an inner portion, wherein the inner portion is typically made of metal, such as aluminum. The rollers reach the desired curling temperature, which ranges from about 90° Celsius to about 115° Celsius, in not less than 5 minutes.
In addition, most roller assemblies require the cover to be in a closed position during heating, otherwise the rollers are not heated properly, e.g., the rollers take too long to be heated to an adequate curling temperature or sometimes never even reach an adequate curling temperature.
Also, the rollers in the prior art roller assemblies cool rather quickly once they are removed from the heating platform, or source of heat, because of the materials used in constructing each roller. Specifically, the metals used to form the inner portions of the rollers do not retain heat well. As a result, when the rollers are removed from the heat and a user's hair is wrapped thereon, heat rapidly escapes from each roller, thus resulting in sometimes unsatisfactory hair curling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a heated roller and a heated roller assembly.
More particularly, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a heated roller assembly comprises a heating platform and a plurality of rollers disposed on the heating platform. Each roller includes an outer portion and an inner portion. The inner portion is made of thermoset plastic and includes a groove and a heating element disposed within the groove. The heated roller assembly further includes a circuit for automatically controlling a surface temperature of each roller having a control roller disposed adjacent to the plurality of rollers. The control roller includes a temperature sensing element for detecting the surface temperature of the control roller. The circuit further includes a comparator responsive to the temperature sensing element for adjusting the power applied to the heating element of each roller.
More particularly, the inner portion of the assembly may further comprise one of phenolic, epoxy, urea and melamine formaldehyde. The outer portion of each roller may comprise one of aluminum and metal.
In addition, the groove of the inner portion of each roller has a width of about 0.5 millimeter to about 1.0 millimeter. The heating element is preferably embedded within the groove, such that the heating element is not in contact with the outer portion of the roller. The heating element may be a Nichrome wire.
The temperature sensing element may comprise a thermistor.
In addition, the control roller may further comprise a thermofuse for terminating power to the heating element of each roller when the surface temperature of the control roller exceeds a predetermined surface temperature.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a heated roller assembly comprises a heating platform and a plurality of rollers disposed on the heating platform. Each roller includes an outer portion and an inner portion disposed within the outer portion. The inner portion is made of thermoset plastic and includes a groove and heating element disposed within the groove. The heated roller assembly further comprises a circuit for automatically controlling a surface temperature of each roller. The circuit includes a control roller and a comparator. The control roller includes a thermistor for detecting the surface temperature of the control roller and a thermofuse for terminating power to each roller when the surface temperature of each roller exceeds a predetermined surface temperature. The comparator is responsive to the thermistor and adjusts the power applied to the heating element of each roller.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a heated roller for heating hair comprises an outer portion and an inner portion. The inner portion is disposed within the outer portion and is made of thermoset plastic. The inner portion further includes a groove and a heating element disposed within the groove, wherein the width of the groove prevents the heating element from contacting the outer portion.
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Yang Zheng Qing
Zhang Yuan Kun
Marshall Gerstein & Borun
Pelham Joseph
Raymond Industrial Limited
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