Real electric shaver

Details Real electric shaver Real electric shaver

2003-03-18

2004-11-30

Walberg, Teresa J. (Department: 3742)

Electric heating

Heating devices

Tool or instrument

C219S492000, C030S140000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06825445

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to removing hair with periodically applied heat without damaging the skin.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The removal of unwanted hair from the body can be accomplished with non-mechanized means, for example razors, tweezers or wax, all of which are uncomfortable to use, irritate the skin and/or cause damage to the skin.
Mechanized cutting means for cutting hair, for example dry shavers, in addition to being uncomfortable to use, are limited to cutting hair of a specific length. Beard trimmers, for example, cut facial hair stubble, but cannot cut longer hairs on the scalp.
Alternate devices that use an electrical or electromagnetic source, for example electrolysis and photothermolysis, are effective but usually require an experienced operator to ensure proper administration without untoward side effects.
The use of heated wires or other structures to cut hair from a skin surface has been proposed. However, a heat generator that generates heat of a sufficient magnitude to cut hair and that cuts the hair close to the skin, often damages the skin. Alternatively, since the heat generator is offset from the skin to prevent skin damage, unwanted stubble is left behind.
In Peterson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,115, parallel metal strips on the upper side of a ceramic facing that contacts the skin, are used to cut hair. Hills, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,727,132 and P. Massimo in IT 1201364, use a continuously heated element to burn hair. P. M. Bell in U.S. Pat. No. 558,465, D. Seide in U.S. Pat. No. 589,445, G. S. Hills in U.S. Pat. No. 2,727,132, G. L. Johnson in U.S. Pat. No. 3,093,724, Hashimoto in U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,993 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,181 B1, F. Solvinto in FR 2531655 and EP 0201189, and E. Michit in FR 2612381, use a continuously heated wire to burn hair. J. F. Carter in U.S. Pat. No. 3,474,224, provides a circular comb device for burning nose hairs. Aside from physically separating the skin from the heated element, these references do not appear to provide other protection against burning of the skin.
Vrtaric in U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,324, provides a heat hair cutting system that is applied only to the tips of the hair to remove the split ends.
A prior art system for depilation, based upon photothermolysis is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,001, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. In this method, radiant energy is used to heat the air surrounding the skin to remove hair. EP publications EP 0 736 308 and EP 0 788 814, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference, utilize radiant energy to selectively heat the hair, destroying it.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, a device comprises a heat generator that generates continuous heat of sufficient temperature to cut hair while contacting the skin. However, during the process of cutting hair, the heat generator is prevented from damaging the skin by controlling the period of time during which heat continuously contacts a given area of skin. In some embodiments of the present invention, a heat generator continually contacts the skin and the period of its heat generation is limited to prevent skin damage. In some embodiments of the present invention, the generator remains hot throughout its duty cycle and is removed from contacting a section of skin to limit the period of time in which heat is applied, thereby preventing skin damage.
According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention, pulsed heat is applied through a heat generator containing one or more heat elements that contact the skin at least intermittently. In an exemplary embodiment, a pulsed heat generator provides pulsed heat at the heat elements wherein the pulses of heat are short enough so that although the temperature is high, the amount of heat transferred to the skin does not damage the skin. On the other hand, hair that contacts the heat element is destroyed, due to the lower heat capacity of the hair. Such a device may contact the skin substantially continuously.
As used herein, a heat generator is defined as a unit containing one or more heat elements heated to a temperature sufficient to cut hair during a given period of time in which it is in contact with the hair. It should be understood that current applied to the heat element at the line frequency (50-60 Hz) is to be considered continuous current, since it provides substantially constant heat.
Unless specified, further embodiments apply to both pulsed heating aspects and non-pulsed heating aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, while either pulsed or continuous heating may be described in reference to an embodiment of the invention, pulsed heating is generally usable in all the embodiments that are described with continuous heating. Additionally, embodiments that are described as using pulsed heating can use continuous heating if means for avoiding overheating of the skin as described herein are provided.
The cutting of a hair is dependent upon the magnitude of heat absorbed by the hair, whether a low temperature over a long period of time or a high temperature over a short period of time, whether pulsed or non-pulsed heat. Hence, the heat generator may generate heat at a lower temperature for a longer period of time or at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time in order to cut hair.
Heat builds in a specific area of a given hair and reaches a sufficient magnitude to cut the hair substantially independent of the hair length. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a single apparatus cuts hair of a variety of lengths, from facial stubble to long hair on the scalp, in a variety of persons. Additionally or alternatively, the present invention allows a single apparatus to cut hair of a variety of lengths without exchanging, for example, cutter accessories. Further, the heat element used to cut hair, provides a sterile cutting environment, preventing the transmittal, for example, of scalp bacteria from one user to the next.
In some embodiments of the present invention, a heat generator provides heat of sufficient temperature to cause cessation of hair regrowth through destroying a hair growth regulatory mechanism as identified by R. L. Rusting in “Hair—Why it grows, Why it stops”,
Scientific American
248:6 June 2001, pp. 56-63. Alternatively, a heat generator provides heat at a lower magnitude to cause delay of hair regrowth through partial destruction of the hair growth regulatory mechanism.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the heat generator contains one or more heat elements, for example a heated wire and/or heated strip that contacts the hair and, optionally, the skin. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more heat elements consist of one or more of a wire, a ribbon, or a conductive coating on a non-conductive surface, for example a ceramic material in the form of a bar. Optionally, the one or more heat elements contain, at least in part, a metal. Alternatively, they do not contain any metal.
In other embodiments of the invention, the heat generator comprises two or more heat elements. The hair is cut, for example, with absorption of an appropriate amount of cumulative heat by each hair. Two or more heat elements promote faster transfer of the necessary cumulative heat than, for example one heat element, allowing faster movement of the unit while cutting the hair.
Additionally or alternatively, two or more heat elements allow each heat element in the heat generator to maintain a lower temperature while cutting hair as compared to a heat generator with a single heat element at a higher temperature.
Additionally or alternatively, the pulsed current is pulsed at different times through the two or more heat elements and is, for example, synchronized so that one heat element generates heat while another heat element does not generate heat or, optionally, generates heat at a lower temperature.
Optionally, the heat generator comprises one or more walls that are perpendicular to the skin comprising, for example, a slot throug

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