Method and system for temporary hair removal

• US 20060200116A1
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Jung, Edward K.Y., Ferren, Bran
• Granted Patent: US 8,679,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00476 Hair follicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/208 with multiple treatment beams not sharing a common path, e.g. non-axial or parallel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and systems for hair treatment are disclosed. According to various embodiments, light is used to shave, trim, or otherwise modify hair shafts.

Claims

1. A depilation method comprising:

a) detecting or determining proximity of a depilation device to a skin surface;

b) responsive to detecting or determining proximity of a depilation device to a skin surface, delivering a beam of highly convergent light from said depilation device to the skin surface, said beam of light having a beam waist positioned substantially at a base of at least one hair shaft; and

c) delivering said light for a duration and with an intensity sufficient to cause mechanical failure of the at least one hair shaft at said beam waist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting proximity of said depilation device to the skin surface includes determining that said depilation device is within a predetermined distance range of the skin surface.

11. The method of claim 1, including delivering a beam of light having an angle of convergence of between about 25 and about 70 degrees relative to the axis of said beam.

13. The method of claim 1, including delivering a beam of light having a diameter at the skin surface that is between about 2 and about 10 times the diameter of said beam at said beam waist.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said duration and intensity of said light is sufficient to cause absorption of between about 50 and about 200 Joules per gram of energy from said light by said hair shaft at said beam waist.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said duration and intensity of said light is sufficient to cause absorption of between about 10 and about 80 Joules per gram of energy from said light by said skin surface.

22. The method of claim 1, including delivering a beam of light having a beam waist positioned between about 40 μ

m and about 300 μ

m above the skin surface.

24. The method of claim 1, including delivering a beam of light having a beam waist diameter of between about 17 μ

m and about 600 μ

m.

34. The method of claim 1, including detecting movement of said depilation device across the skin surface, wherein delivering said light for a duration and intensity sufficient to cause mechanical failure of said at least one hair shaft includes taking into account the speed of movement of said depilation device across the skin surface.

35. The method of claim 1, including delivering said beam of light to said skin surface through a light-conducting medium interposed between said depilation device and said skin surface.

138. The method of claim 1, wherein said light is delivered as one or more pulses.

139. The method of claim 2, including detecting proximity of said depilation device to the skin surface with one of an optical sensor, a mechanical sensor, an electromechanical sensor, an acoustic sensor, and a capacitive sensor and delivering said light to said skin surface only when said depilation device, and delivering said beam of highly convergent light only when said depilation device is within said predetermined distance range of the skin surface.

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39. A depilation device comprising:

a) a light source capable of producing light of a wavelength band significantly absorbed by hair;

b) a lens positioned to receive light from the light source and configured to form from the received light a highly convergent beam having a narrow, spatially limited beam waist;

c) a proximity sensor capable of detecting the proximity of said light source to a skin surface and generating a proximity sense signal indicative of said proximity; and

d) control circuitry configured to gate said light in response to said proximity sense signal.

44. The depilation device of claim 39, wherein said control circuitry is configured to permit generation of said highly convergent beam such that said narrow spatially limited beam waist is positioned within a distance-range of about 40 μ

m and about 300 μ

m above the skin surface.

48. The depilation device of claim 39, wherein said lens has a numerical aperture of between about 0.64 and about 0.87.

51. The depilation device of claim 39, wherein said lens has an f-number of between about 1.68 and about 3.46.

56. The depilation device of claim 39, wherein said light source comprises a laser, a laser diode, or a light-emitting diode.

60. The depilation device of claim 39, configured as a handheld device, said handheld device comprising a handset containing said light source, said lens, said proximity sensor, and said control circuitry.

140. The depilation device of claim 39, including a handset containing said high numerical aperture lens and said proximity sensor, a base unit containing said light source, and an optical linkage between said base unit and said handset configured to transmit light from said light source to said high numerical aperture lens, wherein said control circuitry is located in at least one of said handset and said base unit connected to said handset by at least one of an electrical connection, an optical connection, or a wireless connection.

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61. A method of modifying hair on skin, comprising:

a) positioning a hair treatment device adjacent to a skin surface;

b) detecting a distance of an active surface of said hair removal device from the skin surface;

c) detecting the presence of at least one hair shaft on the skin surface adjacent to said active surface; and

d) if said active surface of said hair treatment device is within a specified distance range of the skin surface and at least one hair shaft is detected, activating at least one light source to generate convergent light having a restricted high fluence region positioned on said at least one hair shaft.

63. The method of claim 61, wherein activating at least one light source to generate convergent light having a restricted high fluence region includes activating two or more light sources to generate two or more beams that converge on a high fluence overlap region.

77. The method of claim 61 wherein said convergent light is of duration and intensity sufficient to cause a modification to the hair shaft at said high fluence region, comprising modifying one or more of hair length, color, or texture.

93. The method of claim 61, wherein said convergent light is of duration and intensity sufficient to cause absorption of between about 10 and about 80 Joules per gram of energy by said skin surface.

94. The method of claim 61, including generating convergent beam having a restricted high fluence region positioned between about 25 μ

m and about 300 μ

m above the skin surface.

96. The method of claim 61, including generating convergent light having a restricted high fluence region diameter of between about 17 μ

m and about 600 μ

m.

141. The method of claim 61, including adjusting the position of said restricted high fluence region to one or more positions on said hair shaft and controlling said light source to produce modification of said hair shaft at said one or more positions on said hair shaft.

142. The method of claim 61, wherein detecting a distance of said hair removal device from the skin surface includes detecting an optical signal from the skin surface, the detected optical signal including at least one of light originating from said light source reflected from the skin surface, light originating from a secondary light source reflected from the skin surface, or light emitted from said skin surface in response to illumination by a secondary light source.

143. The method of claim 61, wherein said convergent light is delivered as one or more pulses of duration selected based upon one or more parameters of said hair shaft.

144. The method of claim 61, including delivering said convergent light to said skin surface through a light-conducting medium interposed between said hair treatment device and said skin surface and coated on at least one hair shaft.

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83. The method of claim 62, including generating a convergent beam having an angle of convergence of between about 25 and about 70 degrees relative to the axis of said beam.

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