Hair treatment system

• US 20080091187A1
• Filed: 10/04/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ferren, Bran, Jung, Edward, Tegreene, Clarence, Myhrvold, Nathan, Wood, Lowell, Ishikawa, Muriel
• Granted Patent: US 8,529,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 606/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/20 using laser
• 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 2018/00904 Automatic detection of target tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/061 for measuring dimensions, e.g. length

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

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A depilation device comprising:

a) a housing having at least one active surface and sized and configured to be held by a human hand;

b) at least one light source housed within said housing;

c) at least one lens configured to modify light from said light source to produce a beam having a short, narrow beam waist of limited spatial extent, said beam exiting said active surface such that said beam waist occurs at a first specified distance range from said active surface;

d) a proximity sensor mounted in said housing and configured for detecting when said active surface of said housing is within a second specified distance range from a skin surface; and

e) a light source driver configured to activate said light source when said proximity sensor indicates that said active surface is within said second specified distance range.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein said light source comprises a laser, a laser diode, or a light-emitting diode.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein said lens is a high numerical aperture lens.

32. The device of claim 29, further comprising a microprocessor configured to process at least one sensor signal from said proximity sensor and to generate a laser drive signal.

33. The device of claim 29, wherein said first specified distance range is located just above said skin surface when said active surface is within said second specified distance range.

34. The device of claim 29, wherein said at least one lens has a numerical aperture of between about 0.5 and about 0.98.

35. The device of claim 29, wherein said at least one lens has a numerical aperture of between about 0.64 and about 0.87.

36. The device of claim 29, wherein said at least one lens has a numerical aperture of between about 0.71 and about 0.82.

37. The device of claim 29, wherein said at least one lens has an f-number of between about 1.2 and about 11.3.

38. The device of claim 29, wherein said at least one lens has an f-number of between about 1.68 and about 3.46.

39. The device of claim 29, wherein said at least one lens has an f-number of between about 2 and about 2.86.

40. The device of claim 29, wherein said light source comprises an Nd:

YAG laser.

41. The device of claim 29, wherein said light source comprises a laser array.

42. The device of claim 29, further comprising at least one motion sensor capable of detecting motion of said active surface across a skin surface.

43. The device of claim 42, wherein said motion sensor includes at least one of an optical sensor, an electromechanical sensor and a mechanical sensor.

44. The device of claim 29, wherein said light source driver is configured to activate said light source when said proximity sensor indicates that said active surface is within about 50 and about 1000 μ

m of said skin surface.

45. A depilation device comprising:

a) a housing having at least one active surface and sized and configured to be held by a human hand;

b) at least one lens having a numerical aperture of between about 0.64 and about 0.87;

c) at least one light source housed within said housing and producing a beam that exits said housing at said active surface, said beam modified by said lens to have a beam waist with a diameter of between about 1 and about 3 hair diameters that occurs at a first specified distance range from said active surface;

d) a proximity sensor mounted in said housing and configured for detecting when said active surface of said housing is within a second specified distance range from a skin surface;

e) a motion sensor including at least one of an optical sensor, an electromechanical sensor and a mechanical sensor; and

a light source driver configured to activate said light source when said proximity sensor indicates that said active surface is within said second specified distance range.