Vibrating hair brush

• US 20090083919A1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conopco (Unilever PLC)
• Original Assignee: Conopco (Unilever PLC)
• Inventors: Kalman, Jeffrey M., Skinner, Richard, Nottingham, Rachel Marie, Wall, Brian Douglas, Tapper, Jay, Spirk, John Wilford, McNeeley, Carolyn Marie, Wire, Stephen Lee, Taggart, Jeffrey Silver, Nottingham, John Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,805,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/22.200
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/023 with means for inducing vibration to the bristles
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0002 Arrangements for enhancing monitoring or controlling the brushing process
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 5/00 Brush bodies; Handles integral with brushware

Abstract

A vibrating hair brush provides enhanced detangling of user'"'"'s hair. The brush has a bristle pad comprising a plurality of bristles disposed in a brush head. The bristle pad is supported within the brush head by a vibrating motor and isolator assembly disposed for directing a vibratory movement of the motor to a bristle pad movement in a plane generally parallel to a user'"'"'s scalp. The motor and isolator assembly effectively translate a circular vibratory movement of the offset weight into an elliptical movement of the bristle pad while insulating the vibration caused by the movement of the weight from a handle of the brush.

Claims

1. A vibrating hair brush for enhanced detangling of a user'"'"'s hair having a bristle pad comprising a plurality of bristles included in a brush head wherein the bristle pad is supported within the brush head by a vibrating motor and isolator assembly disposed for directing a vibratory movement of the motor and isolator assembly to a bristle pad movement in a plane generally parallel to a user'"'"'s scalp.

2. The hair brush of claim 1 having a handle disposed for directing the vibratory movement perpendicular to the direction of hair extending from the user'"'"'s scalp.

3. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the motor and isolator assembly effectively translate a rotary movement of an eccentric weight into an elliptical movement of the bristle pad.

4. The hair brush of claim 3 wherein the elliptical movement has a greater axis in a direction perpendicular to the direction of hair extending from the user'"'"'s scalp.

5. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the motor and isolator assembly includes an elastic member having opposed lobes disposed for receipt in handle and brush head lobe cutouts to support the motor and isolator assembly within a handle.

6. The hair brush of claim 5 wherein the lobes and cutouts are disposed to impose a first stiffness against the motor vibratory movement in an axial direction of the handle and a second stiffness against the motors vibratory movement in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction for converting the motor vibratory movement into an elliptical bristle pad movement.

7. The hair brush of claim 6 wherein the first stiffness is less than the second stiffness.

8. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the motor and isolator assembly comprises an elastomeric ring closely received about the motor.

9. The hair brush of claim 8 wherein the elastomeric ring is configured to float the motor within a brush handle.