Portable hair dryer

• US 4,039,774 A
• Filed: 06/04/1975
• Issued: 08/02/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Remington Products Company
• Original Assignee: Sperry Rand Corporation
• Inventors: Ihasz, Richard, Kata, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartis, A.
• Application Number:
  US05/583,619
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 219/366-371, 219/373-376, 219/379-382, 219/364, 34/96-101, 34/243, 338/57, 338/58, 132/7, 132/9, 132/112
• US Class Current: 392/384
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 20/10 Hand-held drying devices, e.g. air douches

Abstract

A portable hair dryer comprising an elongated casing of circular transverse cross-section and including a handle portion at one end an air discharge nozzle portion at the opposite end and an enlarged diameter intermediate section housing operative elements comprising a heater element and a motor driven fan for generating heated output air which is drawn from input air circulated by the fan through the heater element and outwardly through a discharge orifice provided in the nozzle portion. The motor, fan and heater element are supported on a common support member which is mounted on a single support element which comprises a base portion of the intermediate casing section which extends from the handle portion. The handle portion is separated from the base portion of said intermediate section by air intake vents through which said input air is drawn and in which handle is housed the switch and circuit control elements of the appliance.

Claims

1. A portable electric hair dryer comprising,

a. an elongated casing of circular transverse cross-section and including a handle portion and an enlarged casing portion spaced from said handle, said enlarged portion positioned between air intake vents and an air discharge orifice formed in the walls of said casing;

b. means in said casing for establishing a heated airstream between said air intake vents and said air discharge orifice;

c. said airstream establishing means including a motor in said handle arranged adjacent said air intake vents and a fan driven by said motor for rotation within said enlarged casing portion and an elongated heater assembly having a central longitudinal axis and positioned in said enlarged casing portion in the path of said airstream between said fan and said discharge orifice;

d. said motor and fan having a common central longitudinal axis within said casing;

e. support means for said airstream establishing means comprising a support member of generally circular configuration secured to said enlarged casing portion between said air intake vents and said air discharge orifice, said support member having a central axis coincident with said common central longitudinal axis;

f. means formed on said support member and said heater assembly for supporting said heater assembly to said support member whereby said central longitudinal axis of the heater assembly is coincident with the axis of the support member and said common central longitudinal axis;

g. said support member having a bearing portion located centrally thereof and having a central axis coincident with said common central longitudinal axis ;

h. said bearing portion having means thereon for securing the motor and fan in coaxial relationship with said heater assembly; and

i. said support member having a central opening to permit flow of air therethrough from said air intake vents in the direction of said common central longitudinal axis through said heater assembly to said air discharge orifice and outwardly of said casting upon operation of the fan.

2. The hair dryer of claim 1 wherein said means for supporting said heater assembly to said support member comprise spaced openings formed in said support member for receiving terminal elements of said heater assembly, said terminal elements having tab end portions extending through said openings for securing said heater assembly to said support member.

3. The hair dryer of claim 2 wherein said spaced openings comprise a circular array of closely spaced openings formed in said support member and said terminal elements comprise first end portions of a circular array of closely spaced interconnected resistive heater elements.

4. The hair dryer of claim 3 wherein said resistive heater elements have second ends spaced from said first ends in the direction of said air discharge orifice, said second ends being secured to a disc member adjacent said air discharge orifice and spaced from said support member, said casing further including air directing vanes adjacent said orifice, said vanes having surface portions engaging a portion of said disc member for slidable movement of said disc member relative to said directing vanes surface portions.

5. The hair dryer of claim 1 wherein said airstream establishing means further include spaced ribs in the central opening of said support member.

6. The hair dryer of claim 1 wherein said enlarged casing portion includes a detachable cover member carrying a plurality of circumferentially spaced air directing vanes extending to said air discharge orifice and a cone member positioned adjacent said fan between the fan and said air directing vanes, said cone member including a plurality of vanes positioned in spaces intermediate of said air directing vanes and said cone member vanes cooperating to direct heated air received from the heater assembly outwardly of the casing through said air discharge orifice.

7. A hand-held electric hair dryer comprising,

a. an elongated casing of a circular transverse crosssection;

b. a handle at one end of said casing;

c. an enlarged intermediate portion of said casing spaced from said handle end separated therefrom by air intake vents formed in said casing at the base of said enlarged intermediate portion and open to the interior of said enlarged intermediate portion;

d. an air discharge orifice formed in the opposite end of said casing and spaced from said enlarged portion by an axially inwardly tapering portion of said casing;

e. a motor disposed in said handle;

f. a fan interconnected to said motor and enclosed within said enlarged portion of said casing, said fan being operable by said motor for establishing an airstream into said casing from said air intake vents through said enlarged portion to said air discharge orifice and outwardly of said casing;

g. an elongated heater assembly arranged within said enlarged portion of said casing and interposed between said air intake vents and said air discharge orifice in the path of said airstream for heating said airstream;

h. a support member of a circularly-shaped configuration arranged within said enlarged portion of said casing for securing said motor, fan and heater assembly in concentrically aligned relationship with each other and coincident with the central axis of the elongated casing;

i. said support member being detachably secured to the base of said enlarged portion and having a bearing portion arranged centrally thereof and spaced from the base of said enlarged portion by radially inwardly extending rib portions on said support member;

j. said rib portions forming therebetween openings in said support member to permit flow of air therethrough from said air intake vents in the direction of said common central axis through said heater assembly to said air discharge orifice and outwardly of said casing upon operation of the fan; and

k. said motor and said fan being secured to said bearing portion in assembled relationship with said heater assembly which is secured to said support member, said assembled motor, fan and heater assembly being removable from said casing as an operative unit.

8. A hand-held electric hairdryer comprising,

a. an elongated casing with a longitudinal axis having a circular transverse cross section and being substantially of uniform diameter except adjacent one end where the diameter of the casing is larger to form an enlarged casing portion;

b. said portion of the casing between the enlarged casing portion and the other end of the casing being shaped and constructed to serve as a handle providing for manual manipulation of the casing ;

c. a plurality of air intake vents formed in the casing at the juncture of said enlarged casing portion and said handle portion to permit passage of air from outside the casing into the enlarged casing portion;

d. an air discharge orifice formed at said one end of the casing and in communication with the interior of said enlarged casing portion;

e. a motor disposed in said handle portion and having the output end of its shaft extending into said enlarged casing portion;

f. a fan mounted on said motor shaft for rotation and arranged within said enlarged casing portion to establish an airstream into said elongated housing through said air intake vents, then through said enlarged casing portion, and out said air discharge orifice;

g. a support member disposed within the enlarged casing portion adjacent the end of said enlarged casing portion near said air intake vents and having a portion seated against rotation relative to the elongated casing;

h. an elongated heater assembly heater assembly disposed within said enlarged housing portion and having one end thereof engaging said support member to be held thereby against rotation, said heater assembly being located between said air intake vents and said air discharge orifice and in the path of said airstream to heat said airstream;

i. the support member further having a bearing portion arranged centrally thereof for mounting the motor thereto and provided with spaced ribs extending radially between the bearing portion and the support member seated portion, said ribs being provided in the path of the airstream between the blades of said fan and said air intake vents;

j. said support member supporting and engaging said motor, said fan, and said heater assembly so as to maintain them in concentrically aligned relationship with each other and coincident with the longitudinal axis of the elongated housing; and

k. said support member further interconnecting said motor, said fan, and said heater assembly in an assembled relationship to provide for easy assembly to and removal from the handle portion of the elongated casing.