Hair and body drying device

• US 5,269,071 A
• Filed: 05/20/1992
• Issued: 12/14/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Akira, Chosa, Hirotaka, Okutsu, Hideo, Hamabe, Takafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennet, Henry A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ESQUIVEL, DENISE LYNNE
• Application Number:
  US07/885,875
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 34/90, 34/91, 34/96, 34/97, 34/98, 34/201, 34/202, 34/44, 34/48, 34/53, 34/54, 34/55, 392/379, 392/380, 392/381
• US Class Current: 34/554
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 20/16 Fixed installed drying devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/48 Drying by means of hot air hair-drying devices A45D20/00; curative hot-air baths A61H33/06; electric heating elements H05B

Abstract

A hair drying device includes a blower unit incorporating a fan and a heater for generating a hot air blow and provided at its one end with an air outlet for discharging the hot air blow. The blower unit is pivotally supported to a frame which is adapted to be mounted in or on a generally vertical wall of a room for pivotally supporting the blower unit at the other end about a horizontal axis so that the blower unit is capable of moving about the horizontal axis within a predetermined angular range between a retracted position of directing the air outlet generally vertically downwardly and an extended position of directing the air outlet outwardly and downwardly. A start position is provided offset adjacent to the retracted position so as to define within the angular range a swing range extending from the start position to the extended position. The blower unit is driven to swing within the swing range about the horizontal axis in a reciprocating manner. A control circuit is included to actuate the fan and the heater only when the blower unit swings within thus defined swing range and disable the fan and the heater while the blower unit moves between the retracted position and the start position.

Claims

1. A hair drying device comprising:

a blower unit incorporating fan means and heating means for generating a hot air blow, said blower unit having a rear end and a front end with an air outlet through which said hot air blow is discharged;

a supporting structure for mounting on a generally vertical wall of a room for pivotally supporting said blower unit at the rear end thereof about a horizontal axis so that said blower unit is capable of moving about said horizontal axis within a predetermined angular range between a retracted position of directing said air outlet generally vertically downwardly and an extended position of directing said air outlet outwardly and downwardly past a start position offset adjacent to said retracted position, said start position and extended position defining therebetween a swing range;

driving means connected to move said blower unit between said retracted position and said extended position and to swing said blower unit in a reciprocating manner between said start position and the extended position, said driving means comprising an electric motor; and

control means actuating said fan means and heating means only when said blower unit swings within said swing range and disabling said fan means and heating means while said blower unit moves between said retracted position and the start position.

2. A hair drying device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said blower unit includes means for generating a hot air and a cool air blow selectively.

3. A hair drying device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said control means operates to move said blower unit back to the retracted position in response to said fan means being switched to be deenergized.

4. A hair drying device as set forth in claim 1, including tension spring means extended between said blower unit and said supporting structure to bias said blower unit toward said extended position from said retracted position.

5. A hair drying device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said swing range is defined to extend angularly from about 20 to 70 degrees with respect to the vertical.

6. A hair drying device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said swing range is made variable.

7. A hair drying device as set forth in claim 1, including time counting means monitoring a time period taken for swinging said blower unit between said start position and said extended position and generating an alarm signal when said monitored time period exceeds a predetermined standard swing time period, and said control means operating to stop swinging said blower unit in response to said alarm signal.

8. A hair drying device as set forth in claim 1, including time counting means monitoring a time period required for moving said blower unit back into said retracted position and generating an alarm signal when the monitored time period exceeds a predetermined retraction time period, said control means operating to stop moving the said blower unit in response to said alarm signal.

9. A hair drying device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said supporting structure is in the form of a vertically elongated frame which is provided with a vertically spaced set of a recess, a heat radiator, and a discharge port, said recess formed at the upper end of said frame for supporting said blower unit in such a manner as to receive therein said blower unit in said retracted position and to otherwise project it outwardly therefrom, said recess having an opening which comes into registration with the air outlet of said blower unit in said retracted position, said heat radiator formed at the middle of said frame for radiating heat outwardly, said discharge port formed at the lower end of said frame and communicated with said opening through a duct extending internally of said frame, and said control means allowing said fan and heater means to generate the hot air when said blower unit is kept in said retracted position, thereby feeding the hot air through said duct and outwardly through said discharge port.