Heated hair curler with adjustable diameter and heating unit therefor

• US 5,694,954 A
• Filed: 10/11/1995
• Issued: 12/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Masood Habibi
• Original Assignee: Masood Habibi
• Inventors: Habibi, Masood
• Primary Examiner(s): Manahan, Todd E.
• Application Number:
  US08/540,791
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 132/222, 132/229, 132/233, 132/246, 132/269, 132/245, 132/251, 132/264, 132/210, 132/211
• US Class Current: 132/211
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2/14 of single-piece type, e.g. stiff rods or tubes with or without cord, band, or the like as hair-fastening means
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2/18 Flexible curlers A45D2/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 4/16 Independent devices characterised by heating the hair-curling or hair-waving means before use A45D1/20 takes precedence

Abstract

A heated adjustable diameter hair curler is formed of a sheet of a flexible material such as a plastic. The sheet has two planar sides. Disposed within the sheet are one or more thermal elements such as thin flexible sheets and/or flexible wires or coils fabricated of thermally conductive material such as metal. One end of the sheet has a curler thermal connector to which are connected the thermal elements. A base thermal connector in a heating unit mates with the curler thermal connector so that a thermally conductive path is formed from the heating unit to the curler thermal connector of the curler. The thermal mass of the thermal elements keeps the Curler heated for some period of time after the curler is removed from the heating unit. By rolling the sheet to form a cylinder so that a portion of the sheet overlaps another portion of the sheet, and clipping the two portions together with a clip such as a bobby pin or the like, the cylinder'"'"'s shape may be established and held with relative ease and complete adjustability of cylinder diameter. For storage, the sheets may be completely flattened for storage or transport in a very minimal volume. A tapered end may be provided to one end of the sheet so that when the sheet is rolled into a cylindrical form, the step formed at the overlap is reduced or eliminated to avoid imprinting this step onto the hair.

Claims

1. An adjustable diameter hair curler comprising:

a flat sheet of a flexible material, said sheet having a first planar side, a second planar side, and a first and a second end;

a highly thermally conductive curler thermal connector disposed at said first end of said flat sheet for thermal connection during a heating phase to a heat source; and

at least one thermally conductive thermal element thermally connected to said curler thermal connector and disposed within said sheet.

2. An adjustable diameter hair curler according to claim 1 further comprising:

means for removably connecting a first portion of said sheet to a second portion of said sheet to form a cylindrical curler.

3. An adjustable diameter hair curler according to claim 2 further comprising a tapered end disposed at said second end.

4. An adjustable diameter hair curler according to claim 3 further comprising a pull tab disposed at said second end.

5. An adjustable diameter hair curler according to claim 1 wherein said at least one thermally conductive heating element comprises a plurality of metal wires.

6. An adjustable diameter hair curler according to claim 5 wherein said plurality of metal wires are flexible stranded copper wires.

7. An adjustable diameter hair curler according to claim 5 wherein said plurality of metal wires are flexible solid copper wires.

8. An adjustable diameter hair curler according to claim 1 wherein said at least one thermally conductive heating element comprises a planar element comprising a metal.

9. An adjustable diameter hair curler according to claim 8 wherein said planar element comprises copper.

10. An adjustable diameter hair curler according to claim 1 wherein said at least one thermally conductive heating element comprises a plurality of planar elements formed of a metal.

11. A heated and adjustable hair curler system comprising:

a plurality of curler elements, each of said curler elements including;

a flat sheet of a flexible material, said sheet having a first planar side, a second planar side, a first end and a second end;

a highly thermally conductive curler thermal connector disposed at said first end of said flat sheet;

at least one thermally conductive heating element thermally connected to said curler thermal connector and disposed within said sheet;

a curler heater, including;

A heated surface having at least one base thermal connector for engaging at least one of said curler thermal connectors, said heated surface heated by a heating element.

12. A heated and adjustable hair curler system comprising:

a plurality of curler elements, each of said curler elements including;

a flat sheet of a flexible material, said sheet having a first planar side, a second planar side, a first end and a second end;

a highly thermally conductive curler thermal connector disposed at said first end of said flat sheet;

at least one thermally conductive heating element thermally connected to said curler thermal connector and disposed within said sheet;

a curler heater, including;

A heated surface having at least one base thermal connector for engaging at least one of said curler thermal connectors, said heating surface electrically heated by a heating element operating under the control of a thermostat so as to keep the temperature of said heated surface within a predetermined range.

13. A hair curler system according to claim 12 wherein at least one of said flat sheets includes a tapered end at said second end.

14. An adjustable diameter hair curler comprising:

a flat sheet of a flexible material of a first maximum thickness, said sheet having a first planar side, a second planar side opposite said first planar side, and a first and a second end disposed opposite said first end;

a highly thermally conductive curler thermal connector disposed at said first end; and

at least one thermally conductive heating element thermally connected to said curler thermal connector and disposed within said sheet, said sheet with said at least one heating element disposed therein being resilient.

15. A hair curler according to claim 14 wherein said flat sheet has, at its second end, a thickness taper from said first maximum thickness to zero thickness.

16. A hair curler according to claim 15 further comprising a plurality of guides disposed horizontally through said sheet and arranged so that a pair of selected guides may be clipped together to form the hair curler into a cylindrical shape.

17. A hair curler according to claim 16 further comprising a clip permanently and slidably disposed in a first of said pair of selected guides for clipping a second of said pair of selected guides to said first of said pair of selected guides.

18. A hair curler according to claim 17 further comprising a pull tab permanently attached to said sheet and disposed at said second end thereof.

19. A hair curler according to claim 14 further comprising a plurality of guides disposed horizontally through said sheet and arranged so that a pair of selected guides may be clipped together to form the hair curler into a cylindrical shape.

20. A hair curler according to claim 19 further comprising a clip permanently and slidably disposed in a first of said pair of selected guides for clipping a second of said pair of selected guides to said first of said pair of selected guides.

21. A hair curler according to claim 20 further comprising a pull tab permanently attached to said sheet and disposed at said second end thereof.

22. A method for applying hair to an adjustable diameter curler wherein said adjustable diameter curler includes a flat sheet of flexible material, said method comprising the steps of:

rolling said sheet with one hand onto a shape including a cylindrical portion and a tail portion, said cylindrical portion including an overlap;

clipping said sheet to itself at said overlap;

lifting said hair away from the scalp;

placing said curler under said hair so that the tail portion of said curler extends from said cylindrical portion in a direction away from the roots of said hair and downward towards the scalp; and

clipping the hair to the curler.

23. A method according to claim 22, further comprising:

clipping the hair to the curler both at said cylindrical portion and at said tail portion.