Hand-held depilating device with a pain masking stimulator

• US 5,916,222 A
• Filed: 05/14/1997
• Issued: 06/29/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Asahi Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumura, Yuko, Asada, Mika, Takegawa, Yoshinobu, Takeuchi, Toshihiro, Sato, Yasuhiro, Iwasaki, Jyuzaemon
• Primary Examiner(s): Dawson, Glenn K.
• Application Number:
  US08/855,631
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 606/131, 606/133, 606/205-211, 452/75, 452/102, 452/104
• US Class Current: 606/133
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2200/207 Vibration, e.g. ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 26/00 Hair-singeing apparatus; Apparatus for removing superfluous hair, e.g. tweezers removing hair using electrosurgical instruments A61B18/04, A61B18/18
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 26/0028 with rotating discs or blades
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 26/0061 with means for reducing pain during hair removal

Abstract

A hand-held depilating device capable of masking the pain of plucking the hairs. A plucking head has a plurality of pinching elements which arrange along a horizontal axis in a closely adjacent relation and are driven to close and open gaps between the pinching elements for pinching the hairs between the adjacent elements and release the hairs therefrom. A cycler or turning mechanism is included to cyclically move the plucking head in a direction crossing with the horizontal axis so as to define, in combination with the movement of closing and opening the pinching elements, repeated depilating cycles of introducing the hairs between the adjacent pinching elements, pinching the hairs therebetween, plucking the hairs from the skin, and releasing the hairs from between the pinching elements. Mounted to the top of the housing adjacent to the plucking head is a simulator which applies stimuli to the skin independently of the plucking head. The device includes a synchronous mechanism for synchronizing a timing of applying the stimuli with the depilating cycle. Thus, the stimuli can be made at an optimum timing or timings within the depilating cycle, thereby masking the hair plucking pain.

Claims

1. A hand-held depilating device for plucking hairs from the skin of a user, said depilating device comprising:

a housing adapted to be grasped by the hand of the user;

a plucking head mounted on top of said housing for plucking the hairs from the skin, said plucking head comprising a plurality of pinching elements arranged along an axis in a closely adjacent relation to form therebetween gaps for entrapping the hairs therein, at least one pinching element of said plurality of pinching elements being driven to move relative to a remainder of said plurality of pinching elements in a direction of successively opening and closing said gaps so as to pinch the hairs between said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent each other and release the hairs therefrom;

cycler means for cyclicly moving said plucking head about said axis of said plucking head to define, in combination with a movement of closing and opening said gaps, repeated depilating cycles of introducing the hairs between said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent each other, pinching the hairs therebetween, plucking the hairs from the skin, and releasing the hairs from between said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent each other;

stimulator means mounted on top of said housing adjacent to said plucking head for applying stimuli to the skin separately from said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent each other;

wherein said depilating device includes a synchronous mechanism for synchronizing a timing of applying said stimuli with said depilating cycle;

wherein said cycler means operates to rotate said plucking head about said axis for achieving said depilating cycle, and said synchronous mechanism comprises a cam mounted on said plucking head to be rotatable therewith, and a cam follower which is engageable with said cam and connected to said stimulator means for applying said stimuli in synchronism with a rotation of said plucking head;

wherein said stimulator means comprises a movable member having a first end, which is a pivot end, pivotally supported on said top of said housing and having a stimulator element at a second end; and

wherein said cam follower is formed on said movable member at a middle portion between said pivot end and said second end provided with said stimulator element.

2. A hand-held depilating device for plucking hairs from the skin of a user, said depilating device comprising:

a housing adapted to be grasped by the hand of the user;

a plucking head mounted on top of said housing for plucking the hairs from the skin, said plucking head comprising a plurality of pinching elements arranged along an axis in a closely adjacent relation to form therebetween gaps for entrapping the hairs therein, at least one pinching element of said plurality of pinching elements being driven to move relative to a remainder of said plurality of pinching elements in a direction of successively opening and closing said gaps so as to pinch the hairs between said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent each other and release the hairs therefrom;

cycler means for cyclicly moving said plucking head about said axis of said plucking head to define, in combination with a movement of closing and opening said gaps, repeated depilating cycles of introducing the hairs between said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent each other, pinching the hairs therebetween, plucking the hairs from the skin, and releasing the hairs from between said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent each other;

stimulator means mounted on top of said housing adjacent to said plucking head for applying stimuli to the skin separately from said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent each other;

wherein said depilating device includes a synchronous mechanism for synchronizing a timing of applying said stimuli with said depilating cycle; and

wherein said cycler means operates to rotate said plucking head about said axis for achieving said depilating cycle, and said synchronous mechanism comprises a cam mounted on said plucking head to be rotatable therewith, and a cam follower which is engageable with said cam and connected to said stimulator means for applying said stimuli in synchronism with a rotation of said plucking head.

3. The depilating device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said stimulator means comprises a movable member having a first end, which is a pivot end, pivotally supported on said top of said housing and having a stimulator element at a second end.

4. The depilating device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said stimulator means comprises a skin stretcher which develops a stimulus of applying a force of stretching the skin as one of said stimuli, said skin stretcher being pivotally supported at a lower part of the pivot end thereof on said top of said housing and is driven to swing about said pivot end in a direction of moving towards and away from said plucking head.

5. The depilating device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said skin stretcher and a second skin stretcher are disposed on opposite sides of said plucking head and are driven to swing towards and away from each other.

6. The depilating device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said skin stretcher is connected to a drive arm to be driven thereby to swing about said pivot end, said drive arm being pivotally supported at a first end of said drive arm on said top of said housing opposite of said plucking head from said skin stretcher to pivot about said first end of said drive arm, said drive arm being connected at a second end thereof which is opposite of said first end of said drive arm by means of a link to said skin stretcher at a portion offset from said pivot axis so that a pivotal movement of said drive arm causes said skin stretcher to swing about said pivot axis.

7. The depilating device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said cam follower is formed on said movable member at a middle portion between said pivot end and said second end provided with said stimulator element.

8. The depilating device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said stimulator means comprises a vibrator which develops a stimulus of applying vibrations to the skin as one of said stimuli.

9. The depilating device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said stimulator means comprises a skin stretcher which develops a stimulus of applying a force of stretching the skin as one of said stimulus.

10. The depilating device as set forth in claim 9, wherein said skin stretcher acts to stretch the skin when driven to swing in a direction away from said plucking head while said plucking head acts to pluck the hairs from the skin.

11. The depilating device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said synchronous mechanism is arranged to apply said stimuli to the skin at least while said plucking head acts to pluck the hairs from the skin.

12. The depilating device as set forth in claim 11, wherein said synchronous mechanism is arranged to apply said stimuli to the skin at a beginning of plucking the hairs by said plucking head.

13. The depilating device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said synchronous mechanism is arranged so as not to apply said stimuli to the skin while said plucking head acts to pinch the hairs between said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent to each other.

14. The depilating device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said synchronous mechanism is arranged to apply said stimuli to the skin at least while said plucking head acts to introduce the hairs between said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent to each other.

15. The depilating device as set forth in claim 14, wherein said synchronous mechanism is arranged to apply said stimuli to the skin at an end of introducing the hairs between said plurality of pinching elements which are adjacent to each other.

16. The depilating device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said stimulator means comprises a plurality of stimulator elements acting simultaneously to apply said stimuli.