Hair shaping apparatus

• US 6,107,604 A
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 08/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dalco Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dalco Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, David R., Mosher, Beth K., Howell, Byron F., Monroe, David Allen, Lenart, Chris N., Hibri, Dalal Kanafani
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeffery, John A.
• Application Number:
  US08/996,551
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 219/222, 219/225, 219/226, 219/541, 132/229, 132/269, 132/230, 132/233, 132/250
• US Class Current: 219/222
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2/367 with electrical heating means A45D2/362 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
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/00 Ohmic-resistance heating

Abstract

A hair shaping apparatus is provided employing one or more hollow rollers. The rollers can be arranged in concentric fashion and electrically heated by an activator unit, wherein one end of the activator unit is inserted into one end of the concentrically arranged rollers, and the other end of the activator unit can be plugged into an electrical wall outlet. The activator unit can be reversed for storage, whereby the AC plugs which connect to the wall outlet are inserted into the hollow opening of the roller to present a low-profile configuration for ease of portability. One or multiple receptacles can be connected to an activator unit, wherein the activator unit is connected to a wall outlet in order to heat a plurality of singular or concentrically arranged hollow rollers connected to the receptacles.

Claims

1. An apparatus for shaping hair adapted to be heated by applying an external energy source to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising a cylindrical, hollow first roller defined along an axis, said roller having opposing open ends, an inner wall having an inner wall radius, an outer wall having an outer wall radius, a conductive material placed between said opposing ends and between the inner and outer walls, and a contact attached to said conductive material said contact disposed along the roller at only one of said open ends, said contact set-off from the axis a distance of at least the inner radius.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a handle defined by a plurality of protrusions spaced along a portion of said hollow first roller from at least one of said opposing ends, said plurality of protrusions extending radially outward from a surface of said hollow first roller.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said conductive material comprises at least two arcuate metal plates, each plate having opposing edges with a coupling element extending therefrom, the coupling element of one plate disposed for seating adjacent the coupling element of the other plate to form a metal coupling when the metal plates are adjacent one another edge to edge, and wherein a heating element is positioned between the adjacent coupling elements of a metal coupling.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a dielectric material disposed adjacent the opposing edges of the conductive material.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an activator unit having first and second sides;

an AC plug extending from one of said sides; and

a receptacle extending from one of said sides, wherein said receptacle-bearing side is adapted to partially extend into the roller open end having said contact, and said receptable is adapted to mate with said contact.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein

said AC plug extends from said first side;

and

said receptacle extends from said second side.

7. An apparatus for shaping hair, adapted to be heated by applying an external energy source to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

a cylindrical, hollow first roller defined along an axis, said roller having opposing open ends, an inner wall having an inner wall radius, an outer wall having an outer wall radius, a conductive material placed between said opposing ends and between the inner and outer walls;

a contact coextensive with said hollow first roller and attached to said conductive material, said contact disposed along the roller at only one of said open ends, said contact set-off from the axis a distance of at least the inner radius; and

an activator unit having first and second sides, wherein an AC plug extends from one of said sides and a receptacle adapted to mate with said contact extends from one of said sides.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the receptacle-bearing side of said activator unit is adapted to partially extend into one end of said opposing ends such that said receptacle mates with said contact and said AC plug is exposed for connection to an AC wall socket.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the AC plug-bearing side of said activator unit is adapted to partially extend into one end of said opposing ends such that said receptacle mates with said contact and said AC plug faces inward into said hollow first roller.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the receptacle-bearing side of said activator unit further comprises a second receptacle spaced apart from said other receptacle.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising a cylindrical, hollow second roller having a second contact coextensive therewith, wherein said hollow second roller is concentrically adapted to seat inside said hollow first roller, and wherein at least a portion of the receptacle-bearing side of said activator unit is adapted to partially extend into one end of said hollow first and second rollers such that said first and second receptacles mate with respective said first and second contacts.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising a plurality of concentrically seated hollow first and second rollers and plurality of activator units, each concentrically seated hollow first and second rollers having respective first and second contacts extending in mating arrangement with respective first and second receptacles of each of said plurality of activator units.