Vibrating hair brush

• US 7,865,994 B2
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Conopco (Unilever PLC)
• Original Assignee: Conopco (Unilever PLC)
• Inventors: Skinner, Richard, Nottingham, Rachel Marie, Wall, Brian Douglas, Tapper, Jay, Spirk, John Wilford, McNeeley, Carolyn Marie, Wire, Stephen Lee, Taggart, Jeffrey Silver, Nottingham, John Richard, Kalman, Jeffrey M
• Primary Examiner(s): Carter; Monica S
• Assistant Examiner(s): BERRY, STEPHANIE R
• Application Number:
  US12/074,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20080308118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 15/222, 15/971, 151/60, 151/86, 151/021, 151/022, 601/70, 601/72
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/02 power-driven carriers
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/023 with means for inducing vibration to the bristles
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0002 Arrangements for enhancing monitoring or controlling the brushing process
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/104 Hair brush bristles arrangements for hair brushes A46B9/023
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0153 hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1215 Rotary drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1604 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/021 Scalp
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 23/0263 using rotating unbalanced masses
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 7/005 hand-held

Abstract

A vibrating hair brush for enhanced detangling of hair, comprising a head portion including a motor assembly for operating a vibrating actuator and a plurality of bristles depending from a bristle pad of the head portion, wherein the actuator is disposed for generating a vibrating movement of the bristles in a curvilinear direction generally within a plane parallel to the bristle pad.

Claims

1. A vibrating hair brush for enhanced detangling of hair, comprising:

a head portion including;

a motor,

an isolator assembly,

a vibrating actuator, and

a bristle pad assembly that includes a cavity sized to allow receipt of the motor, and a bristle pad having a plurality of bristles depending therefrom, and

a handle portion that extends from the head portion in a handle axial direction which is within a plane generally parallel to bristle pad,

wherein the actuator is disposed for generating a vibrating movement of the bristles in a curvilinear direction generally within a plane parallel to the bristle pad, and wherein the isolator assembly is affixed to the motor and the bristle pad assembly, and is configured to translate a movement of the actuator to an elliptical vibrating movement of the bristle pad.

2. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the vibrating movement is common to some of the bristles.

3. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the bristle pad comprises a single support for all the bristles for common movement of the bristles.

4. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the vibrating actuator comprises an offset weight rotating in a plane generally parallel to the bristle pad.

5. The hair brush of claim 4 wherein the offset weight is mounted on a shaft of the motor for causing an eccentric bias thereto.

6. The hair brush of claim 5 wherein the offset weight and motor are fixed to the bristle pad.

7. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the isolator assembly is configured to inhibit vibratory movement in a direction perpendicular to the handle axial direction.

8. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the isolator assembly has a first stiffness in the handle axial direction and a second stiffness perpendicular to the handle axial direction, the first stiffness being less than the second stiffness.

9. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the bristles extend from the bristle pad in a direction generally perpendicular thereto for bristle movement corresponding to the bristle pad movement.

10. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the vibrating movement is in a frequency range 20-100 Hz.

11. The hair brush of claim 10 wherein the frequency is in the frequency range 30 to 65 Hz.

12. A method for detangling hair comprising brushing the hair with a brush according to claim 1.

13. A vibrating hair brush according to claim 1 wherein a majority of the bristles move in a curvilinear manner within a plane generally normal to a direction in which the majority of bristles extend.

14. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein, in a plane parallel to the bristle pad, the elliptical vibrating movement of the bristle pad has a longer elliptical axis in a handle axial direction therein in a direction perpendicular to the handle axial direction.

15. The hair brush of claim 1 wherein the isolator assembly translates a circular vibratory movement of the actuator into an elliptical vibrating movement of the bristle pad.