Hair care device

• US 8,534,298 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2008
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Honnefeller, Katja, Kloeppel-Riech, Michael, Smetana, Norbert, Soerensen, Olaf, Seng, Juergen
• Primary Examiner(s): Doan, Robyn
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOBREGA, TATIANA L
• Application Number:
  US12/674,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20110094535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,883 Days
• Field of Search: 132/118, 132/120, 132/126, 132/148, 132/219, 132/221, 132/271, 132/272, 151/60, 151/69, 151/84, 151/85, 152/46
• US Class Current: 132/148
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 1/04 by electricity
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 20/10 Hand-held drying devices, e.g. air douches
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 20/12 Details thereof or accessories therefor, e.g. nozzles, stands
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 20/50 and provision for an air stream
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 20/525 by an independent heating source
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2200/202 Ionisation
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0002 Arrangements for enhancing monitoring or controlling the brushing process
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0024 with means generating ions
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/104 Hair brush bristles arrangements for hair brushes A46B9/023

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hair care device (1), having a handle (3), a function head (4) which can be connected to the handle (3), and which has a hair treatment device (5), particularly a brush and/or a tooth field, and having an ion-discharging device (9) for discharging ions onto the hair, the ion-discharging device (9) having at least one ion outlet (11). According to the invention, the hair care device (1) is characterized in that the function head (4) and/or a housing part which surrounds the ion outlet (11) has at least one grounding area for dissipating/limiting electronic charges. Advantageously, the ions are discharged exclusively from the back of the device (8) which faces away from the hair treatment device (5), while the grounding area on the function head (4) can be provided on the front of the device.

Claims

1. A hair care device comprising:

a handle and a function head connected to the handle said function head having a hair treatment device comprising a bristle field and/or comb tooth field thereon, said handle and said function head being made of a conductive material and each having a back surface opposite the hair treatment device,

an ion-discharging device connected to a circuit, said ion-discharging device having at least one ion source enclosed in a housing and at least one ion outlet for discharging ions onto the hair, where said at least one ion outlet is located on at least one of the handle or the back surface of the function head, a metallic grounding surface attached to an external surface of the function head and/or handle for the for the conducting away/limitation of electrical charges, where the grounding surface is in electrical connection with the grounding potential of the circuit and the grounding surface does not extend into a portion of said handle gripped by a user.

2. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein the function head and/or the hair treatment device thereof and/or the housing part surrounding the ion outlet that is made, apart from the grounding surface, of nonconductive plastic.

3. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein the grounding surface is attached to the function head on the hair treatment device.

4. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein an additional grounding surface is located on the housing surface on the ion outlet that surrounds a high-voltage element for the discharging of the ions.

5. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein the housing part that surrounds the ion outlet comprises a port side in which an exit opening is provided for the exit of the ions, and has at least one further, closed housing side, and an additional grounding surface is provided on the closed housing side.

6. The hair care device of claim 5 wherein the port side of the ion outlet is designed so as not to have counter-electrodes.

7. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein the at least one ion outlet is arranged on the back surface of the device.

8. The hair care device of claim 7 wherein the at least one ion outlet is arranged with its main exit direction inclined to the back surface of the device at an angle of 0°

to 45°

.

9. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein at least one ion outlet, is situated on at least one of the back surface of the function head or the back surface of the handle.

10. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein an energy storage device is provided for the supply of energy to the ion discharge device.

11. The hair care device of claim 10 wherein the function head and/or the hair treatment device is designed so as to be detachable from a device basic body that forms the handle.

12. The hair care device of claim 3 wherein the grounding surface at least partially surrounds the function head.

13. The hair care device of claim 3 wherein the grounding surface completely surrounds the function head.

14. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein all of the ion outlets are situated on the back surface of the function head or the back surface of the handle.

15. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein the hair treatment device comprises a brush field, and the at least one ion outlet is located on a back surface of the device that faces away from the brush field when device is in use.

16. The hair care device of claim 1 wherein the ion discharging device comprises a high voltage element arranged in the at least one ion outlet, said ion outlet having an exit opening therein, said high voltage element having an end adjacent said exit opening, wherein in the case of at least one ion outlet, at least part of the grounding surface extends behind the end of the high voltage element that is adjacent the exit opening of the ion outlet, in an opposite direction relative to the main exit direction of the ion outlet.