Hair treatment system

• US 8,540,701 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ferren, Bran, Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Jung, Edward K. Y., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, Bill
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRANDALL, LYNSEY P
• Application Number:
  US11/072,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200115A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,126 Days
• Field of Search: 607 88- 90, 606/2, 606/3, 606 9- 13, 606/36, 606/43
• US Class Current: 606/9
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/203 applying laser energy to the outside of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00452 Skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00476 Hair follicles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/208 with multiple treatment beams not sharing a common path, e.g. non-axial or parallel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/065 for measuring contact or contact pressure

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and systems for hair treatment are disclosed. According to various embodiments, light is used to shave, trim, or otherwise modify hair shafts.

Claims

1. A hair removal method comprising:

a) manually positioning a handheld device containing a light source adjacent to a skin surface;

b) detecting or determining a distance of said light source from the skin surface with a proximity sensor in said handheld device; and

c) if said determined distance is within a specified range, activating said light source responsive to said detecting or determining a distance of said light source from the skin surface with a proximity sensor in said handheld device to generate a highly convergent beam of a frequency band significantly absorbed by hair and having a narrow, spatially limited beam waist located at a selected distance above the skin surface, wherein said selected distance is between about 25μ

m and about 300 μ

m.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said light source is a laser, a laser diode, or a light-emitting diode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said beam waist has a diameter of between about 25 μ

m and about 300 μ

m.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said specified range is selected so that said beam waist is located at said selected distance above the skin surface when said light source is within said specified range of the skin surface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said selected distance is located just above the skin surface at the base of one or more hair shafts.

6. The method of claim 1, including generating a beam having an axis and an angle of convergence of between about 25 and about 70 degrees relative to the axis of said beam.

8. The method of claim 1, including discontinuing exposure of a skin region to said beam prior to injury of the skin region by said beam.

9. The method of claim 1, including delivering said highly convergent beam to said skin surface through a light-conducting medium interposed between said handheld device and said skin surface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said light-conducting medium is a light activated medium.

11. The method of claim 8, including discontinuing exposure of the skin region by at least one of moving the handheld device along the skin surface to an adjacent skin region, deactivating the light source, and blocking the delivery of light from the light source.

7. A hair removal method comprising:

a) manually positioning a handheld device containing a light source adjacent to a skin surface;

b) detecting or determining a distance of said light source from the skin surface with a proximity sensor in said handheld device; and

if said determined distance is within a specified range, activating said light source responsive to said detecting or determining a distance of said light source from the skin surface with a proximity sensor in said handheld device to generate a highly convergent beam of a frequency band significantly absorbed by hair and having a narrow, spatially limited beam waist located at a selected distance above the skin surface, wherein the light fluence at said beam waist is between about 4 and about 100 times the light fluence at said skin surface.

12. A hair removal method comprising:

a) manually positioning a handheld device containing a light source adjacent to a skin surface;

b) detecting or determining a distance of a portion of said handheld device from the skin surface with a proximity sensor in said handheld device; and

c) if said determined distance is within a specified range, activating said light source responsive to said detecting or determining a distance of said portion of said handheld device from the skin surface with a proximity sensor in said handheld device to generate a highly convergent beam of a frequency band significantly absorbed by hair and having a narrow, spatially limited beam waist located at a selected distance above the skin surface, wherein the light fluence at said beam waist is between about 4 and about 100 times the light fluence at said skin surface.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said specified range is selected so that said beam waist is located at said selected distance above the skin surface when said portion of said handheld device is within said specified range of the skin surface.

15. The method of claim 12, including generating a beam having an axis and an angle of convergence of between about 25 and about 70 degrees relative to the axis of said beam.

13. A hair removal method comprising:

a) manually positioning a handheld device containing a light source adjacent to a skin surface;

b) detecting or determining a distance of a portion of said handheld device from the skin surface with a proximity sensor in said handheld device; and

if said determined distance is within a specified range, activating said light source responsive to said detecting or determining a distance of said portion of said handheld device from the skin surface with a proximity sensor in said handheld device to generate a highly convergent beam of a frequency band significantly absorbed by hair and having a narrow, spatially limited beam waist located at a selected distance above the skin surface, wherein said selected distance is between about 25μ

m and about 300μ

m.