AU2009341738B2

AU2009341738B2 - Hair iron

Info

Publication number: AU2009341738B2
Application number: AU2009341738A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Young-Bum Choi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-03-10
Filing date: 2009-12-02
Publication date: 2012-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 2029-12-02
Also published as: JP2012519568A; CA2755141A1; WO2010104262A1; KR20100101763A; AU2009341738A1; KR101093394B1

Abstract

A hair iron according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a lower casing equipped with a lower grill, a lower heating unit with a built-in lower heater, the lower grill and the lower heating unit being integrated in one body, and a lower thermal plate arranged at the upper end of the lower heating unit to apply heat to hair; and an upper casing equipped with an upper grill, an upper heating unit with a built-in upper heater, the upper grill and the upper heating unit being integrated in one body, and an upper thermal plate arranged at the lower end of the upper heating unit to apply heat to hair, wherein insertion grooves are formed on the top surface of the lower thermal plate in the longitudinal direction on both sides respectively, and damping members are retractably seated in the insertion grooves. According to the present invention, when hairs are pressed between the lower thermal plate and the damping member and subjected to heat, the hairs are pressurized and well pressed by softening properties of the damping member made of heat-resistant silicon and at the same time, the damping member smoothly slides down and easily straightens curly hairs. As the upper end of the damping member becomes swollen from the insertion groove by heat emitted from the lower thermal plate and then protrudes from the surface of the lower thermal plate, the hairs are gently straightened along the outer surface of the damping member and there may be fewer gaps created between the upper and lower thermal plates. In addition, when straightening curly hairs, the hairs are kept from coming into direct contact with the lower thermal plate, by means of the damping member that is protruded by a predetermined height, so hair damage due to the upper and lower thermal plates in hot states can be overcome. Also, even when wet hairs are being straightened and therefore hair moisture flows into the insert grooves via gaps between the damping members and the insert grooves, stoppers disposed on both sides of the insert groove prevents water leakage and an exothermic reaction of the upper and lower thermal plates can evaporate the moisture inside the insertion groove. Moreover, as the damping members are concealed from outside view when the hair iron is not in use, aesthetic appearance of the hair iron can be improved, and the damping members are protected from damage.

Description

HAIR IRON Technical Field The present invention relates to a hair iron, and particularly to a hair iron for 5 straightening hairs using upper and lower thermal plates, in which a damping member made of heat-resistant silicon is provided at at least one of the upper and lower thermal plates so as to be retractable with a small height deviation due to heat of the upper and lower thermal plates according to whether or not the hair iron is in use. 10 Background Art Generally, a hair iron which applies heat to hairs in order to fix the hairs, such as wave, straight and curl, is used in hair shops. There have been proposed various types of hair irons. 15 Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a lower casing 10 and a lower heating unit 12 having a built-in lower heater are injection-molded integrally. An end of the lower grill 11 is connected with a wire W for supplying power, and a hinge to be described later is received at both sides of the lower grill 11. A fixing casing 20 is detachably assembled with the lower grill 11 in order to fix the wire W 20 and also to rapidly replace with a new one when the wire W is damaged. A lower thermal plate 40 is fixed to the lower heating unit 12, and the lower heater 41 for generating heat using power applied through the wire W is disposed at a lower surface of the lower thermal plate 40. Further, an upper casing 50 and an upper heating unit 52 having a built-in upper 25 heater are injection-molded integrally. An upper thermal plate 70 is fixed to the upper heating unit 52, and the upper heater 71 for generating heat using power applied through the wire W is disposed at a lower surface of the upper thermal plate 70. Meanwhile, the conventional hair iron has a configuration that the lower and upper 30 thermal plates 40 and 70 made of a metallic material are contacted with each other.

Therefore, since it is difficult to smoothly hold hairs when using the hair iron, hairs may be pulled out, and a gap may be generated between the lower and upper thermal plates 40 and 70. Furthermore, hairs may be damaged by the heated lower and upper thermal plates 5 40 and 70. To solve the problems, there had been proposed a curling iron with a damping member (Korean Patent No.0596704) filed on March 02, 2005 by the applicant, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The curling iron includes a first pressing member 100 and a second pressing member 200 on which a steel plate 120, 220 having a line heater 10 130, 230 is attached, and the damping member 400 is provided to the steel plate 220 attached to the second pressing member 200. Herein, the damping member 400 may be attached to a surface of the steel plate 220, or after forming a groove 220a in the surface of the steel plate 220, the damping member 400 may be fixedly inserted into the groove 220a. That is, a protrusion 15 400a is formed at a lower portion of the damping member 400 and fixedly inserted into the groove 220a so that the damping member 400 is not separated from the groove 220a. However, in the conventional curling iron, since the damping member 400 is always protruded by a desired height from a surface of the second pressing member 200, 20 the hairs may be caught by the protruded damping member 400 during a process of straightening curly hairs, and thus the straightening process may be not performed smoothly. Moreover, since the damping member 400 is always protruded by a desired height, outer appearance is deteriorated, and the damping member 400 is easily damaged. 25 Further, the hairs may be damaged by the protruded damping member 400. The preceding discussion of the background art is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention only. The discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to is or was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application. 30 Disclosure Technical Problem An object of the present invention is to provide a hair iron in which hairs are pressed well by flexible properties of the damping member formed of heat-resistant silicon, 5 and at the same time the damping member is smoothly slid down so as to easily straighten curly hairs, when hairs are pressed and heated between the lower thermal plate and the damping member. Another object of the present invention is to a hair iron in which an upper end of the damping member is swollen from an insertion groove by heat emitted from a lower 10 thermal plate and then protruded from a surface of the lower thermal plate, and thus the hairs are gently straightened along an outer surface of the damping member and a gap created between the upper and lower thermal plates can be reduced. Yet another object of the present invention is to a hair iron in which it can be prevented by the damping member protruded by a predetermined height that hairs 15 are directly contacted with the lower thermal plate, when straightening curly hairs, thereby preventing hair damage due to the heated upper and lower thermal plates. Yet another object of the present invention is to a hair iron in which, even when wet hairs are straightened and thus moisture is flowed into the insertion grooves via gaps between the damping members and the insert grooves, water leakage is prevented 20 by stoppers disposed on both sides of the insertion groove and the moisture inside the insertion grooves is evaporated by an exothermic reaction of the upper and lower thermal plates. Yet another object of the present invention is to a hair iron which can improve its outer appearance and also can prevent damage of the damping member. 25 Technical Solution To achieve the object of the present invention, the present invention provides a hair iron including a lower casing equipped with a lower grill, a lower heating unit with a built-in lower heater, the lower grill and the lower heating unit being integrated in one 30 body, and a lower thermal plate arranged at an upper end of the lower heating unit to apply heat to hair; and an upper casing hinged with the lower casing and equipped with an upper grill, an upper heating unit with a built-in upper heater, the upper grill and the upper heating unit being integrated in one body, and an upper thermal plate arranged at a lower end of the upper heating unit to apply heat to hair, wherein an 5 insertion groove is formed in both sides of an upper surface of the lower thermal plate in a longitudinal direction, and a damping members is retractably disposed in the insertion groove. The damping member may have a % shape in section, in which a lower end thereof is wider than an upper end thereof in order to prevent the damping member 10 from being separated from the insertion groove. The hair iron may have a stopper having the same shape in section as the insertion groove is disposed at both ends of the insertion groove. The damping member and stopper may be made of a heat-resistant silicon material. The present invention also provides a hair iron including a lower casing equipped 15 with a lower grill, a lower heating unit with a built-in lower heater, the lower grill and the lower heating unit being integrated in one body, and a lower thermal plate arranged at an upper end of the lower heating unit to apply heat to hair; and an upper casing hinged with the lower casing and equipped with an upper grill, an upper heating unit with a built-in upper heater, the upper grill and the upper heating unit 20 being integrated in one body, and an upper thermal plate arranged at a lower end of the upper heating unit to apply heat to hair, wherein an insertion groove is formed in both sides of an upper surface of the lower thermal plate and also both sides of a lower surface of the upper thermal plate in a longitudinal direction, and a damping members is retractably disposed in the insertion groove. 25 The hair iron may include a stopper having the same shape in section as the insertion groove is disposed at both ends of the insertion groove. Advantageous Effects According to the present invention as described above, when hairs are pressed and 30 heated between the lower thermal plate and the damping member, hairs are pressed well by flexible properties of the damping member formed of heat-resistant silicon, and at the same time the damping member is smoothly slid down so as to easily straighten curly hairs. Further, as an upper end of the damping member is swollen from an insertion groove by heat emitted from a lower thermal plate and then protruded from a surface of the 5 lower thermal plate, the hairs are gently straightened along an outer surface of the damping member and a gap created between the upper and lower thermal plates can be reduced. Further, it can be prevented by the damping member protruded by a predetermined height that hairs are directly contacted with the lower thermal plate, when 10 straightening curly hairs, thereby preventing hair damage due to the heated upper and lower thermal plates. Further, even when wet hairs are straightened and thus moisture is flowed into the insertion grooves via gaps between the damping members and the insert grooves, water leakage is prevented by stoppers disposed on both sides of the insertion 15 groove and the moisture inside the insertion grooves is evaporated by an exothermic reaction of the upper and lower thermal plates. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve its outer appearance and also to prevent damage of the damping member. 20 Description of Drawings The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional hair iron. 25 Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the hair iron of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are cross-sectional views of a conventional hair iron having damping member. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a hair iron according to an embodiment of the present 30 invention.

Fig. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of the hair iron of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A of Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B-B of Fig. 5. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a using state of the hair iron of the present 5 invention. Detailed Description of Main Elements 10: lower casing 11: lower grill 12: lower heating unit 20: fixing casing 10 40: lower thermal plate 40a: insertion groove 41: lower heater 50: upper casing 51: upper grill 52: upper heating unit 70: upper thermal plate 71: upper heater 80: damping member 90: stopper 15 Best Mode Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. Embodiment 20 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a hair iron according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of the hair iron of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A of Fig. 5. Further, Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B-B of Fig. 5, and Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a using state of the hair iron of the present invention. 25 Herein, the same reference numeral is given to an element having the same function as that of the prior art of Figs. 1 and 2. Referring to Fig. 5 and 6, a lower casing 10 is integrally injection-molded with a lower grill 11 as a grip, and a lower heating unit 12 equipped with a built-in lower heater (not shown, referring to a reference numeral 41 of Fig. 2). An upper surface of the lower casing 10 is opened, and a lower surface thereof is closed. An end of the lower grill 11 is connected with a wire W for supplying power, and a hinge 62 is received at both sides of the lower grill 11. A fixing casing 20 is 5 detachably assembled with the lower grill 11 in order to fix the wire W and also to rapidly replace with a new one when the wire W is damaged. Further, a lower closing member 30 contacted with the fixing casing 20 is provided so as to close the lower casing 10 so that an inner portion of the lower casing 10 is not exposed to an outside, and a lower thermal plate 40 is fixed to an upper end of the 10 lower heating unit 12, and the lower heater (41 of Fig. 2) for generating heat using the power supplied through the wire W is disposed at a lower surface of the lower thermal plate. Further, an upper casing 50 is integrally injection-molded with an upper grill 51 as a grip, and an upper heating unit 52 equipped with a built-in upper heater (not shown, 15 referring to a reference numeral 71 of Fig. 2). An upper surface of the upper casing 50 is opened, and a lower surface thereof is closed. Further, an upper thermal plate 70 is fixed to a lower end of the upper heating unit 52, and the upper heater (71 of Fig. 2) for generating heat using the power supplied through the wire W is disposed at a lower surface of the upper thermal plate. 20 As shown in Figs. 7 and 9, an insertion groove 40a having a trapezoidal shape in section is formed at both sides of an upper surface of the lower thermal plate 40 in a length direction thereof so as to have a desired depth, and a damping member 80 having a desired thickness and length is inserted into the insertion groove 40a. Preferably, the damping member 80 has a h shape in section, in which a lower 25 end thereof is wider than an upper end thereof, thereby preventing the damping member 80 from being easily separated from the insertion groove 40a. Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 8, a stopper 90 made of heat-resistant silicon and having a trapezoidal shape in section is disposed at both ends of the insertion groove 40a. 30 Besides the heat-resistant silicon that can endure at a high temperature of 100-230 0 C, the damping member 80 and the stopper 90 may be formed of any other materials which has heat-resistant property, or a mixture of a foreign substance such as carbon or ceramic powder. Although not shown, the insertion groove 40a, the damping member 80 and the stopper 90 may be applied to the upper thermal plate 70 as well as the lower thermal 5 plate 40. A reference numeral 35 of Figs. 5 and 6 is a protrusion for keeping a space between the upper casing 50 and lower casing 10. Hereinafter, the operation of the hair iron according to the present invention will be described. When straightening curly hairs using the hair iron of the present invention, as shown 10 in Fig. 5, a user connects the wire W to a power source in order to heat the lower and upper thermal plates 40 and 70 using heat of the lower and upper heaters 41 and 71. The damping member 80 is in a state of being inserted into the lower thermal plate 40 at an early stage, as shown in Fig. 7, and an upper end of the damping member 80 is swollen from the insertion groove 40a by heat of the lower thermal plate 41 and 15 then protruded by a desired height from a surface of the lower thermal plate 40, as shown in Fig. 9 (referring to P of Fig. 9). The hairs are pressed and heated between the upper thermal plate 70 and the damping member 80. Since the damping member 80 has heat-resistant and flexible properties, the hairs are pressed well by the flexible property of the heat-resistant 20 silicon, and thus the damping member is smoothly slid down and easily straightens the curly hairs. Due to the flexible property of the heat-resistant silicon, a gap generated between the damping member 80 and the upper thermal plate 70 can be minimized. As described above, the curly hairs can be gently straightened along an outer 25 surface of the damping member 80, while the upper end of the damping member 80 is swollen with a relatively small height deviation comparing to the prior art. Therefore, it is prevented that the hairs are caught and damaged between the lower thermal plate 40 and the upper thermal plate 70. Further, because it is prevented by the damping member 80 that the hairs are directly 30 contacted with the lower thermal plate 40, hair damage due to the heated upper and lower thermal plates can be overcome. If the damping member 80 is damaged, it can be easily replaced with new one after being pulled out from the insertion groove 40a. Meanwhile, even when wet hairs are straightened and moisture is flowed into the insertion groove 40a via a gap between the damping member 80 and the insertion 5 groove 40a, the moisture is stagnated in the insertion groove by the stopper 90 and then evaporated by the heat of the lower and upper thermal plates 40 and 70. Meanwhile, after the curly hairs are straightened completely, the power is shut off by the user, and thus the heating of the lower heater 41 is stopped. Therefore, the upper end of the damping member 80 is inserted again into the insertion groove 40a. 10 Further, since the damping member 80 is inserted into the insertion groove 40a when the hair iron is not in used, outer appearance of the hair iron can be improved, and the damping members are protected from damage. Industrial Applicability 15 According to the present invention as described above, when hairs are pressed and heated between the lower thermal plate and the damping member, hairs are pressed well by flexible properties of the damping member formed of heat-resistant silicon, and at the same time the damping member is smoothly slid down so as to easily straighten curly hairs. 20 Further, as an upper end of the damping member is swollen from an insertion groove by heat emitted from a lower thermal plate and then protruded from a surface of the lower thermal plate, the hairs are gently straightened along an outer surface of the damping member and a gap created between the upper and lower thermal plates can be reduced. 25 Further, it can be prevented by the damping member protruded by a predetermined height that hairs are directly contacted with the lower thermal plate, when straightening curly hairs, thereby preventing hair damage due to the heated upper and lower thermal plates. Further, even when wet hairs are straightened and thus moisture is flowed into the 30 insertion grooves via gaps between the damping members and the insert grooves, water leakage is prevented by stoppers disposed on both sides of the insertion groove and the moisture inside the insertion grooves is evaporated by an exothermic reaction of the upper and lower thermal plates. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve its outer appearance and also to prevent damage of the damping member. 5 While the present invention has been described with respect to the specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. Reference to positional descriptions, such as lower and upper, are to be taken in 10 context of the embodiments depicted in the figures, and are not to be taken as limiting the invention to the literal interpretation of the term but rather as would be understood by the skilled addressee. Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to 15 imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

Claims

1. A hair iron comprising: a lower casing equipped with a lower grill, a lower heating unit with a built-in lower heater, the lower grill and the lower heating unit being integrated in one body, and a 5 lower thermal plate arranged at an upper end of the lower heating unit to apply heat to hair; and an upper casing hinged with the lower casing and equipped with an upper grill, an upper heating unit with a built-in upper heater, the upper grill and the upper heating unit being integrated in one body, and an upper thermal plate arranged at a lower end 10 of the upper heating unit to apply heat to hair, wherein an insertion groove is formed in both sides of an upper surface of the lower thermal plate in a longitudinal direction, and a damping members is retractably disposed in the insertion groove. 15

2. The hair iron according to claim 1, wherein the damping member has a shape in section, in which a lower end thereof is wider than an upper end thereof in order to prevent the damping member from being separated from the insertion groove. 20

3. The hair iron according to claim 2, wherein a stopper having the same shape in section as the insertion groove is disposed at both ends of the insertion groove.

4. The hair iron according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the damping member and stopper are made of a heat-resistant silicon material. 25

5. A hair iron comprising: a lower casing equipped with a lower grill, a lower heating unit with a built-in lower heater, the lower grill and the lower heating unit being integrated in one body, and a lower thermal plate arranged at an upper end of the lower heating unit to apply heat 30 to hair; and an upper casing hinged with the lower casing and equipped with an upper grill, an upper heating unit with a built-in upper heater, the upper grill and the upper heating unit being integrated in one body, and an upper thermal plate arranged at a lower end of the upper heating unit to apply heat to hair, 5 wherein an insertion groove is formed in both sides of an upper surface of the lower thermal plate and also both sides of a lower surface of the upper thermal plate in a longitudinal direction, and a damping members is retractably disposed in the insertion groove. 10

6. The hair iron according to claim 5, wherein a stopper having the same shape in section as the insertion groove is disposed at both ends of the insertion groove.

7. A hair iron heater substantially as herein described with reference to the 15 accompanying drawings.