Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an attachment for a hair care appliance of the type that generates a flow of heated air for discharge onto a user’s hair.

Background

Various hair care appliances are known that generate a flow of heated air for discharge onto a user’s hair. One example is a hair dryer, which supplies a heated flow of air for styling and/or drying a user’s hair.

Basic use of a hair dryer for drying a user’s head involves holding the hair dryer at a distance from the user’s hair while directing discharged hot air onto the user’s hair. To provide rapid drying of a user’s hair, it can be desirable to maximise the heat output of the hair dryer.

Attachments for hair dryers are known which provide hair dryers with additional functionality. For example, when fitted to a hair dryer, such attachments may facilitate application of a particular style to a user’s hair and/or may increase the suitability of the hair dryer for use with a particular hair type.

Some attachments are intended to be used close to or in contact with a user’s hair and/or scalp. For example, comb attachments are known for hair dryers that allow a user to comb their hair while hot air is discharged onto the hair being combed. The relative proximity of the outlet of the hair dryer during such use (i.e. compared with the basic hair drying technique described above) means that air is at a higher temperature when it flows across a user’s hair and/or scalp. This higher temperature can cause damage to a user’s hair and discomfort to a user.

The present disclosure has been devised in light of the above considerations.

Summary

In a first aspect there is provided an attachment for mounting to a hair care appliance configured to supply a heated airflow, the attachment comprising: an airflow passage extending from an upstream airflow inlet for receiving an airflow from the appliance to a downstream airflow outlet for discharging the airflow onto a user’s hair; and a first vane arranged in the airflow passage to deflect a portion of the airflow in a first direction, and a second vane arranged in the airflow passage to deflect another portion of the airflow in a second direction that is different to the first direction, each vane comprising opposing surfaces extending between an upstream leading edge and a downstream trailing edge of the vane.

By deflecting airflow in (at least) two directions, the airflow deflector may disperse the airflow (i.e. may cause it to diverge) such that it is discharged from the outlet over a greater area than if it were not deflected. One consequence of this is that heat within the airflow is spread out over a larger area, which reduces the concentration of heat within a given region of the airflow at the outlet. The practical result of this is that the temperature of the airflow provided at the outlet is reduced. It has been found, for example, that in some cases the vanes can reduce the air temperature at the outlet by 20°C (i.e. when compared to the same arrangement without the vanes).

Accordingly, the attachment can be used close to a user’s hair and/or scalp with reduced risk of hair damage and/or discomfort to user. As the attachment itself provides this temperature reduction, there is no need to implement means in the appliance itself to reduce the temperature of the air discharged by the appliance (for example, there is no need to provide a heater that is capable of temperature reduction, and likewise there is no need to provide means for a user to adjust the temperature of the heater).

Optional features of the first aspect will now be set out. These are applicable singly or in any combination with any aspect.

Each vane may be configured to deflect a respective portion of the airflow outwardly from a central region of the airflow passage towards a peripheral region of the airflow passage.

The first vane may be configured to deflect a portion of the airflow towards a first side of the airflow passage. The second vane may be arranged to deflect a portion of the airflow towards a second side of the airflow passage. The second side of the airflow passage may be opposed to the first side across the airflow passage.

Each vane may extend along a respective reference plane that is arranged obliquely with respect to a central axis of the airflow passage (e.g. each reference plane may be defined as a plane on which both the leading and trailing edges of the vane lie). As may be appreciated, the central axis may be linear (when the airflow passage extends along a linear path) or may be curved (when the airflow passage extends along a curved path).

Each reference plane may form an angle of less than 30°, or less than 25°, or less than 20° with the central axis of the airflow passage. Each reference plane may form an angle of about 15° with the central axis of the airflow passage. It has been found that where the angle of the vanes with respect to an incoming airflow is too large, the airflow may simply pass across the vanes (rather being deflected by the vanes).

Each reference plane may form an angle of less than 30°, or less than 25°, or less than 20° with a direction of an incoming airflow in the airflow passage (i.e. the incoming airflow being an airflow immediately upstream of the vanes). Each reference plane may form an angle of about 15° with the incoming airflow.

In general, each vane may have a substantially streamlined (e.g. generally aerofoil) shape. Each vane may be shaped so as minimise separation of the airflow from the surfaces of the vane. This may minimise airflow pressure drop resulting from the presence of the vanes in the airflow passage.

For example, the leading edge and/or trailing edge of each vane may be rounded. One or both of the leading and trailing edges of each vane may have a radius of about 0.5 mm.

A leading portion of each vane may taper outwardly in a direction away from the leading edge of the vane. That is, each vane may gradually increase in thickness (i.e. the distance between the opposing surfaces) from the leading edge to an intermediate portion (between the leading and trailing edges).

Likewise, a trailing portion of each vane may taper inwardly in a direction towards the trailing edge of the vane. Thus, each vane may gradually decrease in thickness from an intermediate portion to the trailing edge.

Accordingly, each vane may have a maximum thickness at an intermediate portion between the trailing and leading edges and may gradually taper in thickness from the intermediate portion to each of the edges. The maximum thickness of each vane (e.g. at the intermediate portion) may be between 1 mm and 5 mm, or between 2 mm and 4 mm, or about 3 mm.

The opposing surfaces of each vane may comprise an inner surface facing the central axis of the airflow passage and an opposing outer surface facing away from the central axis of the airflow passage (e.g. facing towards a periphery of the airflow passage).

The inner surface of each vane may be curved between the leading and trailing edges of the vane. The curvature of each inner surface may be convex towards the central axis of the airflow passage. The curve of each inner surface may be approximated by a plurality of planar surfaces. That is, each inner surface may comprise a plurality of planar surface portions that approximate a curved surface (e.g. a convex curved surface). Each inner surface may comprise, for example, at least three planar surface portions approximating a curved surface.

In some embodiments the outer surface of each vane may be substantially planar. Each outer surface may extend within a plane that forms an angle of less than 30°, or less than 25°, or less than 20° with the central axis of the airflow passage (i.e. the reference planes referred to above may be coplanar with the outer surfaces of each vane rather than extending through the leading/trailing edges). Each outer surface may extend within a plane that forms an angle of about 15° with the central axis of the airflow passage. The leading edges of the first and second vanes may be substantially aligned along a shared axis extending transversely across the airflow passage (i.e. the shared axis may be perpendicular to the central axis of the airflow passage). The vanes may form a generally linear structure extending across the airflow passage. The shared axis may be positioned substantially centrally between opposing sides of the airflow passage (e.g. the shared axis may divide the airflow passage into two equally sized halves). This may facilitate the provision of an even distribution of airflow downstream of the vanes.

As may be appreciated, in other embodiments the first and second vanes may be arranged in a non-linear manner. For example, the first and second vanes may be arranged to form a ring/annulus (i.e. the first vane being a first portion of the ring deflecting airflow in the first direction and the second vane being a second portion of the ring deflecting airflow in the second direction).

The leading edges of the first and second vanes may be connected end-to-end along the shared axis. The leading edges of the first and second vanes may be integrally formed (i.e. the first and second vanes may be integrally formed). Thus, a single leading edge may extend across the airflow passage from which the vanes may extend.

The vanes may be adjacent or proximate to the airflow inlet. For example, the leading edges of the vanes may be adjacent or proximate to the airflow inlet. The vanes may extend for only a portion of the airflow passage. Thus, the trailing edges of the vanes may be disposed partway along the airflow passage. Each vane may have a length (the distance between the leading and trailing edges) of between 12 and 20 mm, or between 14 and 18 mm, or about 16 mm.

The attachment may comprise a plurality of said first vanes and a plurality of said second vanes. The plurality of said first and second vanes may be arranged in an alternating pattern along the shared axis. In this way, the vanes may be interdigitated along the shared axis. Such an arrangement may facilitate even distribution of the airflow by the vanes.

The outlet may be elongate so as to have an elongate axis which is perpendicular to a central axis of the airflow passage (i.e. the elongate axis extending across the airflow passage). In other words, the outlet may have two opposing long sides extending between two opposing short sides (e.g. may be substantially rectangular). A length of the outlet may be defined as the distance between the short sides (i.e. parallel to the elongate axis). A width of the outlet may be defined as the distance between the long sides (i.e. perpendicular to the elongate axis).

The length of the outlet may be between 40 mm and 80 mm, or e.g. between 50 mm and 70 mm, or e.g. about 60 mm. The width of the outlet may be between 8 mm and 28 mm, or e.g. between 13 mm and 23 mm, or e.g. about 18 mm.

The shared axis may be perpendicular to the elongate axis of the outlet. That is, the shared axis may extend so as to be parallel to the width dimension of the outlet. In this way, the vanes may direct air from a central region of the airflow passage towards the opposing short sides of the outlet (i.e. the vanes may distribute airflow across the length of the outlet).

The airflow inlet may have a circular shape (or may be elliptical, rectangular, triangular, etc.). The airflow outlet may be larger than the airflow inlet. A length (e.g. diameter) of the airflow inlet may be smaller than the length of the airflow outlet. A width (e.g. diameter) of the airflow inlet may be larger than the width of the airflow outlet. The diameter of the airflow inlet may be between 20 and 30 mm, e.g. between 22 and 28 mm, e.g. about 26 mm.

The cross-sectional area of the airflow passage may increase gradually from the airflow inlet to the airflow outlet. For example, opposing sides of the airflow passage (e.g. towards which the first and second vanes direct airflow) may be sloped so as to form an angle with the central axis of between 30 and 50 degrees, or between 35 and 45 degrees, or about 40 degrees.

The angle of the slope of the sides of the airflow passage may be greater than the angle between each vane (e.g. the reference plane) and the central axis. For example, the difference in angle between the slope and the vanes may be between 15 and 35 degrees, or between 20 and 30 degrees, or about 25 degrees.

The attachment may comprise a row of comb teeth extending across the outlet. Thus, the attachment may be referred to as a comb attachment or a wide-tooth comb attachment. The row of comb teeth may extend (i.e. be spaced) along the elongate axis of the outlet.

The attachment may comprise a mounting portion for mounting the attachment to a hair care appliance. The mounting portion may be configured for releasable mounting of the attachment to a hair care appliance. The mounting portion may comprise, for example, one or more magnets (for interaction with a ferromagnetic portion of a hair care appliance) or a ferromagnetic portion (for interaction with a magnet of a hair care appliance). The mounting portion may comprise an annular magnet or a plurality of magnets arranged in an annular configuration (e.g. for mounting to the rim of an outlet of a hair care appliance). The mounting portion may be configured for fixed mounting to a hair care appliance (i.e. with no relative movement between the mounting portion and the hair care appliance other than to detach the mounting portion).

The mounting portion may be moveably mounted to a body of the attachment defining the airflow passage (e.g. may be moveable mounted to a peripheral wall defining the airflow passage). The mounting portion may be rotatably mounted to the body of the attachment. For example, the mounting may be such that the body is able to rotate about a central axis of the passage relative to the mounting portion. The mounting portion or body may comprise a retaining element (e.g. a clip, such as an annular clip) for retaining the body on the mounting portion while permitting relative rotation. The mounting portion or body may comprise a biasing element to urge the body in a direction away from the mounting portion. Such an arrangement may prevent unwanted relative movement between the body and mounting portion.

In a second aspect there is provided a hair care system comprising an attachment according to the first aspect mounted to or integral with the outlet of a hair care appliance configured to supply a heated airflow.

Optional features of the second aspect will now be set out. These are applicable singly or in any combination with any aspect.

The hair care appliance may be, for example, a hair dryer. The hair care appliance may comprise a ferromagnetic portion for interacting with a magnet provided on the attachment. The ferromagnetic portion may be disposed at or proximate to an outlet of the hair care appliance.

The outlet of the hair care appliance may be circular.

The hair care appliance may comprise an airflow passage leading to the outlet. A portion of the airflow passage (of the hair care appliance) upstream of the outlet (e.g. proximate to the outlet) may extend along a curved path.

Brief Summary of the Figures

Embodiments will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

Figure 1 A is a cut-away perspective view of an attachment mounted to a hair care appliance;

Figure 1 B is a detailed view of a mounting portion of the attachment of Figure 1 A;

Figure 2 is a side section view of the attachment of Figure 1 A;

Figure 3 is a detail section view of vanes of the attachment in Figure 1A;

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the attachment of Figure 1 A; and

Figure 5 is top view of the attachment of Figure 1 A.

Detailed Description

Aspects and embodiments will now be discussed with reference to the accompanying figures. Further aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Figure 1A illustrates an attachment 100 mounted to a hair care appliance in the form of a hair dryer 101 (for clarity, this is a cut-away view of the attachment and hair care appliance) . In particular, the attachment 100 is mounted to the outlet 102 of the hair dryer 101 (which is a tubular structure) so as to receive heated airflow from the hair dryer 101 . This heated airflow flows through the attachment 100 via an airflow passage 103 (defined by a peripheral wall 120) that extends from an upstream airflow inlet 104 to a downstream airflow outlet 105 for discharging the heated airflow onto a user’s hair.

The upstream end of the attachment 100 (i.e. at the inlet 104) comprises a mounting portion 106 configured to provide releasable mounting of the attachment 100 to the hair dryer 101. The mounting portion 106 is shown in more detail in Figure 1 B. As is apparent from this figure, the mounting portion 106 includes an annular magnet 125 held within a corresponding annular recess 126 of the mounting portion 106. An exposed (upstream) face of the magnet 125 seats on a metallic (i.e. ferrous) peripheral lip 127 defining the outlet 102 of the hair dryer 101 (as shown in Figure 1A). In this way, the attachment 100 is retained on the hair dryer 101 by the magnetic force between the magnet 125 and the lip 127.

Although not immediately apparent from the figures, the mounting portion 106 is configured so as to be mounted to the outlet 102 in a fixed manner, such that it is not able to rotate relative to the hair dryer 101 . On the other hand, the connection between the mounting portion 106 and the peripheral wall 120 of the attachment 100 is such that the peripheral wall 120 is able to rotate relative to the mounting portion 106 (and thus relative to the hair dryer 101 when mounted thereto). To provide this rotational connection, a downstream rim 128 of the mounting portion 106 is received in a corresponding upstream-facing annular recess 129 of the peripheral wall 120.

The rim 128 is retained in the recess 129 by an annular clip 130 that extends from a circumferential inwardly facing groove 131 of the rim 128 to a circumferential outwardly facing groove 132 formed in a sidewall of the recess 129. The clip prevents detachment of the peripheral wall 120 from the mounting portion 106 but permits relative rotation therebetween (about an axis extending centrally though the passage 103).

To facilitate the relative movement, an annular resilient bearing element 133 is provided between an inwardly extending peripheral ledge 134 of the mounting portion 106 and an upstream end surface 135 of the peripheral wall 120. In addition to facilitating such relative rotation, the bearing element 131 biases the peripheral wall 120 away from the mounting portion 106. This has the effect of urging the peripheral wall 120 against the clip 130 so as to form a secure connection between the mounting portion 106 and the peripheral wall 120, and so as to reduce (or prevent) unwanted relative movement between the two components.

At the opposing downstream end of the attachment 100 (i.e. at the outlet 105), the attachment 100 comprises an annular outer casing 123 that is mounted to the peripheral wall 120 of the airflow passage 103, at the outlet 104, and which extends in an upstream direction (towards the inlet 104) to a free annular edge. Also mounted at the downstream end of the attachment 100 is a comb 107 having a row of teeth that extend across the outlet 105 and that is mounted by way of two mounting fasteners 108 that each extend through the peripheral wall 120 and the outer casing 123, and into opposing ends of the comb 107. Air discharged from the outlet 105 passes between the teeth of the comb 107 and across any hair that is positioned between the teeth. The rotatable mounting of the peripheral wall 120 to the mounting portion 106, and the rigid mounting of the comb 107 to the peripheral wall 120, means that the comb 107 is able to rotate relative to the hair dryer 101 in use.

The attachment 100 may be referred to as a comb attachment, or a wide-tooth comb attachment. As should be appreciated, such an attachment 100 is intended to be used by moving the comb 107 along a tress of hair and may be particularly suited for styling type 3 or type 4 hair (e.g. curly/coily hair). Given the necessary proximity of the outlet 105 to the tress of hair in use, it is desirable to maintain the temperature of the discharged airflow at a level that does not damage hair and that will not cause discomfort to a user if the outlet 105 is close to user’s scalp.

To reduce the temperature of the discharged airflow, the attachment comprises six vanes 109, 110. Each vane 109, 110 is arranged in the airflow passage 103 to deflect a portion of the airflow received through the inlet 104. The vanes 109, 110 can be divided into two types: first vanes 109 and second vanes 110. As will be discussed further below, the first vanes 109 deflect a portion of the incoming airflow in a first direction, and the second vanes 110 deflect another portion of the incoming airflow in a second direction that is different to the first direction. This distributes the airflow discharged at the outlet 105 over a greater area, which ultimately reduces the concentration of heat within the discharged airflow so as to provide an overall reduction in temperature.

The attachment 100 is illustrated in Figures 2 to 5 in a dismounted state and without the comb 107 and outer casing 123 mounted thereto. Figures 4 and 5 depict the inlet 104 and the outlet 105 of the airflow passage 103. The airflow inlet 104 has a circular shape (with a radius of about 13 mm) and the outlet 105 has a rectangular shape. In particular, the outlet 105 has two spaced opposing long sides 118 (each about 60 mm long) connected by opposing short sides 119 (each about 18 mm long). Thus, an elongate axis of the outlet 105 extends parallel to the long sides.

The outlet 105 is larger in area than the inlet 104, and the airflow passage 104 expands along its length (i.e. from the inlet 104 to the outlet 105) to accommodate this. In particular, the peripheral wall 120 defining the airflow passage 103 diverges (i.e. tapers outwardly) from the inlet 104 to the outlet 105. An angle between the diverging part of the peripheral wall 120 and a central axis C (depicted in Figure 2) of the airflow passage 103 is about 40 degrees (this angle being greater than the angle formed between each vane 109, 110 and the central axis C).

As is most apparent from Figure 2, each vane 109, 110 comprises opposing inner 111 and outer 112 surfaces extending between an upstream leading edge 113 and a downstream trailing edge 114 of the vane 109, 110. The inner surface 111 of each vane 109, 110 faces the central axis C of the airflow passage 103, while the outer surface 112 of each vane 109, 110 faces a periphery of the airflow passage 103. As should be appreciated, it is the inner 111 and outer 112 surfaces of each vane which cause deflection of the airflow.

To minimise the airflow pressure drop caused by the presence of the vanes 109, 110, each vane 109, 110 is configured to have a streamlined, aerofoil shape. Thus, for example, the leading 113 and trailing 114 edges of each vane 109, 110 are rounded (each having a radius of about 0.5 mm). Likewise, each vane 109, 110 includes a trailing portion 115 that tapers inwardly in a direction towards the trailing edge 114 of the vane 109, 110 (i.e. each vane 109,

110 narrows towards its trailing edge 114).

Each vane 109, 110 also includes a leading portion 116 that tapers outwardly in a direction away from the leading edge 113 of the vane 109, 110. In this respect, each vane 109, 110 has a thicker intermediate portion 117 and tapers from the intermediate portion 117 to each of its respective leading 113 and trailing 114 edges. Each vane 109, 110 has a maximum thickness of about 3 mm, which is at this intermediate portion.

The outer surface 112 of each vane 109, 110 is substantially planar, while the inner surface 111 is curved between the leading 113 and trailing 114 edges. This means that air flowing across the inner surface 111 takes a longer path than air flowing across the outer surface 112. Figures 2 and 3 present a minor variation from the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1A and 1 B in that the curve of the inner surface 111 is approximated by three planar surface portions (in Figures 1A and 1 B, the inner surface is formed of a single curved surface). The curves of the inner surfaces 111 are such that each inner surface 111 is convex towards the central axis C. The provision of vanes 109, 110 with this shape means separation of airflow from the inner surface

111 of each vane 109, 110 is minimised.

In the illustrated embodiment, each inner surface 111 includes a step 124 formed therein (such that the curve is not continuous from the leading edge 113 to the trailing edge 114 of each vane 109, 110). In other embodiments, such a step may be omitted, such that the curve is continuous between the leading 113 and trailing 114 edges.

The leading edges 113 of the six vanes 109, 110 are aligned along a shared axis S (illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 with dashed lines) that extends transversely and centrally across the airflow passage 103 at the inlet 104. In particular, the shared axis S extends in a direction that is perpendicular to the elongate axis of the outlet 105. The leading edges 113 (and leading portions 116) of the vanes 109, 110 are joined end-to-end along this shared axis S such that the vanes 109, 110 form an integrally formed unit that extends across the airflow passage 103. In this way, the leading edges 113 form a single leading edge at the inlet 104 from which the vanes 109, 110 extend.

In general, the vanes 109, 110 are configured to deflect the airflow received through the inlet 104 outwardly from a central region of the airflow passage 103 towards a peripheral region of the airflow passage 103. To provide such outward deflection, each first vane 109 is configured to deflect a portion of the airflow towards a first side 121 of the airflow passage 103 (i.e. on a first side of the shared axis S), and each second vane 110 is configured to deflect a portion of the airflow towards a second side 122 of the airflow passage 103 (i.e. on an opposite side to the first side of the shared axis S).

Each vane 109, 110 is therefore angled with respect to the central axis C of the airflow passage 103. The outer surface 112 of each vane 109, 110 extends along a respective reference plane R1 , R2 (see Figure 3) that is obliquely arranged with respect to the central axis C. In each vane 109, 110, this reference plane R1 , R2 forms an angle 01, 0 ₂ with the central axis C (or a central plane that extends vertically through the central axis C) of about 15 degrees.

As set forth above (and as evident from the figures), the first vanes 109 direct airflow in a different direction to the second vanes 110. Thus, while both form the same angle 0 with the central axis C, the first vanes 109 are angled from the central axis C towards the first side 121 of the airflow passage 103 and the second vanes 110 are angled from the central axis C towards the second side 122 of the airflow passage 103. The first vanes 109 lie in substantially the same plane R1 as one another, and likewise the second vanes 110 lie in substantially the same plane R2 as one another. In this way, the vanes 109, 110 form a generally V-shaped arrangement (as is evident from Figure 2).

To provide an even distribution of airflow, the vanes 109, 110 are arranged in an alternating pattern, so as to interdigitate, along the shared axis S (i.e. a first vane 109 is followed by a second vane 110, followed by a further first vane 109, and so on). Thus, the first vanes 109 are spaced evenly along one side of the shared axis S, and the second vanes 110 are spaced evenly along the other side of the shared axis S.

All of the vanes 109, 110 have substantially the same shape (except that the first vanes 109 are a mirror images of the second vanes 110). Each vane 109, 110 has a width dimension parallel to the shared axis S, and the width of each vane is about 2.6 mm. Each first vane 109 is spaced from one or more other first vanes 109 by a spacing distance (parallel to the shared axis S) of about 2.5 mm. Similarly, each second vane 110 is spaced from one or more other second vanes 110 by a spacing distance of about 2.5 mm.

To further minimise pressure drop in airflow passing through the passage 103, the row of vanes 109, 110 is connected to the peripheral wall 120 (at either end of the shared axis S) by way of airflow guides 136 that are raised from the peripheral wall 120. Each airflow guide 136 includes opposed outer curved convex surfaces 137 (facing away from the shared axis). The nature of these surfaces is such that the two connections between the vanes 109, 110 and the peripheral wall 120 present minimal pressure drop (that could otherwise be created by a more abrupt change in surface shape). The exemplary embodiments set forth above are considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

For the avoidance of any doubt, any theoretical explanations provided herein are provided for the purposes of improving the understanding of a reader. The inventors do not wish to be bound by any of these theoretical explanations.

Any section headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter described.

Throughout this specification, including the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise” and “include”, and variations such as “comprises”, “comprising”, and “including” will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by the use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. The term “about” in relation to a numerical value is optional and means for example +/- 10%.