Hair styling appliance equipped with an elastic mechanism for guiding a wick

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11058199-B2
Application number	US-201715848813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2017
Priority date	Dec 21, 2016
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A hair styling appliance for curling hair includes a mandrel, a liquid reservoir, a heating element integrated in the mandrel, a wick communicating with the reservoir such that it is soaked with liquid, the wick extending between a proximal end intended to come into contact with the heating element and a distal end supplied with liquid from the reservoir, and a guide system for guiding the wick that is configured to permit it to move from a passive position to an active position in which the wick is in contact with the heating element in order to create steam, wherein the guide system includes an elastic guiding mechanism in contact with the periphery of the wick at the proximal end.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hair styling appliance for curling hair comprising a mandrel, a liquid reservoir, a heating element integrated in the mandrel, a wick communicating with the reservoir such that the wick is soaked with liquid, said wick extending between a proximal end intended to come into contact with the heating element and a distal end supplied with liquid from the reservoir, and a guide system configured to guide the wick that is configured to permit the wick to move from a passive position to an active position in which said wick is in contact with the heating element in order to create steam, wherein the guide system comprises an elastic guiding mechanism in direct contact with a peripheral surface of said wick at the proximal end in said passive position and said active position, and wherein the wick extends inside the elastic guiding mechanism such that a cross-section of the wick is constrained by a cross-section of the elastic guiding mechanism, wherein the elastic guiding mechanism comprises a helical spring and wherein the wick is arranged inside the spring such that the helical spring is in direct contact with the peripheral surface of the wick.

2. The hair styling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic guiding mechanism is permeable to air.

3. The hair styling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the spring is between 2 mm and 8 mm.

4. The hair styling appliance according to claim 3 , wherein the diameter of the spring is between 4 mm and 6 mm.

5. The hair styling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the spring at rest is between 15 mm and 45 mm.

6. The hair styling appliance according to claim 5 , wherein the length of the spring at rest is between 25 mm and 35 mm.

7. The hair styling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the guide system comprises a wick carrier inside of which is said helical spring.

8. The hair styling appliance according to claim 7 , wherein the wick carrier comprises a channel for carrying air toward the reservoir.

9. The hair styling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic guiding mechanism extends from said proximal end to said distal end of the wick.

10. The hair styling appliance according to claim 9 , wherein the elastic guiding mechanism comprises a stop able to come into contact with said distal end.

11. The hair styling appliance according to claim 9 , wherein the elastic guiding mechanism is in direct contact with the peripheral surface of the wick from said proximal end to said distal end of the wick.

12. The hair styling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the wick comprises a plurality of strands in contact with each other, said strands extending longitudinally.

13. The hair styling appliance according to claim 12 , wherein each strand is a fiberglass strand.

14. The hair styling appliance according to claim 12 , wherein a length of each strand is between 30 mm and 90 mm, each of said strands being folded on itself so as to divide its length in two.

15. The hair styling appliance according to claim 14 , wherein a length of each strand is between 50 mm and 70 mm.

16. The hair styling appliance according to claim 14 , wherein a bend of the strands forms the distal end while a free end of the strands forms the proximal end.

17. The Hair styling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the wick is integral with the reservoir, the guide system being configured to move the reservoir and the wick from the passive position to the active position.

18. The hair styling appliance according to claim 17 , further comprising a locking/unlocking system configured to ensure that the reservoir and the wick are kept in the active position.

19. The hair styling appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic guiding mechanism envelops the wick from said proximal end to said distal end of the wick so that the wick is constrained in a volume with a fixed cross-section and a diameter of the wick remains constant when the wick is in contact or out of contact with the heating element.

Assignees

• Seb Sa

Inventors

• Chelle Jacky
• Couet Bertrand
• Da Palma Franck

Classifications

• A45D2001/008

  with vapor generation, e.g. steam · CPC title

• A45D2001/002

  Accessories therefor · CPC title

• A45D1/02 Primary

  with means for internal heating, e.g. by liquid fuel · CPC title

• A45D1/16

  with a single heated member (A45D1/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A45D1/04 Primary

  by electricity · CPC title