Hair curling devices and related systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9648935-B2
Application number	US-201414151559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2014
Priority date	Nov 8, 2013
Publication date	May 16, 2017
Grant date	May 16, 2017

Abstract

In some aspects, a hair styling apparatus (e.g., hair curling device) can include a heated barrel connected to a handle device and generally stationary relative to the handle device during use, the heated barrel defining a hair styling surface and a rotating member disposed at an end of the hair styling surface, the rotating member being configured to rotate relative to the hair styling surface and to gather a user's hair and wind the hair around the hair styling surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hair styling apparatus comprising:
a heated barrel connected to a handle device and generally stationary relative to the handle device during use, the heated barrel defining a heated barrel longitudinal axis extending through a middle of the heated barrel and a hair styling surface along its outer exterior surface that remains generally stationary relative to the handle device during use;
a heating element for heating the heated barrel; and
a rotating member disposed at an end of the hair styling surface, the rotating member being configured to rotate around the stationary hair styling surface via a motor housed in the hair styling apparatus, and comprising:
a rotating plate having a constant diameter around an entire circumference of the heated barrel that is at least about 20 percent greater than a diameter of the heated barrel; and at least one retaining element attached directly to the rotating plate; and
a tab defining a tab longitudinal axis extending through a middle of the tab, and extending from a rotating plate end of the rotating member along a longitudinal length of the hair styling surface over less than an entire longitudinal length of the hair styling surface to capture wound hair,

wherein the tab is capable of being spaced apart from the entire longitudinal length of the hair styling surface while the heated barrel longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to but not coaxial with the tab longitudinal axis.

2. The hair styling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rotating member rotates relative to the handle.

3. The hair styling apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising one or more retaining elements, wherein the one or more retaining elements comprise projections extending from the rotating plate.

4. The hair styling apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the projections extend from a peripheral region of the rotating plate.

5. The hair styling apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the peripheral region of the rotating plate from which the projections extend has a diameter that is about 1 inch to about 5 inches.

6. The hair styling apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the projections extend from an area of the peripheral region of the rotating plate that is spaced radially away from the heated barrel by a separating spacing of about 0.125 inches to about 2 inches.

7. The hair styling apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising one or more retaining elements, wherein the one or more retaining elements comprise recesses defined within the rotating member.

8. The hair styling apparatus of claim 7 , wherein central axes of the recesses are spaced radially inward away from a peripheral surface of the rotating member.

9. The hair styling apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the recesses form one or more entraining portions extending into the recesses.

10. The hair styling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the hair styling surface includes a free end of the hair styling apparatus.

11. The hair styling apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the end of the styling surface at which the rotating member is disposed is generally opposite the free end of the hair styling apparatus.

12. The hair styling apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the tab is spaced apart from the hair styling surface at a fixed distance.

13. A hair styling apparatus comprising:
a heated barrel coupled to a handle device and generally stationary relative to the handle device during use, the heated barrel defining a heated barrel longitudinal axis extending through a middle of the heated barrel and a hair styling surface along its outer exterior surface that remains generally stationary relative to the handle device during use;
a heating element for heating the heated barrel; and
a rotating member disposed at an end of the hair styling surface and configured to rotate around the stationary hair styling surface, the rotating member comprising:
a rotating plate that has a constant diameter around an entire circumference of the heated barrel that is at least about 20 percent greater than a diameter of the heated barrel;
one or more hair retaining elements disposed around a peripheral region of the rotating plate, the hair retaining elements configured to collect a user's hair and wrap the hair around the stationary hair styling surface of the heated barrel; and
a tab element extending from a rotating plate end of the rotating element along a longitudinal length of the hair styling surface over less than an entire longitudinal length of the hair styling surface to capture wound hair, the tab element comprising a first end and a second end,

wherein the first end of the tab element and the second end of the tab element are spaced apart from the hair styling surface, and a distance from the first end of the tab element to the hair styling surface is approximately the same as a distance from the second end of the tab element to the hair styling surface.

14. The hair styling apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a generally cylindrical portion of the rotating member comprises a tapered shape that decreases in width along an axis extending away from the rotating plate end.

15. The hair styling apparatus of claim 13 , wherein one or more of the hair retaining elements are longitudinally spaced away from the hair styling surface relative to the heat barrel longitudinal axis.

16. The hair styling apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the retaining elements comprise projections extending from the rotating plate.

17. The hair styling apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the retaining elements comprise semi-circular recesses defined within the rotating member.

18. The hair styling apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the semi-circular recesses comprise recesses formed of at least half circular recesses.

19. The hair styling apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the recesses form one or more entraining portions extending into the recesses.

20. The hair styling apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the tab element is spaced apart from the hair styling surface at a fixed distance.

21. A method comprising:
providing a hair styling device, comprising:
a heated barrel connected to a handle device and generally stationary relative to the handle device during use, the heated barrel defining a heated barrel longitudinal axis extending through a middle of the heated barrel and a hair styling surface along its outer exterior surface that remains generally stationary relative to the handle device during use;
a heating element for heating the heated barrel; and
a rotating member disposed at an end of the hair styling surface, the rotating member being configured to rotate around the stationary hair styling surface via a motor housed in the hair styling apparatus and comprising:
a rotating plate having a constant diameter around an entire circumference of the heated barrel that is at least about 20 percent greater than a diameter of the heated barrel; and at least one retaining element attached directly to the rotating plate; and
a tab defining a tab longitudinal axis extending through a middle of the tab, and extending from a first end of the rotating member along a longitudinal length of the hair styling surface over less than an entire longitudinal length of the hair styling surface to capture wound hair, wherein the tab is capable of being spaced apart from the entire longitudinal length of the hair styling surface while the heated barrel longitudinal axis is substantially parallel to but not coaxial with the tab longitudinal axis;

positioning a free end of the hair styling surface in

Assignees

• Kiss Nail Products Inc

Inventors

• Lee Kyoung Hak

Classifications

• A45D1/04 Primary

  by electricity · CPC title

• A45D7/02

  thermal · CPC title

• A45D1/18

  with combs (A45D1/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A45D1/10

  with a rotatable handle sleeve · CPC title

• A45D1/16

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