The invention relates to an apparatus for hairdressing, particularly for drying and/or styling hair.

Commercial hairdryers include an electric-powered blower for blowing air towards the hair being dressed. The blast air may be heated by an electric resistor. These apparatuses are efficient indeed if used only for drying. However, besides hair drying it is usually also desired simultaneously to style the hair into a good looking hairdo which in most cases is expected to be big and airy. The flow of the blast air, however, has an opposite effect i.e. it makes the hairdo flat. One attempts to counterbalance this flattening effect by lifting the hair with a brush or comb while blowing but these operations cause an extra strain on the hair and in addition the result of hairdres- sing often remains unsatisfactory. To reduce the drawback hairdryers have been introduced which have a funnel-shaped nozzle connected to the blast opening broadening outward towards the hair being dressed. The outlet side of this kind of nozzle is a slightly concave and perforated plate. Due to this nozzle air can be distributed over a wider area so that the flattening effect is somewhat reduced. The plate may further be provided with sleeve-like protruding parts with longitudinal slots through which part of the air flows in lateral direction.

No essential improvement has been achieved with the above means.

The object of this invention is to remove the above problem and obtain a new apparatus for drying hair and/or styling a hairdo not suffering from the above drawback. The object is to obtain an apparatus whereby fashionable and airy hairdos

can be easily styled by gently dressing the hair while drying the hair but also from dry hair.

The above objects are achieved by sucking air from the direction of the hairdo, not blasting air on it as has been done heretofore.

The characteristics of the invention appear in claim 1.

The invention therefore relates to an apparatus for hairdressing, particularly for drying hair and/or styling a hairdo comprising a flow channel provided with an air intake opening and an outlet for an air flow as well as means for obtaining the air flow in said flow channel. It is characteristics of the invention that a nozzle has been connected or is easily connectible to the intake opening through which air is drawn from the direction of the hair being dressed into the flow channel.

The function of the nozzle is to prevent the hair from being drawn into the flow channel along with the airflow a- nd to distribute suction over an area suitable for hair styling.

According to one embodiment the nozzle is fixedly attached to the intake opening.

According to another embodiment the nozzle is easily connectible to the intake opening of the flow channel and in a similar manner easily removable from it. Therefore, the intake opening is provided with means known per se whereby the nozzle can be attached and released. The word "means" in this connection also includes the special design of the rim of the intake opening. Connection may be per¬ formed e.g. by threads designed on the nozzle and on the rim of the intake opening. Other solutions include push¬ button attachment, friction attachment (as in the joining of vacuum cleaner hoses together), or by some other means.

It is even conceivable that the apparatus had some kind of very simple tool to facilitate attachment and release of the nozzle. It is important that the nozzle is easy and quick to attach and release without need of any special tools, certainly not any tools which do not belong to the apparatus package.

The means for obtaining air flow in the flow channel comprise, according to one embodiment, a blower and an electric motor fitted in the flow channel. Since the motor is an alternating-current motor, it is possible to arrange its direction of rotation to be reversible. Hence a conventional blowing hairdryer can be transformed into an apparatus according to this invention e.g. by merely changing the direction of rotation. According to another option the direction of motion of the motor is kept unchanged and the intake opening is provided with means for coupling / releasing the nozzle.

According to one suitable embodiment the blower is disposed inside the flow channel but the motor outside.

According to yet another embodiment, instead of the blower and the possible motor, an ejector tube is disposed inside the flow channel through which compressed flowing medium like air or water is driven.

The invention will be described in the following referring to the enclosed drawings in which

Fig. 1 shows schematically a known hairdryer, Fig. 2a shows a perspective view of a known nozzle connectible to the exhaust side of the hairdryer, Fig. 2b shows a lateral cross-section of the nozzle of Fig. 2a,

Fig. 3 shows the principle of operation of the apparatus according to the invention, Fig. 4 shows one embodiment of the apparatus according to

the invention,

Fig . 5 shows a second embodiment of the apparatus accor¬ ding to the invention,

Fig . 6 shows a third embodiment of the apparatus accor¬ ding to the invention,

Fig . 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the apparatus accor¬ ding to the invention,

Fig . 8 shows a fifth embodiment of the apparatus accor¬ ding to the invention, and

FFiigg.. 99 shows the heating setup of the apparatus according to the invention.

Fig. 1 shows schematically the structure of a conventional hairdryer. In principle the hairdryer comprises a flow channel 20 with a blower 30 fitted therein, the blower being driven by an electric motor 31 which is also disposed in the flow channel and which is coupled to the same shaft 33. In most cases the flow channel further includes an electric resistor 32 for heating the blast air. In operation air flows in the direction of the arrows through the intake opening 21 of the flow channel and out, heated if desired, through the outlet 22. During operation of the apparatus the blast air coming out of the outlet is direc¬ ted towards the hair. In order to diminish the flattening effect a funnel-shaped nozzle 40 shown in Figs. 2a and 2b may be coupled to the outlet 22. The nozzle 40 broadens outward towards the hair being dressed so that the end 41 facing the hair has a greater cross-section than the end 42 connectible to the outlet 22. The end plate 43 has holes 44 for exhaust of air. Fig. 2b shows that the end plate is slightly concave being further provided with protruding pipelike members 45 with longitudinal slots 46 through which part of the airflow flows in lateral direction.

Fig. 3 shows the principle of operation of the apparatus 10 according to this invention. The apparatus comprises a flow channel 20 through the intake opening 21 of which air is drawn in and through its outlet 22 air is blown out. A

nozzle 40 is coupled to the intake opening 21 which may be either fixedly connected to the flow channel 20 or easily connectible thereto. The nozzle is directed towards the hair being dressed. By means of suction hair can be dried and simultaneously the hairdo can be styled. By means of suction a hairdo of dry hair can also be styled and improved. The nozzle 40 may be e.g. a known nozzle shown in Fig. 2a-2b, yet it is not limited to that but it can be a nozzle of any shape suitable for this use. The main thing is that the nozzle is so constructed that it prevents hair from being drawn into the channel 20 along with the airflow and that it distributes suction on an area of desired size. It is generally advantageous that the end of the nozzle facing the hair is relatively large, if an even, large hairdo is desired. Naturally, the apparatus also comprises means (not shown in Fig. 3) for obtaining suction in the channel 20. Various alternatives are presented in the following figs.

Fig. 4 presents an apparatus 10 according to the invention which differs from known hairdryers in that the nozzle 40 is disposed on the suction side 21. The flow channel 20 has a blower 30 which is driven by an electric motor 31 also disposed in the flow channel. In case the nozzle 40 is a separate part it can be coupled alternatively to the outlet 22, if desired, and then the apparatus functions as a con¬ ventional blowing dryer. If desired, the electric resistor 32 can be switched off when the suction side of the appa¬ ratus is used. On the other hand, when using the suction side heating can also be used e.g. by conducting heated exhaust air back near to the suction side of the nozzle.

Fig. 9 shows an example of such a solution. Accumulation of dust particles and the like on the electric devices 31, 32 and possibly on the blower 30 can be prevented, if desired, by a filter 29 which may be placed in the flow channel 20 itself or in the nozzle 40.

Fig. 5 shows another alternative which can also function

both as a sucking apparatus according to the invention and as a conventional blowing dryer. In this solution the apparatus 10 is provided with a reversing switch (not shown in the Fig. ) for changing the direction of rotation of the alternating-current motor 31. When the motor rotates in the first direction, the apparatus functions as a conventional blowing apparatus (solid arrows), and when the motor rota¬ tes in the second direction, the apparatus functions as an apparatus according to the invention (dashed arrows).

Fig. 6 shows a third embodiment of the apparatus 10 according to the invention in which the motor 31 is placed outside the actual flowing channel 20. In this solution the motor is well protected from dust particles and the like possibly coming along with suction. In the figure the flow channel forms a bow in which case the blower 30 and the motor 31 are on the same straight shaft 33. Alternatively the flow channel 20 might be straight and the shaft 33 provided with an articulation (not shown in the figs.).

Fig. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention. This alternative is based on obtaining suction by the ejector pump principle. An ejector tube 35 is fitted in the flow channel 20 and inside the ejector a medium (gas or liquid) flowing in the direction of the outlet 22 of the flow channel 20 produces suction near the intake opening 21 of the flow channel 20. The medium flowing in the ejector tube 35 may be e.g. compressed air obtained by means of the blower 30 of the apparatus driven by an electric motor 31 and disposed outside the flow channel 20. In this solution the air flow sucked from within the hair will not get into contact with the motor nor the blower. The drawback with this solution compared to those of Figs. 4-6 is greater consumption of energy. On the other hand, the benefits are safe operation and easy serviceability.

An alternative solution to the apparatus of Fig. 7 could be

such a solution in which the motor, blower, and the compressed-air hose from the blower are fixedly installed in a room (e.g. in a hotel room). The totality shown in Fig. 8 forms the separate apparatus, i.e. the flow channel 20 and the ejector tube 35 fitted therein without the driving unit. By connecting the sleeve 36 of the ejector tube 35 to the compressed-air hose of the room and switching the power on a functioning apparatus is obtained

It is also possible to drive the apparatus operating in the ejector principle with flowing water e.g. tap water.

Fig. 9 shows one solution for conducting heated blast air from the outlet 22 into the nozzle 40 coupled to the intake opening 21. In this example an encasing 50 has been arran¬ ged to surround the nozzle 40 and air from the outlet 22 may be conducted into the space between them with a hose or a tube 51. Air flows out from the space between the nozzle and the encasing and meets the hair being dressed before it at least partly is sucked back.

The structural examples given above have been presented only for illustrating the principle of the apparatus according to the invention. The invention is not limited to these examples . It is obvious to the specialist in the field that different embodiments of the invention may vary within the scope of the enclosed claims.