BACKGROUND ART The known curlers are constituted by a cylindrical hollow body provided with several holes for the passage of air and heat and provided with tips fit for holding the hair during the rotation of said curler, in order to form a curl that is stopped by a spring hairgrip or a transversal pin.

The main drawback of said known curlers consists in that they are not capable to hold all the hair in desired position because the block carried out by the tips and hairgrip is not adequate.

Further drawback consists in that the known curlers require, for their application, quite long hair and they cannot be used for short hair.

Other drawback consists in that the application of the known curlers requires a great deal of time and particularly skilled workers.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to propose a curler, which can be used in a quick and easy way, fit to assure a stable and safe block of the hair.

Other object is to propose a curler, which can be used also to relatively short hair.

Further object is that to propose a method for treating with air flow the hair fixed to the curler of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The characteristics of the invention are underlined in the following with particular reference to the attached drawings, in which: - figure 1 shows an axonometric view of a body and a fixing element of the curler of the invention; - figure 2 shows an axonometric view of pliers of the curler of the invention; - figure 3 shows a side view of the curler complete with the body and the fixing element of figure 1 and with the pliers of figure 2, in a condition before their mutual coupling; - figures 4 to 9 show side views of the curler of figure 3 in subsequent conditions of hair curl making; - figure 10 shows an axonometric view of a variant of the fixing element and of the body of figure 1; - figures 11 and 12 show axonometric views of respective variant of the body of figure 1; - figure 13 shows a section view of a further variant of the body of figures 1.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION With reference to figures 1 to 9, numeral 100 indicates the comb curler provided with a cylindrical hollow body 1, fixing means 10 and pliers 4.

The fixing means 10 comprise a jaw 2 having a cylindrical sector shape defining an angle of around 180° and a curved side thereof is connected to an end of the cylindrical body 1, through first hinge means 3. The jaw 2 rotates on the first hinge means 3 and with respect to the body 1, between an angled condition G and full abutment condition R of the body.

The pliers 4 are provided with two members 5,6 mutually and rotatably connected by means of second hinge means 7 and mobile between an opening condition A, in which said members are wide apart for the insertion of the cylindrical body 1 with the related jaws 2, and a closing condition C, in which said members 5,6 mate the body 1 and the jaw 2.

The hinge means first 3 and second 7 have respective manual driving fins and are provided with respective elastic means, such as a metallic spring, fit for elastically maintaining the jaw 2 in the abutment condition R and the members 5,6 in the closing condition C.

The members 5,6 are connected to the second hinge means 7 in correspondence of a straight side of each member.

The body 1, the jaw 2 and the elements 5,6 of pliers 4 are provided with respective pluralities of through openings allowing the passage of air and heat flows fit for drying the tuft 20.

The body 1, the jaw 2 and the elements 5,6 of pliers 4 are made of synthetic heat proof material and they have, in order, respective bending radius slightly increasing or approximately equal and they have approximately the same length.

The operation provides that a hair tuft 20 is inserted between the cylindrical body 1 and the jaw 2 in the angled condition G and it is stopped between them in the abutment condition R.

The rotation of body 1 causes the formation of a curl 21 of the tuft 20 and the body 1 and the curl 21 are inserted between the members 5,6 in the opening condition A and they are stopped between them in the closing condition C.

In the variant of figure 10, the fixing means 10 include a cylindrical wall element 11 made of resilient material and provided with a longitudinal opening 12 for the insertion of cylindrical body 1 which is enclosed by the element 11 for an angular extension wider than 180° in such a way to guarantee an elastic and removable fixing of the hair tuft.

The inner side of the cylindrical wall element 11 is provided with a plurality of protrusions 13 fit to removably engage the cylindrical body 1 and/or the hair to improve the fixing thereof.

The body 1 of the variant of figures 11 has a first open end 14 and a second end 15 closed by a flat baffle 16 in order to cause the exit of air, blown inside the body 1 for instance by means of a hairdryer, through the side surface of the said body and through the hair tuft fixed to the curler.

The invention provides, alternatively, that the second end 15 is partially closed by a baffle 16 with openings for the partial exit of air.

The variant of figure 12 differs from the one of figures 11 in that the second end 15 of the body is closed by a conic deflector 17 facing inwards said body 1 and fit for a more homogeneous air flow through the side wall and the hair.

In the variant of figure 13, the second end 15 of the body 1 is closed by a truncated cone shaped deflector 18, facing inwards and the first end 14 is provided with a connection 19 for a hairdryer

flowing to the centre of the body 1 through a diffuser 22.

The connection 19 can be fixed to the edge of the first end 14 by means of a respective truncated cone shaped deflector, which is symmetrical to the one at the opposite end.

The connection 19 and the truncated cone shaped deflectors may consist of a light single body made of heatproof plastic material.

The use of the curler for the treatment of the hair fixed to said curler, according to the method of invention, provide to direct an air blow produced by a hair dryer, within the body 1 through the first end 14 thereof which is open to let said blow flowing through the hair.

The method also provides to use an air blow at environment or heated temperature, eventually dehumidified.

The main advantage of the present invention is to provide a curler, which can be used in a quick and easy way, fit to assure a stable and safe block of the hair and which can be used also with relatively short hair.

Further advantage of the present invention is to provide a method for treating hair fixed to the curler of the invention by means of air flow directed from inside outwards the curler and the hair tuft fixed thereto.