DEVICE FOR CUTTING OFF SPLIT ENDS OF HAIR

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The patent application concerns an object for use in hair styling and is a device for cutting off trichoptilosis, more commonly called split ends of hair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that the ends of human hair have a tendency to split, in which case they must be cut off. Hair stylists accordingly treat the ends of strands of hair by shortening them slightly with scissors. Devices are also known for cutting off ends of hair.

EP 1 381 496 A discloses a device for cutting off split ends of hair with a body for holding a strand of hair and a slot into which the ends are inserted so that the ends can be cut off along the slot by means of a cutting mechanism.

The known device is relatively complicated from a technical point of view and is automated. It is therefore less suitable for hair stylists who would prefer a very simply designed but effective and economical device for use with their method, which is essentially manual.

The purpose of the invention is to eliminate this disadvantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problem is solved as described in the characterizing part of Claim 1. Accordingly, the device has a connecting part that is used to connect it with a hairstyling device, especially with a blow dryer or hot air brush to allow a stream of air produced by one of the latter devices into the inside area of the device according to the invention. The inside area is located in a sleeve of the body in which the slot is positioned. There is a bracket on the outer surface of the sleeve for holding strands of hair. The bracket has an opening in it that at least partially fits the slot so that when strands of hair are clamped between the bracket and the sleeve, the ends are positioned between the opening and the slot and are therefore caught by the flow of air and blown through the opening of the bracket where they can be cut off with a cutting mechanism on the outside of the bracket.

The proposed device offers the advantage that it can be manufactured economically and is simple to use. The device is simply attached to another device which would already be present in a hair salon that produces a flow of air, for example a blow dryer or a hot air brush, thus using the blower of the attached device. After a strand of hair is clamped in place, the device is pulled back along the strand. When this happens, the split ends, which lie relatively flat, are blown out of the opening in the bracket. There they can be cut off with a pair of scissors or an electrical hair cutting machine. While the device is being used, the ends are blown out of the slot and are lying over it. The hair stylist can always decide where along the strands of hair and at what length the ends should be cut off.

Advantageous designs of the proposed device are described in Claims 2 through 6.

Use of the device is simplified if as described in Claim 2 the bracket is connected with the body by means of a joint and is held against the sleeve by a spring. Then the spring can be rotated away from the sleeve to receive a strand of hair and released again to grasp the strand of hair and hold it in place by spring force while the device is being used.

A divider tip on the device (Claim 3) is used to separate a strand of hair, which can then be held in place by the bracket. If a row of comb teeth is arranged between the sleeve and the bracket, either on the sleeve or on the bracket (Claim 4), it will help guide a wide strand of hair along the device more easily when the device is pulled back. The strand of hair can be held in a spread out shape more easily if the row runs along one edge of the bracket (Claim 5). This effect is further enhanced if as described in (Claim 6) a row is arranged on two opposite sides of the bracket. Instead of comb teeth, brush bristles can be used in a comparable manner along one edge or both edges of the bracket. It makes no differences whether the comb teeth or bristles are fastened to the sleeve or to the bracket.

The proposed device is described in greater detail below by way of figures representing an embodiment.

Figure 1 shows a side view of a device having a mechanism for cutting off split ends of hair with a bracket that has a slot-shaped opening connected to the air outlet of a hot air brush;

Figure 2 shows a side view of the object in Figure 1 rotated 90 degrees to the view in Figure 1 and

Figure 3 shows a side view of the object in Figure 2 along A-A of Figure 2, but with a strand of hair inserted in addition and with a cutting mechanism for cutting off the ends of hair that protrude out from the slot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In a device for cutting off split ends 2 of hair, a body 3 of the device holds a strand of hair 4. The ends 2 are inserted into a slot 5, after which the ends 2 can be cut off by means of a cutting mechanism 6. The device 1 has a connecting part 7 designed for connecting to a hairstyling device, which is a hot air brush 8. This allows a stream of air produced by the hot air brush to flow into an inside area 10 of the device 1. The inside area 10 is located in a sleeve 11 of the body 13 in which the slot 5 is positioned. A bracket 12 for holding the strand of hair 4 is arranged on the outer surface of the sleeve 11 with a slot-shaped opening 13 in the bracket 12 designed to be wider than the slot and which approximately fits the slot 5 in the sleeve 11. When the strand of hair 4 is clamped between the bracket 12 and the sleeve 11, the ends 2 are between the opening 13 and the slot 5. Thus they are caught by the flow of air 9 and blown through the opening 13 in the bracket 12, where they can be cut off outside the bracket 12 by a cutting mechanism 6. The device 1 with the strand of hair 4 clamped in it is pulled back along the strand. The flow of air 9 from the slot 5 easily blows the split ends of the hair, i.e. the area close to the ends 2, out through the opening 13 where they can be cut off by the blade 18 of the manually operated cutting mechanism.

A divider tip 16 on the body 3 of the device 1 serves to separate each strand of hair 4 with split ends. The strand of hair 4 is placed under the open bracket by pressing the button 20. This triggers a spring 15 force which causes the bracket 12 to rotate about a joint 14 back to its starting position against the sleeve 11, thereby clamping the strand of hair in place 4. A row 17 of

comb teeth is positioned on the bracket along the two opposite edges of the bracket 12 to hold the strand of hair 4 constantly spread out while the device 1 is pulled back along the strand of hair 4.

The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm."

1 Device

2 End

3 Body

4 Strand of hair

5 Slot

6 Cutting mechanism

7 Connecting part

8 Hot air brush

9 Flow of air

10 Inside area

11 Sleeve

12 Bracket

13 Opening

14 Joint

15 Spring

16 Divider tip

17 Row of comb teeth

18 Blade

19 Edge

20 Button