As is conventionally known for hair dyes of the oxidation type, before the use of the available hair dyes offered by the different dye makers it is necessary to add to said hair dyes a respective oxdating blend the function of which is to develop the hair dye color. These oxidating blends carry out the dye developing function thereof according to the volume number of said oxidating blends. In practice the oxidating blends are offered by the different oxidating blend makers with fixed scaled values of, for example, 10,20, 30 and 40 oxygen volumes or of 5,10, 20,30 and 40 oxygen volumes, or of 10,20 and 40 oxygen volumes, supplied in 1 liter vessels. Actually the highest available concentration is of 40 oxygen volumes.

To meet the requests of the customers concerning the most different colors and nuances the hairdressers have in general a great number of hair dyes, at least of the more known hair dye makers, so that the hairdressers must also have a great number of the mentioned 1 liter vessels containing the oxidating blend having said different volume concentrations as illustrated above.

This situation has practically several drawbacks among which

the more evident are to be seen in the fact that, on the one hand, the hairdresser is compelled to have available said great number of vessels, which in turn requires a specific area or shelves for containing said vessels. On the other hand is required an uncomfortable handling of said oxidating blends to be used from time to time with the respective volume number requested for the respective hair dyes. Also the measuring of the from time to time necessary quantity of oxidating blend is to be carefully carried out because for the same hair dye a different quantity of oxidating blend will lead to nuances or tonalities which are different from those requested by the customers. Such measuring is therefore an empiric one and it is not obviously possible to assure an accurate reproducibility of a given hair dye nuance or tonality, as often required by customers which usually use the same hair dye nuance or tonality for a certain period of time or regularly.

A practically not negligible drawback is further to be seen in the fact that in order to avoid to suddenly remain without an oxidating blend having a certain volume number, the hairdresser tends to keep in stock a supplemental quantity of oxidating blends su that the result is to keep in stock a more important number of said oxidating blends (which requires a not always available stowage surface or room), a corresponding greater economical investment and a necessary managing of the stock/orders of said oxidating blends, including the usual delivering delays, the possible temporary unavailability of the products, the necessary time to dedicate to said managing and stock keeping which time is not always available, in particular in the time during which the hairdresser is devoted to the hair- styles and hair dyes of the customers.

Summary of the invention Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide a dispenser for delivering hair dye oxdating blends which is able to overcome the prior art drawbacks and disadvantages and to deliver oxidating blends in a quick and accurate manner with respect both to the volume number and the quantity of said oxidating blends.

Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the present invention is to deliver oxidating blends having a desirable concentration with continuosly following volume values between a minimum value of, for example 5 oxygen volumes and a maximum value corresponding, for example, to the actually maximum available concentration of 40 oxygen volumes.

According to the present invention, the above mentioned aim and object are achieved by a dispenser of hair dyes, of an oxidation type, having the features of claim 1.

Further developments and improvements of the dispenser are defined in the dependent claims.

The dispenser of hair oxidation blends according to the present invention provides a lot of important advantages.

First of all is totally eliminated the need of having and keeping in stock the known great number of hair dye vessels, and, indirectly, to have available a corresponding stowage surface and shelves. Secondly, the hairdresser would no more dealt with the managing of the product stock and the related waste of time for telephone calls, goods receiving and so on, so that the hairdresser can devote all time to her/his professional activity and the customers.

The manual metering of the oxidating blend doses for the different hair dyes, and the related possible metering errors and the obtaining of hair dyes and nuances different from those

requested by the customers are also avoided.

The provision of a great capacity for the only two provided vessels for both components of the oxidating blends allows to the hairdresser a practically uninterrupted continuity of the professional activity.

The dispenser features concerning the auto-diagnosis and the near empting state of said component vessels allow the hairdresser to refill or replace said component vessels within a great time before said vessel empting.

Another advantage is to be seen in the fact that the dispenser according to the present invention requires a little room, may be controlled in a simple and quick manner and delivers the oxidating doses in a very short time so that the dispenser could surely be simultaneously used by several hairdressers working in the same hairdresser center.

Still another advantages is to be seen in the fact that the set or adjusted meterings may be stored and are therefore repeatable with most accurance so that it is surely possible to assure to the customers a correctly repeatable desired hair dye.

Further characteristics, advantages and details of the dispenser of oxidating blends for hair dyes according to the present invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following disclosure related to a preferred embodiment of the invention which is schematically illustrated in the accompanying Figure.

Brief description of the drawings With reference to the Figure, 1 denotes a housing containing the dispenser components which are schematically indicated with chain lines. The dispenser has a hollow 2 with a supporting plate 3 for a cup or the like 4 for receiving the required oxidating blend. For an easy access to the internal components of the

dispenser 1 the latter is advantageously provided with an hinged not shown back wall.

According to the present invention the proposed dispenser 1 substantially comprises a first vessel 6 containing a first component for the formation of an oxidating blend to be produced as well as a second vessel 7 containing the second component of said oxidating blend. The first component is made by an oxidating liquid having a high volume number, for example having the maximum 40 volume number actually available on the market, whereas the second component is made by a neutral base for thinning the oxidating liquid.

Both vessels 6 and 7 have a great capacity of, for example, 5 liters or more which allows a very prolonged continuous working time. Said vessels 6 and 7 may be produced with any shape and consist of any material, preferably in a sack-like form and made of synthetic flexible material for a greater handling comfort. Both vessels 6,7 have a hook element 8 for hanging thereof on a support element 9. The outlets 11, 11A of said vessels 6 and 7 may be associated to metering/delivering means 12,12A the outlet pipe 13, 13A of which end at a distance above the supporting plate 3 supporting the cup 4 or the like. Said metering/delivering means may be formed by components at will and substantially comprise a pump-motor assembly interfaced to hardware/software means for controlling/managing said metering/delivering means 12, 12A. An on/off switch is indicated by 14. An illustration of the electric wiring harness has been omitted because it may be easily made by those skilled in the art. Similarly the software/program component and the hardware component are not illustrated in detail because they may be made in several substantially equivalent embodiments for the execution of the dispenser working as illustrated hereinafter.

In a preferred embodiment the dispenser is further provided with an optical and/or acoustical signaler 16 for signaling a pre- empting state of said vessels 6 and 7.

In a further preferred embodiment the dispenser 1 is provided with hardware/software means which are able to continuously carry out a surveillance of the working efficiency of the dispenser by means of an auto-diagnosis.

The hardware component of said hardware/software means comprises for example in the illustrated example a card 17 containing the provided components and means as well as adjusting/control means, for example in the form of a alphanumeric keyboard 17A allowing a quick and accurate control handling. To said hardware component could surely also belong a video with controlling means, for example a touchscreen video or through a mouse, not shown.

The operation of the dispenser according to the present invention is the following: For the preparation of an oxidating blend of, for example, 20 oxygen volumes, the latter will be prepared by taking one part of the oxidating liquid, which has, for example, 40 oxygen volumes, and an equal part of the neutral base, that is with a mixing ratio of 50%.

In a similar manner, by varying in a correspondent manner said mixing ratio, it will be possible to prepare other oxidating blends having a volume number at will. In actual practice, the volume number of the prepared oxidating blend can vary in a continuous manner between the minimum in practice usable volume number of, for example, 5 oxygen volumes, and the maximum in practice usable volume number, actually of 40 oxygen volumes, wherein in the latter case it will be used the pure oxidating liquid only, that is without any addition of the neutral thinning base.

The data of the respectively desired mixing ratio for the

oxidating blend are set in a simple and quick manner on the keyboard 17A, on a touchscreen video or the like with which the data concerning the quantity, for example expressed in ml, of the desired oxidating blend are also keyed. The respective set quantities of the oxidating liquid as well as of the neutral thinning base will be accurately metered and delivered by the : metering/delivering means 12,12A which, as above illustrated, are preferably formed by accuracy pump-motor assemblies with respective delivering/interception valves. Such assemblies are available on the market in different embodiments and are well known in the liquid handling or regulation technique.

In order to avoid the detection of a sudden empting of the vessels 6 and 7 the latter according to the present invention are provided with a not-shown pre-empting signaler which in presence of a preset oxidating fluid and/or thinning neutral base reserve signals in a visual or acoustical manner the need of a near vessel replacement or recharge.

The provision in said hardware-program-software means of means for carrying out a continuous auto-diagnosis of the dispenser working efficiency, including a simultaneous stopping of said dispenser in case of occurring defects or averages assures, on the one hand, the accuracy of the delivered oxidating blends and avoid, on the other hand, the preparation of oxidating blends having a volume number which is different from the one required. Advantageously in said hardware- program-software means is further provided the storing of determined mixing ratios that is of oxidating blends having a determined volume number so that the proposed dispenser is surely able to meet the requests of accurate repetition of the oxidating blends as sometime required by the customers.

The vessels 6, 7 are provided for either a replacement or a recharge thereof after an occurred empting.

From the above constructional and operational disclosure of the dispenser for delivering oxidating blends according to the invention, it should be apparent that said dispenser fully achieves the indicated aim and object as well as the mentioned advantages.

In actual practice, those skilled in the art can bring to the invention modifications and variations, for example with respect to the single components or means of the proposed dispenser as well as further circuit components and the chosen capacity of the single vessels and the conformation of the dispenser housing and so on, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Also the components of the hardware part as well as the software can be replaced by hardware and software at will on condition that they are able to carry out the above illustrated operation of the proposed dispenser, without likewise departing from the scope of the present invention.