Background Art As well known to those skilled in the art, conventional hair dryers used for drying, setting and/or arranging hair typically use electric coil heaters as heat sources thereof. Such an electric coil heater for the hair dryers generates heat when it is operated by electricity, and the heat of the electric coil heater heats air passing through a barrel of the dryer, thus producing hot air. The hot air is forcibly fed from the barrel to the hair by a blowing force of a fan installed in the dryer, during a hair drying, setting and/or arranging process.

However, the conventional hair dryers are problematic in that they cannot maintain constant temperatures since they are repeatedly turned on and turned off. The hair drying, setting and/or arranging effect of the conventional hair dryers is thus reduced. In addition, the temperature of the heater of the conventional hair dryer is sometimes excessively increased during a hair drying, setting and/or arranging process, and, in such a case, hair may be thermally damaged.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hair dryer which uses heated fluid as its heat source for drying, setting and/or arranging hair, thus maintaining a constant temperature capable of accomplishing a desired hair drying, setting and/or arranging effect and preventing an excessive increase in its temperature so as to prevent damage to the hair.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a hair dryer, comprising heated fluid used as a heat source of the hair dryer, a fluid heating unit which heats the fluid used as the heat source, a heating unit which transfers heat of the heated fluid to air around the heating unit to produce hot air to be used for drying, setting and/or arranging hair, and a dryer body which supports the heating unit therein so as to allow the heating unit to heat the air and has a fan to feed the hot air to the hair.

Brief Description of the Drawings The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which : FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer, according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the hair dryer of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hair dryer, according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the hair dryer of FIG. 3.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Reference should now be made to the drawings, in which the same

reference numerals are used throughout the different drawings to designate the same or similar components.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the hair dryer of FIG. 1.

The hair dryer according to the present invention uses heated fluid as its heat source for drying a target material, that is, hair, and, in the preferred embodiment of the drawings, the heated fluid is steam. The steam is typically increased in its temperature to 100-150°C, so that the steam sufficiently heats air to produce hot air having a desired temperature at which the hot air does not thermally damage the hair.

The hair dryer of the present invention has a fluid heating unit which heats a fluid used as the heat source. In the preferred embodiment, the fluid heating unit is a steam generator 200 which is electrically operated to produce the steam. The steam generator 200 includes a plurality of steam outlet ports 210, a plurality of steam supply control switches 212, a plurality of steam return ports 220, and a plurality of check valves for preventing an undesired flow of the steam from the steam generator 200 into the steam return ports 220.

A power cord 230 and a power switch 232 are provided at the steam generator 200. The power cord 230 is used for supplying an electric current from an electric power source to the steam generator 200, while the power switch 232 is used for turning on or off the steam generator 200.

The hair dryer of the present invention also has a heating unit which transfers heat of the steam to air around it to produce hot air to be fed to hair.

The heating unit includes a steam feeding tube 300 that is connected to one of the steam outlet ports 210 and one of the steam return ports 220 of the steam generator 200 at both ends thereof, thus allowing the steam of the steam generator 200 to flow therethrough while transferring heat to the air around the tube 300, before the steam is returned to the steam generator 200 through the steam return port 220. In the present invention, a part of the steam feeding tube 300 housed

in a barrel of the hair dryer preferably has a coiled shape which increases the length of a steam passage in the barrel and thereby allows the steam to more effectively transfer heat to the air around it.

When the steam of the steam generator 200 flows through the steam feeding tube 300, the steam heats the tube 300, so that the heated tube 300 may burn a user when the user accidentally comes into contact with the heated tube 300. In an effort to overcome such a problem, the outer surface of the steam feeding tube 300 is preferably finished with a thermal insulating material.

The hair dryer of the present invention further includes a dryer body 400 which supports the coiled part of the steam feeding tube 300 in the barrel thereof, with a fan 410 installed in the back of the dryer body 400 at a position in front of an air inlet grille. The front end of the barrel of the dryer body 400 is provided with an air outlet grille 402 through which the hot air is discharged from the barrel to the hair. The dryer body 400 also has a handle 420 used as a grip of the dryer body 400.

A power cord 414 and a power switch 412 are provided at the dryer body 400. The power cord 414 is used for supplying an electric current from an electric power source to the fan 410, while the power switch 412 is used for turning on or off the fan 410.

Since the steam generator 200 has the plurality of steam outlet ports 210 and the plurality of steam return ports 220, as described above, it is possible to connect a plurality of steam feeding tubes 300 to the steam generator 200, at the same time. Therefore, two or more dryer bodies 400 may be used with the steam generator 200 at the same time, so that two or more users may simultaneously dry, set and/or arrange the hair of several persons by use of a single steam generator 200. The hair dryers of the present invention are thus preferably used in beauty shops or other places in which a plurality of hairdressers dry, set and/or arrange the hair of several persons at the same time.

The operational effect of the hair dryer according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described herein below, with reference to the

drawings.

At first, the power switch 232 of the steam generator 200 is turned on to allow the steam generator 200 to produce steam therein. Thereafter, the steam feeding tube 300 is connected at a first end thereof to a selected one of the steam outlet ports 210 and at a second end thereof to a selected one of the steam return ports 220 of the steam generator 200.

When a steam supply control switch 212 associated with the selected steam outlet port 210 is turned on, the steam flows from the steam generator 200 into the steam feeding tube 300 through the selected steam outlet port 210.

The steam thus flows through the steam feeding tube 300, and dissipates heat to the surroundings at the coiled part thereof housed in the barrel of the dryer body 400.

Therefore, when the user, who grips the handle 420 of the dryer body 400 which is connected to an electric power source through the power cord 414, turns on the power switch 412, the fan 410 is rotated to feed air to the coiled part of the steam feeding tube 300 inside the barrel of the dryer body 400, so that the heat of the steam is transferred to the air to produce hot air. The hot air is discharged from the barrel to the hair through the air outlet grille 402, so that the user can dry, set and/or arrange the hair by use of the hot air, as desired.

The steam, after passing through the coiled part of the steam feeding tube 300, is returned to the steam generator 200 through the steam return port 220 connected to the steam feeding tube 300. In such a case, the check valve provided at the steam return port 220 allows only a return flow of the steam from the steam feeding tube 300 into the steam generator 200 through the steam return port 220 while preventing an undesired outflow of the steam from the steam generator 200 into the steam feeding tube 300 through the steam return port 220.

A hair dryer using heated fluid as its heat source according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described herein below.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hair dryer, according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the hair dryer

of FIG. 3.

The hair dryer according to the second embodiment of the present invention uses a liquid 110 as the heated fluid acting as the heat source. The liquid 110 used as the heat source of the hair dryer is preferably selected from liquids capable of transferring heat, including water and oil.

In the hair dryer of the second embodiment, the fluid heating unit is a heater 250 which is installed in the barrel of the dryer body 400 at a predetermined position and is electrically operated to generate heat. A power cord 414 and a power switch 412 are provided at the dryer body. The power cord 414 is used for supplying an electric current from an electric power source to the heater 250 and a fan 410, while the power switch 412 is used for turning on or off the heater 250 and the fan 410.

In addition, the heating unit of the second embodiment, which transfers heat to air around it to produce hot air to be fed to hair, comprises a heat dissipating liquid container 350 which is made of a metal and contains the liquid 110 therein, with the heater 250 installed in the heat dissipating liquid container 350. In order to allow the liquid container 350 to more effectively dissipate heat to the air, a plurality of heat dissipating fins 352 are formed on an external surface of the container 350.

In the hair dryer of the second embodiment, the dryer body 400 supports the heat dissipating liquid container 350 in the barrel thereof, with the fan 410 installed in the back of the dryer body 400 at a position in front of an air inlet grille. The front end of the barrel of the dryer body 400 is provided with an air outlet grille 402 through which the hot air is discharged from the barrel to the hair. The dryer body 400 also has a handle 420 used as a grip of the dryer body 400.

The hair dryer of the second embodiment is advantageous in that both the fluid heating unit for heating the fluid used as the heat source and the heating unit for heating air to produce hot air are installed in the dryer body 400, different from the first embodiment. Therefore, the hair dryer of the second embodiment

is compact in its construction, and the user can easily carry the hair dryer, and thereby effectively use the hair dryer at home or while traveling.

The operational effect of the hair dryer according to the second embodiment will be described herein below, with reference to the drawings.

When the user, who grips the handle 420 of the dryer body 400 which is connected to an electric power source through the power cord 414, turns on the power switch 412, the heater 250 is electrically operated to generate heat, thus heating the liquid 110 contained in the heat dissipating liquid container 350.

The heat of the liquid 110 is dissipated to the surroundings through the liquid container 350.

During the operation of the hair dryer, the fan 410 is also turned on by the power switch 412, thus being rotated to feed air to the region around the liquid container 350 inside the barrel of the dryer body 400, so that the heat of the liquid container 350 is transferred to the air to produce hot air. The hot air is discharged from the barrel to the hair through the air outlet grille 402, so that the user can dry, set and/or arrange the hair by use of the hot air, as desired. In such a case, the liquid container 350 effectively dissipates heat of the liquid 110 to the air due to the heat dissipating fins 352 formed on the container 350.

Industrial Applicability As described above, the present invention provides a hair dryer using heated fluid as its heat source for drying, setting and/or arranging hair. The hair dryer of the present invention is comprised of a fluid heating unit which heats the fluid used as the heat source, a heating unit which transfers heat of the heated fluid to air around it to produce hot air to be fed to the hair, and a dryer body which supports the heating unit therein and has a fan to feed the hot air to the hair. Since the hair dryer uses heated fluid as its heat source for drying, setting and/or arranging the hair, the hair dryer maintains a constant temperature capable of accomplishing a desired hair drying, setting and/or arranging effect and

prevents an excessive increase in its temperature so as to prevent damage to the hair.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.