This invention relates to the rinsing of hair and in particular provides hair rinsing apparatus suitable for use by a professional hairdresser to rinse out chemicals applied to set a permanent wave.

Various devices have been described for rinsing hair, especially at the completion of shampooing. Some of these devices include a hood which fits over the head but many such hoods are uncomfortable to wear and, like rinsing devices of other kinds, are not successfully adaptable to the rinsing steps of the permanent waving procedure. In permanent waving, complete rinsing awa of the chemical solution is critical as the waving will fail if solution remains in the hair. Because of this, it

remains general practice for the rinsing to be done manually by the hairdresser or his/her assistant, taking up valuable professional time.

British patent application 2133283 by Little et al discloses hair rinsing apparatus in which a series of separately adjustable spray hoops are mounted within a basin configured to support the head of a person being treated.

United States Patent 3 732 580 by Fava discloses an automatic hair washing device comprising a helmet having a plurality of shower heads. Hair washing occurs with the hair in continual movement as the spray from the spray heads alternates.

United States Patent 3 468 319 by Harman discloses an automatic hair washing device comprising a head receiving chamber with nozzles for distributing fluids to the hair.

European patent application 34130 by Hogan discloses an automatic hair washing device comprising a helmet with a plurality of shower heads and a mesh separating the hair from the helmet.

It is an object of the invention to provide hair rinsing apparatus which may be readily utilised to rinse out chemical solutions applied to hair during -permanent waving and thus leave the hairdresser to utilise his/her time more productively.

The invention provides, in a -first aspect, hair rinsing apparatus comprising a manifold for rinsing liquid, and a multiplicity of spray heads connected to the manifold by flexible conduits for delivering rinsing liquid from the manifold to the spray heads, wherein the spray heads are dimensioned, and adjustably positionable by manipulation of the flexible conduits, to form an array in which they co-operably embrace the hair on the head of

a person and in which rinsing liquid delivered under pressure from the manifold to the spray heads wholly rinses out the hair.

The manifold is preferably disposed on a moveable stand whereby the manifold may be positioned above a head resting in a basin. The manifold may be a somewhat flat or plate-like chamber, assembled, e.g., from close spaced substantially flat plates with a fitting for connecting the chamber to a supply of rinsing liquid. The conduits are advantageously made up of a linear array of multiple removeable segments or links rotatably linked to each other in successive snap-engagements.

The spray heads are preferably generally rectangular, typically about twice as long as wide. The optimum number of spray heads is thought to be about eight - three about the top of the hair adjacent the face, three over the back, and two around the nape.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic isometric view of portable hair rinsing apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, showing only some of the spray heads for enhanced clarity;

Figure 2 is a view similar to part of Figure 1 showing more but still not all of the spray heads after they have been positioned in an array for rinsing chemical solution from a woman during permanent waving;

Figure 3 is a plan view of a representative spray head;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the spray head with a spray plate attached;

Figure 5 is an underneath view of the spray head with the spray plate attached;

Figure 6 is a cross-section of a typical segment or link in the conduits supporting the spray heads;

Figure 7 is a partially sectioned fragmentary side elevation of a threaded conduit connector which permits attachment of the conduit to the liquid manifold;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a modified portable hair rinsing apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention, primarily differing from that of Figures 1-7 by virtue of an alternative form of manifold with an associated, cover;

Figure 9 is a partly sectioned side elevation of part of the apparatus shown in Figure 8; and

Figures 10, 11 and 12 are respective cross-sectional, top and underneath views of the manifold depicted in Figure 9.

The hair rinsing apparatus 10 illustrated in Figures 1 to 7 includes a portable stand 12 with a crossed legs wheeled base 14, an upstanding column 16, and a hollow plate-like manifold 18° for rinsing fluid supported laterally from the top of column 16 in a horizontal disposition. Manifold 18 has a threaded intake port 21 for coupling the manifold by way of a hose 22 to a supply of rinsing liquid, which would typically be water from a tap. A number of rectangular spray heads 2-4 are suspended from the underside of manifold 18 by means of flexible conduits 26, by which rinsing liquid is delivered to the spray heads 24.

As best appreciated from Figure 2, spray heads 24 are dimensioned, and adjustably positionable by manipulation of the flexible conduits 26, to form an array 25 in which they co-operably embrace the hair 8 on the head 9 of a person being given permanent wave treatment, and in which rinsing liquid delivered under pressure from the manifold 18 to the spray heads 24 is effective to

wholly rinse out hair 8. The liquid drains away to an underlying basin 19. In this embodiment, there are eight spray heads dimensioned so that they are about twice as long as they are wide and of dimensions of the order of 50 x 100 mm.

Figure 2 further demonstrates how the respective conduits can be attached to the manifold in an orderly fashion: the three spray heads attached to the front would be arranged over the top of the head, the three attached across the centre would be disposed about the rear, and the two attached to the back are employed to ensure proper rinsing of the hair near the nape of the neck. The object in permanent waving is to rinse out all of the successively applied chemical solutions.

Conduits 26 are of variable length to suit the tidy formation of the required array but are each of similar construction, being made up of multiple identical segments or links 30 (Figure 6) having a liquid passageway 31, a part-spherical male end 32, and a complementary hemi-spherical socket 34. Socket 3-4 defines a part-spherical cavity 35 with a radius slightly smaller than the external radius of male end 32 and a mouth 36 smaller than the external cross-section of the male end perpendicular to the axis of the segment. Thris arrangement ensures that the male end 32 of a first segment is smoothly but firmly pivotable within the socket 34 of a subsequent segment and also- provides for a detachable snap-engagement between one segment and the next.

Each spray head 24 has a socket 34a of configuration similar to sockets 34, by which the spray head is detachably mounted to the last segment or link of the associated conduit 26. As best seen in Figure 4, the spray head otherwise comprises a base plate 38 integral

with socket 34a and with a peripheral depending lip 40. Plate 38 has fine strengthening ribs 38a on its upper surface. Lip 40 has a groove 41 which mounts a multi-apertured spray plate 42 (Figure 4) in a detachable snap fit. Spacers 25 ensure that the spray plate 42 does not collapse against the inner wall of the base plate 38. The apertures 44 in spray plate 42 are preferably fine in diameter and large in number (e.g. 50 x 0.7 mm), so as to optimise the spread and fineness of the spray.

Each conduit 26 is sealingly secured in a respective aperture in manifold 18 by an integral threaded connector 50, detailed in Figure 7. Connector 50 has a through liquid passageway 51, and a male part 32a at one end similar to the male parts 32 of the conduit segments 30. A threaded shank 52 at the other end is employed to secure the connector in the ^" manifold aperture, while an intermediate hexagonal formation 54 is provided to facilitate fastening of the connector in place. The threa°ded engagement might be self sealing, or separate sealing means may be provided as required.

The conduit segments 30, connectors 50, spray head back plate 38, and the spray plate 42 may be conveniently formed in acetal.

Provision may be included for selectively closing off one or more of conduits 26. This may comprise individual valves, or blank solid conduit segments which can be inserted between two normal segments 30.

An alternative form of manifold 18' is depicted in Figures 10 to 12. Here the manifold is generally circular and disposed within a semi-spherical overlying cover 80 for enhanced visual appeal. Both the manifold and the cover are suspended from a depending terminal portion 12a of a shaped tubular stand 12 ' . The stand includes a star-legged castored base 14 ' and is telescopically adjustable at 13 to vary the height of the manifold and

its cover. Cover 80 comprises spaced concentric sheets 81a, 81b which extend outwardly and downwardly from a mount 79 on stand portion 12a and are joined at their lower outer edges by an inturned flange 81c on the outer sheet.

Manifold 18' essentially comprises a pair of close-spaced substantially flat circular moulded plates 82, 83. The bottom plate 82 has an upstanding lip 84 at its periphery to surround and closely seat plate 83: the two plates are secured and clamped together by an inner and outer series of countersunk bolts 86 with nuts 87. Top plate 83 is reinforced by an overlying flat metal backing plate 88, typically of 2mm gauge and also retained in place by bolts 86. A socket 89 for tubular terminal portion 12a of stand 12' is welded to plate 88. Manifold 18' is secured to terminal portion 12a by a bolt which passes through aperture 100 in the socket wall 89a.

Bottom manifold plate 82 also has a flat top surface 82a in contact with thέ underside of plate 83, and carries a large O-ring 90 just inside the outer ring of bolts 86. Bolts 87 also carry an O-ring 90a to prevent water leakage. Multiple radial grooves 92 are formed in the top surface 82a of plate 82. These grooves are relatively wide and shallow and of elongate rectangular cross-section. Grooves 92 extend from a deeper central well 94 to respective depending sockets 96.

In the optimum arrangement there are nine such grooves eight of which have depending sockets 96 which threadingly engage the connectors 50'. The ninth groove 92a is of a larger cross-section and has a socket 96a which is connectd to hose 22'. With the plates 82, 83 clamped and secured together, grooves 92, 92a are closed over by plate 83 to form shallow ducts.

Rinsing water is fed through hose 22' into groove 92a. The water flows through groove 92a into the central

well 94 where the water is evenly distributed to each of the grooves 92. The rinsing water passes via sockets 96 and connectors 50' into the conduits 26.

It will be noted from the immediately preceding discussion that there are eight conduits 26' and eight spray heads 24' in the embodiment of Figures 10 to 12. It is thought that eight spray heads is the ideal number for optimum rinsing with minimum complexity.

It will be appreciated that each of the illustrated hair rinsing devices ensures the satisfactory rinsing of chemical solutions from the hair during the process of permanent waving. The customer's head may be rested on a basin or simply located about a basin and the device applied by locating the array of spray heads evenly about the customers head. The hairdresser is then left free to make more productive use of his professional abilities in the salon while the rinsing proceeds, typically for about ten minutes. A useful feature of all the embodiments is their portability from basin to basin within a salon.