FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a hair styling device, and in particular to an improvement upon the hair styling devices disclosed in the related earlier applications WO2009/077747, WO2012/080751 , WO2013/186547 and WO2015/063461 .

For brevity, in the present application reference is made to the styling of a female's hair, but the invention is not limited thereby.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION The hair styling devices described in WO2009/077747, WO2012/080751 , WO2013/186547 and WO201 5/063461 all have a rotatable element which captures or collects a section or length of hair to be styled, and winds the length of hair around a protrusion in the form of an elongate member. The preferred embodiments utilise a chamber surrounding at least part of the elongate member, the chamber being heated by way of heat applied to the walls of the chamber and/or to the elongate member. A hair treatment product may be applied to the hair within the chamber. The hair within the chamber becomes styled by the application of heat and/or by the application of the treatment product whilst it is located around the elongate member. The present invention shares many of the features of the preferred embodiments of the hair styling device described in WO2009/077747, WO2012/080751 , WO2013/186547 and WO2015/063461 , and so the disclosure of those documents is incorporated herein in order to avoid unnecessary repetition. In addition, it is believed that the hair styling devices described in WO2009/077747, WO2012/080751 , WO2013/186547 and WO2015/063461 represent the closest prior art to the present invention. Less relevant hair styling devices are described in US patents 2,906,272 (Heidel), 2,935,070 (Auz) and 4,177,824 (Gnaga), and in international patent application W02014/201424 (Trade Box). SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Notwithstanding the practical and commercial attractiveness of the hair styling devices described in WO2009/077747, WO201 2/080751 , WO2013/186547 and WO2015/063461 , the present inventors have conceived further improvements and modifications, and the present invention is directed to those improvements and modifications.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hair styling device having:

a body with a chamber adapted to accommodate a length of hair, the chamber having an opening through which the length of hair may pass into the chamber;

a rotatable element adapted to engage the length of hair adjacent to the opening; an elongate member, at least part of which is located in the chamber and around which, in use, the length of hair is wound by the rotatable element;

a sleeve permanently mounted to the body, the sleeve being movable between an extended position in which it surrounds the elongate member in the chamber and a retracted position in which it does not surround the elongate member in the chamber.

It will be understood that the diameter of curls formed by the hair styling device is at least partly determined by the thickness (diameter) of the elongate member; providing a sleeve which can selectively surround the elongate member alters the thickness (diameter) of the former around which the length of hair is wound, and thereby varies the diameter of the curls which are produced.

WO2009/077747 discloses the concept of varying the thickness and length of the elongate member, and also varying the size of the chamber, so as to accommodate different lengths of hair. WO2015/063461 discloses the provision of removable inserts to vary the size of the chamber so as to produce different diameter curls. Neither of these documents discloses the provision of a movable sleeve permanently mounted to the body and which can vary the thickness (diameter) of the elongate member. Unlike the insert of WO2015/063461 , the sleeve of the present invention is preferably circumferentially continuous, i.e. it can form a complete ring or annulus around the elongate member. Also, the sleeve remains mounted to the body in both its extended and retracted positions (and in all intermediate positions), so that it is not necessary for the user to remove and store the sleeve when not in use.

Also in common with WO2009/077747, WO2012/080751 , WO2013/186547 and WO2015/063461 , the rotatable element preferably lies between a front chamber and a rear chamber (the terms "front" and "rear" reflecting the fact that the front chamber lies closest to the user's head in use). As described in these prior documents the proximal portion of the length of hair is pulled directly into the front chamber whereas the distal portion of the length of hair is pulled firstly into the rear chamber and then past the rotatable element and into the front chamber. The length of hair is retained within the front chamber for styling.

Preferably, the rotatable element is mounted to the body by way of a collar within the rear chamber. Preferably also the sleeve in its retracted position is inside the collar. Desirably, the elongate member has a free end, i.e. it is mounted in cantilever. The elongate member is preferably connected to an extension which lies inside the collar. It is therefore not necessary to mount the elongate member to the body adjacent to the rotatable element, and instead the elongate member and collar can both be mounted to the body at the distal end of the rear chamber. Notwithstanding that the elongate member and extension can comprise a single component they are distinguished by these separate terms to clarify that the length of hair can only be wound around the elongate member; the extension lies inside the collar and hair cannot be wound around it. In practice, the elongate member lies to one side of the rotatable element and the extension lies to the other side of the rotatable element.

Desirably, there is an annular gap between the collar and the extension, which gap can accommodate the sleeve in its retracted positon. Preferably, the sleeve has an open end which surrounds the elongate member adjacent to its free end when the sleeve is in its extended position. Desirably, the open end carries at least one flexible element. When the sleeve is in its retracted position it is arranged that the open end lies close to the rotatable element. The flexible element(s) projects into the (front) chamber and is engaged by the length of hair as the length of hair is pulled from the rear chamber and into the front chamber.

Desirably, the at least one flexible element rotates with the rotatable element when the sleeve is in its retracted position. Preferably the sleeve is mounted to rotate with the rotatable element in its retracted position whereby the sleeve and the at least one flexible element rotate with the rotatable element. Desirably also the at least one flexible element is a plurality of flexible projecting elements (or fingers), preferably aligned substantially with the elongate member. It is arranged that as the length of hair passes from the rear chamber and into the front chamber the hair engages the flexible fingers (and some of the hairs pass between adjacent fingers), the flexible fingers helping to hold the length of hair against the elongate member during the winding operation. In particular, the free end of the length of hair (which is the last portion of the length of hair to pass from the rear chamber and into the front chamber) can be held against the elongate member by the flexible fingers.

When the sleeve is in its extended position, however, its open end is spaced away from the rotatable element and the at least one flexible element does not engage the length of hair during the winding operation. Preferably therefore the at least one flexible element does not rotate with the rotatable element when the sleeve is in its extended position. Thus, it is preferably arranged that the sleeve is mounted to rotate with the rotatable element in its retracted position, but does not rotate with the rotatable element in its extended position.

Preferably, the distal end of the sleeve has at least one drive member which is engageable with a driving part of the collar when the sleeve is in its retracted position, rotation of the collar driving the drive member (and thereby the sleeve) to rotate. When the sleeve moves towards its extended position, however, the drive member preferably moves out of engagement with the driving part of the collar and is no longer driven to rotate. The sleeve may be held against rotation in its extended position, perhaps by way of its frictional engagement with the elongate member or by way of a positive lock against rotation; alternatively, the sleeve could freewheel in its extended position (i.e. not be driven to rotate nor held against rotation). Preferably, the sleeve has two retracted positions, and in both retracted positions it does not surround the elongate member in the (front) chamber. In its first retracted position the at least one flexible element projects into the chamber and engages the length of hair as it passes from the rear chamber and into the front chamber, as explained above. In its second retracted position the at least one flexible element does not project into the front chamber, or is covered within the front chamber.

Such an arrangement can provide three different styling regimes. In the first regime the sleeve is extended and the length of hair is wound around the sleeve surrounding the elongate member. In the second regime the sleeve is in its first retracted position and the at least one flexible element projects into the front chamber and engages the hair as it moves into the (front) chamber and is wound around the elongate member, the at least one flexible element helping to maintain the length of hair in engagement with the elongate member during the winding operation. In the third regime the sleeve is in its second retracted position and the at least one flexible element does not project into the front chamber (and is therefore not likely to engage the length of hair as it passes from the rear chamber to the front chamber).

The sleeve can move between its first and second retracted positions so as to move the at least one flexible element out of the (front) chamber in its second retracted position. Alternatively, the at least one flexible element can move relative to the sleeve so as to move out of the (front) chamber. Alternatively again, a cover element can move over the at least one flexible element to obscure or cover the at least one flexible element in its second retracted position and prevent engagement of the at least one flexible element with the length of hair.

Preferably, the hair styling device has a single movable sleeve. In alternative embodiments a plurality of concentric sleeves is provided, each sleeve being movable relative to the elongate member. A single relatively thick sleeve can therefore be replaced by a plurality of sleeves which are independently movable whereby to provide a larger number of different diameter formers around which the length of hair can be wound in the front chamber.

In embodiments having a plurality of sleeves, it can be arranged that the smallest- diameter sleeve (i.e. that which immediately surrounds the elongate member) can be moved to its extended position independently of the other sleeves; the larger-diameter sleeves cannot, however, move to their extended position without also moving all of the smaller-diameter sleeves. This ensures that there is no substantial gap between the elongate member and the outermost sleeve for any of the selected former diameters.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hair styling device having:

a body with a chamber adapted to accommodate a length of hair, the chamber having an opening through which the length of hair may pass into the chamber;

a rotatable element adapted to engage the length of hair adjacent to the opening; the chamber comprising a front chamber and a rear chamber, the rotatable element being located between the front and rear chambers;

an elongate member, at least part of which is located in the front chamber and around which, in use, the length of hair is wound by the rotatable element;

a plurality of flexible projecting elements (or fingers) mounted adjacent to the rotatable element and to rotate with the rotatable element, each of the flexible fingers being substantially aligned with the elongate member and projecting into the front chamber. The invention according to the second aspect shares the benefits provided by the flexible fingers without also requiring the extendable sleeve. Alternatively stated, the invention according to the second aspect is similar to that of the first aspect when the sleeve is in its (first) retracted position. Preferably, the flexible fingers are movable to a position corresponding to the second retracted position described above. In such embodiments the device can be operated either with or without the flexible fingers projecting into the front chamber. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hair styling device having:

a body with a chamber adapted to accommodate a length of hair, the chamber having an opening through which the length of hair may pass into the chamber;

a rotatable element adapted to engage the length of hair adjacent to the opening; the chamber comprising a front chamber and a rear chamber, the rotatable element being located between the front and rear chambers;

an elongate member, at least part of which is located in the front chamber and around which, in use, the length of hair is wound by the rotatable element;

at least one clamping element located in the rear chamber.

The clamping element is adapted to engage the length of hair during the winding operation, and specifically to cause some drag upon the length of hair as it is moved by the rotatable element. The clamping element does not prevent movement of the length of hair in or from the rear chamber, but creates resistance to movement so as better to control the position of the length of hair during the winding operation. In particular, the clamping element creates a drag upon the length of hair as it passes from the rear chamber and into the front chamber. The prior art documents WO2009/077747, WO2012/080751 , WO2013/1 86547 and WO2015/063461 seek to avoid clamping of the length of hair. As is stated, when the length of hair has been wound around the elongate member in the chamber it will tend to expand into engagement with the wall of the chamber so that it is the diameter of the chamber which largely determines the diameter of the formed curl. The inventors have appreciated, however, that clamping the length of hair in the rear chamber can delay the expansion of the length of hair into engagement with the wall of the chamber and thereby adjust the diameter of the formed curls.

Preferably, embodiments incorporating the first and third aspects of the invention are provided, the delayed expansion of the length of hair causing a variation in the diameter of the formed curls depending upon whether the sleeve is in its extended or retracted positions. The provision of the at least one flexible element assists the operation of an embodiment incorporating the third aspect of the invention, since the length of hair will be released from the clamping element as its free end passes from the rear chamber and into the front chamber. The at least one flexible element can thereafter hold the free end of the length of hair against the elongate member in the front chamber.

WO2014/201424 discloses clamping elements in the front chamber. The clamping elements are necessary in that device so as to hold the length of hair against the (heated) elongate member.

Desirably there are two or more clamping elements spaced around the rear chamber. Preferably the clamping elements are mounted to the body and engage the collar which is connected to the rotatable element. Alternatively, in devices having a lid or closure panel for the chamber (perhaps mounted to a movable handle part as in WO2012/080751 ), a clamping element may be mounted to the closure panel.

Ideally the clamping elements are flexible and resilient, and are suitably made of silicone. Alternatively, the clamping elements are rigid in themselves but are mounted upon hinges or the like permitting (sprung) movement. Alternatively again, the clamping elements are mounted for movement towards and away from the collar which is connected to the rotatable element. The clamping element(s) can take many forms, including flaps, blades, brushes or pads, for example, providing that they cause some drag upon the length of hair within the rear chamber. In one embodiment the clamping elements comprise one or more felt pads, it being known that felt is also effective in "polishing" the length of hair as it passes thereacross.

It will be understood that the distal end of the length of hair is initially wound around the collar of the rotatable element within the rear chamber. The length of hair moves around the collar as the rotatable element rotates, until eventually it is pulled past the rotatable element and into the front chamber. Desirably the clamping elements have a first clamping edge adjacent to (and preferably touching) the collar of the rotatable element. Preferably the clamping element(s) are located adjacent to the rotatable element. Desirably the clamping elements have a second clamping edge adjacent to (and preferably touching) the rotatable element, the first clamping edge and the second clamping edge being substantially perpendicular. In such an arrangement the clamping elements will engage the length of hair until it leaves the rear chamber.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hair styling device having:

a body with a chamber adapted to accommodate a length of hair, the chamber having an opening through which the length of hair may pass into the chamber;

a rotatable element adapted to engage the length of hair adjacent to the opening; an elongate member around which, in use, the length of hair is wound by the rotatable element;

a motor for driving the rotatable element to rotate;

a control system for the motor, the control system being configured {i} to actuate the motor to drive the rotatable element to rotate in a winding direction for a first predetermined number of rotations to wind the length of hair around the elongate member, {ii} to actuate the motor to drive the rotatable element to rotate in a reverse direction opposed to the winding direction for a second predetermined number of rotations, and {iii} to actuate the motor to drive the rotatable element to rotate in the winding direction for a third predetermined number of rotations to wind more of the length of hair around the elongate member.

The device according to this aspect utilises a "shuffle" operation for the rotatable element, for the purpose described below.

WO2012/080751 discloses the automated reversing movement of the rotatable element in the event that the hair becomes entangled, entanglement being detected by an increase in the load upon the motor, including perhaps a reduction in the rotational speed of the motor. According to the present aspect of the invention, the rotatable element is automatically reversed at a predetermined stage of a winding operation when no entanglement has been detected.

It will be understood that during a winding operation the proximal end of the length of hair initially becomes wound around the elongate member in the front chamber. That portion of the length of hair is expected to experience the greatest tension because at the beginning of the winding operation most of the length of hair remains outside the device and the weight of hair being pulled towards the device is at its maximum. It is therefore expected that the proximal end of the length of hair will be wound most tightly around the elongate member, with the tension (and therefore the tightness of the winding) reducing as the length of hair progressively enters the chamber and becomes wound around the elongate member.

It is also expected that a more uniform and aesthetically pleasing curl can be created by reducing the tension at the proximal end of the length of hair, so that the tension along the length of hair is made more uniform and the tightness with which the hair is wound around the elongate member is made more uniform along the whole of the length of hair. In addition, in embodiments in which the elongate member is heated, tight engagement of the length of hair with the elongate member at the proximal end can impart an unnecessary (and potentially damaging) amount of heat to that portion of the length of hair. Driving the rotatable element to shuffle or undertake a brief reverse movement during the winding operation has been found to reduce the tension at the proximal end and thereby reduce the likelihood of damage and enhance the curl.

The first predetermined number of rotations can equal the third predetermined number of rotations, or these numbers can differ, as desired. The second predetermined number of rotations should be smaller than the first predetermined number of rotations so that there is a net rotation in the winding direction at the end of the reverse rotation. There is no requirement for any of the predetermined numbers of rotations to be complete 360° rotations, and the reference to "number" can include whole numbers and fractions, as desired.

As an example, it might be established that a normal winding cycle comprises ten complete rotations, i.e. it is established that ten complete rotations of the rotatable element is sufficient to wind a user's hair and to return the rotatable element to its start position. Whereas the known devices will undergo ten complete rotations in the winding direction (unless entanglement is detected), a device according to this aspect will undergo some rotations in the winding direction, followed by an opposing rotation to relieve the tension at the proximal end, followed by further rotations in the winding direction. In this particular example the device might undergo three and a half rotations in the winding direction, followed by a three-quarter rotation in the opposing direction, followed by seven and one quarter rotations in the winding direction.

It is possible to undergo more than one shuffle (reversal) in each winding operation (i.e. to repeat steps {ii} and {iii} set out above, albeit perhaps with different numbers of rotations in each case), but that is not expected to be necessary in most devices. Thus, whilst the reverse rotation will relieve some or all of the tension at the proximal end of the length of hair, the subsequent rotation in the winding direction will not likely reintroduce all of that tension. In this regard, it is recognised that because multiple windings of the length of hair have been wrapped around the elongate member during step {i}, a significant portion of the length hair has been moved into the front chamber and lies between the rotatable element and the proximal end of the length of hair. That significant portion of the length of hair will resist the tension applied by the rotatable element during step {iii}. The resulting tension at the proximal end will therefore be less than it was before the shuffle operation. In particular, the tension at the proximal end is more similar to that in the remainder of the length of hair so that successive curls are wound to a more uniform tightness around the elongate member.

In addition, the rotatable element can undergo a further reverse rotation at the end of the winding operation. Reversing the rotatable element after the whole of the length of hair has been wound around the elongate member encourages the length of hair to partially unwind and to move away from the elongate member and towards (and perhaps into engagement with) the chamber wall(s). The reversal of the rotatable element at the end of the winding operation therefore provides additional control over the location of the curled hair in the front chamber as the hair is being styled by the application of heat and/or treatment products in the front chamber.

In a device which also has at least one flexible element projecting into the front chamber adjacent to the rotatable element, the at least one flexible element encourages the length of hair to partially unwind during the reverse rotation (both as a shuffle during the winding operation and at the end of the winding operation).

In common with the disclosure of WO2012/080751 and WO201 3/186547, a secondary opening preferably surrounds the free end of the elongate member. The elongate member may project beyond the secondary opening, or it may terminate in line with the secondary opening, or it may terminate within the chamber. The term "surrounds" is used for all of these alternatives because the relevant feature is that the secondary opening permits a formed curl to slide off the free end of the elongate member without being forced to uncurl or deform. The term "surrounds" should therefore be considered from a viewpoint looking along the axis of the elongate member.

In all aspects of the invention, the chamber may have a continuous outer wall or a discontinuous outer wall, as desired. For example, the chamber may comprise or include a cage-like structure such as that disclosed in W02014/201424, the only requirement being that the chamber retains the formed curls during the styling operation and prevents the uncontrolled outwards expansion of the curls.

The aspects of the present invention may be combined, individually or collectively, with each other and also with any features of one or more of WO2009/077747, WO2012/080751 , WO2013/186547 and WO2015/063461 with which they are compatible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig.1 shows a side view of a hair styling device according to the present invention;

Fig.2 shows a view of the front and rear chambers of the hair styling device of Fig.1 , with the sleeve in its extended position; Fig.3 shows a view as Fig.2 but with the sleeve in its first retracted position;

Fig.4 shows a view as Fig.2 with the sleeve of a first embodiment of the device in its second retracted position; Fig.5 shows a view as Fig.2 with the sleeve of a second embodiment of the device in its second retracted position; and

Fig.6 shows a cross-section through the rear chamber of the device of Fig.1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Whilst WO2009/077747, WO2012/080751 , WO2013/186547 and WO201 5/063461 are included herein by reference, a brief description of the operation of the device is provided so as to clarify the operation of the device and the distinctions over the previous disclosures.

The hair styling device 10 has a body 12 and a handle 14. Within the body 12 is a first or front chamber 1 6 and a second or rear chamber 18. A protrusion 20, in this embodiment in the form of an elongate member, is located within the front chamber 16. The body 1 2 has an opening 22 through which a length of hair (not shown) may be introduced into the chambers 16, 18. In this embodiment the body 12 has an enlarged-diameter region 24 between the front and rear chambers 1 6, 18. A rotatable element 30 lies between the front chamber 1 6 and the rear chamber 18 and separates those chambers. Only a very small part of the rotatable element 30 can be seen in these figures, and the actual form of the rotatable element is not important to the present invention. Nevertheless, the rotatable element 30 is preferably similar to that seen in Figs.3 and 5A-5C of WO2009/077747, i.e. a generally planar disc with a cut-out section into which the length of hair can be inserted. The rotatable element 30 rotates in the enlarged-diameter region 24.

In an alternative embodiment the diameter of the rear chamber matches that of the region 24, i.e. there is a step between the front chamber 16 and the enlarged-diameter portion but no step between the enlarged-diameter portion and the rear chamber. In a further alternative embodiment the diameter of the front and rear chambers matches that of the region 24. The rotatable element 30 is connected to a collar 32 which is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). The motor thereby drives the collar and rotatable element to rotate in known fashion. In this embodiment the elongate member 20 is fixed to the body 1 2 adjacent to the motor; the collar 32 surrounds an extension (not shown) connected to the elongate member 20 and rotates around the (stationary) extension.

In this embodiment the elongate member 20 and the extension are formed as a single component. They are distinguished because the length of hair can be wound around the elongate member in use whereas the extension lies inside the collar 32 and is inaccessible in use. Alternatively stated, the elongate member 20 lies to the near side of the rotatable element 30 as viewed in Fig.1 , and the extension lies to the far side of the rotatable element.

The hair styling device 10 shares the feature of WO201 2/080751 in having a two-part handle, specifically a fixed handle part 34 connected to the body 1 2 and a relatively movable handle part 36 connected to a panel 40. In the (operating) condition of Fig.1 the handle parts have been brought together so that the closure panel 40 covers and obscures the opening 22. As described and shown in WO2012/080751 the movable handle part 36 can be pivoted (by around 10° or so) clockwise as drawn to expose the opening 22.

As is described in detail in WO2012/080751 , with the movable handle part 36 in the open position the user selects a length of hair and places it between the panel 40 and body 1 2, close to the opening 22. The user then moves the handle parts 34,36 together. In preferred embodiments, when the panel 40 reaches the closed position of Fig.1 the rotatable element 30 is automatically actuated. As is described in detail in WO2009/077747, as the rotatable element 30 rotates its leading edge engages the length of hair and pulls the length of hair through the opening 22. The distal portion of the length of hair is pulled into the rear chamber 1 8 and the proximal portion of the length of hair is pulled into the front chamber 16. The hair styling device 10 has a secondary opening 42 which is permanently connected to the opening 22. In common with WO2012/080751 a movable abutment 44 is located at the secondary opening 42 and prevents the proximal end of the length of hair from rotating around the free end 46 of the elongate member 20. It is the rotation of the rotatable element 30 relative to the abutment 44 which causes the length of hair to be drawn into the front chamber 16. The abutment 44 is movable whereby to permit a formed curl to slide off the free end 46 of the elongate member 20 through the secondary opening 42 at the end of a styling operation, without being forced to uncurl.

As the rotatable element 30 rotates, the distal portion of the length of hair is gradually pulled from the rear chamber 18 into the front chamber 1 6, until eventually all of the length of hair is wound around the elongate member 20. The elongate member 20 and/or the wall of the front chamber 16 is heated so as to style the length of hair within the front chamber.

As shown in Fig.2, in the present invention a sleeve 50 is mounted to the body 12. The sleeve 50 is movable between an extended position as shown in Fig.2 and a retracted position as shown in Fig.3. In the extended position of Fig.2 the sleeve 50 surrounds the elongate member 20 along almost all of the length of the elongate member, so that the protrusion or former around which the length of hair is wound by the rotatable element 30 is of relatively large diameter. It will be understood that whilst the length of hair will naturally seek to expand into engagement with the wall of the chamber 1 6, the length of hair is at least partially styled as it is being wound. The diameter of the former around which the length of hair is wound, particularly if that former is heated (either directly or indirectly by way of heat radiated from the chamber wall), will affect the style produced in the length of hair, and in particular the curvature of the styled length of hair. In the retracted position of Fig.3 on the other hand, the diameter of the former around which the length of hair is wound is that of the elongate member 20 alone. Whether the sleeve 50 is extended or retracted will therefore affect the styling of the length of hair. Reference herein to the diameter of the elongate member 20 and the sleeve 50 reflect the fact that the components shown have a circular outer periphery. A circular outer periphery is preferred but not essential, and for non-circular components the term "diameter" should be interpreted as "cross-sectional dimension".

Whilst only a very small part of the rotatable element 30 is visible in Fig.3, it will be understood that the planar disc is connected to (and therefore aligned with) the end 52 of the collar 32. The cut-out section of the disc is aligned with the opening 22 and the disc part of the rotatable element 30 is therefore only partially visible in Figs. 2-5. The length of hair is initially inserted into the cut-out section (or is pressed into the cut-out section as the panel 40 moves to the position of Fig.1 ), and the length of hair passes through the cut-out section as it moves from the rear chamber 1 8 to the front chamber 16 during the winding operation. As seen most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, the end of the sleeve 50 carries a number of flexible and resilient projecting elements or fingers 54. In the (first) retracted position of Fig.3, the flexible fingers 54 project into the front chamber 16 close to the rotatable element 30. Preferably the flexible fingers are between 2 and 5 mm long, ideally between 3 and 4 mm long. Desirably the fingers 54 are aligned substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the elongate member 20 and the sleeve 50. The flexible fingers 54 are ideally made of silicone.

It will be understood that the length of hair passes through the cut-out section of the rotatable element 30 as it moves from the rear chamber 18 to the front chamber 16. As it does so, the length of hair engages one or more of the flexible fingers 54, and in particular it passes between and around the fingers. It is arranged that the flexible fingers 54 rotate with the rotatable element 20 and they act to hold the length of hair close to (and perhaps in contact with) the surface of the elongate member 20 during the winding operation.

In the extended position of Fig.2, however, the hair is wound around the sleeve 50; the fingers 54 do not engage the length of hair during the winding operation and in fact play no part in the styling operation. It is therefore not necessary that the fingers 54 rotate with the rotatable element 30, and on the contrary it is preferable that they do not rotate in case they are inadvertently brought into engagement with other (extraneous) hairs of the user which might be close to the secondary opening 42. The sleeve 50 is therefore driven to rotate by the collar 32 when in its retracted position of Fig.3, but is not driven to rotate when in its extended position of Fig.2 (and is ideally held against rotation in the extended position, suitably by frictional engagement with the elongate member 20).

The hair styling device 1 0 can therefore provide a first hair styling regime when the sleeve 50 is extended, and a second hair styling regime when the sleeve 50 is retracted, the different regimes being due primarily to the different diameter of the former around which the length of hair is wound in the front chamber.

To provide a third styling regime, the device 10 has a second retracted position for the sleeve 50, in which position the flexible fingers do not extend into the front chamber. Two different embodiments of device are represented in Figs. 4 and 5, showing two different means of achieving the second retracted position.

In Fig.4 the sleeve 50 is further retracted into the collar 32 by a distance at least as great as the length of the fingers 54. In this second retracted position therefore, the collar 32 effectively provides a cover for the fingers reducing (and ideally eliminating) any likelihood that any of the length of hair will engage the flexible fingers as it passes from the rear chamber 18 to the front chamber 1 6.

In Fig.5, the flexible fingers 54 are retracted into the sleeve 50, i.e. the sleeve 50 remains in the same position as in Fig.3, but the fingers 54 are moved relative to the sleeve. In this embodiment the fingers 54 are retracted by a distance equal to their maximum projecting length so that in the position of Fig.5 the ends of the fingers are aligned with the end of the sleeve 50. Even if the length of hair engages the ends of the flexible fingers in the embodiment of Fig.5 the fingers will not affect the styling of the length of hair.

It will be understood that when the sleeve is in is second retracted position according to either of Figs. 4 and 5, the front chamber 16 substantially replicates that of WO2012/080751 . It will also be understood that embodiments according to the second aspect of the invention utilise flexible fingers such as those numbered 54 and represented by Fig.3. In addition, the flexible fingers of the second aspect can be movable and represented also by Fig.4 or Fig.5. The device according to the second aspect does not necessarily share the sleeve having the extended position shown in Fig.2.

Fig.6 shows a cross-sectional view through the rear chamber 18. As explained above, the length of hair is not styled in the rear chamber 18, but a large portion of the length of hair will be pulled into the rear chamber 1 8 before passing from that chamber and into the front chamber 16. According to the third aspect of the invention the rear chamber has at least one clamping element 60 (in this embodiment there are three clamping elements 60). The clamping elements are flexible and resilient and are substantially rectangular. In this embodiment the clamping elements 60 are continuous blades or flaps. One edge 62 of each of the (substantially rectangular) clamping elements 60 engages the collar 32 as seen in Fig.6, the edge 62 sliding across the collar 32 as the collar rotates. Another edge 64 (see Fig.5) of each of the clamping elements lies close to (and preferably in engagement with) the rotatable element 30 so that the disc part of the rotatable element slides across the edge 64 as the rotatable element rotates.

The collar 32 and rotatable element 30 rotate anti-clockwise as viewed in Fig.6, and it will be understood that the clamping elements will adopt a different position when the collar and rotatable element are rotated clockwise.

One of the clamping elements 60 is partially visible in Figs. 2-5, and it will be seen that the clamping elements 60 span substantially the full length of the rear chamber 18. It will therefore be understood that when the distal end of the length of hair is pulled into the rear chamber 18 during the winding operation, it passes between the respective edges 62 and the collar 32. As the length of hair is pulled out of the rear chamber 1 8 the resilience of the clamping elements 60 causes drag upon the length of hair, which in turn effectively prevents the length of hair from expanding into engagement with the wall of the front chamber until all of the length of hair has passed out of the rear chamber.

The inventors have found that only a small amount of drag is required to delay the expansion of the length of hair in the front chamber. This is desirable as putting too much tension into the length of hair can adversely affect the styling operation and can also damage the hair.

It will also be understood that the tension in the length of hair is relieved as soon as the free end of the length of hair passes from the rear chamber 1 8 into the front chamber 16. If the sleeve 50 is in its first retracted position the free end of the length of hair necessarily engages one or more of the fingers 54 which can maintain some of the tension. In any event, the length of hair becomes at least partially styled whilst the tension is present during the winding operation.

The invention according to the fourth aspect is not represented in the drawings since that aspect relates to the control system for the motor which drives the rotatable element. As stated, the control system (which will typically be a microprocessor and the necessary power supply) controls the motor and therefore excludes the motor. The inventors do not, however, exclude the possibility that the motor might be considered as part of the control system and such an alternative is not excluded from the fourth aspect of the invention.

The fourth aspect of the invention is best understood in relation to Fig.3. Though the length of hair is not shown in Fig.3, as stated above the user will position a chosen length of hair to be styled adjacent to the opening 22 and aligned approximately with the elongate member 20. The device is positioned close to the user's scalp, with the proximal end of the length of hair overlying the front chamber 16 and the distal end lying some distance to the left of the rear chamber 18 as drawn.

When the rotatable element begins to rotate the proximal end of the length of hair is pulled into the front chamber 1 6 and wound around the elongate member 20 until it engages the movable abutment 44. The proximal end of the length of hair is then wound around the elongate member, causing the distal end of the length of hair to be drawn towards the device as more hair becomes wound around the elongate member.

During the initial winding, the proportion of the length of hair which lies outside the device is at its maximum, and the weight of that proportion is also at its maximum. This has the effect that the tension in the portion of the length of hair which is being wound around the elongate member is at its greatest at the proximal end and gradually reduces towards the distal end. According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when the rotatable element has undertaken a first predetermined number of rotations (which may be between two and five complete rotations for example, and ideally between three and four complete rotations), the rotatable element is stopped and driven to reverse its rotation. It will be understood that at this stage some of the length of hair remains in the rear chamber 18 and therefore that the length of hair passes between adjacent flexible fingers 54. The flexible fingers rotate in reverse with the rotatable element and therefore positively drive the length of hair to unwind from the rotatable element.

The rotatable element 30 is reversed for a second predetermined number of rotations. The second predetermined number may be less than or equal to one complete rotation, or more than one complete rotation, and in any event is less than the first predetermined number of rotations. It is expected that in most applications the second predetermined number of rotations will depend upon the first predetermined number of rotations, so that both numbers of rotations will increase (or decrease) together. For example, the second predetermined number of rotations may be between one half and one and a half complete rotations, and ideally between three quarters and one complete rotation.

The positive unwinding of the length of hair in the front chamber will cause much or all of the wound length of hair to move away from the elongate member, or at least to relieve some or all of the tension in the wound length of hair.

The rotatable element 30 is again stopped and driven to rotate further in the winding direction until the end of the winding cycle. During this further winding, it will be understood that tension is initially imparted to the portion of the length of hair closest to the rotatable element. The length of hair in the front chamber which is immediately adjacent the rotatable element, is quickly tightened around the elongate member, and is encouraged in that by the flexible fingers 54. Because the length of hair tightens around the elongate member the tension cannot necessarily pass along the wound length of hair all the way to the proximal end. The tension at the proximal end of the length of hair is therefore likely to be significantly lower as a result of the reverse (or shuffle) operation.