Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a haircare appliance, and an attachment for a haircare appliance. of the Invention

Haircare appliances are generally used to treat or style hair, and some may treat or style hair using airflow.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an attachment for a haircare appliance, the attachment comprising an air inlet, an air outlet for emitting an airflow, and a hair treatment chamber for receiving hair, the air outlet configured to direct airflow into the hair treatment chamber; wherein the hair treatment chamber is movable from a first orientation relative to the air inlet to a second orientation relative to the air inlet, the second orientation different to the first orientation

The attachment according to the first aspect of the present invention may be advantageous as it may allow the user to alter the orientation of the hair treatment chamber to improve user experience and comfort.

The air outlet may be configured to direct airflow into the hair treatment chamber when the hair treatment chamber is in the first orientation and the second orientation. As such, the user may use the attachment in either the first or second orientation. The user may choose which orientation is more comfortable which may improve the user experience of the attachment and haircare appliance. The air inlet and the air outlet may be provided at a first end of the housing. The air inlet may be disposed in an airflow path between the airflow generator and the air outlet. The air inlet may, for example, comprise an air inlet into an attachment forming part of the haircare appliance, and the haircare appliance may comprise a further air inlet into the housing, with the airflow generator configured to generate an airflow from the further air inlet to the air outlet in use.

The hair treatment chamber may comprise a wall, an opening through which hair is insertable into the hair treatment chamber, and an aperture formed in the wall. The aperture may enable airflow to escape from an interior of the hair treatment chamber in use, without having to pass through the opening through which hair is inserted into the hair treatment chamber. In the first orientation, a central axis of the housing may be parallel to a central axis of the opening. In the second orientation, the central axis of the housing may be perpendicular to the central axis of the opening. As such, the first orientation and the second orientation may be offset by 90 degrees from one another. This may enable the housing to be held in both parallel and orthogonal orientations relative to the head of a user in use, which may increase usability and comfort.

The attachment may comprise a conduit, the conduit providing a flow path between the air inlet and the air outlet. The conduit may be deformable between a first position when the attachment is in the first orientation to a second position when the attachment is in the second orientation. The conduit may be resilient such that the conduit can return to its original form after it has been deformed. This may allow the conduit to deform in order for the attachment to alternate between the first orientation and the second orientation, while also ensuring that the conduit is not permanently deformed and can revert to its original form.

The conduit may comprise a tube which is configured to concertina. Advantageously, a concertinaed tube can be compressed into a compact size such that the compressed tube takes up less space in the attachment compared to a tube which does not concertina. Moreover, the concertina provides structure to the tube such that compression of the tube does not restrict airflow through the conduit. The conduit may also help to ensure that there is an airtight seal between the air inlet and the air outlet to reduce the amount or prevent air escaping from the flow path. This may help to increase and/or maintain the performance of the attachment.

The conduit may be deformable from the first position to the second position in response to a force applied to the conduit. This may allow the user to simply and easily switch the attachment from the first configuration to the second configuration. For example, the user may apply a force to a first end of the conduit in a direction toward a second end of the conduit which may cause the conduit to compress. The user may provide a force in the opposite direction to return the conduit to its original position and form.

The conduit may comprise a retaining pin engageable with a part of the hair treatment chamber to restrict movement of the conduit away from the hair treatment chamber. This may help to ensure that the conduit stays in position relative to the hair treatment chamber so as to help prevent the conduit from restricting airflow. A slot may be provided on an external surface of the hair treatment chamber and the retaining pin may be received in the slot.

The conduit may comprise a first part and a second part. The first part may be in fluid communication with the air outlet and fixed relative to the air outlet. The second part may be in fluid communication with the air inlet and fixed relative to the air inlet. The second part may be moveable relative to the first part between the first configuration and the second configuration. A seal may be provided between the first part and the second part to provide an airtight seal. The seal may take the form of a resilient material, such as rubber.

One of the first part and second part may comprise a channel and the other of the second part and the first part may be slidable in the channel. For example, the channel may comprise an elongate slot in the first part and the second part may slide along the slot. The channel may restrict movement of the second part in at least one direction, ensuring that the second part remains in the correct position relative to the hair treatment chamber.

The one of the first part and second part which is slidable in the channel may be slidable through 90 degrees relative to the housing between the first orientation and the second orientation. The respective one of the first part and the second part may be slidable through an oblique angle relative to the housing between the first orientation and the second orientation. This may allow a number of positions to be adopted between the one of the first part and the second part and the housing.

Where the hair treatment chamber comprises a wall, an opening through which hair is insertable into the hair treatment chamber, and an aperture formed in the wall, the air outlet may be configured to direct airflow away from the opening and toward the aperture in use. As such, the airflow may initially be directed away from the head of the user in use. This may reduce an amount of direct heat being applied to the user’s head which may increase the comfort of using the attachment, particularly over an extended period of time.

The air outlet may extend about at least a part of a periphery of the hair treatment chamber. The air outlet may extend about the entire periphery of the hair treatment chamber. The air outlet may be an annular slot provided about at least a part of the periphery of the hair treatment chamber. The hair treatment chamber may comprise a rim which defines the opening and the air outlet may be located on the rim such that airflow is directed away from a periphery of the opening in use. The rim may be formed by a projection on the wall of the hair treatment chamber and the air outlet may be formed in the projection.

A width of the air outlet may vary about the periphery of the hair treatment chamber. Advantageously, this may enable to airflow rate to remain consistent about the entire air outlet, irrespective of distance from the airflow generator. The hair treatment chamber may hold the user’s hair in place during use such that the user’s hair is less likely to be disrupted by the flow of air into the hair treatment chamber. As such, relatively high flow rates of air can be used without significantly disrupting the user’s hair, which may increase the efficiency and/or speed of drying the user’s hair. The flow rate may be at least 6 litres per second, at least 10 litres per second, or at least 13 litres per second.

The air outlet may be configured to direct airflow substantially along a surface of the wall in use. The wall of the hair treatment chamber may be shaped to further direct the airflow in use. For example, the wall may be curved and the airflow may be directed to follow the curve of the wall. This may cause the airflow to remain in contact with the wall and be further directed away from the opening. Airflow may flow from the air outlet into an interior of the hair treatment chamber in use.

The hair treatment chamber, for example the wall of the hair treatment chamber, may be shaped to define a hemi- spherical interior. This may help to maximise the space available in the hair treatment chamber to receive the user’ s hair. The hair treatment chamber may be shaped to define a substantially toroidal interior shape. For example, the hair treatment chamber may be shaped such that the wall of the hair treatment chamber has a peak at the centre of the hair treatment chamber, the peak being adjacent the opening. Where the hair treatment chamber has a substantially toroidal interior shape, an outer surface of the hair treatment chamber may define a substantially hemi -spherical surface. The toroidal shape of the hair treatment chamber may help to direct airflow toward the head of a user, or roots of a user’s hair, in use when in the second configuration. This may help to increase the efficiency of drying the user’s hair.

The wall may comprise a porous material. The porous material may define the aperture. The porous material may be, for example, a mesh. The porous material may be air permeable such that air can flow through the permeable material. The porous material may help to retain the hair of a user within the hair care chamber while also confining the air in the hair treatment chamber. As such, air in the hair treatment chamber may heat to higher temperatures to increase the efficiency and/or speed of drying the user’s hair.

The wall of the attachment may compromise a plurality of apertures. For example, there may be two, four, six, eight, ten, one hundred, one thousand or ten thousand apertures. The plurality of apertures may be spaced about the periphery of the hair treatment chamber. In the first configuration airflow through the plurality of apertures may be unrestricted and in the second configuration airflow through the plurality of apertures may be restricted. Providing a plurality of apertures may provide more diffuse air flow from the hair treatment chamber in use.

The attachment may comprise a sensor configured to output a signal indicative of a property of hair within the hair treatment chamber. This signal may be indicative of the user’s hair being sufficiently dry and, for example, the user may be provided with an indication to stop using the attachment and haircare appliance based on the signal. For example, the user may be provided with a visual indicator, such as a light, when the signal indicates that their hair is sufficiently dry. The airflow generator may be configured to modify the airflow when the signal indicates that the user’s hair is sufficiently dry. For example, the airflow generator may be configured to reduce the flow rate, or stop the generation of airflow, in response to the signal. Alternatively or additionally, the heater may be configured to modify the amount of heat provided to the airflow in response to the signal. For example, the heater may be configured to reduce the amount of heat provided to the airflow, or stop heating the airflow, in response to the signal. This may help to prevent damage to the user’s hair which may be caused by excessive or unnecessary drying and/or heating.

The sensor may be in located within or adjacent to the hair treatment chamber. Multiple sensors may be provided to provide redundancy in the event of a sensor failing.

The sensor may comprise any of a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, a sensor capable of spectral analysis, or a sensor capable of capacitive sensing for moisture. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a haircare appliance comprising: an air inlet; an air outlet; an airflow generator for generating an airflow from the air inlet to the air outlet, the airflow generator disposed in a housing; and a hair treatment chamber for receiving hair, the air outlet configured to direct airflow into the hair treatment chamber; wherein the hair treatment chamber is movable from a first orientation relative to the housing to a second orientation relative to the housing, the second orientation different to the first orientation

The haircare appliance may comprise a handle unit within which the airflow generator is disposed, and an attachment comprising the air inlet, the air outlet and the hair treatment chamber, the attachment removably attachable to the handle unit. Providing the air outlet described above as part of a removable attachment may allow the functionality described herein to be selectively provided by a user.

The attachment may be for a haircare appliance comprising an airflow generator disposed in a housing. The attachment may communicate with the handle unit, or other component of the haircare appliance, to modify operation of the haircare appliance. For example, the attachment may communicate with the airflow generator to modify the airflow provided to the attachment. The attachment may communicate with the haircare appliance to transfer information indicative of a desired air flow rate. The airflow generator may be operated on the basis of the information to provide the desired air flow rate. The attachment may comprise an RFID tag which includes information indicative of the air flow rate desired for the attachment. This information may be read from the RFID tag and transmitted to the airflow generator to cause the airflow generator to generate airflow with the desired flow rate. Alternatively or additionally, the attachment may communicate with the haircare appliance by Bluetooth™ or other suitable wireless communication standard, and/or by a wired connection.

Optional features of aspects of the present invention may be equally applied to other aspects of the present invention, where appropriate. of the Drawings

Figure 1 illustrates a haircare appliance according to an example;

Figure 2 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a handle unit of the haircare appliance of Figure 1.

Figure 3 illustrates a schematic view of an attachment of the haircare appliance of Figure 1;

Figure 4 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the attachment of Figure 3;

Figure 5 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of an attachment in a first orientation;

Figure 6 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the attachment of Figure 5 in a second orientation;

Figure 7 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a further attachment in a first orientation;

Figure 8 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of the attachment of Figure 7 in a second orientation; and

Figure 9 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of an alternative attachment. Detailed Description of the Invention

A haircare appliance according to the present invention, generally designated 10, is shown schematically in Figure 1.

The haircare appliance 10 comprises a handle unit 12, and an attachment 100 removably attachable to the handle unit 12.

The handle unit 12 comprises a housing 14, an airflow generator 16, a heater 18, and a control unit 20, as can be seen schematically in Figure 2.

The housing 14 is tubular in shape, and comprises an air inlet 22 through which an airflow is drawn into the housing 14 by the airflow generator 16, and an air outlet 24 through which the airflow is discharged from the housing 14. The airflow generator 16 is housed within the housing 14, and comprises an impeller 26 driven by an electric motor 28. The heater 18 is also housed within the housing 14, and comprises heating elements 30 to optionally heat the airflow.

The control unit 20 comprises electronic circuitry for a user interface 32, a control module 34 and an RFID reader 24. The user interface 32 is provided on an outer surface of the housing 14, and is used to power on and off the haircare appliance 10, to select a flow rate (for example high, medium and low), and to select an airflow temperature (for example hot, medium or cold). In the example of Figure 1, the user interface comprises a plurality of sliding switches, but other forms of user interface 32, for example buttons, dials or touchscreens, are also envisaged. The RFID reader 24 is to interrogate an RFID tag that forms part of the attachment 100.

The control module 34 is responsible for controlling the airflow generator 16, and the heater 18 in response to inputs from the user interface 32. For example, in response to inputs from the user interface 32, the control module 34 may control the power or the speed of the airflow generator 16 in order to adjust the airflow rate of the airflow, and the power of the heater 18 in order to adjust the temperature of the airflow.

Examples of the attachment 100 are shown schematically in Figures 3 and 4. The attachment 100 comprises an air inlet 101, an air outlet 102 and a hair treatment chamber 103. The hair treatment chamber 103 is for receiving hair and comprises an opening 105 through which hair is insertable into the hair treatment chamber 103. The region between the air inlet 101 and the air outlet 102 is shown with dashed lines. Various forms for this region will be discussed in relation to Figures 5 to 8 below.

The hair treatment chamber 103 further comprises a wall 104 and a plurality of apertures 106 formed in the wall 106. The apertures 106 enable airflow to escape from an interior of the hair treatment chamber 103 in use, without having to pass through the opening 105 through which hair is inserted into the hair treatment chamber 103.

The hair treatment chamber 103 defines a confined space into which the user’s hair is placed. As hot air passes into the confined space, the ambient temperature within the hair treatment chamber 103 rises, which can help dry the hair of the user. Moreover, as the hair treatment chamber 103 holds the user’s hair in place during use, the user’s hair is less likely to be disrupted by the flow of air into the hair treatment chamber 103. As such, relatively high flow rates of air can be used without significantly disrupting the user’s hair, which may increase the efficiency and/or speed of drying the user’s hair. The flow rate may be at least 6 litres per second, at least 10 litres per second, or at least 13 litres per second.

The wall 104 of the hair treatment chamber 103 comprises a porous material 107. In the example shown in Figure 3, a porous material 107 is disposed in the aperture 106 such that collectively the wall 104, which is non-porous, and the porous material 107, define a boundary wall of the hair treatment chamber 103. In Figure 3, the porous material 107 in shown in a single aperture 106. In some examples, the porous material 107 is disposed in all of the apertures 106. Alternatively, the porous material 107 is disposed in a select number of apertures 106. Pores of the porous material 107 define further apertures in the wall. In the example of Figure 3, the porous material 107 is a mesh. Alternatively, any other suitably porous material 107 can be used.

The porous material 107 helps to retain the hair of a user within the hair treatment chamber 103 while also confining the air in the hair treatment chamber 103. As such, air in the hair treatment chamber 103 may heat to higher temperatures to increase the efficiency and/or speed of drying the user’s hair.

In the example of Figures 3 and 4 in combination with Figure 1, the air inlet 101 and the air outlet 102 of the attachment 100 are provided at a first end of the housing 14. The air inlet 101 is therefore disposed in an airflow path between the airflow generator 16 and the air outlet 104. As shown in Figure 1, the handle unit 12 also has its own air inlet 22 into the housing 14. The airflow generator 16 is configured to generate an airflow from the air inlet 22 of the handle unit 12, through the air inlet 101 of the attachment 100 and to the air outlet 102 in use.

In the example shown in Figures 3 and 4, the air outlet 102 extends about an entire periphery 109 of the hair treatment chamber 103. In other examples, the air outlet 102 extends about a part of the periphery 109 of the hair treatment chamber 103.

A width of the air outlet 102 varies about the periphery 109 of the hair treatment chamber 103. This may enable to airflow rate to remain consistent about the entire air outlet 102, irrespective of distance from the airflow generator 16. In some examples, the air outlet 102 has a uniform width around the entire periphery 109 of the hair treatment chamber 103.

The opening 105 illustrated in Figure 3 is generally circular in shape, however other forms and shapes of opening 105 are envisaged. For example, the opening 105 may be substantially oval or semi-circular shaped. In the example shown in Figures 3 and 4, the hair treatment chamber 103 is shaped to define a hemi-spherical interior. In other examples, the hair treatment chamber 103 is shaped to define any other suitable hollow interior in which hair can be received.

The attachment 100 comprises a sensor 108 configured to output a signal indicative of a property of hair within the hair treatment chamber 103 in use. The sensor 108 shown in Figure 4 is a moisture sensor. In other examples, the sensor 108 is a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor. The signal output by the sensor 108 is received by the control module 34 which is configured to control the haircare appliance 10 in response to the signal from the sensor 108. In some examples, the sensor 108 comprises an RFID tag to transmit information via RFID to the RFID reader 24. In some examples, it is envisaged that other forms of communication, including, for example Bluetooth™ or near-field communication (NFC), may be utilised.

Similarly, although thus far wireless methods of communicating between the sensor 108 and the control module 34 have been discussed, it will be appreciated that examples that utilise physical communications connections are also envisaged. For example, the handle unit 12 and the attachment 100 may comprise corresponding contacts which, when connected when the attachment 100 is connected to the handle unit 12, define a communications pathway.

In some examples, the signal from the sensor 108 is indicative of the user’s hair being sufficiently dry and the user is provided with an indication to stop using the haircare appliance 10 based on the signal. For example, the user is provided with a visual indicator, such as a light, when the signal indicates that their hair is sufficiently dry. In some examples, the airflow generator 16 is configured to modify the airflow when the signal indicates that the user’s hair is sufficiently dry. For example, the airflow generator 16 is configured to reduce the flow rate, or stop the generation of airflow, in response to the signal. In some examples, the heater 18 is configured to modify the amount of heat provided to the airflow in response to the signal. For example, the heater 18 may be configured to reduce the amount of heat provided to the airflow, or stop heating the airflow, in response to the signal. This may help to prevent damage to the user’s hair which may be caused by excessive or unnecessary drying and/or heating.

The air outlet 102 is configured to direct airflow away from the opening 105 and toward the aperture 106 in use. As hair is inserted through the opening 105, and airflow is directed away from the opening 105, airflow may be directed away from the roots of the hair that is located within the hair treatment chamber 103 in use. This may reduce an amount of direct heat being applied to the user’s head which may increase the comfort of using the haircare appliance 10, particularly over an extended period of time.

The hair treatment chamber 103 is movable from a first orientation relative to the housing 12 to a second orientation relative to the housing 12. The second orientation of the hair treatment chamber 103 is different to the first orientation of the hair treatment chamber 103. As such, the user may alter the orientation of the hair treatment chamber 103 to improve comfort.

Figure 5 illustrates an attachment 200 with the hair treatment chamber is in a first orientation relative to the housing 12 and Figure 6 illustrates the attachment 200 with the hair treatment chamber 103 is in the second orientation relative to the housing 12.

In the first orientation, a central axis of the housing 12 is perpendicular to a central axis of the opening 105, and in the second orientation, the central axis of the housing 12 is parallel to the central axis of the opening 105. In other examples, the housing 12 may be aligned with the opening 105 in other positions in the first and second orientation. In other words, the central axis of the housing 12 may be at an oblique angle relative to the central axis of the opening 105 in either or both of the first and second orientations.

The attachment 200 comprises a conduit 201 which provides a flow path between the air inlet 101 and the air outlet 102. To allow the hair treatment chamber 103 to move between the first orientation and the second orientation, the conduit 201 is deformable between a first position when the hair treatment chamber 103 is in the first orientation (as shown in Figure 5), and a second position when the hair treatment chamber 103 is in the second orientation (as shown in Figure 6).

In the example of Figures 5 and 6, the conduit 201 is a tube which is configured to concertina. As such, the tube may be compressed into a compact size such that the compressed tube takes up less space in the haircare appliance compared to a tube which does not concertina. Moreover, the concertina provides structure to the tube such that compression of the tube does not restrict airflow through the conduit 201. The conduit 201 may also help to ensure that there is an airtight seal between the air inlet 101 and the air outlet 102 to reduce the reduce or prevent air escaping from the flow path. This may help to increase and/or maintain the performance of the haircare appliance. In other examples, other forms of tube are used which do not concertina.

The conduit 201 is deformable from the first position to the second position in response to a force applied to the conduit 201. For example, the user may apply a force to a first end 202 of the conduit 201 in a direction toward a second end 203 of the conduit 201 which may cause the conduit 201 to compress. The user may provide a force in the opposite direction to return the conduit 201 to its original position and form. This allows the user to simply and easily switch the haircare appliance from the first configuration to the second configuration.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the conduit 201 comprises a retaining pin 204. The retaining pin 204 is configured to slide within a slot 205 formed on an outer surface of the hair treatment chamber 103. The retaining pin 204 may help to hold the conduit 201 against the hair treatment chamber 103 by limiting the movement if the conduit 201 in unwanted directions. In other examples, the retaining pin 204 may be received by a different part for the attachment 200.

Figure 7 illustrates an additional attachment 300 with the hair treatment chamber 103 is in the first orientation relative to the housing 12 and Figure 8 illustrates the attachment 300 with the hair treatment chamber 103 is in the second orientation. As with the example of Figures 5 and 6, the attachment of Figures 7 and 8 comprises a conduit 301 which provides a flow path from the air inlet 101 to the air outlet 102. The conduit 301 comprises a first part 302 which is in fluid communication with the air outlet 102 and fixed relative to the air outlet 102, and a second part 303 which is in fluid communication with the air inlet 101 and fixed relative to the air inlet 101.

In the example of Figures 7 and 8, the second part 303 of the conduit 301 is moveable relative to the first part 302 of the conduit 301 between the first configuration and the second configuration.

The first part 302 comprises a channel 304 and the second part 303 is slidable in the channel 304. The channel 304 is formed on an outer surface of the hair treatment chamber 103. For example, the second part 303 is slidable between a first position in the channel 304 in the first configuration and a second position in the channel 304 in the second configuration. In other examples, the second part 303 comprises the channel 304 and the first part 302 is slidable in the channel 304.

In the examples shown in Figures 7 and 8, the second part 303 is slidable through 90 degrees relative to the housing 12 between the first orientation and the second orientation. In other examples, the respective one of the first part 302 and the second part 303 may be slidable through an oblique angle relative to the housing 12 between the first orientation and the second orientation. This may allow a number of positions to be adopted between the one of the first part 302 and the second part 303 and the housing 12.

A seal is provided between the first part 302 and the second part 303 to help to reduce or prevent airflow from escaping from the flow path. The seal may comprise a deformable material, such as rubber, or any other suitable sealing material. In some examples, the seal may comprise a plurality of bristles provided on two opposing sides of the channel 304. The second part 303 may slide between the bristles and the bristles may help to provide a substantially airtight seal. In the examples shown in Figures 5 to 8, the air outlet 102 is configured to direct airflow into the hair treatment chamber 103 when the hair treatment chamber 103 is in the first orientation and the second orientation. In other words, the user may use the haircare appliance 10 when the hair treatment chamber 103 is in either the first orientation or the second orientation. The user may choose which orientation is more comfortable which may improve the user experience of the haircare appliance.

Figure 9 illustrates an alternative attachment 400. The attachment 400 comprises a first air inlet 401 and a second air inlet 402. The first air inlet 401 and the second air inlet 402 are in fluid communication with the air outlet 102. The first air inlet 401 and the second air inlet 402 are offset by 90 degrees from each other. In other examples, the first air inlet

401 and the second air inlet 402 are offset from each other by an oblique angle. The handle 12 is configured to be removably attachable to the first air inlet 401 in the first configuration or the second air inlet 402 in the second configuration. For example, a user may initially attach the handle 12 to the first air inlet 401 such that airflow is provided through the first air inlet 401 in the first orientation. The user may subsequently remove the handle 12 from the first air inlet 401 and attach the handle 12 to the second air inlet

402 such that airflow flows through the second air inlet 402 in the second orientation.

The first air inlet 401 and the second air inlet 402 comprise a first valve 403 and a second valve 404 respectively. The first valve 403 is configured to open when airflow is provided to the first air inlet 401. The second valve 404 is configured to open when airflow is provided to the second air inlet 402. For example, when the handle is attached to the first air inlet 401, the first valve 403 opens but the second valve 404 remains closed. This helps to prevent air from escaping from the second air outlet 402. The first valve 403 and the second valve 404 may comprise a non-return or check valve.

Examples are also envisaged where, rather than the haircare appliance 10 comprising a handle unit 12 and an attachment 100, 200, 300, 400, the haircare appliance 10 is a single- piece unit, for example taking the form of the combined handle unit 12 and attachment 100, 200, 300, 400 previously described.