BIASED ACTUATOR FOR BRUSH WITH RETRACTABLE BRISTLES

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.

60/785,980 filed March 27, 2006, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to a brush, and, more particularly, to a brush having extendable and retractable bristles for styling, curling and drying hair, or for general cleaning purposes.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

[0003] The present invention relates to a brush for human, animal, or synthetic hair. A brush according to the present invention can also be used as a cleaning device having retractable bristles for general cleaning purposes.

[0004] A conventional curling brush has a shaft having a round cross section.

One portion of the shaft is used as a handle, and another portion of the shaft is provided with spaced bristles mounted thereon. ' When such a conventional curling brush is used for hair styling, it is necessary to rotatably unwind the brush to remove it from the hair. This procedure often causes tangling, pulling, and damage to the hair. There are several known non-tangling curling brushes that overcome this problem. One such brush includes a handle portion that is freely rotatable with respect to the brush portion when a lock member is disengaged.

[0005] Another type of brush designed to overcome the aforementioned problems is provided with retractable bristles. Most of the prior art retractable brushes, however, require multiple steps to retract the bristles.

[0006] Some known retractable brushes incorporate a horizontal control element which, when actuated, causes the bristles to retract. One such brush is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,191,200 and 4,596^261 to Renda. The necessary horizontal movement is difficult, however, due to the awkward combination of direct pressure and simultaneous sliding movement required to operate the control element with the thumb.

'[000 ^* 7] ^c(f " " ^" ^ ^' όme retractable brushes are provided with several control knobs that require two-hand operation, one hand to hold the brush and the other to turn/push the knob(s). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,281 to Doern and U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,241 to Thaler et al. This method is impractical for many purposes, such as curling during a blow drying process, wherein the user is required to put the dryer down to adjust the knob(s).

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,905 to Stewart et al. discloses a slidable control for use in retractable bristle brushes. The control operates by coaction with a rotatable cylindrical mandrel carrying pivoted bristles. The control includes a longitudinally slidable button in the handle which has a control. U.S. Pat. No. 4,001,910 to Pellet also discloses retractable brushes of the general type having bristles which can be retracted into the casing of the brush or extended outwardly from the casing into positions at which the bristles are used. These brushes, however, require a great many parts and complex assembly procedures and are therefore not practical. [0009] U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,594 to Mears, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses an improved brush having bristles which are extendable and retractable in a one-step operation. The brush includes locking means arranged to releasably lock an inner tubular member in angular positions corresponding to full extension and full retraction of the bristles. The locking means includes an end piece fixed to an outer tubular member for rotation therewith relative to the inner tubular member and provided with one or more recesses which receive a spring-biased detent for releasably locking the inner tubular member in predetermined angular positions when an actuator is manually turned to positions corresponding to full extension and retraction of the bristles.

[00010] What is needed then is an improved brush having bristles which are manually extendable and automatically retractable and which is capable of brushing and curling a user's hair, or for cleaning a surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ^'

[00011] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an improved brush having bristles which are manually extendable and automatically retractable and which is capable of brushing and curling a user's hair, or for cleaning a surface. The brush of the present invention is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, durable in construction, and efficient in performing the above-described functions. The brush

^" maylurther be configured to be used in cooperation with one of a hair drying apparatus or a hair curling apparatus, wherein the brush has means for conveying hot air from a heating element or heat from an internal heating element, to a user's hair. The present invention also provides a brush with extendable and retractable bristles which retract into the body of the brush, thereby providing for easy removal of hair and other debris from the bristles and convenient storage of the brush. [00012] In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a brush is provided having a central longitudinal axis. The brush includes an outer tubular member having a plurality of bristle apertures and a handle member connected to the outer tubular member. An inner tubular member extends longitudinally within the outer tubular member and is arranged to undergo angular displacement relative to the outer tubular member between a first position and a second position. A plurality of bristle supports extend longitudinally within the outer tubular member. Each bristle support supports a plurality of bristles and is rotatably mounted around an outer periphery of the inner tubular member. Each bristle support is further adapted to undergo angular displacement to effect extension and retraction of the bristles through the bristle apertures of the outer tubular member in response to the angular displacement of the inner tubular member relative to the outer tubular member between the first and second positions. ^•

[00013] The brush also includes a rotatable actuator member rotatably mounted on the handle and coupled to the inner tubular member. The actuator member is arranged to effect the angular displacement of the inner tubular member relative to the outer tubular member to extend the bristles in response to manual rotation of the actuator member by a user of the brush. A helical biasing spring is disposed within the rotatable actuator member and is arranged to rotatably bias the inner tubular member to the first position relative to the outer tubular member and the handle. An end piece is also rigidly connected to a first end of the outer tubular member and disposed adjacent to the rotatable actuator member. The bristles are retracted within the outer tubular member in the first position.

[00014] A releasable locking mechanism is also arranged to releasably lock the inner tubular member in the second position relative to the outer tubular member when the actuator member is manually rotated by the user of the brush against the biasing force of the helical biasing spring. The releasable locking mechanism includes a first radial protrusion carried by the actuator member and arranged to

^"" undergo ^" angular displacement between the first and second positions. The releasable locking mechanism also includes a biased locking member movably disposed on the end piece, the biased locking member having a recess arranged to receive the first radial protrusion on the actuator member when the actuator member is manually rotated to the second position. The bristles extend radially outward from the outer tubular member in the second position.

[00015] The inner tubular member can have a pair of axially spaced flanges provided with circumferential recesses having a shape sufficient to accommodate and retain respective end portions of the bristle supports. The bristle supports can be turnably mounted in the circumferential recesses of the flanges to undergo angular displacement in forward and reverse directions to effect extension and retraction of the bristles through bristle apertures in the outer tubular member in response to angular displacement of the inner tubular member.

[00016] The brush further includes an end cap covering a first axial end of the inner and outer tubular members. The end cap has a recess in which one end of the outer tubular member is fixedly engaged and has a hub which extends into, and rotatably supports thereon, one end of the inner tubular member to permit the inner tubular member, but not the outer tubular member, to undergo angular displacement in opposite directions relative to the hub. The handle is mounted to pass through the inside of the inner tubular member and is fixedly engaged to the hub of the end cap. [00017] The outer tubular member can be made up of a series of interconnected arc-shaped members arranged to form a cylindrical housing. The outer tubular member can further include lips at both axial ends thereof which extend into complementary parts of the end cap and end piece.

[00018] In a further exemplary embodiment, a brush having extendable and retractable bristles, as substantially described above, is provided for attachment to a hair drying apparatus for use in styling the hair. The inner tubular member includes a plurality of air openings extending either circumferentially or lengthwise thereof for conveying hot air. The rotatable actuator member is rotatably connected to a connecting sleeve in which an outlet nozzle of a hair dryer may be received such that hot air output by the hair dryer can be directed through the central opening of the actuator, through the circumferential or lengthwise air openings of the inner tubular member, and through the bristle apertures in the outer tubular member to dry the user's hair.

"[60019'] ' " ϊή a furtKer exemplary embodiment, a brush having extendable and retractable bristles, as substantially described above, is provided for attachment to a hair curling apparatus for use in styling the hair. The inner tubular member includes a plurality of air openings extending either circumferentially or lengthwise thereof for conveying heat from an internal heating element extending longitudinally within the inner tubular member from a handle housing an electrical device. The rotatable actuator member is rotatably connected to the handle. In operation, heat from the internal heating element can be directed through the circumferential or lengthwise air openings in the inner tubular member, and through the bristle apertures in the outer tubular member to curl the user's hair.

[00020] Further advantages, as well as the structure and function of the exemplary embodiments, will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, drawings, and examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[00021] Aspects of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[00022] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a retractable brush in accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[00023] FIG. 2 is a front view of the retractable brush assembly, according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in a first position with the bristles retracted;

[00024] FIG. 3 is a front view of the retractable brush assembly during rotation of the rotatable actuator member between the first and second positions shown in

FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively;

[00025] FIG. 4 is a front view of the retractable brush assembly, according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in a second position with the bristles extended;

[00026] FIG. 5A is a front view of the retractable brush in the first position as shown in FIG. 2, showing the relative positions of the first and second inwardly projecting radial protrustions on the end piece and the rotatable actuator member, respectively, as well as the helical biasing spring;

[00027] FIG. 5B is a front view of the retractable brush in the second position as shown in FIG. 4, showing the relative positions of the first and second inwardly projecting radial protrustions on the end piece and the rotatable actuator member, respectively, as well as the helical biasing spring;

[00028] Fief. 6A-6F are cross-sectional views of the retractable brush as shown in FIGS. 2-4;

[00029] FIG. 7 is a detailed perspective view of the end piece of the retractable brush according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. l;

[00030] FIG. 8 is a detailed perspective view of the rotatable actuator member of the retractable brush shown in FIG. 1; and

[00031] FIG. 9 is a detailed perspective view of the biased locking member of the releasable locking mechanism of the retractable brush shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[00032] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below.

In describing embodiments, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected. While specific exemplary embodiments are discussed, it should be understood that this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other components and configurations can be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the invention. All references cited herein are incorporated by reference as if each had been individually incorporated. [00033] As shown in FIGS. 1-4, and by way of example only, a retractable brush generally indicated by reference numeral 10 comprises a cylindrical housing 12 forming a having a pattern of bristle apertures 14 therein through which a plurality of bristles 16 are extendable and retractable. The cylindrical housing 12 comprises an outer tubular member 18 having an end cap 20 at one axial end thereof and an end piece 22 at the other axial end thereof. A cylindrical bristle mounting member comprising an inner tubular member 24 having a smaller diameter than that of the outer tubular member 18 is turnably disposed within the outer tubular member 18 so as to be angularly displaceable in forward and reverse directions with respect to the outer tubular member 18.

[00034] The inner tubular member 24 extends longitudinally within the outer tubular member 18 and is provided with axially spaced flanges 26 proximate each end thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the flanges 26 has a set of circumferentially spaced-apart cutouts or openings 28 for turnably supporting end portions 31 of a set of bristle supports 30. The bristle supports.30 can be easily mounted to the inner tubular

member 24 by moving tfie bristle supports radially inwardly and snapping the ends 31 thereof into oppositely aligned openings 28 of the flanges 26. The ends 31 of the bristle supports 30 are dimensioned to fit loosely within the openings 28 so that the bristle supports may turn freely within the openings. By this construction, the bristle supports 30 are pivotally supported by the inner tubular member 24 to undergo angular displacement within the openings 28. Alternatively, the flanges may be provided with completely circular openings, and the ends 31 of the bristle supports 30 can be inserted axially into the circular openings. The bristle supports 30 can be provided with axially spaced and circumferentially extending ribs 32 which ride on the outer peripheral surface 24a of the inner tubular member 24 to prevent the bristle supports 30 from bending or bowing when the brush is in use. The ribs 32 extend circumferentially around at least a portion of the bristle supports 30 and facilitate smooth angular displacement of the bristle supports in the openings 28 in response to turning of the inner tubular member 24 relative to the outer tubular member 18. [00035] A handle 34 is extends lengthwise through the interior of the inner tubular member 24. One end of the handle 34 has a grip portion 36 which is designed to be held by the user, and the other end of the handle 34 is fixedly secured in a hub 20a of the end cap 20.

[00036] A rotatable actuator member 38 for angularly turning the inner tubular member 24 is rotatably mounted on the handle 34 and coupled to the inner tubular member 24. The rotatable actuator member 38 is disposed directly adjacent the end piece 22 of the cylindrical housing 12. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the rotatable actuator member 38 can be in the form of a knob having circumferentially spaced-apart depressions 39 to facilitate turning of the actuator member 38 by a user. The actuator member 38 has a central hub portion 40 through which the handle 34 slidably extends. The hub 40 has a pair of diametrically opposed axial slots 41 in which are received axially extending projections 42 (not shown) of the inner tubular member 24. This projection-and-slot connection allows the inner tubular member 24 to be rotationally locked with the actuator member 38 so that turning of the actuator member 38 in either direction effects a corresponding turning of the inner tubular member 24. The actuator member 38 is slidably and rotatably engaged with the end piece 22 through a peripheral recess 43 extending around the end wall of the actuator member 38 and in which is received an annular lip 44 of the end piece 22. Due to this sliding connection, the actuator member 38 can turn relative to the cylindrical housing 12 to

angularly displace the inner tubular member 24 in one direction with respect to the outer tubular member 18 to extend the bristles 16 from the outer tubular member 18 and to angularly displace the inner tubular member 24 in the other direction to withdraw the bristles 16 into the outer tubular member 18 for the purpose of cleaning the bristles, untangling the hair, or for storage.

[00037] The cylindrical housing 12 of the brush 10 is formed of a plurality of curved sidewall sections 45 held together by the end cap 20 and the end piece 22 so as form a cylindrical chamber or hollow compartment in which are disposed the inner tubular member 24, bristle supports 30 and reciprocally movable bristles 16. Each curved section 45 has the configuration of a cylindrical arc and in this embodiment, there are four arc-shaped sections 45 though more or less than this number may be used. On the underside of the sections 45, at each longitudinal end thereof, is a lip 45a which engages with a complementary part on the end cap 20 or the end piece 22. The end cap 20 has an annular recess (not shown) on its underside for receiving therein the lips 45a which are provided at one end of the arc-shaped sections 45, and, as shown in FIG. 1, the end piece 22 has an annular lip 22a on its inner side for receiving thereunder the lips 45a which are provided at the other end of the sections 45. The arc-shaped sections 45 are interconnected in side-by-side relation by upper lips extending longitudinally along one widthwise side thereof and lower lips extending longitudinally along the other widthwise side therof. The upper and lower lips of one section 45 mate, or engage, with the lower and upper lips, respectively, of the two adjoining sections 45. A bonding agent, may be used to fix together as a unit the end cap 20, end piece 22 and arc-shaped sections 45.

[00038] The elongated bristle supports 30 each include a row of bristles 16 which are arranged to align with respective ones of the bristle apertures 14 provided in the outer tubular member 18 of the brush. A retractable hair brush having this type of bristle configuration is particularly suitable for use as a hair curling brush or as an attachment for a hair drying device. As shown in FIGS. 3-4, each bristle 16 is aligned with and slidably extendable through commensurately dimensioned apertures 14 in the outer tubular member 18 of the brush 10. The bristle apertures 14 may be dimensioned to permit only the passage of the bristles 16 therethrough such that retraction of the bristles 16 dislodges hair and other debris which may become entangled around the bristles 16. Alternatively, the apertures 14 may be provided

with wiping blades (not shown) which permit only the bristles to pass therethrough and which prevent hair and other debris from entering into the housing 12. [00039] The alignment of the bristles 16 with the bristle apertures 14 can be maintained by ensuring that when the bristles 16 are fully retracted, the tips of the bristles 16 are always within the apertures 14 of the outer tubular member 18. This may be accomplished by appropriate dimensioning of any one or more of the bristles 16, the inner tubular member 24, the flanges 26, the openings 28, and the outer tubular member 18. Moreover, in order to prevent jamming of the bristles 16, enlarged tips can be provided on the ends of the respective bristles 16 to prevent the bristles from being inadvertently or accidently dislocated with respect to the apertures 14 when the bristles 16 are in a retracted position.

[00040] As will be appreciated, the relative dimensions of the foregoing elements may be varied to obtain a brush with the desired size. For example, the brush diameter may be reduced by reducing the diameter of the inner and outer tubular members 24, 18, so long as the dimensions are adequate for proper alignment of the bristles 16 with the bristle apertures 14 in the extended and retracted positions of the bristles 16. Alternatively, the inner tubular member 24 may be reduced in diameter to permit the use of longer bristles 16. ' The number of bristle supports 30 that may be provided, and hence the number of rows of bristles, is dependent on the diameter of the respective bristle supports 30 and the inner tubular member 24. Thus, by reducing the diameter of the bristle supports 30, a larger number of bristle supports 30 may be accommodated in suitably dimensioned openings 28 provided in the flanges 26. Similarly, the number of bristles 16 can be increased or decreased, as desired, to achieve a desired effect.

[00041] A helical biasing spring 50 is disposed within the rotatable actuator member 38 and is arranged to rotatably bias the inner tubular member 24 to a first position relative to the outer tubular member 18 and the handle 34. The bristles 16 are retracted within the outer tubular member 18 in the first position (see FIG. 2). The helical biasing spring 50 has ends 50a, 50b connected to the rotatable actuator member 38 and the end piece 22 at insert points 57a, 57b, respectively, to rotatably bias the rotatable actuator member 38 with respect to the end piece 22. [00042] A releasable locking mechanism 51 is provided to maintain the bristles

16 in their extended positions. In the disclosed embodiment, the locking mechanism 51 is arranged to releasably lock the inner tubular member 24 in a second position

relative to the outer tubular member 18 when the actuator member 38 is manually rotated by the user of the brush 10 against the biasing force of the helical biasing spring 50. The releasable locking mechanism 51 includes a first radial protrusion 52 (FIGS. 1 & 8) carried by the actuator member 38 and arranged to undergo angular displacement between the first and second positions (see FIGS. 6A-6F). The releasable locking mechanism 51 also includes a biased locking member 53 movably disposed on the end piece 22, the biased locking member 53, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, having a recess 54 arranged to receive the first radial protrusion 52 on the actuator member 38 when the actuator member 38 is manually rotated to the second position (FIGS. 4 and 6C-D). The bristles 16 extend radially outward from the outer tubular member 18 in the second position (FIG. 4).

[00043] As further shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, the biased locking member 53 further includes a button portion 55 , a central extending portion 58 arranged to extend through a peripheral slot 63 in the end piece 22, a spring attachment portion 59 arranged to receive spring 56, a second recess 60 arranged to receive an upper annular portion of the rotatable actuator member 38, a guide surface 62 configured to guide the biased locking member 53 with respect to the end piece 22 in operation, and a cam surface 61 arranged to contact the first radial protrusion 52 of the rotatable actuator member 38 when the brush is manipulated towards the second position (see FIGS. 9, 6B, 6E). Spring 56 may be received in a peripheral recess 24b on an end of inner tubular member 24, where the angular extent of peripheral recess 24b corresponds to the angle between the first and second positions.

[00044] As shown in FIGS.l, 6A-6D, and 7, the end piece 22 further includes a longitudinally extending annular skirt 64 arranged to be received within the rotatable actuator member 38. The longitudinally extending annular skirt 64 includes a second radial protrusion 65 arranged to contact the first radial protrusion when the rotatable actuator member 38 is biased in the first position. The second radial protrusion is arranged to provide an angular stop for the first radial protrusion against the biasing force of the helical biasing spring 50.

[00045] The inner tubular member 24 is disposed to undergo angular displacement in opposite directions within the outer tubular member 18 in response to angular displacement of the rotatable actuator member 38. The bristles 16 are extendable through the bristle apertures 14 in the outer tubular member 18 and lockable in the fully extended position when the rotatable actuator member 38 is

manually rotated by a user against the biasing force of the helical biasing spring 50 and the first radial protrusion 52 becomes engaged in the recess 54 formed in the biased locking member 53. The bristles 16 are then retractable through the bristle apertures 14 and biased towards the first, fully retracted, position when the button portion 55 of the biased locking member 53 is pushed inwardly by radial force F against spring 56 (FIG. 6D) such that the first radial protrusion 52 is released from recess 54 to allow the rotatable actuator member 38 to be biased back to the first position by helical biasing spring 50 for the purpose of cleaning the brush 10 , reducing the size of the brush 10 for storage purposes, or preventing the bristles 16 from becoming entangled in hair.

[00046] During use, in order to accomplish extension of the bristles 16 when the brush 10 is in the first position, the user grasps the handle grip portion 36 and manually turns the actuator member 38 in a given direction against the biasing force of the helical biasing spring 50. Since the rotatable actuator member 38 is connected to turn with the inner tubular member through the projection-and-slot connection 41,42, the inner tubular member 24 undergoes angular displacement in the same direction as the actuator member 38. For example, when the actuator member 38 is turned counterclockwise CCW in FIGS. 6A-6C, the bristles 16 are extended, and when the actuator member 38 is biased by the helical biasing spring 50 to rotate clockwise CW in FIGS. 6D-6F, the bristles 16 are retracted. [00047] The coaction among the inner and outer tubular members 24 and 18, the bristle supports 30 and the bristles 16 during a bristle retraction operation is shown and described in U.S. Patent No. 6,070,594, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[00048] The inner and outer tubular members 24, 18 and the other structural parts of the brush 10 may be formed of any suitable material, such as an injection moldable plastic, for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, or the like, or may be formed of other materials, such as wood, metal, or any other material suitable for a particular application. For instance, when configured as a hair brush, a plastic material having sufficient rigidity is preferably used. However, when configured as a brush attachment for an appliance such as a hair dryer or hair curler, selection of materials is somewhat dependent on the quantity of heat energy generated by the appliance. In the case of a hair curler, for example, the outer tubular member should be formed of a material capable of a high degree of heat transfer so that heat produced

within the cylindrical brush housing 12 may be conveyed to the hair user's to set a curl. In that case, the bristles and the inner tubular member and associated internal components of the brush which are exposed to intense heat produced by an internal heating element should be formed of a material having sufficient heat transfer characteristics and heat resistance.

[00049] Bristles of any suitable type may be employed. Thus, the bristles 16 may be of the tufted type, arranged in tufts each containing a plurality of bristles and mounted on the bristle supports 30. However, in the preferred embodiment, the bristles 16 are of the individual or single type, which may be molded in one piece with the bristle support 30 from a suitable flexible material, such as polyethylene or polypropylene plastic material, or the like.

[00050] Although the biased, locking member 53 and the first and second radial protrusions 52, 65 are shown and disclosed as being disposed on specific parts, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other configurations may be feasible. [00051] Various aspects of the present invention have been described by way of example only and it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and additions thereto may be made without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the appended claims.