Attachment for hair care appliance

Abstract

An attachment for a hair care appliance is disclosed that includes an air inlet for receiving an airflow, a barrel, a plurality of air outlets disposed around a perimeter of the barrel, and a helical hair guide extending at least partially around the barrel.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Hair care devices may include attachments around which hair is wrapped to create curls. Air can be expelled from the attachment to encourage the hair to wrap around it. Summary of the Invention

[0002] A first aspect of the invention provides an accessory for a hair care appliance, the accessory comprising: an air inlet for receiving airflow, a barrel, a plurality of air outlets disposed around the periphery of the barrel, and a spiral hair guide extending at least partially around the barrel.

[0003] When using the attachment, the hair is wrapped around the barrel and then shaped into curls by air coming out from the air outlet. The spiral hair guide is used to guide the hair in a spiral motion around and along the barrel, and helps prevent the hair from tangling on itself. This can help provide repeatable curls in the hair.

[0004] The spiral hair guide forms either a right-handed spiral or a left-handed spiral.

[0005] The spiral hair guide can form at least one full turn around the barrel. This can help create longer, repeatable curls in the hair compared to spiral hair guides that do not form at least one full turn around the barrel.

[0006] The spiral hair guide can form at least two complete turns around the barrel. This can help create longer, repeatable curls in the hair compared to spiral hair guides that form fewer than two complete turns around the barrel.

[0007] The spiral hair guide may be defined by at least one surface, and this at least one surface may be continuous. For example, the at least one surface may be substantially without any holes. This helps to ensure that the airflow travels along at least one surface rather than through at least one surface during use.

[0008] The spiral hair guide can be coaxial with the barrel. This helps to provide uniform curl and space-saving attachment.

[0009] The outer radius of the spiral hair guide can be at least 2 mm larger than the outer radius of the barrel. More specifically, the outer radius of the spiral hair guide can be at least 10 mm larger than the outer radius of the barrel, for example, about 15 mm. This helps ensure that the spiral hair guide is wide enough to guide hair spirally around the barrel while maintaining the ergonomic dimensions of the accessory.

[0010] The outer radius of the spiral hair guide can be no more than 30 mm larger than the outer radius of the cylinder. This can help to provide a relatively compact arrangement.

[0011] A spiral hair guide can consist of only one spiral surface. This can help provide a smoother styling result compared to a spiral hair guide that includes multiple surfaces.

[0012] A spiral surface can have a constant pitch along its length. Therefore, an attachment can help provide a consistent curl along the hair curled by the attachment.

[0013] A helical surface can be a helical surface.

[0014] The accessory may include a retaining member configured to selectively retain a portion of the spiral hair guide closed, such that portion is unusable for guiding hair around the barrel. The accessory can operate in a first configuration and a second configuration, in the first configuration in which the retaining member does not retain the portion of the spiral hair guide closed and the entire spiral hair guide is available for guiding hair around the barrel, and in the second configuration in which the retaining member retains the portion of the spiral hair guide closed and the remaining portion of the spiral hair guide is available for guiding hair around the barrel.

[0015] If the length of the spiral hair guide remains constant and is independent of the use of the retaining member, closing a portion of the spiral hair guide can change the pitch of the remaining portion of the spiral hair guide that is not held closed by the retaining member. For example, the opposite ends of the spiral hair guide can be fixed to the cylinder, and a portion of the spiral hair guide can be held closed by the retaining member. In this example, the pitch of the remaining portion of the spiral hair guide that is not held closed by the retaining member can be increased. This can then allow for different curl types to be styled via attachments, depending on the size of the portion of the spiral hair guide held closed by the retaining member.

[0016] Alternatively, the length of the spiral hair guide can be varied in the direction along the cylinder to maintain a portion of the spiral hair guide closed. For example, one end of the spiral hair guide can slide along the cylinder in response to changes in the size of the portion held closed by the retaining member. This can then provide further styling configurations.

[0017] The portion of the spiral hair guide that is held closed by the retaining member has essentially zero pitch and cannot be used to guide hair around the barrel during use.

[0018] The retaining member can hold a portion of the spiral hair guide closed at the end of the spiral hair guide. This can help provide a consistent curl along the hair wrapped around the tube via the spiral hair guide, even when using the retaining member.

[0019] Each of the multiple air outlets may include a slot extending substantially along the entire length of the barrel, and a spiral hair guide extending along the entire length of the slot. Therefore, the spiral hair guide can guide the hair to spirally wrap around the barrel along the entire length of the slot, which can help provide a more even curl in the hair. The spiral hair guide can also encourage the hair to curl towards the ends of the barrel. If the hair is longer than the spiral hair guide, the ends of the hair may not wrap around the barrel, preventing the ends from being curled by the attachment. This can provide a "beach wave" style, where most of the hair is curled and the ends are relatively straight.

[0020] The accessory may include a barrier wall disposed at and extending away from the first end of the tube, the barrier wall being configured to prevent hair from wrapping around the tube at the first end. Preventing hair from wrapping around the tube at the first end can help achieve a beach wave style.

[0021] The accessory may include a base surface located at the first end of the barrel. The base surface may extend away from the barrel and may be approximately orthogonal to the central axis of the barrel. The base surface, together with the barrier, can help guide the hair away from the barrel in a repeatable manner, which can provide a more repeatable styling result.

[0022] The base surface may be adjacent to the spiral hair guide, which helps ensure that the hair guided by the spiral hair guide around and along the barrel continues in a direction away from the barrel at the first end of the barrel along the base surface and / or the blocking wall.

[0023] The barrier may include a wall outlet, which is in fluid communication with at least one of a plurality of air outlets. Air exiting from one of the plurality of air outlets in the barrel is directed to and exits from the wall outlet. The air exiting from the wall outlet can help style hair that is prevented from getting tangled in the barrel by the barrier.

[0024] The spiral hair guide can be integrated with the barrel. This helps to provide reliable styling results because the position of the spiral hair guide relative to the barrel is fixed.

[0025] The spiral hair guide can be selectively attached to the barrel. This allows for selective use of the spiral hair guide, providing versatility for the accessory.

[0026] The spiral hair guide can slide onto the cylinder in a direction approximately parallel to the central axis of the cylinder.

[0027] The spiral hair guide can be magnetically attached to the cylinder. For example, the spiral hair guide may include a first magnet at a first end of the spiral hair guide and a second magnet at a second end of the spiral hair guide. The first magnet may be configured to removably attach the first end of the spiral hair guide to a magnetic portion at the first end of the cylinder, and the second magnet may be configured to removably attach the second end of the spiral hair guide to a magnetic portion at the second end of the cylinder, the second end being opposite to the corresponding first end.

[0028] The barrier wall and base surface can be fixed to the spiral hair guide, allowing the barrier wall and base surface to be selectively attached to the cylinder.

[0029] The spiral hair guide can be foldable when disassembled from the cylinder. This reduces the space required to store the spiral hair guide when not in use. When the spiral hair guide is in the folded state, the first and second magnets can attract each other to hold the spiral hair guide in the folded position.

[0030] In the folded state, adjacent turns of the spiral hair guide can be adjacent to each other, such that the pitch of each turn of the spiral hair guide is approximately equal to the thickness of the spiral portion of the spiral hair guide.

[0031] The barrier wall can be formed of a deformable material. This allows the barrier wall to be selectively folded when folded onto the spiral hair guide. Alternatively, the barrier wall can be pivotally attached to the spiral hair guide and configured to be substantially parallel to the spiral hair guide when folded. This reduces the space required to store the spiral hair guide when not in use.

[0032] The inner edge of the spiral hair guide can be shaped to inhibit relative rotation between the cylinder and the spiral hair guide. For example, the spiral hair guide can be attached to the cylinder by an interference fit. For example, the outer cross-sectional shape of the cylinder can be non-circular, and the inner edge of the spiral hair guide can conform to the outer cross-sectional shape of the cylinder.

[0033] When the spiral hair guide is attached to the barrel, it can rotate around the barrel. This allows the user to better align the spiral hair guide with the hair, which can provide curls along the desired location of the hair.

[0034] The inner edge of the helical hair guide may comprise a compressible material. Compared to incompressible materials, this allows for a degree of tolerance at the contact point between the inner edge of the helical hair guide and the cylinder when the helical hair guide is attached to the cylinder. This allows the helical hair guide to be used on cylinders of different diameters. This allows the helical hair guide to be held in different positions relative to the cylinder, for example, when the retaining member keeps at least one helical segment closed.

[0035] The accessory may include an additional spiral hair guide that can be selectively attached to the tube body, wherein the spiral hair guide is one of a right-handed spiral and a left-handed spiral, and the other spiral hair guide is the other of a right-handed spiral and a left-handed spiral. This provides the user with the ability to shape and curl hair in different directions, depending on which of the spiral hair guides is attached to the tube body.

[0036] Another spiral hair guide may have any of the features of the spiral hair guide described herein.

[0037] Each of the multiple air outlets can be configured to emit air in a direction surrounding the barrel. Therefore, the spiral hair guide causes the air emitted from the air outlets to spiral along and around the barrel. This encourages the hair to wrap around and around the barrel during use, which can help reduce the need to manually wrap the hair around the barrel. It also allows the air to travel along the length of the hair during use, which can provide a smoother styling result compared to accessories with air outlets configured to emit air in a radial direction.

[0038] The cylinder can be shaped to allow the airflow to be affected by the Coanda effect and thus guided around the cylinder. The airflow can entrain hair, causing it to wrap around the cylinder.

[0039] The multiple outlets may include a first outlet and a second outlet, through which airflow exits clockwise around the cylinder and through the second outlet counterclockwise around the cylinder; and the accessory may include a valve assembly movable between a first position and a second position, in which the second outlet is blocked and the first outlet is blocked. Therefore, depending on the position of the valve assembly, air can travel in different directions around the cylinder and thus in different directions along the spiral hair guide. This provides additional functionality to the user compared to accessories where air is guided in only one direction from multiple air outlets.

[0040] Accessories may include an actuator. Actuation of the actuator can move the valve position between a first position and a second position. The helical hair guide can be configured to actuate the actuator to one of the first or second positions when the helical hair guide is attached to the cylinder. This can help ensure that the valve assembly is in the correct position for use with accessories having a helical hair guide attached to the cylinder.

[0041] A second aspect of the invention provides an accessory for a hair care appliance, the accessory comprising: an air inlet for receiving airflow, a barrel, a plurality of air outlets disposed around the periphery of the barrel, and a bevel disposed at an end of the barrel, the bevel comprising a blocking wall extending radially outward from the barrel, wherein the blocking wall is configured to prevent hair from tangling around the barrel at the end of the barrel.

[0042] When using the attachment, the hair is wrapped around the barrel and dried by air expelled from the air vent. This sets the hair into curls. The bevels, particularly the blocking walls, prevent the hair from wrapping around the ends of the barrel. Therefore, the ends of the hair may not wrap around the barrel and thus may not curl when using the attachment. This can help create a beach wave style.

[0043] The end of the cylinder can be the end of the cylinder where the air inlet is located.

[0044] The blocking wall can extend a distance from the end of the tube along the central axis of the tube, approximately equal to the pitch of one turn of the spiral hair guide closest to the end of the tube. This helps ensure that all hair strands wrapped around the tube are blocked by the blocking wall.

[0045] Each of the multiple air outlets may include a slot that extends substantially along the entire length of the tube. A baffle wall may longitudinally overlap a portion of the slot at the end of the tube. This ensures that hair that otherwise gets tangled in the tube during use is blocked by the baffle wall.

[0046] Each of the multiple air outlets can be configured to emit air along a curved airflow path surrounding the barrel. This encourages hair to wrap around and coil around the barrel during use, which can help reduce the need to manually wrap hair around the barrel. It can also direct airflow along a baffle wall, which can further facilitate hair movement along the baffle wall. The barrel can be shaped such that the airflow is affected by the Coanda effect and thus guided around the barrel. The airflow can entrain hair to coil around the barrel. The baffle wall can intersect the curved airflow path at the ends of the barrel. This ensures that hair that otherwise wraps around the barrel during use is blocked by the baffle wall.

[0047] The bevel may include a base surface that extends away from the barrel in the same direction as the barrier and is substantially orthogonal to the central axis of the barrel. The base surface may be adjacent to the barrier. The base surface can further help guide the hair away from the barrel to provide the desired styling effect at the ends of the hair.

[0048] The length of the barrier wall in the direction away from the barrel can be at least equal to the radius of the barrel. This helps prevent hair from getting tangled around the end of the barrier wall away from the barrel, which can lead to unwanted knots in the hair.

[0049] The baffle can have a length of at least 30 mm in the direction away from the barrel. This helps ensure that hair is guided away from the barrel by the baffle. The baffle can have a length of no more than 100 mm. This helps ensure that the accessory has an ergonomic size.

[0050] The bevel may include a channel at a first end in fluid communication with at least one of a plurality of air outlets and at a second end in fluid communication with an orifice defined by a baffle wall. Thus, when using the accessory, air can escape from the orifice, which can help dry the ends of hair that are not entangled in the barrel. This can contribute to providing more even drying along the length of the hair.

[0051] The barrier wall may define one or more additional orifices distributed along its length, and channels may be in fluid communication with each of the one or more additional orifices. Alternatively, the ramp may include one or more additional channels, each in fluid communication with at least one of a plurality of air outlets and a corresponding one of the one or more additional orifices. This can provide more uniform drying along the length of the hair compared to a barrier wall defining only one orifice.

[0052] The bevel can be removably attached to the cylinder. This can provide additional functionality for accessories.

[0053] A third aspect of the invention provides an accessory for a hair care appliance, the accessory comprising: an air inlet for receiving airflow, a barrel, a plurality of air outlets disposed around the periphery of the barrel, and a hair guiding member detachably attached to the barrel and including one or more hair guiding channels, wherein, in use, air discharged from the air outlets causes hair to wrap around the barrel, and when the hair guiding member is attached to the barrel, the hair guiding channels change the manner in which the hair wraps around the barrel.

[0054] Compared to attachments without hair-guiding components, this attachment offers versatility. Therefore, it can be used to provide a variety of styling results.

[0055] The hair guide component can slide on the barrel to attach and detach it from the barrel. This provides a simple and intuitive layout.

[0056] Each of the multiple air outlets can be configured to emit air along a curved airflow path around the barrel during use. This encourages the hair to wrap around and coil along the barrel during use, which can help reduce the need to manually wrap the hair around the barrel. It also allows the air to travel along the length of the hair during use, which can provide a smoother styling result compared to accessories where the air outlets are configured to emit air in a radial direction.

[0057] The cylinder can be shaped to allow the airflow to be affected by the Coanda effect and thus guided around the cylinder. The airflow can entrain hair, causing it to wrap around the cylinder.

[0058] Whether or not the hair guide component is attached to the barrel, air can travel along a curved airflow path. When the hair guide component is attached to the barrel, the pitch and / or radius of the curved airflow path can change compared to when the hair guide component is not attached to the barrel, which may result in different styling outcomes.

[0059] A fourth aspect of the invention provides a spiral hair guide for selective attachment to a hair care appliance, the spiral hair guide including a central hole for receiving a barrel of the hair care appliance, and a spiral wall wound around the central hole.

[0060] Positioning the spiral hair guide around the barrel of the hair care device provides a hair channel around the barrel, along which the user can wrap their hair. This provides a more repeatable and even curl in the hair when using a hair care device with a spiral hair guide attached, compared to using a hair care device without one.

[0061] The spiral wall can be movable (e.g., foldable) to adjust its height and pitch. This increases the functionality of the spiral hair guide compared to a fixed spiral wall.

[0062] The spiral wall can be movable into a closed configuration, in which the spiral wall is substantially flat. In the closed configuration, there may be very little space or no space between adjacent turns of the spiral wall.

[0063] The spiral hair guide may include any features of the spiral hair guide described with reference to the first aspect. The spiral hair guide may include the barrier wall and / or base surface described with reference to the first aspect.

[0064] A fifth aspect of the invention provides a hair care appliance comprising an accessory or spiral hair guide as described in any of the preceding paragraphs. Attached Figure Description

[0065] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram based on an example hair care appliance;

[0066] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the handle unit of a hair care appliance;

[0067] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the first attachment according to the example, which is used for releasable attachment. Figure 2 The handle unit;

[0068] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A sectional view of the first attachment;

[0069] Figure 5 This is a partial exploded view of the second attachment according to the example, which is used for releasable attachment. Figure 2 The handle unit;

[0070] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A perspective view of the second attachment, wherein the second attachment is used in the first configuration;

[0071] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the second attachment, wherein the second attachment is used in the first configuration;

[0072] Figure 8 yes Figure 5 A perspective view of the second attachment, wherein the second attachment is used in the second configuration;

[0073] Figure 9 yes Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the second attachment, wherein the second attachment is used in the second configuration;

[0074] Figure 10 This is a view based on an example hair guide, which is in a partially closed configuration;

[0075] Figure 11 yes Figure 10 A view of the hair guide in a closed configuration; and

[0076] Figure 12 This is a view based on the example of the third attachment, which is used for releasable attachment. Figure 2 The handle unit. Detailed Implementation

[0077] exist Figure 1 The image schematically illustrates a hair care appliance 10 according to an example. The hair care appliance 10 includes a handle unit 12 and an accessory 100 removably attached to the handle unit 12.

[0078] Handle unit 12 includes housing 14, airflow generator 16, heater 18, and control unit 20, such as Figure 2 As shown schematically in the diagram.

[0079] The housing 14 is tubular and includes an air inlet 22 and an air outlet 24. An airflow generator 16 draws airflow into the housing 14 through the air inlet 22 and discharges the airflow from the housing 14 through the air outlet 24. The airflow generator 16 is housed within the housing 14 and includes an impeller 26 driven by an electric motor 28. A heater 18 is also housed within the housing 14 and includes a heating element 30 to optionally heat the airflow.

[0080] The control unit 20 includes electronic circuitry for a user interface 32 and a control module 34. The user interface 32 is disposed on the outer surface of the housing 14 and is used to turn the hair care appliance 10 on and off, select the flow rate (e.g., high, medium, and low), and select the airflow temperature (e.g., hot, medium, or cold). Figure 1 In the example, the user interface includes multiple sliding switches, but other forms of user interface 32 can also be envisioned, such as buttons, dials, or touch screens.

[0081] The control module 34 is responsible for controlling the airflow generator 16 and the heater 18 in response to input from the user interface 32. For example, in response to input from the user interface 32, the control module 34 can control the power or speed of the airflow generator 16 to regulate the airflow rate, and control the power of the heater 18 to regulate the airflow temperature.

[0082] Annex 100 Figure 3 The middle is shown in a side view, and in Figure 4 China and Israel along Figure 3 The cross-section of line AA is shown. Attachment 100 includes a cylinder 110 and a spiral hair guide 120, which is integral with and wound around the cylinder 110. The attachment has a central axis 102.

[0083] The cylindrical body 110 is generally cylindrical and has a length extending from the open end 110a to the closed end 110b. The cylindrical body 110 is tapered, having a larger diameter at the open end 110a compared to the closed end 110b. The open end 110a serves as an inlet 111 for the inner bore of the cylindrical body 110. The open end 110a forms a connecting portion having a plurality of protrusions 114 disposed around the periphery of the cylindrical body 110, and these protrusions are received within corresponding recesses (not shown) formed on the handle unit 12 to ensure proper connection and alignment between the handle unit 12 and the accessory 100.

[0084] The cylinder 110 defines a plurality of air outlets 116. Each of the air outlets 116 is in the form of a slot extending along the length of the cylinder 110. (See also...) Figure 4 As can be seen, each air outlet 116 extends through the cylinder 110 in the same non-radial direction, such that in use, air emitted from the multiple air outlets 116 is emitted around the cylinder 110 in a counterclockwise direction (as shown in...). Figure 4 (As observed in the study). The outer surface of the cylinder 110 is generally curved around the central axis 102 and has no abrupt changes in its profile.

[0085] The spiral hair guide 120 includes a spiral wall 122 and a bevel 124. The spiral wall 122 protrudes radially outward from the cylinder 110 by approximately 15 mm, has a constant thickness of approximately 1 mm, and has a constant pitch along the length of the cylinder 110. Therefore, the spiral wall 122 has a radius approximately 15 mm larger than the outer radius of the cylinder 110. The spiral wall 122 is coaxial with the central axis 102 and, in this example, is a left-handed spiral. The spiral wall 122 extends from the closed end 110b of the cylinder 110 toward the open end 110a. In this example, the spiral wall 122 forms three complete turns around the cylinder 110, thereby defining a spiral channel 123 that surrounds and winds along the cylinder 110 between the open end 110a and the closed end 110b. Opposite sides of the spiral wall 122 form continuous spiral surfaces defining the spiral channel 123.

[0086] The inclined surface 124 is disposed toward the open end 110a of the cylinder 110 and includes a base wall 126 and a side wall 128. The base wall 126 and side wall 128 extend in a direction away from the cylinder 110, rather than wrapping around the cylinder 110 like the spiral wall 122. The base wall 126 defines a base surface that abuts the spiral wall 122 at the open end 110a of the cylinder 110 and extends approximately 40 mm away from the cylinder 110. The side wall 128 stands upright from the base wall 128 and has a height extending between two adjacent turns of the spiral wall 122 at the open end 110a of the cylinder 110. The length of the side wall 128 is equal to the length of the base wall 126.

[0087] In use of the hair care appliance 10, when the accessory 100 is attached to the handle unit 12, the airflow generator 16 generates airflow, drawing air into the handle unit 12 via the air inlet 22, and the airflow is emitted from the handle unit 12 via the air outlet 24. The heater 18 selectively heats the airflow before it is emitted from the handle unit 12. The airflow enters the inner bore of the barrel 110 through the inlet 111 of the accessory 100 and exits from the barrel 110 via the air outlet 116. Figure 4 As shown, the airflow is emitted counterclockwise and travels along the spiral channel 123 of the spiral hair guide 120 toward the open end 110a of the cylinder 110. Due to the Coanda effect, the curved outer surface of the cylinder 110 causes the airflow to adhere to the cylinder 110 and thus bend around the cylinder 110. When the airflow reaches the open end 110a of the cylinder 110, the sidewall 128 acts as a barrier to inhibit further flow of the airflow around the cylinder 110 and guides the airflow away from the cylinder 110 along the sidewall 128 and the base wall 126 of the inclined surface 124.

[0088] With the airflow generator 16 in operation, the attachment 100 is held close to the hair bundle. The airflow along the spiral channel 123 entrains the hair, causing it to wrap around and coil along the barrel 110 from the closed end 110b toward the open end 110a. The hair in the spiral channel 123 can be styled into curls, while the area toward the ends of the hair (which is blocked by the sidewall 128 and cannot wrap around the barrel 110, and therefore extends along or beyond the slope) is not styled into curls.

[0089] It should be understood that in other examples, the spiral hair guide may be wound around the barrel 110 in the opposite direction, and the air outlet may be configured to guide airflow around the barrel 110 in the opposite direction. In yet another example, the air outlet may be configured to guide air radially outward from the barrel, and the user may need to manually wind the hair along the spiral channel 123.

[0090] The hair care appliance 10 can be provided as a set of components including attachment 100 and another attachment similar to attachment 100 but configured to wrap the hair in the opposite direction to attachment 100.

[0091] Figures 5 to 11 It shows the relationship with Figure 1 and Figure 2 Various views of another accessory 200 used in conjunction with the handle unit 12. Accessory 200 includes a cylinder 210 and first and second spiral hair guides 220a, 220b. Accessory 200 has a central axis 202.

[0092] The cylindrical body 210 is generally cylindrical in shape and has a length extending from the open end 210a to the closed end 210b. The cylindrical body 210 is tapered, with a larger diameter at the open end 210a compared to the closed end 210b. The open end 210a serves as the inlet 211 of the inner bore 212 of the cylindrical body 210. The open end 210a forms a connecting portion having a plurality of protrusions 214 disposed around the periphery of the cylindrical body 210, and these protrusions are received within corresponding recesses (not shown) formed on the handle unit 12 to ensure proper connection and alignment between the handle unit 12 and the accessory 200.

[0093] The cylinder 210 is typically constructed as described in GB 2598924A. The cylinder 210 defines multiple pairs of air outlets 217 216a, 216b. Each of the air outlets 216a, 216b is in the form of a slot extending along the length of the cylinder 210. Each pair of air outlets 217 216a, 216b includes a first air outlet 216a and a second air outlet 216b, the first air outlet 216a being configured to emit air (e.g., air from the cylinder 210 in a counter-clockwise direction) around the cylinder 210. Figure 7 As shown in the best embodiment), the second air outlet 216b is configured to emit air in a clockwise direction around the cylinder 210 (as shown in the best embodiment). Figure 9 (As best shown in the diagram). The cylinder 110 includes a valve 218 disposed in the inner bore 212 and is available in a first position (as shown in the diagram). Figure 7 (as shown) and the second position (as shown) Figure 9 The valve 218 moves between the two positions shown. In the first position, the valve 218 blocks each second air outlet 216b and does not block each first air outlet 126a. In the second position, the valve 218 blocks each first air outlet 216a and does not block each second air outlet 216b.

[0094] Valve 218 is movable between a first position and a second position via a dial 250 disposed at the closed end 210b of the cylinder 110. The dial 250 is rotatable within the inner bore 212 about the central axis 202 to move valve 218 between the first and second positions.

[0095] The first and second spiral hair guides 220a and 220b are each removably attached to the barrel 210 and spiral in opposite directions to each other, but are otherwise identical in this example. In the following description, the first and second spiral hair guides 220a and 220b are generally referred to as hair guide 220. It should be understood that any reference to a particular spiral direction may be reversed for other spiral hair guides.

[0096] Each of the spiral hair guides 220 includes a first end wall 222, a spiral wall 224, a retaining mechanism 226, and an inclined surface 230.

[0097] The first end wall 222 is annular and defines a central hole 221 configured to engage around the dial 250. The first end wall 222 includes an annular magnetic element 223 that magnetically attracts a corresponding magnetic element (not shown) at the closed end 210b of the cylinder 210 when the spiral hair guide 220 is attached to the cylinder 210.

[0098] The spiral wall 224 hangs from the first end wall 222 and forms three complete turns. The spiral wall 224 has an inner radius approximately 0.5 mm larger than the radius of the cylinder 110, a width of approximately 15 mm, and a thickness of approximately 1 mm. When the spiral hair guide 220 is attached to the cylinder 210, the spiral wall 224 surrounds and winds around the cylinder 210. The spiral wall 224 of the first spiral hair guide 220a forms a left-handed spiral, and the spiral wall 224 of the second spiral hair guide 220b forms a right-handed spiral.

[0099] The inclined surface 230 is disposed at the end of the spiral wall 224 opposite to the first end wall 222. The inclined surface 230 includes a second end wall 232, an intermediate wall 234, and a side wall 236 disposed between the second end wall 232 and the intermediate wall 234.

[0100] The second end wall 232 is generally annular and defines an aperture 238 configured to mate around the open end 210a of the cylinder 210. The second end wall 232 includes a tab 240 that projects radially outward from the aperture 283 by approximately 40 mm. The tab 240 defines a base surface that abuts the spiral wall 224 at the end of the spiral wall 224 opposite to the first end wall 222.

[0101] The intermediate wall 234 is in the form of a tab, which protrudes radially from the helical wall 224 away from the tab 240 by one turn of the helical wall 223. The intermediate wall 234 is identical in shape to the tab 240.

[0102] Sidewall 232 connects intermediate wall 234 to tab 240 and extends in a generally radial direction away from hole 238 defined in second endwall 232. Sidewall 232 has inner edge 242 defining an opening and defining a plurality of channels for fluidly connecting the opening to a plurality of corresponding wall outlets 248. The plurality of wall outlets 248 are at different distances from the inner edge 242.

[0103] The second end wall 232 includes an annular magnetic element (not shown), which is magnetically attracted to a corresponding magnetic element (not shown) at the opening end 210a of the cylinder.

[0104] The inner edge of each of the central holes in the first end wall 222, the helical wall 224, and the second end wall 232 is formed of a more compressible material of the remainder of the first end wall 222, the helical wall 224, and the second end wall 232. The outer surface 210c of the cylinder 210 is generally curved about the central axis 202 and has a generally flower-shaped cross-section. The inner edge of the helical wall 224 is generally shaped to conform to the flower shape of the outer surface 210c of the cylinder 210. In other examples, the inner edge of the helical wall 224 is generally circular.

[0105] The height of each spiral hair guide 220 can be adjustable. Specifically, the spiral wall 224 can be compressed or stretched (i.e., moved) along the central axis in a manner similar to a coil spring. Adjusting the height in this way adjusts the pitch of the spiral wall 224. In some examples, the spiral hair guide 220 can move between a closed configuration, an open configuration, and multiple intermediate configurations. Figure 11 The first spiral hair guide 220a in a closed configuration is shown. Figure 6 The first spiral hair guide 220a is shown in the open position and attached to the cylinder 210. Figure 10 A first spiral hair guide 220a in one of the intermediate configurations is shown. To facilitate the movement of the spiral hair guide 220, the spiral wall 224 and the sidewall 236 are each formed of a flexible deformable material.

[0106] In the closed configuration of any of the spiral hair guides 220, the spiral wall 224 has a pitch substantially equal to the thickness of the spiral wall 224, such that all adjacent turns of the spiral wall 224 are in contact with each other. The turns of the spiral wall 224 adjacent to the first end wall 222 abut against the first end wall 222 in the closed configuration. In the closed configuration, the sidewall 236 is compressed between the intermediate wall 234 and the tab 240. The annular magnetic element of the second end wall 232 is attracted to the annular magnetic element 223 of the first end wall 222 to help hold the spiral hair guide 220 in the closed configuration.

[0107] In this example, the retaining mechanism 226 is a clip 226 attached to a first end wall 222 at a first end of the clip 226. The second end of the clip 226, opposite the first end, is optionally attached to a second end wall 232 when the spiral hair guide 220 is in a closed configuration to retain the spiral hair guide 220 in the closed configuration.

[0108] In the open configuration, the distance between the first end wall 222 and the second end wall 232 is substantially equal to the distance between the open end 110a and the closed end 110b of the barrel 110. In the open configuration, the spiral wall 224 has a constant pitch and defines a hair guide channel 225 between adjacent turns. Opposite sides of the spiral wall 224 form a continuous spiral surface defining the hair guide channel 225. A side wall 236 stands upright between the second end wall 232 and the intermediate wall 234. The intermediate wall 234, the tab 240, and the side wall 236 define an outlet channel 239 therebetween, which is adjacent to the hair guide channel 225.

[0109] In the intermediate configuration, the distance between the first end wall 222 and the second end wall 232 is substantially equal to the distance between the open end 110a and the closed end 110b of the barrel 110, as in the open configuration. In contrast to the open configuration, in the intermediate configuration, the second end of the clip 226 is attached to the outer edge of the spiral wall 224. A portion of the spiral wall 224 between the first end wall 222 and the second end of the clip 226 is held closed by the clip 226. Conversely, the remainder of the spiral wall 224 has a larger pitch than in the open configuration and defines a hair guide channel 225 between adjacent turns of the remainder of the spiral wall 224. In the intermediate configuration, the side wall 236 stands upright between the second end wall 232 and the intermediate wall 234. The intermediate wall 234, the tab 240, and the side wall 236 define an outlet channel 239 between them, which is adjacent to the hair guide channel 225.

[0110] Before using the hair care appliance 10, the barrel 210 is attached to the handle unit 12. When the user rotates the dial 250 to move the valve 218 to one of the first or second positions required for performing a styling operation, one of the first or second spiral hair guides 220 is attached to the barrel 210 to suit the position of the valve 218 by sliding the spiral hair guide 220 through the barrel 210 in a direction parallel to the central axis 202. The second end wall 232 is magnetically attached to the open end 210a of the barrel 210, and the first end wall 222 is magnetically attached to the closed end 210b of the barrel 210, such that the spiral hair guide 220 is in an open configuration. When the spiral hair guide 220 is attached to the barrel 210, the spiral hair guide 220 is rotatable relative to the barrel 210 about the central axis 202.

[0111] The user can then optionally attach the second end of clip 226 to the outer edge of spiral wall 224 to keep a portion of spiral wall 224 closed and position spiral hair guide 220 in one of the intermediate configurations. The remainder of spiral wall 224 remains open and defines hair guide channel 225. Opening 244 of sidewall 236 is in fluid communication with a pair of air outlets 217 216a, 216b of barrel 210.

[0112] In use of the hair care appliance 10, when the accessory 200 is attached to the handle unit 12 and one of the spiral hair guides 220 is attached to the barrel 210, the airflow generator 16 generates an airflow that draws air into the handle unit 12 via the air inlet 22 and exits from the handle unit 12 via the air outlet 24. The heater 18 selectively heats the airflow before it exits from the handle unit 12. Depending on the position of the valve 218, the airflow enters the inner bore 212 of the barrel 210 via the inlet 211 of the accessory 200 and exits from the barrel 210 via one of the air outlets 216a and 216b in each pair of 217. With the valve 218 in the first position, the airflow exits from the first air outlet 216a, thus... Figure 7 As shown, it is emitted in a counterclockwise direction. With valve 218 in the second position, the airflow is emitted from the second air outlet 216b, and therefore as... Figure 9 The airflow is emitted in a clockwise direction. The airflow travels along the spiral channel 225 of the spiral hair guide 220 toward either the open end 210a or the closed end 210b of the cylinder 210, depending on which spiral hair guide 220 is attached to the cylinder 210. Due to the Coanda effect, the curved outer surface of the cylinder 210 causes the airflow to adhere to the cylinder 210 and thus bend around it.

[0113] In use, when the spiral hair guide 220 attached to the cylinder guides airflow along the spiral channel 225 toward the open end 210a of the cylinder, when the airflow reaches the open end 210a of the cylinder 210, the sidewall 236 acts as a barrier to prevent the airflow from traveling further around the cylinder 210 and to guide the airflow away from the cylinder 210 along the outlet channel 239. The airflow emitted from the cylinder 210 and guided through the opening 244 of the sidewall 236 passes through multiple channels 246 and is emitted from multiple wall outlets 248 in the sidewall 236. The multiple wall outlets 248 are configured to guide the airflow along the outlet channel 239 in a direction away from the cylinder 210.

[0114] With the airflow generator 16 in operation, the attachment 200 is held close to the hair bundle. The airflow along the spiral channel 225 carries the hair, causing it to wrap around and coil along the barrel 210. The hair in the spiral channel 225 is styled into curls corresponding to the pitch of the spiral hair guide 220, while hair areas not in the spiral channel 225 are not styled into curls.

[0115] Although the inner edge of the spiral hair guide 220 is rounded in this example, in other examples the inner edge may be wavy and match the outer contour of the barrel 210, which can suppress the rotation of the spiral hair guide 220 relative to the barrel 210.

[0116] In other examples, slope 230 is omitted.

[0117] In other examples, dial 250 is configured to move valve 218 to a first position in response to a first spiral hair guide being attached to cylinder 210, and to move valve 218 to a second position in response to a second spiral hair guide being attached to cylinder 210.

[0118] Figure 12 It shows the relationship with Figure 1 and Figure 2 Another accessory 300 is used in conjunction with the handle unit 12. This accessory includes a barrel 310 and a hair guide 320 releasably attached to the barrel 310. The barrel 310 is in conjunction with a reference... Figures 1 to 4 The cylinder 110 of Annex 100 is substantially the same as that described herein, and will not be described again for the sake of brevity. Similar features of cylinders 110 and 310 have the same reference numerals, but with the addition of 200.

[0119] The hair guide 320 in this example is similar to the reference. Figures 5 to 11 The described attachment 200 has a bevel 230. The hair guide 320 includes a first end wall 322, a second end wall 324, and a side wall 326. The first end wall 322 is generally parallel to the second end wall 324, and the side wall 326 extends between the first end wall 322 and the second end wall 324. The first end wall 322, the second end wall 324, and the side wall 326 together define an outlet channel 338 extending radially outward from the barrel 310.

[0120] The first end wall 322 and the second end wall 324 are generally annular and define corresponding holes 328 and 330, which are configured to mate around the cylinder 310. Each of the first end wall 322 and the second end wall 324 includes a corresponding first tab 332 and a corresponding tab 334 projecting radially outward from the corresponding holes 328 and 330. Each of the first tab 332 and the second tab 334 has a length extending radially outward from the corresponding holes 328 and 330, which is approximately 60 mm in this example. The inner edge of each of the first wall 322 and the second wall 324 defining the corresponding holes 328 and 330 is formed of a more compressible material from the remainder of the first end wall 322 and the second end wall 324.

[0121] The hair guide 320 is fitted onto the barrel 310 and attached to the barrel by friction engagement, which is achieved by a more compressible material at the edge of each of the first wall 322 and the second wall 324 defining the respective holes 328, 330. The hair guide 320 can be positioned along the length of the barrel 310, with the first end wall 322 or the second end wall 324 being closest to the open end 310a of the barrel 310.

[0122] Before using the hair care appliance 10, with the barrel 310 attached to the handle unit 12, the user slides the hair guide 320 on the barrel 310 in the direction along the central axis 302.

[0123] In use of the hair care appliance 10, when the accessory 300 is attached to the handle unit 12 and the hair guide 320 is attached to the barrel 310, the airflow generator 16 generates an airflow that draws air into the handle unit 12 via the air inlet 22 and exits from the handle unit 12 via the air outlet 24. The heater 18 selectively heats the airflow before it exits from the handle unit 12. The airflow enters the inner bore of the barrel 310 via the inlet 311 of the accessory 300 and exits from the barrel 310 in a counter-clockwise direction via the air outlet 316. The airflow travels around the barrel 310 or along the outlet channel 338, depending on where it exits from the barrel 310. Due to the Coanda effect, the curved outer surface of the barrel 310 causes the airflow to adhere to the barrel 310 and thus bend around it. The sidewall 326 then acts as a barrier to inhibit the airflow from traveling around the barrel 310 and to guide the airflow away from the barrel 310 along the outlet channel 338.

[0124] With the airflow generator 16 in operation, the attachment 300 is held close to the hair bundle. The airflow around the barrel 310 entrains the hair, causing it to wrap around and coil along the barrel 310. The ends of the hair can be manually moved by the user into the outlet channel 338. The hair wrapped around the barrel 310 is styled into curls corresponding to the diameter of the barrel 310, while the hair area in the outlet channel 338 is not styled into curls.

[0125] This invention is not limited to the detailed description given above. Variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Features described using any given example may be provided in any other example.

Claims

1. An accessory for a hair care appliance, the accessory comprising: An air inlet for receiving airflow; cylindrical body; Multiple air outlets are arranged around the periphery of the cylinder; and A spiral hair guide that extends at least partially around the cylinder.

2. The appendix according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The outer radius of the spiral hair guide is at least 2 mm larger than the outer radius of the cylinder, and optionally at least 10 mm larger.

3. The appendix according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The outer radius of the spiral hair guide is no more than 30 mm larger than the outer radius of the cylinder.

4. The appendix according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The accessory includes a retaining member configured to selectively retain a portion of the spiral hair guide closed, such that the portion cannot be used to guide hair around the barrel. The accessory is operable in a first configuration and a second configuration. In the first configuration, the retaining member does not retain a portion of the spiral hair guide closed, and the entire spiral hair guide is used to guide hair around the barrel. In the second configuration, the retaining member retains a portion of the spiral hair guide closed, and the remaining portion of the spiral hair guide is used to guide hair around the barrel.

5. The appendix according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Each of the plurality of air outlets includes a slot that extends substantially along the entire length of the cylinder, and the spiral hair guide extends along the entire length of the slot.

6. The accessory according to any one of the preceding claims includes a barrier wall disposed at a first end of the barrel and extending away from the barrel, the barrier wall being configured to prevent hair from wrapping around the barrel at the first end of the barrel.

7. The appendix according to claim 6, wherein, The barrier wall includes a wall outlet, which is in fluid communication with at least one of the plurality of air outlets.

8. The appendix according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The spiral hair guide can be selectively attached to the cylinder.

9. The accessory of claim 8, comprising another spiral hair guide that can be selectively attached to the cylinder. The spiral hair guide is one of a right-handed spiral and a left-handed spiral, and the other spiral hair guide is the other of a right-handed spiral and a left-handed spiral.

10. The appendix according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Each of the plurality of air outlets is configured to emit air in a direction surrounding the cylinder.

11. The appendix according to claim 10, wherein: The plurality of outlets includes a first outlet and a second outlet. The airflow is discharged clockwise around the cylinder through the first outlet, and the airflow is discharged counterclockwise around the cylinder through the second outlet. The accessory includes a valve assembly movable between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the second outlet is blocked and in the second position the first outlet is blocked.

12. An accessory for a hair care appliance, the accessory comprising: An air inlet for receiving airflow; cylindrical body; Multiple air outlets are arranged around the periphery of the cylinder; and An inclined surface is provided at the end of the tube, the inclined surface including a blocking wall extending in a direction radially outward from the tube, wherein the blocking wall is configured to prevent hair from getting tangled on the tube at the end of the tube.

13. The appendix according to claim 12, wherein, The length of the barrier wall in the direction away from the cylinder is at least equal to the radius of the cylinder.

14. The appendix according to claim 12 or 13, wherein, The inclined surface includes a channel that is in fluid communication at a first end with at least one of the plurality of air outlets and at a second end with an orifice defined by the barrier wall.

15. The appendix according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein, The inclined surface is removably attached to the cylinder.

16. An accessory for a hair care appliance, the accessory comprising: An air inlet for receiving airflow; cylindrical body; Multiple air outlets are arranged around the periphery of the cylinder; and A hair guiding component, which is removably attached to the barrel and includes one or more hair guiding channels. In use, the air discharged from the air outlet causes the hair to wrap around the barrel, and when the hair guide component is attached to the barrel, the hair guide channel changes the way the hair wraps around the barrel.

17. A spiral hair guide for selective attachment to a hair care appliance, the spiral hair guide comprising a central aperture for receiving a cylindrical body of the hair care appliance, and a spiral wall wound around the central aperture.

18. The spiral hair guide according to claim 17, wherein, The spiral wall is movable to adjust its height and pitch.

19. The spiral hair guide according to claim 18, wherein, The spiral wall can be moved to a closed configuration, in which the spiral wall is substantially flat.

20. A hair care appliance comprising an accessory or spiral hair guide according to any one of the preceding claims.

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