An attachment for a haircare appliance and a haircare appliance

Abstract

An attachment 10 for a hair styling device comprises a main conduit 5 having an air inlet 100 and a first outlet 1. Several teeth 6 extend from the duct 5, are linearly spaced from one another by an i

Description

BACKGROUNDHaircare appliances are commonly used for drying and styling hair (e.g. to achieve a root lifteffect and / or a smooth appearance). Where haircare appliances are used to style hair to createa smooth appearance, the presence of short or broken hairs, sometimes referred to asflyaway, may interfere with the desired smooth appearance.SUMMARYIn a first aspect, the present invention provides an attachment for a haircare appliancecomprising: a main conduit comprising an air inlet and a first air outlet; a plurality of teeth,wherein each tooth extends from the main conduit, the plurality of teeth are linearly spacedfrom one another by an inter-tooth spacing, and the plurality of teeth together provide a rootlift portion located upstream of the first air outlet; and a curved portion comprising a convexsurface, the curved portion being located downstream of the first air outlet, wherein, in use,airflow is supplied from the air inlet to the first air outlet and along the convex surface of thecurved portion.The attachment of the first aspect comprises the root lift portion configured to achieve a rootlift effect on the user's hair. Hair styling for root lift generally energises hairs at the roots tocause them to lift away from the user's scalp. However, energising short and or broken hairscan produce flyaway and thus diminish the smoothness of the hair's styled appearance.The curved portion acts to reduce flyaway and frizz, and to achieve a smooth appearance ofthe user's hair. Specifically, supplying an airflow along a convex surface can create anegative pressure zone adjacent to the convex surface which attracts hair towards the convexsurface. This is known as the Coanda effect, and consequently the convex surface acts as aCoanda surface along which the supplied airflow adheres in use due to the created negativepressure zone. The interaction of the airflow with the user's hair causes short or broken hairsto adhere to the convex surface of the curved portion. Thus, the curved portion of theattachment ensures that short hairs energised by the root lift portion are prevented frompointing away from the user's head, but instead adhere to the convex surface to reduce frizzand flyaway. Thus, a root lift effect can be achieved together with an overall smoothappearance of the user's hair.The convex surface may be substantially smooth and continuous in form, e.g. free ofprotrusions and / or depressions. The convex surface of the curved portion may comprise aradius of curvature of 10mm to 60mm, e.g. 38mm (or around 38mm). The convex surfacemay include a substantially constant radius of curvature.The first air outlet may be substantially elongate, e.g. rectangular in shape. The first air outletmay be substantially continuous and uninterrupted. Alternatively, the first air outlet may bepartitioned into a plurality of sub-sections by a respective plurality of partitions. This canensure that airflow through the first air outlet is evenly distributed, for example, along thefirst air outlet's length. Furthermore, providing a plurality of partitions in the first air outletcan structurally strengthen the first air outlet, and for example, reduce a risk of structuraldeformation of the first air outlet over the attachment's lifetime. The plurality of partitionsmay be shaped (e.g. curved) to direct the airflow exiting the main conduit through the firstair outlet along the convex surface.Optionally, the root lift portion may be in fluid communication with the main conduit, theroot lift portion may comprise a plurality of second air outlets; and in use, in at least a firstconfiguration, airflow may be supplied from the air inlet to the plurality of second air outlets.In this way, airflow can be supplied directly to the hair roots via the plurality of second airoutlets to energise the user's hair and achieve a root lift effect.Optionally, each tooth may have a bottom surface and a top surface opposite the bottomsurface; and the plurality of second air outlets may be located on the top surfaces of theplurality of teeth. Each bottom surface may be a surface in use facing the user's scalp. In thisway, airflow existing the teeth via the second air outlets may be supplied along a directionaway from the user's scalp to achieve the root lift effect. Furthermore, in this configuration,when the airflow supplied through the plurality of second air outlets is a heated airflow, theuser's scalp is not directly exposed to the heated airflow, thereby reducing a risk of scalpdamage.Optionally, a portion of the airflow supplied to the second air outlets may be subsequentlydirected along the convex surface of the curved portion. In this way, a portion of the airflowsupplied for root lift can be subsequently reused to reduce flyaway and frizz. Furthermore,this can help load hair onto the convex surface where it can be dried by the airflow flowingalong the convex surface. In one configuration, walls of the respective second outlets maybe shaped so as to direct airflow towards the convex surface to achieve this effect. Forexample, between 50% and 100% inclusive, for example 100%, of the of the airflow suppliedto the second air outlets may be subsequently directed along the convex surface of the curvedportion.Each tooth may be curved along its respective length. For example, each tooth may be in usecurved towards the user's head, e.g. curved to substantially match a curvature of the user'shead. In some examples, the bottom surface of each tooth may be curved, e.g., to match acurvature of the user's head. This can enhance user comfort during use. Alternatively, eachtooth may be in use curved away from the user's head, i.e. curved upwardly. This canmechanically lift the user's hair to contribute to / realise the root lift effect achieved by theroot lift portion.Optionally, the bottom surface of each tooth may be ribbed. For example, the bottom surfaceof each tooth may comprise a respective plurality of cool ribs for scalp comfort. The pluralityof cool ribs may be a plurality of rib projections located on the bottom surface of each tooth.The plurality of cool ribs can reduce the overall contact area between the user's scalp andthe bottom surface of each tooth, thereby improving scalp comfort especially when the teethare hot due to a supply of heated airflow through the attachment and / or each tooth.Alternatively or additionally, the root lift portion may comprise a plurality of third air outletslocated on the bottom surfaces of the plurality of teeth. That way, in use, air flowing out ofthe second air outlets and the third air outlets exits the root lift portion in respective oppositedirections. This can enhance the root lift effect. The airflow through the plurality of secondair outlets and / or the plurality of third air outlets may be a diffused airflow. When the airflowthrough the plurality of second air outlets and / or the plurality of third air outlets is both aheated and a diffused airflow, the root lift effect may be at least partially achieved throughradiative heating applied to the user's hair. Generally, root lift is achieved by tensioning theuser's hair to lift it away from the user's head, and drying it in position using an airflow. Theuser's hair can be tensioned using an airflow (e.g. the airflow along the convex surface whichmay be a high velocity airflow) and / or manual leverage. A high velocity airflow may forexample range from 9 L / s to 14 L / s inclusive at a velocity of 20 m / s to 60 m / s inclusive.Optionally, each tooth may have a bottom surface, a top surface opposite the bottom surface,a first side surface extending between the top and bottom surfaces, and a second side surfaceopposite the first side surface; and the plurality of second air outlets may be located on firstand / or second side surfaces of the plurality of teeth. Each bottom surface may in use face theuser's scalp. When the airflow through the plurality of second air outlets is both a heated anda diffused airflow, the root lift effect may be at least partially achieved through radiativeheating applied to the user's hair.Optionally, between 10 and 100% of the airflow entering the main conduit through the airinlet may exit the main conduit through the first air outlet. For example, the percentage ofair entering the main conduit through the air inlet and exiting the main conduit through thefirst air outlet may be 10% or more, 20% or more, 30% or more, 40% or more, 50% or more,60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more or 90% or more.Optionally, the main conduit may comprise the curved portion such that the convex surfaceat least partially provides an outer surface of the main conduit. Optionally, the curved portionmay be cylindrical, such as substantially cylindrical. When the curved portion is cylindrical,the convex surface may include substantially the entire circumferential surface of the curvedportion.Optionally, the main conduit may further comprise a fourth air outlet, and the first air outletmay be configured to direct airflow along the convex surface along a first direction and thefourth air outlet may be configured to direct airflow along the convex surface along a seconddirection opposite the first direction. In one configuration, between 10 and 100% of theairflow entering the main conduit through the air inlet may exit the main conduit eitherthrough the first air outlet or through the fourth air outlet. For example, the percentage of airentering the main conduit through the air inlet and exiting the main conduit through the firstair outlet or the fourth air outlet may be 10% or more, 20% or more, 30% or more, 40% ormore, 50% or more, 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more or 90% or more.The main conduit may include an internal baffle for distributing airflow from the air inlettowards either the first or the fourth air outlet, and / or the plurality of second air outlets and / orthe plurality of third air outlets. In some examples, the internal baffle may be configured todistribute the airflow such that in use, airflow is directed away from the user's head to reducea risk of scalp burns / damage due to hot airflow.Optionally, the attachment may further comprise a switching mechanism configured toswitch between a first position in which airflow is supplied from the air inlet to the first airoutlet to the exclusion of the fourth air outlet, and a second position in which airflow issupplied from the air inlet to the fourth air outlet to the exclusion of the first air outlet. Inthis way, the direction of the airflow along the convex surface can be reversed through theoperation of the switching mechanism. Specifically, when the switching mechanism is in thefirst position, airflow flows along the convex surface of the curved portion in the firstdirection, and when the switching mechanism is in the second portion, airflow flows alongthe convex surface of the curved portion in the second direction. Thus, the user can style hairon both sides (left and right) of their head. The switching mechanism may form a sealbetween the first air outlet and the fourth air outlet when the switching mechanism is in thefirst position and the second position. This can reduce air loss as airflow passes through thefirst or fourth outlet respectively, thereby increasing air velocity across the convex surfacefor improved anti-flyaway performance.The first and the fourth air outlets may be substantially equal in size and shape. This mayhelp to ensure that the velocity of airflow flowing along the convex surface in the firstdirection is equal to the velocity of airflow flowing along the convex surface in the seconddirection. This also helps to ensure even styling on both sides of the user's head.Optionally, the curved portion may comprise an inner sleeve fixedly attachable to a haircareappliance and an outer sleeve enclosing the inner sleeve and comprising the convex surface,wherein the switching mechanism is actuatable by rotating the outer sleeve relative to theinner sleeve. When the root lift portion is rigidly connected to or integral with the outersleeve of the curved portion, the switching mechanism may be actuatable by applying a forceonto the root lift portion to rotate the outer sleeve of the curved portion relative to the innersleeve. For example, the user may tap the root lift portion on their head to rotate the outersleeve relative to the inner sleeve, thereby reversing the direction of airflow along the convexsurface.Optionally, the switching mechanism may comprise a resiliently biased element rigidlyconnected to one of the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve, and the resiliently biased elementis slidable along a groove formed in the other of the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve. Theresiliently biased element may be a spring plunger such as a spring-loaded ball (i.e. a balllatch). The groove may be provided in the form of a pair of ramps along which the resilientlybiased element (e.g. the ball of the ball latch) is slidable to switch between the first and thesecond positions.Optionally, the rotation of the outer sleeve relative to the inner sleeve may be restricted to apredetermined angle range. In one configuration, this may be achieved via a friction fitbetween respective portions of the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve configured to contactone another. In another configuration, this may be achieved by selecting a length for thegroove (e.g. the pair of ramps) along which the ball is slidable. In one example, the rotationof the outer sleeve relative to the inner sleeve may be restricted to an angle range from 5degrees to 30 degrees inclusive.Optionally, the plurality of teeth providing the root lift portion comprise a plurality ofloading teeth, the attachment comprises a plurality of pick-up teeth interspersed between theplurality of loading teeth, and the loading teeth and the pick-up teeth differ in shape, sizeand / or geometry, and / or the loading teeth having a plurality of second air outlets and thepick-up teeth are devoid of air outlets. The pick-up teeth are for picking up portions of theuser's hair to facilitate loading the respective portions onto the loading teeth for root lift. Thepick-up teeth may not comprise any air outlets.In a second aspect, the present invention provides a haircare appliance comprising: a handleunit comprising an airflow generator; and the attachment of the first aspect being removablyattached to the handle unit; wherein the airflow generator is configured to generate airflowand supply the airflow to the air inlet of the main conduit.The haircare appliance may further comprise a heating element for heating the airflowgenerated by the airflow generator.In a third aspect, the present invention provides a haircare appliance comprising: a handleunit comprising an airflow generator for generating an airflow; a main conduit fluidlyconnected to the handle unit, the main conduit comprising an air inlet for receiving thegenerated airflow and a first air outlet; a plurality of teeth, wherein each tooth extends fromthe main conduit, the plurality of teeth are linearly spaced from one another by an inter-toothspacing, and the plurality of teeth together provide a root lift portion located upstream of thefirst air outlet; and a curved portion comprising a convex surface, the curved portion beinglocated downstream of the first air outlet, wherein, in use, at least a portion of the generatedairflow is supplied from the air inlet, to the first air outlet, and along the convex surface ofthe curved portion.The haircare appliance may further comprise a heating element for heating the airflowgenerated by the airflow generator.The invention includes the combination of the aspects and optional features described exceptwhere such a combination is clearly impermissible or expressly avoided.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFigures 1A, 1B, and 1C show respectively a perspective view, a side view, and a top viewof a first variant of an attachment for a haircare appliance;Figures 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D show respectively a perspective view, a top view, a side view,and a cross-sectional view of a second variant of an attachment for a haircare appliance;Figure 3 shows a schematic view of a use using the attachment of the first or second variantattached to a haircare appliance;Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a third variant of an attachment for a haircare appliance;Figure 5A shows a cross-sectional view of a tooth of the attachment of Figure 4 having aswitching mechanism in a first position according to a first configuration of the switchingmechanism;Figure 5B shows a cross-sectional view of a tooth of the attachment of Figure 4 having aswitching mechanism in a second position according to the first configuration of theswitching mechanism;Figure 6A shows a cross-sectional view of a tooth of the attachment of Figure 4 having aswitching mechanism according to a second configuration of the switching mechanism;Figure 6B shows an enlarged view of the tooth of Figure 6A; andFigures 7A and 7B show two respective operational modes of the haircare attachment ofFigure 4.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONA first variant of an attachment 10 for a haircare appliance is described with reference toFigures 1A-1C which show respectively a perspective view, a side view, and a top view ofthe attachment.The attachment 10 comprises a main conduit 5 comprising an air inlet 100 and a first airoutlet 1. In this example, the attachment comprises a bung 101, which, when the attachmentis secured to a haircare appliance 200, extends inside the haircare appliance. Thisimproves the attachment's stability when attached to the haircare appliance. For example,when the attachment is used to tension the user's hair by e.g. pressing the attachment ontothe user's head, the bung 101 helps ensure that the attachment does not inadvertentlydisconnect from the haircare appliance. The air inlet 100 in this example is providedcircumferentially around the bung 101, i.e., the air inlet 100 surrounds the bung.The attachment 10 further comprises a plurality of teeth 6, each tooth extending from themain conduit 5, the plurality of teeth being linearly spaced from one another by an inter-tooth spacing, wherein the plurality of teeth together provide a root lift portion 9 locatedupstream of the first air outlet 1. The attachment comprises a curved portion 11 including aconvex surface 12, the curved portion 11 being located downstream of the first air outlet 1.In use, airflow 19 is supplied from the air inlet 100, to the first air outlet 1, and along theconvex surface 12 of the curved portion 11. The upstream and downstream locations of theroot lift portion 9 and the curved portion 11 relative to the first air outlet are with respect tothe direction of the airflow 19 flowing along the convex surface 12.The convex surface 12 in the examples of Figures 1A-7B is substantially smooth andcontinuous in form, i.e. free of protrusions and / or depressions. The convex surface comprisesa radius of curvature of 10mm to 60mm, e.g. around 38mm. The convex surface includes asubstantially constant radius of curvature.The first air outlet 1 is substantially elongate, e.g. rectangular in shape. The first air outlet 1in this example is partitioned into a plurality of sub-sections by a respective plurality ofpartitions 21. The plurality of partitions are shaped curved to direct the airflow 19 exitingthe main conduit 5 through the first air outlet 1 along the convex surface 12.Each tooth 6 has a respective bottom surface 7b (see e.g. Figure 1B) in use facing the user'sscalp, a respective top surface 7a opposite the bottom surface, a respective first side surface7c extending between the respective top and bottom surfaces, and a respective second sidesurface (not shown) opposite the first side surface. In this example, each tooth 6 is curvedalong its respective length such that in use each tooth curves upwardly and away from theuser's head.In use, the attachment of Figures 1A-1C is inserted into the user's hair at an angle and tiltedto create tension. That is, the attachment pivots around a pivot point 25 on the main conduitin use contacting the user's head and located such that the root lift portion 9 is interposedbetween the first air outlet 1 and the pivot point 25. In this way, the root lift portion 9mechanically lifts the user's hair at the roots, and over the convex surface 12. The airflow19 along the convex surface simultaneously dries the hair loaded thereon, thereby achievingroot lift effect, and reduces flyaway to achieve a smooth hair appearance.A second variant of an attachment 10 for a haircare appliance is described with reference toFigures 2A-2D which show respectively a perspective view, a top view, a side view, and aside cross-sectional view of the attachment.The attachment of the second variant differs from the attachment of the first variant show inFigures 1A-1C as described below.Firstly, each tooth 6 is curved along its respective length such that in use each tooth curvestowards the user's head so as to match or follow the curvature of the user's head. That is therespective bottom surface 7b of each tooth 6 is curved to match or follow a curvature of theuser's head. Furthermore, the respective bottom surface 7b of each tooth 6 is ribbed for scalpcomfort. That is, the respective bottom surface 7b of each tooth comprises a respectiveplurality of cool ribs 8.Secondly, in this variant, the root lift portion 9 is in fluid communication with the mainconduit 5 and comprises a plurality of second air outlets 2. In use, airflow 19' is suppliedfrom the air inlet 100 to the user's hair via the plurality of second air outlets to achieve theroot lift effect. The plurality of second air outlets 2 is located on respective top surfaces 7aof the plurality of teeth 6 to supply airflow directly to the hair roots and energise the user'shair to achieve the root lift effect. The airflow 19' through the second air outlets is a mediumvelocity airflow tensioning and drying the hair away from the user's head. A mediumvelocity airflow may for example range from 5 L / s to 9 L / s inclusive at a velocity of 10 m / sto 20 m / s inclusive.In this example, a portion of the airflow 19' supplied to the second air outlets 2 issubsequently directed along the convex surface 12 of the curved portion 11. In this way, aportion of the airflow supplied for root lift is subsequently reused to reduce flyaway andfrizz. Furthermore, this helps load hair onto the convex surface 12 where it can be dried bythe airflow 19 flowing along the convex surface. In one example configuration this isachieved by walls of the respective second outlets 2 being shaped so as to direct airflowtowards the convex surface 12. In this example, between 50% and 100% inclusive, e.g.100%, of the of the airflow supplied to the second air outlets 2 is subsequently directed alongthe convex surface of the curved portion.Next, in this variant the plurality of teeth 6 together providing the root lift portion 9 is aplurality of loading teeth, and the root lift portion 9 further comprises a plurality of pick-upteeth 17 interspersed among the plurality of loading teeth 6. The pick-up 17 teeth are forpicking up portions of the user's hair to facilitate loading the respective portions onto theloading teeth 6 for root lift. The pick-up teeth 17 in this example do not comprise any airoutlets.Finally, the main conduit 5 of this variant may include an internal baffle for selectivelydistributing airflow from the air inlet 100 towards the first air outlet 1 and the plurality ofsecond air outlets 2.Figure 3 shows a schematic view of a user using the attachment 10 of the first or secondvariant attached to a haircare appliance 200. The haircare appliance 200 comprises a handleunit 150 comprising an airflow generator (not shown) for generating an airflow. Theattachment 10 is attached to the handle unit 150. The airflow generated by the airflowgenerator is supplied to the air inlet 100 of the main conduit 5 of the attachment 10 asindicated by the arrow in Figure 3.A third variant of an attachment 10 for a haircare appliance is described with reference toFigure 4 which shows a perspective view of the attachment.The attachment of the third variant differs from the attachments of the first and secondvariants as described below.The main conduit 5 comprises the curved portion 11 such that the convex surface 12 at leastpartially provides an outer surface of the main conduit. The curved portion 11 is cylindrical.As such, the convex surface 12 includes substantially the entire circumferential surface ofthe curved portion 11.The main conduit 5 further comprises a fourth air outlet 100 (see e.g. Figures 5A, 5B). Thefirst air outlet 1 is configured to direct airflow along the convex surface 12 along a firstdirection and the fourth air outlet 4 is configured to direct airflow along the convex surface12 along a second direction opposite the first direction. In this example, between 10 and100% of the airflow entering the main conduit 5 through the air inlet 100 exits the mainconduit either through the first air outlet or through the fourth air outlet. For example, thepercentage of air entering the main conduit through the air inlet and exiting the main conduitthrough the first air outlet may be 10% or more, 20% or more, 30% or more, 40% or more,50% or more, 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more or 90% or more.In contrast to the second variant of the attachment 10, the plurality of second air outlets 2 inthis variant are located on respective first 7c and / or second 7d side surfaces of the pluralityof teeth 6. When the airflow through the plurality of second air outlets 2 is both heated anddiffused, the root lift effect may be at least partially achieved through radiative heatingapplied to the user's hair.In one example, an internal baffle (not shown) is used for distributing airflow from the airinlet towards either the first or the fourth air outlet, and / or the plurality of second air outlets.The attachment 10 of the third variant further comprises a switching mechanism 22 describedin more detail with reference to Figures 5A-6B. The switching mechanism 22 is configuredto switch between a first position in which airflow is supplied from the air inlet 100 to thefirst air outlet 1 to the exclusion of the fourth air outlet 4, and a second position in whichairflow is supplied from the air inlet 100 to the fourth air outlet 4 to the exclusion of the firstair outlet 1. In this way, the direction of the airflow along the convex surface 12 can bereversed through the operation of the switching mechanism 22. Thus, the user can style hairon both sides (left and right) of their head. In some examples, the switching mechanism 22forms a seal between the first air outlet 1 and the fourth air outlet 4 when the switchingmechanism is in the first position and the second position. This can reduce air loss as airflowpasses through the first or fourth outlet respectively, thereby increasing air velocity acrossthe convex surface 12 for improved anti-flyaway performance.The first 1 and the fourth 4 air outlets are substantially equal in size and shape. This helpsensure that the velocity of airflow flowing along the convex surface 12 in the first directionis equal to the velocity of airflow flowing along the convex surface in the second direction.Figures 5A and 5B respectively show cross-sectional views of a tooth 6 of the attachmentof Figure 4 to illustrate a first configuration of the switching mechanism 22. The curvedportion 11 comprises an inner sleeve 14 fixedly attachable to a haircare appliance and anouter sleeve 13 enclosing the inner sleeve and comprising the convex surface 12. Theswitching mechanism 22 is actuatable by rotating the outer sleeve relative to the inner sleeve.In this example, the root lift portion 9 of the attachment 10 is rigidly connected to or integralwith the outer sleeve 13 of the curved portion 11. Thus, the switching mechanism 22 isactuatable by applying a force onto the root lift portion 9 to rotate the outer sleeve of thecurved portion relative to the inner sleeve. For example, the user can tap the root lift portionon their head to rotate the outer sleeve relative to the inner sleeve, thereby reversing thedirection of airflow along the convex surface 12.Figure 5A shows the tooth 6 when the switching mechanism 22 is in the first position, i.e.such that airflow is supplied along the convex surface 12 via that first air outlet 1, while thefourth air outlet 4 is closed. Figure 5B shows the tooth 6 when the switching mechanism 22is in the second position, i.e. such that airflow is supplied along the convex surface 12 viathat fourth air outlet 4, while the first air outlet 1 is closed. The direction of airflow isindicated by arrows showing that airflow is direct along the convex surface 12 (airflow 19)as well as into a body 6' of each tooth 6 and out of the plurality of second air outlets 2(airflow 19').The rotation of the outer sleeve 13 relative to the inner sleeve 12 is restricted to apredetermined angle range. In this example, this is achieved via a friction fit betweenrespective portions of the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve configured to contact one another.Specifically, the rotation of the outer sleeve relative to the inner sleeve is restricted to anangle range from 5 degrees to 30 degrees inclusive.A second configuration of the switching mechanism 22 is described with reference to Figure6A which shows a cross-sectional view of a tooth of the attachment 10 of Figure 3 and Figure6B shows an enlarged view of the tooth of Figure 6A.The switching mechanism 22 of this configuration differs from the switching mechanismdiscussed with reference to Figures 5A and 5B in that it comprises a resiliently biasedelement 23, 24 rigidly connected the outer sleeve 14, the resiliently biased element beingslidable along a groove 18a, 18b formed in the inner sleeve 13. The resiliently biased elementis a spring-loaded ball (i.e. a ball latch) comprising a ball 23 attached to a spring 24 loadedin compression. The spring 24 is attached to the outer sleeve 14 such that the ball is biasedtowards the inner sleeve 13. The groove in this example is provided in the form of a pair oframps 18a, 18b along which the ball 23 is slidable to switch between the first and the secondpositions. Tactile feedback can be provided to the user when the switching mechanismswitches between the first and the second positions via the ball reaching a wall of therespective ramp 18a, 18b and thereby "clicking" into position.The rotation of the outer sleeve 14 relative to the inner sleeve 13 is restricted to apredetermined angle range by selecting a length for the pair of ramps 18a, 18b along whichthe ball is slidable. In one example, the rotation of the outer sleeve relative to the inner sleevemay be restricted to an angle range from 5 degrees to 30 degrees inclusive.In one example configuration, the attachment 10 (and / or a haircare appliance 200 connectedto or comprising the attachment) is configured to support two operation modes. This isdiscussed with reference to Figures 7A and 7B. In a first operation mode shown in Figure7A, both root lift and anti-flyaway functions are realised e.g. by supplying airflow in one ofthe ways described above. For example, a portion 19 of the total airflow entering throughthe air inlet 100 can be supplied out of the second air outlets 2 and to the hair roots for rootlift, whereas another portion 19' of the total airflow can be supplied along the convex surface12 of the attachment for reducing flyaway. In a second operation mode shown in Figure 7Bonly the anti-flyaway function is realised such that no airflow is supplied for root lift. Forexample, in the second operation mode the airflow may be a cold airflow for enhanced antiflyaway performance.

Claims

1. An attachment for a haircare appliance comprising:a main conduit comprising an air inlet and a first air outlet;a plurality of teeth, wherein each tooth extends from the main conduit, the pluralityof teeth are linearly spaced from one another by an inter-tooth spacing, and the plurality ofteeth together provide a root lift portion located upstream of the first air outlet; anda curved portion comprising a convex surface, the curved portion being locateddownstream of the first air outlet,wherein, in use, airflow is supplied from the air inlet to the first air outlet and alongthe convex surface of the curved portion.

2. The attachment of claim 1, wherein:the root lift portion is in fluid communication with the main conduit;the root lift portion comprises a plurality of second air outlets; andin use, in at least a first configuration, airflow is supplied from the air inlet to thesecond air outlets.

3. The attachment of claim 2, wherein:each tooth has a bottom surface and a top surface opposite the bottom surface; andthe plurality of second air outlets are located on the top surfaces of the plurality of teeth.

4. The attachment of claim 3 wherein a portion of the airflow supplied to the second airoutlets is subsequently directed along the convex surface of the curved portion.

5. The attachment of claim 3 or 4, wherein the bottom surface of each tooth is curved.

6. The attachment of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the bottom surface of each toothis ribbed.

7. The attachment of any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the root lift portion comprises aplurality of third air outlets located on the bottom surfaces of the plurality of teeth.

8. The attachment of claim 2 wherein:each tooth has a bottom surface, a top surface opposite the bottom surface, a first sidesurface extending between the top and bottom surfaces, and a second side surface oppositethe first side surface; andthe plurality of second air outlets are located on the first and / or second side surfacesof the plurality of teeth.

9. The attachment of any preceding claim, wherein between 10 and 100% of the airflowentering the main conduit through the air inlet exits the main conduit through the first airoutlet.

10. The attachment of any preceding claim, wherein the main conduit comprises thecurved portion such that the convex surface at least partially provides an outer surface of themain conduit.

11. The attachment of claim any preceding claim, wherein the curved portion iscylindrical.

12. The attachment of any preceding claim, wherein:the main conduit further comprises a fourth air outlet, andthe first air outlet is configured to direct airflow along the convex surface along afirst direction and the fourth air outlet is configured to direct airflow along the convex surfacealong a second direction opposite the first direction.

13. The attachment of claim 12, wherein between 10 and 100% of the airflow enteringthe main conduit through the air inlet exits the main conduit either through the first air outletor through the fourth air outlet.

14. The attachment of claim 12 or 13, further comprising a switching mechanismconfigured to switch between a first position in which airflow is supplied from the air inletto the first air outlet to the exclusion of the fourth air outlet, and a second position in whichairflow is supplied from the air inlet to the fourth air outlet to the exclusion of the first airoutlet.

15. The attachment of claim 14, wherein the curved portion comprises an inner sleevefixedly attachable to a haircare appliance and an outer sleeve enclosing the inner sleeve andcomprising the convex surface, wherein the switching mechanism is actuatable by rotatingthe outer sleeve relative to the inner sleeve.

16. The attachment of claim 15, wherein the switching mechanism comprises aresiliently biased element rigidly connected to one of the inner sleeve and the outer sleeve,and the resiliently biased element is slidable along a groove formed in the other of the innersleeve and the outer sleeve.

17. The attachment of claim 15 or 16, wherein the rotation of the outer sleeve relative tothe inner sleeve is restricted to a predetermined angle range.

18. The attachment of any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of teeth providing theroot lift portion comprise a plurality of loading teeth, the attachment comprises a pluralityof pick-up teeth interspersed between the plurality of loading teeth, and the loading teeth andthe pick-up teeth differ in shape, size and / or geometry, and / or the loading teeth having aplurality of second air outlets and the pick-up teeth are devoid of air outlets.

19. A haircare appliance comprising:a handle unit comprising an airflow generator; andthe attachment of any preceding claim being removably attached to the handle unit,wherein the airflow generator is configured to generate airflow and supply theairflow to the air inlet of the main conduit.

20. A haircare appliance comprising:a handle unit comprising an airflow generator for generating an airflow;a main conduit fluidly connected to the handle unit, the main conduit comprising anair inlet for receiving the generated airflow and a first air outlet;a plurality of teeth, wherein each tooth extends from the main conduit, the pluralityof teeth are linearly spaced from one another by an inter-tooth spacing, and the plurality ofteeth together provide a root lift portion located upstream of the first air outlet; anda curved portion comprising a convex surface, the curved portion being locateddownstream of the first air outlet,wherein, in use, at least a portion of the generated airflow is supplied from the airinlet to the first air outlet and along the convex surface of the curved portion.

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