Hair styling accessory

Abstract

A hairstyling accessory comprises a pair of jaws 14 and a clamping space 16 between the jaws for receiving a tress of hair. At least one of the jaws has a stationary member 26 and a clamping member 24

Description

BACKGROUND Conventional hair straighteners generally comprise a pair of movable elongate arms or jaws that each include an elongate clamping plate. The arms are movable between an open position in which hair to be straightened or styled is received between the arms, and a closed position in which hair is clamped between planar faces of the clamping plates. In some styles of hair straighteners, a user grips and squeezes a handle of the hair straighteners to pivot the arms together to close the clamping plates. In the closed position, the clamping plates are parallel and engaged across their planar faces. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an aspect of the invention, there is provided a hair styling accessory. The hair styling accessory comprises a body supporting a pair of jaws defining a clamping space between them for receiving a tress of hair. A least one of the jaws comprises a stationary member and a clamping member, wherein the clamping member is shaped to define an internal chamber, and wherein at least a portion of the stationary member is arranged inside the internal chamber of the clamping member. The clamping member is movable with respect to the stationary member between an unclamped or ‘open’ position, in which a tress of hair can be received in the clamping space, and a clamped or ‘closed’ position, in which the jaws are arranged to clamp a tress of hair in the clamping space. The stationary member is arranged with respect to the clamping member to partition the internal chamber into a first chamber portion and a second chamber portion, and wherein the body is configured to deliver a flow of air to the internal chamber. The stationary member is configured to seal against an interior surface of the clamping member when the clamping member is in the clamped position, thereby to restrict air from flowing from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion. Usefully, the hair styling accessory avoids the need for the user themselves to provide the clamping force, i.e. the force required to move the movable jaw or jaws from unclamped to clamped positions and hold the accessory in a clamped position in which hair is clamped between the jaws. The user may therefore simply engage a user interface (e.g. a button or slider) to activate clamping by actuating the movable jaw or jaws using air pressure delivered, for example, from an air generating device housed in the body of the accessory. Moreover, the accessory may manage the internal air flows within it in a way that reduces air leakages effectively without adversely affecting the performance of the device. The stationary member may be configured to seal against the interior surface of the clamping member to define a labyrinth seal arrangement when the clamping member is in the clamped position. This may allow the accessory to manage the internal air flows to effectively reduce air leakages without adversely affecting the movability of the jaws with respect to the body. When the clamping member is in the clamped position, air may be permitted to flow out of the first chamber portion through an air outlet provided in the clamping member. This may provide for a jet of air to be directed at a tress of hair in the clamping space thereby providing a smoothing action. More generally, air may be permitted to flow out of the first chamber portion in a direction that is directed generally towards hair that is contacted by the accessory. Further, in other examples when the clamping member is in the unclamped position, air may be permitted to flow from the second chamber portion to the exterior of the clamping member through an air bleed outlet, which ensures that air pressure does not build up in the second chamber portion, which may affect air pressure within the first chamber portion and thus the position of the clamping member. The air bleed outlet may be formed in different ways, for example as an array of holes in a surface of the jaw, or in another example defined at or near an elongated edge of the clamping member. Still further, the air bleed outlet may be located distal from the airflow outlet of the clamping member, which may provide for airflow from the air bleed outlet to be directed away from the face of a user. The air bleed outlet may direct air generally away from the clamping space. The air bleed outlet may direct air onto hair located outside the clamping space. The labyrinth seal arrangement may comprise a first labyrinth seal including a first projection that is receivable into a respective first socket. In one configuration, the first projection may be provided at the interior surface of the clamping member, and the first socket may be provided at the stationary member. Conveniently, the first projection may be received into the respective first socket only when the clamping member is in the clamped position. To provide a particularly effective labyrinth seal, the first projection may be configured to be substantially rectilinear in form, although this is merely exemplary and not essential. The first socket may be shaped to receive the first projection. The first labyrinth seal may be located proximal to the air outlet. The labyrinth seal arrangement may comprise a second labyrinth seal including a second projection that is receivable into a respective second socket. The second projection may be provided at an interior surface of the clamping member and the respective second socket may be provided at the stationary member, although this configuration may be reversed in some examples. Note that the location of the first projection and the first socket of the first labyrinth seal may also be reversed in some examples, such that the first projection may be provided at the stationary member and wherein the first socket may be provided at an interior surface of the clamping member. In one configuration, the interior surface of the clamping member at which the second projection of the second labyrinth seal is provided may be opposed to the interior surface on which the first projection of the first labyrinth seal is provided. In effect, therefore, the two projections are provided on opposed walls of the clamping member. To assist in the movable relationship between the clamping member and the stationary member, in one example the second projection and the second socket may cooperate to provide a pivoting coupling. The second projection and the second socket may cooperate as a ball-and-socket arrangement. Such a configuration may provide a convenient low friction coupling which benefits the relative movement between the stationary member and the clamping member whilst also providing an air seal. The second labyrinth seal may be located at the stationary member at a distal position relative to the first labyrinth seal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hair styling accessory in an unclamped position; Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to Figure 1, but which shows the hair styling accessory as defining an attachment for a hair styling device, in the unclamped position; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the hair styling accessory of Figures 1 and 2 in a clamped position; Figure 4a and 4b are comparative plan views showing the hair styling accessory in unclamped and clamped positions, respectively; Figure 5 is a section view along section line A-A as shown in Figure 4a, showing the hair styling accessory in the unclamped position; Figure 6 is a section view along section line A-A as shown in Figure 4b, showing the hair styling accessory in the clamped position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Figures 1 to 6 show a hair styling accessory 10 by way of example. The hair styling accessory 10 comprises a body 12 and a pair of jaws 14 that are supported by the body 12. The jaws 14 define a clamping space 16 between them for receiving a tress of hair 18, and are movable to releasably clamp the tress of hair 18 between the jaws 14 in use. Each jaw 14 is configurable or movable between an unclamped position shown in Figures 1,2,4a and 5, and a clamped position shown in Figures 3,4b and 6. The unclamped position may herein be referred to as an ‘open’ position, whereas the clamped position may herein be referred to as a ‘closed’ position. In the unclamped position, the jaws 14 are separated to allow a tress of hair 18 to be received in the clamping space 16. In the clamped position, the jaws 14 are arranged to clamp a tress of hair 18 received in the clamping space 16. As will be explained in more detail later, the jaws 14 are actuated for movement using air pressure generated within or external to the hair styling accessory 10. In this example, it will be appreciated that both of the jaws 14 are movable, but it should be appreciated that in other examples just one of the jaws 14 may be movable. Each jaw 14 is generally elongate, having a first end 20 coupled to the body 12 and a second end 22 remote from the body. Each jaw 14 comprises a clamping member 24 and a stationary member 26. In this example, the clamping member 24 completely surrounds the stationary member 26, so the stationary member 26 cannot be seen from outside the device. In use, the clamping member 24 is movable relative to the stationary member 26, whereas the stationary member 26 remains generally in a fixed position relative to the body 12. Each clamping member 24 is moveably coupled to its associated stationary member 26. A suitable movable coupling (not shown) is provided at the body 12 to enable the clamping members 24 to pivot or move in relation to the stationary members 26. Respective internal air pressure chambers 30 are defined between each clamping member 24 and its associated stationary member 26. In use, air is delivered to the air pressure chambers 30 of the jaws 14 through inlets (not shown) in the jaws to actuate movement of the respective clamping member 24. At least a portion of this air may subsequently be delivered to the clamping space 16 for use in the hair styling process. In this example, the body 12 comprises an attachment portion 32 for attachment to a separate air generating device (such as handle portion 34 shown in Figures 1 and 2) to define an attachable accessory. It should be noted, however, that the body 12 and the handle portion 34 may or may not be separable from each other. Each clamping member 24 is generally elongate in shape, and comprises a front wall 40, an end wall 42 and a back wall 44. In this context, the terms ‘front’ and ‘back’ are used in relation to the proximity of the clamping space 16. The top portion of the front wall 40 is proximate to the top portion of the back wall 44. The lower portion of the front wall 40 meets (e.g. being rigidly attached to) the lower portion of the back wall 44, although may be punctuated by suitable apertures to allow airflow therethrough, as described in more detail later. The stationary member 26 is surrounded by the front wall 40 and the back wall 44. The top portions of the front walls 40 define clamping edges 46 for engaging and clamping a tress of hair 18 in the clamped position. The front wall 40 has a generally planar shape and the clamping edge 46 is provided by a protruding part 48 of the clamping edge 46. The protruding part 48 may be a rounded feature and may be formed from a material that is softer than the material of the front wall 40, such as a rubber, to provide a gripping surface for gripping the tress of hair 18. The precise shape and form of the clamping edge 46 and the protruding part 48 are not crucial for operation of the accessory, however. The end walls 42 of the clamping members 24 are angled with respect to the front wall 40 so as to provide a tapered opening to the clamping space 16 for receiving a tress of hair 18. The clamping members 24 are pivotably coupled to their respective stationary members 26 at the base of the front wall 40. In this example, a biasing arrangement (not shown) such as one or more suitably configured springs may be provided to bias the clamping members 24 towards the unclamped position. The back wall 44 in this example has a curved, in particular convex, shape (although other shapes are envisaged). The stationary members 26 are also curved. As can be seen in Figure 5 and 6, the curvature of the stationary member 26 is such that a portion of the stationary member 26 engages the back wall 44 so that when the clamping member 24 is in the clamped position the engagement between the stationary member 26 and the back wall 44 acts as a limit stop to prevent the clamping members 24 moving any closer together. Each stationary member 26 also has a projection 56 that projects from the upper edge of the stationary member 26. As shown in Figure 5, this projection 56 is arranged to engage with the inner surface of the front wall 40 of the clamping member 24 when in the unclamped position. This acts as a limit stop to prevent the clamping member 24 moving further away from the clamping direction. However, in alternative examples, the projection 56 could be configured differently, for example the projection 56 could be positioned on the inner surface of the front wall 40 of the clamping member 24. The front wall 40 of each clamping member 24 comprises a passage 60 that connects the air pressure chamber 30 to the clamping space 16, when the jaws are in the clamped position. In use, air is delivered from the air pressure chambers 30 to the clamping space 16 via the respective passages 60. In this example each passage 60 extends along substantially the entire length of the front wall 40 and, more specifically, the upper edge of the front wall 40, when considered in the orientation of the drawings. The passage 60 terminates at an airflow outlet 62. A shown, the airflow outlet 62 is provided near to the upper edge of the front wall 40 of the clamping member 24. Airflow from the passages 60 is indicated by the arrows shown in Figure 1. The arrangement and number of passages 60 could of course differ in other examples, however, and are not intended to be limiting in this regard. For example, each clamping member 24 may include multiple passages 60 terminating in multiple airflow outlets 62 extending generally across the entire length of the front wall 40. It would also be possible for the number of passages 60 to differ from the number of airflow outlets 62 such that, for example, multiple passages 60 terminate in a single airflow outlet 62, or a single passage 60 terminates in multiple airflow outlets 62. The arrangement of passages 60 and outlets 62 may differ for each clamping member 24. Although the stationary members 26 have been described as being stationary, they may not always be rigidly fixed in place in relation to the entire device. For example, stationary members 26 may be movable relative to the body 12 to allow adjustment of the size of the clamping space 16. However, the stationary member 26 are envisaged to be fixed with respect to the body 12 and with respect to the clamping members 24 during normal use, and particularly during movement of the clamping members between open and closed positions. As has been discussed above, in use air is delivered to the air pressure chambers 30 in order to actuate the jaws 14 into the clamped position. As shown in Figure 6, each air pressure chamber 30 is bounded by the curved inner surface of the stationary member 26, the projection 56 of the stationary member 26 and the inner surface of the front wall 40 of the clamping member 24. In the clamped position, the internal size of the air pressure chamber 30 is maximised as the increase in air pressure within the air pressure chamber 30 forces the front wall 40 of the clamping member 24 away from the stationary member 26 thereby bring together the clamping edges 46 of each jaw 14 to clamp a tress of hair 18. At the same time, a jet of air is forced through the respective passages 60 and air outlets 62 of each jaw 14 to the clamping space 16. When the delivery of pressurised air to the air pressure chamber 30 ceases, the force that urges the clamping members 24 to the clamped position is reduced and so the action of the biasing arrangement (not shown) urges the clamping members 24 back into the unclamped position, as shown in Figure 5. During this time, pressurised air is also able to escape past the upper edge of the stationary member 26 and so can flow from the air pressure chamber 30 to an air bleed chamber 64. It should be noted that the relative size of the air pressure chamber 30 and the air bleed chamber 64 are not fixed, because the clamping members 24 are movable. It should also be noted that the presence of the stationary member 26 within the interior of the clamping member 24 means that that the air pressure chamber 30 and the air bleed chamber 64 are in effect different portions of the interior volume or chamber formed by the front wall 40 and back wall 44 of the clamping member 24, which may be fluidly connected depending on the position of the clamping member 24 with respect to the stationary member 26. A suitable air escape outlet 65 is provided for the air bleed chamber 64. Such an air escape outlet may be provided by apertures formed in the back walls 44 of the clamping members 24. However, in the illustrated example, the air escape outlet 65 is provided by one or more apertures 66 arranged along the lower elongated edge of the clamping member 24. In this example, the one or more apertures 66 are provided between the front wall 40 and the back wall 44 of the clamping member 24, and it will be noted that the one or more apertures 66 are distal from the air outlet 62. Air escaping from the accessory 10 along this pathway is therefore directed away from the clamping space 16 and, thus, away from the face of a user. the feature of the back wall 44 surrounding the stationary member 26 may allow a user to apply additional clamping pressure to the clamping members 24 by pushing the back wall 44. Thus, a user wishing to apply additional clamping pressure can do so by squeezing the outside of the jaws 14. As has been mentioned, the hair styling accessory 10 is activated by air pressure. Therefore, the hair styling accessory 10 further includes an air generating device (not shown) comprising a motor configured to produce a high-pressure air flow. A suitable pressure of flow may be between 3.5 and 7Kpa at 13.5L / s, purely by way of example. The air generating device is housed in the body 12 in this example and forms part of the hair styling accessory 10, but the air generating device could be external to the hair styling accessory 10 in other embodiments. For example, in the embodiment of Figure 5, the air generating device may be housed in the handle portion 34. In this example, therefore, it will be appreciated that the hair styling accessory 10 is a detachable component relative to the handle portion 32, which may be adapted to have other hair styling accessories attached to it such as a diffuser, a flow concentrator, and so on. In some embodiments, air generated by the air generating device is heated by a heating element before being delivered to the clamping space. To use the hair styling accessory 10, a user first places a tress of hair 18 in the clamping space 16 defined between the unclamped clamping members 24, as shown in Figure 5. The clamping members 24 are biased towards the unclamped position by the biasing arrangement, as discussed above. When the air generating device is inactive, the biasing arrangement holds the clamping members 24 in their unclamped positions. To clamp the tress of hair 18 between the clamping members 24, the user actuates the jaws 14 by pressing a push button (not shown) provided on the body 12 of the hair styling accessory 10. Of course, in other embodiments the jaws 14 may be actuated via another suitable type of user interface such as a sliding switch. The jaw 14 may also be actuated automatically, without specific command from the user. For example, the clamping may be activated by a sensing system. The sensing system may be configured to sense when hair is placed between the jaws and then to activate clamping. The clamping may be activated after a predetermined time period to allow the user to place the hair between the jaws and then move their hands clear. The sensing system may also be configured to deactivate the clamping. For example, the sensing system may be configured to sense when hair has been pulled completely through the jaws such that the clamping can be released. The automatic clamping may be combined with manual clamping commanded by the user. When the push button is pressed into an ‘on’ position, an electronic activation signal is sent to the air generating device. Once activated, the air generating device generates a jet or flow of high-pressure air which is delivered to the air pressure chamber 30 of each jaw 14 via conduits (not shown) that connect an outlet (not shown) of the air generating device to inlets (not shown) of the chambers 30. This jet of air forces the clamping members 24 to pivot from their unclamped positions to their clamped positions, overcoming the force of the biasing arrangement and causing the air pressure chambers 30 to expand. The front walls 40 of the clamping members 24 thereby move inwardly, in the direction of the clamping space 16, so that they come together to clamp a tress of hair between the clamping edges 46. The front walls 40, therefore, provide a movable surface of the hair accessory 10 for releasably clamping a tress of air, when the accessory 10 is activated by air pressure. In the clamped position shown in Figure 6, the tress of hair 18 is clamped between the clamping edges 46 of the clamping members 24. The air pressure generated by the air generating device is such that, in this clamped position, the tress of hair 18 is firmly clamped between the clamping edges 46. A portion of the jet of air provided by the air generating device is delivered from the air pressure chambers 30 to the clamping space 16 for direct use in styling of the clamped tress of hair 18. Although not shown, in some embodiments the hair styling accessory 10 includes a heater, and air generated by the air generating device is heated by a heater before being delivered to the clamping space 16. As noted already, the passages 60 that deliver air to the clamping space 16 are arranged to direct air downwards into the clamping space 16 (in the orientation of the drawings). This may provide a straightening and smoothing effect on the tress of hair 18 in the clamping space 16, by directing a flow of air both towards and along the length of this tress of hair 18, rather than directly at and perpendicularly with respect the length of the tress of hair 18. The flow of air is indicated in Figure 6 by the arrows marked ‘A’. With the tress of hair 18 clamped between the clamping edges 46, the user pulls the hair styling accessory 10 along the length of the tress of hair 18 in a direction indicated by arrow D in Figure 6, to straighten or style the tress of hair 18 as required. When the user wishes to release the tress of hair 18, they simply press the push button again, into an ‘off position, which causes an electronic signal to be sent to the air generating device to deactivate it. The air generating device stops delivering high pressure air to the jaws 14, and the clamping members 24 are no longer forced into the clamped position by this high-pressure air. The biasing arrangement pulls the clamping members 24 from the clamped position back to the unclamped position, and the hair styling accessory 10 is ready for use on another tress of hair 18. As mentioned above, in other examples, deactivation of the clamping may be achieved by way of a suitably configured sensing system that senses when no hair is between the jaws and, in response, deactivates clamping, by stopping air generation, for example. A design challenge associated with the hair styling accessory 10 described above is to manage the air pressure inside the pressure chamber 30 to reduce leakages from the air pressure chamber 30 to the air bleed chamber 64. As pressurised air is jetted into the air pressure chamber 30, a leakage of air from the air pressure chamber 30 to the air bleed chamber 64 will reduce the pressure level within the air pressure chamber 30 which will have the effect of compromising the force by which the clamping member 24 is moved from the open position to the closed position. To address this, the hair styling accessory 10 of the illustrated example is provided with a sealing arrangement which is configured to reduces the leakage of air that passes from the air pressure chamber 30 to the air bleed chamber 64. In this example, the same sealing arrangement is provided in both ones of the jaws, so the sealing arrangement in only one of the jaws 14 will be described here for the sake of brevity. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate how the stationary member 26 seals against the clamping member 24. Specifically, the stationary member 26 seals at its upper portion 70 and lower portion 72 against the clamping member 24. It should be noted that, although not shown in the cross-section views of Figures 5 and 6, the clamping member 24 and the stationary member 26, and therefore also the upper portion 70 and the lower portion 72 of the stationary member 26, extend longitudinally along a significant length of the associated jaw 14. As can be appreciated in Figures 5 and 6, a first (upper) seal arrangement 74 is provided between the upper portion 70 of the stationary member 26 and the clamping member 24. A second (lower) seal arrangement 76 is provided at the lower portion 72 of the stationary member 26 and the clamping member 24. The upper seal arrangement 74 is an intermittent seal, in this example, and therefore only seals when the stationary member 26 is engaged with the back wall 44 of the clamping member 24 and, more particularly, the interior surface of the back wall 44. In other words, the upper seal arrangement 74 is active when the jaws 14 are in the clamped position, as shown in Figure 6. The lower seal arrangement 76 is a permanent seal. This is because the lower seal arrangement 76 is located towards the lower portion 72 of the stationary member 26 which is permanently engaged with the front wall 40 of the clamping member 24 in a pivoting relationship to permit pivoting movement between the clamping member 24 and the stationary member 26 between the open and closed positions of the jaws 14. The term ‘permanent seal’ means that the lower seal arrangement 76 provides a seal when the clamping member 24 is in a clamped position and an unclamped position. In the illustrated example, both the upper seal arrangement 74 and the lower seal arrangement 76 take the form of labyrinth seals. In this way, each of the seal arrangements presents a circuitous path of restricted dimensions for the flow of air which establishes an effective seal in this application. Such a solution provides a more effective air seal compared to other seal approaches, for example gasket type seals which, it has been recognised, can restrict the pivoting movement between the stationary member 26 and the clamping member 24 which in some circumstances can inhibit movement of the jaws 14 between open and closed positions. Referring firstly to the upper seal arrangement 74, this is provided by mutually interlocking features provided by adjacent portions of the stationary member 26 and the clamping member 24. Figure 6 shows the upper seal arrangement 74 in a sealing position. Since the upper seal arrangement 74 is provided at the upper portion 70 of the stationary member 26, the upper seal arrangement 74 is proximal to the outlet passage 60. Here, it can be appreciated that the mutually interlocking features include a projection or protuberance 80 projecting from the clamping member 24 which is received in a corresponding recess or socket 82 provided in the upper portion of the stationary member 26. This configuration of interlocking features causes leaking air to follow a circuitous pathway through a tight restriction (estimated between 0.1 to 0.5mm, and optionally between 0.3mm and 0.45mm) with approximately five sharp turns. As can be seen from the Figures, the surfaces of the protuberance 80 and the socket 82 are generally linear with arcuate intersections to form the leakage pathway with tight comers. The leakage pathways can be curved slightly to accord with the curved path that the protuberance 56 takes when the protuberance 56 moves away from and towards the back wall 44 of the clamping member 24. These factors increase the resistance to airflow that the seal arrangement provides. The illustrated example provides only a pair of interlocking features that define the upper seal arrangement 74. However, it should be appreciated that the upper sealing arrangement 74 may be configured to have further interlocking features which may further restrict leakage airflow at this point. Turning now to the lower seal arrangement 76. The lower seal arrangement 76 is provided at the stationary member 26 and, more specifically, at the opposite end of the stationary member 26 to the upper seal arrangement 74. Whereas the upper seal arrangement 74 is proximal to the air outlet 62, the lower seal arrangement 76 is proximal to the air bleed outlet 66, in the illustrated example and, more generally, is proximal to the lower elongated edge of the clamping member 24. As has been mentioned above, the lower seal arrangement 76 also forms a labyrinth seal so as to restrict the flow of air that can pass between the stationary member 26 and the clamping member 24. The second seal arrangement 76 is formed at a pivotable coupling 84 between the stationary member 26 and the clamping member 24. In this example, the second seal arrangement 76 is formed as a ball-and socket style coupling that permits the clamping member 24 and the stationary member 26 to pivot relative to one another. The pivotable coupling 84 is formed in this example by a protuberance or projection 90 associated with the clamping member 24 and a socket or recess 92 associated with the stationary member 26. It will be appreciated that this configuration may be reversed. The protuberance 90 extends from the front wall 40 of the clamping member 24, in the illustrated example, and provides a radiused surface for engagement with the socket 92 of the stationary member 26. Therefore, the socket 92 of the stationary member 26 can slide smoothly with respect to the radiused protuberance 90 of the clamping member 24. Notably, the protuberance 90 extends from an interior surface of the front wall 40 of the clamping member 24 which is opposed from the back wall 44 from which the protuberance 80 of the upper seal arrangement 74 extends. Since the sliding surfaces of the protuberance 90 and the socket 92 are geometrically a close match to allow the sliding movement, there is provided a restricted path for air to flow from the air pressure chamber 30 to the air bleed chamber 64. From the above discussion, the skilled person will appreciate that the upper seal arrangement 74 and the lower seal arrangement 76 function in a complimentary way to reduce air leakage from the air pressure chamber 30 to the air bleed chamber 64 in a manner that does not restrict pivoting movement between those features. In the example shown in Figures 5 and 6, both the upper seal arrangement 74 and the lower seal arrangement 76 take the form of labyrinth seals. In some examples, the upper seal arrangement 74 and the lower seal arrangement 76 may take the form of gasket seals. In other words, the upper seal 5 arrangement 74 and the lower seal arrangement 76 may comprise seals in the form of deformable members. In some examples, one of the upper seal arrangement 74 or the lower seal arrangement 76 may take the form of a labyrinth seal, and the other of the lower seal arrangement 76 or the upper seal arrangement 74 may take the form of a different type of seal, for example a gasket seal or other deformable member. 10 The skilled person would appreciate that the examples of the invention described and illustrated in the accompanying Figures can be adapted without departing from the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A hair styling accessory, comprising:a body supporting a pair of jaws defining a clamping space between them for receiving a tress of hair,wherein at least one of the jaws comprises a stationary member and a clamping member, wherein the clamping member is shaped to define an internal chamber, and wherein at least a portion of the stationary member is arranged inside the internal chamber of the clamping member,wherein the clamping member is movable with respect to the stationary member between an unclamped position, in which a tress of hair can be received in the clamping space, and a clamped position, in which the jaws are arranged to clamp a tress of hair in the clamping space,wherein the stationary member is arranged with respect to the clamping member to partition the internal chamber into a first chamber portion and a second chamber portion, and wherein the body is configured to deliver a flow of air to the internal chamber,wherein the stationary member is configured to seal against an interior surface of the clamping member when the clamping member is in the clamped position, thereby to restrict air from flowing between the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion.

2. The hair styling accessory of Claim 1, wherein the stationary member is configured to seal against the interior surface of the clamping member to define a labyrinth seal arrangement when the clamping member is in the clamped position.

3. The hair styling accessory of Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein when the clamping member is in the clamped position, air is permitted to flow out of the first chamber portion through an air outlet provided in the clamping member.

4. The hair styling accessory of any one of the preceding claims, wherein when the clamping member is in the unclamped position, air is permitted to flow from the second chamber portion to the exterior of the clamping member through an air bleed outlet.

5. The hair styling accessory of Claim 4, wherein the air bleed outlet is defined at an elongated edge of the clamping member.

6. The hair styling accessory of Claim 5, when dependent on Claim 3, wherein the air bleed outlet is located distal from the airflow outlet of the clamping member.

7. The hair styling accessory of any one of Claims 4 to 6, wherein the air bleed outlet directs air generally away from the clamping space.

8. The hair styling accessory of Claim 2, wherein the labyrinth seal arrangement comprises a first labyrinth seal including a first projection that is receivable into a respective first socket.

9. The hair styling accessory of Claim 8, wherein the first projection is provided at the interior surface of the clamping member, and wherein the first socket is provided at the stationary member.

10. The hair styling accessory of Claim 8 or 9, wherein the first projection is received into the respective first socket only when the clamping member is in the clamped position.

11. The hair styling accessory of any one of Claims 8 to 10, wherein the first projection is substantially rectilinear and the first socket is shaped to receive the first projection.

12. The hair styling accessory of any one of Claims 8 to 11, when dependent on Claim 3, wherein the first labyrinth seal is located proximal to the air outlet.

13. The hair styling accessory of any one of Claims 8 to 12, wherein the labyrinth seal arrangement comprises a second labyrinth seal including a second projection that is receivable into a respective second socket.

14. The hair styling accessory of Claim 13, wherein the second projection is provided at an interior surface of the clamping member and wherein the respective second socket is provided at the stationary member.

15. The hair styling accessory of Claim 14, wherein the interior surface at which the secondprojection of the second labyrinth seal is provided is opposed to the interior surface on which the first projection of the first labyrinth seal is provided.

516. The hair styling accessory of any one of Claims 13 to 15, wherein the second projection andthe second socket cooperate to provide a pivotable coupling.

17. The hair styling accessory of Claim 16, wherein the second projection and the second socket10 cooperate as a ball-and-socket arrangement.

18. The hair styling accessory of any one of Claims 8 to 17, wherein the second labyrinth seal islocated at the stationary member at a distal position relative to the first labyrinth seal.15

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