Hair iron

Abstract

To provide a hair iron that can stably displace the heater unit over a long period of time. [Solution] The hair iron 1 comprises a pair of arm members 2 that are connected so as to be openable and closable, a heater unit 6 that incorporates a heater 9 provided on these arm members 2, and an elastic member that biases the heater unit 6 outward. This elastic member consists of a semicircular cushion rubber 16 made of a polymer material, the top of which is in contact with the back of the heater unit 6, and the annular bottom of which is positioned in a recess 15c provided inside the arm members 2.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a hair iron for styling hair.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a hair iron has been known in which a heater unit incorporating a heating element is provided in a pair of arm members connected so as to be openable and closable, and the hair is sandwiched between the pair of arm members while heating the heater unit to style the hair.

[0003] As an example of this type of hair iron, a conical coil spring as an elastic member is disposed inside a housing forming an outer shell of an arm member, a small-diameter portion of the conical coil spring is brought into contact with the back surface of the heater unit, and a large-diameter portion of the conical coil spring is supported by the inner surface of the housing, whereby a hair iron configured to hold the heater unit in a floating state from the housing has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] According to the hair iron described in Patent Document 1, the heater unit is displaced with a small force, and it becomes easy to uniformly contact the heater unit with the hair, so that a hair style can be favorably arranged without damaging the hair.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, the hair iron described in Patent Document 1 uses a conical coil spring as an elastic member to support the back of the heater unit. This makes the process of assembling the conical coil spring between the housing and the heater unit complicated. Furthermore, repeated compression and extension of the conical coil spring can cause the contact position between the housing and the conical coil spring to shift, making it difficult to stably displace the heater unit over a long period of time. Moreover, metal conical coil springs have the problem of changing spring characteristics and decreasing durability when repeatedly exposed to the high-temperature environment inside the housing in which the heater unit is housed.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a hair iron that can stably displace the heater unit over a long period of time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, one aspect of the present invention is a hair iron comprising a pair of arm members connected in an openable and closable manner, wherein the arm members are provided with a heater unit containing a heating element and an elastic member that biases the heater unit outward, characterized in that the elastic member consists of a semicircular cushion made of a polymer material, the top of the cushion is in contact with the back surface of the heater unit, and the annular bottom of the cushion is positioned in a recess provided inside the arm member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a hair iron that can stably displace the heater unit over a long period of time. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a side view of a hair iron according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]This is a perspective view of a hair iron showing the arm member in the open position. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view along the longitudinal direction of the ironing part. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view along the shorter side of the ironing part. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view of the heater unit. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view of the disassembled ironing section. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hair iron according to an embodiment, Figure 2 is a perspective view of a hair iron showing the arm member in the open state, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the longitudinal direction of the iron part, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along the short direction of the iron part, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the heater unit, and Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the iron part.

[0013] As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the hair iron 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a pair of arm members 2, which are connected at a base end 3 so as to be openable and closable. A spring (not shown) is incorporated into the base end 3, and the pair of arm members 2 are biased in the opening direction by the elastic force of the spring.

[0014] Each of the pair of arm members 2 has a rear end body portion 4 that is continuous with the base end portion 3, and a front end iron portion 5 that is supported by the body portion 4. As will be described in detail later, each of the pair of iron portions 5 is equipped with a long heater unit 6. The heater unit 6 consists of a surface plate 7, a heater cover 8 that covers the surface plate 7, and a heater (heating element) 9 housed between the surface plate 7 and the heater cover 8, and the surface plate 7 is heated by the heater 9.

[0015] When no external force is applied to the pair of arm members 2 of the hair iron 1, the tips of both arm members 2 are separated, as shown in Figure 2. When the user grasps both arm members 2 in the open state and applies an external force against the spring's elastic force, the pair of arm members 2 come into contact, as shown in Figure 1, resulting in a closed state. When using the hair iron 1, the pair of arm members 2 are closed to clamp the hair, and the hair is styled using the heat from the heated surface plate 7 in this state.

[0016] Of the pair of arm members 2, if one arm member is referred to as the upper arm member and the other as the lower arm member, a cylindrical operating knob 10 is provided on the surface of the main body 4 of the lower arm member 2. The operating knob 10 is used as an input means to determine the operating mode provided in the hair iron 1. In addition, the main body 4 between the iron part 5 and the operating knob 10 is provided with a power switch 11 to switch the power of the hair iron 1 on / off, and a display unit 12 that displays the temperature of the surface plate 7, mode information, etc.

[0017] A circuit board (not shown) for the control circuit is housed inside the main body 4 of the lower arm member 2. This circuit board is equipped with various detection elements that are operated by the operation knob 10 and the power switch 11, and a connecting cable 13 is connected to it. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, this connecting cable 13 is led out to the outside through the base end 3.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the pair of arm members 2 includes a housing 14 made of synthetic resin that forms an outer shell. A plurality of locking claws 14a are formed on the inner surface of the housing 14, and the other surface facing the inner surface of the housing 14 is open. A support plate 15 made of synthetic resin is disposed inside the housing 14, and a plurality of locking holes 15a are formed in the support plate 15. By snap - coupling these locking holes 15a to the corresponding locking claws 14a, the support plate 15 is fixed to the inner surface of the housing 14. Further, two annular protrusions 15b are formed on the support plate 15 at a predetermined interval in the longitudinal direction, and the inside of these annular protrusions 15b is a recess 15c having a circular shape in plan view.

[0019] As described above, the heater unit 6 includes a surface plate 7, a heater cover 8, and a heater 9. The surface plate 7 is a long member extending along the longitudinal direction of the arm member 2 and is formed of a metal material with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum.

[0020] The heater cover 8 is made of a synthetic resin material having excellent heat resistance, and the heater cover 8 and the surface plate 7 are integrated by slide - fitting. The top surface of the heater cover 8 is a flat contact surface 8a, and a pair of support protrusions 8b are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the heater cover 8. One (front) support protrusion 8b is swingably inserted into a concave groove (not shown) formed in the support plate 15, and the other (rear) support protrusion 8b is swingably sandwiched between the support plate 15 and the main body portion 4. Thereby, the heater unit 6 is swingably held so as to be movable in the vertical direction and the tilting direction with respect to the housing 14 of the arm member 2.

[0021] The heater 9 is an elongated plate-like member that generates heat when energized, and is housed between the surface plate 7 and the heater cover 8. A pair of lead wires 9a are connected to the heater 9, and these lead wires 9a are connected to the aforementioned circuit board housed in the main body 4. The heat generated by the heater 9 is quickly transmitted to the inner surface of the heater cover 8, and the overall temperature of the heater cover 8 can be uniformly increased.

[0022] At two locations between the heater unit 6 and the support plate 15, cushion rubbers 16 that bias the heater unit 6 outwardly of the housing 14 are provided. These cushion rubbers 16 are semi-circular bowl-shaped elastic members formed using a polymer material, and in this embodiment, a silicone resin with excellent heat resistance is used as the raw material. The annular bottom portion of the cushion rubber 16 is fitted into a recess 15c within an annular projection 15b formed on the support plate 15 and is positioned so as not to move relative to the support plate l5. Further, the top portion of the cushion rubber 16 is in contact with the contact surface 8a of the heater cover 8 which is the rear surface of the heater unit 6. Thereby, the heater unit 6 is held in a floating state relative to the housing 14 and is swingable.

[0023] When using the hair iron 1 configured as described above, with the power switch 11 turned on to heat the heater 9, the hair is sandwiched between the heater units 6 of the pair of iron portions 5, and the hair is brought into contact with the surface plate 7 of the heater unit 6 for styling. And since the rear surface of the heater unit 6 is supported by the cushion rubber 16 which is an elastic member, the heater unit 6 is displaced so as to closely adhere to the hair while compressing the cushion rubber 16.

[0024] Here, since the cushion rubber 16 is formed in a semi-circular bowl shape having a hollow portion with an open bottom surface side, it is easily deformed in the initial stage of compression and becomes difficult to deform as the amount of compression increases. As a result, the heater unit 6 can be displaced with a small force, and it is not necessary to strongly press the surface plate 7 against the hair, so that good styling can be achieved without damaging the hair.

[0025] Furthermore, since a recess 15c for positioning the bottom of the cushion rubber 16 is formed in the support plate 15 fixed inside the housing 14 of the arm member 2, the heater unit 6 can be easily assembled to the housing 14 with the bottom of the cushion rubber 16 fitted into the recess 15c of the support plate 15. Moreover, even if the cushion rubber 16 is repeatedly compressed and expanded, the contact point between the top of the cushion rubber 16 and the heater unit 6 does not shift position, so the heater unit 6 can be stably displaced over a long period of time.

[0026] The hair iron 1 configured in this way according to this embodiment can provide the following effects.

[0027] In a hair iron 1 comprising a pair of arm members 2 connected in an openable and closable manner, a heater unit 6 containing a heater 9 provided in these arm members 2, and an elastic member that biases the heater unit 6 outward, the elastic member consists of a semi-circular cushion rubber 16 made of a polymer material, the top of which contacts the back surface of the heater unit 6, and the annular bottom of which is positioned in a recess 15c provided inside the arm member 2, the cushion rubber 16 can be easily interposed between the arm member 2 and the heater unit 6, improving assembly workability.

[0028] Furthermore, the semi-circular cushion rubber 16 deforms easily in the initial stages of compression and becomes less deformable as the amount of compression increases, allowing the heater unit 6 to be displaced with little force. Therefore, it is no longer necessary to press the surface plate 7 of the heater unit 6 firmly against the hair, allowing for good styling without damaging the hair.

[0029] Furthermore, since the elastic member that biases the heater unit 6 is a cushion rubber 16 made from silicone resin, the cushion rubber 16 can stably maintain its function as an elastic member even in the high-temperature environment inside the iron part 5. However, it is also possible to form the elastic member (cushion) using a polymer material other than silicone resin (for example, fluororesin).

[0030] Furthermore, the heater unit 6 is composed of a surface plate 7 made of a metal material, a heater cover 8 made of a heat-resistant resin material integrated to cover the surface plate 7, and a heater (heating element) 9 housed between the surface plate 7 and the heater cover 8. Since the top of the cushion rubber 16 is in contact with the flat contact surface 8a formed on the heater cover 8, the contact position between the back surface of the heater unit 6 and the top of the cushion rubber 16 is stable, and from this point of view as well, the heater unit 6 can be stably displaced over a long period of time.

[0031] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. All technical matters included in the technical concept described in the claims are subject to the present invention. The embodiments described above are preferred examples, but those skilled in the art can realize various alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements from the contents disclosed herein, and these are included in the technical scope described in the appended claims.

[0032] For example, in the above embodiment, a support plate 15 is fixed to the inner surface of the housing 14 that forms the outer shell of the arm member 2, and the bottom of the cushion rubber 16 is positioned in a recess 15c formed in the support plate 15. However, the support plate 15 may be omitted, and a recess may be formed on the inner surface of the housing 14 instead.

[0033] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the heater unit 6 is biased by two cushion rubbers 16 placed inside the housing 14, but the number of cushion rubbers 16 is not limited to two; it may be one or three or more. Also, the two or more cushion rubbers 16 may be individual parts, but they can also be a single unit connected by a connecting bar. In that case, a notch can be formed in a part of the annular projection 15b surrounding the recess 15c, and each cushion rubber 16 can be inserted into the recess 15c with the connecting bar placed inside this notch. In this way, multiple cushion rubbers 16 can be easily incorporated.

[0034] Furthermore, the shape of the cushion rubber 16, which is an elastic member, is not limited to a semicircular bowl shape. It can also be an elastic member with a polyhedral shape such as a square pyramid or a cone shape, as long as it has a hollow part with an open bottom. In addition, the thickness of the cushion rubber 16 may be uniform, but it is also possible to make the cushion rubber with uneven thickness in parts, which makes it possible to adjust the displacement range of the heater plate and provide a range of contact force with the hair.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, two cushion rubbers 16 are arranged side by side along the central axis of the arm member. However, when arranging three or more cushion rubbers 16, it is not necessarily required that all cushion rubbers 16 be arranged side by side along the central axis of the arm member. For example, two cushion rubbers 16 may be arranged side by side along the central axis of the arm member, and two other cushion rubbers 16 may be arranged side by side on a straight line perpendicular to the central axis. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1. Hair iron 2 Arm members 3 Base end 4. Main body 5 Ironing section 6 Heater Unit 7. Surface plate 8 Heater cover 8a Contact surface 8b Support protrusion 9. Heater (heating element) 9a Lead wire 10 Operating knobs 11 Power switch 12 Display section 13 Connection Cables 14 Housing 14a Locking claw 15 Support plate 15a Locking hole 15b Annular projection 15c recess 16 Cushion rubber (cushion)

Claims

1. A hair iron comprising a pair of arm members connected so as to be openable and closable, wherein the arm members are provided with a heater unit containing a heating element and an elastic member that biases the heater unit outward, The elastic member consists of a semi-circular cushion made of a polymer material. The top of the cushion is in contact with the back of the heater unit. The annular bottom of the cushion is positioned in a recess provided inside the arm member. A hair iron characterized by the following features.

2. In the hair iron according to claim 1, The cushion is made of silicone rubber, which is made from silicone resin. A hair iron characterized by the following features.

3. In the hair iron according to claim 1, The heater unit comprises a surface plate made of a metal material, a heater cover made of a heat-resistant resin material integrated to cover the surface plate, and a heating element housed between the surface plate and the heater cover. The top of the cushion is in contact with a flat contact surface formed on the heater cover. A hair iron characterized by the following features.

4. In the hair iron according to claim 1, A support plate is fixed to the inner surface of the housing that forms the outer shell of the arm member, and the recess is formed in the support plate. A hair iron characterized by the following features.

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