A styling system for hair

Abstract

A hair styling system comprising a hair straightener for styling hair (1) and a set of heatable hair rollers (3) is described. Each of the hair rollers (17) of the set (3) comprises a barrel having an outer wall (23) defining a cavity (27,29); and a contact portion (25) thermally connected to the outer wall (23) of the barrel, end portions that are touch points for the user (not as thermally conductive as the barrel of the roller, but not necessarily insulative in nature). The cavity (27,29) is operable to removably receive the ends of at least one of the arms (7,8) of the hair straightener (1) with the heating plate (9) provided thereon thereby being brought into contact the contact portion (25) of the roller. When the heating plate (9) of the received arm is activated, heat from the heating plate (9) is transferred via the contact section (25) to the outer wall of the barrel (23). When the heatable hair roller (17) has been heated to a desired temperature, the hair straightener (1) can then be used to position the heated roller (17) within a user's hair and removed from the heated roller (17) whilst the heated roller (17) is left in place to style the hair into a desired style.

Description

[0001] A STYLING SYSTEM FOR HAIR

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application concerns a hair styling system.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Many different types of hair stylers exist.

[0006] One example of a hair styling apparatus is a hair straightener or curling iron. Hair straighteners typically comprise a pair of arms which are pivotally attached to each other at one end. Heating plates are provided on the arms of the hair straightener at the end of the arms remote from the join.

[0007] In use, a user sections their hair and applies heat to portions of the sectioned hair to heat the hair to above a glass transition temperature where the hair becomes mouldable by clamping the sectioned portions of hair between the heating plates of the hair straightener. Depending upon the type, thickness, condition and moisture level, the glass transition temperature of hair can vary. Generally, dry hair has a higher glass transition temperature than wet hair. To style dry hair using a hair straightener the heating plates are typically heated to somewhere in the range of 160-200°C. Hair can be straightened by running the heating plates along a tress of hair strands. Alternatively, hair can be curled or styled by turning the hair straightener through approximately 180 degrees or more after clamping the tress of hair between the heating plates and before moving the hair straightener along the tress.

[0008] Hair straighteners may be corded or uncorded. Uncorded hair straighteners have an internal power supply, typically in the form of a re-chargeable battery, whereas corded hair straighteners obtain their power by being plugged in. Many corded hair straighteners have a swivel connector for the entry of the power lead, specifically so that the hair straightener can be rotated while in the hair without having to change the orientation of a power lead.

[0009] Hair rollers are another type of hair styling apparatus.

[0010] A hair roller or hair curler is generally a tube that is rolled into a person’s hair in order to style it predominantly creating volume, loose waves and curls. Hair rollers often come in different sizes depending upon the style a user wants to achieve - the smaller the size, the tighter the curl and the less volume created. Thus, a user can create a more voluminousstyle by using larger rollers. Typically, the diameter of a hair roller will be between around 20mm to 60mm. Hair rollers style an individual’s hair by holding the individual’s hair in a particular shape or orientation for a period of time so that when the rollers are removed, the hair retains that shape or orientation. Alternative hair rollers such as flexible foam rods and the like are also known.

[0011] Heated rollers, sometimes referred to as hot rollers, are another type of hair styling tool. Some heated rollers look like traditional hair rollers while others known as “pods” are smaller and are made of rubber. Whereas unheated rollers require a user to retain rollers in their hair for longer periods of time (e.g. overnight), heated rollers enable hair to be styled much more quickly, typically in around 10 to 30 minutes, though sometimes users are advised to leave the heated rollers in their hair until they have cooled, depending on the style they wish to achieve.

[0012] Heated rollers are commonly heated by being placed in a heating chamber which enables a set of heated rollers (e.g. 18-20 rollers) all to be heated to an operating temperature. When the heated rollers have been heated to the desired temperature, users section their hair into small sections before removing individual heated rollers from the heating chamber, positioning the heated rollers in their hair and wrapping portions of sectioned hair around the positioned heated rollers. Initially, heat from the heated rollers makes the hair more malleable and mouldable. The heated rollers are then left in place for a period of time during which the heated rollers cool as does the hair wrapped around the rollers which fixes the style in place.

[0013] Although heated rollers help users achieve a certain look, many users find heated rollers difficult or unsatisfactory to use. Many users complain that they bum themselves when taking heated rollers out of a heating chamber and wrapping their hair around the rollers. Users are frequently frustrated by the long heat-up time required for a set of heated rollers to be heated to a required temperature. Further, some users find heated rollers are difficult to position and apply and find that they achieve inconsistent results using heated rollers. Another common complaint about heated rollers is that the heating chambers required for heating sets of rollers to a desired temperature are bulky and occupy a large amount of space when in use and a large amount of storage space when not in use. Further many users find having to pre-heat heated rollers before they start styling time-consuming and inconvenient.

[0014] People with curly or coily hair have flyaways that are difficult to tame with just astraightener. This means that such individuals frequently need to use a pick comb to style their hair. Requiring both types of styling tools can be inconvenient.

[0015] Similarly certain people find it difficult to curl their hair using a hair straightener and instead use a dedicated curling tool such as a curling tong or a curling wand.

[0016] Therefore, there is a need for alternative systems for styling hair which address or ameliorate at least some of these problems.

[0017] DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0018] One aspect of the present invention provides a hair styling system comprising a hair straightener for styling hair and a set of heatable hair rollers. The hair styling system may also comprise a plurality of hair clips, for holding the hair rollers in place within a user’s hair.

[0019] In such a system, the hair straightener comprises a first arm and a second arm joined at one end, wherein the first arm and second arm are moveable between an open position in which the ends of the arms remote from the join are spaced apart and a closed position in which the ends of the arms remote from the join are brought together. A heating plate is provided at the end of at least one of the first and second arms remote from the join.

[0020] The heatable hair rollers each comprise a barrel having an outer wall defining a cavity and a contact portion thermally connected to the outer wall of the barrel, wherein the cavity is operable to removably receive at least one of the arms of the hair straightener with the heating plate provided on the received arm contacting the contact portion of the roller such that when the heating plate of the received arm is activated, heat from the heating plate is transferred via the contact section to the outer wall of the barrel.

[0021] In use, a user heats each of the individual heatable hair rollers by inserting either one or both of the arms of the hair straightener into the cavity defined by the outer wall of a heatable hair roller. This brings the heating plate of the hair straightener into contact with the contact portion of the heatable hair roller. The heating plate of the hair straightener is then activated which causes heat to be transferred from the heating plate to the hair roller.

[0022] In some embodiments a user may then wait until the heatable hair roller has reached a desired temperature. In other embodiments, preferably, however, a user will immediately start installing the heatable hair roller into their hair, whilst retaining the heatable hair roller in position at the end of the hair straightener, continuing to heat the roller whilst it is beinginstalled as this reduces the total time required for a user to style their hair, particularly compared with conventional hot roller systems which involve heating a hot roller to an operating temperature in a heating chamber in advance of installation.

[0023] In use, a user positions the heated heatable hair rollers in their hair using the hair straightener and wraps hair about the roller by rotating the hair straightener.

[0024] The heated heatable hair rollers may be heated such that the region on the outer edge of the heatable hair roller barrel furthest from the contact portion reaches a temperature of 80-200°C, preferably between 110 and 160°C, more preferably between 120 and 140°C.

[0025] Using a hair straightener to heat and position individual heatable hair rollers within their hair, avoids the need for users to handle the heated rollers directly when they are hot, thereby reducing the chances that a user may injure themselves. As a hair straightener is used to heat individual rollers, there is no need for a separate heating chamber for simultaneously heating all of the rollers at the same time. This reduces the volume of space required for storing the hair styling system when not in use. The hair styling system is also more flexible than a conventional hair styling system as the hair straightener can, if desired be used to style hair with or without the rollers.

[0026] In some embodiments, a hair straightener may be arranged to operate in two different modes. In a first mode of operation, the hair straightener may be operable to apply power to heating plates so as to raise the temperature of a hair strand to a transition temperature. In a second mode of operation the hair straightener may be operable when at least one of the heating plates is in contact with a contact portion of a heatable hair roller to apply more power to the heating plates than is applied in the first mode of operation, so as to enable the heatable hair roller to reach an operating temperature more quickly.

[0027] When a heatable hair roller has been positioned and has been heated to a desired temperature a user then removes the arm or arms from within the cavity defined by the outer wall of the heatable hair roller. In some embodiments, this may be achieved by a user holding one or both ends of the heatable hair roller and moving the hair straightener away from the heatable hair roller. In some embodiments, specific portions of the heatable hair roller may be provided for this purpose and may comprise portions of the heatable hair roller with reduced thermal conductivity or on which a protective coating or other feature is provided which reduces the extent to which the portions are heated or make holding or grasping these portions easier so that a user can hold or touch these portions of the heatable hair roller comfortably when removing the styler from the heatable hairroller.

[0028] When a user has removed the hair straightener from the heatable hair roller, a user may then clip the heatable hair roller in place using a hair clip. Hair clips may, however, not be required where a heatable hair roller has an outer surface which is configured as a grip for engaging with a user’s hair and the engagement between the grip and a user’s hair is sufficient for holding a heatable hair roller in place. These operations are then repeated for other rollers of the set being used to style the user’s hair. After a period of time required for the rollers and a user’s hair to cool and fix a style in place, a user then removes the (now cooled) heatable hair rollers from their hair.

[0029] In some embodiments a hair straightener may be operable to determine the presence and / or the size of a heatable hair roller into which it is inserted.

[0030] In some embodiments the hair straightener may be operable to trigger a warning after power has been applied to the heating plates of the hair straightener for a period of time while at least one of the heating plates is in contact with a contact portion of a heatable hair roller or the heatable hair roller is heated to a desired temperature. Such a warning may be in the form of an audible, visual or haptic warning, via an app or a combination of all of these or any other method suitable for conveying a message I information to the user.

[0031] In some embodiments an anti-scratch coating may be provided on the surface of the heating plates of the hair straightener. Such an anti-scratch coating may protect the heating plates from abrasion from a contact portion of a hair roller when the arms of the hair straightener are inserted and removed from the cavity defined by the outer wall of the hair roller.

[0032] Alternatively, or in addition, the interior of the heatable hair rollers may also be coated or otherwise designed to prevent damage to a hair straightener. Thus, for example, an antiscratch coating could be applied to the contact portion of a heatable hair roller to protect the heating plates from repeated insertions into the interior of a heatable hair roller. Such anti-scratch coating could in some embodiments extend more generally to the interior surface of a heatable hair roller to protect the external cosmetic surfaces on the hair straightener from being scratched.

[0033] Alternatively, rather than an anti-scratch coating other design features such as rubber guards or flexible or deformable features, could be provided on the interior of a heatable hair roller to protect the cosmetic external surfaces of a hair straightener from damage.Such guards or flexible or deformable features could also assist holding a heatable hair roller in place at the end of a hair straightener when the arms of a hair straightener are inserted into the interior of a heatable hair roller and / or causing the heating plates of the hair straightener to be pressed or otherwise be held in contact with a contact surface of a heatable hair roller when the arms of a hair straightener are inserted into the interior of a heatable hair roller.

[0034] In other embodiments, rather than providing such protective features on the interior surface of a heatable hair roller, such protective features could instead be provided on the exterior surfaces of the hair straightener.

[0035] Another aspect of the present invention relates to the heatable hair rollers for use in the system described above.

[0036] The heatable hair rollers for use in the hair styling system may be cylindrical in shape. Such heatable hair rollers may be approximately 70mm in length and have a diameter of between approximately 20mm and 60mm.

[0037] The contact portion of the heatable hair rollers may be provided within the cavity defined by the outer wall of the hair rollers. In some embodiments the contact portion of each of the hair rollers will divide the cavity defined by the outer wall of the hair roller into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first and second portions are configured to receive the ends of the arms of the hair straightener remote from the join when the arms are brought together in a closed configuration.

[0038] In other embodiments the cavity defined by the outer wall of each of the rollers may be configured to removably receive a single arm of the hair straightener and the contact portion may comprise a portion of the outer wall of the hair roller.

[0039] Each of the hair rollers may further comprise a grip extending across at least part of the outer surface of the hair roller, wherein the grip comprises a plurality of protrusions for engaging with a user’s hair.

[0040] A further aspect of the present invention relates to the use of the above-described system for the styling of hair, comprising:

[0041] (i) providing a hair styling system as described above;

[0042] (ii) inserting at least one of the arms of the hair straightener into the cavity defined by the outer wall of a heatable hair roller of the set of heatable hair rollers so that theheating plate provided on the arm is brought into contact with the contact portion of the heatable hair roller;

[0043] (iii) heating the heatable hair roller to a desired temperature by activating the heating plate;

[0044] (iv) positioning the heated roller into a user’s hair using the hair straightener;

[0045] (v) removing the at least one arm from the cavity defined by the outer wall of the heatable hair roller;

[0046] (vi) repeating steps (ii) - (v) using other rollers in the set of heatable hair rollers; (vii) retaining the positioned heatable hair rollers in place for a period of time; and (viii) removing the rollers from the user’s hair.

[0047] In some embodiments, the extent of heating by a hair straightener may vary over time. Thus, for example in one embodiment, a hair straightener may be configured to heat a heatable hair roller to a first temperature for an initial positioning operation and then to a second, higher temperature when a heatable hair roller has been positioned. Potentially, heating a heatable hair roller in this way may make positioning a heatable hair roller more comfortable for a user who is more liable to handle a heatable hair roller in an initial portion of a positioning operation when initially inserting a heatable hair roller in their hair than at the end of a positioning operation.

[0048] In some embodiments, a hair straightener could include a detector such as a motion detector to determine the manner of use of the hair straightener and select an activation level for activating the hair straightener based upon a detected motion. Thus, for example in one such embodiment, a hair straightener could be caused to initiate heating when it was determined that at least one of the arms of the hair straightener had been inserted into the cavity inside a heatable hair roller. The hair straightener could then be arranged to initiate heating to a second temperature when detection of initiation of a positioning operation had occurred (e.g. upon detection of the hair straightener being rotated as a user wrapped hair about a heated roller which had been mounted on the hair straightener). The hair straightener could then be arranged to heat the heatable hair roller to a third temperature when the positioning operation ceased (e.g. when rotation of the hair straightener was detected to have ended). In other embodiments rather than determining how a hair straightener was being used based upon detected motion other means could be used to detect or infer the manner of use of a hair straightener. Thus, for example, different modes of operation could be initiated by a user pressing a button. Alternatively, ahair straightener could initiate different modes of operation sequentially with each mode being initiated a set time period after the initiation of the previous mode. Alternatively, a combination of such methods might be used (e.g. initiating a particular mode of operation a set time period after detection of motion or the pressing of a button etc.)

[0049] In some embodiments, heatable hair rollers may be pre-heated to a first temperature, for example using a heating chamber similar to a conventional hot roller heating system before being further heated by the heating plates of a hair straightener. Such embodiments would reduce the power demands placed on a hair straightener to heat the heatable hair rollers as the heatable hair rollers would be at a certain temperature before being further heated using the heating plates of the hair straightener. In such embodiments the temperature to which heatable hair rollers were pre-heated would preferably be a temperature at which handling of the heatable hair rollers would not be uncomfortable for a user.

[0050] It will also be noted that in some embodiments rather than having a hair straightener raise the temperature of a heatable hair roller to a particular temperature, heatable hair rollers could instead be heated for a predetermined time period or alternatively, based on hair straightener performance characteristics, for a period and in a particular manner so as to cause a predetermined amount of thermal energy to be transferred from the heating plates of the hair straightener to the heatable hair roller so as to achieve a desired hair style.

[0051] In that respect, it will be appreciated that when thermal energy is transferred from heating plates of a hair straightener to a contact portion of a heatable hair roller, the heatable hair roller need not necessarily be at a consistent temperature state when the hair straightener is removed from the heatable hair roller. The contact plate may be hotter than the outer circumference of the heater barrel, for example. Thermal energy transfer from the hotter contact plate to the outer circumference of the heatable hair roller, about which hair may be wrapped, may continue after a heat source (i.e. the heating plates on the hair straightener) has been removed from the heatable hair roller. Determining this has the benefit that the user may not need to hold the hair straightener in the heatable hair roller until a consistent temperature state has been reached, but until sufficient thermal energy has been transferred to the heatable hair roller in order to heat the outer circumference of the heatable hair roller to a suitable temperature to style the hair.

[0052] Based on calculation / modelling / empirical measurement, it may be determined what temperature the outer surface of the heatable hair roller will reach for a given heating time and temperature of the heater plates. Additionally or instead, the power consumption by the hair straightener required to reach a given temperature may be determined based oncalculation / modelling / empirical measurement. A value or values regarding heating time and / or desired heater plate temperature and / or required thermal energy transfer and / or required power consumption to achieve styling could be stored in the hair straightener, or in a smart chip in the heatable hair roller to convey information to the hair straightener and / or to the user as to when to stop heating a heatable hair roller.

[0053] In embodiments the energy usage / power consumption of the hair straightener could be monitored and used to estimate the extent of transfer of thermal energy.

[0054] In some embodiments a sensor could be provided to determine the temperature at the outer circumference of the heatable hair roller with the user being informed when the desired temperature has been reached via sound, light, haptics etc. on the heatable hair roller and / or on the hair straightener. Such a sensor may be located at the pre-determined coolest point on the outer circumference of the tubular barrel.

[0055] Alternatively, or additionally, a temperature sensor could be located on the contact surface of the heatable hair roller. The detected temperature of the contact surface could then by empirical measurement or thermal modelling be used to infer the exterior surface temperature of the heatable hair roller. Such a calculated or inferred exterior surface temperature could be based upon the dimensions (e.g. radius) of the heatable hair roller being heated and could be used to determine an estimated temperature range which accounts for other factors such as variability in hair properties, tress size and the like. The estimated or detected temperature could then be used to trigger an indicator (e.g. a light, sound or haptic warning etc.) to inform a user when a heatable hair roller had been sufficiently heated so that a user could be prompted to remove the hair straightener from the heatable hair roller.

[0056] A further aspect of the present invention provides an attachment for a hair straightener for converting the hair straightener into a hair pick, the attachment comprising: a thermally insulative tubular body; and a planar insert having high thermal conductivity, wherein a first portion of the planar insert extends within cavity defined by the tubular body and a second portion of the planar insert extends outside of the tubular body, the second portion of the planar insert being shaped so as to define a series of tines in the manner of comb.

[0057] Another aspect of the present invention provides an attachment for converting a hair straightener into a curling wand, the attachment comprising: a barrel having an outer wall defining a cavity; and a contact portion thermally connected to the outer wall of the barrel, wherein the cavity is operable to removably receive the ends of the arms of a hair straightener having a heating plate provided thereon with the heating plate of a receivedarm of the hair straightener contacting opposing sides of the contact portion such that when the heating plate of the received arm is activated heat from the heating plate is transferred via the contact section to the outer wall of the barrel.

[0058] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be carried into effect reference shall now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0060] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hair styling system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0061] Figure 2 is a perspective side view of a heatable hair roller;

[0062] Figure 3 is a perspective end view of the heatable hair roller of Figure 2;

[0063] Figure 4a is an illustration of the arms of a hair straightener being inserted into a heatable hair roller;

[0064] Figure 4b is an illustration of a heatable hair roller positioned at the end of a hair straightener;

[0065] Figure 4c is a cross-sectional view of the arms of a hair straightener positioned within a heatable hair roller;

[0066] Figures 4d- 4f are illustrations of a user wrapping a section of their hair about a heatable hair roller held between the arms of a hair straightener and using the hair straightener to position heated heatable hair rollers within their hair;

[0067] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative form of heatable hair roller formed from a metal sheet;

[0068] Figures 6 & 7 are cross-sectional views of further alternative designs of heatable hair rollers;

[0069] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of an arm of a hair straightener positioned within a further alternative design of a heatable hair roller;

[0070] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of another alternative form of a heatable hair roller;Figure 10 is a cross- sectional view of another alternative form of a heatable hair roller;

[0071] Figure 11 is a perspective view of an attachment for converting a hair straightener into a pick comb;

[0072] Figure 12 is a side view of the attachment of Figure 11 mounted on a hair straightener; and

[0073] Figure 13 is a perspective view of an attachment for converting a hair straightener into a curling wand mounted on the arms of a hair straightener.

[0074] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0075] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hair straightener 1, a set of heatable hair rollers 3 and a set of hair clips 5 of which 4 hair clips are depicted in Figure 1. The set of heatable hair rollers 3 in figure 1 comprises 12 rollers in a variety of different sizes. Each of the rollers is cylindrical in shape and approximately 70 mm long. However, the diameter of the rollers varies with some of the rollers having a diameter of approximately 20 mm, some having a diameter of approximately 40 mm and other rollers having a diameter of approximately 60 mm. The hair rollers are depicted as comprising an optional touch portion or end cap at one end to provide a stop so that the rollers cannot slide too far onto the hair straightener in use. The end cap may also comprise insulative materials that remain cool to touch such that the user may grip the end cap when manipulating a heatable hair roller 3 in their hair. In some embodiments the end cap may have a larger diameter than the outside diameter of the heatable hair roller 3 and may additionally or instead extend beyond the length of the barrel of the heatable hair roller 3 such that the user is further protected from touching the hot heatable hair roller 3 in use. The end cap may be attached to the heatable hair roller 3 using any suitable method.

[0076] The hair straightener 1 comprises a pair of opposable arms 7,8 joined at one end which are moveable between an open position (depicted in Figure 1) and a closed position where the arms 7,8 are brought together. A pair of heating plates 9 are provided on the surfaces of the arms 7,8 which face each other remote from the end of the hair straightener 1 where the arms 7,8 are joined. An anti-scratch coating may be provided on the surface of the heating plates 9 to protect the heating plates 9 from being scratched.

[0077] A user holds the hair straightener 1 by gripping the portion of the arms 7,8 between the portion of the arms where the heating plates 9 are provided and the end of the hairstraightener 1 where the arms 7,8 are joined. Squeezing the arms 7,8 together brings the arms into a closed position. When the arms 7,8 are released, an internal biasing mechanism (not shown) causes the arms to be brought back to the open position depicted in Figure 1.

[0078] When using the hair straightener 1 in the manner of a conventional hair styling tool, a user grips hair between the heating plates 9 and activates the heating plates 9 so as to apply heat to the hair causing the hair to become mouldable. A user can then either straighten the hair by running the plates 9 along the length of the hair or introduce curls into the hair by turning the hair straightener 1 through approximately 180 degrees or more after clamping the hair between the arms and before moving the hair straightener 1 along the tress of hair 40.

[0079] In this embodiment, which depicts a corded hair straightener 1, power is supplied to the hair straightener 1 via a power cord 11 attached via a swivel connector 13 at the end of the hair straightener 1 remote from the heating plates 9. The swivel connector 13 enables the power cord 11 to remain in a fixed orientation when the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 are rotated about an axis passing through the centre of the swivel connector 13. An on / off button 15 is provided on the inner surface of one of the arms 7,8. When the on / off button 15 is depressed, this causes power to be applied to the heating plates 9 causing them to heat up.

[0080] Although a corded hair straightener 1 is shown in Figure 1, it will be appreciated that instead of a corded hair straightener, an uncorded hair straightener could be used. If an uncorded hair straightener is used, the power cord 11 and swivel connection 13 would be omitted and instead, the hair straightener is powered by an internal power source such as a rechargeable battery.

[0081] As is described in greater detail below, rather than using the hair straightener 1 in a conventional manner, the provision of a set of specially configured heatable hair rollers 3 provides an alternative way in which a user can style their hair.

[0082] More specifically, rather than using the hair straightener 1 to apply heat directly to selected portions of a user’s hair, a user can instead insert the ends of the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 into a heatable hair roller 3 of a selected size. The heating plates 9 of the hair straightener can then be activated heating the heatable hair roller 3. When the heatable hair roller 3 has reached the required temperature for styling or whilst the heatable hair roller is still being heated, a user uses the hair straightener 1 to insert theheatable hair roller 3 into their hair (e.g. by rotating the hair straightener to “wind” the hair around the heatable hair roller 3). The user then releases and removes the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 from the heatable hair roller 3 leaving the heated heatable hair roller 3 in place in the user’s hair. Optionally, the hair clips 5 can be used to hold the heatable hair rollers 3 in place. A user’s desired style can then be achieved by leaving the heated heatable hair rollers 3 in place for a desired amount of time before removing the (now cooled) rollers 3 from the user’s hair.

[0083] Figures 2 and 3 are respectively a perspective side view and a perspective end view of a heatable hair roller 17 which is configured to receive the arms 7,8 of a hair straightener 1 and enable the heating plates 9 of a hair straightener 1 to heat the heatable hair roller 17 to an operating temperature for styling a user’s hair and enable the hair straightener 1 to be used to position the heatable hair roller 17 in a user’s hair.

[0084] In this embodiment, the heatable hair roller 17 comprises a tubular barrel which in this embodiment is open at one end. A touch portion 19 is provided at the closed end of the tubular barrel. In some embodiments the touch portion 19 may be shaped (e.g. having indentations around its circumference) or may include a hoop or handle to help a user to grip the touch portion 19. In some embodiments there may be a second touch portion 19 such that there is a touch portion 19 at both the opposing ends of the heatable hair roller 17, e.g. at the opposing ends of the tubular barrel. The touch portion 19 may be insulated, alternatively the touch portion 19 may be a separate part attached to the heatable hair roller 17 that has a lower thermal conductivity than the main body of the heatable hair roller 17 so that it stays cooler. Alternatively, the touch portion 19 may be an integral part of the main body of the heatable hair roller 17 that has been designed / shaped so as to lose heat more readily so that it stays cooler. Alternatively, in some embodiments the touch portion 19 may have an insulative coating or feature overlying that portion of the heatable hair roller barrel. Still further the touch portion may be formed / moulded as part of the heatable hair roller to be a portion with different thermal properties in this region such that it is cooler to touch.

[0085] A grip 21 comprising an array of tufts or spikes or other protrusions to catch a user’s hair and create tension in the hair so as to allow wrapping of the hair around the heatable hair roller 17 extends around the exterior circumference of the roller 17 for the rest of the length of the heatable hair roller 17 other than the touch portion 19. In this embodiment, the grip 21 is made out of a plastic material with a relatively high melting point (e.g. in excess of 185°C) so as to withstand being heated by the heating plates 9 of a hair straightener 1.The provision of a touch portion 19 at one or both ends of the heatable hair roller 17 means that a user does not have to hold the grip 21 when handling the roller 17. Having the touch portion 19 made out of lower conductivity or insulating material or with a rapid cooling design also reduces the extent to which the touch portion 19 is heated in use. In use, direct user contact with the heatable hair roller 17 when the roller is heated is generally avoided by using the hair straightener 1 as an insertion tool so that users do not have to touch the heatable hair roller 17 while it is hot, though in some instances they may use the cooler touch portion 19 in conjunction with the hair straightener to roll their hair onto the heatable hair roller 17. The touch portion 19 may additionally or instead provide users with a surface to hold when removing the rollers 17 from their hair after they have cooled and when the temperature of the touch portion 19 is such that it can be handled comfortably.

[0086] In some embodiments in addition to acting to catch a user’s hair, the tufts, spikes or other protrusions provided on the grip surface 21 may have additional functionalities such as the protrusions or arrangements of tufts having wavy profiles to provide additional shaping to the hair. In some embodiments, some of the protrusions or spikes may be integral with and or thermally connected to the main body of the heatable hair roller 1 so as to provide improved thermal transfer into the tress of hair wrapped around the heatable hair roller 1.

[0087] In some arrangements the tufts, spikes or protrusions may be arranged so that they can be deployed from and retracted into the barrel of the heatable hair roller. The retractable tufts, spikes or protrusions may be deployed and retracted by the user or upon insertion and removal of the hair straightener into the barrel of the heatable hair roller. Such an arrangement may have benefits for storage of the heatable hair rollers by reducing their size and additionally for protecting the tufts, spikes or protrusions.

[0088] As may best be seen in Figure 3, the main body of the heatable hair roller 17 around which the grip 21 is wrapped in this embodiment comprises a cylindrical outer wall 23 and a contact portion 25 which are integrally formed and connected to each other. In this embodiment the contact portion 25 is in the form of a central bar extending across the cavity defined by the outer wall 23 so as to divide the central cavity into a first portion 27 and a second portion 29. The outer wall 23 and the contact portion 25 are configured so that the first 27 and second portions 29 of the cavity are configured to be able to receive the ends of the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 where the heating plates 9 of the hair straightener 1 are provided. The contact portion 25 and the outer wall 23 will typically be made of a lightweight metal with good thermal properties such as aluminium or magnesium which is either cast or extruded into the required shape.Preferably the interior surface of the outer wall 23 of the heatable hair roller 17 is configured so as to hold the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 in a closed position with the heating plates 9 of the hair straightener 1 resting on the contact portion 25 when the ends of the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 are inserted into the first portion 27 and second portion 29 of the cavity defined by the outer wall 23. This will ensure that the heating plates 9 remain in contact with the contact portion 25 when the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 are inserted into the heatable hair roller 17. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments the cavity may be larger than the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1. This will make insertion of the arms 7, 8 into the cavity easier. However, in embodiments where the arms 7,8 are biased towards adopting an open configuration with the arms 7,8 are spaced apart, having a cavity which is larger in cross-section than the arms 7,8 may require that a user holds the arms together when the hair styler 1 is used to heat and position a heatable hair roller 1.

[0089] Figures 4a-4f illustrate the hair styling system of Figure 1 in use.

[0090] Initially as is shown in Figure 4a, a user inserts the ends of the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 where the heating plates 9 of the hair straightener 1 are provided into the cavity defined by the outer wall 23 of a heatable hair roller 17 with the ends of the arms being either side of the contact portion 25 of the heatable hair roller 17. When inserting the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 into the cavity the anti-scratch coating (if provided) on the surface of the heating plates 9 protects the heating plates 9 from being scratched by imperfections on the surface of the contact portion 25.

[0091] Figure 4b shows a hair straightener 1 and heatable hair roller 17 with the ends of the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 where the heating plates 9 of the hair straightener 1 are provided inserted into the cavity defined by the outer wall 23 of a heatable hair roller 17. A cross-sectional diagram through the heatable hair roller 17 when the hair straightener 1 and heatable hair roller 17 are in the configuration shown in Figure 4b is shown in Figure 4c.

[0092] As can be seen in Figure 4c, in this embodiment the outer wall 23 and the contact portion 25 of the heatable hair roller 17 are configured so that when the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 are inserted into the first 27 and second portions 29 of the cavity defined by the outer wall 23 and the contact portion 25 of the heatable hair roller 17, the heating plates 9 of the hair straightener 1 are caused to be held in a position where the heating plates 9 contact the contact portion 25 of the heatable hair roller 17.With the hair straightener 1 and heatable hair roller 17 in the configuration shown in Figure 4b, a user activates the heating plates 9 of the hair straightener. As the heating plates contact the contact portion 25 of the heatable hair roller 17, this causes the contact portion 25 to heat up. As the contact portion 25 is in thermal contact with the rest of the heatable hair roller 17, in particular as it is thermally connected to the outer wall 23 of the heatable hair roller 17, heating the contact portion 25 causes the rest of the heatable hair roller 17 to increase in temperature until a desired operating temperature has been reached.

[0093] In some embodiments, activation of the heating plates 9 may involve driving the heating plates 9 harder than they would normally be driven when straightening hair as in this mode of operation the purpose of driving the heating plates 9 is to raise the temperature of the heatable hair roller 17 to an operating temperature as quickly as possible rather than merely increasing the temperature of a hair strand to above a glass transition temperature. As the heating plates 9 contacting the surface of the contact portion 25 of the heatable hair roller 17 are within the heatable hair roller 17 itself, safety concerns relating to the heating plates 9 contacting a user’s scalp or the heating plates burning a user’s hair are reduced.

[0094] Determination of when a heatable hair roller 17 has been sufficiently heated, could be achieved in a number of different ways.

[0095] Thus, for example, in some embodiments a visible portion of the heatable hair roller 17 could be painted using thermochromic paint which was arranged to change colour when the heatable hair roller 17 reached a desired temperature.

[0096] In other embodiments, the hair straightener 1 and / or the heatable hair roller 17 could include a timer which was arranged to trigger an audible, visual or tactile alarm (e.g. a beep or other sound, vibration, lights or a countdown on a visual display etc.) after a predetermined time-period sufficient to heat the heatable hair roller 17 to a desired temperature has passed since the hair straightener 1 was activated with the arms of the hair straightener inserted within a heatable hair roller 17.

[0097] In some embodiments, the time-period before an alarm was triggered could be determined based upon the size of the heatable hair roller 17 being heated. In some such embodiments, each of the heatable hair rollers 17 might be provided with an RFID chip arranged to communicate with the hair straightener 1 to inform the hair straightener 1 of the size of the roller 17.

[0098] Alternatively, the size of a heatable hair roller 17 might be communicated to a hairstraightener 1 in other ways.

[0099] Thus, for example, the hair straightener 1 might be arranged to monitor the rate of heat transfer from the heating plates 9 to the heatable hair roller 17 to determine the size of a heatable hair roller 17 and the length of time required to heat the heatable hair roller 17 to a particular temperature.

[0100] In other embodiments, the hair straightener 1 might be arranged to infer that a heatable hair roller 17 has reached a desired temperature by determining that the temperature of the contact portion 25 matches the temperature of the heating plates 9 of the hair straightener 1 indicating that heat is no longer being conducted away from the contact portion 25 to the outer wall 23 of the heatable hair roller 17 and trigger an alarm when this is determined to have occurred.

[0101] It will also be appreciated that rather than being incorporated into a hair straightener, a timer or alarm could be provided in the form of an app on a cell phone or other mobile device and a user could manually input information into the app in order for the app to determine the time required to heat a roller 17 to a desired temperature or in other embodiments (e.g. where a heatable hair roller 17 was equipped with an RFID chip) the information could be communicated to a mobile device automatically.

[0102] It will also be appreciated that the hair straightener 1 could be provided with a detector to detect when the ends of the hair straightener 1 are inserted into a heatable hair roller 17 (e.g. by having a depressible switch at the end of the hair straightener 1 which is caused to be depressed when the ends of the hair straightener 1 come into contact with the closed end of the heatable hair roller 17). Where a hair straightener 1 includes such a sensor, the detection of the insertion of the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 into a heatable hair roller 17 could be used to select the mode of operation of the hair straightener 1 and cause the heating plates 9 for the hair straightener 1 to be heated to a greater temperature than would be utilised when using the hair straightener 1 to style hair in a conventional manner.

[0103] When the heatable hair roller 17 has been heated to a desired temperature, the user positions the heatable hair roller 17 in a section of hair by holding the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 and wrapping a section of their hair in the hair curler grip 21 as is shown in Figure 4d and rotating the hair straightener 1 whilst moving up from the end of the hair strand toward the scalp so that the strand is wrapped around the heatable hair roller 17 as is shown in Figure 4e. This hair strand and heatable hair roller 17 is then held in place by clipping a hair clip 5 around the heatable hair roller 17 and the operation is repeated for asmany rollers 17 as are desired to be used to achieve a particular style. When this has been repeated for all the rollers 17 the result is as shown in Figure 4f. The heated heatable hair rollers 17 are then left in place for a period of time during which the heated rollers 17 initially heat the hair wrapped around them. The hair then cools which fixes a style in place, after which the hair clips 5 and heatable hair rollers 17 can be removed. In some cases, the hair clips 5 may not be necessary and the hair curler grip 21 of the heatable hair roller 17 may be sufficient to hold the heatable hair roller 17 in the hair.

[0104] The use of a hair straightener 1 to heat and position heatable hair rollers 17 has a number of advantages over conventional heated rollers. Using a hair straightener 1 as a positioning tool means that a user does not have to touch the heated rollers when they are hot. Also compared to conventional hot roller systems, the heating time required to heat and position a heatable hair roller 17 is reduced because a heatable hair roller 17 can continue to be heated using the heating plates 9 of hair straightener 1 during the positioning process and the heatable hair roller 17 may not start cooling until the hair straightener 1 is switched off / removed from it (depending on operating instructions to the hair straightener 1), unlike conventional hot rollers heated in a heatable chamber which start cooling as soon as they are removed from the heatable chamber.

[0105] The use of a hair straightener 1 to heat the heatable hair rollers 17 also avoids the need to provide a dedicated heating chamber for heating the rollers. That having been said in some embodiments, the above-described system may be combined with the use of a conventional heating chamber. However, rather than using the heating chamber to heat a heatable hair roller 17 to a desired operating temperature, the heating chamber could be used just to pre-heat the rollers to a lower temperature than the operating temperature. This would reduce the amount of time and the power demands placed on a hair straightener 1 to heat the rollers to an operating temperature. At the same time, a user would not need to handle the heatable hair rollers 17 when they were fully heated.

[0106] It will be appreciated that other shapes and configurations of heatable hair roller 17 might be used.

[0107] Figures 5-10 illustrate some alternative designs of heated rollers 17 for use in accordance with the hair styling system of Figure 1.

[0108] Although the heatable hair roller 17 illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 has been described as being extruded or cast, an alternative would be to form the heatable hair roller from sheet metal which is shaped into an S shaped tube, the cross section of which is illustrated inFigure 5. In such an embodiment, the outer wall 23 and contact portion of the heatable hair roller are different parts of a single sheet of metal which has been bent into shape.

[0109] It will also be appreciated that it is not essential that a heatable hair roller 17 is necessarily cylindrical in shape with a contact portion 25 in the form of a central bar extending across the cavity enclosed by the outer wall 23 of the roller 17.

[0110] Thus, for example, rather than having a circular cross section, heatable hair rollers 17 could be provided with an oval cross-section such as illustrated in Figure 6.

[0111] Equally, rather than being positioned in the centre of the heatable hair roller 17, the contact portion could be off set from the centre as is illustrated in Figure 7.

[0112] Alternatively, rather than extending across the centre of the cavity, the cavity might be configured to receive only a single arm 7,8 of a hair straightener 1 and a portion of the outer wall 23 of the roller might act as the contact portion 25 which provides a contact surface for transferring heat from the heating plates 9 of a hair straightener 1 to the body of a heatable hair roller 17.

[0113] Figure 8 is an illustrative example of the cross-section of an arm 8 of a hair straightener 1 inserted into a heatable hair roller 17 having a non-circular cross section where the heating plate 9 provided on the arm 8 of the hair straightener 1 is caused to be brought into contact with a flat section of the outer wall 23 of the roller 17 which acts as a contact portion 25 for enabling thermal energy to be transferred from the heating plate 9 to the heatable hair roller 17.

[0114] It will be appreciated that although many such alternative configurations may be possible, a heatable hair roller 17 which is able to receive both arms 7,8 of a hair straightener 1 may be preferred as having both arms 7,8 on the inside of a roller 17 enables a roller 17 to be heated using both heating plates 9 of a hair straightener 1 and makes wrapping hair around a roller 17 using a hair straightener 1 easier.

[0115] It will also be appreciated that in some embodiments rather than having a heatable hair roller 17 with a single contact portion in the form of a bar, in some embodiments two separate contact portions 25 (one for each of the heating plates 9 on the two arms 7,8) might be provided which are spaced apart and separated from one another by a gap 31 as is illustrated in Figure 9. Such a design may make use of the outward sprung biasing of a hair straightener 1 to assist with holding the styler arms 7,8 in place within a heatablehair roller, or the user may hold the arms 7,8 of the hair styler 1 to maintain the arms 7,8 in a partially closed position clamping the hair straightener 1 onto the heatable hair roller 17 so that each arm 7,8 makes contact with a respective internal contact portion 25. Having two internal contact portions 25 may be beneficial to allow for different sizes of heatable hair roller 17 as the two internal contact portions 25 may be closer together or further apart depending on the desired diameter of the heatable hair roller 17.

[0116] In some arrangements one or both of the two contact portions 25 may be angled away from the other along the length of the barrel of the heatable hair roller 17 so as to accommodate a hair straightener 1 whose heatable plates are not parallel or close to parallel to each other when they are in an open or partially open position.

[0117] In some embodiments, additional protrusions or barriers may be provided on the surface of a contact portion 25 or within the cavity 27,29 to hold the inserted portion of a hair straightener 1 in a particular position on the contact portion 25. A cross -sectional view of such a heatable hair roller 17 including such protrusions or barriers 33 is illustrated in Figure 10. Such a design would be particularly suitable for larger diameter heatable hair rollers 17, where the diameter of the heatable hair roller 17 is much larger than the width of the arm 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 used to heat the heatable roller 17. The use of such barriers or protrusions 33 would help position the arm 7,8 so as to centre the hair straightener 1 within the heatable hair roller 17 which would assist in ensuring that the heatable hair roller 17 is heated uniformly. The protrusions 33 could be formed integrally as part of the contact portion 25. Alternatively, the protrusions 33 could be formed as a separate part that is mounted on the contact section 25. Still further the barriers or protrusions 33 may be movable or adjustable on the contact portion 25 so as to be able to accommodate different designs and sizes of hair straightener 1.

[0118] Although in the above-described embodiments, heatable hair rollers 17 have been described as being open at one end, it will be appreciated that in some embodiments rather than being open at one end, a heatable hair roller 17 could be open at both ends, permitting the arms 7,8 or an arm of a hair straightener 1 to be inserted via either end. In some such embodiments some kind of stop (e.g. a protrusion) might extend into the interior of the hair roller 17 to prevent the arm or arms 7,8 from being inserted via a particular end or beyond a certain position within the hair roller 17.

[0119] Although, embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the use of a hair straightener 1 to heat heatable hair rollers 17, it will be appreciated thatthe present invention is also equally applicable to the use of other types of hair styling apparatus for heating individual heatable hair rollers 17. Thus, for example, hair styling apparatus exist in the form of multitools in which a variety of hair styling tools (e.g. hot brush head attachments, hair straightener attachments, curling attachments etc.) may be attached to a handle and embodiments of the present invention could be implemented using such a multitool instead of a dedicated hair straightener. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, potentially heatable hair rollers could be provided which are adapted to provide a contact surface for other types of hair styling device which incorporate heaters for heating and styling hair.

[0120] In some arrangements the heatable hair rollers 17 may comprise regions of solid material to provide additional thermal mass for improved heat retention. These may be adjacent to the contact portion, as shown in Figure 3, or they may be provided in any suitable arrangement in the heatable hair roller.

[0121] In some arrangements to provide a lighter product for the user the heatable hair rollers 17 may comprise regions of air voids as shown in Figure 6, or they may be manufactured using sheet or plate material formed into a suitable shape, as shown in Figure 5, for example.

[0122] Although in the previous embodiments, the use of a hair straightening apparatus 1 to heat and instal heatable hair rollers 17 has been described, it will be appreciated that rather than using a hair straightener 1 to heat heatable hair rollers 17, in other embodiments a hair straightener 1 could be used to heat other forms of attachment which might turn the hair straightening apparatus 1 into a different type of hair styling apparatus such as a curling tong or wand or a pick comb.

[0123] Figure 11 is a perspective view of an attachment 40 for converting a hair straightener into a pick comb.

[0124] The attachment 40 comprises a tubular outer body 42 made from thermally insulative material and a substantially rectangular planar insert 43 made of a material having high thermal conductivity such as a metal such as aluminium or magnesium or other light weight metal having good thermal conductivity. The planar insert 43 has an upper portion 44 and a lower portion 45. The upper portion 44 is shaped so as to define a series of tines in the manner of a comb whereas the lower portion 45 in this embodiment is substantially rectangular without any indentations. The planar insert 43 is slightly shorter in length than the axial extent of the tubular outer body 42. A slot 46 open at one end corresponding inlength to the length of the planar insert 43 extends along the tubular outer body 42. A groove 47 is provided on the portion of the interior of tubular outer body 42 directly opposite the slot 46. The planar insert 43 is mounted on the tubular outer body 42 by being inserted into the slot 46 via the open end of the slot 46 with the edge of the lower portion 45 of the planar insert 43 being held within the groove 47. When inserted into the slot 46 and the groove 47, the lower portion 45 of the planar insert 43 divides the cavity defined by the walls of the tubular outer body 42 into two parts 48,49 corresponding in size to the cross section of the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 with which the attachment 40 is intended to be used.

[0125] In use, the arms 7,8 of a hair straightener 1 are inserted into the cavities 48,49 either side of the planar inset 43. Figure 12 is a side view of the attachment of Figure 11 mounted on a hair straightener 1 with the arms inserted in into the cavities 48,49 either side of the planar inset 43. When inserted, the tubular outer body 42 holds the heating plates 9 (not shown in Figure 12) of the hair straightener 1 against either side of the lower portion 44 of the planar insert 43.

[0126] When the heating plates 9 on the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 are activated with the arms 7,8 of the hair straightener 1 inserted within the tubular outer body 42 of the attachment 40, this causes heat to be transferred via the lower portion 45 of the planar insert 43 to the tines of the upper portion 44 which extend above the outer surface of the tubular outer body 42. Simultaneously, the thermally insulative tubular outer body 42 protects a user scalp from direct heat from the heating plates 9. The hair straightener 1 with the attachment 40 mounted on the arms 7,8 can therefore be used as a heated pick comb to style a user’s hair.

[0127] Figure 13 is a perspective view of an attachment 50 for converting a hair straightener 1 into a curling wand mounted on the arms 7,8 of a hair straightener 1. The attachment 50 is similar in construction to the heatable hair rollers 17 previously described except the attachment 50 is larger and lacks an external grip 21 or an end portion 19. Thus, the attachment 50 comprises a tubular metal barrel comprising an outer wall and an integrally formed and connected contact portion (not visible in Figure 13) which divides the cavity defined by the outer wall of the attachment 50 into two parts, into which the arms 7,8 of a hair straightener can be inserted. In this embodiment, the tubular metal barrel is open at both ends and when mounted on the arms 7,8 of a hair straightener 1 , the ends 52,54 of the arms 7,8 protrude through the far end of the barrel. In embodiments the attachment 50 may have a circular or oval cross-section.ln use, a user inserts the arms 7,8 of a hair straightener 1 into the attachment 50 as shown in Figure 3. This converts the hair straightener 1 into a curling wand or tong. Then the user activates the heating plates 9 of the hair straightener 1 , this causes heat to be transferred via the contact portion within the inner cavity defined by the outer wall of the attachment 50 to the outer wall of the attachment 50. A user can then curl their hair by wrapping their hair about the attachment 50 and using the heated attachment 50 to raise heat the hair. When the attachment 50 is withdrawn from within the curl, the hair remains curled and cools fixing the curl in place. Unlike the previous embodiments in which a hair straightener 1 is used to heat heatable hair rollers 17, the attachment 50 remains mounted on the hair styler 1 throughout the styling operation.

[0128] In some embodiments, preferably portions of the interior of the attachment other than the contact portion within the cavity defined by the outer wall of the attachment 50 and the outer wall of the attachment itself (e.g. the inner surfaces of the attachment 50 other than the contact portion) are covered with an insulating material to protect the casing of a hair straightener 1 from being adversely impacted by heat transferred from the heating plates 9 to the attachment 50.

[0129] It will be generally understood that features described in relation to one of the attachments discussed herein may suitably be used more generally, for example either the pick comb attachment 40 or the curling tong attachment 50 may comprise an end cap or touch portion 19 as described with reference to figures 1 and 2. Equally, in other embodiments the interiors of heatable rollers 3 may be covered in insulating material to protect the casing of a hair straightener 1 from being adversely impacted by heat when the hair straightener 1 is used to heat heatable rollers 3.

[0130] No doubt many other effective alternatives will occur to the skilled person, and it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the described embodiments and encompasses modifications apparent to those skilled in the art lying within the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto.

[0131] Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words “comprise” variations such as “comprising” means “including but not limited to and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other moieties, additives, components, or integers.

[0132] Throughout the description and claims, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context requires otherwise. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unlessthe context requires otherwise.

[0133] Features, integers, characteristics or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example, of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith.

Claims

1. - 25 - Claims:

1. A hair styling system comprising:a hair straightener for styling hair, the hair straightener comprising:a first arm and a second arm joined at one end, wherein the first arm and second arm are moveable between an open position in which the ends of the arms remote from the join are spaced apart and a closed position in which the ends of the arms remote from the join are brought together; and a heating plate provided at the end of at least one of the first and second arms remote from the join; anda set of heatable hair rollers, each of the hair rollers comprising:a barrel having an outer wall defining a cavity; and a contact portion thermally connected to the outer wall of the barrel, wherein the cavity is operable to removably receive at least one of the arms of the hair straightener with the heating plate provided on the received arm contacting the contact portion of the roller such that when the heating plate of the received arm is activated heat from the heating plate is transferred via the contact section to the outer wall of the barrel.

2. A hair styling system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the hair straightener is operable to apply power to the heating plates in a first mode of operation wherein the heating plates are operable to raise the temperature of a hair strand to or above a transition temperature; and in a second mode of operation when at least one of the heating plates is in contact with a contact portion of a heatable hair roller, wherein more power is applied to the heating plates in the second mode of operation than in the first mode of operation.

3. A hair styling system in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the hair straightener is operable to determine the presence or the size of a heatable hair roller into which it is inserted.

4. A hair styling system in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein the hair straightener is operable to trigger a warning after power has been applied to the heating plates of the hair straightener for a period of time while at least one of the heating plates is in contact with a contact portion of a heatable hair roller.

5. A hair styling system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the warning comprises awarning selected from an audible, visual or haptic warning.

6. A hair styling system in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein an antiscratch coating / feature is provided on the surface of the heating plates of the hair straightener and / or the surface of the contact portion of the heatable hair roller.

7. A hair styling system in accordance with any preceding claim, wherein an antiscratch coating / feature is provided on the inside of the cavity to protect the external surface of the hair straightener from the hot roller.

8. A hair styling system in accordance with any preceding claim wherein each of the hair rollers is cylindrical in shape.

9. A hair styling system in accordance with any preceding claim wherein each of the hair rollers is approximately 70mm in length and has a diameter of between approximately 20mm and 60mm.

10. A hairstyling system in accordance with any preceding claim wherein the contact portion of each of the hair rollers is provided within the cavity defined by the outer wall of the hair rollers.

11. A hair styling system in accordance with claim 9 wherein the contact portion of each of the hair rollers divides the cavity defined by the outer wall of the hair rollers into a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first and second portions are configured to receive the ends of the arms of the hair straightener remote from the join when the arms are brought together in a closed configuration.

12. A hair styling system in accordance with any of claims 1-9, wherein the cavity defined by the outer wall of each of the rollers is configured to removably receive a single arm of the hair straightener and the contract portion comprises a portion of the outer wall.

13. A hair styling system in accordance with any preceding claim wherein each of the hair rollers further comprises a grip extending across at least part of the outer surface of the hair roller, wherein the grip comprises a plurality of protrusions for engaging with a user’s hair.

14. A hair styling system in accordance with any preceding claim wherein each of the hair rollers further comprises an insulated end portion.

15. A hair styling system in accordance with any preceding claim, further comprising a plurality of hair clips, for holding the hair rollers in place within a user’s hair.

16. A heatable hair roller for use in the hair styling system of claim 1 comprising:a barrel having an outer wall defining a cavity; anda contact portion thermally connected to the outer wall of the barrel, wherein the cavity is operable to removably receive at least one of the ends of the arms of a hair straightener having a heating plate provided thereon with the heating plate of a received arm of the hair straightener contacting the contact portion of the roller such that when the heating plate of the received arm is activated heat from the heating plate is transferred via the contact section to the outer wall of the barrel.

17. A heatable hair roller in accordance with claim 15, wherein the hair roller is cylindrical in shape.

18. A heatable hair roller in accordance with claim 16 wherein the heatable hair roller has a length of approximately 70mm and a diameter of between approximately 20mm and 60mm.

19. A heatable hair roller in accordance with any of claims 15-17, wherein the contact portion is provided within the cavity defined by the outer wall of the heatable hair roller.

20. A heatable hair roller in accordance with claim 19, wherein the contact portion of each of the hair rollers divides the cavity defined by the outer wall of the hair rollers into a first portion and a second portion and the first and second portions are configured to receive the ends of the arms of a hair straightener.

21. A heatable hair roller in accordance with any of claims 16-18, wherein the cavity defined by the outer wall of the roller is configured to removably receive a single arm of a hair straightener and the contract portion comprises a portion of the outer- 28 - wall.

22. A heatable hair roller in accordance with any of claims 16-19, wherein two contact portions are provided within the cavity defined by the outer wall of the heatable hair roller.

23. A heatable hair roller in accordance with claim 22 wherein the two contact portions of the hair roller divide the cavity defined by the outer wall of the hair roller into a first portion, a second portion and a third portion and at least two of said first, second and third portions are configured to receive the ends of the arms of a hair straightener.

24. A heatable hair roller in accordance with any of claims 16-23 further comprising a grip extending across at least part of the outer surface of the hair roller, wherein the grip comprises a plurality of protrusions for engaging with a user’s hair.

25. A heatable hair roller in accordance with any of claims 16-24 further comprising at least one end portion having a lower thermal conductivity than the rest of the heatable hair roller.

26. A heatable hair roller in accordance with any of claims 15-25 further comprising at least one insulated end portion.

27. A method of styling hair comprising:(i) providing a hair styling system in accordance with any of claims 1 -15;(ii) inserting at least one of the arms of the hair straightener into the cavity defined by the outer wall of one of the heatable hair rollers of the set of heatable hair rollers so that the heating plate provided on the arm is brought into contact with the contact portion of the heatable hair roller;(iii) heating the heatable hair roller to a desired temperature by activating the heating plate;(iv) positioning the heated roller into a user’s hair using the hair straightener; (v) removing the at least one arm from the cavity defined by the outer wall of the heatable hair roller;(vi) repeating steps (ii) - (v) using other rollers in the set of heatable hair rollers; (vii) retaining the positioned heated rollers in place for a period of time; and- 29 - (viii) removing the rollers from the user’s hair.

28. An attachment for a hair straightener for converting a hair straightener into a hair pick, the attachment comprising:a thermally insulative tubular body; anda planar insert having high thermal conductivity, wherein a first portion of the planar insert extends within cavity defined by the tubular body and a second portion of the planar insert extends outside of the tubular body, the second portion of the planar insert being shaped so as to define a series of tines in the manner of comb.

29. An attachment for converting a hair straightener into a curling wand, the attachment comprising:a barrel having an outer wall defining a cavity; anda contact portion thermally connected to the outer wall of the barrel, wherein the cavity is operable to removably receive the ends of the arms of a hair straightener having a heating plate provided thereon with the heating plate of a received arm of the hair straightener contacting opposing sides of the contact portion such that when the heating plate of the received arm is activated heat from the heating plate is transferred via the contact section to the outer wall of the barrel.

Images