[0001] The present patent relates to a hair-drier with a slant and swing handle which, because
of the particular disposition and structure of its parts, can be employed for professional
as well as for personal use.
[0002] The hair-drier is one of the most common appliances found in every home. In the past
few years good quality hair-driers are found even in private houses, whereas before
they were found only in places where they were used for professional work. As a consequence
of this, the procud- tion of hair-driers has become highly standaridized. However,
now that the power and the sturdiness of the hair-driers have become standard for
private as well as for professional use, what is required from the appliance is to
have a different handle or handgrip according to the different work situations. In
the professional situation, in order to improve on its correct and less tiring regular
use by an operator who is standing when drying hair of a seated person, the hair-drier's
handle is advantageously slanted in the rearward dierction so that the air blows towards
the hair. By contrast, in the personal use, the air from the hair-drier blows towards
the head of the person who handles it with the arm. In this case, it has been found
to be more convenient to have the hair-drier's handle slanted in the forward direction
because, by holding it vertically, the air blows towards the hair. The available hair-driers
either have a handle perpendicular to the blowing body, thus satisfying the requirement
of both types of possible users, or they are built in two different types with the
handle slanted in opposite directions. In the case, of course, there are the disadvantages
of double production and inventory.
[0003] The present invention avoids the abovementioned drawbacks and limitations of the
conventional appliance. In particular, the present invention provides a hair-drier
with a handle that rotates around a pivot so that it can be used by the professional
as well as by other persons. According to the present invention there is provided
a hair-drier including a blowing body and handle which is adapted to axially rotate
through an are of 180° and is slightly slanted relative to the perpendicular to the
blowing body, so that is slants in the forward direction when the hair-drier is employed
for personal use and in the rearward direction for professional use.
[0004] Thus, in the hair-drier of the present invention, the handle is formed by a small
saddle-shaped base, which is an integral part of the central body of the appljance,
and the handle per se slants and pivots under the base. In one embodiment of the present
invention, on the plane of the handgrip facing the saddle-shaped base, a semicircular
groove is cut in which a pin is engaged extending from the lower plane of such saddle-shaped
base. Whenever the handle is turned for a rotation of up to 180°, the pin runs within
the groove.
[0005] Moreover, on the plane of the saddle-shaped base facing the handle a few hemispheric
seats are grooved along a nalf-circle where a small spiring-loaded sphere protruding
from the plane of the handle itself during the rotation of the handle.
[0006] The present invention will be further illustrated by way of example which reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which: -
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a hair-drier for professional use according to one embodiment
of the invention;
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the hair-drier of Fig. 1 for personal use;
Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the hair-drier of Figs. 1 and 2; and
Fig. 4 is detailed view of the coupling between saddle-shaped base and handgrip un
the hair-drier of Figs. 1 and 2.
[0007] The Figures show in its generality the hair-drier according to the invention, which
comprises a central part represented by the blowing body 2, a saddle-shaped base 3
of the handle which is conventionally connected to body 2, and the handgrip 4 per
se which is connected to base 3 by pivot 5. Pivot 5 has the functions of maintaining
the sad- dla-shaped base 3 and handgrip 4 together and, at the same time, being the
fulcrum for the hand-grip rotation. The connection between base 3 and handgrip 4 Must
be sufficiently tight to give reliable use of the hair-drier and at the same time
allow for a smooth rotation of the handle 4. This is achieved by the particular way
pivot 5 is mounted onto the base and the handle. On base 3, pivot 5 is mounted from
the top and held there by its head 5', whereas in the handle 4 it is held by a coaxial
screw 8 which engages the pivot 5 in its hollow and internally threaded lower part.
Screw 8 is provided with a washer that holds a spring 6 loaded against the plate 4'
of the handgrip so that a force is present that keeps the two plates 3' and 4' in
abutment. Pin 9 extending from plate 3', when this is in contact with plate 4', runs
within groove 10 until, after a rotation of 180° one way or the other, it encounters
walls 10' and 10" that act as a stop, thus avoiding entanglement of the wires 13,
which cross the same groove 10, with the risk of breaking. During the rotation of
the handgrip a spring-loaded sphere 11 extending out of plate 4' falls into a series
of hemispheric seats 12 recessed in plate 3' and located on a semicircle.
[0008] In this way, one obtains a stable rotational positioning of the handgrip relative
to the whole body of the hair-drier.
1.- A hair-drier including a blowing body and handle which is adapted to axially rotate
through an arc of 180° and is slightly slanted relative to the perpendicular to the
blowing body, so that it slants in the forward direction when the hair-drier is employed
for personal use and in the rearward direction for professional use.
2.- A hair-drier according to claim 1, in which the handle comprises a saddle-shaped
base which is an integral part of the blowing body and a slant handgrip pivoting over
said base.
3.- A hair-drier according to claim 2, in which on an upper plate of the handgrip
facing the saddle-shaped basr, a semicircular groove accomodates the end of a pin
extending from a lower plate of the saddle-shaped base, said pin being arranged to
move within the groove when the handle is rotated by up to 180°.
4.- A hair-drier according to claim 3, in which on the lower plate of the saddle-shaped
base, a plurality of hemispherical seats sequentially disposed around a semicircle
engage a spring-loaded sphere extending fromm the upper plate of the handle on rotation
of the handle.