HAIR DRYER HOLDER

Abstract

A hair dryer consists of a nozzle engaging frame that is composed of an upper nozzle engaging member and a lower nozzle engaging member, each of which is formed from steel wire bent into a horizontal generally planar hollow geometric shape, such as a hollow square. The nozzle engaging frame is supported by a substantially L-shaped arm member attached at one end to the vertical support of the nozzle engaging frame. The opposite end of the L-shaped arm member is attached to a spring clamp which, in turn, is clamped to the edge of a counter top or other edge to support the complete hair dryer holder assembly and hair dryer. The L-shaped arm may be formed with an included angle less than 90° so that when the hair dryer is inserted into the nozzle engaging frame, the nozzle of the hair dryer is directed slightly toward the countertop and away from the user.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to hand-held electric hair dryers, and more particularly to apparatus and methods of storing hand-held electric hair dryers.

Hand-held electric hair dryers are a common household appliance used to dry one's hair after showering, bathing, swimming, etc. Hand-held electric hair dryers typically include a plurality of electric resistance heating coils which are contained along with a fan motor and fan within a housing or barrel, which is usually tubular shaped. The hand-held electric hair dryer typically has an air intake at one end of the barrel, a discharge nozzle at the other end of the barrel, and a handle that extends generally perpendicular to the barrel.

When in use, it is often necessary for the hair dryer to be set down to enable the user to use both hands to brush and otherwise style the hair. Often, users will switch the hair dryer off and then turn it on again to continue drying the hair. The cycling of the hair dryer on and off, however, can lead to premature failure of the fan motor and or electric resistance heating coils of the hair dryer as well as the switch itself. Consequently, many users will simply leave the unit running on a countertop while brushing or styling the hair. Leaving the hair dryer running, however, may allow the hair dryer to “walk” across the countertop due to the vibration of the fan motor. This may lead to the hair dryer inadvertently burning the user, melting or otherwise damaging some object on the countertop or even dropping into the sink, which could cause an electrical hazard and/or destruction of the hair dryer.

Others have proposed various devices for holding a hair dryer. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,148 a wall-mounted base is provided for permanent attachment to a wall. A swinging arm is attached to the base at one end. At the opposite end of the swinging arm is a solid cylindrical sleeve which is capable of receiving the barrel of a hair dryer. A thumbscrew is provided to pinch the barrel of the hair dryer to keep it in place as the swinging arm moves.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,956,861 also discloses a wall-mounted base that is provided for permanent attachment to a wall. A flexible arm is attached to the base at one end. At the opposite end of the flexible arm is a solid mounting ring which receives the handle of the hair dryer. The hair dryer is secured to the mounting ring with straps that pass over the top of the barrel of the hair dryer.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,229 discloses a wall-mounted base that supports a swivel-mount comprising an arm and a ball member. The ball member is clamped to the barrel of the hair dryer to allow for pitch and roll movement of the hair dryer relative to the wall-mounted base.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,923 discloses a wall-mounted base that is provided for permanent attachment to a wall. Lazy tongs are attached to the wall-mounted base at one end. At the opposite end of the lazy tongs there is a U-shaped holder which is adapted to receive the handle portion of a hair dryer. Straps with hook-and-loop fasteners at the ends secure the hair dryer to the U-shaped holder.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,151,482 discloses a base that includes a suction cup mechanism for releasably attaching the base to a flat surface such as a countertop. A flexible gooseneck arm is attached to the base at one end. The opposite end of the gooseneck arm has a cradle adapted to support the lower surface of the hair dryer barrel and an elastic bungee cord looped over the hair dryer barrel to secure the hair dryer to the cradle.

All of the foregoing patents are directed primarily to holding the hair dryer while it is switched on as opposed to storing the hair dryer temporarily while in use. U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,691, on the other hand, discloses a hair dryer holder that is capable of storing the hair dryer temporarily and with the nozzle pointed in a safe direction while in use. The hair dryer holder disclosed in the '691 patent comprises a horizontal shelf supported by a pair of jaws that grip the front edge of a bathroom vanity drawer. The horizontal shelf has an aperture for receiving the barrel of the hair dryer. When the user desires to store the hair dryer temporarily while styling his or her hair, the user simply inserts the hair dryer nozzle through the aperture in the horizontal shelf until the handle of the hair dryer comes to rest on the shelf. In this position, the nozzle of the hair dryer is directed safely toward the floor of the bathroom.

What is needed, however, is a hair dryer holder that is capable of being used with bathroom vanities that do not have drawers or have drawers located in inconvenient locations. What is also needed is a hair dryer holder that does not have broad horizontal surfaces to collect water or other detritus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a hair dryer holder for supporting a hair dryer from the edge of the horizontal countertop or similar edge. According to a preferred embodiment the hair dryer holder comprises a nozzle engaging frame that is composed of an upper nozzle engaging member and a lower nozzle engaging member, each of which is formed from steel wire bent into a horizontal generally planar hollow geometric shape, such as a hollow square. The upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member are held in a juxtaposed spaced-apart configuration by one or more vertical supports attached between the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member. The assembly consisting of the upper and lower nozzle engaging members forms a nozzle engaging open frame that simulates a hollow tube sized to receive the barrel portion of the hair dryer, but is of much lighter and sturdier construction than a continuous hollow tube.

The nozzle engaging frame is supported by a substantially L-shaped arm member attached at one end to the vertical support of the nozzle engaging frame. The opposite end of the L-shaped arm member is attached to the upper clamp member of a spring clamp. The spring clamp, in turn, is clamped to the edge of a counter top or other edge to support the complete hair dryer holder assembly and hair dryer. According to one embodiment, the upper nozzle engaging member includes an arcuate depression in the upper surface which is adapted to receive the handle portion of the hair dryer so that the hair dryer “registers” in the nozzle engaging frame with a fixed rotational orientation. The L-shaped arm may be formed with an included angle less than 90° so that when the hair dryer is inserted into the nozzle engaging frame, the nozzle of the hair dryer is directed slightly toward the countertop, (i.e. away from the user).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The present invention will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures in which like references designate like elements and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair dryer holder incorporating features of the present invention

FIG. 2 is a side view of the hair dryer holder of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hair dryer holder of FIG. 1 supporting an illustrative hair dryer;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the hair dryer holder of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a top view of the hair dryer holder of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The drawing figures are intended to illustrate the general manner of construction and are not necessarily to scale. In the detailed description and in the drawing figures, specific illustrative examples are shown and herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawing figures and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but are merely illustrative and intended to teach one of ordinary skill how to make and/or use the invention claimed herein and for setting forth the best mode for carrying out the invention.

With reference to the figures and in particular FIGS. 1-3, a hair dryer holder 10 incorporating features of the present invention comprises a nozzle engaging frame 12 which is composed of a lower nozzle engaging member 14 and an upper nozzle engaging member 16. In the illustrative embodiment, lower nozzle engaging member 14 comprises a length of steel wire approximately 6 mm in diameter that is formed (e.g. bent and butt-welded) into a planar, hollow square frame. Upper nozzle engaging member 16 similarly comprises a length of steel wire that is formed into a hollow square frame. Upper nozzle engaging member 16 is also planar, with the exception that upper nozzle engaging member 16 includes a depression 18 formed in the upper surface of one edge, the function of which will be explained more fully hereinafter. Accordingly, upper nozzle engaging member may be characterized as being “generally” planar.

Lower nozzle engaging member 14 and upper nozzle engaging member 16 are assembled together by means of a vertical support 20 which is attached (e.g. by welding) to lower nozzle engaging member 14 and upper nozzle engaging member 16 at approximately the center of their respective sides 22 and 24 so that sides 22 and 24 are held in a parallel spaced-apart configuration. Depression 18 is formed to have the same depth “D” as the length of vertical support 20 and is attached (e.g. by welding) at its apex 38 to side 34 of lower nozzle engaging member 14 to create a rigid open frame structure in which side 26 of lower nozzle engaging member 14 is parallel to side 28 of upper nozzle engaging member 16; side 30 of lower nozzle engaging member 14 is parallel to side 32 of upper nozzle engaging member 16; and the horizontal portions of side 36 of upper nozzle engaging member 16 are parallel to side 34 of lower nozzle engaging member 14. This creates a “virtual tube” that is ideally suited to receive the barrel portion of an electric hair dryer as shown in FIG. 3, and because nozzle engaging frame is of open frame construction, it is less susceptible to collecting dust, dirt, and water than prior art apparatus employing flat panels, cylindrical tubes and other solid structures. A finish plating such as chrome, zinc or other corrosion resistant, easy to clean finish may be applied to the surface of hair dryer holder 10 to create a more aesthetically pleasing product.

In the illustrative embodiment, nozzle engaging frame 12 is attached to a spring-clamp 40 by means of arm member 42 which supports nozzle engaging frame in a cantilevered fashion from clamp 40. Arm member 42 is attached at upper end 58 to vertical support 20 and at lower end 62 to the upper clamp member 62 of clamp 40. Arm member 42 also formed from a length of wire which is formed into and L-shaped arm comprising a lower arm member 44 and an upper arm member 46, which are disposed at an angle “A” less than 90°, preferably about 80°. The selection of an angle “A” of less than 90° accomplishes two different functions. First, because angle “A” is less than 90°, when hair dryer holder 10 is clamped to the edge of a counter top 48 as shown in FIG. 3 hair dryer 50 is tilted downward and slightly toward countertop 48. Thus the stream of hot air from hair dryer 50 is directed safely away from the user standing in front of the counter. Second, because the center of gravity of hair dryer 50 is slightly toward the handle 52 side of the barrel 54 of hair dryer 50, the inclined upper surface 56 of nozzle engaging frame 12 will tend to cause hair dryer 50 to rotate downward until handle 52 registers in depression 18. This means that handle 52 will always be oriented in the same direction for a simple “no-look” pickup by the user irrespective of how hair dryer 50 is dropped into nozzle engaging frame 12.

Spring clamp 40 comprises upper clamp member 62 which comprises a body portion 64 and a jaw portion 66. Spring clamp 44 further comprises a lower jaw member 68 also comprising a body portion 70 and a jaw portion 72. Upper clamp member 62 is pivotably attached to lower jaw member 68 by means of a pivot 74. A resilient member such as a torsional spring 76 urges jaw portion 66 of upper clamp member 62 and jaw portion 72 of lower jaw member 68 together with sufficient force to support hair dryer holder 10 and hair dryer 50 when clamped to the edge of a typical vanity countertop having a thickness of 0.5-4.0 cm such as countertop 48.

As noted hereinbefore, the elements of nozzle engaging frame 12 are formed of a wire material having a diameter “X” of approximately 6 mm. The depth “D” is preferably at least 10 mm up to approximately 100 mm to provide the “virtual tube” to receive the barrel 54 of hair dryer 50. The radius “R” of depression 18 is preferably 10 mm to 20 mm and most preferably approximately 17 mm so as to accommodate a wide variety of hair dryer handles. With additional reference to FIG. 5, the distance “S” between the sides of lower nozzle engaging member and/or upper nozzle engaging member (e.g. sides 28 and 32) is preferably from 55-95 mm so as to accommodate a wide variety of hair dryer barrels and most preferably spaced apart by a distance of 70-82 mm. In order to ensure that nozzle engaging frame 12 forms a “virtual tube” lower nozzle engaging member 14 and upper nozzle engaging member 16 should be formed to be identical in size when viewed from above so that the inside distance “S” and/or the diagonal “C” are the same.

Although certain illustrative embodiments and methods have been disclosed herein, it will be apparent from the foregoing disclosure to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications of such embodiments and methods may be made without departing from the invention. For example, although nozzle engaging frame is formed from various lengths of wire that are bent and welded into the hollow frame structure, other methods of manufacturing nozzle engaging frame, including injection molding or casting are within the scope of the invention. Additionally, although lower nozzle engaging member and upper nozzle engaging member are formed as hollow squares, other hollow geometric forms such as rectangles, hexagons, circles, are also within the scope of the invention. Finally, although the arm member is L-shaped extending vertically from the clamp, the arm member could be Z-shaped extending horizontally from the clamp. Accordingly, it is intended that the invention should be limited only to the extent required by the appended claims and the rules and principles of applicable law. Additionally, as used herein, references to direction such as “up” or “down” are intend to be exemplary and are not considered as limiting the invention and, unless otherwise specifically defined, the terms “generally” “substantially” or “approximately” when used with mathematical concepts or measurements mean within ±10 degrees of angle or within 10 percent of the measurement, whichever is greater.

Claims

1. A hair dryer holder for supporting a hair dryer from the edge of a horizontal counter top, the hair dryer being of the type having a barrel with an air intake end, an air discharge nozzle and a handle extending generally perpendicular to the barrel, the hair dryer holder comprising:

a nozzle engaging frame, the nozzle engaging frame comprising an upper nozzle engaging member and a lower nozzle engaging member, the upper nozzle engaging member comprising an elongate frame member formed into a hollow, horizontal, generally planar, closed geometric shape, the lower nozzle engaging member also comprising an elongate frame member formed into a hollow generally planar, closed geometric shape;

a vertical support attached to the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member, the vertical support member maintaining the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member in a juxtaposed, substantially parallel, spaced-apart configuration;

a clamp comprising an upper clamp member a lower clamp member, the upper clamp member and the lower clamp each comprising a body portion and a jaw portion, the body portion of the upper clamp member being pivotably attached to the body portion of the lower clamp member, the clamp further comprising a resilient member for urging the jaw portions of the upper and lower clamp members together to grip the edge of a counter top; and

an arm member comprising a first end attached a first attachment point to the upper clamp member and a second edge attached at a second attachment point to the nozzle engaging frame, whereby the arm member supports the nozzle engaging frame in a cantilevered manner relative to the clamp.

2. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the nozzle engaging frame extends in a first direction away from the second attachment point and the clamp extends in a substantially opposite direction away from the first attachment point.

3. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein

the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member are hollow closed geometric shapes having substantially equal diagonals.

4. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein

the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging members are each hollow rectangles.

5. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member are each hollow rectangles having two opposite sides the inside edges of which are spaced apart a distance of 55-95 millimeters.

6. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member are each hollow rectangles having two opposite sides the inside edges of which are spaced apart a distance of 70-82 millimeters.

7. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member are spaced apart by a distance of at least 10 mm

8. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member are spaced apart by a distance of between 10 mm to 100 mm

9. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the upper nozzle engaging member and the lower nozzle engaging member are formed from steel wire having a diameter of approximately 6 millimeters.

10. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the upper nozzle engaging member includes a depression in the upper surface thereof, the depression being sized to cradle the handle of the hair dryer.

11. The hair dryer holder of claim 11, wherein:

the depression has an arcuate upper surface.

12. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the depression is located on the side of the upper nozzle engaging member opposite the second attachment point of the arm member.

13. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the arm member is attached to the vertical support.

14. The hair dryer holder of claim 1, wherein:

the arm member comprises an L-shaped member having an upper arm member and a lower arm member, the angle between the upper arm member and the lower arm member being less than 90 degrees, whereby when the clamp is clamped to the counter top, the nozzle of the hair dryer is pointed slightly toward the counter top when placed in the nozzle engaging frame.

15. The hair dryer holder of claim 14, wherein:

the angle between the upper arm member and the lower arm member is approximately 80 degrees.