Triple barrel hair styling device

Abstract

A triple-barrel head device 10 for styling hair using heated barrels comprises of a first head 12 having a single barrel 24 adjacent to two barrel-receiving gutters 26, 28, and a second head 14 having two barrels 32, 34 aligned to be received in the gutters when the heads are closed together about a tuft of hair.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/764,592 filed on Feb. 2, 2006, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to hair-styling devices and, more particularly, to heated irons having special shapes for specific styling applications.

2. Description of Related Art

Various known hair styling devices having heated plates exist in different forms. Typically, they have generally flat, opposed plates for straightening, a single tube-shaped iron for curling, or a pair of non-flat, opposed surfaces for waves. It is desirable to provide a custom iron for more efficiently putting a wave or series of wave-like curls in the hair.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art mentioned above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a heated styling tool for applying to the hair and imparting wave-like styling effects. It is a further object to provide a styling tool designed for ease of use, efficiency and safety. These and other objects are achieved by the present invention described herein.

The present invention achieves the above-mentioned objects by utilizing a triple-barrel head comprised of a first head having a single barrel adjacent to two barrel-receiving gutters, and a second head having two barrels aligned to be received in the gutters when the heads are closed together about a tuft of hair.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment with the drawings identified below.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a styling device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, the present invention is directed to a styling device 10 having a first head 12, a second head 14, a first handle portion 16, a second handle portion 18, a hinge connection 20, and a lock assembly 22.

The first head 12 comprises a first barrel 24, a first gutter 26, and a second gutter 28. The first handle 16 comprises a lock button 30. The second head 14 comprises a second barrel 32 and a third barrel 34. Each of the barrels is adapted to be selectively heated by heating means and controls of a conventional type (not shown). The first barrel 24 is aligned with a gap 36 existing between the second and third barrels 32, 34 so that when the heads 12, 14 are closed together the first barrel 24 nests between the second and third barrels 32, 34. Similarly, the second and third barrels 32, 34 will nest in the first and second gutters 26, 28 located on either side of the first barrel 24. The heated barrels and/or the gutters may be made of metals, glass or ceramic, and may be coated with ceramics, porcelain, minerals or other performance-enhancing coatings, including those that emit ions and infrared energy.

The hinge connection 20 is preferably spring-biased and is similar in construction to those conventionally known for flat irons. A locking assembly 22 as shown comprises a slideable hook 38 on the first handle 16 which is aligned with a loop 40 on the second handle 18 for selectively locking the handles in a closed position. The lock button 30 is used to move the hook 38. Heat-insulated tips 44, 46,48 are provided at the ends of the barrels for safely handling while the barrels are hot.

In use, a user turns the device 10 on using an electrical switch of a conventional type (not shown) and adjusts the desired barrel temperature using a control dial 42. When the barrels are pre-heated, the user places a tuft of hair (not shown) between the heads 16, 18 and closes the heads together. The tuft of hair is held in a position determined by the contours of the three barrels and the gutters, so as to create a wave-like effect.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein disclosed and described, it is understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A hair-styling device comprising:

a first head;

a second head;

a first handle portion connected to said first head;

a second handle portion connected to said second head;

a hinge connection adapted to connect said first handle portion to said second handle portion; and

a heating element in said first head and said second head.

2. A hair-styling device according to claim 1, wherein

said first head further comprises a first barrel, a first gutter and a second gutter; and

said second head further comprises a second barrel and a third barrel,

wherein said second barrel and said third barrel nests within said first gutter and said second gutter when said hair-styling device is closed.

3. A hair-styling device according to claim 2, further comprising

a gap between said second barrel and said third barrel adapted to nest said first barrel between said second barrel and said third barrel when said device is closed.

4. A hair-styling device according to claim 3, further comprising

a locking assembly comprising a slideable hook on said first handle and a hook on said second handle for selectively locking said first and second handles in a closed position.

5. A hair-styling device according to claim 4, further comprising

a lock button adapted to move said hook to enable said locking assembly to be selectively locked and unlocked.

6. A hair-styling device according to claim 3, further comprising

a control dial adapted to enable a user to selectively control the temperature of said first head and said second head.

7. A hair-styling device according to claim 3, wherein

said first head and/or said second head are adapted to emit ions.

8. A hair-styling device according to claim 3, wherein

said first head and/or said second head are adapted to emit infrared energy.