Diffuser for hair dryer
Diffuser attachment for hair dryer with a collar and a flared hollow diffuser head. The collar is fixedly attached to the diffuser head. The diffuser head is constructed of semi-rigid molded plastic and includes a plurality of air releasing apertures. The collar, partially comprised of an elastomeric plastic capable of being flexed and deformed by a user. The collar is oval shaped in plan view in its relaxed position. The collar is capable of being deformed by a user into a circular shape to facilitate attachment of the diffuser to a hair dryer nozzle. The collar is capable of tensionally and frictionally remaining in place on the nozzle of the hair dryer when the user releases the collar, conforming to the nozzle, after attachment.
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNot Applicable
DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIXNot Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates generally to the field of hair dryer accessories and more specifically to a diffuser for a hair dryer.
Hair Dryers are commonly used to assist people in drying their hair quickly. They are electric devices that blow hot air onto a users wet hair to facilitate drying.
An additional feature that can be attached to a hair dryer is a diffuser device. Diffusers generally have a flared head with a plurality of small apertures that spread the hot air that exits a hair dryer so that the warm air reaches a greater surface area of the head. The hot air is diffused and therefore does not create a hot spot on the user's head during use.
Current diffuser heads tend to be designed specifically for a particular hair dryer. The collar portion of the diffuser usually either snaps onto the leading edge of the hair dryer nozzle or alternately slips onto the outside diameter of the hair dryer nozzle and stays on via a frictional fit.
A deficiency in the prior technology is that most existing diffusers are rigid in construction and therefore will not necessarily fit on hair dryers having an external nozzle diameter that is different from the internal diameter of the collar of the diffuser. A number of patents have tried to address this problem including U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,279, U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,283, U.S. Pat. No. 4,590,687, U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,007, U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,601, U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,339, U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,483 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,370, however, none of these patents allow the user to physically deform an elastomeric plastic collar from an oval plan view shape to a circular shape and then to slide the collar onto the hair dryer nozzle and release the collar so that it tensionally and frictionally engages the outside diameter of the hair dryer nozzle conforming to the shape of the hair dryer nozzle.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe primary object of the invention is to provide a hair dryer diffuser that can be easily attached by a user to a hair dryer nozzle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a hair dryer diffuser that can accommodate a variety of diameters of hair dryer nozzles.
Another object of the invention is to provide a hair dryer diffuser that can be tensionally and frictionally held in place on the nozzle of a hair dryer.
A further object of the invention is to provide a hair dryer diffuser that is compact and can easily be carried while traveling.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a hair dryer diffuser that is easy and economical to manufacture.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a diffuser for a hair dryer comprising: a collar and a flared hollow diffuser head molded of semi-rigid plastic, said collar fixedly attached to said diffuser head, said diffuser head including a plurality of air releasing apertures, said collar at least partially comprised of an elastomeric plastic capable of being compressed and deformed by a user, said collar being oval shaped in plan view in its relaxed position when not deformed by a user, said collar capable of being squeezed by a user into a circular shape to facilitate attachment of said diffuser to a hair dryer nozzle, and said collar capable of tensionally and frictionally remaining in place on said nozzle of said hair dryer when said user releases said collar after attachment.
The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.
Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.
Referring now to
While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. diffuser for attachment to a hair dryer comprising:
- a collar;
- a flared hollow diffuser head molded of rigid plastic;
- said collar fixedly attached to said diffuser head;
- said diffuser head including a plurality of air releasing apertures;
- said collar at least partially comprised of an elastomeric plastic capable of being compressed and deformed by a user;
- said collar being oval shaped in plan view when not deformed by a user;
- said collar capable of being squeezed by a user into a circular shape to facilitate attachment of said diffuser to a hair dryer nozzle; and
- said collar capable of tensionally and frictionally remaining in place on said nozzle of said hair dryer when said user releases said collar after attachment.
2. Diffuser for hair dryer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said elastomeric plastic collar portion is capable of retaining its tensional and frictional grip when said hair dryer nozzle is hot.
3. Diffuser for hair dryer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said elastomeric plastic portion of said collar is constructed of Viton plastic.
4. Diffuser for hair dryer as claimed in claim 1 wherein said diffuser is approximately three inches from the top edge of said diffuser head to the bottom edge of said collar.
5. Diffuser for hair dryer as claimed in claim 1 wherein the diameter of said oval aperture of said collar is approximately one and three quarters of an inch wide at its narrowest point in its normal relaxed position and becomes approximately two and one quarter of an inch in circular diameter when deformed by the user during the hair dryer nozzle attachment process.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 22, 2007
Publication Date: Apr 23, 2009
Inventor: Elizabeth Primm (Los Angeles, CA)
Application Number: 11/975,625
International Classification: A45D 20/12 (20060101);