VERTICALLY EREACTABLE AND/OR VERTICALLY ERECTABLE AND FIXABLE HAIR DRYER HOUSING AND HAIR DRYER HAVING SAME

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hair dryer housing. A hair dryer housing according to the present invention which has a “¬”-shaped structure, the hair dryer housing including: a horizontal housing in which an action part is installed; and a vertical housing continuously connected to the horizontal housing while orthogonally crossing the horizontal housing and configured to supply power to the action part. In addition, the bottom part of the vertical housing is composed of a flat surface, and a fastening groove having a depth into the vertical housing is installed in a central part of the surface. A power cable bottom packing is a component installed while orthogonally crossing the lengthwise outer surface of the vertical housing, so that the power cable is drawn into the vertical housing through the lateral surface of the vertical housing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0025092 filed on Feb. 28, 2020 and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. § 119, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure herein relates to a hair dryer, and more particularly, to a physical structure of a hair dryer housing.

In general, hair dryer housings each have a handle so that a user grips a handle and use the hair dryer, but an electric cable for supplying power to the hair dryer is installed on an end of the handle. For example, the hair styling device 10 of FIG. 7 (Korean Patent Publication No. 2016-0111424) has a hand grip 14 and an electric cable 24 is extended below the hand grip 14 and supplies power to the hair styling device 10.

In order to supply commercial power, the electric cable is definitely necessary, but substantial inconvenience is caused due to the cable when putting on the hair dryer. It is impossible to leave the hair dryer in an erected state due to the power cable, so that unless a user grips and uses the hair dryer, the user should leave the hair dryer in a laid state or hang the hair dryer on somewhere.

If a user is indifferent to the placement of the hair dryer in an erected state (up to now, users are indifferent to the placement of typical hair dryers in erected states), such configurations of power cables do not have a problem. However, when a user stores or uses the hair dryer in an erected state, there occurs a problem of newly changing the structure of the housing. The inventors of the present invention arrive at the present invention after long-term research and experiment in order to solve the problem.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure improves the usefulness of a hair dryer through a hair dryer housing having completely new physical structure and configuration.

Meanwhile, other unspecified purposes of the present invention will be further considered within a scope which can be easily inferred from the detailed descriptions below and the effects thereof.

In accordance with a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a hair dryer housing (100) in which an electronic element part is installed and which has a “”-shaped structure, the hair dryer housing (100) including: a horizontal housing (110) in which an action part is installed; and a vertical housing (150) continuously connected to the horizontal housing (110) while orthogonally crossing the horizontal housing (110) and configured to supply power to the action part, wherein a bottom part (160) of the vertical housing (150) includes a flat surface (161), a fastening groove (165) is installed in a central part (162) of the surface (161) while having a depth into the vertical housing (150), and a power cable is drawn into the vertical housing (150) through a lateral surface of the vertical housing (150) by installing a power cable bottom packing (190) perpendicular to an lengthwise outer surface of the vertical housing (150), whereby the hair dryer (100) is erected via the surface (161).

In addition, a control button may be installed in the vertical housing (150), and the power cable bottom packing (190) may be installed in the same direction as the control button

In addition, the vertical housing (150) may include a flexible housing (140) configured to cause the vertical housing (150) to have a “C”-shaped structure by rotating the vertical housing (150) so that the horizontal housing (110) and the vertical housing (150) are parallel to each other.

In addition, the flexible may include an air inlet port (145) installed in the flexible housing (140) in a reverse direction of the horizontal housing (110).

In addition, an inner surface of the fastening groove (165) may include threads and an external fastening tool is screw-coupled to the fastening groove (165).

In accordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a hair dryer includes the hair dryer housing of claim 1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments can be understood in more detail from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a hair dryer 100 housing in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view for illustrating a lower configuration of a vertical housing 150 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a state of rotating a vertical housing 150 through a second coupling part of a flexible housing 140 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 schematically illustrate outer configurations of a housing in a state of bending a hair dryer in a “C” shape 140 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an outer configuration of a typical hair dryer.

It is clarified that the attached drawings are illustrated as a reference for understanding the technical concept of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited by the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter with reference to drawings, the configuration of the present invention introduced by various embodiments of the present invention, and the effect caused by the configuration will be described. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions related to well-known functions and matters obvious to a person skilled in the art will be ruled out when the functions and matters unnecessarily obscures the subject matters of the present invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate schematic configurations of a hair dryer 100 housing in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. An electronic element part required for the operation of a hair dryer is installed inside a housing. The characteristics of the present invention are not in the internal electronic elements, and therefore the detailed description thereon will not be provided. Therefore, typical components, such as a power supply unit, a control unit, a motor, a heater and a fan, required for the operation of the hair dryer will be installed inside the housing according to a product design.

As illustrated, the housing of a hair dryer 100 has a “Γ”-shaped physical structure. An action unit for blowing out air generated by the motor is installed in a horizontal housing 110. Air power of the action unit is discharged to the outside through an inlet 120 of the horizontal housing 110. In addition, a configuration for supplying power to the action unit is installed in a vertical housing 150 which is connected to while orthogonally crossing the horizontal housing 110.

A user uses the hair dryer 100 by gripping the vertical housing 150. At this point, the inlet 120 of the horizontal housing 110 will face the head of the user.

A bottom part 160 of the vertical housing 150 is configured by a flat surface 161. So far, typical hair dryers using commercial power have each been configured such that a power cable is connected thereto through this bottom part. However, in the present disclosure, no power cable is connected through the bottom part 160 of the vertical housing 150. The configuration for connecting a power cable is configured so as to protruding outward while orthogonally crossing the lengthwise direction of the vertical housing 150 on a lower columnar surface of the vertical housing 150 such that the power cable is installed. That is, a power cable bottom packing 190 is installed while orthogonally crossing the lengthwise outer surface of the vertical housing 150, so that the power cable is drawn into the vertical housing 150 through the lateral surface of the vertical housing 150.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the power cable bottom packing 190 and the configuration of the bottom part 160 may be configured to be adjacent to each other. Accordingly, a lower portion of the vertical housing 150 may be assembled more easily. This is illustrated in FIG. 3.

A column opening 155 is formed in one side of a portion at which the columnar surface of the vertical housing 150 makes contact with a bottom opening. A power cable packing member 191 is inserted into the column opening 155 while maintaining gas tightness and covering up the column opening 155. Only the power cable bottom packing 190 is illustrated in the drawing, but the entirety of the power cable is connected (see 195 of FIG. 4), and one end of the power cable will be electrically connected to a circuit board inside the vertical housing 150 and the other end will be connected to a socket for supplying commercial power.

The bottom part 160 is configured by inserting the power cable packing member 191 into the column opening 155 and then inserting a member for closing the bottom opening as illustrated.

Referring again to FIG. 1, as illustrated, the direction in which the power cable bottom packing 190 is installed may preferably be configured in the same direction as the lengthwise direction of the horizontal housing 110.

In addition, one or more control buttons 170 are installed on the outer columnar surface of the vertical housing 150. Preferably, the control buttons may be installed on the columnar surface in the same direction as the power cable bottom packing 190. The control buttons 170 may include a power bottom 175 functioning as a power switch and control buttons 171 and 172 that control intensity or temperature. In addition, display parts 181 and 182 for displaying that the control buttons 171 and 172 are being operated may respectively be installed adjacent to the control buttons 171 and 172.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the vertical housing 150 may further include a flexible housing 140. The flexible housing 140 includes an air inlet port which opens in the reverse direction from the inlet port 120 of the horizontal housing 110 and through which external air is supplied into the horizontal housing 110. In addition, in the flexible housing 140, a first coupling part 119 on one side communicates with the horizontal housing 110, and communicates with the vertical housing 150 through a second coupling part 149 on the other side.

The flexible housing 140 may favorably have a substantially isosceles trapezoidal structure.

In another exemplary embodiment, the horizontal housing 110 and the flexible housing 140 may be manufactured in one structure up to the second coupling part 149. Even in such embodiment, the physical structure of the entire housing of a hair dryer 100 of the present invention may also be formed in a “”-shaped structure.

More favorably, as in FIG. 4, the second coupling part 149 may be configured in a rotatable manner. The vertical housing 150 may be rotated with respect to the second coupling part 149. More specifically, the vertical housing 150 may be rotated clockwise in a state in which the horizontal housing 110 is gripped by a hand, and the vertical housing 150 is then rotated while a corresponding rotary surface 149b of the vertical housing 150 slides on a rotary surface 149a of the second coupling part, and thus, a hair dryer housing composed of a “”-shaped structure is formed while the protruding direction of the power cable bottom packing 190 is reversely changed. See FIG. 5.

As such, there is a merit in that storage and carry becomes convenient by configuring the hair dryer in a “” shape by rotating the vertical housing 150.

Favorably, the length of the horizontal housing 110 and the length of a portion of the vertical housing 150 excluding the flexible housing 140 are the same. Then, the hair dryer may be stably erected while the inlet 120 of the horizontal housing 110 of the hair dryer and the bottom part 160 of the vertical housing 150 simultaneously come into contact with an external plane. As described above, the surface 161 of the bottom part 160 was a plane.

In a preferred exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, a fastening groove 165 having a depth into the vertical housing 150 is installed in the central part 162 of the surface 161 of the bottom part 160. It is very preferable to form threads in the inner circumferential surface of the fastening groove 165.

Such a configuration of the present invention guarantees distinct functionality unavailable in typical arts.

Up to now, we have gripped the hair dryer by the hand to use the hair dryer. This is natural as a whole. However, only one hand should be used during styling. If two hands can be used, styling may be performed more freely and naturally. Technical solutions have been variously imagined. However, when a physical structure was excessively changed or an additional unfamiliar configuration was applied in order to implement such a means, there occurred a limitation in that manufacturing unit costs excessively increased in a case, and the hair dryer was further degraded in aesthetic design and configuration aspects in another case, and thus, the purchasing need of the hair dryer was degraded. In still another case, it all seemed to be impossible due to difficulty in use and complexity for users. In such situations, a difficultly derived innovative countermeasure is the very configuration of the bottom part 160 of the present invention.

A configuration in which is installed the fastening groove 165 having threads in the inner circumferential surface thereof while having a predetermined depth in the central part 162 of the bottom part 160 exhibited various merits. First, since the fastening groove is not viewable from the outside, the fastening groove does not adversely affect the fair dryer design. In addition, the usage, in which when some object is inserted into the fastening groove 165, the object is fastened by a screw coupling method, is a method that is intuitively understood by all users and thus improves use convenience. In addition, first of all, there is a merit in that a hair dryer may be formed most simply at lowest costs without affecting other technical configurations of the hair dryer excluding a change in only the position of the power cable bottom packing 190.

The diameter of the fastening groove 165 conforms to a standard. Preferably, a standard of approximately ¼ inch may be used, but the embodiment is not limited to the numerical value.

A fixing means may be required which is inserted and fastened into the fastening groove 165. If there is such a means, a fastening tool of the fixing means is tightly fastened to the fastening groove 165 by screw coupling, so that the hair dryer 100 may be operated after erecting and fixing the hair dryer in a “Γ”-shaped structure as in FIG. 2. Then, a user may use the hair dryer 100 in a state of two free hands. If such a fixing means is not available, a user should grip and use the hair dryer during use, but at least during storage, there is a merit in that the hair dryer may be erected and stored using the surface 161 of the bottom part 160 and the inlet 120 of the action part after changing the structure in the “” shape of FIG. 5.

That is, a distinctive effect of the present invention may be exhibited even without a fixing means outside the hair dryer. If a fixing means is available, there is a newer and further increased effect.

A camera tripod may easily be used as such a fixing means. The camera tripod has a camera install fastening tool installed therein and having the shape of a fastening bolt the outer circumferential surface of which is composed of threads. When the fastening tool is fixed by being inserted into the bottom part fastening groove 165 of the hair dryer 100 of the present invention, the hair dryer 100 may be placed on the camera tripod instead of a camera. The camera tripod may easily be used in two ways as a tripod for a hair dryer. A user may determine the desired position of the hair dryer by adjusting the height of the tripod. It may be more convenient when using the hair dryer while sitting on a chair.

Of course, the placement stand for a hair dryer may also be dedicatedly manufactured in various forms. Two conditions are imposed on the technical concept of the present invention. First, a fastening bolt protruding upward is installed on such a dedicated placement stand. Second, a fastening groove screw-coupled to the fastening bolt is installed to the vertical housing bottom part of the present invention as described above.

The housing of the hair dryer 100 may be manufactured by injection molding of a plastic material such as ABS, PC, or PP, but the embodiment is not limited to the material. In addition, in a preferred exemplary embodiment, a housing is illustrated in a cylindrical shape having the same cross-sectional diameter, but the cross-sectional diameter may be different for each position and the housing may not have a circular cylindrical shape but have a rectangular column shape.

A hair dryer housing according to the present invention provides new storage, fixing, and placement experience that were not available in related arts. The bottom part of a vertical housing is configured as a plane, and an inlet of a horizontal housing is also configured as a plane, and thus, the hair dryer can be erected and stored in a “”-shaped structure. The hair dryer may be conveniently and cleanly stored at a desired position. In addition, since a fastening groove is installed in the bottom part of the vertical housing, a previously unavailable convenience is exhibited in that a fastening tool such as a camera tripod is inserted into the fastening groove and screw-coupled, so that a user can use the hair dryer in a state in which a user does not grip the hair dryer while the hair dryer is firmly placed on an external object.

Meanwhile, even though an effect is not specifically described herein, the effect described in the description below and expected by the technical feature of the present invention and a temporary effect thereof will be considered as being described in the specification of the present invention.

The scope of the present invention is not limited by the examples and descriptions specifically described so far. Furthermore, it is stated once more that the scope of the present invention should not be construed to be limited by an obvious change or a substitution in the field to which the present invention pertains.

Claims

1. A hair dryer housing in which an electronic element part is installed and which has a “”-shaped structure, the hair dryer housing comprising:

a horizontal housing in which an action part is installed; and

a vertical housing continuously connected to the horizontal housing while orthogonally crossing the horizontal housing and configured to supply power to the action part, wherein:

a bottom part of the vertical housing comprises a flat surface;

a fastening groove is installed in a central part of the surface while having a depth into the vertical housing; and

a power cable is drawn into the vertical housing through a lateral surface of the vertical housing by installing a power cable bottom packing perpendicular to an lengthwise outer surface of the vertical housing,

whereby the hair dryer is erected via the surface.

2. The hair dryer housing of claim 1, wherein a control button is installed in the vertical housing, and the power cable bottom packing is installed in the same direction as the control button.

3. The hair dryer housing of claim 1, wherein the vertical housing comprises a flexible housing configured to cause the vertical housing to have a “”-shaped structure by rotating the vertical housing so that the horizontal housing and the vertical housing are parallel to each other.

4. The hair dryer housing of claim 3, wherein the flexible comprises an air inlet port installed in a flexible housing in a reverse direction of the horizontal housing.

5. The hair dryer housing of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the fastening groove comprises threads and an external fastening tool is screw-coupled to the fastening groove.

6. A hair dryer comprising the hair dryer housing of claim 1.