EP4226808A1

EP4226808A1 - Improved curler

Info

Publication number: EP4226808A1
Application number: EP23155640.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fabio Zaffignani
Original assignee: Reality Di Fabio Zaffignani & C Sas
Current assignee: Reality Di Fabio Zaffignani & C Sas
Priority date: 2022-02-10
Filing date: 2023-02-08
Publication date: 2023-08-16
Anticipated expiration: 2043-02-08
Also published as: ES2995174T3; IT202200002456A1; EP4226808B1

Abstract

Hair curler of the modular type having a modular structure comprising:- a support pin with longitudinal development having a first and a second end;- a plurality of hair lock support elements insertable and disengageable on said support pin;- a first and second end plate positioned at said first and second ends of said support pin;- one or more separating plates insertable and disengageable on said support pin and interposed between adjacent support elements.

Description

The present invention relates to an improved curler, in particular to a curler having a modular structure.
As is well known, one of the most widely used devices in the field of hair styling, whether done professionally or at home, is the hair curler, which allows the lock of hair on which it is applied to be given a series of folds and undulations.
Normally, the curler generally consists of a single body of substantially cylindrical section which may be made of various materials and around which a lock of hair to which one wishes to give a particular wavy or curled effect is wound. The stabilisation of the wavy or curled shape of the lock can be obtained by heat treatment (blow-dryer or helmet) of the same or, in the case where a more lasting effect is desired, by treatment with lotions or pastes that have a fixing and stabilising effect on the shape imparted by the curler.
The shape and size of known curlers are extremely variable, depending on aesthetic requirements and the results to be obtained, as well as the state of the hair.
For example, hair of a certain length needs longer curlers than hair of a shorter length to allow the complete winding of the lock around the curler. Similarly, it is necessary to use curlers of different diameters depending on the size of the curls or waviness to be achieved.
It is therefore obvious that, especially for professional activities, it is necessary to have a wide variety of curlers available that differ in shape and size, both in length and diameter, in order to be able to meet the various requirements dictated by the aesthetic results to be achieved.
A further problem associated with the use of known hair curlers derives from their substantially uniform structure. In practice, since the curler consists of a longitudinal body with a substantially constant cross-section along its development, the lock of hair will necessarily have a constant curvature.
In other words, as a result of their uniform structure, it is impossible with known hair curlers to achieve variable curl or curl of different sizes on the same lock of hair. Such effects can only be achieved by manual intervention, e.g. with specific brushes or equipment, which most often requires a certain amount of skill. In any case, the results obtained can be extremely variable and are generally little or not at all reproducible.
There is therefore a need for both domestic and professional curlers with improved structure and functionality to overcome the problems associated with the use of curlers of the known type.
An object of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved type of curler which is easily adaptable according to the results to be obtained and the condition of the hair of the subject undergoing treatment.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved type of curler that can be easily used not only professionally but also at home.
A further object of the invention is to provide an improved type of curler that allows even very special aesthetic effects to be achieved.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of curler which allows a plurality of curls of different sizes to be obtained on the same lock, and which allows the desired aesthetic effects on the hair to be varied at will.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an improved type of curler that is adaptable to different needs, minimising the number and variety of curlers normally used. Not the least of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved type of curler, which has high reliability and is easy to manufacture at a competitive cost.
This task, as well as these and other objects which will better appear below, are achieved by means of an improved type of hair curler, in particular by a hair curler having a modular structure. The hair curler according to the invention is characterised in that said modular structure comprises:

a support pin with longitudinal development having a first and a second end;
a plurality of hair lock support elements insertable and disengageable on said support pin;
a first and second end plate positioned at said first and second ends of said support pin;
one or more separating plates insertable and disengageable on said support pin and interposed between adjacent support elements.

It has in fact been seen that a curler thus conceived has a set of features and properties that make it possible to overcome the drawbacks and problems described above.
In particular, it has been found that the modular structure of the curler of the present invention solves the limitations of traditional one-piece curlers and facilitates the styling of hair locks, especially in the multiple-rolling technique.
In practice, the curler with modular structure of the present invention allows for the creation of a modular device in which the hair lock support elements can be varied and adapted to the requirements of use, both in terms of the length of the lock to be wound and in terms of the size of the desired undulations and curls to be obtained.
Furthermore, by using support elements with different cross-sections it is possible to obtain curls or ringlets of different diameters from one and the same lock of hair, creating successively varying series of folds and undulations.
In essence, with a limited number of components, it is therefore possible to obtain curlers that can be used to achieve extremely different effects, depending on one's choices and aesthetic requirements.
The new form of curler, according to the invention, requires minimal levels of manual dexterity and is also suitable for non-professionals, allowing very sophisticated and elegant hairstyles to be achieved with a device that can also be used at home.
From a manufacturing point of view, the various components of the curler of the present invention can be obtained by moulding plastics, and thus have extremely low manufacturing costs. Furthermore, two or more of the components of the present invention can be made as a single body, reducing the cost of moulds and, in general, the cost of manufacture.
For example, as explained in detail below, the curler support pin and the first locking plate can advantageously be made as a single body, thus reducing the number of components.
In a preferred embodiment of the hair curler according to the present invention, the hair lock support elements are slidably inserted on said support pin and comprise a longitudinally developed central body having a first and a second bottom surface, an insertion hole on said support pin developing within said central body between said first bottom surface and said second bottom surface, and a side surface suitable for being wrapped by a hair lock. Advantageously, the support pin and the corresponding hole in the central body of the hair lock support element can be suitably shaped to prevent free rotation of the support element around the pin.
Preferably, in order to further reduce the number of components and manufacturing costs, the supporting elements can be manufactured in one piece with a corresponding separation plate. For example, as illustrated in more detail below, each of said support elements can be made as a single body with one of said separation plates positioned at one of said first and second bottom surfaces.
Advantageously, said support pin may include interlocking means for at least one of said first and second locking plates.
As mentioned above, one of the advantages of the curler of the present invention is that it is possible to obtain undulations and curls of different diameters on the same lock. For this purpose, at least two of said support elements, and in particular at least two adjacent support elements, preferably have cross-sections of different sizes.
In a particular embodiment of the hair curler according to the present invention, at least some of the hair lock support elements may be provided with means for retaining said hair lock, for example teeth or protrusions.
In particular, such retention means can advantageously be placed on at least a portion of the lateral surface of said hair lock support elements.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the description of preferred but non-exclusive embodiments of a hair curler, in particular a hair curler with a modular structure, according to the present invention, which are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows some plan views of an embodiment of a first support element for a hair lock usable in a curler according to the present invention;
Figure 2 shows some plan views of an embodiment of a second support element for a hair lock usable in a curler according to the present invention;
Figure 3 shows some plan views of an embodiment of a third support element for a hair lock usable in a curler according to the present invention;
Figure 4 shows some plan views of an embodiment of a fourth support element for a hair lock usable in a curler according to the present invention;
Figure 5 shows some plan views of an embodiment of a fifth support element for a hair lock usable in a curler according to the present invention;
Figure 6 shows some plan views of an embodiment of a support pin and a first closure plate made in one piece and usable in a curler according to the present invention;
Figure 7 shows some plan views of an embodiment of a second closure plate usable in a curler according to the present invention;
Figure 8 shows some plan views of a first embodiment of a curler according to the present invention;
Figure 9 shows some plan views of a second embodiment of a curler according to the present invention;
Figure 10 shows some plan views of a third embodiment of a curler according to the present invention.

With reference to the accompanying figures, a curler with modular structure according to the present invention, designated in the embodiments of Figures 8 to 10 with reference numerals 100, 200 and 300 respectively, comprises, in its most general embodiment, a longitudinally developed support pin 1 having a first end 11 and a second end 12.
The curler 100, 200 and 300 further comprises a plurality of support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of a hair lock which are insertable and disengageable on said support pin 1.
A particular feature of the curler according to the present invention is that at least two of said adjacent support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 have cross-sections of different sizes. Such cross-sections may be increasing in one direction, as illustrated in Figure 10, or alternatively increasing and decreasing as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9.
In the embodiments of Figures 8-10, the various support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of the hair lock are slidably inserted on said support pin 1. However, other equivalent embodiments are possible in which the support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of the hair lock are inserted by lateral snap coupling on said support pin 1.
With particular reference to Figures 1-5, the support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 of the hair lock illustrated comprise a central body 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 with longitudinal development having a first 22, 32, 42, 52, 62 and a second 23, 33, 43, 53, 63 surface.
Within said central body 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, there is a through- hole 24, 34, 44, 54, 64 for insertion on said support pin 1 extending between said first bottom surface 22, 32, 42, 52, 62 and said second bottom surface 23, 33, 43, 53, 63.
The hole 24, 34, 44, 54, 64 and the support pin 1 advantageously have matching shaped sections to prevent rotation of said support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 around said support pin 1 once they have been slid onto it.
The central body 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 of the support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 also has a lateral surface 25, 35, 45, 55, 65 extending between said first bottom surface 22, 32, 42, 52, 62 and said second bottom surface 23, 33, 43, 53, 63 and which is suitable for being wound by a lock of hair.
With particular reference to Figures 3-5, in the case where the cross-sectional dimensions of the central body of the support elements are relatively large, said central body 40, 50, 60, in addition to the corresponding through- hole 44, 54, 64, advantageously has through-hole cavities that lighten its structure and allow for a reduction in the amount of material required for its manufacture, thereby reducing the relative costs thereof.
In the embodiments of Figures 8-10, the curler 100, 200 and 300 further comprise a first end plate 7 positioned at said first end 12 and a second end plate 8 positioned at said second end 11 of said support pin 1.
With particular reference also to Figure 4, in an embodiment of the curler according to the invention said support pin 1 and said first closure plate 7 are advantageously made in a single body, so as to reduce the number of components and to make the respective manufacturing process more cost-effective.
Finally, the curler 100, 200 and 300 further comprises one or more separation plates 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 which are engageable and disengageable on said support pin 1 and which are interposed between adjacent support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
With particular reference to Figures 1-5, each of said support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 is advantageously manufactured as a single body with a corresponding separation plate 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, so as to reduce the number of components and make the related manufacturing process more cost-effective.
In particular, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5, each of said support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 is made in a single body with one of said separation plates 21, 31, 41, 51, 61 which is positioned at one of said first 22, 32, 42, 52, 62 and second 23, 33, 43, 53, 63 bottom surface of the central body 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 of support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
In preferred embodiments of the hair curler 100, 200, 300, according to the present invention, the support pin 1 includes interlocking locking means for at least one of said first 7 and second 8 locking plates.
In particular, as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the second end 11 of the support pin 1 comprises a moulding and a groove suitable for facilitating the engagement and interlocking of the second end plate 8 by means of the hole 81 therein. Other forms of engagement and locking are however possible.
As illustrated in Figure 6, the first end 12 of the support pin 1 can also be suitably shaped, e.g. with a knob head, in order to facilitate the grip and handling thereof by the user.
In some embodiments of the hair curler 100, 200, 300 illustrated, at least some of the support elements 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are provided with retention means 9 of said hair lock.
In particular, the hair lock retention means 9 may comprise teeth, protrusions or similar means and are positioned on at least a portion of the lateral surface 25, 35, 45, 55, 65 of said support element 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, thereby facilitating the retention in position of the hair lock during its winding around the curler 100, 200, 300 and during the subsequent hot or cold setting operations.
It is therefore evident from the above description that the modular curler according to the present invention allows the drawbacks of the known type systems illustrated above to be solved.
The modularity of the structure makes it possible to reduce the number of curlers normally needed, especially in the professional sector. More importantly, the possibility of arranging support elements of different diameters in contiguous positions on the same support pin makes it possible to create an overall structure of the curler in which the diameter of winding can be varied at will, thus making it possible to create folds and curls with different dimensions and patterns on the same lock of hair.
All with a structure that is relatively easy to build and certainly simplified in use, so that it can be used not only in a professional setting but also in a domestic and private setting. Moreover, due to its simple construction, the curler can easily be made with inexpensive technologies and materials, e.g. by plastic moulding, thus being extremely cost-effective.
Based on the description above, other features, modifications or improvements are possible and apparent to those skilled in the art. Such features, modifications and improvements are therefore to be considered part of the present invention. In the practice, the materials used as well as sizes and shapes may be any, according to the requirements and the prior art.

Claims

Hair curler (100, 200, 300) characterized in that it has a modular structure comprising:
- a longitudinally developing support pin (1) having a first (11) and a second (12) end;

- a plurality of hair lock support elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) insertable and disengageable on said support pin (1);

- a first (7) and a second (8) end plate positioned at said first (11) and second (12) ends of said support pin (1);

- one or more separation plates (21, 31, 41, 51, 61) insertable and disengageable on said support pin (1) and interposed between adjacent support elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Hair curler (100, 200, 300), according to claim 1, characterized in that said support pin (1) and said first end plate (7) are made as a single body.
Hair curler (100, 200, 300), according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said support elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) are slidingly inserted on said support pin (1) and comprise a longitudinally developing central body (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) having a first (22, 32, 42, 52, 62) and a second (23, 33, 43, 53, 63) end surface, a hole (24, 34, 44, 54, 64) of insertion on said support pin (1) which develops within said central body (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) between said first end surface (22, 32, 42, 52, 62) and said end bottom surface (23, 33, 43, 53, 63), and a lateral surface (25, 35, 45, 55, 65) adapted to be wound by a lock of hair.
Hair curler (100, 200, 300) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that each of said support elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) is made as a single body with one of said separation plates.
Hair curler (100, 200, 300) according to claim 3, characterized in that each of said support elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) is made as a single body with one of said separation plates (21, 31, 41, 51, 61) positioned at one of said first (22, 32, 42, 52, 62) and second (23, 33, 43, 53, 63) end surfaces.
Hair curler (100, 200, 300) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support pin (1) comprises locking means for at least one of said first (7) and second (8) end plates.
Hair curler (100, 200, 300) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two of said support elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) have cross-sections of different sizes from each other.
Hair curler (100, 200, 300) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two adjacent support elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) have cross-sections of different sizes from each other.
Hair curler (100, 200, 300) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said support elements (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) are provided with retention means (9) for said hair lock.
Hair curler (100, 200, 300) according to claims 3 and 9, characterized in that said retention means (9) are positioned on at least a portion of said lateral surface (25, 35, 45, 55, 65) of said support element (2, 3, 4, 5, 6).