GB2637177A

GB2637177A - Hair dryer

Info

Publication number: GB2637177A
Application number: GB2400497.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ashby Nick; Surridge Ed; Cutter Ry; James Schumann Harry; Russell Michael
Original assignee: Jemella Ltd
Current assignee: Jemella Ltd
Priority date: 2024-01-12
Filing date: 2024-01-12
Publication date: 2025-07-16
Also published as: GB202400497D0; WO2025149759A1

Abstract

A hair dryer 1 comprising a main body 3 and a handle 5 attached to the main body at a point offset from its centre of mass and shaped so as to permit the main body to be grasped in the vicinity of the centre of mass, with a longitudinal extent of the handle extending below the centre of mass. The handle may be attached via an offset linking section 31 that defines a notch 32 through which a user’s fingers can pass when grasping the main body. A fan assembly 7 generates air flow through the main body heated by a heater 13, and through a channel 59 at the periphery of the main body that is unheated, where the channel dissipates heat from control electronics 29. The hair dryer includes air inlets 14 in an annular ring, a stator blade arrangement 43, a bulb 71 at the central portion of an air outlet 15, and a light source (23, fig.1) operable to illuminate a light guide layer (105, fig.9). An accessory, such as a diffuser (93, fig.8) with prongs (97, fig.8), may be attachable to the hair dryer via a magnet (85, fig.8).

Description

HAIR DRYER

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to hair dryers.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

A hair dryer provides a stream of air. The stream of air may be used to remove moisture from hair and/or style hair.

A hair dryer typically comprises a main body comprising an air inlet, an air outlet, a fan assembly and a heating means. The fan assembly draws external air into the main body via the air inlet and blows out a stream of air through the air outlet. The heating means 10 are arranged to heat the air flow so as to provide a hot stream of air.

A hair dryer may comprise a nozzle to control the stream of air from the air outlet. The nozzle may be releasably mounted at the air outlet of the main body. A hand-held hair dryer comprises a handle. The handle is typically located on the underside of the main body and extends substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the main body.

Background prior art can be found in: FR1387334, EP1371302, W094/23611, JP2004-113402, JP2006-130181A and W02012/076885

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention seeks to provide a new or otherwise improved hair dryer.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words "comprise" and 20 "contain" and variations of the words, for example "comprising" and "comprise", means "including but not limited to, and is not intended to (and does not) exclude other moieties, additives, components, integers or steps.

Throughout the description and claims, the singular encompasses the plural unless the context otherwise requires. In particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise. Features, integers, characteristics or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example, of the invention are to be -2 -understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a hair dryer is provided comprising a main body having a centre of mass, and a handle having a longitudinal extent which extends away from the main body; wherein the handle is attached to the main body at a point offset from the centre of mass of the main body; and is shaped so as to permit the main body to be grasped in the vicinity of the centre of mass of the main body with the longitudinal extent of the handle extending below the centre of mass of the main body.

In some embodiments, the handle may be attached to the main body of the hair dryer via an offset. One portion of the offset may be attached to the main body at a point offset from the centre of mass of the main body and another portion of the offset may be attached to the handle. In this way the offset may separate the handle from the main body of the hair dryer to define a notch through which a user's fingers or a portion of a user's hand can pass through when a user grasps the main body in the vicinity of the centre of mass of the main body with the longitudinal extent of the handle extending below the centre of mass of the main body.

In some embodiments the main body may be substantially cylindrical in shape which may comprise a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer and a heater operable to heat at least a portion of the air flow generated by the fan assembly. In some embodiments a channel may be provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer and the fan assembly may be configured to impel air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel. In such embodiments the air flow through the channel adjacent the periphery of the main body may reduce the extent to which air heated by the heater increases the temperature of the portion of the main body in the vicinity of the centre of mass of the main body.

In some embodiments, a portion of the main body of the hair dryer in the vicinity of the centre of mass of the main body graspable by the user may be insulated. In such embodiments the insulation may prevent the insulated portion of the main body from being heated by the activation of a heater contained within the main body to the extent that grasping the main body at that location is uncomfortable for a user.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hair dryer -3 -comprising: a main body containing a fan assembly and heater; wherein the main body is substantially cylindrical and a plurality of air inlets is provided in an annular ring at one end of the main body, the surface area of the portion of the main body where the air inlets are provided being greater than the circular cross section of the portion of the main body where the air inlets are provided.

In some embodiments the plurality of air inlets may comprise a plurality of channels passing through the walls of the main body of the hair dryer, wherein the lateral extent of the plurality of channels are parallel to one another. In such embodiments a filter may be provided within the main body of the hair dryer in the vicinity of the plurality of air inlets, wherein a surface of the filter is orientated relative to the plurality of air inlets such that the surface is perpendicular to the lateral extent of the plurality of channels.

In some embodiments a baffle may be arranged within the main body of the hair dryer in the vicinity of the air inlets, wherein the surface of the baffle is configured to direct air entering the main body of the hair dryer via the air inlets along the axial direction of the 15 main body towards the fan assembly contained within the main body.

In some embodiments a user interface display may be provided at the end of the main body adjacent the annular ring of air inlets.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hair dryer comprising: a main body containing a fan assembly comprising a motor operable to cause an impeller to rotate, wherein the fan assembly is operable to draw air in via an inlet; and a stator blade arrangement provided within the inlet of the fan assembly, the stator blade arrangement comprising an arrangement of blades wherein the blades are angled relative to the direction in which the fan assembly is operable to draw in air, the angling of the blades of the stator arrangement being such to direct air drawn in by the fan assembly to rotate in a direction corresponding to the direction of rotation of the impeller of the fan assembly.

In some embodiments the arrangement of blades may comprise a plurality of blades extending between an inner support and an outer support ring where the plurality of blades are equally spaced from one another.

In some embodiments the blades of the stator blade arrangement may be angled at -4 -approximately an angle of an angle of 25° relative to the direction in which the fan assembly is operable to draw in air.

In some embodiments the hair dryer may comprise a plurality of Helmholtz resonator chambers arranged around the periphery of the inlet of the fan assembly through which 5 the fan assembly draws in air.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a hair dryer comprising: a main body; a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer; a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; and control electronics for controlling the operations of the hair dryer. In such an embodiment a channel may be provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer and the fan assembly can be configured to impel some air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel. At least some of the control electronics can then be arranged so that a portion of the control electronics is adjacent the air flow passing through the channel wherein the air flow dissipates heat from that portion of the control electronics.

Alternatively, rather than arranging the control electronics so that a portion of the control electronics is adjacent to a channel through which unheated air is impelled by a fan assembly, the hair dryer could instead be configured so that at least some of the air drawn into an air intake of the fan assembly, when the fan assembly is activated, is caused to be drawn over the surface of the control electronics. In such an embodiment the control electronics could be contained within a cavity within a handle of the hair dryer and an air channel could be provided in fluid communication with the cavity containing the control electronics, where an outlet of the air channel is adjacent the air intake of the fan assembly such that air from the air channel is drawn into the air intake of the fan assembly when the fan assembly is operated, thereby generating an air flow across the surface of the control electronics contained within the cavity within the handle of the hair dryer.

A yet further aspect of the present invention provides a hair dryer comprising: a main body having an air inlet and an air outlet; a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer from the air inlet to the air outlet; and a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; wherein a bulb is provided in the central portion of the air outlet, the bulb having a first end closer to the fan assembly and -5 -a second end closer to the air outlet wherein the surface of the bulb at the second end of the bulb and the portions of air outlet concentric with the second end of the bulb are configured to direct air which passes around the bulb inwardly towards an axis passing through the centre of the air outlet.

In some embodiments the first end of the bulb may be hemispherical and the second end of the bulb may be tapered. A channel may be provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer and the fan assembly may be configured to impel air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel to exit at the periphery of the air outlet. In such embodiments portions of the channel concentric with the second end of the bulb may be configured to direct air which passes through the channel inwardly towards an axis passing through the centre of the air outlet.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a hair dryer including a magnetic attachment system, the hair dryer comprising: a main body having an air outlet at one end; a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer; a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; a magnet for attaching an accessory to the end of the main body of the hair dryer where the air outlet is provided; wherein a channel is provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer, the channel having an outlet at the periphery of the air outlet of the hair dryer; the fan assembly is configured to impel some air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel; and the magnet is separated by the channel from the air flow which is heated by the heater passing through the main body of the hair dryer.

In some embodiments a surface of the magnet at the end of the hair dryer adjacent the air outlet may be inclined so that the portion of the magnet closer to the air flow which is heated by the heater passing through the main body of the hair dryer is inset from the end of the main body of the hair dryer relative to the portion of the magnet which is more remote from the air flow which is heated by the heater passing through the main body of the hair dryer.

An accessory for attachment to such a hair dryer such as a nozzle; a diffuser or a hair pick may comprise an extension for insertion into the channel adjacent the periphery of 30 the main body of the hairdryer; and a ferrous component, provided adjacent the extension, wherein when the extension is inserted into the channel adjacent the -6 -periphery of the main body of the hairdryer, the ferrous component is attracted to the end of the main body of the hair dryer by the magnet provided on the hair dryer. In some embodiments a surface of the ferrous component may be angled so as to provide an inclined surface which is complementary to an inclined surface of a hair dryer to which the accessory is designed to be attached.

Alternatively, the locations of the magnet and the ferrous component may be switched. In such cases the accessory will comprise an extension for insertion into the channel adjacent the periphery of a main air outlet of a hairdryer to which the accessory is to be attached; a magnet, provided adjacent the extension; and an inner wall operable, when the extension is inserted into a channel to prevent air exiting a main air outlet of a hairdryer from passing in the immediate vicinity of the magnet. In some embodiments a surface of the magnet may be angled so as to provide in inclined surface which is complementary to an inclined surface of a hair dryer to which the accessory is designed to be attached.

Where a magnet is located on an attachment, the hair dryer can comprise a main body having an air outlet at one end; a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer; a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; wherein a channel is provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer, the channel having an outlet at the periphery of the air outlet of the hair dryer, the channel being configured to receive an extension portion of an accessory. In such a hair dryer, the fan assembly can be configured to impel some air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel; and a ferrous component may be provided at a location adjacent the air outlet separated by the channel from the air flow which is heated by the heater passing through the main body of the hair dryer.

In such systems a surface of the ferrous component maybe angled so as to provide in inclined surface which is complementary to an inclined surface of an accessory designed to be attached to the hair dryer.

The magnets may be annular magnets and in some embodiments may be neodymium magnets.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a diffuser accessory for attachment to a hair dryer comprising: an inlet for receiving air; a faceplate having a concave surface -7 -defining a bowl; a set of prongs extending into the bowl; wherein a plurality of holes are provided to permit entry of air into the bowl via the faceplate and the prongs, at least some of the holes being provided in a central portion of the face plate; and a baffle provided within a central portion of the inlet operable to divert air entering the air inlet from the central portion of the face plate.

In some embodiments the diffuser accessory may include an inner wall which is operable to divert air entering at the periphery of the inlet from air entering a central portion of the inlet.

Yet a further aspect of the present invention provides a hair dryer comprising: a main body, a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer; a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; and control electronics for controlling the operation of the heater and fan assembly; wherein the main body comprises: a reflective layer, a light guide layer, a diffuser, and a mask; and the hair dryer further comprises a light source operable to illuminate the light guide layer of the main body in response to the selection of operations by the control electronics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the following figures in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a hair dryer; Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hair dryer of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an illustration of airflow through the cross-sectional view of Figure 2; Figure 4 is an enlarged illustration of an air inlet of the hair dryer of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a front view of a stator blade arrangement; Figure 6 is a cross-sectional illustration of airflow exiting the hair dryer of Figure 1 with a nozzle attachment affixed to the hair dryer; Figure 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional illustration of a portion of the end of the barrel of the hair dryer of Figure 6 illustrating how a nozzle attachment may be affixed to the hair dryer; -8 -Figure 8 is a cross section of a diffuser accessory which may be attached to the barrel of the hair dryer of Figure 1; and Figure 9 is a schematic illustration of an optical stack for providing lighting on the exterior of the barrel of the hair dryer of Figure 1.

SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

An exemplary hair dryer in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 1-9.

Overview Turning first to Figures 1 and 2 which are respectively a side and a corresponding 10 schematic cross-sectional view of a hair dryer 1, a hair dryer 1 typically comprises a substantially cylindrical barrel 3 which is mounted on a handle 5.

A fan assembly 7 including a motor 9 and a set of impellers 10, an ionizer 11 and a heater 13 are contained within the barrel 3. The motor 9 of the fan assembly 7 drives the set of impellers 10 which when activated causes air to be drawn in via air inlets 14 into the interior of the barrel 3. Air passes along the barrel 3, passes over the ionizer 11 which ionizes the air to counter act positive ionic charges in hair enabling hair to be dried quicker. Air then passes over the heater 13 which heats the air before the air exits the barrel 3 via a main air outlet 15. By positioning the ionizer 11 upstream of the heater 13, the location of the ionizer 11 acts to restrict air flow being blown through the centre of the barrel 3 which is unheated or heated to a lesser extent than air which passes adjacent the heater 13.

A set of control buttons 17 are provided on the handle 5 which enable a user to switch the hair dryer 1 on and off and control various settings for the hair dryer 1 such as temperature settings for the hair dryer 1 and the speed with which the motor 9 of the fan assembly 7 drives the set of impellers 10. In this embodiment the current status of the hair dryer 1 is conveyed to a user via a user interface display 19 mounted on the end of the barrel 3 remote from the main air outlet 15, an annular power indicator light 21 and a set of lighting strips 23 provided on the main body of the barrel 3. The control buttons 17 are mounted within a front 25 and a rear 27 control carrier assembly on opposing faces -9 -of the handle 5 and are connected to control electronics 29 contained within the handle 5. The control electronics 29 are configured to modify the control settings of the hair dryer 1 based on the motion or depression of the buttons 17. The control electronics 29 then send signals to the other components of the air dryer 1 on the basis of the functions selected by pressing or moving the control buttons 17.

The motor 9 for driving the impeller 10 within the barrel 3 typically accounts for most of the weight of the hair dryer 1. Typically, and as is shown in the cross-sectional illustration of Figure 2, the motor 9 for driving the set of impellers 10 of the fan assembly is offset from the middle of the barrel 3 towards the end of the barrel 3 where the air enters the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1. This means that in a hair dryer 1, such as that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the centre of gravity of the hair dryer 1 is offset from the centre of the barrel 3 towards the end of the barrel 3 containing the fan assembly 7.

Ergonomic design In use, typically, a user or hair stylist directs air exiting the barrel 3 via the main air outlet 15 by holding the handle 5 and changing the direction of the barrel 3 whilst they grasp the handle 5. To facilitate this, the handle 5 extends below the barrel 3 directly below the centre of gravity of the hair dryer 1 when the hair dryer 1 is held with the barrel 3 extending horizontally as is shown in Figures 1 and 2.

In this embodiment, as is shown in Figure 1, the handle 5 is connected to the barrel 3 via a linking section 31 which connects to the barrel 3 of the hair dyer 1 at a position offset from the lateral extent of the handle 5 such that a notch 32 is present between the handle 5 and the barrel 3. The size of the notch 32 in this embodiment is such as to permit a user to grasp the hair dryer 1 by the barrel 3 with their fingers or a portion of their hand passing through the notch 32 adjacent the linking section 31. This provides a user or a stylist with and alternative way to hold the hair dryer 1 with the barrel 3 of hair dryer 1 being grasped in the vicinity of the centre of gravity of the hair dryer 1. This increases the flexibility of the manner in which the hair dryer 1 might be used.

Air inlets Turning now to Figure 3 which is an illustration of airflow through the cross-sectional view 30 of the hair dryer 1 of Figure 1, in this embodiment air is drawn into the barrel 3 of the hair -10 -dryer 1 via a series of air inlets 14 at the end of the barrel 3 remote from the main air outlet 15.

In contrast to a conventional hair dryer where an air inlet is typically provided at the end of the barrel 3 directly opposite the main air outlet 15, in this embodiment the air inlets 14 are provided as an annular ring of air inlets in the wall of the barrel 3. This arrangement permits air to enter into the interior of the barrel 3 via the side wall of the barrel 3 at the end of the barrel 3 remote from the main air outlet 15.

This arrangement potentially provides a number of advantages. Where, as in a conventional hair dryer air inlets are solely provided at the end of the hair dryer barrel 3 remote from the main air outlet 15, the total surface area of the arrangement of air inlets is limited by the radius of the barrel 3. In contrast, where, as in accordance with the present embodiment, air inlets 14 are provided in the form of inlets in the side wall of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1, the total surface area of the air inlets may be increased. The total surface area of such an arrangement of inlets will be 2-rrrl where r is the radius of the hair dryer barrel 3 and I is the length of the area over which the annular ring of air inlets extends (see Figures 1 & 2). In the case of a hair dryer barrel 3 with a radius of approximately 2.25 cm, this means that a 60% greater surface area for the intake of air can be provided by having air inlets in the side wall of the barrel 3 of a hair dryer 1 extending for 1.8 cm as opposed to a circular arrangement of air inlets at the end of the barrel 3. The greater surface area of the air inlets reduces aerodynamic resistance of air entering the hair dryer barrel 3 which enables a fan assembly 7 to generate a greater air flow rate for a given power input and hence achieve a higher drying rate.

In order to prevent dirt and debris (e.g. hair and dust) from entering the interior of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 an external mesh 35 (visible in Figure 1) can be provided on the exterior of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 over the portion of the barrel 3 where the air inlets 14 are provided. Additionally, a further filter 37 can be provided in the interior of the barrel 3 adjacent the air inlets 14. Typically, the external mesh 35 will be a coarse mesh and will be detachable to allow for easy cleaning. The filter 37 will be a finer mesh and will further protect against dust and hair ingress into the fan assembly 7. Typically, the filter 37 will be a detachable mesh and will be accessible for cleaning when the external mesh 35 is removed.

The efficiency of air flow into the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 can be further improved by arranging the air inlets 14 and the filter 37 in the manner illustrated in Figure 4 which is an enlarged illustration of the end portion of hair dryer 1 of Figure 1 where air inlets 14 are provided.

More specifically, the air inlets 14 can be designed so as to be defined by a series of walls 38 passing through the wall of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1. The filter 37 can then be arranged so as to be perpendicular to the channels 39 defined by the walls 38. In this way air entering into the interior of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 impinges on the surface of the filter 37 normal to the surface of the filter 37. This minimizes the portion of the surface area of the filter 37 which prevents egress of air into the interior of the barrel 3. The amount of air shear as air passes through the filter 37 is thereby reduced or is substantially eliminated.

In the interior of the barrel 3, a bell shaped baffle 41 can then be provided which changes the direction of air entering the barrel 3 via the air inlets 33 in the wall of the barrel 3 so 15 as to direct the air towards the air intake 42 of the fan assembly 7 contained within the barrel 3 which then impels the air onward through the longitudinal extent of the barrel 3.

The provision of air inlets 14 as an annular ring of air inlets on the side wall of the barrel 3 of a hair dryer 1 also permits a user interface display 19 to be mounted on the end of the barrel 3 remote from the main air outlet 15. In embodiments where such a user interface 19 is provided at the end of the barrel 3, this can be advantageous as in use typically, this portion of a hair dryer 1 is visible to a stylist styling a person's hair and therefore information displayed on the user interface display 19 is visible to a stylist when the hair dryer 1 is in use.

Stator blade arrangement As the air is drawn towards the fan assembly, in this embodiment, the air passes through a set of stator blades 43 an example of which is illustrated in Figure 5.

Airborne noise is generated by the shearing of layers of air between each other. The higher the rate of shearing, the greater the shear stress and hence pressure created. This directly leads to a greater sound pressure level. The motor 9 rotates impeller 10 of 30 the fan assembly 7 in a specific direction and hence increases the angular momentum of the air. This creates shearing between the air layers and hence noise is generated. Increased noise levels are irritating to human hearing, and it is desirable to make hair dryers as quiet as possible.

If the gradient of the shearing can be reduced, the sound generated by the impeller 10 can be reduced. In this embodiment this is achieved by an arrangement of stator blades 43 which are placed within the inlet 42 of the fan assembly 7 to induce an element of rotation into the air flow prior to the air flow reaching the impeller 10 of the fan assembly 7. This reduces the rate of shear and the overall sound pressure level is reduced.

In this embodiment, the stator blade arrangement 43 comprises a set of 6 stator blades 47 which extend outwards from an inner annular support ring 49. The stator blades 47 are equally spaced around the periphery of the support ring 49 and extend from the support ring 49 to an outer ring 51 which fits within the air intake 42 of the fan assembly 7. Each of the stator blades 47 in this embodiment are 1.2mm thick and are angled relative to the passage defined by the air intake 42 at an angle of 25°. The angling of the surfaces of the stator blades 47 provides a passive means by which the angular momentum of air can be increased before it enters the fan assembly 7 and hence reduces the rate of change of angular momentum imparted to the air by the impellers 10 of the fan assembly 7. This has been found to reduce air shear rate and the sound produced by the hair dryer 1. Thus, by way of example, in one device which was tested, the level of noise was reduced from 84.78 dBA to 82.95 dBA by the provision of a stator blade arrangement such as that illustrated in Figure 5.

It will of course be appreciated that in other embodiments different arrangements of stator blades 47 might be used. Thus, by way of example, the number of stator blades may be increased or reduced, the angling of the stator blades 47 relative to the passage defined by the air intake 42 could be varied, and the manner in which the stator blades 47 are held in position within the air intake 42 could be varied. Rather, it will be appreciated that any suitable arrangement of fixed stator blades 47 might be used which causes an element of angular rotation to be imparted to air drawn into the air inlet of the fan assembly 7 in advance of the air reaching the impellers 10.

Helmholtz resonators Tonal noise is generated at the blade pass frequency due to the rotation of the impellers -13 -and motor 9 of the fan assembly. Lift and drag forces created by the impeller drive a pressure distribution along each blade, creating pressure waves in the form of sound. The ball bearings of the motor 9 and the number of rotor-stator pole-pairs also creates noise due to the rotation of the rotor shaft of the motor 9. The blade pass frequency at which noise is generated can be calculated fBP=NO where N is the number of blades/bearings/pole-pairs and 0 is the rotational speed in rad/s.

To further reduce the noise generated by the fan assembly 7, in the present embodiment a set of Helmholtz resonator chambers is provided arranged in an annular ring around the air intake 42 of the fan assembly 7 adjacent the stator blade arrangement 43. A cross-section through one of these Helmholtz resonator chambers is shown in Figure 4. The Helmholtz resonator chambers comprise a set of walls 53 which define a cavity 55 where an inlet hole 57 enables air entering the air intake 42 of the fan assembly 7 of the hair dryer 1 to enter the cavity 55. The arrangement of Helmholtz resonator chambers may be formed as a single injection moulded piece shaped to the appropriate shape.

In different embodiments the size and number of Helmholtz resonator chambers may vary. In some embodiments a set of Helmholtz resonator chambers may form part of the casing of the fan assembly 7 containing the fan motor 9 and impellers 10. In other embodiments a set of Helmholtz resonator chambers may be a separate component from the casing of the fan assembly 7.

Air in the inlet holes 57 of the Helmholtz resonator chambers 53 oscillates as air is drawn into the air intake 42 of the fan assembly 7 of the hair dryer 1. The resonant frequencies of the Helmholtz resonator chambers can be selected to destructively interfere with noise generated by the fan assembly 7 by choosing to design the Helmholtz resonator chambers to have certain dimensions.

More specifically, the resonant frequency of a Helmholtz resonator is determined by: Where c is the speed of sound in the media (density and temperature dependent), A is the cross-sectional area of the inlet hole 57, V is the volume of the cavity 55 and L is the -14 -length of the inlet hole 57. The larger the resonator by size, the more powerful it is and hence the greater the sound attenuation.

In one embodiment 8 Helmholtz resonator chambers may be provided and the width of chambers in the axial direction of the hair dryer barrel 3 may be 14mm. In a different embodiment, 6 resonator chambers may be provided with the width of chambers in the axial direction of the hair dryer barrel 3 being 4.5mm in length. The provision of such chambers and the appropriate selection of the size of the chambers and the size of the inlet holes has been found to reduce noise levels at peak frequencies by up to 12 dB.

Air flow Returning to Figure 3 which is an illustration of airflow through the hair dryer 1 of Figure 1, and also referring to Figures 6 and 7, when air is drawn into the interior of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 by the action of the impellers 10 of the fan assembly 7 and along the interior of the barrel 3, a portion of the air is, in this embodiment, diverted into a channel 59 provided adjacent the outer surface of the barrel 3 and separated by an inner wall 61 from the interior of the barrel 3 where the heater 13 and ionizer 11 are located. This causes an annular ring of air to be driven along the barrel 3 as it passes along the channel 59. As this air is diverted from the rest of the air flow along the interior of the barrel 3 prior to passing over the heater 13 and is separated from the rest of the air flow by the inner wall 61, this air remains substantially at the temperature of the air originally drawn in via the air inlets 14. The provision of an annulus of air at ambient temperature passing along the channel 59 insulates the outer surface of the barrel 3 from hotter air which is generated by having air in the centre of the barrel 3 pass via the heater 13. This reduces the extent to which the outer surface of the barrel 3 heats up which makes grasping the hair dryer 1 by the barrel 3 more comfortable.

The air diverted into the channel 59 may, in some embodiments, be used to cool electronic components provided within the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1. More specifically, some electronic components (e.g. control electronics for the hair dryer 1) may be positioned so that portions of the electronic components project into the airflow of air diverted into the channel 59.

In many embodiments the cavity 65 defined by the handle 5 where control electronics 29 are located is not designed to be airtight. In such embodiments, an air outlet 63 (see -15 -Figure 2) may be provided in the handle 5 to permit air to exit the cavity 65 with the air then being directed via an air channel 67 from within the handle cavity 65 to a position adjacent to the air intake 42 of the fan assembly 7. With such an arrangement, air will be sucked out of the handle cavity 65 by virtue of the suction of air from the air channel 67 5 by the impeller 10 of the fan assembly 7. This airflow is shown in Figure 3. This would then draw air across the control electronics 29 contained within the handle 5 and creates an air flow to dissipate heat generated by the control electronics 29. In some such embodiments, if necessary, a dedicated air inlet could be provided to permit air to enter the cavity 65 positioned so that air entering the cavity 65 is drawn over the control 10 electronics 29. Such a dedicated air inlet could be provided in the handle 5 of the hair dryer 1.

Alternatively, in other embodiments, a separate air feed (e.g. a pipe or straw) could be provided to channel air from the vicinity of the air inlets 14 provided in the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 to a position within the cavity 65 in the handle 5 to provide for air circulation over the surface of the control electronics 29. In such embodiments the air feed might extend from the vicinity of the air inlets to a point within the cavity 65 remote from the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1. An advantage of such an arrangement would be that the cavity 65 could be made airtight and no additional air inlets would need to be provided in the handle 5. In such a hair dryer, construction would be simplified as there would be no need to duplicate the meshes 35 and filters 37 which prevent the ingress of dirt, debris and hair into the portions of the hair dryer 1 where electronic components are provided to account for entry of air via an air inlet provided in the handle 5 of the hair dryer 1.

Air outlet The of air exiting the hair dryer 1 with a nozzle attachment affixed to the hair dryer 1 and 25 in the absence of such a nozzle attachment with now be described with reference to Figures 3 and 6.

In the absence of an attachment (as is illustrated in Figure 3), air which is not diverted into the channel 59 adjacent the exterior of the barrel 3, passes along the interior of the barrel 3 within a cavity 69 defined by the inner wall 61 of the channel 59 where the heater 13 and ionizer 11 are provided and heated ionized air exits the barrel 3 via the main air outlet 15.

-16 -In this embodiment, a bulb 71 is provided in the centre of the main air outlet 15. The provision of such a bulb 71 reduces the cross section of the main air outlet 15 through which air can exit the hair dryer 1. This increases the air pressure within the cavity 69 of the barrel 3 adjacent the heater 13 which improves thermal transfer from the heater coils of the heater 13 compared to a hair dryer 1 where no such bulb 71 is present.

When exiting the hair dryer 1, heated air is squeezed around the bulb 71. As shown more clearly in Figure 6, in the present embodiment, the bulb 71 is shaped so as to present a curved substantially hemispherical surface 73 adjacent the cavity 69 near the heater 13 and a tapered end 75 adjacent the main air outlet 15. The inner wall 61 of the channel 59 adjacent the outer surface of the barrel 3 are angled so that the inner wall 61 and the tapered end 75 of the bulb 71 direct air expelled from the interior 69 of barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 inward towards the centre of the air flow exiting the main air outlet 15. This helps the air expelled from the main air outlet 15 of the hair dryer 1 to form a jet with more uniform temperature distribution. The distance from the main air outlet 15 for which a jet with substantially uniform temperature distribution is maintained can be further increased where, as in the present embodiment, cooler unheated air is directed along a channel 59 provided adjacent the side wall 61 of the barrel 3 so that the heated air expelled from the hair dryer 1 is contained within an annulus of cooler air which reduces the extent to which the jet spread and dissipates after leaving the hair dryer 1. The provision of air at a more consistent temperature is desirable as a larger volume of air at a consistent temperature is better for drying hair compared to a jet of air with greater temperature variation.

As the bulb 71 blocks some of the main air outlet 15 the air exits the unobstructed portion of the main air outlet 15 at a higher velocity than would be the case if the bulb was not present. This causes the output jet to project thermal energy a greater distance than would be the case in the absence of the bulb 71. Such an increased air velocity enables hot air to penetrate deeper into the moisture boundary of wet hair and remove water at a greater rate than would otherwise occur.

Nozzle attachment Figure 6 is a cross-sectional illustration of airflow exiting the hair dryer 1 of Figure 1 with an exemplary nozzle attachment 77 affixed to the hair dryer 1. In this example the -17 -exemplary nozzle attachment 77 comprises a nozzle attachment which shapes air exiting a hair dryer 1 to create a narrow "blade" of heated air.

To reduce the extent to which the exterior of the nozzle attachment 77 is heated by heated air, the attachment 77 may include channels 79 for receiving air passing through 5 the channel 59 at the periphery of the main air outlet 15 of the hair dryer 1. Interior walls 81 of the nozzle attachment 77 can then prevent this air from mixing with air exiting the air outlet 15 which has been heated by the heater 13. This can assist in reducing the extent to which the exterior surface of the nozzle attachment 77 is heated by air exiting the hair dryer 1 and reduce the temperature to which the exterior of the nozzle 10 attachment 77 is heated.

Magnetic attachment system Turning now to Figure 7 which is an enlarged cross-sectional illustration of a portion of the end of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 adjacent a channel 59 at the periphery of the main air outlet 15, in some embodiments a ferrous metal ring 83 can be provided near to the outlet of the channel 59. An annular magnet 85 having similar dimensions to the ferrous metal ring 83 can then be provided on the attachment 77 adjacent to the channels 79 in the attachment 77 for receiving air flow from the channel 59 at the periphery of barrel 3 of hair dryer 1. In some embodiments, the annular magnet 85 and the ferrous ring 83 can be provided with complimentary bevelled surfaces with the magnet 85 being contained within a pocket having an angled face 87. A cylindrical extension 89 can be provided which extends beyond the end of the angled face 87.

In use, the cylindrical extension 89 is then inserted into the channel 59 at the periphery of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1. The angled face 87 and a complementary face 91 provided on the hair dryer 1 adjacent to the channel 59 then cause the nozzle attachment 77 to self-centre as the cylindrical extension 89 is inserted into the channel 59. The ferrous metal ring 83 is then attracted to the annular magnet 85 fixing the nozzle attachment 77 to the hair dryer 1. With the cylindrical extension 89 contained within the channel 59 the attachment is held in place and prevented from being moved out of position unless a user pulls on the end of the nozzle attachment 77 to separate the annular magnet 85 from the ferrous metal ring 83.

A magnetic attachment system addresses a number of problems with existing systems -18 -for attaching a nozzle to a hair dryer. Thermal expansion makes it difficult to design small discrete clips to hold attachments to a hair dryer when the hair dryer is both hot and cold. Due to thermal expansion and contraction mechanical attachments can be difficult to attach when cold and provide too little retention when hot. Further, mechanical attachment systems wear over time which can further reduce retention over time. In contrast a magnetic attachment system such as has been described above enables a nozzle 77 to be attached to a hair dryer 1 and held in place without the need for any mechanical means avoiding these problems.

Preferably, where a magnetic attachment system is used, as is described above an annular magnet 85 will be mounted in a nozzle attachment 77 and a ferrous ring 83 will be mounted on a hair dryer 1 at the end of the hair dryer barrel 3. This allows for different attachments to include magnets 85 of a retention force which is appropriate to the nature and intended purpose and use of the attachment. Further such an arrangement reduces the likelihood of a magnet 85 being damaged as typically accessories are lighter than hair dryers and hence less energy is imparted on impact when an accessory as opposed to a hair dryer is dropped.

It will be appreciated that in other embodiments the positions of the annular magnet 85 and the ferrous ring 83 could be reversed but that in such embodiments the same magnet 85 would have to be used to attach different attachments and that due to the differences in weight, a magnet 85 mounted on a hair dryer 1 would be more likely to be damaged if the hair dryer 1 was dropped.

A preferable material for the annular magnet 85 would be Neodymium. Neodymium is a material with a high flux density which provides a good level of retention force whilst keeping the size of the annular magnet 85 small.

The magnetic flux of a magnet reduces with operating temperature. By way of example a Neodymium magnet with a Reversible Temperature Coefficient of -0.11% Br/°C would lose 11% of its magnetic flux if heated say from 20°C to 120°C due to the hot air from the hair dryer 1. The provision of a magnet 85 adjacent an airflow channel formed by the channel 59 at the periphery of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 and the channel 79 provided within the nozzle 77 avoids the magnet 85 being exposed directly to heated air (indicated by the dotted arrows in Figure 7) heated by the heater 13 within the hair dryer -19 - 1. Preferably, an annular magnet 85 will be mounted on the opposite side of the channel 79 to the inner wall 81 of the nozzle 77. In this way, in use, the magnet 85 is adjacent the unheated airflow (shown by the solid arrows in Figure 7) which passes through channels 59 and 79 rather than heated air passing through the centre of the hair dryer 1 which reduces the extent to which the magnet 85 is heated. In this way, the strength of the magnet will not be significantly reduced due to heating when in use and avoids irreversible losses of magnetic strength. Hence positioning the annular magnet adjacent 85 to the unheated air flow both potentially increases the length of time that a magnetic connection can function and enables a smaller magnet to be used.

Other attachments Although the nozzle attachment 77 in Figure 6 comprises a nozzle attachment 77 for shaping the air output into a concentrated blade of air, it will be appreciated that the hair dryer 1 could be used with other types of nozzle attachment.

Hair pick Thus, for example, the attachment could be in the form of a hair pick which incorporates a comb which can be used to separate and detangle hair as it is styled. As with the attachment illustrated in Figure 6, such a hair pick could similarly incorporate channels 79 for directing unheated air adjacent the exterior of the hair pick to keep the surface of the hair pick cool whilst having heated air pass through the centre of the hair pick for drying hair. This would reduce the likelihood that individual pick blades will break or warp during use and reduces the need for an attachment to be manufactured using temperature resistant materials. In such an attachment one or more exit vents may be provided to permit cool air to exit the attachment.

Diffuser Figure 8 is a cross section of a diffuser 93 which may be attached to the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 of Figure 1. As with the nozzle attachment 77, the diffuser 93 shown in Figure 8 incorporates an annular magnet 85 and a cylindrical extension 89 for insertion into the channel 59 at the periphery of barrel 3 of a hair dryer 1. The diffuser 93 comprises a substantially hemispherical faceplate 95 containing a set of prongs 97. Air enters the bowl defined by the substantially hemispherical faceplate 95 via an array of -20 -holes in the faceplate 95 and open portions of the prongs 97. The bowl acts as a pressure reducer by increasing the outlet area compared to the inlet size. The hole pattern facilitates a substantially uniform flow of air while the prongs 97 act to deliver hot air deeper into the hair.

As with the previously described nozzle attachment 77, a channel 99 is provided adjacent the cylindrical extension 89 and the outer surface of the hemispherical faceplate 95 which, when attached to a hair dryer 1 is in fluid communication with the channel 59 at the periphery of barrel 3 of a hair dryer 1. When attached to a hair dryer 1, air flows through the diffuser 93 in the manner indicated by the arrows in the figure where the solid arrows indicate unheated air which enters the diffuser 93 via channel 59 at the periphery of barrel 3 of a hair dryer 1 and the dotted arrows indicate heated air which has been heated by heater 13.

In this embodiment, a baffle 101 is provided in the centre of the tube defined by the cylindrical extension 89 which results in an even distribution of flow at the diffuser outlet.

The baffle 101 blocks a portion of the tube defined by the cylindrical extension 89 and prevents air exiting a hair dryer 1 from passing directly along the centre of the cylindrical extension 89. The provision of a baffle 101 separate from the hemispherical faceplate 95 means that inlet holes can be provided throughout the concave surface of the faceplate 95 without the jet of heated air created by a hair dryer 1 directly entering the bowl defined by the faceplate 95 via holes provided in the central portion of the face plate 95 without being diverted around the baffle 101.

In conventional diffusers no air holes are provided in the central portion of the faceplate 95. In the absence of a baffle 101 the majority of the heated air exiting the barrel 3 of a hair dryer 1 would enter the concave depression defined by a diffuser in this central portion of the depression if holes where to be provided in that portion of the faceplate 95. In contrast, in accordance with the present embodiment, an air jet exiting a hair dryer 1 is diverted by the baffle 101 so as to spread the airflow across the surface area of the faceplate 95, However, heated air can still enter the bowl of face plate 95 via holes in the central portion of the faceplate 95 after having been diverted by the faceplate 95. This results in a more consistent air flow into the bowl without portions of the heated airflow entering the bowl at significantly different temperatures. -21 -

Barrel illumination As noted above a set of lighting strips 23 may be mounted on the main body of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1. Such lighting strips 23 can be illuminated to indicate to a user that certain functions of the hair dryer 1 have been activated. Thus, for example, lighting 5 strips 23 may be illuminated to indicate the activation of the system for diverting unheated air along the channel 59 at the periphery of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 indicating that the barrel 3 is being kept at a temperature which is cool enough to handle safely (e.g. by changing colour say from white to blue). Alternatively, in other embodiments, the lighting strips 23 might be illuminated to indicate the speed at which 10 the fan motor 9 was being driven.

Figure 9 is a schematic illustration of an optical stack for providing and illuminating lighting strips 23 on the exterior of the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 of Figure 1.

As is shown in Figure 9, in order to accommodate lighting strips 23, in this embodiment the barrel 3 of the hair dryer 1 is formed of a series of cylindrical layers comprising a reflective layer 103, a light guide layer 105, a diffuser 107, a mask 109 and an outer case work layer 111. An LED 113 is provided which is arranged to illuminate the light guide layer 105. The reflective layer 103 is an inner shell which reflects light back into the light guide layer 105 and also provides the structural component for the barrel 3. The diffuser 107 comprises a translucent shell that scatters light from the light guide layer 105 which acts to obscure the micro-structure of the LED 113. The mask 109 is a dark layer which masks off portions of the diffuser 107 so that the light from the LED 113 appears as a series of lighting strips 23. The outer case work layer 111 is a protective clear outer layer which protects the other components of the lighting system.

In use, when activated, light from the LED 113, indicated by the arrows in Figure 9 enters 25 the light guide layer 105 and is reflected via the reflective layer 103 so as to pass into the diffuser 107. Light then passes through gaps in the mask 109 out to the surface of the barrel 3 via the outer case work layer 111.

Claims

-22 -CLAIMS1. A hair dryer comprising: a main body having a centre of mass, and a handle having a longitudinal extent which extends away from the main body; wherein the handle is attached to the main body at a point offset from the centre of mass of the main body; and is shaped so as to permit the main body to be grasped in the vicinity of the centre of mass of the main body with the longitudinal extent of the handle extending below the centre of mass of the main body.
2. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 1, wherein the handle is attached to the main body of the hair dryer via an offset, one portion of the offset being attached to the main body at a point offset from the centre of mass of the main body and another portion of the offset being attached to the handle wherein the offset separates the handle from the main body of the hair dryer to define a notch through which a user's fingers or a portion of a user's hand can pass through when a user grasps the main body in the vicinity of the centre of mass of the main body with the longitudinal extent of the handle extending below the centre of mass of the main body.
3. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the main body is substantially cylindrical in shape.
4. A hair dryer in accordance with any preceding claim wherein the main body of the hair dryer comprises a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer and a heater operable to heat at least a portion of the air flow generated by the fan assembly.
5. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 4 wherein a channel is provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer and the fan assembly is configured to impel air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel.
6. A hair dryer in accordance with any preceding claim wherein a portion of the main body of the hair dryer in the vicinity of the centre of mass of the main body graspable by the user is insulated.
-23 - 7. A hair dryer comprising: a main body containing a fan assembly and heater; wherein the main body is substantially cylindrical and a plurality of air inlets is provided in an annular ring at one end of the main body, the surface area of the portion of the main body where the air inlets are provided being greater than the circular cross section of the portion of the main body where the air inlets are provided.
8. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 7 wherein the plurality of air inlets comprise a plurality of channels passing through the walls of the main body of the hair dryer, wherein the lateral extent of the plurality of channels are parallel to one another.
9. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 8 further comprising a filter provided within the main body of the hair dryer in the vicinity of the plurality of air inlets, wherein a surface of the filter is orientated relative to the plurality of air inlets such that the surface is perpendicular to the lateral extent of the plurality of channels.
10. A hair dryer in accordance with any of claims 7-9 further comprising a baffle arranged within the main body of the hair dryer in the vicinity of the air inlets, wherein the surface of the baffle is configured to direct air entering the main body of the hair dryer via the air inlets along the axial direction of the main body towards the fan assembly contained within the main body.
11.A hair dryer in accordance with any of claims 7-10 further comprising a user interface display, wherein the user interface display is provided at the end of the main body adjacent the annular ring of air inlets.
12. A hair dryer comprising: a main body containing a fan assembly comprising a motor operable to cause an impeller to rotate, wherein the fan assembly is operable to draw air in via an inlet; and a stator blade arrangement provided within the inlet of the fan assembly, the stator blade arrangement comprising an arrangement of blades wherein the blades are angled relative to the direction in which the fan assembly is operable to draw in air, the angling of the blades of the stator blade arrangement being such -24 -to direct air drawn in by the fan assembly to rotate in a direction corresponding to the direction of rotation of the impeller of the fan assembly.
13. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 12, wherein the arrangement of blades comprise a plurality of blades extending between an inner support and outer support ring wherein the plurality of blades are equally spaced from one another.
14. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 12 or 13 wherein the blades are angled at approximately an angle of an angle of 25° relative to the direction in which the fan assembly is operable to draw in air.
15. A hair dryer in accordance with any of claims 12-14 further comprising a plurality of Helmholtz resonator chambers arranged around the periphery of the inlet of the fan assembly.
16. A hair dryer comprising: a main body; a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer; a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; and control electronics for controlling the operations of the hair dryer, wherein a channel is provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer; the fan assembly is configured to impel some air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel; and at least some of the control electronics are arranged so that a portion of the control electronics is adjacent air flow passing through the channel wherein the air flow dissipates heat from that portion of the control electronics.
17. A hair dryer comprising: a main body a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer, the fan assembly having an air intake; a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; and control electronics for controlling the operations of the hair dryer, wherein the hair dryer is configured so that at least some of the air drawn into the air intake of the fan assembly, when the fan assembly is activated is caused to be -25 -drawn over the surface of the control electronics.
18. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 17, further comprising a handle, wherein the control electronics are contained within a cavity within the handle and an air channel is provided in fluid communication with the cavity containing the control electronics; and an outlet of the air channel is provided adjacent the air intake of the fan assembly such that air from the air channel is drawn into the air intake when the fan assembly is operated, thereby generating an air flow across the surface of the control electronics.
19. A hair dryer comprising: a main body having an air inlet and an air outlet; a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer from the air inlet to the air outlet; and a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; wherein a bulb is provided in the central portion of the air outlet, the bulb having a first end closer to the fan assembly and a second end closer to the air outlet wherein the surface of the bulb at the second end of the bulb and the portions of air outlet concentric with the second end of the bulb are configured to direct air which passes around the bulb inwardly towards an axis passing through the centre of the air outlet.
20. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 19, wherein the first end of the bulb is hemispherical and the second end of the bulb is tapered.
21. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 19 or 20 wherein a channel is provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer and the fan assembly is configured to impel air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel to exit at the periphery of the air outlet.
22.A hair dryer in accordance with claim 21, wherein the portions of the channel concentric with the second end of the bulb are configured to direct air which passes through the channel inwardly towards an axis passing through the centre of the air outlet.
-26 - 23. A hair dryer including a magnetic attachment system, the hair dryer comprising: a main body having an air outlet at one end; a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer; a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; a magnet for attaching an accessory to the end of the main body of the hair dryer where the air outlet is provided; wherein a channel is provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer, the channel having an outlet at the periphery of the air outlet of the hair dryer; the fan assembly is configured to impel some air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel; and the magnet is separated by the channel from the air flow which is heated by the heater passing through the main body of the hair dryer.
24. A hair dryer in accordance of claim 23 wherein a surface of the magnet at the end of the hair dryer adjacent the air outlet is inclined so that a portion of the magnet closer to the air flow which is heated by the heater passing through the main body of the hair dryer is inset from the end of the main body of the hair dryer relative to a portion of the magnet which is more remote from the air flow which is heated by the heater passing through the main body of the hair dryer.
25. A hair dryer system, comprising: a hair dryer in accordance with claim 23 or 24; and accessory for attachment to a hair dryer in accordance with claim 23 or claim 24, the attachment comprising: an extension for insertion into the channel adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer; and a ferrous component, provided adjacent the extension, wherein when the extension is inserted into the channel adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer, the ferrous component is attracted to the end of the main body of the hair dryer by the magnet provided on the hair dryer.
26. A hair dryer system in accordance with claim 25 wherein a surface of the ferrous component is angled so as to provide in inclined surface which is complementary to an inclined surface of a hair dryer to which the accessory is designed to be -27 -attached.
27. An accessory for attachment to a hair dryer, the attachment comprising: an extension for insertion into the channel adjacent the periphery of a main air outlet of a hairdryer; a magnet, provided adjacent the extension; and an inner wall operable, when the extension is inserted into a channel to prevent air exiting a main air outlet of a hairdryer from passing in the immediate vicinity of the magnet.
28. An accessory in accordance with claim 27 wherein a surface of the magnet is angled so as to provide in inclined surface which is complementary to an inclined surface of a hair dryer to which the accessory is designed to be attached.
29. A hair dryer system or an accessory in accordance with any of claims 25-28 wherein the accessory is a nozzle; a diffuser or a hair pick.
30. A hair dryer for use with the accessory of claim 27 or 28, comprising: a main body having an air outlet at one end; a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer; a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; wherein a channel is provided adjacent the periphery of the main body of the hairdryer, the channel having an outlet at the periphery of the air outlet of the hair dryer, the channel being configured to receive an extension portion of an accessory; the fan assembly is configured to impel some air which has not been heated by the heater through the channel; and a ferrous component is provided adjacent the air outlet separated by the channel from the air flow which is heated by the heater passing through the main body of the hair dryer.
31. The hair dryer of claim 30, wherein a surface of the ferrous component is angled so as to provide an inclined surface which is complementary to an inclined surface of an accessory designed to be attached to the hair dryer.
32. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 23 or claim 24 or an accessory or hair dryer -28 -system in accordance with any of claims 27-29 wherein the magnet is an annular magnet.
33. A hair dryer in accordance with claim 23 or claim 24 or accessory or hair dryer system in accordance with any of claims 27-29 wherein the magnet is a neodymium magnet.
34. A diffuser accessory for attachment to a hair dryer comprising: an inlet for receiving air; a faceplate having a concave surface defining a bowl; a set of prongs extending into the bowl; wherein a plurality of holes are provided to permit entry of air into the bowl via the faceplate and the prongs, at least some of the holes being provided in a central portion of the face plate; and a baffle provided within a central portion of the inlet operable to divert air entering the air inlet from the central portion of the face plate.
35. A diffuser accessory in accordance with claim 34 further comprising an inner wall which is operable to divert air entering at the periphery of the inlet from air entering a central portion of the inlet.
36. A hair dryer comprising: a main body a fan assembly for generating an air flow through the main body of the hair dryer; a heater operable to heat air passing through the main body; and control electronics for controlling the operation of the heater and fan assembly; wherein the main body comprises: a reflective layer, a light guide layer, a diffuser, and a mask; and the hair dryer further comprises a light source operable to illuminate the light guide layer of the main body in response to the selection of operations by the control electronics.