Adjustable-barrel curling iron

Abstract

An adjustable barrel, a barrel-adjustment assembly, and an adjustable distal tip assembly. The barrel is radially adjustable between an expanded position and a contracted position having different diameters. The barrel-adjustment assembly includes a barrel cam, a gear-set, and a rotary adjustment ring. The barrel cam rotates to unwrap and wrap the barrel thereabout between the expanded and contracted positions. The gear-set rotationally drives the barrel cam. The adjustment ring can be longitudinally translated from a disengaged position to an engaged position. In the disengaged position the gear-set is disengaged (but an anti-rotation assembly is engaged) and in the engaged position the gear-set is engaged (and the anti-rotation assembly is disengaged). Once in the disengaged position, the adjustment ring can be rotated, which causes the engaged gear-set to rotate the barrel cam, which in turn wraps and unwraps the barrel about the cam into increased or decreased diameters.

1 . An adjustable-barrel curling iron, comprising:
 a handle;   a pivotal clip;   a radially-adjustable barrel having an outer end and an inner end that overlap each other in a spiral configuration;   at least one heater that provides heat to the barrel; and   a barrel-adjustment assembly including a rotary adjustment ring, a rotation-transferring linkage, and a barrel cam, wherein the rotary adjustment ring rotates relative to the handle and is operably coupled to the rotation-transferring linkage, and the inner end of the barrel is coupled to the barrel cam, wherein when the rotary adjustment ring is rotated its rotary motion is transferred to the barrel cam by the rotation-transferring linkage, and the rotation of the barrel cam wraps and unwraps the barrel about the barrel cam to change the diameter of the barrel and radially adjust the barrel between an expanded position and a contracted position.   
     
     
         2 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 1 , wherein the heater is a flexible heating element attached to an inner surface of the barrel to provide heat to the barrel. 
     
     
         3 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 1 , wherein the rotary adjustment ring longitudinally translates relative to the handle between an engaged position and a disengaged position, wherein in the engaged position the rotation-transferring linkage is engaged to rotate the barrel cam and in the disengaged position it is not. 
     
     
         4 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 3 , wherein the rotary adjustment ring is spring-biased to toward the disengaged position. 
     
     
         5 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 3 , wherein the rotary adjustment ring includes an anti-rotation assembly having at least one protrusion that engages another component of the curling iron when the rotary adjustment ring is in the disengaged position to prevent rotation of the rotary adjustment ring when the rotary adjustment ring is in the disengaged position. 
     
     
         6 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 5 , further comprising a fixed ring that does not rotate relative to the handle, wherein the anti-rotation assembly includes a plurality of protrusions extending from one of the rotary adjustment ring and the fixed ring and a plurality of mating recesses formed in the other of the rotary adjustment ring and the fixed ring. 
     
     
         7 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 1 , wherein the rotation-transferring linkage comprises an adjustment gear-set. 
     
     
         8 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 7 , wherein the adjustment gear-set includes a drive gear and a cam gear, the drive gear is operably coupled to and rotates with the rotary adjustment ring, the cam gear is rotationally driven by the drive gear, and the barrel cam is coupled to and rotates with the cam gear. 
     
     
         9 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 1 , further comprising an adjustable distal end assembly comprising a plurality of fan blades configured to cover a distal end of the barrel as the diameter of the barrel is changed. 
     
     
         10 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 9 , wherein the adjustable distal end assembly further comprises a distal tip cover, wherein the fan blades are coupled to and extend between the tip cover and the distal end of the barrel so that they overlap and layer upon one another in a decreased-diameter arrangement when the barrel is in the contracted position and they fan out into an increased-diameter arrangement when the barrel is in the expanded position. 
     
     
         11 . An adjustable-barrel curling iron, comprising:
 a handle;   a pivotal clip;   a radially-adjustable barrel having an outer end and an inner end that overlap each other in a spiral configuration;   at least one heater that provides heat to the barrel; and   a barrel-adjustment assembly including a fixed ring, a rotary adjustment ring, an adjustment gear-set, and a barrel cam, wherein the rotary adjustment ring rotates relative to the handle and the fixed ring and is operably coupled to the adjustment gear-set, and the inner end of the barrel is coupled to the barrel cam,   wherein when the rotary adjustment ring is rotated its rotary motion is transferred to the barrel cam by the adjustment gear-set, and the rotation of the barrel cam wraps and unwraps the barrel about the barrel cam to change the diameter of the barrel and radially adjust the barrel between an expanded position and a contracted position, and   wherein the rotary adjustment ring longitudinally translates relative to the handle and the fixed ring between an engaged position and a disengaged position, in the engaged position the adjustment gear-set is engaged to rotate the barrel cam and in the disengaged position it is not, and the rotary adjustment ring is spring-biased to toward the disengaged position.   
     
     
         12 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 11 , wherein barrel cam extends longitudinally from the adjustment gear-set and is non-concentric with the fixed ring. 
     
     
         13 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 11 , wherein the heater is a flexible heating element attached to an inner surface of the barrel to provide heat to the barrel. 
     
     
         14 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 13 , wherein the flexible heating element is made of kapton, mylar, or silicone. 
     
     
         15 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 11 , wherein the adjustment gear-set includes a drive gear and a cam gear, the drive gear is operably coupled to and rotates with the rotary adjustment ring, the cam gear is rotationally driven by the drive gear, and the barrel cam is coupled to and rotates with the cam gear. 
     
     
         16 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 11 , wherein the rotary adjustment ring includes an anti-rotation assembly having at least one protrusion extending from one of the rotary adjustment ring and the fixed ring that matingly engages a component of the other of the rotary adjustment ring and the fixed ring to prevent rotation of the rotary adjustment ring when the rotary adjustment ring is in the disengaged position. 
     
     
         17 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 11 , wherein the rotary adjustment ring includes an anti-rotation assembly having a plurality of protrusions extending from one of the rotary adjustment ring and the fixed ring and a plurality of recessed formed in the other of the rotary adjustment ring and the fixed ring that matingly engage each other when the rotary adjustment ring is in the disengaged position to prevent rotation of the rotary adjustment ring when the rotary adjustment ring is in the disengaged position. 
     
     
         18 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 11 , further comprising an adjustable distal end assembly comprising a plurality of fan blades configured to cover a distal end of the barrel as the diameter of the barrel is changed. 
     
     
         19 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 18 , wherein the adjustable distal end assembly further comprises a distal tip cover, wherein the fan blades are coupled to and extend between the tip cover and the distal end of the barrel so that they overlap and layer upon one another in a decreased-diameter arrangement when the barrel is in the contracted position and they fan out into an increased-diameter arrangement when the barrel is in the expanded position. 
     
     
         20 . The adjustable-barrel curling iron of  claim 18 , wherein the fan blades are elongated and generally triangular, with wide ends of the fan blades attached to the distal end of the barrel and narrow ends attached to the tip cover.