Hair dryer with non-parallel air flow

Abstract

A hair dryer includes a body having a handle portion, a middle portion operatively connected to the handle portion and at least one air duct portion extending away from the middle portion in a direction non-parallel to the handle portion and having walls with apertures. The hair dryer also includes a blower mounted within the body to generate an air flow through the at least one air duct portion to discharge through the apertures on the walls of the at least one air duct portion in a direction non-parallel to a central axis of the at least one air duct portion.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hair dryer comprising:
 a body having a handle portion, air duct portions and a middle portion disposed between the handle portion and the air duct portions;   a blower mounted within the body to generate a forced air flow through at least a portion of the air duct portions;   nozzles disposed at distal ends of the air duct portions, wherein with the hair dryer set to a first hair drying mode the nozzles discharge the forced air flow in a direction generally parallel to central axes of the air duct portions; and   apertures on walls of the air duct portions, wherein with the hair dryer set to a hair drying mode other than the first hair drying mode the apertures discharge the force air flow in a direction non-parallel to the central axes of the air duct portions.   
     
     
         2 . The hair dryer of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the air duct portions include a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and   with the hair dryer set to a second hair drying mode, the air duct portions are positioned such that apertures on a wall of the first air duct portion discharge the force air flow in a direction towards the second air duct portion, and apertures on a wall of the second air duct portion discharge the force air flow in a direction towards the first air duct portion.   
     
     
         3 . The hair dryer of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the air duct portions include a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and   with the hair dryer set to a third hair drying mode, the air duct portions are positioned such that apertures on a wall of the first air duct portion discharge the force air flow in a direction not towards the second air duct portion, and apertures on a wall of the second air duct portion discharge the force air flow in a direction not towards the first air duct portion.   
     
     
         4 . The hair dryer of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the air duct portions include a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and   with the hair dryer set to a third hair drying mode, the air duct portions are positioned such that apertures on a wall of the first air duct portion discharge the force air flow in a direction not towards the second air duct portion, and apertures on a wall of the second air duct portion discharge the force air flow in generally the same direction as the first air duct portion.   
     
     
         5 . The hair dryer of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the air duct portions include a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and   with the hair dryer set to a third hair drying mode, the air duct portions are positioned such that apertures on the walls of the air duct portions discharge the force air flow in a direction generally parallel to a central axis of the handle portion.   
     
     
         6 . The hair dryer of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the air duct portions include a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and   with the hair dryer set to a second hair drying mode, the air duct portions are positioned such that apertures on a wall of the first air duct portion discharge the force air flow in a direction towards the second air duct portion, and apertures on a wall of the second air duct portion discharge the force air flow in a direction towards the first air duct portion, and   with the hair dryer set to a third hair drying mode, the air duct portions are positioned such that apertures on the walls of the first air duct portion and the second air duct portion discharge the air flow in generally the same direction.   
     
     
         7 . The hair dryer of  claim 6 , comprising:
 a dial disposed on the middle portion to set the hair dryer to the second mode or the third mode.   
     
     
         8 . A hair dryer comprising:
 a body having:
 a handle portion, 
 a middle portion operatively connected to the handle portion, and 
 air duct portions extending away from the middle portion non-parallel to the handle portion; 
   a blower mounted within the body to generate an air flow through the air duct portions; and   nozzles disposed at distal ends of the air duct portions,   the hair dryer settable to at least two modes including:
 a first mode in which the air flow discharges through the nozzles in a direction generally parallel to central axes of the air duct portions; and 
 a second mode in which the air flow discharges through apertures on walls of the air duct portions in a direction non-parallel to the central axes of the air duct portions. 
   
     
     
         9 . The hair dryer of  claim 8 , comprising:
 an air directing mechanism to direct the air flow to the nozzles in the first mode and to the apertures in the second mode.   
     
     
         10 . The hair dryer of  claim 8 , comprising:
 an air directing mechanism to block the air flow from the apertures in the first mode and from the nozzles in the second mode.   
     
     
         11 . The hair dryer of  claim 8 , wherein
 the air duct portions include a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and   the hair dryer is settable to at least three modes including:
 the second mode in which the air flow discharges through apertures on walls of the first air duct portion in a direction towards the second air duct portion and through apertures on walls of the second air duct portion in a direction towards the first air duct portion, and 
 a third mode in which the air duct portions are positioned such that the air flow discharges through the apertures on the walls of the first air duct portion and the second air duct portion in generally the same direction. 
   
     
     
         12 . The hair dryer of  claim 8 , wherein
 the air duct portions include a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and   the hair dryer is settable to at least three modes including:
 the second mode in which the air flow discharges through apertures on walls of the first air duct portion in a direction towards the second air duct portion and through apertures on walls of the second air duct portion in a direction towards the first air duct portion, and 
 a third mode in which the air flow discharges through the apertures on the walls of the first air duct portion in a direction not towards the second air duct portion and through apertures on walls of the second air duct portion in a direction not towards the first air duct portion. 
   
     
     
         13 . The hair dryer of  claim 12 , wherein
 the first duct portion and the second duct portion are rotatable about an axis of the middle portion from a position corresponding to the second mode to a position corresponding to the third mode.   
     
     
         14 . The hair dryer of  claim 13 , comprising:
 a dial operatively connected to the air duct portions and rotatable by a user to rotate the first duct portion and the second duct portion from the position corresponding to the second mode to the position corresponding to the third mode and from the position corresponding to the third mode to the position corresponding to the second mode.   
     
     
         15 . The hair dryer of  claim 8 , wherein
 the air duct portions include a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and   the hair dryer is settable to at least three modes including:
 the second mode in which the air flow discharges through apertures on walls of the first air duct portion in a direction towards the second air duct portion and through apertures on walls of the second air duct portion in a direction towards the first air duct portion, and 
 a third mode in which the air duct portions are positioned such that the air flow discharges through the apertures on the walls of the first air duct portion and the second air duct portion in a direction generally parallel to a central axis of the handle portion. 
   
     
     
         16 . A hair dryer comprising:
 a body having:
 a handle portion, 
 a middle portion operatively connected to the handle portion, and 
 at least one air duct portion extending away from the middle portion in a 
   direction non-parallel to the handle portion and having walls with apertures;   a blower mounted within the body to generate an air flow through the at least one air duct portion to discharge through the apertures on the walls of the at least one air duct portion in a direction non-parallel to a central axis of the at least one air duct portion.   
     
     
         17 . The hair dryer of  claim 16 , wherein
 the at least one air duct portion includes a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and the air duct portions are positioned such that the air flow discharges through apertures on walls of the first air duct portion in a direction towards the second air duct portion and through apertures on walls of the second air duct portion in a direction towards the first air duct portion.   
     
     
         18 . The hair dryer of  claim 16 , wherein
 the at least one air duct portion includes a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and the air duct portions are positioned such that the air flow discharges through apertures on walls of the first air duct portion in a direction not towards the second air duct portion and through apertures on walls of the second air duct portion in a direction not towards the first air duct portion.   
     
     
         19 . The hair dryer of  claim 16 , wherein
 the at least one air duct portion includes a first air duct portion and a second air duct portion, and the air duct portions are positioned such that the air flow discharges through apertures on walls of the first air duct portion and the second air duct portion in generally the same direction.   
     
     
         20 . The hair dryer of  claim 16 , wherein
 the at least one air duct portion are positioned such that the air flow discharges through apertures on walls of the at least one air duct portion in a direction generally parallel to a central axis of the handle portion.