Hair curling iron with winder

Abstract

A curling iron that winds a lock of hair about a barrel includes a body that surrounds the barrel and forms a hair-receiving space accessed through an opening in the body. The opening includes a circumferential portion extending about a distal end of the barrel, and a slot extending axially from the circumferential portion toward a proximal end of the barrel. The slot portion is disposed at a longitudinal end of the curling iron for receiving a lock of hair that is elongated parallel to the slot portion and pushed in crosswise. A resilient finger mounted to the body projects and normally closes the slot portion and holds the lock of hair in the hair-receiving space. A gating coupling connects the barrel to the body and provides relative movement between the barrel and the body, between open and closed position, for inserting and releasing a lock of hair.

1 . A curling iron comprising:
 a body;   a barrel having a proximal end mounted within the body and an opposing distal end, wherein the body surrounds the barrel and encloses a hair-receiving space between the barrel and the body;   an element for heating hair in the hair-receiving space, and   an opening in the body, wherein the opening comprises
 a circumferential portion extending about the distal end, and 
 a slot portion extending from the circumferential portion toward the proximal end, wherein the circumferential portion and the slot are arranged so that opposing ends of a lock of hair passing through the hair-receiving space may extend from the circumferential portion and the slot portion. 
   
     
     
         2 . The curling iron of  claim 1  further comprising a gating coupling connecting the barrel to the body and providing relative movement between the barrel and the body, between a closed position, in which the circumferential portion is closed and restricts movement of the lock of hair about the circumferential portion, and an open position, in which the circumferential portion is open for withdrawing a curled lock of hair from the hair-receiving space. 
     
     
         3 . The curling iron of  claim 2 , wherein the barrel substantially abuts the body in the closed position. 
     
     
         4 . The curling iron of  claim 2 , wherein a portion of the barrel proximate to the distal end substantially abuts the body in the closed position. 
     
     
         5 . The curling iron of  claim 2 , wherein the gating coupling provides for sliding movement of the barrel with respect to the body. 
     
     
         6 . The curling iron of  claim 5 , wherein the body has a central axis and the sliding movement is substantially perpendicular to the central axis of the barrel. 
     
     
         7 . The curling iron of  claim 5 , wherein the gating coupling comprises
 an elongate guide fixed to one of the body and the barrel, and   a block slidingly engaged with the elongate guide and fixed to the one of the body and the barrel to which the elongate guide is not fixed.   
     
     
         8 . The curling iron of  claim 2 , wherein the gating coupling comprises a pivot providing relative pivoting movement of the barrel with respect to the body. 
     
     
         9 . The curling iron of  claim 8 , wherein the barrel has a central axis and the pivot has a pivot axis substantially orthogonal to the central axis of the barrel. 
     
     
         10 . The curling iron of  claim 9 , wherein the pivot axis intersects the central axis of the barrel. 
     
     
         11 . The curling iron of  claim 8 , wherein
 the curling iron includes a handle,   the barrel is fixed to the handle of the curling iron, and   the gating coupling provides relative movement between the handle and the body.   
     
     
         12 . The curling iron of  claim 2 , further comprising
 a handle, and   an operating lever fixed to the body, for sliding or pivoting the body relative to the handle.   
     
     
         13 . The curling iron of  claim 12 , further comprising
 a winder for winding the lock of hair about the barrel, and   a switch, actuated by movement of the operating lever, for supplying power to the winder.   
     
     
         14 . The curling iron of  claim 1 , further comprising
 a temperatures sensor for providing a temperature signal indicative of temperature of the element,   a controller that receives the temperature signal and controls power supplied to the element to maintain the element within one of i) a predefined standby temperature range, and ii) a predefined operating temperature range that is higher than the standby temperature range,   a winder for winding the lock of hair about the barrel, and   feedback means connected to the controller for indicating that the winder is in operation, wherein
 when power is supplied to the curling iron, the controller actuates the element to maintain the element in the standby temperature range, and 
 when the feedback means indicates that the winder is in operation, the controller actuates the element to maintain the element in the operating temperature range. 
   
     
     
         15 . The curling iron of  claim 14 , wherein the controller comprises a timer circuit that records an elapsed time from activation of the feedback means, which indicates that the winder is in operation, and, after the elapsed time exceeds a predefined limit, the controller reverts to actuate the element to maintain the element in the standby temperature range. 
     
     
         16 . The curling iron of  claim 14 , further comprising a rotary encoder connected to the controller and that indicates angular displacement of the winder, and, after a predefined angular displacement is exceeded, the controller reverts to actuate the element to maintain the element in the standby temperature range. 
     
     
         17 . The curling iron of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an outer gate that closes the circumferential portion and restricts movement of the lock of hair about the circumferential portion, and that opens and for withdrawal of a curled lock of hair from the hair-receiving space;   inner gate means mounted to the body and holding the lock of hair in the hair-receiving space;   a winder for winding the lock of hair about the barrel, and   an operator that, when pressed by a user closes the outer gate and actuates the winder.   
     
     
         18 . The curling iron of  claim 17 , wherein the inner gate means comprises at least one finger mounted to the body and projecting in a normally closed position, and which may be resiliently deflected to an open position by the user pushing the lock of hair past the at least one finger. 
     
     
         19 . The curling iron of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one finger is elastomeric. 
     
     
         20 . The curling iron of  claim 17 , wherein the slot portion includes a mouth and the at least one finger projects into the mouth of the slot portion, proximate the winder. 
     
     
         21 . The curling iron of  claim 20 , wherein the at least one finger includes a base, the slot portion includes a wall, and the base is mounted to the wall of the slot portion. 
     
     
         22 . The curling iron of  claim 21 , wherein the at least one finger tapers from the base to a tip and narrows from the base to the tip. 
     
     
         23 . The curling iron of  claim 21 , wherein
 the slot portion has a throat, and   the mouth is tapered in a transverse plane and narrows toward the barrel and toward the throat of the slot portion.   
     
     
         24 . The curling iron of  claim 23 , wherein the throat has
 cross-sectional dimensions that are substantially constant throughout axial length or the throat, and   a width, in cross-section, that is substantially narrower than length of the throat, in cross-section.   
     
     
         25 . The curling iron of  claim 23 , wherein the at least one finger comprises a plurality of fingers disposed in a linear array along the slot portion. 
     
     
         26 . The curling iron of  claim 25 , wherein the fingers project from opposite sides of the slot portion. 
     
     
         27 . The curling iron of  claim 26 , wherein the fingers on opposite sides are staggered and overlap one another, lengthwise. 
     
     
         28 . The curling iron of  claim 17 , wherein
 the body further comprises a head, and a handle fixed to the head,   the head surrounds the barrel and encloses the hair-receiving space between the barrel and the head, and   the proximal end of the barrel is fixed within the head.   
     
     
         29 . The curling iron of  claim 28 , wherein
 the handle is elongate,   an axis of the barrel lies in a longitudinal plane, and   a longitudinal plane bisects the slot portion and bisects the handle longitudinally.   
     
     
         30 . The curling iron of  claim 28 , further comprising a mechanical linkage, wherein the operator is mounted to the handle and connected to the outer gate by the mechanical linkage. 
     
     
         31 . The curling iron of  claim 14 , wherein
 the body and the barrel have respective substantially coaxial cylindrical walls,   the hair-receiving space is bounded by the substantially coaxial cylindrical walls of the barrel and of the body, and   ratio of diameters of the cylindrical wall of the barrel to the cylindrical wall of the body is between 2:3 and 6:7.   
     
     
         32 . The curling iron of  claim 17 , wherein the barrel has a longitudinal axis and the outer gate opens and closes by sliding or pivoting substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the barrel. 
     
     
         33 . The curling iron of  claim 14 , wherein the barrel includes two like half-cylindrical parts that are assembled to each other. 
     
     
         34 . The curling iron of  claim 33 , wherein each of the half-cylindrical parts encloses a respective element for heating hair. 
     
     
         35 . The curling iron of  claim 14 , wherein the winder comprises a member that rotates relative to the barrel, through the hair-receiving space, substantially about an axis of the barrel, while simultaneously moving parallel to the axis of the barrel.