Skin protection from hot equipment

Abstract

A protective cover for a hand-held heated instrument such as a curling iron or wand comprises a thin elastomeric sleeve of high-temperature polymer, for example silicon rubber. The sleeve may include features such as ridges, bumps, or through holes, and may be sized to fit snugly over the barrel of the heated instrument. The sleeve reduces heat conduction from hot surfaces of the instrument enough to prevent or reduce burns from momentary contact with bare skin, without noticeably altering the characteristics of the instrument for its intended purpose, such as curling or shaping hair.

1 . A protective cover for a handheld electrically heated instrument that includes a thermally conductive exterior surface heated within a range of about 250° F. to about 450° F., the cover comprising:
 an elastomeric sleeve sized to cover and conform to the thermally conductive exterior surface of the handheld heated instrument, wherein the sleeve has a base uniform thickness in a range of 0.5 to 3 mm exclusive of holes or surface features, wherein the elastomeric sleeve comprises a high-temperature polymer having a softening point above 450° F. and a thermal conductivity less than about 3 W/m K. 
 
     
     
         2 . The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the high-temperature polymer comprises a silicone rubber. 
     
     
         3 . The protective cover of  claim 2 , wherein the silicone rubber is a polysiloxane material. 
     
     
         4 . The protective cover of  claim 3 , wherein the polysiloxane has a hardness in a range of 10 to 90 Shore A. 
     
     
         5 . The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric sleeve is generally cylindrical and sized to cover and conform to a barrel of a curling iron or curling wand. 
     
     
         6 . The protective cover of  claim 5 , wherein the elastomeric sleeve is closed on one end. 
     
     
         7 . The protective cover of  claim 5 , wherein the elastomeric sleeve comprises a plurality of uniformly spaced through holes. 
     
     
         8 . The protective cover of  claim 7 , wherein each of the through holes is selected from circular or polygonal, and each exposes an area of the barrel not greater than 0.5 cm 2 . 
     
     
         9 . The protective cover of  claim 5 , wherein the elastomeric sleeve comprises a plurality of uniformly spaced ridges around a circumference of the sleeve. 
     
     
         10 . The protective cover of  claim 9 , wherein each of the uniformly spaced ridges has a uniform height in a range of 1 to 4 mm, and a uniform width in a range of 1 to 4 mm. 
     
     
         11 . The protective cover of  claim 9 , wherein each of the uniformly spaced ridges has a cross-section selected from semi-circular, rectangular or triangular. 
     
     
         12 . The protective cover of  claim 9 , wherein a portion of the elastomeric sleeve is free of ridges in an area corresponding to a tong of a curling iron. 
     
     
         13 . The protective cover of  claim 9 , wherein the ridges are non-continuous around the circumference of the elastomeric sleeve. 
     
     
         14 . The protective cover of  claim 5 , wherein the elastomeric sleeve has a uniform internal diameter in a range of 2 to 10 cm. 
     
     
         15 . The protective cover of  claim 5 , wherein the elastomeric sleeve has a uniform internal diameter in a range of 3.5 to 6 cm. 
     
     
         16 . The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the high-temperature polymer has a thermal conductivity less than about 1 W/m K. 
     
     
         17 . The protective cover of  claim 1 , wherein the high-temperature polymer has a thermal conductivity less than about 0.5 W/m K. 
     
     
         18 . A method of using a protective cover to prevent burns from heated subject equipment, the method comprising:
 installing a protective cover on the barrel of a subject curling iron, curling wand, or similar equipment, wherein the protective cover comprises an elastomeric sleeve sized to cover and conform to the thermally conductive exterior surface of the subject equipment, wherein the sleeve has a base uniform thickness in a range of 0.5 to 3 mm exclusive of holes or surface features, and wherein the elastomeric sleeve comprises a high-temperature polymer having a softening point above 450° F. and a thermal conductivity less than about 3 W/m K;   activating the subject equipment until the barrel is heated to a desired operating temperature; and   using the subject equipment to style hair.   
     
     
         19 . A handheld electrically heated instrument for curling hair, comprising:
 a thermally conductive exterior surface configured for electrical heating to a temperature within a range of about 250° F. to about 450° F.; and   an elastomeric sleeve sized to cover and conform to the thermally conductive exterior surface of the handheld heated instrument, wherein the sleeve has a base uniform thickness in a range of 0.5 to 3 mm exclusive of holes or surface features, wherein the elastomeric sleeve comprises a high-temperature polymer having a softening point above 450° F. and a thermal conductivity less than about 3 W/m K.   
     
     
         20 . The instrument of  claim 19 , wherein the high-temperature polymer comprises a silicone rubber.