Hair dryer with one finger head release

Claim 2

A portable hair dryer having a base; a head support assembly; and a head assembly pivotally mounted on said head support assembly; locking means for locking said head assembly against pivotal movement when said head assembly is in a desired operating configuration; said locking means including a pair of oppositely extending movably mounted bolts passing between aligned bolt-receiving orifices in said head assembly and said head supporT assembly; control means for simultaneously moving said bolts between a ''''locked'''' and a ''''release'''' position, said control means being responsive to movement of a single operator controlled actuator.

Claim 3

The dryer of claim 1 including bell crank means wherein each of the respective bolts is fixed to a respective first arm of a bell crank, and wherein a second arm of each respective bell crank is secured to a single operator controlled actuator.

Claim 4

The dryer of claim 2 wherein said bell crank means includes a pair of bell cranks pivotally supported in said head support assembly.

Claim 5

A hair dryer having a head assembly, and a head support assembly, said head assembly being pivotally mounted on said head support assembly and comprising a rigid hood shaped for receiving a portion of the head of the user therein, said hood having an air distribution plenum, said head support being hollow and having a first wall thereof pivotally attached to an adjacent inner wall of said plenum, said head support member having a second wall opposite said first wall, said second wall being positioned closely adjacent the outer wall of said hood plenum, said head and said hood plenum having closely positioned adjacent surfaces defining an air conveying passage therebetween when said head assembly is in a desired operating position; pivot means for pivotally mounting said head on said head support element wherein said head is pivotal about a horizontal axis; said head support member having parallel oppositely facing surfaces at either side thereof, and said head member having a pair of oppositely facing parallel surfaces positioned closely adjacent to respective side surfaces of said head support element, wherein adjacent opposing surfaces have bolt receiving openings therein which are positioned in alignment with each other when said head element is in said desired position; each of said respective bolts extending through its respective side wall of said head support element; bolt control means including bolt support members comprising respective arms to which respective bolts are attached, each of said arms extending along inner surfaces of said respective side walls along a line which extends transversely to the line of movement of the bolt in a second direction, said bolt control means also including an integral bridging portion extending between a lower extreme of said respective arms, said arms and said bridging portions being of integral construction of stiffly resilient flexible material, said bridging portion being dimensioned to permit flexual movement in said second direction; single operator controlled means for flexing said bridging portion at a mid-portion thereof, said operator controlled flexing means including a thumb tab portion extending through the wall of said head support element.

Claim 6

A hair dryer having a head assembly, and a head support assembly, said head assembly being pivotally mounted on said head support assembly and comprising a rigid hood shaped for receiving a portion of the head of the user therein, said hood having an air distribution plenum, said head support being hollow and having a first wall thereof pivotally attached to an adjacent inner wall of said plenum, said head support member having a second wall opposite said first wall, said second wall being positioned closely adjacent the outer wall of said hood plenum, said head and said hood plenum having closely positioned adjacent surfaces defining an air conveying passage therebetween when said head assembly is in a desired operating position; pivot means for pivotally mounting said head on said head support element wherein said head is pivotal about a horizontal axis; said head support member having parallel oppositely facing surfaces at either side thereof, and said head member having a pair of oppositely facing parallel surfaces positioned closely adjacent to respective side surfaces of said head support element, wherein adjacent opposing surfaces have bolt receiving openings therein which are positioned in alignment with each other when said head element is in said desired position; each of said respective bolts extending through its respective side wall of said head support element; bolt control means including bolt support members comprising respective arms to which respective bolts are attached, each of said arms extending along inner surfaces of said respective side walls along a line which extends transversely to the line of movement of the bolt in a second direction, said bolt control means also including an integral bridging portion extending between a lower extreme of said respective arms, said arms and said bridging portions being of integral construction of stiffly resilient flexible material, said bridging portion being dimensioned to permit flexual movement in said second direction; single operator controlled means for flexing said bridging portion at a mid-portion thereof, said operator controlled flexing means including a thumb tab portion extending through the wall of said head support element.

Claim 7

The hair dryer of claim 4 wherein the head support element extends in a horizontally biased direction when in operating configuration, and in which the end thereof adjacent said head element turns sharply upwardly for mating connection to said head element; wherein said arms and the bridging portion are positioned at an acute angle therebetween, wherein the point of the acute angle is positioned against an outer wall of the head support element which is closely adjacent to the outer wall of the head plenum; wherein the operator controlled means includes a finger tab, a traveller fixed to said finger tab, said traveller extending along the wall of the head support element element adjacent said finger tab, and having an end portion thereof which is directed transversely with respect to the traveller in the direction of said angled portion, and wherein the end portion of the traveller includes a slot therein for receiving a mid-portion of said bridging portion therein, said upwardly extending portion extending a sufficient distance to engage said outer wall portion thereby limiting the movement of the traveller in the second direction.

Claim 8

A hair dryer having a head assembly, and a head support assembly, said head being pivotally mounted on said head support assembly and comprising means for receiving a portion of the head of the user therein, said head having an air distribution plenum, said head support being hollow and having a first wall thereof pivotally attached to an adjacent inner wall of said plenum, said head support member having a second wall opposite said first wall, said second wall being positioned closely adjacent the outer wall of said head plenum, said head and said plenum having closely positioned adjacent surfaces defining an air conveying passage therebetween when said head is in a desired operating position; pivot means for pivotally mounting said head on said head support element wherein said head is pivotal about a horizontal axis, said head assembly and said head support each having a respective pair of oppositely facing parallel surfaces wherein said surfaces of one of said members are closely adjacent oppositely corresponding respective surfaces of the other of said assemblies; said surfaces moving in arcuate parallel paths with respect to each other during said pivotal movement of said head, each of said surfaces having bolt receiving openings thereon positioned in alignment with each other when said head is in said desired position; detent means including respective bolts movably mounted for passing through both of the respective aligned openings, said bolts being movably mounted for movement generally in a direction parallel said horizontal pivotal axis, said detent means including bolt support means comprising respective arms thereof to which respective bolts are attached and which extend generally transversely to the axis of movement of the respective bolts in a second direction, said bolt support means also including respective bridging portions thereof fixed to said respective arms, means for maintaining each of said arms at a substantially constant angle with respect to its respective bridging portion, single operator control means for simultaneously moving said midportions of said respective bridging portions back and forth a limited predetermined distance along a line extending in said second direction; stop means for restraining said arms from movement in said second direction wherein said arms automatically pivot at respective points of contact with said stop means, when said mid-portions are moved; wherein the length of said respective arms is sufficient to develop sufficient movement at that point thereon to which the bolts are attached, to move said respective bolts inwardly towards each other through a predetermined distance during the movement of said bridging portion, the latter distance being sufficient to move said bolts between a locking position and a release position; and biasing means for biasing said bolts towards said locked postion.

Claim 9

A hair dryer having a head assembly, and a head support assembly, said head being pivotally mounted on said head support assembly and comprising means for receiving a portion of the head of the user therein, said head having an air distribution plenum, said head support being hollow and having a first wall thereof pivotally attached to an adjacent inner wall of said plenum, said head support member having a second wall opposite said first wall, said second wall being positioned closely adjacent the outer wall of said head plenum, said head and said plenum having closely positioned adjacent surfaces defining an air conveying passage therebetween when said head is in a desired operating position; pivot means for pivotally mounting said head on said head support element wherein said head is pivotal about a horizontal axis, said head assembly and said head support each having a respective pair of oppositely facing parallel surfaces wherein said surfaces of one of said members are closely adjacent oppositely corresponding respective surfaces of the other of said assemblies; said surfaces moving in arcuate parallel paths with respect to each other during said pivotal movement of said head, each of said surfaces having bolt receiving openings thereon positioned in alignment with each other when said head is in said desired position; detent means including respective bolts movably mounted for passing through both of the respective aligned openings, said bolts being movably mounted for movement generally in a direction parallel said horizontal pivotal axis, said detent means including bolt support means comprising respective arms thereof to which respective bolts are attached and which extend generally transversely to the axis of movement of the respective bolts in a second direction, said bolt support means also including respective bridging portions thereof fixed to said respective arms, means for maintaining each of said arms at a substantially constant angle with respect to its respective bridging portion, single operator control means for simultaneously moving said midportions of said respective bridging portions back and forth a limited predetermined distance along a line extending in said second direction; stop means for restraining said arms from movement in said second direction wherein said arms automatically pivot at respective points of contact with said stop means, when said mid-portions are moved; wherein the length of said respective arms is sufficient to develop sufficient movement at that point thereon to which the bolts are attached, to move said respective bolts inwardly towards each other through a predetermined distance during the movement of said bridging portion, the latter distance being sufficient to move said bolts between a locking position and a release position; and biasing means for biasing said bolts towards said locked postion.