Heatable hair roller and heating unit for use therewith

Claim 2

A heatable hair roller comprising a plastic tubular body defining an outer surface for said hair roller and having first and second aperture means therein spaced longitudinally on said body, said aperture means each extending around the circumference of said body; alloy means having a predetermined Curie temperature disposed in said tubular body; and electrical heating means in said body in heat transfer relation with said alloy means and including first contact means disposed within said tubular body in alignment with said first aperture means to expose said first contact means in recessed relation to the outer surface of said tubular body and second contact means disposed within said tubular body in alignment with said second aperture means to expose said second contact means in recessed relation to said outer surface of said tubular body to thereby permit electricity to be supplied to said electrical heating means.

Claim 3

A heatable hair roller as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular body has an inner surface, said first and second contact means include electrically conductive ring means disposed contiguous with said inner surface, and said first and second aperture means include a plurality of spaced apertures arranged around said body to expose said ring means.

Claim 4

A heatable hair roller as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular body includes a cylindrical wall.

Claim 5

A heatable hair roller as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second contact means are disposed adjacent opposite ends of sid tubular body.

Claim 6

A heatable hair roller as recited in claim 4 wherein said tubular body is formed by a cylindrical wall defining said outer surface and an inner surface, said first contact is an electrically conductive ring disposed adjacent said inner surface, said second contact is an electrically conductive ring disposed adjacent said inner surface, said first aperture means includes a plurality of spaced apertures in said wall arranged around said body to expose said first ring contact and said second aperture means includes a plurality of spaced apertures in said wall arranged around said body to expose said second ring contact.

Claim 7

A heatable hair roller as recited in claim 5 wherein said body has outwardly converging tapered side walls not extending beyond said outer surface defining said apertures.

Claim 8

A heating unit for electrically heating hair rollers comprising a ramp defining a heating position, a lower portion therebelow and an upper portion thereabove; passage means for supplying a hair roller to be heated to said upper portion of said ramp; magnet means carried by said ramp at said heating position and adapted to cooperate with a magnetic member in a hair roller for holding a hair roller to be heated thereat; and a pair of electrical contacts disposed on opposite sides of said ramp at said heating position and adapted to have a source of electricity connected thereacross, said pair of electrical contacts each including electrically conductive protrusion means extending upwardly from said ramp for supplying electricity to a hair roller having electrical heating means and a pair of longitudinally spaced circumferentially extending aperture means exposing electrical contact means, saiD protrusion means sized and spaced to mate with said aperture means to permit electricity to be supplied to said electrical heating means to said roller to be heated at said heating position.

Claim 9

A heating unit for electrically heating hair rollers comprising a ramp defining a heating position, a lower portion therebelow and an upper portion thereabove; passage means for supplying a hair roller to be heated to said upper portion of said ramp; magnet means carried by said ramp at said heating position and adapted to cooperate with a magnetic member in a hair roller for holding a hair roller to be heated thereat; and a pair of electrical contacts disposed on opposite sides of said ramp at said heating position and adapted to have a source of electricity connected thereacross, said pair of electrical contacts each including electrically conductive protrusion means extending upwardly from said ramp for supplying electricity to a hair roller having electrical heating means and a pair of longitudinally spaced circumferentially extending aperture means exposing electrical contact means, saiD protrusion means sized and spaced to mate with said aperture means to permit electricity to be supplied to said electrical heating means to said roller to be heated at said heating position.

Claim 10

A heating unit as recited in claim 7 wherein said protrusion means for each of said pair of contacts includes a plurality of conductive teeth.

Claim 11

A heating unit as recited in claim 8 and further comprising a plurality of non-conductive teeth extending from said upper portion of said ramp in alignment with said conductive teeth.

Claim 12

A heating unit as recited in claim 9 wherein said lower portion contains a receptacle for receiving hair rollers after heating.

Claim 13

In combination, a heatable hair roller including a plastic tubular body with first and second aperture means formed therein, spaced longitudinally on said body, said aperture means extending around the circumference of said body, alloy means having a predetermined Curie temperature disposed in said tubular body and electrical heating means in said body in heat transfer relation with said alloy means including first heater contact means disposed within said tubular body and aligned with said first aperture means and second heater contact means disposed within said tubular body and aligned with said second aperture means, said first and second heater contact means being exposed through the respective aperture means; and a heating unit including a ramp defining a heating position, electrical supply contact means protruding upwardly from said ramp at said heating position and being configured and arranged to be received in said respective aperture means in said tubular body of said hair roller to provide an electrical connection with said heater contact means, and magnet means carried by said ramp at said heating position for creating a magnetic field cooperating with said alloy means in said hair roller to hold said hair roller on said ramp with said supply contact means electrically connected with said heater contact means until said alloy means is heated by said electrical heating means to said predetermined Curie temperature whereupon the magnet permeability of said alloy means in said hair roller is reduced to permit said hair roller to move along said ramp away from said heating position.

Claim 14

In combination, a heatable hair roller including a plastic tubular body with first and second aperture means formed therein, spaced longitudinally on said body, said aperture means extending around the circumference of said body, alloy means having a predetermined Curie temperature disposed in said tubular body and electrical heating means in said body in heat transfer relation with said alloy means including first heater contact means disposed within said tubular body and aligned with said first aperture means and second heater contact means disposed within said tubular body and aligned with said second aperture means, said first and second heater contact means being exposed through the respective aperture means; and a heating unit including a ramp defining a heating position, electrical supply contact means protruding upwardly from said ramp at said heating position and being configured and arranged to be received in said respective aperture means in said tubular body of said hair roller to provide an electrical connection with said heater contact means, and magnet means carried by said ramp at said heating position for creating a magnetic field cooperating with said alloy means in said hair roller to hold said hair roller on said ramp with said supply contact means electrically connected with said heater contact means until said alloy means is heated by said electrical heating means to said predetermined Curie temperature whereupon the magnet permeability of said alloy means in said hair roller is reduced to permit said hair roller to move along said ramp away from said heating position.

Claim 15

A combination as recited in claim 11 wherein said heater contact means includes first and second electrically conductive rings disposed at opposite ends of said tubular and exposed through said aperture means body and said supply contact means includes first and second conductive protrusions extending from said ramp for providing electrical connection with said first and second heater contact rings, respectively.

Claim 16

A combination as recited in claim 12 wherein said aperture means includes a plurality of spaced apertures extending around said tubular body of said hair roller in alignment with said first and second heater contact rings.

Claim 17

A combination as recited in claim 13 wherein said tubular body is cylindrical in configuration and the portion of said body between said apertures defines a plurality of teeth aligned with each of said contact rings.

Claim 18

A combination as recited in claim 14 wherein said supply contact protrusions each include a plurality of electrically conductive teeth adapted to mesh with said teeth on said hair roller to be received in said apertures.