Hair curling implement

Claim 2

A hair curling implement comprising an elongated curling arm, the curling arm having an elongated tubular barrel with a longitudinally extending slot therein; steam generating means mounted within said barrel; a clamping arm pivotally mounted on the curling arm and adapted in the clamped position to cooperate with a longitudinally extending upper region of the barrel; an expansible mandrel constituted by a resilient perforate screen anchored along one longitudinal edge to the barrel and extending through said slot, the perforate screen being looped into a generally cylindrical configuration encircling a longitudinally extending lower region of the barrel, said lower region of the barrel having perforations for the passage of steam from the steam generating means to the interior of the mandrel; a rotary anchoring member mounted within the barrel for rotation about a longitudinal axis, the anchoring member providing a longitudinally extending arm offset from said axis, the screen being anchored along a second longitudinal edge to said arm of the anchoring member; and manually rotatable means mounted on said curling arm and coupled to the anchoring member for rotating the anchoring member whereby to expand or contract the mandrel.

Claim 3

A hair curling implement according to claim 1, said manually rotatable means being mounted at one end of the barrel and connected thereto by a swivel joint.

Claim 4

A hair curling implement according to claim 2, wherein said one end of the barrel provides a stop engageable with an abutment on the rotary anchoring member to limit rotation of the rotary anchoring member in either direction.

Claim 5

A hair curling implement according to claim 1, wherein said perforate resilient screen is of rectangular configuration having a width corresponding to the length of said slot and a pair of shorter edges by which it is anchored to the barrel and said arm of the anchoring member, respectively.

Claim 6

A hair curling implement according to claim 4, wherein the screen is a foraminous metal screen.

Claim 7

A hair curling implement according to claim 5, wherein the screen is of stainless steel.

Claim 8

A hair curling implement according to claim 6, wherein the screen has an imperforate peripheral region bounding a foraminous, steam-pervious, central region.

Claim 9

A hair curling implement according to claim 1, wherein the steam generating means comprises an enlongated heating element extending axially within said tubular barrel, the heating element being formed with exterior grooves, a tubular housing encasing the heating element and being spaced from the tubular barrel to define therewith an intermediate space, the tubular housing having perforations communicating with the grooves, and means for supplying treatment liquid to the grooves to be vaporized therein into steam.

Claim 10

A hair curling implement according to claim 8, including a baffle member mounted at one end of the heating element within said tubular barrel, the baffle member providing a labyrinth of channels having an exit communicating with said grooves in the heating element and an inlet communicating with metering means for metering discrete quantities of treatment liquid thereto.

Claim 11

A hair curling implement according to claim 9, said curling arm having a hOllow handle portion housing a reservoir for the supply of treatment liquid to the metering means, said metering means being constituted by a deformable container housed within said handle portion, the deformable container having an inlet connected to the reservoir by a first one-way valve and an outlet connected to said labyrinth of channels by a second one-way valve, said handle portion providing internal abutment means engaging the deformable container, and said handle portion carrying a manually engageable abutment member adapted to engage the container for deforming same whereby to meter treatment liquid to said labyrinth of channels.

Claim 12

A hair curling implement comprising a hollow curling arm having a hollow handle portion, said curling arm having an elongated tubular barrel with a longitudinally extending slot therein, steam generating means mounted within the tubular body, manually operable metering means mounted within said hollow handle portion and communicating with said steam generating means for metering discrete quantities of treatment liquid thereto, a clamping arm pivotally mounted on said curling arm and adapted in the clamped position to cooperate with a longitudinally extending upper region of said barrel, the clamping arm being spring-biassed to the clamped position, an expansible mandrel constituted by a perforate resilient screen anchored along one longitudinal edge to said tubular barrel and extending through said slot, the resilient screen being looped into a generally cylindrical configuration encircling a lower region of said tubular barrel, said lower region having perforations for the passage of steam from the steam generating means to the mandrel, a rotary anchoring member mounted within said tubular body for rotation about a longitudinal axis, the resilient screen being anchored along a second longitudinal edge to the anchoring member, and a manually rotatable member mounted on one end of the tubular barrel coaxially therewith remote from said handle portion and connected to the barrel by a swivel joint, the rotatable member being coupled to said rotary anchoring member for rotating the anchoring member whereby to expand or contract said mandrel.

Claim 13

A hair curling implement comprising a hollow curling arm having a hollow handle portion, said curling arm having an elongated tubular barrel with a longitudinally extending slot therein, steam generating means mounted within the tubular body, manually operable metering means mounted within said hollow handle portion and communicating with said steam generating means for metering discrete quantities of treatment liquid thereto, a clamping arm pivotally mounted on said curling arm and adapted in the clamped position to cooperate with a longitudinally extending upper region of said barrel, the clamping arm being spring-biassed to the clamped position, an expansible mandrel constituted by a perforate resilient screen anchored along one longitudinal edge to said tubular barrel and extending through said slot, the resilient screen being looped into a generally cylindrical configuration encircling a lower region of said tubular barrel, said lower region having perforations for the passage of steam from the steam generating means to the mandrel, a rotary anchoring member mounted within said tubular body for rotation about a longitudinal axis, the resilient screen being anchored along a second longitudinal edge to the anchoring member, and a manually rotatable member mounted on one end of the tubular barrel coaxially therewith remote from said handle portion and connected to the barrel by a swivel joint, the rotatable member being coupled to said rotary anchoring member for rotating the anchoring member whereby to expand or contract said mandrel.