Hair styling iron having interchangeable heating tips

Claim 2

In a hand-held hair styling iron including electrical power supply means, a handle, a tip detachable from said handle and having a heating element therein heated by the electrical power supply means, and means pivotally mounted to said handle for holding strands of the hair against the heated tip, the improvement comprising the tip being a hollow metal housing elongated about its longitudinal axis and formed with at least one flat side surface portion coextensive with the length of said tip, the one said flat side surface portion being disposed under the holding means which is adapted for sandwiching strands of hair therebetween, the other of the side surface portions of the housing being formed integral with the one flat side surface portion and being joined therewith at side edges, the interior angles formed therebetween not exceeding substantially right angles, the side edges of the one flat side surface portion being slightly rounded whereby when wetted strands of hair are held over at least one of said side edges of the heated tip under slight tension, the hairs are dried and a temporary angular bend is imparted to the dried strands of hair, said handle having means at one end to detachably receive and support said tip and electrically connect the heating element associated with the detachable tip to the electrical power supply means, said means to detachably receive and support and electrically connect including release means pivotally mounted on said handle, releasable lock means associated with said detachable tip and handle for holding said tip securely to said handle such that said electrical connection is made, said release means cooperable with the lock means to engage and disengage the same upon pivotal operation thereof by the operator using the same hand in which the handle is held.

Claim 3

The iron of claim 1 wherein the side edges are parallel.

Claim 4

The iron of claim 2 wherein the other of the side surface portions include a plurality of additional flat side surface portions angularly disposed relative to the one flat side surface portion.

Claim 5

The iron of claim 3 wherein the transverse cross-sectional shape of the metal housing is generally rectangular.

Claim 6

The iron of claim 3 wherein the additional flat side surface portions are also disposed angularly with respect to each other.

Claim 7

The iron of claim 5 wherein the transverse cross-sectional shape of the metal housing is generally triangular.

Claim 8

The iron of claim 3 wherein said heating element only partially fills said tip whereby a space is created between said heating element and said housing, the iron further comprising the housing having a flat closed front end wall and an aperture therein for receiving oil drops into said space, the flat side surface portion disposed under the holding means being formed with a plurality of vapor slots communicating with said space for emitting oil vapor to condition the hair.

Claim 9

The iron of claim 1 wherein the improvement further comprises: said pivoted hair holding means having an elongated flat blade portion integrally formed with a flipper arm portion, the blade portion overlying the one said flat side surface portion of the detachable tip and cooperable therewith to hold strands of hair therebetween, said flipper arm portion coextending, at least in part, with said handle.

Claim 10

The iron of claim 8 wherein said flipper arm portion is disposed generally under the handle but displaced a short distance therefrom, whereby squeezing the flipper arm portion toward the handle moves the blade portion against the one said flat side surface portion of the tip.

Claim 11

The iron of claim 9 wherein the hair holding means is generally S-shaped.

Claim 12

The iron of claim 1 further comprising urging means mounted between said tip and said handle such that said urging means is biased to exert a separating force between said tip and said handle when said tip is held to said handle by said lock means, whereby upon actuation of the release means to disengage the lock means the urging means has sufficient force to overcome the electrical connection between the tip and the handle to forcibly detach the tip from the handle.

Claim 13

The iron of claim 11 wherein the release means is a push button, the lock means is a cooperable tongue, pivotally connected to said push-button, and groove positioned on said tip, said tongue engaging or disengaging said groove in response to pivotal movement of said button and the urging means is a compression spring.

Claim 14

The iron of claim 12 wherein the handle, elongated about a longitudinal axis, has one end formed with a plurality of flat sides having a generally rectangular cross-section, the edges between adjacent flat sides being rounded to provide smooth corners, the other end having a swivel connector means mounted in circuit between said electrical power supply means and said electrical connection at the point of attachment between said tip and said handle.

Claim 15

In a hand-held hair styling iron having electrical power supply means, a handle, an elongated housing detachable from said handle and having a heating element therein heated by the electrical power supply means, and means for holding strands of hair against the heated housing, said handle having means at one end to detachably receive and support said housing and electrically connect the heating element in said housing to the electrical power supply means the improvement comprising: release means pivotally mounted on the handle, lock means associated with the detachable housing and the handle, said lock means holding said housing to said handle in an electrical and mechanical, operative assembled relationship, the release means cooperable with the lock means to engage and disengage the same upon pivotal operation thereof by the operator using the same hand in which the handle is held, and urging means, mounted between said housing and said handle, such that said urging means is biased to exert a separating force between said tip and said handle when said tip is held to said handle by said lock means, for self-separating the housing from the handle upon manual operation of the release means to disengage the lock means, and said hair holding means being pivotally mounted to the handle having an elongated flat blade portion overlying the housing and cooperable therewith to hold strands of hair therebetween and a flipper arm portion formed integral with the blade portion and disposed generally under the handle but displaced a short distance therefrom.

Claim 16

In a hand-held hair styling iron having electrical power supply means, a handle, an elongated housing detachable from said handle and having a heating element therein heated by the electrical power supply means, and means for holding strands of hair against the heated housing, said handle having means at one end to detachably receive and support said housing and electrically connect the heating element in said housing to the electrical power supply means the improvement comprising: release means pivotally mounted on the handle, lock means associated with the detachable housing and the handle, said lock means holding said housing to said handle in an electrical and mechanical, operative assembled relationship, the release means cooperable with the lock means to engage and disengage the same upon pivotal operation thereof by the operator using the same hand in which the handle is held, and urging means, mounted between said housing and said handle, such that said urging means is biased to exert a separating force between said tip and said handle when said tip is held to said handle by said lock means, for self-separating the housing from the handle upon manual operation of the release means to disengage the lock means, and said hair holding means being pivotally mounted to the handle having an elongated flat blade portion overlying the housing and cooperable therewith to hold strands of hair therebetween and a flipper arm portion formed integral with the blade portion and disposed generally under the handle but displaced a short distance therefrom.

Claim 17

A hair styling iron comprising electrical power supply means, a handle, a detachable hollow metal housing elongated about its longitudinal axis and formed with at lease one flat side surface portion, the others of the side surface portions of the housing being formed integral with the one flat side surface portion and being joined therewith at side edges, the interior angles formed therebetween not exceeding substantially right angles, the side edges of the one flat side surface portion being slightly rounded, a heating element mounted in the housing, the handle having means at one end to detachably receive and support said housing and electrically connect to said heating element and at the other end having a swivel connector means mounted in circuit between said electrical power supply means and the electrical connection at said one end, release means pivotally mounted on the handle, lock means associated with the detachable housing and the handle, said lock means holding said housing to said handle in an electrical and mechanical, operative assembled relationship, the release means cooperable with the lock means to engage and disengage the same upon pivotal operation thereof by the operator using the same hand in which the handle is held, and urging means mounted between said housing and said handle, such that said urging means is biased to exert a separating force between said tip and said handle when said tip is held to said handle by said lock means, for self-separating the housing from the handle upon manual operation of the release means to disengage the lock means, and hair holding means pivotally mounted to the handle and having an elongated flat blade portion overlying the one said flat side surface portion and cooperable therewith to hold strands of hair therebetween and a flipper arm portion formed integral therewith and disposed generally under the handle but displaced a short distance therefrom.

Claim 18

A hair styling iron comprising electrical power supply means, a handle, a detachable hollow metal housing elongated about its longitudinal axis and formed with at lease one flat side surface portion, the others of the side surface portions of the housing being formed integral with the one flat side surface portion and being joined therewith at side edges, the interior angles formed therebetween not exceeding substantially right angles, the side edges of the one flat side surface portion being slightly rounded, a heating element mounted in the housing, the handle having means at one end to detachably receive and support said housing and electrically connect to said heating element and at the other end having a swivel connector means mounted in circuit between said electrical power supply means and the electrical connection at said one end, release means pivotally mounted on the handle, lock means associated with the detachable housing and the handle, said lock means holding said housing to said handle in an electrical and mechanical, operative assembled relationship, the release means cooperable with the lock means to engage and disengage the same upon pivotal operation thereof by the operator using the same hand in which the handle is held, and urging means mounted between said housing and said handle, such that said urging means is biased to exert a separating force between said tip and said handle when said tip is held to said handle by said lock means, for self-separating the housing from the handle upon manual operation of the release means to disengage the lock means, and hair holding means pivotally mounted to the handle and having an elongated flat blade portion overlying the one said flat side surface portion and cooperable therewith to hold strands of hair therebetween and a flipper arm portion formed integral therewith and disposed generally under the handle but displaced a short distance therefrom.