Vibrating hair brush with curvilinear planar movement for enhanced detangling of hair

Abstract

A vibrating hair brush provides enhanced detangling of hair including a head portion having a motor assembly for operating a vibrating actuator and a plurality of bristles depending from a bristle pad. The actuator is disposed for generating a vibrating movement of the bristles in a curvilinear direction within a plane generally parallel to the bristle pad and tangential to the user's scalp. The vibrating actuator comprises an offset weight rotating in a plane generally parallel to the bristle pad.

1 . A vibrating hair brush for enhanced detangling of hair, comprising a head portion including a motor assembly for operating a vibrating actuator and a plurality of bristles depending from a bristle pad of the head portion, wherein the actuator is disposed for generating a vibrating movement of the bristles in a curvilinear direction within a plane generally parallel to the bristle pad. 
   
   
       2 . The hair brush of  claim 1  wherein the vibrating movement is common to some of the bristles. 
   
   
       3 . The hair brush of  claim 2  wherein the bristle pad comprises a single support for all the bristles for common movement of the bristles. 
   
   
       4 . The hair brush of  claim 1  wherein the vibrating actuator comprises an offset weight rotating in a plane generally parallel to the bristle pad. 
   
   
       5 . The hair brush of  claim 4  wherein the offset weight is mounted on a shaft of the motor assembly for causing an eccentric bias thereto resulting in the vibratory movement. 
   
   
       6 . The hair brush of  claim 5  wherein the offset weight and motor assembly are fixed to the bristle pad. 
   
   
       7 . The hair brush of  claim 1  wherein the bristle pad is elastomerically supported by an isolator assembly configured to translate a movement of the actuator to an elliptical bristle pad vibrating movement. 
   
   
       8 . The hair brush of  claim 7  further including a handle extending from the head portion in a handle axial direction which is within a plane generally parallel to bristle pad. 
   
   
       9 . The hair brush of  claim 8  wherein the elliptical movement has a longer elliptical axis in the handle axial direction. 
   
   
       10 . The hair brush of  claim 9  wherein the isolator assembly is configured to inhibit vibratory movement in a direction perpendicular to the handle axial direction. 
   
   
       11 . The hair brush of  claim 10  wherein the isolator assembly has a first stiffness in the handle axial direction and a second stiffness perpendicular to the handle axial direction, the first stiffness being less than the second stiffness. 
   
   
       12 . The hair brush of  claim 7  wherein the bristles extend from the bristle pad in a direction generally perpendicular thereto for bristle movement corresponding to the bristle pad elliptical movement. 
   
   
       13 . The hair brush of  claim 1  wherein the vibrating movement is in a frequency range 20-100 Hz. 
   
   
       14 . The hair brush of  claim 13  wherein the frequency is in the frequency range 30 to 65 Hz. 
   
   
       15 . A method for detangling hair comprising brushing the hair with a brush having vibrating bristles operating in a frequency range between 20 to 200 Hz and disposed to operate in a curvilinear direction within a plane positioned generally parallel to an extending plane of a user's hair as the hair extends from a user's scalp. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the brushing comprises the bristles operating in an elliptical pattern having a first longer axis of movement in a direction perpendicular to a user's extending hair direction and a second shorter axis of movement parallel to the user's extending hair direction. 
   
   
       17 . A vibrating hair brush for enhanced detangling of hair, comprising a motor operating an actuator to move a plurality of bristles operatively connected to the motor such that a distal end of a majority of the bristles move in a curvilinear manner within a plane generally normal to a direction in which the majority of bristles extend. 
   
   
       18 . A vibratory hair brush for enhanced detangling of hair, comprising a head portion including a vibrating actuator for inducing a vibrating movement in an actuator plane and a bristle pad having a plurality of bristles, wherein the bristle pad is associated with the actuator to vibrate the bristle pad in a curvilinear direction within a bristle pad plane generally parallel to the actuator plane. 
   
   
       19 . The hair brush of  claim 18  wherein the actuator comprises an offset weight so that the actuator vibratory movement is circular and the curvilinear direction is elliptical. 
   
   
       20 . The hair brush of  claim 18  further including an isolator assembly disposed to translate the circular actuator vibratory movement to the bristle pad elliptical direction. 
   
   
       21 . The hair brush of  claim 20  wherein the vibrating movement is common to some of the bristles. 
   
   
       22 . The hair brush of  claim 21  wherein the bristle pad comprises a single support for all the bristles for common movement of the bristles. 
   
   
       23 . The hair brush of  claim 18  wherein the vibratory actuator comprises an offset weight rotating in a plane generally parallel to the bristle pad. 
   
   
       24 . The hair brush of  claim 18  wherein the offset weight is mounted on a shaft of the motor assembly for causing an eccentric bias thereto resulting in the vibratory movement. 
   
   
       25 . The hair brush of  claim 18  wherein the offset weight and motor assembly are fixed to the bristle pad. 
   
   
       26 . The hair brush of  claim 18  further including a handle extending from the head portion in a handle axial direction within the a plane generally parallel to the bristle pad and wherein the bristle pad is elastomerically supported by an isolator assembly configured to translate a movement of the actuator to an elliptical bristle pad movement. 
   
   
       27 . The hair brush of  claim 18  wherein the elliptical movement has a longer elliptical axis in the handle axial direction. 
   
   
       28 . The hair brush of  claim 18  wherein the isolator assembly is configured to inhibit vibratory movement in a direction perpendicular to the handle axial direction. 
   
   
       29 . The hair brush of  claim 18  wherein the isolator assembly has a first stiffness in the handle axial direction and a second stiffness perpendicular to the handle axial direction, the first stiffness being less than the second stiffness. 
   
   
       30 . The hair brush of  claim 18  wherein the bristles extend from the bristle pad in a direction generally perpendicular thereto for bristle corresponding movement to the bristle pad elliptical movement.