Hair treatment tool and spacing accessory

Abstract

A spacing accessory is selectively deployable with a hair treatment tool. In a first aspect, an assembly includes (1) a hair treatment tool with opposed heating surfaces disposed on two arms configured to open, to allow hair to be inserted between the heating surfaces, and close, to press hair between the heating surfaces, and (2) a spacing accessory selectively deployable to maintain the heating surfaces in a spaced relationship, when the arms are closed. In a second aspect, a spacing accessory is configured for removable attachment to a hair treatment tool of the aforementioned type, with the spacing accessory including a spacing member configured to extend between the two arms of the tool to maintain a spaced relationship between the heating surfaces when the arms are closed.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . An assembly comprising:
 a hair treatment tool having two opposed heating surfaces disposed, respectively, on two arms configured to move relative to each other between an open configuration, for inserting hair between the two heating surfaces, and a closed configuration, in which hair is pressed between the two heating surfaces; and   a spacing accessory selectively deployable to maintain the two heating surfaces in a spaced relationship in the closed configuration and thereby prevent hair from being pressed between the two heating surfaces.   
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the spacing accessory includes at least one spacing member configured to extend between the two arms when the spacing accessory is deployed. 
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the spacing accessory is deployable by removably fastening the spacing accessory to the hair treatment tool. 
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the spacing accessory may be removably fastened to the hair treatment tool by clipping. 
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the spacing accessory may be removably fastened to the hair treatment tool by interlocking. 
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the spacing accessory comprises an elongate body having a top portion and opposing side portions extending generally downwardly therefrom, and wherein the at least one spacing member protrudes inwardly from one of the side portions, such that the spacing accessory removably fastens to the hair treatment tool by at least partially encompassing an exterior surface of one of the two arms of the hair treatment tool. 
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the top portion and side portions cooperate to form an interior surface of the spacing accessory that corresponds to the exterior surface of the arm of the hair treatment tool and restricts movement of the spacing accessory along the arm of the hair treatment tool. 
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one spacing member is in the form of an opposed pair of tabs that extend inwardly from the opposing sides. 
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the spacing member maintains the two arms in a spaced relationship in the closed configuration. 
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the spacing accessory also maintains the two arms in a spaced relationship in the closed configuration. 
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the distance between the two heating surfaces when in the spaced relationship is constant over the entire area of the heating surfaces. 
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the distance between the two heating surfaces when in the spaced relationship is from 0.5 mm to 5.0 mm. 
     
     
         13 . The assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the distance between the two heating surfaces when in the spaced relationship is from 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the two heating surfaces are planar, and are parallel to each other when in the spaced relationship. 
     
     
         15 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the spacing member is movable relative to the spacing accessory between a deployed configuration in which the spacing member extends between the two arms, and a non-deployed orientation in which the spacing member does not extend between the two arms. 
     
     
         16 . An assembly comprising:
 a hair treatment tool having opposed first and second heating surfaces disposed, respectively, on first and second arms configured to move relative to each other between an open configuration, for inserting hair between the heating surfaces, and a closed configuration, in which hair is pressed between the heating surfaces; and   a spacing accessory configured for removable attachment to the first arm;   wherein the first arm has an elongate housing that extends along an axis from a proximal end to a distal end, and includes an inner surface upon which the heating surface is disposed, and an outer surface;   wherein the spacing accessory further comprises a body configured to removably fit around the outer surface of at least a longitudinal section of the housing, and at least one inwardly protruding spacing member disposed on the body, the spacing member having:
 a first side disposed to abut the inner surface of the first arm when the spacing accessory is attached to the first arm, and 
 an opposed second side disposed to abut the second arm when the first and second arms are in the closed configuration, to thereby maintain a spaced relationship between the two heating surfaces in the closed configuration. 
   
     
     
         17 . The assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the body of the spacing accessory includes an interior surface configured to correspond to the outer surface of the longitudinal section of the housing, to thereby restrict movement of the spacing accessory along the axis in at least one direction when the spacing accessory is attached to the first arm. 
     
     
         18 . The assembly of  claim 17 , wherein the periphery of the outer surface of the first arm decreases in a first direction along the longitudinal section of the housing, and wherein movement of the spacing accessory in the first direction is restricted thereby, when the spacing accessory is attached to the first arm. 
     
     
         19 . The assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the heating surface is disposed nearer to the distal end of the first arm, and the body of the spacing accessory is configured to fit around a longitudinal section of the housing that is disposed nearer to the proximal end of the first arm. 
     
     
         20 . A spacing accessory configured for removable attachment to a hair treatment tool of the type characterized by having two opposed heating surfaces disposed, respectively, on two elongate arms configured to move relative to each other between an open configuration, for inserting hair between the two heating surfaces, and a closed configuration, in which hair is pressed between the two heating surfaces; the spacing accessory comprising:
 a body configured to removably fit around at least a longitudinal section of one of the two arms, to thereby removably attach the spacing accessory to the hair treatment tool;   wherein the body further comprises an interior surface and an exterior surface, and at least one spacing member disposed on and protruding inwardly from the interior surface; and   wherein the spacing member is configured to extend between the two arms when the spacing accessory is removably attached to the hair treatment tool, and includes opposing sides configured to respectively abut both of the arms of the hair treatment tool when in the closed configuration, to thereby maintain a spaced relationship between the two heating surfaces in the closed configuration.