Enhanced hair product application with concurrent styling

Abstract

Embodiments of hair care apparatus and methods are provided generally comprising a location to provision hair care product, an applicator and a manipulator configured to enable concurrent product application and hair manipulation, and may comprise a product heater, configured to heat product provisioned therein, or be configured for use with an external heating source such as a microwave oven, and provide application of heated product at temperatures both safe for hair health and enhanced absorption. Apparatus may comprise a source of pressure, such as a pump or piston, to generate hair product flow through an applicator, and may be configured to receive product in user fillable or prepackaged product cartridges usable in the apparatus, a product chamber within the apparatus or a removable product reservoir usable in the apparatus. An apparatus may further be configured to support a plurality of manipulators, active applicators and passive applicators.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hair care apparatus comprising:
 a product vessel or a chamber for receiving a product vessel, wherein the product vessel or received product vessel can receive or comprise a volume of product;   at least one applicator in fluid communication with the product vessel or received product vessel and comprising an exposed applicator surface, wherein a flow of product can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface; and   at least one manipulator, wherein a first manipulator of the at least one manipulator is located to permit contact between the first manipulator and a volume of hair concurrent with contact between the exposed applicator surface and the volume of hair, such that hair can be manipulated by the first manipulator concurrently with an application of product to the hair, the application of product comprising at least a portion of the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the product vessel or received product vessel is a prepackaged product vessel prefilled with the volume of product by a manufacturer or distributor of the prepackaged product vessel. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a heater, wherein the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface can comprise heated product heated by the heater. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , further comprising a battery housing for receiving at least one battery, wherein the at least one battery can provide power to the heater. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the heater can heat the heated product to a heated product temperature of a given temperature level or a given range of temperature and maintain the heated product temperature at the given temperature level or the given range of temperature. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the product vessel or received product vessel is a prepackaged product vessel prefilled with the volume of product by a manufacturer or distributor of the prepackaged product vessel and comprises a readable feature, readable by the apparatus and indicating to the apparatus the given temperature level or range of temperature at which the heater is to heat and maintain the heated product temperature. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising an indicator to indicate that the heated product temperature is at the given temperature level or the given range of temperature, wherein the indicator is a visual indicator or an audible indicator. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the heater can heat and maintain the heated product temperature of the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface after the flow has issued from the product vessel or received product vessel. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the product vessel or received product vessel permits heating of received or comprised product to a heated product temperature while the received or comprised product is within the product vessel or received product vessel, and using an external heating source external to and not comprised by the apparatus. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the product vessel is a removable or receivable product vessel and consists of microwave safe materials, thereby permitting use of the removable or receivable product vessel in a microwave oven and the microwave oven as the external heating source for heating the received or comprised product, the removable or receivable product vessel comprising an indicator of the temperature of the received or comprised product therein. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the product vessel is a receivable product vessel and consists of hot water safe materials, thereby permitting use of a hot water bath as the external heating source for heating the received or comprised product therein. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the product vessel is not receivable or removable, the apparatus consists of microwave safe materials and the apparatus comprises a thermochromatic material to indicate if the heated product temperature of the received or comprised product therein is at a given temperature level or given range of temperature level, thereby permitting use of the apparatus in a microwave oven and the microwave oven as the external heating source for heating the received or comprised product, and providing an indicator of the temperature of the received or comprised product therein. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a pump, wherein the pump can, at least in part, generate the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the pump is a mechanically driven squeezable air filled pump and a user by squeezing the pump can expedite the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the pump is an electrically driven pump and the apparatus further comprises, a product flow rate sensor and a product flow rate control settable to a given rate of flow, wherein the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface can be a regulated flow of product. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the pump is an electrically driven pump and the apparatus further comprises, a pump control, wherein the pump control actuates the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface, and is a variable control that can initiate/terminate a variable rate of flow of the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface, or an on/off switch that can initiate/terminate the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a surface comprising at least one product retention feature, wherein at least one of the at least one product retention features can retain excess product from the application of product to the hair and apply at least a portion of the retained excess product to hair that may comprise less than excess product. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an application arm; and   an opposing arm movably joined with the application arm and comprising an opposing surface, wherein:
 the exposed applicator surface and the opposing surface are located on the application arm and opposing arm, respectively, in an orientation where the exposed applicator surface and the opposing surface are directed towards each other; 
 the application arm with the exposed applicator surface and the opposing arm with the opposing surface may be drawn towards each other and separated apart, thereby forming a correspondingly at least partially closable and openable clamp comprising two opposing faces comprising the exposed applicator surface and the opposing surface; 
 the clamp can receive the volume of hair between the opposing faces; and 
 the first manipulator is comprised by a first opposing face of the two opposable faces. 
   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the first opposing face comprising the first manipulator is the exposed applicator surface and a second opposing face comprises a second manipulator and is the opposing surface. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising a piston, wherein the product vessel or received product vessel is a collapsible product vessel and the piston can apply pressure to the collapsible product vessel to cause it to collapse at least in part and generate the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the piston is coupled to a selectively appliable energy usable to selectively apply pressure thereby permitting selective generation of the flow of product that can flow from the product vessel or received product vessel to the exposed applicator surface, and the selectively appliable energy is applied by selectively actuating a product dispensing control. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the selectively appliable energy is a releasable elastic potential energy comprised by a spring;   the releasable elastic potential energy is releasable by actuating a release of a piston control brake; and   the release of the piston control brake can be selectively actuated by selectively actuating the product dispensing control and thereby selectively release movement of the piston where the movement of the piston is powered by the elastic potential energy comprised by the spring and applies pressure to the collapsible product vessel.   
     
     
         23 . A hair care apparatus comprising:
 a cartridge chamber for receiving an inserted product vessel, the inserted product vessel comprising a volume of product, wherein:
 the inserted product vessel can be selected by a user of the apparatus from a plurality of types of product vessels wherein each type of product vessel comprises a specified differing type of product; 
   an applicator in fluid communication with the inserted product vessel and comprising an exposed applicator surface, wherein:
 the fluid communication is enabled by an access of a seal comprised by the inserted product vessel wherein the seal is accessed in conjunction with an insertion of the inserted product vessel into the apparatus; and 
 a flow of product can flow from the inserted product vessel to the exposed applicator surface; 
   an application arm comprising the applicator;   an opposing arm movably joined with the application arm and comprising an opposing surface, wherein:
 the applicator and the opposing surface are located on the application arm and opposing arm, respectively, in an orientation where the exposed applicator surface of the applicator and the opposing surface are directed towards each other; and 
 the application arm with the applicator and the opposing arm with the opposing surface may be drawn towards each other and separated apart, thereby forming a correspondingly at least partially closable and openable clamp comprising two opposing faces comprising the exposed applicator surface and the opposing surface; 
   a first manipulator, wherein:
 the first manipulator is comprised by the applicator and on the exposed applicator surface and is thereby located to permit contact between the first manipulator and a volume of hair placed between the opposing faces of the clamp concurrent with contact between the exposed applicator surface and the volume of hair, such that hair can be manipulated by the first manipulator concurrently with an application of product to the hair, the application of product comprising at least a portion of the flow of product that can flow from the inserted product vessel to the exposed applicator surface; 
   a second manipulator, wherein:
 the second manipulator is comprised by the opposing arm and on the opposing surface and is thereby located to permit contact between the second manipulator and a volume of hair placed between the opposing faces of the clamp concurrent with contact among the exposed applicator surface, the first manipulator thereon and the volume of hair, such that hair can be manipulated by the first manipulator and the second manipulator concurrently with the application of product to the hair, the application of product comprising at least a portion of the flow of product that can flow from the inserted product vessel to the exposed applicator surface; and 
 the first manipulator and second manipulator are each exchangeable and each may be selected by a user for use on the apparatus from a plurality of types of manipulators of differing manipulator structures; 
   a heater, wherein:
 the flow of product that can flow from the inserted product vessel to the exposed applicator surface comprises heated product heated by the heater after the flow has issued from the product vessel; 
 the heater can heat the heated product to a heated product temperature of a given temperature level or a given range of temperature and maintain the heated product temperature at the given temperature level or the given range of temperature; and 
 the given temperature level or given range of temperature is established by the apparatus from a readable feature comprised by the inserted product vessel, or a cartridge or cartridge shell assembly comprising the inserted product vessel; and 
   a piston, wherein:
 the inserted product vessel is a collapsible product vessel and the piston can apply pressure to the collapsible product vessel to cause it to collapse at least in part and generate the flow of product that can flow from the inserted product vessel to the exposed applicator surface, wherein:
 the piston is coupled to a selectively appliable energy usable to selectively apply pressure thereby permitting selective generation of the flow of product that can flow from the inserted product vessel to the exposed applicator surface, and the selectively appliable energy is applied by selectively actuating a product dispensing control; 
 the selectively appliable energy is a releasable elastic potential energy comprised by a spring; 
 the releasable elastic potential energy is releasable by actuating a release of a piston control brake; 
 the release of the piston control brake can be selectively actuated by selectively actuating the product dispensing control and thereby selectively release movement of the piston where a forward movement of the piston is powered by the elastic potential energy comprised by the spring and applies pressure to the collapsible product vessel; 
 the piston comprises an excess collapsed product vessel material collection area within the confines of its side walls, a rear piston portion and a central piston protrusion, and the excess collapsed product vessel material created by a depletion of product volume in the collapsible product vessel resulting from the forward movement of the piston is directed into the excess collapsed product vessel material collection area at least in part by a fluid pressure created by the forward movement of the piston and a resultant pressing of the central piston protrusion on the collapsible product vessel; and 
 the apparatus comprises a visual indication corresponding to a cumulative forward movement of the piston resulting from at least one selective actuation of the product dispensing control indicates a remaining volume of product in the inserted product vessel.