Hair setting system

Abstract

An un-heated, light weight hair roller having a cylindrical outer surface for wrapping hair strands for around and a roller clip having a pair of semi-cylindrical thermal storage members. The clip is adapted to enable the thermal storage members to cooperatively enclose and conform to the roller and the wrapped hair strands to heat the wrapped hair strands while applying pressure thereto against the roller's cylindrical outer surface.

I claim: 
     
         1 . In combination, an un-heated hair roller and a hot roller clip;
 the hair roller having a cylindrical outer surface for wrapping hair strands there-around and the roller clip comprising a pair of thermal storage members; wherein the clip is adapted to enable the thermal storage members to cooperatively enclose and conform to the roller and the wrapped hair strands to heat the wrapped hair strands while applying pressure thereto against the roller's cylindrical outer surface.   
     
     
         2 . The combination of  claim 1  wherein the clip comprises a pair of thermally insulating shell portions, each capturing one of the thermal storage members and hingedly connected to the other shell portion to form a clamshell arrangement, and further comprising a spring adapted to bias the shell portions so that the thermal storage members enclose and conform to the roller and the wrapped hair strands to heat the wrapped hair strands while applying pressure thereto against the roller's cylindrical surface. 
     
     
         3 . The combination of  claim 2  wherein the insulating shell portions each comprise gripping portions adapted to both enable gripping of the clip and to enable relative spreading of the shell portions to release the roller and the wrapped hair strands from the clip. 
     
     
         4 . The combination of  claim 3  wherein the hair roller comprises a light-weight hollow tube. 
     
     
         5 . The combination of  claim 1  in further combination with an apparatus adapted to receive the one or more roller clips and enable the heating of the thermal storage members thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The combination of  claim 5  wherein the roller clip comprises a pair of insulating shell portions, each capturing one of the thermal storage members and hingedly connected to the other shell portion to form a clamshell arrangement, and further comprising a spring adapted to bias the shell portions so that the thermal storage members enclose and conform to the roller and the wrapped hair strands to heat the wrapped hair strands while applying pressure thereto against the roller's cylindrical surface. 
     
     
         7 . The combination of  claim 6  wherein the insulating shell portions each comprise gripping portions adapted to both enable gripping of the clip and to enable relative spreading of the shell portions to release the roller and the wrapped hair strands from the clip. 
     
     
         8 . The combination of  claim 7  wherein the hair roller comprises a hollow tube. 
     
     
         9 . The combination of  claim 5  wherein the thermal storage member comprises an electrical heating element; and the apparatus comprises recesses adapted for receiving one or more of the roller clips and having electrical contacts therein adapted to contact the heating element to enable energization and heating thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The combination of  claim 9  wherein the heating element is one of a fixed resistance heater and a PTC heater. 
     
     
         11 . The combination of  claim 5  wherein the apparatus comprises one or more metallic tubes each heated by a heat source contained therewithin; and the thermal storage members are adapted to engage one of the tubes and are heated by thermal conduction therefrom. 
     
     
         12 . The combination of  claim 11  wherein each heat source heats its associated tube through one of radiant heating and conductive heating, 
     
     
         13 . The combination of  claim 5  wherein the apparatus comprises one or more non-metallic tubes having an induction coil contained therewithin; and the thermal storage members are adapted to engage one of the tubes and comprise metallic members adapted to be heated by inductive radiation from the coil. 
     
     
         14 . A method of curling hair using an un-heated hair roller and a hot roller clip in combination and comprising the steps of:
 heating a pair of thermal storage members of the roller clip;   wrapping strands of a user's hair around a cylindrical outer surface of the hair roller; and   pressing the wrapped hair strands between the heated heat storage members such that the wrapped hair strands are heated thereby while applying pressure thereto against the roller's cylindrical outer surface.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  further comprising repeating the steps of heating, wrapping, and pressing of one or more additional hair strands. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14  wherein the repeating comprises heating, wrapping, and pressing of the plurality of hair strands is with one or more hair rollers and roller clips. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  where the heating of the pair of thermal storage members is by an apparatus adapted to receive one or more of the roller clips and enable the heating of the thermal storage members thereof. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the roller clip comprises a pair of thermally insulating shell portions, each capturing one of the thermal storage members and hingedly connected to the other shell portion to form a clamshell arrangement, and further comprising a spring adapted to bias the shell portions so that the thermal storage members enclose and conform to the roller and the wrapped hair strands to heat the wrapped hair strands while applying pressure thereto against the roller's cylindrical surface. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the insulating shell portions each comprise gripping portions adapted to both enable gripping of the clip and to enable relative spreading of the shell portions to release the roller and the wrapped hair strands from the clip. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  wherein the hair roller comprises a hollow tube. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the apparatus comprises one or more recesses each adapted for receiving one of the roller clips such that electrical contact is made between the apparatus and the clip to energize the thermal storage member thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the thermal storage members are heated by one from the group including PTC, resistive, radiant, and inductive heating.