Attachment for a haircare appliance

Abstract

An attachment is described for a haircare appliance. The attachment comprises an inlet for receiving an airflow, and a body comprising one or more pairs of outlets, each pair of outlets comprising a first outlet and a second outlet. The attachment further comprises a valve moveable relative to the body between a first position in which the valve occludes the first outlet and the airflow is discharged from the second outlet of each pair of outlets, and a second position in which the valve occludes the second outlet and the airflow is discharged from the first outlet of each pair of outlets. The valve comprises a sealing element that contacts the body at a position between the first and second outlets of each pair of outlets.

1 . An attachment for a haircare appliance comprising:
 an inlet for receiving an airflow;   a body comprising one or more pairs of outlets, each pair of outlets comprising a first outlet and a second outlet; and   a valve moveable relative to the body between a first position in which the valve occludes the first outlet and the airflow is discharged from the second outlet of each pair of outlets, and a second position in which the valve occludes the second outlet and the airflow is discharged from the first outlet of each pair of outlets,   wherein the valve comprises a sealing element that contacts the body at a position between the first and second outlets of each pair of outlets.   
     
     
         2 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises spines that project inwardly, and, for each pair of outlets, the sealing element abuts a first spine when the valve is the first position to occlude the first outlet, and the sealing element abuts a second spine when the valve is in the second position to occlude the second outlet. 
     
     
         3 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the body comprises a plurality of pairs of outlets, each of the spines is located between adjacent pairs of outlets, the sealing element abuts a first side of each of the spines when the valve is in the first position, and the sealing element abuts a second side of each of the spines when the valve is in the second position. 
     
     
         4 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sealing element comprises a first lip seal and second lip seal for each of the pair of outlets, the first lip seal contacts the body at a first sealing position between the first and second outlets when the valve is in the first position, and the second lip seal contacts the body at a second sealing position between the first and second outlets when the valve is in the second position. 
     
     
         5 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the valve moves in a first direction when moving to the first position, and moves in a second opposite direction when moving to the second position, and wherein the first lip seal is angled rearwardly relative to the first direction and the second lip seal is angled rearwardly relative to the second direction. 
     
     
         6 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a projection that projects inwardly towards the body, or the valve comprises a projection that projects outwardly towards the valve, and the projection is located at position between the first and second outlets. 
     
     
         7 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the valve comprises a plurality of openings through which the airflow passes, the openings align with the second outlets when the valve is in the first position, and the openings align with the first outlets when the valve is in the second position. 
     
     
         8 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the valve comprises an opening for each pair of outlets, each opening aligns with a second outlet of one of the pairs of outlets when the valve is in the first position, and each opening aligns with a first outlet of another of the pairs of outlets when the valve is in the second position. 
     
     
         9 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the valve rotates relative to the body between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         10 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the body and the valve are each cylindrical in shape. 
     
     
         11 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the attachment has a longitudinal axis and each of the outlets extends parallel to the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         12 . The attachment as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the airflow is discharged from the first outlet in a clockwise direction, and from the second outlet in a counterclockwise direction. 
     
     
         13 . The attachment according to  claim 1 , wherein the attachment comprises a user-actuated selector for moving the valve between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         14 . The attachment according to  claim 13 , wherein the selector comprises a dial that rotates to move the valve between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         15 . The attachment according to  claim 13 , wherein the selector is bi-stable and has two stable positions corresponding to the first and second positions of the valve. 
     
     
         16 . A haircare appliance comprising a blower for generating an airflow, and an attachment as claimed in  claim 1 .