Hair care appliance

Abstract

A hair care appliance is provided. The hair care appliance includes a handle and a body coupled to the handle via a rotational hinge joint. The body can be movable via the rotational hinge joint between a straight configuration in which the body is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the handle and a bent configuration in which the body extends along an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the handle. A fluid flow path extends between an inlet in the handle and an outlet in the body. The hair care appliance can be operated with minimal loss of fluid flow in either the straight configuration and the bent configuration. The hair care appliance includes a fan assembly in the handle and a heater assembly in the body that are positioned to create a balanced center of mass of the hair care appliance when operated by a user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hair care appliance, comprising:
 an elongate cylindrical body having a first end comprising an air inlet, a second end comprising an air outlet, and a fluid flow path extending therein between the air inlet and the air outlet;   a fan assembly within the elongate cylindrical body; and   a heater assembly within the elongate cylindrical body downstream of the fan assembly and configured to heat air flowing along the fluid flow path, the heater assembly having a frame including a first end adjacent to the fan assembly, a second end opposite the first end and adjacent to the air outlet, a central portion extending therebetween, a plurality of planar segments extending along and radially outward from the central portion, and a wire extending circumferentially around the plurality of planar segments, wherein the heater assembly includes at least one thermistor positioned between adjacent planar segments and adjacent to the second end of the frame.   
     
     
         2 . The hair care appliance of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of planar segments comprises a cut-out formed therein. 
     
     
         3 . The hair care appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermistor comprises first and second connecting wires that are mounted respectively to the adjacent planar segments. 
     
     
         4 . The hair care appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the thermistor is suspended between the adjacent planar segments via the first and second wires in the fluid flow path at the air outlet. 
     
     
         5 . The hair care appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the heater assembly is surrounded by a cylindrical housing within the elongate cylindrical body. 
     
     
         6 . The hair care appliance of  claim 5 , wherein a cross-sectional profile of the heater assembly taken between the adjacent planar segments and the cylindrical housing is substantially triangular-shaped. 
     
     
         7 . The hair care appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one fuse positioned longitudinally on at least one planar segment of the plurality of planar segments. 
     
     
         8 . A hair care appliance, comprising:
 an elongate cylindrical body having a first end with an air inlet extending circumferentially therearound, a second end with an air outlet, an airflow path extending through the body between the air inlet and the air outlet, a fan disposed in the body and configured to draw air in through the air inlet and to expel air from the air outlet, and a heater disposed in the elongate body within the airflow path, the heater including a frame comprising a plurality of planar elements extending radially from a center portion of the frame, a first wire surrounding the plurality of planar elements so as to form a plurality of heating elements, and a thermistor coupled to second and third wires so as to be suspended between adjacent planar elements within the airflow path.   
     
     
         9 . The hair care appliance of  claim 8 , wherein at least one planar segment of the plurality of planar segments comprises an opening therein extending longitudinally along the at least one planar segment adjacent to the central portion of the frame. 
     
     
         10 . The hair care appliance of  claim 8 , wherein the body comprises a first portion including the first end having a length that is greater than a length of a second portion including the second end, the first portion having a diameter that tapers toward the first end, and the second end of the elongate body having a cylindrical recess configured to receive a portion of an accessory. 
     
     
         11 . The hair care appliance of  claim 10 , wherein the first and second portions are coupled via a rotational joint movable to configure the elongate cylindrical body in a straight configuration or a bent configuration. 
     
     
         12 . The hair care appliance of  claim 11 , wherein the heater is positioned adjacent to a diverter extending through the rotational joint, the diverter configured to partition air along the airflow path into uniform upper and lower airflow paths entering the heater. 
     
     
         13 . The hair care appliance of  claim 11 , wherein a fourth wire supplying power to the heater is routed through the rotational hinge joint adjacent to an inner surface of a housing of the heater within the second portion so as to maintain a velocity and a pressure of air along the airflow path entering to the heater. 
     
     
         14 . The hair care appliance of  claim 11 , further comprising a fuse coupled to the fourth wire and positioned between the adjacent planar elements. 
     
     
         15 . The hair care appliance of  claim 9 , wherein the opening includes at least one of a rectangular, square, circular, geometric, and elliptical shape. 
     
     
         16 . The hair care appliance of  claim 8 , wherein the adjacent planar elements include a first planar element and a second planar element radially adjacent to the first planar element, the second and third wires passing through the first and second planar elements, respectively, at locations radially spaced from the center portion of the frame and adjacent to the air outlet.