Heatable hair roller and heating unit for use therewith
United States Patent 1191 Fleischhauer IIEATABLE IIAIR ROLLER AND HEATING UNIT FOR USE THEREWITII [75] Inventor: Eugene T. Fleischhauer, Stamford.  
 Conn.  
 [73] Assignee: Clairol Incorporated, New York,  
 [22] Filed: Aug. 20, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 389,847  
 [52] U.S. Cl 219/222; 132/33 R; 219/242;  
  219/495; 317/133; 335/146 [51] Int. Cl 05b 1/02; A45d 4/12 [58] Field of Search 219/495. 222-226,  
 3.626.150 12/1971 Kress ..219/222 Primary Examiner-A. Bartis Attorney, Agent, or Firm-David J. Mugford; George A. Mentis; Richard H. Brink [II/IIIIIIII/ Apr. 29, 1975 [57] ABSTRACT A heatable hair roller for use in combination with a heating unit, the heatable hair roller being formed of a tubular body having an alloy therein with a predetermined Curie temperature. an electrical heating element in heat transfer relation with the alloy and having contacts at opposite ends of the tubular body and apertures in the tubular body at the opposite ends aligned with the contacts. and the heating unit including a ramp having a heating position. a permanent magnet carried by the ramp at the heating position for magnetically holding a hair roller to be heated thereat and a pair of electrical contacts disposed on opposite sides of the ramp at the heating position and protruding from the ramp to be received in the apertures of a hair roller to be heated to provide electricity to the exposed contacts in the hair roller. The permanent magnet holds a hair roller to be heated at the heating position on the ramp until the alloy within the hair roller reaches the predetermined Curie temperature at which time the hair roller is released to roll down the ramp.  
 15 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures L 94 66 8e 64 POINT HEATABLE HAIR ROLLER AND HEATING UNIT FOR USE THEREWITII BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains to hair rollers and. more particularly, to hair rollers adapted to be electrically heated in a heating unit prior to application to the hair.  
 2. Discussion of the Prior Art The use of hair rollers heated on an auxiliary unit and applied to the hair has become prevalent recently due to the improved characeristics of curls obtained with the use of heat. Such hair rollers must be heated to a predetermined temperature in order to assure that the heat at the external hair winding surface thereof is proper for the setting of hair; and. accordingly, various controls have been utilized. such as lamps, thermostatic switches and the like, to indicate to a user when a hair roller has reached the desired temperature. In the past. such auxiliary heating units have utilized a plurality of upright posts for receiving the hair rollers, with the hair rollers either containing a heat storage substance adapted to retain heat imparted to the hair roller from the posts or containing an electrical heating element with connections supplied thereto by the posts or other suitable contacts on the heating unit.  
  In order to overcome the disadvantages of the slow heating provided by the above-described heating units as well as the problems associated with bringing the hair rollers to the proper temperture, a hair-setting device has been proposed in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,543 to Gus Wallin wherein the hair rollers have a tubular core formed of an alloy having a predetermined Curie temperature and a heating element with pin terminals or contacts connected thereto and extending from opposite ends of the hair rollers and the heating unit is formed with a magnet disposed to hold a hair roller in position with the pin terminals engaging a pair of electrical supply contacts connected with a source of electricity. With this hair-setting device, a hair roller is placed in the heating unit and electricity is supplied to the heating element within the hair roller by means of the pin terminals. When the temperature within the hair roller reaches the predetermined Curie temperature, which is approximately twice the desired exterior working temperature for the hair roller, the permeability of the alloy core decreases and will have effected a gradual loss of magnetism to the point that there is no longer sufficient magnetic attraction between the core and the magnet to hold the roller, the roller dropping down into a tray for application to the hair by a user. The hair-setting device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,543, while presenting many advantages over the prior art, has the disadvantage that the pin terminals protrude from opposite ends of the hair rollers and, thus, are effectively very hot extensions of the heated internal structure of the hair roller. The heat at the pin terminals renders the hair rollers inconvenient to handle since it is uncomforable to the touch and can be injurious to the skin and hair.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art by providing electrically heatable hair rollers and a heating unit for use therewith wherein the hair rollers can be heated without requiring exposed heat conductive portions uncomfortable to the touch.  
  Another object of the present invention is to provide a hair roller carrying an alloy body therein having a predetermined Curie temperature, an electrical heating wire in the hair roller and terminals connected to opposite ends of the electrical heating wire and recessed from the outer surface of the hair roller.  
  A further object of the present invention is to provide a.heating unit for electrically heating hair rollers including a ramp having a heating position with a permanent magnet disposed thereat between a pair of electrical supply contacts protruding from the ramp, the supply contacts being adapted to be received by a hair roller to provide an electrical connection with recessed heater contacts carried thereby.  
  The present invention has an additional object in pro viding a combination of a heatable hair roller formed of a tubular body with apertures therein aligned with heater contacts for a heating element disposed within the tubular body in heat transfer relation with an alloy having a predetermined Curie temperature, and a heating unit including a ramp with a permanent magnet and protruding supply contacts at a heating position therealong, the heatable hair roller being held at the heating position by the magnetic field of the permanent magnet with the supply contacts providing an electrical connection with the heater contacts and the hair roller being released to move along the ramp once the alloy is heated to the Curie temperature.  
  Yet, another object of the present invention is to utilize a rack and pinion gear type system for heating, heatable hair rollers in a heating unit wherein the heating unit is provided with an electrically conductive rack section to engage a pinion in the heatable hair roller, the pinion having teeth made of non-conductive material for thermal insulation with apertures or interstices at the bottom of the teeth formed by an electrically conductive ring adapted to be contacted by the crests of the conductive rack teeth.  
  Some of the advantages of the present invention over the prior art are that the structure of the heating unit is simple and easy to manufacture, the heatable hair roller has an outer configuration preventing hair strands and finger flesh from combing in contact with the heater contacts, the heatable hair roller has teeth to provide a pinion function with the heating unit without entangling hair due to their formation within the wall of the hair roller not extending beyond the outer surface thereof, and the heatable hair roller need only be dropped into the widened mouth of the heatiing unit to accomplish heating thereof to a predetermined temperature.  
  The present invention is generally characterized in a heatable hair roller including a tubular body defining an outer surface for the hair roller and having apertures therein, an alloy having a predetermined Curie temperature disposed in the tubular body and an electrical heating element in heat transfer relation with the alloy including contacts disposed within the tubular body in alignment with the apertures to expose the contacts in recessed relation to the outer surface of the tubular body to permit electricity to be supplied to the electrical heating element.  
  The present invention is further generally characterized in a heating unit for use with the above heatable hair roller including a ramp defining a heating position and an upper portion thereabove, a passage for supplying a hair roller to be heated to the upper portion of the ramp, a magnet carried by the ramp at the heating position for holding a hair roller to be heated thereat. and a pair of electrical contacts disposed on opposite sides of the ramp at the heating position and adapted to have a source of electricity connected thereacross, the pair of electrical contacts each including electrically conductive protrusions extending from the ramp for supplying electricity to a hair roller to be treated.  
 Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heating unit having a heatable hair roller therein according to the present invention.  
  FIG. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the heating unit and heatable hair roller of FIG. 1 taken along line 22.  
 FIG. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the heating unit and heatable hair roller of FIG. 1 taken along line 3-3.  
  FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section of the heatable hair roller according to the present invention.  
  FIG. 5 is a cross-section of the heatable hair roller according to the present invention taken along line 55 of FIG. 1.  
 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A heating unit for heating a heatable hair roller 12 in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and includes a housing 14, preferably integrally constructed of a plastic material, having a rear wall 16 and parallel side walls 18 and 20 which, together with bosses 22 and 24 extending laterally from the side walls, define a substantially vertically extending passage 26 having a length and width corresponding substantially to the length and diameter of heatable hairroller 12, the rear wall 16 being curved at the top of the housing 14 to define a widened mouth for the pasage 26. A sloping ramp 28 is formed in the housing 14 with an upper portion 30 disposed under the passage 26, the ramp sloping downwardly from upper portion 30 to define a heating position 32 disposed in alignment with bosses 22 and 24 and a receptacle 34 at the bottom end thereof, the receptacle 34 being defined by the ramp 28, extensions 36 and 38 of the side walls 18 and 20, respectively, and a front wall 40 having a recess 42 formed therein to facilitate access to heated hair rollers held in the receptacle 34.  
  A pair of supply contacts 44 and 46 are disposed on opposite sides of the ramp 28 at the heating position 32, and each supply contact includes a plurality of electrically conductive teeth 48 protruding from the upper surface of the ramp and electrically connected by posts 50 with L-shaped terminals 52. The supply contacts 44 and 46 are adapted to be connected by leads 54 and 56, respectively, with terminals of any suitable source of electricity, the leads 54 and 56 being preferably connected with a recessed male plug mounted in a wall of the housing 14 and adapted to receive commercially available alternating current by means of a removable cord, not shown. A permanent bar magnet 58 is secured to the underside of ramp 28 at the heating position 32 by means of screws 60, the permanent magnet 58 extending laterally across the ramp between the supply contacts 44 and 46. The upper portion 30 of ramp 28 has teeth 62 protruding therefrom in alignment with the supply contact teeth 48 on both sides of the ramp; however, the teeth 62 are formed integrally with the housing of a plastic material and, thus, are not electrically conductive.  
  A heatable hair roller according to the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-5, if formed of a tubular body 64, preferably constructed of a plastic, heat insulating material, and including a cylindrical wall 65 having a smooth outer surface 66 adapted to have hair to be treated wound therearound and an inner surface 68 having annular recesses 70 and 72 formed therein adjacent opposite end walls 74 and 76 of the tubular body. A core 78 is disposed within tubular body 64 and has an electrical resistance heating element 80 wound therearound, the heating element 80 extending from a heater ring contact 82 received in annular recess 70 to a heater ring contact 84 received in annular recess 72. A plurality of apertures 86 are formed in a ring around the tubular body 64 adjacent end wall 74 in alignment with ring contact 82 such that the ring contact is exposed through the apertures, and a plurality of protruding teeth are formed within the cylindrical wall 65 of the tubular body extending convergingly outward between apertures 86, the teeth 88 not extending beyond the outer surface 66 of the tubular body. Similarly, a plurality of apertures 90 are formed in a ring around the tubular body 64 adjacent end wall 76 to expose ring contact 84 and a plurality of protruding teeth 92 are formed within the cylindrical wall 65 extending between the apertures 88, but not beyond outer surface 66. A cylindrical body 94 formed of an alloy having a predetermined Curie temperature is disposed within tubular body 64 in heat transfer relation with the heating element 80, the alloy, for example, being a special ferrous-nickel alloy having a Curie temperature or point of 390 which is approximately double the desired hair treating temperature at the outer surface 66 of the hair roller.  
  In operation, when it is desired to heat a hair roller 12, the user merely places the hair roller at the top of the housing 14 such that it drops into the passage 26 facilitated by the widened mouth thereof. As the hair roller drops to the body of passage 26, it contacts the upper portion 30 of ramp 28 and the teeth 62 protruding from the ramp will mesh with the teeth 88 and 92 of the hair roller 12 with rack and pinion type engagement, the plastic teeth 62 and the electrically conductive teeth 48 forming the rack and the insulative teeth 88 and 92 of the hair roller forming the pinion. Due to the downward inclination of the ramp 28, the roller 12 will roll from the upper portion 30 to the heating position 32 where the magnetic field established by the permanent magnet 58 will hold the hair roller 12 in place due to the magnet permeability of the alloy 94. With the hair roller 12 held at the heating position, the electrical supply contacts formed by the teeth 48 will extend between the protruding teeth 88 and 92 of the hair roller and through the apertures 86 and 90 to provide an electrical connection with heater contacts 82 and 84, respectively, such that electricity will be supplied to the heating element 80 to generate heat internally of the hair roller 12. Once the internal heat of the hair roller 12 reaches the predetermined Curie temperature of the alloy 92, the magnet permeability of .the&#39;alloy 94 will be sufficiently reduced torelease the hair roller and permit it to roll down the ramp 28 to the receptacle 34 from which the user may grasp the hair roller for application to the hair.  
  Due to the recessed position of the heatercontacts 82 and 84 relative tothe outer surface 66 of the hair roller, there are -no hot protruding portions of the heated hair roller which could cause discomfort or injury to the user and the teeth 88 and 92 formed integrally with the tubular body 64 further provide thermal insulation.  
  The housing 14 may be provided with any suitable configuration to supply a heatable hair roller&#39;to a conductive rack portion of the heating unit and, similarly. the heatable hair rollergl2 can have any suitable internal configuration relative to the heating element and the Curie temperature alloy as well as having any desired configuration of contacts and apertures or grooves in the tubular body thereof to dispose the contacts&#39;in recessed relation to the outer surface of the hair roller.  
  Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations, modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all subject matter described above or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.  
 What is claimed is:  
 l. A heatable hair roller comprising a plastic tubular body defining an outer surface forsaid hair roller and having first and second aperture means therein spaced longitudinally on said body, said aperture means each extending around the circumference of said body;  
 alloy means having a predetermined Curie temperature disposed in said tubular body; and  
 electrical heating means in said body in heat transfer relation with said alloy means and including first contact means disposed within said tubular body in alignment with said first aperture means to expose said first contact means in recessed relation to the outer surface of said tubular body and second contact means disposed within said tubular body in alignment with said second aperture means to expose said second contact means in recessed relation to said outer surface of said tubular body to thereby permit electricity to be supplied to said electrical heating means.  
  2. A heatable hair roller as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular body has an inner surface, said first and second contact means include electrically conductive ring means disposed contiguous with said inner surface, and said first and second aperture means include a plurality of spaced apertures arranged around said body to expose said ring means.  
  3. A heatable hair roller as recited in claim 1 wherein said tubular body includes a cylindrical wall.  
  4. A heatable hair roller as recited in claim 1 wherein said first and second contact means are disposed adjacent opposite ends of sid tubular body.  
  5. A heatable hair roller as recited in claim 4 wherein said tubular body is formed by a cylindrical wall defining said outer surface and an inner surface, said first contact is an electrically conductive ring disposed adjacent said inner surface, said second contact is an electrically conductive ring disposed adjacent said inner surface, said first aperture means includes a plurality of not extending beyond said outer surface defining said j apertures.  
 &#39; 7. A heating unit for electrically heating hair rollers comprising a ramp defining a heating position, a lower portion therebelow and an upper portion thereabove;  
 passage means for supplying a hair roller to be heated j to said upper portion of said ramp;  
 magnet means carried by said ramp at said heating i position and adapted to cooperate with a magnetic member in a hair roller for holding a hair roller to be heated thereat; and  
 a pair of electrical contacts disposed on opposite sides of said ramp at said heating position and adapted to have a source of electricity connected thereacross, said pair of electrical contacts each including electrically conductive protrusion means extending upwardly from said ramp for supplying electricity to a hair roller having electrical heating means and a pair of longitudinally spaced circumferentially extending aperture means exposing electrical contact means, said protrusion means sized and spaced to mate with said aperture means to permit electricity to be supplied to said electrical heating means to said roller to be heated at said heating position.  
  8. A heating unit as recited in claim 7 wherein said protrusion means for each of said pair of contacts includes a plurality of conductive teeth.  
  9. A heating unit as recited in claim 8 and further comprising a plurality of non-conductive teeth extending from said upper portion of said ramp in alignment with said conductive teeth.  
  10. A heating unit as recited in claim 9 wherein said lower portion contains a receptacle for receiving hair rollers after heating.  
  11. In combination, a heatable hair roller including a plastic tubular body with first and second aperture means formed therein, spaced longitudinally on said body, said aperture means extending around the circumference of said body, alloy means having a predetermined Curie temperature disposed in said tubular body and electrical heating means in said body in heat transfer relation with said alloy means including first heater contact means disposed within said tubular body and aligned with said first aperture means and second heater contact means disposed within said tubular body and aligned with said second aperture means, said first and second heater contact means being exposed through the respective aperture means; and a heating unit including a ramp defining a heating position, electrical supply contact means protruding upwardly from said ramp at said heating position and being configured and arranged to be received in said respective aperture means in said tubular body of said hair roller to provide an electrical connection with said heater contact means, and magnet means carried by said ramp at said heating position for creating a magnetic field cooperating with said alloy means in said hair roller to hold said hair roller on said ramp with said supply contact means electrically connected with said heater contact means until said alloy means is heated by said electrical heating means to said predetermined Curie temperature whereupon the magnet permeability of said alloy means in said hair roller is reduced to permit said hair roller to move along said ramp away from said heating position.  
  12. A combination as recited in claim 11 wherein said heater contact means includes first and second electrically conductive rings disposed at opposite ends of said tubular and exposed through said aperture means body and said supply contact means includes first and second conductive protrusions extending from said ramp for providing electrical connection with said first and second heater contact rings. respectively.  
 13. A combination as recited in claim 12 wherein said aperture means includes a plurality of spaced apertures extending around said tubular&#39;body of said hair roller in alignment with said first and second heater contact rings.  
  14. A combination as recited in claim 13 wherein said tubular body is cylindrical in configuration and the portion of said body between said apertures defines a plurality of teeth aligned&#39;w&#39;ith each of said contact rings.  
  15. A combination as recited in claim 14 wherein said supply contact protrusions each include a plurality of electrically conductive teeth adapted to mesh with said teeth on said hair roller to be received in said apertures.