# US 11,027,441 B2 · Hair cutting device with comb unit recognition

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- Number: US 11,027,441 B2
- Document ID: US11027441B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/212,332
- Filed: 2016-07-18
- Published: 2016-11-10
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2009-11-17
- Assignees: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Applicants: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Inventors: Dirk Hendrik Wevers; Hendrik Jan Mark Van Der Worp; Auke Tuinstra; Johan Willem Berenschot; Hedzer Michiel Adriaan Van Der Kamp; Willem Joosten; Marcel Hilco Zijlstra; Ishay Halmut; Jeroen Christian Nijdam
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027441B2

## CPC

- B26B 19/20: with provision for shearing hair of preselected or variable length
- B26B 19/3813: {Attachments}
- B26B 19/3853: {Housing or handle}
- B26B 19/388: {Sensors; Control}
- B26B: HAND-HELD CUTTING TOOLS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (for harvesting A01D; for horticulture, for forestry A01G; for butchering or meat treatment A22; for manufactering or repairing footwear A43D; nail clippers or cutters A45D29/02; kitchen equipment A47J; {vegetable slicers, julienne cutters and similar devices and holders therefor, B26D3/28}; for surgical purposes A61B; for metal B23D; cutting by abrasive fluid jets B24C5/02; plier-like tools with cutting edges B25B7/22; pincers B25C11/02; handles for hand implements, in general B25G; guillotine-type cutters B26D; {perforating by non-mechanical means, e.g. by fluid jet, B26F1/26}; for erasing B43L19/00; for textile materials D06H)

## Abstract

A hair cutting device includes a hair cutting device body and an interchangeable comb unit for defining a hair length after cutting. The hair cutting device body further includes a comb interface for releasable attachment of the comb unit to the hair cutting device body, and a hair length indicator operatively coupled to the comb interface for indicating the hair length to a user. The interchangeable comb unit includes a comb identification member for identifying a hair length associated with the comb unit, and the comb interface includes a comb recognition arrangement being electrically coupled to the hair length indicator. The comb recognition arrangement is configured to sense the comb identification member when the comb unit is connected to the hair cutting device body, and to provide an electronic signal indicative of the hair length associated with the comb unit to the hair length indicator.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A hair cutting system comprising:
a hair cutting device including a hair cutting device body having a cutting arrangement for cutting hair and a comb interface; and
a plurality of different interchangeable comb units for releasable attachment of a selected comb unit to the comb interface of the hair cutting device body, the selected comb unit being one of the plurality of different interchangeable comb units,
wherein each interchangeable comb unit of the plurality of different interchangeable comb units includes a comb identification member identifying a respective comb unit of the plurality of different interchangeable comb units,
wherein the comb interface includes a comb recognition arrangement such that, upon attachment of the selected comb unit to the comb interface, the comb recognition arrangement is configured to detect the selected comb unit which is attached to the comb interface of the hair cutting device body to identify which of the plurality of different interchangeable comb units is the selected comb unit, and
wherein the comb recognition arrangement includes two switches configured to be selectively activated depending on which of three different comb units of the plurality of different interchangeable comb units is attached to the comb interface for identifying which of the three different comb units is attached to the comb interface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The hair cutting system of claim 1, wherein the comb identification member of the each interchangeable comb unit includes a mechanical structure, and the two switches of the comb recognition arrangement are configured to be selectively activated by the mechanical structure of the comb identification member.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The hair cutting system of claim 2, wherein the hair cutting device body includes a hair length indicator operatively coupled to the two switches for indicating to a user a hair length associated with the selected comb unit attached to the comb interface of the hair cutting device body, wherein the two switches are configured to provide an electronic signal to the hair length indicator indicative of the hair length.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The hair cutting system of claim 3, wherein the hair cutting device body includes an actuator, wherein the hair length indicator includes a movable circuit board movable by the actuator, the movable circuit board including a first light-source and a second light-source, and wherein the first light-source and the second light-source are selectively activated based on the electronic signal.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The hair cutting system of claim 1, wherein the comb identification member of the each interchangeable comb unit identifies a hair length associated the respective comb unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The hair cutting system of claim 1, wherein the two switches are selectively activated by being selectively depressed upon attachment of the selected comb unit to the comb interface.

### Claim 7

A hair cutting system comprising:
a hair cutting device including a hair cutting device body having a cutting arrangement for cutting hair, a comb interface having a comb recognition arrangement, and a light source; and
a plurality of interchangeable comb units for releasable attachment of a selected comb unit to the comb interface of the hair cutting device body, the selected comb unit being one of the plurality of interchangeable comb units,
wherein the hair cutting device body includes a hair length indicator operatively coupled to the comb interface for indicating to a user a hair length associated with the selected comb unit attached to the comb interface and identified by a comb identification member and detected by the comb recognition arrangement as being attached to the comb interface of the hair cutting device body,
wherein the hair length indicator includes a movable element arranged over a fixed element, the fixed element being arranged over the light source, wherein the movable element includes a first translucent pattern and the fixed element includes a second translucent pattern.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The hair cutting system of claim 7, wherein the first translucent pattern includes a first arrow and a second arrow, wherein the second translucent pattern includes a scale of hair lengths, wherein a first segment of the light source is activated to illuminate the first arrow when the comb recognition arrangement detects that a first comb unit of the plurality of interchangeable comb units is attached to the comb interface identified based on the comb identification member of the first comb unit, and wherein a second segment of the light source is activated to illuminate the second arrow when the comb recognition arrangement detects that a second comb unit of the plurality of interchangeable comb units is attached to the comb interface identified based on the comb identification member of the second comb unit.

### Claim 9

A hair cutting device system comprising:
a hair cutting device including a hair cutting device body having a cutting arrangement for cutting hair, a comb interface, a user-controllable actuator for moving a movable carrier, and a light source arranged on the movable carrier; and
a plurality of interchangeable comb units for releasable attachment of a selected comb unit to the comb interface of the hair cutting device body,
wherein each interchangeable comb unit of the plurality of interchangeable comb units includes a respective comb identification member identifying the each interchangeable comb unit of the plurality of interchangeable comb units, and
wherein the light source is movable to indicate a current hair length setting to a user in response to actuation of the user-controllable actuator.

### Claim 10

A hair cutting system comprising:
a hair cutting device including a hair cutting device body having a cutting arrangement for cutting hair, an actuator, a comb interface having a comb recognition arrangement, and a hair length indicator having a first arrow, a second arrow, a first scale and a second scale of hair lengths; and
a first comb unit and second comb unit for releasable attachment one at a time to the comb interface of the hair cutting device body,
wherein the actuator is configured to move one of the first comb unit and the second comb unit relative to the hair cutting device body to change a length of hair to be cut when the one of the first comb unit and the second comb unit is attached to the comb interface,
wherein the comb recognition arrangement is configured to provide an electronic signal to the hair length indicator based on the one of the first comb unit and the second comb unit attached to the comb interface and recognized by the comb recognition arrangement, and
wherein the actuator is configured to move the first arrow and the second arrow depending on the electronic signal, by moving the first arrow along the first scale of hair lengths when the first comb unit is recognized by the comb recognition arrangement as being attached to the comb interface, and by moving the second arrow along the second scale of hair lengths when a second comb unit is recognized by the comb recognition arrangement as being attached to the comb interface.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The hair cutting system of claim 10, wherein the first arrow and the second arrow are provided on a movable element of the hair length indicator, and the first scale and the second scale are provided on a stationary element of the hair length indicator.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The hair cutting system of claim 10, wherein the first scale and the second scale are located on different parts of the hair length indicator.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The hair cutting system of claim 10, wherein the first scale is located on a first part of the hair length indicator further away from the comb unit, and the second scale is located on second part of the hair length indicator closer to the comb unit than the first part.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The hair cutting system of claim 13, wherein the hair cutting device body includes a back-light arrangement having light sources, wherein the first part and the second part of the hair length indicator are located on the back-light arrangement lightable by the light sources, wherein the first part is lit when the first comb unit is attached to the comb interface, and wherein the second part is lit when the second comb unit is attached to the comb interface.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The hair cutting system of claim 14, wherein the back-light arrangement includes a partition configured to prevent leakage of light between the first part and the second part of the hair length indicator.