Hair clipper with vacuum collection system

Hand-held apparatus for clipping hair, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an upstream end, a downstream end, an inlet at said upstream end for receiving air and hair clippings into the housing, an exhaust downstream of the inlet for exhausting air from the housing, and an airway extending within the housing from said inlet to said exhaust for directing air flow through the housing;
• a vacuum source disposed in the airway intermediate the inlet and the exhaust and defining a flow path along said airway through which air flows generally in the direction of the flow path from the housing inlet to the vacuum source, said vacuum source being operable to draw air into the housing through said inlet and along said airway including said flow path for subsequent exhaustion from the housing through said exhaust;
• a cutting assembly comprising at least one cutting blade disposed exterior of the airway in spaced relationship with the housing inlet such that hair clippings produced by the cutting assembly are drawn through the housing inlet into the airway for flow along said flow path toward said vacuum source;
• and
• a filter member disposed in the airway along said flow path between the inlet and the vacuum source to inhibit hair clippings that have been drawn into the airway from flowing to the vacuum source;
• the housing inlet having a cross-sectional area, the flow path of the airway having a maximum cross-sectional area downstream of said inlet, said maximum cross-sectional area of the flow path being greater than the cross-sectional area of the housing inlet, the housing having a length, a ratio of the maximum cross-sectional area of the flow path to the length of the housing being at least about 0.5 cm2/cm.

Hand-held apparatus for clipping hair, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an upstream end, a downstream end, an inlet at said upstream end for receiving air and hair clippings into the housing, an exhaust downstream of the inlet for exhausting air from the housing, and an airway extending within the housing from said inlet to said exhaust for directing air flow through the housing;
• a vacuum source disposed in the airway intermediate the inlet and the exhaust and defining a flow path along said airway through which air flows from the housing inlet to the vacuum source, said vacuum source comprising a vacuum fan having a cross-sectional area and being operable to draw air into the housing through said inlet and along said airway including said flow path for exhaustion from the housing through said exhaust;
• a cutting assembly comprising at least one cutting blade disposed exterior of the airway in spaced relationship with the housing inlet such that hair clippings produced by the cutting assembly are drawn through the housing inlet into the airway for flow along said flow path toward said vacuum source;
• and
• a filter member disposed in the airway along said flow path between the inlet and the vacuum source to inhibit hair clippings that have been drawn into the airway from flowing to the vacuum source;
• the housing inlet having a cross-sectional area, the flow path of the airway having a maximum cross-sectional area downstream of said inlet, the maximum cross-sectional area of the flow path being greater than the cross-sectional area of the inlet, a ratio of the maximum cross-sectional area of the flow path to the cross sectional area of the vacuum fan being at least about 0.7.

Hand-held apparatus for clipping hair, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an upstream end, a downstream end, an inlet at said upstream end for receiving air and hair clippings into the housing, an exhaust downstream of the inlet for exhausting air from the housing, and an airway extending within the housing from said inlet to said exhaust for directing air flow through the housing;
• a vacuum source disposed in the airway intermediate the inlet and the exhaust and defining a flow path along said airway through which air flows generally in the direction of the flow path from the housing inlet to the vacuum source, said vacuum source being operable to draw air into the housing through said inlet and along said airway including said flow path for subsequent exhaustion from the housing through said exhaust;
• a cutting assembly comprising at least one cutting blade disposed exterior of the airway in spaced relationship with the housing inlet such that hair clippings produced by the cutting assembly are drawn through the housing inlet into the airway for flow along said flow path toward said vacuum source;
• and
• a filter member disposed in the airway along said flow path between the inlet and the vacuum source to inhibit hair clippings that have been drawn into the airway from flowing to the vacuum source;
• the housing inlet having a cross-sectional area, the flow path of the airway having a maximum cross-sectional area downstream of said inlet, the maximum cross-sectional area of the flow path being greater than the cross-sectional area of the inlet, said flow path having a median line extending therethrough along said flow path from the inlet to the vacuum source, said median line being free from deviations of more than about 60 degrees along said flow path, the flow path of the airway defining a volume, the housing defining a displacement, a ratio of said flow path volume to said housing displacement being at least about 0.25.

Hand-held apparatus for clipping hair, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an upstream end, a downstream end, an inlet at said upstream end for receiving air and hair clippings into the housing, an exhaust downstream of the inlet for exhausting air from the housing, and an airway extending within the housing from said inlet to said exhaust for directing air flow through the housing;
• a vacuum source disposed in the airway intermediate the inlet and the exhaust and defining a flow path along said airway through which air flows generally in the direction of the flow path from the housing inlet to the vacuum source, said vacuum source being operable to draw air into the housing through said inlet and along said airway including said flow path for subsequent exhaustion from the housing through said exhaust;
• a cutting assembly comprising at least one cutting blade disposed exterior of the airway in spaced relationship with the housing inlet such that hair clippings produced by the cutting assembly are drawn through the housing inlet into the airway for flow along said flow path toward said vacuum source;
• and
• a filter member disposed in the airway along said flow path between the inlet and the vacuum source to inhibit hair clippings that have been drawn into the airway from flowing to the vacuum source, the filter member being configured to define an interior pocket of said filter member for collecting and retaining hair clippings, said filter member being removable from the housing for emptying hair clippings from said pocket, said pocket of said filter member having a maximum cross-sectional area along said flow path;
• the housing inlet having a cross-sectional area, the maximum cross-sectional area of the filter member pocket along said flow path being greater than the cross-sectional area of the housing inlet, the housing having a cross-sectional area at said maximum cross-sectional area of the filter member pocket, a ratio of the maximum cross-sectional area of the filter member pocket to the cross-sectional area of the housing at said maximum cross-sectional area of the filter member pocket being at least about 0.40.

Hand-held apparatus for clipping hair, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an upstream end, a downstream end, an inlet at said upstream end for receiving air and hair clippings into the housing, an exhaust downstream of the inlet for exhausting air from the housing, and an airway extending within the housing from said inlet to said exhaust for directing air flow through the housing;
• a vacuum source disposed in the airway intermediate the inlet and the exhaust and defining a flow path along said airway through which air flows generally in the direction of the flow path from the housing inlet to the vacuum source, said vacuum source being operable to draw air into the housing through said inlet and along said airway including said flow path for subsequent exhaustion from the housing through said exhaust, the flow path of the airway having a median line extending along said flow path from the inlet to the vacuum source, said median line being free from deviations of more than about 60 degrees along said flow path;
• a cutting assembly comprising at least one cutting blade disposed exterior of the airway in spaced relationship with the housing inlet such that hair clippings produced by the cutting assembly are drawn through the housing inlet into the airway for flow along said flow path toward said vacuum source;
• and
• a filter member disposed in the airway along said flow path between the inlet and the vacuum source to inhibit hair clippings that have been drawn into the airway from flowing to the vacuum source, the filter member being configured to define an interior pocket of said filter member for collecting the hair clippings, said filter member being removable from the housing for emptying hair clippings from the pocket and being constructed and arranged in the flow path such that air flowing along the flow path flows into the filter member pocket generally in the direction of the flow path, said filter member being further configured to permit a portion of air that flows into the interior pocket of the filter member to pass out through the filter member generally in the direction of the flow path and to permit another portion of air that flows into the interior pocket of the filter member to pass out through the filter member generally in a direction transverse to the direction of the flow path.

Hand-held apparatus for clipping hair, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an upstream end, a downstream end, an inlet at said upstream end for receiving air and hair clippings into the housing, an exhaust downstream of the inlet for exhausting air from the housing, and an airway extending within the housing from said inlet to said exhaust for directing air flow through the housing;
• a vacuum source disposed in the airway intermediate the inlet and the exhaust and defining a flow path along said airway through which air flows generally in the direction of the flow path from the housing inlet to the vacuum source, said vacuum source being operable to draw air into the housing through said inlet and along said airway including said flow path for subsequent exhaustion from the housing through said exhaust;
• a cutting assembly comprising at least one cutting blade disposed exterior of the airway in spaced relationship with the housing inlet such that hair clippings produced by the cutting assembly are drawn through the housing inlet into the airway for flow along said flow path toward said vacuum source;
• a filter member disposed in the airway along said flow path between the inlet and the vacuum source to inhibit hair clippings that have been drawn into the airway from flowing to the vacuum source, the filter member being configured to define an interior pocket of said filter member for collecting and retaining hair clippings therein, said filter member being removable from the housing for emptying hair clippings from the pocket;
• and
• a compaction device operable within the flow path of the airway to at least one of selectively and intermittently compact hair clippings collected and retained in the interior pocket of the filter member.

Hand-held apparatus for clipping hair, said apparatus comprising:

• a housing having an upstream end, a downstream end, an inlet at said upstream end for receiving air and hair clippings into the housing, an exhaust downstream of the inlet for exhausting air from the housing, and an airway extending within the housing from said inlet to said exhaust for directing air flow through the housing;
• a vacuum source disposed in the airway intermediate the inlet and the exhaust and defining a flow path along said airway through which air flows generally in the direction of the flow path from the housing inlet to the vacuum source, said vacuum source being operable to draw air into the housing through said inlet and along said airway including said flow path for subsequent exhaustion from the housing through said exhaust;
• a cutting assembly comprising at least one cutting blade disposed exterior of the airway in spaced relationship with the housing inlet such that hair clippings produced by the cutting assembly are drawn through the housing inlet into the airway for flow along said flow path toward said vacuum source;
• and
• a filter member disposed in the airway along said flow path between the inlet and the vacuum source to inhibit hair clippings that have been drawn into the airway from flowing to the vacuum source, the filter member being configured to define an interior pocket of said filter member for collecting and retaining hair clippings therein, said filter member being removable from the housing for emptying hair clippings from the pocket,
• wherein the housing defines a displacement and the interior pocket of the filter member has a volume, the ratio of the volume of the interior pocket of the filter member to the displacement of the housing being at least about 0.2.