# US 6,293,953 B1 · Appliance for plucking hairs out of human skin > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 6,293,953 B1 - Document ID: US6293953B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 09/470,311 - Filed: 1999-12-22 - Granted: 2001-09-25 - Earliest claimed: 1995-06-14 - Assignees: Braun GmbH - Inventors: Norbert Kreutz; Pedro Sanchez-Martinez; Richard Cohen; Dietrich Pahl - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6293953B1 ## CPC - A45D 26/0028: {with rotating discs or blades} - A45D 26/0061: {with means for reducing pain during hair removal} - A45D 2200/207: Vibration, e.g. ultrasound - A45D: HAIRDRESSING OR SHAVING EQUIPMENT (wigs, toupees or the like A41G3/00, A41G5/00; hairdressers' chairs A47C1/04; hair cutting appliances, razors B26B); EQUIPMENT FOR COSMETICS OR COSMETIC TREATMENTS, e.g. FOR MANICURING OR PEDICURING ## Abstract The invention is directed to an appliance for the epilation of the human skin, having a housing to accommodate a motor and a drive mechanism for driving at least one clamping device (43) by which the user's hairs can be extracted. Moreover, a stimulus mechanism is provided to reduce the sense of pain during epilation. This mechanism includes at least one element (55) that is movable toward and away from the skin when the appliance is placed in epilating position on the user's skin. According to certain embodiments of the present invention, the at least one element (55) has a free end (56) and is arranged adjacent to the side of the rotary clamping device (43). In consequence, the user perceives at least subjectively a reduced sense of pain during epilation. Still further, a method for epilation and a method for the use of the appliance of the present invention are described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A depilation appliance for plucking hair of the human skin of a user, comprising a housing having an opening, a rotary depilation member having an outer envelope surface and comprising a plurality of hair-grasping elements, said hair-grasping elements sequentially clamping and opening respectively into and out of hair plucking relation to one another, said depilation member disposed within the opening and rotating about its axis for grasping hairs of the skin of the user within a plucking zone defined by a region of intersection of clamped hair-grasping element portions with the outer envelope surface, an impulse generator comprising at least one reciprocating skin-impacting impulse element disposed in laterally spaced relation to the plucking zone, and a motor drive element disposed within the housing coupled with the depilation member and to drive the impulse generator, and wherein said reciprocating skin-impacting impulse element has a distal free end cyclically being accelerated into and subsequently away from a region of skin to impart localized impulse stimulus perceived by the nervous system of the user in synchronization with a rotational cycle of the depilation member, and wherein the impulse element during displacement maintains a spatial orientation relative the depilation member rotational axis, whereby said impulse element free end imparts a masking stimulus to the region of the skin in sequence with the skin being subjected to the hair-grasping elements plucking the hair of the user as the user movers the depilation appliance over the skin, to thereby lessen a perceived discomfort of depilation. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the skin-impacting impulse element displaces along a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the rotary depilation member and generally perpendicular to the skin surface being depilated. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the skin-impacting impulse element has its free end disposed during depilation intersecting a plane constructed mutually tangent to the skin surface being depilated and to peripheral edges of the hair-grasping elements. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the skin-impacting impulse element moves during depilation generally perpendicular to a surface of the skin. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the skin-impacting impulse element has a longitudinal axis and displaces along a direction generally parallel its longitudinal axis in the rest position. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A depilation appliance according to claim 5, wherein the skin-impacting impulse element displaces generally linearly parallel to its longitudinal axis. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the free end of the skin-impacting impulse element moves towards the skin generally coincident with adjacent hair-grasping elements plucking the hair and said free end subsequently moves away from the skin immediately after imparting the localized impulse stimulus. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the impulse element is disposed in spaced relation to the depilation member. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the impulse element is disposed outside the housing opening. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the skin-impacting element is mounted on an outside lateral surface of the appliance housing, whereby the element imparts localized impulse stimuli to the skin outside the plucking zone. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the skin-impacting impulse element is substantially rigid. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the depilation member is generally cylindrical. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the depilation member is generally right circular cylindrical. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A depilation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the impulse element is disposed on the depilation member. ### Claim 15 A depilation appliance for plucking hair of the human skin of a user, comprising a housing having an opening, a rotary depilation member having an outer envelope surface and comprising a plurality of hair-grasping elements, said hair-grasping elements sequentially clamping and opening respectively into and out of hair plucking relation to one another, said depilation member disposed within the opening and rotating about its longitudinal axis for grasping hairs of the skin of the user within a plucking zone defined by a region of intersection of clamped hair-grasping element portions with the outer envelope surface, an impulse mechanism comprising at least one reciprocating skin-impacting impulse element, and a motor drive element disposed within the housing coupled with the depilation member and to drive the impulse mechanism, said impulse mechanism further comprising an actuator supporting said at least one skin-impacting impulse element, an actuator guiding structure disposed in pivotal relation in the housing about a pivot axis and that maintains motion of said actuator in a direction perpendicular to the depilation member longitudinal axis so as to limit sideways travel of the actuator, and an actuator driving member having a portion arranged eccentric to an axis parallel to said pivot axis of the actuator guiding structure, and wherein the actuator driving member eccentric portion vibrates the actuator to move said reciprocating skin-impacting impulse element generally parallel to a plane perpendicular to the depilation member longitudinal axis, said skin-impacting element being cyclically accelerated into and subsequently away from a region of skin to impart localized impulse stimulus perceived by the nervous system of the user in synchronization with a rotational cycle of the depilation member, whereby said skin-impacting impulse element imparts a masking stimulus to the region of the skin as the user moves the depilation appliance over the skin, to thereby lessen a perceived discomfort of depilation. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A depilation appliance according to claim 15, wherein the actuator guiding structure pivotal motion makes a revolution for each revolution of the depilation member. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) A depilation appliance according to claim 15, wherein said actuator guiding structure pivotal axis is at a location which moves towards the plucking zone during a depilation cycle. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) A depilation appliance according to claim 15, wherein said actuator guiding structure comprises a generally straight slot. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) A depilation appliance according to claim 15, wherein said actuator directly contacts said actuator driving member. ### Claim 20 A depilation appliance for plucking hair of the human skin of a user, comprising a housing having an opening, a rotary depilation member having an outer envelope surface and comprising a plurality of hair-grasping elements, said hair-grasping elements sequentially clamping and opening respectively into and out of hair plucking relation to one another, said depilation member disposed within the opening and rotating about its axis for grasping hairs of the skin of the user within a plucking zone defined by a region of intersection of clamped hair-grasping element portions with the outer envelope surface, an impulse generator comprising at least one reciprocating skin-impacting impulse element disposed in laterally spaced relation to the plucking zone, and a motor drive element disposed within the housing coupled with the depilation member and to drive the impulse generator, wherein said reciprocating skin-impacting impulse element has a distal free end cyclically being accelerated into and subsequently away from a region of skin to impart localized impulse stimulus perceived by the nervous system of the user in synchronization with a rotational cycle of the depilation member, and wherein the skin-impacting impulse element displaces generally linearly, whereby said impulse element free end imparts a masking stimulus to the region of the skin in sequence with the skin being subjected to the hair-grasping elements plucking the hair of the user as the user movers the depilation appliance over the skin, to thereby lessen a perceived discomfort of depilation. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) A depilation appliance according to claim 20, wherein the skin-impacting impulse element has a longitudinal axis and displaces along a direction generally parallel its longitudinal axis in the rest position. ### Claim 22 A depilation apparatus, comprising a housing having an opening, a rotary depilation member having an outer envelope surface and comprising a plurality of hair-grasping elements disposed along an axial direction along said outer envelope surface, said hair-grasping elements sequentially clamping and opening respectively into and out of hair plucking relation to one another within a plucking zone, said depilation member disposed within the opening and rotating about its longitudinal axis for grasping hairs of the skin of the user, a vibration member adapted to exert mechanical vibrations on the skin and disposed in laterally spaced relation to the plucking zone, wherein the vibration member comprises a carrier and a plurality of protrusions resiliently mounted to said carrier, and a motor drive element disposed within the housing coupled with the depilation member and to drive the vibration member carrier, wherein each of said plurality of protrusions has a distal free end reciprocatingly being accelerated into and subsequently away from a region of skin to impart localized impulse stimulus perceived by the nervous system of the user in synchronization with a rotational cycle of the depilation member, whereby said protrusion free ends impart masking stimuli to the region of the skin in sequence with the skin being subjected to the hair-grasping elements plucking the hair of the user as the user moves the depilation appliance over the skin, to thereby lessen a perceived discomfort of depilation. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) A depilation appliance according to claim 22, wherein the skin-impacting protrusions comprise rigid elements mounted by springs. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) A depilation appliance according to claim 22, wherein the skin-impacting protrusions are disposed on the depilation member. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) A depilation appliance according to claim 22, wherein the skin-impacting protrusions displace generally linearly. ### Claim 26 (depends on 23) A depilation appliance according to claim 23, wherein the displacement direction is radial relative the depilation member. ### Claim 27 (depends on 23) A depilation appliance according to claim 23, wherein each of said skin-impacting protrusions has a longitudinal axis and displaces along a direction generally parallel its longitudinal axis in the rest position.