US 11,910,901 B2
Hair removal apparatus
Sebastian Alexander Kindermann, Burgstall (AT)
Assigned to KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Filed by KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Filed on Jul. 13, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/926,815.
Application 16/926,815 is a continuation of application No. 15/534,585, granted, now 10,736,396, previously published as PCT/EP2015/079182, filed on Dec. 10, 2015.
Claims priority of application No. 14198808 (EP), filed on Dec. 18, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2020/0337432 A1, Oct. 29, 2020
Int. Cl. A45D 26/00 (2006.01); B26B 19/14 (2006.01); B26B 19/38 (2006.01)
CPC A45D 26/0028 (2013.01) [A45D 26/00 (2013.01); B26B 19/141 (2013.01); B26B 19/388 (2013.01); A45D 2026/0085 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A hair-removal apparatus, comprising:
a hair-removal device comprising a movable hair-removal component, the moveable hair-removal component comprising at least a first hair-contacting member and a second hair-contacting member, wherein the first hair-contacting member and the second hair-contacting member are movable relative to each other, and configured and arranged to mutually co-operate for removing hairs by mutually exerting a contact force;
a pressing component adapted to generate the contact force by exerting a pressing force on the movable hair-removal component during operation,
a skin proximity sensing component adapted to detect, during operation, a relative distance between the movable hair-removal component and a portion of skin with hairs to be removed; and
a force adjusting component configured to interact mechanically with the skin proximity sensing component to adjust, during operation, the pressing force exerted by the pressing component in dependence on the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component,
wherein the movable hair-removal component has a functional mode during which the contact force has a first value enabling the removing of the hairs and a non-functional mode during which the contact force has a second value disabling the removing of the hairs that is smaller than the first value, and
wherein the force adjusting component is configured to adjust the pressing force exerted by the pressing component in dependence on the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component such that, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is a first relative distance, the movable hair-removal component operates in the non-functional mode and, when the relative distance detected by the skin proximity sensing component is a second relative distance smaller than the first relative distance, the movable hair-removal component operates in the functional mode.