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FILE NAME: Z,, DATE: DOC#: , OCUMENT DESCRIPTIONW^Z, STEPHEN L. BERGER, P.E. PATENT AGENT 4418 Pleasant Valley Court Oakland, California 94611 510658-2256 Joshua Haffner Law Offices of Bernie Bernheim 4725 Rubio Avenue Encino, California 91436 PATENT SEARCH ON HAIR DRYERS Dear Mr. Haffner: Enclosed please find the results of my patent search on asbestos in hair dryers. Unfortunately, there was nothing of interest assigned to the corporations you had mentioned. It seems that the corporations, like Conair, are more interested in the design aspect of hair dryers, rather than the inventing part. I was able to locate some patents that disclosed the use of asbestos and mica, as summarized below. Patents disclosing the use of asbestos: 1,764,462 1930 Mosier Page 1, lines 49-61 Asbestos or similar material 2,425,056 1947 Younger Col. 3, lines 10-26 Asbestos not required 3,724,092 1973 Scovill Manufacturing Company Col. 3, lines 7-13 Asbestos mounting board 3,955,095 1976 S E B S.A. Col. 2, line 66-col. 3, line 4 4,201,703 1980 Ethyl Corporation Col. 5, lines 4-11 Col. 6, lines 58-63 Asbestos can be used a filler in plastic moldings useful as hair dryer parts Patents disclosing the use of mica: 1,508,735 1924 Fitzgerald Manufacturing Company Page 2, lines 89-99 Mica insulating cross bars 1,720,302 2,962,576 1929 Eugene, Ltd. Page 2, lines 70-77 Page 2, lines 109-114 Mica insulating material 1960 Handy Hannah Products Corporation Col. 2, lines 42-54 Mica sheets I have also enclosed ~~_t2ry~f_t~l~~tric hair dryers, which states that mica and asbestos were both commonlY used. I also enclosed three trademark records for eonair: the Pro -Style, the Pro Style 1200, and the Pistol Power 1200, all of which, I believe contained asbestos. The important points from all ofthis are that both asbestos and mica (and perhaps other insulating materials) were known and used from the earliest hair dryer inventions. When asbestos was banned in hair dryers, they replaced it with mica. Therefore, if companies knew of or suspected asbestos was a hazard, it would have been a simple matter to replace it. s~~<~ Stephen Berger, P.E.