U.S. patent application number 11/534886 was filed with the patent office on 2008-03-27 for wig and method of manufacturing same.
Invention is credited to Eric W. Winters.
Application Number | 20080072918 11/534886 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39223610 |
Filed Date | 2008-03-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080072918 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Winters; Eric W. |
March 27, 2008 |
WIG AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SAME
Abstract
A wig exhibiting improved heat tolerance, stain resistance and
decreased water absorption including a cap or net foundation and
synthetic hair represented by strands of fluoropolymer fibers such
as polytetrafluoroethylene multifilament fibers.
Inventors: |
Winters; Eric W.; (Decatur,
AL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C.
P.O. BOX 55727, 2311 HIGHLAND AVENUE SOUTH
BIRMINGHAM
AL
35255-5727
US
|
Family ID: |
39223610 |
Appl. No.: |
11/534886 |
Filed: |
September 25, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
132/53 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41G 3/0083
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
132/53 |
International
Class: |
A41G 3/00 20060101
A41G003/00; A41G 5/00 20060101 A41G005/00 |
Claims
1. A wig comprising: a wig base for receiving hairs, and hairs
planted into the wig base, wherein the hairs are fluoropolymer
fibers.
2. The wig according to claim 1 wherein the fluoropolymer fibers
are multifilament fibers.
3. The wig according to claim 2 wherein the multifilament fibers
are dispersion spun fibers.
4. The wig according to claim 2 wherein the multifilament fibers
are paste extruded fibers.
5. The wig according to claim 1 wherein the fibers are
polytetrafluoroethylene fibers.
6. The wig according to claim 1 wherein the fibers are
polyvinylidene fluoride fibers.
7. The wig according to claim 1 wherein the fibers are
perfluoroalkoxy fibers.
8. The wig according to claim 1 wherein the fibers are
fluoroethylenepropylene fibers.
9. The wig according to claim 1 wherein the fibers are ethylene
tetrafluoroethylene fibers.
10. A hairpiece comprising: an artificial scalp, and a plurality of
multifilament fluoropolymer fibers implanted in the artificial
scalp.
11. The hairpiece according to claim 10 wherein the fluoropolymer
fibers are selected from the group consisting of polyvinylidene
fluoride fibers, perfluoroalkoxy fibers, fluoroethylenepropylene
fibers, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene fibers and combinations
thereof.
12. The hairpiece according to claim 10 wherein the fluoropolymer
fibers are polytetrafluoroethylene fibers.
13. The hairpiece according to claim 12 wherein the fluoropolymer
fibers are dispersion spun.
14. The hairpiece according to claim 10 wherein the fluoropolymer
fibers exhibit a melting point of between 500.degree. F. and
612.degree. F.
15. The hairpiece according to claim 10 wherein the fluoropolymer
fibers exhibit a water absorption over 24 hours of less than
0.01%.
16. A method of manufacturing an artificial hairpiece comprising:
providing a hairpiece base configured for receiving artificial
hairs, and planting fluoropolymer fiber artificial hairs in the
hairpiece base.
17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the fluoropolymer fiber
artificial hairs are polytetrafluoroethylene fibers.
18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the
polytetrafluoroethylene fibers are multifilament fibers.
19. The method according to claim 16 wherein the fluoropolymer
fiber artificial hairs exhibit water absorption over 24 hours of
less than 0.03% and a melting point of between 500.degree. F. and
612.degree. F.
20. The method according to claim 16 wherein the fluoropolymer
fiber artificial hairs are selected from the group consisting of
polytetrafluoroethylene fibers, polyvinylidene fluoride fibers,
perfluoroalkoxy fibers, fluoroethylenepropylene fibers, ethylene
tetrafluoroethylene fibers and combinations thereof.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to wigs and methods of manufacturing
wigs and more particularly to wigs including fluorocarbon polymer
fibers as artificial hair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Wigs are fabricated by fastening hair-like strands, which
may be real human or animal hair or a synthetic fiber such as
nylon, acrylic, modacrylic, polyester or other polymer, to a
net-like base made from cotton or nylon. The base commonly contains
an elastic material around the circumference of the base to help
hold the wig in place on the wearer's head. Typically, fastening of
the hair to the base is done manually or using sewing machines. A
method of combining these two techniques is also employed.
[0003] Today, most artificial hair is made of synthetic fibers. The
reasons for this include ease of manufacture, low cost, readiness
in obtaining the desired color of hair and the desire for less
troublesome washing and care for the hair. A major convenience to a
wig owner is the fact that a wig can be washed, styled and dried
while it is not being worn. However, a major inconvenience with
washing a hairpiece is the amount of time necessary to completely
dry the hairpiece such that it may be worn. Depending on the
moisture-retention properties of the wig, drying time in ambient
conditions can be up to several days. Hair or wig dryers can be
used to dry a wig, however newer drying devices operate at such
high temperatures conventional synthetic fibers can become degraded
and brittle. Additional heat degradation also occurs when these
synthetic fibers are repeatedly styled using curling irons, hair
straightening devices and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention is directed to a wig implanted with
synthetic hair that is resistant to heat degradation caused by
heating, drying and styling and that exhibits quicker drying and
decreased water absorption compared to conventional synthetic hair
fibers. To achieve a wig having these improvements, there is
proposed a wig formed of a cap or net foundation and synthetic hair
represented by strands of fluoropolymer fibers. Fluoropolymer
fibers are selected in part because they exhibit desirable water
retention of between less than 0.01% (24 hour) for
polytetrafluoroethylene and fluoroethylenepropylene fibers to 0.04%
(24 hour) for polyvinylidene fluoride fibers and melting points
ranging between 340.degree. F. for polyvinylidene fluoride fibers
to 621.degree. F. for polytetrafluoroethylene fibers. Additionally,
fluoropolymer fiber hairs are resistant to stains, easy to clean
and can be cleaned and styled using known styling methods and hair
care products.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0005] The present invention proposes substituting, in whole or in
part, the real human or animal hair or a synthetic fibers typically
implanted in a wig base as hair with multifilament fluoropolymer
fibers. The term "fluoropolymer fiber" as used herein means a fiber
prepared from polymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene, and
polymers generally known as fluorinated olefinic polymers, for
example, copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropene,
copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkyl-vinyl esters
such as perfluoropropyl-vinyl ether and perfluoroethyl-vinyl ether,
fluorinated olefinic terpolymers including those of the
above-listed monomers and other tetrafluoroethylene based
copolymers. For the purposes of this invention, the preferred
fluoropolymer fiber is polytetrafluoroethylene fiber.
[0006] The fluoropolymer fiber can be spun by a variety of means,
depending on the exact fluoropolymer composition desired. Thus, the
fibers can be spun by dispersion spinning; that is, a dispersion of
insoluble fluoropolymer particles is mixed with a solution of a
soluble matrix polymer and this mixture is then coagulated into
filaments by extruding the mixture into a coagulation solution in
which the matrix polymer becomes insoluble. The insoluble matrix
material may later be sintered and removed if desired. One method
which is commonly used to spin polytetrafluoroethylene and related
polymers includes spinning the polymer from a mixture of an aqueous
dispersion of the polymer particles and viscose, where cellulose
xanthate is the soluble form of the matrix polymer, as taught for
example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,655,853; 3,114,672 and 2,772,444.
Preferably, the fluoropolymer fiber of the present invention is
prepared using a more environmentally friendly method than those
methods utilizing viscose. One such method is described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,820,984; 5,762,846, and 5,723,081. In general, this
method employs a cellulosic ether polymer such as methylcellulose,
hydroxyethylcellulose, methylhydroxypropylcellulose,
hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose,
ethylcellulose or carboxymethylcellulose as the soluble matrix
polymer, in place of viscose. Alternatively, if melt viscosities
are amenable, filament may also be spun directly from a melt.
Fibers may also be produced by mixing fine powdered fluoropolymer
with an extrusion aid, forming this mixture into a billet and
extruding the mixture through a die or post to produce fibers which
may have either expanded or un-expanded structures. For the
purposes of this invention, the preferred method of making the
fluoropolymer fiber is by dispersion spinning where the matrix
polymer is a cellulosic ether polymer.
[0007] The wig base and the method of manufacturing the wig can be
provided according to any means known in the art, for example, as
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,502 to Kobayashi et al; U.S. Pat.
No. 4,016,888 to Smiley; U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,641 to Kobayashi et
al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,886 to Allen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,400 to
Takahashi; U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,382 to Ando; U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,177
to Bate; U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,376 to Kohler; and U.S. 3,968,807 to
Kraicer. In addition, the wig of the present invention can be made
manually, for example, by shaping a wet cotton lace over a wig
block to form a wig base, selecting a ventilating needle based on
the number of hairs that are to be included in a knot, folding the
hair in the root end so it makes a loop, taking the needle through
the lace and grabbing a number of straws of hair back through the
lace, forming a simple knot or a double knot and pulling the whole
hair through the loop until the knot is complete.
EXAMPLE
[0008] Polytetrafluoroethylene multifilament fibers made in
accordance with the preferred method are cut into desired lengths
of not less than 24 cm. Implementing a method of manufacturing a
wig as identified above, the fibers are implanted into a wig base
or artificial scalp to provide a wig.
[0009] As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, various
modifications can be made within the scope of the aforesaid
description. Such modifications being within the ability of one
skilled in the art form a part of the present invention and are
embraced by the claims below.
* * * * *