U.S. patent application number 15/267515 was filed with the patent office on 2018-03-22 for wig clip.
This patent application is currently assigned to Annie International, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Annie International, Inc.. Invention is credited to John Suh.
Application Number | 20180077986 15/267515 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61617593 |
Filed Date | 2018-03-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180077986 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Suh; John |
March 22, 2018 |
WIG CLIP
Abstract
In a wig clip in which comb teeth are movable from a first
condition in which they are spaced from an elongated clamping
member to a second condition in which they are capable of clamping
a user's natural hair against the clamping member, an intermediate
portions of each of the comb teeth has opposite edges which are in
oblique relationship to the direction of elongation of the clamping
member. These opposite edges are spaced from each other by a
distance greater than the width of each of the other portions of
the same comb tooth.
Inventors: |
Suh; John; (North Wales,
PA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Annie International, Inc. |
North Wales |
PA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Annie International, Inc.
North Wales
PA
|
Family ID: |
61617593 |
Appl. No.: |
15/267515 |
Filed: |
September 16, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41G 3/0033
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A41G 3/00 20060101
A41G003/00 |
Claims
1. A wig clip comprising: a clamping member elongated in a
longitudinal direction and having a surface; a comb comprising a
frame and set of comb teeth extending from said frame past said
clamping member, said comb teeth being movable from a first
position in which they are spaced from said surface of the clamping
member to a second position in which they are capable of clamping
strands of a user's natural hair against said surface of the
clamping member wherein each of said comb teeth comprises a first
section extending from said frame to a first intermediate location,
a second section extending from said first intermediate location to
a second intermediate location, and a third section extending from
said second intermediate location to a tip; wherein at least a part
of said second section of each comb tooth of said comb teeth is
positioned in opposed relationship to said surface of the clamping
member so that strands of a user's natural hair can be clamped
between said part of said second section and said clamping member;
and wherein said second section of each of said comb teeth has a
greater width than the width of each of said first and second
sections of the same comb tooth, whereby the second sections of
said intermediate comb teeth, in cooperation with said surface of
the clamping member, can grip greater quantities of a user's
natural hair than could be gripped by a wig clip having
conventional straight comb teeth.
2. A wig clip comprising: a clamping member elongated in a
longitudinal direction and having a surface; and a comb comprising
a U-shaped frame having first and second legs extending in
substantially parallel relationship to each other from opposite
ends of an intermediate portion of the U-shaped frame, and a set of
comb teeth protruding from said intermediate portion and extending
past said clamping member; wherein each of said comb teeth
comprises a first section extending from said frame to a first
intermediate location, a second section extending from said first
intermediate location to a second intermediate location, and a
third section extending from said second intermediate location to a
tip; wherein said comb teeth are movable from a first position in
which they are spaced from said surface of the clamping member to a
second position in which they are capable of clamping strands of a
user's natural hair between the second sections of said comb teeth
and said surface of the clamping member; wherein said second
section of each of said comb teeth is defined by first and second
opposite edges, each of said opposite edges being oblique relative
to said longitudinal direction of said clamping member and
extending from a first location to a second location, the second
location being farther than said first location from said
intermediate portion of the frame and closer than said first
location to said second leg of the frame, said first and second
opposite edges of said second section being spaced from each other
by a distance greater than the width of each of said first and
third sections of the same comb tooth measured in a direction
parallel to said longitudinal direction of said clamping member;
whereby the second sections of said intermediate comb teeth, in
cooperation with said surface of the clamping member, can grip
greater quantities of a user's natural hair than could be gripped
by a wig clip having conventional straight comb teeth.
3. A wig clip comprising: a flexible, resilient, U-shaped frame
having first and second legs extending in substantially parallel
relationship to each other from opposite ends of an intermediate
portion of the U-shaped frame, and a flexible clamping member
extending in a longitudinal direction from one of said legs to the
other and connected to said legs at locations spaced from said
opposite ends of said intermediate portion; a set of comb teeth
extending from said intermediate portion past said flexible
clamping member; wherein the length of said flexible clamping
member extending from one of said legs to the other of said legs is
greater than the distance between said legs such that said flexible
clamping member can be shifted by a toggling action from a first
stable position in which it is spaced from said comb teeth and a
second stable position in which strands of a user's natural hair
can be gripped between said comb teeth and said flexible clamping
member; wherein said flexible clamping member has a surface
positioned to overlie said comb teeth when said connecting member
is in said second stable position; wherein each of said comb teeth
comprises a first section extending from said intermediate portion
of the U-shaped frame to a first intermediate location, a second
section extending from said first intermediate location to a second
intermediate location, and a third section extending from said
second intermediate location to a tip; and wherein at least a part
of the second section of each of said comb teeth is positioned to
come into overlying relationship with said surface of the flexible
clamping member when said flexible clamping member is in said
second stable condition; and wherein said part of the second
section of each of said comb teeth is defined by first and second
opposite edges, each of said opposite edges being oblique relative
to said longitudinal direction of said clamping member and
extending from a first location to a second location, the second
location being farther than said first location from said
intermediate portion of the frame and closer than said first
location to said second leg of the frame, said first and second
opposite edges of said part of the second section being spaced from
each other by a distance greater than the width of each of said
first and third sections of the same comb tooth measured in a
direction parallel to said longitudinal direction of said flexible
clamping member whereby the second sections of said comb teeth, in
cooperation with said surface of the flexible clamping member, can
grip greater quantities of a user's natural hair than could be
gripped by a wig clip having conventional straight comb teeth.
4. The wig clip according to claim 3, in which the comb teeth of
said plurality of comb teeth are disposed at regular intervals
along said longitudinal direction.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to wig clips, and particularly to
improvements in wig clips used to secure a wig base to a wearer's
natural hair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A typical toggle-action wig clip is described in U.S. Pat.
No. 8,631,804, granted on Jan. 21, 2014, and the disclosure of that
patent is incorporated by reference. The wig clip is composed of a
U-shaped frame member having legs extending from opposite ends of
an intermediate portion of the frame, a set of comb teeth disposed
between the legs and also extending from the intermediate portion,
and a connecting portion secured to the legs by rivets and
extending from one leg to the other. The connecting portion is
overlapped by the comb teeth.
[0003] The frame is made from metal, a synthetic resin, or another
material having spring properties, and, when the frame member and
the connecting portion are apart from each other and in a relaxed
condition, the distance between the rivet holes of the connecting
portion is greater than the distance between the rivet holes in the
legs of the U-shaped frame member. Consequently, when the
connecting portion is riveted to the frame, the wig clip tends to
bend out of a planar configuration, and can be manually shifted
from one stable condition to another by a toggle action. In a first
stable condition, the comb teeth are spaced by a short distance
from the connecting portion, and in a second stable condition, the
comb teeth are in contact with the connecting portion.
[0004] Usually, several of these wig clips are attached to a wig
base. The wig base is a flexible net-like structure to which wig
hair is attached by a process known as "weaving." The wig clips can
be sewn to the wig base by passing yarns through holes formed in
the U-shaped frame. Alternatively, the wig clips can be secured to
the net material of the wig base by the use of barbs formed on the
frame or on extensions of the frame structure, or by various other
means.
[0005] The wig clips are used to attach the wig base to a wearer's
natural hair. When the wig clip is in its first stable condition,
i.e., with the comb teeth spaced from the connecting portion, the
comb teeth can be engaged with a lock of the wearer's natural hair
close to the scalp. Then, by manual bending, the wig clip can be
toggled to its second stable condition, and the wearer's natural
hair is clamped between the comb teeth and the connecting portion
so that the wig base is secured in place.
[0006] The connecting portion can include a compressible covering
that yields when contacted by the comb teeth, while the wig clip is
in its second stable condition, to enhance friction between the wig
clip and the natural hair. The comb teeth are also usually formed
with bulbous ends to avoid discomfort to the wearer that would
otherwise be caused by sharp comb teeth.
[0007] Other wig clips, such as the wig clip described in U.S. Pat.
No. 8,689,807, granted on Apr. 8, 2014, utilize a spring-urged,
pivoted comb to secure the wearer's natural hair to a frame. The
comb teeth are formed with an array of projections to ensure that
the wig clip is securely attached to the wearer's natural hair.
[0008] In some of the embodiments of the wig clip in U.S. Pat. No.
8,631,804, converging comb teeth assist in binding the clip to the
wearer's natural hair.
[0009] The thickness of a wig user's natural hairs and the density
of the user's hair varies widely. Because of these variations,
there are cases in which conventional wig clips fail to hold a wig
base firmly in place. Thus, despite the widespread use of
conventional wig clips, there remains a need for a wig clip that
can grip the user's natural hair more securely and reliably. This
invention is intended to address that need.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The wig clip assembly according to the invention comprises
an elongated clamping member and a comb. The comb comprises a frame
and a set of comb teeth protruding from the frame and extending
past the clamping member. Each of the comb teeth comprises a first
section extending from the frame to a first intermediate location,
a second section extending from the first intermediate location to
a second intermediate location, and a third section extending from
the second intermediate location to a tip. The clamping member has
a clamping surface, and the comb teeth are movable from a first
position in which they are spaced from the clamping surface to a
second position in which they are capable of clamping strands of a
user's natural hair between the second sections of the comb teeth
and the clamping surface.
[0011] The second section of each of the comb teeth is defined by
first and second opposite edges, both the opposite edges being
oblique relative to the longitudinal direction of the clamping
member, and being spaced from each other by a distance greater than
the width of each of the first and third sections of the same comb
tooth measured in a direction parallel to the longitudinal
direction of the clamping member. Because of the oblique
configuration, and the distance between, the opposite edges of the
second sections of the comb teeth, by their cooperation with the
clamping surface of the clamping member, the wig clip can grip
greater quantities of a user's natural hair than could be gripped
by a wig clip having conventional straight comb teeth.
[0012] The above-described comb tooth configuration can be utilized
in wig clip comprising a flexible, resilient, U-shaped frame having
a pair of legs extending in substantially parallel relationship to
each other from opposite ends of an intermediate portion of the
frame, and in which the clamping member is flexible, connected to
the legs at locations spaced from the opposite ends of the
intermediate portion of the frame, and of a length greater than the
distance between the parts of the legs to which it is connected. In
this version of the invention, the flexible clamping member can be
shifted by a toggling action from a first stable position in which
it is spaced from the comb teeth and a second stable position in
which strands of a user's natural hair can be gripped between said
comb teeth and the flexible clamping member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a wig clip in accordance
with the invention in a first stable condition, in which the comb
teeth are spaced from the clamping member, and in which a covering
portion of a clamping member is shown broken away to reveal the
internal part thereof ;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the wig clip as shown in
FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is an elevational view of a wig clip in accordance
with the invention in a second stable condition, in which the comb
teeth are in a position to exert pressure on strands of a user's
hair (not shown) between the teeth and the clamping member;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the wig clip as shown in
FIG. 3;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view of one of
the comb teeth shown in FIG. 3; and
[0018] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing two wig clips in
accordance with the invention in a wig base.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0019] The wig clip of the invention, shown in FIGS. 1-4, comprises
a U-shaped frame composed of a pair of legs 10 and 12 extending in
substantially parallel relationship to each other from ends 14 and
16 respectively of an intermediate part 18. An elongated clamping
member 20 is connected to the legs at locations 22 and 24, which
are spaced, respectively, from ends 14 and 16 of the intermediate
part 18.
[0020] In this embodiment, the clamping member includes an internal
part 26, which is unitary with the frame, and an elastomeric
covering 28 in the form of a tube stretched over the internal part
26. So that the elastomeric covering can be fitted onto the
internal part 26 of the clamping member, the leg 10 is formed in
two parts, which are connected by a rivet. Alternatively, the
clamping member, can be formed separately from the frame, and
connected to the frame by rivets.
[0021] Comb teeth 30, 32, 34, 36, 38 and 40, extend from the
intermediate part 18 past the clamping member 20. In the embodiment
shown, the comb teeth are unitary with the frame. However, in
alternative embodiments, the comb teeth can be parts of a comb
assembly that is attached by fasteners or other suitable means to
the frame.
[0022] The frame, including the intermediate part 18 and the legs
10 and 12, is resilient, and is preferably composed of metal or a
suitable synthetic resin. The length of the clamping member 20,
i.e., the length of its internal part 26, is slightly greater than
the distance between the locations on the legs 10 and 12 to which
the internal part is connected so that the internal part is
longitudinally compressed. Thus, the wig clip, which comprises the
frame, the comb teeth and the clamping member can be manually
shifted from a first stable condition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,
in which the clamping member 20 is spaced from the comb teeth
30-40, to a second stable condition, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in
which the comb teeth are resiliently urged toward the clamping
member and capable of gripping strands of a user's natural hair
between the comb teeth and the elastomeric covering 28 of the
clamping member.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, when the wig clip is in its first stable
condition, the clamping member 20 is bent in such a way that the
side facing the comb teeth is convex. The intermediate part 18
(FIG. 1), which is not seen in FIG. 2, is similarly bent so that
the side of the intermediate part seen in FIG. 1 is convex. It is
this bending of the intermediate part that maintains the comb teeth
separate from the clamping member.
[0024] When the wig clip is in its second stable condition, as
shown in FIG. 4, the clamping member is bent in the opposition
direction, so that the side facing the comb teeth is concave. The
side of the intermediate part that is seen in FIG. 3 is concave,
and it is this bending of the intermediate part that urges the comb
teeth toward the clamping member.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 6, two wig clips 42 and 44, each
corresponding to the wig clip of FIGS. 1-4, are secured to the
inside of a dome-shaped wig base 46 composed of a flexible net. The
wig clips are positioned adjacent the border 48 of the wig base,
and the comb teeth are directed toward the opening.
[0026] Comb teeth 32, 34, 36 and 38 are preferably identical in
shape. As shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 5, comb tooth 32 is
composed of three sections, a first section 50, which can be
unitary with intermediate part 18 of the frame, a second section 52
at least part of which is positioned to overlie the clamping member
20, and a third part 54, which extends beyond the clamping member
and preferably terminates in a rounded tip 56.
[0027] The first and third tooth sections 50 and 54, extend in an
approximately right angle relationship to the direction of
elongation of the clamping member 20. The second section 52 is
defined by two opposite edges, 58 and 60, both of which extend in
an oblique relationship to the direction of elongation of clamping
member 20. Edge 58 extends from point 62 to point 64, point 64
being closer than point 62 to frame leg 10. Edge 60 similar extends
from point 66 to point 68, point 68 being closer than point 66 to
frame leg 10.
[0028] The width of the intermediate tooth section 52, that is, the
minimum distance between its edges 58 and 60 is greater than the
minimum width of each of tooth sections 50 and 54, measured in a
direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of clamping member
20.
[0029] At least a part of the intermediate section of each of comb
teeth 32, 34, 36 and 38 is positioned to come into overlying
relationship with the clamping member 20. Because the widths of the
intermediate tooth section 52 of comb tooth 32 and the
corresponding intermediate sections of comb teeth 34, 36 and 38 is
greater than that of the first and third tooth sections. As a
result, when the wig clip is in the closed condition as shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4, a greater amount of the user's natural hair can be
clamped between the comb teeth and the clamping member and the wig
base is held in place more securely and reliably.
* * * * *