U.S. patent application number 15/715754 was filed with the patent office on 2019-03-28 for hair accessory and method of manufacture thereof.
The applicant listed for this patent is HAIRUWEAR, INC.. Invention is credited to TERESA LANE.
Application Number | 20190090566 15/715754 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 65806323 |
Filed Date | 2019-03-28 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190090566 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LANE; TERESA |
March 28, 2019 |
HAIR ACCESSORY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE THEREOF
Abstract
A hair accessory has a helical elastic band that forms a closed
circle. The hair accessory also has a weft having a hair retention
member and a plurality of strands that extend from the strand
retention member. The weft is spirally wrapped around the elastic
band so that the weft completely encases the helical elastic band
and allows the helical elastic band to move between an enlarged
configuration and a contracted configuration. The helical elastic
band is biased to the contracted configuration.
Inventors: |
LANE; TERESA; (HALLANDALE
BEACH, FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HAIRUWEAR, INC. |
LENEXA |
KS |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
65806323 |
Appl. No.: |
15/715754 |
Filed: |
September 26, 2017 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41G 5/008 20130101;
A41G 5/0026 20130101; A41G 5/0006 20130101; A41G 5/006
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A41G 5/00 20060101
A41G005/00 |
Claims
1. A hair accessory, comprising: a helical elastic band forming a
closed circle; and a weft having a strand retention member and a
plurality of hair strands extending from the strand retention
member, the weft spirally wrapped around the helical elastic band
in a manner that completely encases the helical elastic band and
allows the helical elastic band to move between an enlarged
configuration and a contracted configuration, the helical elastic
band being biased to the contracted configuration.
2. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the strand retention
member is inelastic.
3. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the plurality of strands
are threaded to the strand retention member.
4. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the weft has opposed ends
that are coupled together to form a continuous loop.
5. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of
strands is between four inches and ten inches.
6. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the elastic band has a
diameter between one half and three inches when at the contracted
configuration.
7. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the weft is wrapped
around the coils in the elastic band in a uniform manner.
8. A hair accessory, comprising: a coiled elastic band forming a
closed loop; said elastic band being movable between a contracted
configuration and an expanded configuration, an interior perimeter
of said elastic band at said contracted configuration being smaller
than an interior perimeter of said elastic band at said expanded
configuration; said elastic band having uniform coils, each said
coil having a center point and a diameter, a distance between said
center points of at least two adjacent said coils changing as said
elastic band moves between said contracted and expanded
configurations; a plurality of strands, each strand having a
proximal end and a distal end; and a strand retention member
securing the strands, each said strand proximal end being coupled
to said strand retention member, each said strand distal end
extending freely away from said strand retention member in a common
direction; wherein said strand retention member is spirally wrapped
around said elastic band, forming spirals completely encasing and
conforming to said coils, said strand retention member forming a
closed loop.
9. The hair accessory of claim 8, wherein said strand retention
member is inelastic.
10. The hair accessory of claim 8, wherein said strand retention
member is spirally wrapped around said elastic band such that said
strand retention member overlaps itself.
11. The hair accessory of claim 8, wherein said strand retention
member is spirally wrapped in a uniform manner.
12. The hair accessory of claim 8, wherein a diameter of said
elastic band at said contracted configuration is between one half
inch and three inches.
13. The hair accessory of claim 12, wherein said diameter of said
elastic band at said expanded configuration is at least two times
said diameter of said elastic band in said contracted
configuration.
14. The hair accessory of claim 8, wherein said elastic band is
biased to said contracted configuration.
15. The hair accessory of claim 8, wherein said closed loop has a
center point, and wherein said hair strands do not pass through
said center point of said closed loop.
16. The hair accessory of claim 8, wherein said plurality of
strands extend arcuately from said strand retention member.
17. A method for fabricating a hair accessory, comprising:
attaching a plurality of hair strands to a strand retention member
to form a weft; and spirally wrapping the weft around a helical
elastic band.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the elastic band is biased
towards a contracted state.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein the elastic band forms a closed
circle having a center point, wherein the hair strands do not pass
through the center point.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein the weft has opposed ends that
are coupled together to form a continuous loop.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to hair accessories. More
specifically, the present invention relates to hair accessories to
supplement a wearer's natural hair.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Throughout history, hair accessories have been used to
supplement a wearer's natural hair. Supplementing a wearer's
natural hair allows for an impression of a fuller head of hair, and
the additional hair may allow for a wider variety of hair
styles.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The following presents a simplified summary in order to
provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention.
This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is
not intended to identify critical elements of the invention or to
delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to
present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a
prelude to the more detailed description that is presented
elsewhere.
[0004] In one embodiment, a hair accessory includes a helical
elastic band forming a closed circle and a weft having a strand
retention member and a plurality of hair strands extending from the
strand retention member. The weft is spirally wrapped around the
helical elastic band in a manner that completely encases the
helical elastic band that allows the elastic band to move between
an enlarged configuration and a contracted configuration. The
helical elastic band is biased to the contracted configuration.
[0005] In another embodiment, a hair accessory has a coiled elastic
band forming a closed loop, a plurality of strands, and a strand
retention member. The elastic band is movable between a contracted
configuration and an expanded configuration, and an interior
perimeter of the elastic band at the contracted configuration is
smaller than an interior perimeter of the elastic band at the
expanded configuration. The elastic band has uniform coils, and
each coil has a center point and a diameter. A distance between the
center points of at least two adjacent coils changes as the elastic
band moves between the contracted and expanded configurations. Each
of the strands has a proximal end and a distal end, and the strand
retention member secures the strands. Each strand proximal end is
coupled to the strand retention member, and each strand distal end
extends freely away from the strand retention member in a common
direction. The strand retention member is spirally wrapped around
the elastic band, forming spirals completely encasing and
conforming to the coils, and the strand retention member forms a
closed loop.
[0006] In still another embodiment, a method for fabricating a hair
accessory includes the steps of attaching a plurality of hair
strands to a strand retention member to form a weft and spirally
wrapping the weft around a helical elastic band.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of part of a hair accessory
according to an embodiment of the current invention, with some hair
strands omitted for illustration.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a front view of an elastic band of the hair
accessory of FIG. 1, with an enlarged configuration shown in dashed
lines.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion of a weft of the hair
accessory of FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a front view of the hair accessory of FIG. 1, with
some hair strands shown in black and other hair strands shown in
white for illustration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] A hair accessory 100 is provided to be worn by a user to
create the impression of a fuller head of hair. As shown in FIG. 1,
the hair accessory 100 includes an elastic band 120 and a weft 140
having a strand retention member 150 and a plurality of strands 160
that extend from the strand retention member 150. A portion of the
weft 140 is illustrated in FIG. 1 without strands 160 to show that
the weft 140 is spirally wrapped around the elastic band 120. In
some embodiments, the weft 140 may completely encase the elastic
band 120 such that the band 120 is not seen. The elastic band 120
is biased toward a contracted configuration 120a, and can move
between the contracted configuration 120a and an expanded
configuration 120b (shown in phantom in FIG. 2).
[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the elastic band 120 is a helical closed
loop having a plurality of coils 122, and is generally shaped like
a toroidal spring. The elastic band 120 is generally circular and
has an outer surface 126, a center point 128, and an interior
perimeter 130. The elastic band 120 may, for example, have between
twenty and fifty coils 122. Each coil 122 has a center point 124
and a diameter. The coils 122 may be generally uniform in size and
generally equidistant from adjacent coils 122.
[0013] The elastic band 120 is biased to the contracted
configuration 120a, but can be stretched to the enlarged
configuration 120b. In the contracted configuration 120a, the
elastic band 120 may, for example, have a diameter between one half
and three inches; and in the expanded configuration 120b, the
elastic band 120 may have a diameter that is at least twice the
diameter of the elastic band 120 in the contracted configuration
120a. Further, the interior perimeter 130 of the elastic band 120
is smaller when in the contracted configuration 120a than when in
the expanded configuration 120b. As the elastic band 120 moves
between the contracted configuration 120a and the expanded
configuration 120b, a distance between the center point 124 of two
adjacent coils 122 changes as well; the distance between the coils
122 increases as the elastic band 120 is stretched to the expanded
configuration 120b and decreases as the elastic band 120 returns to
the contracted configuration 120a. The elastic band 120 may be
stretched to a configuration that is larger than the contracted
configuration 120a but not as large as the enlarged configuration
120b, and can be used in the variable configurations between the
contracted configuration 120a and the enlarged configuration 120b
as well.
[0014] As shown in FIG. 3, the weft 140 includes the strand
retention member 150 and the plurality of hair strands 160. The
weft 140 has opposed ends that are coupled together to form a
continuous loop, and the plurality of hair strands 160 are coupled
to the strand retention member 150. Each strand in the plurality of
hair strands 160 has a proximal end 162 and a distal end 164, and
in some embodiments, the proximal ends 162 are created by folding a
strand over (e.g., in half)--in effect creating two distal ends 164
for each proximal end 162. The distance between the proximal and
distal ends 162, 164 may be, for example, between three inches and
ten inches. The plurality of hair strands 160 may be synthetic hair
or natural hair, or a combination of synthetic hair and natural
hair. The proximal ends 162 are coupled to the strand retention
member 150 (e.g. by threading, adhesive, etc.), and the strands 160
extend away from the strand retention member 150 in a common
direction. In some embodiments, the strands 160 extend arcuately
away from the strand retention member 150.
[0015] The strand retention member 150 may have a ribbon 152 to
which the plurality of strands 160 are coupled, such as through any
appropriate threading and/or adhesive (whether now known or later
discovered). The strand retention member 150 has a top 154 and a
bottom 156, and it may be desirable for the plurality of strands
160 to not extend above the top 154. The strand retention member
150 may, in various embodiments, be elastic or inelastic.
[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the strand retention member 150 may be
spirally wrapped around the elastic band 120. More specifically,
the strand retention member 150 may be wrapped around the coils 122
of the elastic band 120. The strand retention member 150 is wrapped
so that the strand retention member 150 conforms to the coils 122,
and the strand retention member 150 may be continually wrapped
around the elastic band 120 such that it forms a closed loop. The
strand retention member 150 and the plurality of hair strands 160
may thus completely encase the outer surface 126 of the elastic
band 120.
[0017] The strand retention member 150 may be spirally wrapped
around the elastic band 120 in a uniform manner. In one embodiment,
the strand retention member 150 is uniformly wrapped around the
elastic band 120 such that the strand retention member 150 overlaps
itself. Spirally wrapping the strand retention member 150 around
the coils 122 may create a double spiral: a first spiral defined by
the strand retention member 150 spirally wrapping around the
elastic band 120, and a second spiral defined by the spiral shape
of the band 120. This double spiral configuration may increase an
amount of strands per square inch when compared to a hair accessory
containing only a single spiral. Nevertheless, with the plurality
of strands 160 extending outwardly from the strand retention member
150 in a common direction, the hair strands 160 may not pass
through the center point 128 of the elastic band 120 (FIG. 4). This
leaves an aperture for easily passing a wearer's hair therethrough
and does not direct the strands 160 where they would be of little
use.
[0018] During fabrication of the hair accessory 100, the plurality
of hair strands 160 are attached to the strand retention member 150
to form a weft 140. And 140 is then spirally wrapped around the
helical elastic band 120 as described above.
[0019] Many different arrangements are possible without departing
from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Embodiments of
the present invention are described herein with the intent to be
illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative embodiments will
become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not depart from
its scope. A skilled artisan may develop alternative means of
implementing the disclosed improvements without departing from the
scope of the present invention. Further, it will be understood that
certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be
employed without reference to other features and subcombinations
and are contemplated within the scope of the invention. The
description should not be restricted to the specific described
embodiments.
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