U.S. patent number 3,776,244 [Application Number 05/190,648] was granted by the patent office on 1973-12-04 for non-slip retention means for use on a wearer's head.
Invention is credited to Willis Ema Morgan.
United States Patent |
3,776,244 |
Morgan |
December 4, 1973 |
NON-SLIP RETENTION MEANS FOR USE ON A WEARER'S HEAD
Abstract
A non-slip head gear and a retainer employing the same, the head
gear being characterized by a cap means having a hook strip on its
interior surface with its tiny hooks protruding interiorly for
engagement with the hair of the wearer and having an exterior strip
of pile strap with its loops protruding exteriorly for receiving
mating hook strips that are connected with other elements such as a
retainer body. The retainer body is characterized by net material
that is elastic along the fiber of the net and is even more elastic
along the bias of the fiber for conforming to irregular contours.
Also disclosed are preferred embodiments in which the exterior
strips of pile strap are extensive enough to allow attachment of a
wide variety of hook strip configurations; wherein a plurality of
hook strips are fixedly disposed at predetermined locations for a
predetermined hook strip configuration; and wherein neck straps are
attached to the retainer body for tensioning it rearwardly toward
the rear of the neck, the neck straps having mating hook strips and
pile straps on their respective free ends.
Inventors: |
Morgan; Willis Ema (Forth
Worth, TX) |
Family
ID: |
22702206 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/190,648 |
Filed: |
October 19, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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58435 |
Jul 27, 1970 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
132/273; D24/190;
602/17; D24/189; 2/171.2; 128/DIG.15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61F
13/122 (20130101); A45D 8/40 (20130101); Y10S
128/15 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45D
8/40 (20060101); A45D 8/00 (20060101); A61F
13/12 (20060101); A45d 008/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;132/46R
;128/163-164,171,260,268,DIG.15,76B ;2/171.2 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Chamblee; Hugh R.
Assistant Examiner: McNeill; Gregory E.
Parent Case Text
This is a division of application Ser. No. 58,435, filed July 27,
1970 now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. Non-slip head gear for emplacement on a wearer's head for use in
conjunction with other elements such as bandage retainers
comprising:
a. a cap means adapted for fitting a plurality of head sizes;
b. at least one hook strip disposed on the interior surface of said
cap means; said hook strip having a plurality of tiny hook elements
protruding interiorly for engagement with hair of a person wearing
said head gear for preventing slipping thereof; and
c. at least one exterior strip of pile strap disposed on at least
one exterior side of said cap; said pile strap having a plurality
of upstanding loops of filamentary material extending outwardly for
receiving a hook strip of another element in removably fastened
relationship.
2. The head gear of claim 1 wherein said cap means has a plurality
of hook strips disposed on its interior for engagement with the
wearer's hair.
3. The head gear of claim 1 wherein said cap means has a plurality
of pile straps disposed on its exterior.
4. The head gear of claim 3 wherein said cap means has at least one
said exterior strip of pile strap disposed along each side and
extensive enough to afford a continuous band for receiving a wide
variety of hook strip configurations.
5. The head gear of claim 3 wherein said cap means has a plurality
of exterior strips of pile strap disposed along each side at
predetermined locations for receiving a predetermined hook strip
configuration.
6. The head gear of claim 1 wherein said cap means has an area of
at least 8 square inches for being disposed over the top and
rearward portion of the wearer's head for minimizing concentrations
of stress and alleviating the tendency to cause headaches.
7. Non-slip head gear for emplacement on a wearer's head for use in
conjunction with other elements such as bandage retainers
comprising:
a. a cap means adapted for fitting a plurality of head sizes;
and
b. at least one hook strip disposed on the interior surface of said
cap means; said hook strip having a plurality of tiny hook elements
protruding interiorly for engagement with hair of a person wearing
said head gear for preventing slipping thereof.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION:
1. Field of the Invention: This invention relates to retention
means for use of the head of a wearer. More particularly, it
relates to non-slip head gear; and a retainer that is a combination
of the non-slip head gear and a retainer body means; for use in
applications such as supporting in cosmetic applications, and
retaining bandages in place following surgery on or about the head
and face of a patient.
2. Description of the Prior Art: A wide variety of cosmetic
retainers and of bandage structures and retainers have been
employed for emplacing about a wearer's head. These structures have
ranged from the difficultly affixed tape and absorbent material
that are emplaced following surgery, through head halters for use
in cervical traction devices, to elaborate beauty masks of a
three-piece hood with elastic nets, chin pieces and the like; and
have included correctors for correcting mouth breathers and
snorers. None of the prior art devices have been totally
satisfactory in that they had one or more of the defects of (1)
encompassing the face and head of the wearer with attendant
discomfort, (2) requiring elaborate straps and buckle arrangements
for adjusting to the size of the head and neck of the wearer, or
causing difficulty in emplacement and removal.
Moreover, the structures of the prior art were prone to slip unless
they were connected to an external source such as a weight for
cervical traction. If the prior art structures were holding a
bandage and allowed slipping, there was a danger of opening a
wound, and possibly ultimately causing an undesirable scar
following cosmetic surgery. Such a potential liability has required
stringent safety precautions by the surgeons and made a slip-proof
bandage retainer of practical significance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the combination retainer in
accordance with one embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a head gear means of the embodiment of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the head gear of the
embodiment of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a plan view from the top of the retainer body means of
the embodiment of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the invention employing a
simple skull cap means and a plurality of fixedly disposed exterior
strips of pile strap on the cap means.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
It is a primary object of this invention to obviate the
disadvantages of the prior art structures and to provide a head
gear having the structure that facilitates attachment of additional
elements and that may be emplaced on a wearer's head to support the
additional elements without slipping.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a retainer that
may be employed in a wide variety of uses; such as, cosmetic
applications, and retaining bandages in place following surgery;
the retainer having a head gear that may be emplaced on a werer's
head and engage the wearer's hair to prevent slipping; a
conformably shapable retainer body means; and interconnecting
straps that can be removably attached to the head gear at a
plurality of locations for size and tension adjustment by simply
pressing to attach or pulling to release; the straps thereby
facilitating emplacement regardless of the size of the wearer's
head and facilitating removal, yet leaving a large portion of the
wearer's head exposed for greater comfort.
Referring to the figures and particularly to FIG. 1, retainer 11
comprises non-slip head gear 13; retainer body means 15 and a
plurality of straps 17 that are connected at one end with the
retainer body means and have, at their other end, first hook strips
for removably engaging the head gear 13. As can be seen in FIG. 1,
the retainer 11 may be employed for cosmetic applications such as
uplift of the chin and sagging facial muscles or for retaining a
bandage in place following surgery on or about the face and head of
the wearer. For example, sutiable bandages may be emplaced around
the lower portion of the face following cosmetic surgery and held
in place. Alternatively, bandages such as ear bandages, illustrated
by dashed line 19, may be held in place following ear surgery.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the head gear 13 comprises a cap means 21;
at least one hook strip 23 fixedly disposed on the interior surface
of the cap means and at least one exterior strip of pile strap 25
fixedly disposed on the exterior of the cap means 21. The cap means
21 may take any form but preferably has an area of at least about 8
square inches to minimize the concentration of stress in supporting
the retainer body means and alleviating a tendency to give the
wearer a headache. Preferred forms of construction of the cap means
are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 5. In FIG. 1 the cap means comprises
a conventional surgical cap onto which the hook strip 23 and the
pile straps 25 have been sewed. The surgical cap may have
drawstrings 30 for being drawn to fit a particular head size. On
the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a skull cap that covers
the top and rear portion of the head may be employed. It is
preferable that the cap means have a pesudo-spherical structure as
effected by having darts sewed into a flat piece of material of the
desired dimensions.
The cap means has either a hook strip disposed on its interior or a
pile strap disposed on its exterior. Preferably it has both.
Specifically, the cap means has at least one hook strip 23, FIG. 2
disposed on the interior surface of the cap means. The hook strip
23 includes a fabric backing; such as, dimensionally stable woven
nylon fabric backing; with a plurality of tiny hook elements 29
protruding interiorly for engagement with hair of a person wearing
the head gear for preventing slipping of the head gear. If desired,
a plurality of hook strips may be employed, scattered on the top
and sides of the cap means for more effectively engaging the hair
of the wearer and preventing slipping. Ordinarily, however, a
single hook strip in the top of the cap is sufficient. The absence
of the hook strips on the side of the cap means alleviates the
problem of disengaging the cap means from the wearer's hair. At
least one exterior strip of pile strap 25, FIG. 3, is disposed on
at least one exterior side of the cap means. Preferably, at least
one exterior strip of pile strap is disposed along each side of the
cap means and the strip of pile strap is extensive enough to afford
a continuous band for receiving a wide variety of hook strip
configurations to allow utmost flexibility in adjusting the tension
on a retainer body means 15. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the pile
strap extends along the entire side band along each side of the cap
means 21. Each of the pile straps may be sewed or otherwise
attached to the side of the cap means. The pile straps include a
dimensionally stable woven nylon fabric backing having a plurality
of upstanding loops 31 of fine threads or other filamentary
material extending outwardly for receiving a hook strip of another
element in removably fastened relationship. The loops 31 are
adapted to engage the hook elements 29 when pressed together to
prevent relative motion laterally along the respective backing
elements. Because of the somewhat resilient construction of the
hook elements 29 and the loops 31, however, the hook strips may be
readily pulled outwardly to disengage the pile straps about as
easily as they were pushed together for being fastened together.
The hook strips and pile straps are commercially available under
the trade name Velcro and are described in U. S. Pat. No. 2,717,437
issued September 13, 1955. Accordingly, no further detailed
description is necessary herein.
Instead of having a substantially continuous pile strap along the
cap, a plurality of individual pile straps may be fixedly disposed
along the sides of the cap means at predetermined locations, as
illustrated in FIG. 5, to facilitate removably affixing straps by
less experienced personnel when the straps are part of a
predetermined configuration such as may be employed for relatively
standardized operations.
Referring to FIG. 4, the retainer body means 15 has a mid section
35 that is adapted for being emplaced about and beneath the
wearer's chin. The body means 15 has connected with the mid section
35 at least one bifurcated end structure defining two terminal
strips 37 and 39 for being emplaced on both forward and rearward
sides of an ear 41. Preferably, the retainer body means 15 is
formed of a net-like material that is aerated to prevent
unnecessary restriction to the escape of mositure, that has
elasticity along the respective fibers making up the net, and has
greater elasticity along the bias of the fibers for being conformed
to the irregular contours of the face and head of the wearer. A
suitable net material for forming the retainer body means is
available commercially under the trade name Spandex. Other suitable
net materials are known in the art. For some applications, as for
throat surgery, it is preferable that the retainer body means 15
have a mid section 35 that is extensive enough to effect a neck
portion 43, as illustrated in FIG. 5, for extending downwardly on
the wearer's neck.
The plurality of straps 17 are connected at one of their ends 45
with the retainer body means 15, as by sewing, and have disposed at
their other end 47 at least one hook strip 49 for removably
engaging the exterior pile strap 25 on the cap means 21. The hook
strip 49 may be extended along the strap as far as necessary; or,
if desired, a plurality of hook strips may be affixed at discrete
locations; to fit both adults and children. There is at least one
strip 17 affixed to each of the terminal strips 37 and 39 to
facilitate shaping the retainer body means to best do its support
job on the particular wearer, be the job cosmetic support or
bandage retention.
If desired, a plurality of straps 17 may be affixed to the forward
terminal strip 37 and only a single strap 17 affixed to the
rearward terminal strip 39, as illustrated in FIG. 1. On the other
hand, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a plurality of straps 17 may be
affixed to both the forward terminal strip 37 and the rearward
terminal strip 39 for better establishment of the requisite tension
and contour. With the plurality of straps 17 connected with each of
the terminal strips of the bifurcated ends, it is advantageous to
have a continuous exterior strip of pile strap 25 for greatest
flexibility; although, as indicated hereinbefore, where certain
relatively standardized operations are to be performed, a plurality
of fixed exterior strips of pile strap, illustrated by pile straps
25a and 25b, may be employed.
It is ordinarily necessary that at least one pair of neck straps 51
be connected at one of their ends with the retainer body means at
the lower side of its ends for pulling the retainer body means 15
toward the rear of the neck to obtain the desired conformity with
facial contours. One of the pair of neck straps 51 will have a hook
strip 55 disposed at its free end and the other of the pair of neck
straps will have a pile strap 57 disposed at its free end.
The hook strip 55 and the pile strap 57 are so disposed on their
respective neck straps 51 that the pair of neck straps can be
removably fastened together by pressing them together. The hook
strip and neck strap are extensive enough in coverage and so
located on respective neck straps 51 as to enable effecting a
desired degree of tension in the retainer body means rearward
toward the rear of the neck for a plurality of sizes of necks. This
may advantageously be effected by having the more extensive area of
either the hook strip or the pile strap on the exterior of the
internal neck strap 51, illustrated by pile strap 57, to prevent
the internaly protruding hooks or loops from irritating the neck of
the wearer.
The elements of the head gear, the retainer body means, the straps,
and the hook strips and pile straps may be assembled as illustrated
by any conventional method. Ordinarily, sewing is an economical and
satisfactory method of assembling the respective elements, since
they can be thus laundered or cleaned without having to disassemble
mechanical components such as snaps or buckles. Other than the
special materials described hereinbefore, materials ordinarily
employed in this art are satisfactory in manufacturing this
invention.
From the foregoing descriptive matter and the drawings, it can be
seen that this invention obviates the disadvantages of the prior
art and accomplishes the objects enumerated hereinbefore.
Specifically, it provides a head gear that has an internal
structure for engaging the hair of the wearer and preventing
slipping and that has an external means facilitating attachment of
additional elements by merely pushing to attach and pulling to
detach. Furthermore, this invention provides a retainer that may be
employed in a wide variety of applications; such as, cosmetic
applications and retaining bandages in place following surgery; the
retainer having a head gear:
1. that may be emplaced on a wearer's head and engage the wearer's
hair to prevent slipping, having a conformably shapable retainer
body means, and having interconnecting strap means that leave a
large portion of the wearer's head unencumbered for greater
comfort, and
2. that can be removably attached to the head gear at a plurality
of locations for size and tension adjustment by simply pressing to
attach or pulling to release, thereby facilitating emplacement
regardless of the size of the wearer's head, and facilitating
removal for replacement of bandages or the like.
Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of
particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure is made
only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of
construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be
resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the
invention.
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