U.S. patent number 3,905,380 [Application Number 05/504,195] was granted by the patent office on 1975-09-16 for hair curler.
Invention is credited to Jules Bontempi.
United States Patent |
3,905,380 |
Bontempi |
September 16, 1975 |
Hair curler
Abstract
A hair curler permanently associated with a spring clip via
connection to a spherical member which is located within the
interior of the roller freely movable both longitudinally and
rotatably. In use, the spring clip may be withdrawn or unclamped
from the roller whereupon the spherical member becomes journalled
at one end of the roller so that the spring clip is universally
positionable and, in particular, movable to a position transverse
to the axis of the roller.
Inventors: |
Bontempi; Jules (Bayside,
NY) |
Family
ID: |
27037699 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/504,195 |
Filed: |
September 9, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
455046 |
Mar 27, 1974 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
132/255 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D
2/00 (20130101); A45D 2/12 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A45D
2/12 (20060101); A45D 2/00 (20060101); A45d
002/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;132/40,42R,41,31R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McNeill; G. E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Darby & Darby
Parent Case Text
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This is a Continuation-in-Part of application Ser. No. 455,046,
filed Mar. 27, 1974. This invention relates generally to hair
curlers and, more particularly, to hair rollers having
self-contained spring clips associated with them.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A device for use in curling a strand of hair comprising:
a thin walled hollow cylindrical member over which the strand of
hair is wound; and
a clip assembly including a substantially spherical member having
an interior chamber therewithin defining an outer wall of said
spherical member, said outer wall having an aperture formed
therein, and a spring clip defined by a pair of resilient opposed
legs having integrally connected trailing ends, one of said legs
having a leading end which passes through said aperture and which
is located in said interior chamber, said leading end having an
enlarged portion of greater dimension than said aperture which
portion retains said leading end within said interior chamber,
wherein said spherical member is movable within said cylindrical
member both rotatably and longitudinally.
2. A device as recited in claim 1 further including means located
on at least one end of said cylindrical member for limiting the
longitudinal movement of said spherical member.
3. A device as recited in claim 1 wherein said leading end of said
one of the opposed legs has a curved configuration so that the ends
of said clip diverge away from each other in the direction of the
free ends whereby movement of said clip into clamping relationship
with said cylinder is facilitated.
4. A device as recited in claim 2 wherein said limiting means
include an annular rib formed on the interior surface of at least
one end of said cylindrical member defining a diameter smaller than
the diameter of said spherical member to retain the latter in said
cylindrical member.
5. A device as recited in claim 2 wherein said limiting means is
located substantially at the edge of at least one end of said
cylindrical member and contacts said spherical member close to the
major circumference thereof so that a substantial portion of said
spherical member extends outside of said cylindrical member beyond
the leading edge thereof.
6. A device as recited in claim 1 wherein said spherical member is
formed by a pair of hollow substantially hemispherical members,
said aperture being formed in the wall of one said hemispherical
members, and said members being joined together at their edges.
Description
One technique used for many years in the styling of hair comprises
grasping a strand of hair and winding it onto a hollow, cylindrical
roller until the entire strand is wound onto the roller with the
latter consequently assuming a position adjacent to the scalp. At
this time a spring clip, commonly referred to as a bobby pin, is
urged onto the wound roller, usually between it and the scalp,
thereby clamping the wound hair in place on the roller. The hair
may then be moistened and dried to impart a curl to the strand of
hair.
When the bobby pin and roller are independent of each other, this
procedure is rather tedious since it is difficult to hold a roller
having a strand of hair wound around it in place, locate a bobby
pin, locate the proper area of the roller on which to clamp the
pin, spread the fingers of the pin and, finally, clamp the pin over
the roller and hair. Oftentimes, the bobby pin is misplaced during
the procedure.
In order to alleviate some of the above problems, attempts have
been made to couple spring clips to hair rollers. However, the
results of these attempts have not been entirely satisfactory. A
majority of devices of this kind involve in their operation a
telescoping extension of the roller in the axial direction of one
of various components, such as concentric sleeves, the bobby pin
itself or other like elements (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos.
3,221,753; 3,498,300; and 3,241,561). However, such structure
creates a serious problem in that when a multiplicity of rollers
are used in close proximity to each other (which is commonly the
case), severe space limitations are created due to the fact that
any two adjacent rollers are usually substantially contiguous. Any
element which telescopes from the roller and thereby increases the
longitudinal dimension thereof would in all probability interfere
with an adjacent roller.
Another disadvantage inherent in some prior art devices is that
their designs are such that elements associated with the roller,
most commonly the spring clip itself, overlies the cylindrical
surface of the roller while the strand of hair is being wound on
it. These obstructions on the surface of the roller adversely
affect the "feel" and handling thereof.
The prior art roller-spring clip combinations have yet another
disadvantage. As mentioned above, after the strand of hair is wound
over the roller, the bobby pin is preferably clamped in a position
as close to the scalp as possible so that there is no "play" in the
wound roller. Although some of the prior devices provide a clip
which may be clamped at any location on the roller, considerable
difficulty is often encountered in moving the clip to the desired
position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a new and
improved hair roller having a self-contained spring clip.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a new and
improved hair roller-spring clip assembly wherein the spring clip,
when removed from clamping relationship with the roller, may be
positioned transverse to the axis of the latter.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new
and improved hair roller-spring clip assembly wherein the unclamped
pin is universally positionable with respect to the roller.
A further object of the instant invention is to provide a new and
improved hair roller-spring clip assembly wherein no obstructions
are present on the surface of the roller during the winding of a
strand of hair on it.
A still further object of this invention is the provision of a new
and improved hair roller-spring clip assembly wherein the spring
clip may be clamped onto the wound roller at any desired position
in a quick and easy manner.
Briefly, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this
invention, these and other objects are obtained by retaining a
spherical member in the interior of a hair roller having a hollow,
cylindrical shape so that the spherical member may move freely in
both the longitudinal direction and rotatable. The leading end of a
spring clip, such as a bobby pin, is pivotally mounted to the
spherical member. When the spring clip is unclamped from the
roller, the spherical member is drawn against a stop provided at
one end of the roller so that the spherical member is effectively
journalled at that roller end. This spherical-type bearing in
combination with the pivotal mounting of the spring clip onto the
spherical member results in the spring clip being universally
positionable with respect to the roller. The leading end of the
spring clip may be moved to any desired location on the roller both
quickly and easily since the spherical member rotates substantially
freely within the interior of the roller.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the
attendant advantages thereof will be readily appreciated as the
same becomes better understood by reference to the following
detailed description when considered in connection with the
accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the invention and its use
in winding a strand of hair;
FIG. 2 is a side view in section of the invention wherein the
spring clip is not clamped to the roller;
FIG. 3 is a side view in partial section of the invention wherein
the leading end of the spring clip is contiguous with the edge of
the roller;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the invention illustrating the
spring clip clasping the wound strand of hair to the roller;
FIG. 5 is a side view in section of the invention wherein a spring
clip is clasping the strand of hair to the roller;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of components of another embodiment of
the invention prior to assembly;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the other embodiment of the
invention wherein the spring clip is not clamped to the roller;
and
FIG. 8 is a side view in partial section of the other embodiment of
the invention wherein the spring clip is contiguous with the edge
of the roller.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters
designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several
views; and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the roller-spring
clip assembly, generally denoted as 10, includes a hollow,
cylindrical member or roller 12 made of any suitable material, such
for example as plastic. A multiplicity of openings 14 may be, and
are preferably, formed through the cylindrical wall to promote
ventilation and drying of the moistened hair as is readily
understood in the art. A spring clip 16 is coupled to roller 12 by
way of a spherical member 18 retained within the interior of roller
12 having a diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of
the roller so that it is freely movable therewithin.
The spring clip 16 resembles a bobby pin and comprises a U-shaped
member defined by an inner leg 20 and an opposed, outer leg 22.
Spherical member 18 may be formed of any suitable material, such as
plastic or wood, and has a slot 24 preferably formed through a
major plane i.e. through a plane containing a diameter of the
member, approximately half-way through the spherical member. The
slot 24 is slightly wider than the width of the legs of spring clip
16. A pin 26 extends transversely through slot 24 so that it is
eccentric or displaced from the center of the spherical member.
Referring to FIG. 2, the leading end 28 of inner leg 20 comprises a
curved portion 30, which diverges from a somewhat similarly curved
leading end 32 of outer leg 22, and a ring or eye 34 integrally
connected to a rearwardly turned portion 36 of leading end 28. The
ring 34 surrounds and pivots around pin 26 thereby retaining spring
clip 16 onto spherical member 18. The diameter of ring 34 is
substantially greater than that of pin 26 so that there is
substantial "play" in the connection. For purposes which will
become clear hereinbelow, the extent of curvature of curved portion
30 of inner leg 20 is preferably substantially equal to the
curvature of the surface of spherical member 18 as best seen in
FIGS. 2 and 3.
The spherical member 18 is located within the interior of roller 12
and retained therein by internal annular ribs 38, 38' formed at
each end of the roller. Ribs 38, 38' may be integrally formed with
the roller as shown or may comprise separate retaining rings
suitably fixed to the interior end by an adhesive. To be positioned
within the interior of roller 12 the spherical member 18 is urged
against rib 38 until the elements deform sufficiently so that the
spherical member is received therewithin.
The operation of the invention will now be described. Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2, the end of a strand of hair 40 (which is usually
somewhat moistened) is held against a central portion of the outer
surface of roller 12. The strand is then wound around the roller by
rotating the latter in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 1.
As this is being done the spherical member 18 is located at the
extreme right-hand end of roller 12 (as seen in FIG. 2) its
movement being limited through contact with rib 38. When spherical
member 18 and rib 38 are in contact, their interaction is similar
to a ball-socket joint in that the spherical member is universally
rotatable, being journalled on the surface defined by rib 38.
During the winding step described above, the spring clip 16 may be
grasped as a handle by one hand while the other hand grasps and
rotates the other end of roller 12. Of course, both hands may be
used to turn the roller 12 as shown in FIG. 1 since the spring clip
16 naturally tends to assume the position shown in FIG. 2.
As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the structure of the roller-spring
clip assembly results in the spring clip assuming a position during
the winding step which is transverse to the axis of the roller.
This is advantageous in that there are no substantial extensions
from the roller in the longitudinal direction which might interfere
with other rollers previously secured to the hair adjacent roller
12. In fact, that portion of spherical member 18 extending from the
end of roller 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be further withdrawn
into the interior of roller 12 during the winding operation. Thus,
only the spring clip 16 in its transverse position relative to
roller 12 will extend from the roller during winding and the
possibility of interference with an adjacent, previously wound
roller is practically non-existant.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, when the entire strand of hair 40 is
wound onto roller 12, spring clip 16 is urged into the position
shown in FIG. 3 wherein the edge of roller 12 is pinched between
the diverging ends 28, 32 of clip 16. By virtue of the cooperation
between spherical member 18 and spring clip 16, this step is
accomplished with extreme facility. More specifically, as the
spring clip 16 is urged towards the position shown in FIG. 3, the
spherical member 18 guides the clip end precisely to the desired
position. It has been found that if the pin is grasped and a slight
outward force exerted on it away from the end of the roller while
the clip is being moved into clamping position, the spherical
member 18 will be retained against the rib 38 so that the upper
surface of leading end 28 of inner clip leg 20 is necessarily
brought into initial contact with the inner surface of roller 12.
The divergence of the leading end 32 of outer leg 22 assures that
the roller wall is wedged or pinched between the leading ends of
the opposed legs and it is only necessary that clip 16 be urged in
the longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. 4 to secure the wound
strand 40 onto the roller. Further, by providing that clip leg
portion 30 and spherical member 18 have substantially the same
curvature, it is assured that a smooth coupling of the clip to the
roller will occur during the clamping step.
It will be realized that it is preferable to position the spring
clip as close to the scalp as possible in order to achieve positive
securing of the wound roller. The present invention facilitates
this desired location of the clip prior to its being clamped over
the roller and hair since the spherical member readily rotates
about the longitudinal axis of roller 12.
Finally, as the spring clip 16 is urged over the hair 40 as shown
in FIG. 5, the spherical member 18 assumes the position shown in
FIG. 5 and moves along with the clip longitudinally within the
roller 12.
Thus, it is seen that the roller-spring clip assembly described
above eliminates any problems previously encountered with respect
to misplacing or dropping spring clips such as bobby pins during
the hair setting operation. Since the spherical member is
substantially wholly contained within the interior of the roller
and the spring clip is positionable in a direction transverse to
the axis of the roller, any problems associated with interference
with adjacent rollers is eliminated. The apparatus may be adapted
to any size roller and/or spring clip. The spring clip may be
rotated to any position along the circumference of the roller in
order to assure a secure clamp. When not in use, the spring clip
and spherical member can be stored within the roller thereby making
for a compact unit which is easily packaged. Additionally, the
present invention aliminates the necessity of manually separating
the legs of the spring clip during the clasping step since it is
evident from the above-described operation that by virtue of the
action of the spherical member the edge of the roller will always
become positioned between the diverging ends of the spring
clip.
Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, another embodiment of the present
invention is shown. For the sake of clarity, elements corresponding
to elements of the embodiments of FIGS. 1-5 are denoted by the same
numeral, but primed. A spring clip 16' is coupled to roller 12' by
way of a spherical member 18' retained within the interior of
roller 12' having a diameter slightly smaller than the inside
diameter of the roller so that it is freely movable
therewithin.
The only difference between the embodiment of the invention of
FIGS. 6-8 and that of FIGS. 1-5 is in the connection of the spring
clip 16' to the spherical member 18' and the particular
construction of the spherical member 18'. In the second embodiment,
spherical member 18' is preferably formed of two hollow
hemispherical or dome-shaped members 50, 52 which are joined
together at their edges, such as by adhesive. Alternatively, the
spherical member may be substantially solid and have a hollow
cavity formed therewithin adjacent an outer wall thereof. Referring
to FIG. 6, one of the hemispherical members 50 has an aperture 54,
formed in the outer wall, preferably approximately at its apex. The
leading end 28' of the inner leg 20' of spring clip 16' extends
through aperture 54 and is formed having a curved portion much like
leading end 28 of the first embodiment. However, in liew of the
ring or eye 34 in the first embodiment, a bead 56 of any suitable
material, such as plastic, is provided over the end tip of the
leading end 28' which has a larger diameter than aperture 54 so
that it retains the tip of the leading end 28' within spherical
member 18'.
As is evident, the spring clip 16' is positionable in a direction
transverse to the axis of roller 12' and may be rotated to any
position along the circumference of the roller in order to assure a
secure clamp. Generally, the embodiment of the invention shown in
FIGS. 6-8 includes all the advantages of the embodiment illustrated
in FIGS. 1-5. Additionally, the second embodiment may be
manufactured in even less time and for even lower costs than the
first embodiment. The use of a hollow spherical element results in
a savings of material and it has been found that it is simpler to
provide a bead 56 in lieu of the eye or ring 34 on the spring clip
16'. The spherical member 18' is also substantially less costly to
manufacture.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present
invention are possible in light of the above teachings. For
example, the member 18 need not be perfectly spherical, but may be
somewhat modified in shape. Further, the curvature of the leading
end of the spring clip need not be exactly as described so long as
diverging portions are provided. It is therefore to be understood
that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be
practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
* * * * *