Hair clip

Abstract

Hair clip that has two connected arms (1, 2) which move between an open and a closed position. To separate out individual strands of hair, a replaceable comb (4) is attached along the length of at least one of the two sides of one of the two arms (1); said comb's teeth (5) extend laterally past the second arm (2) in the closed position.

Description

SPECIFICATION

[0001] The invention relates to a hair clip that has two connected arms which move between an open and a closed position.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0002] Hair clips of the aforementioned type are common in an extremely wide range of variations. They are used to hold bundles or strands of hair in place. Known hair clips vary widely in size and shape. Most often, the arms are either flat or slightly bowed; they may be narrow or wide, open-worked or have a continuous surface. Either metal or plastic are possible as materials for the hair clips.

[0003] When supplemental hair is affixed to a person's own hair in order to lengthen or thicken the hair of the head, up until now the hairdresser has first defined the working area on the customer's head by combing aside the hair that is not needed and securing it. Then a strand of hair is separated out, surrounded with a heat shield, and the latter is secured with a hair clip. Next, the strand of supplemental hair is placed against the customer's own hair and is joined thereto, generally using a thermoplastic adhesive. Up until now, the process of separating out a strand and surrounding it with a heat shield, then securing it, had to be repeated for each strand of supplemental hair to be attached. This is a time-consuming process that, moreover, is subject to variation insofar as there is no certainty when separating out each new strand of natural hair that every hair strand has the same number of hairs.

[0004] The object of the invention is to simplify and make uniform the application of supplemental hair to natural hair.

[0005] This object is achieved by the invention in a hair clip of the aforementioned type in that along the length of at least one of the two sides of one of the two arms is attached a replaceable comb whose teeth extend laterally past the second arm in the closed position.

[0006] The hair clip in accordance with the invention can be used to grasp a relatively large or wide section of hair in a single step, in which process a plurality of adjacent, essentially uniform strands of hair are separated out as a function of the tooth spacing of the comb, and the strands of supplemental hair can then be adhered to these strands. This eliminates the necessity for a separate heat shield and the associated need to position and attach it anew for each strand of hair, so the hair lengthening or thickening procedure can be performed more rapidly and more uniformly than previously.

[0007] Since the size of the hair strands—which is to say the number of hairs in the strand—to be separated on the head depends on a variety of factors (hair thickness, position on the head, etc.), the comb is replaceable so that the tooth spacing, tooth shape, tooth length and tooth width can be varied as needed. The mode of attachment of the comb can be selected at will from a multiplicity of methods known to those skilled in the art. Possibilities include, for example, a plug-and-socket connection, a bayonet catch, a snap-in connection and so on. Although it is quite adequate for separation of the individual strands of hair if only one side of the clip is provided with a comb, it may be desirable to have a comb available on both sides of one of the two arms.

[0008] To facilitate alignment of the individual hairs of the strands being separated, it has proven advantageous for one of the two arms to be equipped, on its surface facing the other arm, with ribbing that preferably runs transverse to the longitudinal direction of the arm.

[0009] Particularly secure retention of the hair clip is ensured when one of the two arms is equipped, on its surface facing the other arm, with a nonskid layer, for instance made of rubber.

[0010] The invention is explained in detail below on the basis of example embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a side view of a hair clip in accordance with the invention in the open position; FIG. 2 shows a side view of this hair clip in the closed position; FIG. 3 shows a top view of this hair clip; FIG. 4 in a smaller scale shows the same hair clip with hair gripped therein; FIG. 5 shows a side view of another embodiment of the hair clip in accordance with the invention in the open position; FIG. 6 shows a side view of the same hair clip in the closed position, and FIG. 7 shows a top view of this hair clip.

[0011] The hair clip according to the invention shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 consists of two arms 1, 2, which are joined to one another by a hinge 3. In the closed position, the arms can be held shut by a conventional closure, which is not shown. In addition, it is possible to provide a spring, which likewise is not shown, which pushes the arms into the open position. Attached along the length of one side of the arm 1 is a replaceable comb 4, whose teeth 5 extend laterally past the second arm 2 in the closed position. The arm 1 is equipped on its surface that faces the arm 2 with a ribbing 6 that preferably runs transverse to the longitudinal direction of the arm 1.

[0012] To separate hairs for the purpose of applying supplemental strands of hair, natural hair 7, as shown in FIG. 4, is gripped by the arms 1, 2 of the hair clip, causing the teeth 5 of the comb 4 to separate out hair strands 8, to which successive strands of supplemental hair can then be adhered.

[0013] FIGS. 5 through 7 illustrate another embodiment of the many possible variants of the hair clip according to the invention, in which the arms 1, 2 are extended past the hinge and can be opened by pressing on this extension, for example. Identical features are identified with the same reference numbers as in FIGS. 1-3. The arms 1, 2 are flat in this embodiment, and also wider than in FIGS. 1-3, and open-worked. Located on the side of arm 2 that faces arm 1 is a nonskid layer 9 made of rubber, nonslip plastic, or the like. The tooth shape and tooth spacing of the comb 4 differs from that shown in FIGS. 1-3 by the smaller spacing—the narrower teeth will separate out a larger number of smaller strands of hair as compared to the hair clip shown in FIGS. 1-3. As already mentioned above, the combs 4 are replaceable, so that the appropriate comb for separating out hair strands in each particular application can be attached to one and the same hair clip.

Claims

1. Hair clip that has two connected arms which move between an open and a closed position, characterized in that along the length of at least one of the two sides of one of the two arms (1) is attached a replaceable comb (4) whose teeth (5) extend laterally past the second arm (2) in the closed position.

2. Hair clip in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that one of the two arms (1) is equipped on its surface that faces the other arm (2) with a ribbing (6) that preferably runs transverse to the longitudinal direction of the arm (1).

3. Hair clip in accordance with claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one of the two arms (2) is equipped on its surface that faces the other arm (1) with a nonskid layer (9), for instance made of rubber.