Wig band

Abstract

The wig band is a device for keeping a wig or hairpiece attached to a head. It is most useful to people, with Alopecia or hair loss, such as patients undergoing chemotherpy. It is also useful to people who use stocking caps and other cap materials to keep their own hair from interfering with the fit of the wig, because a wig or hairpiece with a closer fit-to the scalp gives a more natural look. A wig is attached to the band by coupling loop-type Velcro™ pieces to the wig itself and hook-type Velcro™ pieces to the band. The hook-type Velcro pieces are attached to the band at the area near the temple area of the head. The band is placed on the head as if it were a brim to a hat. The wig is then placed on the head over the band causing the hook and loop-type Velcro™ pieces to mesh and bond, thereby securing the wig or hairpiece to the user's head.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to Provisional Application Serial No. 60/311,118 filed Aug. 10, 2001.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to a device for securing a wig or hairpiece to a head and more particularly to a wig and band device to be used by persons suffering from complete hair loss. The present invention is directed to an adjustable band that uses a hook-and-loop (Velcro™) attachment means to secures a wig to the scalp of persons suffering from hair loss.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Alopecia areata is a disorder which affects individuals of both sexes and all ages, and is characterized by baldness occurring in sharply defined patches leaving the scalp smooth. Because the effects of baldness can be psychologically devastating, it is common for individuals so affected to wear hairpieces or wigs to cover the areas of baldness. As used herein, the terms “wig” and “hairpiece” are intended to be inclusive of each other and any type of head covering or hair supplement.

[0004] People who have only gone partially bald and choose to wear wigs have the advantage of getting the closest fit by tying down their own hair, and attaching the wig to their hair to secure the wig. However, when the individual is totally bald or has substantial bald spots, they do not have this option because conventional wigs need at least some residual hair for attachment. Therefore, bald individuals typically employ adhesives, such as two-sided tapes, for attaching the wig directly to the bare scalp. Such attachment methods are not secure, causing many wearers to be ill at ease in social situations. Furthermore, due to the fear that their wigs will become dislodged, such individuals avoid many physical activities.

[0005] One prior art attempt to remedy this problem was to employ wigs with plastic caps having individual hairs attached to resemble a scalp. Such wigs are expensive and are limited to the use of a single hairpiece which requires a great deal of care.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention is directed towards an elastic band for attaching a hairpiece to a head, the band having two securing members of hook-type Velcro™ attached to the outside of the band. The band is adjusted by using rings and slides, similar to bra straps. The invention also includes a hairpiece with two loop-type Velcro™ securing members thereon. The hairpiece's securing members are placed over the head and aligned with the band's securing members to secure the hairpiece to the head. The securing members are pressed together in order to form a bond to keep the hairpiece secured to the wearer's head.

[0007] The band is placed on the head of a wearer and adjusted to fit their head size. The band is adjustable so it may be used with a variety of head sizes, and does not require making and fitting moles to ones head size.

[0008] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and improved device for securing a hairpiece to a person's head. It is another object of the invention to provide an inexpensive means of securing a hairpiece to a person's head who is suffering from hair loss. It is yet another object of the invention is to provide a device for keeping a hairpiece securely attached to a person's scalp without the use of chemical adhesives. It is yet another object of the invention to provide an adjustable device that allows a hairpiece to be attached to different size heads. It is still another object of the invention is to provide a device which attaches a variety of hairpieces to a person's head.

[0009] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description thereof provided with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a side view of a wig band with a disk-shaped hook-type Velcro™ piece attached to a band;

[0011] FIG. 2 is top view of a ring and slide adjustable section of the band;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a square piece of loop-type Velcro™ that is attached to a wig.

[0013] FIG. 4 is a right side view of the wig band, without the wig attached;

[0014] FIG. 5 is a front view of the wig band, without the wig attached;

[0015] FIG. 6 is a left side view of the wig band, without the wig attached;

[0016] FIG. 7 is a back view of the wig band, without the wig attached;

[0017] FIG. 8 is a drawing of hook-type and loop-type Velcro™ pieces being attached; and

[0018] FIG. 9 is a drawing of the hook-type and loop-type Velcro™ pieces after they have been attached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0019] The wig band is a device designed to keep a wig or hairpiece on a user's head without the use of clips or adhesive chemicals. It was designed to be a solution for people suffering from Alopecia or other ailment which results in complete or substantial hair loss such that they cannot attach a wig to their own hair to secure the wig. However, it also works well for people with hair, but who prefer not to have a clip that may show or fall out while holding the wig to their head. The wig band gives people with hair a more comfortable and secure fit.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the wig band (10) is made up of a round elastic band (100) with two disk-shaped hook-and-loop (Velcro™) type securing members (110). Each securing member (110) is attached to the band (100) in approximately the temple area of the head or close to the ears (FIGS. 4 and 6) when the band is placed on a user's head. The elasticity of the band (100) enables it to stretch over the larger areas of the head and to contract over the smaller areas, such as near the neck where the circumference of the head is smaller (FIG. 7), to give it a more secure and custom fit.

[0021] The size of the band (100) can also be manually adjusted by using a slide (200) and ring (210), as shown in FIG. 2. The band (100) is formed by attaching the ring (210), which is generally the same diameter as the band (100), to a first end of the band (115). The first end of the band (115) is pushed through the ring (210) and tacked back to the band (100) at an area (220) just outside of the ring (210). In the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 2, the band (100) is tacked about 0.25 inches to the right of the ring (210), so that it is secured to the first end of the band (115).

[0022] A second end of the band (120) is passed through a slide device (200), up through a first side of the slide (202), around a centerpiece (204) and out through a second side (206). Once through the slide (200), the second end of the band (120) passes through the ring (210) and then back through the slide (200) again. To secure the second end of the band (120), it is put through the first side (202) of the slide (200) from the inside of the now formed band (100), and pushed underneath where the band (100) originally entered the slide (200). The band fits over the centerpiece (204) of the slide and comes out of the second side (206). The second end of band (120) is then tacked to a portion of the band (270) just below where it enters the slide (200) for the second time. In the preferred embodiment, the second end is tacked to an area of band about 0.25 inches prior to entering the slide the second time (270). By using the slide (200), the user is able to adjust the fit of the band by pulling the slide (200) across the band (100) with respect to the ring (210) to form smaller or larger circles of the band between the slide (200) and the ring (210).

[0023] The preferred embodiment of the band (100) attaches two securing members (110) of hook-type Velcro™ to the band (100) so that they are located on opposite sides of a person's head when the band is worn, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. Likewise, two securing members of loop-type Velcro™ (300) are attached to each side of a user's hairpiece and aligned with the hook-type members of the band, so that the projectiles of the hook-type member (110) intertwine with the corresponding loops of the loop-type member (300) to secure the hairpiece to the band. Thus, the hairpiece is secured to the head without having to engage the hairpiece to the user's hair, if any.

[0024] Loop-type Velcro™ is softer to the touch than the hook-type, therefore, the hook-type members (110) are placed on the band (100) with the abrasive side away from the head. The loop-type members (300) are attached to the hairpiece so that if they touch the head, they will not irritate it. Although the preferred embodiment of the invention places the hook-type securing member (110) on the band, it should be understood that the placement of the hook-type and loop-type members may be reversed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

[0025] The loop-type pieces (300) can be formed in any shape desired so long as it does not effect the hairpiece's style, fit or aesthetics. When the hairpiece is placed on a head, the loop and hook pieces of Velcro™ are pressed together to form a tight bond (FIGS. 8 and 9). This bond is only released when physically pulled apart from each other. Typical wind forces and incidental contact with other people will not release the bond between the securing members.

[0026] In addition, it should be appreciated that any number of hairpiece securing members and band securing members can be provided. The band (100) can be used to secure any device to a user's head, such as a hat, hair extension, or other device, and is not limited to being used with a wig or hairpiece. The band 100 provides a more secure and comfortable fit.

[0027] It should also be recognized that any suitable band and hairpiece securing members 110, 300 can be provided. For instance, the band securing members can be a pin attached to the band that directly engages the wig. Thus, the invention is not limited to the use of Velcro™-type attachments for the securing members 110, 300.

Claims

1. An attachment band for securing a hairpiece to a head comprising:

a round band to be placed around the head of a user, the band having securing members to attach a hairpiece to the band.

2. The wig attachment band for securing a wig to a head of claim 1, wherein:

the band includes hook-type securing members.

3. The wig attachment band for securing a wig to a head of claim 1, wherein:

the band is elastic.

4. The wig attachment band for securing a wig to a head of claim 1, wherein:

the band includes a manual adjustment device to alter the length of the band.

5. The wig attachment band for securing a wig to a head of claim 4, wherein:

the manual adjustment device comprises a ring and a slide.

6. A hairpiece and hairpiece attachment device comprising:

a hairpiece having at least one first securing member;

a hairpiece attachment device having a band with at least one second securing member aligned to releasably engage the at least one first securing member.

7. The hairpiece and hairpiece attachment device of claim 6, wherein:

the first securing member is a loop-type member and the second securing member is a hook-type member.

8. The hairpiece and hairpiece attachment device of claim 6, wherein:

the band includes a manual adjustment device for varying the length of the band.

9. The hairpiece and hairpiece attachment device of claim 6, wherein:

the manual adjustment device comprises a ring and a slide.

10. The hairpiece and hairpiece attachment device of claim 6, wherein:

the band is elastic.

11. The hairpiece and hairpiece attachment device of claim 6, wherein:

wherein the at least one first securing member comprises two securing members.