Stretch comb hair retainer
A stretch comb hair retainer has opposed combs connected together by elastic filament strand segments that extend at spaced intervals between the spines of the combs. The elastic strands are crisscrossed to form a cris-cross pattern having stretchable openings between the combs. Hair can be pulled through any of the multiple stretchable openings of the cris-cross pattern if and as desired to create particular hair styles. The individual elastic strands forming the cris-cross pattern can be used without decorative elements on the strands, or with decorative elements such as decorative beads of various sizes and shapes. The crisscrossed strand segments can be interconnected or interlaced or partially interconnected or partially interlaced, or can be comprised of a combination of interlaced and interconnected strand segments.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-provisional Application No. 10/764,279, filed Jan. 22, 2004, now pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/466,244, filed Apr. 28, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to hair retaining devices used for hair styling and ornamentation, and more particularly to stretch comb type hair retainers comprised of combs held in opposition to each other by stretch elastic members.
Stretch comb hair retainers are in widespread use and are most often used by women to create a particular hair style or to provide a hair ornamentation. U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,086, issued Sep. 26, 2000, to Francesca Kuglen, shows a stretch comb hair retainer wherein two opposed plastic combs are connected by a series of parallel, fabric-covered elastic bands. Such stretch comb retainers are used by flipping the combs on the ends of the elastic bands over to an inverted position (see
Stretch comb hair retainers as shown in the Kuglen patent have a number of limitations and disadvantages. First, the elongated regions between the parallel elastic bands of the retainer allow hair to escape or fall out after the retainer is in place, making it difficult to maintain certain hair styles, particularly for women with hair which is thin or fine. These regions are also too large to provide much holding force for holding a gathered portion of hair pulled through the retainer. A further limitation of the stretch comb retainer disclosed in the Kuglen patent is that the wide elastic bands are inherently obtrusive and limit the retainer's use to hair styles dominated by the fabric-covered bands.
Still another disadvantage of prior stretch comb retainers such as disclosed in Kuglen relates to the use of relatively rigid plastic combs. When inserting the plastic combs into the hair, pressure is applied on the individual teeth of the combs. This pressure can cause the teeth to break off, making the stretch comb retainer unwearable. Plastic combs are also relatively bulky and obtrusive and do not have a great deal of staying power in the hair because the hair easily slides across the smooth surfaces of the plastic comb.
There is a need for a stretch comb hair retainer that overcomes one or more of the disadvantages and limitations of the stretch comb hair retainer disclosed in the Kuglen patent, and one that provides greater flexibility in creating hair styles than has heretofore been possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides a stretch comb hair retainer that can be made to be unobtrusive when worn, and that provides greater flexibility in styling hair. The stretch comb hair retainer of the invention is also relatively lightweight and easy to use, can be worn comfortably, and, in certain alternative aspects of the invention, will resist breakage associated with stretch comb assemblies having plastic combs.
In one aspect of the invention, the stretch comb retainer is comprised of two opposed combs, each having a spine and comb teeth projecting from the spine. The combs are connected together by a plurality of crisscrossed elastic filament strand segments that are secured to the combs such that they take off at spaced intervals from the spines of the combs. In one aspect of the invention the crisscrossed strand segments are not interconnected and are preferably at least partially interlaced with each other to form stretchable openings that are not interconnected. In another aspect of the invention, at least some of the cris-crossed elastic strands segments are interconnected to form interconnected stretchable openings between the combs. In either aspect of the invention, hair can be pulled through any of the multiple stretchable openings formed by the crisscrossed elastic strand segments as desired to create particular hair styles. Alternatively, the elastic mesh can simply be stretched over the hair without pulling any hair through. Further, the individual segments of the cris-crossed elastic strand segments can be used with or without decorative elements on the strands. For example, decorative beads of various sizes and shapes can be threaded onto the elastic strand segments to create different distinctive mesh designs. As compared to the broad decorative fabric elements disclosed in the Kuglen patent; beads have an advantage in that they are not stained by scalp oils, hair spray and the like, and can easily be wiped clean. Other decorative elements, for example, a pattern of diamonds, could be used on the strands to match other jewelry. It shall further be understood that the crisscrossed strand segments can be formed by separate elastic strands or a continuous elastic strand threaded back-and-forth between the combs.
In a further and separate aspect of the invention, the combs of the stretch comb hair retainer are provided in the form of wire combs, as opposed to plastic combs or combs of other materials. The wire combs each have a spine which is suitably fabricated of metal, and a row of projecting teeth formed of looped wire attached to the spine. The wire loops, while being suitably stiff to hold their shape, are also suitably flexible. They comfortably pass through the hair when the stretch comb retainer is placed on the wearer's head, and, if bent out of shape during use, they can easily be bent back into shape without affecting the usability of the retainer. The flexible wire loops thus solve the problem of breakage associated with plastic combs. They also result in a comb having a relatively low, unobtrusive profile.
It is understood that, while the crisscrossed elastic strands of the invention are preferably used with metal wire loop combs as above described, it would be possible and within the scope of the invention to use the crossed elastic strands with conventional plastic combs or other types of combs.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to the drawings,
Turning to the embodiment shown in
As shown in
The combs 11, 13 are connected by elastic strands, denoted a-h, attached to the spines 15, 17 of the combs. In the embodiment shown in
Suitably the length of the unstretched elastic mesh between combs will be in the range of about 3½ to 4 inches. It is preferable that the mesh be symmetrical and balanced about the centerline C of the stretch comb retainer. Otherwise, it is found that the retainer will have a tendency to slide out of position and even fall out of the hair.
The strands of the elastic mesh should be a strong elastic material, preferably a very fine elastic filament material, such as the beaded elastic filament 26 seen in
As above noted, the strands a-h of the elastic mesh 25 can be beaded to provide a decorative mesh. In the embodiment shown in
Referring to
Decorative or functional elements other than, or in addition to, beads could be fastened to the elastic mesh of the invention for achieving a desired hair styling objective. For example, hair strands could be affixed to all or part of the mesh to provide the wearer of the stretch comb retainer with an added tuft of hair that can be blended in with natural hair pulled through the stretchable openings of the elastic mesh, or the decorative elements could be jewels such as pearls. Also, the intersections of the weave could be tied together by means other than the illustrated connector beads. A weave, for instance, might be created using buttons or ties to hold the strands of the mesh together.
The elastic mesh of the invention can be created by one or multiple elastic strands threaded between the spines of the combs. Referring to
It is seen that the weave of the elastic mesh of the invention allows for different sized mesh openings. These different sized openings can be advantageously used to pull different amounts of wearer's hair through the stretch comb retainer. Again, this enhances the flexibility of the retainer both in creating different hair styles and in allowing the retainer to be used with different types of hair, such as thin or fine hair which is difficult to style. The smaller half-sized openings of the mesh along the spine of each comb provide the added benefit of comfortably accommodating the wearer's finger tips, thereby allowing the wearer to get a good grip on the combs without getting caught up in the elastic mesh.
It is noted that the elastic mesh 25 of each of the illustrated embodiments of the invention has eight comb-to-comb elastic strands. This number of strands, preferably used with a comb having a width of about four inches, has been found to provide an optimum stretch comb hair retainer in terms of strand spacing, balance, strength and overall aesthetic design. However, it shall be understood that a stretch comb hair retainer in accordance with the invention could be provided with an elastic mesh having more or fewer strand segments. It shall also be appreciated that the elastic mesh could be woven in a manner other than described herein. Preferably, the weave pattern will be balanced about the centerline of the retainer to give the retainer the balance it needs to stay on the hair.
As illustrated in the previous embodiments, each of the elastic strands of the crisscrossed strand sets 71, 73 are suitably beaded with decorative beads 81 to provide the hair comb retainer with distinctive ornamental look when worn in the hair. The beads shown in the drawings are illustrative of just one of many possible bead patterns that can be used. For example, the shown small beads could be interspersed with larger beads or the beads could be of different shapes or a mixture of different shapes and sizes. Spine beads 79, 80 can also suitably be provided for additional decoration. Decorative elements other than beads could be affixed to the strand segments as described above in connection with the previously described embodiments.
It is noted that the openings 75 of the cris-cross pattern of the interlaced stand segment sets 71, 73 can be stretched apart to allow hair to be pulled through these openings. However, because the strands are not interconnected, the openings will not hold their form as well the stretch openings 27, 29 in the elastic mesh formed by the interconnected strand segments of the embodiments shown in
The crisscross elastic mesh embodiment of the invention shown in
Another approach to threading and beading the strand segments of the elastic mesh would be to begin at the outside end of one comb and then proceed from there to the middle portion of the opposing comb and then crisscrossing and beading strand segments one after another while working back and forth between combs until the final strand segment is completed.
It is noted that in the embodiment illustrated
While the combs in the embodiment of the invention shown in
Therefore, the present invention is a new and novel stretch comb hair retainer that provides great flexibility in creating different hairstyles and/or ornamentations for hair. While the illustrated embodiments of the invention has been described in considerable detail in the foregoing specification and claims, it is understood the it is not intended that the invention be limited to such embodiments or to such detail, except as necessitated by the following claims.
Claims
1. A stretch comb hair retainer comprising
- two opposed combs, each of said combs having a spine and comb teeth projecting from said spine, and
- a plurality of stretchable elastic filament strand segments extending between the spines of said combs in a stretchable crisscross pattern, said crisscross pattern providing openings through which the wearer's hair can be pulled.
2. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 1 wherein said opposed combs are wire combs comprised of a metal spine and a row of looped wires attached to and projecting from said metal spine to form projecting teeth of the combs.
3. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 1 wherein said strand segments are at least partially interlaced with each other.
4. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 1 wherein the crisscrossed strand segments are fully interlaced with each other to provide a crisscross weave pattern.
5. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 1 wherein at least one of said elastic strand segments is beaded with a plurality of decorative beads.
6. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 1 wherein a plurality of said elastic strand segments are beaded with a plurality of decorative beads to provide a decorative mesh of elastic strands.
7. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 1 wherein a plurality of decorative elements are affixed to said strand segments.
8. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 1 wherein said cris-cross pattern of strand segments is substantially balanced about the centerline of the stretch comb hair retainer.
9. A stretch comb hair retainer comprising
- two opposed combs, each of said combs having a spine and comb teeth projecting from said spine, and
- at least two sets of stretchable elastic strand segments extending between the spines of said combs at spaced intervals, the strand segments of one set of strand segments being crisscrossed and interlaced with the strand segments of the other set of strand segments without said strand segments being interconnected to provide a stretchable cris-cross weave pattern between said opposed combs through which the wearer's hair can be pulled,
- said cris-cross pattern being substantially balanced about the centerline of the retainer with an equal number of strand segments in each set of strand segments.
10. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 9 wherein at least one of said elastic strand segments is beaded with a plurality of decorative beads.
11. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 9 wherein a plurality of said elastic strand segments are beaded with a plurality of decorative beads to provide a decorative mesh of elastic strands.
12. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 11 wherein each of said strand segments is beaded.
13. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 12 wherein substantially the entirety of each of said strand segments is beaded.
14. A stretch comb hair retainer comprising
- two opposed combs, each of said combs having a spine and comb teeth projecting from said spine, and
- at least two sets of stretchable elastic strand segments extending between the spines of said combs at spaced intervals, the strand segments of one set of strand segments being cris-crossed and at least partially interlaced with the strand segments of the other set of strand segments to provide a stretchable cris-cross weave pattern between said opposed combs through which the wearer's-hair can be pulled,
- the strand segments of said crisscrossed sets of strand segments being beaded for decorative effect.
15. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 14 wherein said opposed combs are wire combs comprised of a metal spine and a row of looped wires attached to and projecting from said metal spine to form projecting teeth of the combs.
16. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 14 wherein said criss-crossed strand segments are fully interlaced with each other.
17. The stretch comb hair retainer of claim 14 wherein none of said crisscrossed strand segments are not interconnected.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 9, 2006
Publication Date: Oct 12, 2006
Inventor: Francesca Kuglen (Oakland, CA)
Application Number: 11/372,980
International Classification: A45D 24/04 (20060101);