Sideburn ruler

Abstract

A ruler, having a concavity on a first portion designed to fit over the external ear to maintain the ruler in place, a second portion which, during use, rests directly anterior to the ear and preferably bears indicia to facilitate accurate trimming of sideburns.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application US60/799,036, filed May 10, 2006, entitled “SIDEBURN RULER” which is incorporated by reference into this application as if fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to human grooming aids in the field of cosmetology and hairstyling, and specifically, to a grooming instrument useful for measuring sideburn length.

BACKGROUND

In the context of providing grooming services, it is generally desirable for sideburns to have a neat appearance and advantageous to trim sideburns evenly, the length of each sideburn being the same. Various methods have been proposed to provide equally trimmed sideburns, including trimming the sideburn to specified facial features, back-and-forth comparison trimming, trimming one sideburn fully followed by the second, and using one or more mirrors to assist in evenly trimming sideburns. All of these methods have their advantages and drawbacks. While a skilled stylist, cosmetologist, or barber can deliver well-trimmed sideburns using facial features or incremental comparative trimming, it may require a substantial expenditure of time to deliver this result.

Accordingly, several devices have been developed to assist the cosmetologist in measuring and evenly trimming a client's sideburns. Some devices accomplish this objective through the use of an appliance that may fit over the head, or through a support apparatus that can be placed on the head. Other devices utilize bubble-levels, and laser-lighting to measure, trim, or balance sideburns. Still others provide an apparatus that fits onto eyeglasses.

As examples, U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,515 issued to Miller, discloses, in part, a side burn trimming appliance that fits over the head and includes a plurality of removably, adjustable templates having varying shapes, positionable over the length of the sideburn, to assist in providing sideburns of equal size and shape. U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,463 issues to Panz discloses, in part, a device for measuring hair length by utilizing a support device which may be placed on an individual's head, the device having a flexible measuring element disposed in the area of the top (or crown) of the head. Both devices are problematic in that they are relatively large, cumbersome, and are typically placed on the user's head. U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,694 issued to Benjamin discloses, in part, a grooming aid plate having a guide edge, which is ideally removably attached to an eyeglasses frame. FIG. 8 of Benjamin discloses, in part, an alternative embodiment, for those not wearing glasses, including a support member with a strap and pair of side members with downwardly turned ends fitting over the ear, and a strap extending over the top of the subject's head.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,234 issued to Seerahn discloses, in part, a hair styling template utilizing a frame, shaped somewhat like a spectacle frame, wherein templates may be coupled onto the frame by a clamping unit. Seerhan requires the use of a multi-piece spectacle-like apparatus which may be difficult to appropriately clean, and could be considered embarrassing to wear in a public setting such as a hairstyling salon or barber shop.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,450 issued to Ayoub discloses, in part, a measuring device for sideburns utilizing a two-piece, substantially T-shaped apparatus one element being an insertable and removable friction-retained ruler-like measuring slide. Ayoub, utilizes a multi-piece apparatus having aligned slots through which a median portion of the adapter fits. Further, Ayoub's upper and lower lengthwise or marginal edges are bent upon themselves to define straight elongated bends and turned in flanges. Ayoub further provides graduated, spaced, parallel measuring lines that facilitate step adjusting of the T-shaped slide. The T-slide is made up of a length of metal which is also bent upon itself with the ends defining a pair of legs with an inherent tendency to spread apart. Lastly, in use, Ayoub discloses a lower straight edge that resides or rests atop the ear whereupon the adapter can be held in a substantially horizontal plane. At the same time, it is possible to rock the adapter up or down to obtain the desired level or to cause the extreme lower edge of the slide to slope or slant.

Ayoub's device, including the two-part construction, elongated bends, and turned-in flanges is relatively costly to manufacture. Further, the Ayoub apparatus contains numerous potential spaces that make sanitary use difficult. Ayoub features two-part construction, with a slot and elongated bends, and a T-shaped slide with legs that have an inherent tendency to spread apart. These bends, flanges, legs, and other spaces serve as recesses that can trap shaving cream, hair particles, superficial skin, bacteria, and other debris. Adequately cleaning and sterilizing Ayoub's apparatus may be time consuming and difficult, and it may be impossible to appropriately clean to meet current demanding hygienic standards.

Furthermore, in actual use, Ayoub's apparatus must be held in a substantially horizontal plane to ensure the sideburn measurement will be accurate. This prevents the cosmetologist, barber, or stylist from having both hands free, and makes viewing the hairline from a relative distance difficult. The “rocking” action upon the ear, advantageously described by Ayoub, to allow a sideburn to be trimmed at an angle, may be problematic where the horizontal strait edge unintentionally rocks upon the ear and moves the terminal edge of the slide. The cosmetologist, stylist, or barber would then need to manually reposition the device to approximate the position before the undesired movement.

Accordingly, what is needed is a simplified device that is more reliably positionable on the external ear to facillitate more accurate measurement of sideburns, which is cost effective to manufacture, and which is easy to clean or sterilize.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present invention include a sideburn ruler, with a concavity on a first portion designed to fit over the external ear to secure the ruler in place. In a preferred embodiment, the ruler has indicia, preferably measuring indicia disposed on the second portion which, during use, rests directly anterior to the ear. In a preferred embodiment, the ruler is constructed from plastic, including acrylic plastic, and may have indicia etched, painted, or otherwise deposited on the second portion. A method for trimming sideburns using the ruler is also disclosed.

It is intended that any other advantages and objects of the present invention that become apparent or obvious from the detailed description or illustrations contained herein are within the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the present invention positioned relative to an ear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT AND ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring now descriptively to the drawings, the attached figures illustrate example embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 1 depicts an example embodiment ruler 10 illustrated as a substantially inverted L-shape with a first portion 15, and second portion 20. First portion 15, is shaped to define a concave indentation 25, which in a preferred embodiment is located in the centermost aspect of first portion 15. In an embodiment, second portion 20 is marked with indicia 30, preferably measurement indicia. Ruler 10 may be comprised of any rigid material, and in a preferred embodiment ruler 10 is comprised of plastic with indicia 30 being etched into the plastic of second portion 20.

In one embodiment, first portion 15 and second portion 20 are integrally formed and form a right angle with respect to each other. When viewing the inverted L embodiment, as depicted by FIG. 1, first portion 15 is illustrated as the horizontal topmost portion, whereas second portion 20 is illustrated as the vertical portion preferably bearing indicia 30. When ruler 10 is integrally formed of first portion 15 and second portion 20, corner 35 is common to and forms a part of both.

FIG. 2 depicts the ruler in place over a human ear. First portion 15 is horizontally disposed with concave indentation 25 resting atop a medial aspect of the external ear 40. Second portion 20 is vertically disposed just anterior to external ear 40, and in a preferred embodiment, bearing indicia that 30 facilitate accurate hair measurement.

Regarding ruler dimensions, the present invention may be practiced with a variety of ruler sizes. In one non-limiting example configuration found to be useful, the first portion 15 (which includes horizontal dimension of common corner 35) measures 2 inches, and second portion 20 (which includes vertical dimension of common corner 35) measures 3.5 inches. Regarding the thickness of ruler 10, the present invention may be practiced with any apparatus thickness allowing ruler placement atop the external ear, however, a particularly advantageous range has been found to be 1/16^th- 3/16^th of an inch. A useful interval for graduated markings is ¼ inches apart, preferably sequentially enumerated 1-10.

The present invention discloses a method of trimming sideburn hair. First, the user provides a ruler having a concave indentation 25 on a first portion 15 and a perpendicularly disposed second portion 20, preferably bearing indicia 30. Second, the ruler is placed onto the top of an external portion of a subject's ear, the concave indentation 25 resting on top of the most medial portion of the ear. The second portion 20 rests immediately anterior to the ear. Third, the user then selects a desired hair length using a landmark location on the second portion 20 as a point of reference. Fourth, the user then trims the hair to the landmark location using any effective method of trimming sideburns. The user then repeats the process on the subject's opposite ear following the second, third, and fourth steps.

It should be noted that the term ruler, as used herein, should not be interpreted to require graduated measurement indicia according to a specific metric or English system scale, or for that matter require indicia at all. Indicia 30 may be comprised of any marking that would be useful as a landmark for a proposed hairline; this of course may include metric and English graduated measurement indicia. Further, in one specific embodiment, there are no landmark markings on the ruler; the end of the ruler itself provides the landmark for trimming. Regarding shape, it should also be noted that a particular L shaped embodiment has been disclosed, however, in an alternative embodiment, it would be possible to utilize the horizontal first portion 15 and the vertical second portion 20 in a shape other than L shape. The invention may be practiced with any orientation having a horizontal member bearing a concavity to rest atop the ear and a vertical member extending downwardly to facilitate measurement and trimming of sideburns.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications and variations can be easily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing disclosure should be interpreted as illustrative only and is not to be interpreted in a limiting sense. It is further intended that any other embodiments of the present invention that result from any changes in application or method of use or operation, method of manufacture, shape, size, or material which are not specified within the detailed written description or illustrations contained herein yet are considered apparent or obvious to one skilled in the art are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A sideburn measuring instrument comprising:

a substantially inverted L shaped member having a concave indentation on a first portion of said L shaped member, and a second portion of said L shaped member extending perpendicularly from said first member; wherein said concave indentation may be rested on an ear with the second portion disposed anterior to the ear.

2. The measuring instrument of claim 1, wherein said concave indentation is in the center of the first portion.

3. The measuring instrument of claim 1, wherein said second portion bares measuring indicia.

4. The measuring instrument of claim 3, wherein said measuring indicia are etched into said second portion.

5. The measuring instrument of claim 3, wherein said measuring indicia are deposited on the surface of said second portion.

6. The measuring instrument of claim 1, wherein the first portion measures about 2 inches, and wherein the second portion measures about 3.5 inches; wherein the L shaped member measures about 1/16th inch- 3/16th inch in thickness.

7. The measuring instrument of claim 1, wherein said L shaped member is integrally formed of acrylic plastic.

8. The measuring instrument of claim 3, wherein said measuring indicia are graduated markings sequentially numbered 1-10, said markings spaced ¼ inch apart.

9. A sideburn ruler for symmetrically trimming sideburns comprising: a substantially inverted L shaped member having a concave indentation on the horizontal portion of said L shaped member and indicia etched into the vertical portion of said L shaped member; wherein said L shaped member is integrally formed of acrylic plastic; wherein said concave indentation may be rested on the ear of a subject with the vertical portion disposed immediately anterior to the ear.

10. A method of trimming hair comprising:

(a) providing a substantially inverted L shaped member having a concave indentation on a first portion of said L shaped member and measuring indicia on a second portion of said L shaped member;

(b) placing said L shaped member onto the top of an external portion of a first ear wherein said concave indentation rests on top of the most medial portion of the ear and said second portion rests immediately anterior;

(c) selecting a desired hair length using a landmark location on said second portion as a point of reference;

(d) trimming hair length to said landmark location;

(e) repeating steps (b)-(d) on the second ear.