Protective sanitary ear cover

Abstract

A protective sanitary ear cover includes a specially designed protective cover that is suitably sized and shaped to protect the ear from exposure to the harsh chemicals used to color one's hair. Each sanitary cover wraps around the outer ear for protecting both the outer and inner ear from water, shampoo and chemical solutions utilized when styling a person's hair. The cover is produced from clear light weight to medium weight material, like plastic. In the preferred embodiment the cover is annular-shaped and has an elastic band positioned about the perimeter of the opening thereof for comfortably holding the cover about a wearer's ear.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Applicant claims priority under the U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/994,911 Filed Sep. 24, 2007.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to ear covers and, more particularly, to a protective sanitary ear cover for providing users with a convenient means of protecting their ears from harmful chemicals while having their hair color treated and the like.

2. Prior Relevant Art

A number of patents exist which comprise relevant art for the proposed invention. 2,149, 210 (Fairchild, 1939) discloses a device for neck and ear protection during a beauty salon procedure. However this device protects only the ears and neck of the wearer from the hot air currents produced by mechanical hairdryers. U.S. Pat. No. 2,159,435 (Gribbin, 1939) discloses a device for protection of the ears and forehead designed for preventing Burns from hairstyling devices such as curling irons or hot combs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,954 discloses a forehead, temple, ear and neck protector (Lyons, 1991) designed for high temperature protection of a user from heat during the use of curling irons, waving irons, hot combs, blow dryers etc. U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,417 (Jackson, 1997), discloses an ear protector comprised of a U-shaped retainer with first and second legs joined by a by a bight and a shield which was designed for preventing damage to the ears from curling irons.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,912 (Patchett, 1999) discloses an ear protective device designed to protect from burning by curling irons or hot rollers during heat treatment of hair. It is comprised of an outer heat resistant material, and an inner soft material connected to the outer material. None of the relevant prior art discloses the subject invention which is designed to protect the wearer from chemical burns during hair shampooing, coloring, or chemical treatments.

Many people, men and women alike, enjoy going to a hairdresser to have their hair professionally shampooed, cut, and colored. When a person's hair is being shampooed, colored or treated with various other fluid chemicals, it is common for such fluids to inadvertently enter the inner ear of a person being treated. In addition to being generally annoying, individuals suffering from sores, cuts, or other ear problems, can have their condition exacerbated by the entry of such fluids into the ear.

Accordingly, a need, remains for a protective sanitary ear cover in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an apparatus that is convenient and easy to use, is durable yet lightweight in design, is versatile in its applications, and provides stylists with a simple and efficient means of protecting their client's ears from the water, shampoos and stringent chemicals utilized to style the hair. As an easily applied protective covering which serves to deflect running water, as well as dripping or running shampoos, colorants or other processing chemicals on contact, use of the present invention prevents these agents from clogging the inner ear and causing discomfort to the customer. By sparing the client the hassle and awkward attempts of draining the solution from their ears, use of the apparatus ensures the users can have their hair shampooed or treated in a comfortable and safe manner. In addition to protecting the inner ear, the cover also serves to protect the delicate skin of the outer ear by providing an effective barrier which prevents these solutions from coming into direct contact with the ear and staining the skin. Most importantly, by preventing chemicals from dripping onto the client's ear, the present invention effectively prevents the irritation to the skin which can result.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

The novel features believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which the figures generally include various perspective views showing a sanitary ear cover, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention in place on a person's ear.

FIG. 2 is a close up perspective of the invention itself.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. The preferred embodiment is an annular-shaped flexible material with an elastic band positioned about the perimeter of the opening thereof. However the cover may be round or any other shape. The body is of a flexible and foldable material so constructed as to form a pocket adapted for receiving a person's ear, said pocket having an opening for allowing insertion of the ear through the opening, said pocket being formed by securing flexible foldable material together. The preferred embodiment also includes a resilient material means secured around the periphery of the opening for holding the periphery of the opening against the base of the ear of the individual. The means for securing the opening I the preferred embodiment is an elastic band.

The preferred construction is from a lightweight plastic, but waterproof cloth, waterproof paper, or any waterproof flexible material can be used.

Besides the invention apparatus itself, the use of the apparatus constitutes a method of protecting the ears while having the hair treated. Before washing, rinsing or otherwise applying products to the hair of an individual, the user obtains two ear covers, each comprised of a body of flexible and foldable material so constructed as to form a pocket adapted for receiving a person's ear, said pocket having an opening for allowing insertion of the ear through the opening, said pocket being formed by securing flexible foldable material together; holding the first ear cover, the user stretches the opening so that it encompasses one of the entire outer ears of the individual and places the ear inside the opening; holding the second ear cover, the user stretches the opening so that it encompasses the other entire outer ear of the individual and places that ear inside the opening; after both ear covers are properly positioned, the stylist applies the necessary products to the individual's hair; the covers are left in place until all desired materials are washed clean from the person's hair; the covers are then removed from the ears and discarded.

This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, this embodiment is provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the true scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The apparatus of this invention is referred to generally in the figures and is intended to provide a protective sanitary ear cover. It should be understood that the apparatus may be used to cover a person's ear in many different applications and should not be limited to only covering a person's ears while getting their hair color treated.

Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus includes a specially designed protective cover (3) that is suitably sized and shaped to protect the ear from exposure to the harsh chemicals used to color one's hair. Each sanitary cover wraps around the outer ear, which is essential for protecting both the outer and inner ear from water, shampoo and chemical solutions utilized when styling a person's hair.

FIG. 2 shows a close up of the invention. The cover (4) is produced from clear light weight to medium weight material, like plastic. In the preferred embodiment the cover is annular-shaped and has an elastic band (5) positioned about the perimeter of the opening (6) thereof, which is important for comfortably holding the cover about a wearer's ear. Other embodiments use circular or other polygonal shapes for the cover. Of course, the cover could be produced in small, medium and large sizes to fit persons of all ages and sizes, as is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

In use, the protective sanitary ear cover is simple and straight forward to operate. First, before washing, rinsing or otherwise applying products to the hair, the user applies the cover to either ear. Holding a single cover in both hands, the user stretches the opening so that it encompasses their entire outer ear. After the cover is properly positioned, the stylist can apply the necessary product to the client's hair, during which time any dripping or running water or chemical solution is deflected by the cover. The cover is left in place until all chemicals are washed clean from the person's hair, at which point the cover is removed from either ear and discarded in the nearest trash receptacle.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

It is noted the purpose of the attached abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

In particular, with respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the present invention may include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation. The assembly and use of the present invention are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A protective sanitary ear cover for providing users with a convenient means of protecting their ears from harmful chemicals while having their hair color treated and the like comprised of an annular-shaped flexible material with an elastic band positioned about the perimeter of the opening thereof.

2. A protective sanitary ear cover for providing users with a convenient means of protecting their ears while having hair treated comprising:

a body of flexible and foldable material so constructed as to form a pocket adapted for receiving a person's ear, said pocket having an opening for allowing insertion of the ear through the opening, said pocket being formed by securing flexible foldable material together.

3. The ear cover in claim 2 further including a resilient material means secured around the periphery of the opening for holding the periphery of the opening against the base of the ear of the individual.

4. The ear cover in claim 2 wherein the resilient means for securing it around the periphery of the opening is an elastic band.

5. The ear cover in claim 2 wherein the cover is produced from plastic.

6. The ear cover in claim 2 wherein the cover is produced from waterproof cloth.

7. The ear cover in claim 2 wherein the cover is produced from waterproofed paper.

8. The ear cover in claim 2 wherein the cover is annular-shaped.

9. The ear cover in claim 2 wherein the cover is circular shaped.

10. A method of protecting the ears while having hair treated comprised of:

before washing, rinsing or otherwise applying products to the hair of an individual, the user obtains two ear covers, each comprised of a body of flexible and foldable material so constructed as to form a pocket adapted for receiving a person's ear, said pocket having an opening for allowing insertion of the ear through the opening, said pocket being formed by securing flexible foldable material together;

holding the first ear cover, the user stretches the opening so that it encompasses one of the entire outer ears of the individual and places the ear inside the opening;

holding the second ear cover, the user stretches the opening so that it encompasses the other entire outer ear of the individual and places that ear inside the opening;

after both ear covers are properly positioned, the stylist applies the necessary products to the individual's hair;

the covers are left in place until all desired materials are washed clean from the person's hair;

the covers are then removed from the ears and discarded.

11. The method in claim 10 wherein the covers are comprised of an annular-shaped flexible material.

12. The method in claim 10 further including a resilient material means secured around the periphery of the pocket opening for holding the periphery of the opening against the base of the ear of the individual.

13. The method in claim 10 wherein the resilient means for securing the cover around the periphery of the opening is an elastic band.

14. The method in claim 10 wherein the ear cover is applied to only one ear.

15. The method in claim 10 wherein the covers are produced from plastic.

16. The method in claim 10 wherein the covers are produced from waterproof cloth.

17. The method in claim 10 wherein the covers are produced from waterproofed paper.

18. The method in claim 10 wherein the covers are circular shaped.