HAIRDRESSING AND COSMETIC COMB AND HAIRDRESSING AND COSMETIC METHOD

Provided are a hairdressing and cosmetic comb which catches a lot of hair in the gaps of the comb teeth in single combing, does not need blocking or shifting of the comb from one hand to another, allows hair to be aligned straight easily, allows a practitioner to image a finished state of the whole head without hurting fingers of the practitioner, ensures an efficient hairdressing and cosmetic work of cutting or dyeing, and is manufactured at low cost, and a hairdressing and cosmetic method using the comb. A hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1 includes a support 2, and a plurality of comb teeth 3 provided in a row on one side of the support 2 substantially in parallel. The comb teeth 3 are elastically bent and deformed according to the form of a head 5 when the comb teeth 3 are pressed toward the head 5 on which the comb teeth abut via a contact portion.

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Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a hairdressing and cosmetic comb used mainly for cutting or dyeing hair, and hair-dressing and cosmetic method.

2. Description of the Related Art

When a practitioner, such as a beautician or a barber, cuts hair, conventionally, the practitioner first combs hair using a comb (hereinafter called “combing”). Then, after performing combing several times, the practitioner cuts hair with scissors. When dyeing hair, likewise, hair is dyed after performing combing several times.

For this reason, combs are demanded of the strengths large enough to endure the resistance at the time of combing hair, and proper shapes and weights easy for practitioners to handle. General combs have a plate-like shape as shown in FIG. 12, and have a support 32 with an approximately rectangular shape in a front view, comb teeth 33 formed on one side thereof, and a handle 34 provided continual from the support 32. Those combs are often made of synthetic resins, such as celluloid.

However, since the comb teeth of such a conventional comb are short and hard, the comb which abuts on a curved head shape comes in contact with the head in the form of a flat plate. Therefore, not all the comb teeth can contact the head at once. In addition, since the comb teeth are short, the quantity of hair which can be caught in the gaps of the comb teeth in single combing is restricted. For this reason, in a work of cutting or dyeing hair of the whole head, a practitioner needs to put the comb against the head many times and comb the hair repeatedly.

In general, when a beautician cuts long hair, he/she parts the hair of a head into a required number of parts, and arranges hair part by part to make it easier to cut the hair before cutting (hereinafter called “blocking”). Then, the beautician performs combing several times with the comb held in one hand, and holds hair, caught by the comb teeth, between fingers of the other hand. Next, the beautician holds the comb with the other hand, and cuts the hair with scissors. This work requires that the beautician shifts the comb from one hand to another a number of times during cutting. In cutting the whole head hair of a child, for example, even a skilled beautician needs to shift the comb from one hand to another 30 to 40 times.

When a practitioner cuts hair held with fingers just along the fingers, the cut lines may not be aligned in a straight line so that some adjustment should be done further. At this time, the practitioner may hurt his/her own fingers with scissors. In addition, since there is a small amount of hair which is cut in single cutting, a practitioner who is not familiar with the work has to take a check time many times during cutting to compare the finished image of the whole head with the current cut state in progress.

In view of those points, in performing a cutting or dyeing work using a comb, a practitioner who is not a skilled one cannot perform efficiently the work.

As a solution to such a problem, a cutting comb has been proposed in, for example, Patent Document 1. The comb includes a parent comb and a child comb, so that hair combed with the parent comb is held by the comb teeth of the child comb to ensure shaping to the cutting expected position, allowing the hair to be cut with scissors as it is without changing fingers to hold the hair.

CITATION LIST Patent Document

  • Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10-28613

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

However, the structure of the cutting comb requires the process of producing the parent comb and the child comb separately and then fitting them together, thus raising a problem of increasing the manufacturing cost.

The area of the portion where the comb teeth of the cutting comb are provided is as small as the conventional one. Therefore, the amount of hair which can be caught in single combing is still small, raising a problem that it is not possible to efficiently perform a work of cutting or dyeing a large amount of hair of the whole head.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a hairdressing and cosmetic comb which catches a lot of hair in the gaps of the comb teeth in single combing, does not need blocking or shifting of the comb from one hand to another, allows hair to be aligned straight easily, allows a practitioner to image a finished state of the whole head without hurting fingers of the practitioner with scissors, ensures an efficient hairdressing and cosmetic work of cutting or dyeing, and is manufactured at low cost, and a hairdressing and cosmetic method using the comb.

Means for Solving the Problems

To achieve the object, a hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to the invention and a hairdressing and cosmetic method using the comb are configured as follows.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a hairdressing and cosmetic comb, including a support; a plurality of comb teeth provided on one side of the support in a row substantially in parallel, the comb teeth each having lengths of 7.0 to 23.0 cm from a base to a tip and each being elastically bent and deformed to have a deformation of 1.0 cm or greater and 6.0 cm or less in a thickness direction of the comb teeth according to a form of a head when the comb teeth are pressed toward the head on which the comb teeth abut via a contact portion.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to the first aspect of the invention, the comb teeth may have widths of 1.0 to 12.0 mm in a side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth, and thicknesses of 1.0 to 5.0 mm.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to the first or second aspect of the invention, a sectional shape of each of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth may be a rectangle defined by W>H where W mm is the width in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth and H mm is the thickness of the comb teeth. Therefore, the long sides of the rectangles of the comb teeth in cross section abut on the head.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, the widths of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layout direction thereof may be constant at an intermediate portion from the base of each comb tooth to the tip thereof.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, the lengths of the plurality of comb teeth from the bases to the tips may be set in such a way that the length of the comb tooth provided at a center portion of the support is longest, and the lengths of the other comb teeth become shorter toward rightward and leftward end portions of the support from the center portion. Accordingly, the comb teeth provided in the center portion of the support deform more than the other comb teeth. Relatively speaking, the comb teeth which are provided apart from the center portion of the support deform less than the comb teeth which are provided in the center portion of the support.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the invention, an interval of the comb teeth may be less than 0 to 3.0 mm.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to any one of the first to sixth aspects of the invention, the comb teeth may be made of a synthetic resin, and may have the widths of about 6.0 mm in the side-by-side layout direction thereof, and the thicknesses of about 4.0 mm, and an interval of the comb teeth may be about 1.0 mm.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to any one of the first to sixth aspects of the invention, at least one contact surface at which the adjoining comb teeth contact each other may be formed in the interval between the comb teeth and between the base and the tip of each comb tooth.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, in the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to any one of the first to eighth aspects of the invention, the comb teeth may be bent in the thickness direction of the comb teeth.

A hairdressing and cosmetic method according to a tenth aspect of the invention includes abutting the comb teeth of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to any one of the first to ninth aspects of the invention on a head; sliding the hairdressing and cosmetic comb while pressing a contact portion toward the head to put through hair of the head between the comb teeth to elastically deform the comb teeth according to a form of the head, thereby combing the hair for hair-dressing and cosmetic work.

Effect of the Invention

According to the invention, hair can be caught in the gaps between almost all comb teeth, including the comb teeth provided at end portions of the support as well as the comb teeth provided in the center portion of the support.

According to the invention, a practitioner can shorten the time of a hairdressing and cosmetic work.

According to the invention, a practitioner need not apply large force to slide the comb. In addition, the comb can be designed in an easy-to-handle shape.

According to the invention, since the comb teeth stably receive stress while being pressed to slide toward the head, a practitioner can slide the hairdressing and cosmetic comb smoothly. When hair is put between the comb teeth, the area of the opposing sides of the adjoining comb teeth where the comb teeth contact the hair can be enlarged. This can allow hair to be firmly caught between the comb teeth.

According to the invention, it is possible to improve the fatigue durability of the comb teeth which are repeatedly elastically deformed, and easily manufacture comb teeth.

According to the invention, it is easy to greatly bend the comb teeth provided in the center section of the support. Accordingly, the comb teeth can be easily pressed against the curved shape of a head.

According to the invention, a practitioner can easily place the comb teeth of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb against the curved shape of a head and easily slide the comb teeth.

Because of the foregoing structure of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb and the process of the hairdressing and cosmetic method using the comb, a practitioner can catch more hair with the comb teeth than can be done conventionally. In addition, hair can be firmly caught as well as can be combed with the comb teeth. Accordingly, since a practitioner can perform a hairdressing and cosmetic work with a lot of hair caught with the comb teeth, he/she need not perform blocking or shift the comb from one hand to another. In cutting hair, a practitioner does not easily damage his/her own fingers with scissors, and can easily cut hair straight. Further, it is easy to compare the finished image of the whole head with the current state of the work in progress.

Therefore, the practitioner can improve the efficiency of the whole hairdressing and cosmetic work by using the hairdressing and cosmetic comb and the hairdressing and cosmetic method using the comb to which the invention is applied. Since the operation of the comb teeth is simple, the practitioner can handle the comb easily, so that even a non-expert practitioner can use this hairdressing and cosmetic comb. Further, because of its comparatively simple structure, the hairdressing and cosmetic comb can be mass-produced at a low cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1(a) to 1(d) are structural diagrams of a hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied;

FIGS. 2(a) to 2(f) are diagrams showing other forms of the support of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied;

FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are diagrams showing a tip portion which includes a narrow portion and tip of a comb tooth of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to another embodiment to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to another embodiment to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 6(a) is a partly cross-sectional view of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied along line A-A in FIG. 1(a), and FIG. 6(b) is a partly cross-sectional view of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied along line B-B in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7(a) is a diagram showing the state where the comb teeth of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied are deformed in the thickness direction, and FIG. 7(b) is a diagram showing the state where the comb teeth of a hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to another embodiment to which the invention is applied are deformed in the thickness direction;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the hairdressing and cosmetic comb in use to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the hairdressing and cosmetic comb in use to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 10(a) is a diagram showing the state of usage of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied where the tip portions of the comb teeth are contact portions, and FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing the state of usage of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied where the intermediate portions of the comb teeth are contact portions;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the state of usage of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb to which the invention is applied; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the form of the conventional hairdressing and cosmetic comb.

 MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereafter, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1(a) is a front view of a hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention, FIG. 1(b) is a plan view of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention, FIG. 1(c) is a bottom view of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention, and FIG. 1(d) is a right side view of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1(a), the hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention includes a support 2 and a plurality of comb teeth 3.

The support 2 has a support surface 2a on the front side of the sheet in FIG. 1(a), and a support surface 2b on the rear side of the sheet in FIG. 1(a) and facing the support surface 2a. As shown in FIG. 1(d), the support 2 has a right side portion 2d. The support 2 also has a left side portion 2e facing the right side portion 2d. As shown in FIG. 1(c), the support 2 has a bottom surface portion 2c, the comb teeth 3 are provided on that side which faces the bottom surface portion 2c, and the support 2 is continual to bases 3a of the comb teeth 3.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the support 2 may have a form such that the right and left side portions 2d, 2e extend over in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 2(b), projecting end portions 2f may be formed by reducing the diameter of the support 2 once and then enlarging it toward the bottom surface portion 2c.

The thickness of the support 2 is substantially the same thickness H of the comb teeth 3 in FIG. 1, but should not necessarily be substantially the same thickness. The thickness of the support 2 may be thicker or thinner than the thickness H of the comb teeth 3, and may be partly thicker or thinner than the thickness H of the comb teeth 3. As shown in FIG. 2(c), a hand-holding portion 2g protruded or recessed on the support surface 2a or 2b may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 2(d), a thin teeth portion 2h may be provided at one or both of the right and left side portions 2d and 2e. The thin teeth of the thin teeth portion 2h are short and hard, and are not therefore elastically deformed like the comb teeth 3. A practitioner can perform a hairdressing and cosmetic work on the whole head 5 using the comb teeth 3, and perform a hairdressing and cosmetic work on a detailed portion using the thin teeth portion 2h.

As shown in FIG. 2(e), a handle 2i may be provided at one of the right and left side portions 2d, 2e. Holding the handle 2i makes it easier for the practitioner to press the hairdressing and cosmetic comb 1.

As shown in FIG. 2(f), comb teeth 3 which are different from the comb teeth 3 which catch hair 6 may be provided on the bottom surface portion 2c side. As shown in FIG. 2(f), a length s of the comb teeth 3 on the bottom surface portion 2c side is comparatively short, and an interval L of the comb teeth 3 is comparatively long. The width, W, and thickness, H, of the comb teeth 3 on the bottom surface portion 2c side may be set adequately. When the target hair 6 is disheveled, the practitioner can perform combing generally with these comb teeth 3 on the bottom surface portion 2c side before cutting or dyeing the hair 6 to arrange the flow of the hair 6.

The support 2 can be molded of a synthetic resin, such as polypropylene or epoxy resin, integrally with the comb teeth 3 to be described later. However, the raw material of the support 2 is not limited to a synthetic resin, and other materials, such as wood and metal, may be used as well.

The comb teeth 3 are provided in a row substantially in parallel to one another with gaps 4 therebetween, as shown in FIG. 1(a). Although the number of the comb teeth 3 is 15 in FIG. 1(a), which is not necessarily restrictive and may be set to any adequate number.

FIG. 3(a) is a diagram showing one form of the tip side of the comb tooth 3. FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing another form of the tip side of the comb tooth 3. In each diagram, the left-hand side shows a front view, and the right-hand side shows a right side view.

The comb tooth 3 has, between a base 3a and a tip 3d, an intermediate portion 3b and a narrow portion 3c whose diameter gradually decreases from the intermediate portion 3b, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3(a).

Note that the base 3a is the boundary portion between the support 2 and the comb teeth 3 hereinafter. Unless specifically defined, the length s of the comb teeth indicates the length from the base 3a to the tip 3d hereinafter. Unless specifically defined, the tip portion 3x is the portion which includes the narrow portion 3c and the tip 3d hereinafter.

Although the intermediate portion 3b is formed linearly in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 in FIG. 1(a), it is not necessarily limited to the linear shape. A part of the intermediate portion 3b may be curved in the side-by-side layout direction so that an interval L of the gap 4 on the base 3a side is different from an interval L of the gap 4 on the tip portion 3x side, as shown in FIG. 5. Accordingly, when the hair 6 is put through the gaps 4 which have the relatively shorter interval L, the presence of the gaps 4 which has the relatively longer interval L on the base 3a side makes it easier to feed the hair 6 toward the base 3a from the tip portion 3x side of the comb teeth 3. When the adjacent comb teeth 3 which form the gap 4 having the relatively shorter interval L are elastically deformed in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 by catching much hair 6, the elastic force urges those comb teeth 3 in the direction of holding the hair 6. Accordingly, the comb teeth 3 can catch the hair 6 firmly.

As shown in FIG. 7(b), the intermediate portion 3b may be curved in the thickness direction of the comb teeth 3, or may be bent at a proper location in addition. The curved shapes of a plurality of comb teeth provided on one comb may match with, or may differ from, one another. The curved shape of the intermediate portion 3b may be an arc, an elliptic arc, or a hyperbola. In case of the arcuate shape, it is desirable that the radius of curvature is in the range of 5.0 to 10.0 cm. Within the range, the comb can be compatible with the radiuses of curvature of general human heads covering from children to adults, and are suitable as a hair-dressing and cosmetic comb.

As shown in FIG. 12, the lateral cross sectional shape of the intermediate portion 3b is approximately rectangular. However, the sectional shape of the intermediate portion 3b may not be limited to the approximately rectangular shape, and may take another shape, such as approximately circular shape, approximately elliptical shape, or polygonal shape. In FIG. 1, the width W and thickness H of the intermediate portion 3b is constant from the base 3a to the narrow portion 3c. However, a portion with a partly larger width W or a portion with a partly narrower width W may be provided, and a portion with a partly larger thickness H or a portion with a partly smaller thickness H may be provided. Further, the comb teeth 3 may be shaped to be provided with no intermediate portion 3b by immediately reducing from the base 3a toward the tip 3d the diameter of the comb teeth 3.

The narrow portion 3c reduces its diameter continuously from the intermediate portion 3b in the form of a quadrangular pyramid with the tip 3d as the vertex in FIG. 3(a). Although the lateral cross sectional shape of the narrow portion 3c is rectangular, it reduces the diameter so as to come closer to a right circle toward the tip 3d. However, the lateral cross sectional shape of the narrow portion 3c is not necessarily limited to a right circle. It may take a rectangular shape as in the case of FIG. 3(b), or may take other shapes, such as a square, ellipses, and polygon.

The tip 3d is rounded off while being continual from the narrow portion 3c and has a predetermined radius of curvature. Although the tip 3d is located on the central axis in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 in FIG. 1, it is not necessarily limited to the central axis, and may be located at an eccentric position.

As shown in the right-hand side view of FIG. 3(b), the tip 3d may have a thick portion between the tip 3d on the front side of the sheet in the front view of FIG. 3(b), and the tip 3d on the back side of the sheet therein.

The radius of curvature of the tip 3d is preferably in a range of 0.25 to 1.50 mm. When the radius of curvature of the tip 3d is less than 0.25 mm, the tip 3d is too sharp, so that when the tip 3d contact the head of a subject person, the subject person feels discomfort. When the radius of curvature of the tip 3d exceeds 1.50 mm, it is difficult to part the hair 6 efficiently.

It is desirable that a length k of the tip portion 3x is at least about 4.0 mm or greater. With the length k being less than 4.0 mm, the ratio of the length k of the narrow portion 3c to the length s of the comb tooth 3 becomes smaller relatively, making it difficult to part the hair 6.

The lengths s of the comb teeth 3 can be set up individually. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the lengths s of the comb teeth 3 may be set so that the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 provided in the center portion of the support 2 becomes the longest. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 may be set to become shorter from the center portion of the support 2 toward the right and left ends thereof. Then, the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 provided at the right and left ends of the support 2 may be set to become the shortest as shown in FIG. 1(a).

When the comb teeth 3 with different lengths s are provided on the support 2 to have the respective tips 3d aligned approximately horizontally straight, the positions of the bases 3a are set to draw a gentle arc as a whole, as shown in FIG. 1(a). The tip 3d of the comb tooth 3_2 is located slightly lower than the height at which the tips 3d of the other comb teeth 3 are aligned in FIG. 1(a). Accordingly, when the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 contacts the head 5 of the subject person, the tip 3d of the comb tooth 3_2 can be prevented from damaging the head 5 and the cervical part of the subject person.

It is preferable that the comb teeth 3 that the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 ranges from 6.0 cm to 23.0 cm. It is also preferable that the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 ranges from 10.0 cm to 20.0 cm. Especially the most preferred range of the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 is between 12.0 cm and 17.0 cm. When the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 is less than 6.0 cm, the comb teeth 3 cannot be elastically deformed sufficiently, and when the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 exceeds 23.0 cm, there may be a case where the comb teeth 3 are caused to contact the head 5 of the subject person unnecessarily.

When the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 is set to 6.0 to 23.0 cm, it is preferable that the widths W of the comb teeth 3 are in a range of 1.0 to 12.0 mm. When the widths W of the comb teeth 3 are less than 1.0 mm, the comb teeth 3 become too thin to have a sufficient strength as comb teeth and are difficult to manufacture. When the widths W of the comb teeth 3 exceed 12.0 mm, the lengths to the upper parts of the comb teeth 3 through the gaps 4 of the comb teeth 3 become long, making it difficult to adequately part the hair 6.

When the length s of the comb tooth 3_1 is set to 6.0 to 23.0 cm, it is preferable that the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 are in a range of 1.0 to 5.0 mm. When the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 are less than 1.0 mm, the comb teeth 3 becomes too thin to have a sufficient strength as comb teeth. When the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 exceed 5.0 mm, the comb teeth 3 become too thick, which may result in a case where large force is needed to deform the comb teeth 3.

Although the interval L can be set adequately, the range of 0 to 3.0 mm is desirable. When the interval L is 0, adjacent comb teeth 3 are in contact with each other by a point or a line. The comb teeth 3 can be elastically deformed not only in the thickness direction of the comb teeth 3 but also in the side-by-side layout direction. Therefore, the portion where the interval L is 0 is widened from the tip sides of the comb teeth 3 by the hair 6 when the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 is slid. When the interval L exceeds 3.0 mm, the gap 4 between the adjacent comb teeth 3 becomes wider, making it difficult for the comb teeth 3 to catch the hair 6.

The contact surface M of adjacent comb teeth 3 may be formed by continuously providing the portion where the interval L is 0 by a fixed length as shown in FIG. 4. When the hair 6 is put in the contact surface M, the comb teeth 3 are urged in the direction of holding the hair 6 in the contact surface M due to the elastic force. Accordingly, the hair 6 can be caught firmly.

When the comb teeth 3 are deformed as shown in FIG. 12, the comb teeth 3 have a maximum vertical height h from the horizontal plane P at the tip 3d. The maximum vertical height h is set to be the amount of displacement of the tips 3d from the horizontal plane P when the tips 3d of the comb teeth 3 are deformed maximum upward or downward within the elastically deformable range of the comb teeth 3 with the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention set in the horizontal state.

It is preferable that the maximum vertical height h is in a range of 0.5 cm to 6.0 cm. It is more preferable that the maximum vertical height h is in a range of 1.0 cm to 4.0 cm. When the maximum vertical height h is less than 0.5 cm, sufficient deformation cannot be obtained, disabling an efficient hairdressing and cosmetic work. When the maximum vertical height h exceeds 6.0 cm, there may be a case where the time for the comb teeth 3 to be restored by elastic deformation becomes long, making the working hours longer.

It is preferable that the bending modulus of the comb-tooth member is in a range of 1.5 to 15.0 GPa. When the bending modulus is less than 1.5 GPa, the comb teeth 3 becomes too soft, so that after the deformation, the time to be restored becomes longer. When the bending modulus exceeds 15.0 GPa, it is necessary to change the shape of the comb, such as making the length s of the comb teeth 3 longer to deform the comb teeth 3, so that the comb is difficult to handle.

The raw material of the comb teeth 3 can be molded of synthetic resin integrally with the support 2. Of synthetic resins, polypropylene is an inexpensive raw material and generally, the bending modulus is set to about 1.5 GPa. Therefore, the material is suitable when industrially mass-producing the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 according to the invention.

The comb teeth 3 is not limited to a synthetic resin, and may be manufactured from wood, such as pine or Japan cedar, or other materials. Generally, the bending modulus of wood is set to about 5.0 to 16.0 GPa. When the comb-tooth material is wood, the massage effect brought about on the head 5 of the subject person, and the flexibility of wood can make the subject person relax more.

Next, how to use the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 to which the invention is applied will be described.

First, a practitioner holds the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 with all the comb teeth 3 aligned on the substantially the same plane in one hand, and puts the tips 3d of the comb teeth 3 against the head 5 of the subject person before the position of the hair 6 to be cut or dyed. Then, the practitioner presses the comb teeth 3 toward the head 5 simultaneously to elastically deform almost all the comb teeth 3. This operation causes the tip portions 3x of almost all the comb teeth 3 to abut along the curved surface of the head 5 facing the comb teeth 3 as shown in FIG. 8.

Next, the practitioner slides the whole hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 while pressing the comb teeth 3 toward the head 5, placing the hair 6 in the gaps 4 of the comb teeth 3, as shown in FIG. 9. According to this operation, the comb teeth 3 receives stress from the head 5, and the individual comb teeth 3 are elastically deformed successively.

Here, an operation to slide the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 along the curved shape of the head 5 may be carried out while placing the tip portions 3x against the head 5, as shown in FIG. 10(a). Accordingly, the comb teeth 3 can be made to certainly contact with the base of the hair 6 to catch a lot of hair 6.

As shown in FIG. 10(b), an operation to slide the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 linearly with the intermediate portion 3b abutting on the head 5 as a contact portion. That is, the position at which the comb teeth 3 receive stress moves to the intermediate portion 3b from the tip portion 3x, and further moves to the base 3a in the intermediate portion 3b. Accordingly, compared with the case of FIG. 10(a), the time needed for single combing can be shortened.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 11, the practitioner parts the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 from the head 5, and lifts it up. This operation restores the comb teeth 3 to the state where all the comb teeth 3 are aligned on substantially the same plane by elastic deformation with the hair 6 still caught in the gaps 4. Then, the practitioner can efficiently perform the hairdressing and cosmetic work by cutting or dyeing the hair 6 caught in the comb teeth 3 with the scissors and dyeing instrument held in the other hand of the practitioner.

EXAMPLE 1

When the radius of curvature of the tip 3d becomes smaller with the widths W and lengths k of the comb teeth 3 being fixed, the angle of the narrow portion 3c to the central axis in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 becomes larger. Therefore, the distance between the tips 3d of the adjacent comb teeth 3 becomes larger compared with the interval L of the comb teeth 3. Therefore, the practitioner can part a lot of hair 6. However, since there is a small contact surface between the tip 3d and the head 5, the subject person may feel discomfort when the tip 3d abuts on the head 5. On the contrary, when the radius of curvature of the tip 3d becomes larger, the angle of the narrow portion 3c to the central axis in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth 3 becomes smaller. Therefore, the distance between the tips 3d of the adjacent comb teeth 3 approaches the interval L of the comb teeth 3. Therefore, the practitioner cannot part a lot of hair 6 relatively. However, since there is a large contact surface between the tip 3d and the head 5, the subject person is unlikely to feel discomfort when the tip 3d abuts on the subject person.

Accordingly, the inventor conducted the following experiment 1 in order to clarify the optimal range of the radius of curvature of the tip 3d.

In the experiment 1, ten kinds of comb teeth 3 which have the tips 3d with different radiuses of curvature of 0.05 to 2.00 mm were manufactured, and the hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 provided with those comb teeth 3 were prepared. When cutting was performed using this hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1, the practitioner who did cutting and the subject person who had hair cut were interviewed to acquire evaluations on the workability of the practitioner and evaluations from the subject person.

Here, evaluations on the practitioner's workability were the degree of stress the practitioner felt in the work of parting the hair 6 when combing was performed with this hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1. Specifically, the degree of stress was expressed in three levels, mark X when stress was felt even once, mark Δ when stress was not felt, and mark ◯ when it felt comfortable. The evaluations from a subject person were the degree of discomfort the subject person felt when combed. Specifically, the degree of discomfort was expressed in three levels, mark X when discomfort was felt even once, mark Δ when discomfort was not felt, and mark ◯ when it was comfortable. The practitioner was a beautician having 30 years of experience, and the subject person was a woman of an age of twenties.

The hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 used in the experiment were constituted as follows.

The support 2 and the comb teeth 3 are integrally molded of polypropylene. The lateral cross sectional shape of the intermediate portion 3b of the comb tooth 3 was approximately rectangular, with the width W and thickness H fixed. The narrow portion 3c reduces its diameter in the form of a quadrangular pyramid with the tip 3d as the vertex, and the lateral cross sectional shape of the narrow portion 3c is rectangular, and reduces the diameter so as to come closer to a right circle toward the tip 3d. The tip 3d is rounded off. The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 are set the longest to be about 15.0 cm. The lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 are set shorter horizontally symmetrically toward the right and left ends from the central portion of the support 2, and the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 on both the right and left sides are set to the same length of about 14.0 cm. The lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 are adjusted so that the tips 3d of a plurality of comb teeth 3 are aligned approximately straight, as shown in FIG. 1(a). The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 are also adjusted so that their tips 3d are set slightly lower than the positions of the tips of the other comb teeth 3. The length k of the tip portion 3x is about 1.8 cm. The widths W of the comb teeth 3 are about 6.0 mm, and the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 are about 4.0 mm. The intervals L of the comb teeth 3 are about 1.0 mm.

Table 1 shows the results obtained from the experiment 1.

TABLE 1 Curvature radius of tip (mm) 0.05 0.15 0.25 0.35 0.50 1.00 1.50 1.65 1.75 2.00 Evaluation on x x Δ ∘ ∘ ∘ Δ x x x workability (in 3 levels) Evaluation x x Δ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ ∘ from subject (in 3 levels)

It can be confirmed from Table 1 that when the radius of curvature of the tip 3d is in a range of 0.25 to 1.50 mm, the evaluations on the practitioner's workability are Δ and ◯. When the radius of curvature of the tip 3d is 0.25 mm or higher, it can be confirmed that the evaluations from the subject person are Δ and ◯.

It is understood from the above that under the conditions of this experiment, the preferable range of the radius of curvature of the tip 3d is 0.25 to 1.50 mm.

EXAMPLE 2

When it is necessary to acquire a predetermined maximum vertical height h, given that the conditions other than the lengths s of the comb teeth 3 are fixed, the longer the lengths s of the comb teeth 3, the greater the comb teeth 3 are deformed by the practitioner with lighter force. If the lengths s of the comb teeth 3 are too long, the comb teeth 3 may be caused to unnecessarily contact the head 5 of the subject person.

Accordingly, the inventor conducted the following experiments 2 in order to clarify the preferable range of the lengths s of the comb teeth 3.

In the experiment 2, twenty kinds of hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 with different lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 ranging from 5.0 to 24.0 cm were prepared. Then, the load (g.w.) required to obtain the maximum vertical height h=1.5 (cm) was measured, and evaluations were made on the workability of the practitioner who performed cutting when the cutting work was performed using this hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1.

The experiment of measuring the load was conducted as follows. First, the surface of a sphere with the radius of curvature of 9 cm was regarded as the head of a general adult, and the model of the sphere surface was created with a 2-cm-thick Japan cedar board, and was placed on a measuring instrument. The sphere model was graduated vertically. Then, the comb teeth 3_1 were abutted on the top of the sphere model while the prepared comb was set in the horizontal state. Then, all of the tip portions 3x of fifteen comb teeth were pushed vertically downward to abut on the sphere surface, and the load was applied until the positions of the right and left comb teeth 3_2 came 1.5 cm below the comb teeth 3_1.

Here, evaluations on the practitioner's workability were the degree of stress the practitioner felt in handling the comb while performing the cutting work with this hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1. With regard to handling the comb, the easiness of applying the load when the practitioner applied pressure, whether unnecessary contact with a cut wick was made, whether handling the comb was felt heavy, etc. were comprehensively judged to make evaluations. Specifically, the degree of stress was expressed in four levels, mark X when stress was felt even once, mark Δ when stress was not felt, mark ◯ when it felt comfortable, and mark ⊚ when it felt very comfortable. The practitioner was a beautician having 30 years of experience, and the cut wick used was a cut wick for lesson manufactured by Fontaine (FC108N).

The hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 used in the experiment were constituted as follows.

The support 2 and the comb teeth 3 are integrally molded of polypropylene. The lateral cross sectional shape of the intermediate portion 3b of the comb tooth 3 was approximately rectangular, with the width W and thickness H fixed. The narrow portion 3c reduces its diameter in the form of a quadrangular pyramid with the tip 3d as the vertex, and the lateral cross sectional shape of the narrow portion 3c is rectangular, and reduces the diameter so as to come closer to a right circle toward the tip 3d. The tip 3d is rounded off to have a radius of curvature of about 0.90 mm. The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 are set the longest. The lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 are set shorter horizontally symmetrically toward the right and left ends from the central portion of the support 2. The lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 are adjusted so that the tips 3d of a plurality of comb teeth 3 are aligned approximately straight, as shown in FIG. 1(a). The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 are also adjusted so that their tips 3d are set slightly lower than the positions of the tips of the other comb teeth 3. The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 are set shorter than the lengths of the comb teeth 3_1 by about 1.0 cm, and are set the same on both the right and left sides. The length k of the tip portion 3x is about 1.8 cm. The widths W of the comb teeth 3 are about 6.0 mm, and the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 are about 4.0 mm. The intervals L of the comb teeth 3 are about 1.0 mm.

Table 2 shows the results obtained from the experiment 2.

TABLE 2 Length of comb tooth 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 3_1 (cm) Necessary load (g.w.) 5,000 3,000 2,000 1,300 1,100 Evaluation on work- X X Δ Δ Δ ability (in 3 levels) Length of comb tooth 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 3_1 (cm) Necessary load (g.w.) 850 700 500 350 300 Evaluation on work- ◯ ◯ ⊚ ⊚ ⊚ ability (in 3 levels) Length of comb tooth 15.0 16.0 17.0 18.0 19.0 3_1 (cm) Necessary load (g.w.) 250 180 150 120 110 Evaluation on work- ⊚ ⊚ ⊚ ◯ ◯ ability (in 3 levels) Length of comb tooth 20.0 21.0 22.0 23.0 24.0 3_1 (cm) Necessary load (g.w.) 100 88 75 65 50 Evaluation on work- ◯ Δ Δ Δ X ability (in 3 levels)

It can be confirmed from Table 2 that when the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 are in a range of 7.0 to 23.0 cm, a load of about 65 to about 2000 g.w. is needed. It can also be confirmed that the evaluations on the workability of the practitioner are Δ, ◯ and ⊚.

When the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 are in a range of 10.0 to 20.0 cm, it can be confirmed that a load of about 100 g.w. to about 850 g.w. is needed. It can also be confirmed that the evaluations of the practitioner are ◯ and ⊚.

When the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 are in a range of 12.0 to 17.0 cm, it can be confirmed that a load of about 150 g.w. to about 500 g.w. is needed. It can also be confirmed that the evaluations of the practitioner are ⊚.

It is understood from the above that under the conditions of this experiment, the preferable range of the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 is 7.0 to 23.0 mm.

EXAMPLE 3

When the conditions other than the radius of curvature of the member of the comb teeth 3 are fixed, the smaller the radius of curvature is, the greater the maximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3 becomes. Therefore, the practitioner can deform the comb teeth 3 greatly with lighter force. However, the time for the comb teeth 3 to revert to the initial state by elastic deformation becomes longer. On the contrary, the greater the radius of curvature is, the smaller the maximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3 becomes. Therefore, the practitioner needs larger force to deform the comb teeth 3. However, the time for the comb teeth 3 to revert to the initial state by elastic deformation becomes shorter.

In this respect, the inventor conducted the following experiment 3 to clarify the preferable range of the maximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3.

In the experiment 3, six kinds of hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 whose comb teeth 3 have different maximum vertical heights h of 0.0 to 6.0 cm were prepared. Then, the work time in performing a predetermined cutting work using the hair-dressing and cosmetic comb 1 was checked. The practitioner was a beautician having 30 years of experience, and the cut model used was a cut wick for lesson manufactured by Fontaine (FC108N). The cut style was the square cut to cut the hair 6 of the top portion of the head by about 10 cm. A work time (minutes) of less than one minute was rounded up.

The hair-dressing and cosmetic combs 1 used in the experiment were constituted as follows.

The lateral cross sectional shape of the intermediate portion 3b of the comb tooth 3 was approximately rectangular, with the width W and thickness H fixed. The narrow portion 3c reduces its diameter in the form of a quadrangular pyramid with the tip 3d as the vertex, and the lateral cross sectional shape of the narrow portion 3c is rectangular, and reduces the diameter so as to come closer to a right circle toward the tip 3d. The tip 3d is rounded off to have a radius of curvature of about 0.90 mm. The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_1 are set the longest to be about 15.0 cm. The lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 are set shorter horizontally symmetrically toward the right and left ends from the central portion of the support 2, and the lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 on both the right and left sides are set to the same length of about 14.0 cm. The lengths s of the other comb teeth 3 are adjusted so that the tips 3d of a plurality of comb teeth 3 are aligned approximately straight, as shown in FIG. 1(a). The lengths s of the comb teeth 3_2 are also adjusted so that their tips 3d are set slightly lower than the positions of the tips of the other comb teeth 3. The length k of the tip portion 3x is about 1.8 cm. The widths W of the comb teeth 3 are about 6.0 mm, and the thicknesses H of the comb teeth 3 are about 4.0 mm. The intervals L of the comb teeth 3 are about 1.0 mm. In the table, the comb teeth 3 with h of 0.0 to 1.0 are made of wood, and the comb teeth 3 with h of 2.0 to 6.0 are made of an epoxy resin, so that those comb teeth have different elastic moduli. Accordingly, the maximum vertical height h of the individual types of comb teeth 3 was changed.

Table 3 shows the results obtained from this experiment 3.

TABLE 3 Vertical height h(cm) 0.0 0.5 1.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 Work time 20 15 10 5 10 15 (min)

It can be confirmed from Table 3 that when the maximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3 is in a range of 0.5 to 6.0 cm, the work time is less than about 15 minutes. It can also be confirmed that when the maximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3 is in a range of 1.0 to 4.0 cm, the work time is less than about 10 minutes. It can also be confirmed that when the maximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3 is about 2.0 cm, the work time is about 5 minutes and the shortest.

It is understood from the above that under conditions of this experiment, the preferable range of the maximum vertical height h of the comb teeth 3 is 0.5 to 6.0 cm.

[Description of Reference Numerals]

  • 1: hair-dressing and cosmetic comb
  • 2: support
  • 2a, 2b: support surface
  • 2c: bottom surface portion
  • 2d, 2e: side surface portion
  • 2f: projecting end portion
  • 2g: hand-holding portion
  • 2h: thin teeth portion
  • 2i: handle
  • 3: comb teeth
  • 3_1: comb teeth provided in the center portion of the support
  • 3_2: comb teeth provided at the ends of the support
  • 3a: base
  • 3b: intermediate portion
  • 3c: narrow portion
  • 3d: tip
  • 3x: tip portion
  • 4: gap
  • 5: head of subject person
  • 6: hair
  • 31: conventional comb
  • 32: support of the conventional comb
  • 33: comb teeth of the conventional comb
  • 34: handle of the conventional comb
  • k: length of the tip portion of the comb tooth
  • h: maximum vertical height of the tip of the comb tooth
  • s: length from the base of the comb teeth to the tip
  • L: interval of the comb teeth
  • M: contact surface of the comb teeth
  • P: horizontal plane
  • W: width of the comb teeth
  • H: thickness of the comb teeth

Claims

1. A hairdressing and cosmetic comb, comprising: the comb teeth each having lengths of 7.0 to 23.0 cm from a base to a tip and each being elastically bent and deformed to have a deformation of 1.0 cm or greater and 6.0 cm or less in a thickness direction of the comb teeth according to a form of a head when the comb teeth are pressed toward the head on which the comb teeth abut via a contact portion.

a support; and
a plurality of comb teeth provided on one side of the support in a row substantially in parallel,

2. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein the comb teeth have widths of 1.0 to 12.0 mm in a side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth, and thicknesses of 1.0 to 5.0 mm.

3. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein a sectional shape of each of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth is a rectangle defined by W>H where W mm is the width in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth and H mm is the thickness of the comb teeth.

4. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein the widths of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layout direction thereof are constant at an intermediate portion from the base of each comb tooth to the tip thereof.

5. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein the lengths of the plurality of comb teeth from the bases to the tips are set in such a way that the length of the comb tooth provided at a center portion of the support is longest, and the lengths of the other comb teeth become shorter toward rightward and leftward end portions of the support from the center portion.

6. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein an interval of the comb teeth is less than 0 to 3.0 mm.

7. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein:

the comb teeth are made of a synthetic resin, and have widths of about 6.0 mm in the side-by-side layout direction thereof, and thicknesses of about 4.0 mm, and
an interval of the comb teeth is about 1.0 mm.

8. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein at least one contact surface at which the adjoining comb teeth contact each other is formed in the interval between the comb teeth and between the base and the tip of each comb tooth.

9. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1, wherein the comb teeth are bent in the thickness direction of the comb teeth.

10. A hairdressing and cosmetic method comprising:

abutting the comb teeth of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 1 on a head; and
sliding the hairdressing and cosmetic comb while pressing a contact portion toward the head to put through hair of the head between the comb teeth to elastically deform the comb teeth according to a form of the head, thereby combing the hair for hair-dressing and cosmetic work.

11. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2, wherein a sectional shape of each of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth is a rectangle defined by W>H where W mm is the width in the side-by-side layout direction of the comb teeth and H mm is the thickness of the comb teeth.

12. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 11, wherein the widths of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layout direction thereof are constant at an intermediate portion from the base of each comb tooth to the tip thereof.

13. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2, wherein the widths of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layout direction thereof are constant at an intermediate portion from the base of each comb tooth to the tip thereof.

14. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 3, wherein the widths of the comb teeth in the side-by-side layout direction thereof are constant at an intermediate portion from the base of each comb tooth to the tip thereof.

15. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2, wherein the lengths of the plurality of comb teeth from the bases to the tips are set in such a way that the length of the comb tooth provided at a center portion of the support is longest, and the lengths of the other comb teeth become shorter toward rightward and leftward end portions of the support from the center portion.

16. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2, wherein an interval of the comb teeth is less than 0 to 3.0 mm.

17. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2, wherein:

the comb teeth are made of a synthetic resin, and have widths of about 6.0 mm in the side-by-side layout direction thereof, and thicknesses of about 4.0 mm, and
an interval of the comb teeth is about 1.0 mm.

18. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2, wherein at least one contact surface at which the adjoining comb teeth contact each other is formed in the interval between the comb teeth and between the base and the tip of each comb tooth.

19. The hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2, wherein the comb teeth are bent in the thickness direction of the comb teeth.

20. A hairdressing and cosmetic method comprising:

abutting the comb teeth of the hairdressing and cosmetic comb according to claim 2 on a head; and
sliding the hairdressing and cosmetic comb while pressing a contact portion toward the head to put through hair of the head between the comb teeth to elastically deform the comb teeth according to a form of the head, thereby combing the hair for hair-dressing and cosmetic work.
Patent History
Publication number: 20120037176
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 10, 2009
Publication Date: Feb 16, 2012
Inventor: Michiaki Ito (Tokyo)
Application Number: 13/258,858
Classifications
Current U.S. Class: Methods (132/200); Bent Or Slanted Teeth (132/160)
International Classification: A45D 24/02 (20060101); A45D 24/36 (20060101);