HAIR COVER FOR PROTECTING A WEARER'S HAIR WHILE SLEEPING
A hair cover for protecting a wearer's v-shaped hairdo while sleeping having two fabric chambers, one dome-shaped and the other v-shaped.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/388,400 filed on Sep. 30, 2010, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated herein by this reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to garments and more particularly to hair covers used to protect a wearer's hair while sleeping.
BACKGROUNDThe fundamental purpose underlying existing hair covers or sleeping caps is to protect a wearer's hair while the wearer is sleeping. Hair covers can be found in various shapes, sizes, and materials to provide such protection. Unfortunately, existing hair covers lack other important features because those features are at odds with the fundamental purpose of protecting a wearer's hair. One such feature is environmental friendliness. Consumers are increasingly looking for green products. Existing hair covers, particularly those manufactured from highly regarded silk or satin materials, are not biodegradable and thus are considered harmful to the environment after they are no longer usable and they are thrown away. Compounding this problem is the fact that many hair covers lack durability. For example, many silk hair covers cannot be washed, and hair covers manufactured from other materials known to provide a high level of protection to the wearer's hair can lose their integrity if washed too often or incorrectly. Therefore, dirt, grime, oils, and greases can accumulate on the hair cover and require replacement before the hair cover otherwise loses its ability to protect.
Moreover, existing hair covers are not well adapted to deal with the growing trend of wearers having long braided hair, natural and synthetic, with a V-shaped body. Many existing hair covers, such as one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,190, have a straight edged bottom and thus offer little or no support for the edges along the V-shape. Therefore, a durable hair cover that protects a wearer's hair and the environment and meets the growing trend of long, braided hair having a V-shaped body is desirable.
SUMMARYCertain aspects and embodiments of a hair cover for protecting a wearer's hair while sleeping are described. In one aspect, an upper fabric chamber having a generally domed shape is positioned on a wearer's head. A lower fabric chamber depends from the upper fabric chamber and includes a generally V-shaped pocket for receiving and protecting a generally V-shaped body of hair. The upper fabric chamber has an elastic band secured to the periphery of an opening in the upper fabric chamber with a fastener such that the fastener does not contact the hair.
In another aspect, a method for making a hair cover is described. A fabric used to make a hair cover includes an upper fabric portion used to form the upper fabric chamber and a lower fabric portion used to form the lower fabric chamber. The lower fabric portion depends from the upper fabric portion. The lower fabric portion includes a left portion, a right portion that mirrors the left portion, and a flap located centric to the left portion and the right portion formed by cutting away a section of the lower fabric portion. An opening in the upper fabric chamber is formed by securing a first straight edge of the left portion to a second straight edge of the right portion. A pocket in the lower fabric chamber is formed by securing a first curved edge of the left portion to a first side of the flap and by securing a second curved edge of the right portion to a second side of the flap. An elastic band is secured along the outer surface of the periphery of the opening in the upper fabric chamber with a fastener.
These illustrative aspects and embodiments are mentioned not to limit or define the invention, but to provide examples to aid understanding of the inventive concepts disclosed in this application. Other aspects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent after review of the entire application.
An exemplary hair cover 10 has an upper fabric chamber 20, a lower fabric chamber 30, and an elastic band 12, as shown in
The portions of the hair cover 10 can cooperate with one another such that they can be secured together using a fastener. “Secured,” “secured to,” or generally the act of securing can mean attaching, joining, coupling, or binding portions of the hair cover 10 to one another. Examples of various fasteners that can be used to secure the portions are stitches, staples, glue, and tape.
The elastic band 12 can be secured to a periphery along the opening 25 to expand and contract the opening 25 to receive and secure heads of various sizes. In an exemplary embodiment, the wearer's hair can be tucked into the lower fabric chamber 30 by the wearer pulling at least a portion of the band 12 away from the wearer's head to create a gap, while at least another portion of the band 12 is secured to the wearer's head. In another embodiment, the opening 25 can be pulled apart with the wearer's hands first to receive the wearer's hair and thereafter to receive the wearer's head. An exemplary configuration has an elastic band 12 with a length of about 25.5 inches and a width of about 2.5 inches to provide such flexibility and interaction with the opening 25.
In one embodiment, the elastic band 12 can be manufactured by folding the band 80 shown in
The elastic band 12 can be secured to the periphery of the opening 25 with a fastener such that the fastener does not come in contact with the hair, thereby preventing hair breakage, or the separation of the hair from the head, where the elastic band 12 contacts the wearer's head. In one embodiment, the fastener is secured to the outer surface 32 instead of the inner surface 31 (as shown in
FIGS. 1,2, 5 and 6 depict a lower fabric chamber 30. In one embodiment, the lower fabric chamber 30 is elongated, or extends downward or otherwise outward to a distance away from the upper fabric chamber 20. Such a distance is represented by the length 50 in the figures. A longer or shorter version of the hair cover 10 may be created by increasing or decreasing the length 50 of the lower fabric chamber 30. Such a modification can enable the lower fabric chamber 30 to receive and protect hair of varying lengths.
The lower fabric chamber 30 can include a pocket 55. Horizontal line 34, as shown in
The V-shaped pocket 55 can be especially suitable for relatively long hair that is braided so that the edges of the hair form a V-shape. Other braided hair styles such as synthetic hair extensions can have a V-shape by design. The pocket 55 can also receive and protect hair of various other types, shapes, and sizes, or can itself have various shapes and sizes for receiving and protecting the wearer's hair.
As shown in
The lower fabric portion 710 can include a left portion 715, a right portion 720, and a flap 725. A section of the lower fabric portion 710 can be cut away or removed to form a generally V-shaped flap 725 located centric to the left portion 715 and the right portion 720. The right portion 720 can mirror the left portion 715. The left portion 715 can have a first curved edge 738 for cooperating with a first side 740 of the flap 725. The right portion 720 can have a second curved edge 746 for cooperating with a second side 744 of the flap. Cutting away the section of the fabric can leave a gap between the left portion 715 and the flap 725 whereby the gap increases while traversing along the first curved edge 715 in a direction away from the upper fabric portion 705. A similar gap can exist between the right portion 720 and the flap 725. The left portion 715 can have a first straight edge 736 joined at an angle to the curved edge 738. Similarly, the right portion 720 can have a second straight edge 748 joined at an angle to the second curved edge 746.
In an exemplary embodiment, the fabric 700 can be approximately 30.75 inches long along a longitudinal center line of the fabric 700 and at least 15 inches wide across the broadest portion of the fabric portion 710. The flap 725 can have a length of approximately 7.5 inches along a longitudinal center line, while the left portion 715 and the right portion 720 can have a length of approximately 13.25 inches across its longest cross section. Such a design requires relatively few stitches, which can reduce the amount of time required to manufacture the hair cover 10.
The fabric 700 can be used to manufacture the hair cover 10. According to one embodiment, the pocket 55 in the lower fabric chamber 30 (
An exemplary embodiment of the hair cover 10 can protect a wearer's hair while being both durable and environmentally friendly. For example, the hair cover 10 can be manufactured from a biodegradable, cotton sateen fabric. Furthermore, cotton sateen can be gentle enough to protect a wearer's hair while being durable enough to endure regular washings by hand, washing machine, or other cleaning apparatuses without losing its integrity. Other types of biodegradable materials that are washable by hand or machine can be used in other embodiments.
It should be understood that the foregoing relates only to certain embodiments of the invention, which are presented by way of example rather than limitation. Numerous changes may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Many other modifications, features, and embodiments of the present invention will become evident to those of skill in the art. For example, the hair cover 10, and the portions used to manufacture it, can comprise various shapes, sizes, and materials. The hair cover 10 can also receive various amounts, shapes, and types of hair. Various sizes and shapes of the fabric 700 and its portions can be used to manufacture the hair cover 10. For example, the left portion 715 and the right portion 720 can have fewer or more curved or straight edges. Additionally, the flap 725 can have a different size, shape, and orientation with the left portion 715 and the right portion 720.
Furthermore, various embodiments described herein use terms such as “left,” “right,” “upper,” and “lower.” These terms are used merely for convenience and should not limit the orientation of any portion forming or within the hair cover 10. For example, a “right” portion can be located on the “left” side of the fabric 700, depending on the orientation of the fabric 700.
Claims
1. A hair cover for protecting a wearer's hair while sleeping, the hair cover comprising:
- an upper fabric chamber having a generally domed shape for receiving a wearer's head;
- a lower fabric chamber depending from the upper fabric chamber for receiving and protecting a portion of the wearer's hair, the lower fabric chamber comprising a left portion having a first straight edge secured to a second straight edge of a right portion to form an opening in the upper fabric chamber, the lower fabric chamber further comprising a generally V-shaped flap having a first side secured to a first curved edge of the left portion and a second side secured to a second curved edge of the right portion to form a pocket, the pocket having a generally V-shape for receiving and protecting a generally V-shaped body of hair; and
- an elastic band secured to an outer surface of a periphery of the opening in the upper fabric chamber by a fastener such that the fastener does not contact the hair.
2. The hair cover of claim 1 wherein the elastic band comprises an upper ruffled portion and a lower ruffled portion for gripping the wearer's head.
3. The hair cover of claim 2 wherein the elastic band further comprises a stitched line along a longitudinal center line of the elastic band, the stitched line creating the upper ruffled portion and the lower ruffled portion.
4. The hair cover of claim 2 wherein an elastic material is inserted into at least one of the upper ruffled portion or the lower ruffled portion of the elastic band.
5. The hair cover of claim 2 wherein a drawstring is inserted into at least one of the upper ruffled portion or the lower ruffled portion.
6. The hair cover of claim 1 wherein the lower fabric chamber is elongated.
7. The hair cover of claim 1 wherein the hair cover fabric comprises cotton sateen.
8. The hair cover of claim 1 wherein the hair cover comprises a biodegradable material.
9. A method for making a hair cover for protecting a wearer's hair while sleeping, the method comprising:
- a. providing a fabric, the fabric comprising: i. an upper fabric portion having a generally domed shape, the upper fabric portion used to form an upper fabric chamber for receiving a wearer's head; and ii. a lower fabric portion depending from the upper fabric portion, the lower fabric portion used to form a lower fabric chamber for receiving and protecting a portion of the wearer's hair;
- b. cutting away a section of the lower fabric portion such that the lower fabric portion comprises a V-shaped flap located centric to a left portion and a mirrored right portion, the left portion having a first curved edge for cooperating with a first side of the flap and the right portion having a second curved edge for cooperating with a second side of the flap;
- c. securing a first straight edge of the left portion to a second straight edge of the right portion to form an opening in the upper fabric chamber;
- d. securing the first curved edge of the left portion to the first side of the flap and securing the second curved edge of the right portion to the second side of the flap to form a pocket for receiving and protecting a wearer's hair, the pocket having a generally V-shape; and
- e. securing a band along a periphery of the opening in the upper fabric chamber by using a fastener such that the fastener does not contact the wearer's hair.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising stitching along a longitudinal center line of the band to separate the band into an upper ruffled portion and a lower ruffled portion.
11. The method of claim 9 further comprising inserting an elastic material into at least one of the lower ruffled portion or the upper ruffled portion of the band.
12. The method of claim 9 further comprising inserting a drawstring into at least one of the upper ruffled portion of the band or the lower ruffled portion of the band.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein the band is secured to the outer surface of the periphery of the opening in the upper fabric chamber.
14. The method of claim 9 wherein the lower fabric chamber is elongated.
15. The method of claim 9 wherein the fabric comprises cotton sateen.
16. The method of claim 9 wherein the fabric comprises a biodegradable material.
17. The method of claim 9 wherein the securing comprises stitching.
18. A fabric hair cover for protecting a wearer's hair while sleeping, the hair cover comprising:
- an upper fabric portion used to form an upper fabric chamber for receiving the wearer's head, the upper fabric portion having a generally domed-shape; and
- a lower fabric portion depending from the upper fabric portion, the lower fabric portion used to form a lower fabric chamber for receiving and protecting a portion of the wearer's hair, the lower portion comprising a left portion having a first curved edge for cooperating with a first side of a flap, and a right portion having a second curved side for cooperating with a second side of the flap, the flap located centric to the left portion and the right portion and having a generally V-shape.
19. The fabric hair cover of claim 18 wherein the fabric comprises cotton sateen.
20. The fabric hair cover of claim 18 wherein the fabric comprises a biodegradable material.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 29, 2011
Publication Date: Apr 5, 2012
Inventor: Tamara Clarke (Marietta, GA)
Application Number: 13/248,486