Hair Ornament

Abstract

A hair ornament is provided for engaging braided hair of a person in which the hair ornament includes an ornament element having a generally planar base with a decoration affixed to one surface thereof and an elongated post projecting from an opposite surface, a snap element defining a recess for receiving the post therein and a locking element disposed within the snap element and configured for releasable locking engagement of the post within the recess. The post is sized to extend through a hair braid so that the hair ornament is engaged to the hair braid when the ornament element is engaged to the snap element with the hair braid sandwiched between the components.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM AND REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a utility filing of and claims priority to co-pending provisional application Ser. No. 61/895,476, filed on Oct. 25, 2014, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to hair ornaments for decorating and adorning braided hair on the head and face.

Hair ornaments are a popular means for self-expression. The typical ornament is incorporated into a barrette or clip that performs the additional function of holding the hair in a particular orientation. Other ornaments are incorporated into a device through which hair is threaded, such as a tube or a circular disk.

In the case of braided hair, any ornamentation has been limited to devices used to hold the braid together. Consequently, the ornamentation is necessarily limited to the end of the braid. Moreover, since the primary function of the device is to hold the hair in the braid, the ornamentation is typically subdued. In most cases, the ornamentation makes the device unwieldy and undesirable, with many people with hair braids preferring to instead hold the braid together with an elastic band.

Hair, whether on the head or face, can be a significant platform for self-expression and identity. Teenage and pre-teen girls are especially fond of incorporating ornaments in their hair styles. In recent years, men have turned to braided hair and even braided beards as their own form of expression. There is a need for a hair ornament that can be applied at any location on a braid and that is easy to use.

SUMMARY

A hair ornament is provided for engaging braided hair of a person in which the hair ornament includes an ornament element having a generally planar base with a decoration affixed to one surface thereof and an elongated post projecting from an opposite surface, a snap element defining a recess for receiving the post therein and a locking element disposed within the snap element and configured for releasable locking engagement of the post within the recess. The post is sized to extend through a hair braid so that the hair ornament is engaged to the hair braid when the ornament element is engaged to the snap element with the hair braid sandwiched between the components.

The hair ornament can include a wide range of decorations, such as a representation of a flower or an animal. The decorations may also include an insignia, such as a team logo or the person's name. The post of the ornament element is particularly configured to fit through a hair braid so that the hair is sandwiched between the base of the ornament component and the body of the snap element. The hair ornament is preferably positioned at the junction of the hair braids, rather than through the hair strands themselves, so that the structure of the hair braid itself helps hold the hair ornament in position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a top view of one form of ornamentation for use with the hair ornament of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the components of the hair ornament disclosed herein.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the components of the hair ornament shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a hair braid with the hair ornament shown in FIG. 2 in position for attachment.

FIG. 5 is a back view of a person's head with the hair ornament of the present disclosure mounted in the braids.

FIG. 6 is a side partial cross-sectional view of a hair ornament according to a further embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the decorative element of the hair ornament shown in FIG. 6.

FIGS. 8a, 8b are perspective and bottom view of the snap element of the hair ornament shown in FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in the following written specification. It is understood that no limitation to the scope of the invention is thereby intended. It is further understood that the present invention includes any alterations and modifications to the illustrated embodiments and includes further applications of the principles of the invention as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains.

One example of a decorative element usable with the hair ornament of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. In this example, the decorative element is a representation of a flower. The decorative element may be formed of any suitable material, such as plastic or metal, and may be in any color. The decorative element may be preferably formed of a molded or cast material to facilitate production of the element. It can be appreciated that the decorative element depicted in FIG. 1 is but one of countless forms of decoration. Thus, it is understood that the decorative element need not be a flower, as illustrated, but may take on virtually any form and even any size. For instance, the decorative element may be in the form of an animal, such as a horse, or in the form of an insignia, such as a sports team logo. The decorative element may even be the wearer's name. The form of the decorative element is limited only by the imagination of the designer.

The present disclosure contemplates a hair ornament 10 configured to be worn in the braided hair of a person. As shown in FIG. 2, the hair ornament 10 includes the decorative element 12, which may have the forms discussed above, and a first snap element 12 on which the decorative element 12 is affixed. The hair ornament further includes a second snap element 16 that is configured to be tightly but releasably engaged to the first snap element. The first snap element 14 includes a base 20 with an engagement element 22 protruding therefrom. The engagement element 22 includes a post extending from the base and terminating in a bulbous end 24. The second snap element 16 includes a base 30 that defines a recess 32 sized to receive the bulbous end 24 of the first snap element 14. The recess 32 may be configured to resiliently engage the bulbous end in a press or snap fit relationship. Alternatively, the recess may include a pair of opposing spring elements (not shown) that move apart for passage of the bulbous end and spring back against the post 23 to hold the bulbous end within the recess. The base 30 of the second snap element 16 may include a post 34 projecting from the back side of the base. The post 34 is sized to be grasped by the wearer to facilitate manipulation of the second snap element.

As shown in FIG. 3, the decorative element 12 may be provided with an attachment surface 13 that is adapted to mate with an attachment surface 21 on the base 20 of the first snap element 14. The attachment surfaces 13, 21 may be adhered or otherwise permanently affixed to each other. Alternatively, the attachment surfaces 13, 21 may be configured of releasable engagement, such as by way of hook and loop fasteners, magnetic attachment or releasably adherent surfaces. In this alternative, the wearer can change the decorative element as desired.

The use of the hair ornament of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIGS. 4-5. The wearer forms the braid B, which may be on the wearer's head or even in a facial beard. The hair ornament 10 is then engaged to the braid by pushing the engagement element 22 through the braid, preferably between the intertwined hair strands rather than through the strands themselves. Where the strands intertwine is narrower so that the post 23 of the engagement element 22 does not have to be very long. Once the engagement element 22 has been pushed through the braid, the second snap element 16 can be engaged by snapping the bulbous end of the first snap element into the recess of the second snap element.

The hair of the braid is then firmly fixed between the bases 20, 30 of the two snap elements, as depicted in FIG. 5. The hair ornament is preferably positioned at the junction of the hair braid, rather than through the hair strands themselves, so that the structure of the hair braid itself helps hold the hair ornament in position. Thus, in one method of use, the hair is collected into at least three strands and the strands are overlaid and intertwined in alternating fashion to form a braid. The braid defines a plurality of junctions along the length of the braid in which multiple hair strands cross over each other. The junctions inherently form a general opening or path between the hair strands. The post of the hair ornament is pushed through an opening at one of the junctions and the hair ornament is held in position by engaging the snap element on the other side of the braid.

It can be appreciated that the construction of the hair ornament 10 allows the ornament to be placed anywhere along the length of a braid, and even at multiple locations along the braids B, as shown in FIG. 5. The hair ornament 10 of the present disclosure is compact in its engagement to the braid so that only the decorative element 12 is substantially visible. It can be appreciated that the hair ornament of the present disclosure provides a wearer with a wide selection of ways to decorate his/her hair. The hair ornaments may be provided in a kit with a plurality of first and second snap elements 14, 16, and in the case of a removable decorative element a plurality of different decorative elements 12.

Another embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 6-8. The hair ornament 50 includes an ornament element 52 and a snap element 54. The ornament element 52 includes a planar base 60 onto which a decoration may be affixed, such as in the manner depicted in FIG. 3. The ornament element further includes a post 62 projecting from a side of the base 60 opposite the side engaged to the decoration. The post includes at least one groove 64, and preferably two such grooves 64 as shown in FIG. 7.

The snap element 54 includes a generally cylindrical body 70 with a planar face 71 as illustrated in FIGS. 8a, 8b. A hub 72 projects inward within the cylindrical body 70 and defines an annular cavity 75 between the hub and cylindrical body. The hub 72 further defines a recess 72a within the hub. A wire clip locking element 74 is disposed within the cavity 75 between the cylindrical body 70 and the hub 72. The hub defines a slot 73 through which legs 76 of the wire clip project to engage the post 62 of the ornament element 52, in the manner shown in FIG. 6. The wire clip 74 is configured to flex radially outward when the post 62 is introduced into the recess 74a of the hub 72 of the snap element 54. The legs 76 engage a groove 64 when it is aligned with the slot 73 to fasten the two components 52, 54 together. The snap element 54 can be disengaged from the post 62 by pulling outward on the lip 78 formed in the cylindrical body 70.

The post 62 is preferably provided with two grooves 64 to account for the thickness of the hair braid that the hair ornament 50 is engaged within. Thus, for a thinner braid or for a braid of finer hair, the post 62 may be pushed fully into the recess 74a so that the clip 74 engages the groove 64 closest to the planar base 60. On the other hand, for a thicker braid or thicker hair the post is only pushed into the recess until the first groove 64 is engaged.

The decoration for the hair ornament may be formed of a variety of materials, particularly a plastic. The locking or snapping components may be preferably formed of a metal, such as stainless steel or aluminum, that is not susceptible to corrosion due to hair oil or hair treatments in the hair braid within which the components are engaged. Thus, the ornament element 52 and snap element 64 of FIG. 6 are preferably formed of metal, with a suitable adhesive used to affix the decoration 12 to the base 60 of the ornament element 52.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. It is understood that only the preferred embodiments have been presented and that all changes, modifications and further applications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected.

Claims

1. A hair ornament for engaging braided hair of a person, comprising:

an ornament element having a generally planar base with a decoration affixed to one surface thereof and an elongated post projecting from an opposite surface thereof;

a snap element defining a recess for receiving the post therein; and

a locking element disposed within the snap element and configured for releasable locking engagement of the post within the recess,

wherein the post is sized to extend through a hair braid so that the hair ornament is engaged to the hair braid when the ornament element is engaged to the snap element to sandwich the hair braid therebetween.

2. The hair ornament of claim 1, wherein:

the snap element includes a central hub defining the recess and include a pair of opposite slots defined through the central hub and in communication with the recess; and

the locking element is a wire clip having a pair of opposite legs arranged to extend into the opposite slots to engage the post of the ornament element.

3. The hair ornament of claim 2, wherein the post of the ornament element includes at least one groove configured for engagement by the opposite legs of the wire clip when the post is disposed within the recess.

4. The hair ornament of claim 3, wherein the post includes two grooves offset along the length of the post, both grooves configured for selective engagement by the opposite legs of the wire clip when the post is disposed within the recess.

5. The hair ornament of claim 1, wherein the decoration is selected from a representation of flower or an animal, or an insignia.

6. A method for using the hair ornament of claim 1, comprising:

forming a hair braid from three or more hair strands, the hair braid defining a plurality of junctions of the hair strands;

pushing the post of the ornament element through one of the junctions with the decoration facing outward relative to the hair braid; and

engaging the snap element to the post of the ornament element to sandwich the hair braid between the ornament element and the snap element.