HAIR PICKUP TOOL

Abstract

A hair pickup tool for picking up strands of hair as a bundle of hair includes a base portion, an upright stem portion extending upright from the base portion, and a stick-shaped pickup portion projecting from the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion extends obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion toward the side opposite to the base portion at an angle of inclination of 10 to 70 degrees relative to a plane that is perpendicular to an upright extending direction of the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion is provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions protruding toward the base portion side.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hair pickup tool for picking up strands of hair as a bundle of hair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When dyeing hair at home, beauty salons, and the like, there are cases where the hair is not entirely dyed but partially dyed in streaks, often referred to as highlighting or lowlighting. In such cases generally a method is adopted by use of a specialized tool in which claw portions in the form of protrusions are provided at a leading end of a handle portion of a comb or at a leading end of a knitting needle-like stick member. Bundles of hair each consisting of a plurality of strands of hair are picked up as streaks by these claw portions, the bundles of hair are held on other strands of hair by using a clip or the like as necessary, and the bundles of hair are individually dyed.

Moreover, the operation of picking up the bundles of hair each consisting of a plurality of strands of hair as streaks by using the claw portions provided at the leading end of the handle portion or the stick member is not easy and requires experience and skill. Often it is difficult to pick up bundles of hair each consisting of an appropriate amount of hair through a single pickup operation. The result is uneven application of the dye and a undesirable appearance. For these reasons, a comb for hair coloring and a weaving comb have been developed which make it possible to pick up bundles of hair in a straightforward manner without requiring experience and skill and which also make it possible to pick up an appropriate amount of hair as bundles of hair (see Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2, for example).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1 JP 3027042U

Patent Literature 2 JP 2013-154152A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a hair pickup tool for picking up strands of hair as a bundle of hair, the hair pickup tool including a base portion, an upright stem portion extending upright from the base portion, and a stick-shaped pickup portion projecting from the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion extends obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion toward a side opposite to the base portion at an angle of inclination of 10 to 70 degrees relative to a plane that is perpendicular to an upright extending direction of the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion is provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions protruding toward the base portion side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1(b) is a side view schematically showing a relevant portion of the hair pickup tool of the first embodiment.

FIG. 2(a) is a side view illustrating another form of a stick-shaped pickup portion and schematically showing a relevant portion.

FIG. 2(b) is a side view illustrating another form of the stick-shaped pickup portion and schematically showing a relevant portion.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining how a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair is picked up by the stick-shaped pickup portion.

FIG. 4(a) is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a preferred second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4(b) is a side view schematically showing a relevant portion of the hair pickup tool of the second embodiment.

FIG. 5(a) is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a preferred third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5(b) is a side view schematically showing a relevant portion of the hair pickup tool of the third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a hair pickup tool according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 8(a) is a perspective view illustrating a hair pickup tool that is to be used attached to a container containing a hair treatment agent.

FIG. 8(b) is a cutaway perspective view taken along line A-A in FIG. 8(a).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the above-described conventional comb for hair coloring and weaving comb, with which bundles of hair are picked up, claw portions are provided at leading end portions of some or all of a plurality of comb teeth that are arranged parallel to one another in a comb portion, and strands of hair are picked up by these claw portions. Thus, bundles of hair can be widely picked up from a shallow section. However, the other comb teeth become an obstruction, and it is difficult to efficiently pick up strands of hair in a deep section near the scalp as bundles of hair by, for example, while sliding the leading ends of the comb teeth along the scalp, inserting the claw portions at the respective leading ends underneath strands of hair in a section near the scalp from obliquely below.

The present invention relates to a hair pickup tool with which strands of hair in a deep section near the scalp can be efficiently picked up as a bundle of hair.

The present invention provides a hair pickup tool for picking up strands of hair as a bundle of hair. The hair pickup tool includes a base portion, an upright stem portion extending upright from the base portion, and a stick-shaped pickup portion projecting from the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion extends obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion toward a side opposite to the base portion at an angle of inclination of 10 degrees to 70 degrees (about 10 degrees to about 70 degrees) relative to a plane that is perpendicular to an upright extending direction of the upright stem portion. The stick-shaped pickup portion is provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions protruding toward the base portion side.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on preferred embodiments thereof, with reference to the drawings. A hair pickup tool 10 according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1(a) is used when partially dyeing hair by applying a hair dye, for example, which serves as a hair treatment agent, in producing streaks to the hair. The hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment makes it possible to gather and pick up an appropriate plurality of strands of hair in a streak as a bundle of hair, thereby facilitating the operation of partially dyeing the hair in a streak by applying the hair dye to the bundle of hair that has been picked up. The hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment has the function of making it possible to efficiently pick up strands of hair 61 in a deep section near the scalp 60 as a bundle of hair by, for example, pressing a leading end portion 10a of the hair pickup tool 10 against the scalp 60 (see FIG. 3) or sliding the leading end portion 10a along the scalp 60.

The hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment is a pickup tool for picking up strands of hair 61 as a bundle of hair, and includes a base portion 11, an upright stem portion 12 extending upright from the base portion 11, and a stick-shaped pickup portion 13 projecting from the upright stem portion 12. As also shown in FIG. 1(b), the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 extends obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion 12 toward the side opposite to the base portion 11 at an angle θ of inclination of 10 to 70 degrees relative to a plane P that is perpendicular to an upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12. The stick-shaped pickup portion 13 is provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions 14 protruding toward the base portion 11 side.

In the first embodiment, the base portion 11 is provided at an upper end portion of a handle portion 15 by which the hair pickup tool 10 is held and operated, and the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12 extends along the direction of the central axis of the handle portion 15 (in FIG. 1(b), the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12 coincides with the direction of the central axis of the handle portion 15). That is to say, the base portion 11 includes the handle portion 15 on the side opposite to the upright stem portion 12, and the upright stem portion 12 extends upright along the direction of the central axis of the handle portion 15. Since the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12 runs along the direction of the central axis of the handle portion 15, the ease of operation when picking up hair is improved. Moreover, the base portion 11 is made of, similarly to the handle portion 15, a synthetic resin, such as a general-purpose resin including preferably polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin, and the like, a reprocessed resin, or a plant-derived resin including PLA, bioethanol, and the like. The handle portion 15 including the base portion 11 may be integrally molded with the upright stem portion 12 and the stick-shaped pickup portion 13. It is also possible to mold the base portion 11, the upright stem portion 12, and the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 separately from the handle portion 15 and then fix the base portion 11 to a leading end portion of the handle portion 15, thereby forming the hair pickup tool 10 into which these portions are integrated. The handle portion 15 is formed to have an elongated substantially cylindrical tube shape so that it is easy to hold the handle portion 15 with fingers and perform the operation of picking up a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair 61.

It should be noted that the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12 is not necessarily required to extend along the direction of the central axis of the handle portion 15, and may also intersect the direction of the central axis of the handle portion 15 at an angle of for example, 30 degrees, for example.

In the first embodiment, the base portion 11 includes an end surface plate 11a that is disposed at a leading end of the handle portion 15 and that has a circular plate shape, and the upright stem portion 12 extends upright further in the direction of the leading end from the end surface plate 11a. It should be noted that a configuration may also be adopted in which the base portion 11 does not include the end surface plate 11a, and the leading end portion of the handle portion 15 doubles as the base portion 11. In addition, a configuration may also be adopted in which a hemispherical base portion 11 is provided at the leading end portion of the handle portion 15, and the upright stem portion 12 is provided on a top portion thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the upright stem portion 12 is integrally molded with the base portion 11 by using the same synthetic resin as that used for the base portion 11. In the first embodiment, the upright stem portion 12 extends upright to a height of, for example, 5 mm to 20 mm from the end surface plate 11a in a direction that is parallel to the direction of the central axis of the base portion 11. The upright stem portion 12 has a vertically elongated, substantially isosceles triangular side-surface shape, and is provided extending upright with its central position shifted from the center of the end surface plate 11a to the projecting side of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13. A configuration may also be adopted in which, as schematically shown in FIG. 1(b), the upright stem portion 12 does not have a substantially isosceles triangular side-surface shape, but rather extends upright while having a uniform cross-sectional shape like a rod. The cross-sectional area of the upright stem portion 12 in the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12 is preferably not more than half the area of the base portion 11 in plane view.

The stick-shaped pickup portion 13 is formed by using the same synthetic resin as that used for the base portion 11, and projects obliquely sideways from a leading end portion of the upright stem portion 12 for a length of, for example, 2 mm to 15 mm (about 2 mm to about 15 mm) while being inclined to the side opposite to the base portion 11 at a predetermined angle θ of inclination. Here, the projecting length of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 correlates with the width of a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair 61 to be picked up by the hair pickup tool 10. In view of this, the projecting length of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 is, for example, preferably 2 mm to 15 mm, more preferably 2 mm to 10 mm, even more preferably 3 mm to 8 mm, and particularly preferably 4 mm to 6 mm. The flexural modulus of the synthetic resin forming the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 is preferably 300 to 3500 MPa in the case that a general-purpose resin is used, or is preferably 500 to 2500 MPa in the case that linear low-density polyethylene or an ABS resin is used. From the standpoint of the ease with which the stick-shaped pickup portion can get under the hair and making it easy to obtain a reaction force that counteracts a force by which the hair is pulled in the direction of the scalp after the hair has been collected, the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 preferably has a cross-sectional area of 0.2 to 3 mm² and more preferably has a cross-sectional area of 0.2 to 2 mm².

Moreover, in the first embodiment, the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13, which is inclined obliquely sideways to the side opposite to the base portion 11, relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12 is 10 degrees to 70 degrees. From the standpoint of the ease with which the stick-shaped pickup portion can get under the hair (i.e., the ease of operation when inserting the leading end portion, in which the hair holding protrusion 14 is provided, of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 underneath the strands of hair 61 in a section near the scalp 60 from obliquely below), the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 is preferably not less than 10 degrees, more preferably not less than 20 degrees, and even more preferably not less than 30 degrees. From the standpoint of making it easy for strands of hair 61 that are riding on the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 to be held on the stick-shaped pickup portion 13, the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portions 13 is preferably not more than 70 degrees, more preferably not more than 65 degrees, and even more preferably not more than 60 degrees.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1(b), the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 is provided with two hair holding protrusions 14 in the leading end portion and an intermediate portion, respectively, of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13, the hair holding protrusions 14 protruding, for example, toward the base portion 11 side to a height of 0.5 mm to 6 mm and having a triangular side-surface shape. As shown in FIG. 2(a), one hair holding protrusion 14 may be provided only in the leading end portion of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2(b), three or more (four in FIG. 2(b)) hair holding protrusions 14 may be provided in portions, preferably including the leading end portion, of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13.

Moreover, the protruding height of the hair holding protrusions 14 protruding from the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 toward the base portion 11 side is preferably 0.1 to 3 mm and more preferably 0.2 to 2 mm.

Since two or more hair holding protrusions 14 protruding toward the base portion 11 side of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 are provided, the load that is applied to the hair holding protrusions 14 by strands of hair 61 can be distributed, and therefore, strands of hair 61 that have been picked up can be prevented from easily coming out in a lateral direction. In the case where the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 is provided with two or more hair holding protrusions 14, the plurality of hair holding protrusions 14 may be adjacent to each other. However, if the hair holding protrusions 14 are arranged so as to be appropriately spaced apart from each other, strands of hair 61, of a bundle of hair, attempting to come out in the lateral direction can be supported in a substantially uniformly distributed manner. Therefore, a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair 61 can be more stably picked up. In view of this, the plurality of hair holding protrusions 14 are preferably arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other by a distance of 0.5 mm to 4 mm and more preferably arranged spaced apart from each other by a distance of 1 mm to 3 mm.

In the first embodiment, the hair holding protrusions 14 protruding toward the base portion 11 side of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 have a triangular side-surface shape, and a surface 14a of each triangular-shaped hair holding protrusion 14 on the upright stem portion 12 side is an inclined surface that is inclined to the base portion 11 side at an angle θ′ of inclination relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12. The angle θ′ of inclination of the surface 14a of the hair holding protrusion 14 on the upright stem portion 12 side, the surface 14a being inclined to the base portion 11 side relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12, may be less than 90° (see FIG. 1(b)), or may be more than 90° (see FIG. 2(b)), from the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12. Since the surface 14a of each hair holding protrusion 14 on the upright stem portion 12 side is an inclined surface that is inclined to the base portion 11 side, strands of hair that have been collected can be easily held on the stick-shaped pickup portion 13. In view of this, the angle θ′ of inclination of the surface 14a of each hair holding protrusion 14 on the upright stem portion 12 side is preferably 10 to 135°, more preferably 10 to 90°, even more preferably 30 to 90°, and particularly preferably 30 to 70° relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12.

With the hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment that is configured as described above, strands of hair 61 in a deep section near the scalp 60 can be efficiently scooped up (picked up) as a bundle of hair.

That is to say, the hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment includes the base portion 11, the upright stem portion 12 extending upright from the base portion 11, and the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 projecting from the upright stem portion 12, the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 extending obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion 12 toward the side opposite to the base portion 11 at an angle θ of inclination of 10 to 70 degrees relative to the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12, and the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 being provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions 14 protruding toward the base portion 11 side.

Therefore, according to the first embodiment, if a user holds the handle portion 15 and slides the upright stem portion 12 and the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 along the scalp 60 in the projecting direction of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 while pressing the leading end portion of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 against the scalp 60 as shown in FIG. 3, for example, since the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 points in the direction of the scalp 60 on the side opposite to the base portion 11 from the stem portion 12, the stem portion 12 does not become an obstruction, so that the leading end portion, in which the hair holding protrusion 14 is provided, of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 can be inserted underneath strands of hair 61 in a deep section near the scalp 60 from obliquely below, and the strands of hair 61 in the deep section near the scalp 60 can be efficiently picked up as a bundle of hair. Moreover, since the protruding height of the hair holding protrusions 14 protruding from the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 is not excessively high, the strands of hair 61 easily ride onto the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 whose leading end portion is pressed against the scalp 60. The stick-shaped pickup portion 13 extends obliquely sideways relative to the upright stem portion 12, that is, at an angle that is less than vertical. This configuration, in combination with the effect of the hair holding protrusions 14, enables the strands of hair 61 riding on the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 to be easily held on the stick-shaped pickup portion 13.

Moreover, in the first embodiment, since the cross-sectional area of the upright stem portion 12 in the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12 is preferably not more than half the area of the base portion 11 in plane view, the thickness of the upright stem portion 12 is reduced to a certain extent, and accordingly, the ease of operation when picking up hair can be improved. Here, it is preferable that the cross-sectional area of the upright stem portion 12 in the plane P that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12 is not more than half the area of the base portion 11 in plane view, regardless of the position of the plane P with respect to the upright extending direction X.

As described above, with the hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment, the ease of introducing strands of hair 61 and the ease of holding the introduced strands of hair 61 are excellent, and thus, a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair 61 can be easily picked up, so that hair can be efficiently picked up from strands of hair 61 in a deep section near the scalp 60. It should be noted that the amount of strands of hair 61 to be picked up as a bundle of hair can be easily adjusted by changing the height of each hair holding protrusion 14 provided on the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 and the length of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13.

FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) show a hair pickup tool 20 according to a preferred second embodiment of the present invention. In the hair pickup tool 20 of the second embodiment, the form of stick-shaped pickup portions 23a and 23b differs from the form of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 of the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment. With regard to the hair pickup tool 20 of the second embodiment, constituent portions that are different from those of the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, while constituent portions that are the same as those of the hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. The description regarding the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment is appropriately applied to those constituent portions that will not be specifically mentioned.

In the hair pickup tool 20 of the second embodiment, a stick-shaped pickup portion 23b which is at least one (one) of a plurality (two) of stick-shaped pickup portions 23a and 23b projects obliquely sideways at an angle θ of inclination that is different from the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion 23a which is the other (the other one) of the plurality (two) of stick-shaped pickup portions 23a and 23b. The angle θ of inclination of stick-shaped pickup portion 23b and the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion 23a are the angle of inclination relative to the plane that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction X of the upright stem portion 12 In addition, the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion 23b that is disposed at the leading end side of the upright stem portion 12 is larger than the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion 23a that is disposed at the base end portion side (base portion 11 side) of the upright stem portion 12.

Since the stick-shaped pickup portion 23b, which is at least one, but not all, of the plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions 23a and 23b, projects obliquely sideways at an angle θ of inclination that is different from the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion 23a, which is the other of the plurality, no matter how the stick-shaped pickup portions 23a and 23b are applied to the scalp 60, and even when the stick-shaped pickup portions 23a and 23b are used from various angles, a bundle of hair consisting of strands of hair 61 can be stably picked up. In addition, since the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion 23b that is disposed at the leading end side of the upright stem portion 12 is larger than the angle θ of inclination of the stick-shaped pickup portion 23a that is disposed at the base end portion side of the upright stem portion 12, the projecting direction of the stick-shaped pickup portion 23b that is disposed closest to the leading end side of the upright stem portion 12 is closest to vertical, and the closer to the base end portion side a stick-shaped pickup portion is located, the closer to flat the projecting direction of that stick-shaped pickup portion, that is, the stick-shaped pickup portion 23a. Thus, even when the hair pickup tool 20 is pressed against the scalp 60 at various angles during use, strands of hair 61 can be more stably picked up as a bundle of hair.

FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) show a hair pickup tool 30 according to a preferred third embodiment of the present invention. In the hair pickup tool 30 of the third embodiment, the form of stick-shaped pickup portions 33a and 33b differs from the form of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 of the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment. With regard to the hair pickup tool 30 of the third embodiment, constituent portions that are different from those of the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, while constituent portions that are the same as those of the hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. The description regarding the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment is appropriately applied to those constituent portions that will not be specifically mentioned.

In the hair pickup tool 30 of the third embodiment, a plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions 33a and 33b project from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion 12 while being spaced apart from each other in the upright extending direction of the upright stem portion 12. That is to say, in the third embodiment, four gently-inclined stick-shaped pickup portions 33a in the intermediate portion and one steeply-inclined stick-shaped pickup portion 33b in the leading end portion are provided, the stick-shaped pickup portions projecting from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion 12 in such a manner as to be lined up in the vertical direction.

Since the plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions 33a and 33b are spaced apart from each other in the upright extending direction of the upright stem portion 12 and project from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction while being arranged in a single line in the vertical direction, a gap having a considerable space is formed between the stick-shaped pickup portions 33a and 33b that are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. Consequently, the maximum amount of strands of hair 61 to be picked up can be limited, and also strands of hair 61 that are riding in the gaps suppress vertical rotation of the strands of hair 61, so that the strands of hair 61 can be prevented from easily coming out in an up-down direction.

FIG. 6 shows a hair pickup tool 40 according to a preferred fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the hair pickup tool 40 of the fourth embodiment, the form of stick-shaped pickup portions 43a and 43b differs from the form of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 of the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment. With regard to the hair pickup tool 40 of the fourth embodiment, constituent portions that are different from those of the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, while constituent portions that are the same as those of the hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. The description regarding the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment is appropriately applied to those constituent portions that will not be specifically mentioned.

In the hair pickup tool 40 of the fourth embodiment, a plurality of lined-up pickup portions 44 each constituted by a plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions 43a and 43b projecting from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion 12 are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion 12. That is to say, in the fourth embodiment, three lined-up pickup portions 44 spaced apart from each other by equal angles of 120° in the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion 12 are provided. Each of the lined-up pickup portions 44 includes four gently-inclined stick-shaped pickup portions 43a in the intermediate portion and one steeply-inclined stick-shaped pickup portion 43b in the leading end portion. The stick-shaped pickup portions project from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction in such a manner as to be lined up in the vertical direction.

Since the plurality of lined-up pickup portions 44, each of which includes the plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions 43a and 43b, are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion 12, when the hair pickup tool 40 is rotated during use, some of the stick-shaped pickup portions 43a and 43b act to restrict strands of hair 61, and other stick-shaped pickup portions 43a and 43b of the stick-shaped pickup portions 43a and 43b act to penetrate into the strands of hair 61, so that deeper strands of hair 61 can be picked up.

FIG. 7 shows a hair pickup tool 50 according to a preferred fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the hair pickup tool 50 of the fifth embodiment, the form of stick-shaped pickup portions 53a and 53b differs from the form of the stick-shaped pickup portion 13 of the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment. With regard to the hair pickup tool 50 of the fifth embodiment, constituent portions that are different from those of the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment will be mainly described, while constituent portions that are the same as those of the hair pickup tool 10 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description is omitted. The description regarding the hair pickup tool 10 of the above-described first embodiment is appropriately applied to those constituent portions that will not be specifically mentioned.

The hair pickup tool 50 of the fifth embodiment includes at least one juxtaposed pickup portion 55 (in the fifth embodiment, two juxtaposed pickup portions 55 that are arranged back-to-back). The juxtaposed pickup portion 55 includes a pair of lined-up pickup portions 54 each including four gently-inclined stick-shaped pickup portions 53a in the intermediate portion and one steeply-inclined stick-shaped pickup portion 53b in the leading end portion. The pair of lined-up pickup portions 54 projects in the same direction, and preferably are arranged side-by-side so as to be parallel to each other.

That is to say, in the fifth embodiment, an upright stem portion 52 extending upright from the base portion 11 includes, as also shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b), a pair of upright plate portions 52a that are arranged so as to face each other and a pair of connecting plate portions 52b that connect lateral side edge portions of the pair of upright plate portions 52a on both lateral sides and that have a lower height than the upright plate portions 52a. A total of four lined-up pickup portions 54 are provided as two pairs, the lined-up pickup portions 54 being disposed along respective lateral side edge portions on both lateral sides of surfaces of the pair of upright plate portions 52a, the surfaces being on the opposite side to opposing surfaces of the pair of upright plate portions 52a and being arranged back-to-back. Each pair of lined-up pickup portions 54 provided on a corresponding one of the upright plate portions 52a are arranged side-by-side so as to extend parallel to each other and project in the same direction. Thus, two juxtaposed pickup portions 55 are formed, and the two juxtaposed pickup portions 55 are arranged in back-to-back positions on the upright stem portion 52 so as to face in the opposite directions.

Since at least one juxtaposed pickup portion 55, in which a pair of lined-up pickup portions 54 is arranged side-by-side so as to project in the same direction, is provided on the upright stem portion 52, the stick-shaped pickup portions 53a and 53b are arranged parallel or substantially parallel to one another. Thus, after strands of hair 61 have been picked up, the picked-up linear strands of hair 61 can be restricted at three points, that is, the stick-shaped pickup portions 53a and 53b of one of the lined-up pickup portions 54 of the juxtaposed pickup portion 55, the hair holding protrusions 14 provided on these stick-shaped pickup portions 53a and 53b, and the stick-shaped pickup portions 53a and 53b of the other lined-up pickup portion 54. Therefore, the effect of holding the strands of hair 61 can be further improved.

Moreover, in the hair pickup tool 50 of the fifth embodiment, the inside of the upright stem portion 52 is a hollow portion surrounded on all sides by the pair of upright plate portions 52a and the pair of connecting plate portions 52b. This hollow portion enables the upright stem portion 52 to also be configured to include a treatment agent reserving portion 56 that is in communication with a container containing a hair treatment agent.

That is to say, a hair treatment agent can be fed into and stored in the hollow portion of the upright stem portion 52 by, for example, providing the base portion 11 with an attachment skirt portion 11b and attaching that portion to a neck portion of the container containing the hair treatment agent, and in this manner, the upright stem portion 52 can also be made to function as a portion for applying a hair dye to the picked-up strands of hair 61.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and various changes can be made thereto. For example, the hair holding protrusions protruding toward the base portion side of the stick-shaped pickup portion are not necessarily required to have a triangular side-surface shape. For example, surfaces of the hair holding protrusions that are located on the opposite side to the upright stem portion side may be curved surfaces or may have any other shapes. Moreover, the hair holding protrusions may also be protrusions (e.g., hook-like, claw-like, etc.) having any other various shapes.

Claims

1. A hair pickup tool for picking up strands of hair as a bundle of hair, the hair pickup tool comprising:

a base portion;

an upright stem portion extending upright from the base portion; and

a stick-shaped pickup portion projecting from the upright stem portion,

wherein the stick-shaped pickup portion extends obliquely sideways from the upright stem portion toward a side opposite to the base portion at an angle of inclination of 10 degrees to 70 degrees relative to a plane that is perpendicular to an upright extending direction of the upright stem portion, and

the stick-shaped pickup portion is provided with one or two or more hair holding protrusions protruding toward the base portion side.

2. The hair pickup tool according to claim 1, wherein the hair holding protrusion is provided in at least a leading end portion of the stick-shaped pickup portion.

3. The hair pickup tool according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the stick-shaped pickup portions are provided, the plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions being spaced apart from each other in the upright extending direction of the upright stem portion and projecting from the same position with respect to a circumferential direction of the upright stem portion.

4. The hair pickup tool according to claim 3, wherein at least one, but not all, of the plurality of stick-shaped pickup portions projects obliquely sideways at an angle of inclination that is different from an angle of inclination of the other of the stick-shaped pickup portions relative to the plane that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction of the upright stem portion.

5. The hair pickup tool according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of lined-up pickup portions each constituted by a plurality of the stick-shaped pickup portions projecting from the same position with respect to the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion are provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the upright stem portion.

6. The hair pickup tool according to claim 5, wherein at least one juxtaposed pickup portion is provided in which a pair of the lined-up pickup portions are arranged side-by-side so as to project in the same direction.

7. The hair pickup tool as set forth in claim 1, wherein the stick-shaped pickup portion projects from the upright stem portion for a length of 2 mm to 15 mm.

8. The hair pickup tool according to claim 1, wherein the upright stem portion includes a treatment agent reserving portion that is in communication with a container containing a hair treatment agent.

9. The hair pickup tool according to claim 1, wherein the base portion includes a handle portion on a side opposite to the upright stem portion, and the upright stem portion extends upright along a direction of the central axis of the handle portion.

10. The hair pickup tool according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of the upright stem portion in the plane that is perpendicular to the upright extending direction of the upright stem portion is not more than half an area of the base portion in plane view.