HAIR EXTENSION DEVICE WITH MESH SHEET
A hair extension for integration with a person's head of hair is described in this disclosure. The hair extension illustratively includes a plurality of supplemental hairs and an attachment band that provides means for removably coupling the plurality of supplemental hairs to natural hairs included in the person's head of hair. The attachment band is illustratively flexible and couples to natural hairs included in the person' s head of hair mechanically.
Hair extensions are used to add length or fullness to a person's natural head of hair for cosmetic reasons. These devices include supplemental hairs from another human head or from synthetic sources to augment natural hairs on a person's head. The supplemental hairs are integrated into a person's natural head of hair using one of a number of methods. However, many of these methods can be time consuming, costly, and/or damaging to a person's natural head of hair. Furthermore, many of these methods leave the wearer with an unnatural look to their hairstyle.
SUMMARYA hair extension for integration with a person's head of hair is described in this disclosure. The hair extension includes a plurality of supplemental hairs and a mechanical attachment for attaching the plurality of supplemental hairs to a person's head of natural hairs.
In illustrative embodiments, the mechanical attachment includes an attachment band that provides a means for removably coupling the supplemental hairs to natural hairs included in the person's head of hair. The attachment band is flexible and couples to natural hairs included in the person's head of hair in response to pressing and sliding a finger along the attachment band when a person's natural hair is received in the attachment band.
In illustrative embodiments, the hair extension includes a mesh sheet that extends over at least a portion of an outwardly facing surface of the mechanical attachment. The mesh sheet thus hides the mechanical attachment and can provide a textured background from which the supplemental hairs emanate.
In illustrative embodiments, the mesh sheet includes apertures. In such embodiments, at least some of the supplemental hairs extend through the apertures.
In illustrative embodiments, the supplemental hairs include short supplemental hairs and long supplemental hairs. The short supplemental hairs extend upwardly while the long supplemental hairs extend downwardly. This arrangement can provide a concealing effect for further hiding the mechanical attachment.
Additional features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of illustrative embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosure as presently perceived.
The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
A hair extension 10 according to the present disclosure is adapted to be integrated into a wearer's natural hair 16 included in a person's head of hair 18 to add length or fullness to wearer's natural hair 16 as suggested in
Attachment band 14 is illustratively flexible to conform to the underlying shape of a wearer's head/hair 18 when coupled to wearer's natural hairs 16 as suggested in
The illustrative flexibility of attachment band 14 allows for individual elements (clamps/locks) of a clamp mechanism 30 and a band lock mechanism 34 to close in sequence in response to pressure applied by a user along attachment band 14 while natural hairs 16 are positioned between connector strip 38 and engagement strip 40, as suggested in
Attachment band 14 includes connector strip 38, engagement strip 40, and tether or elbow 54 interconnecting strips 38, 40 as shown in
Connector strip 38 includes a connector panel 42, a plurality of lock teeth 52, and an opener tab 68 as shown in
Engagement strip 40 is configured to be laid over and pressed into engagement with connector strip 38 after wearer's natural hair 16 is arranged between of connector strip 38 and engagement strip 40 while attachment band 14 is in the opened position. Engagement strip 40 includes an engagement panel 58, a plurality of catches 46, and an opener tab 70 as shown in
Catches 46 are spaced apart from one another along engagement panel 58 from tether 54 at one end of engagement strip 40 to opener tab 70 at the free end of engagement strip 40. Opener tab 70 extends from the free end of engagement panel 58 and is shaped to provide a grip for a user to detach engagement strip 40 away from connector strip 38 when opening attachment band 14.
Opener tabs 68, 70 included in hair extension 10 are configured to allow the opening of attachment band 14 as suggested in
A band lock mechanism 34 configured to clamp wearer's natural hair 16 and retain attachment band 14 in the closed position is provided by the interaction of lock teeth 52 and catches 46 as suggested in
Lock teeth 52 are illustratively arrow-shaped with a stem 63 that extends from connector panel 42 and a cap 64 that extends from stem 63 to form a barb, as shown in
Crown 82 of each cap 64 is shaped to have a rounded tip 84 and a plurality of angled opener surface 86, as shown in
Catches 46 engage lock teeth 52 to secure attachment band 14 in the closed position as shown in
Head 90 of each post 62 is formed to include an angled cam pivot surface 88. During closure of attachment band 14, angled cam pivot surface 88 is configured to pivot about a locking axis in response to engagement of pivot surface 88 by angled opener surfaces 86 included in lock teeth 52. Head 90 of each post 62 is further formed to include a blocker surface 94 extending parallel to an underlying portion of engagement panel 58. Blocker surfaces 94 are arranged in confronting relation with a lock surface 80 of corresponding lock tooth 52 when attachment band 14 is in the closed position, thereby blocking the opening of attachment band 14.
An alternate lock tooth ST is shown in
Lock tooth 52′ is illustratively rectangular-shaped with a stem 63′ that extends from connector panel 42 and a cap 64′ that extends from stem 63′ to form a substantially flat surface 84′. Illustratively, stem 63′ is sized such that lock tooth 52′ is in closer vertical relation to connector panel 42 than lock tooth 52. Further, there are no motion-relief openings 61 formed adjacent to stem 63′ to allow for movement of lock teeth 52′ relative to connector panel 42 as in lock tooth 52. Cap 64′ of each lock tooth 52′ includes a plate 66′ that defines a lock surface 65′ extending parallel to an underlying portion of connector panel 42 and a crown 82′ configured to drive movement of a catch 46′ during movement of attachment band 14 to the closed position.
Crown 82′ of each cap 64′ is shaped to have a flat surface 84′ and a plurality of angled opener surfaces 86′, as shown in
An alternative catch 46′ is shown in
Catch 46′ is configured to engage lock tooth 52′ to secure attachment band 14 in the closed position. Illustratively, each catch 46′ is made up of a plurality of interconnected posts 62′ arranged around the perimeter of an aperture 56′ to form a rectangular-shaped protrusion extending away from engagement panel 58 as shown. Aperture 56′, located between posts 62′, is configured to receive crown 82′ of each cap 64′ included in lock tooth 52′ when attachment band 14 is in the closed position. Additionally, each post 62′ includes a neck 92′ that extends from engagement panel 58 and a head 90′ that extends from corresponding neck 92′ toward respective opposing post 62′. In other embodiments, some or all of neck 92′ included in each catch 46′ may be interconnected with other necks 92′ included in catch 46′ while heads 90′ included in each catch 46′ remain spaced apart from one another.
Head 90′ of each post 62′ is formed to include an angled cam surface 88′. During closure of attachment band 14 in designs incorporating catch 46′ and lock teeth 52′, angled cam surface 88′ is configured to be engaged by angled opener surfaces 86′ included in lock teeth 52′. Head 90′ of each post 62′ is further formed to include a blocker surface 94′ extending parallel to an underlying portion of engagement panel 58. Blocker surface 94′ is arranged in confronting relation with a lock surface 80′ of corresponding lock tooth 52′ when attachment band 14 is in the closed position, thereby blocking the opening of attachment band 14.
In order to couple supplemental hairs 12 to attachment band 14, illustratively, mesh sheet 20 includes a plurality of apertures 28 configured to engage at least one supplemental hair 12. Further, other attachment mechanisms may be used to couple supplemental hairs 12 to attachment band 14. Mesh sheet 20 is coupled to and extends over an outer surface of attachment band 14 such that supplemental hairs 12 extend from attachment band 14 through mesh sheet 20. Mesh sheet 20 is configured to couple supplemental hairs 12 to hair extension 10 such that supplemental hairs 12 appear to extend from wearer's head 18 as natural hairs 16 and supplemental hairs 12 are assimilated into natural hairs 16. Mesh sheet 20 is further configured to integrate supplemental hairs 12 into natural hairs 16 when coupled to wearer's head 18 such that that attachment band 14 is covered by supplemental hairs 12 and natural hairs 16, as suggested in
Plurality of apertures 28 are sized to receive at least one supplemental hair 12 in each aperture 28 to create the appearance of full, natural hair 16. Illustratively, supplemental hairs 12 are coupled to mesh sheet 20 through apertures 28 by threading supplemental hairs 12 through apertures 28 and securing supplemental hairs 12 to mesh sheet 20 by a closing mechanism. The closing mechanism may include knotting supplemental hairs 12, gluing supplemental hairs 12, applying a sealant to supplemental hair 12, or some combination thereof so to secure supplemental hair 12 to mesh sheet 20. In other embodiments, supplemental hair 12 may be secured directly to attachment band 14 via an adhesive. Illustratively, each supplemental hair 12 is thread through an aperture 28 and knotted at one end in order to retain supplemental hair 12 in mesh sheet 20. Supplemental hairs 12 are configured to be knotted such that supplemental hairs 12 extend away from hair extension 10. Once knotted, supplemental hairs 12 are sealed as an additional coupling mechanism; sealing the knots further retains supplemental hairs 12 in mesh sheet 20 and avoids the loss of supplemental hairs 12 due to loosening of the knots.
Illustratively, supplemental hairs 12 coupled to mesh sheet 20 may include a plurality of relatively long supplemental hairs 24 extending downwardly away from attachment band 14 and a plurality of relatively short supplemental hairs 26 extending upwardly away from attachment band 14, as shown in
A second embodiment 210 of hair extension 10 is shown in
Hair extension 210 includes supplemental hairs 12 and an attachment band 14. Attachment band 14 is arcuately shaped to conform to wearer's head 18, as shown in
Attachment band 14 includes a connector strip 238 and an engagement strip 240. Attachment band 14 does not include a tether or elbow 54 as connector strip 238 and engagement strip 240 are not formed from a continuous strip. Rather, connector strip 238 and engagement strip 240 are formed from at least two independent strips, both strips 238, 240 configured to engage wearer's natural hair 16 and releaseably couple to each other, as shown in
Hair extension 210 further includes band lock mechanism 34, as discussed above, which is configured to clamp wearer's natural hair 16 and retain attachment band 14 in the closed position is provided by the interaction of lock teeth 52 and catches 46, as suggested in
The following numbered clauses include embodiments that are contemplated and non-limiting:
Clause 1. A hair extension for integration with a person's head of hair, the hair extension comprising
a plurality of supplemental hairs,
an attachment band coupled to the plurality of supplemental hairs and configured to be secured to the person's head of hair, the attachment band being flexible to conform to the shape of a person's head of hair, and
a mesh sheet that extends over at least a portion of an outwardly facing surface of the attachment band to hide the attachment band, the plurality of supplemental hairs extending from the mesh sheet so that the mesh sheet provides a textured background from which the plurality of supplemental hairs emanate.
Clause 2. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the mesh sheet comprises lace material with an open pattern having apertures formed therethrough and at least some of the supplemental hairs extend through the apertures.
Clause 3. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the mesh sheet defines a plurality of apertures and at least some of the plurality of supplemental hairs extend through the apertures.
Clause 4. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the attachment band comprises air-impermeable polymeric materials.
Clause 5. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the mesh sheet is substantially all arranged within a footprint of the attachment band when the attachment band is viewed looking toward the outwardly facing surface of the attachment band.
Clause 6. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the plurality of supplemental hairs includes a plurality of short supplemental hairs and a plurality of long supplemental hairs.
Clause 7. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the plurality of short supplemental hairs extend away from the plurality of long supplemental hairs so to blend in with the person's head of hair.
Clause 8. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the attachment band includes a flexible connector strip and a flexible engagement strip that overlays the flexible connector strip when the attachment band is coupled to the person's head of hair so that the flexible engagement strip provides the outwardly facing surface of the attachment band, the flexible connector strip includes a plurality of lock teeth, and the engagement strip includes a plurality of catches each arranged to engage the corresponding plurality of lock teeth when the attachment band is coupled to the person's head of hair.
Clause 9. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the attachment band includes a flexible tether that extends from the flexible connector strip to the flexible engagement strip, and the attachment band is a single monolithic flexible component.
Clause 10. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the flexible connector strip includes a plurality of apertures configured to receive the plurality of lock teeth.
Clause 11. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the plurality of catches includes a plurality of posts spaced apart from each other and arranged on all sides of the plurality of apertures in the flexible connector strip.
Clause 12. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the plurality of lock teeth are arrow-shaped and include a plurality of stems extending from the connector panel and a plurality of caps extending from the stems so that the outermost edges of the plurality of caps extend beyond the outermost edges of the plurality of stems.
Clause 13. A hair extension comprising
a plurality of supplemental hairs,
an attachment band coupled to the plurality of supplemental hairs and configured to be secured to the person's head of hair, and
a mesh sheet that extends over an outwardly facing surface of the attachment band while remaining substantially all arranged within a footprint of the attachment band when the attachment band is viewed looking toward the outwardly facing surface of the attachment band.
Clause 14. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the mesh sheet further includes a plurality of apertures and at least some of the plurality of supplemental hairs extend through the apertures.
Clause 15. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the plurality of supplemental hairs includes a plurality of short supplemental hairs and a plurality of long supplemental hairs.
Clause 16. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the plurality of short supplemental hairs extend away from the plurality of long supplemental hairs.
Clause 17. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the attachment band includes a flexible connector strip and a flexible engagement strip that overlays the flexible connector strip when the attachment band is coupled to the person's head of hair so that the flexible engagement strip provides the outwardly facing surface of the attachment band, the flexible connector strip includes a plurality of lock teeth, and the engagement strip includes a plurality of catches each arranged to engage the corresponding plurality of lock teeth when the attachment band is coupled to the person's head of hair.
Clause 18. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the flexible connector strip includes a plurality of apertures each configured to receive a corresponding lock tooth.
Clause 19. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein each of the plurality of catches includes a plurality of posts arranged on all sides of a corresponding aperture in the flexible connector strip.
Clause 20. The assembly of any other suitable clause or combination of clauses, wherein the plurality of lock teeth are arrow-shaped, each lock tooth includes and include a stem extending from the connector panel and a cap extending from the stem to provide the head of the arrow-shaped lock tooth, and each head included in a lock tooth is formed to include a plurality of hair-receiving channels sized to receive natural hairs from a person's head of hair.
Claims
1. A hair extension for integration with a person's head of hair, the hair extension comprising
- a plurality of supplemental hairs,
- an attachment band coupled to the plurality of supplemental hairs and configured to be secured to the person's head of hair, the attachment band being flexible to conform to the shape of a person's head of hair, and
- a mesh sheet that extends over at least a portion of an outwardly facing surface of the attachment band to hide the attachment band, the plurality of supplemental hairs extending from the mesh sheet so that the mesh sheet provides a textured background from which the plurality of supplemental hairs emanate.
2. The hair extension of claim 1, wherein the mesh sheet comprises lace material with an open pattern having apertures formed therethrough and at least some of the supplemental hairs extend through the apertures.
3. The hair extension of claim 1, wherein the mesh sheet defines a plurality of apertures and at least some of the plurality of supplemental hairs extend through the apertures.
4. The hair extension of claim 3, wherein the attachment band comprises air-impermeable polymeric materials.
5. The hair extension of claim 3, wherein the mesh sheet is substantially all arranged within a footprint of the attachment band when the attachment band is viewed looking toward the outwardly facing surface of the attachment band.
6. The hair extension of claim 1, wherein the plurality of supplemental hairs includes a plurality of short supplemental hairs and a plurality of long supplemental hairs.
7. The hair extension of claim 6, wherein the plurality of short supplemental hairs extend away from the plurality of long supplemental hairs so to blend in with the person's head of hair.
8. The hair extension of claim 1, wherein the attachment band includes a flexible connector strip and a flexible engagement strip that overlays the flexible connector strip when the attachment band is coupled to the person's head of hair so that the flexible engagement strip provides the outwardly facing surface of the attachment band, the flexible connector strip includes a plurality of lock teeth, and the engagement strip includes a plurality of catches each arranged to engage the corresponding plurality of lock teeth when the attachment band is coupled to the person's head of hair.
9. The hair extension of claim 8, wherein the attachment band includes a flexible tether that extends from the flexible connector strip to the flexible engagement strip, and the attachment band is a single monolithic flexible component.
10. The hair extension of claim 8, wherein the flexible connector strip includes a plurality of apertures configured to receive the plurality of lock teeth.
11. The hair extension of claim 10, wherein the plurality of catches includes a plurality of posts spaced apart from each other and arranged on all sides of the plurality of apertures in the flexible connector strip.
12. The hair extension of claim 10, wherein the plurality of lock teeth are arrow-shaped and include a plurality of stems extending from the connector panel and a plurality of caps extending from the stems so that the outermost edges of the plurality of caps extend beyond the outermost edges of the plurality of stems.
13. A hair extension comprising
- a plurality of supplemental hairs,
- an attachment band coupled to the plurality of supplemental hairs and configured to be secured to the person's head of hair, and
- a mesh sheet that extends over an outwardly facing surface of the attachment band while remaining substantially all arranged within a footprint of the attachment band when the attachment band is viewed looking toward the outwardly facing surface of the attachment band.
14. The hair extension of claim 13, wherein the mesh sheet further includes a plurality of apertures and at least some of the plurality of supplemental hairs extend through the apertures.
15. The hair extension of claim 13, wherein the plurality of supplemental hairs includes a plurality of short supplemental hairs and a plurality of long supplemental hairs.
16. The hair extension of claim 15, wherein the plurality of short supplemental hairs extend away from the plurality of long supplemental hairs.
17. The hair extension of claim 13, wherein the attachment band includes a flexible connector strip and a flexible engagement strip that overlays the flexible connector strip when the attachment band is coupled to the person's head of hair so that the flexible engagement strip provides the outwardly facing surface of the attachment band, the flexible connector strip includes a plurality of lock teeth, and the engagement strip includes a plurality of catches each arranged to engage the corresponding plurality of lock teeth when the attachment band is coupled to the person's head of hair.
18. The hair extension of claim 17, wherein the flexible connector strip includes a plurality of apertures each configured to receive a corresponding lock tooth.
19. The hair extension of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of catches includes a plurality of posts arranged on all sides of a corresponding aperture in the flexible connector strip.
20. The hair extension of claim 17, wherein the plurality of lock teeth are arrow-shaped, each lock tooth includes and include a stem extending from the connector panel and a cap extending from the stem to provide the head of the arrow-shaped lock tooth, and each head included in a lock tooth is formed to include a plurality of hair-receiving channels sized to receive natural hairs from a person's head of hair.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 4, 2018
Publication Date: Mar 25, 2021
Inventor: Priel MAMAN (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
Application Number: 16/498,415