WO2001039626A1 - Hair clip for fine hair - Google Patents

Hair clip for fine hair Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2001039626A1
WO2001039626A1 PCT/US2000/031915 US0031915W WO0139626A1 WO 2001039626 A1 WO2001039626 A1 WO 2001039626A1 US 0031915 W US0031915 W US 0031915W WO 0139626 A1 WO0139626 A1 WO 0139626A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
hair clip
hair
knob
inner face
closure arm
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/031915
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Heidi C. Horman
Original Assignee
Remedies Trading Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Remedies Trading Corporation filed Critical Remedies Trading Corporation
Publication of WO2001039626A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001039626A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
    • A45D—HAIRDRESSING OR SHAVING EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT FOR COSMETICS OR COSMETIC TREATMENTS, e.g. FOR MANICURING OR PEDICURING
    • A45D8/00—Hair-holding devices; Accessories therefor
    • A45D8/24—Hair clasps, i.e. multi-part clasps with pivotal connection of parts at their ends
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
    • A45D—HAIRDRESSING OR SHAVING EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT FOR COSMETICS OR COSMETIC TREATMENTS, e.g. FOR MANICURING OR PEDICURING
    • A45D8/00—Hair-holding devices; Accessories therefor
    • A45D8/004—Hair-holding devices; Accessories therefor with decorative arrangements or form
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A45—HAND OR TRAVELLING ARTICLES
    • A45D—HAIRDRESSING OR SHAVING EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT FOR COSMETICS OR COSMETIC TREATMENTS, e.g. FOR MANICURING OR PEDICURING
    • A45D8/00—Hair-holding devices; Accessories therefor
    • A45D8/004—Hair-holding devices; Accessories therefor with decorative arrangements or form
    • A45D8/008—Ornaments specially adapted for being attached to small strands of hair
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T24/00—Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
    • Y10T24/15—Bag fasteners
    • Y10T24/155—Resilient slot bag tie
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T24/00—Buckles, buttons, clasps, etc.
    • Y10T24/44—Clasp, clip, support-clamp, or required component thereof
    • Y10T24/44641—Clasp, clip, support-clamp, or required component thereof having gripping member formed from, biased by, or mounted on resilient member
    • Y10T24/44744—Clasp, clip, support-clamp, or required component thereof having gripping member formed from, biased by, or mounted on resilient member with position locking-means for engaging faces
    • Y10T24/44752—Integral locking-means

Landscapes

  • Hair Curling (AREA)
  • Clamps And Clips (AREA)

Abstract

A hair clip (10) includes a formation defining an elongated base arm (11) having two knobs (25 and 26), an elongated closure arm (12) defining two apertures (15 and 16), and a hinge region (14) connecting the arms for pivotal movement between open and closed positions. Knob (25) has a stem portion (33) and a free end portion (35) defining an end area with a peripheral acute angle flat-face detent (41). Knob (26) has a stem portion (34) and a free end portion (36) defining an end area with a peripheral acute angle flat-face detent (42). In a preferred embodiment, the hair clip, when closed, defines a passage for hair having several sharp bends, including acute angle 180° bends. In a preferred embodiment, the passage passes between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at a first side of the hair clip, between a first interior side of the aperture and a first side of the stem, between the face of the detent and the outer face of the closure arm at the first side of the hair clip, over the free end portion of the knob, between the face of the detent and the outer face of the closure arm at a second side of the hair clip, between a second interior side of the aperture and a second side of the stem, and between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at the second side of the hair clip.

Description

HAIR CLIP FOR FINE HAIR
Technical Field This invention relates generally to hair accessories, and more particularly to a hair clip that securely grasps and holds in place the fine hair of an infant.
Background During the seventeen years that the inventor has been a hair stylist, she has received many complaints from her clients who have been unable to find a hair clip or barrette that will securely grasp and hold fine hair in place. Fine hair has a tendency to slip through the clamping arms. This is true for adults with fine hair, but more so for children's extremely fine hair.
Summary of Invention A hair clip, according to the present invention includes a formation defining an elongated base arm, an elongated closure arm, and a hinge region connecting the arms for pivotal movement between an open position and a closed position. The closure arm has an inner face, and at least one elongated aperture with interior sides. The base arm includes a base member with an inner face, and at least one elongated knob projecting inwardly from the inner face, the at least one knob having a stem portion and a free end portion defining an end area.
The hair clip, when closed, defines a passage for hair having several sharp bends. The passage passes between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at a first side of the hair clip, between a first interior side of the aperture and a first side of the stem, over the free end portion of the knob, between a second interior side of the aperture and a second side of the stem, and between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at a second side of the hair clip.
In a preferred embodiment, the closure arm has two elongated apertures and two knobs. Each knob has a free end portion, wider than the stem portion, the free end portion defining an acute angle flat-face detent.
The passage passes between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at a first side of the hair clip, between a first interior side of the aperture and a first side of the stem, between the face of the detent and the outer face of the closure arm at the first side of the hair clip, and over the free end portion of the knob. The passage then passes, at a second side of the hair clip, between the face of the detent and the outer face of the closure arm, between a second interior side of the aperture and a second side of the stem, and between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member.
The passage has four 180° bends. Two of the four bends have an acute angle defined by the detent. The knob and the aperture cooperate to both grip the hair and hold the hair clip closed. In another embodiment, the passage has four 90° bends.
Brief Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the invention showing the hair clip in the open position.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in the closed position gripping a bunch of hair.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a stretched-out open position. FIG. 4 is a side elevation view illustrating the hair clip of FIG. 1 in a stretched-out open position.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention showing the hair clip in the open position.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 2. Detailed Description First Embodiment
A first preferred embodiment of a hair clip according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-5. FIG. 1 shows the first preferred embodiment in an open position. FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 in the closed position gripping a bunch of hair 20.
Referring to FIGS. 1-4, hair clip 10 of the first preferred embodiment is a thermoplastic elastomer formation defining elongated base arm 11 and elongated closure arm 12, the two arms joined by hinge region 14. Hinge region 1 allows for pivotal movement of the arms between an open position and a closed position of the hair clip. Base arm 11 includes base member 21, which defines inner face 22. First knob 25 extends inwardly from inner face 22. Second knob 26 also extends inwardly from inner face 22. First knob 25 includes first stem 33, first free end portion 35, and cylindrical end area 37. Second knob 26 includes second stem 34, second free end portion 36, and cylindrical end area 38. In each case, the free end portion is wider than the corresponding stem portion.
Closure arm 12 defines first elongated aperture 15 and second elongated aperture 16 penetrating the closure arm over much of inner face 23. The elongated aperture has interior sides 17. See FIGS. 1 and 3.
FIG. 2 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 in the closed position gripping a bunch of hair. FIG. 2 shows that when the hair clip is closed and holding hair 20, hair 20 passes over cylindrical end area 37. FIGS. 3 and 4 show a top view and a side elevation view, respectively of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a stretched-out open position. FIG. 3 shows the interior sides 17 of the first elongated aperture. FIG. 4 shows an annular flat-face detent 41. The embodiment of FIG. 1 is shown again in cross-section in FIG. 5. The cross- sectional view is taken along line A-A of FIG. 2. This view of the closed hair clip shows stem portion 33 in aperture 15, and free end portion 35 outside aperture 15. Strands of hair 20 pass between closure arm 12 and a first portion 42 of flat-face detent 41, pass over cylindrical end area 37, and also pass between closure arm 12 and an opposite second portion 43 of the flat-face annular detent 41. It can be seen from FIG. 4 that detent 41 has an acute angle section - angle "A". First aperture 15 and first knob 25 define a passage for hair that has four 180° bends. The four bends are indicated in FIG. 5 as "a", "b", "c", and "d". Thus, the knob and the aperture cooperate to perform two functions: gripping the hair and holding the hair clip closed.
FIG. 5 shows a gap 47 between closure arm 12 and base member 22. It also shows a gap 48 between outer face 29 of closure arm 12 and first free end portion 35. However, in the preferred embodiment, the stem is sized so that there is substantially no gap when the hair clip is closed. These gaps are shown in FIG. 5 only to illustrate the path followed by the strands of hair.
It can be seen from FIG. 5 that the hair clip, when closed, defines a passage for hair. The passage passes between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at a first side of the hair clip (side a, b). It passes between a first interior side of the aperture and a first side of the stem. It passes between the face of the detent and the outer face of the closure arm at the first side of the hair clip. It passes over the free end portion of the knob, between the face of the detent and the outer face of the closure arm at a second side of the hair clip (side c, d). It passes between a second interior side of the aperture and a second side of the stem. It passes between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at the second side of the hair clip.
To provide sufficient rigidity in the closure arm, the thickness of the closure arm is greater than the thickness of the base member. Sufficient thickness is needed to maintain dimensional integrity of the apertures in the closure arm when the walls of the apertures are under pressure from the free end portion of the knobs. The relative thickness of closure arm 12 and base member 21 is best illustrated in FIG. 4. Also contributing to maintain dimension integrity of the apertures when the walls of the apertures are under pressure is bridge 24 shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows bridge 24 located between the first elongated aperture 15 and second elongated aperture 16 of closure arm 12.
Decoration is shown in FIG. 1 as bow 44, tied to base member 21 by a length of thread 45. Gap 46 between the two elongated knobs defines a portion of base member suitable for convenient central attachment of a bow. Bow 44 is tied by the length of thread 45 to base member 21. The thread passes through gap 46 and is located between the two stems. In particular, first stem 33 prevents the thread and the decoration from sliding off the hair clip.
The preferred embodiment for infant's hair is approximately two inches (5 cm) long when the arms are in alignment as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. It is approximately one inch (2.5 cm) long when closed as shown in FIG. 2. The thickness of the closure arm is approximately 0.03 inches (7.5 mm). The thickness of the base member is approximately 0.05 inches (13 mm). As shown at X-X of FIG. 4, hinge region 14 has the same thickness as the thickness of base member 21 to provide the appropriate flexibility. The absence of a cut-away minimizes the risk of breakage along the line of the hinge.
The formation is preferably made of a thermo-plastic elastomer ("TPE"), a rubberlike low-durometer thermo-plastic material including a percentage of polypropylene and a percentage of elastomer. A suitable material is obtainable from M. A. Hanna Co., Cleveland, Ohio, USA. A relatively soft formulation is preferred for the infant's hair clip. A preferred formulation has approximately 30% elastomer for better grip.
A second embodiment of a hair clip according to the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 6-7. FIG. 6 shows the second embodiment having a base arm 51 and an elongated closure arm 52, the two arms joined by hinge region 54. Base arm 51 includes base member 61, which defines inner face 62. First knob 65 and second knob 66 extend inwardly from inner face 62. First knob 65 is a knob for locking the hair clip in the closed position. Second knob 66 is a substantially rectangular formation for clamping hair. Closure arm 52 defines aperture 55, elongated recess 56 and inner face 63. The first knob engages the first aperture to lock the hair clip in the closed position. The second knob is sized to hold strands of hair firmly in recess 56.
Aperture 56, first knob 66 and inner faces 62 and 63 define a passage for hair that has four 90° bends. The four bends are indicated in FIG. 7 as "aa", "bb", "cc", and "dd".

Claims

What is claimed is:
1. A hair clip, comprising: a formation defining an elongated base arm, an elongated closure arm, and a hinge region connecting the arms for pivotal movement between an open position and a closed position; wherein the closure arm has an inner face, and at least one elongated aperture with interior sides; and wherein the base arm includes a base member with an inner face, and at least one elongated knob projecting inwardly from the inner face, the at least one knob having a stem portion and a free end portion defining an end area; such that the hair clip when closed defines a passage for hair, the passage passing between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at a first side of the hair clip, between a first interior side of the aperture and a first side of the stem, over the free end portion of the knob, between a second interior side of the aperture and a second side of the stem, and between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at a second side of the hair clip.
2. A hair clip according to claim 1 , wherein the knob and the aperture define a passage for hair having four 90° bends.
3. A hair clip according to claim 1, wherein the closure arm has at least one elongated aperture and at least one knob; and at least one knob has a free end portion, wider than the stem portion, defining a detent having a face; such that the hair clip when closed defines a passage for hair, the passage passing, between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at a first side of the hair clip, between a first interior side of the aperture and a first side of the stem, between the face of the detent and the outer face of the closure arm at the first side of the hair clip, over the free end portion of the knob, between the face of the detent and the outer face of the closure arm at a second side of the hair clip, between a second interior side of the aperture and a second side of the stem, and between the inner face of the closure arm and the inner face of the base member at the second side of the hair clip.
4. A hair clip according to claim 3, wherein a knob and an aperture define a passage for hair having four 180° bends.
5. A hair clip according to claim 4, the four 180° bends include two sharp 180° bends.
6. A hair clip according to claim 5, wherein a knob and an aperture cooperate to both grip the hair and hold the hair clip closed.
7. A hair clip according to claim 3, wherein the base arm includes two elongated knobs and the closure arm defines two elongated apertures.
8. A hair clip according to claim 7, wherein the closure arm includes a bridge portion between the two elongated apertures.
9. A hair clip according to claim 7, wherein a gap between the two elongated knobs defines a portion of base member suitable for attachment of decoration.
10. A hair clip according to claim 3, wherein the thickness of the closure arm is greater than the thickness of the base member.
11. A hair clip according to claim 3 , wherein the free end portion of each knob has a flat-face detent.
12. A hair clip according to claim 3, wherein the detent has an acute angle section.
13. A hair clip according to claim 3, wherein the end area has a cylindrical section.
14. A hair clip according to claim 1 , wherein the formation is made of a thermo-plastic elastomer.
PCT/US2000/031915 1999-12-03 2000-11-21 Hair clip for fine hair WO2001039626A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US16894599P 1999-12-03 1999-12-03
US60/168,945 1999-12-03

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001039626A1 true WO2001039626A1 (en) 2001-06-07

Family

ID=22613629

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US2000/031915 WO2001039626A1 (en) 1999-12-03 2000-11-21 Hair clip for fine hair

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US (1) US6446638B1 (en)
WO (1) WO2001039626A1 (en)

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US6634366B1 (en) * 2002-01-04 2003-10-21 Christine M. Simmons Hair piece assembly
US7041600B2 (en) * 2003-06-30 2006-05-09 International Business Machines Corporation Methods of planarization
US7506415B2 (en) * 2004-10-07 2009-03-24 Brian Michael W Small clothing item management system
US8132286B2 (en) 2007-10-25 2012-03-13 David Chiappetta String cleaning system
US20090173029A1 (en) * 2008-01-07 2009-07-09 Dennis Albert Socha Polymeric acoustic isolator clip for isolating wallboard channels from frame member
US8038501B2 (en) * 2008-02-15 2011-10-18 Linda Eisen Figurine for displaying a locket of hair
US20090266379A1 (en) * 2008-04-23 2009-10-29 Yuan Ming Du Hair clamping device
US20090308411A1 (en) * 2008-05-29 2009-12-17 David Chiappetta String and instrument cleaning system
US8369572B2 (en) * 2009-06-09 2013-02-05 Lockheed Martin Corporation System and method for passive automatic target recognition (ATR)
US9022043B1 (en) * 2010-05-25 2015-05-05 Felicia F. Lujan-Puckett Hair holder system
US8485202B1 (en) * 2010-05-25 2013-07-16 Felicia F. Lujan-Puckett Hair holder device
CN107105807A (en) * 2014-11-11 2017-08-29 亚龙·哈桑 Hair accessories and its addition method
US10247212B2 (en) * 2017-07-27 2019-04-02 Lawrence E. Nunes Device for mounting an object
USD930253S1 (en) * 2019-04-04 2021-09-07 Ceven With A C, Llc Tool for removing adhesive from hair extension weft

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