Patent Grant
8132577
The present invention relates generally to hairstyling accessories and, in particular, to barrettes and similar hair clips for holding hair in place.
Typical commercially available auto-clasp barrettes are designed in only one size to hold the same volume of hair. Thus, a user with thick/coarse hair would use the same size auto-clasp barrette as a user with thin/fine hair. Also, the same size auto-clasp barrette would be used to secure all a user's hair or only a portion of it. Accordingly, these auto-clasp barrettes are not ideal for every situation. For example, such auto-clasp barrettes can easily slide out of thin hair or can break when trying to be forced to secure a lot of thick hair.
Accordingly, it can be seen that needs exist for improved auto-clasp barrettes that can be used on thick or fine hair to hold all or only a portion of the user's hair. It is to the provision of solutions to these and other problems that the present invention is primarily directed.
Generally described, the present invention relates to hair clips such as auto-clasp barrettes that can be adjusted to provide more or less compressive holding force on the hair. This enables the user to customize the same barrette to provide less compressive force for holding most any volume of thick hair or a large volume of thin hair, or to provide more compressive force for holding most any volume of thin hair or a small volume of thick hair.
The barrette includes a base, a locking arm, a leaf spring, and at least one adjustment coupling. Each adjustment coupling includes one or more guide tracks longitudinally positioned on the base and one or more sliders extending from the leaf spring (e.g., at one or both of the leaf spring ends). The sliders slide longitudinally along the guide tracks to permit the leaf spring to be bowed/tensioned and un-bowed/un-tensioned so that it exerts a user-selected compressive force on the hair and locking arm. Each adjustment coupling also includes a releasable lock assembly for securing the sliders in the user-selected position during the normal use of the barrette.
In a first example embodiment, two guide track channels are formed all the way through the base and two sliders are defined by the free ends of the leaf spring, with the spring ends/sliders extending through the channels. The spring ends/sliders include caps at the outer surface of the base that can be moved to slide the spring ends/sliders along the guide channel. The channel includes locking stations for example defined by notches that receive the spring ends/sliders to releasably secure them in place. Accordingly, the cap can be moved longitudinally to re-position the spring ends/sliders to produce more bowing in the leaf spring for holding fine hair or only a small portion of thin hair or to produce less bowing for holding coarse thick hair or a large portion of thin hair.
In a second example embodiment, the sliders each include a body with an adjustment spring extending laterally from it and the channels each include a serrated wall with teeth and notches. The slider spring engages the notches, which define locking stations, to releasably secure the sliders (and thus the leaf spring ends) in place. When a sufficient longitudinal force is applied to the sliders, the adjustment springs contact the teeth and resiliently retract laterally to permit the sliders to travel along the channel to adjust the bowing in the leaf spring.
In a third example embodiment, the sliders each include a body with an adjustment spring extending upwardly from it and the channels each include a serrated wall with teeth and notches. The slider spring engages the notches, which define locking stations, to releasably secure the sliders (and thus the leaf spring ends) in place. When a sufficient longitudinal force is applied to the sliders, the adjustment springs contact the teeth and resiliently retract downwardly to permit the sliders to travel along the channel to adjust the bowing in the leaf spring.
The specific techniques and structures employed by the invention to improve over the drawbacks of the prior devices and accomplish the advantages described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description of the example embodiments of the invention and the appended drawings and claims.
Generally described, the present invention relates to an auto-clasp barrette that can be adjusted by the user depending on how much hair (e.g., all/almost all of her hair or only a portion of her hair) and the type of hair (e.g., fine or coarse) to be secured. Thus, the user is able to adjust the amount of compression the barrette exerts on her hair. Generally, a user securing all of her coarse hair would not need as much compression by the barrette as a user securing a portion of her fine hair. Accordingly, a single barrette size can be used for a variety of hairstyles because the user can increase the compression of the barrette for a half-up style and decrease the compression for a full updo. As used herein, the term “auto-clasp barrette” includes similar hair clips such as contour clips, claw clips, non-auto-clasp barrettes, etc.
In addition, the barrette 10 also includes at least one adjustment coupling that can be manipulated to adjust the coupling position along a longitudinal axis of the base 12 to adjust the tension of the leaf spring 16 and thus the compressive force it exerts on the hair. For example, the adjustable coupling can include at least one guide track longitudinally formed in the base or the locking arm, and at least one free end of the leaf spring 16 that slides along the track. In the depicted embodiment, the leaf spring 16 has two free ends 22, each extending through a guide track channel 24 formed all the way through the base 12, each extending beyond the outer surface of the base, and each defining a slider element. The spring free ends/sliders 22 can each include at least one cap (e.g., a button or knob) 26 that is positioned at the outer surface (away from the hair) of the base 12 and that can be easily manipulated by a user to slide that spring free end along its channel 24. The channels 24 each have one or more (e.g., the two depicted) serrated walls that each define one or more teeth and one or more notches, with the notches defining one or more locking stations 28 (e.g., the two depicted) in which the respective spring free end 22 can be releasably secured. For example, the geometry and dimensions of the locking stations 28 and a cross-section of the spring free ends/sliders 22 can be selected so that the spring free ends fit snugly within the locking stations, with the spring free ends made of a resilient material that is deformable to permit them to slide along the channel 24 between the locking stations, thereby forming a detent mechanism.
In an alternative embodiment, the spring free ends/sliders each include a collar that fits snugly within the locking stations and a recessed portion that that can easily slide along the respective channel between the locking stations, with the collar and the recess being selectively aligned with the base upon the application of a pushing or pulling force on the respective cap. In other alternative embodiments, the spring free ends/sliders include one or more laterally extending springs (deflectable fins, fingers, or other protrusions) that are received in the locking stations.
In any case, the compression that the leaf spring 16 (in cooperation with the locking arm 14) will apply to the hair can be easily adjusted. The user can slide one or both the spring caps 26 toward the longitudinal middle of the base 12 to increase the compression and slide one or both of them toward the ends of the base to decrease the compression. This is because moving the free ends/sliders 22 of the leaf spring 16 toward each other causes the spring to deflect and bow outward more so that the locking arm 14 contacts it sooner when moved to the closed position. And moving the spring free ends 22 away from each other causes the leaf spring 16 to deflect back to a less bowed-out configuration so that the locking arm 14 contacts it later (or not at all) when moved to the closed position. The spring free ends/sliders 22 lock into the locking stations 28 at the user-selected positions of the spring free ends to retain the leaf spring 16 in the adjusted position.
The locking arm 54 and the leaf spring 56 are adjustably connected to the base 52 by at least one adjustment coupling 60 that can be manipulated to adjust the coupling position along a longitudinal axis 62 of the base to adjust the tension of the spring. In the depicted embodiment, two slide couplings 60 are longitudinally spaced apart and slidably connect the leaf spring 56 near its ends 64 to the base 52 near its ends 66. The slide couplings 60 include at least one guide track longitudinally formed in or on the base 52 and at least one slider that extends from the leaf spring 56 and slides along the guide track. For example, two aligned guide track channels 68 can be longitudinally formed in the base 52 (e.g., in a rail 72 that protrudes from the base), and two sliders, including a hinge-end slider 70 and a clasp end slider 71, can be provided with one at each spring end 64 and with a portion of each slider received in one of the channels, as depicted. Thus, the leaf spring 56 extends between and is secured to (or integrally formed as a part of) the hinge-end slider 70 and the clasp-end slider 71. In addition, the guide track channels 68 each define one or more locking stations in which the respective hinge-end slider 70 and/or the clasp-end slider 71 can be releasably secured, as described below.
Referring additionally to
The sliders 70, 71 each have an adjustment spring 90 deflectably extending from them. The adjustment springs 90 can be provided by compression springs (e.g., the depicted belt-shaped spring), tension springs, elastic members, or other spring elements known in the art. In the depicted embodiment, the bodies 80 of the sliders 70, 71 each have an internal cavity that houses the adjustment spring 90. A fixed portion 92 of each spring 86 is mounted to the slider body 80 (e.g., at an inner wall 94) and an engagement portion 96 of each spring extends through a window 98 in the slider body (e.g., in an opposing sidewall) when the spring is in its extended position. In addition, a longitudinal wall 74 of each guide track channel 68 is generally serrated with a series of teeth 76 and notches 78 formed along it. The teeth 76 can be flat-tipped (as depicted), generally pointy, ramped (curved or angled), etc. and the notches 78 can be curved (as depicted), rectangular, flat-bottomed, ramped (curved or angled), etc. The spring engagement portion 96 deflects to a retracted position upon engagement with the teeth 76 of the channel wall 74, and resiliently returns to its extended position when not in engagement with the teeth. The spring engagement portion 96 is not engaged by the teeth 76 when it is aligned with and received in the notches 78 between the teeth. As such, the locking stations are defined by the notches 78, which receive the spring engagement portion 96 to hold the sliders 70, 71 in user-selected positions.
In operation, a user can adjust the compression of the leaf spring 56 by applying enough longitudinal force to the sliders 70, 71 to overcome the lateral biasing forces of the spring engagement portions 96 against the serrated channel walls 74. When this is done, the sliders 64 can slide within the channel 70 in either direction along the longitudinal axis 62. For example, if the user wants to decrease the compression on the hair (such as when securing a large amount of finer hair or securing thicker hair), the user moves one or both of the sliders 70, 71 toward the ends of the base 52 (i.e., away from each other), thereby causing the leaf spring 56 to bow less and provide less compression against the locking arm 54 (e.g., see
Once the user has adjusted the barrette 50 to provide the desired spring compression, the user releases the force exerted on the sliders 70, 71. The engagement portion 96 of the adjustment spring 90 will seat into one of the notches 78 between two of the teeth 76 of the serrated channel wall 74, thereby holding the slider or sliders 70, 71 in place during normal use of the barrette 50. In other words, each slide coupling 60 functions in a manner somewhat similar to a ratchet and pawl, with the generally serrated wall 74 being a linear rack and the spring engagement portion 96 being the pawl. Accordingly, the slide couplings 60 allow the user to adjust the compression of the barrette 50 by adjusting the tension and bowing of the leaf springs 56.
The base 52, the locking arm 54, the leaf spring 56, and the slide coupling 60 can be injection molded of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) such as nylon or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), with these components (and any sub-components) snap-fit or welded together. These components can be made with smooth edges to reduce or eliminate snagging in the hair and to permit the barrette 50 to glide smoothly in and out of the hair. In addition, the hair-engaging surfaces of the locking arm 54 and the leaf spring 56 can be made of or coated with a material having a high coefficient-of-friction to better secure the barrette 50 in the hair. Furthermore, the outer surface of the base 52 can be integrated with or form part of an aesthetically pleasing design. For example, the base 52 can include jewels, embellishments, over-molded decorative elements, or the like.
In alternative embodiments, the barrette includes a single guide channel positioned adjacent one end of the base and along which slide two sliders at the spring ends, or a single guide channel adjacent one end of the base in which slides a single slider at the corresponding end of the spring. In another alternative embodiment, both opposing walls of the channels are serrated and are engaged by springs extending from both sides of the slider body. In yet another alternative embodiment, one or both of the channel sidewalls have one or more springs (e.g., resiliently deflectable fins, fingers, cantilevers, or other protrusions) extending from them and one or both sides of the slider body are serrated and engaged by channel springs. In still another alternative embodiment, the adjustment spring is provided by a portion of the slider body itself that is made of a resilient material so that it deforms upon engagement with the teeth to permit the slider to travel in the channel and that relaxes into the notches to hold the slider in position with a snap fit to form a detent mechanism. And in yet still another alternative embodiment, the guide tracks are provided by rails that protrude from the base (instead of channels recessed into the base) and the sliders each have one or two sidewalls that extend from them and form a channel that slidingly receives the guide rail. In this alternative embodiment, one or both of the slider sidewalls slidingly engage one or both sidewalls of the guide rails, and one or more springs (e.g., resiliently deflectable fins, fingers, cantilevers, pushbuttons, or other protrusions) extend from the guide-rail sidewalls and through one or more openings in the slider sidewalls.
In the depicted embodiment, the guide tracks 120 are formed by guide channels in the base 112 (e.g., in the top surface of a rail 126 protruding from the base, as depicted) that slidingly receive the engagement portion 128 of the adjustment spring 130. The guide channels 120 each include a serrated wall 132 defining teeth 134 and notches 136, with the notches defining locking stations that secure the sliders 122 in pace. The teeth 134 and the notches 136 can be rectangular (as depicted), ramped (curved or angled), flat-tipped and/or -bottomed, etc. One of the sliders 122 has a hinge bracket 138 mounted to it and the other slider has a clasp 140 mounted to it.
In the barrette 110 of this embodiment as shown in
In operation, the sliders 122 can be re-positioned by applying longitudinal forces to them sufficient to overcome the upward biasing forces of the spring engagement portions 128 against the channel-wall teeth 134. When this is done, the sliders 122 can slide along the channel 124 in either longitudinal direction, thereby causing the leaf spring 116 to bow more or less as may be desired to provide more or less compression to the hair. As such, the barrette 110 of this embodiment operates the same as that of the second example embodiment described above.
The elements and features of the alternative embodiments described above with respect to the second alternative embodiments can be incorporated into the barrette of this embodiment. For example, the rail can be provided with two opposing serrated channel walls, as depicted, or only one. In addition, although the present invention is described in terms of example barrettes having two slider couplings, each independently adjusting the compression of the leaf spring against the locking arm, in alternative embodiments the present invention includes barrettes with only one slider coupling and guide channel. In still another embodiment, the hinge bracket for the locking arm can be connected to the base (not to the sliders of the slider couplings) and/or the clasp for the locking arm can be connected to the base (not to the sliders of the slider couplings). Also, although the present invention is described in terms of an auto-clasp barrette, slider couplings operable to adjust the spring compression/bowing can be employed in other hair accessories, such as other barrettes, claws clips, and other types of hair clips.
It is to be understood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices, methods, conditions, or parameters of the example embodiments described and/or shown herein, and that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments by way of example only. Thus, the terminology is intended to be broadly construed and is not intended to be unnecessarily limiting of the claimed invention. For example, as used in the specification including the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, the term “or” means “and/or,” and reference to a particular numerical value includes at least that particular value, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, any methods described herein are not intended to be limited to the sequence of steps described but can be carried out in other sequences, unless expressly stated otherwise herein.
While the claimed invention has been shown and described in example forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/080,834, filed Jul. 15, 2008, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
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