ADJUSTABLE HAIR ACCESSORY

Abstract

A hair accessory includes an external casing having a first end and a second end and forming an interior chamber and opening therein. The hair accessory also includes a first loop and a second loop. The first loop is attached to the interior chamber at the first end and the second loop is attached to the interior chamber at the second end. The hair accessory further includes an elastic cord that extends through a cord lock. The elastic cord is disposed in the interior chamber and is threaded through the first loop and the second loop. The cord lock is configured to adjust a tightness of the hair accessory based on a position of the cord lock along the elastic cord. The hair accessory also includes a first snap at the first end and a second snap at the second end that are configured to removably attach to each other.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to hair accessories. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to hair accessories such as headbands and scrunchies.

BACKGROUND

Hair accessories are often used as fashion accessories and for holding hair away from a user's face or eyes. Common hair accessories include scrunchies and headbands. Headbands and scrunchies are generally made as one-size-fits-all. Because they are not offered in different sizes, headbands and scrunchies often contain some form of elastic material. This is problematic because the entire headband or scrunchie must often be discarded upon the elastic material losing its elasticity or breaking. Additionally, when headbands and scrunchies are too small, users often experience discomfort due to the elastic of the headband pushing on the user's head or the scrunchie pulling the user's hair excessively.

Hair accessories also often get stuck in a user's hair, becoming painful to remove and tangling the user's hair. For users with thick and/or curly hair, hair accessories are often difficult to put on due to the limited size and closed loop structure of headbands and scrunchies. Thus, a need exists for hair accessories that are adjustable and openable, and in which the elastic material can be easily replaced.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the invention concern hair accessories.

In a first embodiment of the invention, a hair accessory includes an external casing. The external casing has a first end and a second end. The external casing forms an interior chamber and opening therein. The hair accessory also includes a first loop and a second loop. The first loop is attached to the interior chamber at the first end and the second loop is attached to the interior chamber at the second end. The hair accessory further includes an elastic cord and a cord lock. The elastic cord is disposed in the interior chamber and is threaded through the first loop and the second loop. The elastic cord extends through the cord lock. The cord lock is configured to adjust a tightness of the hair accessory based on a position of the cord lock along the elastic cord. The hair accessory also includes a first snap at the first end and a second snap at the second end. The first snap and the second snap are configured to removably attach to each other.

In another embodiment of the invention, a hair accessory includes an external casing. The external casing includes a first end and a second end. The external casing includes an interior chamber and forms an opening. The external casing is generally torus-shaped. An elastic cord is disposed in the interior chamber and is threaded through the external casing. The elastic cord extends through a cord lock. The cord lock is configured to adjust a tightness of the hair accessory based on a position of the cord lock along the elastic cord.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, a kit for replacing an elastic cord in a hair accessory includes a hair accessory. The hair accessory includes an external casing. The external casing includes a first end and a second end. The external casing forms an interior chamber and an opening. The hair accessory also includes a first loop, a second loop, an elastic cord, and a cord lock. The first loop is attached to the interior chamber at the first end and the second loop is attached to the interior chamber at the second end. The elastic cord is disposed in the interior chamber and is threaded through the first loop and the second loop. The elastic cord extends through the cord lock. The cord lock is configured to adjust a tightness of the hair accessory based on a position of the cord lock along the elastic cord. The kit also includes a second elastic cord and instructions for replacing the elastic cord with the second elastic cord.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Disclosed herein are embodiments of systems, apparatuses, and methods pertaining to hair accessories. This description includes drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a hair accessory, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an internal view of the hair accessory of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a hair accessory, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an internal view of the hair accessory of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a kit for replacing an elastic cord in a hair accessory, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is described with reference to the attached figures, wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the figures to designate similar or equivalent elements. The figures are not drawn to scale and they are provided merely to illustrate the instant invention. Several aspects of the invention are described below with reference to example applications for illustration. It should be understood that numerous specific details, relationships, and methods are set forth to provide a full understanding of the invention. One having ordinary skill in the relevant art, however, will readily recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods. In other instances, well-known structures or operations are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the invention. The present invention is not limited by the illustrated ordering of acts or events, as some acts may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts or events. Furthermore, not all illustrated acts or events are required to implement a methodology in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a hair accessory 102, according to one embodiment. The hair accessory 102 includes an external casing 104. The external casing 104 may be made of any suitable material, such as fabric and/or vinyl. Examples of suitable fabrics include, but are not limited to, satin, cotton, velvet, linen, flannel, chiffon, crepe, muslin, silk, polyester, wool, fleece, corduroy, and denim. The external casing 104 is the most visible part of the hair accessory 102 while the hair accessory 102 is being worn by a user and therefore may include one or more decorative elements such as gemstones, rhinestones, glitter, sequins, lace, beads, embroidery, etc.

The external casing 104 has a first end 106 and a second end 108. At the first end 106 of the external casing 104, a first snap 112 is affixed to the external casing 104. Similarly, at the second end 108 of the external casing 104, a second snap 114 is affixed to the external casing 104. The first snap 112 and the second snap 114 are configured to removably attach to each other so that when the first snap 112 and the second snap 114 are attached, the hair accessory 102 forms a circular and/or looped shape. The removably attachable first snap 112 and second snap 114 allow the hair accessory 102 to transition between a circular and/or looped shape and a rectangular shape. In some embodiments, when the first snap 112 and the second snap 114 are not attached, the hair accessory 102 is able to lie flat on a surface. It is contemplated that button(s) and hole(s), hook and loop fasteners, hook and eye fasteners, and/or G-hook(s) and loop(s) may be used to removably attach the first end 106 and second end 108 instead of, or in addition to, the first snap 112 and the second snap 114 in other embodiments.

The ability of the hair accessory 102 to transition between a circular and/or looped shape and a rectangular shape is useful for donning and doffing the hair accessory 102. For example, when the hair accessory 102 is used as a headband, the hair accessory 102 does not need to be pulled down over a user's entire head before being set in place. Instead, the hair accessory 102 can simply be set in place and snapped closed to affix the hair accessory 102 on the user's head. When the hair accessory 102 is used as a ponytail holder, the user need not tire their arms by pulling their hair through a ponytail holder multiple times. Instead, the user can simply wrap the hair accessory 102 around a length of their hair and snap the hair accessory 102 closed via the first and second snaps 112, 114 to affix the hair accessory 102.

In some embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 1, the external casing 104 of the hair accessory 102 forms two apertures 116a, 116b that are sized and shaped to allow a hairpin to pass therethrough. Examples of hairpins include claw clips, bobby pins, sectioning clips, French barrettes, snap clips, and banana clips. The hairpin(s) that pass through the apertures 116a, 116b facilitates a user in affixing the hair accessory 102 in a desired location on the user's hair. However, the apertures 116a, 116b are not necessary, and in some embodiments, the external casing 104 does not form any apertures 116a, 116b. In other embodiments, the external casing 104 has one, two, three, four, five, six, or more apertures 116a, 116b. It is contemplated that more apertures may be formed in other embodiments. The apertures 116a, 116b are shown as being generally circular or circular. It is contemplated that the apertures may be other shapes in other embodiments including being non-polygonal shapes such as oval or of a polygonal shape.

The external casing 104 of the hair accessory 102 also forms an elongated opening 110. The opening 110 allows a user to access an interior (not shown in FIG. 1) of the external casing 104. The opening 110 is a rectangular shape in FIG. 1, but may be of another polygonal shape or a non-polygonal shape in other embodiments. The opening 110 and the interior of the external casing 104 are described in more detail in the discussion of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is an internal view of the hair accessory 102 of FIG. 1. The hair accessory 102 includes the external casing 104. The external casing 104 forms an interior chamber 118 within the external casing 104. A first loop 120 is attached to the interior chamber 118 at the first end 106 of the external casing 104. Similarly, a second loop 122 is attached to the interior chamber 118 at the second end 108 of the external casing 104. An elastic cord 124 is also located within the interior chamber 118 and is threaded through the first loop 120 and the second loop 122.

The first loop 120 and the second loop 122 are useful for holding the elastic cord 124 at both the first end 106 and the second end 108 of the hair accessory 102 so that the elastic cord 124 extends through the length of the hair accessory 102. The elastic cord 124 provides additional fixation of the hair accessory 102 to a user's hair by making the hair accessory 102 elastic. The elastic cord 124 also extends through a cord lock 126. The cord lock 126 may be made of any suitable material. In some embodiments, the cord lock 126 comprises plastic, metal, word, ceramic, and/or zinc alloys.

The length of the elastic cord 124 that extends from the first loop 120 to the second loop 122 can be adjusted via the cord lock 126. For example, a shorter length of the elastic cord 124 can be accomplished by pulling the ends of the elastic cord 124 through the cord lock 126, which tightens the hair accessory 102. Likewise, a longer length of the elastic cord 124 can be accomplished by contracting the ends of elastic cord 124 back through the cord lock 126, which loosens the hair accessory 102. Thus, the size and tightness of the hair accessory 102 can be adjusted by moving the cord lock 126 along the length of the elastic cord 124.

The interior chamber 118 of the external casing 104 is accessible from the opening 110 of the external casing 104. In some embodiments, the opening 110 is sized and shaped to allow the cord lock 126 to pass through. For example, the cord lock 126 may be pulled out of the interior chamber 118 via the opening 110 to facilitate a user adjusting the placement of the cord lock 126 along the elastic cord 124. In some embodiments, the opening 110 is sealable and/or resealable. In some embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 2, the opening 110 includes hook and loop fasteners 128 that allow the opening 110 to reversibly seal. A sealable opening 110 is advantageous for hiding and limiting access to the interior chamber 118, and therefore improving the aesthetics of the hair accessory 102.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a hair accessory 202 according to another embodiment. In FIGS. 3-4, the reference numerals are listed as 200-series reference numerals that represent structures and features that are similar to the structures and features of the hair accessory 102 of FIGS. 1-2 that has 100-series reference numerals.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a hair accessory 202, according one embodiment. The hair accessory 202 includes an external casing 204 that defines an interior chamber 218. The external casing 204 forms an opening 210 that allows access to the interior chamber 218. The external casing 204, and therefore the hair accessory 202, are generally torus-shaped. In some embodiments, the hair accessory 202 is a scrunchie. In some embodiments, the external casing 204 comprises fabric and/or vinyl. Examples of suitable fabrics include, but are not limited to, satin, cotton, velvet, linen, flannel, chiffon, crepe, muslin, silk, polyester, wool, fleece, corduroy, and denim. The external casing 204 is the most visible part of the hair accessory 202 while the hair accessory 202 is being worn by a user and therefore may include one or more decorative elements such as gemstones, rhinestones, glitter, sequins, lace, beads, embroidery, etc.

An elastic cord 224 is disposed within the interior chamber 218 and is threaded through the external casing 204. The elastic cord 224 extends through a cord lock 226. The tightness of the hair accessory 202 may be adjusted by repositioning the cord lock 226 along the length of the elastic cord 224. In some embodiments, the opening 210 is sized and shaped to allow the cord lock 226 to pass through. For example, a user may pull the cord lock 226 through the opening 210 to facilitate adjusting the tightness of the hair accessory 202. In some embodiments, the opening 210 is sealable and/or resealable. In some embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 3, the opening 210 includes hook and loop fasteners 228 that allow the opening 210 to reversibly seal. A sealable opening 210 is advantageous for hiding and limiting access to the interior chamber 218, and therefore improving the aesthetics of the hair accessory 202.

In some embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 3, the external casing 204 forms one or more apertures 216a, 216b that are sized and shaped to allow a hairpin to pass through. Examples of hairpins include claw clips, bobby pins, sectioning clips, French barrettes, snap clips, and banana clips. The apertures 216a, 216b and hairpins are useful for affixing the hair accessory 202 to a user's hair. However, apertures 216a, 216b are not necessary and in some embodiments, the hair accessory 202 does not have apertures 216a, 216b.

In other embodiments, the hair accessory 202 has one, two, three, four, five, six, or more apertures 216a, 216b. It is contemplated that more apertures may be formed in other embodiments. The apertures 216a, 216b are shown as being generally circular or circular. It is contemplated that the apertures may be other shapes in other embodiments including being non-polygonal shapes such as oval or of a polygonal shape.

FIG. 4 is an internal view of the hair accessory 202 of FIG. 3. The hair accessory 202 includes an external casing 204 that defines and houses an internal chamber 218. An elastic cord 224 is threaded through the external casing 204. The elastic cord 224 extends through a cord lock 226 so that the elastic cord 224 forms a circular and/or looped shape. The cord lock 226 can be moved along the length of the elastic cord 224 to tighten or loosen the hair accessory 202. For example, the hair accessory 202 may be tightened for use with thin and/or straight hair and loosened for use with thick and/or curly hair. As another example, the hair accessory 202 may be loosened for purposes of wrapping the hair accessory 202 around a length of hair and/or a user's head and then tightened to keep the hair accessory 202 in place.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a kit 330 for replacing an elastic cord in a hair accessory 302, according to one embodiment. The kit 330 includes a hair accessory 302 with an elastic cord, such as elastic cord 124, 224. The hair accessory 302 may be any hair accessory 102, 202 as described herein. In some embodiments, the hair accessory 302 is the hair accessory 102 as illustrated in FIGS. 1-2. The kit 330 further includes a second elastic cord 332 and instructions 334. The instructions 334 explain how to replace the elastic cord of the hair accessory 302 with the second elastic cord 332. The instructions may include text, pictures, and/or diagrams.

The replaceability of the elastic cord in the hair accessory 302 is useful for prolonging the life of the hair accessory 302. For example, if the elastic cord of the hair accessory 302 breaks and/or loses its elasticity, the entire hair accessory 302 does not need to be thrown away. Instead, the elastic cord 124, 224 is replaced with the second elastic cord 332. This is especially useful because elastic cords 124, 224 often have a shorter lifespan than other components of hair accessories 302.

In some embodiments, the kit 330 further includes a needle 336. The needle is useful for threading the elastic cord 124, 224 through the hair accessory 302. In some embodiments, the kit 330 further includes a third elastic cord 338. The third elastic cord 338 may be used to replace the elastic cord 124, 224 and/or the second elastic cord 332. It is contemplated that a fourth, fifth, sixth, or more elastic cords are included in the kit 330.

Claims

1. A hair accessory comprising: an external casing comprising a first end and a second end, the external casing forming an interior chamber and an opening therein;a first loop attached to the interior chamber at the first end;a second loop attached to the interior chamber at the second end;an elastic cord disposed in the interior chamber, the elastic cord threaded through the first loop and the second loop;a cord lock through which the elastic cord extends, the cord lock configured to adjust a tightness of the hair accessory based on a position of the cord lock along the elastic cord;a first snap at the first end; anda second snap at the second end, the first snap and the second snap configured to removably attach to each other.

2. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the opening is sized and configured to allow the cord lock to pass therethrough.

3. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the external casing forms at least one aperture, the at least one aperture sized and configured to allow a hairpin to pass therethrough.

4. The hair accessory of claim 1, further comprising hook and loop fasteners at the opening, the hook and loop fasteners configured and located to seal the opening.

5. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the external casing comprises fabric.

6. The hair accessory of claim 5, wherein the fabric is satin.

7. The hair accessory of claim 5, wherein the fabric is cotton.

8. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the cord lock comprises plastic.

9. A hair accessory comprising: an external casing comprising an interior chamber and forming an opening, the external casing being generally torus-shaped;an elastic cord disposed in the interior chamber, the elastic cord threaded through the external casing, and the cord lock configured to adjust a tightness of the hair accessory based on a position of the cord lock along the elastic cord; anda cord lock through which the elastic cord extends.

10. The hair accessory of claim 9, wherein the opening is sized and configured to allow the cord lock to pass therethrough.

11. The hair accessory of claim 9, wherein the external casing forms at least one aperture, the at least one aperture sized and configured to allow a hairpin to pass through.

12. The hair accessory of claim 9, further comprising hook and loop fasteners at the opening, the hook and loop fasteners configured and located to seal the opening.

13. The hair accessory of claim 9, wherein the external casing comprises fabric.

14. A kit for replacing an elastic cord in a hair accessory, the kit comprising: a hair accessory comprising: an external casing comprising a first end and a second end, the external casing forming an interior chamber and an opening;a first loop attached the interior chamber at the first end;a second loop attached to the interior chamber at the second end;an elastic cord disposed in the interior chamber, the elastic cord threaded through the first loop and the second loop; anda cord lock through which the elastic cord extends, the cord lock configured to adjust a tightness of the hair accessory based on a position of the cord lock along the elastic cord;a second elastic cord; andinstructions for replacing the elastic cord with the second elastic cord.

15. The kit of claim 14, further comprising a needle.

16. The kit of claim 14, further comprising a third clastic cord.