Patent Application
20220022618
None.
The present invention is generally directed to improved hair pins for holding and retaining hair in place.
Bobby pins, hair pins, and other similar apparatuses are well known devices for holding hair in place. These devices use two prongs or arms that are arranged in a somewhat parallel orientation, and overlap or contact each other at one or more locations. When placed in the hair, the two prongs or arms work together to grip and hold the hair in place. These arms or prongs typically are rigid in construction. These devices may be used for multiple hairstyles, for placing and holding hair in the desired position. The traditional bobby pin has been largely unchanged since the 1920's.
Cosmetic and superficial designs and features have been implemented over time, such as adding bends, grooves, waves, ridges, or contoured points of contact on either the upper or lower member of the bobby pin. The bends, grooves, waves, ridges, or contoured points of contact assist the bobby pin in staying in place and holding the hair in the desired position by creating pinch points. However, the metal and plastic materials that are used to construct bobby pins, can be prone to slippage, allowing the bobby pin to move out of place or displace entirely. Even with the addition of ridges or grooves, these bobby pins still tend to move out of place, comprising the hold of the hair. Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved bobby pin, with improved adherence properties so as to maintain the installed position and having improved ability for holding the hair in place.
The present invention is directed toward an improved bobby pin that generally includes an upper leg member operably connected to a lower leg member, and wherein at least one of the upper leg member and/or the lower leg member includes a gripper material disposed to engage a material being acted upon by the bobby pin. For example, the gripper material may be any material having one or more of the following qualities in the present bobby pin—it will be comfortable, soft, flexible, pliable, UV resistant, resistant to dust/dirt/hair, non-toxic, and resilient. In one embodiment, the gripper material may be a foam resin composed of Ethylene-Vinylacetate (EVA) which is a copolymer of Ethylene (60%-90%) and Vinyl Acetate (10%-40%). Other embodiments may include a gripper material being any polymeric material, including but not limited to open cell or closed cell polymeric foams, synthetic or natural rubbers, polyester, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, neoprene, vinyl, PVC, or any material that provides one or more of the above listed qualities.
In one embodiment, the bobby pin includes an upper leg member having a first end and a second end that define a length of the upper leg member. The bobby pin may further include a lower leg member having a first end and a second end defining a length of the lower leg member. Generally, the second end of the upper leg member may be operably connected to the second end of the lower leg member at a closed end of the bobby pin. Further, in one embodiment, at least a portion of the length of the upper leg member and/or the lower leg member includes a gripper material disposed to engage the object or material being acted upon by the bobby pin.
Both the upper leg member and the lower leg member may be coated with a gripper material. In another embodiment, the bobby pin may include a channel defined in at least a portion of the length of one of the upper leg member or the lower leg member. This channel may be filled with the same gripper material, and the gripper material may be inserted and arranged within the channel to engage the material being acted upon by the bobby pin, typically hair. In one embodiment, the lower leg member of the bobby pin has the channel and the lower leg channel may be filled with the gripper material. Alternatively, the upper leg member may include the channel filled with the gripper material by itself or with the lower leg member. It may be preferable for both the upper leg member to have a first channel and the lower leg member to have a second channel, wherein both the first and second channels may be filled with the gripper material. Finally, it may also within the scope of the invention for the gripper material filling in the channels to have an engagement surface that includes a crown, which may be a rounded and/or raised portion of the gripper material which extends slightly higher than the channel and may be the first point of engagement between the gripper material and the object or material being acted upon by the bobby pin.
With respect to the shape of the bobby pin, in one embodiment, the upper leg member includes a plurality of ridges or undulations similar to current bobby pin designs. In this embodiment, the lower leg member may be typically straight. However, because the gripper material improves the holding ability of the pin, it may be possible for both the top and the bottom legs to be straight without losing any performance or holding capacity. Alternatively, it may also be within the scope of the present invention for both the upper leg member and the lower leg member to include ridges or undulations, which could be complimentary, in that they nest with each other, or in opposition so that the design creates a plurality of contact points with a plurality of spaces defined adjacent to the contact points.
In a typical embodiment, the bobby pin may be of unitary construction and the second end of the upper leg member may be operably connected to the second end of the lower leg member by a bend in the bobby pin. The bend acts as a spring to hold the legs in a relative position but allow for the legs to be separated for placement. In other embodiments, the second end of the upper leg member may be operably connected to the second end of the lower leg member, more generally by any known or developed spring mechanism. In one embodiment, the bobby pin may include an open end located opposite of a location where the upper leg member and the lower leg member may be operably coupled, with an opening at the open end defined by the first end of the upper leg member and the first end of the lower leg.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.
The accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification, are to be read in conjunction therewith in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like or similar parts in the various views:
The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout. For purposes of clarity in illustrating the characteristics of the present invention, proportional relationships of the elements have not necessarily been maintained in the drawing figures. It will be appreciated that any dimensions included in the drawing figures are simply provided as examples and dimensions other than those provided therein are also within the scope of the invention.
The following detailed description of the invention references specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Other embodiments can be utilized, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The present invention is defined by the appended claims and the description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense and shall not limit the scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
The present invention generally relates to an improved bobby pin, utilizing a gripping material for improved stability and increased duration of keeping the bobby pin in place in the hair. The bobby pin of the present invention improves the stability and staying ability by incorporating the use of a gripping material coating, which may entirely cover the bobby pin, or may be applied to channels or parts of the bobby pin, depending on the embodiment.
As illustrated in
As presently designed, and illustrated in
Bobby pin 10 further comprises ridged leg member 14, which functions as a top leg member to bobby pin 10. As illustrated in
Straight leg member 12 and ridged leg member 14 may be connected together at a second end 26 through use of a bend 24. Bend 24 may be a generally U shape, as illustrated in
Bobby pin 10 further utilizes the use of gripper material 30 to assist in keeping bobby pin 10 in place. The gripper material may be any material having one or more of the following qualities in the present bobby pin—it will be comfortable, soft, flexible, pliable, UV resistant, resistant to dust/dirt/hair, non-toxic, and resilient. In one embodiment, the gripper material may be a foam resin composed of Ethylene-Vinylacetate (EVA) which is a copolymer of Ethylene (60%-90%) and Vinyl Acetate (10%-40%). Other embodiments may include a gripper material being any polymeric material, including but not limited to open cell or closed cell polymeric foams, synthetic or natural rubbers, polyester, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, neoprene, vinyl, PVC, or any material that provides one or more of the above listed qualities. The gripper material could be textured to improve engagement with hair. Such textures may include ribs, raised nubs, waffle patterns and such textures may be set up to be complementary with textured surface to nest with or align with the opposing leg members
In one embodiment of bobby pin 10, gripper material 30 may be applied directly to the surface of bobby pin 10 and can substantially or completely coat the entire surface of bobby pin 10, as illustrated in
For example,
It will be appreciated that in alternate embodiments, gripper material 30 may be partially applied to bobby pin 10. In an embodiment of bobby pin 10 with a partial coating, it will be appreciated that gripper material 30 may be applied to one or more portions of bobby pin 10. As such, when placed in hair, the hair will come in contact with both gripper material 30 and the material that constructs bobby pin 10. By way of non-limiting example, if bobby pin 10 is constructed from aluminum, and there is only partial covering of gripper material 30, hair will be in contact with both the aluminum and gripper material 30.
As illustrated in
Inner channel 204 may be located on the interior surface of alternate straight leg member 202, such that when bobby pin 10 is placed in hair, gripper material 30 in inner channel 204 is in contact with the hair. As shown in
In all embodiments of bobby pin 10 as illustrated in
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all the ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with other advantages which are inherent to the structure and method. It will be understood that certain features and sub combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Since many possible embodiments of the invention may be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is also to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not limiting.
The constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts and principles of the present invention. Thus, there has been shown and described several embodiments of a novel invention. As is evident from the foregoing description, certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications, or equivalents thereof, will occur to those skilled in the art. The terms “having” and “including”, and similar terms as used in the foregoing specification are used in the sense of “optional” or “may include” and not as “required”. Many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the present construction will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.
