Patent Application
20250197063
This invention relates in general to hair product application accessories and more particularly to a receptacle system for containing hair product, which may be removably mounted to any sink.
Hair products such as hair colouring can require a wide variety of accessories to accurately mix the hair product or tint and to successful apply to a consumer. The required hair product application accessories include some type of receptacle or bowl, brushes and depending on the hair stylist environment, a sink or other structure to support the receptacle. For example, a bowl may be used as mixing bowl for mixing at least two products and/or compositions in any form, such as liquid, paste and/or powder form.
Prior art hair product application processes and accessories can often require multiple bowls that need to be positioned close to the consumer, as the process can involve several steps. Typically, a hair stylist applies a hair color to the hair of a customer by scooping out the hair color from a bowl or the like, and the bowl containing the hair color is placed near a head of the customer sitting in a chair. A brush is often used to apply the hair colour by temporarily soaking the brush in the hair color in a bowl. The brush portion is then pressed against the side of the bowl to scrape off the needless hair color and the hair color is then applied to the hair of a consumer. During this application process conventional hair product bowls, are often unstable as they may be moved to accommodate multiple bowls on a stylist's workstation or sink area. Furthermore, this instability can lead to spilt hair product outside the bowl due to the hair product being scraped off by the brush or due to the positioning on the brush relative to the unstable bowl. By providing a stable solution to the hair product application system, hair product does not easily land on the consumer or on any other unintended surface.
As the process of applying hair product can be complicated, messy and time consuming, having the correct arrangement of receptacles, brushes and set up is critical to be timely and to not have any accidental mishaps. Otherwise, the process can have increased labour, hair applying of product and/or dyeing time is prolonged, and mistakes may be made by taking the incorrect receptacle and hair product. Mistakes in applying hair product such as colour can have serious consequences. For example, exchanging two bowls by mistake will result in different shades on different parts of the hair. Some mistakes are not fully reversible and therefore a correction is very difficult and may not even be possible.
Some hair product application systems or processes include complicated bowl assemblies that have additional elements, such as structures that secure the brush to the bowl, extended rims for clamping apparatuses for helping to identity the intended bowl content.
An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved a receptacle system for containing hair product, which may be mounted to any support structure such as a sink.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a bowl assembly for hair product that includes a flexible receptacle adapted to receive hair product and a flexible support structure having a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end may be adapted to have a suction means. The distal end may further include an opening that is adapted to receive the flexible receptacle. The proximal end of the flexible support structure may engage a support surface, and the suction means may engage the support surface with a sufficient force to support the flexible receptacle.
Conveniently, the proximal end of the flexible support may move or flex relative to the distal end from a range 0° to 360°. Furthermore, the proximal end of the flexible support may engage the support surface at an angle having a range from 0° to 180°. The flexible receptacle may be furthered defined as having a top rim and tapered sides. The opening of the distal end of the flexible support may be further defined as having a top edge and bottom edge whereby the bottom edge is defined by the tapered sides of the flexible receptacle.
Preferably, the suction means may be a series of suction cups positioned on the bottom side of the flexible support and are deformable and engage an uneven support surface.
A detailed description of the preferred embodiments are provided herein below by way of example only and with reference to the following drawings, in which:
In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
Referring to
The flexible receptacle 12 may be further defined as having a top rim 26, tapered sides 28 and a bottom 30. The opening 22 of the distal end 18 of the flexible support structure 14 may be further defined as having a top edge 32 and bottom edge 34. The bottom edge 34 may be defined to accept the bottom 30 and tapered sides 28 of the flexible receptacle 12. More specifically the bottom edge 34 and top edge 32 friction fit against the tapered sides 28 of the flexible receptacle 12 so as to provide a secure, snug fit of the flexible receptacle 12 within the opening 22.
The top rim 26 may be further defined as a lip 36 that engages the distal end 18 of the flexible support structure 14, whereby the lip 36 rests on the top edge 32 of the opening 22. This engagement is sufficient whereby the top edge 32 of the opening 22 and the distal end 18 of the flexible support structure 14 easily supports the weight of the flexible receptacle 12 and any contents within the flexible receptacle 12 and the flexible receptacle 12 does not fall through the opening 22.
In alternative embodiment of the present invention, the flexible receptacle 12 may be integrally adhered to the flexible support structure 14 so that the bowl assembly 10 is a single unit. The single unit bowl assembly 10 may be made of malleable plastic that can be manipulated into a variety of positions and secured to a support surface 24. The malleable plastic may be stain resistant and easily cleaned for repeat use.
The flexible receptacle 12 is deformable in nature and may be made of a malleable plastic that allows it to easily engage with the flexible support structure. The malleable nature of the flexible receptacle 12 also allows the stylist to easily remove the flexible receptacle 12 from the opening 22 if required. The flexible receptacle 12 maybe further defined as having a variety of shapes, such as square, circular or rectangular by way of example only. The flexible receptacle 12 may be configured whereby the tapered sides 28 from the top rim 26 to the bottom 30 allow for the smooth insertion of the flexible receptacle 12 into the opening 22 of the distal end 18 of the flexible support structure where it can rest on the lip 36.
The proximal end 16 of the flexible support structure 14 can achieve significant movement relative to the distal end 18 from a range 0° to 360°. This flexibility allows for the proximal end 16 and more specifically the suction means 20 to engage the support surface 24 in a wide variety of positions. For example, the proximal end 16 may be positioned against the support surface 24 at a right angle or 90° to the flexible receptacle 12.
The proximal end 16 of the flexible support structure 14 may be defined, as having a topside 40 and bottom side 42. In one embodiment, the suction means 20 may be positioned on the bottom side 42 of the proximal and 16 of the flexible support structure 14. The suction means 20 may also be positioned on the top side 40 of the proximal end 16 of the flexible support structure 14.
Referring to
The flexible support structure 14 maybe deformable in nature and made out of malleable plastic that allows for increased flexing while providing sufficient strength to engage the support surface 24 as well as the flexible receptacle 12. The flexible support structure 14 can vary in overall shape. More specifically, both the proximal end 16 and the distal end 18 may vary in shape to accommodate both the opening 22 and the suction means 22. The opening 22 may have a variety of configurations or shapes to accommodate or match the shape of the flexible receptacle 12.
The suction means 20 maybe further defined as a series of suction cups 44 positioned to engage the support surface 24. The number and size of the suction cups 44 may vary depending on size of the overall bowl assembly 10.
The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a complete description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many other embodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from the disclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the illustrations are merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions within the illustrations may be exaggerated, while other proportions may be reduced. Accordingly, the disclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.
One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to limit the scope of this application to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangement designed to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the description.
Other variations and modifications of the invention are possible. All such modifications or variations are believed to be within the sphere and scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63609516 | Dec 2023 | US |
