1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a comb intended to facilitate the creation of hairstyles, for example, hairstyles including colored or highlighted locks of hair.
2. Discussion of Background
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,152,306 and 5,694,953 describe combs having teeth in the form of a hook, intended to grasp locks of hair in order to isolate them from the rest of the hair to facilitate treatment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,542 describes a comb having teeth with some of the teeth equipped with hooks enabling locks of hair to be isolated. The gaps between adjacent teeth are all of the same size or height.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,547 describes a known comb incorporating teeth equipped respectively with complex hooks extending into the gaps defined between adjacent teeth so as to isolate locks of hair between the bottom of the gaps and the hooks.
With such combs, the amount of hair taken up by the hook-shaped teeth depends on the depth to which the comb is pressed into the hair, and the quantity of hair comprising each lock drawn out is liable to vary widely from one occasion to another. As a result, it can be difficult for certain hairstyles to be created by an inexperienced person.
There is also a need to be able to color or highlight locks of hair in a reproducible manner over the entire head of hair.
The present invention particularly aims to facilitate the formation of locks of hair of equal size and to improve the reproducibility of hairdressing treatments.
According to one of its aspects, the invention provides a comb for hair which includes:
The teeth of the first and second gaps extend so that their respective free ends are not oriented opposite to each other, but are oriented substantially in the same direction relative to the lengthwise axis of the body. By way of example, the free ends of the teeth can be situated substantially on an outwardly concave line, with this line preferably having a curvature substantially matching that of the skull.
According to one aspect, the height of a gap is measured in a direction perpendicular to the lengthwise axis of the body between the bottom of the gap and a free end of at least one of the teeth defining this gap. When the teeth defining a gap are not of the same length relative to the lengthwise axis, the height of this gap is then measured as the distance between the base and the free end of the highest tooth relative to the lengthwise axis.
The number of second pairs of teeth is between 2 and 20, for example.
The quantity of hair capable of being held in the second gap and being lifted by the comb can be limited by the height of this second gap which is lower than the height of the first gap. When making the comb, the height of the second gap can be specified in relation to the size of the locks of hair to be isolated.
The second gap can be filled with a maximum quantity of hair in a reproducible manner each time the comb is used. Locks of treated hair of the same size can thus be formed more easily.
According to an illustrated example, at least one of the teeth defining the second gap can be hook shaped. For example, the aforementioned projection can include an edge extending both towards the bottom of the second gap and towards the other tooth defining this second gap.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the separation between the teeth defining the second gap is smaller than that between the teeth defining the first gap, with this separation being measured at the free end of the teeth.
The height of the second gap can be, for example, between ¼ and ¾ of the height of the first gap, between ½ and ¾, for example approximately ⅔ of the height of the first gap.
The comb can be made as a single piece by molding at least one plastic material.
At least one of the teeth defining the second gap can be made at least partially of a resiliently deformable material, for example, a thermoplastic material such as a polyolefin.
According to another feature, each of the teeth defining the second gap can include a projection extending in the direction of the opposite tooth.
According to another aspect, a hair treatment process, e.g., for coloring or highlighting at least one lock of hair, is provided. This process includes the following steps:
A further object of the invention is to provide a hair treatment process for several locks of hair. This process includes the following steps:
The invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description, particularly when considered in conjunction with the drawings in which:
The comb 1 shown in
In the example illustrated, two adjacent teeth 5 and 6, i.e. consecutive teeth respectively belonging to two adjacent groups 4, define a first gap 8 of which the height H1 is greater than the height H2 of the gap 9 defined by teeth 5 and 6 in the same group 4. As should be apparent, one tooth of the first pair of teeth forming the first gap can also be a tooth of the second pair of teeth forming the second gap. However, the pairs could also be completely separate pairs without having a common tooth. The heights H1 and H2 are measured in a direction perpendicular to the axis X between the bottom of the gaps 8 or 9 and the free ends of the teeth, as can be seen particularly in
The spacing e2 between the teeth defining the second gap 9 is less than that e1 between the teeth defining the first gap 8. As can also be seen in
In the example considered, the teeth 5 in each group 4 each can have a substantially rectilinear lengthwise axis. When viewed in a direction perpendicular to axis X and to their lengthwise axis, these teeth 5 can present opposite sides 5a and 5b substantially parallel or slightly convergent towards the free end of the corresponding teeth.
In the example of
In the example illustrated, the entire comb 1 is preferably made in one piece by molding at least one plastic material. However, in accordance with the invention, the comb can be made of one or more other materials, for example a metal, and the comb can be formed of plural pieces. Preferably, to minimize the weight of the comb, the handle 2 and/or the body 3 can include through-holes. Although the free ends of the teeth extend to a substantially straight line in the illustrated embodiment, the free ends can extend generally to a concave line of curvature, e.g., matching a curvature of the skull, as noted earlier.
By way of example, the comb can be made entirely of a resiliently deformable material, for example polypropylene or polyethylene plus additives, to enable a lock of hair to move past the projection 11 more easily by elastic deformation of at least one of the teeth 5 and 6.
The comb 1 can also be made from several materials, for example by bi-injection of two or more materials. For example, the projections 11 can be made of a resiliently deformable material, while the rest of the comb can be made of a more rigid material.
As a variant, the teeth 5 and 6 can each be made entirely in a resiliently deformable material and the remainder of the comb of a more rigid material. As should be apparent, various combinations are possible in accordance with the present invention.
As a further variant, only one of the teeth 5 or 6 can be made in a resiliently deformable material and the remainder of the comb 1 in a more rigid material. As should be apparent, various combinations are possible in accordance with the present invention.
An example of use of the comb 1 will now be described in reference to
The user can use the comb by locating a given gap 9, for example that situated at the distal end of the comb, at a reference position on the head before commencing the treatment.
As required, at each subsequent use of the comb, the user can work with reference to a lock of hair already treated. This makes it possible for example to treat either the left or right side in the same manner as the other side.
Clearly, various modifications can be made to the invention without exceeding its scope. For example, as shown in
As illustrated in
The teeth can be disposed with a substantially constant spacing between them. However, in accordance with the invention, the spacing between the teeth can also vary for different positions along the lengthwise axis X.
Throughout the description, including the claims, expressions like including one, having, or comprising should be understood to be synonymous with “including at least one”, unless otherwise specified.
Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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03 07922 | Jun 2003 | FR | national |
This document claims priority to French Application Number 03 07922, filed Jun. 30, 2003 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/488,403, filed Jul. 21, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
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1533684 | Abeel | Apr 1925 | A |
2598330 | Wilson | May 1952 | A |
2915071 | Watkins | Dec 1959 | A |
4996996 | Hirsh | Mar 1991 | A |
5018542 | Lee | May 1991 | A |
5152306 | Stephan | Oct 1992 | A |
5231999 | Schroettner | Aug 1993 | A |
5694953 | Stephan et al. | Dec 1997 | A |
D435692 | Anselmo | Dec 2000 | S |
6523547 | Crocilla | Feb 2003 | B1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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1253367 | Dec 1959 | FR |
637955 | Jan 1964 | FR |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20050022835 A1 | Feb 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60488403 | Jul 2003 | US |