Full Mesh Wig Cap

Abstract

A wig (which may also be used as a cranial prosthetic) is based on a cap formed exclusively of an open-weave mesh material. Individual hairs are hand-tied to the mesh, creating a final product that is able to be styled (e.g., parted, braided, and the like) in the same manner as a natural head of hair. A wig cap formed exclusively of mesh material eliminates the need for backing material (used to stitch together dissimilar wig cap materials), and as a result eliminates the creation of raised seams that are uncomfortable for the wearer and prevent the “restyling” of the wig's hairdo. The all-mesh wig cap, within individual hairs hand-tied at all locations around the cap, allows for the individual wearing the wig to re-style the hair in the same manner as natural hair.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a styleable wig (which may also be used as a cranial prosthetic) that is based upon the use of a scalp cap formed exclusively of a mesh-like material (i.e., open-weave fabrics) into which individual hairs are tied so as to create a final product that is able to be styled (e.g., parted, braided, and the like) in the same manner as a natural head of hair.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Wigs are used to conceal hair loss in a variety of situations (and are worn by both men and women who suffer hair loss). For example, a wig may be worn by a patient undergoing a treatment such as chemotherapy to avoid the hair loss from affecting her/his quality of life. Persons suffering from alopecia or various forms of lupus also suffer from hair loss are another group that often wear a wig at all times (wigs or hairpieces worn for medical reasons may also be referred to a “cranial prosthetic”).

A conventional wig (or cranial prosthetic) typically consists of a scalp cap formed stitching together of a plurality of mesh-like cloth strips that are spliced and seamed together so as to fit against the head. Backing material of a stiffer fabric is typically included along the seams to ensure that the pieces remain joined. Unfortunately, the backing material is necessarily denser that the mesh and, the seam locations are relatively thick and uncomfortable for the wearer. Particularly when used as a cranial prosthetic, these seam locations may be particularly irritating to a person who is undergoing treatment that renders the skin more sensitive than usual.

The conventional wig caps are not considered to be well-ventilated, given the need to utilize the relatively dense backing material. Some may also require the use of elastic bands around the outer perimeter (and perhaps within interior portions of the cap), making the wearing of a wig for extended periods of time further uncomfortable.

Equally problematic is the inability to affix hairs along seam locations, which limits the ways the hair may be styled without exposing the seams. Indeed, most wigs are made to have a fixed hairstyle, created as the individual hairs are woven into the scalp product. Once in place, the wearer cannot change the style, or perform any modifications, such a changing the location of a part in the hair, braiding the hair, or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The needs remaining in the art is addressed by the present invention, which relates to a styleable wig (which may also be used as a cranialprosthetic) that is based upon the use of a cap formed exclusively of an open-weave mesh material. Individual hairs may thus be positioned at virtually any location on the cap, providing complete coverage in the form of a dense head of hair (i.e., without “gaps” at seam locations). The use of the inventive all-mesh wig cap in accordance with the present invention creates a final product that is able to be styled (e.g., parted, braided, and the like) in the same manner as a natural head of hair.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, a wig cap formed exclusively of mesh material eliminates the need for backing material (or any sort of strips of a denser fabric), and as a result eliminates the creation of raised seams that have been found to be uncomfortable for the wearer (particularly in the case of a cranial prosthetic, where the person may already have an increased sensitivity in the scalp region). The utilization of an all-mesh wig cap also improves the “breathe-ability” of the cap, providing significantly more ventilation for the wearer than prior art caps formed of a variety of different materials.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the use of an all-mesh wig cap, with individual hairs hand-tied (the hand-tying process also referred to at times as “ventilation”) at all locations around the cap, allows for the individual wearing the wig to re-style the hair in the same manner as natural hair. That is, since there are no visible “seams” formed in the inventive wig cap, the hair may be parted at any location without exposing sections of the cap not covered by hair.

In further accordance with the present invention, the mesh material used in the formation of the inventive wig cap may comprise any suitable type of open-weave mesh material, for example, any type of tule (including elasticized tule), gauze, netting, or any woven/printed material (for the sake of brevity, the remainder of this disclosure will use the term “mesh” as a general term that covers all of the various open-weave material that may be used to form a wig cap in accordance with the present invention).

Different embodiments of an all-mesh inventive wig cap may be based on mesh materials of different “densities”, often defined in terms of the number of open spaces (holes) per linear inch in a given fabric. Wig caps used as a cranial prosthesis may use a mesh with a relatively high number of holes per inch, allowing for a larger number of individual hairs per inch to be attached to the mesh cap. Alternatively, a wig cap used as a conventional “wig” that is worn over thinning hair may be based on a mesh material with fewer holes per inch; providing the same type of coverage but at perhaps a reduced cost as a result of less labor and materials being required.

One exemplary embodiment of the present invention takes the form of a wig formed on a scalp cap consisting solely of open-weave mesh material. The “size” of the selected mesh material is defined by the number of holes per linear inch formed in the material, where different all-mesh scalp caps may be formed of mesh of different sizes (for different needs). In the formation of the wig, individual hairs are separately attached to specific holes in the mesh material of the scalp cap, the large number of individual hairs forming a wig having a defined density of hair, related to the size of the open-weave mesh material.

Other and further aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following discussion and by reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings, where like numerals represent like parts in several views:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary all-mesh wig cap formed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of the all-mesh wig cap of FIG. 1, illustrating the placement of individual hairs at various spaces within the mesh material;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view from the underside of a completed wig formed on the inventive all-mesh cap, the underside view clearly showing the density of hairs that may be formed on the inventive wig cap;

FIG. 5 shows the positioning of a wig, here used as a cranial prosthesis, on a young patient, with FIG. 5(a) showing the initial positioning of the wig over the patient's scalp, FIG. 5(b) showing an attachment of the wig to the scalp, and FIG. 5(b) showing the final positioning of the wig, providing the look of natural hair;

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary wig as formed on the inventive all-mesh wig cap, in this case styled to include several ponytails;

FIG. 7 is a different view of the styled wig of FIG. 6, showing one of the parts created to divide the hair into sections for forming the ponytails;

FIG. 8 is an enlargement of the view of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows the same wig as illustrated in FIG. 6, in this case styled to have a central braid formed from front to back; and

FIG. 10 is a close-up illustration of the styling of FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary scalp cap 10 formed in accordance with the present invention and used to form a cranial prostheses/wig that may be styled in any manner desired by the wearer. Unlike various prior art wig caps, scalp cap 10 is formed exclusively of a single type of mesh material 12, shown in a close-up inset as part of FIG. 1. The use of a uniform type of mesh material for the complete wig cap eliminates the need to stitch together dissimilar materials forming a cap (as is the case for prior art wig caps), where these raised seams are known to be uncomfortable for the wearer (the seam areas also preventing the wearer from re-styling his/her hair).

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the “size” of mesh material 12 (in terms of the number of openings per linear inch) is selected to provide the desired density of hair in the final product. This will be discussed below in association with FIG. 3. There are also different processes that may be used to attach the individual hairs to mesh material 12, with preferred methods including hand-tying or hooking the hairs between the warp and weft threads forming an individual hole. The density of the final product is also a function of how many individual hairs are tied to a given mesh opening. That is, one hair, or several hairs, may be introduced into each opening in the mesh structure. The result is a natural look, with the wearer able to part the hair at any desired location (instead of a “fixed” part, as typically found with today's wigs).

Advantageously, the use of only mesh material in wig cap 10 provides a sufficient degree of elasticity for the wig to be stretched over the head for placement, while then remaining snugly fit in place once in position. An adhesive is typically used around the edges of the cap to affix the wig to the scalp. When used as a cranial prosthetic, an additional amount of adhesive may be applied to the top of the scalp to ensure that the wig will stay in place. Various adhesives are known to be acceptable for this purpose, preferably adhesives that are water-resistant and do not irritate sensitive skin. For example, silicone-based adhesives that are used for bio-medical applications may be used to affix the wig/cranial prosthetic to the scalp. It has been found that these silicone-based adhesives are strong enough to allow an individual to wear a wig for weeks at a time.

Indeed, the ability to wear a wig based on the inventive scalp cap for an extended period of time (up to three weeks or more) may be attributed to the use of only mesh fabric in the construction of the wig cap, which increases the “breathe-ability” of the wig cap (i.e., forms a “well-ventilated” wig cap) compared to prior art caps formed of multiple types of fabrics.

FIG. 2 is a close-up view of a section of a wig being formed on mesh cap 10. This view illustrates an “empty” portion 10A of cap 10, where the individual hairs have not yet been placed. Also shown is a “filled” portion 10B, clearly showing the individual hairs that have been tied to the openings in mesh fabric 12. Also evident in this view is a joining section 14, which splices together two separate pieces of mesh fabric 12 to form mesh cap 10. Joining section 14 requires minimal stitching, and since the same type of mesh fabric is being spliced together, there is no formation of a raised seam as prevalent in prior art wig cap designs. Referring again to portion 10B, the view of FIG. 2 clearly shows the individual strands of hair that are tied to each opening of the mesh fabric 12.

FIG. 3 is an even closer view of the configuration of FIG. 2, clearly illustrating the individual attachment of individual hair strands to specific locations of the mesh. FIG. 4 is a view of an underside of a finished wig 40 (with the understanding that wig 40 may be used as a cranial prosthetic in a particular application). The attachment of thousands of individual hairs clearly results in a full, dense coverage of mesh material 12.

Different embodiments of the inventive wig cap may be based on mesh materials of different “densities”, often defined in terms of the number of open spaces (holes) per linear inch in a given fabric. As mentioned above, wig caps used as a cranial prosthesis may use a mesh with a higher number of holes per inch than a wig cap that is worn over thinning hair. FIG. 4 is a view from the underside of a wig formed on an exemplary “high density” all-mesh wig cap. The coverage provided by the individual hairs is clearly evident in this view.

It is to be understood that the mesh material used in the formation of the inventive wig cap may be created by weaving an individual thread (or threads) of cotton, silk or a suitable polyester material (for example, nylon). Alternatively, a suitable open-weave mesh material may be created by using a “stamping” process to produce a fabric having a predetermined number of holes per linear inch. In general terms, materials such as gauze, netting, or tule are suitable for forming a wig cap in accordance with the principles of the present invention, with elasticized versions of any of these materials also considered as viable alternatives. It is to be understood that the mesh material may exhibit any suitable color; some examples may use a color similar to the wearer's skin color, other examples may use a more “transparent” type of color.

FIG. 5 shows a process of fitting an exemplary wig (here, used as a cranial prosthetic) on a young person. As mentioned above, dabs of a proper adhesive material are placed on selected areas of the scalp so that once the mesh cap comes into contact with the adhesive, it will remain fixed in place (usually, for an extended period of time which may be up to 3 weeks or more).

FIG. 5(a) particularly illustrates an initial positioning of a cranial prosthesis 50 based on inventive wig cap 10 on the scalp of a patient. An exposed perimeter portion of mesh material 12 is particularly evident in this view, with the hand-tied individual hairs 54 shown best on a side area of wig cap 10. With the adhesive disposed at various locations around the scalp, cranial prosthesis 50 is attached to the scalp, as shown in FIG. 5(b). The exposed perimeter of mesh material 12 is evident in this view as well, which now clearly shows the density of individual hairs 54 across the patient's scalp. Once the fitting is completed, the exposed portions of mesh material 12 are cut off, resulting in the “finished” placement of cranial prosthesis 50 as shown in FIG. 5(c). While a central part 52 is shown in this view, it will be understood (particularly with reference to the following discussion) that virtually any suitable type of hairstyle can now be enjoyed by the patient after fitting with this cranial prosthesis.

As mentioned above, one advantage of the all-mesh wig cap of the present invention is the ability to re-style the hair in the same manner as “natural” hair. FIGS. 6-10 illustrate this advantage, where FIGS. 6-8 show a first styling of the wig to form several “ponytails” at different locations around the head and FIGS. 9-10 depict the creation of “braids” in the same wig. In particular, FIG. 6 shows an exemplary wig 60 formed on the inventive all-mesh wig cap 10 of the present invention. In this view, the hair is shown as styled to include several separate ponytails, with an ear-to-ear part 62 formed across the width of the scalp. FIG. 7 is a different view of this same wig 60, with the same ponytail wig style as shown in FIG. 6, where this view also shows the inclusion of a front-to-back part 64 that is also included in this particular hair style. FIG. 8 is an enlargement of the view of FIG. 7, where the natural style of part 64 is evident is this enlarged view.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show the same wig 60 as depicted in FIGS. 6-8, but in this case re-styled to include a central braid 70 formed from the front to the back. FIG. 10 is a close-up view of braid 70, also showing in detail the part 72 formed alongside braid 70.

Clearly, these are only two styles that may be made; it is an aspect of the present invention that the use of an all-mesh wig cap provides endless varieties in how the hair may be styled.

In places where the description refers to specific embodiments of wigs and related methods one or more modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Details of any specific embodiment/implementation described herein may, whenever possible, be applied to any other specific implementation/embodiments described herein, with all such variations considered as falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

Claims

1. A wig comprising a scalp cap consisting solely of open-weave mesh material having a size determined a number of holes per linear inch formed in the mesh material; anda plurality of individual hairs, each hair separately attached to a selected hole in the mesh material of the scalp cap, the plurality of individual hairs positioned on the scalp cap to form a wig having a defined density of hair, related to the size of the open-weave mesh material.

2. The wig as defined in claim 1 wherein the scalp cap is formed of two or more pieces of open-weave mesh material, spliced together along mating edges in a manner that maintains a uniform mesh size for the scalp cap.

3. The wig as defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of individual hairs are manually attached to the scalp cap.

4. The wig as defined in claim 3 wherein the plurality of individual hairs are hand-tied to threads surrounding selected holes in the open-weave mesh material.

5. The wig as defined in claim 1 wherein the open-weave mesh material is selected from the group consisting of: tule, netting, and gauze.

6. The wig as defined in claim 5 wherein the composition of the open-weave mesh material is selected from the group consisting of: silk, cotton, and nylon.

7. The wig as defined in claim 1 wherein the mesh material exhibits a number of holes per linear inch sufficient to utilize the wig as a cranial prosthetic, covering a head without any natural hair.