When washing one's hair, often the loose hair attaches to the hands of the person washing his or her hair. Many individuals with long hair may then store their loose hair on the shower wall to be collected later. However, if the loose hair is rinsed off during a shower, it then often ends up in the drain, a drain blockage generally results.
Outside of direct drain protection in the form of strainers, blockers or wet brushes, few inventions appear to have been created or created to prevent hair from entering the shower drain. Without such a strainer, when showering, loose hair will flow directly into and down the drain. This will likely result in a clogged and backed up shower drain. If a strainer, screen, or blocker is installed at the drain, the hair will likely be caught, but this results in the need for repetitive cleaning to prevent clogging. An individual may also incorporate a wet brush designed to be used on wet hair during their shower or bath. The wet brush will collect loose hair before it is direct into and down the drain, and is made of a base with protruding flexible bristles.
Different mechanisms have been created to address this issue of loose hair in one's hands, and the potential for such hair being rinsed off and ending up in the shower drain. As described above, such devices have generally been strainer or filter devices attached to or over the shower drain. While these devices will typically catch most loose hair, these devices also catch the loose hair at the drain, which results in the drain backing up anyway. Moreover, such devices require the user to clean the device, which often can be a dirty and messy task.
Other device designs have been created to allow for collection of loose hair from one's hands. Such prior art designs include, by way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 10,765,198, for a Hair Removal Device, by Watne et al; U.S. Pat. No. 10,791,819 for a Loose Strand Retainer, by Caccamise, and U.S. Pat. No. 9,549,611 for a Shower Caddy, by Bocanegra.
In Watne et al., a hair removal device is disclosed that may be mounted to a wall. The device has an assembly of spines or tentacles projecting outward from the wall and disposed to form a plurality of finger rows between the assembly of spines. While Watne et al. teaches a device that can be used to collect loose hair from a user's hand or fingers, the Watne et al. device is essentially one-sided and requires the user to swipe his or her hand multiple times to remove loose hair. Moreover, the Watne et al. device does not provide for an easy means to remove the loose hair that is caught within the spines.
Similar to Watne et al., the Caccamise loose strand retainer device provides for elements of a single base configured for receiving and retaining loose strands, and an attachment means connected to the single base to allow for attaching the retainer device to a support surface. The Caccamise retainer device is one-sided and would require multiple swipes of the user's hand to remove the loose strands to the single base element. Moreover, there is no easy process for removal and cleaning of the loose strands from the retainer device.
As disclosed in Bocanegra, a shower caddy is shown that it may be hung from the shower head. The Bocanegra device has a hair screen (62) on a lowermost shelf. In use, the loose hair on one's hands and fingers are transferred to a panel by touching the panel, and then the water overspray during showering causes the hair to slide down the panel and become trapped in the hair screen. The screen can then be removed from the shelf for disposal of the collected hair. As disclosed and shown, it does not appear that loose hair in one's hand or fingers will be caught or attached to any panel in the Bocanegra device.
Each of these patents disclose particular designs and devices for collecting loose hair or strands, but none provide a comprehensive solution for the need to easily, and in one motion, collect loose hair from one's hand or fingers, and then in another single motion allow for collection and removal of the collected loose hair.
What is needed is an apparatus for use by individuals with longer hair that allows the user to easily remove loose hair from the user's hands, in a single motion or swipe, and retains the loose hair until the user wishes to easily remove and dispose of the collected and retained loose hair. The use of such a device within a shower, or next to a sink would be preferred, but is not necessary. Such a device does not appear to have been created or used upon a review of the relevant the prior art.
The above noted problems inadequately or incompletely resolved by the prior art are addressed and resolved by the present invention. The present invention is a device made to capture or collect loose hair in place while showering for later disposal. The problem solved by the invention is to prevent hair from entering the drain. Examples and certain embodiments of the present invention are summarized below.
In one embodiment, there is disclosed a loose hair capture and retention device, comprising a base section, at least two substantially opposing side sections attached to the base section, a plurality of opposing flexible pillars attached to the side sections such that distal ends of the plurality of opposing flexible pillars may be separated by a pillar end gap, whereby by swiping in a first direction through the pillar end gap results in loose hair being captured and retained in the device; and whereby by swiping in a direction opposite to the first direction through the pillar end gap results in the captured loose hair being released and removed from the device.
In another embodiment, there is disclosed a loose hair capture and retention device, comprising a base section, at least two substantially opposing side sections attached to the base section, a plurality of opposing flexible pillars attached to the side sections such that distal ends of the plurality of opposing flexible pillars may be separated by a pillar end gap, whereby by swiping in a first direction through the pillar end gap results in loose hair being captured and retained in the device; and whereby by swiping in a direction opposite to the first direction through the pillar end gap results in the captured loose hair being released and removed from the device, and wherein said plurality of opposing flexible pillars are angled opposite to said first direction.
In a further aspect, there is disclosed a loose hair capture and retention device, comprising a base section, at least two substantially opposing side sections attached to the base section, a plurality of opposing flexible pillars attached to the side sections such that distal ends of the plurality of opposing flexible pillars may be separated by a pillar end gap, whereby by swiping in a first direction through the pillar end gap results in loose hair being captured and retained in the device; and whereby by swiping in a direction opposite to the first direction through the pillar end gap results in the captured loose hair being released and removed from the device, and wherein said base section and at least two substantially opposing side form a substantially rectangular shape.
In a further embodiment, there is disclosed a loose hair capture and retention device, comprising a base section, at least two substantially opposing side sections attached to the base section, a plurality of opposing flexible pillars attached to the side sections such that distal ends of the plurality of opposing flexible pillars may be separated by a pillar end gap, whereby by swiping in a first direction through the pillar end gap results in loose hair being captured and retained in the device; and whereby by swiping in a direction opposite to the first direction through the pillar end gap results in the captured loose hair being released and removed from the device, and wherein said base section and at least two substantially opposing side form a substantially cylindrical shape.
In still another embodiment, a loose hair capture and retention device, comprising a base section, at least two substantially opposing side sections attached to the base section, a plurality of opposing flexible pillars attached to the side sections such that distal ends of the plurality of opposing flexible pillars may be separated by a pillar end gap, whereby by swiping in a first direction through the pillar end gap results in loose hair being captured and retained in the device; and whereby by swiping in a direction opposite to the first direction through the pillar end gap results in the captured loose hair being released and removed from the device, and wherein said at least two substantially opposing side sections are attached to said base section with an articulating hinge providing for increasing and decreasing of said pillar end gap.
For the purposes of illustrating the invention, the attached drawings show certain aspects and embodiments that are presently preferred. However, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise elements, configurations, sizing, shapes, as shown in the accompanying drawings, but rather is further disclosed and claimed according to the attached claims.
The hair capture and retention device is a unique and innovative design encompassing a body section or sections and flexible pillars or teeth such that the pillars are positioned to be opposing each other in various patterns. The pillar ends are separated from each other to create a pillar gap. The hair capture and retention device 100 is designed to be installed on the wall or another support structure in a shower stall. A user is able to collect loose hair within the pillars of the hair capture device 100 by swiping or guiding a finger or hand within the pillar gap. In order to clean the loose hair captured and retained in the device 100, the user can pinch or swipe the captured hair in the opposite direction from the direction used to capture the loose hair in the device.
In one preferred embodiment of the inventive device, shown in
In one embodiment, as shown in
The pillar tilt may be within the approximate range of 3 degrees to 45 degrees off of a perpendicular orientation to the side section 110 to which the pillar is attached.
By way of example for the configuration and embodiment shown in
In another, but similar embodiment, shown in
Different examples of adhesive elements 150 attached to the back of the base section 120 are shown in
Further views of the hair capture device 100, shown in a “shower cat” ornamental configuration are shown in
Although the above described embodiments are shown in the figures having a positive pillar end gap 500, in alternative embodiments, the pillar end gap 500 may be larger or smaller than shown. Indeed, in other equally effective embodiments, the pillar end gap 500 may be substantially zero in dimension with the pillar ends essentially touching, or the pillar end gap 500 may be negative such that the pillar ends overlap with opposing pillar ends.
In another embodiment of the hair capture device 100, the body section may be configured in a non-rectilinear shape. As illustrated in
The cylinder embodiment may further be manufactured with a pliable body section 130 such that the cylinder gap 550 widens when the user swipes his or her finger through the gap 550. In other alternative embodiments, the body section 130 may incorporate an articulating hinge or living hinge 170 that allows the cylinder gap 550 to open or widen as the user moves his or her finger through the gap 550.
A further embodiment incorporates side section 110 that are detachable from the base section 110 to allow for more complete cleaning of the pillars and removal of loose hair from the device 100. With such a configuration and embodiment, the removable side sections 110 may be separately soaked in a cleaning solution to further ensure a clean device.
In another embodiment (not shown), the hair capture device 100 may comprise a plurality of side sections 110.
Although the embodiments shown in
With respect to the materials that the elements may be manufactured, it has been determined that thermoplastics are the most resilient for use in a water or humid environment such as a shower. The body sections 110, 120, 130 may be manufactured from any of a wide variety of thermoplastics including resilient thermoplastic materials, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate, thermoplastic rubber (TPR), and/or thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The pillars may be manufactured from similar materials where the pliability of the pillars is necessary. Alternatively, the pillars 200 may be manufactured from a silicone material.
While several preferred embodiments of the inventive hair capture device have been described and disclosed, in particular with reference to certain figures and drawings showing certain exemplary embodiments that relate to a particular shape, configuration, and size hair capture device, such configurations, designs, and embodiments are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the inventive device. For example, as described above, the hair capture device 100 may be made in different shapes, sizes, and configurations, and having varied ornamental features 300 provided as part of the base elements 110, 120. Further, although not specifically shown, but described above, the pillars 200 may be aligned as shown or offset from each other in alternative patterns. The pillars 200 may also be formed having different cross sections including circular or polygon cross sections. As described, the pillar end gap distance may be configured to be essentially zero or even with the pillar opposing ends overlapping each other. Moreover, as described, the pillars 200 may be tilted away from the base back element 120. All such alternate embodiments are believed to be within the scope of the inventive design and the below claims.
It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that other modifications, substitutions, and/or other applications are possible, and all such modifications, substitutions and applications are within the true scope and spirit of the present invention. It is likewise understood that the above disclosure and attached claims are intended to cover all such modifications, substitutions, and/or applications.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/023,006, filed on 11 May 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full.
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D439016 | Syran | Mar 2001 | S |
6223379 | Martin | May 2001 | B1 |
7407142 | Lopez | Aug 2008 | B1 |
9131810 | Reile | Sep 2015 | B2 |
10376107 | Reneau | Aug 2019 | B1 |
10765198 | Watne | Sep 2020 | B2 |
20160309886 | Oldham | Oct 2016 | A1 |
20180064233 | Riley | Mar 2018 | A1 |
20180305916 | Crevier | Oct 2018 | A1 |
20200268129 | Caccamise | Aug 2020 | A1 |
20200315407 | Kennedy | Oct 2020 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20210348372 A1 | Nov 2021 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63023006 | May 2020 | US |