Hair Ornamentation Apparatus

Abstract

A Hair Ornamentation Apparatus configured for rapid engagement and rapid disengagement from a user's pony tail.

Description

FIELD

This disclosure relates to the field of hair ornamentation.

BACKGROUND

Hair ornamentation is often attached to a user's hair using a flexible round hair band or hair tie. Hair ties require that a user insert his or her hair through the hair tie multiple times before the hair tie tightly fits around the hair of the user. This requires manual activity that often results in hairs getting caught and pulled during the “tying” process. Therefore, if a user desires to change hair ornamentation, the user must remove the hair tie attached to the ornamentation and put on a new hair tie attached to new ornamentation.

What is needed, therefore, is a way to eliminate the necessity of removing a hair tie and substituting it with another hair tie in a user's hair when the user decides to change hair ornamentation.

SUMMARY

The above and other needs are met by a Hair Ornamentation Apparatus including a flexible member and a streamer ornament attached to a first end of the flexible member wherein the flexible member and the streamer ornament are aligned together lengthwise with one another. The flexible member preferably comprises a gear tie.

The streamer ornament or ornamentation may include one or more ribbons, one or more beads along one or more strings, one or more bows, or combinations thereof. Other types of hair ornamentation known to persons having ordinary skill in the art are also contemplated for use as described above.

The summary provided herein is intended to provide examples of particular disclosed embodiments and is not intended to cover all potential embodiments or combinations of embodiments. Therefore, this summary is not intended to limit the scope of the invention disclosure in any way, a function which is reserved for the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying figures, wherein elements are not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a Hair Ornamentation Apparatus as described herein, showing the underside of the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus;

FIG. 2 shows a top side of the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and shows a flexible member oriented in a curved configuration.;

FIG. 4 shows the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus of FIGS. 1-3 being inserted into a user's hair; and

FIG. 5 shows the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus from FIGS. 1-4 after it has been fully engaged with a user's hair.

The figures are provided to illustrate concepts of the invention disclosure and are not intended to embody all potential embodiments of the invention. Therefore, the figures are not intended to limit the scope of the invention disclosure in any way, a function which is reserved for the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various terms used herein are intended to have particular meanings. Some of these terms are defined below for the purpose of clarity. The definitions given below are meant to cover all forms of the words being defined (e.g., singular, plural, present tense, past tense). If the definition of any term below diverges from the commonly understood and/or dictionary definition of such term, the definitions below control.

A Hair Ornamentation Apparatus 10 is disclosed including a flexible member 12 that includes a wire. The Hair Ornamentation Apparatus is shown below in FIGS. 1-5. The flexible member preferably ranges from about two inches to about six inches in length and most preferably about three inches in length. The wire of the flexible member 12 is preferably coated or otherwise covered with a polymeric material. The flexible member is preferably a gear tie.

A streamer ornament 14 is attached to the flexible member 12 such that both the streamer ornament 14 and flexible member 12 are both oriented lengthwise. The streamer ornament 14 is preferably attached to the flexible member 12 using an adhesive but other attachment means are contemplated including one or more staples or tying a first end of the streamer ornament 16 to a first end of the flexible member 18.

The streamer ornament 14 is broadly defined as one or more decorative features such as, for example, one or more ribbons 20 attached together at or near the first end of the streamer ornament 16. Alternatively or additionally, the streamer ornament 14 may also include one or more beads 22 located along one or more strings attached at or near the first end of the streamer ornament 16. Alternatively or additionally, the streamer ornament 14 may also include one or more bows 24 at one or various locations along the streamer ornament 14.

FIG. 1 shows the bottom or underside of the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus 10. FIG. 2 shows a top view of the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus 10. FIG. 3 shows the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus wherein the flexible member 12 is bent, preferably into a “U” shape. This is the preferred configuration of the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus when in use. When the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus is engaged with a user's hair, a second end of the flexible member 26 is inserted into a user's pony tail near a location where the hairs of the pony tail are bunched together as shown in FIG. 4. After insertion of the flexible member 12 into the bunched hair, the flexible member 12 is then bent, preferably into a “U” shape. After the flexible member 12 is bent into a “U” shape, the streamer ornament 14 is oriented lengthwise above and along the user's pony tail as shown in FIG. 5. The flexible member 12 can then be squeezed together against itself to tighten the fit of the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus 10 along the user's ponytail.

When a user desires to remove the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus 10, the user simply bends the flexible member back into a more linear configuration and then the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus 10 can be easily removed from a pony tail.

The streamer ornament of the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus as described herein may include ribbons with beads and/or bows. In other embodiments, certain streamer ornaments include only beads with no ribbons. In still other embodiments, streamer ornaments may include bows with no ribbons or beads. Other decorative features may also be included as a part of the streamer ornament 14.

The previously described embodiments of the present disclosure have certain advantages. A hair tie requires insertion of hair through the tie multiple times, so the removal of a hair tie in order to attach a new hair tie with new ornamentation is undesirable. The Hair Ornamentation Apparatus described herein only requires that the flexible member 12 be inserted into a pony tail and then bent against itself. This action can be done quickly and easily without the need to substitute a new hair tie for one already placed in a user's hair. Removing the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus described herein is also simple with little impact on the hair of the user. The flexible member 12 is simply substantially straightened out and slid out of the pony tail of a user. It is unnecessary to manipulate a user's hair to accomplish either the engagement or disengagement of the Hair Ornamentation Apparatus 10 to or from a user's hair.

The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The described preferred embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the disclosure to the precise form(s) disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments are chosen and described in an effort to provide the best illustrations of the principles of the disclosure and its practical application, and to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the concepts revealed in the disclosure in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the disclosure as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6.

Claims

1. A Hair Ornamentation Apparatus including a flexible member and a streamer ornament attached to a first end of the flexible member wherein the flexible member and the streamer ornament are aligned together lengthwise with one another.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the flexible member comprises a gear tie.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the streamer ornament is selected from the group consisting of one or more ribbons, one or more beads along one or more strings, one or more bows, and combinations thereof.