The present disclosure relates generally to hair pins for holding and retaining hair and, more particularly, to hair pins for holding and retaining hair having a legs with undulations.
Bobby pins or hair pins are generally known in the art and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
In one example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,547 to Williams discloses a hair pin for gripping and placing the hair of a user against the head of the user. The hair pin is constructed from a strand of wire formed from a resilient material having a first leg and a second leg joined together by a first bend. The first leg has a second bend disposed near a free end of the first leg, such that a third leg is defined between the second bend and the free end of the first leg. A total length of the first and third legs is generally equal to a length of the second leg. The first, second and third legs lying generally in the same plane.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,905 to Adam discloses a hair pin that provides the appearance of greater volume and thickness of a user's hair with the use of a support member. The support member protrudes from a side of a lower leg of the hair pin at an acute angle and extends substantially parallel to the legs of the hair pin. Hairs being held between the legs of the hair pin are elevated by the support member to a position above the upper leg of the pin and away from the scalp, thus giving the appearance of fuller, thicker hair.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,248 to Callies discloses a hair pin having a handle for facilitating opening of the hair pin. The hair pin includes a first leg, a second leg and a third leg, wherein the first, second and third legs are all relatively parallel to each other. The first and second legs are connected via a U-shaped member at one end of the hair pin, and the second and third legs are connected via a second U-shaped member at another end of the hair pin. An area defined by the first and second legs may be opened upon movement of the handle.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,699,790 to Porteous discloses spring clip used to hold a user's hair. The spring clip includes a single length of spring metal bent to form a loop at one end and two legs which normally lie one above the other. At least one of the legs is provided with an outwardly projecting bow substantially at right angles to the plane of the loop at a point towards the loop end of the clip. The legs may include mating corrugations. These and other hair pins have been used in the past, but have not provided the necessary holding and retaining power desired by users.
In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a hair pin having a first leg, a second leg, a connecting portion, and an opening is disclosed. The first and second legs each include a set of undulations that extend over a majority of the respective legs. The connecting portion connects second ends of the first and second legs together, and the opening is disposed at first ends of the first and second legs for receiving strands of hair when the hair pin is in an open position.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a hair pin having a first leg, a second leg, a retention device, and a cover is disclosed. The first and second legs each include first and second ends. The first and second legs are connected at their respective second ends via a bend and are biased toward one another for retaining strands of hair between the first and second legs when the hair pin is in a closed position. The retention device is disposed on at least one of the first ends of the first and second legs, and the cover encompassing the retention device. The retention device increases the surface area of the at least one first end thereby providing better retention of the cover on the at least one of the first end.
In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a hair pin having a first leg, a second leg, and a cover is disclosed. The first and second legs each include first and second ends. The first and second legs are connected at their respective second ends via a bend and are biased toward one another for retaining strands of hair between the first and second legs when the hair pin is in a closed position. The cover is disposed on at least one of the first ends of the first and second legs, and includes a first layer disposed around the at least one first end and a second layer the disposed on the first layer.
While the method and device described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure and the claims.
Referring now to the drawings, and with specific reference to
The hair pin 20 may be constructed from a resilient or flexible metal stock, such as wire, having a rectangular cross-sectional area as seen in
As seen in
More specifically, the undulations of the first and second legs 22, 24 may cradle each other as seen in
The hair pin 20 may be manufactured using a process wherein the material of the hair pin 20 is pulled off a spool of raw material, such as wire. The wire may be painted before or after it is pulled into stamping dies for bending and crimping, thereby applying the undulation and the overall shape of the hair pin 20. The undulations in the hair pin 20 may be manufactured through a two step process wherein the shape of the first and second legs 22, 24 are created separately, but may be manufactured through a one step process wherein the shape of both the first and second legs 22, 24 are created simultaneously. Once the wire is bent to the desired design, the hair pin's free ends 32, 34 may be dipped in an epoxy, such as Plastisole or other similar material, to coat the hair pin's free ends 32, 34 with a cover 39. The epoxy dip can be cured via heat or UV light.
The above exemplary embodiments may be varied to achieve and/or create additional or alternative features. For example, the first and second legs 22, 24 may include texturing or deformations on their respective inside surfaces. More specifically, the legs 22, 24 may be knurled, grooved, matted, or otherwise machined or etched to include a non-flat, abrasive, or textured surface.
In another exemplary embodiment, shown in
The opening device 40 may allow the user to maintain the hair pin 20 in an open position (
In a further alternate embodiment shown in
The handle 148 may also provide opportunities for decorative adornment such as jewels, beads, cast artifacts, leathers, and other fabric/soft good materials. The handle 48 could also have a “soft” coating for comfort that could be made from silicone, vinyl, neoprene, or soft pliable materials.
In another alternate embodiment illustrated in
In addition to providing additional locking power, the retention device 49 may enable the creation of larger covers 39 on hair pins 20 with the retention device 49 than on those without the retention device 49. More specifically, the addition of the retention device 49 increases a surface area of the ends 32, 34, thereby allowing for more material of the cover 39 to be gathered in a single pass or dip to create a thicker coating for the ends 32, 34.
In another alternate embodiment illustrated in
The size of the cover 139 can vary depending on the wire stock width used. For instance, a cover with a size range from 0.090″ (2.2 mm) to 0.110″ (2.8 mm) could be generated with a 0.058″ (1.47 mm) bobby wire width. A cover 139 with a size range from 0.120″ (3.0 mm) to 0.175″ (4.4 mm) could be generated with a 0.087″ (2.2 mm) bobby wire width.
While the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, which are intended to be illustrative only and not to be limiting of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that changes, additions or deletions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The present application is a non-provisional application based on, and claiming the priority benefit of, co-pending U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/650,269, which was filed on Feb. 4, 2005, and is expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60650269 | Feb 2005 | US |