FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hair tie, and more particularly to a linear hair tie with free ends.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Hair rings are common accessories for hair styling, and usually made of rubber. In use, the hair ring is radially stretched with user's fingers to a size larger than a hair bundle to be received, and then released to retract to a smaller size to trap the hair bundle inside. When the hair ring is much larger than the hair bundle, it is necessary to twist the hair ring for a couple of turns to ensure of sufficient tightness.
Generally, a hair ring must be thin enough to be twisted on hair for a few turns to achieve the desired tightness. Unfortunately, the thin and tight hair ring is likely to press hair locally to result in dents, and undesirably leaves indent traces after removing the hair ring. On the other hand, a thick hair ring or a scrunchie hair ring that is an elastic ring covered with a fabric might have little indent problems, but is uneasy to be twisted over the hair bundle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a hair tie, which is adapted to be used for tying a thick or thin hair bundle in an easily operating way.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hair tie, which can tie a hair bundle tightly without obvious indentation marks.
A hair tie according to an aspect of the present invention includes a main body including a first elastic body for winding around a hair bundle, having a first free end and a second free end; and first and second coupling members disposed at the first and second free ends of the first elastic body, respectively, and engageable with each other to secure the winding of the first elastic body around the hair bundle; wherein a width or diameter of the main body on hair is no less than 4 mm and/or the main body is covered with a soft material member to be in contact with the hair bundle.
In an embodiment, the main body further includes a fabric member covering the first elastic body. The main body may further include a second elastic body for winding around the hair bundle together with the first elastic body, and the second elastic body has a third free end and a fourth free end. In addition, the main body may further include third and fourth coupling members disposed at the third and fourth free ends of the second elastic body, respectively.
A hair tie according to another aspect of the present invention includes a main body, at least: a first elastic body for winding around a hair bundle, having a first free end and a second free end; and a second elastic body for further winding around the hair bundle, having a third free end and a fourth free end, and the hair tie further includes a first coupling member connected to both the first free end of the first elastic body and the third free end of the second elastic body; and a second coupling member connected to both the second free end of the first elastic body and the fourth free end of the second elastic body. The first coupling member and the second coupling member are engageable with each other or engageable with hair to secure the winding of the first elastic body around the hair bundle.
A hair tie according to a further aspect of the present invention includes a main body, which includes at least: a first elastic body for winding around a hair bundle, having a first free end and a second free end; and a second elastic body for further winding around the hair bundle, having a third free end and a fourth free end, and the hair tie further includes first, second, third and fourth coupling members disposed at the first, second, third and fourth free ends of the first elastic body and the second elastic body, respectively, for securing the winding of the first elastic body and the second elastic member around the hair bundle. The first and second elastic bodies are interconnected in respective middle portions thereof, and the first, second, third and fourth coupling members are engageable with one another or engageable with hair.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above contents of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
FIGS. 1A-1E are schematic diagrams illustrating a hair tie according to an embodiment of the present invention and examples of using the hair tie;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are schematic diagrams illustrating hair ties according to other embodiments of the present invention;
FIGS. 3A-3C are schematic diagrams illustrating structures of a variety of coupling members adapted to be used in a hair tie according to the present invention;
FIGS. 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams illustrating hair ties according to further embodiments of the present invention; and
FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams illustrating hair ties according to still further embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
FIG. 1A schematically illustrates a first embodiment of a hair tie 1, which includes a linear elastic body 11. The elastic body 11 has free ends 111 and 112, where coupling members 113 and 114 are respectively disposed. In this embodiment, the hair tie 1 further includes a sleeve member 12 entirely or partially covering the elastic body 11. The sleeve member 12 is in contact with hair when the hair tie 1 is wound around the hair bundle so as to increase the friction with hair and avoid from sliding off hair. The sleeve member 12 may be fabric or any other material soft enough to be twisted. In another embodiment, no sleeve member 12 is provided, but for minimizing dent marks, the elastic body 11 preferably has a width (if shaped flat) or a diameter (if shaped round) of 4 mm or more. In this embodiment, the coupling members 113 and 114 are implemented with hooks, which can be engaged with each other to form a ring. The hair ring, after being wound around the hair bundle, may be configured as a circle, as illustrated in FIG. 1B, or configured as a spiral coil, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, depending on the length of the body 11 and the thickness of the hair bundle. It is understood by those skilled in the art that winding a linear tie to form a spiral coil is much easier than twisting a smaller and smaller ring. Alternative examples of coupling members 113 and 114 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4A-4C. Furthermore, the coupling members 113 and 114 may be identical or different as long as they can be combined with each other to secure the tie.
In use, as exemplified in FIG. 1D, the user holds a hair bundle to be tied and one of the free ends of the body 11 with one hand. Then the user holds the other free end of the elastic body 11 with the other hand and properly stretches the elastic body 11 and winds the elastic body 11 around the hair bundle for one or more turns. After the desired tightness is reached, the coupling members 113 and 114 at the two free ends 111 and 112 are combined together to secure the tying effect of the hair tie (FIG. 1C). In another example as illustrated in FIG. 1E, the hair tie according to the present invention is also suitable to be used for securing a bun because it works at the base of the bun and does not need to risk damaging the bun during the sleeving operation.
When necessary, two or more hair ties with respective coupling members may be connected in series, i.e. in a head-to-tail connection manner, thereby forming a lengthened hair tie or create a variety of hair-tying effects. Moreover, through the exterior design of the coupling members, it is also possible to add a decorative effect to the hair tie.
FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a hair tie according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The hair tie 2 in this embodiment includes two (or more) elastic main bodies 21 and 21′, having coupling members 213/214 and 213′/214′ disposed at the free ends 211 and 212 of the elastic body 21 and the free ends 211′ and 212′ of the elastic body 21′, respectively. The elastic main bodies 21 and 21′ cross each other or are woven together to widen the contact area with hair, thereby alleviating the problem of dents, and thus even thin ties can also be used as long as the combined width or diameter is substantially 4 mm or more. After the interwoven elastic main bodies 21 and 21′ are wound around a hair bundle for one or several turns, the coupling members 213 and 213′ are joined to the coupling members 214 and 214′ to form a closed hair ring. It is to be noted that in addition to engaging the coupling member 213 with the coupling member 214 and engaging the coupling member 213′ with the coupling member 214′, it is also feasible to engage the coupling member 213 with the coupling member 214′ and engaging the coupling member 213′ with the coupling member 214. The hair tie formed with interwoven elastic main bodies is further advantageous in keeping functional even if one of the interwoven elastic main bodies 21 or 21′ is broken. In another embodiment, the interwoven elastic main bodies 21 and 21′ may also be entirely or partially covered with a fabric or any other suitable soft sheet.
FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B schematically illustrate a hair tie according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The hair tie 3 includes two or more elastic main bodies 31 and 31′. The elastic main bodies 31 and 31′ may be interwoven in any suitable way, e.g. in a way as shown in FIG. 2A . Alternatively, the elastic main bodies 31 and 31′ may be allocated in parallel with respective ends connected together, as shown in FIG. 2B. The respective two free ends of the elastic main bodies 31 and 31′ share joint coupling members 313 and 314. After winding the elastic main bodies 31 and 31′ one or more turns on hair, the coupling members 313 and 314 can be joined to secure the tie. The elastic main bodies 31 and 31′ may be made of the same or different materials, sizes and/or elasticity to meet different uses and purposes. For example, in the present embodiment, the elastic body 31 is covered with a fabric member 32, forming a scrunchie, and the other elastic main bodies 31′ are formed of different colors and/or patterns to create different overall effects. The scrunchie included in this embodiment may be similar to any example mentioned above, and is not to be redundantly described herein. For alleviating the problem of dents, the width or diameter of each elastic main body 31′ may be made 4 mm or above. Since the elastic main bodies 31 and 31′ define a three-dimensional space, the hair tie may be used like a net to secure a hair style.
In the above embodiments, the coupling members 113, 114313 and 314 are all implemented with hooks. Each hook may be connected to the corresponding body by way of adhering, welding, clamping, binding, or any other suitable means. The configurations suitable for serving as the coupling members are not limited as long as the coupling members can be combined together while the corresponding body is in a stretched state without damaging hair, hurting scalp, or discomforting the user. The material may selectively be a single material or a composite material. For example, plastic, ceramic, metal, or the like, may be properly used. Alternatively, other types of coupling members may also be used, and will be exemplified as follows.
FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the coupling members adapted to be used in the hair tie of the present invention. In this example, the coupling members 413 and 414 disposed at opposite ends of the same elastic body or adjacent main bodies to be engaged with each other are a loop and a hook, respectively. After the linear body winds the hair bundle for a couple of turns, the hook 414 is engaged with the ring 413 to secure the tie on hair.
FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing another example of the coupling members adapted to be used in the hair tie of the present invention. The coupling member 513 disposed at one end of an elastic body is a hollow ring, and the coupling member 514 disposed at the other end of the same elastic body or an adjacent body to be engaged with the hollow ring 513 is another hollow ring or a solid disc. The coupling members 513 and 514 are specifically configured so that the coupling member 514 is adjustable to be oriented to a specified angle relative to the coupling member 513, which allows the coupling member 514 to pass through the hollow space of the ring of the coupling member 513. Then it is adjusted to be oriented to another specified angle such that the ring frame of the coupling member 513 blocks the periphery of the coupling member 514 from becoming loose.
FIG. 3C is a schematic diagram showing still another example of the coupling members adapted to be used in the hair tie of the present invention. The coupling members 613 and 614 disposed at two ends to be coupled are ones with matched female and male threads, respectively, to be coupled as a screw lock.
FIG. 4A schematically illustrates a hair tie according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The hair tie 2 in this embodiment includes two (or more) elastic main bodies 21 and 21′, having coupling members 213/214 and 213′/214′ disposed at the free ends 211 and 212 of the elastic body 21 and the free ends 211′ and 212′ of the elastic body 21′, respectively. The elastic main bodies 21 and 21′ cross each other or are woven together to widen the contact area with hair, thereby alleviating the problem of dents, and thus even thin ties can also be used as long as the combined width or diameter is substantially 4 mm or more. After the interwoven elastic main bodies 21 and 21′ are wound around a hair bundle for one or several turns, the coupling members 213 and 213′ are joined to the coupling members 214 and 214′ to form a closed hair ring. It is to be noted that in addition to engaging the coupling member 213 with the coupling member 214 and engaging the coupling member 213′ with the coupling member 214′, it is also feasible to engage the coupling member 213 with the coupling member 214′ and engaging the coupling member 213′ with the coupling member 214. The hair tie formed with interwoven elastic main bodies is further advantageous in keeping functional even if one of the interwoven elastic main bodies 21 or 21′ is broken. In another embodiment, the interwoven elastic main bodies 21 and 21′ may also be entirely or partially covered with a fabric or any other suitable soft sheet.
FIG. 4B schematically illustrates a hair tie according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The hair tie in this embodiment includes three (or more) elastic main bodies having coupling members 213/214, 213′/214′ and 213″/214″ disposed at the free ends of the elastic bodies, respectively. The elastic main bodies are interconnected to one another at an intersection point, and expandable to widen the contact area with hair, thereby alleviating the problem of dents, and thus even thin ties can also be used as long as the combined width or diameter is substantially 4 mm or more. After the interwoven elastic main bodies are wound around a hair bundle for one or several turns, the coupling members 213, 213′ and 213″ are joined to the coupling members 214, 214′ and 214 to form a closed hair ring. It is to be noted that in addition to engaging the coupling member 213 with the coupling member 214, engaging the coupling member 213′ with the coupling member 214′, and engaging the coupling member 213″ with the coupling member 214″, it is also feasible to engage the coupling member 213 with the coupling member 214′ or 214″, engaging the coupling member 213′ with the coupling member 214 or 214″, or engaging the coupling member 213″ with the coupling member 214 or 214′, for example. The hair tie formed with interwoven elastic main bodies is further advantageous in keeping functional even if one or two of the interwoven elastic main bodies are broken. Since the three elastic main bodies are interconnected to one another at only the intersection point, they can be expanded to form a net to create variable tying effects.
The coupling members 213, 213′, 213″, 214, 214′, and 214″, which are hooks in the embodiments of FIGS. 4A and 4B, may alternatively be the variations as exemplified in FIGS. 3A-3C, or any other suitable coupling means.
Furthermore, in the above embodiments, each of the coupling members at one end is engaged with another one at the other end to secure the tying. Alternatively, according to the present invention, the coupling members may also be engaged with another part of the same or neighbor elastic main body itself. If the coupling members are properly configured, they may also be engaged with hair to secure the tying. In addition to hooks as exemplified, hair pins or clips may also be feasible to replace the hooks for the coupling members.
FIGS. 5A and 5B schematically illustrate examples the uses of snap clips and hair pins as the coupling members of a hair tie according to fifth and sixth embodiments of the present invention. In these embodiments, one elastic main body having a width or a diameter no less than 4 mm (not shown), or more than one the same, thicker or thinner elastic main bodies, are connected to hair pins or hair clips 313 and 314. The coupling members 313 and 314 at both ends to be engaged with hair may be in the same or different types.
It is understood from the above descriptions that the linear hair ties according to the present invention are easily operable, have little indent problems and can be used in a variety of ways.
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
Patent Application
20200315309
