Patent Application
20050217689
The present invention relates to trimming hair and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus that enable a person to trim hair from areas of the body that ordinarily are not visible to the person.
When people have wanted to trim hair from an area of the body that they can not see, such as the back of the neck, they have attempted to do so by approximation and/or feel, usually with unsatisfactory results, or they have called on others to trim those parts for them. This latter alternative is also often unsatisfactory. The need for such trimming often arises, for example, when a man does not really need his next haircut, but hair begins showing on the back of his neck, detracting from a well-groomed appearance.
By the method and apparatus of the present invention, for example, a man who wants to trim hair from the back of his neck can see what he is doing and, therefore, can do a precise, accurate and relatively fast job of it. A mirror device according to the present invention is releasably attached to an ordinary hair trimming device, such as a safety razor, and, with the help of a conventional mirror, the man can see the back of his neck as he trims hair from it. The man looks into the conventional mirror, which is usually affixed to a wall, and sees the reflection of the mirror device according to the present invention as he applies, to the hair to be removed, the hair trimming device to which the mirror device is attached. The mirror device is arranged relative to the hair trimming device such that the image of the mirror device in the conventional mirror has within it the reflection of the area of the body to which the hair trimming device is being applied. Thus, when the hair trimming device is applied, the mirror device faces the conventional mirror.
The mirror device includes a mirror that is arranged to extend beyond the hair trimming device laterally with respect to the body of the person trimming the hair. Such an arrangement provides a line of sight from the mirror of the mirror device, along one side of the person, to the conventional mirror. Such an arrangement can be provided, at least in part, by providing the mirror device with a position in which the mirror extends beyond the hair trimming device laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hair trimming device. The mirror device is also provided with an alternate position in which the mirror extends beyond the hair trimming device laterally in the opposite direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hair trimming device from the direction the mirror extends when in the first position. In the alternate position, the mirror device extends beyond the hair trimming device laterally with respect to the body of the person, in the opposite lateral direction from the direction in which the mirror extends when the mirror device is in the first position. In the alternate position, the mirror arrangement provides a line of sight between the conventional mirror and the mirror of the mirror device along a side of the body opposite the side along which the line of sight exists when the mirror device is in its first position.
The mirror device is releasably secured to the hair trimming device by a connector. In one embodiment the connector can have resilient legs between which the body of a hair trimming device is resiliently clamped. The connector can take numerous other forms, including Velcro straps, elastic bands, over-the-center devices, and the like. The illustrated connector is well suited to attach the mirror device to a currently common type of safety razor, but other connectors, which are adapted to attach the mirror device to electric shavers or other types of hair trimming devices, can also be provided.
Connected to the connector is a structure for resiliently retaining the mirror device in either of two positions, in each of which the mirror extends laterally to a respective side of the longitudinal axis of the hair trimming device. Due to such a structure, a user can move the mirror from one position to the other merely by pushing with a thumb or finger.
The mirror of the mirror device is a magnifying mirror, so that the area from which hair is being trimmed can be seen more clearly.
By the method and apparatus of the present invention, as can be seen from
The mirror device 10 includes a mirror 12 that is arranged to extend beyond a cutting portion 14 of the hair trimming device laterally with respect to the body of the person trimming the hair. Such an arrangement provides a line of sight from the mirror 12 of the mirror device 10, along one side of the person, to the conventional mirror 2. Such an arrangement can be provided, at least in part, by providing the mirror device 10 with a first position in which the mirror 12 extends beyond the hair trimming device 4 laterally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hair trimming device. The mirror device 10 is also provided with an alternate position in which the mirror extends beyond the hair trimming device 4 laterally in the opposite direction, with respect to the longitudinal axis of the hair trimming device, from the direction in which the mirror extends when in the first position. In the alternate position, the mirror 12 of the mirror device 10 extends beyond the hair trimming device 4 laterally, with respect to the body of the person, in the opposite lateral direction from the direction in which the mirror extends when the mirror device is in the first position. In the alternate position, the mirror arrangement provides a line of sight between the conventional mirror 2 and the mirror 12 of the mirror device 10 along a side of the body opposite the side along which the line of sight exists when the mirror device is in its first position.
As can be seen from
A shank 19 extends from the connector 16, along the handle of the hair trimming device 4 to a structure 21 for resiliently retaining the mirror device 10 in either of two positions, in each of which the mirror 12 extends laterally to a respective side of the longitudinal axis of the hair trimming device 4. Due to such a structure, a user can move the mirror 12 from one position to the other merely by pushing with a thumb or finger. In the illustrated embodiment, the structure includes an elongate member 22 connecting the mirror 12 to a pivot pin 24 or other element in a body 25 of the structure 21 about which the elongate member can pivot. The elongate member 22 extends from the pivot pin 24 through a cavity 26 in the body 25. The cavity 26 is divided into two spaces 28 and 30 by an enlargement 32. Each space 28, 30 is preferably just large enough to accommodate the cross section of the elongate member 22, so that the elongate member 22 fits snugly in each space. The enlargement 32 defines in the cavity 26 a passage 34 which is narrower than the thickness of the elongate member 22, but at least one of the enlargement 32 and the portion of the elongate member 22 contacting the enlargement is made of a resilient material, so that the elongate member can be moved from one of the spaces 28, 30, past the enlargement, to the other of the spaces merely with the force of a thumb or finger.
The mirror 12 of the mirror device 10 is a magnifying mirror so that the area being trimmed can be seen clearly in the reflection of the mirror device in the conventional mirror 2.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is contemplated that variations and/or changes in the embodiments illustrated and described herein may be made without departure from the present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the foregoing description is illustrative only, not limiting, and that the true spirit and scope of the present invention will be determined by the appended claims.
