Patent Application
20230404234
The present invention relates to salon bowls, and more particularly, to a salon bowl and neck/headrest combination. More specifically, the present invention presents a salon bowl arrangement or a neck pad in the form of a neck/headrest adapted for rinsing the back neckline, wherein the neck pad is removably attachable onto the salon bowl during the hair washing procedure.
Almost every one of us has gone through hair washing procedures at hairdressers' salons, hospitals, or occasionally even at private residences. Mostly, the person undergoing hair wash has to lean his/her head rested back against the washing bowl with his/her neck being fixed at the height of the hairline in a recessed area/notch on the edge of the bowl. The washing and rinsing water is then applied by a hairstylist/hairdresser using a tap or a hand shower that gets a water connection from a water source using a hosepipe.
Although, a variety of salon bowls or sinks are known. None of the salon bowls are known to the inventor that provides sufficient comfort and satisfactory hair wash to the person undergoing hair wash. There are several instances or proposals made in the past by several inventors for example, as disclosed in at least U.S. Ser. No. 11/253,046, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,469,430, 4,587,680, 2,161,590, 2,948,903, 4,411,032, the salon bowls include an inbuilt recessed area (or even recessed area provided with a cushioning accessory) for supporting the neck of the user getting his/her hair washed. One thing that's common in all of the above prior art is, all of these existing salon bowls have a special arrangement to fix a water tape or are provided with a hand shower connected to a water source (water tap for example) via hosepipe. The use of the fixed water tap is very cumbersome to use for washing the hair and often water splashes out of the bowl. Using the hand shower for washing hair is better options but results in unsatisfying handling of hair and also accidental splashing of water out of the bowl when the salon professional attempts to wash the back neckline of the user. Another disadvantage is that long hair (in females) can spread out in the whole bowl and/or the ends of the hair can be swept along into the evacuation opening present in the bowl together with the washing and rinsing water that is draining off, so, long hair must be continuously held up high by the stylist using at least one hand when he/she is using the other hand to hold the hand shower. This is an undesirable activity done by the stylist.
In the light of the aforementioned background, the functionality and convenience of the state-of-the-art bowls, or arrangements for hair washing at the salons or parlours have been less than satisfactory.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a salon bowl arrangement or a neck pad that can be used with any salon bowl. Usually, the recessed portion of the salon bowl is hard and leads to neck pain for the person leaning his head rested back against the washing bowl. The proposed neck pad is made of comfort soft gel material to provide cushioning and support.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a salon bowl arrangement in the form of a neck pad that would provide a superior neck and head comfort to the person whose neck/head is resting thereon when the neck pad is coupled to the bowl.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a back neckline rinsing system removably couplable to the salon bowls and that provide: 1) a comfortable neck/headrest to the person undergoing hair wash 2) eliminates the need for using a separate water tap attached to the salon bowl or use of hand shower for washing the neckline hair.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide the neck pad detachably and immovably fixable on the intended curvature (where the person undergoing hair washing rests his head/neck) of the salon bowl. The neck pad is provided with a plurality of suction means or suction cups underside to allow the neck pad to tightly adhere to the interior and exterior surface of the salon bowl.
As an advantageous use, during the use of the proposed neck pad with the salon bowl, the stylist usually has both of his/her hands free and can continuously use the hands to hold up high the long hair of the person undergoing hair wash from the bottom of the bowl in order to ensure a perfect washing and rinsing process.
Embodiments of the present invention describe a neckline rinsing system includes a neck pad adapted to engage a neck-receiving curvature of a salon bowl. The neck includes a top portion, a first sidewall connected to and extending downward from a first side of the top portion, a second sidewall connected to and extending downward from a second side of the top portion, and at least one flap connected to and extending downward from the first sidewall or connected to and extending downward from each of the first sidewall and the second sidewall.
According to the embodiments, the first sidewall includes a drain pan configured externally thereon. The drain pan comprises a well, one or more drain-out channels, and at least one hosepipe inlet. At least one hosepipe inlet is adapted for receiving the second end of a hosepipe.
According to the embodiments, the hosepipe includes a first end, and a second end. The neckline rinsing system further comprises a water inlet attachable to the interior of the salon bowl. The water inlet comprises a main body including a front side, a rear side, and a port for connecting the first end of the hosepipe.
Various advantages and features of the present invention are described herein with specificity so as to make the present invention understandable to one of ordinary skill in the art, both with respect to how to practice the present invention and how to make the present invention.
The above set forth and other features of the present invention are made more apparent in the ensuing description of the preferred embodiments when read in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein:
Identical reference numerals in the figures are intended to indicate like parts, although not every feature in every figure may be called out with a reference numeral.
Certain terminology is used in the following description for reference only and is not limiting. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are not limited to one element, but instead should be read as meaning “at least one.” The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of components, which constitutes a neck pad or a neckline rinsing system adapted for rinsing the back neckline undergoing hair wash in saloon or other like places. Accordingly, the components have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that may be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. As required, the detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
The words “comprising”, “having”, “containing”, and “including”, and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open-ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.
The salon bowl arrangement in the form of a neck pad and/or a back neckline rinsing system which the inventor regards as his invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which should be regarded as merely illustrative without restricting the scope and ambit of the present invention.
The present invention is an add-on accessory that can be used with an existing salon bowl or sink known in the art. The saloon sinks/bowls usually have different dimensions, shapes, or structures with at least a sidewall having a neck-receiving notch or recessed portion or curvature wherein the person undergoing hair wash needs to rest his head back. The present accessory is directed to sit over the notch or curvature where the person needs to rest his head.
Referring to
The neck pad 102 includes a top portion 102a, a first sidewall 102b, a second sidewall 102c, and at least one flap 102d. The top portion 102a of the neck pad 102 is concavely shaped to complement the shape of the neck-receiving curvature 202 of the salon bowl 200. The top portion 102a comes in contact with the person's neck when the neck pad 102 is installed on the salon bowl 200.
The first sidewall 102b is integrally connected to and extends downward from one side of the top portion 102a. Likewise, the second sidewall 102c is integrally connected to and extends downward from another opposing side of the top portion 102a. The extension length of the sidewalls 102b and 102c is suitably chosen so that the neck pad 102 can adapt to salon bowls of varying dimensions, particularly the extension length is chosen such that the neck pad 102 can sit over the recessed or curvature 202 of the salon bowl 200. In some other embodiment, the sidewalls 102b, and 102c may be removably connected to the top portion 102a using a snap-fit mechanism (other similar mechanisms known in the art) instead of being integrally attached to the top portion forming a unitary product.
Further, the sidewall 102b embodies a centrally located drain pan 106 with an inbuilt well 107. The drain pan 106 is configured externally on the sidewall 102b. The drain pan 106 includes one or more drain out channels 108a-108d, and at least one hosepipe inlet 108e to connect a hosepipe (not shown) receiving water from a water inlet (not shown) to rinse the rear neckline of the person during hair washing procedure as will be described in detail in the description to follow. The one or more drain out channels 108a-108d help in draining out the rinsing water out of the neck pad 102 during the rinsing process. The well 107 is suitably sized in length, width, and depth depending upon the size of the sidewall 102b. In an embodiment, the one or more drain-out channels 108a-108d may be equal in length, width, and depth. In some other embodiment, the drain out channels 108a-108d may vary in length, width, and depth. The at least one hosepipe inlet 108e receiving an end of the hosepipe is suitably sized (in length, width, and depth) to properly fit the hosepipe therein as shown in
Further, the neck pad 102 includes at least one flap 102d integrally connected to the first sidewall 102b and that extends downward therefrom as seen in
According to an embodiment, as shown in
Referring to
In some other embodiment (not shown), it might be possible to realize the working of the invention without the use of the water inlet 110. Instead, the first end 109a of the hosepipe 109 may be directly connected to tape or other water source utilizing known plumbing connectors.
During the installation of the neckline rinsing system 100 of
During operation (
The neck pad 102 and associated components, the water inlet 110, the hosepipe 109, and other components of the invention may be made using a variety of materials and in a variety of dimensions, and thus the scope of the present invention should not be considered limited to the materials, dimensions discussed herein above.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
