FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a hair tie, and more particularly to a ring-shaped coil-style hair tie which can be used for fastening a bundle of hair, such as a ponytail, on the head of a person with long hair.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A hair tie is an item commonly used by a person with long hair for fastening a bundle of hair, such as a ponytail, on the back of the person's head. On the market, there are many various different kinds of hair ties, such as ribbons, bobbles, scrunchies, bands, hair rings, hair binders, hair holders, and various others.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional type of hair tie, which may be called on the consumer market in many various names such as hair ring, spiral hair tie, coiled hair tie, coil hair elastic tie, or telephone cord hair tie. In this specification, this particular type of hair tie shown in FIG. 1 will be referred to as a “ring-shaped coil-style hair tie”. It includes a ring-shaped coiled cord (1) which is formed by connecting an elongated elastic coiled cord that looks like a conventional telephone cord in a head-to-tail manner into an annular shape similar to a ring. For this sake, it is also called a hair ring. This ring-shaped coil-style hair tie is very popular on the market because it has a traceless feature that allows it to leave nearly no traces such as dents or bumps on the user's hair after it is removed from the user's hair. In manufacture, it is typically made of a thermoplastic plastic material such as TPU (thermoplastic polyurethanes) or TPR (thermoplastic rubber), which has good flexibility that allows the ring-shaped coiled cord (1) to be stretchable to a wide-open state and restorable to its original state. In use, a person with long hair first needs to forcefully pull and stretch the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie to a wide-open state that allows a bundle of his/her hair to pass through its central annular hollow portion, and then twist it into a number of loops, typically 3 to 4 loops, in order to be tightly and securely fixed in position on the user's hair, thereby fastening the bundle of hair into a ponytail.
One drawback to the prior art shown in FIG. 1, however, is that although the ring-shaped coiled cord (1) is elastically stretchable, its elastic restoring force after being stretched is unsatisfactorily weak such that in order to be tightly and securely fixed in position on the user's hair to fasten the ponytail, the user might need to twist it into 3 or 4 loops. This overly twisting of the ring-shaped coiled cord (1) could quickly cause elastic fatigue, or even breakage, to the coiled structure such that it would become no longer usable for fastening a ponytail, thus resulting in a short life of use.
One solution to the above-mentioned problem is disclosed in German Patent No. DE 102015115002 B3, which teaches the use of a two-component hair ring consisting of a spiral TPU-ring and a corrugated rubber ring inside the TPU-ring. This type of hair ring includes a wavy or spiral hair ring made of a material that is less elastically fatigued inside the conventional coil type hair ring, thereby extending the strength and durability of the coil type hair ring. Although this kind of improvement helps to improve the strength and durability of the conventional coil type hair ring, the complicated inner ring manufacturing is disadvantageous in cost and process, and the inner and outer spiral coils may have entanglement problems. The effect of maintaining the density of the outer ring coil is also limited, as it is also necessary to sacrifice the elastic restoring force of the inner ring material, like the outer ring, in order to maintain its configuration.
In view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, there exists a need for a new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie that can serve as a solution to these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a primary objective of the invention to provide a new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie that can provide an enhanced level of elastic restoring force after being stretched such that it can be used to fasten a bundle of hair more tightly and securely than the prior art.
It is another objective of the invention to provide a new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie that can prevent it from being tangled and twisted with the user's hair and thus prevent breakage of the user's hair when it is removed from the user's hair.
It is still another objective of the invention to provide a new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie that is more durable and strengthened to use than the prior art so as to provide a longer life of use.
The ring-shaped coil-style hair tie according to the present invention comprises: (a) a ring-shaped coiled cord having an inner longitudinal axial hollow portion and a central annular hollow portion; and (b) an elasticity-enhancing member whose modulus of elasticity is greater than the ring-shaped coiled cord, which is disposed in the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion of the ring-shaped coiled cord, and which has an annular diameter smaller than the annular diameter of the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion of the ring-shaped coiled cord such that a buffering space is provided between the elasticity-enhancing member and the ring-shaped coiled cord.
In application, when the ring-shaped coiled cord is being used to fasten a bundle of hair on a person, the elasticity-enhancing member provides an enhanced level of elastic restoring force that allows the ring-shaped coiled cord to be more tightly and securely fixed in position on the hair to fasten the bundle of hair than the prior art.
The ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention not only has a traceless feature that would leave no dents or bumps on the user's hair after being removed from the user's hair, but additionally has the following advantages. First, it can provide an enhanced level of elastic restoring force after being widely stretched such that it can be used to fasten a bundle of hair more tightly and securely than the prior art. Second, it can prevent tangling and intertwining with the user's hair, thus preventing breakage of the user's hair when it is being removed from the user's hair. Third, it allows the overall ring-shaped coil-style hair tie to be more durable and strengthened to provide a longer life of use. The invention is therefore more advantageous to use than the prior art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above contents of the invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional ring-shaped coil-style hair tie;
FIG. 2A is schematic diagram illustrating a new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie according to a first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2B is schematic diagram illustrating a cross-section view of the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of FIG. 2A along the line A-A;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention;
FIG. 4A is schematic diagram illustrating a second embodiment of the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention;
FIG. 4B is schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the coil hair tie of FIG. 4A along the line B-B;
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a schematic partial perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention discloses a new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie which is described in full details by way of preferred embodiments in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIGS. 2A-2B show a first embodiment of the new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie according to the invention. As shown, the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention includes a ring-shaped coiled cord 10 which is similar to the prior art shown in FIG. 1 and is formed by connecting an elongated elastic coiled cord that looks like a conventional telephone cord in a head-to-tail manner into an annular shape similar to a ring with a central annular hollow portion 11. The ring-shaped coiled cord 10 has an inner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101 extending along the longitudinal axis of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10.
Compared to the prior art shown in FIG. 1, the new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention shown in FIGS. 2A-2B is characterized by the provision of an elasticity-enhancing member 20 in the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101 along the longitudinal axis of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10. In structure, the elasticity-enhancing member 20 is formed by bending a single elongated elastic cord into the shape of a ring that is matched in annular diameter to the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 so that it can be fitted and disposed in the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101 of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10. The elasticity-enhancing member 20 is made of an elastic material which has a modulus of elasticity greater than that of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 such that the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention can provide an enhanced level of elastically-restoring force then the prior art after being widely stretched. The modulus of the elasticity-enhancing member 20 can also prevent the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 from being overstretched and deformed or losing flexibility or even broken when used to tie the hair. The elasticity-enhancing member 20 can be made of any suitable material that has good elasticity, flexibility, and durability, such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, plastic, latex or a mixture thereof.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 2B, it is to be noted that the elasticity-enhancing member 20 should be formed in such a manner that its cross-sectional diameter is less than that of the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101 of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 such that a buffering space (W) can be provided that allows the elasticity-enhancing member 20 to be separated by a distance and not abutted on the ring-shaped coiled cord 10. The provision of the buffering space (W) has several effects and advantages. When the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention is being used to tie the hair, the forceful pulling and stretching of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 will cause the elasticity-enhancing member 20 to come toward and abut on the inner side of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10, thus preventing the user's hair from being caught in the gaps between the turns of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 that would otherwise cause the person's hair to be tangled with the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 and further to be twisted with the elasticity-enhancing member 20.
FIG. 3 shows how the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention shown in FIGS. 2A-2B can be used by a user with long hair for fastening a bundle of hair, such as a ponytail, on the back of the user's head.
As shown in FIG. 3, in the first step A, when a girl user with long hair wants to use the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention shown in FIGS. 2A-2B to fasten a bundle of hair, such as a ponytail, on the back of her head, she needs first to user her hands to forcefully pull and stretch the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 annularly outwards so as to expand the central annular hollow portion 11 to a wide-open state that allows a bundle of her hair to pass therethrough.
Next in the step B, the user needs to twist the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 to form a second loop such that two loops are formed to enclose the bundle of hair. Owing to the provision of the elasticity-enhancing member 20, there is no need to twist the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 into 3 or 4 loops in order to tightly and securely fasten the bundle of hair as in the case of the prior art.
Finally in the step C, the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention is tightly and securely fixed in position on the user's hair to fasten a ponytail on the back of the user's head.
Compared to the prior art of FIG. 1, the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention shown in FIGS. 2A-2B is more advantageous in that owing to the enhanced elasticity provided by the elasticity-enhancing member 20, the user needs just to twist the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 into just two loops, rather than 3 or 4 loops in the case of the prior art, in order to tightly and securely fasten the ponytail without being loosened and slipped out of position.
In addition, owing to the provision of the elasticity-enhancing member 20 along the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101 of the ring-shaped coiled cord 10, the user's hair can be prevented from being tangled and intertwined with the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 that might otherwise cause breakage to the user's hair when the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie of the invention is being removed from the user's hair.
Furthermore, owing to the provision of the buffering space (W) in the inner longitudinal axial hollow portion 101, the ring-shaped coiled cord 10 can be freely stretched to a wide-open state and restored to its original stage without being hampered by the elasticity-enhancing member 20.
Beside the first embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, the present invention also has various other different embodiments as disclosed and described below.
FIGS. 4A-4B show a second embodiment of the ring-shaped coil-style hair tie according to the invention, where FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4A along the line B-B. In this second embodiment, the elasticity-enhancing member 20 used in the first embodiment is equivalently substituted by a pair of parallel cords 201, 202, and a buffering space (W) can be provided that allows the pair of parallel cords 201, 202 to be separated by a distance and not abutted on the ring-shaped coiled cord 10. The provision of the two cords 201, 202 in pair, rather than just one single cord in the first embodiment, has several advantages. First, the elasticity provided by the pair of cords 201, 202 can be doubled such that the elastic restoring force is also doubled and thus further enhanced. Second, when one of the two cords 201, 202 is broken or subjected to elastic fatigue, the other one still can provide usable elasticity and elastic restoring force for the ring-shaped coiled cord 10.
FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the invention. In this third embodiment, the elasticity-enhancing member 20 is circumferentially wrapped with a protective covering 200, such as a piece of elastic cloth, and a buffering space (W) can be provided that allows the elasticity-enhancing member 20 to be separated by a distance and not abutted on the ring-shaped coiled cord 10. The protective covering 200 has a lower level of stretchability than the elasticity-enhancing member 20 such that it can confine the stretchable range of the elasticity-enhancing member 20 to prevent breakage due to being overly wide-stretched and also protect the user's hair from being adhered to the elasticity-enhancing member 20.
Further, FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the invention. In this fourth embodiment, the elasticity-enhancing member 20 used in the first embodiment is equivalently substituted by a twisted pair of cords 203, 204, and a buffering space (W) can be provided that allows the twisted pair of cords 203, 204 to be separated by a distance and not abutted on the ring-shaped coiled cord 10. The provision of the twisted pair of cords 203, 204 has several advantages. First, the elasticity provided by the twisted pair of cords 203, 204 can be doubled such that the elastic restoring force can also be doubled and thus further enhanced. Second, when one of the twisted pair of cords 203, 204 is broken or subjected to elastic fatigue, the other one still can provide usable elasticity and elastic restoring force for the ring-shaped coiled cord 10.
In conclusion, the present invention provides a new and improved ring-shaped coil-style hair tie, which not only has a traceless feature that would leave no dents or bumps on the user's hair after being removed from the user's hair, but additionally has the following advantages. First, it can provide an enhanced level of elastic restoring force after being widely stretched such that it can be used to fasten a bundle of hair more tightly and securely than the prior art. Second, it can prevent tangling and intertwining with the user's hair, thus preventing breakage of the user's hair when it is being removed from the user's hair. Third, it allows the overall ring-shaped coil-style hair tie to be more durable and strengthened to provide a longer life of use. The invention is therefore more advantageous to use than the prior art.
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
20200390214
