This invention relates to an improved hairpin, and more particularly, to a universal no-slip hairpin with replaceable charms.
Hairpins for holding hairdos in place and affixing wigs have been in use for over a hundred of years. A typical hair pin or hairpin is a prolonged-shape device generally used to hold a person's hair in place by being placed between the hairs. The hairpin may be used simply to secure long hair out of the way for convenience or as part of an elaborate hairstyle, hairdo or coiffure. Creation of different hairstyles, especially among women, seems to be common to all cultures and all periods, and many past and current societies use hairpins. Hairpins made of metal, ivory, bronze, carved wood, etc. were used in ancient Assyria and Egypt for securing decorated hairstyles. Major success came in 1901 with the invention of the spiral hairpin by New Zealand inventor Ernest Godward who produced a first hairpin that would not easily fall out of the hair.
The hairpin may be decorated with charms and encrusted with jewels and ornaments, or it may be utilitarian, and designed to be almost invisible while holding a hairstyle in place. Some hairpins are implemented as a single straight pin, but modern versions are typically constructed from different lengths of wire that are bent in half with a u-shaped end and a few kinks along the two opposite portions. The finished pin may vary from two to six inches in final length. The length of the wires, referred to as hairpin legs, enables placement in several styles of hairdos to hold the style in place. The kinks or waves are intended to enable retaining the pin in the hair during normal movements.
In the past, women used to wash their hair once in a few days if not weeks. Frequent bathes and hair washes were considered unhealthy for the hair. As a result, women used hairpins on sick, greasy and sticky hair or wigs that provided for sufficient grip of a simple wire-based hairpin. The hairdo or the wig stayed in place during moving or even dancing due to the structure and condition of the hair. However, modern culture and means of hair hygiene make conventional hairpins very unreliable if not unusable. Modern women wash their hair every day using very strong shampoos and conditioners that produce beautiful soft, slick and silky hair. Keeping this hair in place by a conventional hairpin may present a challenge, because a conventional hairpin would not simply stay in and may slip out when a person moves or shakes his or her head. Shortcomings of the conventional hairpins become more apparent given the activities modern women engage into on a regular basis, such as dancing, aerobics, swimming, running, playing games just to name a few. Accordingly, a simple, inexpensive and reliable no-slip hairpin is desired.
Many modern hairpins are decorated with charms. However, if a lady wants to use different charms, she needs to have several different hairpins which may not be convenient. Additionally, if hairpins with different shape of the tips that initially penetrate into the hair are needed by a hairstylist, he or she would need to have a number of them. Accordingly, a universal hairpin with replaceable charms and changeable profiles of the hairpin tips is highly desirable.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an improved no-slip universal hairpin that substantially obviates one or more of the disadvantages of the related art.
In one of the aspects of the invention, a universal hairpin with a no-slip flocked coating is provided. The legs of the hairpin may be covered with flocked coating of various heights for providing no-slip effect for a particular hair type.
In another aspect of the invention, a hairpin has an interface for attaching a replaceable charm. The interface may use a screw tip, a Velcro™ lock, a clip, a clamp, a ring, a magnet, etc. The universal hairpin may have detachable tips of various shapes for different hair types or different types of hairstyles. The universal hairpin may have an asymmetric shape for more convenient use by a hairstylist and for providing better hold in the hair.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the drawings:
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
In one embodiment, a hairpin with an anti-slip coating is provided. In one of the aspects of the invention, a universal hairpin with a no-slip flocked coating is provided. The legs of the hairpin may be covered with flocked coating of various flock heights for providing no-slip effect for a particular hair type.
In another aspect of the invention, a hairpin has an interface for attaching a replaceable charm. The interface may use a screw tip, a Velcro™ lock, a clip, a clamp, a ring, a magnet, etc. The universal hairpin may have detachable tips of various shapes for different hair types or different types of hairstyles. The universal hairpin may have an asymmetric shape for more convenient use by a hairstylist.
According to one exemplary embodiment, the hairpin 1 may, advantageously, accommodate charms that can be easily replaced by a user who wants to change a charm to match a different hairstyle or an outfit.
Having thus described a preferred embodiment, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain advantages of the described apparatus have been achieved. In particular, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the proposed hairpin is universal because it may accommodate different charms and different tips and can be used with different types of hair. The proposed hairpin is covered with a no-slip coating to provide for reliable hold suitable for dancing, aerobics, swimming, running and other activities.
It should also be appreciated that various modifications, adaptations, and alternative embodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. The invention is further defined by the following claims.
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20110005547 | Tsai | Jan 2011 | A1 |
20140096789 | Caruso | Apr 2014 | A1 |
20140182616 | Johnson | Jul 2014 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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339110 | Nov 1904 | FR |
471401 | Oct 1914 | FR |
15787 | Oct 1914 | GB |