The invention concerns a comb for the hair. The ordinary comb, namely an instrument made of various materials provided with a set of teeth and used to arrange and tidy the hair, is a well-known object.

On the side opposite the teeth combs have a plain surface or some other kind of handgrip. It is also known that, in order to cut the hair, hairdres- sers like to use a comb to keep a lock of hair in position and to assist them in cutting it with scissors or clippers But clearly, if hair passes easily into a comb through the teeth it just as easily slips out and gets out of place obliging the hairdresser to pick up the lock again which often prejudices precision and quality of the -cut.

Also well-known are the widely used ornamental combs deco- ratively shaped and coloured of a size suitable for wear¬ ing on the hair and adorning women's heads. These combs are held in place by metal clips, pieces of elastic and other relatively complex means both as regards their structure and the method of fixing them which more or less limits their aesthetic effect and often poses problems in both their manufacture and use. The above invention assists the hairdresser in his work and enhances the appearance of ornamental combs as will be explained below.

Subject of the invention is a comb for the hair composed of two longitudinal half-combs virtually identical each comprising a set of half-teeth placed at an equal centre distance in both half-combs and which, lying opposite each other frontally, form the teeth of said comb.

The half-combs slide freely and longitudinally one in re¬ lation to the other for a length of travel at least equal to the centre distance between the half-teeth. Therefore, having put the comb in the hair, by sliding the half combs, the hair will be held between the half-teeth of onehalf-comb and the half-teeth of the other half-comb and the comb be held firmly among the hair.

In this way the work of a hairdresser is eased during hair cutting and other considerable advantages obtained as well. At the end of the half-teeth there is a beak-like projec¬ tion turned sideways in one direction in one half-comb and in the opposite direction in the other half-comb. By lateral contraposi ion of said beaks the space becomes closed between the half-teeth of the two half-combs and between them the hair is held and prevented from escaping. Pressure from a spring keeps the two half-combs in an idle position represented by frontal contraposition of the two sets of half-teeth.

Therefore, moving the two half-combs by hand till complete teeth are formed by frontal contraposition of the half-teeth of one half-comb over the half-teeth of the other half-comb adjacent to those contraposed in the idle position with consequent compression of the spring, by putting the comb into the hair and leaving it there the two half-combs will tend to resume the idle position.

The hairs that penetrate among the various teeth will be

Movement of one half-comb in relation to the other is guided b<y a rib with a dovtail cross section forming part of one half-comb, said rib sliding in a corresponding groove in the other half-comb. One end position is determined by a stop-block that can be inserted longitudinally in a seat made for it at the end of one half-comb.

On completion of mounting, said block is stabilized by the head of a longitudinal elastic tongue fixed to it. Said head automatically settles into a seat made for it at the end of the mounting seat.

Trie shape of said seat is such that the head can be lifted by insertion of a finger tip making it easy to disassemble the block. In this way the two half-combs can be separated for clean¬ ing or for any other purposes. The advantages of the invention are evident. The hairdresser works more easily and quickly and the haircut is more effectively done. Ornamental combs obtainable with the system to. be patented are easier to put into the hair and retain the position given to them without having to be specially fixed as it is sufficient to leave the comb alone once it has been put in for it to be held in place automatically. Characteristics and purposes of the invention will be made still clearer by the following example of its execution illustrated by diagrammatic figures.

Fig.1 Front view of the comb when put into the hair. Fig.2 Detail of a half-comb, front view. Fig.3 The same as above, side view.

Fig. The second half-comb, front view.

Fig. 5 The same as above, side view.

Fig. 6 D-etail of the come before mounting the locking de¬ vice, perspective view.

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Fig. 7 The same as above showing an end-of-travel prong. Fig. 8 Detail of a comb mounted, in the idle position, perspective view. Fig. 9 Detail of a comb ready to be put into the hair, perspective view. Fig.10 Detail of a comb put into the hair. Fig.11 Detail of the locking device, perspective view. The comb 9 consists of two half-combs 10 and 20 respec¬ tively comprising the half-teeth 11 and 21. The half-tooth 11 consists of a stem 12 and side beak 13. The half-tooth 21 consists of a stem 22 and side beak 23 projecting in the opposite direction to that of beak 13.

The two half-combs 10 and 20 match together with the inner surfaces, 14 and 24 respectively, guided by the longitudi¬ nal dovetail-shaped rib 15 of the half-comb 10 that slides in the groove 25 of the half-comb 20. On the right-hand side of the groove (looking at the fi¬ gure) there is a prong 26.

At the right-hand end of the half-comb 10 a longitudinal recess 16 is made in the comb, slightly wider than the prong 26, there being at its inner end a circular cavity 17.

The small longitudinal channels 19 are made in the sides 18 of said recess 16.

Said recess 16 serves to receive the block 30 comprising a base 31 about as wide as the recess 16, said base extend- ing to form an elastic tongue 32 ending in a half-moon head 33 with an edge 30 inclined inwards and slightly narrower

chan the diameter of the circular cavity 17 of the half- -comb 10.

Said base also has a projecting pin 35 tu'rned in the di¬ rection of the head 33 and having a rounded tip. The helical compression spring 40 is mounted on said pin.

The sides 36 of the base have longitudinal ridges 37 made to fit into the small channels 19 in the recess 16 cut in the half-comb 10. To make the comb the right-hand side (looking at the fi- gures) with the rib 15 on the half-comb 10 is fitted into the left-hand side of the groove 25 in the half-comb 20 until the two half-combs practically match up. Having done this, the small block 30 is put into the re¬ cess 16 making the ridges 37 slide along the channels 19 and keeping the head 33 raised above said recess.

On reaching the circular cavity 17, said head spontaneously enters it. In this way the small block 30 is made stable forming one with the half-comb 10 and creating an end-of- travel stop to its movement towards the left in relation to the half-comb 20 as the pin 35 comes up against the prong 26 in said half-comb.

The spring 40 is comprised between said small block 30 and the prong 26. The end-o -travel stop for movement of the half-comb 10 towards the right is obviously created by the bottom of the circular cavity 17 which touches against the prong 26. Left to itself, the comb appears as in Fig. 8 with the half-combs out of line but with the half-teeth 11 and 21, 11' and 21', 11" and 21" superimposed so that they can function as ordinary teeth.

Moving the half-comb 10 right over to the left (Fig. 9),

the spring 40 is found to be compressed and the half-tooth I I becomes superimposed over the half-tooth 21', the half- -tooth 11' lies over the half-tooth 21", and so on. It is then possible to place the comb in the hair at the preferred position making locks 41 of hair enter the spa¬ ces between the half-teeth, such as 11' and 21", 11 and 21' and so forth .

Left to itself the comb will be held stably on the head holding locks of hair 41 between the half-teeth 11 and 21, 11' and 21' and so on. (Fig.10).

To clean the comb, just use a finger tip 42, or better still the nail or even anything pointed, to raise the lock¬ ing head 33 to position 33' (Fig. 11) and then slide the small block 30 out towards the right. The two half-combs can then be slid apart and separated for easy and thorough cleaning of all their parts.