LANE, Teresa (2500 Parkview Drive, #2304Hallendale Beach, FL, 33009, US)
| CLAIMS I claim: 1. A hair addition for providing a bump up effect, comprising: a foundation having an outer frame and a plurality of shaping strips, the outer frame defining front and rear sides and opposed ends, the shaping strips extending from the front side to the rear side, each shaping strip being bendable and retaining its form until further manipulated; a plurality of attachment members coupled to the foundation for attaching the foundation to a wearer's hair; a plurality of hair strand retention members spanning the outer frame opposed ends; and a plurality of hair strands coupled to the hair strand retention members and collectively concealing the foundation, the attachment members, and the hair strand retention members. 2. The hair addition of claim 1 , wherein a respective shaping strip includes an elongate strip of material folded around a wire and fastened together such that the material envelops the wire. 3. The hair addition of claim 2, wherein the outer frame includes at least one elongate piece of non-rigid outer frame material folded around an end of the shaping strip having the elongate strip of material folded around the wire. 4. The hair addition of claim 3, wherein an end of the wire is bent. 5. The hair addition of claim 3, wherein an end of the wire is covered by at least one item selected from the group consisting of: a cap, adhesive, and sealant. 6. The hair addition of claim 3, wherein the plurality of shaping strips are generally parallel to one another. 7. The hair addition of claim 6, wherein: at least one of the attachment members is coupled to the foundation at the foundation front side and includes teeth facing the foundation rear side; and at least one of the attachment membeis is coupled to the foundation at the foundation rear side and includes teeth facing the foundation front side. 8. The hair addition of claim 3, wherein the plurality of shaping strips are closer together at the outer frame front end than at the outer frame rear end. 9. The hair addition of claim 8, wherein an end of the wire is at least one of: (a) bent; (b) covered by a cap; (C) covered by adhesive; and (d) covered by sealant. 10. The hair addition of claim 8, wherein: at least one of the attachment members is coupled to the foundation at the foundation front side and includes teeth facing the foundation rear side; and at least one of the attachment members is coupled to the foundation at the foundation rear side and includes teeth facing the foundation front side. 1 1. The hair addition of claim 8, wherein: one of the attachment members is coupled to the foundation adjacent one of the outer frame ends at the foundation front side and includes teeth facing the foundation rear side; one of the attachment members is coupled to the foundation adjacent the other outer frame end at the foundation front side and includes teeth facing the foundation rear side; and at least one of the attachment members is coupled to the foundation at the foundation rear side and includes teeth facing the foundation front side. 12 The hair addition of claim 1 1 whei em one of the attachment membeis is geneially centeied along and coupled to the foundation front side and includes teeth facing the foundation ieai side 13 The hair addition of claim 12, wheiein the iear side and opposed ends of the outer frame are collectively generally arcuate 14 The hair addition of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of shaping strips are generally parallel to one another 15 The hair addition of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of shaping strips are closer together at the outer frame front end than at the outer frame rear end 16 A hair addition for providing a bump up effect, comprising a foundation having an outer frame and a plurality of shaping stπps, the outer frame defining front and rear sides and opposed ends, the shaping stπps extending from the front side to the rear side, each shaping strip being bendable and retaining its form until further manipulated, means for attaching the foundation to a wearer's hair, a plurality of hair strand retention members spanning the outer frame, and a plurality of hair strands coupled to the hair strand retention members and collectively concealing the foundation, the attachment members, and the hair strand retention members 17 The hair addition of claim 16, wherein a respective shaping strip includes an elongate stop of mateπal folded around a wire and fastened together such that the material envelops the wire 18 The hair addition of claim 16, wherein the plurality of shaping strips are generally parallel to one another 19 The hair addition of claim 16, wherein the plurality of shaping strips are closer together at the outer frame front end than at the outer frame rear end |
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001} This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/185,862, filed June 10, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The disclosed subject matter is directed to hair additions, which are devices having real or synthetic hair that are worn on a user's head to complement, accent, or otherwise alter the appearance of the user's hair.
BACKGROUND
[0003] "Bumped" hair styles are popular among women. However, achieving this effect is generally difficult and time consuming, and the effect often lasts for less time than desired. Conventional solutions, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,264,003, involve providing a foundation device that the user's hair must either lay over or be intertwined with to cover.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0004] According to one embodiment, a hair addition for providing a bump up effect includes a foundation, a plurality of attachment members coupled to the foundation for attaching the foundation to a wearer's hair, a plurality of hair strand retention members spanning the foundation, and a plurality of hair strands coupled to the hair strand retention members and collectively concealing the foundation, the attachment members, and the hair strand retention members. The foundation has an outer frame and a plurality of shaping strips. The outer frame defines front and rear sides and opposed ends. The shaping strips extend from the front side to the rear side, and each shaping strip is bendable and retains its form until further manipulated.
[0005] According to another embodiment, a hair addition for providing a bump up effect includes a foundation, means for attaching the foundation to a wearer's hair, a plurality of hair strand retention members spanning the foundation, and a plurality of hair strands coupled to the hair strand retention members and collectively concealing the foundation, the attachment members, and the hair strand retention members. The foundation has an outer frame and a plurality of shaping strips. The outer frame defines front and rear sides and opposed ends. The shaping strips extend from the front side to the rear side, and each shaping strip is bendable and retains its form until further manipulated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 shows a hair addition according to an embodiment set forth herein, in use.
[0007] FIG. 2 shows the foundation and the attachment members of the hair addition of FIG. 1.
[0008] FIG. 3 a shows a portion of FIG. 2 in detail.
[0009] FIG. 3b shows an exploded view of FIG. 3a.
[0010] FIG. 4 shows the underside of the hair addition of FIG. 1, in an unbent configuration.
[0011] FIG. 5 shows a segment of a hair strand retention member and hair strands of the hair addition of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 6 shows the underside of the hair addition of FIG. 1, in a bent configuration.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] FIGs. 1 through 6 show a hair addition 100 that provides a bump up effect when worn on a wearer's head 10 (FIG. 1) according to one embodiment. The hair addition 100 includes a foundation 1 10, attachment members 130, hair strand retention members 140, and hair strands 150.
[0014] The foundation 110, best shown in FIG. 2, has a front side 112a, a rear side 1 12b, and opposed ends 1 14a, 1 14b defined by an outer frame 113. The outer frame 1 13 may be constructed of one or more piece of material, and two pieces 113a (defining the front side 1 12a) and 113b (defining the opposed ends 114a, 114b and the rear side 112b) are shown in FIG. 2. Pieces 113a, 113b may, for example, be strips of non-elastic lace having a width of approximately 3/16 inch to approximately 1/4 inch. It should be appreciated that other materials and sizes may also be appropriate, however. [0015] Shaping strips 1 15 m the foundation 1 10 extend across the outei frame 1 13 fiom the fiont side 1 12a to the reai side 1 12b and may be geneially linear and parallel (as shown in FIG 2) or may be, foi example, arcuate such that the shaping strips 1 15 on each side of a central shaping strip 1 15a attach to the rear side 1 12b further away from the central shaping strip 1 15a than is shown in FIG 2 Each shaping strip 1 15 is bendable but retains its form until further manipulated
[0016] In some embodiments, as shown m FIGs 3a and 3b, each shaping strip 1 15 may include an elongate strip of material 1 16 (e g , non-elastic lace) folded around a wire 1 17 and stitched together by stitching 1 18 such that the material 1 16 envelops the wire 1 17 The material 1 16 m some embodiment has a width once folded of approximately 3/16 inch to approximately 1/4 inch, though other sizes may also be appropriate The wire 1 17 may be one or more strand of metal, composite, or other bendable material of any dimension so long as the wire 1 17 fits inside the folded material 1 16, may be repeatedly bent without breaking, and retains its form until further manipulated The material 1 13b may be folded similar to the material 1 16 and stitched by stitching 1 19, and the mateπal 1 13b may envelop the material 1 16 and an end 1 17a of the wire 117 In some embodiments, the end 1 17a is bent and/or covered (e g , by a cap, adhesive or sealant that this then dried/cured, etc ) to further secure the end 1 17a
[0017] Returning to FIG 2, the attachment members 130 may be any appropriate hair engaging members Exemplary hair engagement members (typically identified by reference number 12) are illustrated and described m detail m U S Patent Application Publication Number 2007/0221244 (Lane), assigned to Celebrity Signatures International, Inc , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference As shown in FIG 2, three attachment members 130 having teeth 132 may be coupled to the front side 1 12a of the foundation 110 and one attachment member 130 having teeth 132 may be coupled to the rear side 1 12b of the foundation 110, or other numbers and configurations of attachment members 130 may be used It may be advantageous for the teeth 132 of the attachment members 130 coupled to the front side 112a to face the rear side 112b and for the teeth 132 of the attachment member(s) 130 coupled to the rear side 112b to face the front side 112a, as shown in FIG 2 [0018J Turning now to FlG. 4, the hair strand retention members 140 may extend across the foundation 1 10, and specifically across the outer frame 1 13, and may be connected (e.g., stitched, adhered, etc.) to the outer frame 1 13 and the shaping strips 1 15. In addition, a netting (e.g., a honeycomb netting; not shown in the drawings) may extend across the outer frame 1 13, and the hair strand retention members 140 may also be connected to the netting. In one embodiment, the hair strand retention members 140 are formed utilizing a stitching pattern such that they engage and retain in place the hair strands 150 inserted into the hair strand retention members 140 as a segment of the hair strand retention 140 manufacturing process. Certain hair strand retention members 140 may be longer than others due to the varying distances between the ends 1 14a, 1 14b, as can be seen in FIG. 4.
[0019] FIG. 5 illustrates one segment of a respective hair strand retention member 140 that includes hair strands 150 retained therein. For clarity, FIG. 5 illustrates hair strands 150 in a less dense pattern than would be utilized in a typical product. As illustrated, hair strand retention members 140 are formed as a stitched pattern of individual threads 142 that engage a substantial midpoint of respective hair strands 150. In other words, the hair strands 150 are folded approximately in half and the pattern of individual threads 142 engages the hair strands 150 at the fold. In one embodiment, respective hair strands 150 are individually stitched into hair strand retention members 140. In an alternative embodiment, bundles of hair strands 150, ranging from five to two hundred individual hair strands per bundle, are stitched into hair strand retention members 140. Spacing between individual hair strands 150, or alternatively bundles of hair strands 150, is dependent on the density desired for the hair addition 100.
[0020] The hair strands 150 may be of any configuration depending on the hair style desired for the hair addition 100. As a result, a user can utilize the addition of hair strands 150 to the user's natural hair to provide various hair styles, some of which may not be attainable, or desirable in appearance, without the hair addition 100. More specifically, in various embodiments, the hair strands 150 may be arcuate, tightly curled, or substantially straight, and of varying lengths and colors. In addition, the hair strands 150 may include one or more of synthetic hair strands or natural hair strands. For synthetic hair strands, the hair may be fabricated from a polymer fiber such as modaciyhc, or the synthetic haπ may be fabiicated horn a polymer fibei othei than modaciyhc, such as, for example, aciylic
[0021 J FlG 6 shows the hair addition 100 bent m piepaiation foi use, with the shaping strips 1 15 bent such that the front side 1 12a of the foundation 1 10 is maintained closer to the rear side 1 12b of the foundation 1 10 to form a bumped or raised effect when the attachment members 130 aie fastened to the wearer ' s han (FlG 1) In one manner of use, the shaping strips 1 15 are bent pπor to any of the attachment members 130 being fastened to the wearer's hair, the attachment members 130 at the front side 1 12a of the foundation 1 10 are fastened to the wearer's hair, the shaping stπps 1 15 are further bent to achieve the desired style, and the attachment member 130 at the rear side 1 12b of the foundation 1 10 is fastened to the wearer's hair The wearer's hair may then be blended in with the hair addition 100 as desired, though minimal blending should be needed The flexibility and stability provided by the shaping stπps may allow a single hair addition 100 to properly fit heads of various shapes and sizes, and may also allow different bumped looks (e g , bumps of different heights and configurations) to be created even on a single user
[0022] Those skilled in the art appreciate that variations from the specified embodiments disclosed above are contemplated herein and that the described embodiments are not limiting The description should not be restricted to the above embodiments, but should be measured by the following claims
Next Patent: AUTOMATED VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS