Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to devices for use in the highlighting of hair and in particular to combs adapted to assist a hair stylist in the process of highlighting hair.

Background of the Invention

Highlighting hair is a routine practice for hair stylists and involves separating out some hairs to which a highlighting product is to be applied from other hair to which highlighting product is not to be applied.

Devices exist to assist a hair stylist in separating hairs to be highlighted from those that are not. One device consists of a comb the teeth of which have a part extending from the free end of each tooth of the comb at an acute angle to the axis of the tooth. The space between adjacent teeth is greater than the width of the opening formed between the side of the tooth and the free end of the part that extends at an acute angle to the axis of the tooth. When the comb is drawn through the hair, some hairs are captured in the opening whilst other hairs pass through the comb. The hairstylist then applies highlighting product to the hairs captured in the opening. This comb has been found to work well where it can be presented up to a person's head such that it is level and then be lifted straight up. However, where the comb is used on an angle, as is necessary given the typical shape of a person's head, the comb has been found to pick up too much hair. Further, the ratio of highlighted hair to hair that is not highlighted is substantially fixed due to the fixed relationship between adjacent teeth of the comb.

A highlighting comb which addresses the problem associated with the above-mentioned comb has teeth which are arranged to slide with respect to the body of the comb. The teeth of this comb are considerably more substantial than the teeth of the previously described comb, since they must be able to slide in a track. Further, the body of the comb must be configured to provide a track in which the teeth may slide and is therefore considerably more bulky and cumbersome than a typical comb. Still further, in order to facilitate sliding of the individual teeth with respect to the body of the comb, the teeth need to have a certain length which dictates the minimum distance between adjacent teeth at the point where the teeth engage with the hair.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a comb which does not suffer from the problems associated with the above-mentioned combs.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an attachment member for a comb, the attachment member being adapted to be removably attachable to a tooth of a comb and comprising a comb tooth engaging element and depending therefrom a hair capturing element including a hair capturing portion.

Advantageously, the hair capturing element comprises a pair of spaced apart legs, and a protrusion extending from one of the legs to the other. Preferably, the underside of the protrusion includes a curved part. Preferably, at least one of the legs of the pair is moveable with respect to the other. Moving one of the legs allows the protrusion to move away from the adjacent leg, allowing hair into the hair capturing portion.

Preferably, the legs are part of a bifurcated element extending from the base of the comb tooth engaging element.

Preferably, at least a part of each leg of the pair is formed of a resilient material, such as a plastics material. This provides the advantage that both the legs may move to allow hair into the hair capturing portion.

In one embodiment of the invention the whole attachment member is made of plastics material and a single plastics material may be used for all the parts of the attachment member or different plastics materials may be used for different parts. Preferably, the attachment member is adapted to connect to another attachment member. Advantageously, the attachment member is formed such that the rear side of one of the legs of a pair lies in substantially the same plane as the front side of the other leg of the pair.

The ends of the legs are preferably curved.

The protrusion may have a front side and a rear side, and the front side may lie in substantially the same plane as the front side of one of the legs and the rear side of the protrusion may lie in substantially the same plane as the rear side of the other of the legs.

Advantageously, one of the legs of the pair includes an element configured to engage with a leg of an adjacent attachment member when the adjacent attachment members are connected together.

The hair capturing portion preferably includes an opening and the opening may be trapezoidal in shape. Further, the element configured to engage with a leg of an adjacent member has a shape corresponding at least partially to the shape of the opening. In the case of a trapezium, the height of the trapezium of the element may be smaller than the height of the trapezium of the opening. With adjacent attachment members connected together the hair capturing portion is therefore formed bounded by a leg of one of the attachment members, part of the walls of the trapezoidal opening and a surface of the said element.

In a group of attachment members the hair capture portion of the end most attachment member may be formed simply by the boundary formed by the legs, the protrusion extending from one leg to the other and underside of the bifurcation.

The comb tooth receiving portion preferably includes an axial opening into which a comb tooth slides. Preferably, the comb tooth receiving portion is formed of a resilient plastics material which deforms around a comb tooth when the attachment member is attached on to a comb tooth. According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a kit of parts comprising a plurality of attachment members according to the first aspect of the invention, each attachment member being of substantially the same size.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a comb having a plurality of teeth, the comb having at least one attachment member according to the first aspect of the invention attached to a tooth of the said comb.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the Drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of a comb according to the invention: Figure 1 is a schematic representation in oblique view of an attachment member for a comb; Figure 2 is a schematic representation in rear view of the attachment member illustrated in Figure

1;

Figure 3 is a schematic representation in front view of the attachment member illustrated in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a schematic representation of a comb equipped with groups of attachment members of the type illustrated in Figures 1 to 3.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring now to Figure 1 , there is shown an attachment member 1 for a comb, the attachment member comprising a tooth engaging element 2 and a hair capturing element 4. The tooth engaging element 2 includes an axial opening 3 which is of a suitable dimension to slide on to a tooth of a comb. The comb may be a standard comb that a hair stylist would typically use when styling a person's hair. As well as being suitably dimensioned as to slide on to a tooth of a comb, the tooth engaging element 2 is advantageously formed of a material which is resilient and so deforms to accommodate the said tooth. A resilient plastics material would be suitable. The hair capturing element 4 comprises two legs 5, 6, which together form an opening 7 into which hair that is to be highlighted is drawn when a comb equipped with attachment members 1 is pulled through hair. One of the legs 6 has a protrusion 8 extending therefrom, whilst the other leg 5 includes an indent 9. In the illustrated example the protrusion 8 and the indent 9 form part of the boundary of the opening 7.

It can be seen that part of the opening 7 formed by the leg 6 is in fact trapezoidal in shape, with the shorter of the parallel sides open. It can also be seen that the leg 5 supports an element 10 having a substantially trapezoidal shape. The length of the longer parallel sides corresponds substantially to the length of the longer parallel side of the trapezium formed in the leg 6. However, the element 10 is shallower than the trapezium formed in leg 6. The element 10 is positioned on the leg 5 such that when two attachment members 1 are presented up to one another the leg 6 of one attachment member 1 lies over the leg 5 of the other attachment member, with the element 10 of one attachment passing through the trapezoidal opening of the other attachment.

Figure 2 illustrates clearly how the protrusion 8 extends beyond the rear side of the leg 6, the rear surface of the protrusion 8 lies substantially flush with the rear surface of the leg 5. Hence, when one attachment member 1 is attached to another, the protrusion 8 lies under the lower edge of element 10 across the full width thereof.

In this way, groups of attachment members may be made up to take hold of an amount of hair desired by the hair stylist.

The protrusion 8 has a curved lower edge 8'. This curved lower edge 8' serves to guide the hair captured between the legs 5, 6 into the opening 7. It should be noted that the legs 5, 6 are formed of a resilient material, such as a plastics material. By forming the legs of such material they are inclined to move when subjected to a relatively small force. In fact, the force exerted by the hair captured between the legs 5, 6 as the comb is drawn through hair is sufficient to spread the legs 5, 6 apart, thereby allowing the so captured hair to enter the opening 7. In order to remove the comb from the hair, the comb is simply pulled axially along the hair until the free ends of the hair exit the opening 7.

It can be seen that the free ends of the legs 5, 6 are curved 5', 6'. These curved free ends provide for the teeth to pass through hair easily. Further, the edges of sides of the legs 5, 6 may be provided with a small radius to further assist with the flow of hair through the attachment members.

Figure 4 illustrates one way in which a hair stylist may wish to use the attachment members of the invention. In Figure 4, there are attached to the comb 20 three groups 21 , 22 and 23 of attachment members. The group 21 comprises three attachment members 1 of the type illustrated with reference to Figures 1 to 3, each attachment member 1 being attached to a tooth 24 of the comb 20. The second group 22 of attachment members comprises just two attachment members 1, each attached to a respective tooth 24 of the comb. The first and second groups 21, 22 of attachment members 1 are separated by three teeth 24 of the comb to which nothing is attached. The third group 23 comprises three attachment members 1 and is separated from the adjacent second group 22 by five teeth 24 to which nothing is attached, thereby providing a greater amount of hair that will not be highlighted that between the first and second groups of attachment members.

It is very easy for the hairstylist to select how much hair to separate for highlighting and the spaces between highlighted hair and hair that is not highlighted simply by selecting which teeth 24 of a comb to attach the attachment members 1 to. Further, due to the overlapping of one leg 6 over another leg 5 when attaching adjacent attachment members together, hair is directed into the space between adjacent legs 5, 6 of an attachment member 1, rather than finding its way between the legs of adjacent attachment members.