US20050204493A1

US20050204493A1 - Scented roller to remove loose hairs

Info

Publication number: US20050204493A1
Application number: US11/077,081
Authority: US
Inventors: Kathy Legus; Ronald Legus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-03-16
Filing date: 2005-03-11
Publication date: 2005-09-22

Abstract

The scented roller to remove loose hairs from exposed skin surfaces has a solid, elongated handle with a distal end and a proximal end that allows a user to comfortably grasp the scented roller. A connecting fork is located at the proximal end of the handle, and a roller is removably placed in the connecting fork with a roll of adhesive tape disposed on the roller. The roll of adhesive tape has an exposed adhesive outer surface to collect and hold cut hair and debris from an exposed dirty surface. The tape has a scent or fragrance on the scented roller.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/553,343, filed Mar. 16, 2004.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a roller, and particularly to a scented roller that can be used to pick up loose hair from patrons of a barbershop or beauty salon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disposable rollers that expose a tape adhesive exposed area used to pick-up lint, hair and other loose debris are well known. These disposable rollers are very useful in that a section of adhesive tape, once used, can be torn-off and discarded and be immediately replaced with fresh adhesive tape. Use of these types of disposable rollers is reflected in the related art as well.
United States Patent Publication No. 2002/0144367, published on Oct. 10, 2002 and applied for by McKay, Jr., outlines the use of an adhesive roller having an elongated strip that includes a backing layer and an adhesive layer overlying one side of the backing layer. The strip has a first end, a second end and two spaced apart sides. The strip is wound from its first end to its second end into a tubular cylindrical roll in which multiple layers of the strip overlap each other.
United States Patent Publication No. 2003/0039824, published on Feb. 27, 2003 and applied for by Aalbers, outlines the use of a contaminant removal tape assembly, which includes an applicator and a roll of contaminant removal tape mounted on the applicator, wherein the roll of contaminate removal tape includes a backing having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, with a layer of adhesive on the first side of the backing, and wherein the layer of adhesive is arranged to have discontinuous contact with a surface to which the roll is applied.
United States Patent Publication No. 2003/0088928, published on May 15, 2003 and applied for by Shizuno et al., outlines the use of an adhesive roll cleaner having single-sided adhesive sheets helically wound around a core tube with the adhesive side out, wherein the adhesive sheets each have a tear strength of 500 mN or higher as measured with an Elmendorf tear tester according to JIS P8116 (ISO 1974).
U.S. Pat. No. 2,702,913, issued to Walkama on Mar. 1, 1955, outlines the use of a device for removing lint and the like particularly from clothing, and in particular, a spool of adhesive tape with a shield for covering the adhesive tape on one side of the spool.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,194, issued to Ramelson on Sep. 26, 1967, outlines the use of a lint remover, and in particular, a roller device for cleaning fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,417,418, issued to Riboud on Dec. 24, 1968, outlines the use of a tool for collecting dirt and dust that has a cylinder rotatably mounted on a handle and carries a plurality of layers of outwardly adhesive spirally wound sheets. The edges of the outermost sheet can be located when dirty by making a subjacent layer of a different color and leaving a gap between turns of the spiral of each layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,676, issued to Gallagher et al. on Feb. 24, 1976, outlines the use of long hairs of fur pelts known as guard hairs, which are removed to reveal soft underfur by contacting the pelt with a substrate coated with adhesive and then pulling the substrate away from the pelt. Recoverable or non-recoverable adhesive systems may also be used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,727,616, issued to Kucera et al. on Mar. 1, 1988, outlines the use of a lint removal apparatus having a length of adhesive coated tape wound upon a cylindrical core which is rotatably carried by a two-piece handle assembly. Each successive layer, or winding, of adhesive tape is provided with a diagonally extending cut which extends partially, but not completely, across the width of the winding for easy removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,465, issued to McKay on Jul. 2, 1991, outlines the use of a lint remover roller assembly having a pressure sensitive adhesive tape roll with layers of adhesive tape with the adhesive surface facing outwardly to remove lint and other foreign particles from fabric surfaces over which it is rolled.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,303, issued to Rubino on Jul. 27, 1993, outlines the use of a pet hair removal apparatus that includes a support handle having an angulated support frame rotatably mounted on an adhesive tube, which can be removed for replacement. A modification of the invention includes the handle formed with an applicator spray structure to direct a fluid spray, such as flea spray, perfume and the like onto an associated animal being groomed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,861, issued to Hukuba on Aug. 27, 1996, outlines the use of a cleaning tool, which uses a disposable adhesive sheet, wherein the adhesive sheet may be peeled and torn in a simple and easy manner without causing the user annoyance or discomfort. The cleaning tool has an adhering roller with an adhesive sheet wound in layers thereon and is supported rotatably about an axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,344, issued to Rosenkrantz on Sep. 10, 1996, outlines the use of a pick-up device that includes a support platform having a first side and a second side with an elongated handle connected to the first side and a plurality of sheets of adhesive material attached to the second side. The sheets are arranged in a sandwich type fashion, with an outwardly facing tacky adhesive surface and are adapted to be exposed when a preceding outermost sheet is removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,788, issued to Jaffri on Jan. 18, 2000, outlines the use of a large micro-debris roller having one sided adhesive sheets facing outward and wound up on a rotatable core. The core is supported by a symmetrical handle and each adhesive sheet is provided with a non-adhesive tab, which cooperates with perforations in the adhesive sheets, to make possible the simple disposal of the adhesive sheets.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,695, issued to McKay, Jr. on May 2, 2000, outlines the use of a lint roller assembly for rotatably supporting a tubular and cylindrical adhesive lint remover roller. The assembly includes a pair of elongated housing parts, which are identical to each other. Each housing part includes an elongated handle section and a semi-cylindrical lint roller support longitudinally adjacent to the handle section.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,014, issued to McKay, Jr. on Oct. 3, 2000, outlines the use of an adhesive roller particularly suited for a lint roller having an elongated strip with a backing layer and an adhesive layer overlying one side of the backing strip. The strip is wound onto a tubular cylindrical roll or onto a spindle. A plurality of perforation lines extend between the sides of the strip at predetermined longitudinal intervals therealong so that the perforations define a plurality of longitudinally adjacent sheets along the strip with each sheet overlying one sheet and extending substantially one revolution around the roll.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,397, issued to Odagiri on Feb. 5, 2002, outlines the use of a winding adhesive cleaner with a body equipped with a gearbox and an attachable cylinder equipped with a rolled strip of adhesive paper. An adhesive face on the cleaner is continuously changed without removing a dirtied face or suspending a cleaning operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,403, issued to McKay on Jun. 18, 2002, outlines the use of a cleaning tool for cleaning a surface that has a core with a lower surface and an upper surface. A first set of cleaning sheets is removably supported on the lower surface in a stacked configuration. Each of the sheets includes a bibulous layer and a moisture barrier layer. The moisture barrier layer prevents transport of liquid from one bibulous layer of one sheet to the bibulous layer of an adjacent sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,278, issued to McKay, Jr. on Aug. 6, 2002, outlines the use of a lint roller assembly having an elongated housing with a handle and a lint roller support section longitudinally adjacent to the handle. The lint roller support section is cylindrical in shape and has a radially recessed and circumferentially extending channel formed between its ends. This channel has a longitudinal length less than the longitudinal length of the lint roller support section.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,794, issued to Jaffri on Sep. 17, 2002, outlines the use of a micro-debris roller having outwardly facing adhesive sheets wound up on a rotatable core. Each adhesive sheet includes an anti-bacterial or anti-allergen substance disposed on the outwardly facing surface of the sheets. Each adhesive sheet is further provided with a non-adhesive tab, which cooperates with perforations formed in the adhesive sheets to facilitate easy removal of contaminated sheets.
United Kingdom Patent Number 2,233,884, published on Jan. 23, 1991, outlines the use of cleaning equipment with a roll of adhesive tape for removing dust and hair from clothing and carpets. The cleaning equipment has a handle mounted at one end of an elongated member, a reel rotatably mounted on a shaft for supporting the roll of adhesive tape and a take-up roller rotatably mounted on another shaft for taking up adhesive tape unwound from the roll, the roller being provided with a ratchet mechanism which prevents rotation of the roller in an undesired direction of rotation.
German Patent No. 19,928,469, published on Dec. 12, 2000, outlines the use of an adhesive roller, which has a handle section, the adhesive roller having a curved surface with a concave profile. A conical form is superimposed on the concave profile and the handle section is at least twice the length of the roller, which is made of foam.
Although there are many uses for disposable rollers that expose a tape adhesive contact area, there is a need for a disposable roller that can provide a disposable clean surface area and a pleasant fragrance or scent after each use. Such a disposable roller would be in big demand in the marketplace for use by barbers and cosmetologists.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, a scented roller to remove loose hairs solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The scented roller to remove loose hairs has a solid elongated handle with a distal end and a proximal end that allows a user to comfortably grasp the scented roller. There is also a connecting fork located at the proximal end of the solid elongated handle, a disposable roller that is removably placed in the connecting fork, and a disposable roll of adhesive tape. The disposable roll of adhesive tape has an exposed adhesive outer surface to collect and hold debris from an exposed dirty surface or exposed skin. The exposed fresh adhesive outer surface can also be peeled off and can be used for aromatherapy.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a scented roller to remove loose hairs from the skin surface of a person who has just had his or her hair cut.
It is another object of the invention to provide a scented roller to remove loose hairs that has a fresh scented surface after each use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a scented roller with a disposable hygienically fresh surface to remove loose hairs from a person who has just had his or her hair cut, eyebrow trimmed, beard trimmed or other cosmetology process.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of a roller to remove loose hairs according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded front view of the roller to remove loose hairs.
FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic section view along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is a scented roller 10 to remove loose hairs H from the nape and neck area of a user or other skin surfaces, as shown in FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the scented roller 10 comprises a solid, elongated handle 20 with a distal end 22 and a proximal end 24, that allows a user to comfortably grasp the scented roller 10. The scented roller 10 further comprises a connecting fork 30 located at the proximal end 24 of the solid elongated handle 20 and a disposable roller 40 that is removably placed horizontally in the connecting fork 30, with the disposable roller 40 being rolled onto an exposed dirty surface or skin surface with loose hairs or other debris. The scented roller 10 further comprises a disposable roll of adhesive tape 50 that is placed on the disposable roller 40, the disposable roll of adhesive tape 50 having an exposed adhesive outer surface 52 to collect and hold debris from the exposed dirty surface or exposed skin surface. This is discussed in greater detail in connection with FIG. 3, described below.
The scented roller 10 also has an aperture 60 on the distal end 22 of the handle 20 that can be used for hanging the roller 10. The roll of adhesive tape 50 is scented with perfume, aftershave lotion, talc or an aromatherapy scent oil. The handle 20 of the scented roller 10 is made of static-free hard rubber. The handle 20 is also ergonomically designed and shaped to fit comfortably in the hand of its user. The connecting fork 30 has flexible tines 32 with fitted apertures 34 that can be manually manipulated to accommodate the ends 42 of the disposable roller 40.
As shown in FIG. 3, the roll of adhesive tape 50 has a mild adhesive coating the outer surface 52 of the tape 50 to facilitate removal of hair and debris from a dirty exposed adhesive outer surface 52, the adhesive having sufficient strength that particles of hair and debris adhere to the tape 50 while not adhering to or irritating the skin, and has perforations 56 at spaced intervals over its entire length so that the used portion of tape is easily separated from the roll 50, whereby fresh tape is exposed for the next use.
Use of the scented roller 10 is straightforward. The disposable roll of adhesive tape 50 can be easily fitted onto the disposable roller 40 with the assembly being inserted into the apertures 34 of the flexible tines 32. Once an exposed adhesive outer surface 52 becomes so dirty that it must be removed and replaced with an underneath exposed adhesive outer surface 54 that has perforations 56 for each layer of the exposed adhesive outer surface 52, this can easily be done by a user peeling off the dirty exposed outer surface 52 and exposing the clean and fresh underneath exposed adhesive outer surface 54. The peeling off of the dirty exposed outer surface 52 also helps liberate the fragrance associated with the scented roller 10.
It will be seen that the present scented roller 10 may be used by the barber or cosmetologist in lieu of the traditional neck brush for removing cut hair from the skin of a patron. This improves cleanliness, since the neck brush is used with multiple patrons, while the scented roller 10 provides a clean surface for each patron. By providing the adhesive tape with a scent, the experience is made less unpleasant for the patron.
It will be understood that the details of the roller assembly are not critical and may vary within the scope of the claimed invention. Specifically, although both the roller 40 and the tape 50 have been described as disposable, in practice the device may be furnished with a reusable roller, while the tape 50 may be furnished wound on a disposable, tubular cardboard core so that the roller 40 may be removed from the fork 30 to slide the tape core over the roller, then replacing the roller in the fork 30. Alternatively, both the tape and the roller may be furnished as a disposable, replaceable unit. Further, although the drawings show the roller 40 having pins extending from the ends of the roller 40 that are mounted in sockets or apertures 34 defined in the tines 32 of the fork 30, it is equally within the scope of the invention to mount pins on the tines 32 of the fork 30 that are received in sockets defined in the ends of the roller 40.
The scented roller 10 may be provided in miniature form for use in other cosmetology services, including, but not limited to, eyebrow tweezing and removal of facial hairs.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A scented roller to remove loose hairs from clothing and exposed skin surfaces, comprising:

a solid, elongated handle having a distal end and a proximal end;

a connecting fork disposed at the proximal end of the handle;

a roller removably disposed in the fork;

a roll of adhesive tape disposed about the roller, the tape having an outer surface and an adhesive coating on the outer surface; and

a scent incorporated into the adhesive tape;

wherein the adhesive tape collects and holds debris from an exposed skin surface when the tape is rolled over the skin surface after a hair cutting or removal procedure.

2. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein the fragrance is a perfume.

3. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein the fragrance is an aromatherapy element.

4. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein the distal end of said handle has an aperture defined therein for hanging the roller.

5. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein said handle is made of static-free hard rubber.

6. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein said handle has an ergonomic shape.

7. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein said roller is disposable.

8. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein said adhesive tape is perforated at spaced intervals throughout its length, whereby a used portion of the tape is separated from the roll for disposal to leave an unused portion of said tape for use.

9. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein said fork has flexible tines, whereby the tines are separated for insertion of said roller.

10. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein the scent is an aftershave lotion.

11. The scented roller according to claim 1, wherein the scent comprises talc.