US20060180168A1

US20060180168A1 - Foundation for a French twist hair style

Info

Publication number: US20060180168A1
Application number: US11/356,378
Authority: US
Inventors: Sally Dinnel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-02-16
Filing date: 2006-02-16
Publication date: 2006-08-17

Abstract

A hair styling device to provide a foundation for the French twist hair style. The foundation is a lightweight device, triangular in shape, with the upper end concave in curvature. Both the foundation and an anchoring device such as a comb, barrette, or clip will have strips of Velcro installed so that the anchoring device can be mated with the foundation and the anchoring devices can be changed to match the needs of the user. Hair is wrapped around the foundation, secured with bobby pins, and the user should be able to quickly and easily transform their hair style into an elegant French twist.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is a foundation for a French twist hair style. It is designed to assist users to easily have an elegant hair style without expending extensive time, effort and expense. The mating of the lightweight hair foundation with the hair clamp, comb, or barrette provides the user a choice to use whichever anchoring device is easiest for their individual application. The material used in the foundation is lightweight but provides enough body and fullness to have a finished hair style that is flattering and elegant.
The unique improvement of using a clamping device such as a barrette or a comb to mate with the foundation provides a stronger foundation for the French Twist and is easier to use. This device, that is the subject of this patent, will be an improvement for anyone who is seeking to have a quick and simple method of styling their hair into the French twist hair style.
2. Description of Prior Art
The present invention would be used by women with medium to long hair length. This hair accessory will provide the user the ability to wear a French twist hair style with minimal time spent styling their hair. Although there have been other patents granted for devices that assist a user with pony tail, Chignon, and French twist hair styles, none have the characteristics associated with this invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,571 which was issued to this patent inventor, uses a similarly shaped foundation unit, but the mating of the clamp, comb or barrette to the foundation is unique. The improvement to that patent is significant in several ways. By using an anchor unit, (clamp, comb or barrette) in lieu of a plurality of tabs, a much sturdier base is achieved for the user. In addition the new design is far easier for the user to work with than the design using a plurality of tabs. Further, the manufacturing of the unit is significantly streamlined, with an accompanying cost reduction to the user. By using Velcro to mate the unit and the anchoring device, the user can assess which anchor works best on her hair and which method is easier to use. The anchoring devices would be interchangeable for the user.
Although numerous patents have been issued to assist users with hair style designs, few seem to be directed at the French twist hair style and none have been found to be as easy for the user to work with, be light enough in weight, or as simple to manufacture as the design that is the subject of this patent.

Other prior art associated with a hair style French twist or Chignon, can be found in the following United States of America patents:



6,305,387	Becky Atchison	Hair Styling Tool
5,979,465	Maureen/Lisa Marrese	Threaded Hair Twister
5,927,291	Lisa Beall	Hair Styling Apparatus
5,765,571	Sally Dinnel	Foundation for a Hair Dressing
5,706,836	Kathleen McKeown	Hair Ornament and Hair Control
		Device Securing Assembly
5,690,128	Kristina Grimes	Decorative Hair Styling and
		Retaining Accessory
5,669,398	Yassaman Dadgostar	Hair Styling Tool and Method
		of Use
5,623,953	Edwin McDowell	Hair Styling Tool and Method
		of Use
5,597,000	Lisa Gerber	Method and Apparatus for Hair
		Styling
5,588,451	Helen Peters	Hair Retainer
5,249,589	Melanie Moore	Method for Setting a Hair Twist
5,499,638	Jamie Ripley	Hair Holding Device
4,103,693	Rose Reagan	Hair Arranging Accessory
3,693,637	Abraham Sidelman	Chignon Foundation
3,638,663	Deloris Habison	Adjustable Hair Foundation
3,452,761	Irving Siegel	Hair Support
2,765,798	Martha Carvell	Chignon Foundation

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This patent covers a hair accessory that assists a person to easily style their hair in a French twist hair style By utilizing a comb or other anchoring device, the foundation for the French twist is securely attached to the users hair. Once the foundation device is attached, the user would wrap their hair around the foundation and secure their hair with bobby pins or a decorative comb. Because a French twist is to the back of the head, it is hard for some people to do this hair style on their own and instead would need to go to a beauty salon. With this foundation device, most women with medium length hair should be able to carry the unit with them in their purse and put their hair up into the French twist hair style before they go out at night.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings enclosed with this patent will further describe the foundation unit and attachment devices. The list of drawings follows
FIG. 1 shows the back or underside of the French twist foundation. This drawing shows the placement of a Velcro strip attached the edge of the back side of the foundation. This strip of Velcro will be used to mate with a companion strip of Velcro affixed to the attachment units (combs, barrettes or clips).
FIG. 2 shows a comb, with the mating strip of Velcro across the top of the comb.
FIG. 3 shows a barrette with Velcro attached to the top of the barrette.
FIG. 4 is a picture showing both the comb with Velcro attached to the foundation.
FIG. 5 is a drawing of the finished product after the hair has been wrapped and secured around the foundation.
FIG. 6 is a drawing of the user using the smaller unit with the hair flowing below the twist.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

This invention is comprised of a lightweight, flexible foundation FIG. 1 that attaches to the back of the user's hair through the use of a barrette, comb or clip. The comb, barrette or clip that has been mated to the foundation by the use of Velcro 1A, is then placed in the users hair to securely anchor the foundation device. Then the user's hair is folded over and under the foundation and swirled at the top of the foundation. Next the hair is secured with bobby pins, hair pins, or decorative comb to complete the hair style.
The foundation is of similar shape as was approved under U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,671. In that patent the foundation was attached through a plurality of tabs. However, it was found that the improved design that is the subject of this invention, provided a stronger and more secure French twist hair style. The benefits of the this new, improved design reduces manufacturing costs, is easier to use, establishes a stronger, more secure French twist hair style.
The foundation unit FIG. 1 is basically rectangular in shape with a concave half circle at the top of the unit allowing the user to swirl their hair at the top of the unit. The device is wider at the top and narrows toward the bottom. The bottom has a slight convex curvature or point. The shape of the foundation unit can be seen in FIG. 1.
The foundation has a Velcro strip attached to the edge of the back side of the foundation and is identified in 1A. The attachment device (comb, barrette, or clip) will contain a companion strip of Velcro 2 B 3C which has been affixed to the attachment device to the top side of the attachment device. The strip of Velcro on the foundation and the strip of Velcro on the attachment device will be brought together by the user to mate join to create one unit containing both the foundation and the attachment device FIG. 4.
The foundation may have a piece of Velcro or other material which has a surface finish capable of entangling with said persons hair attached to the outside of the front side of the foundation to prevent slippage of the first layer of hair wrapped around the foundation. This strip of Velcro or material with a surface capable of entangling with said persons hair would be applied to the front side of the foundation as can be seen in FIG. 1.
The attachment unit (comb, barrette, or clip) 2 B 3C is attached to the underside of the unit on the flat side of the triangular shape. The comb, barrette, or clip will have a slight curvature to its shape to conform to the users head. The attachment device could also be attached to the unit in a permanent manner by being glued, bonded, sewn, or attached with wire, heavy threads or any other mechanism that could join both the foundation and the hair attachment device.
The preferred method of attaching the foundation to the attachment device would be through the use of Velcro 2 B 3C. This way, the user has an opportunity to pick whichever attachment device will best accommodate their hair texture. In using the Velcro method of securing the attachment device (comb, barrette, or clip). The user can use whichever device the user judges to be easiest for them to use to accommodate the users hair length and fullness of hair. The placement of the Velcro to the attachment device can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3.
A variation of the above designed French twist hair style would be to utilize the same foundation design but make it shorter in length. In this hair style, the concave design of the upper portion of the foundation would remain and the lower triangulation shape would remain. The shortening would occur in middle of the foundation. When using this hairstyle and this design of the foundation, the user would only be wrapping their side hair and upper hair around the unit. The anchor devices, mated to the foundation would work in the same way as they did for the unit that would accommodate the full French twist. In this hair style, the user would anchor the unit to their hair, wrap the side hair and upper hair around the unit, creating a half French twist at the upper part of the back of their head, and the lower section of their hair would hang down from the back of their nape FIG. 6.
The list of materials to be used for the foundation, used individually and in combination from a group of materials consisting of plastic, plastic composites, closed cell foam material, open cell foam material, foam rubber, polyurethane, polyethylene, foam rubber bonded to fabric, neoprene, polyurethane, lycra and nylon blend, polyester and polyurethane laminate, nylon synthetics bonded to foam rubber, polyester or other synthetics bonded to foam rubber, Velcro bonded to foam rubber, fabric stuffed with polyester or other stuffing materials deemed appropriate, quilting material, materials that provide are lightweight, flexible and have enough to give form and substance to the foundation.
The objective this foundation is to provide a simple and inexpensive means for a person to create a French twist hair style. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a hair arranging accessory which allows the user to easily and simply, arrange their hair in an elegant hair style on their own, without the expense and time involved in a visit to the beautician. Further, because the hair is wrapped around this lightweight base device, which has been anchored to the hair through the use of a comb, barrette, or clip, the hairstyle is sturdier than being styled without a base. Another reason for this improvement is to reduce the cost of manufacture of the prior tab design for anchoring the unit.
The improvements for this patent over my prior patent are listed in the clams section of this application.
In keeping with the objective of improving the prior patent, the foundation is markedly improved by utilizing the method of attachment to the users hair that is described in the claims section. The smaller design of the unit that can be utilized by users with shorter hair and used to make a smaller twist at the top of the users hair, leaving the bottom portion of the users hair to hang below or available for another style is also a way to have the foundation usable by more users.

Claims

1. The use of Velcro or any other similar product that has the ability to mate two items together. In this invention, the items being mated together would be the French twist foundation and the combs, barrettes, or clips being utilized to firmly hold the foundation in place.

2. The use of the comb, barrette, or clip in combination with the French twist foundation, in a manner where by the two items are used together. Attachment of the foundation and anchoring device, can be made by other means than Velcro and those methods are included in this claim. The claim is any method of attachment such as sewing, wires, glue that could be utilized to combine the hair foundation and the anchoring units.

4. Additional materials listed to create the foundation.

5. The shape of the foundation unit will remain the same as described in the prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,571. As shown in FIG. 1, the shape is basically triangular in shape with a concave curvature at the top of the unit.

6. A variation of the basic patent design provided herein that is shorter in length to allow the user to only pull back sides of their hair and leave the lower hair hanging down. In this case the shortened foundation would allow a user to have a small French twist.

7. A strip of hooked Velcro attached to the top surface of the unit to assist in keeping the bottom hairs of the user from sliding while folding over the top layers of hair to the foundation.