AU2007202472B2

AU2007202472B2 - Attaching Foreign Hair to a Subject

Info

Publication number: AU2007202472B2
Application number: AU2007202472A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Giovanni Marangoni; Robert Salha
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-05-30
Filing date: 2007-05-30
Publication date: 2013-09-12
Anticipated expiration: 2027-05-30
Also published as: AU2007202472A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a hair attachment technique, and in particular, to a method, device and kit for attaching foreign hair to a subject. The method includes the steps of forming a hair attachment by attaching at least one hair 5 extension, the hair extension having a plurality of foreign hair strands, to a body portion of an anchor member, the anchor member further including a neck portion extending away from the hair extension, and fastening the neck portion of the anchor member to a section of the subject's natural hair. IA/ ',I~ 4034{, II "Jill _ ___Ii JI iK~ " '4

Description

Pool Section 29 Regulation 3.2(2)) AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: Attaching Foreign Hair to a Subject The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 1 ATTACHING FOREIGN HAIR TO A SUBJECT FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a hair attachment technique, and 5 in particular, to a method, device and kit for attaching foreign hair to a subject. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is known to insert hair extensions, comprising strands of foreign hair, into a person's own natural hair to achieve a result of lengthening or thickening of the person's hair, without the person needing to grow their own hair naturally. This 10 may be done for aesthetic purposes, to change the colour of some sections of a person's hair, for medical purposes if a person has lost a substantial amount of their natural hair, or for concealing damaged hair for example. Desired lengths of strands of foreign hair, which may be either human hair or artificially manufactured hair, are fastened together, and the fastened hair 15 extension is then attached to the natural hairs of the person using one of a variety of methods, for example using glue, using a plastic sleeve, using sewing techniques, or using a metal ring which encircles the hair extension and a section of the person's own hair. In one hair attachment method, the strands of foreign hair are fastened to 20 each other at one end using a specially formulated glue. A section of the person's own hair is then chosen, at the desired location where the hair extension is to be inserted. The section of the person's own hair is then passed through a metal ring, and the ring is slid along the hair until it is close to the person's scalp. The glued end of the hair extension is then inserted into the metal ring alongside the 25 section of the person's own hair. The metal ring is then deformed using pliers, to clamp the strands of the hair extension to the person's own hair, thus inserting the hair extension. However, hair extensions using this method only last for a short period of time, as the glue used to fasten together the strands of the hair extension breaks 30 down with the clamping force of the metal ring. This requires continual replacing of the hair extensions with newly formed extensions, which is both a costly and time consuming task.

2 Further, the hair strands themselves in the hair extensions cannot usually be refastened to be reused, as the hair is easily damaged at the end of the extension which is placed in the metal ring. Furthermore, the extensions themselves are susceptible to being pulled 5 out of a person's hair, which reduces the effectiveness of the system, and is again costly due to the need to replace the extensions which have fallen out. It is an object of the present invention to attach foreign hair to a subject which minimises damage to the foreign hair, thus preferably allowing the foreign hair to be reusable. 10 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Broadly, the present invention uses an anchor member attached to a hair extension to fasten to a subject's natural hair. In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for attaching foreign hair to a subject, the method including the steps of: forming a 15 hair attachment by attaching at least one hair extension, the hair extension having a plurality of foreign hair strands, to a body portion of an anchor member, the anchor member further including a neck portion extending away from the hair extension; and fastening the neck portion of the anchor member to a section of the subject's natural hair. 20 Preferably, the neck portion of the anchor member is fastened to a section of the subject's natural hair by: inserting the neck portion of the anchor member into a plastically deformable member; and deforming the plastically deformable member to clamp the anchor member to the section of the subject's natural hair. Preferably, the plastically deformable member includes a metal ring. This 25 provides a strong hold for the hair, and relatively simple for a hair technician to use. In one form, the body portion of the anchor member is attached to the hair extension by gluing the hair extension to the body portion of the anchor member. This provides a strong and secure bond between the anchor member and the hair 30 extension. Preferably, the neck portion of the anchor member extends away from one end of the hair extension. Alternatively, it may extend from a point intermediate the ends of the hair extension.

3 In one form, the anchor member further includes a head portion extending from the neck portion, the head portion including one or more knob-like projections adapted to prevent movement of the plastically deformable member once deformed. 5 Preferably, the body portion of the anchor member includes one or more outward projections for preventing movement of the plastically deformable member once deformed. More preferably, the body portion of the anchor member includes barb-like projections. Most preferably, the body portion includes at least one lateral channel on the front or rear surfaces. These additions provide added 10 strength to the bond between the hair extension and the body portion. In one form, the neck portion of the anchor member is cylindrical in shape, having a circular cross-section of a first diameter. Preferably, the head portion of the anchor member has a circular cross-section of a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is greater than the first diameter. 15 In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an anchor member for attaching to a hair extension, the anchor member including a body portion, to which the hair extension is attached, and a neck portion for fastening to a section of the subject's natural hair. Preferably, the anchor member further includes a head portion extending 20 from the neck portion, the head portion including an outward projection adapted to prevent movement of the plastically deformable member once deformed. More preferably, the body portion of the anchor member includes one or more outward projections adapted to prevent movement of the plastically deformable member once deformed. Most preferably, the body portion of the 25 anchor member includes barb-like projections. Even more preferably, the body portion includes at least one lateral channel on the front or rear surfaces. In one form, the neck portion of the anchor member is cylindrical in shape, having a circular cross-section of a first diameter. Preferably, the head portion of the anchor member has a circular cross-section of a second diameter, wherein 30 the second diameter is greater than the first diameter. In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hair attachment for fastening to a section of a subject's natural hair, the hair 4 attachment including: at least one hair extension including plurality of foreign hair strands; and an anchor member according to any one of the forms defined above. Preferably, the plurality of foreign hair strands are fastened to each other, and the body portion of the anchor member is attached to the fastened hair 5 strands. More preferably, the body portion of the anchor member is attached to the hair extension by gluing the hair extension to the body portion of the anchor member. In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit for use in attaching foreign hair to a subject, the kit including: at least one hair extension 10 including a plurality of foreign hair strands; an anchor member according to any one of the forms defined above; and a fastener for fastening the neck portion of the anchor member to a section of the subject's natural hair. Preferably, the body portion of the anchor member is attached to the hair extension. 15 In one form, the fastener is a plastically deformable member adapted to be deformed to clamp the neck portion of the anchor member to the section of the subject's natural hair. Preferably, the plastically deformable member comprises a metal ring. Forms of the present invention minimise damage to the foreign hair, as the 20 extension itself is not fastened to the natural hair, rather, the neck portion of the anchor member is fastened to the natural hair. This preserves this quality and integrity of the hair extension, thus allowing it to be reused for several applications. Furthermore, the hair extension is able to remain in the subject's hair for a longer period of time, again due to the quality and integrity of the 25 extension remaining in tact. The use of the anchor member having a head portion and body portion with outwardly projecting portions further minimises the unintentional falling out of the extension, thus again providing for a longer lasting hair attachment technique. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 30 A non-limiting illustrative embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further features and advantages of the present invention will also become apparent from the accompanying description.

5 Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a hair extension for use in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the hair extension of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front elevational view of an anchor member in accordance 5 with one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the anchor member of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the anchor member of Figure 3; Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the anchor member of Figure 3 with the hair extension of Figure 1 attached; 10 Figure 7 is a side elevational view of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a front elevational view of the anchor member of Figure 3 with a fastener, being a metal ring, attached in accordance with one embodiment; Figure 9 is a side elevational view of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a perspective view of a ring applicator in accordance with one 15 embodiment; Figure 11 is a perspective view of a hair extension and anchor member being inserted into the metal ring on a person's hair in accordance with one embodiment; Figure 12 is a perspective view of the metal ring being deformed to clamp 20 the anchor member to the natural hair in accordance with one embodiment; Figure 13 is a perspective view of the hair extension inserted into the person's hair in accordance with one embodiment; Figure 14 is a perspective view of pliers used to deform the ring in accordance with one embodiment. 25 DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring initially to Figures 1 and 2, a hair extension 10 is formed from plurality of strands of foreign hair 12 of a desired length, and fastened together at one end 10a using glue 14. The profile of the hair extension 10 may be gleaned from Figures 1 and 2, wherein the hair extension 10 is shown to be flat, with the 30 width of the hair extension 10, shown as 1Ob, greater than the depth, shown as 1Oc. This allows the hair extension to sit more comfortably on the subject's scalp, as it will sit flush with the scalp rather than extending a distance away. The hair 6 extension 10 will preferably be available in a variety of colours to match the colour of the subject's natural hair if desired. The glue used to fasten the strands of hair is preferably polyurethane. The number of strands of hair in the hair extension 10 depends upon the desire of the 5 user. Preferably however there would be between 0.6 to 1.8 grams of hair strands at 20 inches in length per hair extension. Referring to Figures 3, 4 and 5, an anchor member 20 is shown. The anchor member 20 includes a body portion 22, a neck portion 30, and a head portion 32. The body portion 22 is designed to allow one hair extension 10 to be 10 attached to each of the front and back thereof. The body portion 22 includes four shoulders 24a to 24d projecting outwardly, with slanted joining portions 26a to 26d between each shoulder 24a to 24d, forming barb-like projections. There further includes four channels 28a to 28d, on each side of the body portion 22, to provide a stronger hold. The body portion 22 has a narrower depth 22a than the 15 width 22b, as can be gleaned from Figure 3. The narrow depth 22a allows the anchor member 20 to be positioned flush with the subject's scalp, thus making the hair extension 10 with the anchor member (ie the hair attachment) more comfortable to wear. The neck portion 30 is cylindrically shaped with a circular cross-section, 20 and extends from the upper end of the body portion 22, although any suitable shape may be used. The neck portion 30 may be formed integrally with the body portion 22, or alternatively may be attached thereto by glue or the like. The neck portion 30 acts as the anchoring part of the anchor member 20, with a metal ring surrounding the neck portion 30 to fasten the anchor member 20 to the subject's 25 natural hair. At the opposite end of the neck portion 30 from the body portion 22, a head portion 32 is formed. Again, the head 32 may be formed integrally with the neck portion 30, or alternatively attached thereto by glue or the like. The head portion 32 includes an a knob-like projection of circular cross-section, with a larger diameter than the diameter of the neck portion 30, and is designed as a 30 stop to prevent the deformed metal tube from sliding off the upper end of the neck portion 30. Figures 6 and 7 show a hair attachment, including the anchor member 20 once two hair extensions 10 are fastened thereto, one on each side of the body 7 portion 22 of the anchor member 20. The hair extensions 10 are preferably of approximately equal width to the width of the body portion 22 of the anchor member 20, to thereby completely cover each side thereof. More preferably, the hair extensions 10 may be of a slightly larger width than the width of the body 5 portion 22, to allow the edges of the hair extension 10 to wrap around the body portion 22, to thereby form a complete ring of hair around the circumference of the body portion 22. As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the glued end 10a of the hair extensions 10 is positioned solely on the body portion 22, and does not pass onto the neck portion 30 which extends away from the hair extension. In this way, the 10 hairs themselves in the hair extensions 10 will not pass into the metal ring. As shown in Figure 7, when the hair extensions 10 are fastened to the anchor member 20, the width of the body portion 22 and hair extensions 10 will be approximately equal to the diameter of the neck portion 30. The hair extensions 10 are fastened to the anchor member 20 using glue, 15 preferably a glue including polyurethane. Alternatively, the hair extensions 10 may be fastened to the anchor member 20 by fusing using a silicon strip, or any other suitable attachment method. The weight of hair in the hair extension 10 will vary depending on the desired result. However, as the hair strands themselves are not inserted into the metal ring, a large number of hair strands may be 20 attached, as there is no need to limit the number to fit inside the metal ring for example. Preferably, the weight of hair will be between 1 gram and 2 grams at 20 inches in length. The anchor member 20 is preferably made from plastic, although other suitable materials may be used. Figures 8 and 9 show the anchor member 20 with a plastically deformable 25 member, being an (undeformed) metal ring 34 positioned thereon. The plastically deformable member, in this case a metal ring 34, is the preferred fastening means, however other fastening means may be used, for example shrinkable plastic tubing. When in use, a section of the subject's natural hair will extend through the metal ring 34, and hair extensions will be fastened to the body portion 30 22 of the anchor member 20 as per Figures 6 and 7. The metal ring 34, when in its undeformed state, is of a hollow cylindrical shape, and has a diameter sufficient to enable it to be slid over the head portion 32 of the anchor member 20. The diameter is however smaller than the width of the body portion 22 of the 8 anchor member 20, both in the undeformed and deformed states. The body portion 22 thereby acts as a stop, not allowing the metal ring 34 to slide from the neck portion 30. The length of the metal ring 34 should be slightly less than the length of the neck portion 30, preferably about 1mm less. The metal ring 34 will 5 not surround the hair extension itself, as it will be caught between the body portion 22 and the head portion 32, thus solely surrounding the neck portion 30. Preferably the metal ring 34 is formed of copper, although other suitable materials could be used. It is preferred the ring 34 is painted to match the colour of the subject's hair to camouflage the ring 34 and thus minimise the detectibility of the 10 ring and the extension in the subject's hair. The preferred method attaching the hair extensions is as follows. The hair extension 10 is formed by fastening strands of foreign hair together at one end using glue. A hair extension 10 is then attached to each surface of the body portion 22 of the anchor member 20 using glue, as described 15 above. The neck portion 30 of the anchor member 20 will extend from the glued end of the hair extension(s) 10, for inserting into the metal ring 34. This then forms the hair attachment to be fastened to the subject's natural hair. A section of the subject's own hair is then chosen, at a location where the hair attachment is desired to be attached. The amount of hair strands chosen 20 depends upon the thickness of the subject's hair, however generally around 75 to 150 hair strands would be chosen. The metal ring 34 is then threaded onto the chosen hair strands. This may be done by any desired method, although preferably it is threaded using a ring applicator 40. The ring applicator 40 is shown in Figure 10, and includes a length of nylon 25 material 42, such as fishing line. A decorative adornment 44 is attached at one point of the length 42. The length 42 is doubled over to form a loop, and the loop is threaded through the metal ring 34. Several metal rings 34 may be threaded onto the loop 42 at any one time, as shown in Figure 10. The strands of the subject's own hair are then threaded through the loop 30 42. A metal ring 34 is then slid along the loop 42 to rest next to the threaded hair. The loop 42 is then pulled away from the subject's scalp whilst the metal ring 34 is held in place near the subject's scalp, thus permitting the strands of hair to be threaded through the metal ring 34.

9 Once the metal ring 34 has been threaded onto the subject's hair, it is held in place close to the subject's scalp, preferably about 10 to 20mm away from the scalp. The anchor member 20, which is attached to the hair extension 10, is then inserted into the metal ring 34, as shown in Figure 11. The neck portion 34 of the 5 anchor member 20 is slid inside the metal ring 34 until the head portion 32 of the anchor member 20 is visible, with the metal ring 34 then completely surrounding the neck portion 30 of the anchor member 20. Once the anchor member 20 has been correctly inserted, pliers are used to deform the metal ring 34, as shown in Figure 12, thus clamping the neck 10 portion 30 of the anchor member 20 and the strands of the subject's own hair together, thus fastening the neck portion 30 to the strands of the subject's own hair. Once the metal ring 34 has been deformed, it is locked into position since the head portion 32 and the body portion 22 of the anchor member have outwardly projecting portions of a wider diameter than the deformed metal ring 15 34, trapping the metal ring 34 on the neck portion 30 by preventing movement past the outwardly projecting portions. The deformed ring should sit flush with the hair extension 10 attached to the body portion 22. Figure 13 shows the final result, with the hair attachment 10 attached to the subject's own hair. Figure 14 shows an embodiment of the pliers 50 that may be used to 20 deform the metal ring. The pliers 50 have a handle portion 52 and a jaw portion 54. To deform the metal ring 34 into the clamping position, the jaws 54 of the pliers are closed around the metal ring 34. A hole 56 is made between the two jaws 54a and 54b for opening the metal ring 34 to enable the hair attachment to be removed from the hair. 25 Once the subject's own hair has grown a certain length, the metal ring 34 will have moved down the subject's hair strands, and thus be more detectible. At this time, it is necessary for the hair attachment to be adjusted. To adjust the hair attachment, it is firstly removed from the metal ring 34. The metal ring 34 is opened by deforming the ring 34 back to its cylindrical shape. 30 This may be done by placing the deformed ring into the hole 56 in the pliers 50, and squeezing the handles 52. The hole 56 in the pliers is of approximately the same diameter as the metal tube in its undeformed state, thus the metal ring will then return to its original shape, allowing the anchor member 20 to be slid out 10 from the metal ring 34, thus removing the hair attachment. The metal ring 34 can then simply be repositioned closer to the subject's scalp, and the same hair attachment can be reinserted therein in accordance with the method described above. This process is then repeated for the desired number of hair extensions to 5 be attached. As the application of hair extensions is common in hair dressing salons, a kit which includes the various components required to attach the foreign hair to the subject is useful to avoid the need for salons to acquire each separate component. 10 As can be seen, the hair strands in the hair extension are not themselves damaged or destroyed using the above method and apparatus, as the hair strands themselves are not inserted into the metal ring. Rather, the anchor member is inserted into the metal ring, with the hair strands extending therefrom. This maintains the integrity of the hair extensions, which allows them to be reused 15 for several applications. By having the head and body portion as part of the anchor member, the metal ring is securely attached, as it cannot slide out of the installed position. The hair extension and anchor both being substantially flat, provide a comfortable mechanism for a user to wear. Furthermore, as the metal ring does not need to accommodate the hair strands of the hair extension, rather 20 the neck portion of the anchor member, it can be made relatively small, thus being less detectible in the subject's hair. It will be appreciated that persons skilled in the art could implement the present invention in different ways to the one described above, and variations may be produced without departing from its spirit and scope. 25 Any discussion of documents, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art. 30

Claims

1. A method for attaching foreign hair to a subject, the method including the steps of: forming a hair attachment by attaching at least one hair extension, the hair extension having a plurality of foreign hair strands, to a first portion of an anchor member, the anchor member further including a second portion extending away from the hair extension; inserting the second portion of the anchor member into a plastically deformable member; and deforming the plastically deformable member to clamp the anchor member to a section of natural hair of the subject.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plastically deformable member includes a metal ring.

3. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first portion of the anchor member is attached to the hair extension by gluing the hair extension to the first portion of the anchor member.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second portion of the.anchor member extends away from one end of the hair extension,

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the anchor member further includes a head portion extending from the second portion, the head portion including one or more knob-like projections adapted to prevent movement of the plastically deformable member once deformed and inserted thereon.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first portion of the anchor member includes one or more outward projections for 005 12 preventing movement of the plastically deformable member once deformed and inserted thereon.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first portion of the anchor member includes barb-like projections.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first portion includes at least one lateral channel on front or rear surfaces thereof.

9. A method according to claim 5, wherein the second portion of the anchor member is cylindrical in shape, having a circular cross-section of a first diameter.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the head portion of the anchor member has a circular cross-section of a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is greater than the first diameter.

11. A system for attaching to a hair extension, the system comprising: an anchor member including a first portion, to which the hair extension is attached, and a second portion for fastening to a section of natural hair of the subject; and a plastically deformable member for receiving the second portion and the section of natural hair, wherein the plastically deformable meber, when deformed, clamp the anchor member to the section of natural hair.

12. A system according to claim 11, further including a head portion extending from the second portion, the head portion including one or more knob like projections.

13. A system according to any one of claims 11 or 12, wherein the first portion of the anchor member includes one or more outward projections. 13

14. A system according to any one of claims 11 or 12, wherein the first portion of the anchor member includes barb-like projections.

15. A system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the first portion includes at least one lateral channel on front or rear surfaces thereof.

16. A system according to any one of claim 12, wherein the second portion of the anchor member is cylindrical in shape, having a circular cross section of a first diameter.

17. A system according to claim 16, wherein the head portion of the anchor member has a circular cross-section of a second diameter, wherein the second diameter is greater than the first diameter.

18. A hair attachment for fastening to a section of a subject's natural hair, the hair attachment including: at least one hair extension including a plurality of foreign hair strands; a system according to any one of claims 11 to 17,

19. A hair attachment according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of foreign hair strands are fastened to each other, and the first portion of the anchor member is attached to the fastened hair strands.

20. A hair attachment according to any one of claims 18 or 19, wherein the first portion of the anchor member is attached to the hair extension by gluing the hair extension to the first portion of the anchor member. DOSI