AU722661B3 - A wig - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A PETTY PATENT Name of Applicants: Actual Inventors: Address for Service: Invention Title: Debbie BUNTER Sharon LEONARDI As above CULLEN CO., Patent Trade Mark Attorneys, 239 George Street, Brisbane, QId. 4000, Australia.

A WIG The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us: A WIG This invention is directed to a wig and is particularly directed to a wig which has an insert to control temperature, and which is designed for the medical sector for post-medical treatment comfort for patients. However, the invention is not restricted to the medical sector and may also have application in the cosmetic market.

Wigs are generally formed from an outer layer of hair which may be natural or artificial. The hair is attached to a D.T.U. screen which is in the form of a moulded cap designed to fit around a person's head. An inner cap which sits within the D.T.U. screen is sometimes provided for added comfort.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment often suffer from hair loss. A wig is constructed to replace the lost hair.

Unfortunately, such a patient also generally has a very tender scalp.

Commercially available wigs have no temperature control mechanism and wearing of such a wig, especially on a hot day, can cause discomfort to the patient due to overheating of the patient's scalp. Similarly, in very cold climates, a wig may not provide sufficient insulation and cause discomfort to the patient.

The present invention is directed to a wig which may overcome the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the public with a useful or commercial choice.

This can be achieved by providing some form of heat exchange medium in the wig to cool or heat or otherwise control the temperature of the patient's scalp.

In one form, the invention resides in a wig which contains at least one cooling/heating pad to cool/heat a person's scalp when the wig is wom.

The cooling/heating material is preferably gel-like or otherwise soft and fluid to provide increased comfort. Cooling gels are commercially available and one type of gel is marketed in Australia under the trade mark

COOLGEL.

It is preferred that a number of pads are provided to provide better temperature control to the patient's scalp. In an embodiment, three separate pads are positioned in the wig to provide comfort to the top and each side of the patient's head area.

The shape and size of the gel pads can vary depending upon the shape and size of the person's head. It is preferred that the gel pads extend from adjacent the front of a person's head to adjacent the rear of the person's head to provide temperature control over a large area of the patient's scalp.

The outer hair layer may be of conventional design and may comprise synthetic hair, natural hair, or a mixture.

The hair layer is conventionally attached to a D.T.U. screen which can be in the form of a cap to which the hair is fixed.

In an embodiment, an inner cap is provided which sits against the person's scalp to provide greater comfort. The inner cap may be formed of soft lace material or other suitable material.

A cap shell may be provided which can be fitted to the inner cap and between which the cooling/heating pad(s) can be fitted. These pads may be fitted either in a removable or non-removable manner. It is preferred that the pads are removable to allow them to be cooled- or warmed prior to insertion into the wig.

Various parts of the wig may be attached to each other via releasable or non-releasable attachment means. It is preferred that some of the parts are attached to each other by releasable attachment means and this may be in the form of Velcro strips.

An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the following drawings in which Figure 1 is an exploded view of the various components or layers of a wig according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 illustrates the wig of Figure 1 fitted to a person's scalp but where the hair layer has been omitted.

Figure 3 shows the wig of Figure 2 with the hair layer attached but which still illustrates some of the inner components.

Referring to the drawings and initially to Figure 1, there is illustrated a wig which contains a cooling/heating pad to cool or heat a person's scalp when the wig is worn. In the embodiment, the wig is provided with an outer hair layer 10 which can be formed of natural hair, synthetic hair,or a mixture. Hair layer 10 is attached to a D.T.U. screen 11 which is conventional. Screen 11 is moulded into a cap-like shape to facilitate fitting of the wig to a person's scalp 12. The wig has an innermost cap 13 made of soft lace material and which is moulded to fit around the person's scalp 12. A cap shell 14 made of suitable fabric or other material is shaped to fit over the lo top of inner cap 13. Shell 14 is releasably attachable to screen 11 through a pair of Velcro strips 15 which attach to corresponding Velcro strips 16 on screen 11.

Inner cap 13 and cap shell 14 define between them a compartment in which three cooling gel pads 17 can be fitted. In an embodiment, shell 14 is stitched or otherwise attached to cap 13 along stitch lines 18 to define three compartments which are shaped to accommodate the three gel pads 17. Gel pads 17 are made of commercially available material but are shaped to conform to the compartments in which the pads slide.

Three gel pads are provided to cool the top and each side of the person's head. The pads can be slid out of their respective compartments for cooling and heating and then inserted into the compartments.

Alternatively, rather than removing the individual gel pads, the gel pads could be permanently located within the compartments and when the pads are required to be cooled, the inner cap, the gel pads, and the cap shell can be removed as a single unit and placed in a refrigerator or over/microwave for cooling or heating.

Shell 11 is releasably attached to cap 13 through a Velcro strip on shell 11 which fits to a corresponding Velcro strip 21 on cap 13.

The wig provides post-medical treatment comfort for patients who have undergone radium therapy or chemotherapy and have suffered hair loss but may have a tender scalp. Of course, the wig could also be used for purely cosmetic reasons and again proving comfort to a person's scalp.

Referring to Figure 2, there is illustrated inner cap 13 which has been stitched to cap shell 14 via stitch lines 18. Shell 14 has a truncated rear portion which define open flaps 22 into which the gel pads can be inserted.

Figure 3 illustrates the wig with the hair layer 10 which is attached to screen 11 with screen 11 being attached to cap 13 through Velcro strips 20, 21.

It should be appreciated that various other changes and modifications can be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims (3)

1. A wig which contains a cooling/heating pad to cool/heat a person's scalp when the wig is worn.

2.r The wig of claim 1, which has an inner cap, and a cap shell, the inner cap and the cap shell, being attached to each other to define at least one pouch, the cooling/heating pad being removably inserted into the at least one pouch.

3. The wig of claim 1 or claim 2 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 10 day of April 2000 Debbie BUNTER and Sharon Leonardi By their Patent Attorneys CULLEN CO.