DK2404516T3

DK2404516T3 - Wig and method of manufacture therefore

Info

Publication number: DK2404516T3
Application number: DK11358006.2T
Authority: DK
Inventors: Jérôme Nicot
Original assignee: Nj Diffusion S A R L Sarl
Priority date: 2010-07-07
Filing date: 2011-07-05
Publication date: 2018-04-09
Also published as: EP2404516A1; FR2962302B1; EP2404516B1; ES2663718T3; FR2962302A1; PT2404516T

Description

The present invention relates to a wig. It also relates to the manufacturing method thereof. 1. Field of the invention

The claimed invention applies to the field of hairpieces.

The wearing of wigs has been known since antiquity. Until recent decades, the use of such hair accessories was relatively functional and long related to considerations which only concerned certain categories of users. Indeed, the wig was then a hair attribute of certain legal, religious functions or of social standing, or which suited certain professional purposes (entertainers, actors, etc.). Among other things it enabled the improvement of personal appearance so as to compensate for hair loss, to appear younger, to follow a fashion phenomenon, or again, it was used for the purpose of disguise or fancy dress.

Nowadays, the use of wigs has increased considerably because of hair loss affecting all parts of the population and resulting from therapeutic treatments applied to combat certain serious diseases (cancer, alopecia, etc.). This article has also become widespread and now targets a broader public seeking to enhance its image and to develop self-esteem. 2. Prior art

Wigs or hairpieces include an inner support also known as cap or foundation, shaped to cover the cranial region of the head of the user and on which is fastened natural or artificial hair, for example in the form of a plurality of strands. The inside of said cap is commonly provided with means for adjusting the wig to the shape and size of the cranium of the user. The inside also most often comprises non-slip means to prevent sliding across of the wig on the user's head.

According to a known embodiment, the cap or inner support, strictly speaking, of the wig is constituted, on the one hand, of tulle or fine mesh fabric intended to cover the frontal, temporal and occipital areas, and, on the other hand, of a monofilament intended to cover the vertex area.

The tulle is a simple light and transparent fabric of linen, cotton, silk, wool or synthetic fibres, which has a regular mesh network and can be more or less elastic. The monofilament, also called micro skin, is constituted of a very light material with very fine meshes enabling skin breathing of the scalp, this material being executed with a translucent fibre. On the other hand, the hair is generally fastened to it manually, so that this implantation imitates natural hair growth, in the case of hair loss, and that the wig is the least possible detectable.

Fig. 1 illustrates an area of connection Z of a wig cap produced according to the prior art. According to this embodiment, the connection area Z is constituted by the selvedge C of a monofilament A comprising a fold (tuck or hem) B on the underside of said selvedge C. The seam, between the monofilament A and the tulle D, is covered by a strip of fabric E stitched from above, which is, itself, covered by a flexible non-slip strip F.

The monofilament A is used to cover at least the vertex area.

According to the known embodiment, the monofilament is fastened by stitching to the selvedges of tulle bordering the vertex region to form a connection area. This stitching is performed in the following manner: one fold (tuck or hem) of around 5 mm is made on the underside of the monofilament; the selvedge of tulle is stitched above the fold; a strip of fabric of a few millimetres and relatively flat is added to the joining seams so as to flatten the connection between the monofilament and the tulles; these connection areas are covered by stitching and adhesion of flexible non-slip strips.

Furthermore, a fold of around 30 mm wide, located by the tabs of the temporal areas, is held in position using a strip of fabric stitched in a U-shape, which is also covered with a flexible non-slip strip with the width of the fold.

However, these connection areas are constituted of many fabrics that can be of various materials superimposed and overlapping. This assembly then creates discontinuities and over-thicknesses that are very marked, especially by the temporal and vertex areas, which are uncomfortable when they come into contact with the user's head.

This over-thickness can produce itching phenomena or traumatisms damaging for the user.

Moreover, these connection areas disservice the aesthetics of the wig insofar as they are visible in certain hairdressing methods of the wig (hairstyles with stripes).

Also, the various connections require lengthy and tricky work which extends the time of production and increases the weight of the wig and unfavourably affects its cost price.

Document GB-1.255.440 describes a wig comprising a cap on which hair is implanted. This cap is constituted by the assembly of two pieces of light fine mesh fabrics shaped to cover the various cranial areas of a user's head, that is a first piece of fabric suited to cover most of said cranial areas and a second piece of finer mesh fabric being inserted in a cut-out of said first piece of fabric and intended to cover the front part of the cranium.

The adjacent selvedges of these two pieces of fabrics are assembled by stitching and covered with adhesive tape which is glued onto one of the opposite sides of the cap and also fastened to the selvedges by stitching. On the other hand, a strip is fastened, by stitching, onto the opposite surface of the cap, and more precisely on the lower edge of the front part. The adhesive tape glued on the adjacent selvedges of the two pieces of fabrics and the strip fastened by stitching onto the side opposite the bottom edge of the front part are not transparent and it is not indicated which of these elements (tape or strip) is used to come into contact with the cranium skin. In these conditions, it is not specified, or suggested, that one of these elements could fulfil the function of a non-slip strip. Anyway, it is clear that neither the tape, nor the strip are provided with a non-slip film or coating. These elements thus cannot produce any non-slip effect by means of which the wig stays perfectly positioned on the user's head. Also, the lower base of the front part constituted by its edge, the strip and the seam, is subject to be seen by people near the user, such that discreetness is not ensured.

Document FR-2.841.749 describes a wig comprising an inner cap on which hair is implanted. The inside of this cap is constituted, at least partially, of flexible and self-adhesive parts of which the inside is constituted by a layer or film of polysiloxane, oriented so as to be applied to the user's cranial skin, when said wig is worn. These self-adhesive parts oppose the slipping of the wig which is thus found positioned stably on the user's head. However, this wig has as disadvantage the fact that the presence of the front area of the cap and especially the lower edge of this area remains visible, which is, generally, not wanted by the users. 3. Objects of the invention

The objective of the invention in particular is to remedy these disadvantages. More precisely, the aim of the invention is to achieve a wig that is comfortable and light.

Furthermore, the invention helps improve the styling of wigs where the connection areas are practically undetectable. 4. Summary of the invention

This objective as well as others which will appear below are achieved thanks to a wig of the above-mentioned genre comprising an inner support or cap on which is implanted natural or artificial hair. This cap is constituted by the assembly of at least two pieces of fine mesh light fabric shaped to cover the various cranial areas of a user's head. More precisely, at least one of these pieces of fabric is constituted by a transparent fabric called "monofilament".

According to a first arrangement characteristic of the invention, the adjacent selvedges of the monofilament part and the cap parts contiguous with said monofilament part are assembled using a thin strip of a flexible and transparent or translucent material covering and overlapping said selvedges by forming an almost planar assembly area that is practically invisible. On the other hand, the outer surface of the flexible assembly strip intended to come into contact with the cranial skin of a user, advantageously includes a non-slip film or coating.

According to one embodiment, the adjacent selvedges of the monofilament part and the cap parts contiguous with said monofilament part are placed superimposed, and the flexible and transparent assembly strip covers and overlaps said selvedges.

In this way the resulting over-thicknesses of folds of these assembly areas are practically reduced, thus procuring a feeling of comfort for the user's head.

Moreover, this assembly method helps solve the problems due to the visibility of the folds, especially by the frontal area and that of the vertex, which improves the aesthetic appearance and discreetness of the wig.

Advantageously, the adjacent selvedges of the monofilament parts and the cap parts contiguous with said monofilament part are placed superimposed over a width between 1 mm and 8 mm.

According to another planned embodiment, the adjacent selvedges of the monofilament part and the cap parts contiguous with said monofilament part, are placed edge-to-edge and the flexible and transparent assembly strip covers and overlaps said selvedges.

The assembly of the selvedges thus produced improves the fine thickness of this assembly and procures a feeling of comfort and well-being to the wearer of the wig.

According to another advantageous embodiment, the monofilament part integrated with the cap occupies a location intended to cover the upper part of the skull called vertex.

According to another embodiment, the monofilament part integrated with the cap occupies a location intended to cover a region of the skull extending from temple to temple.

Advantageously, the thin flexible assembly strip has a thickness around 0.05 to 0.15 mm.

Advantageously, the flexible assembly strip is constituted of polysiloxane.

According to one embodiment, the thin flexible assembly strip is fastened on the adjacent selvedges of the fabric pieces constituting the cap by gluing, or by thermo-fusion and/or by stitching.

The invention also relates to a method of manufacture of a wig of the genre comprising an inner support or cap constituted by the assembly of at least two light fine mesh fabric pieces shaped to cover the various cranial areas of the head of a user, at least one of these fabric pieces being constituted by a transparent fabric called monofilament.

According to the method of the invention, the adjacent selvedges of the monofilament part and the cap parts contiguous with said monofilament part are assembled using a thin strip of a flexible and transparent or translucent material that is disposed to cover and overlap said selvedges so as to form a practically planar assembly area.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the adjacent selvedges are placed superimposed before application of the flexible assembly strip.

According to another planned embodiment, the adjacent selvedges are placed edge to edge before application of the flexible assembly strip.

Preferably, the flexible assembly strip or each flexible assembly strip is fastened by gluing, or by thermo-fusion, or by stitching. 5. Brief description of the drawings

The above purposes, characteristics and advantages, and yet others will appear better from the following description and the appended drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of an assembly area of the tulle and the monofilament of the cap of a wig produced according to the prior art.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the various pieces of fabric constituting the cap, according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is an exploded and enlarged view of an assembly area of the tulle and of the monofilament slightly superimposed.

Fig. 4A illustrates an assembly area of the tulle and the monofilament, according to another planned embodiment.

Fig. 4B which is an enlarged view of Fig. 4A before putting the tulle and the monofilament edge to edge.

Fig. 5 is a top view illustrating the frontal and temporal areas, according to the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the underside of the cap of a wig according to the present invention. 6. Description of an embodiment of the invention

The said drawings are referred to in order to describe an interesting example, in no way limiting, of producing a wig and implementing its method of manufacture, according to the invention.

In the present description and in the claims: the word "tulle" should be considered as the equivalent of all light fabrics formed by a network of fine meshes, more or less elastic, concerning the application to the manufacture of wigs; the word "monofilament" or "micro skin" designates a light transparent or translucent fabric with very fine mesh, executed by means of special weaving, it is constituted for example of synthetic fibres (nylon, polyester, etc.).

The invention relates to a wig of the above-mentioned genre comprising an inner support or cap 1 on which is implanted natural or artificial hair. This cap 1, illustrated in Fig. 2, is constituted by at least two pieces of fine mesh light fabric (tulle 2 and monofilament 3) shaped to cover the various cranial areas of a user's head. More precisely, at least one of these pieces of fabric 2, 3 is constituted by a transparent fabric 3 called "monofilament".

According to an embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the tulle 2 constituting the major part of the cap 1 results from the assembly of several parts that is: one part 2a intended to cover the upper part of the frontal area; two parts 2b, 2c intended to cover the temporal areas respectively; and, one part 2d used to cover the occipital area.

The cap 1 on the other hand comprises a monofilament 3 constituted of a single piece integrated with the cap and shaped to cover the upper part of the skull called vertex.

According to another embodiment, the monofilament 3 can occupy the entire cranial region extending from temple to temple.

According to an important arrangement the adjacent selvedges 4, 5 of the monofilament 3 and the parts 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d of the cap 1 which are contiguous with the monofilament part 3, are assembled using a thin strip of flexible and transparent or translucent material 6 which covers and overlaps the selvedges 4, 5 of the fabrics 2, 3 to form an area of assembly 7 or connection that is practically planar. Flence the flexible assembly strip 6 is found placed outside each side of the superimposed selvedges 4, 5. On the other hand, the outer surface of the flexible assembly strip 6 intended to come into contact with the cranial skin of a user, includes a non-slip film or coating so as to help hold the wig on the user's head, especially for bald people.

According to a very advantageous embodiment, especially illustrated in Fig. 3, the adjacent selvedges 4, 5 of the monofilament part 3 and the parts 2, of the cap 1 contiguous with the monofilament part 3, are superimposed.

Advantageously, said selvedges 4, 5 of the monofilament parts 3 and the tulles 2 are placed superimposed over a width between 1 mm and 8 mm. This slight superimposition helps to have a very flat and more stylish result, especially for the frontal area 2a illustrated in Fig. 2. It also helps achieve that the wig is practically undetectable, which is interesting if it is considered that this frontal area 2a is often subject to be seen by people near the user. A flexible and transparent assembly strip 6 covers and overlaps the selvedges 4, 5 of the tulle parts 2 and the monofilament 3. The thickness resulting from these connection areas is extremely reduced, which procures a feeling of well-being and comfort for the user.

According to another embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in Figs. 4A and 4B, the adjacent selvedges 4, 5 of the monofilament 3 and the tulle parts 2 contiguous with the monofilament 3 that constitute the cap 1 properly speaking, are placed and fastened edge to edge. The fabric parts 2 and 3 are thus at the same height, which eliminates any over-thickness. The selvedges 4 and 5 are covered with a thin flexible assembly strip 6 disposed and fastened overlapping on said selvedges 4 and 5 of the monofilament 3 and the tulle 2.

The various parts 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d constituting the cap 1 are assembled together according to the various ways mentioned above.

The flexible strip 6 is applied and fastened by gluing on the adjoining selvedges 4, 5 of the monofilament 3 and the tulle 2. It can also be applied and fastened by thermo-fusion or by two lines of parallel stitching on the selvedges 4 and 5 of the fabrics. For a better result, the fastening by gluing or thermo-fusion of the flexible strip 6 can be combined with fastening by stitching.

Preferably, the flexible assembly strip 6 has a thickness around 0.05 to 0.15 mm. This flexible strip 6 is thus practically flush with the surface of the tulle 2 and the monofilament 3.

According to the invention, the flexible strip 6 is constituted by one component polysiloxane and/or, for example, by solvent free polysiloxane.

Preferably and as shown in Fig. 5, the flexible and non-slip strip 6 extends from one first temporal area 2b as far as a second temporal area 2c. It has a width of around 25 mm for ensuring the holding and good positioning of the wig on the user's head. The over-thickness generally located on the temporal area 2c is thus eliminated and the surface of the flexible strip 6 extending from temple to temple is regular without discontinuity.

According to the method of the invention, the adjacent selvedges 4, 5 of the monofilament part 3 and the parts 2 of the cap 1 contiguous with said monofilament part 3, are assembled using a thin strip 6 of a flexible and transparent or translucent material 6 that is disposed to cover and overlap said selvedges 4, 5 so as to form a practically planar assembly area.

According to a first advantageous embodiment, the adjacent selvedges 4, 5 are placed superimposed before application of the flexible assembly strip 6.

According to another embodiment, the adjacent selvedges 4, 5 are placed edge to edge before application of the flexible assembly strip 6.

Preferably, the flexible assembly strip 6 or each flexible assembly strip 6 is fastened by gluing, or by thermo-fusion, or by stitching.

Claims

A wig comprising an inner support or sheath (1) on which are implanted natural or artificial hairs, said sheath (1) being the connection of at least two pieces of light fine mesh (2, 3) which is designed to cover the various skull areas of a user's head, whereby at least one of these pieces of fabric is a transparent fabric (3) referred to as "monofilament", characterized in that the adjacent edges (4, 5) of the piece of monofilament (3) and the areas (2) of the sheath (1), adjacent to the piece of monofilament (3), connected by a thin strip of a soft and transparent or translucent material (6) and covering or overlap the edges (4, 5), forming a substantially flat connecting region (7), and the outer surface of the soft connecting strip (6) accommodates an anti-skid layer or coating, and the adjacent edges (4, 5) of the piece of monofilament (3) and region ends (2) of the casing (1), adjacent to the portion of the monofilament (3), disposed edge-to-edge, and the soft and transparent connecting strip (6) of the covers and overlap the edges (4, 5).

Wig according to claim 1, characterized in that the thin, soft connecting strip (6) is attached to the adjacent edges (4, 5) of the fabric pieces (2, 3), which are made of the sheath (1), by adhesive or by thermofusion and / or by sewing.

Wig according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the piece of monofilament (3) integrated in the sheath (1) occupies a space which is intended to cover the upper vault of the skull referred to as vertex.

Wig according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the piece of monofilament (3) integrated in the sheath (1) occupies a space intended to cover an area of the skull extending from tinding to tinning.

Wig according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the thin, soft connecting strip (6) comprises a thickness in the range between 0.05 mm and 0.15 mm.

Wig according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the thin, soft connecting strip (6) consists of polysiloxane.

A method of making a wig according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising an inner support or sheath (1), which is constituted by the joining of at least two pieces of lightweight, fine-mesh fabric (2, 3) which is designed to cover the various skull areas of the user's head, wherein at least one of these pieces of fabric is a transparent fabric referred to as "monofilament" (3), characterized in that the adjacent edges (4, 5) of the piece The areas (2) of the monofilament (3) and the cap (1) adjacent the piece of monofilament (3) are joined by a thin strip (6) of a soft and transparent or translucent material whose outer surface contains an anti-skid layer or coating applied in such a manner as overlapping and overlapping on the edges (4, 5) that a substantially flat connecting region (7) is formed.

Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the adjacent edges (4, 5) are placed edge-to-edge before applying the soft connecting strip (6).

Method according to any one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the soft connecting strip (6) or each soft connecting strip (6) is fixed by gluing or by thermofusion and / or by sewing.