EP1839526B1 - Hair-holding device and hair treatment method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the field of hair support for the purpose of testing, evaluation or learning.

The present invention relates to a manikin for fixing hair and to allow an operator to train in the hairstyle or to evaluate treatment products on said hair.

The document WO 03/063112 describes a wig that is just fixed on a wig head for learning the hairstyle. However, the hair in a wig of this kind is usually divided into groups and not individually, hence a different behavior of a real hair. In addition, the wig does not make it possible to test a treatment product on hair of different types and this simultaneously and under identical conditions of application.

The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages described above.

A device comprising the features of the preamble of claim 1 is known by GB-A-2369712 .

The present invention aims to reproduce more faithfully the implantation of natural hair to provide a tool for training in hairdressing and a tool to test and evaluate the performance of hair treatment products, including shampoos, after -shampoos, coloring products, perms, straightening, fading, styling, etc.

The invention also aims to provide a demonstration tool to show and / or compare the effectiveness of products for hair.

The hair support device includes a plurality of coaxial stacked trays, a hair holding member, and a hair distribution member. The stacked trays can be assembled in a simple manner and the hair is properly held and distributed around the support.

The hair is arranged in the holding element and in the distribution element so as to have a portion extending along the periphery of at least one plate.

In one embodiment, each tray includes an outer edge provided with sealing means.

Advantageously, at least two trays are identical, hence a simple construction. The hair can extend along the periphery of at least two adjacent trays. The hair carried by a first tray may be partly covered by a second adjacent tray.

In one embodiment, at least one tray is circular. This form makes it possible to properly simulate a head. However, one can consider a slightly oval plateau.

In one embodiment, at least a portion of the trays has an identical circumference. The result is a simple construction and easy assembly.

In one embodiment, at least a portion of the trays has a decreasing circumference upwardly. One can thus simulate the upper part of a head.

In one embodiment, the device comprises a central foot passing through a hole in the trays. The central foot can ensure the coaxiality of the trays and their maintenance together.

In one embodiment, the sealing means comprise an elastic seal housed in a groove of a plate. The sealing means may comprise two elastic seals housed in an upper groove and in a lower groove of a plate. This reduces the risk of penetration of a treatment product or water inside the device. Cleaning the device after use is facilitated. It is possible to ensure a tight junction between two plates.

In one embodiment, the hair holding member includes an opening in said tray for receive a hair retaining clip. The opening may be formed in a radial portion of the plate. The clip can come snap or snap between the edges of said opening. The opening may have a generally rectangular or trapezoidal shape for clamping clips.

The hair distribution element comprises a row of teeth arranged radially between the hair holding member and the outer edge. A tray is associated with at least one hair distribution element, preferably with a plurality of distribution elements circumferentially evenly distributed around the tray. The row of teeth of a hair distribution element forms a kind of comb with teeth directed upwards and supported by the plate, the teeth and the plate can be made in one piece, for example molded. The number of teeth can be provided according to the number of hair of a lock of hair retained by a clip cooperating with the holding member. For locks comprising ten hairs, an eleven-tooth distribution element can be provided, leaving ten spaces. Alternatively, there can be provided a distribution element provided with nine teeth, the end hair of a wick can be disposed beyond the corresponding end tooth of the distribution element. The distribution element can be continuous.

The in vitro hair treatment method comprises arranging the hair in a holder, the hair being housed between two coaxial superimposed trays, a holding member of said hair and a distribution member of said hair. The sealing means reduce the risk of penetration of water or treatment product into the trays. The hair holding member reduces the risk of hair loss during handling of the hair-carrying medium. The distribution element allows a relatively homogeneous distribution of hair, preferably individually, thus reproducing faithfully the natural distribution of hair on a human head. It is therefore particularly advantageous to have a hair distribution one by one. The distribution element allows to divide a lock of hair in order to get closer to the natural implantation of the hair.

The trays may be in contact with sealing means.

In one embodiment, a lock of hair is fixed in the holding member and the hair of the lock is distributed in a distribution element.

Thanks to the invention, it is easier to apply the same product on different types of hair, different bits can be installed on the device. It is also easier to test two different products on similar hair. It is thus possible to quantify the performance of the products in terms of color volume, ease in shape, detachment of roots, definition of the loop pattern, brightness and degree of crimp.

The invention makes it possible to control the implantation of hair, the amount of hair that can be modulated as well as the thermal regulation.

In one embodiment, the hair holding member includes a plurality of openings in the tray, each opening being capable of receiving a retaining clip of a lock of hair, such that locks of different types are provided. of hair are installed in the device.

In a particular embodiment, the device comprises a heating element. The heating element may comprise an electrical resistance, for example disposed in the groove, in a seal, or a conduit for bringing a heat transfer fluid, or a thin electrical circuit bonded to at least one tray and controlled by a heating control circuit.

It is thus possible to perform standardized measurements and optimize the effects obtained with respect to the real effects. The device can have the proportions and the rendering of a hair with a surface important to perform multiple product comparisons simultaneously. Once the locks of hair installed, the proportions of the hair are in line with those of a real hair, the maniability of the hair is excellent and the visual rendering very close to that of a hair. Different types of treatments can be performed, such as a shampoo, a transition to iron with modes of application and a gesture almost identical to those used on real hair.

Thanks to the invention, the treatments can be carried out simultaneously on several strands, as well as on all the hair. We can recover the wicks to possibly perform other instrumental tests. The parameters related to the shape can be quantified directly on the support and in a standardized manner, in order to optimize the effects produced compared to the effects on real hair, in particular for hair hygiene or shaping and holding products. , such as hair combs and gels.

The invention makes it possible to implant in the support quantities and qualities of hair determined with an orderly and relatively regular implantation, and while being able to remove the hair after a test or manipulation and reuse the support. The support thus has the advantage of having a shape and a dimension close to those of a head, to be able to receive the implantation of a quantity of hair going from a single lock to that corresponding to two whole heads, of achieve a relatively easy and modular implementation while retaining the ability to remove or install wicks during testing to perform in parallel other types of instrumental measurements, such as for example degradation to light or shampoos , slip, detangling, to achieve the application of products, such as shampoos, conditioners, realistic care products compared to an application on a real head, to be able to apply a temperature-controlled cosmetic treatment, which presents a notable interest for coloring, perms, the application of a relaxer, to be able to shape the hair directly on the support, in particular by placing in folds, smoothing or blow-dry, and to be able to evaluate the whole of the cosmetic properties realized on the real heads, as much on dry hair as on wet hair.

• la figure 1 est une vue schématique en coupe axiale d'un dispositif de support de cheveux ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en perspective d'un dispositif de support de cheveux ;
• la figure 3 est une vue de détail en perspective d'un plateau d'un dispositif de support de cheveux ;
• la figure 4 est une vue analogue à la figure 3 d'un plateau muni de cheveux ; et
• la figure 5 est une vue de dessus en élévation d'un dispositif de support de cheveux.

The present invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description of some embodiments taken as non-limiting examples and illustrated by the appended drawings, in which:

• the figure 1 is a schematic view in axial section of a hair support device;
• the figure 2 is a perspective view of a hair support device;
• the figure 3 is a perspective detail view of a tray of a hair holder device;
• the figure 4 is a view similar to the figure 3 a tray with hair; and
• the figure 5 is a top view in elevation of a hair support device.

As illustrated on the figure 1 , the support device 1 is intended to receive hair and comprises a plurality of identical trays 2, here the number of 11, a lower tray 3 and upper trays 4, 5 and 6. The trays 2 to 6 are superposed, the trays 2 and 3 forming a lower part while the trays 4 to 6 form an upper part. The lower part has a cylindrical outer shape, for example of regular diameter, while the upper part can form a cap, the plates 4 to 6 having a rounded outer surface, for example hemispherical, of diameter being reduced in going upwards.

The device 1 also comprises a central foot 7, for example of cylindrical shape, with the exception of an annular bulge 8 disposed near its lower end and serving as a stop for supporting the lower plate 3. A notch 9 can be arranged near the upper end of the central foot 7 and be provided to receive a pin or an equivalent element preventing disassembly of the device, for example by removing the tray 6. Each tray 2 to 6 has a central hole 10, through which the foot 7. Of course, the number of trays that are mounted on the central foot 7 depends on the application or test chosen.

The central foot 7 may be designed to position itself on other devices, in particular to be able to perform certain evaluations (gloss measurements, for example).

In the example shown on the figure 1 trays with a diameter of the order of 15 cm and arranged on a height of the order of 20 cm are provided. We can of course reduce this height.

In the embodiment illustrated on the figure 2 , the device is devoid of trays frustoconical outer surface 4 to 6 and includes only the lower plate 3 and several trays 2. Of course, it is possible to add on the device shown on the figure 2 , the trays 4 to 6 of the upper part forming the cap. It is also possible to use the device 1 illustrated on the figure 2 , in the form in which it is represented.

More specifically, each plate 2 comprises an outer edge 11 having an outer surface, preferably cylindrical. Annular grooves 12 and 13 are formed respectively from annular upper and lower annular surfaces of the edge 11. The plate 2 comprises a seal 14 disposed in the groove 12 and a seal 15 disposed in the groove 13. The upper seal 14 of a plate 2 is in contact with the lower seal 15 of the plate 2 disposed thereon. The trays 4 and 5 also have an edge provided with radially offset grooves to take into account the cap shape of the upper part of the device.

As we see more precisely on the figure 3 , a plate 2, represented here in an unfinished form without the seal 13, also comprises a small diameter edge 16 of similar shape to the edge 11 and also provided to accommodate two not shown seals and ensure the radial seal by relative to the central foot 7. Between the grooves 12 of large diameter and 16 of small diameter, the plate 2 comprises a radial portion 17 in the form of a disc of generally annular shape. The radial portion 17 is provided with a plurality of hair holding members 18 in the form of an opening which may be substantially rectangular radially elongated. The holding elements 18 are circumferentially evenly distributed and are provided to receive the end of a lock of hair. A strand of hair may be provided at its end with an elastic link or a clip maintaining its cohesion and coming to snap or snap into the opening forming the holding member 18. The holding member 18 may comprise two radial beads 18a and two lower tabs 18b on the outer side to lock a lock of hair.

The plate 2 further comprises a plurality of hair distribution elements 19 supported by the radial portion 17. Each distribution element 19 may be in the form of a comb comprising a determined number of teeth 20 arranged in an arc. and oriented axially upwards and having a length such that the following plate can come to rest on the current plate with contact between the upper seals 13 of the current and lower plate 15 of the next plate, the teeth 20 of the element holding 19 remaining at a distance from the radial portion 17 of the next tray. Preferably, the plurality of distribution elements constitutes a continuous assembly. In this case, a marker must make it possible to separate the positioning of two contiguous bits. This marker may be a marked tooth. The teeth 20 define inter-tooth free spaces, in which a hair from a lock of hair can be distributed as shown in FIG. figure 4 . The teeth 20 may be integral with the radial portion 17. Each plate may be in one piece, with the exception of the seals 13 and 15, and manufactured by molding a material, for example polyoxymethylene. It can also be made of stainless steel. Alternatively, the seals can be replaced by a seal by interlocking and complementarity of shapes.

This gives a plate 2 provided with a plurality of locks of hair. The end of a hair 21 is retained in the holding element 18, passes between two teeth 20 of the distribution element 19, passes between the seals 13 of the plate shown and the seal lower seal 15 of a next tray and extends out of the device to simulate a human hair. A distribution element 19 is arranged radially between each holding element 18 and the rim 11. Thus, each hair or each group of hair 21 coming from a wick can pass into a space between two teeth 20, and each space between two teeth. 20 can be occupied by a hair or a group of hair 21, and preferably only one.

The length of hair used and the number of hair per wick may be variable. This gives an extremely regular distribution of hair from a lock and hair around the plate 2, especially around. The tray 2 can be arranged on the foot 7, then provided with the desired number of hair for the intended use, then covered by the next tray, which can be a tray 2 or a tray 4. The same is true of other trays 3, 4, 5 and 6, except that the tray 6 can be covered by a cover 6 to complete the cap shape and not by a tray.

In the embodiment illustrated on the figure 5 , the device 1 further comprises two rods 22 and 23 passing through the radial portion 17 of the trays 2 and 3 and whose end is provided with a nut 24, 25 to allow clamping of the trays. The rods 22 and 23 are provided for example in diametrically opposed positions.

In this embodiment, frustoconical trays 4 to 6 are not provided. Thus, it is possible to clamp the hair between the corresponding seals of two adjacent trays in order to prevent them from sliding between said seals.

One can thus perform the hair test of the same type by measuring the loss of volume between a control 27 without treatment in the right side of the figure 5 on the side of the rod 23, a control 28 having benefited from a straightener alone in the upper central part and a hair sample 29 having benefited from a straightener and a heated iron treatment in the left side near the rod 22 .

Of course, it is possible to provide variants, in particular with a single seal per plate coming into contact with the rim adjacent plate, for example projecting into the lower groove 14 of the next tray. It is also possible to provide for the implantation of a heating element, for example a resistor 26 represented on the figure 1 , in the form of a thin film containing an electrical conductor bonded to the cylindrical outer face of the flange 11 to allow temperature control of the device, to approach the temperature of the scalp. The supply of the resistor 26 can be effected by means of contacts, not shown, extending on the radial portion 17, close to the groove 16 to allow contact between two consecutive trays and the power supply of the together, and in a dry zone of the device, insofar as the seals 13 and 15 prevent the entry of water or treatment products radially inward of said seals 13 and 15.

Thanks to the invention, it is possible to mount from one to several hundreds of locks of hair of between 0.5 and 3 g depending on the type of evaluation or tests provided, which can be performed on a wick only or on the contrary on a quantity of hair corresponding to a real hair multiple.

Of course, the material of the plate 2 and more particularly of the outer surface of the flange 11 is chosen to be inert to the chemical compounds contained in the coloring products, perms or straightening, not to change the nature of the treatments, including by catalysis and be adapted to the instrumental evaluation by image analysis by being relatively dull.

Thanks to the invention, the wicks can be implanted on the support without special preparation by a simple and fast assembly to perform the processing, formatting and evaluation on the same support. The locks of hair can then be recovered for further tests. Due to its modularity, the support device is compact, both on a laboratory bench and in a hairdressing salon, thanks to its multifunctional features and the possible evaluation of several treatments on the same support device.

Claims (22)

1. Hair-holding device (1) comprising a plurality of coaxial superposed plates (2) comprising a holding element (18) for holding the said hair, characterized in that the plates (2) comprise a hair distributing element (19) equipped with teeth (20) directed axially upwards, the hair being housed between two coaxial superposed plates and held by the holding element and passing between the teeth of the distributing element so as to exhibit a portion that extends along the perimeter of at least one plate.
2. Device according to Claim 1, in which each plate comprises an outer edge provided with sealing means.
3. Device according to Claim 2, in which the sealing means comprise an elastic gasket (13) housed in a groove (12) of a plate.
4. Device according to Claims 1 or 2, in which at least two plates are identical.
5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least one plate is circular.
6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least a part of the plates (2) exhibits an identical circumference.
7. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least a part of the plates (4, 5, 6) has a circumference that decreases towards the top.
8. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a central stand leg (7) passing through a hole (10) formed in the said plates.
9. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which each plate comprises means of centring it and holding it radially with respect to the plate beneath.
10. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a clamping rod (22) passing through a hole made in the said plates and a nut (24) capable of engaging with the rod.
11. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the sealing means comprise two elastic gaskets (13, 15) housed in an upper groove (12) and in a lower groove (14) of a plate.
12. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the hair-holding element (18) comprises an opening formed in the said plate to accommodate a hair-retaining clip.
13. Device according to Claim 12, in which the hair-holding element (18) comprises a plurality of openings formed in the said plate, each opening being capable of accepting a clip used to retain one lock of hair such that locks of different types of hair can be fitted into the device.
14. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the teeth (20) are positioned radially between the hair-holding element (18) and the outer edge (11) in order uniformly to distribute the hair at the periphery of the plate.
15. Device according to Claim 14, in which the distributing element is continuous.
16. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a heating element.
17. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the hair extends along the perimeter of at least two adjacent plates.
18. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the hair held by a first plate is partially overlapped by an adjacent second plate.
19. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the device comprises a sealed joint between the plates.
20. In-vitro hair treatment method in which hair is placed in a holder (1), the said hair being housed between two coaxial superposed plates (2), the plates comprising a holding element (18) for holding the said hair, and a distributing element (19) for distributing the said hair, which distributing element is equipped with teeth (20) directed axially upwards, the hair being held by the holding element and passing between the teeth of the distributing element in such a way as to exhibit a portion that extends along the perimeter of at least one plate.
21. Method according to Claim 20, in which the plates are in contact with sealing means.
22. Method according to Claim 20 or 21, in which a lock of hair is fixed in the holding element and the hair of the lock is distributed in a distributing element.

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