FR2723518A1 - MEDICAL WIG. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a new wig having a cap with an inner surface to be placed adjacent to the scalp and an outer surface to which hair (11) is attached, characterized in that at least a part of said cap comprises a fabric having a first surface of warp and weft yarns and a second raised pile surface containing loops of filamentous synthetic material and in that said fabric is secured to said inner surface of said cup such that said second raised pile surface containing curls of synthetic filamentary material is adjacent to the scalp when the wig is worn.

Description

The present invention relates to the field of wigs and hairpieces.

  Many medical or genetic factors can cause total or partial hair loss. In particular, people undergoing cancer chemotherapy often suffer from the inconvenience of losing their hair, in whole or in part. Hair loss can be easily hidden

  by a wig, and a variety of wigs therefore exist for this purpose.

  Non-medical wigs generally include what looks like a small cap, intended to fit by tightening on the head, to which strands of natural or artificial hair are attached. The cap can be made of porous fabric or strips of material spaced at various intervals, or a combination of both. Preferably, the porous fabric or the bands are made of an extensible material such as an extensible lace, which makes it possible to put on or take off the wig easily. A stretch lace is aesthetically advantageous and does not generally cause discomfort for a user who has not lost his natural hair. However, stretch fabrics in general and stretch laces in particular can be irritating to leather

  often sensitive hair of people who have lost their hair.

  Efforts to make wigs more comfortable for patients undergoing medical treatment have resulted in a variety of new products. For example, a commercially available medical wig includes a cap consisting of stretchable lace bands spaced at various intervals. Two or more soft pads of diameter varying between 12.7 mm and 50.8 mm are anchored on the front and back of the wig cap. These pads are thick enough to act as a shock absorber between the scalp and the stretch bands forming the cup, making the wig more

comfortable.

  Another type of medical wig uses a cap woven from synthetic threads such as fishing line. This fabric is very porous and allows the scalp to breathe, and also has the added benefit of making the wig less noticeable, due to the fact that the scalp is visible at

  through synthetic woven threads.

  Experiments to make medical wigs more comfortable have led to the discovery that the curly side of VELCRO is exceptionally soft and thick enough to provide excellent

  shock absorber between the cap of a wig and the scalp.

  The invention relates to a wig having a cap with an inner surface placed adjacent to the scalp and an outer surface to which hair is attached, which is characterized in that at least part of said cap comprises a fabric having a first surface of warp and weft yarns and a second surface of raised hairs containing loops of filamentary synthetic material and in that said fabric is fixed on the internal surface of said cap so that the second surface of raised hairs containing loops made of filamentary synthetic material is adjacent to the scalp

  when the wig is worn by a user.

  Additional benefits and features of this

  invention will become apparent in light of the more detailed description which follows

  of embodiments of the invention, given purely by way of illustration and without limitation, as well as to the figures which relate thereto and in which: - Figure 1 represents a schematic view of a type of wig of the art An anterior one in which a cap includes a piece of fabric and spaced strips of fabric; - Figure 2 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of the wig according to the invention; Figure 3 shows the outer surface of the embodiment of the invention of Figure 2, with hair attached; and - Figures 4 (a) to 4 (d) schematically represent different embodiments of the looped side of the VELCRO product usable so

suitable in the invention.

  The VELCRO product manufactured by American Velcro Inc., New York, New York includes warp and weft yarns having,

  incorporated therein, loops of filamentary synthetic material.

  VELCRO closures are made by cutting the loops on a first piece of fabric to form hooks. Loops on a second piece of fabric are left uncut. When the two pieces of fabric are pressed against each other, the hooks engage in the loops and the two pieces of fabric adhere until they are separated. This closure system is omnipresent today. Belts and fabrics of this nature are described in U.S. Patents 3,387,341, 3,000,384, 3,009,235 and

  2,717,437, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

  The wig according to the present invention comprises the uncut "curly" side of the closure system in the fabric cap forming part of the wig, so that the curly side is positioned

adjacent to the scalp.

  Figure 1 shows the fabric cap of a prior art type of wig. The hat is made of several pieces of fabric 1 positioned near the front and sides of the wig and of several strips of fabric 2 spaced at various intervals which are attached to said pieces of fabric 1 to form the hat. Hair 3 is attached to the external surface of said cup (not shown) by fixing means 4 which maintain rows of hair by anchoring. The fastening means 4 are fixed to the pieces of fabric 1 and

  to the strips of fabric 2 on the external surface of said cup to form the wig.

  The pieces of fabric 1 and the strips of fabric 2 can be made of a variety of synthetic fibers such as Nylon, polyester, DACRON, etc. At least some of the fibers are stretchable fibers to allow the wig to be

  easily put on or taken off and to ensure a firm hold on the scalp.

  It may also be advantageous for the cap to include one or more adjustment means 5 allowing the wig to be adjusted according to different sizes, or its positioning according to different sizes and / or head shapes. Appropriate adjustment means include bands

  adjustable elastic bands, VELCRO closures and the like.

  FIG. 2 represents the internal part of an embodiment of the wig according to the invention showing the internal surface of the cap made from strips of fabric. The hat includes several strips of fabric 6 spaced at various intervals. The bands 6 are sewn together to form the hat. An adjustment means 7 is positioned on the lower edge of each side of said cup, to allow adjustment of the size of the wig. The rear peripheral part of the cap comprises a strip of fabric 8 to which the adjustment means 7 is attached, allowing adjustment of the wig by moving the adjustment means forwards or backwards, as the case may be. Note that, although Figure 2 illustrates the case where the cap is made almost entirely of fabric strips, it can also be achieved by combining pieces of fabric and fabric strips of various sizes as illustrated in the figure 1. The fabric consists of a woven material having first and second surfaces of warp and weft threads. The fabric can consist of any synthetic fabric such as Nylon, polyester, DACRON, etc., in natural fibers such as cotton, rubber, linen, silk, rayon or their blends. Curly sides of VELCRO '10 bands are combined with the fabric at various intervals so that the bristles of the VELCRO band are positioned against the scalp when the wig is worn. The looped side of the VELCRO product comprises a first surface of warp and weft threads and a second surface of raised bristles containing loops of filamentary synthetic material. The filamentary synthetic material can consist of any material allowing the formation and retention of the loop configuration in the warp or weft threads. Suitable materials include synthetic resins such as Nylon, polyester, DACRON, etc. Hair 11 is attached to the external surface of said cup (not shown) by a fixing means 12 holding the rows of hair. The fastening means 12 is sewn onto the external surface of said strips of fabric 6 to form the wig. In the wig shown, the VELCRO bands 10 are simply attached to the fabric of the hat so that the side of VELCRO with the bristles is positioned adjacent to the scalp. Other variants are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the cap itself can be made entirely or partially in VELCRO bands described in the above, oriented so that the second surface containing the loops of filamentous synthetic material is adjacent to the scalp and that the first surface of yarns. warp and weft forms the outer surface of the hat to which the hair is attached. Other various embodiments combining VELCRO and other types of fabric are

also possible.

  Figure 3 illustrates the outer surface of the wig of the invention

  showing the hair attached to it.

  Figures 4 (a) to 4 (d) illustrate different types of bristles obtained with the curly side of a VELCRO product. All these types of bristles are suitable for use with the present invention, provided that the loops are not cut and that the bristle / loop side of VELCRO tape is placed adjacent to the scalp. In the wigs of the invention, the curls should not be cut. Cut loops form hooks which will not be

  not comfortable when placed adjacent to the scalp.

Claims (11)

Claims ,.   1. Wig having a cap with an internal surface to be placed adjacent to the scalp and an external surface on which hair is attached (11), characterized in that at least part of said cap comprises a fabric having a first surface warp and weft yarns and a second surface of raised bristles containing loops of filamentary synthetic material and in that said fabric is fixed to said internal surface of said cap so that said second surface of raised bristles containing loops of synthetic material filamentous is adjacent to the scalp when the wig is worn.   2. Wig according to claim 1, characterized in that the fabric cap comprises a combination of a fabric having a first surface of warp and weft yarns and a second surface of raised hairs containing loops of filamentary synthetic material, and a woven material comprising   the first and second surface of warp and weft threads.   3. Wig according to claim 2, characterized in that the fabric cap comprises extensible bands (6), pieces of fabric (8) or a combination of these.   4. Wig according to claim 3, characterized in that the fabric cap comprises a combination of strips of fabric (6) and pieces of fabric (8).   5. Wig according to any one of claims 1 to 4,   characterized in that the bristles raised in the fabric comprising a first surface of warp and weft threads and a second surface of raised bristles   containing filamentary synthetic material include loops.   6. Wig according to claim 5, characterized in that the curls are made from a synthetic resin material allowing curls to keep their shape.   7. Wig according to claim 6, characterized in that the   synthetic resin material is nylon, polyester or mixtures thereof.   8. Wig according to claim 7, characterized in that the   synthetic resin material is Nylon.   9. Wig according to claim 2, characterized in that the fabric containing a woven synthetic material comprising a first and a second surface of warp and weft threads is nylon, polyester, cotton,   rubber, linen, rayon, silk or combinations thereof.   10. Wig according to claim 9, characterized in that the woven synthetic material comprising first and second son surfaces   warp and weft is Nylon.   11. Wig according to any one of claims 1 to 10,   characterized in that the loops are uncut.