GB2064318A

GB2064318A - Wigs

Info

Publication number: GB2064318A
Application number: GB7940937A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-11-27
Filing date: 1979-11-27
Publication date: 1981-06-17

Abstract

The hairs of a wig or hairpiece are planted in a base sheet 1 by a needle 2 which penetrates the base sheet at an angle to the normal to the base sheet at the point of entry of the needle so that the hairs, in extending from the base sheet in inclined fashion will more closely simulate real hair growing on a human scalp. The apparatus holds a region of the base sheet in which the hair is being planted at an angle relative to the reciprocation direction of the needle which is mounted on the apparatus for reciprocation and so as to pass through the held region of the sheet. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of and apparatus for the planting of hairs in wig and hairpiece production This invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for planting hair in wig or hairpiece production and, more particularly, to a method of planting hair by mechanical means or by manual operation and an apparatus for planting hair with mechanical means in such a mannerthatthe hair extends from a base surface, e.g. of a head skin sheet in a manner which is more like the manner in which the natural hair of man extends from the human scalp.

The invention has as an object to provide an epochal method of and an apparatus for planting hair in a particular manner two produce more life-iike wigs and hairpieces.

With the prior art method and apparatus for planting hair, hair is planted in a head skin sheet supported horizontally on a supporting member and a hair planting needle is moved vertically through a hole in the supporting member to lay the hair on the head skin sheet. In this case, hair is planted upright, that is, at right abgles, with respect to the head skin sheet because the hair planting needle penetrates vertically through the horizontally supported head skin sheet. However, close examination reveals that each scalp hair of man grows from the scalp at an angle to the normal to the scalp at the point of emergence of the hair from the scalp.

The present invention has been contemplated to improve the prior art method and apparatus for planting hair, and it achieves the aforementioned object in that it provides, according to a first aspect a method for planting hair on a model wig comprising holding a synthetic resin head skin sheet in an inclined position and moving a hair planting needle in a vertical direction, to plant the hair evenly and aslantly on said head skin sheet in an inclined state like the natural scalp hair of a human.

Another method aspect of the invention provides a method for planting hairs in a base surface in the production of a wig or hairpiece, wherein a reciprocating needle inserts the hairs into the base surface and the direction of reciprocating of the needle and the normal to the said surface at the point of planting of the needle lie at an angle so that the hairs will project from the said surface at an angle to the said normal thereby more realistically to simulate human hair growing from a human scalp.

The invention provides two aspects of apparatus and according to the first method aspect theere is provided apparatus for planting hairs in a base surface in the production of a wig or hairpiece comprising means supporting a reciprocable needle for planting hairs in the base surface, and means for supporting the base surface in relation to the needle so that at the point of the base surface where the needle pene trades the surface, the direction of the reciprocation of the needle is at an angle to the normal to the surface.

The second method aspect provides an apparatus for planting hair on a model wig comprising a combination of holding members of different lengths, said holding members being in association with a drive source provided in the driving system of the apparatus to feed a fresh head skin sheet to the apparatus after the completion of the previous hairplanting operation, a hair planting needle for planting hair on the head skin sheet in an associated relation to said drive source when said head skin sheet is fixed in position by said holding members and a support member defining a central hole adapted to allow the hair planting needle to project from and retract into said hole, said support member being different in height at both sides with respect to said hole, and mounted detachably on a base column of the apparatus, and said support member being disposed right beneath said holding members such that the head skin sheet is held in an inclined position at the time of planting hair thereon.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a schematic elevational view showing an apparatus for planting hair according to the embodiment of the present invention; Figs. 2 to 5 show how the apparatus of Fig. 1 operates in successive steps of planting hair, the Figs. 2,4 and 5 being fragmentary enlarged-scale elevational views partly in section, and Fig. 3 being a right side view of the detail shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is an elevational sectional view of a model wig obtained by the use of the hair planting apparatus according to the present invention; and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged-scale elevational sectional view of the model wig.

Referring to the drawings, a head skin sheet 1, which is made of a deformable, elastic synthetic resin and has a predetermined shape, is supported and intermittently fed in an inclined state by cooperating clamping means in the form of a combination of support member 3 and holding members 4, and a hair planting needle 2 is moved in the vertical direction from the underside of the skin 1 by a suitable mechanism (b) for evently planting hair (a) (Fig.

7) in an inclined state on the head skin sheet 1. After the planting of the hair is completed, the interior of the head skin sheet 1 is filled with gypsum 5 or the like to shape it up.

The support member 3, on which the head skin sheet 1 rests, is detachably mounted on a support 6 and the respective top edges surfaces are at different heights. The support member3 defines an intermediate inclined supporting surface 7 through which a hole 8, which hole 8 is formed through the centre of the supporting surface 7, and through which the hair planting needle 2 reciprocates. The supporting surface 7 supports and guides the head skin sheet 1 in an inclined state with respect to the hair planting needle 2 which is moved and penetrates the hair planting surface over the hole 8 in the vertical direction.

An another example of the support member 3, the intermediate inclined supporting surface 7 may be omitted, that is, two space supporting members 3 may be provided and may have horizontal top surfaces which are different in height with a space for guiding the hair planting needle 2 defined between the supporting members. In general, any construc tion capable of supporting the head skin sheet 1 in an inclined state and guiding the hair planting sur face over the hole 8 (or space) in an inclined state with respect to the vertically moving hair planting needle may be adopted as the supporting member or members 3.

The supporting member3 is disposed beneath their respective holding members 4, with the higher supporting member edge located beneath the shorter holding member 4 and the lower supporting member edge facing the longer holding member 4 so that at the time of planting hairthe head skin sheet 1 may be held urged in an inclined state against the inclined supporting surface 7 by the holding members 4.

The combination of holding members 4which serve to hold in position and also intermittently to feed the head skin sheet 1 placed on the supporting member 3 are coupled to a motor 9 through a transmission mechanism 10 for intermittent actuation.

More particularly, at the time of each hair planting operation the holding members 4 hold the head skin sheet 1 urged in an inclined state against the inclined supporting surface 7, and after each hair planting operation is completed they advance or withdraw the head skin sheet a predetermined distance by the aid of the driving force of the motor 9 to the next hair planting position and hold again the head skin sheet urged to be ready for the action of the hair planting needle 2. The pitch of feed of the head skin sheet 1 by the holding members 4 is adjustable to a desired thickness of hair planting.

The combination of holding members 4 consists respectively of short and long ones mounted parallel with each other in a mechanistic means (b), and the supporting member 3 is disposed right beneath combination of holding members 4 such that the head skin sheet 1 is held urged against it at the time of planting hair.

While the head skin sheet 1 is held urged against the support member 3 and intermittently fed in an inclined state by the holding members 4, the hair planting needle 1 coupled to and vertically driven by the motor 9 is reciprocated through the hole 8, that is, first it is upwardly projected through the hole 8 to penetrate the head skin sheet 1 held in the inclined state, then ittakes out a piece of hair from a hair storage unit 11 and finally it retracts downwardly taking the hair into the hole 8 thus effecting the planting of the piece (a) of hair at a predetermined location. Then, when the head skin sheet 1 is fed by the holding members 4 so that the next hair planting area comes to a position above it, the hair planting needle 1 is again projected and retracted. In this way, planting of hair is repeatedly carried out.The hair planting needle 2, supporting member 3 and holding members 4 are controlled such that they are oper ated in a suitable timing relation to one another. The drive source for the hair planting needle 2 and hold ing members 4 need not necessarily be the motor 9, and it is possible to adopt solenoids andlor manual power. It is also possible manually to plant hair instead of having to resort to the mechanistic means.

As has been shown, with the method of and apparatus for planting hair according to the present invention it is possible to set hair in an inclined state like the natural hair of man by holding the head skin sheet in an inclined state and moving the hair planting needle in the vertical direction capable of permitting ready visual confirmation of its action and obtain speedy and continuous hair planting opera tiorrwith a mechanistic means to produce a model wig, which has evenly planted hair with each piece thereof having a predetermined planting angle.

The invention can be applied to other wig or hairpiece base constructions as opposed to the sheet described.

Claims

1. A method for planting hair on a model wig comprising, holding a synthetic resin head skin sheet in an inclined position and moving a hair planting needle in a vertical direction, to plant the hair evently and aslantly on said head skin sheet in an inclined state like the natural scalp hair of a human.

2. A method for planting hairs in a base surface in the production of a wig or hairpiece, wherein a reciprocating needle inserts the hairs into the base surface and the direction of reciprocation of the needle and the normal to the said surface at the point of planting of the needle lie at an angle so that the hairs will project from the said surface at an angle to the said normal thereby more realistically to simulate human hair growing from a human scalp.

3. A method according to Claim 2, wherein the base surface is formed by a moulded synthetic sheet which is resiliently deformable, and in the method is deformed into a disposition which is inclined to the direction of reciprocation of the needle, in the region which for the time being is being penetrated by the needle.

4. A method according to Claim 3, wherein the said synthetic sheet is deformed at said region by being held between two co-operating clamping means defining two clamping zones spaced in the direction of reciprocation of the needle.

5. A method according to Claim 4, wherein one of said clamping means is also adapted to feed the base sheetslipwise between reciprocations of the needle and in a direction transverse to the direction of reciprocation of the needle.

6. A method according to Claim 2,3,4 or 5 wherein the needle reciprocates vertically with the point facing upwards, the said bare surface being located above the needle, the arrangement being that the needle penetrates the sheet, collects a hair and retractsthroughthe sheettaking the hairwith it and thereby platning it on the sheet.

7. Apparatus for planting hairs in a base surface in the production of a wig or hairpiece comprising means supporting a reciprocable needle for planting hairs in the base surface, and means for supporting the base surface in relation to the needle so that at the point of the base surface where the needle pene trades the surface, the direction of the reciprocation of the needle is at an angle to the normal to the surface.

8. An apparatus for planting hair on a model wig comprising a combination of holding members of different lengths, said holding members being in association with a drive source provided in the driving system of the apparatus to feed a fresh head skin sheet to the apparatus after the completion of the previous hair-planting operation, a hair planting needle for planting hair on the head skin sheet in an associated relation to said drive source when said head skin sheet is fixed in position by said holding members and a support member defining a central hole adapted to allow the hair planting needle to project from and retract into said hole, said support member being different in height at both sides with respectto said hole, and mounted detachably on a base column of the apparatus, and said support member being disposed right beneath said holding members such that the head skin sheet is held in an inclined position at the time of planting hair thereon.

9. A method of planting hairs in a bare surface in the production of a wig or hairpiece substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. Apparatus for planting hairs in a base surface in the in the production of a wig or hairpiecc, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.