GB2436795A

GB2436795A - Protective device for use in hairdressing

Info

Publication number: GB2436795A
Application number: GB0607108A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Anthony John Knights
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-04-08
Filing date: 2006-04-08
Publication date: 2007-10-10
Also published as: GB0607108D0

Abstract

A protective device 10 for securing around the neck of a person comprising a sheet of flexible material 12 with a neck opening 14, a periphery 16 of which is provided with an adhesive 18 to adhere the protective device to the neck of a wearer when in use. The adhesive may comprise an hypoallergenic, microporous adhesive tape. The peripheral portion of the neck opening may form an upstanding collar. In use, the protective device ensures that hair cuttings do not pass into the wearer's clothing preventing them from causing itching and irritation. The sheet of flexible material may be substantially circular.

Description

, 2436795

Title: Protective Device for Use in Hairdressing

Description of Invention

5 This invention relates to a protective device for use in hairdressing. More particularly, the invention relates to a protective device for securing around the neck of a person having their hair cut or styled.

When having their hair cut or styled a person typically wears a gown, which is 10 secured around their neck (using mechanical fasteners such as hook & loop fastener) and drapes over their shoulders, back and chest in order that hair cuttings do not fall onto the person's clothes. Often, in addition to the gown, a flexible sheet of rubber or a rubber-like material is positioned around the neck of the user, on top of the gown. Free edges of the sheet may be magnetically 15 connectable to each other to ensure that the sheet remains in position. However, such rubber sheets are often too large for a person with a small neck.

The gown is secured as close as possible to the person's neck to ensure that 20 hair cuttings do not pass therebetween and the rubber sheet is provided to assist the gown in preventing hair from passing between the person's neck and the gown. However, neither of these devices are 100% effective, and thus hair cuttings frequently pass between the person's neck and the gown and into their clothing. This is undesirable and often results in irritation and 25 itching.

Therefore, according to the present invention I provide a protective device for securing around a neck of a person, the device including a sheet of flexible material with a neck opening, the neck opening having a periphery which is 30 provided with an adhesive to adhere the neck opening to the neck of the person.

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By providing a device in accordance with the present invention, hair is completely prevented from passing between the person's neck and the device. The periphery of the neck opening may be provided as a collar portion. The 5 collar portion may be upstanding from a general plane of the sheet of flexible material.

The sheet of flexible material may include a slit connecting the neck opening to an external periphery of the sheet. The slit thus defining opposing edges of 10 the sheet which overlap in use, to varying degrees, so as to accommodate a range of neck sizes.

The sheet may be circular, so that when it is secured around the neck of a person it extends over the person's shoulders, back and chest and is 15 substantially conical in shape.

The device may be disposable and/or recyclable. The sheet of the device may therefore be manufactured from a paper or a cloth material.

20 The device may include an adhesive covering member which covers the adhesive and is removable prior to use.

The device may be provided as one of a plurality of said devices either connected in end-to-end relationship and supported on a roll or the like or 25 provided in stack configuration. The plurality of devices may be provided in a dispensing apparatus. The device may be provided for single use only, and may then be disposed of once used.

The adhesive may be a hypo-allergenic adhesive, such as, for example, a 30 microporous tape secured to the periphery of the neck opening, or provided as

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the periphery of the neck opening. The microporous tape is permeable and thus allows the person's skin to breath and leaves minimal, if any, adhesive residue when the device is removed. A suitable microporous tape would be micropore™ tape as manufactured by 3M.

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Examples of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:-

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a protective device in accordance with the present 10 invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the device shown in Figure 1; and FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the device of Figure 1 in use.

Referring to Figure 1 there is shown, generally at 10, a protective device in 15 accordance with the present invention for securing around a neck of a person having their hair cut or styled. The protective device 10 is a substantially annular sheet 12 of a flexible material. In the present example the sheet 12 is manufactured from a disposable paper material, although it must be appreciated that it could be made from any other appropriate material.

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A central portion of the sheet 12 is provided with a neck opening, generally indicated at 14, which is substantially circular.

A peripheral portion 16 of the neck opening 14 is provided with an adhesive 25 tape 18 having a cover member 17 which protects the tape prior to use. In this example the adhesive tape 18 used is Micropore™ tape as manufactured by 3M. However, it must be appreciated that any other suitable adhesive could be used at the peripheral portion 16 of the neck opening 14. Using Micropore™ tape has the advantage that it is hypo-allergenic, and thus should 30 not give rise to skin irritation during use for the majority of people. The tape is

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also permeable, which allows the skin to breath, and leaves minimal, if any, adhesive residue when removed.

The sheet 12 is provided with a slit 20 which connects the neck opening 14 to 5 an external periphery 22 of the sheet 12. The slit 20 defines opposing edges 24, 26 of the sheet 12.

Turning to Figure 3, this shows the device 10 in use, although the figure does not illustrate the person wearing the device 10. Prior to positioning the device 10 10 around the neck of a person, the cover member 17 is removed from the adhesive tape 18 (although it could be removed later if desired).

The edges 24, 26 of the sheet 12 are moved away from each other so as to provide a gap therebetween. The sheet 12 is then moved so that the person's 15 neck passes between the edges 24, 26 until the neck opening 14 engages the person's neck.

The adhesive tape 18 is then secured to the person's neck starting from a portion of the adhesive tape 18 near one of the edges 24 and progressively 20 adhering the tape 18 to the person's neck until the tape 18 near the other edge 26 overlaps, indicated at 18a, the end of the tape near the edge 24. Depending on the size of the neck of the person, the amount the edges 24, 26 overlap in use will vary.

25 The person's hair is then cut and/or styled and any hair cuttings on the protective device 10 are brushed off before its removal. Once the hairdressing is complete, the device 10 is removed in the reverse order to that in which it was secured.

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It can therefore be seen that the device in accordance with the present invention prevents any hair cuttings from finding their way through the neck opening during hair cutting and/or styling by the provision of the adhesive tape which adheres to the skin of the person's neck.

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In place of the adhesive tape 18 an adhesive may be applied directly to periphery of the neck opening. Such an adhesive may have a cover member 17, or may be of a type similar to the releasable adhesive used on Post-It ™ notes (also manufactured by 3M).

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As an alternative, the protective device 10 may, instead of being a full circle, have a gap between the edges 24, 26, which will reduce the overlap required in use in many cases, and assist in the product forming a generally conical shape in use.

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The protective device 10 may be provided as one of a plurality of like devices 10 in end-to-end relationship and supported on a roll the like. Alternatively, a plurality of protective devices 10 may be provided in a stack configuration. Preferably where a plurality of protective devices are provided, these may be 20 provided in a dispensing apparatus, which permits one protective device 10 to be dispensed at a time.

In the above the adhesive tape is described and shown being generally in the plane of the sheet of flexible material (prior to the device being in use). As an 25 alternative the adhesive tape, or the portion of the device to which the adhesive is applied, may upstand by way of a collar above the plane of the majority of the sheet of flexible material.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and 30 "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or

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integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or 5 the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

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Claims

1. A protective device for securing around the neck of a person, the device including a sheet of flexible material with a neck opening, the neck

5 opening having a periphery which is provided with an adhesive to adhere the neck opening to the neck of the person.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the device includes an adhesive covering member which covers the adhesive and is removable prior to use.

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3. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the adhesive is a hypo-allergenic adhesive tape.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein the adhesive tape is secured to 15 the periphery of the neck opening of the sheet of flexible material.

5. A device according to claim 3 wherein the adhesive tape is provided as the periphery of the neck opening.

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6. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the adhesive tape is microporous.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein the adhesive tape is micropore™ tape as manufactured by 3M. '

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8. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the periphery of the neck opening is provided as a collar portion.

9. A device according to claim 8 wherein the collar portion is upstanding 30 from a general plane of the sheet of flexible material.

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10. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the sheet of flexible material includes a slit connecting the neck opening to an external periphery of the sheet.

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11. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the sheet is substantially circular.

12. A plurality of devices, each device according to any one of claims 1 to

11, connected in end-to-end relationship and supported on a roll or the like.

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13. A plurality of devices, each device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, provided in stack configuration.

14. A plurality of devices according to claim 12 or 13 provided in a 15 dispensing apparatus.

15. A protective device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

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16. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein with reference to and/or in the accompanying drawings.