JP4092657B2 - Method and apparatus for use in processing braided hair - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for use in treating strands of hair selected from a head of hair. Apparatus (2) according to the invention comprises a substrate (4) of material for separating selected strands of hair from other hair strands while the selected strands are treated. Apparatus (2) further comprises securing means (6) provided on the substrate (4) for securing the substrate (4) to strands of hair. The apparatus (2) is characterised in that the securing means (6) comprises a plurality of elements for hooking about and gripping one or more strands of hair.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for use in processing selected braided hair, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a method and apparatus for use in coloring selected braided hair.

  It is known to use a length of flexible material to separate selected braided hair during hair treatment processes such as coloring. In general, the braided hair to be colored is first selected by means of a hair dressing known as weaving. These braided hairs are then placed on a single liquid impervious material to effectively separate the selected hair from the rest of the hair. The barrier material is typically 2 to 3 inches wide (ie, between 5 and 8 cm) and the length is at least equal to the length of the hair to be treated. One edge of the material is placed near the root of the selected braided hair and is in contact with the scalp. The hair root is then pressed onto the part of the material provided with the contact adhesive. This keeps the material in the correct position on the scalp during the hair treatment process. With the material fixed in place, the appropriate hair treatment substrate is applied to the selected braided hair. The scalp and the remaining braided hair are protected from exposure to the hair treatment substrate by the barrier material.

  Prior art documents WO 97/38602 and FR2 585 565 disclose a hair treatment device that includes a substrate with a plurality of hook elements that grip selected braided hair and holds the substrate in place. Once the hair treatment material is applied to the selected braided hair, the substrate is folded, the selected braided hair is wrapped, and the braided hair is masked from the remaining hair. However, the substrate is maintained in a folded position by the inherent hardness of the substrate material and / or the surface tension of the hair treatment substance. A further prior art device for hair treatment is disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,664,590. This further prior art device has a first and a second substrate which overlap each other and are connected along one edge and are movable relative to each other with a hinge function. One surface of the first substrate is completely covered with the hook fastener, while the joint surface of the second substrate is completely covered with the loop fastener in cooperation with the hook fastener in use.

  The present invention seeks to solve certain problems associated with currently known hair treatment devices and processes. In particular, the use of prior art devices is problematic because the practitioner often mistakenly contacts the adhesive on the barrier material with the surface (such as the scalp, the hair tip rather than the hair root, or the barrier material itself). is there. A further manipulation of the device will require a modification operation to free the barrier material from the wrongly attached surface. In certain situations, in particular, portions of the barrier material may be attached to each other by an adhesive, making subsequent use of the device impossible and being discarded without being used. Even if the device can be used further, the effectiveness of the contact adhesive is often reduced by its previous surface contact. Therefore, the apparatus according to the prior art consumes time and leads to an unnecessary hair treatment process. Additionally, prior art devices do not tend to effectively bond oily types of hair. As a result, it is very often necessary to clean the hair to be treated before using the prior art devices described above. Again, this leads to a time consuming process. Furthermore, it only fixes these braided hairs in contact with the barrier material as well as the adhesive. Thus, if an object with dense (dense) hair is under treatment, the selected braided hair will very often be in contact with the adhesive and overlap the further selected braided hair, This in turn prevents itself from being secured to the barrier material. This leads to an increased risk of flowing hair treatment material onto the scalp.

The problems with the prior art also include the difficulty of selecting a barrier material from this large amount of material. In the prior art, barrier materials are usually sold in cartons that are tightly packed into individual barrier materials. Thus, when the carton is opened, the user will see a plurality of barrier materials that are compressed in close proximity to each other and do not easily leave. During the hair treatment process, it is particularly desirable that the barrier material can be selected quickly and conveniently with one hand. This is generally not possible with packaged barrier materials (especially with recent open cartons of this type of material), so the number of barrier materials required for a particular process can be It is often the case that the material is first removed from and the material can be selected with one hand during the treatment process. However, removing material from the carton leads to misplacement of the material and does not give good results in the procedure.
International Publication No. WO97 / 38602

  A first aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for use in treating a selected braided hair, wherein the apparatus selects the selected braided hair of the head hair from which the selected braided hair is treated. A substrate of a material for separating the hair from other braided hair; and a fixing means provided on the substrate for fixing the substrate to the braided hair, said fixing means comprising one or more fixing means A plurality of elements for hooking and gripping around the braided hair; the securing means includes a second plurality of elements for clamping and gripping one or more braided hairs; The second plurality of elements are disposed on the substrate, spaced apart from each other and can be released from each other when the substrate is folded into position between the first plurality of elements and the second plurality of elements. It can be connected to.

  A first plurality of elements is disposed near the edge of the substrate. The first plurality of elements is preferably disposed across the entire width of the substrate. The number of elements per unit area varies across the substrate. The securing means is preferably manufactured using injection molding techniques.

  Preferably, at least one element of the first plurality of elements comprises an elongate member defined by a groove in the device. Ideally, the groove is linear. Opposite sides of the groove each define an elongate member, whereby the groove defines two elements for gripping one or more braided hairs. At least one of the first plurality of elements includes a head having an inclined surface such that the braided hair is pressed directly against a position opposite the at least one element, thereby Braided hair is tightened by the at least one element.

  At least one element of the first plurality of elements extends outward from the surface at an acute angle with respect to the surface to define a space between the member and the surface, and at least one braided hair is in the space It is particularly desirable to be placed in use. The connecting portion between the member and the surface has a closed loop shape. The closed loop shape is substantially circular and defines a space between the member and the face having a substantially annular shape. The acute angle is preferably less than 45 °, and preferably 30 °.

  At least one element of the first plurality of elements includes a member extending vertically from the surface. The vertically extending member has a substantially cylindrical outer surface. At least one of the elements includes a member extending substantially parallel to the surface. The member extending substantially parallel to the surface is substantially annular.

  Most preferably, the first plurality of elements are disposed on a portion of the substrate surface that extends along the length of the substrate. The first plurality of elements are disposed on a curved portion of the substrate surface. Preferably, the first plurality of elements are provided integrally with a base portion manufactured separately from the substrate. The base portion defines a curved surface fixed in contact with the substrate. The curved surface is provided in the vicinity of the leading edge of the base portion, and is disposed against the scalp in use. The edge of the base is free from the substrate so that the tool can be placed between the base and the substrate in use. The free edge is positioned so that in use a tool can be placed between the free edge and the substrate and the edge of the substrate is pressed against the scalp. The free edge is the rear edge of the base portion that is opposite to and parallel to the front edge. The base portion is fixed in contact with the substrate by an adhesive. Ideally, the base includes means for restricting the flow of liquid across the surface of the base. The flow restricting means may include a groove in the surface of the base portion. The substrate is a flexible material and is also a transparent material.

  A second plurality of elements are provided on the substrate for use in releasable connection with the first plurality of elements when the substrate is folded around the selected braided hair in use. Is desirable. The second plurality of elements comprises a fiber and / or a plurality of hooks. The fiber is looped or has a free end. Furthermore, these latter hooks are provided as described above with respect to the elements of the fixing means.

  A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of using the device of the first form, placing a substrate of the device in the vicinity of the selected braided hair on the hair; Press against and place at least one element of the first plurality of elements in the vicinity of one braided hair, thereby gripping at least one braided hair and removing the selected braided hair from the other Fixing the substrate in a position to be separated from the braided hair. The braided hair pressed against the fixing means is the braided hair selected for masking from the other braided hair.

  Folding a substrate around the selected braided hair; pressing at least one element of a second plurality of elements against the selected braided hair to select the selected braid The method further includes gripping the hair with at least one element of the second plurality of elements.

  Further, the method presses at least one element of the second plurality of elements against the first plurality of elements to at least one element of the second plurality of elements and the first plurality of elements. The method further includes gripping each other.

  A device is also provided for use in processing the selected braided hair, and the device is adapted to process the selected braided hair of the hair during the processing of the selected braided hair and other braids of the hair. A substrate of a substance for separating from the hair; and a fixing means provided on the substrate for fixing the substrate to the braided hair; provided with a plurality of perforations arranged on a line of the substrate, Each end of the line is arranged near the edge of the substrate.

  Preferably, the perforation line is arranged in the vicinity of the fixing means.

  The perforation line extends across the width of the substrate from one longitudinal extension edge to the opposite extension edge. The perforation line defines a common boundary between two parts of the substrate, and one part of the substrate is provided with fixing means. The other of the portions of the substrate has at least one aperture.

  Furthermore, an apparatus is also provided for use in the processing of selected braided hair, the apparatus comprising an apparatus provided with a plurality of perforations as described above, wherein the other substrate portions of the apparatuses are connected to each other. They are linked together.

  There is also provided a method of using the perforated device described above, shearing one part of the substrate from the other part of the substrate along the perforation line; Placing a portion of the hair near the selected braided hair; fixing the substrate portion near the selected braided hair, and separating the braided hair from other braided hair Including.

  Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  A first hair treatment device 2 is shown in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings. The device 2 includes an elongated piece of flexible material that forms a base sheet 4 to which a piece of hook material 6 (described below) is attached. The material of the base sheet 4 is impermeable to the hair treatment substance for which the device 2 is to be used. Thus, the base sheet 4 forms an effective barrier between the hair treatment substance and braided hair intended to be separated from the substance. In addition to having impervious properties, the material of the base sheet 4 is also transparent to allow inspection of selected braided hair for processing without the need to remove the device 2 from the hair. preferable. The aforementioned properties of the base sheet 4 can be provided by a synthetic plastic material such as cellophane (trade name).

  The base sheet 4 has a long rectangular shape. The apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 1 has a width W of 75 mm and a total length L of 170 mm. However, these dimensions can be varied to match the particular situation.

  In particular, the length L increases or decreases depending on the length of the hair to be treated. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the device 2 is at least as long as the length of the braided hair being processed, so as to ensure separation from the hair around the braided hair. There must be. The examples of the present invention anticipate that the base sheets will be provided with standard lengths of 200 mm, 400 mm and 500 mm and standard widths of 75 mm and 90 mm.

  The top 8 of the base sheet 4 has two circular apertures 10 located on both sides of the long axis 12 of the device 2. As will be described later with reference to FIG. 7, the aperture 10 enables the base sheet 4 to be attached to the wicket of the supply device. The base sheet 4 is further provided with a perforation line 14 extending in the vertical direction with respect to the long axis 12 across the width of the base sheet 4. The perforation line 14 extends through the thickness of the base sheet 4 so that the top 8 of the base sheet 4 is easily separated from the rest of the base sheet 4 in use.

  The hook material piece 6 has a rectangular shape and extends across the entire width of the base sheet 4. The hook material 6 extends about 15 mm along the length of the base sheet 4 and is firmly attached to the remaining portion of the base sheet 4 with an appropriate adhesive. In another apparatus, the piece of hook material 6 can be formed integrally with the base sheet 4. A top edge 16 of hook material 6 (located near the scalp in use) is disposed on the remaining portion of base sheet 4 within perforation line 14. In a further apparatus, the top edge may be located above the perforation line 14 and a portion of the hook material 6 may overlap the top 8 of the base sheet 4. However, in this further alternative configuration, the overlapping portion of the hook material 6 is not secured to the top 8 by an adhesive (or other method) and the top material 8 from the hook material 6 and the rest of the base sheet 4 during use. Facilitates separation.

  The hook material piece 6 is formed in a unique curved shape. This curved shape is preferably partially circular. As shown in FIG. 1, once the hook material 6 is fixed to the base sheet 4, the base sheet 4 (at least in the vicinity of the hook material 6) has a curved shape of the hook material 6. In use, the curvature of the top edge 16 of the hook material 6 ensures that the base sheet 4 more easily matches the curvature of the scalp. In order to help ensure alignment with the scalp of the base sheet 4, at least the top edge region of the hook material 6 is flexible (preferably elastically flexible) and the top is deformed to deform the base sheet 4. It is possible to contact the scalp across the entire width of the scalp. Indeed, the hook material 6 may be a flexible planer (ie without a curved shape). As a result, the device 2 can be applied more easily and can give more comfort to the person treating the hair. The specific device 2 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a hook material 6 having a radius of 4.25 cm. However, other degrees of curvature may of course be used.

  The outwardly curved surface 18 of the hook material 6 grips the root of the braided hair selected during use and is provided with a plurality of small hooks for this purpose (not shown in FIG. 1). This hook has a mushroom shape and is of the type commonly used for hook / loop fabric fasteners. However, other hook shapes used for hook / loop fasteners can also be provided on the curved surface 18. For example, the hook includes a member extending outward from the curved surface 18 at an acute angle with respect to the surface, and a space is defined between the member and the surface, and at least one braided hair is used in the space. Arranged at the time. The acute angle is preferably 30 °, but other angles can be used. The braided hair to be grasped is compressed in the converging direction between the member and the surface, and is thereby grasped by the member and the surface. The hooks are trapezoidal and can accept and grip one or more braided hairs so that they are pressed against the hooks from either direction along the surface of the hook material 6.

  Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that a plurality of identical mushroom-like hooks 20 are uniformly disposed across the curved surface 18. However, in other devices, the size and density of the hook will vary with the diameter of the surface 18. For example, it is advantageous because it increases or decreases along the length of the base sheet 4 due to the density of the hooks (ie, the number per unit area). It is preferable that the density of the hooks crossing the width of the base sheet 4 does not change. In this way, any arbitrary piece of hook material 6 can effectively and better grip various selected braided hairs of different types (especially different densities / thicknesses). Due to the hook density and shape changing along the length of the base sheet 4 (over the surface 18 of the hook material 6) rather than across the width of the base sheet 4, proper gripping of all types of hair is ensured. Can be provided across the entire width. However, in the situation where the selected braided hair is best grasped by a hook having the density and shape of the hook 20 located near the lower edge 22 of the face 18 facing the upper edge 16, in the vicinity of the upper edge 16 The density and shape of the hooks placed across the width of the base sheet 4 is ineffective in gripping the selected braided hair. If this is considered undesirable due to the need to maintain the upper edge 16 secured to the selected braided hair and thereby hold it against the scalp, a plurality of hooks 20 can be deployed to provide hook density. It is preferred that the geometry is varied across the width of the base sheet 4. In this way, at least some of the braided hair selected at a certain position along the length of the upper edge 16 is gripped, so that the entire length of the upper edge 16 is held against the scalp. . The use of the plurality of hooks 20 to grip the selected braided hair will be described in further detail later.

  As shown most clearly in FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings, the curved surface 18 of the hook material 6 is provided with a groove 24 extending along the upper edge 16. In use, the groove 24 acts as a gutter and provides resistance to the liquid hair treatment material that is intended to flow through the scalp from the remaining portion of the base sheet 4 toward the upper edge 16. In another piece of hook material 6 'shown in FIG. 6, the groove 24 is replaced by a ridge 26 that extends upwardly from the surface 18' and extends along the upper edge 16 '. In use, the ridge 16 'functions as a barrier for fluid that flows beyond the edge 16'. Although the hook material pieces 6, 6 ′ shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are shown as flat elements, the pieces 6, 6 ′ are actually curved (preferably partly) when in the relaxed state. (Having a circular shape). As described above, the degree of curvature of the hook material pieces 6, 6 ′ is curved so that the upper edges 16, 16 ′ coincide with the scalp of the person under treatment. .

  The base sheet 4 is further provided with a crease 28 that extends in the vertical direction with respect to the long axis 12 across the width of the base sheet 4. This fold is disposed in the middle between the upper edge 16 and the lower edge 30 of the base sheet 4. However, the crease 28 can be provided at another position. The lower edge 30 is preferably folded over the upper edge 16 in use and arranged so that the selected braided hair is completely enclosed. Alternatively, the crease 28 may be omitted and applied by the user if necessary and when necessary.

    Referring to FIG. 7, the device 2 is attached to the wicket 32 of the supply device 34. The wicket 32 is a U-shaped bar having a circular cross section. The wicket 32 can be made from any suitable material, such as a metal or plastic material. The two free ends 36 of the wicket 32 (only one of which can be seen in FIG. 7) are spaced apart from each other by an equal distance separating the aperture 10 provided in the base sheet 4. Further, the circular cross-section of the diameter of the wicket 32 is substantially equal to the diameter of the aperture 10 such that one free end 36 passes through one aperture 10 and the other free end 36 passes through the other aperture 10. It has become. Thereby, the wicket 32 acts as a fixture, on which one or more base sheets 4 can be attached. Although not shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of devices 2 are preferably provided in the wicket 32. For example, 20, 30, or 40 base sheets 4 can be attached to the wicket 32. Devices so attached may be identical to each other or may be different in size or design. In the latter case, multiple devices can include devices having different lengths, widths, and / or different designs of hook material (eg, as described above).

  Once the wicket 32 is supplied to the required device, the free end 36 of the wicket 32 is received in the base member 38 of the supply device 34. This prevents the plurality of devices 2 from sliding from the wicket 32. In practice, a plurality of devices 2 are pre-mounted on wickets 32 and sold to the user. The wicket 32 is detachably fixed to a base member 38 already installed in the user's work place. Alternatively, the plurality of devices 2 can be supplied as a whole supply device. In such a situation, the base member 38 of the supply device 34 can be provided with an optimal fixing member that allows for quick and convenient attachment to the wall of the base member 38, such as the base member. The back surface 40 of 38 can be provided with an aperture for engaging with a hook member attached to the wall.

  It can be seen that the use of the supply device 34 allows convenient selection of the required device 2. The plurality of devices 2 are placed on the wickets 32 in a defined manner, thereby helping to grip a specific device 2 that separates and uses the braided hair selected by the user. The user selects the required apparatus 2 by gripping the aforementioned remaining portion of the base sheet 4 below the perforation 14. Next, the remaining portion of the base sheet 4 is pulled along the wicket 32 in the direction of the arrow 42 (see FIG. 7) away from the base member 38. However, the top 8 is prevented from coming off the wicket 32 by the crossbar portion 44 (shown by the chain line in FIG. 7) of the wicket 32. Nevertheless, the top 8 is not disengaged, but a perforation 14 extending across the width of the base sheet 4 allows easy separation of the rest of the base sheet 4 from the top 8. Yes. Thus, the part of the device 2 required for the separation of the selected braided hair (ie the remaining part of the base sheet 4 provided with the hook material piece 6) can be easily selected for use. it can. The top 8 of the selected device 2 remains on the wicket 32, but this does not prevent easy selection of further devices 2. The top 8 'of the selected device pre-stripped from the wicket 32 is shown in FIG.

  Once the required braided hair is selected (by a technique commonly known as weaving), when the required device 2 is pulled from the wicket 32, the rest of the base sheet 4 is Place under the selected braided hair. The upper edge 16 is pressed against the scalp and near the root of the selected braided hair. Next, the selected braided hair is strongly pressed and massaged against the curved surface 18 of the hook material 6. As a result, the selected braided hair is pressed between the adjacent mushroom-like hooks 20 extending from the surface 18 and tends to be disposed between the head of the hook 20 and the surface 18. The hair covering the entire width and length of the hook material 6 is massaged (eg, by the user's thumb), the mushroom-like hook 20 is placed around the braided hair, the braided hair is gripped, and the upper edge 16 is near the scalp Guaranteed to be retained. The engagement of the hook 20 with the selected braided hair also serves to withstand lateral movement of the base sheet 4 during the hair treatment process.

  The effectiveness of the hook 20 to grip the selected braided hair is substantially independent of whether the braided hair has been recently washed. The hook 20 tends to grip oily hair with essentially the same effect as gripping non-greasy hair. The hook 20 can be removed from the braided hair and reapplied without losing the gripping effect. Thus, the positioning failure of the upper edge 16 can be easily corrected without requiring the use of a further device 2. Ease of use is also facilitated by the hook 20, which tends to adhere only to the surface containing the cloth around which the hook 20 is placed. Accordingly, the hook 20 does not tend to adhere to the rest of the base sheet 4 or the skin of the person under processing.

  The selected braided hair is lined up over the rest of the base sheet 4 by means of the upper edge 16 located at the desired position on the scalp. Thus, the remaining portion of the base sheet 4 separates the selected braided hair from other hairs located below the remaining portion and is exposed to the treatment material applied to the selected braided hair. From the above, it will be apparent that there is an effect of masking the other hair. A suitable hair treatment substance such as a coloring liquid can be conveniently applied to the braided hair selected by the brush. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the groove 24 serves to prevent the hair treatment material from flowing from the hook material 6 to the scalp.

  Once the hair treatment material is applied, the selected braided hair is covered by folding the rest of the base sheet 4 along the fold line 28, thereby placing the lower edge 30 near the upper edge 16. The Alternatively, the selected braided hair can be covered with a cover sheet that separates the rest of the base sheet 4. Although the lower edge 30 can be fixed to the upper edge 16 by an adhesive, it is preferable to provide a material to be gripped by the plurality of hooks 20 provided on the curved surface 18 in the portion of the base sheet 4 near the lower edge 30. . This material may be a fibrous material comprising a plurality of loops 46 conventionally used in hook / loop fasteners (see FIG. 3). Alternatively, and in accordance with the present invention, the material includes a plurality of additional hooks 48 that are preferably of the mushroom type (see FIG. 4).

  When the lower edge 30 is fixed in the vicinity of the upper edge 16 (or the separated cover sheet is positioned in the correct position), the selected hair is received and shielded from the immediate surrounding members.

  The device 2 can also be modified by a hook material piece 6 'with a ridge as shown in FIG. 6 instead of a hook material piece 6 having a groove as shown in FIG. A partial side view of the resulting device 2 'is shown in FIG. Further alternative devices 102, 202 are shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, respectively. These other devices 102, 202 differ from the device 2 shown in FIG. 1 only in the following respects. That is, a piece of fibrous material 104 is provided on the base sheet 4 of the apparatus 102 of FIG. 9, and two portions 204, 206 of fibrous material are provided on the base sheet 4 of the apparatus 202 shown in FIG. Elements of the further devices 102, 202 in common with the device 2 shown in FIG. 1 are identified with similar reference numerals.

  As seen in FIG. 9, the fiber material piece 104 is disposed near the lower edge 30 of the base sheet 4 and extends across the entire width of the base sheet 4. When the base sheet 4 is folded along the crease line 28, the fiber material piece 104 coincides with the hook material piece 6 and the lower edge 30 is fixed in the vicinity of the upper edge 16. As can be seen from FIG. 10, the two parts of the fiber material 204, 206 of the device 202 are square and are located in the vicinity of the lower edge 30 and in the vicinity of the opposing longitudinally extending edges 208, 210 of the base sheet 4. ing. Thus, when the remaining portion of the base sheet 4 is folded along the fold line 28, the fibrous material portions 204, 206 engage the hook 20 of the hook material 6 to engage the lower edge near the upper edge 16. 30 is held.

  Another configuration of the hook / loop, namely the hook / hook fastener according to the present invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the hook / loop fastener material may extend around the entire circumference of the rest of the base sheet 4 (ie, along the length of the base sheet 4 longitudinal edge as well as the lower edge 30 of the base sheet 4). Can be provided. In this manner, the selected braided hair is completely wrapped and contained between the materials of the base sheet 4 when the rest of the base sheet 4 is folded along the fold line 28.

  Yet another configuration is shown in FIG. 11 of the accompanying drawings. The apparatus 302 of FIG. 11 differs from the apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 1 only in the following points. That is, the fiber material piece 304 is provided in the vicinity of the lower edge 30 on the side portion of the base sheet 4, the hook material 6 is provided opposite thereto, and the hook material piece 6 extends in the lateral direction of the base sheet 4. It has a portion 306. The fiber material 304 extends across the entire width of the base sheet 4. Further, the extension 306 of the hook material 6 has a length that is substantially the same as the width of the base sheet 4. In use of the device 302, the base sheet 4 is folded along the fold line 28, thereby positioning the lower edge 30 near the upper edge 16. The lower edge 30 is then secured in place by folding the extension 306 of the hook material 6 onto the fiber material 304. The extension 306 is folded at the edge of the base sheet 4 along the pre-formed fold line 308. As a result, the hook provided on the extension 306 engages the fibrous material 304 and prevents substantial movement of the lower edge 30 relative to the upper edge 16. In a further variant, the extension of the hook material 6 extends from both longitudinal edges of the base sheet 4. Preferably, the two parts have a length substantially equal to half the width of the base sheet 4.

  The fiber material described above includes a plurality of loops for engaging hook members as is known in conventional hook / loop fasteners. The fiber material can also be provided as a cloth or absorbent paper material. In an embodiment of the invention, the fiber material can be exchanged for hook material, and the hook-to-hook connection rather forms a hook-to-loop connection. The hook-to-hook connection is particularly secure when a mushroom-like hook is used as shown in FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings.

  In addition, more than one hook may be used to ensure that the portion of the substrate with the hook provides a connection with a braided hair and / or hook / loop of a uniform length across the portion. The type (i.e. hook geometry and / or density) is evenly distributed across the portion. Thus, any optional hook member can be placed next to a different type of hook member.

  In a still further variation, the function of the hook and loop and the hook and hook fastener base seat fixed part (or with another cover part for the base sheet) may be performed by a tongue and groove mechanism. A tongue extending from one part is received and gripped by a groove in another part.

  Still further apparatus 400 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 12-18 of the accompanying drawings. This further apparatus 400 is similar to the configuration described above, including an elongated piece of flexible material forming the base sheet 404, with a hook material piece 406 mounted on the base sheet. The material of the base sheet 404 is one that does not penetrate the hair treatment substance used in combination with the apparatus 400. Thus, the base sheet 404 forms an effective barrier between the hair treatment material and the braided hair to be separated from the material. A piece of hook material extends across the entire width of the base sheet 404 and is firmly attached along its upper edge with a suitable adhesive. The dimensions of the base sheet 404 and hook material 406 are as previously described with respect to previous examples and other configurations. Between 2 mm and 4 mm of the lower edge 407 of the hook material 406 is free and not attached to the base sheet 404. The purpose of this feature is that the back of the comb or the user's fingernail allows placement between the hook material 406 and the base sheet 404 within the lower edge 407, and the upper edge 409 of the base sheet 404 is applied to the scalp in use. This is to press against it. The portion of the hook material 406 that is bonded to the base sheet 404 is the portion of the hook material 406 that is disposed between the upper edge 409 of the base sheet 404 and the dashed line 410 shown in FIG. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this feature can be used in any of the previously described embodiments and other configurations.

  As in the embodiment of FIG. 9, according to the present invention, the hook material piece 411 is fixed in the vicinity of the lower edge 413 of the base sheet 404 with a suitable adhesive. Thus, when the base sheet 404 is folded in use and the lower edge 413 approaches the vicinity of the upper edge 409, the lower piece of material 411 engages and connects with the upper piece of material 406. This connection not only helps hold the base sheet 404 in the collapsed position, but also helps prevent unwanted leakage of hair treatment material into the scalp. Ideally, when the fiber material is used in any of the embodiments described herein, the fibers of the material are looped or have a free end.

  A partial plan view of the hook material piece 406 is shown in FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings. The enlarged view of FIG. 13 shows a hook material 406 with a plurality of circular mushroom-like hook members 414. The hook members 414 are arranged in a plurality of rows provided in parallel with the long axis 415 of the base sheet 404. As a result, the braided hair is placed between the rows of hook members 414 without being bent or kinked. In other words, the braided hair is placed between adjacent rows of hook members 414 to ensure a linear shape.

  As shown in the sectional side view of FIG. 14, the head 416 of each hook member 414 has a flat planar top surface 417. However, in the modification of hook material 406 as shown in FIG. 15, each hook member 414 has a head 416 with a conical top surface 418. As yet another example, the top surface is partially spherical as shown in FIGS. The use of a curved or angled top surface helps to place the braided hair between the hook members 414. In this regard, the top surface 418 of the hook member 414 serves to guide the braided hair toward the gap between the hook members 414.

  The hook material piece 406 shown in FIGS. 13 to 15 can be replaced with a further modified piece of hook material shown in FIGS. 16 to 18 of the accompanying drawings. The hook material shown in FIGS. 16 to 18 includes a plurality of elongated T-shaped hooks 420. The hook member 420 is configured such that the long T-shaped groove 422 is formed between the adjacent hook members 420, and the hook member extends in parallel with the long axis 415 of the base sheet 404, and the hook material. Extends from its upper edge 423 to its lower edge 424. Since the groove 422 is a straight line, the braided hair is held in a straight line shape between the adjacent long hooks 420. As shown in FIG. 18, the head portion of the hook member 420 has an inclined top surface 423 for guiding the braided hair toward the groove 422.

  In order to connect the hook material piece 411 to the hook material piece 406 including the elongated hook member 420 shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, that is, according to the present invention, the hook material piece is preferably provided with a plurality of hook members. (For example, a mushroom hook or a long T-shaped hook). This type of hook member would be more rigidly connected to the elongated T-shaped hook member of the hook material than the loop or other fiber material.

  The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Alternative configurations and appropriate materials will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The schematic plan view of a 1st hair processing apparatus. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a plurality of hooks provided in the embodiment of FIG. 1. Figure 3 is a schematic side view showing a hook / loop connection where the hook is of the type shown in Figure 2; FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a hook / hook connection according to the invention in which the hook is of the type shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a hook material piece provided in the mechanism of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of another piece of hook material provided in the mechanism of FIG. 1. The schematic sectional side view which shows the upper part of the 1st apparatus fixed to the wicket dispenser. 7 is a schematic side view of the upper part of the second device of the present invention providing the hook material shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus of the third embodiment of the present invention when hook material is provided on both the upper and lower edges of the substrate. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus of the fourth embodiment of the present invention when hook materials are provided on both the upper and lower edges of the substrate. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the device of the fifth embodiment of the present invention when hook material is provided on both the upper edge and the lower edge of the substrate. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus of the sixth embodiment of the present invention when hook material is provided on both the upper and lower edges of the substrate. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan partial view of a piece of hook material including a circular mushroom-like hook member. FIG. 14 is a schematic partial side cross-sectional view of the hook material of FIG. FIG. 14 is a schematic partial side cross-sectional view of a modified version of the hook material shown in FIG. 13. The schematic plane fragmentary view of the hook material piece containing a long T-shaped hook member. FIG. 17 is a schematic partial side cross-sectional view of the hook material of FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic partial side cross-sectional view of a modified version of the hook material shown in FIG. 17.

Claims (29)

A device (102) for use in treating a selected braided hair,
A liquid impervious substrate (4) of material for separating the selected braided hair of hair from other braided hairs of the hair while the selected braided hair is being treated; A fixing means provided on the substrate (4) for fixing to the braided hair,
Said securing means includes a first plurality of elements (6) disposed across the entire width of the substrate for hooking and gripping around one or more braided hairs; Including a second plurality (104) of hooks and grips around one or more braided hairs;
First and second plurality of elements (6, 104) are disposed on the substrate and spaced apart from each other, and in use, the substrate is positioned between the first plurality of elements and the second plurality of elements (102 A device for use in the treatment of braided hair, characterized in that it can be releasably connected to each other when it is folded. The first plurality of elements (6) A device according to claim 1 which is disposed in the vicinity of the edge of the substrate (4) (16). Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the number of elements per unit area varies across the substrate (4) . 4. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the first plurality of elements (6) comprises an elongate member defined by a groove (422) in the device. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the groove (422) is straight . Wherein stipulates the opposing side portions are each elongate member groove (422), which by the claims said groove defines two elements (420) for gripping one or more braided hair Apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5. At least one element of the first and second plurality of elements (6, 104) includes a head portion having an inclined surface, and the braided hair is directly attached to the head part toward a position opposite to the at least one element. 7. A device according to any one of the preceding claims , wherein the device is pressed against, whereby the braided hair is gripped by the at least one element. At least one element of the first or second plurality of elements (6, 104) comprises a member extending outwardly from the surface at an acute angle to the surface, wherein a space is defined between the member and the surface; The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one braided hair is positioned in use in this space. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a joint between the member and the surface has a closed loop shape . The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the closed loop shape is substantially circular and defines a space between the face having a substantially annular shape with the member . The apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the acute angle is less than 45 °. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the acute angle is 30 ° . At least one of the first and second plurality of elements (6, 104) includes a member extending vertically from the surface, the member extending vertically has a substantially cylindrical outer surface. The device according to claim 1 . 14. An apparatus according to any of claims 8 to 13 , wherein at least one of the elements comprises a member extending substantially parallel to the surface. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the member extending substantially parallel to the surface is substantially annular . 16. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first plurality of elements (6) are arranged on a part of the substrate surface of the part extending along the length of the substrate (4). . 17. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first plurality of elements (6) are arranged on a curved part of the surface of the substrate . The device according to any one of claims 1 to 17 , wherein the first plurality of elements are provided integrally with a base part manufactured separately from the substrate (4). 19. A device according to claim 18, wherein the base part defines a curved surface fixed in contact with the substrate (4) . 20. An apparatus according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the edge of the base is free from the substrate so that in use a tool can be placed between the base and the substrate . 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the free edge is positioned so that a tool can be placed between the free edge and the substrate in use and the edge of the substrate is pressed against the scalp . The apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 21 , wherein the base portion is fixed in contact with the substrate by an adhesive. 23. A device according to any of claims 18 to 22 , wherein the base comprises means for restricting the flow of liquid across the surface (18) of the base. 24. Apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the flow restricting means comprises a groove (24) in the surface of the base. 25. A device according to any of claims 1 to 24 , wherein the substrate (4) is a flexible material. 26. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 25 , wherein the substrate (4) is a transparent material. Positioning the substrate (4) of the device (102) in the vicinity of the selected braided hair of the hair; pressing the braided hair against the fixing means, and the first plurality of elements (6) Position at least one element in the vicinity of at least one pressed braided hair, thereby gripping the at least one braided hair and separating the selected braided hair from other braided hairs 27. A method of using an apparatus (102) according to any of claims 1 to 26, comprising securing a substrate. Folding the substrate (4) around the selected braided hair; pressing at least one element of the second plurality of elements (104) against the selected braided hair; 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising: gripping the braided hair by at least one element of the second plurality of elements (104). The at least one element of the second plurality of elements (104) is pressed against the first plurality of elements (6), and at least one element of the second plurality of elements (104) 29. The method of claim 28, further comprising gripping a plurality of elements of each other.

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