US1893864A - Comb - Google Patents

Description

Patented dan. 1G, 1933 mmm PHLP ROCHER', 0F BALTIMORE,

assegni MARYLAND COMB Application filed IFebruary 26, 1932. Serial No. 595,281.

This invention relates to combs, and especially to a comb for combing and exercising the hair on a persons head.

One object of my invention is to provide 5 an improved hair-comb that exerts first a wedging action and next a firm and uniform traction effectupon the hair shafts without tearing or jamming the hair and thus to act gymnastically upon the several related factors of the hair and scalp, to stimulate blood circulation in the scalp, to render the tight thin and dry condition of the scalp loose and iexible, to extract the discharged dead hair from the follicle, without injury to those hairs which are i-n active and healthy condition, to loosen and remove dandrnff, dust and dirt, while obviating the tearing and breaking of the hair by jamming and tightly holding the hair, and to prevent the clogging of dirt and grease between the teeth at their base.

The details of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is an enlarged side elevation of a comb which is constructed in 'accordance with lthis invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Figure l.

Referring to this drawing in det-ail, in

which similar reference characters refer to similar parts in both views, the details of the invention are now described as follows:

The back or base 5 is united with one or more sets of teeth 6, and all of such teeth may be of the same size and shape, or of diderent Vsizes and dimensions, while having the same general shape, and adapted to perform the same functions. In the present illustration, i have shown two sets of teeth 6, the teeth of one set being larger or coarser than those of the other set. The purpose of making the comb with two sets of teeth, as shown, is to make it applicable for hair which is rela- F tively fine and thin and for hair that is reld atively coarse and thick, as will become more apparent as the construction of the comb is better understood. However, instead of making a comb with teeth of different sizes, it is within the scope of this invention to make each comb with teeth of a uniform size, and to make different combs with different size teeth.

rlhe novel and important feature of this comb lies in the shape of the teeth, in their spaced relation to one another, and in the junctions of the teeth with the head or base 5. 'Vith reference to the shape of the teeth, it will be observed that they have parallel complemental intermediate surfaces 9 which are very closely spaced from one another and extend considerable distances 'inward and outward from the middle of the respective teeth; the outer free end portion 6 of each tooth being wedge-shaped or outwardly converging, so their complemental surfaces l0 converge to the closely spaced surfaces 9 and merge therewith. The inner end portion of each tooth is wedge-shaped, so that the complemental surfaces 8 of these inner end portions diverge inwardly or toward the base 5 where they merge with cross-curved or convex-concave surfaces 7-7a of the head or base 5. Each of these convex-concave surfaces is upwardly or outwardly concaved, as shown in Fig. l, and has two opposite edges merging with two adjacent complemental inwardly diverging inner end surfaces 8, while its other two opposite edges are converted and merge with the lateral sides of the head 5, as shown at Ta in Fig. 2. This formation of the head, at the bases of the teeth, and therebetween, appears to be quite novel, so no single word is found to describe it, and therefore, the coined compound word convex-concave is used and seems quite appropriate. Such convex-concave surfaces entirely eliminate sharp edges or corners at the bases of the teeth, and thereby eliminate the detrimental edects that such sharp edges or corners have on the hair shafts.

Between the outer ends 1l of the teeth, and between the complemental surfaces 10, outwardly flared spaces 12 are provided to receive relatively large groups of hair shafts as the ends 1l are forced or pass between such groups; and the complemental inwardly converging surfaces l0 wedge and compress'the groups of hair shafts more and more until they enter the narrow space between the complemental intermediate parallel surfaces 9 whereby a sliding and limited pulling of the hair shafts is effected while the latter pass from the outer end to the inner end of each pair of complemental intermediate parallel surfaces and until the hair shafts enter the widening spaces between the pairs of cornplemental inwardly diverging surfaces 8, whereupon the hair shafts are released from the grip or holding effect of the teeth and permitted to pass out, easily, freely and unbroken, from between the bases of the teeth.

It is evident that a comb of this kind can be manufactured from various kinds of materials, and either stamped and pressed into shape, moulded or formed by cutting tools, or by a combination of such devices.

To facilitate a full and clear understanding of the advantages of my improved comb, over the usual form of combs, I mention the following distinctions:

The perpendicular outside face structure of the teeth from point to base of combs currently in use are practically uniform; and their dimensions of interspaces from point to base between the teeth are virtually equidistant. I find that combs with teeth and interspaces so constructed fail to act upon the hair effectively. The hair received at the point passes through this equidistant interspace, and is delivered freely at the base without any traction effect on the hair shaft. The practical use of such a comb is confined to disentangling and dressing of the hair.

A firm and uniform traction effect, wanting in the ordinary comb, is obtained in my comb by teeth which are wedge shaped on both ends, point and junction. A certain quantity of hair, received in the relatively wide openings at the points of my combteeth, is tractionally acted upon firmly and uniformly by being passed through the gra-dually reduced interspaces, which, after developing the greatest tension in the narrow intermediate part of the interspace, releases its grip on the hair shafts as they pass into the interspaccs between the teeth at their junction with the head 5.

These novel teeth and interspaces augment the utility of my comb variously. Besides serving as a utensil to arrange and disentangle the hair as does the ordinary comb; my comb, by its firm and uniform traction efl'ect upon the hair shafts, acts at once to exercise the hair roots, to stimulate circulation, to loosen the tight, thin, and dry condition of the scalp, and to free the follicle from the obstruction of the discharged dead hair by extracting it.

I also observe that the ordinary comb, particularly those with closely set teeth collect dirt andV grease freely, and require frequent cleaning; and that this equidistanee, from point to base between the teeth, permits the hair to be jammed and often injured by a sharp and solid base. In my comb the clogging of matter between the teeth at their base is obviated, by an enlarged interspace between the teeth, at their junction.

Although I have described this embodiment of my invention quite specifically, I do not intend to limit my patent protection to these exact details of construction, for the invention is susceptible of numerous changes within the scope of the inventive ideas as implied and claimed.

lVhat I claim as my invention is 1. A comb comprising a series of teeth having adjacent complemental parallel intermediate surfaces, outwardly diverging complemental outer end surfaces merging with said parallel intermediate surfaces, and inwardly diverging complemental inner end surfaces merging with said intermediate surfaces and with curved surfaces which extend from the base of each tooth to its next adjacent tooth.

2. A comb consisting of a head and a single row of teeth integrally united with one another, said teeth having complemental intermediate surfaces which are so closely spaced from one another as to wedgingly clamp and frictionally engage with groups of hair shafts and thereby pull the hairs that slide therebetween and thus remove dead hairs and dandruft' while stimulating the scalp by the pulling of the live hairs without removing the latter from the scalp, said teeth having complemental outer end surfaces which are widely spaced from one another at their extreme outer ends and converge thence toward and merge with the complemental intermediate closely spaced surfaces for leading and gradually compressing the groups of hair shafts into the space between the said closely spaced surfaces, said teeth having complemental inner end surfaces which merge with said complemental narrowly spaced surfaces and diverge therefrom towards said head and thereby provide clearance spaces wherein the clamping frictional engagement of the hair shafts is relieved to permit the hair shafts to pass freely and unbroken from between the inner ends of the teeth.

3. The structure defined by claim 2, said complemental intermediate closely spaced surfaces extending considerable distances inward and outward from the middle parts of the respective teeth and being parallel throughout their length, for prolonging the said frctional engagement of the hair shafts. 4. The structure defined by claim 2, said head having surfaces which are coneaved from one of said teeth to another of said teeth and merge with adjacent inner end surfaces, and these eoncaved surfaces having eonvexed edges that merge With the opposite sides of the said head, thereby eliminating sharp edges and corners which would tend to mar the hair shafts as the latter pass from between the bases of the teeth.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature.

PHILIP KO CHER.

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