US20090255553A1

US20090255553A1 - Hair clip without coil spring

Info

Publication number: US20090255553A1
Application number: US12/082,632
Authority: US
Inventors: Wei-Cheng Hsu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-04-11
Filing date: 2008-04-11
Publication date: 2009-10-15

Abstract

A hair clip includes a blade member having an intermediate portion and two end pawls for forming a chamber within the blade member and for receiving a hair of a user, and having two adjacent portions formed between the intermediate portion and the end pawls of the blade member, and two hand grips formed integral with the blade member and extended from the adjacent portions of the blade member for being depressed toward each other to force the end pawls of the blade member away from each other and to allow the hair of the user to be easily and quickly engaged into the chamber of the blade member and for preventing the hair of the user from being entangled by the end pawls.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hair clip, and more particularly to a hair clip including two spring-biased pawls formed with a one-integral blade member without a torsional spring or a coil spring for preventing the hair of the user from being entangled by the pawls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typical hair clips or pony tail holders comprise a horizontal base or lower member, and an upper resilient member having a curved or concave shape and having one end portion folded or curved and pivotally connected to an adjacent transverse end of the lower member, and having the other end portion folded or curved for being forced to engage with the adjacent transverse end of the lower member.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,998,015 to Gresham et al. discloses one of the typical pony tail holders comprising an upper resilient member having one end pivotally connected to one end of the lower member, and having the other end portion for being forced to latch the other end of the lower member.
However, it will be difficult to engage the other end portion of the upper resilient member with the other end of the lower member, and the hair of the user may have a good chance to be entangled by or with the pivotal connection between the upper resilient member and the lower member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,467 to Potut et al. discloses another typical hair clip comprising two jaws hinged together by hinge means, and a coil spring is required to be provided and engaged between the two hinged jaws for biasing the jaws toward each other and for clasping or holding the hair or for styling the hair of the user.
However, similarly, it also may have a good chance for the hair of the user to be entangled by or with the hinge means and the coil spring.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional hair clips or hair styling devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a hair clip including two spring-biased pawls formed with a one-integral blade member without a torsional spring or a coil spring for preventing the hair of the user from being entangled by the pawls.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a hair clip comprising a blade member including an intermediate portion and two end pawls for forming a chamber within the blade member and for receiving a hair of a user, and including two adjacent portions formed between the intermediate portion and the end pawls of the blade member respectively, and two hand grips formed integral with the blade member and extended from the adjacent portions of the blade member respectively for being forced and depressed toward each other to force the end pawls of the blade member away from each other and to allow the hair of the user to be easily and quickly engaged into the chamber of the blade member.
The blade member includes a spring member secured to the blade member for increasing a resilience of the blade member. The blade member may further include at least one spring wire secured to the blade member for further increasing a resilience of the blade member.
The blade member may further include a number of projections extended from the intermediate portion of the blade member and extended into the chamber of the blade member for engaging with the hair of the user.
The blade member may further include at least one tooth formed in each of the end pawls for engaging with the hair of the user and for styling the hair of the user.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair clip in accordance with the present invention, illustrating an attachment of the hair clip onto the hair of the user;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hair clip;

FIG. 3 is a top plan schematic view of the hair clip;

FIG. 4 is a top plan schematic view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating the operation of the hair clip; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating the other arrangement of the hair clip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-3, a hair clip 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises a peripheral blade member 10 pre-folded into a substantially olivary or elliptical or peripheral structure including a middle or intermediate portion 11, and two end portions or pawls 12, 13 superposed with each other or intersecting with each other for forming a chamber 14 within the peripheral blade member 10 and for receiving the hair 80 of the user 8, and including one or more teeth 15 formed in each of the end portions or pawls 12, 13 for engaging with the hair 80 of the user 8 and for styling the hair 80 of the user 8.
Two ears or handles or hand grips 20, 21 are formed integral with the peripheral blade member 10 and extended from the peripheral blade member 10 at the adjacent or conjunction portions 16, 17 between the intermediate portion 11 and the end portions or pawls 12, 13 of the peripheral blade member 10 respectively, and preferably curved outwardly for allowing the hand grips 20, 21 to be forced or depressed toward each other to force the end portions or pawls 12, 13 of the peripheral blade member 10 away from each other and thus to allow the hair 80 of the user 8 to be easily and quickly engaged into the chamber 14 of the peripheral blade member 10.
The peripheral blade member 10 may include a number of comb teeth or projections 18 extended from the intermediate portion 11 of the peripheral blade member 10 and extended inwardly into the chamber 14 of the peripheral blade member 10 for further engaging with the hair 80 of the user 8 and for styling the hair 80 of the user 8. An additional spring member 22 may further be provided and engaged with the intermediate portion 11 of the peripheral blade member 10 and secured to the peripheral blade member 10 with such as a hot-pressing process, a welding process, or with an adhesive materials, or the peripheral blade member 10 may include a spring member 22 formed integral with the intermediate portion 11 of the peripheral blade member 10 for increasing the resilience of the peripheral blade member 10.
The peripheral blade member 10 may further include one or more metal or spring wires 23 engaged with the intermediate portion 11 of the peripheral blade member 10 and secured to the peripheral blade member 10 with such as a molding process, or secured between the intermediate portion 11 of the peripheral blade member 10 and the spring member 22 for further increasing the resilience of the peripheral blade member 10. It is to be noted that the hand grips 20, 21 are formed integral with the peripheral blade member 10 and/or the spring member 22 without any torsional springs or coil springs for preventing the hair 80 of the user 8 from being entangled by the end portions or pawls 12, 13.
In operation, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the hand grips 20, 21 may be forced or depressed toward each other by the user 8 to force the end portions or pawls 12, 13 of the peripheral blade member 10 away from each other (FIG. 4) and to allow the hair 80 of the user 8 to be easily and quickly engaged into the chamber 14 of the peripheral blade member 10 (FIG. 1) and to allow the hair 80 of the user 8 to be solidly and resiliently retained in the chamber 14 of the peripheral blade member 10. No torsional springs or coil springs are provided and attached or engaged into the hair clip 1 such that the hair 80 of the user 8 will not be entangled by the torsional springs or coil springs.
The blade member 10 and the hand grips 20, 21 and the spring member 22 may be made of metal, plastic, rubber, or other synthetic materials. A decorative pattern, figure, word, or advertisement or logo 30 may be applied onto the outer peripheral portion of the spring member 22 or the intermediate portion 11 of the peripheral blade member 10 for decorative or advertising purposes. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral blade member 101 may include a flatter structure as compared with the olivary or elliptical structure of the peripheral blade member 10 as shown in FIGS. 1-4, for suitably engaging with the hair 80 of the user 8 and for styling the hair 80 of the user 8.
Accordingly, the hair clip in accordance with the present invention includes two spring-biased pawls formed with a one-integral blade member without a torsional spring or a coil spring for preventing the hair of the user from being entangled by the pawls.
Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A hair clip comprising:

a blade member including an intermediate portion and two end pawls for forming a chamber within said blade member and for receiving a hair of a user, and including two adjacent portions formed between said intermediate portion and said end pawls of said blade member respectively, and

two hand grips formed integral with said blade member and extended from said adjacent portions of said blade member respectively for being forced and depressed toward each other to force said end pawls of said blade member away from each other and to allow the hair of the user to be engaged into said chamber of said blade member.

2. The hair clip as claimed in claim 1, wherein said blade member includes a spring member secured to said blade member for increasing a resilience of said blade member.

3. The hair clip as claimed in claim 1, wherein said blade member includes at least one spring wire secured to said blade member for increasing a resilience of said blade member.

4. The hair clip as claimed in claim 1, wherein said blade member includes a plurality of projections extended from said intermediate portion of said blade member and extended into said chamber of said blade member for engaging with the hair of the user.

5. The hair clip as claimed in claim 1, wherein said blade member includes at least one tooth formed in each of said end pawls for engaging with the hair of the user.