US2608196A - Wigged head - Google Patents

Description

M. HARRIS WIGGED HEAD Filed March 5, 1949 uvvmrox MENDEL HARRIS ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 26, 1952 "UNlTED {STATES PATENT OFFICE WIGGED HE Mendel Harris, New York, N. Y. Application March 5, 1949, Serial No. 79,833

(o1. 1s2 5s) Claims.

1 The present invention relates to a manner of applying hair to artificial heads such as doll heads so as to achieve novel and attractive coiffure efiects, and in particular relates to the achievement of a smooth, sharp shaped effect at the edges of the coiilure.

The problem of applying hair, real or simulated, to dolls heads and the like in order that they might simulate the appearance of actual persons has proved extremely troublesome. It has been proposed to first form the hair into wigs in which the bodies of the hair strands are parallel to one another, the ends of the strands being secured together, and thereafter to fasten the wig to the head form by means of adhesive. Such a wig is shown in the now expired Patent No. 1,628,591 of May 10, 1927. The use of wigs of the type there disclosed constituted a great improvement over the prior art and permitted the attainment of many coiffure effects theretofore' considered impossible.

Nevertheless, there have been a number of coifiure efiects which, if attainable at all by the use of methods heretofore known, have been attainable only in a very imperfect and uneven manner even though great skill and care be exercised. One of the most important of these problems is the attainment of a smooth, sharp shaped effect, particularly desirable at the temples and around the ears. While approximate edge configurations have been attainable through the expedient of securing the hair directly to the head form along the desired line, the ends of the hair being turned under so as not to destroy the smooth line efiect, this has proved unsatisfactory primarilybecause no matter how much care and skill are employed it is impossiblefor the personnel to achieve an' absolutely smooth and accurate line or to achieve exactly the the same line on. both sides of the head form. Moreover, since the ends of the hair must be turned under in order that the line should not present a jagged, furry appearance, it is necessary that some tension be exerted on the hair in order to achieve a smooth, shaped line, thistension tending to pull the hair from its glued relationship with the head form. While this is not always a serious matter once the glue has set, it nevertheless constitutes a considerable manufacturing problem since the actual configuration of the temple or ear line cannot be determined unless the hair is pulled back. This must normally be done before the glue has completely set, for otherwise the operator would have no controlover what she was doing, would not know the exact line along which the hair 2 was being secured, and could not make corrections for any inaccuracies in that line. However, the dilemma is presented that the very act of ascertaining and correcting the line tends to destroy the line. Consequently, the prior art method. of making artificial coiflures having a smooth, sharp shaped effect is so expensive and time consuming as to be impractical.

By reason of the present invention, in which a template is employed secured to the head form and having an edge shaped according to the desired temple or car line, the attainment ofclosely controlled artificial coiffures is possible in a practical, fool-proof method suitable for use in quantity manufacturing. As a matter of fact, by ,the employment of the present invention, complexly shaped edge lines are attainable which exceed in accuracy and sharpness those previously attainable only by the most skilled personnel, and at only a small fraction of the cost.

It is the prime object of the present invention to devise a wigged head in which smooth, sharp edge lines are attainable in an accurate, rapid, and inexpensive manner which requires little skill on the part of the operators and is susceptible of use in quantity production.

A further object of the present invention is to device such a wigged head in which the smooth, sharp edge line is achieved in such a manner that many other cooperating coifl'ure effects may be conveniently attained.

A further object of the present invention is to devise such a wigged head in which a plurality of wigs may be employed, each of said wigs comprising a plurality of hair strands the bodies of which are parallel to one another.

A more specific object of the present invention is to devise a wigged head in which the smooth, sharp edges are attained through the use of an appropriately shaped template.

To'the accomplishment of the foregoing objects and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to a wigged head and to the construction of such a head so as to attain a smooth, sharp shaped effect as defined in the appended claims and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a dolls head disclosing one embodiment of the present invention in which a shaped effect is secured along the temples and completely around the ears of the head;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with parts thereof broken away showing another embodiment of the present invention in which the shaped temple-ear edge covers part of the ear;

Fig. 3 is a view of the template employed in the embodiment of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view of the template employed in the embodiment of Fig. 1;

Figs. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken along the line 66 of Fig. 2 showing various steps in the achievement of the shaped efiect;

Fig. '7 is a side view of another embodiment of the present invention in which the template is shown as a complete cap adapted to fit over and be secured to the head form; and

Fig. 8 is a front view of the embodiment of Fig.7.

While in this application the invention is specifically illustrated as applied to a dolls head, it will be apparent that the invention has utility in many other applications. It also will be apparent that, although the, shaping of the temple-ear edge is specifically emphasized in this application, the invention can be employed to obtain a smooth, sharp shaped effect at any edge of the coiffure which may be desired.

The desired effect is achieved by employing a template generally designated A having an edge 2 shaped according to the line desired, the template being secured to the head form generally designated 13 with the ends 4 of the hair 6 secured between the template A and the head form B, the body of hair 6 being bent around the shaped edge 2 of the template A and drawn snugly thereover so as to conform closely thereto. Since the templates A may be made in large quantities to any desired degree of accuracy, the thus formed edge lines on the coiffures of any two head forms B, or the edge lines on opposite sides of the same head form B, will be as accurate as the templates A themselves, this accuracy being independent of the skill of the individual who secures the hair to the head form B. It is preferred, although not absolutely essential to my invention, that the hair 6 be employed in the form of wigs in which the bodies of the various hair strands are normally disposed parallel to one another and in which the ends of the hair strands are secured to one another. This makes for ready manipulation and placement of a large number of hair strands in a single operation.

In the embodiment disclosed in Fig. 1, a first wig 8 is secured over the top of the head form B in such a manner that the strands of hair are directed from side to side. A windblown effect is imparted to the brow by employing hair [0 one end of which is secured to the head form B under the front edge of the wig B and the other end of which'is curled upwardly and forwardly in the manner of a permanent wave. The template A in the form of a sheet l2 of cardboard or other suitable material (see Fig. 4) has its shaped edge 2 so configured as to define an indented temple area [4 and a more deeply indented area [6 adapted to go around the ear I8 of the head form B. The wig 6 has one end 4 secured between the cardboard sheet [2 and the head form B, and both the sheet l2 and said end of the wig 6 are secured to the head form B in an appropriate position thereon. The body of the Wig 6 is then positioned over the plate i2, the hairs in the wig 6 being drawn snugly over the shaped edge 2 and, in the embodiment disclosed in Fig. l, the other end of the wig 6 is gathered and secured to the wig 8 as, for example, by means of the stitching 20. The other side of the dolls head of Fig. 1 is similarly constructed and as a result an athead form B in the form of bangs.

tractive up-swept coifiure is achieved which features a sharp line along the edges corresponding -'to the temple-ear region of the head, the line exposing the entire ear.

The desirability of exposure of the ear is becoming more and more significant as the technique of forming dolls heads advances. At one time these heads were so crude that the ears formed thereon were exceedingly ugly and great pains were taken to cover them with hair. Today molding techniques are so advanced, particularly when synthetic plastics are employed, that very attractive ears can be made on dolls heads and the exposure of such ears in the neat and attractive way permitted by the present invention is a factor of great commercial importance.

The construction illustrated in Fig. 2 is basically the same as that of Fig. 1 except for the fact that a diiferent type of coiifure is obtained, The first wig 8 starts at a point somewhat farther back along the top of the head form B and the hair l0, instead of being waved upwardly in a windblown eifect, hangs down over the brow of the The template A takes the shape of a sheet l2 (See Fig. 3), also of cardboard or similar material, which has an indented portion [4 corresponding to the temple and which has another indented portion l6 which only partly exposes the ear I8 in the head form B. The sheet l2 extends toward the back of the head form B a greater distance than did the sheet I2 and has an additional depression 22 in its shaped edge 2 as shown. In addition,

' the two wigs 6 on each side of the head form B,

instead of being secured to the first wig 8 at the sides of the head, as was shown in Fig. 1, extend all the way over the top of the head form B and are braided with one another to form the braid knot 24, which knot may, if desired, be fixed in position on the first wig 8 by means of stitching,

The manner of securing the template A and the hair or wig 6 onto the head form B is schematically represented in Figs. 5 and 6. The first step, as illustrated in Fig. 5, is to place the 0 end 4 of the hair or wig 6 between the template A and the head form B and then to secure both the template A and the end 4 of the hair or wig 6 to the head form B. This is customarily done with adhesive and it is a matter of choice as to just how the adhesive is applied. One method is to apply adhesive to the inner surface of the template A and to provide additional adhesive on the end 4 of the hair or wig 6, but it is possible to apply enough adhesive to the inner surface of the template A so that no adhesive need be directly applied to the end 4 of the hair or wig 6. The only care which must be taken in this first step is to properly align the template A on the head 4 so that its shaped edge 2 will be properly positioned with respect to the temple, the ear, or whatever portion of the head form is involved.

The form is then left until the adhesive has dried'or set. Thereafter, the body of the hair or wig 6 is grasped and pulled over the template A so that the hair in the wig 6 is drawn snugly over the shaped edge 2. as shown in Fig. 6, after which the other end of the hair or wig 6 is secured on the head form B in any appropriate manner. Since the hair itself is not glued along any particular sharply defined line, there is no necessity for manipulating the hair while the glue is drying or settin in order to ascertain whether the proper line has been. achieved. The line is defined solely by the shaped edge 2 of the template A, and the configuration of that line is fixed by the manufacture of the template A itself. Accordingly, so long as the template A is properly positioned on the head form B, a, matter which may be easily ascertained from mere inspection or by the use of a pair of almost invisible reference marks on the head form B, attainment of the desired smooth, sharp shaped effect is positively ensured. The advantages involved from a production point of view are self-evident.

In some cases the template may take theform not of a cardboard sheet [.2 or 12' as in the case of Figs. 1 through 6, but in the shape of a complete cap 26 made of canvas or the like to which the hair may be applied. Such a structure is illustrated in Figs. '7 and 8, the coifiure thereon being somewhat similar to that in Fig. 2 in that the two wigs 6 on either side of the cap 25, which wigs 6 are adapted to be reversely bent over the shaped temple-ear edges 2 thereof, meet stop the cap 26 in a braided knot 2-3. However, the coiffure differs from that disclosedi-n Fig. 2 in' that the first wig 6 which passes over the top of the central portion of the cap 26 has its front side (as indicated by the broken line 3!!) turned under the front edge 28 of the cap 2'6, that edge 28 being shaped to simulate a widows peak. This is illustrative of the fact that the present invention may be employed for the attainment of shaped effects at other portions of the head than the temple-ear region.

In making the finished cap 26 the various wigs 6 and 8 first have their ends It and 36 respectively secured by adhesive, stitching or any other means to the inside of the cap 26 along the edges 2 and 28 thereof. Once the attachment has become secure, the bodies of the wigs 6 and ii are pulled over the edges 2 and 28 so that the hairs are drawn snugly over said edges. The unsecured end of the wig 8 is then fastenedby stitching or adhesive to the outside of the cap 26 at its bottom edge 32 and the free ends of the wig 6 are then braided together to form the top knot 24 which may, if desired, be secured to the wig 6 or the cap 26 by means of stitching or the like. The cap is then ready to be placed on the head form B and may be secured thereon by adhesive.

Only a few of the infinite number of variations in edge shape and coifiure effects attainable through the use of the present invention have been here illustrated. Not only is a smooth,

sharp shaped edge effect imparted to the coiffure in a positive and fool-proof manner, this efiect being attainable even by relatively unskilled help on a quantity production basis, but the very attainment of that effect, particularly when wigs of parallel hairs are employed therein, renders possible the ready and inexpensive achievement of a wide variety of artificial coiffures which may closely resemble actual fashion plates. The various wigs may blend into one another, may be braided with one another in the form of coils on the top of the head or braids hanging down the back, or may be joined in a multiplicity of other ways. The simplicity of construction involved, together with the outstanding effects obtainable, mark this invention as one of great importance in the field of doll headmanufacture.

It will be apparent that many variations in design and detail may be made from the above disclosure without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A wig structure comprising a template adapted to be secured to a head form and having a shaped edge formed thereon, and hair one end of which is secured with respect to and onion'e side of said template and the body ofwhich is substantially tautly bent around said shaped edge, over the other side of said templateand secured in position with respect to said template so that said hair is drawn snugly over said shaped edge, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped effect is imparted to the artificial coifiure'.

- 2. A wig structure comprising a template adapted to be secured to a head form and having a shaped edge formed thereon, and a wig in which strands of hair are arranged in parallel, the ends of said strands being secured together, one end of said wig being secured with respect to and on one side of said template, the body of said wig being substantially tautly bent around said shaped edge, over the other side of said template and secured in position with respect to said template so that said hair is'drawn snugly over said shaped edge, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped effect is imparted to the artificial coifiure.

3. A wig structure comprisinga first hairwig adapted to be secured to a head form, a template adapted to be secured to' said head form and having a shaped edge formed thereon, andfa second hair wig one end of whichis secured with' respect to and on one side of said template, the body of said second hair wig being substantially tautly bent around said shaped edge and over the other side of said template, the other end of said second hair wig being secured to said first wig above said template so that the hair in said second wig is drawn snugly over said shaped' edge, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped'effect is'imparted' to the artificial coiifure. u i

A. A wig structure comprisingafirst hair wig defining the top central portion of saidwig structure, a template adapted-to be secured-to ahead form and having a shaped 'edge formed thereon, said template being positioned with respect to said first wig so'that said; shaped edge is at a place corresponding to the temple or ear area of said wig structure, and a second hair wig one end of which is secured with respect to and on one side of said template and the body of which is substantially tautly bent around said shaped edge and over the other side of said template, the other end of said second wig being secured to said first wig above said template so that the hair in said second wig is drawn snugly over said shaped edge, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped effect is imparted to the artificial coiffure.

5. A wig structure comprising a first hair wig defining the top central portion of said wig structure, a pair of templates adapted to be secured to a head form and each having a shaped edge formed thereon, each of said templates being positioned with respect to said first wig at a place corresponding to the temple or ear area of said Wig structure, and second and third hair wigs, each associated with one of said templates,

I one end of each of said second and third wigs being secured with respect to and on one side of the corresponding template and the body of each being substantially tautly bent around the shaped edge of said template and over the other side of said template, the other end of each of said second and third wigs being secured to said first wig above the corresponding templates so that the hair in said second and third wigs is drawn snugly over the shaped edges of said templates, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped effect is imparted to the artificial coifiure.

6. A wig structure comprising a first hair wig defining the top central portion of said wig 7 structure, a pair of templates adapted to be secured to a head form and each having a shaped edge formed thereon, each of said templates being positioned with respect to said first wig at a place corresponding to the temple or ear area of said Wig structure, and second and third hair wigs, each associated with one of said templates, one end of each of said second and third wigs being secured with respect to and on one side of the corresponding template and the body of each being substantially tautly bent around the shaped edge of said template and over the other side of said template, the other end of each of said second and third wigs being. secured to one another atop said first wig so that the hair'in said second and third wigs is drawn over the shaped edges of said templates, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped effect is imparted tothe artificial coiffure.

7. A wig structure comprising a cap adapted to be secured to a head form and having a shaped edge formed thereon; and hair one endof which is secured inside said cap, the body of which is substantially tautly bent around said shaped edge, and the other end of which is secured outside of said cap above said edge so that said hair is drawn snugly over said shaped edge, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped efiect is imparted to the artificial coiffure.

8. A wig structure comprising a cap adapted to be secured to a head form and having a shaped edge formed thereon, and a wig in which strands of hair are arranged in parallel, the ends of said strands being secured together, one end of said wig being secured inside said cap, the body of said'wig being substantially tautly bent around said shaped edge and over the other side of said cap, and the other end of said wig being secured outside of said cap above said edge so that said wig is drawn snugly over said shaped edge, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped efiect is imparted to the artificial coiflure.

9. A wig structure comprising a, cap adapted to be secured to a head form and having a shaped edge at a place corresponding to the temple or ears of said head, a first hair wig secured to the central portion of said cap, and a second hair wig having one end secured inside said cap adjacent said shaped edge, having its body substantially tautly bent around said shaped edge and over the other side of said cap, and having its other end secured to said first wig above said shaped edge so that the hair in said second wig is drawn snugly over said shaped edge, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped effect is imparted to the artificial coiffure.

10. A wig structure comprising a cap adapted to be secured to a head form and having shaped edges at places corresponding to the temple or ears of a head form, a first hair wig secured to the central portion of said cap, and second and third hair wigs each having one end secured inside said cap adjacent one of said shaped edges, the body of each of said second and third wigs being substantially tautly bent around its associated shaped edge and over the other side'of said cap, the other ends of each of said second and third wigs being secured to one another atop said first wig so that the hair in said second and third wigs is drawn snugly over said shaped edges, whereby a smooth, sharp shaped effect is imparted to the artificial coifiure.

MENDEL HARRIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,628,591 Harris May 10, 1927 2,059,043 Schwerner Oct. 2'7, 1936 2,073,869 Jacoby Mar. 16, 1937

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