US3019444A

US3019444A - Shower cap

Info

Publication number: US3019444A
Application number: US8410A
Authority: US
Inventors: Pollack Shirley; Finsilver Devora
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1960-02-12
Filing date: 1960-02-12
Publication date: 1962-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 1979-02-06
Also published as: GB909048A

Description

Feb. 6, 1962 s. POLLACK ET AL SHOWER CAP Filed Feb. 12, 1960 NV EN TORS Mm$ Yfii? 61% 4.

ilnited States Patent 3,019,444 SHOWER CAP Shirley Pollack, 17114 Fairiield, and Devora Finsilver, 20435 Picadilly, both of Detroit, Mich. Filed Feb. 12, 196i), Ser. No. 8,410 2 Claims. (Cl. 268) This invention relates to headgear which may be worn while bathing or showering to protect the hair of the wearer from water.

The elaborate coiffures worn by many women are easily spoiled when contacted by water. Therefore it has long been the practice for women to protect their hairdos from contact with water while showering or bathing by wearing caps formed of a flexible waterproof film material having an elastic band or other means for closely engaging the head of the wearer. These caps are normally shapeless and when worn conform to the hair shape of the wearer.

At various times, including the present, large elaborate hairdos have been fashionable which are unable to withstand even slight pressures. When shower caps of the aforedescribed type are worn with these hairdos the forces exerted against the hair by the tensions in the material and the water pressure exerted against the material often cause the hairdo to collapse.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shower cap formed of a film material and having means for retaining its edges closely against the head of the wearer which is self supporting so as to avoid pressured contact which might be damaging to the hairdo.

In addition to being self-supporting it is necessary that such shower cap be conformable to a wide variety of hairdos effected by women. Therefore a further object of the present invention is to provide such a cap which may be simply and quickly adjusted for use with any shape or form of hairdo.

These objects are achieved in a preferred embodiment of the invention which comprises a cap formed of a large circle of waterproof plastic film which is drawn together at its free edge by an elastic member attached thereto so as to assume a cap shape. A plurality of elongated stiffening ribs are attached to the cap surface in a pattern which radiates from the center towards the edges. These ribs are non-resilient and may be deformed at any point along their length to give shape to the cap. The cap is adjusted so as to accommodate a particular coitfure by bending each of the stiffening ribs into a pattern which will cause it to be self-supporting over a volume which can contain the hairdo without exerting pressure upon it.

Other objects, advantages and applications of the present invention will be made apparent by the following detailed description of two embodiments of the invention. The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top view of a first embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom view of that embodiment of the invention;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are perspective views of the cap of FIGURES 1 and 2 as it may be shaped to accommodate coiffures of various design; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIGURES l, 2, 3, and 4, a preferred embodiment to the invention generally indicated at 10, comprises a circle of waterproof plastic film material such as polyethylene 12 which is gathered at its free end by a continuous elastic member 20 so as to form a semienclosed shape. The excess material at the edges maniice fests itself in a plurality of wrinkles 15 which occur in the material. A plurality of stiffening ribs 14 are sewn to the outer surface of the film 12 in a pattern that radiates from a common center 16 and extends to just short of the elastic member which forms the edge. While these strips are illustrated as being sewn to the outer side of the cap they may also be sewn to the inner surface which has the advantage of obviating the necessity that they be waterproof.

The strips 14 are formed of material such as a plastic or a heavily stiffened fabric or a metal which may be easily bent to assume a curve and which is non-resilient so that it will retain the shape that it is given.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate how the ribs 14 may be deformed so as to accommodate various shapes of the coiffures. In FIGURE 3 the ribs have been deformed so as to give the cap a high peaked shape while in FIG- URE 4 the ribs have all been bent at points 18 to accommodate a flat flaring style of hairdo. In both cases the shape assumed by the cap is such as to avoid any pressured contact with the hair.

FIGURE 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of our invention wherein the cap generally illustrated at 27.. again comprises a film sheet 24 gathered up by an elastic member 28. It differs from the previous embodiment in that the plurality of ribs 26, which are formed of the same material as those in the previous embodiment, do not radiate from a common center but rather are disposed parallel to one another entirely across the hat from one edge ot the other. This configuration provides greater strength in the direction of the ribs but less strength in the direction transverse to them and therefore has particular use with forms of hairdo where it is particularly desirable to avoid a stress in one direction.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A shower cap formed of a waterproof material adapted to conform to a generally spherical shape, having means for retaining its free edge in pressured contact with the head of the wearer and having a plurality of elongated, non-resilient, rigid, hand-deformable stiffening members attached to the surface of the material so as to extend in a general direction from the central portion of the cap toward the edge thereof, whereby said stiffening members may be deformed so as to vary the free shape assumed by the cap to conform to the hairdo of the wearer, said cap having a larger volume than the head and hairdo it is adapted to embrace so as to enable it to fit the head without crushing the hairdo of the wearer.

2. A shower cap formed of a waterproof material adapted to conform to a generally spherical shape, having means for retaining its free edge in pressured contact with the head of the wearer and having a plurality of elongated, non-resilient, rigid, hand-deformable stiffening members attached to the surface of the material in a pattern extending radially from the center toward the edge, whereby said stiffening members may be deformed so as to vary the free shape assumed by the cap to conform to the hairdo of the wearer, said cap having a larger volume than the head and hairdo it is adapted to embrace so as to enable it to fit the head without crushing the hairdo of the wearer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 734,578 Lemmerman July 28, 1903 1,904,108 Walsh Apr. 18, 1933 1,984,521 Deegan Dec. 18, 1934 2,677,827 Lockhart May 11, 1954