US3144028A - Hairpin - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 11, 1964 -A.tc. 'SAWYER 3,144,028

HAIRPIN Filed Jan. 22, 1963 6 FIG. 6 e I (Z/11m) l4 32 34 INVENTOR ALICE C. SAWYER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,144,028 HAIRPIN Alice C. Sawyer, 305 Highland Ave., Leominster, Mass. Filed Jan. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 253,131

1 Claim. (Cl. 132-50) This invention relates to a new and improved hairpin provided with self-locking means for the hair and which will thus be held securely in the hair when positioned as desired.

The-principal object of the invention resides in the provision of a hairpin having self-locking means which comprises one or more pairs of opposed but cooperating spring bars having substantially flat areas thereof adapted to substantially contact each other and including means for maintaining the same resiliently in position, but allowing the spring bars to be spread apart to allow a tress of hair to pass between the same and into the head of the pin. The head of the pin is formed as an enclosure receiving the tress of hair from the inner ends of the spring bars located adjacent the head, and traps and locks the tress of hair therein, and once the hair is located within the locking head, the spring bars return automatically to closed, substantially parallel position, thus locking the hair firmly in the head of the pin, which action prevents the pin from falling out of the hair and conversely holds the hair securely in place.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a hairpin as above described including two or more pairs of substantially flat contacting spring bars which are in the legs of the pins, the legs being spaced between the pairs of spring bars, thus forming an additional trap with respect to the aforesaid trap in the head of the pin.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a View in elevation showing a form of the invention;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show modifications of the structure shown in FIG. 1, and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are enlarged sections on corresponding lines 5-5 and 6-6 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the structure of FIG. 1 in open position.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6, it will be seen that the hairpin comprises a pair of legs generally indicated at 10 and 12. These legs terminate in points which of course can be bowed, straight, etc. At the opposite end the pin terminates in an enlarged head 14 which is substantially open forming a trap for the hair.

The legs 10 and 12 are provided with two elongated substantially straight spring bars which are indicated by the reference numerals 16 and 18. These extend from junctions with the head at the neck 20, 20 to points 22, 22 where they separate or diverge to join the points of the legs.

Made integrally and extending between head 14 and the ends of the legs 10 and 12, there is a reinforcing and backing up member for each leg as clearly indicated at 24 and 26. These members integrally join the head at the junction points 28 and 30 and then extend away from each other along the curves shown to points intermediate the ends of the springs bars 16 and 18 where they join the spring bars as at 32, 34. From this intermediate point of connection with the spring bars, the reinforcing members 24 and 26 once more diverge but extend in almost parallel members down to and integrally joining with the ends of the legs 10 and 12 as indicated by the reference numerals 36 and 38.

3,144,028 Patented Aug. 11, 1964 lice This construction provides for the elongated substantially straight spring bars which contact each other normally and which are themselves resilient but provided with strengthening or backing up members which are integral with the head 14 and also the ends of the legs 10 and 12 adding strength and resilience to the spring bars while reducing the amount of material needed to make the pin.

This construction holds the hair firmly and securely in place. The hair passes between the pressure points of the spring bars into the open trap section of the head 14, locking the hair in the open section of the head. The spring bars then return to their closed normal position as shown in FIG. 1. As the legs are spread to thrust the same into the hair, it will be seen that they will pivot apart to some degree, making a converging passage between the spring bars 16 and 18 facilitating the passage of the hair into the open head 14.

The hairpin of course can be molded plastic or it can be hand or machine cut and can even be made of wire or of different kinds of material which may be convenient to the purpose.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is here shown a pin having legs 40 and 42, the legs being spaced at their ends as shown but approaching each other as at 44, 46 forming spring bars with substantially fiat surface pressure points or areas, these pressure areas being relatively short compared to those shown in FIG. 1. The construction is that the legs of the pin separate in the area at 48 forming a relatively small trap and merge into the head 50 which is similar to that at 14. This traps the hair in position after the hair has passed through the two relatively short spring bar areas as shown at 44, 46 and 52. The spring bar area 52 is substantially the same in extent and also in action as at 44 and 46.

This construction can also be formed with three sets or pairs of spring bars as shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3 the legs 52, 54 have relatively or substantially medium length spring bar areas at 56 and then the legs diverge into the trap area 58. Then the spring bar area 60 occurs, thence diverging forming trap 62, and thence reconverging forming the spring bar areas 64 merging into the head 66 which again is substantially the same as that at 50 or at 14. This same construction can also be provided in a slightly diiierent way where the ends of the legs of the pin at 68 and 70 are relatively long and normally spaced but converging into the relatively short spring bar area 72, thus diverging into the trap area 74; then reconverging at 76 to another fiat spring bar area which again extends into the trap area 78 and once more converges at 80 extending into the trap area which in this case might be termed the final trap at 82. This again is somewhat similar to those heads of pins shown at 66, 50 and 14.

It will be seen that the lengths of spring bars and their elfective lengths of the pressure areas can be varied as desired to suit condition, size of pin, material, degree of resilience, etc.

Having thus described my invention and the advan tages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

A onepiece hairpin of resilient plastic material comprising an open head and a pair of connected elongated legs, said legs joining the head in close proximity to each other so that the head forms an openable but normally closed lock for holding the hair, said legs comprising a pair of elongated spring bars extending from the head and being substantially straight at the inner aspects thereof and being normally in contacting relationship substantially from end to end thereof, said spring bars extending for a major portion of the length of the hairpin, said legs including a pair of backing up members one for each of the elongated spring bars, said backing up members being interconnected with respect to the respective elongated spring bars at a plurality of spaced points along the -spring bars and terminatin'gin points which extend beyond the outer ends of the spring bars remote from the head, said backing up members being connected to said spring bars adjacent the head, adjacent the outer ends of the spring bars, and at points intermediate the lengths thereof, the spring bars terminating at the outer ends thereof in diverging portions connected to the backing up members, the backing up members presenting elongated points beyond the outer ends of the spring bars, said points forming the entry point of the hairpin into the hair.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Harrison Sept. 9, 1902 De Forge Nov. 30, 1915 Staub July 30, 1918 Rhein et aI. Nov. 22, 1921 Miller Mar. 28, 1922 Peck July 12, 1932 De Julio June 4, 1-946 Sawyer Dec. 4, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS France May 5, 1947

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