US3456658A - Hair-grooming device having controllably activatable and inactivatable liquid-applying means - Google Patents

Description

y 1969 o. c. LONG. JR 3,455,653

HAIR-GROQMING DEVICE HAVING CONTROLLABLY ACTIVATABLE ANDY INACTIVATABLE LIQUID-APPLYING MEANS Filed Aug. 25, 1966 3,456,658 HAIR-GROOMING DEVICE HAVING CONTROL- LABLY ACTIVATABLE AND INACTIVATABLE LIQUID-APPLYING MEANS Oscar C. Long, Jr., P.0. Box 18948, Los Angeles, Calif. 90018 Filed Aug. 23, 1966, Ser. No. 574,449

Int. Cl. A45d 24/22 U.S. Cl. 132116 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A hair-grooming device which has controllably activatable and inactivatable liquid-applying means for applying quantities of liquid to a persons hair as the device is passed therethrough, including a body portion provided with a liquid reservoir chamber means, a discharge passage means, and a plurality of spaced egress apertures communicating with said discharge passage means and the exterior of said body portion; further including normally closed manually operable discharge valve means between the reservoir chamber means and the discharge passage means and additionally including a filling valve means between the exterior and interior of the reservoir chamber means. The discharge valve means and the filling valve means are carried by a common movable hollow tubular member.

Generally speaking, the present invention relates to hair-grooming devices such as combs, brushes, and related hair-dressing or hair-grooming devices and, more particularly, pertains to such a hair-grooming device which has controllably activatable and inactivatable liquid-applying means so that desired quantities of any of various different types of applicatory liquids may be applied to a persons hair as the hair-grooming device is effectively combed and passed through a plurality of strands of a persons hair. The applicatory liquid may comprise hair oil, a hair-setting liquid, a hair-curling liquid, a hair-straightening liquid, or virtually any other desired type of applicatory liquid, although frequently it may be water applied to the persons hair in order to facilitate combing and properly positioning a plurality of strands of hair. However, it should be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to any particular applicatory liquid.

Also, it should be understood that, in certain preferred exemplary form of the invention, the hair-grooming device may take the form of a comb and the accompanying drawing of the present application illustrates this particular form of the hair-grooming device which is to be considered as representative of a number of other types of hair-grooming devices which may be employed in lieu thereof, such as various other types of combs, various types of brushes, and the like. Therefore, it should be clearly understood that the invention is not specifically limited to the particular type of comb illustrated in the accompanying drawing, but that the invention should be broadly construed as covering the variety of different types of hair-grooming devices as referred to briefly hereinabove.

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel hair-grooming device having controllably activatable and inactivatable liquid-applying means of the character referred to herein generically and/ or specifically, which may include any or all of the features referred to herein, either individually or in combination, and which is of extremely simple, inexpensive construction suitable for ready mass manufacture at extremely low cost per item whereby to be con- States Patent O 3,456,658 Patented July 22, 1969 ducive to widespread production, distribution, and use of the invention for the purposes outlined herein.

Further objects are implicit in the desired description which follows hereinafter (which is to be considered as exemplary of, but not specifically limiting, the present invention), and said objects will be apparent to persons skilled in the art after a careful study of the detailed description which follows.

For the purpose of clarifying the nature of the present invention, three exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the hereinbelow-described figures of the accompanying single drawing sheet and are described in detail hereinafter.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view looking at one surface or face of one exemplary embodiment of the present invention in the form of one representative type of comb having one representative exemplary type of controllably activatable and inactivatable liquid-applying means for causing the coarse-toothed portion of the comb to be capable of applying and disseminating a desired type of applicatory liquid on a plurality of strands of hair as said coarse-toothed portion of the comb is combed and passed through a quantity of hair and along the length of said plurality of strands of hair.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the plane and in the direction indicated by the arrows 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the plane and in the direction indicated by the arrows 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in elevation with respect to a few portions of the illustrated apparatus and broken away so as to show the remainder of the apparatus in section substantially along the plane indicated by the arrows 44 of FIG. 6 and of FIG. 7. This view shows both the discharge or communication valve means between the liquid reservoir chamber means and the discharge passage and the filling valve means between the exterior filling location and the interior of said liquid reservoir chamber means in closed relationship.

FIG. 5 is a view similar in many respects to FIG. 4 but illustrates the discharge or communication valve means in the open relationship which it assumes as a result of manual opening operation of the longitudinal hollow tubular member embodied in both of said valve means.

FIG. 6 is a view taken substantially along the plane and in the direction indicated by the arrows 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a greatly-reduced-size perspective view of the complete embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-6 inclusive.

FIG. 8 is a view similar in certain respects to the bottom portion of FIG. 4 and similar in certain respects to the upper portion of FIG. 5. However, it should be noted that this view illustrates a modified form of the invention which differs from the first form illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary, partly-broken-away and partly sectional view illustrating a modified type of top closure cap means for closing the top opening of the longitudinal hollow tubular member and comprising a portion of the filling valve means for filling the interior of the liquid reservoir chamber means.

Generally speaking, the present invention comprises a hair-grooming device which, in the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated, takes the form of a longitudinal comb, such as is generally designated by the reference numeral 20, which has a longitudinal body portion 22 which is provided with a plurality of longitudinally adjacent, laterally directed projection elements 24 carried along one outer edge surface 26 of said body portion 22 and laterally extending therefrom for manually controlled hair-combing and hair-grooming passage through a plurality of strands of hair (not shown).

In other words, in the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated, the hair-grooming device comprises the comb 20, which has the longitudinal body portion 22 carrying said projection elements 24, which take the form of a set of coarse comb tooth elements 24 shown at the left of the device in FIG. 1 and a set of relatively fine comb tooth elements 24 carried by the right portion of the comb as shown in FIG. 1.

The body portion 22 is provided therein with liquid reservoir chamber means 28 adapted to contain an applicatory liquid such as water or any other desired type of liquid which is to be applied to a persons hair.

The comb 20 is provided with applicatory egress means 30 for use in feeding liquid onto a persons hair as the comb teeth 24 are drawn or combed therethrough. In the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated, said applicatory egress means 30 comprises longitudinal discharge passage means 32 carried along the bottom of at least one side of the longitudinal body portion 22 and a plurality of longitudinally spaced egress apertures 34 carried by the edge 26 of the body portion 22 in a position such as to communicate the exterior of the comb 22 and the interior of the longitudinal discharge passage means 32 at a plurality of locations positioned between adjacent comb teeth 24 along at least a portion of the complete length of the full assembly of the plurality of comb teeth 24in the example illustrated, said portion comprising slightly more than the left half portion of said comb teeth 24 where the coarse comb teeth are located.

The device also includes manually controllably operable discharge and communication valve means effectively connected between the reservoir chamber means 28 and the discharge passage means 32. In the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, one exemplary form of such manually controllably operable discharge and communication valve means is generally designated by the reference numeral 36 and is of a type which normally is adapted to be maintained in closed relationship, such as is best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, until controllably manually temporarily operated into open relationship, such as is best shown in FIG. 5, which causes water or other liquid to be fed from the hollow interior of the reservoir chamber means 28 through the apertured valve seat 38 connected between the reservoir chamber means 28 and the discharge passage means 32, I

whereby to effectively fill said discharge passage means 32 with the water or other liquid.

Upon completion of the filling of the discharge passage means 32 with water or other liquid, normally the closed bottom portion 40 of the common hollow tubular member, generally designated by the reference numeral 42, is effectively manually moved from the open relationship shown in FIG. 5 into the closed relationship shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 so that said closed bottom portion 40, which effectively comprises and defines a movable valve member, is effectively inserted into the previously-mentioned apertured valve seat 38 and fully sealingly closes same in the manner most clearly shown in FIG. 4. Following this, the comb may then be applied to ones hair by combing the coarse-toothed comb elements 24 through a plurality of strands of hair, which will, of course, allow the water or other liquid to be fed outwardly through the plurality of egress aperture means 34 and outwardly onto said strands of hair in a relatively evenly disseminated manner along the lengths thereof whereby to make it possible to greatly facilitate a hair-combing and hair-grooming operation by rendering the plurality of wetted hair strands much more compliant to the constraint applied thereto by the comb teeth 24.

The comb 20 is also provided with manually controllably operable filling valve means eflectively connected between an exterior filling location and the interior of the previously-mentioned reservoir chamber means 28 for use in filling said reservoir chamber means 28 with a desired applicatory liquid, such as water or any other applicatory liquid, when said filling valve means is controllably manually temporarily opened.

In the exemplary first form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 17, the filling valve means referred to above is generally designated by the reference numeral 44 and is also carried by the previously-mentioned common hollow tubular member 42 (which comprises a portion of the previously described discharge and communication valve means 36) and comprises a top opening 46 into the upper end of said common hollow tubular member 42 provided with a manually engageable and disengageable closure cap means 48 and positioned at said previously-mentioned exterior filling location, such as generally designated by the reference numeral 50, and further comprising lateral aperture means 52 communicating the hollow interior 54 of the tubular member 42 with the reservoir chamber means 28.

Thus it will be seen that whenever the closure cap means 48 is disengaged from the closed relationship shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5 to an open relationship, any desired liquid may be fed through the top opening 46 into the hollow interior 54 of the tube 42 and thence out through the lateral apertures 52 into the reservoir chamber means 28 for filling same. Upon completion of such a reservoir chamber filling operation, the closure cap means 48 may then be forcibly re-engaged with the top opening 46 in the closed relationship shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5.

It should be noted that in the exemplary first form of the invention, the closure means 48 takes the form of a resilient tapered conical insert member 56 preferably made of rubber, plastic, various elastomeric or other compressible materials and adapted to be forcibly resiliently inserted into resiliently frictionally retained closing relationship within the top opening 46, as best shown in FIG. 4, where it will be frictionally resiliently retained until it is forcibly disengaged therefrom.

In order to prevent inadvertent loss of the closure cap 48 in the exemplary first form of the invention, it is shown as being provided with a flexible connection and retaining strap 58, which is fixedly mounted by a resilient mounting ring 60 positioned in a shallow circumferential groove 62 immediately below the upper end of the tubular member 42.

The previously-mentioned discharge and communication valve means, generally designated by the reference numeral 36, is adapted to be normally held in the closed relationship best shown in FIG. 4 by reason of the provision of a locking projection 64 carried by the tubular member 42 and a retaining locking recess 66 and lip portion 68 defined by the body portion 22 of the comb 20 and normally rotatably receiving said lockting projection 64 therewithin for rotation between the locking relationship clearly shown in solid lines in FIG. 4 and shown in phantom lines in FIG. 6, where said locking projection 64 underlies a portion of the locking lip 68 within the locking recess 66 so as to positively prevent the entire tubular member 42 from upward movement. However, the locking lip 68 is provided with a rotata'bly displaced egress slot means 70, such as it most clearly shown in FIG. 6, which makes it possible to manually rotate the entire tubular member 42 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 6 until the locking projection 64 lies immediately below and in vertically aligned relationship with respect to said egress slot means 70, after which the entire tubular member 42 may be manually lifted directly upwardly in a manner such as to cause the locking projection 64 to pass at least partially vertically upwardly through the egress slot means 70 into a position such as is partially shown in FIG. 5. This vertical movement unseats the closed valve member 40 at the bottom of the tube 42 from the apertured valve seat 38 and effectively opens the main discharge and communication valve means 36 in the manner best shown in FIG. 5. The valve-closing 'and valve relocking operation is essentially the reverse of the unlocking and valve-opening operation just described and, therefore, will not be described in detail.

It should be noted that normally liquid will feed from the discharge passage 32 through the egress apertures 34 when the corresponding left comb teeth 24 are combed through a persons hair even though the valve 36 has been previously closed in the manner described hereinbefore. This is so because of the fact that the small egress apertures 34, which are very nearly of capillary size, will have water or liquid extending downwardly therethrough and forming a lower liquid-air interface or effective droplet surface immediately below each of the very small apertures 34 until wiping contact with hair strands occurs during a hair-combing operation. This will, of course, remove each such droplet from the lower end of each of the very small egress apertures 34 and will allow additional liquid to feed downwardly from the discharge passage 32 for (a repetition of the type of liquidapplying and liquid-discharging o eration just described.

However, upon completion of a hair-combing operation or prior to a hair-combing operation when no wiping contact of hair strands with each such liquid droplet at the bottom of each of the very small egress apertures 34 occurs, the liquid will not be discharged but will be effectively retained as a result of surface tension and capillary action effects.

Additionally, it should be noted that no problem is encountered in a liquid-applying and liquid-discharging operation, as described above, in connection with the necessary air to replace the volume of liquid discharged through the egress apertures 34. This is so because of the fact that the comb 20 has its physical orientation and position moved substantially during the hair-combing operation and this will normally allow at least some of the apertures 34 to function in a reverse manner as effeective air vents to allow air to enter the discharge passage 32 to replace the volume of the liquid applied and discharged through others of the egress apertures 34. However, if it is desired to make separate provision for the entry of such replacement air, a very small-diameter air vent may be positioned at any desired location communicating ambient atmosphere with the interior of said discharge passage 32. Normally this should be made of sufliciently small diameter to positively prevent the egress of liquid therefrom while still allowing the entry of air therethrough and preferably it should be directed upwardly or positioned at a relatively high level as compared to the egress aperture means 34 to avoid any possible interference. For eX- ample, such an air vent aperture might be positioned at a location such as is indicated in phantom at 72 in FIG. 1, although the invention is not specifically so limited.

Also, it should be noted that, if desired, the comb teeth 24 may be applied to, and combed through, a persons hair while the valve 36 is open in a position such as is indicated in FIG. 5 or perhaps in a position partially closed from that shown in FIG. 5 but not fully sealingly closed as shown in FIG. 4. This will have two major effects. First, it will allow liquid or water to feed through the apertured valve seat 38 into the discharge passage 32 during the very period of time while the liquid or water is being discharged through the egress apertures 34 onto the persons hair during a hair-combing operation and, in addition, will prevent any problem of volume replacement within the discharge passage 32 of the discharge liquid since said discharge liquid will be replaced with additional liquid from the reservoir chamber means 28, which may be provided with a very small-diameter air vent of its own at any suitable location such as that indicated at 74, for example, although not specifically so limited, and which normally would be of a diameter small enough to allow the entry of air while preventing egress of water therefrom. Also, it should be noted that other means for providing replacement air for either the discharge passage means 32 or the reservoir chamber means 28, or both, and either of a continuously operable type or a controllably operable type may be provided in lieu of the arrangements referred to above, if desired.

FIG. 8 illustrates a modified form of the invention, and similar parts are designated by similar reference numerals, followed by the letter a, however. In the FIG. 8 modification, it will be noted that the hollow tubular member 42a has coil compression biasing spring means 76 positioned within the recess 78 defined by the cylindrical side wall 80 and bottom and top annular retaining lip portions 82 and 84, respectively, with the bottom of said spring 76 pressing against the bottom retaining lip portion 82 and with the top of the spring 76 pressing against an annular flange or shoulder 86 integrally carried by the hollow tubular member 42a. The arrangement is such that the spring 76 biasing the flange or shoulder 86 upwardly, normally biases the entire tubular member 42a upwardly into the upper position shown in solid lines in FIG. 8 where the closed bottom portion 40a comprising the valve member of the discharge valve means 36a normally sealingly closes the apertured valve seat 38a in the manner clearly shown in solid lines in FIG. 8.

However, when a person manually depresses the upper end of the hollow tubular member 42a into the alternate phantom line position shown in FIG. 8, it moves downwardly against the action of the biasing spring 76 and unseats the valve member 40:: from the apertured valve seat 38a, as is indicated in phantom in FIG. 8, and allows water or other liquid to feed from the reservoir chamber means 28a into the discharge passage means 32a in a manner similar to that described hereinbefore in connection with the first form of the invention. Upon release of the manual downwardly applied force from the upper end of the tubular member 42a, the biasing spring 76 will return it to its upper extreme position, as shown in solid lines in FIG. 8, where the discharge and communication valve means 36a is closed and where the entire apparatus is in a position analogous to that shown in FIG. 4 of the first form of the invention. The closure cap means 48a functions in substantially the same manner as that shown at 48 in the first form of the invention and, therefore, no further detailed description thereof is thought necessary or desirable.

FIG. 9 illustrates fragmentarily a modified type of closure cap means which is generally designated by the reference numeral 48b and which is capable of being employed as a replacement for the closure cap means 48 of the first form of the invention or the closure cap means 48a of the second form of the invention.

It should be noted that the modified cap 48b shown in FIG. 9 comprises a hollow resilient slip-over cap member having a resiliently deflectable outer encompassing bottom lip portion 88 adapted to be forcibly resiliently slipped over a corresponding top flange portion 90 of the hollow tubular member 42a surrounding the top opening 46b and to frictionally resiliently retained thereby in closing relationship across said top opening 46b in the manner clearly illustrated in FIG. 9.

The modified closure cap means 48b is also provided with a flexible retention strap 58b similar to that of the first form of the invention and having an elastic mounting ring 60b mounting same with respect to the upper end of the hollow tube 42b, all in the manner similar to that clearly disclosed in FIGS. 4 and 5 of the first form of the invention.

It should be noted that the specific valving arrangement for each of the two valves 36 and 44 of the first form of the invention, and any corresponding structural elements of the modified forms of the invention, may be altered somewhat from the specific forms illustrated and still lie within the broad scope of the present invention. This is also true with respect to the locking means, the closure cap means, and structural elements associated with said two valves and the means for mounting and operating same. In other words, certain variations of same are contemplated and are intended to be included within the broad scope of the present invention.

It should be understood that the figures and the specific description thereof set forth in this application are for the purpose of illustrating the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention to the precise and detailed specific structure shown in the figures and specifically described hereinbefore. Rather, the real invention is intended to include substantially equivalent constructions embodying the basic teachings and inventive concept of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A hair-grooming device having controllably activatable and inactivatable liquid-applying menns, comprising: a body portion provided with a plurality of laterally directed projection elements carried along at least one outer edge surface of said body portion member and laterally extending therefrom for manually controlled hairgrooming passage through a plurality of strands of hair, said body portion being provided within at least a portion thereof with liquid reservoir chamber means adapted to contain an applicatory liquid which is to be applied to a persons hair; applicatory egress means comprising discharge passage means and a plurality of spaced egress apertures communicating with said discharge passage means and the exterior of said body portion member between certain ones of said laterally extending projection elements along at least a portion of the length of the assembly of said plurality thereof; manually controllably operable discharge valve means effectively connected between said reservoir chamber means and said discharge passage means and normally in closed relationship until controllably manually temporarily operated into open relationship; and controllably manually operable, normally-closed filling valve means effectively connected between an exterior filling location and said reservoir chamber means for use in filling said reservoir chamber means with a desired applicatory liquid when said filling valve means is controllably manually temporarily opened; said discharge valve means and said filling valve means being provided with and both being at least partially carried by a common longitudinally movable hollow tubular member.

2. A hair-grooming device having controllably activatable and inactivatable liquid-applying means, comprising: a body portion provided with a plurality of laterally directed projection elements carried along at least one outer edge surface of said body portion member and laterally extending therefrom for manually controlled hair-grooming passage through a plurality of strands of hair, said body portion being provided within at least a portion thereof with liquid reservoir chamber means adapted to contain an applicatory liquid which is to be applied to a persons hair; applicatory egress means comprising discharge passage means and a plurality of spaced egress apertures communicating with said discharge passage means and the exterior of said body portion member between certain ones of said laterally extending projection elements along at least a portion of the length of the assembly of said plurality thereof; manually controllably operable discharge valve means eifectively connected between said reservoir chamber means and said discharge passage means and normally in closed relationship until controllably manually temporarily operated into open relationship; and controllably manually operable, normally-closed filling valve means effectively connected between an exterior filling location and said reservoir chamber means for use in filling said reservoir chamber means with a desired applicatory liquid when said filling valve means is controllably manually temporarily opened; said discharge valve means and said filling valve means being provided with and at least partially carried by ,a common longitudinally movable hollow tubular member having a closed bottom portion effectively comprising and defining a movable valve member of said discharge valve means which includes and cooperates with an apertured valve seat connected between said reservoir chamber means and said discharge passage means.

3. A hair-grooming device as defined in claim 2, wherein said common hollow tubular member further includes a top opening provided with manually engageable and disengageable closure cap means positioned at said exterior filling location and said tubular member additionally has aperture means communicating a hollow interior thereof and said top opening, when open, with said reservoir chamber means and which together comprise said filling valve means.

4. A hair-grooming device as defined in claim 3, wherein said hollow tubular member has a locking projection and said body portion has a retaining locking recess and lip portion controllably cooperable with said locking projection for holding said discharge valve means in controllably releasable closed relationship.

5. A hair-grooming device as defined in claim 4, wherein said locking projection is rotatively mounted relative to said retaining locking recess and lip portion, which is provided with a rotatively displaced egress slot means of a size larger than said locking projection and adapted to allow the vertical outward egress of said locking projection therethrough when manually rotated into alignment therewith.

6. A hair-grooming device as defined in claim 3, Wherein said closure cap means cooperable with said top opening comprises a resilient tapered conical insert member adapted to be forcibly resiliently inserted into resiliently frictionally-retained closing relationship within said top opening.

7. A hairgrooming device as defined in claim 4, wherein said closure cap means cooperable with said top opening comprises a resilient tapered conical insert member adapted to be forcibly resiliently inserted into resiliently frictionally-retained closing relationship within said top opening and having a flexible connection and retaining strap fixedly mounting same relative to an upper portion of said hollow tubular member.

8. A hair-grooming device as defined in claim 3, wherein said hollow tubular member has biasing spring means normally biasing same into a position such as to controllably overridably maintain said discharge valve means in said closed relationship until forcibly manually moved against the action of said biasing spring means in a manner such as to temporarily open said discharge valve means.

9. A hair-grooming device as defined in claim 3, wherein said closure cap means cooperable with said top opening comprises a hollow resilient slip-over cap member having a resiliently deflectable outer encompassing bottom lip portion adapted to be forcibly resiliently slipped over a top flange portion of said hollow tubular member surrounding said top opening and to be frictionally resiliently retained thereby in closing relationship across said top opening.

10. A hair-grooming device as defined in claim 8, wherein said closure cap means cooperable with said top opening comprises a hollow resilient slip-over cap member having a resiliently defiectable outer encompassing bottom lip portion adapted to be forcibly resiliently slipped over a top flange portion of said hollow tubular member surrounding said top opening and to be frictionally resiliently retained thereby in closing relationship across said top opening and having a flexible connection and retaining strap fixedly mounting same relative to an upper portion of said hollow tubular member.

11. A hair-grooming device as defined in claim 2, wherein said body portion and said plurality of projection 9 elements together efiectively comprise a longitudinal comb with said body portion being of longitudinal configuration and with said plurality of laterally directed projection elements comprising comb tooth elements and being carried along one outer edge surface of said body portion of said longitudinal comb in longitudinally adjacent and longitudinally spaced relationship relative thereto, said plurality of spaced egress apertures being positioned between adjacent ones of said laterally extending projection comb tooth elements in longitudinally spaced relationship along the length of said one outer edge surface of said body portion of said longitudinal comb.

References Cited 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,014,465 1/1912 Hall 132-114 2,582,533 1/1952 Dixon 132-116 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner 10 JAMES W. MITCHELL, Assistant Examiner

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