US3520310A - Convertible wig - Google Patents

Description

july m l? R. A. WITMONDT 3,520,310

CONVERTIBLE WIG Filed May l0, 1968 Uf( l w ff" INVENTOR.

5 Wan ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,520,310 CONVERTIBLE WIG Robert A. Witmondt, Lafayette, Calif. (255 4th St., Oakland, Calif. 94607) Filed May 10, 1968, Ser. No. 728,261 Int. Cl. A41g 3/00, 5/00 U.S. Cl. 132-53 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wig made up of a plurality of separate hair pieces or wiglets which may be secured together with different relative orientations conducive to the combing of the hair into a variety of different hair styles. Securance of the wiglets together with the various relative orientations for facilitating conversion of the Wig haii' style is effected in a quick and simple manner. One of the wiglets may be employed alone in conjunction with the wearers hair to provide additional body exactly where required to facilitate combing into a desired composite hair style.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l Many of the present day rather eloquent hair styles are difficult and time consuming to set and comb. Consequently, precurled wigs in the desired hair style have become popular expedients for enabling a wearer to quickly present the appearance of the hair style by merely donning the wig. Heretofore, wigs have generally been arranged with the hair in a pattern that is best suited to setting and combing into one specific haii' style. For example, with some hair styles the hair is curled or ratted substantially uniformly over the entire head such that the hair should be distributed uniformly on the base of foundation of the Wig to facilitate combing into the desired style. With other styles increased width is desired over the crown or front of the hear to provide bangs while a narrower portion or taper is required in back. In such cases the hair should be distributed in a similar pattern on the base, i.e., in a substantially T- shaped pattern, in order that haii' is provided where required to facilitate the desired styling. In any event, it will be appreciated that the pattern or arrangement of hair on t'ne base suited to one hair style is not suited to another. Thus, it has been necessary to provide a number of different bases respectively having different hair patterns to enable setting and combing of the hair into any one of the various styles that may be desired by a party ordering a wig.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a wig that is readily convertible to enable a variety of hair styles to be provided therewith. Thus, as an important feature of the invention, a single wig may be utilized to provide different hair styles.

In the accomplishment of the foregoing, the convertible wig generally comprises a plurality of separate hair pieces or wiglets which may be releasably secured 'together with a variety of relative orientations to provide different hair patterns conducive to different hair stylings. The wiglets may be oriented relative to each .other to provide a substantially uniform hair pattern giving the effect of a full or half wig. The wiglets may be oriented to provide a substantially elongated hair pattern conducive to the formation of a full cascade or Grecian look. Also the wiglets may as previously mentioned be oriented to provide a generally T-shaped hair pattern to give width across the front for bangs and taper in the back.

Furthermore, if desired, a single wiglet may be employed in conjunction with the wearers hair to provide added body where needed in the formation of composite hair styles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wig in accordance with the present invention as arranged to produce one type of hair style on the wearers head.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of bases of separate wiglets of the wig as oriented and secured together to provide the hair style of FIG. 1.

FIG, 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating the bases of the separate wiglets secured together in a different relative orientation.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, with portions brokenaway of a wig on the wearers head in a hair style facilitated by the orientation of the wiglet bases illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, but illustrating the bases of the separate wiglets secured together in still another different relative orientation.

FIG. 6 is a perspective View of a fastener means for securing a lpair of wiglet bases together in the vaiious different relative orientations.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of fastener means for securing two, or more wiglet bases together.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawing in detail, a wig 11 in accordance with the present invention will be seen to be made up of a plurality of wiglets, in the illustrated case a pair of wiglets 12 and 13 which may be releasably secured together in a variety of relative orientations to provide different patterns of hair conducive to the setting and combining of different hair styles. More particularly, the wiglets 12 and 13 respectively include like foundations or bases 14 and 16 of net fabric, or the like. The hair strands 17 are secured in a conventional manner to each base and extend uniformly over the surface of a rst side thereof. The hair as thus secured to each base may be set and combed in various styles in the saine manner as ones own hair. In order that the wiglets may be fastened to the wearers hair, combs 18 and 19, or equivalent means, are respectively secured to the surface of bases 14 and 16 opposite to that from which the hair extends. Alternatively, the combs may be omitted and auxiliary fasteners, such as pins, clips, or the like employed to fasten the wiglets to the wearers hair. To the extent thus far described, it will be appreciated that each of the wiglets 12 and 13 is substantially conventional and each may be employed separately to supplement the wearers own hair to provide body where required in the formation of a composite hair style.

Considering now the particularly novel features of the wig 11 as to the manner in which the wiglets 1,2, and 13 may be releasably secured together in different orientations to provide a variety of hair patterns, it is first to be noted that the bases 14 and 16 of the respective wiglets are preferably of elliptical configuration, or otherwise formed such that varied dimensions of the respective bases may be selectively aligned in the securance of the bases together. In this regard, means are provided for releasably securing the elliptical bases 14 and 16 together in different orientations, for example, with their major axes aligned or their minor axes aligned, or the major axis of one base aligned with the minor axis of the other. More particularly, the releasable securance means preferably comprise a strap 21 (see FIG. 6) having fasteners at its opposite ends adapted to releasably engage fasteners carried on each base respectively at one end of the major axis and at one end of the minor axis thereof. The fasteners are advantageously provided as snap detents 22 and 23 at the opposite ends of the strap and snap grommets 24 and 26 and 27 and 28 respectively mounted at first ends of the major and minor axes of the bases 14 and 16. Thus, the strap detents 22 and 23 may be releasably engaged in the grommets 24 and 26 of bases 14 and 16 to secure same together 'with their major axes in alignment, Le., in end to end relationship, as shown in FIG. 2. An elongated hair pattern is thereby provided by the wiglets 12 and 13 which is conducive to formation of the hair into a full cascade r Grecian hair style, as depicted in FIG. l.

Alternatively, the strap detents 22 and 23 may be releasably engaged in the grommets 27 and 26 of bases 14 and 16 to secure same together with the minor axis of base 14 in alignment with the major axis of base 16, i.e., in side to end relationship, as shown in FIG. 3. The wiglets then provide a generally T-shaped hair pattern adapted to formation of the hair into the style depicted in FIG. 4 wherein width is provided across the front for bangs, and taper is provided in the back.

As a further alternative, the strap detents may be engaged in the grommets 27 and 28 to secure the bases together with their minor axes aligned, i.e., in side by side relationship, as shown in FIG. 5. The wiglets thus provide a substantially uniform hair pattern giving the effect of a full or half wig.

In some instances it may be desirable to secure more than the pair of wiglets 12 and 13 together in order to provide even greater versatility in the hair styling of the overall wig thereby formed. For example, the securance together of three or four wiglets in a variety of selectable relative orientations affords substantially increased possibilities in the hair styling of the resulting wig. In order to secure two or more of the wiglets together, a modified fastener means, preferably of the form illustrated in FIG. 7, is advantageously employed in place of the fastener strap 21. Such modified form of fastener means preferably comprises a flat square frame 29 of flexible material having snap detents 31 mounted at the four corners thereof. The detents are releasably engageable with the snap grommets provided on the bases of the wiglets to be secured together. Thus, the bases 14 and 16 of wiglets 12 and 13, as well as the base 32 of at least one more similar wiglet 33 having snap grommets 34 and 36 at ends of the major and minor axes thereof may be secured together in a variety of different relative orientations by means of the frame 29. More particularly, the detents 31 at the respective corners of the frame may be selectively engaged in either of the grommets of the respective bases 14, 16, and 32 to secure the wiglets 12, 13, and 33 together in any of a plurality of possible relative orientations, one of which is depicted in FIG. 7.

What is claimed is:

1. A convertible Wig for mounting on the hair of the head of a person, comprising a plurality of wiglets each having a base provided with a plurality of hair strands on a first Side face thereof and secured to the base, a comb on the reverse side face of the base of each wiglet for securing the wiglet directly to the head of the wearer, means securing the wiglets together comprising snap fasteners on said reverse side of the base, and a strap of lesser area than the 'bases positioning on said reverse side of a pair of the wiglets and having snap fasteners adjacent the ends of the strap cooperating with the fasteners on the wiglets to releasably secure the wiglets together in extended relation.

2. A convertible wig in accordance With claim 1 further defined by each base being elliptical in shape, one of the snap fasteners on each base being along the major axis of said ellipse and another of the fasteners being on that minor axis of the ellipse whereby the wiglets may be releasably secured together vin different relative dimensional orientations, each of said fasteners being positioned adjacent the periphery of the base, and the cooperating snap fasteners on the straps being spaced apart sufficient to permit securing the pair of wiglets together with the bases in non-overlapping relation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1915 Tengler 132-53 5/1968 BuZZelli 132-53

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