US3540457A - Hair curler - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Nathan J. Solomon P.0. Box 550, Englewood, New Jersey 07631 [21] Appl. No. 590,298

[22] Filed Oct. 28, 1966 [45] Patented Nov. 17, 1970 [54] HAIR CURLER 8 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 132/40, 132/40 [51] Int. Cl A45d 2/24 [50] Field of Search [32/39, 40, 33; 219/222 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,472,245 10/1969 Abe .v

3,348,554 10/1967 Solomon 132/39 3,410,985 11/1968 Giacchero 132/33X 3,204,646 9/1965 Chamberlin... 132/42 3,250,895 5/1966 McNair 132/33 3,257,541 6/1966 Jorgensen... 132/33 3,267,942 8/1966 DeMestral 132/40 FOREIGN PATENTS 310,718 5/1929 Great Britain 132/33 Primary Examiner- Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-J. N. Eskovitz Attorney-Howard C. Miskin ABSTRACT: A nonelectric heated curler having an openended tubular body made of good heat-conductive material of sufficient mass so as to retain heat for predetermined period, and supporting a nonheat-conductive outer sleeve having hair gripping bristles radially extending therefrom.

Patented Nov. 17, 1970 I 1 3,540,457

INVENTOR,

NATHAN L. SOLOMON C-Wag,

ATTORNEY HAIR CURLER This invention relatcs to a device for forming curls in the hair and particularly to a hair-curling device for self-application that makes a curl in a swatch of hair.

Hair curling as practiced today in the home and professional beauty shops involves division of the hair of the user into various tresses or swatches. Each of the tresses is evenly wound about a hair curler and by dampening the curled tress with water or chemicals. or by heat application, such as by a drier, the swatch or tress is caused to take the form imparted to the hair by the curler. As is well known in the art, if the tress while being curled is heated to an elevated temperature, the curling process is hastened as well as the permanency of the curl being increased.

The present invention isdirected to a simplified hair-curling device, which is readily heated and which, when hair is wound thereahout, directsthe heat to the hair exteriorly wound ahout the curler.

Further, with hair curlers in use today, considerable difficulty is had with initially holding and maintaining the ends of the strands of hair in the swatch to be curled when starting to roll the curl, especially when the swatch is covered with a treating solution.

Therefore, it is an object ofthe present invention to provide a haincurling device that will positively engage and maintain the ends of aswatch of hair placed on a curler, without injury to the individual strands of hair preparatory to winding the can be heated to an elevated temperature repeatedly without harm to the device, and which is durable in use.

Other objects and features ofthe invention will be apparent when the following description is considered in connection with the annexed drawings, in which:

FIG. I, is a front clevational view of a representative hair curler in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side clevational view, showing a swatch of hair rolled about the curler; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view, illustrating heating a group ofcurlers prior to use.

Referringnow to the drawings, hair-curling device 10 is illustrated having an inner core, or supporting member 12, which in the embodiment illustrated is advantageously cylindrical in form and made from a heat-conducting material, such as a metal.

Core 12 should advantageously be light in weight and strong. While the core can be made advantageously from aluminum, brass or steel, certain types of heat conductive plastic materials may be used also. Core [2 could be perforated or have openings to aid in air flow through the curl.

Disposed about the outer peripheral surface of core I2 is a layer of material I4 provided with yieldable hooks 18 extending outwardly therefrom. Layer 14 could be a fabric, such as shown and disclosed in the G. de Mestral U. S. Pat. Nos. 2,7l7,437,'issued Sept. 13, 1955, and 3,092,235, issued Nov. Zl, 1961. Hooks I8 releasably catch and hold the strands of hair in use to hold the roller securely in position, but yet allow the device I0-to be easily withdrawn from the hair. If desired, inner surface of layer l4 may be provided with an adhesive for adhering to'the outer surface ofcore 12. The abutting longitudinal edges of layer l4provide a seam, not shown, which may be secured by sewing or the like. Advantageously, layer 14 may be slidably mounted on core 12, so as to be movable longitudinally when desired.

Layer I4 is made of a heat resistant material, such as nylon, or other types of material capable of withstandingtemperatures of at least 230F. without deleterious effects to the layer 14 or hooks l8. Layer 14 is advantageously of alength so as to leave exposed slightly opposite ends of core l2. sucli as seen best in FIG. I. For greater safety, layer 14 could extend almost to or even with the ends of core 12 as will be'discuss ed below. Advantageously, layer 14 is porous so as to aid evaporation of any moisture on the tress.

In use, the desired number ofcurlerslOexpected to be used in the course of setting the hair of the wearer is set upon a heating element 20, as shown in FIG. 4. Heating element 20 can be any convenient type, such as an electric heating element, or a conventional gas or electric stove. which heats a pan in which the curlers are placed. Curlers 10, as seen in FIG.

-4, are placed on their ends, so as to have thecore directly in contact with heating element 20. Kept in this position for a relatively short time, generally for less than l5 minutes, the curler is picked up by the user by grasping layer 14, which is a good insulating material. As shown best in FIG. 4, a quantity of individual strands in a swatch of hair 22 is spread upon the outer peripheral surface of layer 14. Hooks I8 engage the ends of the tress and resiliently grasp the individual strands of hair in swatch 22 and hold the individual strands positively in place on the peripheral surface of fabric layer 14 without any further act or operation of the user required. Curler 10 is rotated in-the direction of arrow 24 and swatch of hair 22 is rapidly wound upon curler 10. Swatch of hair 22 is wound onto roller 10 preferably until roller 10 is wound up tightly against the scalp of the user for forming a hair curl thereon.

Curler 10 may be securely retained in position tightly against the head by a suitable clasping or gripping member such as a hobby pin, clip or the like, not shown. One leg of the pin may be inserted into the internal bore 26 of core l2 and the second leg of the pin will extend longitudinally along the outer periphery of layer 14 for clamping the 'hair curl thereon. If desired, the pin will also secure curler 10 in a loose position,

i or lowered position on the tress 22, thus facilitating the setting of the hair for substantially any hair style.

The heat from core 12 slowly permeates through the layer 14 to the tress 22 wound thereabout. By leaving the heated rollers in the hair for relatively short periods, about 10 to 30 minutes, depending on the size curl, the curl is quickly formed. The heat passing through layer 14 is relatively uniform and is not uncomfortable to the wearer.

A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4, where a roller 28 has adjacent both peripheral ends of layer 30, hooks 32 having a longer length than the hooks disposed about the central portion of layer 30. Layer 30 may be of one piece extending substantially the full length of core 34 with the ,edges of the end portions of core '34 exposed, as

discussed above, or may be of three pieces consisting of a central sleeve having shorter hooks and two end sleeves having longer hooks. Curler 28 is heated and used in a manner similar to that described above with respect to curler 10. However, when a tress of hair is wound about the central portion of .curler 28, curler 40 is pressed against the head of the user and the longer hooks 32 adjacent the ends, engage the hair for securely holding curler 28 in curl forming position. The curler can be readily removed from the hair without disturbing the formed curl, since hooks 32 are flexible and will readily yield to a separating force.

While sleeve 14- is shown made from nylon, it can also be made from a foamed plastic material,-such as urcthane, vinyl, polystyrene, and the like.

While preferred embodiments on the invention have been described above, it will be understood tha'tmany variations thereof will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit thereof.

Iclaim:

1. A nonelectric hollow hair curlerwhich is-to be heated prior to curling hair, comprising an inside cylindrical body made of heat-conductive material, andan outside sleeve, said inside body having at least one end extending'longitudinally outwardly beyondsaid sleeve and being a self-supporting, heat-retaining member of sufficient mass to retain the applied heat for a predetermined curling time, and formed of a solid, nonmeltable, nongranular heat-resistant, heat-retaining substance. said outside sleeve being mounted about and in contact with said inner sleeve and being formed of a heatretarding material able to withstand the heat to be applied to said curler.

2. A hair curler-in accordance with claim 1, wherein said cylindrical body is generally circular in cross section and made ofmetal.

3. A hair curler in accordance with claim 2, wherein said metal is aluminum.

v flexible hooks extending radially outwardly therefrom.

6. A hair curler in accordance with claim 5, wherein said hooks adjacent opposite ends of said sleeve are greater in length than the hooks in the central portion of said sleeve.

'7. A hair curler in accordance with claim I, wherein said sleeve is made of a foamed plastic material.

8. A hair curler in accordance with claim I, wherein said sleeve is trictionally slidablc on said cylindrical body.

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