US3628546A

US3628546A - Sectional hairpieces

Info

Publication number: US3628546A
Application number: US865868A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ada Lucille Ensminger
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-10-13
Filing date: 1969-10-13
Publication date: 1971-12-21
Anticipated expiration: 1988-12-21

Abstract

This invention pertains to a narrow, one-piece, lightweight, self-retracting longitudinal frame forming a self-securing base for sectional hairpieces such as wiglets. The base is characterized by a unitary open frame of undulated formation wherein a wefted strip of hair extends at right angles from each undulation. The frame may be bent into any configuration to conform to any portion of the scalp and to angularly insert integral self-securing means into natural hair.

Description

ljnited States Patent lnventor Ada Lucille Ensminger 618 Broadway, Long Branch, NJ. 07760 App]. No. 865,868 Filed Oct. 13, 1969 Patented Dec. 21, 1971 Continuation-impart of 627,344, Mar. 31, 1967, now abandoned.

SECTHONAL HAIRPIECES 8 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

11.8. C1 132/53 Int. Cl] A413 3/00 l ield o1 Search 132/53, 54, 105 50-5 2 [56] llielcrences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,165,716 7/1939 Molleson 132/53 FOREIGN PATENTS 421,964 1/1911 France 132/105 Primary Examiner-- Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Gregory E. McNeill Attorney-Lucite dz Lucite AESTRACT: This invention pertains to a narrow, one-piece, lightweight, self-retracting longitudinal frame forming a selfsecuring base for sectional hairpieces such as wiglets. The base is characterized by a unitary open frame of undulated formation wherein a wefted strip of hair extends at right angles from each undulation. The frame may be bent into any configuration to conform to any portion of the scalp and to angularly insert integral self-securing means into natural hair.

MENTEU 05221 I VE NTOR. Ada Lac/We fnsm/nger FIG-6 SECTIONAL I-IAIRPIECES The sectional hairpieces disclosed herein are an improvement over those disclosed in my copending application, Ser. No. 627,344, filed March 31, 1967, now abandoned of which this application is a continuation-in-part.

FIELD OF INVENTION This invention pertains to lightweight strip or band form hairpieces such as wiglets which will provide additional hair for those requiring same.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Sectional hairpieces, demiwigs, and wiglets usually have a rather large fabric cap base which not only covers a large portion of the scalp, but also the natural hair growing on the covered portion. This cap base construction creates great dif ficulty even to professional hairdressers, in fitting the wiglets to a patron's head. Such difficulty is twofold. First in securing a cap base to surrounding very thin hair with bobby pins or the like. And second, in attempting to comb the wiglet hair in with the patron's uncovered hair to obtain a desired natural effect.

It is obvious that for one to apply such a conventional wiglet to ones own head would involve the added difficulty of restricted vision of the operational area with resulting awkwardness of movement leading to frustration and exasperation, to say the least. Further, conventional wiglets or cheveux postiches are expensive which works a hardship to women of average means. This is especially true with those having salt and pepper, i.e., greying hair. A costly wiglet to match a womans's present hair coloring may be obsolete in only a few months, due to the continual greying process changes in her hair coloring.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to an open, extensible base frame which fits across a particular area, but does not cover any substantial portion of a wearer's own hair and only a minimal amount of scalp. Advantageously, this type of construction allows the wiglet hair and the wearers hair to be dispersed evenly for a natural look. Also, the open, narrow base carries it's own means of attachment to the wearer's hair, so that it may be readily fitted in the proper place and the wiglet hair easily combed into any desired effect without disturbing the flat frame from it's secured position close to the scalp. The light, open base cannot be felt by the wearer even if several wiglets are used simultaneously, and they will not tend to overheat the scalp in summer or in tropical climes as they afford natural ventilation.

According to the present invention, an improved wiglet construction comprises a resilient, longitudinally extensible base which can be stretched along a parted portion of the hair and curved to lay flat upon the scalp. When it is released the attached prongs grip the wearer's teased hair on either side of the part and remain in place during and after the combing in and styling process. Preferably, the base will be of a resilient, undulated formation carrying four sets of slightly wavy, transversely disposed prongs, each pointing inwardly toward the transverse middle line of the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent in the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, wherein FIG. 1 is a plan view of a one-piece resilient frame for a wiglet base in retracted position, showing a wider middle section, tapering end sections and four pairs of transverse, in tegral hair-gripping prongs;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the base frame illustrated in FIG. I in a longitudinally extended position;

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of the frame illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, showing the manner in which the middle section can be stretched independently of the end sections;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a portion of a wiglet in normal position showing one method of attaching a strip of wefted hair to the undulations of the base frame illustrated in FIGS. ll-El;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the wiglet shown in FIG. d, but in extended position; I

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the base illustrated in FIGS. 11$ showing one way of bending the frame to conform to a selected length portion of the scalp, such as the back of the head, to which it is to be applied;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a wefted strip of hair showing the manner in which the wefted end thereof is bound together by stitching to form a finished edge which is then attached to the base; and

FIG. 8 is a partial plan view of a modified frame provided with holes in the undulated body portion through which the edge of a wefted strip of hair may be secured to the base, and further showing the manner in which the prongs penetrate surrounding natural hair at an angle to the undulated flat body portion of the frame. The teased hair and part are omitted for clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, the base may be made of any strong flexible and resilient material such as wire, plastic, etc. (sometimes hereinafter and in the claims referred to as wire"), which generally speaking is bent back and forth on itself to form a one-piece, flat, undulated frame 10 having three integral sections and spaced hair gripping means such as prongs llla, lllb.

The longer middle section 12 of the frame has a plurality of undulations 13a of even length which :may be wider than the undulations 13b of the two shorter end sections M. The last undulation 13a on either end of section 12 terminates in a pair of oppositely disposed and inwardly directed prongs Ila which join the two end sections M, M to the middle section. The width of undulations 13b tapers from the wider base ll of prongs Ila to the narrower base llllc of prongs ll lb.

It will be seen from the drawings that the undulations 13a, 13b have strong rounded ends 15 joining each leg thereof to withstand the stress of repeated extension and retraction of the frame. The legs of the Us or undulations form a parallel pattern when the frame is in retracted position as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The comparatively long prongs have oval or rounded ends 16 to prevent accidental biting into or pinching the scalp. They are also of slightly wavy formation as at 17 for better retension of a wiglet after it has been secured in proper position proximate a wearers scalp.

The wiglet 118 shown in FIG. 4 is made by attaching the stitched edge 19 of a continuous length of a wefted strip 20 of hair 21, such as shown in cross section in FIG. 7, to either the front or back of the reversible frame 10 as by sewing said edge 19 by stitches 22 over and around each parallel length and rounded end 15 of undulations 13a, 13b from end to end of the frame 10. The top of edge 19 abuts the undulation to which it is attached at a angle so that the hair 21 of the wiglet falls away from the base frame ll) in only one direction at right angles thereto.

A wefted hair strip is many hairs sewn together at one end in order to make a continuous strip of joined hairs for workable purposes. I

The wefted strip of hair 20 may be attached to the frame by any conventional means such as by continuously stitching, knotting, weaving, gluing, etc. edge 19 to the undulations as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. An alternate means of attachment is shown in the modification 10a, see FIG. 8, wherein the base 11d and undulations 13c are provided with mutually spaced holes 23 disposed along the center thereof through which the wefted strip may be sewn or otherwise attached to the frame.

The flexible and resilient base of the wiglet acts like a spring and can be stretched almost twice its. normal length when being fitted to the area it is to supplement, as seen in FIG. 5,

and it will tend to resume it's original shape when released. As the base is stretched and laid against the scalp where the hair has been parted and slightly teased, if held in place as it is gently released, the prongs serve as angular gripping devices to hold the wiglet securely in place along it's line of retraction, as indicated in FIG. 8. Additional holding power is obtained by combing the wiglet hair into the natural hair. With the wiglet thus secured in proper position, the wearer's hair is ready for styling such as combing it back off the forehead, etc. to blend in with the wiglet hair so that the latter is imperceptible.

One of the advantages of this wiglet is the fullness of hair made possible by folding the narrow wefted strip of hair continuously around each of the many parallel undulations 13a, 13b so that the thickness of hair on the wiglet increases with each fold.

in use, a part is first made through a section of thinning hair. Then the hair on both sides of the part is slightly teased to provide a thicker firmer foundation for the prongs to engage, as il-' lustrated and disclosed in my above-stated parent application. Then the wiglet is held with the flat side down and stretched as far as necessary along the line of the part, pressed downwardly flat against the scalp to conform to the contour of that portion of the head to which it is to be applied. For example, it may be curved as shown in F IG. 6 to conform to the back of the head. Then the ends 14 can be bent outwardly so that prongs 11b will be inserted into the teased hair at an angle to the rest of the frame which will lie flat against the scalp when the ends are released and the frame tends to return to it s NORMAL LENGTH. Tr-n-znsxr'rsx, THE FlRMLY sscumao WIGLET HAIR CAN BE EASILY COMBED IN WITH ALL or THE WEARER'S hair for a pleasing natural effect.

Advantageously, this multisectioned frame may also be fitted in stages, first by stretching only the middle section 12 as shown in FIG. 3, and securing prongs 1 1a in position. Then by stretching end sections 14 separately or together to penetrate prongs llb into the teased hair.

wiglets may be made with assorted lengths of hair or cut to match the hair length of purchasers, as well as with assorted colors to match or contrast with natural shades of hair. This improved wiglet will fill a great need in the trade, since a customer bay buy one or more wiglets to match any desired shade. The convenience of inexpensive, lightweight, self fitting wiglets are presently not available on the market.

Due to simplified andless expensive construction, these wiglets may also be provided with hair tinted to match different dress ensembles and/or costumes.

From the above it will be seen that applicants device is comfortable, being so light as not to be felt when worn; ventilated so as not to cause overheating; self-fitting requiring no supplementary securing means or awkward time consuming handling; worn flat against the scalp so as to cover practically none of the wearers hair which is free to be combed in with the wiglet hair for a natural look; has no loose ends on the base which could tangle, thus assuring easy removal of the wiglet from the head; and economical so as to be more readily available to the public.

The forms of the invention here described and illustrated are presented merely as examples of how the invention may be embodied and applied.

lclaim:

2. A wiglet-type hairpiece adapted to be applied by being placed more or less flat against a selected length portion of a person's scalp and to provide hair in supplement to said person's own hair and which incorporates means for securing itself in place by attaching to said person's own hair, comprising: a hairpiece base of wire bent back and forth on itself to the form of an elongate planar band or strip of predetermined width, and a weft of supplemental hair secured to said wire and following the bends thereof", at least a length portion of said elongate hairpiece base being provided by a running series of inverted U-formations of said wire which are connected by resilient U- bends which render said len th portion and thereby the hairpiece base as a whole extensr 1e and retractible; said base being provided adjacent its opposite ends with hairpinlike prongs which extend along the side edges thereof and point towards one another, said prongs being operative to secure the hairpiece base in place following its placement as aforesaid and extension as required, and responsive to its retraction following such extension.

2. A hairpiece according to claim 1 wherein said prongs are readily bendable so as to incline slightly away from the general plane of said base.

3. A hairpiece according to claim 1 wherein said hairpiece base has three length sections and at least the middle section is extensible and contractable as aforesaid.

4. A hairpiece according to claim 3 wherein all three sections are extensible and contractable.

5. A hairpiece according to claim 3 wherein said end sections are each readily severable from said middle section.

6. A hairpiece base comprising a length of wire bent back and forth on itself to the form of an elongate, generally planar band of predetermined width, at least a length portion of said band being provided by a running series of inverted U-formations connected by resilient U-bends which render said length portion and thereby the base as a whole extensible and contractable said base being provided with pairs of hairpinlike prongs for securing the base in place responsive to stretching and subsequent lengthwise contraction of said base.

7. A hairpiece base according to claim 6 wherein said prongs are readily bendable so as to incline away from the general plane of said base.

8. A hairpiece base according to claim 6 wherein said base comprises three sections connected in tandem.

Claims

2. A Wiglet-type hairpiece adapted to be applied by being placed more or less flat against a selected length portion of a person''s scalp and to provide hair in supplement to said person''s own hair and which incorporates means for securing itself in place by attaching to said person''s own hair, comprising: a hairpiece base of wire bent back and forth on itself to the form of an elongate planar band or strip of predetermined width, and a weft of supplemental hair secured to said wire and following the bends thereof; at least a length portion of said elongate hairpiece base being provided by a running series of inverted U-formations of said wire which are connected by resilient U-bends which render said length portion and thereby the hairpiece base as a whole extensible and retractible; said base being provided adjacent its opposite ends with hairpinlike prongs which extend along the side edges thereof and point towards one another, said prongs being operative to secure the hairpiece base in place following its placement as aforesaid and extension as required, and responsive to its retraction following such extension.
2. A hairpiece according to claim 1 wherein said prongs are readily bendable so as to incline slightly away from the general plane of said base.
3. A hairpiece according to claim 1 wherein said hairpiece base has three length sections and at least the middle section is extensible and contractable as aforesaid.
4. A hairpiece according to claim 3 wherein all three sections are extensible and contractable.
5. A hairpiece according to claim 3 wherein said end sections are each readily severable from said middle section.
6. A hairpiece base comprising a length of wire bent back and forth on itself to the form of an elongate, generally planar band of predetermined width, at least a length portion of said band being provided by a running series of inverted U-formations connected by resilient U-bends which render said length portion and thereby the base as a whole extensible and contractable said base being provided with pairs of hairpinlike prongs for securing the base in place responsive to stretching and subsequent lengthwise contraction of said base.
7. A hairpiece base according to claim 6 wherein said prongs are readily bendable so as to incline away from the general plane of said base.
8. A hairpiece base according to claim 6 wherein said base comprises three sections connected in tandem.