US3662766A

US3662766A - Method of attaching a hairpiece

Info

Publication number: US3662766A
Application number: US122966A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph Maassen; Alex Pollock
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1971-03-10
Filing date: 1971-03-10
Publication date: 1972-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-16

Abstract

A hairpiece which is anchored with the surrounding natural hair. The hairpiece has a plurality of locking devices attached to its base. The locking devices have a first section, which is attached to the hairpiece, and a second section which is adapted to being lockingly engaged with the first section. The second section is attached to the natural hair by means which permits adjustment of the attachment between the natural hair and the second section to compensate for growth of the natural hair.

Description

United States Patent Maassen et al.

[ 51 May 16, 1972 [54] METHOD OF ATTACHING A HAIRPIECE [72] Inventors: Ralph Maassen; Alex Pollock, both of 6381 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Calif. 90028 [22] Filed: Mar. 10,1971

[2!] Appl.No.: 122,966

52 u.s.c| ....1'32/5 [51] Int. Cl ..A4lg 5/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..132/5.53

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,553,737 1/1971 Bauman ..l32/5X Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner.l. N. Eskovitz Attorney-Harris, Kiech, Russell & Kern 57 ABSTRACT A hairpiece which is anchored with the surrounding natural hair. The hairpiece has a plurality of locking devices attached to its base. The locking devices have a first section, which is attached to the hairpiece, and a second section which is adapted to being lockingly engaged with the first section. The second section is attached to the natural hair by means which permits adjustment of the attachment between the natural hair and the second section to compensate for growth of the natural hair.-

8 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures Patented May 16, 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 s e mmz fix E 0 V W L Z Z R2 Patented May 16, 1972 3,662,766

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ee/s, k/eod, RUSSELL K52 Patented May 16, 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 A74 EX P04 1. 00

54 745% 107'7'ORNE'9/S METHOD OF ATTACI-IING A- HAIRPIECE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a novel hairpiece and to a method of attaching it. More particularly, the present invention isdirected to a means of securing the hairpiece to natural hair and compensating for growth of the hair.

I-lairpieces, wigs and otherf'cosmetic hairpieces have been utilized by men and women for many thousands of years. It is well documented that the people of manyancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians, thePhoenicians the the people of Carthage, used wigs and cosmetic hairpieces for affairs of state, religious ceremonies and the like. For most of recorded history, a wig or hairpiece has completely covered a persons head and was heldin place by friction. The total wig and the friction fit are still the most common characteristics of :the cosmetic hairpieces in use today. The total wig has several disadvantages and frequently is not required. For example, a person who is only partially bald. does not need a full wig and the addition of a full wig to the individuals hair gives a person the appearance of having a skull of greater bulk than is the true situation. Moreover, the addition of the wig'over the persons natural remaining hair cuts off ventilation to the scalp and causes the scalp temperature to increase, causing undesired perspiration. The friction fltis far from ideal also because it will not securely attach a hairpiece to the individual's head.

Where the individual wearer is vigorously active such as during a vigorous dance,or horseback riding, or a vigoroussport, the hairpiece frequently becomes misaligned and less often, but more embarrassingly, the hairpiece is often thrown ofi the wearers head. Not uncommonly, the wearer of a hairpiece loses the hairpiece while scuffling in a crowd or merely bending over. A further disadvantage of the friction fit arises from the fact that such a fit does not provide adequate ventilation for the scalp-area and on warm days or during vigorous activity the wearer can become quite uncomfortable and copious amounts of perspiration can form between the scalp and the hairpiece.

In an attempt to overcomemany of the disadvantages of the total wig and the friction fit, hair stylists have developed partial hairpieces which merely cover the bald areas on an individuals head and have resorted to various devices forsecuringthe hairpieces to the head. For example hair stylists have employed adhesive materials, such as adhesive liquids and tapes to secure the hairpiece to the scalp. Such methods have not proved very satisfactory however because a piece of adhesive has been found to intensify the perspiration problem, the perspiration becomes entrapped underneath the adhesive material. Moreover, many people are sensitive to the adhesive material and develop uncomfortable and unsightly rashes in areas where the adhesive has come in contact with the skin.

A more recent innovation which has seen limited application has been the weaving of the wearers natural hair into the hairpiece to secure it to the head. This is an expensive and time-consuming operation and it is virtually impossible forthe wearer to do himself. One of the principal disadvantages of this new attachment method rises from the factthat the weave must be periodically adjusted to compensate for the growth of the natural hair. This is also an expensiveand time-consuming operation and cannot be performed by the wearer. Another disadvantage of this method arises from the fact that the hairpiece cannot be readily removed from the head once the weaving operation has been completed. Although the above attachment method has many disadvantages, it is by far one of the better methods for cosmetically attaching a partial hairpiece. This method provides for the secure attachment of the hairpiece which prevents the misalignment or removal of the hairpiece during almost all types ,of activity, including swimming, and provides an excellent method for cosmetically blending the hairpiece and the natural hair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventionis directed to a hairpiece having a hair-bearing top portion and a base portion,.and a plurality of locking devices having two sections which areadapted to en-' gage each other in a locking manner. The firstsection of each of said devices. is secured to the base. portion of the hairpiece at predetermined positions. Thesecond section. of each of the .devices has a fastener ferrule with a central bore and a each of the second sections of the locking devices are secured to the partially bald area at predetermined positions which are juxtaposed withthe positions of the first sections secured to the hairpiece. Fastener male portions aretthen inserted or engaged in each of the central bores by the ferrules soas to lock the strands of hair in each. ferrule. The first section of each of the devices is then engaged to corresponding secondsections so that the hairpiece is cosmetically aligned and covers the bald portion. From time to time, thev fastener male portion can be disengagedfrom the central bore of the ferrules and the strands of hair therein can be pulled through to compensate for the, growth of the natural hair and maintain the second sections approximate to the scalp. The male portion is then reengaged in the central bore ofthe ferrule to lock the hair therein and provide a relatively closefit of the hairpiece to the scalp.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a means of securely attaching a partial hairpiece on an animal, particularly on man, to cosmetically cover a portion thereof. More particularly, it is an object to provide a means of securing a partial hairpiece which will allow the wearer toparticipate in vigorous activities, water sports and the like without fear of having the hairpiece becoming misaligned or thrown off.

It is another objectof thepresent invention to provide a .means of securingahairpiece which can beteasily performed .wearer to readily remove or substitutev the hairpiece.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a 7 means of securing the hairpiece without the necessity of-employingadhesive materials, surgical insertions and the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a partially bald individual; FIG. 2 is a sectional'perspective view of the first step of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional perspective view of'thesecond step of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional perspective view of the third step of the method ofthe present invention;

' FIG. 5 is a sectional perspective view showing a later sequence of the third step of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a sectional perspective view of the fourth step of the present invention;

FIG. 7 .is a cross-sectional view of a portion'of the locking device of the present invention taken along lines7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional perspective view of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional perspective view of a later sequence of the fifth step of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the locking device of the present invention taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a sectional perspective view of the sixth step of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of as shown in FIG. 11; and

fifth step of the a later sequence of step six FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a locking device of the present invention taken along lines 13-13 of FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, the scalp of the figure 11 illustrated is partially bald and has an upper bald area 12, and a surrounding area of normal hair growth 13. In the preparation of the novel hairpiece (not fully shown) of the present invention the periphery of area 10 is marked, such as with arrows 14, to indicate the proper positions for the placement of locking devices used in the hairpiece and novel method (described below). The marking is normally done in a nonpermanent manner such as with a grease pencil, a felt tip pen employing a water-soluble ink or the like. The scalp area 10 is covered with a clear flexible wrap material 15, such as a cellophane film or a vinylidene chloride polymer film like Saran brand film or the like. The wrap is secured closely over the scalp and held firmly against the scalp by twisting the ends 16 of the wrap and exerting a downward force on these ends. Strips of cellophane adhesive tape or a polyester film adhesive tape are placed on top of the film over the bald area 12 to give the film a degree of rigidity and strength. The line of demarkation 17 between the bald area 12 and the area 13 and the marks 14 are transferred or marked on the tape covered film. The tape covered film is then removed from the head and the area encompassed by the demarkation line 17 is cut away from the film. This cutout piece represents pattern and design for the hairpiece which is made by conventional methods and will be described here briefly for purposes of illustrating the present invention. The markings l4 and the line of demarkation 17 on the design cutout are transferred to a canvas block head which has the same shape scalp as figure 11. The block head is covered on top with an opaque adhesive tape such as masking tape. Conventional hairpiece foundation materials are pinned on the top of the block and the demarkation line 17 and the markings 14 are transferred to the foundation material. Suitable foundation materials include elasticized Lycra mesh and double knit Nylon mesh. Conventional reinforcing sections are sewed into foundation material and optionally the material known as vegetable net" is sewed along the side or front edges or both of the foundation material. Human hair or optionally certain types of animal hair or synthetic hair is implanted into the foundation by conventional methods. A coating of synthetic rubber such as General Electric brand RTV silicone rubber is generally applied to the undersurface of the foundation after the hair has been implanted. The hairpiece is made large enough to overlap the demarkation line 17. First sections of portions 22 of the locking devices (described below) are sewed to the undersurface of the foundation material, that is the hairpiece base, adjacent the markings 14 of the pattern and centered thereto.

Referring to FIG. 2, the finished hairpiece 20 is properly aligned on the head 10 with the hair-bearing surface 21 facing outward. Peripheral areas of the hairpiece adjacent the sections 22 of the locking devices are turned up and exposed. Natural hair adjacent the section 22 and along the line of demarkation 17 is twisted into a single strand 23. Preferably the hair is selected so that the strand is centered between the end portions of section 22.

The strand 23 is folded to form a loop 24 (see FIG. 3). The loop 24 is pulled through the central bore of a fastener ferrule 26 by means of a hook instrument 27 such as a knitting hook (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The fastener ferrule 26 is secured to the second section or portion 27 of the locking device. The first portion 22 and the second portion 27 are adapted to lockingly engage each other when pressed together. Suitable first and second sections have been prepared from a fabric having a raised pile and a mating fabric having resilient barbs or hooks for lockingly engaging the pile (typical raised pile-barb locking devices include the Velcro brand locking material and the locking material disclosed and claimed in G. de Mestral, U. S. Pat. No. 2,717,437 issued Sept. 13, I955).

After the loop has been pulled through the central bore of the ferrule 26 the free end of the twisted strand 23 is completely pulled through the central bore eliminating the loop 24. The second section 27 is then pushed down upon the scalp and strand 23 is snugly pulled in a direction away from the scalp. A sealant 30 is then applied to the central bore of the ferrule 26 to seal the strand 23 into the ferrule. The sealant is applied with a dropper 31, such as a medicine dropper or hypodermic instrument or a small brush. Typical sealants that are employed in this operation include spirit gum. The position of the second section 27 with respect to the scalp 11 is shown in FIG. 7. The natural hair 33 growing out of the scalp 1 1 is twisted into strand 23 which extends through the central bore of the ferrule 26. The strand is sealed into the ferrule with sealant 30 which is applied by instrument 31 (as is shown by dotted lines). The second section is comprised of a flexible or resilient base 34 from which extend upwardly or outwardly a plurality of resilient barbs or hooks 35. In the locking device illustrated these barbs lockingly engage a raised pile (not shown) on the first section 22.

After the application of the sealant, the hair strand 23 is locked in place in the ferrule by inserting a fastener male portion 36 into the central bore of the ferrule (see FIGS. 8 and 9). The fastener male portion 36 is adapted to be lockingly engaged in the central bore of the ferrule. A resilient or flexible tab, such as a cloth tab, is attached to the fastener male portion 36 so that the male portion can be easily grasped or held to remove or disengage it from the ferrule. The locking engagement of the male portion and the ferrule is illustrated in FIG. 10. The upper end of the inner walls 39 of the ferrule which surround the central bore extend upwardly and inwardly and are resilient so that they can be pushed outwardly for the insertion or removal of the male portion. The male portion has a male lug 40, which has an outwardly expanding outer end, and which lockingly engages the upper end of the inner wall in the presence of the hair strand 23.

The first section of the locking device is positioned with the second section 27 for cosmetic alignment of the hairpiece, and the upturned periphery of the hairpiece is folded downward to lockingly engage the first section with the second section (see FIGS. 11 and 12). The outer portion of the hairpiece adjacent the position of the first section 22 is then pressed inwardly toward the skull to insure secure engagement of the two sections (see FIG. 12). The hairpiece and the natural hair section 13 of the scalp are then combed and brushed and trimmed to provide cosmetic alignment. The hairpiece is made large enough to overlap the demarkation line 17 and the second sections attached to the scalp surrounding the bald portion that is being cosmetically covered.

Referring to FIG. 13, the locking device is comprised of the first section 22 and the second section 27. The first section has a flexible resilient base section 42 and a raised pile 43 extend ing downwardly therefrom. The barbs or hooks 35 of the second section lockingly engage the pile 43. The base 42 is secured to the lower surface of the foundation material or base 44 of the hairpiece 20. A detailed description of such a locking device is found in G. de Mestral, US. Pat. No. 2,717,437.

The hairpiece is readily removed by lifting up the periphery of the hairpiece adjacent the location of the first section of the locking device, and gently pulling the first and second sections of the locking device apart. The hairpiece is then simply removed from the head. This allows ready removal, adjustment or substitution of hairpieces.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that the present invention is in no way intended to be limited to the embodiment of the invention described above. For example, instead of being separated, the first and second sections of the locking device can be secured together in a hinging relationship in order to provide maximum alignment of the hairpiece to the scalp following the period of adjustment of the second section. Furthermore, other means,

. besides the raised pile and engaging barbs, can be employed to secure the first section of the locking device to the second section. For example, one section can be a magnetic material and for the head or to means of attaching hairpieces to the head.

For example, the present method can be employed for beard hairpieces, mustache hairpieces and. the like. While the specific embodiment described is a partial hairpiece for a partially bald scalp, the invention is, of course, equally applicable to full hairpieces and is not limited to a bald or partially bald scalp.

We claim as our invention:

1. A method of attaching a hairpiece having a hair-bearing top portion and a base portion, and a plurality of locking devices having two sections which are adapted to engageeach other in a locking relationship, the first section of each of said devices being secured to the base portion of said hairpiece at predetermined positions, the second section of each of said devices having a fastener with a bore and a separable male portion adapted to being lockingly engaged in said bore of said fastener, the method comprising:

passing bundles of natural hair at locations underlying the first sections of each of said locking devices through the bore of the fasteners so that each second section is secured closely to the scalp and positioned directly under one of the first sections;

engaging a separate male portion into the bore of each of said fasteners so as to secure the second section on one of the bundles of natural hair; and

lockingly engaging each of the first sections with separate underlying second sections so that said hairpiece is secured and in cosmetic alignment.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein one section of said locking device has a base piece and a raised filament pile extending outwardly therefrom; and the other section has a base element and attachment elements extending outwardly therefrom, said attachment elements adapted to being lockingly engaged in said raised pile.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the first section has the base piece and the raised filament pile, the base piece being secured to the base portion of said hairpiece; and the second section has the base element and the attachment elements, said base element facing the scalp.

4. The method according to claim 1 including the additional step of sealing the bundle of natural hair in the central bore of the fastener of each of the second sections with a sealant prior to engaging a male portion into the bore.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein each bundle of hair is twisted to form single strands of hair prior to passing the hair through the bores of said fasteners.

- 6. The method according to claim-l wherein each bundle of hair is twisted to form single strands of hair, and each of said strands is folded to prepare a single loop, each of said loops being passed through the bore of a separate fastener.

7. A method according to claim 1 including the additional steps of twisting each bundle of hair to form a single strand of hair; each of said strands is folded to prepare a loop which is passed through the bore of a separate fastener; and thereafter the free end of each of. said loop strands is pulled through the bore of the fastener prior to engaging a male portion into the bore.

8. A method of attaching a hairpiece having a hair-bearing top portion and a base portion, and a plurality of locking devices having two sections which are adapted to engage each other in a locking relationship, the first section of each of said devices being secured to the base portion of said hairpiece at predetermined positions, the second section of each of said devices having a fastener with a bore and a separable male portion adapted to being lockingly engaged in the bore, the

method com rising the followin steps:

selecting undies of hair at oca ions underlying the first sections of each of said locking devices and twisting the bundle to form a single strand of hair;

folding each strand of hair to form a loop which is passed through the bore of each of the fasteners of the second sections so that each second section is secured closely to the scalp and positioned directly under separate first sections;

pulling the free end-of each of the looped strands of hair through the central bores and sealing the strand of hair in I the central bore with a sealant; engaging a fastener male portion into the bore of each of said fasteners so as to secure the second sections on the strands of hair; and engaging each of the first sections with a separate underlying second section.

Claims

1. A method of attaching a hairpiece having a hair-bearing top portion and a base portion, and a plurality of locking devices having two sections which are adapted to engage each other in a locking relationship, the first section of each of said devices being secured to the base portion of said hairpiece at predetermined positions, the second section of each of said devices having a fastener with a bore and a separable male portion adapted to being lockingly engaged in said bore of said fastener, the method comprising: passing bundles of natural hair at locations underlying the first sections of each of said locking devices through the bore of the fasteners so that each second section is secured closely to the scalp and positioned directly under one of the first sections; engaging a separate male portion into the bore of each of said fasteners so as to secure the second section on one of the bundles of natural hair; and lockingly engaging each of the first sections with separate underlying second sections so that said hairpiece is secured and in cosmetic alignment.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein each bundle of hair is twisted to form single strands of hair, and each of said strands is folded to prepare a single loop, each of said loops being passed through the bore of a separate fastener.

7. A method according to claim 1 including the additional steps of twisting each bundle of hair to form a single strand of hair; each of said strands is folded to prepare a loop which is passed through the bore of a separate fastener; and thereafter the free end of each of said loop strands is pulled through the bore of the fastener prior to engaging a male portion into the bore.

8. A method of attaching a hairpiece having a hair-bearing top portion and a base portion, and a plurality of locking devices having two sections which are adapted to engage each other in a locking relationship, the first section of each of said devices being secured to the base portion of said hairpiece at predetermined positions, the second section of each of said devices having a fastener with a bore and a separable male portion adapted to being lockingly engaged in the bore, the method comprising the following steps: selecting bundles of hair at locations underlying the first sections of each of said locking devices and twisting the bundle to form a single strand of hair; folding each strand of hair to form a loop which is passed through the bore of each of the fasteners of the second sections so that each second section is secured closely to the scalp and positioned directly under separate first sections; pulling the free end of each of the looped strands of hair through the central bores and sealing the strand of hair in the central bore with a sealant; engaging a fastener male portion into the bore of each of said fasteners so as to secure the second sections on the strands of hair; and engaging each of the first sections with a separate underlying second section.