US20110253165A1

US20110253165A1 - Device for attaching a hair enhancer to a person's hair and hair enhancement apparatus incorporating same

Info

Publication number: US20110253165A1
Application number: US13/086,555
Authority: US
Inventors: Lisa Kenna
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-04-14
Filing date: 2011-04-14
Publication date: 2011-10-20

Abstract

A device usable for attaching a hair enhancer to a person's hair and a hair enhancement apparatus incorporating such a device include a strip of flexible material, at least one hair clip attached to a first side of the strip of material, and an adhesive layer attached to a second side of the strip of material. The adhesive layer facilitates attachment of the device to a hair enhancer, such as a hair extension. The strip of material may be sized and shaped to accommodate one hair clip or a plurality of hair clips (e.g., a row of hair clips). The attachment device may also include a backing paper affixed to a side of the adhesive layer which is to be attached to the hair enhancer. In such a case, the backing paper may be removable by a user to enable the adhesive layer to be attached to the hair enhancer.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) upon U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/342,532, entitled “Clip Strip” and filed on Apr. 14, 2010, solely to the extent of the subject matter disclosed in said provisional application, which application is incorporated herein by this reference as if fully set forth herein. This application also claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) upon U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/404,210, entitled “Clip Strip” and filed on Sep. 30, 2010, solely to the extent of the subject matter disclosed in said provisional application, which application is incorporated herein by this reference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of hair enhancement products and, more particularly, to a device for attaching a hair enhancer to a user's hair and a hair enhancement apparatus incorporating such a device.
2. Description of Related Art
Hair extensions and other hair enhancers have been used for a long time in the beauty and fashion industries. Many users outside of these areas also use hair extensions because naturally growing hair to a desired length may require a long period of time. Other individuals have suffered hair loss for various reasons and wish to acquire or maintain their desired hair styles with wigs, toupees, and other hair enhancers.
Hair extensions are manufactured from either a synthetic material or natural hair. Several methods of attachment have been used for affixing hair extensions and other hair enhancement devices to a user's natural hair. One such method is to manually spread a liquid adhesive onto the hair extensions to attach the hairs of the hair extensions to the user's natural hair. Another method is to sew hair extensions into a person's natural hair. Both methods can be time consuming, damaging to the user's natural hair, and difficult to remove from the user's hair.
An additional method of hair extension attachment is to use one or more hair clips. In this case, the hair clips are manually sewn into a backing seam (known as a “weft”), a weave, or a polyurethane backing of the hair extension to allow the hair extension to be manually attached and detached from a user's natural hair, as desired by the user. Thus, this attachment technique is cumbersome because the end user must sew each individual hair clip by hand or machine to the hair extension. Nevertheless, professional stylists often attach hair clips to extensions by sewing or otherwise attaching the clips to the extensions so as to customize the extensions for the consumer's needs.
Other hair extensions can be purchased having hair clips pre-sewn into the extensions. However, pre-sewn extensions do not always have the hair clips located at the most advantageous positions for the style, comfort, or look that is desired by the user. Nevertheless, most consumer hair extensions have pre-sewn clips.
A final method for attaching hair extensions to a user's hair is to use a double-sided tape. This hair extension attachment method is a more of a long term or semi-permanent attachment technique, as it can be worn for several weeks to months and must be removed with a commercially-available adhesive remover product. However, this method is not recommended when only a quick, daily use of an extension is desired.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the background art area of hair extensions and hair products, there is a need for a hair enhancer attachment device and associated hair enhancement apparatus that facilitate quick and easy attachment of the attachment device to a hair enhancer, as well as facilitate easy attachment and detachment of hair enhancers to and from a users' hair.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A first objective of the present invention is to provide a device that includes hair clips attached to a flexible material.
A second objective of the present invention is to provide an attachable strip of a thin material, such as polyurethane or lace, to which hair clips are attached to aid in the installation of a hair enhancer, such a hair extension, an integration piece, a hairpiece, or a wig, to a user's hair.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide flexibility to owners of semi-permanent/long-term use hair enhancers, such as adhesive tape hair extensions, by enabling the owners to temporarily convert their semi-permanent hair enhancers to temporary (e.g., daily use) clip-in enhancers through use of a device that includes hair clips attached to a thin film to aid in the attachment and removal of the hair enhancer. For example, the attachment device may be secured to the adhesive tape of semi-permanent hair extensions to at least temporarily convert the extensions to clip-in extensions.
These together with other objectives are met by embodiments of the present invention, along with various features of novelty that characterize these embodiments, which are pointed out with particularity in the remainder of this application. For a better understanding of the present invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is disclosed preferred and alternative embodiments.
Generally, the present invention encompasses a device usable for attaching a hair enhancer to a person's hair and a hair enhancement apparatus incorporating such a device. According to one embodiment, the attachment device includes a strip of flexible material, at least one hair clip attached to a first side of the strip of material, and an adhesive layer attached to a second side of the strip of material. The adhesive layer facilitates attachment of the device to the hair enhancer, which may be, for example, a hair extension, a wig, a toupee, a hairpiece, or an integration piece. The strip of material may be sized and shaped to accommodate one hair clip or a plurality of hair clips (e.g., a row of hair clips). Additionally, the strip of material may be polyurethane, lace, or any other type of flexible support material capable of supporting a predetermined quantity of hair clips. The hair clip(s) may be attached to the adhesive layer using an adhesive, by sewing, or by other means. Additionally, the adhesive layer may be implemented using a double-sided tape or other adhesive material.
According to another embodiment, the attachment device may also include a backing paper affixed to a side of the adhesive layer which is to be attached to the hair enhancer. In this case, the backing paper may be removable by a user of the device to enable the adhesive layer to be attached to the hair enhancer.
According to another embodiment, the attachment device may be combined with a hair enhancer to form a hair enhancer apparatus. As one example of this embodiment, the attachment device may be pre-attached to the hair enhancer and supplied as a combined apparatus to provide an easily attachable and detachable hair enhancer. Alternatively, the hair enhancer apparatus may be formed by attaching the aforementioned attachment device to a conventional hair enhancer.
According to one embodiment, the attachment device disclosed herein provides a quick and simple way to convert an existing adhesive hair extension into a clip-in hair extension, without having to sew or otherwise secure each individual clip onto the extension. The clips can also be added to hair extensions or other hair enhancers that do not have adhesive attachments. In one embodiment, the hair clips are sewn or otherwise adhered to a thin flexible strip of material that comes with a removable lining on the adhesive side of the device. The liner may be simply removed to allow the attachment device (sometimes referred to below as a “clip strip”) to be applied to an existing hair extension, which may come with or without adhesive. While the discussion below focuses on the use of the attachment device with hair extensions, one skilled in the art will readily recognize and appreciate that the attachment device may be used with or incorporated into other hair enhancers, such as wigs, toupees, and integration pieces; therefore, the discussion below with regard to hair extensions is meant to be an example and not a limitation.
The attachment device disclosed herein may be customized to match up with various sizes of existing hair extensions, such as, for example and not by way of limitation, sizes from approximately 3¾″×4″, ¼″×3″, 2″×2″, 1″×2″, ¼″×1½″, or others. Additionally, because the attachment device is independent of the hair enhancer, the device may be positioned on the hair enhancer as desired by the user to obtain the most comfortable and secure placement, as well as a desired style, beauty and fit.
In addition to hair extensions, some users may also wish to use the attachment device to secure wigs, integration pieces, and band pieces to a users' hair. The clip strips would allow users to customize the application of these types of hair enhancers, while permitting relatively easy removal of these pieces for changing styles, for cleaning, and for users who find a semi-permanent hair enhancement device uncomfortable.
The present invention also provides users that have excessive top head hair thinning or baldness with a simple option for modifying existing hairpieces as their hair consistency changes. For example, the attachment device of the present invention enables users to customize their hairpieces as the users' hair grows in from chemotherapy, for example. Inexpensive customization of existing hairpieces is an important benefit of the attachment device of the present invention due to the typically expensive nature of many hairpieces.
No hair enhancer attachment devices or hair enhancers are presently known to include an adhesive attached to a thin strip of material to which is sewn or otherwise attached one or more hair clips. The present invention allows for quick and easy installation of a hair enhancer attachment device to a hair enhancer, as well as easy installation and removal of a hair extension or other hair enhancer to and from a user's hair. The present invention also creates a more versatile hair enhancer for the end user and better enables hair enhancer customization by users and professional stylists.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views and which together with the detailed description below are incorporated in and form part of the specification, serve to further illustrate various embodiments and to explain various principles and advantages all in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a front view of an attachment device for a hair enhancer, in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a greatly exaggerated end view of the attachment device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of an attachment device for a hair enhancer, in accordance with an alternative exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of a hair enhancer apparatus in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a hair enhancer apparatus in accordance with an alternative exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated alone or relative to other elements to help improve the understanding of the various embodiments of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Before describing in detail exemplary embodiments that are in accordance with the present invention, it should be observed that the embodiments reside primarily in combinations of apparatus components related to implementing an article of jewelry, such as a bracelet, and a clasping mechanism therefor. Accordingly, the components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
In this document, relational terms, such as “first” and “second,” “top” and “bottom,” “front” and “rear,” and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “contains,” “containing,” “has,” “having,” and/or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises, includes, contains, or has a list of elements, characteristics, or features does not include only those elements, characteristics, or features but may include other elements, characteristics, or features not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. The term “plurality of” as used in connection with any object or action means two or more of such object or action. A claim element proceeded by the article “a” or “an” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.
Referring to the drawings in detail, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 one exemplary embodiment of a device 12 usable for attaching a hair enhancer to a person's hair. The attachment device 12 (which is sometimes referred to a “clip strip”) includes a thin, flexible strip of material 16, which defines a first, front side and a second, opposing back side (shown in FIG. 2). One or more hair clips 14 are attached to the front side of the strip of material 16, and an adhesive layer 18 is attached to the back side of the strip of material 16. The clip strip 12 shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1 includes two hair clips 14 attached to the strip 16. The hair clips 14 may be conventional hair clips, such as are typically sewn or weaved into the weft of conventional hair extensions, or any hair clips as may be developed in the future. Additionally, the hair clips 14 may have any desired number of prongs as may be selected by the user. For example, the exemplary hair clips 14 depicted in FIG. 1 are shown to include four prong; whereas, the exemplary hair clips 34 illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 (as discussed below) include six prongs. Each hair clip 14, 34 may be sewn to the clip strip 12 with thread attaching through attachment holes 22 in the strip of material 16 and the hair clip 14, 34, or be otherwise fastened by using an adhesive.
In one embodiment, the hair clip or clips 34 may be positioned near a top edge 11 of the strip of material 16, such as is shown in the attachment device 32 of FIG. 3, optionally leaving an empty portion of strip material 16 between bottoms of the hair clips 34 and a bottom edge 13 of the strip of material 16. Alternatively, the hair clip or clips 14 may be positioned near the bottom edge 13 of the strip of material 16, such as is shown in FIG. 1, optionally leaving an empty portion of strip material 16 between tops of the hair clips 14 and the top edge 11 of the strip of material 16. In another embodiment that includes multiple hair clips 14, 34, the hair clips 14, 34 may be arranged or aligned in a row, such as is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3.
While the clip strip 12 shown in FIG. 1 is trapezoidal in shape, one skilled in the art will readily recognize and appreciate that the shape of the strip of material 16 could be any other shape, such as ellipsoidal, circular, rectangular, or some other custom shape, depending upon the user's specific requirements for attachment of hair extensions, wigs, toupees, hairpieces, and other hair enhancers. The clip strip 12 could also have various corner designs, such as round or various angular configurations dependent upon the user's needs and the overall shape. Further, the clip strip 12 and its associated strip of material 16 may be sized and shaped to accommodate attachment of a single hair clip 14, 34 or a plurality of hair clips 14, 34 to the front side of the strip of material 16. Still further, the strip of material 16 may be sized and shaped to facilitate attachment of a particular hair enhancer to a person's hair. In other words, the strip of material 16 may be sized and shaped to accommodate a particular hair enhancer and its intended points of attachment to a user's hair.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, the hair clips 14, 34 are attached to the front side of the strip of material 16, which may be a thin layer of polyurethane, lace, fabric, or other flexible support material. The back side of the strip of material 16 is attached to the adhesive layer 18, which may be double-sided tape or other adhesive material. In an alternative embodiment, a removable backing paper 20 may be affixed to the second side of the adhesive layer 18, as illustrated in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 2.
To use the device 12 shown in FIG. 2, a user would remove the backing paper 20 and affix the back side of the adhesive layer 18 to part of a hair extension or other hair enhancement device. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in connection with three-clip embodiments of the clip strip 12, the clip strip 12 may be attached to various portions of hair extension apparatuses, such as the weft 44 or a tape adhesive section 54 of a hair extension. Once the clip strip 12 is attached to a hair enhancer, a hair enhancer apparatus is formed that can be clipped to the user's natural hair using the hair clips 14, 34.
The clip strip 12 may be manufactured in various sizes to accommodate longer or shorter hair extensions or other hair enhancers. For example, a clip strip 12 may be made longer than the strip 12 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, such that three or four hair clips 14, 34 are included. As noted above, an exemplary three-clip embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. This longer clip strip 12 may be used on wider hair extensions.
The clip strip 12 may alternatively be manufactured in a less lengthy size, such that only one hair clip 14, 34 is included. This shorter clip strip 12 may be used on narrower hair extensions or for custom fitting hair extensions, wigs, toupees, integration pieces, or other hair enhancers.
Hair enhancement devices, such as wigs, extensions, toupees or integration pieces, may have various backings, such as lace, polyurethane, skin wefts, and others, and the clip strips 12 may be attached to any of these backings. In other words, a hair enhancement apparatus may be formed by attaching a clip strip 12 or equivalent attachment device to a hair enhancer. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a hair enhancement apparatus 40 may be formed by attaching a clip strip 12 to the hair 42 and/or weft 44 of a hair enhancer (e.g., a hair extension). As a result, a typically more permanent hair enhancement device may be converted into a temporary enhancement device through inclusion of the clip strip 12, which allows the user to repeatedly attach and detach the hair enhancer apparatus 40 to the user's hair. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a hair enhancement apparatus 50 may be formed by attaching a clip strip 12 to the tape adhesive section 54 of a hair extension 52 or other hair enhancer, again converting a more permanent hair enhancement device into a temporary enhancement device through inclusion of the clip strip 12.
The clip strips 12 could be packaged and sold individually such that an individual who wanted to purchase hair extensions or other hair enhancers separately without the clip strips 12 could do so. The clip strips 12 could be packaged as groups of strips 12 with a predetermined quantity of hair clips 14, 34 on each strip 12 (e.g., one, two, three or four hair clips 14, 34 on each strip) or the strips 12 could be packaged such that the package includes a single strip with a greater quantity of hair clips 14, 34 (e.g., twenty hair clips 14, 34). In the latter case, the user would then create his or her own desired length clip strip 12 by cutting off a strip with a desired quantity of hair clips 14, 34. Packaging the clip strips 12 separately from particular hair enhancers would enable end users and professional stylists to attach one or more clip strips 12 to any hair enhancer and thereby create a custom hair enhancement apparatus, regardless of whether the hair enhancers may include other, more complicated attachment means.
Alternatively, one or more clip strips 12 may be pre-attached to a hair extension or other hair enhancer to form a hair enhancement apparatus, or may be packaged and sold together with a hair enhancer (or set of hair enhancers) as a kit. By supplying a hair enhancement apparatus that already includes one or more clip strips 12, the present invention enables the user to attach the hair enhancer to the user's hair by using the hair clip(s) 14, 34 of the pre-attached clip strip(s) 12 and thereby avoid having to attach the clip strip or strips 12 to the hair enhancer manually.
The present invention encompasses a device usable for attaching a hair enhancer to a person's hair and a hair enhancement apparatus incorporating such a device. With this invention, an attachment device may be quickly and easily added to a hair enhancer by a user or stylist to create a clip-in hair enhancement device. Thus, the attachment device of the present invention eliminates the need to use cumbersome methods, such as sewing in hair clips and manually applying adhesive, to make a hair enhancer ready for installation in a user's hair. Additionally, a hair extension user may choose to use hair extensions having integrated tape adhesive, or other more permanent or complicated methods of attachment (e.g., which the user may have previously purchased with the intent of using permanently or semi-permanently), and easily convert or retrofit them to be for more temporary use by attaching the attachment device 12 of the present invention to the hair extensions and then securing the resulting hair enhancement apparatus to the user's hair with the attachment device's hair clip or clips 14, 34, as applicable. Alternatively, the attachment device of the present invention may be pre attached to a hair enhancer to form a hair enhancement apparatus, which may be clipped into a user's natural hair for temporary or semi-permanent use. Still further, the present invention facilitates a user's purchase of hair extensions and the attachment device separately to provide the user flexibility for using the attachment device to secure the hair extension to the user's hair for the best fit and comfort. Because many hair types and styles require custom extensions, the present invention provides several options for the attachment of hair extensions to allow the user to pick and choose the best arrangement for a desired beauty outcome, cosmetic result, or style. Finally, because the attachment device of the present invention is clip-based, the attachment device facilitates relatively easy removal of the extension or other hair enhancer for temporary installation of hair enhancing products.
In the foregoing specification, the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended exemplary claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments of the present invention. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause or result in such benefits, advantages, or solutions to become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any or all the claims. The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including any amendments made during the pendency of this application and all equivalents of those claims as issued.

Claims

1. A device usable for attaching a hair enhancer to a person's hair, the device comprising:

a strip of flexible material defining a first side and an opposing second side;

at least one hair clip attached to the first side of the strip of material; and

an adhesive layer attached to the second side of the strip of material, the adhesive layer facilitating attachment of the device to the hair enhancer.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer defines a first side and an opposing second side, wherein the first side of the adhesive layer is attached to the second side of the strip of material, the device further comprising:

a backing paper affixed to the second side of the adhesive layer, the backing paper being removable by a user of the device to enable the adhesive layer to be attached to the hair enhancer.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the strip of material is sized and shaped to accommodate attachment of a single hair clip to the front side of the strip of material.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the strip of material is sized and shaped to accommodate attachment of a plurality of hair clips to the front side of the strip of material.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one hair clip comprises a plurality of hair clips.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of hair clips are aligned in a row.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the strip of material is sized and shaped to facilitate attachment of a particular hair enhancer to a person's hair.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the strip of material is polyurethane.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is double-sided tape.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one hair clip is fastened by adhesive to the first side of the strip of material.

11. A hair enhancement apparatus that is attachable to a person's hair, the hair enhancement apparatus comprising:

a hair enhancer; and

an attachment device attached to the hair enhancer, the attachment device including:

a strip of flexible material defining a first side and an opposing second side;

at least one hair clip attached to the first side of the strip of material; and

an adhesive layer attaching the second side of the strip of material to the hair enhancer.

12. The hair enhancement apparatus of claim 11, wherein the strip of material is sized and shaped to accommodate attachment of a single hair clip to the first side of the strip of material

13. The hair enhancement apparatus of claim 11, wherein strip of material is sized and shaped to accommodate attachment of a plurality of hair clips to the first side of the strip of material.

14. The hair enhancement apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one hair clip comprises a plurality of hair clips.

15. The hair enhancement apparatus of claim 14, wherein the plurality of hair clips are aligned in a row.

16. The hair enhancement apparatus of claim 10, wherein the hair enhancer is one of a hair extension, a wig, a toupee, a hairpiece, and an integration piece.

17. The hair enhancement apparatus of claim 10, wherein the strip of material is polyurethane.

18. The hair enhancement apparatus of claim 10, wherein the adhesive layer is double-sided tape.

19. The hair enhancement apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one hair clip is fastened by adhesive to the first side of the strip of material.

20. An attachable hair enhancement apparatus comprising:

a hair extension; and

an attachment device attached to the hair extension, the attachment device including:

a strip of flexible material defining a first side and an opposing second side;

at least one hair clip attached to the first side of the strip of material; and

an adhesive layer attaching the second side of the strip of material to the hair extension.