Abstract:
A protective cape for salon clients of the type which is draped over the torso and fastened around the neck of a client, comprising a flexible sheet having a centrally located hole for encircling the neck, a perimeter, and a slit communicating between the centrally located hole and the perimeter. The slit extends laterally from the centrally located hole, so that the cape fastener is not located at the nape of the neck. The front and rear of the cape have greater length than the right and left sides. Optionally, the cape may have a collar, a collar fastener, and rounded corners where the front and rear edges meet the right and left edges. The overall configuration of the cape may in plan display symmetry from the front edge to the rear edge and symmetry from the right edge to the left edge, or may be generally trapezoidal.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a salon cape of the type used to shield the clothing and body of a person receiving hair care services from hair clippings and the like. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    People having their hair cut or chemically treated or both at hair salons are customarily provided with protective capes. These capes are usually fastened about the neck and draped over the upper torso at the back and at the front, and over the arms of the salon client, so that hair clippings, chemicals, and like contaminants will neither foul the clothing nor irritate the skin of the client. 
         [0003]    While protective capes are effective in shielding the upper torso from these hazards, they nonetheless present irritation to the client or even a frustration to the salon personnel in that the cape may require manipulation or adjustment in the course of servicing the hair to provide fully effective coverage, or obstruct the work area should for example fasteners project from the cape excessively. This may arise from the traditional location of the usual slit which enables a cape to be placed on the body of the salon client in a position encircling the neck. The usual location is at the nape of the neck. 
         [0004]    Because hair is usually directed to the back of the neck, it becomes easy in the course of handling the hair to have strands of hair engage snaps and other fasteners at the nape of the neck. This may be avoided by adjusting the position of the cape on the wearer. However, because most of the effective protective length of the cape is located at the front and the back, the front and back of the wearer may become inadequately protected after adjustment of the position of the cape. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention provides a protective salon cape having characteristics which overcome the above noted problems. According to one aspect of the invention, the novel cape has the usual slit located at or projecting to the side of the person, with most of the effective length of the cape located at the front and the back of the wearer. Therefore, adjustment as described above is no longer necessary. 
         [0006]    It is an object of the invention to locate the usual slit in a salon cape which slit permits the cape to be placed around the neck to project in a substantially lateral direction relative to the effective length of the cape. 
         [0007]    Another object of the invention is to reduce propensity of hair to become entangled with fasteners and other structure of a salon protective cape. 
         [0008]    It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof by apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes. 
         [0009]    These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a protective cape according to at least one aspect of the invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged perspective detail view of the left center of  FIG. 1 , showing the protective cape drawn into a slightly different configuration. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a protective cape according to a further aspect of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]      FIG. 1  shows a protective cape  10  for salon clients (not shown) of the type which is draped over the torso and fastened around the neck of the client. The protective cape  10  may comprise a flexible sheet  12  having a perimeter  14  along which are a front edge  16 , a rear edge  18 , a right edge  20 , and a left edge  22 . It should be stressed at the outset that orientational terms such as front, rear, right, left, overlying, and underlying refer to the drawing as viewed by an observer. Obviously, a salon cape such as the protective cape  10  may be maneuvered and oriented at the discretion of a person handling the salon cape. Therefore, it will be understood that orientation of a salon cape according to any aspect of the present invention is for purposes of providing semantic basis for the description, and not for purposes of limiting the invention. Similarly, structural distinctions of a salon cape according to at least one aspect of the invention are best described with the salon cape spread out flat on a flat surface. Therefore, where reference is made to viewing a salon cape in plan, such reference will imply for semantic purposes that the salon cape is spread out and flat. Obviously, a flexible sheet may be folded, bunched up, or otherwise made to depart from a flat spread condition. 
         [0015]    For purposes of describing critical structure, there is no “upper” or “lower” side of a salon cape. It is recognized however that as a salon cape according to at least one aspect of the invention may actually be fabricated, it may be preferable to conceal from view features such as seams, reinforcement panels, and fasteners from view. Therefore, with primarily only aesthetics in mind, that surface which is free from features such as seams, reinforcement panels, and fasteners may be regarded as the upper or exterior surface. 
         [0016]    The flexible sheet  12  may be made for example unitarily from a single piece of polymeric or woven or unwoven fabric, or may be made from plural joined panels of these materials in any combination as regards constituency, dimensions, and configuration. The constituent material may be a breathable yet moisture resistant material. 
         [0017]    The overall length of the protective cape  10  extends from the front edge  16  to the rear edge  18 . A centrally located opening  24  accommodates the neck of a salon client in that the neck passes through the centrally located opening  24  when the protective cape is fastened about the neck of the salon client. The protective cape  10  may be placed over the salon client by spreading apart the front left section from the rear left section, as depicted in  FIG. 1 , so that the neck of the salon client passes along a channel formed by a slit  26  which communicates between the centrally located opening  24  and the perimeter  12 . In the depiction of  FIG. 1 , the slit  26  extends from the centrally located opening  24  to the left edge  22 , and divides the left edge  22  in two. 
         [0018]    The flexible sheet  12  may be said to comprise a front section  28  extending between the centrally located opening  24  and the front edge  16 , a rear section  30  extending between the centrally located opening  24  and the rear edge  18 , a right section  32  extending between the centrally located opening  24  and the right edge  20 , and a left section  34  extending between the centrally located opening  24  and the left edge  22 . The slit  26  extends from the centrally located opening  24  along the left section  34  as depicted in  FIG. 1 , but if desired could extend from the centrally located opening  24  along the right section  32  instead. 
         [0019]    The front section  28  and the rear section  30  each has a respective length  36  or  38  which exceeds the respective lengths  40  or  42  of the right section  32  and of the left section  34 . Magnitude of the length  36  and of the length  38 , each taken from the border of the centrally located opening  24  to the perimeter  14 , may be greater than thirty inches, in particular may be forty-two and one half inches. The open interior or interior diameter  44  of the centrally located opening  24  may be about nine inches, so that the total length of the protective cape  10  may be about ninety-four inches. 
         [0020]    The length  36  of the front section  28  exceeds in magnitude the lengths  40  and  42  of the right section  32  and of the left section  34 . It will also be observed that the lengths  36  and  38  are about equal to one another, so that the protective cape  10  may apart from the slit  26  display symmetry on the front and rear sides of the centrally located opening  24 . Similarly, also apart from the slit  26 , the right section  32  is essentially a mirror image of the left section  34 . 
         [0021]    As depicted herein, the slit  26  may be straight along its length, but could be otherwise if desired. The slit may be aligned with the center point (not shown) of the centrally located opening  24 , but may be otherwise if desired. The center point is of course located at the intersection of hypothetical lines which divide the centrally located opening  24  along two orthogonal directions. The slit  26  could be arranged to engage the centrally located opening  24  tangentially (this embodiment is not shown), and extend to the right or left edge  20  or  22 . The slit  26  may also be other than linear if desired. 
         [0022]    The protective cape  10  may comprise a collar  46  which forms a border to the centrally located opening  24 . This collar  46  may lie in coplanar relationship to the flexible panel  12  when the protective cape  10  is worn by a salon client if desired, or alternatively may project out of the plane of the flexible panel  12 . Referring now to  FIG. 2 , the collar  46  may bear a fastener such as complementing patches  48  and  50  of hook and loop fastening material, so that the collar  46  may be disposed to releasably close about the neck of the client. The arrangement comprising complementing patches  48  and  50  of hook and loop material, or comprising another form of closure such as buttons or snaps (neither shown) for example, may be regarded as a neck closure. A neck closure is located near or at the slit  26  at the neck area of the protective cape  10 , and is not dependent upon a discrete collar such as the collar  46 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 2  more particularly shows that a neck closure is provided at the area of the neck of the salon client and along the slit  26  by the complementing patches  48  and  50  of hook and loop fastening material located on tabbed members  51  and  53  respectively. The female tabbed member  51  bearing patches  48  of hook and loop material, so as to engage the patch  50  of hook and loop fastening material of the male tabbed member  53 . 
         [0024]    In addition to the closure provided by hook and loop complementing patches  48  and  50 , or in place thereof, the protective cape  10  may be closed by complementing patches  52 ,  54  of hook and loop material disposed along the slit  26 . More particularly, the patches  52 ,  54  may be located at the shoulder of the salon client. Exploiting the flexible nature of the constituent material, the flexible sheet  12  may be manipulated so that the slit  26  is eliminated by drawing one part of the left section  34 , seen as an overlying section  56 , to overly another part of the left section  34 , the latter being seen as an underlying section  58 . The terms “overlying” and “underlying” refer of course to the protective cape  10  as seen in plan view, such as the plan view of  FIG. 1 , but with the fastener closed as would occur when the protective cape  10  is fastened about the neck of a salon client. The closed condition is seen in  FIG. 2 , which is intentionally rendered in perspective. 
         [0025]    The arrangement comprising the complementing patches  48 ,  50  of hook and loop material may be regarded as a shoulder closure. A shoulder closure comprises a closure member such as the complementing patches  48 ,  50  of hook and loop material or other fasteners, such as buttons or snaps (neither shown), which closure member is located near the shoulder area of the protective cape  10 . The shoulder area is of course that part of the protective cape  10  which overlies the shoulder of the salon client when the salon client is in a seated position and has donned the protective cape  10 . It should be noted that the shoulder closure is not limited to having fastener structure only at the shoulder area. The fastener structure may be continuously or discontinuously arrayed along the length of the slit  26  as desired. It is merely desired that at least one portion of the fastener structure assure that fastening be located near the shoulder area of the protective cape  10 . 
         [0026]    Either or both of the neck closure and the shoulder closure may be present in a protective cape according to an aspect of the invention. 
         [0027]      FIG. 1  shows a further aspect of the invention, namely, that the transitions between the front edge  16  and the left edge  22 , between the front edge  16  and the right edge  20 , between the rear edge  18  and the right edge  20 , and between the rear edge  18  and the left edge  22  are all radiused or otherwise curved. 
         [0028]    Turning now to  FIG. 3 , a protective cape  60  is shown. The protective cape  60  may comprise a flexible sheet  62  having a perimeter  64  along which are a front edge  66 , a rear edge  68 , a right edge  70 , and a left edge  72 . As seen in the plan view of  FIG. 3 , apart from the slit, the flexible sheet  62  displays a generally trapezoidal configuration. Other than characteristics relating to symmetry and equality of dimensions, this is the only significant difference with the protective cape  10  of  FIG. 1 . 
         [0029]    The present invention is susceptible to modifications and variations which may be introduced thereto without departing from the inventive concepts. For example, elements referred to in the singular may be provided in the plural, and where feasible, vice versa. Constituent material, such as the flexible sheets  12  and  62 , and fastening material such as the hook and loop material  52  and  54 , may be continuous in nature or discontinuous. 
         [0030]    While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the present invention is not to be limited to the disclosed arrangements, but is intended to cover various arrangements which are included within the spirit and scope of the broadest possible interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all modifications and equivalent arrangements which are possible.