Abstract:
A hair extension kit, which includes a plurality of hair extensions of novel construction and a method of attaching the hair extensions onto a wearer&#39;s natural hair using an easy-to-use attachment system. Each of the hair extensions of the hair extension kit includes a malleable or deformable ring, which circumscribes the legs of an extension loop and an elongated strand of supplemental hair. The method of attaching each of the hair extensions to the wearer&#39;s natural hair includes the steps of placing the extension loop of each hair extension on top of an existing strand of hair of the wearer; pulling the existing strand of hair through the extension loop so that the strand of hair is disposed inside the extension loop; pulling the extension loop through the malleable or deformable ring in order to draw the extension loop and the strand of supplemental hair through the ring; and securing the strand of supplemental hair and the existing strand of hair within the ring by crimping the malleable or heating the deformable ring.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates generally to hair extensions and the method of attaching the hair extensions to an existing, natural strand of hair of the wearer. More particularly, the hair extension of the invention comprises a malleable or deformable ring that circumscribes an extension loop and an elongated strand of supplemental hair, while the method of the invention comprises the step of using the extension loop to draw a strand of the natural hair of the wearer through the malleable or deformable ring and the step of then crimping the malleable or heating the deformable ring to secure the strand of supplemental hair to the strand of natural hair.  
         [0003]     2. Discussion of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     The use of hair extensions to supplement and lengthen the natural hair, particularly by women, has become quite popular. In some cases the hair extensions are used to supplement hair loss or thinning of the hair. In other cases, the hair extensions are used merely to enhance the appearance of the wearer. In this regard, the use of hair extensions of different, sometimes very bright colors, are used by younger women to make unique fashion statements.  
         [0005]     Various mechanisms have been suggested in the past to interconnect the hair extensions with the natural hair of the wearer. For example, hair extensions have been attached to the head of the wearer by means of adhesives, artificial skin materials, clips and the like. In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 6,446,636 issued to Vittallo discloses a method of attaching supplemental hair to natural human hair in which the supplemental hair is attached to natural human hair by first applying to a portion of natural human hair a bonding composition, including a non-toxic, non-thermoplastic resin that is soluble in an organic solvent, and a colorant, and then bonding a weft of supplemental hair to the portion of natural human hair.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,315 issued to Harrison discloses a hair extension device comprising a skin-simulating layer of artificial skin material having an interface for attachment to a wearer&#39;s scalp and an outer face. The skin-simulating layer has an opening through which a portion of the wearer&#39;s existing hair can be pulled. A plurality of strands of hair are secured to the skin-simulating layer around the opening to extend from the outer face of the layer in order to imitate naturally growing hair when integrated with the natural hair pulled through the opening.  
         [0007]     In a somewhat different approach, U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,209 issued to McDonald, et al., describes a hair extension, which includes hair strands affixed to a ring assembly. The ring assembly comprises an inner ring and an outer ring. The inner ring is configured to nest within the outer ring, with distal ends of the hair strands impinged between the inner and outer rings. A plait of the wearer&#39;s hair is inserted through the ring assembly of the hair extension. The hair extension is attached to the plait with a band, or by sewing the hair extension to the plait.  
         [0008]     In a still different approach, U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,366 issued to Simmons, et al., discloses a hair piece assembly for allowing a wearer to prevent hairstyles from going flat during high humidity or wet weather. The hairpiece assembly includes a clip assembly that is adapted for securing to the hair of the wearer. A plurality of filler hairs is coupled to the clip assembly. The filler hairs are adapted for being combed into the hair of the wearer for providing volume to the hair of the wearer.  
         [0009]     Common drawbacks of the prior art hair extensions include difficulties in attaching the hair extensions to the natural hair, a failure to provide a natural looking appearance when the hair extensions are in place and a failure to adequately secure the hair extensions to the natural hair to prevent accidental displacement of the hair extensions during use. It is these drawbacks that the hair extensions of the present invention seek to overcome.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     It is an object of the present invention to provide a hair extension kit, which includes a plurality of hair extensions of novel construction and a method of attaching the hair extensions onto a wearer&#39;s natural hair using an easy-to-use attachment system.  
         [0011]     In one embodiment of the invention, each of the hair extensions of the hair extension kit comprises an attachment mechanism that includes a malleable ring, which circumscribes the legs of an extension loop and an elongated strand of supplemental hair. In this form of the invention, the method of attaching each of the hair extensions to the wearer&#39;s natural hair includes the steps of placing the extension loop of each hair extension on top of an existing strand of hair of the wearer; pulling the existing strand of hair through the extension loop so that the strand of hair is disposed inside the extension loop; pulling the extension loop through the malleable ring so as to draw the extension loop and the strand of supplemental hair through the malleable ring; and securing the strand of supplemental hair and the existing strand of hair within the malleable ring by crimping the malleable ring.  
         [0012]     Another object of the invention is to provide a hair extension attachment system as described in the preceding paragraph, which includes a sectioning disc having a central aperture through which the strand of natural hair can be threaded. The sectioning disc can be interconnected with the wearer&#39;s hair in a manner so as to hold the strand of natural hair in position during the hair extension attachment process.  
         [0013]     Another object of the invention is to provide a hair extension attachment system as described in the preceding paragraph, which further includes a control clip for interconnecting the sectioning disc with the wearer&#39;s natural hair.  
         [0014]     Another object of the invention is to provide a hair extension attachment system of the class described which further includes a hooking element for pulling the strand of natural hair through the extension loop.  
         [0015]     Another object of the invention is to provide a hair extension attachment system of the aforementioned character, which insures that the supplemental hair is securely attached to the wearer&#39;s natural hair in a manner to prevent accidental displacement of the supplemental hair.  
         [0016]     In an alternate embodiment of the invention, each of the hair extensions of the hair extension kit comprises an attachment mechanism that includes a heat deformable, plastic ring, which circumscribes the legs of an extension loop and an elongated strand of supplemental hair. In this form of the invention, the method of attaching each of the hair extensions to the wearer&#39;s natural hair includes the steps of placing the extension loop of each hair extension on top of an existing strand of hair of the wearer; pulling the existing strand of hair through the extension loop so that the strand of hair is disposed inside the extension loop; pulling the extension loop through the plastic ring so as to draw the extension loop and the strand of supplemental hair through the plastic ring; and securing the strand of supplemental hair and the existing strand of hair within the plastic ring by controllably heating the plastic ring using a specially configured heating iron.  
         [0017]     Another object of the invention is to provide a hair extension attachment system, which can be used by a hair stylist with a minimum of training to provide a natural looking appearance.  
         [0018]     These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is a generally perspective, exploded view of one form of the hair extension kit of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a generally perspective view of one form of the hair extension assembly of the hair extension kit of the present invention.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating the initial steps in the performance of one form of the method of the invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating a further step in the performance of one form of the method of the invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating another of the steps of one form of the method of the invention.  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating yet another of the steps of one form of the method of the invention.  
         [0025]      FIG. 7  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating a strand of supplemental hair of the invention initially interconnected with a strand of natural hair of the wearer.  
         [0026]      FIG. 8  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating the final step in one form of the method of the invention by which the strand of supplemental hair of the invention is securely interconnected with a strand of natural hair of the wearer.  
         [0027]      FIG. 9  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating a strand of supplemental hair of the invention securely interconnected with a strand of natural hair of the wearer.  
         [0028]      FIG. 10  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view of one of the initial steps of an alternate form of the method of the invention.  
         [0029]      FIG. 11  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating a further step in the accomplishment of the alternate form of the method of the invention.  
         [0030]      FIG. 12  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating a strand of supplemental hair of the invention initially interconnected with a strand of natural hair of the wearer in accordance with an alternate form of the invention.  
         [0031]      FIG. 13  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating the final step in the alternate form of the method of the invention by which the strand of supplemental hair of the invention is securely interconnected with a strand of natural hair of the wearer using a heat deformable plastic ring.  
         [0032]      FIG. 14  is a generally perspective, diagrammatic view illustrating a strand of supplemental hair of the invention securely interconnected with a strand of natural hair of the wearer.  
         [0033]      FIG. 15  is a front view of the electric heating iron of the present invention.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0034]     Referring to the drawings and particularly to  FIG. 1 , one form of the extension kit of the present invention is there illustrated and generally designated by the numeral  14 . The hair extension kit here comprises a carrying case  15  having a plurality of compartments, one of said compartments housing a hair extension assembly of novel construction. Another of the compartments carries the various tools of the invention for use in interconnecting the hair extension assembly to a strand of natural hair of the wearer.  
         [0035]     Considering first the hair extension assembly of the invention, as best seen in  FIG. 2 , this important assembly  16  here comprises a hair extension  18  that is made up of a plurality of strands  20  of supplemental hair, an extension loop  22  and a malleable ring  24  that circumscribes the strands of supplemental hair. Extension loop  22  includes a loop portion  22   a  and first and second legs  22   b  and  22   c  respectively. Malleable ring  24  circumscribes the strands  20  of supplemental hair as well as the first and second legs of the extension loop. As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , first and second legs  22   b  and  22   c  pass-through ring  24  and are interconnected together by means of a pull tab  25 .  
         [0036]     The strands of supplemental hair can be of different colors and can comprise natural hair, or synthetic hair made from a variety of different types of synthetic filaments of a character well known to those skilled in the art. Ring  24  can be constructed from various malleable metals, including aluminum and brass.  
         [0037]     Turning once again to  FIG. 1  of the drawings, the tools of the invention are stored within a compartment  26  located at one end of the carrying case. As indicated in  FIG. 1 , storage compartment  26  is closed by a conventional zipper assembly  28 . In addition to the tools, compartment  26  is adapted to a hold a plurality of split, sectioning discs  30  each having a central aperture  30   a  for receiving a plurality of strands of the natural hair of the wearer. The tools of the present form of the invention for use in the method of the invention, here include a comb  32  having a handle  32   a  provided with a hook extremity  32   b  (see also  FIG. 3 ). The tools of the invention further comprise a pair of clips  34  for interconnecting the sectioning discs  30  with the hair of the wearer, pincher means, shown here as a pair of pliers  36 , for crimping malleable ring  24 , and a heating means, shown here as an electric heating iron  67  for heat deformation of the deformable plastic ring  64 .  
         [0038]     In the present embodiment of the invention, a plurality of hair extension assemblies  16  are packaged within a plurality of transparent packaging assemblies  40 , which, in turn, are carried within upper compartment  42  of the carrying case  15 . Packaging assemblies  40  are secured in position within carrying case  15  by a conventional snap type assembly  44  ( FIG. 1 ).  
         [0039]     Referring to  FIGS. 3 through 9  of the drawings, one form of the method of the invention is there illustrated. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first step in the method of one form of the invention comprises collecting together a plurality of strands of the wearer&#39;s natural hair and entraining the strands “N” through the central opening  30   a  of one of the sectioning discs  30 . This done, the sectioning disc  30  is secured to a lock of the wearer&#39;s hair using one of the clips  34 . With the strand of hair “N” thusly secured in place, the loop portion  22   a  of the extension loop  22  is overlaid over the lower portion of the natural strands “N” of hair of the wearer in the manner illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Using the hook portion  32   b  of the comb  32 , the natural strands of hair of the wearer are then pulled through the loop portion  22   a  of the extension loop so that the natural strands of hair “N” reside within the loop portion. Next, the extension loop is pulled through the malleable ring  24  in the manner shown in  FIG. 5 . This is accomplished by gripping tab  25  and exerting a pulling pressure thereon in the direction of the arrow  47  of  FIG. 5 . As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , as the extension loop  22  is pulled through the malleable ring  24 , the strands of natural hair “N” will also be pulled through the ring into a position adjacent the strands of supplemental hair  20 . A continued pulling force exerted on the pull tab  25  will cause the extension loop to pull free of the ring  24  so that the strand of natural hair neatly overlays the strand of supplemental hair in the manner shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0040]     The final step in the present form of the method of the invention involves the step of securing the strands of supplemental hair and the natural strands of hair in position within the malleable ring. This is accomplished by using the crimping means, or pliers  36 , in the manner illustrated in  FIG. 8  to securely crimp the malleable ring about the natural and supplemental strands of hair. As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , this results in the neat, attractive and secure interconnection of the supplemental strands of hair  20  with the natural hair of the wearer. At such time as it is desired to disconnect the supplemental strands of hair from the strands of hair of the wearer, the pliers can be used to reform the connector ring in a manner to permit the ring  24  and the supplemental strands of hair  20  to be disconnected from the strands of natural hair of the wearer.  
         [0041]     Turning next to  FIGS. 10 and 11  of the drawings, an alternate form of the hair extension apparatus of the invention is there illustrated. This alternate form of apparatus is similar in many respects to that earlier described and illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 9  of the drawings and like numerals are used in  FIGS. 10 and 11  to describe like components.  
         [0042]     The primary difference between this second embodiment of the invention and the earlier described embodiment concerns the slightly differently configured hair extension assembly portion of the hair extension kit. This second form of hair extension assembly, which is generally designated in  FIGS. 10 and 11  by the numeral  56 , comprises a differently configured extension loop  58 . Extension loop  58  here includes a hairpin-like member having loop portion  58   a  and first and second leg portions  58   b  and  58   c  respectively. Unlike the earlier described embodiment of the invention, leg portions  58   b  and  58   c  are not interconnected by a pull-tab.  
         [0043]     In accomplishing the alternate method of the invention illustrated in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , the first step in the method once again comprises collecting together a plurality of strands of the wearer&#39;s natural hair and entraining the strands “N” through the central opening  30   a  of one of the sectioning discs  30 . This done, the sectioning disc  30  is secured to a lock of the wearer&#39;s hair using one of the clips  34 . With the strand of hair “N” thusly secured in place, the lower portion of the natural strands “N” of hair of the wearer is inserted between leg portions  58   b  and  58   c  of extension loop  58  in the manner illustrated in  FIG. 10 . Next, with the natural strands of hair positioned within the loop portion  58   a  of the extension loop as shown in  FIG. 11 , the leg portions  58   b  and  58   c  are inserted through the ring  24 . Pulling downwardly on the leg portions of the extension loop will then cause the natural strands of hair of the wearer to be pulled through the ring  24  into a position adjacent the strands of supplemental hair  20 . As before, during this step the extension loop will pull free of the ring  24  leaving the strand of natural hair neatly overlaying the strand of supplemental hair and a manner shown in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0044]     The final step in this second form of the method of the invention involves the step of securing the strands of supplemental hair and the natural strands of hair in position within the malleable ring  24 . This is accomplished in the same manner as previously described by using the crimping means, or pliers  36 , to securely crimp the malleable ring about the natural and supplemental strands of hair.  
         [0045]     Referring to  FIGS. 12, 13  and  14  of the drawings, still another form of the hair extension apparatus of the invention is there illustrated. This latter form of apparatus is similar in many respects to those earlier described and illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 11  of the drawings and like numerals are used in  FIGS. 12, 13  and  14  to describe like components.  
         [0046]     The primary difference between this latest embodiment of the invention and the earlier described embodiments concerns the use of a heat deformable plastic hair capture ring  64  instead of the manually malleable crimp ring. As before, the first step in the method of this alternate form of the invention comprises collecting together a plurality of strands of the wearer&#39;s natural hair and entraining the strands “N” through the central opening  30   a  of one of the sectioning discs  30 . This done, the sectioning disc  30  is secured to a lock of the wearer&#39;s hair using one of the clips  34 . With the strand of hair “N” thusly secured in place, the extension loop portion  22  is overlaid over the lower portion of the natural strands “N” of hair of the wearer in the manner illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Using the hook portion  32   b  of the comb  32 , the natural strands of hair of the wearer are then pulled through the loop portion  22   a  of the extension loop so that the natural strands of hair “N” reside within the loop portion. Next, the extension loop is pulled through the heat deformable plastic ring  64  shown in  FIG. 12 . This is accomplished by gripping tab  25  and exerting a pulling pressure thereon. As the loop  22   a  is pulled through the plastic ring  64 , the strands of natural hair “N” will also be pulled through the ring into a position adjacent the strands of supplemental hair  20 . A continued pulling force exerted on the pull tab  25  will cause the extension loop to pull free of the plastic ring  64  so that the strand of natural hair neatly overlays the strand of supplemental hair and a manner shown in  FIG. 12 .  
         [0047]     The final step in this second alternate form of the method of the invention involves the step of securing the strands of supplemental hair and the natural strands of hair in position within the heat deformable ring  64 . This is accomplished by using the heating means, or electric heating iron  67  of the extension kit of the invention, in the manner illustrated in  FIG. 13  to deform the plastic ring in a manner to secure the ring about the natural and supplemental strands of hair. Electric heating iron  67 , which is of a conventional construction well understood by those skilled in the art, comprises a connector cord  69  and electrically heated ring gripping jaws  67   a  which can be manipulated relative to the plastic ring  64  by hand grips  67   b  (see  FIG. 15 ). As illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the controlled heat deformation of ring  64  results in the neat, attractive and secure interconnection of the supplemental strands of hair  20  with the natural hair of the wearer. As previously mentioned, in this alternate form of the apparatus of the invention, the heating iron  67  forms a part of the novel extension kit of the invention.  
         [0048]     At such time as it is desired to disconnect the supplemental strands of hair from the strands of hair of the wearer, two or three drops of a suitable solvent can be placed on the plastic ring  64  to appropriately soften the ring so that it can be pealed away from the natural and supplemental strands of hair to enable the supplemental strands of hair  20  to be disconnected from the strands of natural hair of the wearer.  
         [0049]     Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.