Abstract:
A device for propping up hair comprising a bob member for being attached to the back of the hair a comb attached to the bob member for supporting the bob member.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims benefit to provisional application 60/587,628, filed on Jul. 13, 2004, entitled “Improved Hair Bob”, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present application is directed to hair appearance devices. In particular, the present invention is specifically directed to devices and apparatus, which affect the appearance and enhance the perceived quantity of human hair. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The appearance of puffed up or enhanced hair is highly desirable and provides a unique look and feel for any moment. These have typically included hair attachment “falls” and special sprays and chemical treatments. Heretofore, there have been a number of patents related to systems for adding height or fullness to hair. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,861, for example, discloses a system for adding height to the hair at the crown of the wearer&#39;s head. The system comprises two hair inserts which can be identical to each other. Each insert is formed by attaching a natural-looking hairpiece to the main bar of a comb. The system is inserted by the wearer gathering the natural hair at the crown of her head inserting one insert from each side of the gathered hair, such that the teeth of the combs intermesh, frictionally engaging the system in the wearer&#39;s hair. Finally, the wearer&#39;s natural hair can be arranged over the inserted hairpieces so that the system is completely hidden from view. The system is typically hidden from view beneath the wearer&#39;s natural hair. Moreover, as the system incorporates natural or synthetic hair covering the main bars of the combs, it will not be greatly noticeable or cause embarrassment to the wearer. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,783 is directed to a hairpiece having a comb-shaped attaching member designed to provide the most natural appearance while securely attaching the hairpiece to the natural hairpiece of the wearer. In a preferred embodiment, artificial hair root is attached to the comb-shaped member at a plurality of disbursed and disconnected hair root attach sites. These are formed at one side of the comb-shaped member. To provide the desired flexibility, the comb-shaped member may be formed with a spring wire core coated with a thermo plastic material which holds the hair roots. 
   The prior art is thus replete with hair systems which incorporate combs with added hair or increased thickness and height. These systems are expensive, hot and use chemicals. 
   There is a long felt need for a device for adding height to hair which can be simple and compact and which can blend in with the natural hair. Such a product would be highly desirable and improve over current systems. 
   It is an object of the present invention to provide a hair adding system which will puff up and increase the apparent height of the wearer&#39;s hair without the use of hair pieces and chemicals. 
   These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description which follows. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the invention, a device for propping up hair comprising: a bob member for being attached to the back of the hair; a comb affixed to the bob member for supporting the bob member. 
   In a further embodiment, a device for propping up hair comprising: a bob member for being attached to the back of the hair; a comb affixed to the bob member for supporting the bob member and means for locking the bob in place. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic top view of an embodiment of the hair enhancing apparatus of the present invention. 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  are schematic side views of another embodiment of the hair enhancing apparatus in which the clamp is in open and closed positions, respectively. 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic bottom view of the hair enhancing apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 6  are schematic inverted front views of the hair enhancing apparatus of  FIGS. 2 and 3 , respectively, in which the clamp is in open and closed positions. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the embodiment of the hair enhancing apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of another embodiment according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is described with reference to the enclosed Figures wherein the same numbers are used for like parts. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the hair enhancing apparatus of the present invention is shown to comprise a bob member  12  attached to a comb comprising a plurality of comb members  14 . Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the bob member  12  comprises a shaped member  16  (occasionally referred to herein as the “top”) of colored human or synthetic hair  17  which is held in place by means of a cloth strap represented schematically by line  33 . The bob member has a height  29  of approximately ⅜ to ½ inch. This is most clearly shown in  FIG. 3 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , the base  49  of the bob member is affixed to a clamp in the form of a metallic clip  18  with extending comb members  14 . Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  5  and  6 , the clip is bendable to conform to both an open snap position  20  and closed snap position  22 . 
   The following naming convention has been adopted to identify elements of the hair enhancing apparatus with clarity. The lower portion of the bob member  12  has a substantially bulky rectangular block shape with substantially planar faces. The “upper face” of this block is  41  ( FIG. 1 ). The “front face”  48  ( FIG. 7 ) of the lower portion faces the direction of the extending comb members  14 . Opposite front face  48  is the “rear face”  44  ( FIG. 1 ). Other faces of the lower portion are opposite “sides”  42 . Preferably, the front face  48  and rear face  44  are substantially the same length, the two sides  42  are substantially the same length, and the sides are smaller than the front face and rear face. The base  49  ( FIG. 4 ) for the bob member  12  is the underside of the lower portion. 
   Shaped member  16  is positioned adjacent the upper face  41 .  FIGS. 1 and 7 , illustrate an embodiment of the hair enhancing apparatus in which the area of contact of the top  16  and the lower portion of the bob member  12  is less than the area of the upper face  41 . The top  16  and upper face  41  are congruent in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  5  and  6 . Also in the embodiment of  FIGS. 2 ,  3 ,  5  and  6 , the clip  18  is positioned flush with the rear face  44 . In another embodiment the clip  18  is spaced away from the rear face  44  as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 7 . 
   Preferably the hair  17  covers the outer surface of shaped member  16 . As shown in the Figures, the filaments of hair  17  render the top convexly curved and protruding upward from the upper face. More specifically, a plurality of filaments of the human or synthetic hair  17  are arranged in substantially parallel arches fixed at both ends to the bob member. The arches span from the rear face to the front face. Strap  33  extending around the bob member near the top holds the arched fibers in place.  FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of an embodiment according to this invention which includes a strap  34 . In this embodiment the filaments  17  are arched over the top from rear to front, and continue under the strap  34  to form substantially parallel filament extensions  27 . The array of filament extensions  27  cover the front face of the bob member  12 . 
   In a first position  20  of clip  18 , the comb members, that is, the teeth of the comb are extended outward away from the base of the bob member. This enables the hair enhancing apparatus to be placed in the hair of the user. When the clip is pushed to the second locking position,  22  the teeth of the comb move inward thus securing the wearer&#39;s hair between the base  49  and the comb members  14 . The bob member then props up the hair of the user. 
   The bob member  12  props up the user&#39;s hair and provides the illusion of increased hair height. It is to be appreciated that the bob member of the present invention is specifically designed to match the color requirements with a multitude of wearers. Thus, the bob member can be in brown, black, red, silver color or any combination therof. 
   The critical advantage of the hair enhancing apparatus is that it achieves the result without messy or hot synthetic hair pieces or falls and without the need for chemical agents and sprays. The present invention can include a kit with multiple hair enhancing apparatus, specifically shaped bob members and teasing combs. 
   The operation of the invention is as follows: First, a small section of hair (about ¾ of an inch thick) is held away from the scalp and held straight up firmly. A teasing comb is inserted from the back, teeth facing forward into the lifted hair approximately 1½ inches above the scalp. The comb is slid down toward the scalp. 
   After the teased hair is moved forward, the comb members  14  of a hair enhancing apparatus are placed into the crown area (area at the top of the head between the ears). The hair enhancing apparatus is attached about ¼ of an inch up into teased hair, with the attached clip. The snap clip is closed to lock the hair enhancing apparatus into the hair securely. Once the hair enhancing apparatus is secure, the hair is flipped over the apparatus to cover the bob member  12 . The hair is combed and sprayed for extra hold. 
   The present invention has been described with referenced to the enclosed figures. It is to be appreciated that the true nature and scope of the present invention is to be determined with reference to the claims appended hereto.