Abstract:
A roller for creating a curl, wave, or volume in human hair extending across a width of a human head is disclosed. The roller has cylinder and a plurality of bristle groups. The cylinder has a first end, a second end, a cylindrical side wall, a central passage, and a plurality of vent apertures. Each bristle group comprises a plurality of bristles. The cylindrical side wall extends between the first and second end. The central passage extends within the cylinder between the first and second end. The plurality of bristle groups are space about the cylindrical side wall.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/959,114, filed on Aug. 15, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates in general to devices for creating volume, wave, and or curls in human hair. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Rollers are known for use in creating curls in human hair. Certain prior art rollers have VELCRO provided on the exterior of the rollers. 
         [0004]    The present inventor recognized the need for a roller that has longer length to eliminate or minimize unwanted parting lines on a top hair section of a user&#39;s head. The present inventor recognized the need for a roller that will save time, energy, and effort by enabling use with a wider section of hair as compared to conventional rollers. The present inventor recognized that VELCRO attracts lint and more easily tangles hair and causes hair follicle breakage. 
         [0005]    The present inventor recognized that the prior art roller have a tendency to fall out of a user&#39;s hair and require the use of pins or clips to secure the roller in place. The present inventor recognized the need for a roller with bristles that provides a gripping effect and do not require pins, clips, or other hardware to secure the roller to a user&#39;s hair. 
         [0006]    The present inventor recognized the need for a roller that can be used on all hair types and on people of all ages. The present inventor recognized the need for a roller that can be used to add volume, and or create curls or waves in hair whether hair starts out wet or dry. The present inventor recognized the need for an efficient, time-saving, roller that would provide increased functionality and convenience for the user. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    A method of creating a volume, waves and or curl in human hair is disclosed. A hair group comprising a group of hair strands to be curled is grasped, where each hair strand is rooted in a human head. The hair group is rooted in the human head across a width of the top of the head. A distal end of the hair group is pushed into the bristles extending from a roller across a width of the bristles. The bristles are spaced about the circumference and along the length of the roller. The hair is rolled with the roller and the hair is penetrated with the bristles to wrap the hair around the roller, and to secure the hair to the roller, until the roller is adjacent to the human head. The roller is maintained in the rolled hair group by frictional contact between the bristles of the roller and the rolled hair group for a predetermined amount of time without securing the roller to the hair with extra fastening hardware. 
         [0008]    A roller for creating volume, waves and or curl in human hair is disclosed. The roller has a cylinder and a plurality of bristle groups. The cylinder has a first end, a second end, a cylindrical side wall, a central passage, and a plurality of vent apertures. Each bristle group comprises a plurality of bristles. The cylindrical side wall extends between the first and second end. The central passage extends within the cylinder between the first and second end. The plurality of bristle groups are spaced about along the length and circumference of the cylindrical side wall. The bristle apertures extend along a length of the cylinder. The plurality of vent apertures communicate through the cylindrical wall from an exterior to the central passage. The plurality of vent apertures are space about among the bristle groups. 
         [0009]    Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a front view of a first embodiment roller of the invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is an end view of the roller of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the roller of  FIG. 1  turned 45 degrees. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a section view of the roller of  FIG. 1  taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the roller of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a section view of the roller of  FIG. 1  taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a second embodiment roller of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the roller of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is an end view of the roller of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a section view of the roller of  FIG. 7  taken along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  is a section view of the roller of  FIG. 7  taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 12  is a cross-section view of a third embodiment roller. 
           [0022]      FIG. 13  is a front view of a prior art rollers deployed in one type of application. 
           [0023]      FIG. 14  is a front view of the roller of  FIG. 7  deployed in one type of application. 
           [0024]      FIG. 15  is a side view of the roller of  FIG. 12  shown in one stage of deployment on a portion of hair diagrammatically shown as  30 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 16  is a side view of the roller of  FIG. 15  shown in a second stage of deployment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention. For the purposes of explanation, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a plural understanding of the present invention. While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will be described herein in detail, specific embodiments thereof with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. 
         [0027]      FIG. 1-6  show a first embodiment hair roller  50  of the invention. The roller  50  comprises a body cylinder  52 . The cylinder  52  has flat opposite first and second ends  54 ,  56 . The cylinder  52  has a plurality of bristles  70 ,  74 ,  78 ,  82 ,  84 ,  86 ,  88 ,  90 ,  92 ,  94 . The bristles are located in alternating circumferential rows of bristles  58 ,  60 ,  64 ,  62 ,  66 . Not all bristles and rows are labeled as can be seen in the figures. Each row comprises bristles spaced apart about the cylinder. Each breather hole, such as holes  72 ,  76 , is located between each bristle in each row. Therefore row  58  has a hole  72  located between adjacent bristles  70 ,  74 . In row  58  there is a hole between each of the following pairs of bristles  70 , 74 ;  74 ,  78 ;  78 ,  79 ;  79 ,  70 . Each bristle  70  is friction fitted into a bristle opening  71  of the cylinder. 
         [0028]    In each row of bristles, the bristles are spaced apart at 90 degree increments about the cylinder. Each breather hole is spaced apart at 90 degree increments about the cylinder. The breather holes are offset from the bristles by 45 degrees. Therefore a bristle or breather hole will be found at every 45 degree increment starting from a bristle or a breather hole about the cylinder in a row. 
         [0029]    The bristles in each adjacent row are offset by 45 degree from the other. Therefore the bristles in row  60  are offset by 45 degrees from the bristles in row  58  and row  62 . The bristles in every other row are aligned. Therefore, the bristles in row  60  are aligned with the bristles in row  62  Likewise the breather holes are offset by 45 degrees in adjacent rows and aligned in every second row. 
         [0030]    As can be seen from  FIGS. 1 ,  3 , and  5  longitudinal rows, such as rows  95 ,  96 ,  97  are formed by the bristles and breather holes. Row  96  begins with a bristle, followed by a breather holes, then alternates between bristles and breather holes. Rows  95  and  97  begin with breather holes, then alternate between bristles and breather holes as shown in the figures. 
         [0031]    In one embodiment, the bristles  70 ,  74 ,  78 ,  79  in the first row  58  are offset by 45 degrees from the bristles  90 ,  92 ,  94 ,  99  of the last row  68 . In some embodiments, the bristles of the first and last row are aligned. 
         [0032]    The roller  50  comprises a central hollow passage  55  that extends from the first end  54  to the second end  56 . The thickness of the cylinder creates circular donut face  57  at each end. Each of the breather holes connect to the central hollow passage  55 . 
         [0033]    In one embodiment, the cylinder has an outside diameter of 0.5 inch. The bristle has a length of 0.125 inch between the cylinder and the end of the bristle. Therefore the roller has a maximum diameter of 0.75 inch. 
         [0034]    A second embodiment hair roller  100  is shown in  FIGS. 7-11 . The roller has a body cylinder  102 . The cylinder  102  has flat opposite first and second ends  104 ,  106 . The cylinder  102  has a plurality of bristles  120 ,  127 ,  124 ,  129 . The bristles are located in alternating circumferential rows of bristles  110 ,  112 ,  114 ,  116 . Not all bristles and rows are labeled as can be seen in the figures. Each row comprises bristles spaced apart about the cylinder. Each breather hole, such as holes  122 ,  126 , is located between each bristle in each row. 
         [0035]    In each row of bristles, the bristles are spaced apart at 30 degree increments about the cylinder. Each breather hole is spaced apart at 30 degree increments about the cylinder. The breather holes are offset from the bristles by 15 degrees. Therefore a bristle or breather hole will be found at every 15 degree increment starting from a bristle or a breather hole about the cylinder in a row. The bristles in each adjacent row are offset by 15 degrees from the other. In some embodiments, the cylinder has an outside diameter of 3.25 inches. 
         [0036]    The roller  100  comprises a central hollow passage  130  that extends from the first end  104  to the second end  106 . The thickness of the cylinder creates a circular donut face  132  at each end. Each of the breather holes connect to the central hollow passage  130 . 
         [0037]    In some embodiments, the bristle to bristle spacing between each adjacent bristle in each row and the breather to breather hole spacing between adjacent breather holes in each row is provided in 36, 40, 60, degree increments about the cylinder. The breather holes are offset from the bristles by half of bristle to bristle spacing. In some embodiments, the cylinder has an outside diameter of 1.25, 2.25, or 2.75 inches, corresponding to the bristle to bristle spacing of 36, 40, or 60 degrees, respectively. 
         [0038]    In some embodiments, the bristle to bristle spacing between each adjacent bristle in each row and the breather to breather spacing between adjacent breather holes in each row is provided in 50.43 degree increments about the cylinder. The breather holes are offset from the bristles by 25.71 degrees and the cylinder has an outside diameter of 1.75 inches. 
         [0039]    The roller  50 ,  100  has a length between the first and second ends that is greater or equal to three inches. In some embodiments, the roller has a length that is from 3 to 5.5 inches, and preferably 4 inches. The longer length prevents unwanted parting lines  26  in a user&#39;s hair. 
         [0040]    In some embodiments, the bristles comprise natural boar hair, vinyl, plastic, natural animal hair, glass fibers, and/or a combination of the same. The bristles create a gripping action when the bristles are engaged with human hair so that the roller does not inadvertently fallout of the hair. As shown in  FIG. 12 , in some embodiments, one, multiple, or every bristle aperture  142  comprises multiple bristles in a bristle group  144 . The third embodiment roller  140  is the same as roller  100  except for the use of multiple bristles in a bristle group and the varying bristle lengths. Bristle groups can be used in roller  50 ,  100  or other rollers. 
         [0041]    In some embodiments, each bristle of the bristle group  144  will not be the same length as shown in  FIG. 12 . In some embodiments, one or more bristle groups have a height that differs from one or more other bristle groups. In some embodiment, adjacent bristle group in a row and/or a column have differing heights. In some embodiments, the bristles are longer than 0.125 inches. In some embodiments, the cylinder is or comprises plastic, metal, ceramic, or a combination thereof. 
         [0042]      FIG. 14  shows the roller  100  covered by a user&#39;s  15  hair. The roller  100  provide sufficient length so that it extends substantially across the entire width of the user&#39;s head. Therefore the user is able to use the roller to create curls that extend substantially across the entire top width of the user&#39;s head. The roller can also add waves and/or volume to the hair. Adding volume to the hair comprises where the hair appears fuller and/or occupies a larger area. This is an improvement over the prior art rollers  20 ,  22  shown in  FIG. 13  that are too short. Therefore, as shown in  FIG. 13 , the user is required to use multiple rollers to create curls substantially across the entire top width of the user&#39;s head. The multiple roller use creates often unwanted parting line  26  in the gap between the rollers  20 ,  22 . The prior art rollers  20 ,  22  tend to be pulled apart by gravity acting on the roller and hair attached to each roller, which creates the parting line  26  in the resulting hair style. While the roller  100  is shown placed at the top of the user&#39;s head in  FIG. 14 , it will be recognized that the roller  100  can be placed in at the back and/or on the sides of the head and/or in any other area about the head were a curl, a wave, or volume is desired in the hair. Further, multiple rollers can be used in the hair about the head to create the desired hair style at the desired locations. 
         [0043]    In some embodiments, substantially across the entire top width of a user&#39;s head, comprises plus or minus 0.5 inches of the actual width of the top of the user&#39;s head. 
         [0044]    As shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , to use the roller  50 ,  100 ,  140  of the invention, the user grasps a portion of hair  30  to be curled extending across the top of the user&#39;s head. Instead or in addition to creating a curl the roller can be used to add volume to or create a wave or waves in the user&#39;s hair. The grasped hair  30  has a width that is at least the width of the roller. The user then positions the roller at the end  32  or an end portion  34  of the hair  30 , opposite the scalp. The user then holds, with his or her hand, the end  32  of the hair, or an end portion  34  of the hair adjacent the end, against the bristles and/or cylinder of the roller  140 . As the user holds the hair against the roller, the bristles will be forced between the hair stands or between groups of hair strands or the hair stands will be forced between the bristles, to create a gripping action to hold the roller to the hair. The user then rolls the roller along the hair  30 , in the counterclockwise direction A of  FIG. 15 , until the end  32  is overlapped  36  by another hair portion of the hair  30 . Each time a bristle meets the hair strands, the bristle is forced between the hair strands, or vice versa, to create the griping action between the hair and the bristle. After the overlap, the end  32  or end portion  34  need not be held against the roller by the user&#39;s hand as the overlapping hair will hold the end  32  or end portion  34  against the roller. The user continues to roll the roller in the counterclockwise direction along hair to accumulate the hair  30  around the roller until the roller is at or adjacent the user&#39;s scalp and no further hair in the portion of the hair to be curled  30  is available to be wrapped around the roller  140 . 
         [0045]    While the roller is shown being rolled in the counterclockwise direction in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , the roller can be rolled in any desired direction which results in the hair being wrapped around the roller. The bristles will infuse into the hair and create a gripping action to hold the roller in the hair without the use of clips, pins, or other securing devices. Two, three or more layers of hair may be wrapped round the roller depending on the length of hair to be curled. 
         [0046]    After the hair is rolled around the roller, hair spray or other product can be applied. Further, heat can be applied, such as through the use of a hair heat lamp or hair dryer. After a predetermined amount of time from 1 minute to 15 minutes to two hours, the rollers can be removed from the hair by rolling the roller in the opposite direction of the direction that the roller was deployed into the hair. When the roller is removed, the corresponding hair portion will maintain a curl, a wave, or will have added volume. Whether a wave or a curl is created depends at least on the length of the hair curled, whether the roller was placed in the hair when the hair was wet or dry, and the diameter of the roller used. The use of the roller in the hair generally will add volume to the hair whether the hair is curled or waved. Waves at least tend to result when the rollers are placed in dry hair. Curls at least tend to result when rollers are placed in wet hair. The roller  50 ,  100 ,  140  of the invention can be used with other known techniques for creating volume, wave, and/or curls in human hair. 
         [0047]    From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.