Abstract:
A hairpiece assembly for adding body and/or length to the user&#39;s real hair. The hairpiece assembly includes a plurality of natural or synthetic strands of hair arranged in parallel and forming a first edge; and an elongated strip attached to the first edge to hold the plurality of strands together. The hairpiece assembly further includes a plurality of spaced-apart rings attached to the elongated strip to form a hairpiece assembly; and each of the rings having an opening for receiving therethrough the user&#39;s real hair for attaching the hairpiece assembly to the user&#39;s real hair.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to a hair weave or wiglet having attachment means in order to add further body and/or length to the user&#39;s real hair. More particularly, the attachment means is in the form of eyelet ring fasteners being connected to the user&#39;s real hair for extending the length of the user&#39;s hair.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Hair weaves, hairpieces or wiglets having various structures are well known in the prior art. Hair weaves and wiglets are used to add further bulk and/or body to the user&#39;s real hair due to the user&#39;s hair being very fine or thin or having loss of hair because of disease, chemotherapy or age longevity.  
         [0003]     There remains a need for a hairpiece assembly, a hair weave or wiglet that is particularly suited for the easy insertion and incorporation of the hair weave or wiglet within the user&#39;s real hair in order to increase the length, bulk, and/or body of the user&#39;s real hair. Additionally, the hairpiece assembly, hair weave or wiglet must have simple attachment means such as eyelet ring fasteners which easily attach and fasten to the user&#39;s real hair in one or more multiple layers.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART  
       [0004]     Wigs, wiglets, hairpieces, hair bands and hair weaves having various designs, configurations, structures and materials of construction have been disclosed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,647,384 and 5,337,763 to Habar, et al disclose a headband for mounting hair pieces. The hairpiece includes a flexible base and hair strands attached to an extending outwardly from the top side of the base. The hairpiece is attached to the user&#39;s head by an elongated strip of fastening material, such as “VELCRO™”. This prior art patent does not disclose or teach the structure of the present invention.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. Nos. RE34,186 and 4,804,003 to Moen disclose a combined head covering and wiglet. The head covering is combined with a hank of hair. The hank of hair is secured to a strip of cloth, and a “VELCRO™” strip is attached to the cloth strip. This prior art patent does not disclose or teach the structure of the present invention.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,841 to Won discloses an assembled wig or wig kit having a front wig portion having a plurality of hook-type fasteners (VELCRO™) and side links, and a back wig portion having a plurality of links and side hook-type fasteners (VELCRO™) secured to the fasteners and links wherein the front and back wig portions have different hair styles and colors. This prior art patent does not disclose or teach the structure of the present invention.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 3,724,470 to Wilson discloses an attachments means for securing wigs, wiglets, hair pieces to the head of the user. The attachment means are in the form of hook and loop fasteners (VELCRO™) which are designed with the wig, wiglet, or hair piece to secure the hair piece more firmly to the user&#39;s head while at the same time affording increased comfort to the user. This prior art patent does not disclose or teach the structure of the present invention.  
         [0008]     None of the aforementioned prior art patents teach or disclose a hairpiece assembly, hair weave or wiglet having attachment means in the form of eyelet ring fasteners only for incorporating one or more of the hairpiece assemblies within the user&#39;s real hair.  
         [0009]     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a hairpiece assembly that is particularly suited for the easy insertion and incorporation of the hairpiece within the user&#39;s real hair in order to increase the length, bulk, and/or body of the user&#39;s real hair.  
         [0010]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a hairpiece assembly having a simple attachment means in the form of eyelet ring fasteners within an elongated strip in which to easily attach and fasten to the user&#39;s real hair in one or more multiple hairpiece layers.  
         [0011]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a hairpiece assembly having different hair colors selected from the group consisting of black, brown, blonde, red, auburn, grey and white.  
         [0012]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a hairpiece assembly having a particular length of hair for a given elongated fastener strip, such as a 3 inch length, a 6 inch length, a 9 inch length or a 12 inch length.  
         [0013]     Another object of the present invention is to provide a particular length of a given elongated fastener strip, such as a 4 inch length, a 6 inch length, an 8 inch length or a 10 inch length.  
         [0014]     A further object of the present invention is to provide a hairpiece assembly, hair weave or wiglet that can be mass produced in an automated and economical manner and is readily affordable by the user.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0015]     In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a hairpiece assembly for adding body and/or length to the user&#39;s real hair. The hairpiece assembly includes a plurality of natural or synthetic strands of hair arranged in parallel and forming a first edge; and an elongated strip attached to the first edge to hold the plurality of strands together. The hairpiece assembly further includes a plurality of spaced-apart rings attached to the elongated strip to form a hairpiece assembly; and each of the rings having an opening for receiving therethrough the user&#39;s real hair for attaching the hairpiece assembly to the user&#39;s real hair.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]     Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon the consideration of the following detailed description of the presently-preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of the hairpiece assembly of the preferred embodiment of the present invention showing the major component parts of the hairpiece assembly being assembled and ready for operational use;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the hairpiece assembly of the present invention showing a single lock of real hair being connected to an eyelet ring fastener using a hair fastener instrument;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the hairpiece assembly of the present invention showing the single lock of real hair being inserted and pulled through the eyelet ring fastener by the hair fastener instrument;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the hairpiece assembly of the present invention showing the single lock of real hair inserted and pulled through the eyelet ring fastener by the hair fastener instrument;  
         [0021]      FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of the hairpiece assembly of the present invention showing the major component parts of the hairpiece assembly being attached to the user&#39;s hair and in an assembled state ready for operational use;  
         [0022]      FIG. 6  is a side perspective view of the hairpiece assembly of the present invention showing the major component parts of the hairpiece assembly being attached and crimped to user&#39;s hair and in assembled state ready for operational use;  
         [0023]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the hairpiece assembly of the present invention showing the crimped eyelet ring fastener attached to the user&#39;s real hair;  
         [0024]      FIG. 8  is a side perspective view of the hairpiece assembly of the present invention showing the hairpiece assembly fully attached to the user&#39;s real hair; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 9  is a side perspective view of the hairpiece assembly of the present invention showing the hairpiece assembly being cutaway from the user&#39;s real hair using a cutting instrument. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]     The hairpiece assembly  10  and its component parts of the preferred embodiment of the present invention are represented in detail by  FIGS. 1 through 9  of the drawings. The hairpiece assembly  10  is used for the insertion and incorporation within the user&#39;s real hair  12  in order to increase the length, bulk and/or body of the user&#39;s real hair  12 , as shown in  FIGS. 2, 5  and  6  of the drawings. Hairpiece assembly  10  includes an elongated fastener strip member  30  along a first edge  34  for holding a plurality of synthetic hair fibers  20  in place, as depicted in FIGS.  1  to  5  of the drawings. A plurality of eyelet ring fasteners  32  are incorporated within the elongated attachment strip member  30 . The eyelet ring fasteners  32  are connected to the elongated fastener strip  30  by fastening means, such as stitching  38 , sewing, stapling, epoxy gluing, laser bonding or combinations thereof. The eyelet ring fasteners  32  are for attaching the elongated fastener strip  30  to the user&#39;s real hair  12 . The elongated fastener strip  30  is a single layer of material  36  made from a flexible synthetic or natural material selected from the group consisting of cotton, rayon, polyester, nylon, human hair or combinations thereof.  
         [0027]     Ring fasteners  32  are spaced apart a length of ½ inch to 1½ inches along the longitudinal axis of elongated fastener strip  30 , and are preferably spaced apart a length of 1 inch along the longitudinal axis of elongated fastener strip  30 .  
         [0028]     The hairpiece assembly  10  can be made into different hair colors selected from the group consisting of black, brown, blonde, red, auburn, grey and white. Additionally, the hairpiece assembly  10  can be made into a particular length of hair  20  for a given elongated fastener strip  30 , such as a 3 inch length, a 6 inch length, a 9 inch length or a 12 inch length. Also, a hairpiece assembly  10  can be cut into various size lengths of the elongated fastener strip  30  such as a 4 inch length, a 6 inch length, an 8 inch length or a 10 inch length. The user can incorporate into their real hair  12  one or more of the cut elongated fastener strips  30  to increase the length, bulk, and/or body of the user&#39;s hair  12 , as shown in  FIG. 5  of the drawings.  
         [0029]     It should be understood that hairpiece assembly  10  maybe cut into short lengths, such as 1″ to 2″ inches wide and attached to the user&#39;s real hair for adding highlights, with different colors, to the user&#39;s real hair  12 .  
       Method of Operation  
       [0030]     In operation, the hairpiece assembly  10  of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is readily put into operational use by cutting elongated fastener strips  30  into desired lengths ( 3 ″ or  6 ″ or  9 ″) and simply placing and attaching one or more of the cut elongated fastener strips  30  into the real hair  12  of the user&#39;s head  14 , as shown in FIGS.  2  to  5  of the drawings.  
         [0031]     The user initially takes a lock or a portion  18  of his or her hair  12 , and lifts it up in a vertical position by a brush, a comb  16 , or the user&#39;s hand, such that a partial parting of hair  12  occurs along a portion of the user&#39;s scalp  13 . The user then places the hairpiece assembly  10  and elongated fastener strip  30  facing inward towards the user&#39;s scalp  13 , so that the eyelet ring fasteners  32  of the elongated fastener strip  30  may be attached to the user&#39;s real hair  12  by a hair threading instrument or tool  40 . The user then grips strands of real hair  12  with tool  40  and uses tool  40  to pull the strands of gripped hair through rings  32 . The user continues this process until each ring  32  has hair  12  threaded through it, as shown in FIGS.  2  to  5 .  
         [0032]     The user then crimps each eyelet ring fastener  32  into a flattened configuration (see  FIG. 6 ) using a crimping instrument or tool  42  in order to fixedly attach the user&#39;s real hair  12  to the elongated fastener strip  30  so as to attach the hairpiece assembly  10  within and to the user&#39;s real hair  12 . The user then allows the lifted hair portion  18  of the user&#39;s real hair  12  to fall back into place and layer itself to cover and hide fastener strip  30 , as shown in  FIG. 8  of the drawings. In this manner, more body and/or length is added to the user&#39;s real hair  12 .  
         [0033]     The aforementioned step is repeated as many times as the user wants to cut and insert additional hairpiece assemblies  10  into the user&#39;s real hair  12  at various locations for adding further length, bulk, and/or body to the user&#39;s real hair  12 , as depicted in  FIG. 6  of the drawings. As shown in  FIGS. 6, 8  to  9 , the user can insert a plurality of the cut hairpiece assemblies  10 ,  10 ′,  10 ″ and  10 ′″, one above the other at any desired location in order to increase the length and fullness of the user&#39;s hair, or to create a new hair style. The incorporation of one or more cut hairpiece assemblies  10  into the user&#39;s real hair  12  affords the user many different hair styles, as shown in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0034]     At any point in time the user can cutaway the hairpiece assembly  10  by using a cutting instrument  44  and simply cut each of the crimped eyelet ring fasteners  32  along the elongated fastener strip  30 , and thereby remove the hairpiece assembly  10  from the user&#39;s real hair  12 . As shown in  FIG. 9 , the eyelet ring fasteners  32   a  and  32   b  have been cut along a vertical axis using cutting instrument  44  and ring fastener  32   c  is in the process of being cut along the vertical axis using cutting instrument  44 .  
       Advantages of the Present Invention  
       [0035]     Accordingly, an advantage of the present invention is that it provides for a hairpiece assembly that is particularly suited for the easy insertion and incorporation of the hairpiece within the user&#39;s real hair in order to increase the length, bulk, and/or body of the user&#39;s real hair.  
         [0036]     Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides for a hairpiece assembly having a simple attachment means in the form of a loop eyelet fastener in which to easily attach and fasten to the user&#39;s real hair in one or more multiple hairpiece layers.  
         [0037]     Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides for a hairpiece assembly having different hair colors selected from the group consisting of black, brown, blonde, red, auburn, grey and white.  
         [0038]     Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides for a hairpiece assembly having a particular length of hair for a given elongated fastener stip, such as a 3 inch length, a 6 inch length, a 9 inch length or a 12 inch length.  
         [0039]     Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides for a particular length a given elongated fastener strip, such as a 4 inch length, an 8 inch length or a 10 inch length.  
         [0040]     A further advantage of the present invention is that it provides for a hairpiece assembly, hair weave or wiglet that can be mass produced in an automated and economical manner and is readily affordable by the user.  
         [0041]     A latitude of modification, change, and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.