Abstract:
A wig clip has comb teeth movable in and out of contact with an elongated part of a wig clip frame. Each of the comb teeth is fitted with an elastomeric sleeve. The elastomeric sleeves on the comb teeth cooperate with an elastomeric sleeve of the elongated frame part to grip a user&#39;s natural hair frictionally and thereby resist slippage of the wig clip relative to the user&#39;s natural hair and hold a wig base to which the wig clip is attached firmly in place on the user&#39;s head.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a division of application Ser. No. 14/603853, filed Jan. 23, 2015. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The invention relates to wig clips, and particularly to improvements in wig clips used to secure a wig base to a wearer&#39;s natural hair. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A typical toggle-action wig clip is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,631,804, granted on Jan. 21, 2014, and the disclosure of that patent is incorporated by reference. The wig clip is composed of a U-shaped frame member having legs extending from opposite ends of an intermediate portion, a set of comb teeth disposed between the legs and extending from the intermediate portion, and a connecting portion connected by rivets from one leg to the other, and overlapped by the comb teeth. 
         [0004]    The frame is made from metal, a synthetic resin, or another material having spring properties, and the distance between the rivet holes in the legs of the U-shaped frame member is different from the distance between the rivet holes in the connecting portion when the frame member and connecting portion are apart from each other and in a relaxed condition. Consequently, when the connecting portion is riveted to the frame, the wig clip tends to bend out of a planar configuration, and can be manually shifted from one stable condition to another by a toggle action. In a first stable condition, the comb teeth are spaced by a short distance from the connecting portion, and in a second stable condition, the comb teeth are in contact with the connecting portion. 
         [0005]    Usually, several of these wig clips are attached to a wig base, that is, a flexible net-like structure to which wig hair is attached by a weaving process. The wig clips can be sewn to the wig base by passing yarns through holes formed in the U-shaped frame. Alternatively, the wig clips can be secured to the net material of the wig base by the use of barbs formed on the frame or on extensions of the frame structure. 
         [0006]    The wig clips are used to attach the wig base to a wearer&#39;s natural hair. When the wig clip is in its first stable condition, i.e., with the comb teeth spaced from the connecting portion, the comb teeth can be engaged with a lock of the wearer&#39;s natural hair close to the scalp. Then by manual bending, the wig clip can be toggled to its second stable condition, and the wearer&#39;s natural hair is trapped between the comb teeth and the connecting portion so that the wig base is secured in place. 
         [0007]    The connecting portion can include a compressible covering that yields when contacted by the comb teeth when the wig clip is in its second stable condition to enhance the connection of the wig clip to the natural hair. The comb teeth are also usually formed with bulbous ends to avoid discomfort to the wearer that would otherwise be caused by sharp comb teeth. 
         [0008]    Other wig clips, such as the wig clip described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,689,807, granted on Apr. 8, 2014, utilize a spring-urged, pivoted comb to secure the wearer&#39;s natural hair to a frame. The comb teeth are formed with an array of projections to ensure that the wig clip is securely attached to the wearer&#39;s natural hair. 
         [0009]    In some of the embodiments of the wig clip in U.S. Pat. No. 8,631,804, converging comb teeth assist in binding the clip to the wearer&#39;s natural hair. 
         [0010]    Despite the use of compressible coverings on the connecting portions, many currently available wig clips of the toggle type still fail to secure the wig base to the wearer&#39;s natural hair reliably. More secure attachment has been achieved by various other measures. However, these other measures often make the structure of the wig clip overly complex, and make manufacture of the wig clips difficult. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    The wig clip in accordance with the invention comprises a frame and a set of comb teeth. The frame is composed of first and second elongated parts, each extending in a longitudinal direction in parallel relation to the other, a first connecting part connecting a first end of the first elongated part to a first end of the second elongated part, and a second connecting part connecting a second end of the first elongated part to a second end of the second elongated part, thereby forming a generally rectangular frame. 
         [0012]    The comb teeth are disposed between the connecting parts, and each of the comb teeth comprises a shank connected to the first elongated part of the frame and a bulb-shaped end remote from the first elongated part. The comb teeth extend from the first elongated part past the second elongated part, and the bulb-shaped end of each comb tooth is farther than the second elongated part from the first elongated part. 
         [0013]    An elastomeric comb tooth sleeve surrounds the shank of each of said comb teeth and has an internal passage closely fitting the comb tooth shank which it surrounds. The comb teeth are movable relative to the second elongated part, so that the elastomeric comb tooth sleeves can be moved into and out of contact with the second elongated part. 
         [0014]    In a preferred embodiment, the first elongated part comprises a material imparting spring properties to the first elongated part. In this preferred embodiment, the other one of the elongated parts is under longitudinal stress, i.e., either in compression or in tension by virtue of its connection to the other elongated part through the connecting parts. Consequently, by manually bending the elongated parts, the frame can be converted by a toggle action from a first stable condition in which the elastomeric comb tooth sleeves are in contact with the second elongated part, to a second stable condition in which the elastomeric comb tooth sleeves are out of contact with the second elongated part, and from the second stable condition to the first stable condition. In an alternative embodiment, the second elongated part can comprise a material imparting spring properties, and the first elongated part can be under longitudinal stress. 
         [0015]    The second elongated part can include an elongated strip and an elastomeric strip sleeve surrounding the elongated strip. In this embodiment, the comb tooth sleeves are positioned to contact the elastomeric strip sleeve when the frame is in its first stable condition. 
         [0016]    Preferably, the elastomeric comb tooth sleeve has a relaxed inner diameter smaller than the diameter of the bulb-shaped end of the comb tooth to which the sleeve is fitted. The elastomeric comb tooth sleeves can have a constant inner diameter along their lengths when relaxed, and the bulb-shaped ends of the comb teeth should have a uniform diameter larger than the inner diameter of the elastomeric comb tooth sleeves. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a wig clip in accordance with the invention, illustrating the manner in which a compressible sleeve is installed on a comb tooth of the clip; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the wig clip in its open condition; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the wig clip in its closed condition. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the wig clip  10  in accordance with the invention comprises an approximately rectangular frame composed of a first elongated part  12 , a second elongated part  14 , a first connecting part  16  and a second connecting part  18 . Each of the elongated parts  12  and  14  extends in a longitudinal direction, and the first and second elongated parts are disposed in parallel relation to each other and spaced from each other. The first connecting part  16  connects a first end of the first elongated part  12  to a first end of the second elongated part  14 , and the second connecting part  18  connects a second end of the first elongated part to a second end of the second elongated part. 
         [0021]    The second elongated part  14  includes an internal strip  20 , which is composed of a metal or synthetic resin, and a tubular cover  22 , preferably of natural or synthetic rubber. 
         [0022]    As seen in  FIG. 1 , the first connecting part  16  is composed of two overlapping elements  24  and  26 , element  24  being unitary with the first elongated part  12  and element  26  being unitary with strip  20  of the second elongated part  14 . These two overlapping parts are secured to each other by rivets  25  and  27 . The second connecting part  18  is composed of an element  30 , which is unitary with the first elongated part  12  and an element  32 , which is unitary with strip  20  of the second elongate part  14 . Elements  30  and  32  overlap at a central location on connecting part  18 , midway between elongated parts  12  and  14 . A single rivet  34 , extending through the overlapping parts of elements  30  and  32 , secures these two elements together. 
         [0023]    The rivets,  25 ,  27  and  34 , are hollow, having through holes that, together with additional holes  36 ,  38 , and  40 , allow for the passage of yarns used to secure the wig clip to a wig base. 
         [0024]    Comb teeth  42 , which are unitary with the first elongated part  12 , are disposed between said connecting parts  16  and  18 , and extend from the first elongated part  12  past the second elongated part  14 . Each of the comb teeth comprising a shank, e.g. shank  44 , connected to the first elongated part  12  of the frame, and a bulb-shaped end, e.g. end  46 , remote from the first elongated part  12 . The bulbous ends are farther than the second elongated part  14  from the first elongated part  12 . These teeth are preferably in parallel relation to one another and spaced uniformly. The comb teeth are preferably formed with a slight bend, so that first portions of the teeth, that are in proximity to the second elongated part  14 , are parallel to an imaginary surface in which parts  12  and  14  lie, while second portions of the teeth, that connect the first portions to the first elongated part  12  are oblique in relation to that imaginary surface. 
         [0025]    The shank of each of the comb teeth is surrounded by an elastomeric comb tooth sleeve, e.g., sleeve  48 , having an internal passage closely fitting the comb tooth shank. The transverse cross-sectional area of each part of the passage in each of these sleeves, when relaxed, is slightly smaller than the transverse cross-sectional area of the part of the shank that it fits within that part of the passage. As a result, the sleeves fit tightly on the comb teeth. Preferably, the transverse cross section of each sleeve passage is constant along the length of the sleeve, and, preferably, the transverse cross-section of each of the comb tooth shanks is similarly constant along its length. 
         [0026]    In the assembly of the wig clip, the sleeves, as illustrated by the sleeve shown partly fitted onto shank  44  in  FIG. 1 , are fitted onto the comb teeth by sliding them over the bulbous ends of the comb teeth. The sleeves should have sufficient stretchability to allow the bulbous ends of the comb teeth to pass through the internal passages of the sleeves. The application of heat during assembly can assist in placement of the sleeves onto the comb teeth. Heat can be used to soften the sleeves, or in a case in which the sleeves are composed of heat-shrink tubing, the application of heat can be utilized to cause the sleeves, which can initially fit loosely on the comb tooth shanks to shrink and tighten on the tooth shanks. As will be seen, the sleeves on the comb teeth can come into contact with the sleeve  22  of the second elongated part  14 , to grip a wearer&#39;s natural hair with enhanced frictional contact. 
         [0027]    In the embodiment described above, the elongated first part  12  has a spring property that causes elements  24  and  30 , which are unitary with first part  12 , to move apart from each other if pulled toward each other, and to move toward each other if pulled apart from each other. The term “spring property,” as used herein, refers to a tendency of a material to return to a predetermined shape after a force tending to distort the shape of the material is released. The length of the second elongated part  14  is such that, when the two frame components are secured together by the rivets  26 ,  28  and  34 , it pulls elements  24  and  30  toward each other, causing the elongated first part  12  to bend. Thus, if the faces of part  12  are flat when part  12  is not connected to part  14  by rivets, the pulling action exerted by part  14  on elements  24  and  18 , causes part  12  to bend out of its flat condition. 
         [0028]    The bending can take place in a first direction, as shown in  FIG. 2 , in which the sleeves of the comb teeth are spaced from the sleeve  22  on the second elongated part, or in a second direction, as shown in  FIG. 3 , in which the sleeves of the comb teeth are in contact with the sleeve  22  on the second elongated part. When the frame is in the condition shown in  FIG. 2 , the first elongated part  12  is bent, while the second elongated part  14  is straight or nearly straight. The tension on the second elongated part  14  is then at a minimum, and the frame is in a stable condition, with the comb teeth separated from elongated part  14 . When the frame is in the condition shown in  FIG. 3 , the first elongated part  12  is bent in the opposite direction, the second elongated part  14  is also bent, and the sleeves on the comb teeth are in contact with the sleeve  22  of the second elongated part  14 , preventing further bending of parts  12  and  14  and establishing a second stable condition of the frame. 
         [0029]    The user can cause the wig clip to shift from the stable condition illustrated in  FIG. 2  to the stable condition illustrated in  FIG. 3 , or from the condition illustrated in  FIG. 3  to the condition illustrated in  FIG. 2 , by exerting a manual bending force on the frame. The frame will shift from one condition to the other by a toggle action. Thus, when the wig clip is attached to a wig base, by yarns passed through the rivets and holes  36 ,  38  and  40 , or by other suitable means, the user can toggle the wig clip to the open condition shown in  FIG. 2 , pass the comb teeth through her natural hair, and then toggle the wig clip to the closed condition shown in  FIG. 3 . When the wig clip is in its closed condition, the user&#39;s natural hair is clamped between the sleeve  22  of the elongated frame part  14  and the sleeves on the comb teeth. The surfaces of the sleeves have a higher coefficient of friction than the bare surfaces of the strip  20  and the comb teeth, and therefore resist sliding of the wig clip relative to the user&#39;s hair clamped between the sleeve  22  and the sleeves on the comb teeth. 
         [0030]    Although in the embodiment described, the strip  20  of the wig clip frame is under tension, it is possible to achieve a similar effect, i.e., two stable conditions, in other ways. For example, the elongated parts  12  and  14  can be connected in such a way that part  12  is under tension. Although two stable conditions are advantageous, it is also possible to take advantage of the frictional sleeves on the comb teeth in embodiments of a wig clip in which the comb teeth are spring-urged toward a frame member by a mechanism such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,689,807.