Abstract:
The present invention is a hair extension device that can be easily applied to a wearer&#39;s hair, wherein the device comprises artificial hair strands secured together in sheets to a sturdy yet flexible weft, said weft being supplied with means for removably securing the weft to the natural hair of the wearer. The hair extension device of the invention further includes a specialized layering of multiple sheets of hair strands, to produce a natural-looking hairstyle.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
       [0001]    This application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/581,060 filed on Jun. 18, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    Hair extensions are used to increase the length and/or volume and fullness of a person&#39;s natural hair. Hair extensions may also be used to add different colors to one&#39;s hair. Further, hair extensions may be use to change the texture of a person&#39;s hair, such as by making a person&#39;s hair appear wavy even though the person&#39;s natural hair is straight. 
         [0004]    In the past, extensions have involved permanently or semi-permanently attaching artificial hair made from either synthetic hair, or from natural hair, such as human or animal hair, to a person&#39;s existing hair. Such attachment has been accomplished by various means, including bonding (such as using heat and/or chemicals) or sewing (such as by braiding one&#39;s natural hair, and then sewing foreign hair onto the braid) either synthetic or natural hair strands onto a person&#39;s natural hair. Typically these types of prior art extensions are permanent or semi-permanent, and the process is quite costly and time consuming. 
         [0005]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0006]    One of the drawbacks to the above-described prior art permanent and semi-permanent hair extension methods is that they are damaging to the wearer&#39;s natural hair, due to the chemicals, pressure, heat and/or mechanical handling used to fuse the artificial hair to the person&#39;s natural hair. This may result in a wearer&#39;s own natural hair becoming unattractive and easily breakable. In addition, also damaging is the process of removing the extensions from time to time in order to replace the artificial hair, which may be needed or desirable to maintain the look or change the look of the wearer&#39;s hairstyle. 
         [0007]    A further drawback to the prior art is that these methods by their very nature take a significant amount of time to apply the extensions, and require professional hairstylists trained and skilled in the art and technology of hair extensions in order to accomplish the permanent and semi-permanent methods. This translates into high expense for a person to obtain extensions and sometimes also to have them removed. Further, there are costs associated with maintaining the extensions. One must also treat extended hair carefully, as it is more susceptible to drying and breakage than hair that has not been extended. 
         [0008]    In an effort to avoid some of the drawbacks of the prior art, temporary hair extensions are growing in popularity. Temporary hair extensions have the advantage that they may comparatively easily be attached to and removed from a wearer&#39;s natural hair. In addition, temporary hair extensions are much less likely to damage a wearer&#39;s natural hair during use and removal. Temporary hair extensions are intended to more convenient, because they usually do not require a trained hairstyling or hair extension professional to apply them. 
         [0009]    Temporary hair extensions of the prior art tend to consist of relatively small sections of artificial hair, in part because it is difficult to very securely attach a temporary extension due to the weight of the large pieces of artificial hair, which tends to cause the clip or other means for securing the hair extension to not hold adequately to the wearer&#39;s natural hair. Thus, a relatively lightweight temporary hair extension is less likely to be inadvertently released from the wearer&#39;s hair due to the effects of gravity and the movement of the wearer&#39;s body and head. 
         [0010]    Using only small sections of hair means that a person wanting to extend his or her hair must attach numerous sections. This is a process than takes a long period of time. Moreover, for hairstyles requiring a natural look wherein the extensions are evenly distributed, it is difficult for a person self-attaching the extensions to evenly distribute the extensions. In addition, to achieve a multi-layered look, prior art temporary hair extensions need to be attached to the wearer&#39;s natural hair in several individual layers. Thus, oftentimes a wearer will need to employ a skilled hairdresser to attach even temporary extensions, thereby raising the cost. 
       OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    One object of the extensions of the present invention is to provide a hair extension device which may be easily placed onto and secured to a wearer&#39;s existing natural hair, in a relatively quick and easy manner. The extensions of the present invention may be placed on and removed from the wearer&#39;s head without damaging the wearer&#39;s natural hair. There are no chemicals or heat required to attach the extensions to the hair. 
         [0012]    The wearer can easily apply the hair extension device to the wearer&#39;s own hair, with little effort and in a minimal amount of time. 
         [0013]    A further object of the invention is to provide a hair extension device which, when secured to a wearer&#39;s hair, stays in place until it is intentionally removed. 
         [0014]    Yet another object is to provide a hair piece that may be easily removed by the wearer. 
         [0015]    Further, the extensions of the present invention permit one to enhance a wearer&#39;s natural hair with artificial hair, by placing a single extension device into the wearer&#39;s hair, but making possible the creation of multi-layered hairstyles. 
         [0016]    Yet another object of this invention is to provide a hair extension device that can be quickly and easily placed and secured onto a wearer&#39;s head, and removed when the wearer desires, without requiring the services of another person. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    The present invention is a hair extension device that can be easily applied to a wearer&#39;s hair, wherein the device comprises artificial hair strands secured together in sheets to a sturdy yet flexible weft, said weft being supplied with means for removably securing the weft to the natural hair of the wearer. The hair extension device of the invention further includes a specialized layering of multiple sheets of hair strands, to produce a natural-looking hairstyle. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0018]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate the presently preferred methods and embodiments of the invention. Together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred methods and embodiments given below, they serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of a hair extension device according to the invention in use on the head of a wearer. 
           [0020]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the hair extension device. 
           [0021]      FIG. 3  is a back view of the hair extension device. 
           [0022]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the hair extension device, and a close up to show details thereof, illustrating a weft comprised of lace. 
           [0023]      FIG. 5  front perspective view of a portion of one embodiment of the hair piece showing the placement of the sheets of hair on the back of the weft relative to one another. 
           [0024]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of a portion of another embodiment of the hair piece showing the placement of the sheets of hair on the back of the weft relative to one another. 
           [0025]      FIG. 7  is a front view of a portion of the hair extension device, illustrating certain details of the device. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 8 ,  9  and  10  are back views of embodiments of the hair extension device. 
           [0027]      FIG. 11  illustrates a method for forming the sheets of artificial hair used in the invention. 
       
    
    
     DRAWING REFERENCE NUMBERS 
       [0000]    
       
         
           
               10  Hair extension device 
               12  Natural hair 
               14  Artificial hair strands 
               16  Proximal end of hair strands 
               18  Distal end of hair strands 
               20  Support for artificial hair strands 
               22  Means for securing artificial hair strands to support for artificial hair strands 
               24  Sheet of artificial hair strands 
               26  Inner sheet of artificial hair strands 
               28  Outer sheet of artificial hair strands 
               30  Weft 
               31  Front face of weft 
               33  Back face of weft 
               32  Binding of weft 
               34  Top margin of weft 
               36  Bottom margin of weft 
               38  Side margin of weft 
               40  Means for attaching hair extension device to natural hair 
               42 . Miniclip comb 
           
         
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0047]    The term “artificial hair” is used herein to describe any hair used in the device of the invention, other than the wearer&#39;s hair which grows from the wearer&#39;s scalp. The term “natural hair” as used herein denotes the wearer&#39;s hair that grows from the wearer&#39;s head, without regard to whether or not that hair has been chemically, mechanically and/or thermally treated. The artificial hair used in the device of this invention may be synthetic fibers, or may be human or animal hair in its natural state, e.g. not chemically processed with bleaching, coloring, waving, straightening or other agents. Alternatively, the artificial hair may have been treated to change its color and/or texture (wavy, straight) prior to attaching it to the hair extension device. Due to the high cost of human hair, and the increasing quality of synthetic hair, as well as the much lower cost for synthetic hair, the use of synthetic hair is preferred. 
         [0048]    The extensions of the present invention are less costly, both in terms of materials and services of a hairstylist, as compared with the permanent and semi-permanent extension methods. 
         [0049]    The hair extension device of the invention is comprised of three main components, as follows: a first portion, called a weft  30 , a second portion comprising sheets  24  of artificial hair strands  14 , and a third portion comprising means  40  for attaching the weft to the wearer&#39;s natural hair. 
         [0050]    The weft  30  is the portion to which the artificial hair strands or fibers  14  (synthetic or of human or animal origin) are attached. The weft  30  must be of sufficient width that the artificial hair strands  14  can be sewn, glued or otherwise secured thereto to the weft. 
         [0051]    The weft  30  has a top margin  34 , a bottom margin  36 , and two side margins  38 . The weft  30  has a front face  31 , to which the means  40  for securing the device to the wearer&#39;s hair are attached. The weft  30  also has a back face  33 , to which sheets  24  of artificial hair strands  14  are attached. 
         [0052]    The weft  30  can be of any width, but is preferably of sufficient width to span the back of the wearer&#39;s head, in a distance equal approximately to the distance from one of the wearer&#39;s ear to the wearer&#39;s other ear, along a plane substantially parallel to the ground (assuming that the wearer is standing or sitting straight up). As described in more detail below, the wearer uses the device by placing the weft  30  against the wearer&#39;s head where the top and bottom margins of the weft  34 ,  36  are at a position substantially parallel to the ground (assuming that the wearer is standing or sitting straight up while the device is being applied to the wearer&#39;s natural hair  12 ). The hair extension device  10  can be placed at ear level, below ear level, or more preferably, above ear level. A device  10  having a width which substantially traverses the distance between the average person&#39;s ears on the back of the person&#39;s head provides the unexpected advantage of ease of application of a full-looking hair extension with minimal effort. 
         [0053]    The sheets  24  of artificial hair strands  14  are obtained by laying the strands  14  over a support means  22  at about the half-way point in the length of each strand  14 , and securing the strands  14  to the support means  22 . 
         [0054]    Alternatively, the sheets  24  of artificial hair strands  14  can be obtained by sewing, fusing or using other means to secure the hair strands  14  together at one end sufficiently long enough to permit the sheets  24  so produced to be permanently secured to the weft  30 . 
         [0055]    The weft  30  may be made of any suitable, flexible, strong material. The material should be somewhat flexible, so that the hair extension device  10  can bend to the curvature of the wearer&#39;s head. It is desirable that the weft  30  be of a material that is durable and does not change shape other than to bend as heretofore described. The weft  30  may be made of a piece of lace fabric or webbing. Optionally, the weft  30  is provided with binding material on its margins. The binding  32  material on the edges may be used for aesthetic purposes, such as to improve the attractiveness of the weft, or for functional reasons, or for a combination of aesthetic and functional. For example, the binding  32  material on the edges may also be used to keep intact and/or soften the raw edges of the fabric or webbing comprising the weft  30 . 
         [0056]    In a preferred embodiment of the hair extension device  10  of the invention, the inner sheet  26  of artificial hair strands  24  is of a shorter overall length than the other sheet or sheets  24  of artificial hair strands  14 . In a still more preferred embodiment, the inner sheet  26  is about half the length of the other sheet or sheets. The term “length of sheet” or “length of sheets”, means the distance from the top margin  34  of the weft  30  to the distal ends of the hair strands  18 . 
         [0057]    To produce a hair extension  10  having the appearance of a blunt cut hairstyle, the hair extension should be made using sheets  24  wherein the distal ends of the hair strands  18  in all sheets  24  meet at the same distance from the top margin of the weft  34 . 
         [0058]    To produce a hair extension  10  having the appearance of a layered hairstyle, the hair extension should be made using sheets  24  wherein the distal ends of the hair strands  18  in each sheet  24  are of differing lengths relative to the other sheet or sheets, when measured from the top margin of the weft  34 . 
         [0059]    In one embodiment of the hair extension device of the invention, the sheets of hair at the top margin of the weft are arranged closely together, and the remaining sheets are spaced apart. For example, the following illustrates an embodiment comprising three sheets  24  of artificial hair strands  14 . There is a first artificial hair sheet  24  attached proximal to the top margin  34  of the weft  30 , and a third artificial hair sheet  24  attached proximal to the bottom margin  36  of the weft  30 , wherein the second sheet  24  is attached between the first and third sheets, but is spaced closer to the first sheet  24  than to the third sheet  24 . Other embodiments may use a greater number of sheets  24 . 
         [0060]    For example, the following illustrates an embodiment comprising five sheets  24  of artificial hair strands  14 . The first sheet  24  is attached proximal to the upper margin of the weft  30  and the second sheet and third sheet are attached below and proximal to the first sheet, and the fifth sheet is attached proximal to the bottom margin of the weft and the fourth sheet is attached between the third sheet and fifth sheet. In yet another embodiment, the sheets of hair at the bottom margin of the weft are arranged more closely together than the remaining sheets are spaced from one another. 
         [0061]    In one embodiment, the weft  30 , beginning from the top  34  margin down to the bottom margin  36 , is divided into four equally sized quarters, the first quarter being from the top margin  34  and comprising at least two sheets  24  of hair, that are attached proximal to the top margin  34  of the weft; the second and third quarters of the weft  30  optionally comprising at least one sheet  24  of hair; and the bottom quarter of the weft  30  comprising at least one sheet  24  of hair proximal to the bottom margin  36 . 
         [0062]    The sheets of artificial hair strands  24  can be comprised of relatively straight artificial hair strands  14 , thereby providing the wearer with a hairstyle that is straight and sleek. Alternatively, the sheets of artificial hair strands  24  can be comprised of relatively wavy or curly hair strands, thereby providing the wearer with a hairstyle that is wavy and/or bouncy. Yet another alternative is to produce a single hair extension incorporating sheets of artificial hair strands  24  of different textures (i.e., straight and wavy or curly artificial hair strands  14 ) to produce a desired hairstyle. 
         [0063]    In a specific embodiment, the weft  30  is made of nylon lace to which the artificial hair strands are sewn via stitches transversing the length of the weft  30 . Other means for attaching the artificial hair may be used, such as gluing, hot melt adhesive, stapling, tacking, etc. 
         [0064]    The weft  30  must also be suitable for attaching a means  40  for attaching the hair extension device  10  to the wearer&#39;s natural hair  12 . 
         [0065]    Regarding means  40  for attaching the weft  30  (and the device  10 ) to the wearer&#39;s natural hair  12 , any number of mechanisms may be employed, provided that the mechanism reliably secures the weft  30  to the wearer&#39;s natural hair  12 . Preferably, the means  40  comprises a flexible mini-clip comb which has small comb-like rounded projections which are slid onto the wearer&#39;s natural hair  12  while the mini-clip comb is flexed in the open position. Once the projections are in contact with the hair, the mini-clip combs are flexed into closed position, thereby clamping the mini-clip combs onto the natural hair  12  and securing the hair extension device in place. 
         [0066]    The mini-clip comb  42  preferably is comprised of a flexible material such as metal. 
         [0067]    The device is used by the wearer by temporarily securing, such as by hair clip or bobby pin, in an upright position a swath of hair to form a substantially horizontal part in the wearer&#39;s natural hair  12 , thereby exposing a section of the wearer&#39;s natural hair  12  underneath. Next, the hair extension device  10  is aligned proximate to the horizontal part in the natural hair  12  so formed, and then the device  10  is secured to the exposed section of natural hair. The wearer then contacts the natural underneath hair with the means  40  for attaching the hair extension device  10 , and those means  40  secured. If a miniclip comb  42  style means  40  is used, then the wearer places the miniclip combs in their open position prior to contacting them with the natural hair. Once the device  10  is positioned to the wearer&#39;s liking, using the comb or tines portions of the miniclip combs  42  to temporarily maintain the device  10  in the desired position, the wearer will then bend the miniclip comb  42  so that it clamps down on the hair, achieving the closed position. In the closed position the wearer&#39;s hair is sandwiched between the two portions of the miniclip comb  42 . Thereafter, the temporarily secured swath of hair is released and laid on top of the device  10 .