Abstract:
The present invention is a system and method for specifying custom hair pieces using three-dimensional digital acquisition devices. The system and method described herein uses electronic data acquisition techniques to electronically model a customer&#39;s head and hair line characteristics and to electronically record specifications for a custom hair piece. The electronic data containing certain head shape data and hair piece specifications is then electronically transmitted to a hair piece manufacturer for completion of the hair piece.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/280,993, filed Nov. 17, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to the design of custom hair pieces. More particularly, this invention relates to a system and method for the specification of custom hair pieces using three-dimensional digital acquisition devices. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Hair replacement systems, such as custom hair pieces, are important to many individuals that will lose, are losing, or have lost naturally growing hair. Preparing such systems can be time-intensive because custom hair pieces typically must be personally configured to fit a particular individual&#39;s head and area(s) of hair loss. Presently, businesses that offer custom hair replacement systems manually design and specify hair pieces intended to cover areas of a specific customer&#39;s head by creating a mold template of the customer&#39;s head and outlining the specific areas to be covered before actually building the specified hair piece. 
         [0004]    To build a hair piece using the known methods, first, the customer&#39;s head, or relevant portions thereof, is tightly wrapped in a plastic wrap, or alternatively a “mold cap” designed for this purpose, which is then covered in sufficient adhesive tape or other similar means as to enable the wrapping to retain the shape of the head when removed. Next, the area to be covered by the hair piece is outlined on the head covering using an ink-based marker, and other instructions related to hair color, pattern, texture and other necessary data are marked as appropriate. The head covering is then removed and the excess is trimmed, resulting in a mold template. 
         [0005]    The mold template, along with a completed paper form with any additional information and specifications, including identifying data, is sent by package-delivery, either directly to a remote factory or, more commonly, to an intermediary distributor who then sends the information to a factory for the manufacture of the final product. 
         [0006]    This method, while it has been in use for many years, entails significant expense in shipping, and can result in delays before the instructions get to the manufacturer, ultimately delaying delivery to a customer. Delays in customs and occasional losses of packages by shipping companies are also hazards of this method. Further, templates prepared by this method can represent a storage burden and can be sufficiently imprecise as to cause or allow imperfections in the shape of the final product, necessitating remanufacturing, causing additional delays and expense. 
         [0007]    The need exists in the art for a system and method of creating custom hair pieces that cuts down on delay, and is more precise than the previous systems and methods. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Aspects of the present invention address some of the needs described above by providing an electronic system and method of specifying and designing custom hair pieces. By utilizing electronic data acquisition techniques to acquire information about and model a customer&#39;s head, the specifications of a custom hair piece can be electronically recorded and transmitted to a hair piece manufacturer. 
         [0009]    In one embodiment of the invention, an electronic stylus-based device is used to acquire data about a customer&#39;s head size and shape and to trace the outlines of the area(s) to be covered by the hair piece. The resulting data is then captured by a computer and used to build a three-dimensional representation of the customer&#39;s head, and ultimately to electronically specify the areas(s) to be covered by the hair piece. Using specially-designed software, the computer generates an electronic file based on all of the data related to the customer&#39;s head and hair loss characteristics in order to manufacture a custom hair piece. The electronic file is then electronically transmitted to a manufacturing facility for manufacture of the hair piece. 
         [0010]    A more detailed summary of the invention and exemplary embodiments can be found in the detailed description of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The present invention is illustrated by way of example in the following figures and is not limited by the accompanying figures in which: 
           [0012]      FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C depict examples of recognizable hair lines, each with a recognizable area of hair loss. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  depicts one embodiment of the entities involved in the disclosed method of creating a custom hair piece. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  depicts a flow chart of one embodiment of the disclosed method of creating a custom hair piece. 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  depicts an example of the progression of a three-dimensional electronic depiction of a partial hair line, as captured by an electronic stylus device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]      FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C exemplify three common patterns of natural hair loss on a human head.  FIG. 1A  depicts a small area of hair loss  110  on the back portion of the head.  FIG. 1B  depicts a receding hair line  130  near the forehead, which typically exists on the right and left sides of the forehead.  FIG. 1C  depicts a larger area of hair loss  150  covering the top portion of the head. Individuals with the exemplified patterns of hair loss depicted in  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C could be candidates for custom hair pieces as described herein. 
         [0017]    In  FIG. 2 , the overall process and the entities involved in creating a custom hair piece, according to aspects of the present invention, are shown. First, the hair line of a customer&#39;s head ( 114 ,  134  and  154 ), as well as the areas to be covered by the custom hair piece ( 112 ,  132  and  152 ) are traced with a device  210  that can render the data electronically and store the data in an electronic form such as a data file  212 . There are commercially available devices capable of capturing three-dimensional data electronically for modeling, as depicted at  120 ,  140 ,  160  and  210 . Once the head shape or hair line data, as well as the data related to the area to be covered by the hair piece is captured, the data is transmitted via an electronic network  220 , such as the Internet or other wireless or dedicated network, to a facility that can manufacture the hair piece  230 . The manufacturing facility completes the custom hair piece  240 , and then the hair piece is sent by the manufacturer to the customer or front-end dealer that placed the order. 
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a detailed flow chart of one embodiment of the disclosed method of creating a custom hair piece. The method begins at step  300 , where the hair line of the customer&#39;s head is traced with a commercially-available, stylus-based electronic device designed to capture the shape and measurements of a three-dimensional object in three-dimensional space. The areas to be covered by the custom hair piece, such as areas  110 ,  130  and  150  in  FIG. 1 , are traced with the stylus. The operator utilizes the stylus to trace the head in a manner sufficient to capture all features and shapes relevant to the definition of the area to be covered by the hair piece. The stylus collects the hair line and head shape data in an electronic form, for further rendering on the display of a computer. 
         [0019]    In step  310 , the electronic hair line and head shape data that is collected by the stylus is transferred to a computer for three-dimensional rendering on the display of the computer. These resulting data points (referred to as a “point cloud”) are captured by a computer running software to convert the point cloud data into a three-dimensional representation of the area which has been scanned by the stylus. Software products that convert point cloud data into a three-dimensional representation are commercially available to those skilled in the art. The software then displays the representation on a computer display device. 
         [0020]    Upon completion of this initial tracing, in step  320 , the computer software program next produces an interpolation of the areas between the data points called an electronic mesh which is sufficient to define a solid and continuous surface, and displays the resulting object on the screen.  FIG. 4  depicts one embodiment of the progression of the electronic rendering of the head shape and hair line data captured by the stylus. In  410 , an initial three-dimensional representation of the head shape and hairline data is shown. The next stage is depicted in  420  as the computer software program begins to fill in the solid and continuous surface and prepare an electronic mesh. The three-dimensional electronic mesh depicted in  430  has been fully filled in to form a solid and continuous surface. 
         [0021]    In step  330 , the operator may then continue to define or trace, by making further selections in the software, the specific boundary of the area to be covered by the hair replacement product, such area typically being a subset of the area initially traced and scanned. The area to be covered by the hair piece may also fall outside the boundaries of the natural hair line. The operator may further draw and write on the surface such other instructions and descriptions as may be necessary and desirable to complete the specifications. Any additional drawings and writings are captured by the computer software program and displayed for confirmation or correction. 
         [0022]    At step  340 , an electronic file is created by the software which contains the set of electronic data from which the custom hair piece will be created. The electronic file, along with such other instructions, specifications, and identifying information as may be necessary or desired for creation of the hairpiece, is transmitted using e-mail or other means to a manufacturing facility, or to an intermediary distributor who then transmits the file using e-mail or other means to a selected manufacturing facility, step  350 . The transmission of the electronic file can be accomplished by any suitable means, including public data networks such as the Internet, a private dedicated data line, wireless communication or even standard postal mail. 
         [0023]    In step  350 , computer software at the manufacturing facility receives the electronic template file and formats the data therein so that it can be used directly by a computer-controlled cutting or carving machine located at the facility. Formatting may include adjusting the data to be read by a specific cutting machine. Once the data is in a suitable format, an electronic carving or cutting machine carves a full-size model or mold using the custom-measured data, resulting in a precise model of the customer&#39;s head, step  360 . The model may then be used by the manufacturer to produce the custom-designed hair piece, to the precise specifications and measurements included in the electronic template file, step  370 . Custom designed hair pieces are usually hand-sewn with human hair to recreate an authentic appearance. 
         [0024]    In step  380 , the resulting product or custom hair piece is then sent by the manufacturer directly to the distributor, dealer or customer that placed the order. 
         [0025]    It should be noted that certain aspects of the present invention have been described herein, but the invention is not limited to the embodiments described. For example, any device capable of rendering three-dimensional head shape and hair line data in an electronic form can be used as a stylus. The following claims demonstrate the breadth of the invention.