Patent Publication Number: US-2005115581-A1

Title: Hairpiece

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of Invention  
      The present invention relates to a hairpiece used for a partial wig, and more particularly, to a hairpiece which can be constructed to be easily attached and detached and also be easily manufactured at low production costs.  
      2. Description of the Prior Art  
      Generally, hairpieces are roughly classified into band-type hairpieces and roll-type hairpieces according to their shape.  
      Band-type hairpieces are made in the form of a band by arranging a plurality of strands of false hair chemically processed and tying them with sewing thread using a sewing machine while forming knots at predetermined intervals. Portions thereof tied with the sewing thread form an attachment end that will be attached to a user&#39;s head. The attachment end may be lined with a wig base made of cloth by means of sewing thread using a sewing machine.  
      On the other hand, roll-type hairpieces are made in the form of a roll by extracting a bundle of false hair chemically processed, arranging the false hair with respective ends thereof aligned with one another, and fixing the ends using an adhesive.  
      In band-type hairpieces, strands of false hair are cut to a predetermined length by a worker and a clip is attached thereto. To attach the clip to the hairpiece in the prior art, attachment holes are formed at both lateral ends of the clip which in turn is sewed on the attachment end of the hairpiece or the wig base in such a manner that the worker manually passes thread through the attachment holes one by one. Thus, there are problems of cumbersome work and lowered productivity.  
      To solve these problems, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-329422 (published on Nov. 27, 2001) discloses a wig clip and a wig with the clip, wherein nipping parts  3  are formed to protrude from a lower resilient side  22  of two opposite longitudinal resilient sides  21  and  22  of a base frame  2  of a wig clip  1  and to be inserted between wig bases  6  and  7  and a nipped portion  8  installed inside of the wig bases  6  and  7 .  
      When it is intended to fix the wig clip  1  to user&#39;s hair, a user holds and presses both sides of the wig clip  1  with his/her both hands such that a plurality of hair-fixing pins  4  are spread while being spaced apart from the lower resilient side  22 . Thereafter, distal ends of the plurality of hair-fixing pins  4  are caused to be slid from above to below the user&#39;s hair so that strands of hair are fitted between the hair-fixing pins  4 , and the wig clip  1  is then pressed in an opposite direction. Then, the distal ends of the hair-fixing pins  4  between which the user&#39;s strands of hair are fitted are brought into contact with the lower resilient side  22  and the hair-fixing pins  4  come together so that the user&#39;s strands of hair are fixed therebetween.  
      Here, one of the two longitudinal opposite resilient sides  21  and  22  of the base frame  2  of the wig clip  1 , which forms a base end of the hair-fixing pins  4 , is referred to as an upper resilient side  21 , whereas the other of the resilient sides with which the distal ends of the hair-fixing pins  4  are in contact is referred to as the lower resilient side  22 .  
      However, since the nipping parts  3  of the wig clip disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-329422 protrude from the lower resilient side  22  of the base frame  2  and are then bent by 180 degrees to extend toward the upper resilient side, there is a problem in that upon pressing a resilient steel sheet to fabricate one wig clip  1 , the amount of resilient steel sheet consumed increases in proportion to the lengths of the elongated nipping parts  3 .  
      Moreover, since the nipping parts  3  of the wig clip disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-329422 have simply sharp tips  3   a , there is a problem in that if a wig is inadvertently pulled in a direction in which the nipping parts  3  extend, the nipping parts  3  come out from the wig bases  6  and  7  and thus the wig clip  1  comes out from the wig. To prevent this, in the wig clip disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-329422, auxiliary nipping parts  5  protrude from the upper resilient sides  21  of the base frame  2  of the wig clip  1  and are then bent by 180 degrees to extend toward the lower resilient side. However, in order for a worker to fit the auxiliary nipping parts  5  into the wig bases  6  and  7  in a state where the nipping parts  3  have been fitted into the wig bases  6  and  7 , the user should unfold the auxiliary nipping parts  5  by 90 degrees, fit them into the wig bases  6  and  7  and fold the auxiliary nipping parts  5  again. Thus, the work is cumbersome. Further, there is a problem in that upon pressing a resilient steel sheet to fabricate one wig clip  1 , the amount of resilient steel sheet consumed greatly increases in proportion to the lengths of the elongated auxiliary nipping parts  5  in addition to the lengths of the elongated nipping parts  3 .  
      Meanwhile, as for the roll-type hairpiece, ends of bundles of false hair secured using an adhesive are fixed to user&#39;s hair. In the prior art, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,867, false hair is fixed to user&#39;s hair using a thermally shrinkable tube  30 . A plastically deformable ring made of tin has been also used instead of such a thermally shrinkable tube. However, the use of the thermally shrinkable tube or tin ring has a problem in that both user&#39;s hair and false hair of the roll-type hairpiece should be fitted into a small hole of the thermally shrinkable tube or tin ring, leading to cumbersome work. Thus, there is a problem in that a user who intends to use the roll-type hairpiece cannot fix the roll-type hairpiece to his/her own hair by himself/herself and should go to a beauty salon or receive help from other people.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An object of the present invention is to provide a band-type hairpiece, wherein nipping parts are formed through pressing in an upper resilient side of a base frame of a wig clip attached to the band-type hairpiece such that tips of the nipping parts are caught by two adjacent knots of sewing thread with which strands of false hair are sewed.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a roll-type hairpiece, wherein roll-fitting parts are formed through pressing in an upper resilient side of a base frame of a wig clip such that ends of bundles of false hair of the roll-type hairpiece secured using an adhesive are fitted thereinto.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the objects, there is provided a band-type hairpiece which is made in the form of a band by arranging a plurality of strands of false hair chemically processed and tying them with sewing thread using a sewing machine while forming knots at predetermined intervals to form an attachment end, and in which the band-type hairpiece is connected to user&#39;s hair using a wig clip attached to the attachment end and the wig clip includes opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides of a base frame, both lateral resilient sides between the upper and lower resilient sides, and a hair-fixing pin. A plurality of nipping parts with sharp tips are formed through pressing at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the upper resilient side in the upper resilient side of the opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides of the base frame of the wig clip, which is formed with a base end of the hair-fixing pin. The nipping parts are formed through pressing such that portions except their base ends are cut to be spaced apart from the upper resilient side. The nipping parts are formed such that their tips are directed to the top of the upper resilient side. A slant catching step is formed at any one of both sides of the tip of each nipping part such that the slant catching step is fitted and penetrates between two adjacent knots and is then caught by the two knots.  
      According to another aspect of the present invention for achieving the objects, there is provided a roll-type hairpiece which is made in the form of a roll by extracting a bundle of false hair chemically processed, arranging the false hair with respective ends thereof aligned with one another, and fixing the ends using an adhesive, so that an end of the bundle of false hair can be connected to user&#39;s hair by means of a fixing means. The fixing means is a wig clip comprising opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides of a base frame, both lateral resilient sides between the upper and lower resilient sides, and a hair-fixing pin. A plurality of roll-fitting parts with semi-circular cross sections are formed through pressing at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the upper resilient side in the upper resilient side of the opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides of the base frame of the wig clip, which is formed with a base end of the hair-fixing pin. The roll-fitting parts are formed through pressing such that portions except their base ends are cut to be spaced apart from the upper resilient side. The roll-fitting parts are formed such that their trailing ends are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the upper resilient sides.  
      According to a further aspect of the present invention for achieving the objects, there is provided a roll-type hairpiece made in the form of a roll by extracting a bundle of false hair chemically processed, arranging the false hair with respective ends thereof aligned with one another, and fixing the ends using an adhesive, so that an end of the bundle of false hair can be connected to user&#39;s hair by means of a fixing means. The fixing means is a wig clip comprising opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides of a base frame, both lateral resilient sides between the upper and lower resilient sides, and a hair-fixing pin. A plurality of roll-fitting recesses with trapezoidal cross sections are formed through pressing at predetermined intervals in a longitudinal direction of the upper resilient side in the upper resilient side of the opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides of the base frame of the wig clip, which is formed with a base end of the hair-fixing pin. A holding bar is installed through revetting on the upper resilient side to be in close contact therewith. The holding bar is formed with a plurality of bosses with M-shaped cross sections at positions corresponding to the plurality of roll-fitting recesses. The roll-fitting recesses and the bosses are formed to be oriented in a width direction of the upper resilient side. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a plan view of a wig clip to be attached for a band-type hairpiece, according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a sectional view taken along line II-II of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a view showing a variation of  FIG. 2 ;  
       FIG. 4  is a view showing a variation of the wig clip shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing a state before the wig clip of  FIG. 1  is attached to an attachment end of false hair of a band-type hairpiece;  
       FIG. 6  is a partially cut-away perspective view showing a state where the wig clip of  FIG. 1  has been attached to the attachment end of false hair of the band-type hairpiece;  
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of  FIG. 6 ;  
       FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of a wig clip and a bundle of false hair for a roll-type hairpiece according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 9  is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of  FIG. 8 ;  
       FIG. 10  is a sectional view showing a state where bundles of false hair are fixedly fitted into the wig clip of  FIG. 9 ;  
       FIG. 11  is a view showing a variation of the wig clip shown in  FIG. 8 ;  
       FIG. 12  is a sectional view taken along line XII-XII of  FIG. 11 ;  
       FIG. 13  is a sectional view showing a state where an upper resilient side of the wig clip of  FIG. 12  is spread;  
       FIG. 14  is a sectional view showing a state where bundles of false hair are fixedly fitted into the wig clip of  FIG. 13 ;  
       FIG. 15  is a plan view showing another variation of the wig clip shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 16  is a view showing a state where the wig clips of  FIG. 15  are connected to one another; and  
       FIG. 17  is a sectional view taken along line XVII-XV of  FIG. 16 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a hairpiece according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
      A band-type hairpiece of an embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS.  1  to  7 .  
      As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a plurality of strands of false hair  1  chemically processed are aligned with one another and then tied with sewing thread  3  using a sewing machine while knots  5  are formed at predetermined intervals, whereby an attachment end  7  is formed and the shape of a band is obtained.  
       FIG. 1  shows a wig clip  100  to be attached to the attachment end  7  of the false hair  1 .  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , the wig clip  100  comprises opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides  103  and  105  of a base frame  101 , both lateral resilient sides  104  and  106  between the upper and lower resilient sides  103  and  105 , and a hair-fixing pin  107 .  
      The wig clip  100  attached to the attachment end  7  of the false hair  1  is connected to user&#39;s hair.  
      In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , in the upper resilient side  103  of the opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides  103  and  105  of the base frame  101  of the wig clip  100 , which is formed with a base end of the hair-fixing pin  107 , a plurality of nipping parts  109  with sharp tips  111  are formed through pressing at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the upper resilient side  103 .  
      Such nipping parts  109  are formed through pressing such that portions except their base ends are cut to be spaced apart from the upper resilient side  103 .  
      Here, the nipping parts  109  are formed such that their tips  111  are directed to the top of the upper resilient side  103 .  
      A slant catching step  111   a  is formed at any one of both sides of the tip of each nipping part  109 . As can be well seen from  FIGS. 6 and 7 , such a slant catching step  111   a  is sized to penetrate between two adjacent knots  5  and be caught by the two knots  5 .  
      That is, it is preferred that a ratio of the maximum width of the tip  111  including the slant catching step  111   a  to spacing between two adjacent knots  5  be 1.1˜1.3:1.  
      If the maximum width of the tip  111  including the slant catching step  111   a  is equal to or slightly greater than the spacing between two adjacent knots  5 , when the catching step  111   a  of the nipping part  109  is fitted between the two adjacent knots  5 , the spacing between the knots  5  is instantaneously increased due to the maximum width of the tip  111  larger than the spacing of the two knots  5  and the catching step  111   a  passes between the two knots  5 . After the catching step  111   a  of the nipping part  109  has passed between the two knots  5 , the spacing between the knots  5  is decreased so that the catching step  111   a  of the nipping part  109  can be caught by the two knots  5 .  
      Since the catching step  111   a  of the nipping part  109  fitted into the attachment end  7  of the false hair  1  is caught by the two adjacent knots  5 , the nipping part  109  is prevented from coming out from the attachment end  7  of the false hair  1 .  
      A shown in  FIG. 2 , the portion of the nipping part  109  except its base end can be formed through pressing to be at a certain angle with respect to the upper resilient side  103 .  
      Meanwhile, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the portion of the nipping part  109  except its base end may be formed through pressing such that a section thereof adjacent to the based end is rounded to be horizontal with respect to the upper resilient side  103 .  
      Although  FIG. 1  shows that the tip  111  including the slant catching steps  111   a  is in the form of an arrow with protrusions at both sides thereof, the tip  111  including the slant catching step  111   a  may be in the form of a barb with a protrusion at one side thereof as shown in  FIG. 4 .  
      A roll-type hairpiece according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS.  8  to  14 .  
      As shown in  FIG. 8 , a plurality of false hair  1  chemically processed are extracted on a bundle basis and their ends are aligned and fixed with an adhesive to be in the form of a roll.  
       FIG. 8  shows a wig clip  200  to which an end  1   a  of the bundle of false hair  1  is fixed.  
      Referring to  FIG. 8 , the wig clip  200  comprises opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides  203  and  205  of a base frame  201 , both lateral resilient sides  204  and  206  between the upper and lower resilient sides  203  and  205 , and a hair-fixing pin  207 .  
      The wig clip  200  allows the end  1   a  of the bundle of the false hair  1  to be fixed thereto and then be connected to user&#39;s hair.  
      In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 8 , in the upper resilient side  203  of the opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides  203  and  205  of the base frame  201  of the wig clip  200 , which is formed with a base end of the hair-fixing pin  207 , a plurality of roll-fitting parts  209  with semi-circular cross sections are formed through pressing at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the upper resilient side  203 .  
      Such roll-fitting parts  209  are formed through pressing such that portions except their base ends are cut to be spaced apart from the upper resilient side  203 .  
      Here, the roll-fitting parts  209  are formed such that their trailing ends are oriented in the longitudinal direction of the upper resilient sides  203 .  
       FIGS. 9 and 10  show the process of fixing the end  1   a  of the bundle of false hair  1  to one of the roll-fitting parts  209 .  
      The end  1   a  of the bundle of false hair  1  is fitted into the roll-fitting part  209  shown in  FIG. 9 , and the roll-fitting part  209  is then pressed. At this time, the roll-fitting part  209  is crushed to fix the end  1   a  of the bundle of false hair  1 , as shown in  FIG. 10 .  
      FIGS.  11  to  14  show another variation of the roll-type hairpiece, wherein a holding bar is installed on an upper resilient side of a wig clip.  
      In the variation shown in  FIG. 11 , the wig clip  300  comprises opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides  303  and  305  of a base frame  301 , both lateral resilient sides  304  and  306  between the upper and lower resilient sides  303  and  305 , and a hair-fixing pin  307 .  
      In the variation shown in  FIG. 11 , in the upper resilient side  303  of the opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides  303  and  305  of the base frame  301  of the wig clip  300 , which is formed with a base end of the hair-fixing pin  307 , a plurality of roll-fitting recesses  309  with trapezoidal cross sections are formed through pressing at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the upper resilient side  303 .  
      The holding bar  310  is installed through revetting on the upper resilient side  303  to be in close contact therewith.  
      Further, the holding bar  310  is formed with a plurality of bosses  311  with M-shaped cross sections at positions corresponding to the plurality of roll-fitting recesses  309 .  
      Here, the roll-fitting recesses  309  and the bosses  311  are formed to be oriented in a width direction of the upper resilient side  303 .  
      FIGS.  12  to  14  show the process of fixing the ends  1   a  of the bundles of false hair  1  between the roll-fitting recesses  309  and the bosses  311 .  
      The upper resilient side  303  is raised from the state shown in  FIG. 12  to define a space between the roll-fitting recesses  309  and the bosses  311  as shown in  FIG. 13 . The ends  1   a  of the bundles of false hairs  1  are then interposed between the roll-fitting recesses  309  and the bosses  311 , respectively. Thereafter, the upper resilient side  303  is pressed down to fix the ends  1   a  of the bundles of false hair  1  between the roll-fitting recesses  309  and the bosses  311 .  
      FIGS.  15  to  17  show a further variation of the present invention.  
      Although FIGS.  15  to  17  are illustrated by way of example in connection with the wig clip  100  of the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , it will be understood that the structure shown in FIGS.  15  to  17  can be equally applied to the wig clips  200  and  300  shown in  FIGS. 8 and 11 , respectively.  
      In the variation of  FIG. 15 , outwardly protruding pieces  113  are formed integrally with and at intermediate portions of lateral resilient sides  104  and  106  between the opposite longitudinal upper and lower resilient sides  103  and  105  of the base frame  101  of the wig clip  100 .  
      One of the protruding pieces  113  is formed with a through-hole  113   a  at the center thereof, whereas the other of the protruding pieces  113  is formed with a spherical protrusion  113   b  at the center thereof.  
      As shown in  FIGS. 16 and 17 , a protrusion  113   b  of one wig clip  100  is press-fitted into a through-hole  113   a  of another wig clip  100 ′ so that the two wig clips  100  and  100 ′ can be connected to each other.  
      According to a band-type hairpiece of the present invention described above, nipping parts are formed through pressing in an upper resilient side of a base frame of a wig clip, and at the same time, a tip of each of the nipping parts is constructed to be caught by two adjacent knots of sewing thread with which strands of false hair are sewn. Thus, the amount of resilient steel sheet consumed for fabricating a wig clip is reduced and the wig clip is prevented from coming out from the false hair.  
      Further, according to a roll-type hairpiece of the present invention, roll-fitting parts are formed through pressing in an upper resilient side of a base frame of a wig clip, and an end of a bundle of false hair of the roll-type hairpiece, which is fixed using an adhesive, is fixedly fitted into each of the roll-fitting parts. Thus, an operation for connecting the roll-type hairpiece to user&#39;s hair is simplified and a user who intends to use a roll-type hairpiece can fix the roll-type hairpiece to his/her own hair by himself/herself, whereby he/she can connect the roll-type hairpiece to his/her hair without going to a beauty salon or receiving help from other people.