Patent Publication Number: US-2023148696-A1

Title: Shower Cap

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS: This utility patent application claims priority back to US Provisional Application No. 63/279,927, filed Nov. 16, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT: This invention was not federally sponsored. 
     INVENTOR: Carisa Bisagno, resident of Brentwood, Calif. and citizen of US. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the invention: This invention relates to the general field of shower caps, and more specifically, to a shower cap specially designed to protect hair extensions from getting wet during a shower or other activity where a user&#39;s head might get wet. This invention is a shower cap designed to expose the crow of the scalp allowing the user to wash only the hair on the crown of their head. Although the invention is marketed to users with hair extensions, the cap is universal and can be used by any persons wanting to only wash the top portion of their head. 
     Brief Description of Invention: The invention provides an adjustable headband which allows a user to create a watertight seal across the forehead of the user. Side panels then seal the side of the face, and a body portion with a nape scoop then confines the hair extensions to a waterproof container. The primary purpose of the invention is to allow a person with hair extensions to take a shower without getting the hair extensions wet, but the invention is equally useful under environmental conditions such as rain, or when in close proximity to heavy spray, such as when being near a waterfall. 
     The use of natural or artificial hair to enhance the appearance of a user goes back around 5,000 years to the ancient Egyptians, who, at least according to what we know of the historical record, were the first to use both human hair and sheep wool to accent the hair of a user way back around 3,400 BC. Indeed, Cleopatra is probably the most famous user of hair extensions and was well known for her “peacock blue” hair extensions. The popularity of hair extensions quickly spread through the African continent, and many tribes continue to use hair extensions of different materials and methods that continue in practice today. 
     In modern times, hair extensions are well known around the world. The market is currently estimated to be at least 6 billion dollars, and that is just in the United States and is expected to exceed 20 billion worldwide well before the end of this decade. Thus, the industry is a significant one. The method of attaching hair extensions to the natural hair of a person, however, has not evolved much from the hair weaving and use of resin as an adhesive that was used in ancient Egypt. Most hair extensions today are either woven into the existing hair of a user, and/or attached with some sort of silicone or glue. The general industry trend is toward the hand-tied method of installation. With this method of attachment, the user wears tracks of hair that are sewn close to the user&#39;s scalp using their natural hair and link beads. The tracks contain roughly 5-8 wefts of hair, and some users wear multiple tracks. The tracks are installed directly below the crown of the user&#39;s head; thus, this invention provides the ability to wash the exposed crown of the user&#39;s head, without wetting the tracks, wefts, and users&#39; natural hair. In either case, subjecting the point of attachment to water and hand-scrubbing is not desirable to maintaining the hair extensions in a quality arrangement. 
     Thus, is has been desirable since 3,400 BC in ancient Egypt to have a way to allow a user to bathe or take a shower without damaging or even ruining his or her hair extensions. 
     The prior has several examples of attempts to resolve this problem 
     For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,380,849B2 and 10,070,710 to Peternostro, describe a protective head cover having selectable size and location of at least one opening for exposure of a portion of a user&#39;s hair. This invention, however, is pretty much the reverse of the current invention, in that it allows a user to pull out a longer portion of hair to treat while protection the hair right next to the scalp. The point of the current invention is to protect both the long sections of hair (the extensions), and the scalp portion to which they are attached. 
     Other relevant prior art is US Publication 2013/0298929 to Cole, which teaches a bag capable of enclosing hair, which forms an interior channel having an inside surface and outside surface, the interior channel having a first opening and a second opening opposite the first opening. A first opening reducing device enables the expansion and contraction of a size of a perimeter of the first opening and a second opening reducing device enables closing of the second opening. The inside surface of the bag is a pliable material and the outside surface of the bag is a pliable water-resistant material, the pliable water-resistant material extending over the perimeter of the first opening on the inside surface of the bag. This invention, however, merely protects a portion of the scalp of the user and leaves the longer portions of the hair hanging out its end unless the user tightens a second “cinch”, in which case the user&#39;s hair hangs down her back, impeding an effective shower. The “watertight” seal around the user&#39;s head appears to be adjustable only through and elastic band in the upper circumferential hole, as opposed to the current invention that provides a truly adjustable headband portion. The current invention provides additional features and benefits because it isolates and exposes only the crown of the user&#39;s head for shower. It&#39;s not a cinchable bag, which wraps the whole head, it simply exposes the portion of the head that users want to wash (crown) and blocks off the rest of the hair. The headband is adjustable so that users with different sized and shaped heads can adjust to ensure no water leaks to the rest of their hair. This prior art appears to be an expandable bag solution that the user can wrap and encapsulate all their hair. The current invention does not function this way and isolates and exposes the particular portion of the crow of the head. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 10,455,879 to Guice provides a shower cap with a wide band that helps prevent shift and elastic creases in the forehead. This invention, however, relies on to quote the abstract, “a ‘snap, cuff, and fasten’ system that includes magnetic snaps and hook and loop fastening tape.” This invention uses a considerable larger number of items and therefore is more prone to breakage and malfunction.  FIG.  3 A  shows the complex nature of the product. 
     US Publication 2019/0110542 to Kolonne describes a dual-purpose shower cap that includes a tubular shaped outer layer. The top of the outer layer can be a closed structure or an open structure. The outer layer is waterproofed/repels water, and an inner layer that correspondingly fits inside/laminated to the inside of the outer layer. The inner and outer layers form a hair cover. The inner layer absorbs water. The dual-purpose shower cap combines a waterproofed shower cap and a drying cap in one design for both showering and drying. The dual-purpose shower cap allows hair to dry rapidly without the need to blow dry the hair separately. The complexity of this invention is obvious from  FIG.  5   , and the open end (shown being held by the user) will be difficult to close adequately to keep water away from the hair extensions and their point of connection to the user&#39;s natural hair. 
     Thus, there has existed a long-felt need for a product that protects both hair extensions and the point of attachment between the hair extensions and the natural hair of the user from water. The product should, ideally, be lightweight, easy to use, and most importantly, considering the average expense of a hair extension install which can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars, provide a rock-solid seal against water intrusion. 
     The current invention provides just such a solution by having a uniquely designed shower cap designed that covers and protects hair extensions from getting wet during showers and only exposes a certain part of the user&#39;s head (the crown). It can be used by anyone with hair extensions. The hair is covered in a waterproof body, secured at the bottom by a nape scoop that collects the bottom of the hair extensions (or natural hair) and keeps them from getting wet. The waterproof nature is greatly enhanced by waterproof seals provided at the top and sides of the body through an adjustable headband and right/left functional linings. The headband is adjustable through several adjustment holes that allow a user to loosen or tighten the headband to snugly fit a variety of head sizes, and additionally has a bridge to deflect water away from the seals much like the bill of a cap. Other embodiments are contemplated, including the use of snaps, elastic bands, and potentially some sort of hook-and-loop material to create a “one size fits all style”. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a shower cap that a user can use to take a shower and not get his/her hair extensions wet. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a shower cap that exposes only the scalp of a user to water during a shower. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a shower cap that can encapsulate long hair of a user, whether it be natural hair or hair extensions. 
     It is an additional object of the invention to provide a shower cap that is waterproof based on effective seals between the cap and the head of the user. 
     STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, one aspect the invention includes a shower cap designed to prevent hair extensions from getting wet during showers or other exposure to water such as rain or mist, whereby the scalp of the user is exposed to water while the body of the hair or hair extensions is secured in a waterproof container. The hair is secured in a waterproof body, held up at the bottom by a nape scoop, with waterproof seals provided at the top and sides of the body through an adjustable headband and right/left functional linings. The headband is adjustable through two or more adjustment holes, and additionally has a bridge to deflect water away from the seals. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. The features listed herein and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
     It should be understood the while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims I regard as my invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG.  1    is a right-side view of the invention showing how it fits on the head of a user of the invention. 
         FIG.  2    is a left-side view of the invention. 
         FIG.  3    is a front view. 
         FIG.  4    is a back view. 
         FIG.  5    is a front view of the invention not attached to a person&#39;s head. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
     Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with references made to the drawings below. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Instead, emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating the components of the present invention. Moreover, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through the several views in the drawings. Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention are not limited in their application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments of the invention are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. In addition, the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 
     As a basic description of the invention, the shower cap has been designed to prevent hair extensions from getting wet during showers or other exposure to water. The hair is collected and secured in a waterproof body, held up at the bottom by a nape scoop, with waterproof seals provided at the top and sides of the body through an adjustable headband and right/left functional linings. The headband is adjustable through two or more adjustment holes, and additionally has a bridge to deflect water away from the seals. 
       FIG.  1    is a right-side view of the invention showing how it fits on the head of a user of the invention. A 4 mm silicon bead covered by lightweight silicon material  1  forms a watertight seal between the invention and the head of the user, thereby providing an improvement over the prior art. Several adjustment bands ( 3 ,  6 ,  9  and  11 ) allow the user to adjust the circumference of the silicon bead  1  to allow for a snug fit on a variety of sizes and shapes of heads. Attached to the silicon bead  1  is a body  4 , which provides a watertight covering for the hair, and a nape scoop  5  into which the hair extensions fall. The watertight capabilities of the invention depend in no small part on the interior liner ( 17  in other figures), which is a strip of semi-malleable material that creates watertight seals between the various parts of the invention and the head of the user. In this view, the left temple adjustment band  6  adjustably attaches to the left temping binding strip  7 , allowing the user to adjust the tightness of the device on his/her head. This figure also shows how the Left forehead adjustment band  3  can be adjustably secured to the left forehead binding strip  8 . 
       FIG.  2    is a left-side view of the invention, showing how the right temple adjustment band  9  can be adjustably secured to the right temple binding strip  10 . This figure also shows how the right forehead adjustment band  11 can be adjustably secured to the right forehead binding strip  12 .. 
       FIG.  3    is a front view of the invention. A forehead clasp  13  allows for easy installation and removal of the device. 
       FIG.  4    is a back view showing how the hair extensions can be “scooped up” into the nape scoop  5 . 
       FIG.  5    is a front view of the invention not attached to a person&#39;s head. This figure illustrates how the adjustment bands ( 6  and  9 ) pass through die-cut holes ( 15  and  16 ) to removably adjust the diameter of the device, and thereby, its tightness over the head of the user. An extension window  18  is where the hair extensions are pushed so that they are scooped up in the nape scoop ( 5  in other figures). 
     It should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein, the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims, and a reasonable equivalency thereof, which claims I regard as my invention. 
     All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all other copyright rights whatsoever are reserved. 
     REFERENCE NUMBERS USED 
     
         
         
           
               1 . Lightweight silicone material over (elastic binding) 
               2 . 4 mm silicon bead 
               3 . Left forehead adjustment band 
               4 . Body 
               5 . Nape scoop 
               6 . Left temple adjustment band 
               7 . Left temple binding strip 
               8 . Left forehead binding strip 
               9 . Right temple adjustment band 
               10 . Right temple binding strip 
               11 . Right forehead adjustment band 
               12 . Right forehead binding strip 
               13 . Forehead clasp 
               14 . User 
               15 . Right die cut hole 
               16 . Left die cut hole 
               17 . Interior liner 
               18 . Extension window