Patent Publication Number: US-2023132989-A1

Title: Hair accessory

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a hair accessory. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hair accessory which is safe for use with young children. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a hair accessory which is made with materials safe for use with children and a size safe for use with children. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Hair ties, hair bows, and other types of hair accessories have existed for some time. These products are used to hold hair in place, style hair, or otherwise allow the user to control their hair in a desirable manner. These devices may include a barrette, a clip, a hair elastic, or other such items. 
     Teething devices for infants and children have also existed for some time. Teething devices are designed to allow teething children to chew on an item that is both safe for them to chew on and provides relief for the pain or discomfort associated with teething. These devices are typically made of a soft material composed of non-toxic materials or food-grade materials. 
     Children and infants tend to place items in their mouth, especially when teething. Current technology may be soft or designed to prevent injury with misuse of the product by having dull edges or features which protect against injury. Current teething technology may be specifically designed to provide an object in which a child may chew on to relieve pain or discomfort. Additionally, caring for a child may require constant oversight and supervision. Even with diligent supervision, a child may acquire a product in everyday life which could pose a threat to their safety or well-being. Such a product may be a hair accessory such as an elastic or bow. Current elastics, bows, or other hair accessories may present a risk of choking or be made of a material not suitable to be placed in a child’s mouth. Additionally, the product may break or separate, creating small pieces which may also present choking hazards. 
     Regulation 16 C.F.R. § 1501, METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING TOYS AND OTHER ARTICLES INTENDED FOR USE BY CHILDREN UNDER 3 YEARS OF AGE WHICH PRESENT CHOKING, ASPIRATION, OR INGESTION HAZARDS BECAUSE OF SMALL PARTS (“Small Parts Regulations”) provides standards for which some products must adhere to in order to be deemed not a choking hazard. Exemptions for certain products, such as buttons, barrettes, toothbrushes, and other items exist because their size is connected to the functionality of the item. The regulations have size and material standards which are designed to prevent choking, injury, or swallowing in children. The regulations extend to include items that are inherently small parts or a piece broken off during testing in accordance with 16 C.F.R. § 1500.50, TEST METHODS FOR SIMULATING USE AND ABUSE OF TOYS AND OTHER ARTICLES INTENDED FOR USE BY CHILDREN. 
     What is needed is a hair accessory for children or infants which provides the control of the hair as desired but is also made of a non-toxic or food-grade material which may be suitable for a child to place in their mouth. What is further needed is a device which provides both the benefits of that of a hair accessory and may also be used as a teething accessory. To accomplish this, the device must have functionality as a hair accessory and be safe for an infant or child to use and place in their mouth. What is needed is a device which may be used to secure a child’s hair but also meet the standards to not be a choking hazard and be made of material safe enough to be placed in an infant or child’s mouth. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to retain a child’s hair in a method which meets certain safety standards. It is an object of the present invention to retain hair, which may be thin or too short to be tucked behind the ears or shoulders of a child to keep the hair out of the child’s face. Further, it is an object of the present invention to be safe for use with children in the event that children misuse or abuse the device or place the device in their mouth. Still further, it is an object of the present invention for the device to be used with children without requiring a parent, supervisor, or care provider to constantly monitor the child when the device is in use. 
     The present invention is a hair accessory device of a size, shape, and material suitable for use with children and infants. The hair accessory device is made of a non-toxic material which may include plastic, rubber, or silicone material, food-grade metal, or a combination thereof. The invention is sized and shaped such that it meets or exceeds the standards for choking hazards. The present invention is a hair accessory which secures a child’s hair in place; however, is safe for the child to hold, chew on, place in their mouth, or otherwise use safely. 
     The hair accessory device is made of materials suitable to be placed in a child’s mouth. This may include non-toxic materials and/or food-grade materials including certain types of plastics, rubbers, or silicones. Food-grade material is material that is non-toxic and safe for consumption or safe to come into contact with food products. The present embodiment may be made of one or more of a metal, plastic, rubber, silicone, or other such material that is classified as food-grade. 
     The present invention is sized such that it may fit on a child’s head to secure hair in place. The Small Parts Regulations set the standard for a choking hazard to fit within a specially designed test cylinder with a length of 57.1 millimeters (2.25 inches) and a width of 31.7 millimeters (1.25 inches). The regulations determine that any piece, whether it be the entire item, a separate part of the item, or a part of the item that may break off when used by a child may be considered a choking hazard if it fits within the test cylinder. The present invention has a size greater than the 57.1 millimeters in length and 31.7 millimeters in width to be compliant with the Small Parts Regulations. Additionally, the present invention may be formed as a solid, uniform material, or may be formed using a multitude of pieces. The multitude of pieces are sized sufficiently to meet the standards of the Small Parts Regulations such that the individual pieces are compliant with the size requirements and/or that the piece does not break off during testing simulating use by a child under regulation 16 C.F.R. §1500.50. 
     The present invention has a decorative portion and a functional portion. The decorative portion of the invention is designed to provide a decorative style. The functional portion is a hair retaining portion of the invention. The hair retaining portion is designed to grasp a child’s hair and retain the hair in the desired form. The decorative portion may be formed as a bow, a clip, a flower, a barrette, or any such design serving a decorative function. The retaining portion has a mechanism by which the hair accessory may be clipped, wrapped, or otherwise attached to the hair. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a top perspective view of the hair accessory device. 
         FIG.  2    is a front perspective view of the hair accessory device. 
         FIG.  3    is a back perspective view of the hair accessory device having a retaining clip. 
         FIG.  4    is a back perspective view of the hair accessory device having a retaining ring. 
         FIG.  5    is a back view of the hair accessory device. 
         FIG.  6    is a bottom view of the hair accessory device. 
         FIG.  7    is a partial cross sectional side view of the hair accessory device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of a hair accessory device  10  of the present invention are shown in  FIGS.  1 - 7   . The hair accessory device  10  has a decorative portion  30  and a hair retaining portion  50 . The decorative portion  30  has a body  32  and an attachment site  34 . The hair retaining portion  50  includes a retainer  52 . 
     The body  32  of the decorative portion  30  has a shape and size that may be formed to have a decorative design such as a bow, a ribbon, or other shape as desired. The attachment site  34  of the decorative portion  30  may be equipped to receive and retain the hair retaining portion  50 . The attachment site  34  may be formed as a slot in which a portion of the hair retaining portion  50  may be inserted into and retained therein. The attachment site  34  may also be a surface to which an adhesive may be applied to retain the hair retaining portion  50 . Still further, the attachment site  34  may be configured to otherwise receive and retain the hair retaining portion  50  using a button, clip, or other known method of attaching one surface to another. 
     The hair retaining portion  50  includes a retainer body  51  and the retainer  52 . The retainer  52  may be formed as a retaining ring  54 , a retaining clip  56 , or other such apparatus that may be used to secure and retain hair. The retaining clip  56  may be used to clip and hold the hair in place. The retaining ring  54  may be wrapped around hair, or hair inserted into the retaining ring  54 , to retain and hold the hair in place. 
       FIGS.  1 - 2  and  4 - 7    depict an embodiment of the hair accessory device  10  having the body  32  of the decorative portion  30  formed as a bow and the retainer  52  of the hair retaining portion  50  as the retaining ring  54 .  FIG.  3    depicts an embodiment of the hair accessory device  10  having the body  32  of the decorative portion  30  formed as a bow and the retainer  52  of the hair retaining portion  50  as the retaining clip  56 . 
     In the embodiment of  FIG.  3   , the retaining clip  56  of the retaining portion  50  may be fastened to the attachment site  32  of the decorative portion  30  by an adhesive or other attachment method. In the embodiment of  FIGS.  1 - 2  and  4 - 7   , the retaining ring  52  of the hair retaining portion  50  may be made as a single, unitary piece. The retaining ring  54  may be attached to the attachment site  32  with an adhesive as previously described or formed as a single, unitary piece as previously described. The retaining clip  56  may be attached to the attachment site  32  with an adhesive as previously described or formed as a single continuous material as previously described. 
     The device  10  is formed with a material which is suitable for use with children. The material of the device  10  is strong enough to withstand the standard of use and abuse anticipated from a child and so it meets the durability requirement of the Small Parts Regulations. Further, the device  10  is formed with a material that is non-toxic and/or food-grade. The Small Parts Regulations set out standards for choking hazards and required material to be safe for use with children. For example, the present device  10  is made of, but not limited to, food-grade rubber. Additionally, an embodiment of the device  10  has a length of 2.80 inches and a width of 1.44 inches. The device  10  is not limited to such dimensions as described in the present embodiment but must exceed 57.1 millimeters (2.25 inches) in length and 31.7 millimeters (1.25 inches) in width to meet the requirements of the Small Parts Regulations. The decorative portion  30  coupled with the hair retaining portion  50  are together larger than an interior diameter of a choke test tube, which is 31.7 millimeters (1.25 inches) and which is the requirement that must be met to be in compliance with the Small Parts Regulations. In an embodiment of the device  10 , the decorative portion  30  and the hair retaining portion  50  are each, separately, larger than the interior diameter of the choke test tube. Therefore, the device  10  meets the size, shape, durability, and material standards of the Small Parts Regulations. 
     The present invention has been described with reference to specific examples and configurations. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.