Patent Publication Number: US-2019191843-A1

Title: Hair-N-Square

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     (None) 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     (Not Applicable) 
     REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC (SEE 37 CFR 1.52(E)(5)) 
     (Not Applicable) 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to hair products to be used to lift hair up and away from the face and to give the appearance of volume. In particular, it relates to a hair accessory which folds up so as to be compact in size, slides easily into the front of the hairline, and remains in place via teeth which grip the wearer&#39;s hair. 
     The invention is especially useful for keeping hair back so that hair does not fall into the wearer&#39;s face while he or she is working as well as to keep stray hairs from falling out into food or other sensitive material. It has functionality for both private and professional use. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Anyone with medium to long hair has felt the annoyance of hair falling into his or her eyes or of shedding hair during inconvenient times. In order to prevent this, a person must tie one&#39;s hair back using a hair tie, which is time consuming, pulls on the roots of the hair causing headaches, and can weaken the roots which could lead to hair loss. Other options include hair nets, which are unflattering to one&#39;s appearance and are inconvenient to wear, elastic headbands which leave indentations in one&#39;s hair and scalp and also cause headaches, and large, bulky headbands which are not convenient to carry around and which may break if subjected to pressure while in one&#39;s purse. 
     Of particular annoyance are those activities which, for sanitary and/or safety reasons, require that stray hair be controlled lest it fall into food or contaminate sensitive material in industrial or medical facilities. Normally, one must sacrifice aesthetics as well as comfort in order to comply with such demands. The products out there are either too bulky to be feasibly portable (which means one must plan at the start of the day if he or she plans to wear the product) or are uncomfortable and damage the hair. None of the products are simultaneously comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, avoid pulling on the roots, and are compact so that they can be easily carried around and used on the fly. 
     Currently, in order to alleviate the problem of keeping hair out of one&#39;s eyes and/or that of shedding hair, one must plan ahead or else choose a product that is damaging to one&#39;s hair and uncomfortable. This product will avoid all of these inconveniences. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The product involved is a unitary construct comprising a plastic or acrylic material with metal hinges and plastic or acrylic teeth running along one of the edges. The product is in the shape of a square with one edge missing such that the edge with the teeth does not have an opposite side. The sides adjacent to the toothed edge are hinged and fold inward such that whichever side is folded inward first lies diagonally against the toothed edge and the second hinged side would then lie diagonally across the first. The function of the toothed side is to slide into the front of the hairline and to provide volume and lift to the front of the hair. The teeth themselves slide into the hair and prevent the product from shifting or sliding off of the head. The hinged edges slide into the hair on the right and left sides of the forehead, resting behind the ears. 
     In its simplest form, the product is shaped like a square with one side missing as described above. The product may easily slide into the front of the hairline and lock into place in this manner as described above. 
     The product may also be folded in order to be more compact and fit securely in one&#39;s pocket or purse. In this form, the product would resemble a rectangle as if two of the original square&#39;s parallel sides had been reduced in length. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the product in its simplest form. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the product when folded. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the toothed edge of the product. 
         FIG. 4  is a close-up view of the teeth along the toothed edge of the product. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In  FIG. 1 , there can be seen a toothed edge ( 30 ) to the product which is of a plastic or acrylic material and contains plastic or acrylic teeth ( 40 ) approximately ⅝ of an inch apart. The leftmost tooth is approximately ⅝ of an inch from the left edge of the product while the rightmost tooth is approximately ⅝ of an inch from the right edge of the product. 
     Also in  FIG. 1 , there can be seen two adjacent edges ( 10  and  20  respectively) to the toothed edge ( 30 ). These edges are made of plastic or acrylic and contain metal hinges as shown in  FIG. 1 a   . The spring hinges fit into the toothed edge such that the two adjacent sides ( 10  and  20  respectively) can be folded inward. The two adjacent sides ( 10  and  20  respectively) are approximately six inches long. 
       FIG. 2  shows the product in its compact form with the two adjacent hinges from  FIG. 1  folded inward. Thus, when the right adjacent edge ( 20 ) is folded diagonally inward, the tip of that edge would rest on the left corner of the toothed edge ( 30 ). When the left adjacent edge ( 10 ) is folded diagonally inward, the tip of that edge would rest on the right corner of the toothed edge ( 30 ). 
       FIG. 3  shows a more detailed view of the toothed edge ( 30 ). There will be a ⅝ gap between the left adjacent edge ( 10 ) and the first tooth. Each tooth will be approximately ⅝ of an inch wide. There will be a gap of ⅝ of an inch between each tooth, and there will be a total of four teeth. There will be a gap of ⅝ between the last tooth and the right adjacent edge ( 20 ). In total, the toothed edge ( 30 ) will be approximately five and a half inches long. 
       FIG. 4  shows a close up view of the teeth along the toothed edge ( 30 ) of the product. The teeth ( 40 ) are of a plastic or acrylic material attached to the toothed edge. They are comprised of ⅛ of an inch think strip of plastic or acrylic ( 60 ) that comes down vertically from the toothed edge ( 30 ) and another ⅛ of an inch thick strip of plastic or acrylic ( 50 ) which is attached to the vertical strip such that it is horizontal and perpendicular in comparison to it.  60  is perpendicular to  30 , and  50  is perpendicular to  60 .  30  and  50  are parallel to one another. The entire tooth is ¼ of an inch long. 
     With the exception of the metal spring hinges ( FIG. 1 a   ), the entire product will be comprised of a plastic or acrylic material. The product will slide into the front of the hairline such that the toothed edge ( 30 ) and the teeth ( 40 ) are facing towards the person&#39;s hair. The product will slide upwards, lifting the hair and giving it volume. The adjacent edges ( 10  and  20  respectively) will rest behind the ears to hold the product in place in conjunction with the teeth ( 40 ). 
     When not in use, the product may be folded, as in  FIG. 2 , for easy and convenient storage within a person&#39;s pocket or purse. The spring hinges ( FIG. 1 a   ) allow for the adjacent edges ( 10  and  20  respectively) to easily fold inward such that regardless of which edge is folded inward first, the other edge will rest comfortably across the first. The spring hinge ( FIG. 1 a   ) also gives the product flexibility so that it will not snap or break should anyone apply a reasonable amount of pressure to the product when it is folded. 
     The teeth ( 40 ) will act as a hair brush would, sliding into the hair without damaging or breaking it and lifting the hair up. The teeth ( 40 ) will also lock the hair in place so that the person using the product can go about their day without worrying about their hair coming loose or stray hair falling out. 
     The unique, square shape of the product will make the product more compact when folded (see  FIG. 2 ) and will also provide a different and more aesthetic look to the hair when it flows over the product and falls into place as compared to rounded hair bands. The square shape will also provide more lift because it does not allow the hair to fall back into its natural setting as a rounded hair band (which mimics the natural contour of the head) would do. The square shape compels the hair to remain lifted, giving the appearance of more volume. This will also eschew the need for damaging hair product such as aerosol hairsprays and gels which contain chemicals both harmful to a person&#39;s health and to the environment.