Patent Publication Number: US-5289835-A

Title: Tool set for coloring hair

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     For many years a large proportion of the female population and increasing portion of the male population have changed their appearance by selectively coloring part or all of their hair. At present, the hair dresser normally mixes the coloring solution using a developer and color mixture in a bowl type container and applies to portions of the hair with a brush similar to a normal paint brush. The mixture is quite expensive so he guesses at the minimum amount to be used. The actual amount varies from about one ounce of the mixture for highlighting to six or more ounces of the mixture for a total coloring job or longer hair. Quite generally, total coloring may actually be total coloring of a dispersed portion of the hair. 
     To color hair, the operator separates about a 1/8&#34; by 3&#34; segment, separates with a weaving comb a portion to be colored, places aluminum foil on his hand under the segment and brushes on the coloring with the other hand using a short bristle brush. The brush is reloaded from the mixer container. The present invention simplifies mixing, measuring and application of the color to the hair. 
     The objectives of this invention include: 
     1) a manual means to selectively lift a portion of hair starting near the roots; 
     2) a switch to feed an operator determinable amount of a hair color composition to a hair coloring brush; 
     3) a no-waste method for reproducible mixing from one to twelve ounces of materials forming differing colors of a hair coloring composition; 
     4) tools designed for rapid and complete aqueous clean up. 
     The special tools designed to meet these objectives include: 
     1) rat tail color weave combs with a portion of each comb containing teeth with hooked ends. Different combs have different spacings of the hooked teeth in order to separate greater or lesser portions of each tuft of hair as the tuft is manually separated; 
     2) a calibrated plunger operated mixing tube to allow an operator to add an exact chosen amount of a developer and a color in the tube and operate a manual plunger to mix to form a desired hair coloring composition; 
     3) a calibrated battery operated dispensing handle holding a minimum of one ounce of hair coloring composition releasably connected with a hair coloring brush containing openings to allow feeding the hair coloring composition in an operator determinable amount through the brush head at the base of the bristles in the brush head; 
     4) brush heads with bristles trimmed in shapes as desired by an operator; 
     5) a stand with a battery charger to recharge the batteries in the dispensing handle; 
     6) a tray to releasably hold color weave combs and the coloring brush, with handle attached, during intermittent usage. 
     We recognize that the battery operated dispensing handle and brush may also be advantageously used for a homeowner to paint small areas or for a commercial artist to paint large backgrounds on canvas. 
     We wish only to be limited to the general spirit and purpose of this invention since one with normal skill in the mechanical arts may visualize many minor changes and still accomplish the same purpose as the tools of this invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention comprises a set of tools for use by a hairdresser to save time and money as compared with presently available tools. Currently, hair is colored or painted with a coloring solution according to the desire of the patron. At times only a small portion on the head is colored and at times a small portion of most of the hair on the head is colored. The set of tools designed to simplify measuring, mixing and application of the color composition to a desired portion of hair are: 
     a) a rat tail weaving comb group with a portion of the teeth on each comb having hooked ends to lift hair and each comb having different spacing of the hooked end lifting teeth in order to lift from about one eighth to essentially all of a portion of hair separated by an operator and lay the separated portion back over a surface such as aluminum foil; 
     b) one or more mixing cylindrical tubes of about one inch in diameter and six inches long are etched, formed, or painted with lines about one eighth inch apart to allow using the tube as a measuring tube. In a preferred embodiment, the tube is equipped with a threaded discharge nozzle with a plug cock valve in the discharge nozzle to close the discharge during mixing. A perforated plate plunger type mixer and dispensing unit with a manually grippable upper end, such as a ring, extends through an upper closure for the tube. The perforated plate plunger is equipped with a rotatable plate to close the perforations by pulling the plunger to the top of the mixing tube and rotating against stop pins to position the rotatable plate to cover perforations in the lowerplate. At this time, an operator opens the discharge plug cock valve and may discharge the mixer tube. We have sized the mixing tube to hold about three ounces of a hair coloring mixture, but using the calibrations, an operator may reproducibly mix amounts as desired. Normally, two tubes of three ounces each would be mixed for larger jobs and only one tube of one ounce for smaller jobs. 
     c) a hair coloring brush with a calibrated dispensing means comprises: 
     1) a brush head with an opening in a threaded inlet nozzle leading through a channel to the base of bristles in the brush head. Usually, the brush head is flat with either equal length bristles or bristles cut at a slant. Other sizes and shapes are visualized for special purposes; 
     2) a transparent dispensing handle calibrated with a series of marks approximately one eighth inch apart on the longer axis, threadably, or otherwise, attached to the nozzle on the brush head. This dispensing handle preferably has a circular cross section with a guide groove to prevent rotation of a threaded plunger that moves up and down in the tube on a threaded shaft. A smooth eliptical cross section would also serve to prevent rotation as the plunger moves up and down by rotating a threaded shaft. The dispensing handle is preferably threadably closed with a filling nozzle containing a seal to rotatably seal an upper end of the threaded shaft with the upper end of the shaft being one half of a male-female connection. The filling nozzle is perferably internally threaded to close the dispensing handle and is externally threaded to allow threadably connecting to a driver cap. The driver cap, contains a battery and a D.C. motor with a shaft with one half of a male-female connector to driveably connect with the threaded central shaft when the driver cap is threaded onto the filling nozzle. Circuitry from the battery to the motor includes one or more switches. In one preferred embodiment, a switch in the driver cap drives the threaded shaft to raise the threaded plunger to the top of the dispensing handle to allow filling or cleaning and a second switch contained in or close to the brush head spring loaded open and depressable to close, to drive the threaded plunger downward to slowly eject a portion of the contents of the dispensing handle through the brush head to the base of the bristles. In a preferred embodiment, this switch is located at the very lower portion of the dispensing handle. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a rat tail weaving comb with lifting teeth. 
     FIG. 2 shows cross section of the rat tail weaving comb. 
     FIG. 3 shows a mixing and dispensing unit. 
     FIG. 4 shows cooperating segments of a perforated plunger for the mixing and dispensing unit. 
     FIG. 5 shows a hair coloring brush with a dispensing handle. 
     FIG. 6 shows cross sectional view of dispensing handle. 
     FIG. 7 shows a top view of the filling nozzle. 
     FIG. 8 shows a top view of the lower shaft support. 
     FIG. 9 shows cross sectional view of the brush head. 
     FIG. 10 shows detail of a male-female connector for connecting the motor shaft to the rotatable shaft. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     The use and characteristics of the tools may best be described from the drawings. 
     In FIG. 1 we show a weaving comb 1 with a rat tail end 4, normal teeth 3 and hooked ends 3 on spaced teeth. The hooked ends will lift a portion of the hair that the operator wishes to color. Wider spaced teeth will lift a lesser total portion. 
     In FIG. 2 we show a second A..A of comb 1 indicating hooked ends 3 and a nearly triangular comb back. The operator manually separates about a 1/8&#34; by 2&#34; tuft of hair and, using hooked end 3, selectively lifts up approximately 1/8&#34; or more of the tuft and holds the lifted hair while using the comb back to aid in insertion of a non-absorbent sheet such as aluminum foil under the lifted hair preparatory to applying a coloring compound. 
     In FIG. 3 we show a calibrated manually operable mixing and dispensing tube 7 wherein filling cap 16 may be removed and, using calibration marks 8, an operator may add a measured amount of each part of a coloring composition after closing plug cock 9 in dispensing nozzle 15. After aligning perforations in lower perforated plate 12 with openings in the upper plate 11 of the plunger head, the shaft 10 may be inserted and moved in an up and down motion with threaded handle 19 to mix the contents as contents move through the perforations. It is important that the plunger head may be pushed very close to the discharge nozzle 15 to both mix and extrude essentially all the mixture. After mixing the shaft 10 is retracted and twisted so that interaction of projections 18 in the filling cap 16 and projections 13 on plate 11 cause rotation of plate 1 to cover perforations in plate 12. At this point, stop cock 9 is opened and downward motion of shaft 10 ejects the hair coloring composition. 
     FIG. 4 shows one preferred arrangement of openings on perforated plate 12 and rotatable plate 11 of the mixing and dispensing plunger head. 
     In FIG. 5 we show a hair coloring brush wherein a hair coloring composition in dispensing handle 20 may be fed between the base of the bristles 27 in brush head 25 as threaded plunger 32 is moved downward by rotation of shaft 30. Shaft 30 goes through an open support spider 31 and up through a filling nozzle 35. An upper female connector 32 driveably connects with male connector 42 on a drive shaft from motor 41 located in driver cap 40 below battery 43. Snap closure 44 holds battery 43 in place. Switch 45 may be a depressable drive switch to operate battery driven motor 41 to drive plunger 32 downward to eject an amount of the hair coloring composition that could be judged from the calibrated marks 21. A retractor switch 46 in the driver cap 40 retracts the plunger 32 in order to fill tube 20 when necessary. Both switches could be replaced with one reversing switch, preferably located so the operator could operate the switch while holding the coloring brush near the brush head. Circuitry leading to a switch on the lower portion of the dispensing handle may be embedded along the dispensing handle using a quick setting resin or plastic. Not shown are connectors in driver cap to connect with circuitry embedded along the dispensing handle. 
     FIG. 6 shows a cross section of tube 20 with a guide channel 29 for pin 33, FIG. 5 to prevent rotation of threaded plunger 32, FIG. 5 as plunger 32 is driven up and down by rotation of threaded shaft 30, FIG. 5. A dispensing handle with a non-circular cross section may be used to obviate the necessity of a guide channel. 
     FIG. 7 shows a top view of filling nozzle 35 indicating square opening in female connector 36 on threaded shaft 30, FIG. 5. 
     FIG. 8 shows a support spider 31 to hold rotatable shaft 30, FIG. 5, in a central position during operation. The open spider 31 is used to cause little friction as contents of tube 20 are pushed downward by downward movement of plunger 30. 
     FIG. 9 shows a cross section at C..-C of brush head 25 indicating a discharge slot 27 that connects with nozzle 26, FIG. 5, to allow forcing contents of tube 20, FIG. 5, by operation of switch 45, FIG. 5 to feed hair coloring composition material near the base of bristles 28. Preferably there should be a minimum volume in the openings in the brush head 25 connecting slot 27 to tube 20. 
     FIG. 10 shows male connector 42 on the shaft of motor 41, FIG. 5, and female connector 36 on shaft 30 in filling cap 35. 
     LEGEND 
     FIG. 1 
     1=rat tail weaving comb 
     2=normal comb teeth 
     3=hooked end of spaced hooked comb teeth 
     4=rat tail handle 
     FIG. 2 Section A--A of comb 1 showing triangle shaped back portion of comb 1 and hook 3 on teeth. 
     FIG. 3 
     7=transparent or translucent tube 
     8=calibration marks 
     9=plug cock valve 
     10=mixer shaft 
     11=upper rotatable plate of perforated plate plunger 
     12=lower perforated plate fixedly attached to shaft 10 
     13=projections 13 
     15=threaded dispensing nozzle 
     16=filling nozzle 
     18=projections for turning 13 
     19=handle threadably attached to shaft 10 
     FIG. 4 
     11=upper rotatable plate of perforated plate plunger 
     12=lower perforated plate fixedly attached 
     13=projections 
     FIG. 5 
     20=transparent or translucent tube 
     21=calibration marks 
     25=brush head 
     26=nozzle on brush head 
     27=slotted opening connecting to nozzle 26 
     28=bristles 
     30=threaded shaft 
     31=lower support spider for threaded shaft 
     32=threaded plunger with rotation preventing pin 
     33=pin in plunger 
     35=filling nozzle 
     36=female connector on shaft 30 
     40=driver cap 
     41=D. C. motor 
     42=male connection on motor shaft 
     43=battery 
     44=snap closure for driver cap 40 
     45=depressable switch 
     46=retractor switch 
     FIG. 6 
     20=tube 
     29=guide channel 
     FIG. 7 
     30=shaft 
     35=filling cap 
     36=female connector 
     FIG. 8 
     31=top view of support spider 
     FIG. 9 
     25=cross section C--C of brush head 
     27=slotted opening 
     28=base of bristles 28, FIG. 5