Patent Publication Number: US-2009235945-A1

Title: Hairpiece Having Detachable Hair Accessory

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to hairpieces for positioning on a person&#39;s head. A particular embodiment of the invention is a wig with a headband that is detachable so it can be replaced with another headband. 
     Cosmetic hairpieces such as wigs have long been used by men and women for a variety of purposes. For example, wigs can be used to cover bald or thinning areas on the wearer&#39;s scalp. Also, women who have a generally full head of hair, often wear wigs having hair of a different color or length than their natural hair in order to alter their appearance. 
     A variety of accessories, such as headbands, have also been developed for being worn on the wearer&#39;s head. Headbands can be made of a hard, flexible material such as plastic and have an arched horseshoe shape that conforms to the wearer&#39;s head. Such headbands are often worn by women to keep their hair back and out of the eyes. These headbands are also worn for decorative reasons to accessorize the wearer&#39;s outfit and otherwise complement her appearance. Such headbands typically consist of a hard plastic horseshoe piece with a thin decorative fabric covering the outer surface of the plastic horseshoe piece. The fabric can be of a particular color or have a unique decorative design that matches the wearer&#39;s clothes and complements her overall appearance. As such, many women typically have a number of headbands for wearing with different outfits. 
     There have developed wigs having headbands attached thereto. The attached headbands typically serve a decorative purpose as noted above, as well as assisting in keeping the wig on the wearer&#39;s head. The headbands are permanently attached to the wig, thereby preventing the wearer from utilizing a variety of headbands with a single wig. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a wig that can be worn in conjunction with multiple headbands. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a wig having a detachable hair accessory. 
     These and other objects of the present invention can be achieved in the preferred embodiments of the invention disclosed below by providing a hairpiece kit that includes a wig for being positioned on a wearer&#39;s head, at least one hair accessory, releasably attached to the wig. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the hair accessory is a headband. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the hair accessory includes a plurality of headbands, and each headband has a distinct decorative appearance. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the wig and the hair accessory are releasably attached by hook and loop fasteners. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the hair accessory comprises a headband having an upper surface and an under surface. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, hook fasteners are attached to the under surface of the headband, and loop fasteners are attached to the wig. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the wig includes a support structure having an inner surface and an outer surface, a plurality of hair attached to the support structure, and the inner surface of the support structure is adapted for being mounted on the wearer&#39;s head, and the hair is carried on the outer surface of the support structure. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the support structure comprises an upper segment defining a top of the support structure and a lower segment defining a base of the support structure attached to first and second ends of the upper segment. The upper and lower segments each have an interior surface and exterior surface. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the hair accessory comprises a headband having an outer surface and an inner surface, a strip of hook fasteners is attached to the inner surface of the headband, and a strip of loop fasteners is attached to the exterior surface of the upper segment of the support structure. The strip of loop fasteners is sized for complementary engagement with the strip of hook fasteners attached to the headband. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the strip of hook fasteners is attached to the inner surface of the headband with an adhesive, and the strip of loop fasteners is attached to the exterior surface of the upper segment with an adhesive. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the support structure includes an engaging member that engages the wearer&#39;s natural hair and maintains the wig on the wearer&#39;s head. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the engaging member comprises a plurality of combs attached to the inner surface of the support structure proximate the upper segment. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the lower segment comprises an elastic band and loop fasteners attached to the interior surface of the lower segment, and the support structure includes a first complementary elastic band having hook fasteners thereon attached to the first end of the upper segment, a second complementary elastic band having hook fasteners thereon attached to the second end of the upper segment. The hook fasteners of the first and second complementary elastic bands can engage the loop fasteners at varying points on the interior surface of the lower segment so that a perimeter of the support structure can be varied to conform to the wearer&#39;s head. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the upper segment and the lower segment define an interior area of the support structure, and the support structure includes a web disposed in the interior area comprising a plurality of substantially vertical members attached to the lower segment, and a plurality of substantially horizontal members attached to the upper segment and the substantially vertical members, and the hair is attached to the substantially horizontal members. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the support structure is adapted for covering only the rear portion of the wearer&#39;s head. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, a hairpiece comprises a wig for being positioned on a wearer&#39;s head having a support structure having an inner surface and an outer surface, and a plurality of hair attached to the support structure. The inner surface of the support structure is adapted for being mounted on the wearer&#39;s head, and the hair is carried on the outer surface of the support structure. A first attachment member is mounted on the outer surface of the support structure for releasably engaging a complementary second attachment member positioned on a hair accessory, so that the hair accessory is releasably attached to the wig. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the first attachment member comprises loop fasteners, and the complementary second attachment member comprises hook fasteners. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, the first attachment member comprises hook fasteners, and the complementary second attachment member comprises loop fasteners. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, a hairpiece includes a wig for being positioned on a wearer&#39;s head, and the wig includes a support structure for engaging natural hair on the wearer&#39;s head and maintaining the wig on the wearer&#39;s head, a plurality of hair strands attached to the support structure, and a plurality of loop fasteners positioned on an exterior surface of the support structure. A headband having an upper surface and a under surface, and a plurality of hook fasteners positioned on the under surface, is releasably attached to the wig by engagement of the hook fasteners of the headband with the loop fasteners of the wig. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevation of a hairpiece product according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevation of a wig of the hairpiece of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear elevation of a headband of the hairpiece product of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom plan view of the wig of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom plan view of the hairpiece product of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 6  is a front elevation illustrating the wig of  FIG. 2  being utilized in conjunction with multiple headbands. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE 
     A hairpiece according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , and shown generally at reference numeral  10 . The hairpiece  10  generally comprises a wig  12  and a hair accessory such as a headband  30  that is releasably attached to the wig  12 . The headband  30  can be made of a hard, flexible material such as plastic and have an arched horseshoe shape that conforms to the wearer&#39;s head. It should be noted that while this particular embodiment of the invention includes a headband  30 , the invention can be utilized with any other accessories that are placed on or in the hair. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the means for releasably attaching the wig  12  and the headband  30  include a strip of loop fasteners  14  positioned on the wig  12 , shown in  FIG. 2 , and a similarly sized strip of hook fasteners  34  positioned on the headband  30 , shown in  FIG. 3 . The headband  30  has an underside  32  and an upper side  36 . The hook fasteners  34  are positioned on the under side  32  of the headband  30 , such that the headband  30  releasably attaches to the wig  12  when the headband  30  is positioned on top of the wig  12 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The strip of hook fasteners  34  can be attached to the under side  32  of the headband  30  by an adhesive or any other suitable attachment means. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the wig  12  comprises a support structure  16  for being mounted on the head of the wearer. The support structure  16  has an interior surface  18  and an exterior surface  20 . The support structure  16  includes an upper segment  22  attached to a lower segment  24 . The upper segment  22  has an arch shape and is sized to fit over the crown of the wearer&#39;s head. 
     Within the interior area defined by the upper segment  22  and lower segment  24  is a web comprised of substantially vertical members  26  and substantially horizontal members  28 . The vertical members  26  are preferably made of an elastic material and are attached to the upper segment  22  at one end, and the lower segment  24  at the other end. The horizontal members  28  are attached at both ends to the upper segment  22 . Hair strands  40  are attached to the horizontal members  28  on the exterior surface  20  of the support structure  16 , and extend outward therefrom. A hair engaging member such as a plurality of combs  42  are attached to the interior surface  18  of the support structure  16 . The combs  42  engage the natural hair of the wearer in order to maintain the hairpiece  10  on the wearer&#39;s head. 
     The lower segment  24  of the support structure  16  is made of an elastic material, and has loop fasteners  44  attached to the interior surface of the lower segment  24 . A first complementary elastic band  50  having hook fasteners thereon is attached at one end of the upper segment  22 , and a second complementary elastic band  60  having hook fasteners thereon is attached to the second end of the upper segment  22 . As such, the hook fasteners of the first and second complementary elastic bands  50 ,  60 , respectively, can engage the loop fasteners  44  at varying points on the interior surface of the lower segment  24  so that the perimeter of the support structure  16  can be varied to conform to the wearer&#39;s head. That is, the perimeter of the support structure  16  can be reduced to tighten the support structure  16  on the wearer&#39;s head, or the perimeter of the support structure  16  can be increased to accommodate larger heads. 
     Attached to the exterior surface  20  of the support structure  16  on the upper segment  22  is a strip of loop fasteners  14 . The strip of loop fasteners  14  can be attached to the upper segment  22  by an adhesive or any other suitable attachment means. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the headband  30  is positioned over the upper segment  18  of the wig  12  so that the hook fasteners  34  of the headband  30  engage the loop fasters  14  of the wig  12 . The headband  30  provides stability for the hairpiece  10 , and helps maintain the hairpiece  10  on the wearer&#39;s head. 
     Because of the releasable attachment of the wig  12  and the headband  30 , a single wig  12  can be utilized with multiple headbands  30   a ,  30   b , as illustrated in  FIG. 6 . As such, the wearer can select a particular headband  30   a  with a distinctive decorative appearance to attach to the wig  12 , and later replace that headband  30   a  with another headband  30   b  having a different appearance. The headbands  30   a ,  30   b  can be comprised of a hard plastic horseshoe piece with a thin decorative fabric covering the outer surface of the plastic horseshoe piece. The number of headbands that can be utilized with the hairpiece  10  is limitless. 
     A hairpiece and method of using same are disclosed above. Various changes to the invention can be made without departing from its scope. For example, while a preferred embodiment of the invention is described above as including a headband, the invention can be utilized with other hair accessories, such as barrettes and clips. The above description of the preferred embodiment and best mode of the invention are for the purpose of illustration only and not limitation—the invention being defined by the following claims.