Patent Publication Number: US-2004040568-A1

Title: Hair binder

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to a hair binder and, more particularly, to such a hair binder that can quickly be fastened to the hair without hurting the user&#39;s hands or the hair.  
       [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art  
       [0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,319, issued to the present inventor, discloses a hair binder, which is comprised of a cord member and a fastener formed of a male fastening element and a female fastening element respectively fastened to two opposite ends of the cord member for joining the ends of the cord member. The male fastening element has a rounded head with a neck at its front side and a coupling groove or coupling flange around the rounded head and the neck. The female fastening element has a bottom open chamber and a coupling hole for receiving the rounded head and neck of the male fastening element, and a coupling flange or coupling groove for engagement with the coupling groove or coupling flange of the male fastening element to secure the rounded head of the male fastening element to the inside of the female fastening element. This structure of hair binder is functional, and convenient in use. However, this structure is complicated.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005] The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is one object of the present invention to provide a hair binder, which is easy to install. It is another object of the present invention to provide a hair binder, which has a simple structure. According to the present invention, the hair binder comprises a cord member and a fastener formed of a male fastening element and a female fastening element injection-molded from plastics and respectively fastened to two opposite ends of the cord member for joining the ends of the cord member. The male fastening element has a rounded head with a neck at its front side. The female fastening element has a ball socket adapted to receive the rounded head of the male fastening element. The ball socket has a bottom opening, a top opening covered with an ornamental cap, and a peripheral notch extended to the bottom opening for receiving the neck of the male fastening element for enabling the rounded head of the male fastening element to be set into the ball socket. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0006]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair binder according to the first embodiment of the present invention.  
     [0007]FIG. 2 is an exploded view, in an enlarged scale, of the fastener of the hair binder shown in FIG. 1.  
     [0008]FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the hair binder, showing the male fastening element fastened to the female fastening element according to the present invention.  
     [0009]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the fastener of the hair binder shown in FIG. 3.  
     [0010]FIG. 5 is perspective view of FIG. 2.  
     [0011]FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the fastener of the hair binder before connection of the female fastening element to the male fastening element and after installation of the ornamental cap in the female fastening element.  
     [0012]FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a part of an alternate form of the female fastening element for the fastener of the hair binder according to the present invention.  
     [0013]FIG. 8 is a schematic top view corresponding to FIG. 7, showing the installation of the ornamental cap in the female fastening element.  
     [0014]FIG. 9 is an exploded view of another alternate form of the present invention.  
     [0015]FIG. 10 is an exploded view of still another alternate form of the present invention.  
     [0016]FIG. 11 is an exploded view of still another alternate form of the present invention.  
     [0017]FIG. 12 is a schematic drawing corresponding to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, showing the male fastening element fastened to the female fastening element. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0018] Referring to FIGS. from  1  through  6 , a hair binder in accordance with the present invention is shown comprised of a cord member  2  and a fastener  1  formed of a male fastening element  12  and a female fastening element  11  respectively fastened to two opposite ends of the cord member  2  for joining the ends of the cord member  2 . The male fastening element  12  and the female fastening element  11  are respectively injection-molded from plastics. The male fastening element  12  comprises a front neck  122  axially forwardly extended from the front side thereof and a rounded head  121  at the front end of the front neck  122 . The female fastening element  11  comprises a ball socket  111  adapted to receive the rounded head  121  of the male fastening element  12 . The ball socket  111  has two openings  113  respectively disposed at the top and bottom sides, and a peripheral notch  112  extended to the one opening  113  adapted to receive the neck  122  of the male fastening element  12 . By means of forcing the neck  122  into the peripheral notch  112 , the rounded head  121  is coupled to the ball socket  111 . When the neck  122  set into the peripheral notch  112 , the two opposite lateral side edges  1121  of the peripheral notch  112  engages the periphery of the neck  12 , securing the male fastening element  12  to the female fastening element  11 . The ball socket  111  of the female fastening element  11  further comprises a mounting flange  114  around one opening  113  for the mounting of an ornamental cap  115 . The ornamental cap  115  can be shaped like an artificial diamond or the like, and directly adhered to the mounting flange  114 .  
     [0019]FIGS. 7 and 8 show a hair binder according to the second embodiment of the present invention. According to this alternate form, the mounting flange  114  of the female fastening element  11  has a plurality of vertical insertion grooves  142  and a plurality of horizontal locating grooves  141  respectively extended from the bottom ends of the vertical insertion grooves  142 , and the ornamental cap  115  has a plurality of locating pegs  1151  equiangularly spaced around the periphery and adapted for coupling to the horizontal locating grooves  141  of the female fastening element  11 . The ornamental cap  115  is fastened to the mounting flange  114  of the female fastening element  11  by: forcing the pegs  1151  of the ornamental cap  115  into the vertical insertion grooves  142  of the mounting flange  114  respectively and then rotating the ornamental cap  115  through an angle to engage the pegs  1151  into the horizontal locating grooves  141  respectively.  
     [0020]FIG. 9 shows another alternate form of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 with the exception of the shape of the ornamental cap. According to this embodiment, the ornamental cap  116  has the shape of a mouse, and a plurality of pegs  1161  equiangularly spaced around the periphery for fastening to the horizontal locating grooves  141  of the female fastening element  11 .  
     [0021]FIG. 10 shows still another alternate form of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 with the exception of the shape of the ornamental cap. According to this embodiment, the ornamental cap  117  has the shape of a strawberry, and a plurality of pegs  1171  equiangularly spaced around the periphery for fastening to the horizontal locating grooves  141  of the female fastening element  11 .  
     [0022]FIGS. 11 and 12 show still another alternate form of the present invention. According to this embodiment, the male fastening element  12  has a front T-bar formed of an axially extended neck  122  and a cylindrical head  123  transversely provided at the front end of the neck  122 . The female fastening element  11  has a coupling hole  118  adapted to receive the transversely extended cylindrical head  123  of the male fastening element  12 , and a peripheral notch  112  adapted to receive the neck  112  of the male fastening element  12 .  
     [0023] A prototype of hair binder has been constructed with the features of FIGS.  1 ˜ 12 . The hair binder functions smoothly to provide all of the features discussed earlier.  
     [0024] Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.