Improvements in Hair Curlers.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 24th May, 1895
Improvements in Hair Curlers.
We, JOHN ERNEST HULBERT of the Firm of W. E. Peck and Company, of
Manchester House, Friday Street, in the City of London, Merchant, and FRANK
HENRY SHAW, of 51 and 52 Newhall Hill, in the City of Birmingham, Manu-
facturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This invention relates to hair curlers and is a development or amplification
of the automatic hair curler described in the Specifications of two several
applications for Letters Patent made by one of us, dated the First day of
January 1895 No. 21, and the First day of January 1895 No. 21A.
According to one form of our present improvements, the rubber body part of
the curler is normally constrained to take a pre-determined figure, not by the
elasticity of the rubber alone, but by the elasticity of a steel or metal strip or wire
located within the interior of the said rubber or soft material body part.
In another form, the curling or coiling up of the appliance is performed
through the medium of a threaded band, located within the interior of a short
length of rubber tubing.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents, in vertical section, an
automatical rubber ring hair curler made according to the said referred-to
invention, but provided with a spring steel strip or wire, normally constrained to
assume a ring figure and located within its interior.
Figure 2 represents a side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 shows the spring metal core or insertion separately.
Figure 4 is a side elevation and a section of the said metallic insertion, which is
made from strip metal or strong watch spring material.
Figure 5 represents a side elevation and a section of an insertion made from
wire.
Figure 6 shows a metallic gripping tongue, separately, in section and in
elevation.
The said spring metal insertion is introduced prior to the making or baking
of the rubber body part of the curler.
a is an automatic curler, made of india rubber or other soft material, is a
spring metal insertion, and c is a spring tongue, with the fixed end e', inserted into,
and thereby held within, the body of the rubber.
When the appliance is taken hold of by the ends and straightened out, the
steel spring follows the same figure, and when the said ends are released, after
wrapping the hair around the curler until the same is close up to the head, the
spring takes the rubber back to its normal ring shape and forms a stop against
the uncoiling of the hair. The ends of a tuft of hair to be curled are gripped
between the tongue and the body of the curler, prior to the coiling up of
the hair.
Instead of the spring b, forming simply the core, it may, if necessary, be faced
with rubber and made to constitute the body of the curler, or it may be used
naked. In this latter case we propose to fetch the gripping tongue up out of the
metal of the underside, as represented in the view Figure 5.
Figure 7 represents a vertical section of another form of curler, made from a
length of tubing, with a spring metallic split ring insertion threaded through
the interior, and with the open ends closed by metal, rubber or other caps.

page_text: Figure 8 represents a vertical section of the curler open out straight.
Figure 9 represents a length of rubber tubing which when cut up transversely
forms the bodies of the curlers.
a is the body part, formed from a short length of straight tubing, made of
rubber, felt or like soft material, bis the split metal ring insertion, and a¹ the
caps on the spring ends. The curler may be provided with a gripping tongue,
alike unto c in Figure 1.
Figure 10 represents a like form of curler as Figure 7, but having a slit side
which forms a spring loop, under which the ends of a tuft of hair are passed,
for its initial holding,, prior to wrapping.
Figure 11 is an elevation of the same straightened out.
The interior of this curler is provided with a spring metal core, alike unto the
previous arrangements.
a is the body part, a' the free ends and c is the gripping slit, by means of which
the ends of a length of hair are held.
Figure 12 represents another form of curler provided with a spring metal
insertion.
Figure 13 shows the spring separately.
Figure 14 represents a snail shaped curler provided with a steel insertion.
Figure 15 is the spring of this last form of curler separately, which spring is
made in the form of a helix, and when freed from restraint, gives unto the rubber,
felt or other soft material into which it is inserted, a like figure as itself.
Figure 16 represents a vertical section of a modified form of curler.
Figure 17 is a side elevation of the same, and Figure 18 is a section of the same
straightened out.
a is the hollow body part of the curler, made preferably from a short length
of straight rubber, felt or like tubing, having threaded within it, an elastic b,
which is under a state of tension, and has its ends knotted or beaded at 61, whilst
the terminal ends of both the elastic and body tubing secured or connected
together by caps a', closed or otherwise fitted or secured around the said ends.
c is an elastic, with the ends c¹, attached to the side of the body part of the
curler, and forming a grip for the ends of a length of hair to be curled.
Figure 18 represents an automatic hair curler, having a metallic spring tongue
secured to it by a band clip.
Figure 19 is a cross section of the same, and Figure 20 represents the curler
straightened out.
a is the body part of the curler, made of rubber or other soft material; and c is
the clip.
Figure 21 represents an automatic hair curler, with the ends secured by a catch.
Figure 22 is the underside of it, showing the split, whilst Figure 23 represents
the same straightened out.
Figure 24 represents a curler with the ends secured by another form of catch.
In Figures 21 to 24 a is the body part, a¹ the catch and c the split.
In these forms it is not essential that the curlers should be automatic or self-
coiling.
Figure 25 represents another form of self-securing hair curler constructed
according to our invention, in which the free ends of curling irons are locke.l
by a catch fastener although the catch at the end may be dispensed with, but
in such a case the user would have to apply the fingers for closing the irons in
order to perform the initial clamping of a tuft of hair prior to the coiling of
the same around the body of the said irons.
Figure 26 represents an edge view of the same, showing the T or crutch-head
end' in section.
a is a T end, made of india rubber or other soft material and clipped and held
by the looped end b', of a pair of leg members 6, 63, of a curling pin b, between
which the ends of a tuft of hair are nipped and there held, prior to the curling
or wrapping of the hair around the said pin.

page_text: The curling pin leg members 62, 63, are held together or fastened after the
insertion of the hair, by the end 6 of the leg 6, engaging with the catch 6, of
the leg member b³.
In using the appliance or instrument the ends a', of the rubber T part a, are
taken hold of by the finger and thumb of one hand and brought into the same
general plane as the bars or irons 62, 63, as represented by the dotted lines in
Figure 25. Then the end of a length of hair is placed between the said pins,
whilst still open, and by bringing the pins together and engaging the one with
the other, the hair is both clamped and locked.
Now rotate the curler and wrap the hair around the pins until the same are
brought close up to the head. Then release the said T-end, when the same
resumes its normal figure and prevents the said curler from re-rotating and
unwinding the hair by the T-end pressing against the head and forming a stop,
hence the self-securing of the pin in position.
Instead of the T-end being straight, it may be curved, and instead of being
double sided it may be single sided, thus making, with the pins, a shape alike
unto a letter L.
Figure 27 represents a modified form of the last described appliance. This
arrangement is provided with two T-end stops instead of one.
Figure 28 is a side elevation of the same. a, a are stops, formed of rubber or
other like soft material, united together by a bar b, having a hair-gripping clip c,.
for nipping the ends of a tuft of hair prior to the winding.
We prefer to make these stop ends from rubber or some such soft material, but
to this we do not limit ourselves.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
First. In automatic hair curlers, employing in connection with split-ring or
annulus, snail or helix curlers as described and represented in Figures 1, 2, 7, 8,
10, 11, 12 and 14, an insertioned metallic spring, for the purpose substantially as
set forth.
Secondly. An automatic hair curler, consisting of a hoop shaped piece of spring
metal, either with or without a hair-gripping tongue, substantially as described and
set forth in Figures 3, 4, 5, 5ª, 13 and 15.
Thirdly. The modifications of automatic hair curlers described and represented
in Figures 16, 17 and 18.
Fourthly. In automatic hair curlers, the combination therewith of hair-gripping
tongues, secured to the bodies of the curlers by band clips, substantially as
described and set forth in Figures 18, 19 and 20.
Fifthly. The modifications of hair curlers described and represented in
Figures 21, 22, 23 and 24.
Sixthly. In hair curlers, providing an end or the ends of curling irons or curling
pins, or gripping irons or gripping pins, with double or single standing-out arms or
crossing arms or crossing ends, whereby the curling appliance when rotated up to
the head of the user, is made self-securing, substantially as described and set forth
in Figures 25 to 28.
Dated this 13th dor of Merah 1905
JOHN ERNEST HULBERT,
FRANK HENRY SHAW,
By Henry Skerrett,
24, Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicants.