Hair accessory for use with hair ornaments

Abstract

To provide a hair accessory for use with a plurality of hair ornaments.SOLUTION: A hair accessory includes a gripping member and an elastic member. The gripping member grips hair of a user, and has a body and a plurality of gripping protrusions. The body has a first side, a second side, and a plurality of through holes extending from the first side to the second side. The elastic member is woven among the through holes and is configured so that a plurality of associated elastic segments are located on each of the first and second sides of the body, thereby allowing the plurality of hair ornaments to be maintained on the first side of the body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1B

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 575,834, filed April 7, 2024, entitled "Custom and Reusable Hair Accessory for Floral and Ornament Arrangement," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. [Background technology]

[0002] When decorating hair with fresh or artificial flowers or other ornaments, these items are typically secured to the hair with hairpins, such as bobby pins. Using hairpins can be difficult because one or more hairpins are required to secure each flower or ornament. Using hairpins is even more difficult because the wearer often pins the flowers out of direct view (e.g., cannot see what they are doing), such as to the side or back of their head.

[0003] Other hair accessories that allow for the creation of customizable hair accessories using flowers or other ornaments often use permanent methods such as glue, which makes it impossible to reuse the hair fixture for another customizable hair accessory. Other fastening mechanisms, including adhesives, hook-and-loop fasteners, snaps, or strings, or ornaments designed for the particular hair accessory, may be used. In all of these cases, the method of securing the flowers / or ornaments to the user's head is less than ideal.

[0004] It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present disclosure is directed.

[0005] The above information disclosed in this Background section is intended solely to provide background understanding of the inventive concept and, therefore, may contain information that does not constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In one aspect of the disclosed concept, a hair accessory for use with multiple hair ornaments is provided. The hair accessory includes a clamping member configured to clamp a user's hair, the clamping member including a main body and multiple clamping projections each extending outward from the main body for clamping the user's hair, the main body having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and multiple through holes extending from the first side to the second side, and an elastic member embedded between the multiple through holes and configured to have multiple associated elastic segments disposed on each of the first and second sides of the main body, thereby allowing the multiple hair ornaments to be held on the first side of the main body by the multiple elastic segments disposed on the first side of the main body.

[0007] In another embodiment, the hair accessory further includes a cover coupled to the second side of the main body and configured to cover the multiple elastic segments disposed on the second side of the main body. Preferably, the cover has multiple through-holes to provide a drainage mechanism for the multiple hair ornaments held on the first side of the main body. Furthermore, a first multiple of clamping protrusions and a second multiple of clamping protrusions may be present, with the cover positioned therebetween. Furthermore, the clamping member may be a first clamping member, and the hair accessory may further include a second clamping member coupled to the first clamping member and configured to clamp a user's hair, the first and second clamping members being capable of opening and closing relative to each other to allow at least a portion of the user's hair to be clamped therebetween.

[0008] In yet another embodiment of the disclosed concept, another hair accessory for use with multiple hair ornaments is provided. The hair accessory includes: a clamping member configured to hold a user's hair, the clamping member including a body having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a plurality of through holes extending from the first side to the second side; and an elastic member interposed between the plurality of through holes and configured to have a plurality of associated elastic segments disposed on each of the first and second sides of the body, thereby allowing the plurality of hair ornaments to be held on the first side of the body by the plurality of elastic segments disposed on the first side of the body.

[0009] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures: Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a hair accessory according to one non-limiting embodiment of the disclosed concepts. [Figure 1B] 1B is a top view of the hair accessory of FIG. 1A, showing a state in which a plurality of hair ornaments are secured to the hair accessory and in use. [Figure 1C] 1C is a view of the back of a user's head wearing the hair accessory of FIGS. 1A and 1B, with multiple hair ornaments secured to the hair accessory. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 1C is a top view of the hair accessory of FIGS. 1A and 1B. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the hair accessory of FIGS. 1A and 1B. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the hair accessory of FIGS. 1A and 1B. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded isometric view of the hair accessory of FIGS. 2 to 4. [Figure 6A]6 is a bottom view of the clamping member and the elastic member of the hair accessory of FIG. 5. FIG. [Figure 6B] 6B is a bottom view of the clamping member and elastic member of FIG. 6A shown with a cover coupled to a second side of the clamping member. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a front view of another hair accessory according to another non-limiting embodiment of the disclosed concepts, shown with opposing clamping prongs positioned parallel to one another in a closed position. [Figure 8A] FIG. 10 is a front isometric view of another hair accessory according to another non-limiting embodiment of the disclosed concepts. [Figure 8B] FIG. 10 is a side view of another hair accessory according to another non-limiting embodiment of the disclosed concepts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] As used herein, the term "coupled" is intended to mean coupled directly or through one or more intermediate parts or components.

[0012] As used herein, the term "number" shall mean one or an integer greater than one (ie, a plurality).

[0013] As used herein, the phrase "nonlinear" shall mean an incorporation pattern in which the individual segments of the members are not incorporation along a linear or curved axis lying in a plane, and "linear" shall mean an incorporation pattern in which the individual segments of the members are incorporation along a linear or curved axis lying in a plane.

[0014] 1A, 1B, and 2-5 show various views of a hair accessory 2 according to one non-limiting embodiment of the disclosed concepts, with FIG. 1C showing the back of the head of a user 200 wearing the hair accessory 2. As described in further detail below, the hair accessory 2 advantageously allows the user 200 to wear several hair ornaments (e.g., without limitation, fresh and / or artificial flowers 102) (FIG. 1C). This is beneficial compared to known techniques in which ornaments may be held to the user's head only by hairpins. In contrast, the hair accessory 2 allows multiple flowers 102 to be easily and securely held to the user's head (FIG. 1C) using just one tool.

[0015] To achieve these advantages, the hair accessory 2 includes two main clamping members 10, 70 that together clamp the hair of the user 200 ( FIG. 1C ). In one embodiment, the clamping members 10, 70 are each a unitary component made from a single piece of material (e.g., an injection-molded piece and / or a handcrafted piece from a single piece of material). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5 , the hair accessory 2 further includes a biasing member (e.g., a spring 90) and a coupling member 92 (e.g., a bolt, screw, or other fastener) configured to extend through the spring 90 and the mounting structure of each of the first and second clamping members 10, 70. The spring 90 is coupled to, and preferably engages, each of the first and second clamping members 10, 70 to enable the first and second clamping members 10, 70 to be biased toward the closed position. In other words, the spring 90 keeps the hair accessory 2 in a closed state. However, when the user 200 applies force to the clamping members 10, 70 to open them (e.g., by pressing the ends of the clamping members 10, 70 toward each other), the clamping members 10, 70 are configured to reliably open and clamp the user's 200 hair therebetween.

[0016] More specifically, each clamping member 10, 70 includes a main body 12, 72 and a plurality of clamping protrusions 20, 22, 80 extending outward from the main body 12, 72. The clamping protrusions 20, 22, 80 are preferably spaced apart from one another and configured to extend into and clamp the hair of the user 200 (FIG. 1C). Additionally, as shown most clearly in FIG. 4, the clamping protrusions 80 of the second clamping member 70 extend transversely (e.g., are oriented perpendicularly) relative to the clamping protrusions 20, 22 of the first clamping member 10 so as to be able to clamp the hair of the user 200 in two different orientations. Furthermore, the elongated clamping protrusion 80 preferably also has several additional clamping protrusions 80-1 each extending from the second clamping member 70 towards the first clamping member 10, each configured to apply an additional clamping force to the user's 200 hair (Figure 1C) that is opposite to the force applied by the clamping protrusions 20, 22.

[0017] In accordance with the disclosed concept, the hair accessory 2 further includes an elastic member 50 (e.g., a thick string and / or a flexible thin thread-like component) for holding the flower 102 on the hair accessory 2. Specifically, the body 12 of the first clamping member 10 has a first side 14, a second side 16 opposite the first side 14, and a plurality of through-holes 17 shown in FIG. 5 extending from the first side 14 to the second side 16. Furthermore, the elastic member 50 is preferably incorporated between the through-holes 17 (e.g., entering and exiting the holes), and is configured such that a plurality of associated elastic segments (e.g., elastic segments 52, 54, 56 shown in FIG. 1A and elastic segment 58 shown in FIG. 6A) are positioned on each of the first and second sides 14, 16, thereby enabling the flower 102 to be held on the first side 14 by the elastic segments 52, 54, 56 positioned on the first side 14. In other words, the elastic segments 52, 54, 56 are configured to be held in relatively snug engagement against the first side 14 of the body 12, such that all that the user 200 (FIG. 1C) has to do is apply a stretching force to one of the segments 52, 54, 56, insert one of the flowers 102 between the corresponding elastic segment 52, 54, 56 and the first side 14, and then allow the corresponding elastic segment 52, 54, 56 to return to its original position to secure the flower 102 against the first side 14.

[0018] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the elastic members 50 are interwoven between the through-holes 17 in a nonlinear fashion. This interwoven pattern advantageously holds the flowers 102 in a manner consistent with traditional Hawaiian flower arrangements, with the flowers 102 extending outward from a common location, preferably at 90-degree angles relative to one another. For example, referring to FIG. 1A , each of the segments 52 in the first row is preferably positioned at an angle of approximately 90 degrees relative to each of the segments 54 in the second row. Furthermore, to further mimic the arrangement of traditional Hawaiian flower arrangements, a segment 56 in the third row is positioned between the segments 52 and 54 in the first row and is configured to be positioned at an acute angle relative to each of the segments 52, 54 in the first and second rows.

[0019] Referring again to FIG. 5 , the hair accessory further includes a cover 60 coupled to the second side 16 of the main body 12, the cover 60 configured to cover the elastic segments 58 located on the second side 16 of the main body 12. For example, compare FIG. 6A , which does not show the cover 60, with FIG. 6B , which does show the cover 60. It will be understood that the cover 60 covers the elastic segments 58, thereby preventing contact therewith. As a result, the hair accessory 2 has a superior aesthetic appearance, and the elastic segments 58 are shielded from unwanted contact. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B , the cover 60 is positioned between the first plurality of clamping protrusions 20 and the second plurality of clamping protrusions 22. In this manner, the cover 60 and the second side 16 of the main body 12 together encase the elastic segments 58 located on the second side 16.

[0020] 5 , the body 12 preferably has a first radius of curvature, and the cover 60 preferably has a second radius of curvature that is substantially the same as the first radius of curvature. Additionally, the cover 60 preferably has a main cover portion 62 and a plurality of walls 64-1, 64-2 extending upwardly from a periphery of the main cover portion 62 (e.g., optionally at an approximately 90-degree angle therewith). In one implementation, the cover 60 is coupled to the second side 16 via an adhesive mechanism (e.g., between the walls 64 and the second side 16) and / or via a connecting member (not shown). It will thus be appreciated that the walls 64 advantageously provide a depth into which the resilient segments 58 can protrude.

[0021] Furthermore, the cover portion 62 preferably has at least one through-hole 66, 67 to provide a drainage mechanism for the flower 102 (FIGS. 1B and 1C) held on the first side 14 of the main body 12. In one implementation, the through-holes 66 are equally spaced apart to allow optimal drainage. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6B, the through-hole 67 is elongated and extends from one of the walls 64-1 to the other opposing wall 64-1 to allow a majority of the moisture from the flower 102 to drain therefrom when the hair accessory 2 is in an upright position.

[0022] Moreover, the cover 60 is advantageously configured to be coupled to the second side 16 of the clamping member 10 via a snap-fit ​​mechanism, in addition to optionally being coupled via an adhesive or bonding member (not shown). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the second wall 64-2 of the cover 60 has a corresponding distal extension portion 64-2-1 configured to snap-fit ​​over the recessed portions 16-1, 16-2 (FIG. 6A) of the second side 16 of the clamping member 10. In this manner, the cover 60 is securely configured to be retained to the second side 16 by a number of different mechanisms (e.g., a snap-fit ​​in addition to either an adhesive or bonding member (not shown)).

[0023] While the disclosed concepts have been described above in connection with hair accessory 2, it will be understood that suitable alternative hair accessories may similarly use elastic members to hold the flower on the user's head without departing from the scope of the disclosed concepts. Figures 7-8B illustrate such alternative accessories 302, 402, with like numbers representing like features.

[0024] 7, the first and second clamping members 310, 370 each include a corresponding main body 312, 372 and a corresponding clamping protrusion 320, 380 extending outward therefrom. Furthermore, when the hair accessory 302 is in the closed position, the clamping protrusion 320 of the first clamping member 310 and the clamping protrusion 380 of the second clamping member 370 are positioned parallel to each other to clamp a user's hair therebetween. Furthermore, in addition to the elastic member 350 extending through the main body 312 of the first clamping member 310, the hair accessory 302 further includes a second elastic member 390 extending through the main body 372 of the second clamping member 370 to provide an elastic segment 392 on a first side of the second clamping member 370. As shown, the first and second elastic members 350, 390 are arranged in a non-linear manner to allow a user to wear hair ornaments, such as flowers, in a traditional Hawaiian style. It will be appreciated that the hair accessory 302 also preferably includes at least one cover (not shown for ease of illustration) configured similarly to cover 60 of hair accessory 2 described above.

[0025] With respect to the hair accessory 402 depicted in Figures 8A and 8B, this hair accessory 402 is configured similarly to the hair accessories 2 and 302 described above, but in the form of a ponytail clip. Specifically, the hair accessory 402 includes a semicircular clamping member 410 configured to hold a user's hair, and a clip device 470 (shown more clearly in Figure 8B, for example) coupled to the clamping member 410. Together, these components are configured to hold a user's hair, such as by threading a ponytail through the clamping member 410 and the clip device 470. Furthermore, in the embodiment of Figures 8A and 8B, the cover of the hair accessory 402 is preferably in the form of the clip device 470, although it will be understood that similar alternative hair accessories may have a cover positioned between the clip device and the clamping member 410 without departing from the scope of the disclosed concepts.

[0026] 8A and 8B, the clamping member 410 is similar to the clamping member 10 described above (e.g., having a main body 412 with first and second opposing sides and a through-hole extending from the first side to the second side). Additionally, in one embodiment, the hair accessory 402 further includes an elastic member 450 embedded between the through-holes, with elastic segments 452, 454, 456 positioned on the first and second sides of the main body 412, thereby allowing flowers and / or other ornaments to be held to the first side of the main body 412 by the elastic segments 452, 454. In one embodiment, the first row of elastic segments 452 and the second row of elastic segments 454 are positioned parallel to each other (e.g., both are embedded linearly) and are connected by another elastic segment 456 that may be perpendicular to the first and second rows of elastic segments 452, 454.

[0027] It will thus be appreciated that the disclosed concepts provide an improved hair accessory 2, 302, 402 (e.g., without limitation, capable of better holding an ornament 102 on the head of a user 200) in which an elastic member 50, 350, 390, 450 is incorporated between the through-holes 17 of a clamping member 10, 310, 370, 410, thereby enabling the ornament 102 to be held on the first side 14 of the clamping member 10, 310, 370, 410. The disclosed concepts advantageously enable multiple ornaments 102 to be held on the head of a user 200 using only a single hair accessory 2, 302, 402, and in exemplary embodiments, in a style that mimics, for example, the original Hawaiian pattern in which the ornaments 102 extend at an angle away from one another.

[0028] While the present disclosure has been described with reference to various embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the disclosure is not limited thereto. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. More generally, embodiments according to the present disclosure have been described in the context of specific embodiments. Functions may be separated or combined into blocks differently or described with different terms in various embodiments of the disclosure. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may be included within the scope of the present disclosure, as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A hair accessory for use with a plurality of hair ornaments, said hair accessory comprising: a clamping member configured to clamp a user's hair, the clamping member comprising a main body and a plurality of clamping protrusions each extending outward from the main body for clamping the user's hair, the main body having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a plurality of through holes extending from the first side to the second side; an elastic member interposed between the plurality of through-holes and configured to have a plurality of associated elastic segments disposed on each of the first and second sides of the body, thereby allowing the plurality of hair ornaments to be held on the first side of the body by the plurality of elastic segments disposed on the first side of the body; and Hair accessories.

2. The hair accessory of claim 1 , further comprising a cover coupled to the second side of the body and configured to cover the plurality of elastic segments disposed on the second side of the body.

3. 3. The hair accessory of claim 2, wherein the cover has at least one through hole to provide a drainage mechanism for the plurality of hair ornaments held on the first side of the body.

4. 4. The hair accessory of claim 3, wherein the cover comprises a main cover portion and a plurality of walls each extending from the main cover portion, and the at least one through-hole includes an elongated through-hole extending from a first wall of the plurality of walls to a second opposing wall of the plurality of walls to allow a majority of moisture from the plurality of hair ornaments to drain therefrom when the hair accessory is in an upright position.

5. 4. The hair accessory of claim 3, wherein the cover comprises a main cover portion and a plurality of walls each extending from the main cover portion, at least one of the walls having a distal extension portion configured to snap into a recessed portion on the second side of the clamping member to couple the cover to the clamping member.

6. The hair accessory of claim 2 , wherein the cover and the second side of the body together encase the plurality of associated elastic segments disposed on the second side of the body.

7. The hair accessory of claim 2 , wherein the body of the clamping member has a first radius of curvature and the cover has a second radius of curvature that is substantially the same as the first radius of curvature.

8. 3. The hair accessory of claim 2, wherein the plurality of clamping protrusions comprises a first plurality of clamping protrusions and a second plurality of clamping protrusions, and the cover is positioned between the first plurality of clamping protrusions and the second plurality of clamping protrusions.

9. The hair accessory according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic member is embedded in a non-linear manner between the plurality of through holes.

10. 10. The hair accessory of claim 9, wherein the plurality of associated elastic segments disposed on the first side comprise first and second rows of segments, at least one of the segments in the first row being disposed at an angle of approximately 90 degrees relative to at least one of the segments in the second row.

11. 11. The hair accessory of claim 10, wherein the plurality of associated elastic segments disposed on the first side further comprises a third row of segments disposed between the first row of segments and the second row of segments.

12. 2. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the clamping member is a first clamping member, and the hair accessory further comprises a second clamping member coupled to the first clamping member and configured to clamp the user's hair, the first and second clamping members being configured to open and close relative to each other to allow at least a portion of the user's hair to be clamped therebetween.

13. 13. The hair accessory of claim 12, further comprising a biasing member coupled to each of the first and second clamping members to enable the first and second clamping members to be biased toward a closed position.

14. 14. The hair accessory of claim 13, wherein the second clamping member comprises a main body and a plurality of clamping protrusions extending outward from the main body of the second clamping member, the plurality of clamping protrusions of the second clamping member extending laterally relative to the plurality of clamping protrusions of the first clamping member so as to be able to clamp the user's hair in two different orientations.

15. The hair accessory according to claim 13, wherein the elastic member is embedded in a non-linear manner between the plurality of through holes.

16. 13. The hair accessory of claim 12, wherein the second clamping member comprises a main body and a plurality of clamping protrusions extending outward from the main body of the second clamping member, and when the hair accessory is in a closed position, the plurality of clamping protrusions of the first clamping member and the plurality of clamping protrusions of the second clamping member are arranged parallel to each other.

17. 17. The hair accessory of claim 16, wherein the elastic member is a first elastic member, and the hair accessory further comprises a second elastic member configured to be incorporated between the plurality of through holes of the second clamping member and to have a plurality of associated elastic segments arranged on each of the first and second sides of the second clamping member, and at least one of the first and second elastic members is incorporated in a non-linear manner.

18. 1. A hair accessory for use with a plurality of hair ornaments, said hair accessory comprising: a clamping member configured to hold a user's hair, the clamping member including a body having a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and a plurality of through holes extending from the first side to the second side; an elastic member interposed between the plurality of through-holes and configured to have a plurality of associated elastic segments disposed on each of the first and second sides of the body, thereby allowing the plurality of hair ornaments to be held on the first side of the body by the plurality of elastic segments disposed on the first side of the body; and Hair accessories.

19. 19. The hair accessory of claim 18, further comprising a cover coupled to the second side of the body and configured to cover the plurality of elastic segments disposed on the second side of the body, the cover being in the form of a clip device coupled to the clamping member, and the hair accessory being a ponytail clip.

20. 19. The hair accessory of claim 18, wherein the plurality of associated elastic segments arranged on the first side comprises a first row of elastic segments, a second row of elastic segments arranged parallel to the first row of elastic segments, and at least one other elastic segment connecting the first and second rows of elastic segments.

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