Wig-management template-shield system and method

Abstract

A wig-management template-shield system and method that can be used from the initial measuring and fitting for a wig, as a template, through the wig making and the wig styling processes as both a template and a protective shield for the wig block or wig blocks, and through the use of the wig, including washings and re-stylings, as a protective shield for the wig block or wig blocks, made of a see-through flexible shrinkable barrier sheet material in hood form that is placed over the head of a person to be fitted for a wig in its expanded state as a hood, is shrunk to a shape-conforming envelope retaining the shape of the person's head and hair profile by hot air not causing injury to the person, and is then marked with the location of the person's hairline and other markings, creating a template to be sent to and used by a wig maker to make a proper fitting wig. During the making of the wig and during use of the wig, the template-shield protects wig blocks from damage and staining during dressing and cleaning of the wig.

Claims

1. A method for wig making and subsequent wig handling, comprising: (i) providing a wig-management template-shield, comprising: (a) a heat-shrinkable hood made from a see-through flexible shrinkable barrier sheet material having properties of bidirectional shrinkage at an approximate 2:1 ratio upon application of heated air, of inverted sack form having a closed, rounded top portion and an open bottom end with a nominal front edge, having seamless construction, and having dimensions adapted to fit over a large person's head covering the head and neck to the person's shoulders, adapted to be placed over the head of a person to be fitted for a wig and subsequently shrunken by application of heated air to smoothly conform to the shape of the said person's head, its shape and hair profile, adapted to allow subsequent visual locating and marking of a hairline of the person to be fitted for the wig, and adapted for subsequent placement on a wig block for use as a template and as a protective shield; (b) a hood slit at the front edge of the open bottom end of said heat-shrinkable hood adapted to prevent constriction of the open bottom end upon shrinkage, and to provide the start of a subsequent larger torn separation along said heat-shrinkable hood; and (c) a plurality of hood holes arrayed upon said heat-shrinkable hood above said hood slit, adapted to provide passage of air for the person to be fitted for the wig while retaining enough structure to support shrinkage of said heat-shrinkable hood; (ii) placing said heat-shrinkable hood upon the head of the person to be fitted for the wig in such a way as to allow breathing through said hood holes; (iii) shrinking said heat-shrinkable hood to conform to the head's shape and hair profile of the person to be fitted for the wig, by application of heated air; (iv) locating the hairline of the person to be fitted for the wig visually through the see-through flexible sheet barrier material of said heat-shrinkable hood; (v) marking the hairline of the person to be fitted for the wig upon said heat-shrinkable hood; (vi) tearing said heat-shrinkable hood along said hood slit and said hood holes; (vii) removing said heat-shrinkable hood from the head of the person who is to be fitted for the wig; (viii) placing said heat-shrinkable hood, having been shrunken and marked, upon the wig block; and (ix) using said wig-management template-shield as the template for wig making and as the protective shield for the wig block used in the wig making; (x) using said wig-management template-shield as the template for wig styling and as the protective shield for the wig block used in the wig styling; (xi) using said wig-management template-shield as the protective shield for the wig block used in subsequent wig cleaning, re-styling, and handling.

2. The method for wig making and subsequent wig handling of claim 1, where said shrinking said heat-shrinkable hood to conform to the head's shape and hair profile of the person to be fitted for the wig, by application of heated air, is accomplished using a standard hair-styling blow dryer.

3. The method for wig making and subsequent wig handling of claim 1, further comprising marking a circumference of the head of the person who is to be fitted for the wig upon said heat-shrinkable hood.

4. The method for wig making and subsequent wig handling of claim 1, further comprising marking an ear-to-ear line of the head of the person who is to be fitted for the wig upon said heat-shrinkable hood.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Reference will now be made to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the wig-management template-shield of the invention in use;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the making of the heat-shrinkable hood of the wig-management template-shield of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wig-management template-shield of the invention before use;

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of an initial step of use of the wig-management template-shield of the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the wig-management template-shield of the invention, in use, prior to shrinking;

(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wig-management template-shield of the invention, in use, during shrinking;

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the wig-management template-shield of the invention, in use, during marking;

(9) FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of an intermediate step of use of the wig-management template-shield of the invention;

(10) FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a later step of use of the wig-management template-shield of the invention; and

(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a final step of use of the wig-management template-shield of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(12) Referring to FIG. 1, my invention provides a wig-management template-shield 10 providing a seamless heat-shrinkable hood 20 of a flexible, shrinkable barrier sheet material that is placed over the head of a person to be fitted for a wig in its expanded state, is shrunk by hot air not causing injury to the person to a shape-conforming envelope retaining the shape of the person's head and hair profile, and is then marked 30 with a hairline marking 31 of the location of the person's hairline, and other markings, creating a template to be sent to and used by a wig maker to make a proper fitting wig. During the making of the wig and during use of the wig, the wig-management template-shield 10 protects the wig block or wig blocks from damage and staining during dressing and cleaning of the wig.

(13) Referring to FIG. 2, in a preferred embodiment, the see-through flexible shrinkable barrier sheet material used for the heat-shrinkable hood 20 is a heat-shrink-wrap thermoplastic material exhibiting bidirectional shrinkage upon the application of a moderate and safe level of heated air, an approximate 2:1 shrink ratio, a moderate and safe shrink force, and shape memory sufficient to return to shrunken shape after being slightly stretched during removal and replacement. A hand-held hair dryer of moderately high power produces a stream of air heated to approximately 130° F. (˜55° C.), and is safe for brief use on a person. Providing a heat-shrink material which will shrink upon a brief application of approximately 115-125° F. (˜46-52° C.) heat will ensure safety and will allow the heat-shrinkable hood 20 to be used with existing hand-held hair dryers already likely in the possession of the wig professionals. Appropriate thermoplastic materials include polyolefins like polyethylene and polypropylene, PVC, fluoropolymers, neoprene, and silicone elastomer. Appropriate production techniques for creating heat-shrink-wrap sheet material having the desired properties from extruded thermoplastic material include cross-linking to create a memory in the material followed by heating, expansion, and rapid cooling. The material also serves as a barrier to water and to the types of substances and solvents used in the making, dressing, and cleaning of wigs. These materials are known in their respective arts.

(14) The material of the heat-shrinkable hood 20 is a see-through material, meaning that it is transparent or semi-transparent. The see-through material should be transparent enough to be able to visually locate the hairline of the person through the hood after shrinking. Such see-through materials are known in the respective art.

(15) The heat-shrinkable hood 20 has the form of an inverted bag or sack, with the closed end at the nominal top and the open end at the nominal bottom. Any hard, sharp, or uneven areas on the heat-shrinkable hood 20 after shrinkage are avoided in order to prevent damage to the delicate mesh lace of the wig or to the wig blocks. The heat-shrinkable hood 20 has no sharp corners which would tend to become hard, sharp, or uneven after shrinkage, but is instead rounded at the top, closed end approximately corresponding to the rounding of the top of a person's head, such that subsequent shrinkage to the person's head yields a smooth surface with no folding or overlapping of material. The heat-shrinkable hood 20 is seamless in order to avoid hard, sharp, or uneven seams after shrinkage. A seamless hood can be made by forming a layer of the material on an expandable anvil, then heating and expanding the anvil, then cooling, and removing the resulting heat-shrinkable hood 20. Later, in use, upon the application of heat, the heat-shrinkable hood 20 will tend to return to the smaller dimensions of the initial forming.

(16) Referring to FIG. 3, the heat-shrinkable hood 20 is made up in a size appropriate to fit around a human head of large size. A substantially oval form with approximate dimensions of 26.7 in (˜68 cm) circumference, 8 in (˜20 cm) to accommodate the head horizontally from ear to ear, 9 in (˜23 cm) to accommodate the head horizontally from nose to back, and 12 in (˜30 cm) vertically, covering the head and neck, substantially to the shoulders, is sufficient to accommodate the largest heads likely to be encountered, where those dimensions correspond to a US hat size of 8.5, where hat sizes of 8 or 8.5 are considered to be very large and are not very regularly manufactured, stocked, and sold. When using a heat-shrink-wrap material having the preferred approximate 2:1 shrink ratio, maximum shrinkage down to a corresponding US hat size of 4.5, corresponding to the size of an infant's head, is possible, and will accommodate the head sizes and head shapes of nearly all of the persons likely to be fitted for wigs.

(17) A hood slit 21 and hood holes 22 are provided in the heat-shrinkable hood 20. Together the hood slit 21 and hood holes 22 allow the heat-shrinkable hood 20 to be sufficiently long to cover and protect the lower portions of the wig blocks, while ensuring the safety and comfort of the person being fitted for a wig. The hood slit 21, running from the bottom edge of the heat-shrinkable hood 20 at a nominal front position, creates a line where the hood can be easily torn, and ensures that the bottom portion of the hood cannot constrict around the neck of the person being fitted for a wig. The hood holes 22 are located above the hood slit 21, also at the nominal front position, a location corresponding to the person's nose and mouth. The hood holes 22 are perforations providing holes for the person to breathe through, and also providing the mesh of heat-shrinkable material around the holes so that the portions of the hood covering the back of the head and the ears will still be pulled into a conforming shape, as opposed to just drawing back as would happen without the connecting mesh. There is no disadvantage if some strands of the connecting mesh stretch to the point of breaking because the area of the hood holes 22 is intended to be cut or torn open for removal of the heat-shrinkable hood 20 from the person's head.

(18) Referring to FIG. 4, the exemplary person is shown with hair pulled up and under a close-fitting cap. A person to be fitted for a wig will have a hairline that varies from person to person and that is critically important in the making of a wig for that person, as the wig will need to either cover that hairline or blend with that hairline. While shorter hair might be worn loose or combed back under a wig, longer hair will generally be consolidated and compacted into one or more curls or a bun, and might be bound up under a cap made of light material such as nylon hosiery, creating a hair profile different than the scalp profile. The size and shape of the hair profile is another critical factor in making the wig. In contrast to, for instance, the circumference of a person's head, which can be expressed as a length-measurement number falling within a fairly narrow range, such as US hat sizes, which are derived from the circumference in inches divided by pi, each person's hairline and hair profile will be different and will be difficult to express or convey in just numbers. The wig-management template-shield 10 becomes conformed to the hair profile, and the hairline marking 31 is traced upon it, so it serves as a template for conveying that information to the wig maker.

(19) Referring to FIG. 5, the heat-shrinkable hood 20 is placed over the head of the person to be fitted for a wig, in such a way that the hood holes 22 at the nominal front are positioned to allow the person to breathe.

(20) Referring to FIG. 6, the heated air from a standard hair-styling blow dryer is blown upon the heat-shrinkable hood 20 in order to cause it to shrink and conform to the shape of the person's head and hair profile. The brief application of blow-dryer heat will not burn the skin, and the material of the heat-shrinkable hood 20 has been chosen to perform with such a safe level of heating, as treated above. The shrunken heat-shrinkable hood 20 now conforms to the shape of the head and the hair profile, and serves as a template for conveying those important shapes to the wig maker. Because the heat-shrinkable hood 20 does not have seams or excess material to create hard or rough areas on the shrunken hood, the mesh lace of the wig can be safely placed upon its surface during the wig-making process and during the subsequent handling and maintenance of the wig.

(21) Referring to FIG. 7, after heat shrinking of the heat-shrinkable hood 20, the person's hairline is traced through, and upon, the see-through material of the hood, using a standard marking pen, creating a hairline marking 31. The hairline marking 31 conveys important information to the wig maker which is difficult to convey by other means because, unlike a circumference or hat-size measurement which is always taken at a defined location and can be expressed as a number, the hairline varies from person to person and sometimes from youth to old age. Additional useful markings, such as a circumference marking 32 and an ear-to-ear marking 33 can be made as a supplement to, or in place of, direct measurements of the person's head. The name of the person, and other information such as the production name and the role played, can be written directly onto the heat-shrinkable hood 20. These wig-related markings 30 upon the heat-shrinkable hood 20 serve as a template for conveying the important information to the wig maker.

(22) Referring to FIG. 8, the shrunken and marked heat-shrinkable hood 20 is removed from the head of the person after extending the hood slit 21 upward through the hood holes 22 by tearing through the perforated area with slight force, making the use of cutting tools near the person's face unnecessary, creating a partial opening. Any resulting roughness or raggedness in that area is not detrimental because no wig is to be placed upon that area corresponding to the person's face.

(23) Referring to FIG. 9, the shrunken, marked, and partially opened heat-shrinkable hood 20 is placed upon a wig block, initially for use as a template during wig making and styling, and subsequently as a protective shield for wig blocks during cleaning, re-styling, and maintenance of the wig, where the water, solvents, substances, and operations are potentially harmful to the wig blocks.

(24) Referring to FIG. 10, in use upon a wig block, the wig-management template-shield 10 can be removed and replaced as needed. If necessary, for complete splash protection of the wig block, the torn area of the hood slit 21 and hood holes 22 can be sealed with adhesive tape or by overlapping and wrapping with a waterproof film. Such sealing will not affect the use of the wig-management template-shield 10 because the wig is not placed on that area.

(25) The wig-management template-shield 10 serves as a removable and replaceable template for wig making and protective shield for wig stands during all phases of wig making, styling, cleaning, maintaining, storing, and using the wig. The wig professional who performs the wig fitting might or might not be the wig maker, and the wig maker might be close by or far away. The wig-management template-shield 10, as a shape-conforming envelope retaining the shape of the person's head and hair profile, and having wig-related markings 30 including a hairline marking 31, can easily be conveyed to any local or distant wig maker, with the result that the wig maker gets possession of critical information on a shape-conforming template that the wig maker can work directly upon.

(26) Many changes and modifications can be made in the system and method of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof. I therefore pray that my rights to the present invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.