Mannequin Head Holder

Abstract

A mannequin head holder for hairstylist training includes a mannequin head and a base member that may be mounted to a barber chair, salon chair, or the like. The base member includes attachment means on a bottom portion thereof for mounting the base to a hairdresser chair, a flexible support member, and a generally conical-shaped mannequin head mount. The attachment means may include a shaft member that is inserted into a slot on the chair that otherwise is used to attach a headrest, and may include a height adjustment mechanism. The flexible support may be gooseneck type of support or a bendable arm with a multi-directional range of motion, which allows the mannequin head to be tilted forward or backward, side to side, and to rotate from side to side, in order to imitate the head of a person who has her head turned to the right- or left-hand side.

Claims

1. A mannequin head holder comprising: a base member including attachment means for attaching said mannequin head holder to a chair, and further including a flexible support member having a first end and a second end, wherein said attachment means are attached to said flexible support member at said first end thereof; a mannequin head mount attached to said second end of said flexible support member; and a mannequin head removably attached to said mannequin head mount.

2. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 1, wherein said attachment means includes a shaft member that is adapted to be received in a headrest receiving slot of a chair.

3. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 2, wherein said shaft member is height adjustable with respect to said chair.

4. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 1, wherein said flexible support member is a gooseneck assembly.

5. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 1, wherein said flexible support member includes a series of rigid sections attached to one another by ball and socket joints.

6. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 1, wherein said flexible support member includes a threaded post protruding from at least one end thereof.

7. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 6, wherein said mannequin head mount includes a threaded hole for receiving said threaded post of said flexible support member.

8. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 6, wherein said attachment means includes a threaded hole for receiving said threaded post of said flexible support member.

9. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 1, wherein said mannequin head mount is removably attached to said flexible shaft member.

10. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 9, said flexible support member is adapted to receive a camera mounted on said second end of said flexible support member.

11. The mannequin head holder set forth in claim 1, further including an adapter that is removably attachable between said mannequin head mount and said mannequin head.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings where:

[0019] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a mannequin head holder assembly, showing a shaft member defining a series of holes, wherein the shaft member is adapted to be inserted into a head rest slot on a hairstylist chair, and further showing a flexible support member having a threaded post on a lower end thereof for engagement with a threaded hole on an upper portion of the shaft member, along with a mannequin head mount that is adapted to be attached to the flexible shaft member on a lower portion thereof via a second threaded post positioned on an upper portion of the flexible shaft member, an optional adapter that may frictionally engage the upper portion of the mannequin head mount, and a mannequin head that is removably mountable to the adapter member;

[0020] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a head holder assembly, showing a shaft member defining a series of holes, wherein the shaft member is adapted to be inserted into a head rest slot on a hairstylist chair, and further showing a flexible support member having a first threaded post on a lower end thereof for engagement with a threaded hole on an upper portion of the shaft member and a second threaded post on an upper portion thereof, along with a camera that is adapted to be removably attached to the flexible support member via the second threaded post;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, wherein the shaft member is removably secured to a head rest slot positioned on an upper portion of a hairstylist chair, further illustrating the shaft member being attached to the flexible support member on an upper portion thereof, and a mannequin head mount is attached to an upper portion of the flexible support member, and wherein an optional adaptor is attached to the upper portion of the mannequin head mount, and a mannequin head is attached to the adaptor via frictional engagement;

[0022] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, wherein the shaft member is removably secured to a head rest slot positioned on an upper portion of a hairstylist chair, further illustrating the shaft member being attached to the flexible support member on an upper portion thereof, and a camera being removably attached to the upper portion of the flexible support member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the present invention includes, in one embodiment, a mannequin head holder 10 that includes a base member 12 having attachment means for attachment to a hairstylist chair, a flexible support member 14 that allows a mannequin head 16 to be adjusted in any desired manner, a mannequin head mount 18, an optional adaptor 20 attached to an upper portion of the mannequin head mount 18, and a mannequin head 16 attached to the adaptor 20.

[0024] The attachment means for attaching the base to a chair may take many forms, as indicated by the above-cited references that are incorporated herein. In one novel embodiment, the attachment means includes a shaft member 22 that may be inserted into a slot in a hairstylist chair 24 that is otherwise used for receiving a headrest. The shaft member 22 may include a series of holes for receiving a spring-loaded pin, button, or the like, that may be inserted into any of the holes, so that the mannequin head 16 may be positioned at a desired height. Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the shaft member 22 includes a threaded hole at a top portion thereof for receiving a threaded post 26 or extension that protrudes from the bottom portion of the flexible support member 14, as shown in FIG. 1. Simply stated, in this embodiment, the shaft member 22 simply screws onto the threaded post 26 positioned at the lower end of the flexible support member 14. Similarly, the flexible support member 14 may also include a threaded post 26 at an upper end thereof, for attachment to a threaded hole positioned at a bottom portion of the mannequin head mount 18.

[0025] Alternatively, the shaft member 22 may include a series of indentations or grooves that are engaged by spring-loaded teeth or protrusions that are positioned within the headrest mount slot or mechanism of the hairstylist chair 24. In other words, the attachment means of the mannequin head holder 10 may simply work in the same manner as a headrest that fits into the headrest slot of the hairstylist chair 24, and those attachment means are varied, and are known with respect to automobile headrest assemblies, and the like. Thus, it should be noted that the shaft member 22 may simply be designed to mimic the shaft of a headrest shaft that fits into the receiving slot (or mechanism) on the hairstylist chair 24.

[0026] In another embodiment, the base member 12 may include a telescoping support section that allows for height adjustment, similarly to a height-adjustable a bicycle seat. In this embodiment, a twist-clamp mechanism may be used to fix the height of the telescoping member at any desired height, although other securing mechanisms may be used to fix the height of the telescoping section at a desired height, such as a spring loaded button that protrudes through one of a series of corresponding holes, or any other suitable height adjustment mechanism. The telescoping support section may be disposed above or below the flexible support member, as desired.

[0027] The base member preferably includes a flexible support member 14, which is attached at one end to the attachment means (such as the shaft member 22) for attachment to a chair 24, and on the other end, the flexible support may be attached either to the bottom portion of the mannequin head 16 directly, or to a mannequin head mount 18. The flexible support member 14 may also take one of many forms, but in a particularly useful embodiment, the flexible support member is formed of a gooseneck type of assembly (of similar construction to a gooseneck lamp) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, so that the mannequin head may be positioned as desired. In this arrangement, the mannequin head 16 may be tilted forward, backward, or side to side. Additionally, this arrangement allows the mannequin head 16 to rotate in a right or left direction, thus imitating a person who has their head turned to the right- or left-hand side. The mannequin head 16 may be removably mounted to the upper portion of the flexible support member in any desired manner, as is well-known in the art, or may be mounted in any desired manner to the mannequin head mount 18.

[0028] In another embodiment, the flexible support member 14 may be formed of a ball joint bendable arm that has multiple ball and socket joints 28, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In this arrangement, a series of rigid sections 30 of the flexible support member 14 are joined together with ball and socket joints 28. This arrangement also allows for a full range of motion adjustment of the mannequin head 16 to be oriented in any desired position, as set forth hereinabove.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the base member further includes a generally conical-shaped mannequin head mount 18 that may be directly and removably attached to the upper portion of the flexible support member 14. In this embodiment, the mannequin head mount 18 preferably includes a threaded hole for receiving a threaded post 26 protruding from the top portion of the flexible support member 14. Mannequin heads 16 typically include a hole in the bottom portion thereof, and mounting the mannequin head 16 to the mannequin head mount 18 is achieved by placing the mannequin head mount 18 into the hole on the bottom portion of the mannequin head 16, so that the mannequin head 16 is secured to the mount 18 through frictional engagement. Optionally, an adapter 20 may be placed between the mannequin head 16 and the mannequin head mount 18, if desired or necessary, to accommodate variations in sizes of the hole located on the underside of the mannequin head 16, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Of course, other suitable mechanisms or methods may be used to removably attach the mannequin head 16 to the mount 18 (or directly to the top of the flexible support member 14, in the alternative), as is well-known in the art.

[0030] It should be understood that any other type of suitable attachment means may be used to attach the mannequin head holder 10 to a chair 24 or other stationary object, including clamps, brackets, straps, fittings, quick-connect mechanisms, snap-fit mechanisms, clips, suction cups, grips, hook and loop fastening materials, magnets or the like. Additionally, other types of flexible support members 14 may be used. The mannequin head holder 10 may be designed as a single integral unit, or, more preferably, may be capable of being broken down into its component parts for transport and/or storage, including the attachment means, the flexible support 14, the mannequin head mount 18, and the mannequin head 16, as well as the optional telescoping section. The components may be removably attached to one another in any suitable manner.

[0031] Additionally, in one embodiment, the mannequin head mount 18 may be removed from the flexible support member 14, and a camera 32 may be screwed onto the threaded post 26 protruding from the top of the flexible support member 14, so that the base member 12 serves as a platform for mounting a camera 32, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. In a preferred embodiment, the threaded posts 26 of the flexible support member 14 conform to the standard -inch tripod thread that is universally used for camera tripods, in order to mount a camera 32 to the base member 12, as described.

[0032] Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein. All features disclosed in this specification may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.