Hair Curling Device

Abstract

A hair curling device has a first piece having a hollow stem having a bore, a top end and a bottom end with an opening at the bottom end providing access to the bore, the first piece also having a bowl portion having a frusto-conical wall extending upwardly from the top end of the stem in an open position, the frusto-conical wall having a top edge and a flange extending from the top edge. The hair curling device further includes a separate second piece having a flexible flat base portion having an outer edge and a bottom, with a circular hub extending from the center of the base portion and received inside the bore of the stem.

Claims

1. A hair curling device, comprising: a first piece having: a hollow stem having a bore, a top end and a bottom end with an opening at the bottom end providing access to the bore; a bowl portion having a frusto-conical wall extending upwardly from the top end of the stem in an open position, the frusto-conical wall having a top edge and a flange extending from the top edge; a separate second piece having a flexible flat base portion having an outer edge and a bottom, with a circular hub extending from the center of the base portion and received inside the bore of the stem; wherein the frusto-conical wall is adapted to be folded over in position around the stem so as to enclose the stem and the base portion in a folded position where the flange of the frusto-conical wall extends around the outer edge of the base portion and is aligned with the bottom of the base portion.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the frusto-conical wall has a greater thickness in a region adjacent the stem than the thickness along the rest of the frusto-conical wall.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the material is impregnated with a phosphorescent pigment.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the bowl portion has a bottom, and a transition region is defined between the bottom of the bowl portion and the top end of the stem, with a concavity defined adjacent the transition region, with the thickness of the material adjacent the transition region being less than the thickness of the frusto-conical wall in the region adjacent the stem.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the stem has an inner wall inside the bore which has an annular ridge, and the circular hub has an annular recessed neck portion adjacent the bottom of the base portion, wherein the annular ridge is adapted to be received into the annular recessed neck portion when the circular hub is inserted into the bore.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a curling device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention shown in an open position.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the curling device of FIG. 1 in an open position.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the curling device of FIG. 1 shown in a folded position.

[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the curling device of FIG. 1 in a folded position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating general principles of embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the curling device 10 of the present invention has two separate pieces, a first piece that includes a stem 12 and a foldable bowl portion 14, and second piece that is a base portion 16. The base portion 16 is preferably circular so as to readily seat on the part of the scalp adjacent the strand of hair which is to be curled. A circular hub 17 extends from the center of the base portion 16, and has an annular recessed neck portion 15. The base portion 16 is planar and is essentially like a circular flange that extends from the stem 12.

[0020] The bowl portion 14 has a frusto-conical wall 18 that is adapted to be folded over the stem 12 so as to enclose the stem 12 and the base portion 16. The frusto-conical wall 18 has a top edge 30 and a circular flange 32 extending therefrom.

[0021] The frusto-conical wall 18 of the bowl portion 14 has a length so that in the folded position, it reaches the bottom 20 of the base portion 16, as best shown in FIG. 4.

[0022] As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the stem 12 and the bowl portion 14 can all be made in one piece of the same material. The base portion 16 is a separate material but can be made from the same material as the stem 12 and the bowl portion 14. The material is preferably a silicone material. In one embodiment, the silicone material can be KEG-2000-50A/B liquid injection molding silicone, which is made by Shin-Etsu Silicones of America Corporation of Akron, Ohio. This material is a medical-grade two component silicone rubber compound that has the following characteristics:

[00001]$\mathrm{Durometer}=51$$\mathrm{Elongation}\left(\%\right)=670\%$$\mathrm{Specific}\mathrm{Gravity}=1.14$$\mathrm{Tear}\mathrm{Die}B\left(\mathrm{ppi}\right)=220$$\mathrm{Tensile}\mathrm{Strength}\left(\mathrm{psi}\right)=1840$

The use of silicone for the material provides numerous advantages over the prior art devices. For example, silicone is hygienic, hypoallergenic, odorless, non-toxic, withstands extreme temperature applications (148 F. to 600 F.), and is flexible and resilient in a manner where it retains its shape if compressed. Silicone also withstands continuous flexing without stress cracking.

[0023] In addition, the material for the entire curling device 10 can be impregnated with a glow-in-the-dark compound or phosphorescent pigment, such as a Zinc Sulfide compound, an example of which is the NightGlo NG-200 made by Dayglo Color Corp., of Cleveland, Ohio. This allows the curling device 10 to be visible in the dark, thereby adding amusement value to the curling device 10.

[0024] The stem 12, bowl portion 14 and base portion 16 can be constructed so that the stem 12 is generally hollow with a bore 23 that is accessed via an opening 22 at the bottom thereof. The inner wall of the stem 12 can be provided with an annular ridge 25 that is adapted to be received into the annular recessed neck portion 15. The diameter of the base portion 16 can vary depending on the desired size of the curling device 10, although the dimensions of the stem 12 and the bowl portion 14 must be adjusted accordingly so as to allow the frusto-conical wall 18 of the bowl portion 14 to reach the bottom 20 of the base portion 16 in the folded position as shown in FIG. 4, where the flange 32 (see below) extends around the outer edge of the base portion 16 and is aligned with the bottom 20. This arrangement helps to keep the hair inside the curling device 10 and to prevent the hair from unwinding out of the base 16 and sliding down the user's hair. As a non-limiting example, if the base portion 16 has a diameter of 1.223 inches and a uniform thickness of 0.06 inches, the stem 12 can have a diameter of 0.449 inches, and a height of 0.649 inches, with the cylindrical wall of the stem 12 having a thickness of 0.0965. Again, these dimensions are proportionate, so a larger curling device 10 will have proportionately larger dimensions, and a smaller curling device 10 will have proportionately smaller dimensions.

[0025] In order to permit air to circulate to the curled hair around the stem 12, a plurality of openings 24 are provided in the frusto-conical wall 18 and the base 16. These openings 24 also permit vaporization of moisture from the hair. These openings 24 can be positioned randomly, or in a specific arrangement, about the frusto-conical wall 18 and base 16, and can be varied in size and shape. To facilitate better air circulation, the number of openings 24 can be increased and the diameter of the openings 24 can also be increased.

[0026] In addition, a plurality of raised patterns 48 can be optionally provided on both the interior and exterior surfaces of the frusto-conical wall 18. These raised patterns 48 can take the form of any shape, and are illustrated in the drawings as being star-shaped. These raised patterns 48 help to keep the hair from sliding down the frusto-conical wall 18 and from slipping out of the curling device 10.

[0027] The frusto-conical wall 18 is provided with a varying thickness. Referring to FIG. 2, the frusto-conical wall 18 has its greatest thickness at a region 38 adjacent its base where it extends from the top of the stem 12, and its smallest thickness adjacent its top edge 30, from which the circular flange 32 extends. The thickness of the frusto-conical wall 18 gradually decreases from the region 38 to the top edge 30, or the decrease can be incremental or varied in another manner. As a non-limiting example, for a curling device 10 with the dimensions set forth above, the thickness of the frusto-conical wall 18 can be 0.092 inches at the region 38, and 0.067 inches adjacent its top edge 30. The increased thickness at the region 38 helps to keep the bowl portion 14 locked in the folded position, and not as prone to popping open from its folded position to its unfolded position. Therefore, the thickness of the frusto-conical wall 18 at the region 38 can be adjusted. For example, in the curling device 10 described above, the thickness of the cylindrical wall of the stem 12 is just slightly larger than the thickness of the frusto-conical wall 18 at the region 38, but it is also possible to provide the thickness at the region 38 to be slightly greater than the thickness of the cylindrical wall of the stem 12.

[0028] A concavity 34 is defined at the bottom of the frusto-conical wall 18, as best shown in FIGS. 3-4, to define a transition region 40 between the stem 12 and the frusto-conical wall 18 that is preferably very thin (e.g., 0.046 inches), so as to allow for the folding action of the frusto-conical wall 18.

[0029] The hub 17 is sized and configured to be inserted through the opening 22 into the bore 23. The annular ridge 25 is adapted to be fitted into the annular recessed neck portion 15 so that the hub 17 can be secured inside the bore 23. Because of the soft and flexible nature of the materials used for the hub 17 and the stem 12, the base portion 16 can be pulled to remove the hub 17 from the bore 23.

[0030] In use, the base portion 16 is first placed in contact with the scalp S adjacent the strand or tuft of hair which is to be curled. The strand is then wound around the stem 12, beginning at the base of the stem 12 and winding spirally upwardly while the bowl portion 14 remains in the open position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. After the curl is in place, it is held in position by a finger or thumb, while the bowl portion 14 is folded down over the curl, by which it is retained as shown in FIGS. 3-4 in the folded position. The hair may be retained in position on the curling devices 10 overnight or for any suitable amount of time such as to allow dry hair to achieve the desired tightness of curl, or damp hair to evaporate moisture and a relatively permanent set of curl is obtained. To remove the curling device 10, the device can be rolled down the strand of hair or the device can be held stationary while the hair is unwound from around the stem 12.

[0031] Unfortunately, when removing the curling device 10, the wound hair can sometimes get tangled, or adjacent hair can get caught in the curling device 10 as it is being removed. If the user has tangled hair in a curling device 10 where the user cannot see it (e.g., in the back of the head), it may not be possible to remove the curling device 10.

[0032] Therefore, in the case where some hair becomes tangled at the bottom of the stem 12 adjacent the base portion 16, the user can simply pull the base portion 16 from the stem 12, and the tangled hair can be slid off the bottom of the stem 12.

[0033] While the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof. The accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention.