WO2001006887A1

WO2001006887A1 - A novel apparatus for applying hair highlights

Info

Publication number: WO2001006887A1
Application number: PCT/EP2000/006581
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pharmazeutische Präparate GmbH PINO; Denivaldo G. Dasilva
Original assignee: Pino Pharmazeutische Praeparat
Priority date: 1999-07-23
Filing date: 2000-07-12
Publication date: 2001-02-01
Also published as: US6250312B1; AU6271600A; CO5280239A1; AR028999A1

Abstract

A novel hair highlighting brush suitable for use in applying color treatment at home or at the hair salon for selected strands of hair separated from a head of hair is provided having a sheet of flexible tubing having at one of the tubing a detachable brush portion that accepts the color treatment and at the other end of the tubing a detachable hair securer so that the selected strands of hairs of different thicknesses can be accepted. The flexible tubing allows both ends to contact so that the selected hairs receive the color treatment while the brush is pulled from the top of the scalp along the length of the selected hairs. Optionally, a pump applicator is affixed atop the removable brush portion so that the color treatment may be applied continuously when the brush is pulled vertically along the selected strands of hair.

Description

A NOVEL APPARATUS FOR APPLYING HAIR HIGHLIGHTS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to providing a flexible apparatus for color treating selected strands of hair of different thickness and lengths during home application by utilizing a brush The present invention also relates to a flexible hair highlightmg apparatus that has a pump affixed to one end of the apparatus that continuously applies color treating agents to the hair regardless of the selected hair length

Overall, the system of the present invention is a breakthrough in the hair highlighting industry in that it is designed for consumer use with ease and precision when applying highlights to selected hair strands at home, and comprises a hand-held device with interchangeable bristle heads or brushes to increase or decrease the thickness of highlights, and an optional solution pump

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In recent years it has become increasingly popular to treat hair, and particularly women's hair, by coloring or tinting selected strands of hair while separated and isolated from the remaining hair strands The processes for carrying out such hair treatment are generally termed "highlighting," "tinting," "streaking," "frosting or the like

A number of techniques have been developed for such treatment of hair which provide varying degrees of success depending on the skill of the operator and other such factors The simplest method of bleaching or coloring hair to achieve a contrasting color is hair painting wherein the operator or beautician simply applies a liquid bleach or dye to selected areas of the head of hair to add the desired highlighting as shown in Figs 10A- 10F In this method it is generally desired to color or bleach only the uppermost strands of hair The liquid dye or bleach however, tends to reach underlying hair, or may even penetrate the entire depth of the hair, yielding an undesirable result Many prior art at-home hair highlighting devices are both cumbersome and awkward to use Most are dependent of the length and thickness of the selected strands of hair to be color treated, and none provides the kind of ease of use, precision, and consistency provided by the present invention

As a result, highlighting selected strands of hair has traditionally been a process typically done in professional hair salons It has been a complicated process usually requiring a skilled stylist s assistance FIG 10 shows the multiple steps a stylist takes in order to add highlights to selected sections of hair, carefully avoiding coloring the entire head of hair This arrangement for achieving a contrasting color is also known as hair painting, where an operator applies liquid bleach or dye to selected areas of the head to add the desired highlighting

As described in U S Patent 3,349 781 (Poole et al ), a stylist parts hair into sections by combing part of the hair over the top of the head, placing a protective sheet over the hair that remains hanging down the back and pulls strands of hair on to the protective sheet A brush with a series of spaced tufts is used to brush streaks onto the strands of hair, which lie on the protective sheet Another protective sheet is placed over those dyed strands, and the process is repeated for every successive layer of highlighting The dye may potentially reach other hairs, which it is not intended to reach

A second known procedure for highlighting is placement of a cap, having a number of holes, onto the head, and pulling strands of hair through the holes The exposed strands are then colored It may be difficult to ascertain exactly which hairs are being pulled for treatment, and uneven highlighting may result

A third known arrangement is the wrapping of selected strands in aluminum foil, as described in U S Patent 5,433,225 (Liggett) A color blade picks up dye and is moved along the hair in an attempt to bring strands of hair into contact with the dye The strands of hair are then wrapped in foil The foil separates those highlighted strands from the rest of the hair and supports the selected strands of hair to which dye or bleach has been applied More than one pair of hands may be necessary to keep foils in place Other devices for wrapping treated pieces of hair include U S Patents 3,800 81 1 , 4, 196,741 , 4,552,159, 4,637,41 1 and 4,672.983 U S Patent 4,830,030 describes an arrangement that uses two rollers made of a sponge material that hold a colorant and dispense it as they move along the hair as they are spring-loaded toward each other It

be difficult to dispense a precise amount of dye or bleach, and if excess liquid or dye is dispensed, it usually cannot be returned to its original bottle U S Patent 5,337,765 (Wong) describes a modular brush for applying dye or color with a brush body and detachable bristle modules that may be arranged to achieve a pattern of coloring that the user chooses The device may not allow for precision in application

Clamp devices, described by U S Patent 4,108,184, are most often comprised of a pair of bars hinged together at one end and having surfaces or attachments at the other end to hold strands of hair and provide a protective shield against the rest of the hair or the scalp, in order to facilitate the application of dye with various other unrelated and structurally different devices

There is an existing need in the hair highlighting industry for improved devices or apparatus for the at-home application of highlighting solution to the hair which will allow the user control over the particular strands of hair that will be highlighted, the number of strands of hair affected by the solution, the thickness of the highlights, the amount of dye dispensed, as well as an opportunity to save and re-use any potentially wasted coloring agent There is a need for a device, which not only holds strands of hair but also simultaneously applies dye, bleach or color, and keeps the coloring agent(s) away from the scalp and from the rest of the hair

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple effective device for use in treating hair to provide color contrast thereto, as in highlighting or tinting, which is simple to use by the consumer seeking to highlight the consumer's hair at home and is efficient for its intended purpose

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a simple yet structurally unique device that may both clamp and hold hair of various lengths and thickness and simultaneously apply a coloring agent with precision Another object of this invention is to provide a tong-hke device that may secure sections ot hairs of varying thickness at the end of the bottom prong and may apply coloring agent with any of sized detachable brush at the end of the top prong to allow for increasing or decreasing the amounts of highlights

A further object of this invention is to provide an optional highlighting solution pump that will allow for adequate and controlled amounts of coloring agent to be distributed throughout the section of hair being held by the device by preferably attaching it to the top of the removable bristles

In accordance with this invention, the hair highlighting device comprises an efficient and precise one-piece tong-like apparatus for a person to apply bleach or dye to selected strands of hair while maintaining control over the number of strands selected, the thickness of the highlights, the amount of dye used, and the consistency and even spreading of color throughout the selected strands

An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a self-treating hair-coioπng device suitable for use in highlighting selected strands of hair comprising a tong-like flexible handle having two opposite ends, a first end and a second end, a detachable brush having a plurality of bristle rows attached to the first end by self- securing means for receiving a color treating agent, and a removable hair securer attached to the second end for receiving selected strands of hair to be treated for highlighting, and wherein the hair securer has a predetermined width for receiving the selected strands of hair to be treated It is preferred that the self-treating hair-coloring device have a pump device attached to the detachable brush to continuously supply the color-treating agent to the selected strands of hair and that the tong-like handle be made of plastic tubing

Another alternative embodiment of the present invention is to provide a hair highlighting device suitable for treating selected strands of hair comprising a first resilient material having a first end, a second resilient material having a second end, a spring fastening device affixing said first resilient material to said second material so that the first end contacts the second, a detachable brush having a defined width and length secured to the first end to receive a color-treating agent, and a detachable hair securer having a defined width and length tor receiving selected strands of hair Yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method of coloring selected groups of hair strands which comprises the steps of applying a quantity of hair coloring agent to a brush having a plurality of bristles removably attached to one end of a tong-like device, selecting strands of hair to be highlighted, placing the strands of hair from a scalp of a user into a hair securer located at the end opposite the brush of the tong-hke device, squeezing the tong-hke device with one hand so that the two ends contact, and pulling the tong-hke device from the scalp to the end of the length of selected strands so that the color treating agent is continuously applied during the pulling of the tong-hke device

Various other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing detailed description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description, given by way of example, and not intended to limit the present invention solely thereto, will best be understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which

FIG 1 is a side view of the present invention for self-highlighting,

FIG 2 is a side view of a different embodiment of the present invention for home highlighting, FIGS 3A-3B are elevational views of the hair securer of the present invention which is meant to secure strands of hair, FIG 4 is a side view of the various potentially interchangeable sizes of the part of the present invention meant to secure strands of hair,

FIG 5 is a side view of the various sizes of the applicator brush of the present invention FIG 6 is a side view of the attachable optional pump of the present invention, FIGS 7 and 8 are photographic depictions of how the device of the present invention is to be used and

FIGS 9A-9F are photographic depictions of the prior art highlighting process as used in a professional hair salon DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is embodied in a unique apparatus for highlighting the hair The device mav be made of metal, plastic, or any other flexible, durable material

As shown in FIG 1, the tong-hke handle 40 of the present invention 1 may be made of one continuous tubing or sheet of material The tong-like handle 40 of the present invention has two opposite ends, 5, 30 and is shown folded back on itself approximately 180° At the first end 5 of the tong- ke handle 40 of the present invention 1 is located a detachable brush 10 that may consist of a plurality of rows of bristles Preferably, as shown in Fig 1 , the inner rows of bristles are shorter than the outer rows of bristles The brush 10 accepts any dyes or coloring agent for application to selected hair strands of the consumer The brush 10 is attached to the handle 40 by a fastener 15 such as Velcro straps, snaps, clips and the like At the second end 30 of the tong- ke handle 40 of the present invention 1 is a removable hair securer 20 secured by a fastener 35, such as Velcro straps, clips snaps and the like

As illustrated in FIG 1 , the second end 30 of the bottom half of the tong- ke handle 40 is where the hair will lie as is it held in the hair securer 20 The hair securer 20 has an indenting gap 80 in its center to help grip the selected hair strands and to help capture excess highlighting solution In operation, the hair securer 20 is attached to the surface 30 by the fastener 35 The fastener 35 will allow for the hair securer 20 to be removed and replaced with a plurality of securers shown in FIG 4 Alternatively, as shown in Figs 3 A and 3B, the hair securer 20 may include a base 25 that is slightly concave to help capture excess highlighting solution and a guide 75 having an indenting gap 80 in its center In such alternative configuration, as shown in Fig 3B the guide 75 may be removed from the base 25 and replaced with a plurality of guides, each having a different sized indenting gap 80

FIG 4 shows that the hair securer 20 may come in several embodiments each differing in the size of the space which will hold and secure the strands of hair selected for highlighting by

e or color treating agent which sits on brush 10 As FIG 4 shows, the hair securer 20 will come in several sizes depending on the amount of hair a person wishes to dye in a given stroke In the preferred form the brush 10 is one of three bristle configurations from which a person

choose to attach to the ton of the present invention 1 FIG 5 shows the three bristles of differing length any of which may be attached to the device from the fastener 15, depending on the amount of dye or coloring agent a person wishes to use The more hair that is held in the hair securer 20, the longer the bristle in order that more dye be held by the brush and applied to the selected strands of hair without a person having to re-dip the brush in the dye

In yet another embodiment, the handle of the present invention may be made of two pieces 50 60 with the same two ends 5, 30 as shown in FIG 1 The two pieces 50, 60 having preferably equal lengths are pivotally attached by and are able to move closer to and farther from each other by a fastener 70 such as a spring and the like FIG 1 and FIG 2 are otherwise identical

FIG 6 shows an optional pump for dispensing any dye or coloring agent into the bristles attachable to the one-piece handle 40 or the upper tong of the two-piece handle 50 by a fastener 5 The pump mav consist of two parts A first part 100 holds or contains the highlighting solution, and the second part 200 pushes the highlighting solution through holdmg section 100 with a syπnge-hke action onto the brush 10 through a tube 300 This process may facilitate highlighting longer strands of hair or numerous strands of hair without having to re-dip the bristle into any coloring agent or having to reapply any coloring agent to the bristle

While the present invention has been particularly described with respect to the illustrated embodiment, it will be appreciated that various alterations, modifications and adaptations may be made based on the present disclosure, and are intended to be within the scope of the present invention It is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including the embodiment discussed above, those various alternatives which have been described and all equivalents thereto

Claims

1 A hair-coloring device suitable for use in highlighting selected strands of hair, comprising

a tong-hke flexible handle having two opposite ends, a first end and a second end. a brush having a plurality of bristle rows attached to the first end by self-securing means for receiving a color treating agent, and a hair securer attached to the second end for receiving selected strands of hair to be treated for highlighting, said hair securer having a predetermined width for receiving the selected strands of hair to be treated

2 The hair-colonng device of claim 1 , wherein the detachable bristle has a pump device attached to continuously supply the color- treating agent to the selected strands of hair

3 The hair-colonng device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the tong-like handle is made of plastic tubing

4 The hair-colonng device of claims 1-3, wherein the brush and hair securer are removably attached to said first and second ends, respectively

5 A hair highlighting device suitable for treating selected strands of hair, comprising

a first resilient material having a first end, a second resilient material having a second end; a spring fastener affixing said first resilient material to said second material so that the first end contacts the second, a detachable brush having a defined width and length secured to the first end to receive a color-treating agent. and a detachable hair securer having a defined width and length for receiving selected strands of hair A hair coloring device for applving fluid material to selected strands of hair, comprising

a fluid applying device for retaining and bringing a treatment fluid into contact with the strands of hair a hair securing device having a guide therein for capturing and guiding selected strands of hair to be treated and a support handle for supporting said fluid applying device and said hair securing device in movable relationship to each other between a proximal relationship wherein said fluid applying device can bring the treatment fluid into contact with the strands of hair, and a distal relationship in which selected strands of hair can be manually placed in said guide of said hair securing device

The hair coloring device of claim 6, wherein said support handle comprises a tong- ke handle made of a flexible, durable material

The hair coloring device of claim 6 or 7, wherein said fluid applying device comprises a brush having a plurality of bristle rows

The hair coloring device of claims 6-8, wherein said hair securing device comprises a base for capturing excess treatment fluid

The method of coloring selected groups of hair strands, comprising the steps of

applying a quantity of hair coloring agent to a brush having a plurality of bristles removably attached to one end of a tong-like device, selecting strands of hair to be highlighted, placing said strands of hair from a scalp of a user into a hair securer located at the end opposite of said bristles of said tong-hke device, squeezing said tong-hke instrument with one hand so that said two ends contact, and pulling said tong-like instrument from said scalp to the end of the length of selected strands so that said color treating agent is continuously applied during said pulling.