CN1558729A - Method and apparatus for use in strand treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for use in the treatment of strands of hair selected from the hair. The device (2) according to the invention comprises a substrate (4) of material for separating selected strands of hair from other strands of hair while treating the selected strands of hair. The device (2) further comprises a fixing member (6) arranged on said substrate (4) for fixing said substrate (4) to the strands of hair. The device is characterised in that the fixing means (6) comprise elements for hooking and gripping one or more strands of hair.

Description

Method and apparatus for use in hair lock treatment

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for use in treating selected locks of hair, and more particularly but not exclusively to a method and apparatus for use in dyeing selected locks of hair.

It is known to use lengths of flexible material to isolate selected locks during hair treatments such as coloring. Typically, the locks to be colored are first selected by known hairdressing techniques such as weaving. These strands are then placed over a length of liquid-impermeable material that effectively isolates the selected hair from the rest of the hair. The barrier material is typically 2 or 3 inches wide (ie, between 5 and 8 cm) and has a length at least equal to the length of the hair to be treated. One edge of the material is positioned near the root of the selected strand and in contact with the scalp. Then, the hair roots are pressed onto the part of the material provided with the contact adhesive. Thus, the material is kept positioned on the scalp during hair treatment. With the material secured in place, a suitable hair treatment substance can be applied to the selected locks. The scalp and remaining locks are protected by the barrier material from exposure to the hair treatment substance.

The present invention seeks to solve some of the problems with currently known hair treatment devices and methods. In particular, use of prior art devices can be problematic because practitioners often mistake the adhesive on the barrier material to contact a surface such as the scalp, the ends of the hair rather than the roots or the barrier material itself. Furthermore, the use of the device requires remedial measures in order to release the barrier material from the surface contacted by mistake. In some cases, particularly where portions of the barrier material have been attached to each other by adhesive, subsequent use of the device will not be possible and the device will be discarded without use. Even if further use of the device is possible, the effectiveness of the contact adhesive will often be reduced by its earlier surface contact. Thus, prior art devices may result in a time consuming and wasteful hair treatment procedure. Additionally, prior art devices do not effectively adhere to greasy hair. As a result, it will often be necessary to rinse the hair to be treated prior to using the aforementioned prior art devices. This in turn would result in a time consuming process. Furthermore, the adhesive will of course only be fixed to the barrier material which strands are in contact with. Thus, when dealing with dense hair, selected locks will often overlap further selected locks which are in contact with the adhesive, and thus are not themselves secured to the barrier material. This may lead to an increased risk of hair treatment substances flowing onto the scalp.

Problems with prior art devices also include difficulty in selecting the barrier material from the stored materials. In the prior art, barrier materials are generally sold as boxes of tightly packed individual barrier materials. Thus, when a case is opened, the user is provided with multiple barrier materials that are tightly pressed together and cannot be easily extracted. During hair treatment, it is especially desirable to be able to pick up barrier materials quickly and easily with one hand. Since this is usually not possible with packaged barrier materials (especially newly opened boxes of barrier material), it is often the case that the required quantity of used materials is first removed from the box before processing begins. The barrier material is specially treated so that it can be picked up with only one hand during the handling process. However, pulling barrier materials from chests can lead to materials being misplaced and doesn't help keep them in good order.

A first aspect of the present invention provides a device for use in treating selected locks of hair, the device comprising a material substrate for bonding a selected lock of hair to hair while treating the selected lock of hair. Separate other strands of hair; and a fixing part arranged on the substrate for fixing the substrate to the strands of hair; it is characterized in that the fixing part comprises a plurality of elements for hooking and clamping Hold one or more locks.

The plurality of elements may be disposed adjacent to an edge of the substrate. The plurality of elements is preferably arranged across the entire width of the substrate. The number of cells per unit area can vary across the substrate. The fixing part is preferably manufactured using injection molding techniques.

Preferably at least one of the plurality of elements comprises an elongated member defined by a recess in said device. Ideally, the grooves are straight. Each opposite side of the groove may define an elongate member such that the groove defines two elongate members for gripping one or more hair strands. At least one of the plurality of elements preferably includes a head having an inclined surface to guide strands of hair pressed towards a position relative to said at least one element so that said strands of hair are gripped by said at least one element.

It is particularly desirable that at least one of the plurality of elements comprises a member extending downwardly from a surface at an acute angle to the surface so as to define a space between said member and said surface, wherein in use at least one Strands can be placed in this space. The junction of the part and the surface may have a closed ring shape. The closed annular shape may be substantially circular so as to define a substantially annular space between said member and said surface. The acute angle is preferably less than 45°, most preferably 30°.

At least one of the plurality of elements may include a member extending perpendicular to a surface. The vertically extending member may have a substantially cylindrical outer surface. At least one of the plurality of elements may comprise a member extending substantially parallel to said surface. The part extending substantially parallel to said surface may have a substantially annular shape.

The plurality of elements is preferably located on a portion of the surface of the substrate extending along a portion of the length of the substrate. The plurality of elements may also be located on a curved portion of the substrate surface. Preferably, the plurality of elements are integrally provided with a base portion manufactured separately from the substrate. The base portion may define a curved surface secured adjacent to said substrate. The curved surface may be positioned adjacent the front edge of the base portion, which in use rests against the scalp. One edge of the base portion is preferably separated from the substrate to allow a tool to be placed between the base portion and the substrate in use. Preferably, the free edge is positioned such that, in use, an implement can be placed adjacent the junction between the free edge and the substrate and press an edge of the substrate against the scalp. The free edge may be a rear edge of the base portion opposite and parallel to the front edge. The base portion may be secured adjacent to the substrate by an adhesive. Ideally, the base portion includes means for restricting the flow of liquid over the entire surface of the base portion. The flow restricting member may comprise a groove on said surface of the base portion. The substrate can be made of a flexible material, and can also be made of a transparent material.

It may also be desirable to provide a plurality of second elements on the substrate which, in use, are detachably connectable to the plurality of first elements when the substrate is folded along a selected strand. The plurality of second elements may comprise fibers and/or a plurality of hooks. The fibers may be annular or have free ends. Again, these plurality of hooks may be provided in a similar manner to the elements of the fixation component described above.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of using the device of said first aspect, the method comprising the steps of: placing a substrate of the device adjacent a selected lock of hair; pressing the lock against said securing means so as to place at least one of the plurality of elements adjacent to at least one pressed lock of hair, thereby clamping the at least one lock of hair, and securing the substrate in place so that the selected lock of hair is compatible with other The strands are separated. The strands pressed against the fixing member may be strands selected to be concealed from other strands for makeup

A third aspect of the present invention provides a device for use in treating selected strands of hair, the device comprising a material substrate for separating strands of hair from a selected head from other strands and treating selected locks of hair; and fixing means arranged on the substrate for fixing the substrate to the locks of hair; characterized in that the substrate is provided with a plurality of perforations arranged in rows, wherein the rows Each end of is disposed adjacent to an edge of the substrate.

Preferably, said rows of perforations are arranged adjacent to said fixing part.

The row of perforations may extend across the entire width of the substrate from one longitudinally extending edge to an opposite longitudinally extending edge. The row of perforations preferably defines a common boundary of two parts of a said substrate, one part of which is provided with said fixing means, the other part of which substrate may be provided with at least one hole.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a device for use in treating selected locks of hair, the device comprising a plurality of devices according to the third aspect of the invention, wherein said substrate portions of said plurality of devices are mutually connected.

A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a method of using the apparatus of the third and fourth aspects of the present invention, the method comprising the steps of: tearing one part of the substrate from another part of the substrate along said row of perforations; placing a substrate portion provided with a securing member adjacent to a selected lock of hair; and securing said substrate portion adjacent to said selected lock of hair so as to separate said lock of hair from other hair strands.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of a plurality of hooks in the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a schematic side view of a hook and loop connection of the type shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a schematic side view of a hook and hook connection of the type shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of the strip of hook material provided in the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of an optional strip of hook material provided in the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a schematic cutaway side view of the upper portion of the first embodiment secured to a small door dispenser;

Fig. 8 is a schematic side view of the upper part of the second embodiment of the present invention provided with the hook material shown in Fig. 6;

Figure 9 is a schematic top view of a third embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 10 is a schematic top view of a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 11 is a schematic top view of a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 12 is a schematic top view of a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 13 is a schematic partial top view of a strip of hook material comprising circular mushroom shaped hook members;

Fig. 14 is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of the hook material taken along line A-A of Fig. 13;

Figure 15 is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of a variation of the hook material shown in Figure 13;

Figure 16 is a schematic partial top view of a strip of hook material comprising elongated T-shaped hook material;

Figure 17 is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of the hook material taken along line B-B of Figure 16; and

FIG. 18 is a schematic partial cutaway side view of a variation of the hook material shown in FIG. 17. FIG.

A first embodiment 2 of the invention is shown in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings. The embodiment 2 is a hair treatment device comprising an elongated strip of flexible material forming a base plate 4 on which is mounted a strip of hook material 6 (described below). The material of the base plate 4 is impermeable to the hair treatment substances used when the device 2 is in use. Thus, the base plate 4 forms an effective barrier between the hair treatment substance and the hair strands which need to be separated from the treatment substance. While having barrier properties, the material of the base plate 4 is preferably transparent in order to allow inspection of the locks selected for treatment without removing the device 2 from the hair. The above-mentioned properties of the base plate 4 may be provided by an artificial plastic material such as CELLOPHANE (RTM).

The base plate 4 has an elongated rectangular shape. Embodiment 2 shown in Figure 1 has a width W of 75 mm and an overall length L of 170 mm. However, these dimensions can be changed to suit specific circumstances.

In particular, the length L can be increased or decreased depending on the length of the hair to be treated. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the device 2 should be at least as long as the length of the hair to be treated in order to ensure isolation of the hair from surrounding hair. It is conceivable that embodiments of the invention will provide base plates with standard lengths of 200mm, 400mm and 500mm and standard widths of 75mm and 90mm.

The upper part 8 of the base plate 4 is provided with two annular holes 10 on either side of the longitudinal axis 12 of the device 2 . As will be described below with reference to Figure 7, the aperture 10 allows the base plate 4 to be mounted on a small door of a supply device. The base plate 4 is also provided with a row of perforations 14 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 12 and extending across the width of the base plate 4 . The perforations 14 extend through the thickness of the base plate 4 and, in use, allow the upper portion 8 of the base plate 4 to be easily separated from the remainder of the base plate.

The strip of hook material 6 is rectangular and extends across the entire width of the base panel 4 . The hook material 6 extends approximately 15 mm along the length of the base panel 4 and is fixedly connected to the above-mentioned remainder of the base panel 4 by a suitable adhesive. In an alternative embodiment, the strip of hook material 6 may be integrally formed with the base plate 4 . The upper edge 16 of the hook material 6 , which in use is placed adjacent to the scalp, rests on the remainder of the base plate 4 and is in line with the perforations 14 . In an alternative embodiment, the upper edge may be located above the row of perforations 14 so that part of the hook material 6 may be laminated to the upper portion 8 of the base plate 4 . However, in this alternative construction, the laminated portion of the hook material 6 is not secured to the upper portion 8 with adhesive (or otherwise) in order to allow the upper portion 8 to be easily bonded to the hook material 6 and base plate 4 during use. the rest of the .

The strip of hook material 6 is formed with an inherent curved shape. The curved shape is preferably a partial circle. As shown in FIG. 1 , once the hook material 6 is secured to the base panel 4 , the base panel 4 (at least in the vicinity of the hook material 6 ) accepts the curved shape of the hook material 6 . In use, the curvature of the upper edge 16 of the hook material 6 ensures that the base plate 4 more easily conforms to the curvature of the scalp. To help ensure that the base plate 4 conforms to the scalp, at least the upper edge region of the hook material 6 may be flexible (preferably elastic flexible) to allow the upper edge to deform into contact with the scalp across the width of the base plate 4. Indeed, provided that the hook material 6 is flexible, it may be planar (ie without a curved profile). As a result, the device 2 may be easier to apply and more comfortable for the person whose hair is being treated. The particular device 2 shown in Figure 1 includes a hooked material 6 having a radius of curvature of 4.25 cm, however, other dimensions of curvature may of course be used.

The outer curved surface 18 of the hook material 6 grips the root of a selected strand of hair during use and provides a plurality of small hooks (not shown in Figure 1 ) for this purpose. The hooks have a mushroom shape and are of a similar type commonly used in hook and loop fabric fasteners. However, other hook shapes used in hook and loop fasteners may also be provided on the curved surface 18 . For example, a hook may comprise a member extending downwardly from the curved surface 18 to said surface at an acute angle so as to define a space between said member and said surface in which at least one strand of hair may be placed in use. . The acute angle is preferably 30°, although other angles may be used. The strands of hair to be clamped can be squeezed between the part and the surface in the direction in which they converge, thereby being clamped by the part and the surface. Said hook may have a frusto-conical shape to be able to receive and grip one or more strands of hair pressed against said hook along the surface of the hook material 6 from any direction.

Referring to FIG. 2 , it will be seen that a plurality of identical mushroom-shaped hooks 20 are evenly distributed on the curved surface 18 . However, in an alternative embodiment, the size and density of the hooks may vary across surface 18 . For example, it is advantageous if the density of the hooks (ie the number per unit area) increases or decreases along the length of the base plate 4 . The hook density in the width direction of the base plate 4 is preferably not changed. In this way, any given strip of hook material 6 will more effectively grip a variety of different types (in particular, different densities/thicknesses) of selected strands of hair. With the variation of hook density and shape along the length of the base plate 4 (on the surface 18 of the hook material 6) rather than the width of the base plate 4, it is possible to provide a suitable for all types of hair over the entire width of the base plate 4. proper clamping. However, where the selected strand is of the type that is best held by hooks having the density and shape of the hooks 20 near the lower edge 22 of the surface 18 opposite the upper edge 16 In some cases, the density and shape of the hooks over the entire width of the base plate 4 adjacent the upper edge 16 may not be effective in gripping the selected hair strand. If this is considered undesirable due to the need to remain fixed to the upper edge 16 on the selected strand of hair and thus remain on the scalp, then preferably a plurality of hooks 20 are arranged so that the density and/or geometry of the hooks The shape varies across the width of the base plate 4 . In this way, at least some selected hair strands will be clamped at certain locations along the length of the upper edge 16 so as to maintain the entire length of the upper edge 16 on the scalp. The use of multiple hooks 20 in gripping selected strands of hair will be described further below.

As best seen in FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings, the curved surface 18 of the hook material 6 is provided with a groove 24 extending along the upper edge 16 . In use, the groove 24 acts as a channel and provides resistance to liquid hair treatment substances which may attempt to flow from the aforementioned other portion of the base plate 4 to the upper edge 16 and onto the scalp. In the optional strip of hook material 6 shown in Figure 6, the grooves 24 are replaced by ridges 26 extending upwardly from the surface 18' and along the upper edge 16'. In use, the ridge 16' acts as a barrier for fluid attempting to flow past the edge 16'. Although the strips of hook material 6, 6' shown in FIGS. Contour (preferably having a partially circular shape). As mentioned above, the curvature of the strips 6, 6' is set such that the upper edge 16, 16' is curved so as to allow said edge 16, 16' to conform to the scalp of the person being treated.

The base panel 4 is also provided with a corrugation or fold line 28 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 12 and extending across the width of the base panel 4 . The corrugation is located midway between the upper edge 16 and the lower edge 30 of the base plate 4 . However, the folds 28 can also be provided in an optional position. Gather 28 is preferably arranged such that, in use, lower edge 30 can be folded over upper edge 16 so as to completely enclose selected strands of hair. Additionally, the pleats 28 can be omitted and provided by the user if desired.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the device 2 is shown mounted to a small door 32 of a supply device 34 . The wicket 32 is a U-shaped bar with a circular cross section. Small door 32 can be made of any suitable material such as metal or plastic material. The two free ends 36 of the small door 32 (only one of which is visible in FIG. 7 ) are separated from each other by holes 10 provided in the base plate 4 at the same distance. Likewise, the diameter of the circular cross-section of the wicket 32 is substantially equal to the diameter of the holes 10 so as to allow one free end 36 to pass through one hole 10 and the other free end 36 to pass through the other hole 10 . Thus, the small door 32 acts as a fixture for mounting one or more base panels 4 . Although not shown in FIG. 7 , a plurality of devices 2 are preferably mounted to the small door 32 . The devices so mounted may be identical to or vary from one another in size or design. In this latter regard, multiple devices may include devices having different lengths, widths and/or different designs of hook material (as previously described).

The free end 36 of the wicket 32 is housed in the base 38 of the supply device 34 once the wicket 32 has been supplied with the desired device. Therefore, the plurality of devices 2 are prevented from sliding out of the small door 32 . In practice, multiple devices 2 may be sold to users pre-assembled on the small door 32 . The small door 32 can then be releasably secured to the base member 38 already installed at the user's work position. In addition, a plurality of devices 2 can be provided comprehensively together with the supply equipment. In these cases, the base 38 of the supply device 34 may provide suitable fixtures that allow the base 38 to be releasably mounted to a wall, such as the rear 40 of the base 38, in a quick and easy manner. Holes are available for mounting the hook to the wall.

It will be appreciated that the use of the supply device 34 allows easy selection of the desired device 2 . Multiple devices 2 may be arranged in an orderly manner on the small door 32, which facilitates the user to grasp a specific device 2 for use in isolating selected strands. The user selects the desired device 2 by grasping the above-mentioned remaining part of the base plate 4 located below said row of perforations 14 . The remainder of the base plate 4 is then pulled down along the small door 32 and out of the base 38 in the direction of arrow 42 (see FIG. 7 ). However, upper part 8 is prevented from moving away from wicket 32 by crossbar portion 44 (shown in phantom outline in FIG. 7 ). However, while preventing the upper part 8 from being removed, the rows of perforations 14 extending across the width of the base plate 4 allow the rest of the base plate 4 to be easily detached from the upper part 8 . Thus, the required portion of the device 2 for selected strand isolation, ie the rest of the base plate 4 provided with the strip of hook material 6, can easily be selected for use. Although the upper part 8 of the selected device 2 remains on the small door 32 , it does not prevent the rapid selection of the next device 2 . The upper part 8 of the selected device previously torn from the small door 32 is shown in FIG. 7 .

Once the selected lock of hair has been selected (typically by known techniques such as weaving) and the desired device 2 has been torn from the small door 32, the remainder of the base plate 4 is placed underneath the selected lock of hair, the upper edge 16 Press into the scalp and close to the roots of selected strands. Then, the curved surface 18 of the opposing hook material 6 is slightly squeezed and massaged into the selected hair strand. Thus, the selected strand is pressed between adjacent mushroom-shaped hooks 20 extending from the surface 18 and thus placed between the heads of the hooks 20 and the surface 18 . The hair covering the entire width and length of the hook material 6 is massaged (e.g. with the user's thumb) so that the mushroom-like hooks 20 are positioned around the strands of hair so as to grip said strands and ensure that the upper edge 16 is held close to the scalp . The engagement of the hooks 20 with selected hair strands also serves to resist lateral movement of the base plate 4 during hair treatment.

The effectiveness of the hook 20 to hold a selected lock of hair is substantially independent of whether the lock of hair has been washed recently. The hook 20 tends to grip greasy hair just as effectively as it grips non-greasy hair. The hook 20 can also be detached from the lock and reused without loss of gripping effectiveness. Thus, errors in the positioning of the upper edge 16 can be easily corrected without using another device 2 . The hook 20 also contributes to ease of use, since the hook 20 is only readily adhered to surfaces that include fibers on which the hook 20 may be placed. Thus, the hooks 20 will not readily adhere to the rest of the base plate 4 or to the surface of the substance being processed.

With the upper edge 16 at the desired location in the scalp, the selected hair strand is placed so as to extend over the rest of the base plate 4 . Thus, it should be appreciated that the remaining portion of the base plate 4 acts to isolate the selected strand from other hairs beneath the remaining portion, effectively masking said other hair from exposure to the hair applied to the selected strand. Choose a treatment on your locks. A suitable hair treatment substance, such as a coloring solution, is conveniently applied by brush to selected locks. It should be clear to the experienced reader that the grooves 24 serve to prevent the flow of hair treatment material from the hook material 6 onto the scalp.

Once the hair treatment substance has been applied, the selected strand is covered by folding the remainder of the base plate 4 along the fold line 28 so that its lower edge 30 is located adjacent the upper edge 16 . Alternatively, selected locks may be covered by a cover paper separate from the rest of the base plate 4 . The lower edge 30 may be secured to the upper edge 16 with adhesive, however preferably the portion of the base plate 4 adjacent the lower edge 30 is provided with a material which can be gripped by a plurality of hooks 20 provided on the curved surface 18 . The material may be a fibrous material comprising a plurality of loops 46 which are conveniently used in hook and loop fasteners (see FIG. 3). Additionally, the material may include an additional plurality of hooks 48, preferably of the mushroom type (see FIG. 4).

When the lower edge 30 is secured adjacent the upper edge 16 (or when a separate cover paper is placed in place), the selected hairs are encased and sealed from their surroundings.

The present invention is not limited to the specific examples described above. Alternative arrangements and suitable materials will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the device 2 may be modified by replacing the strips of grooved hook material 6 shown in FIG. 5 with strips of ridged hook material 6 shown in FIG. 6 . Figure 8 shows a partial side view of the resulting device 2'. Further alternatives thereof 102, 202 are shown in Figures 9 and 10, respectively. These alternative devices 102, 202 differ from the device 2 shown in FIG. 1 only in that the strip of fibrous material 104 is placed on the base plate 4 in the device 102 of FIG. On the base plate 4 of the device 202 shown in FIG. 10 . Like parts of the apparatus 102, 202 as in the apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 1 have been given the same reference numerals.

As shown in FIG. 9 , the strip of fibrous material 104 is placed adjacent to the lower edge 30 of the base panel 4 and extends across the entire width of the base panel 4 . When the base panel 4 is folded along the fold line 28 , the fiber strap 104 cooperates with the strip of hook material 6 to secure the lower edge 30 adjacent the upper edge 16 . As shown in FIG. 10 , the two portions 204 , 206 of fibrous material of the device 202 are square in shape and are positioned adjacent to the lower edge 30 and opposite the longitudinally extending edges 207 , 210 of the base plate 4 . Thus, the fiber portions 204 , 206 serve to hold the lower edge 30 adjacent the upper edge 16 by engaging the hooks 20 of the hook material 6 when the remainder of the base panel 4 is folded along the fold line 28 .

Alternatives to hook and loop or hook and hook fasteners will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the hook and loop fastening material may be provided around the entire perimeter of the remainder of the base panel 4 (ie along the length of the longitudinally extending edge of the base panel 4 and the lower edge of the base panel). In this way, when the remainder of the base panel 4 is folded along the fold line 28, the selected hair strands can be fully wrapped and sealed between the material of the base panel 4.

Figure 11 of the accompanying drawings shows yet another alternative. The device 302 of FIG. 11 differs from the device 2 of FIG. 1 only in that the strip of fibrous material 304 is disposed adjacent to the lower edge 30 and on the base plate 4 opposite to the hook material 6 provided on the base plate 4. On one side, and the strip of hook material 6 has a portion 306 extending transversely to the base plate 4 . The fiber material 304 extends over the entire width of the base plate 4 . Likewise, the extension 306 of the strip of hook material 6 has a length substantially equal to the width of the base plate 4 . In use of the device 302 , the base panel 4 is folded along the fold line 28 such that the lower edge 30 is located adjacent the upper edge 16 . The lower edge 30 is then secured in place by folding the extension 306 of the hook material 6 over the fibrous material 304 . The extension 306 is folded along a preformed fold line 308 at the edge of the base panel 4 . Thus, the hooks provided on the extension 306 engage the fibrous material 304 to prevent substantial movement of the lower edge 30 from the upper edge 16 . In yet another variant, extensions of the hook material 6 may extend from both longitudinally extending edges of the base panel 4 . Preferably, the two parts have a length substantially equal to half the width of the base plate 4 .

The aforementioned fibrous material may include a plurality of loops for engagement with hook-like members such as known conventional hook and loop fasteners. The fibrous material can also be provided as a fabric or absorbent paper material. Alternatively, the fibrous material may be replaced by a hook material, which results in a hook-to-hook connection rather than a hook-to-loop connection. When using the mushroom-shaped hook shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings, the hook-to-hook connection is particularly reliable.

Furthermore, in order to ensure that the backing portion with the hooks provides the same strong connection with the strands and/or hooks/loops of various types throughout said portion, more than one hook type (i.e. hook geometry and/or Density) can be evenly distributed over the part. Thus, any given hook member may be placed adjacent to different types of hook members.

In yet another variant, the function of the hook and loop or hook and hook fixture in the fixed part of the base plate (or a separate covering part of the base plate) can be accomplished by a tongue and groove arrangement, wherein from A tongue extending from one portion is received and retained by a slot in the other portion.

A sixth embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to Figures 12-18 of the drawings. This sixth embodiment is similar to the previous embodiments and includes an elongated strip of flexible material forming a base plate 404 on which is mounted a strip of hook material 406 . The material of the base plate 4 is impermeable to the hair treatment substances used by the device 404 . Thus, the base plate 404 forms an effective barrier between the hair treatment substance and the strands that need to be isolated from the substance. The strip of hook material extends across the width of the base panel 404 and is fixedly attached along the upper edge by a suitable adhesive. Compared to previous embodiments, the dimensions of the base plate 404 and hook material 406 are as previously described. The lower edge 407 of the hook material 406 lying between 2 mm and 4 mm is free and not adhered to the base plate 404 . The purpose of this feature is to allow the tail of a comb or the user's fingernail to be placed between the hook material 406 and the base plate 404 in the area of the lower edge 407 to allow the upper edge 409 of the base plate 404 to be pressed against the scalp in use. The portion of the hook material 406 that is adhered to the base plate 404 is the portion of the hook material 406 that is located between the upper edge 409 of the base plate 404 and the dashed line 410 shown in FIG. 12 . It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that this feature can be employed in any of the foregoing embodiments.

As with the embodiment of Figure 9, a strip of fibrous or hook material 411 is secured to the base plate 404 near the lower edge 413 by a suitable adhesive. Thus, when in use the base panel 404 is folded such that the lower edge is adjacent to the upper edge 409, the lower strip of material 411 will engage and be connected to the upper strip of material 406. This connection not only helps to maintain the base plate 404 in the folded position, but also helps prevent unwanted leakage of the hair treatment substance onto the scalp. When a fibrous material is used in any of the embodiments described herein, the fibers of the material may be looped, or desirably have one free end.

FIG. 13 of the accompanying drawings shows a partial plan view of the strip of hook material 406 . The enlarged view of FIG. 13 shows that the hook material 406 is provided with a plurality of circular mushroom-shaped hook members 414 . The hook members 414 are arranged in rows parallel to the longitudinal axis 415 of the base plate 404 . As a result, strands of hair can be positioned between hook members 414 without bending or kinking. In other words, the hair strands may assume a straight line shape and be located between adjacent columns of hook members 414 .

As shown in cross-sectional side view 14 , the head 416 of each hook member 414 has a flat upper surface 417 . However, in a variation of the hook material 406 shown in FIG. 15 , each hook member 414 has a head 416 with a conical upper surface 418 . In another alternative embodiment, the upper surface may be partially spherical as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 . Using a curved or otherwise sloped upper surface facilitates placement of strands of hair between hook members 414 . In this regard, said upper surface 418 of the hook members 414 serves to guide the hair strands into the gaps between the hook members 414 .

The strip of hook material 406 shown in Figures 13-15 may be replaced by a further modified strip of hook material shown in Figures 16-18 of the accompanying drawings. The hook material shown in FIGS. 16-18 includes a plurality of elongated T-shaped hooks 420 . The form of the hook members 420 is such that elongated T-shaped slots 422 are formed between adjacent hook members 420, extend parallel to the longitudinal axis 415 of the base plate 404, and extend from an upper edge 423 of the hook material to its Lower edge 424 . Because the grooves 422 are straight, strands of hair can be held between adjacent elongated hooks 420 in a straight line. As shown in FIG. 18 , the head of the hook member 420 is provided with an inclined upper surface 423 for guiding the hair strand into the groove 422 .

In order to connect the lower material strip 411 to the hook-shaped material strip 406 comprising the elongated hook members shown in FIGS. T-hook). Such hook elements are more likely to be reliably attached to the elongated T-shaped hook elements than looped or other fibrous materials.

Claims (39)

1, a kind of in the processing of publish thread the device that uses, this device comprises a material substrate, it is used for when publish thread is handled other thread that institute with hair publishes in detail with hair and separates; And fixed part, it is arranged on the described substrate, is used for described substrate is fixed to a thread; It is characterized in that described fixed part comprises a plurality of elements, it is used for hook and clamps one or more threads.

2, device according to claim 1 is characterized in that, an edge placement of the contiguous described substrate of described a plurality of elements.

3, device according to claim 1 and 2 is characterized in that, described a plurality of elements are arranged on the whole width of described substrate.

4, according to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that the quantity of the element of per unit area changes on described substrate.

According to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that 5, at least one in described a plurality of elements comprises an elongate articles that is limited by the groove in the described device.

6, device according to claim 5 is characterized in that, described groove is straight.

According to claim 5 or 6 described devices, it is characterized in that 7, each opposite side of described groove limits an elongate articles, described thus groove limits two elements, to be used to clamp one or more threads.

8, according to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that, in described a plurality of element at least one comprises a head, it has an inclined surface, so that will press thereon send out thread lead one with the relevant position of described at least one element, thereby described thread clamped by described at least one element.

9, according to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that, in described a plurality of element at least one comprises parts, its from a surface to stretch out with the acutangulate mode in this surface, so that limit a space between described parts and described surface, and at least one thread can be placed in this space in use.

10, device according to claim 9 is characterized in that, the joint on described parts and described surface has the annular shape of sealing.

11, device according to claim 10 is characterized in that, it is circular that the annular shape of described sealing is essentially, so that limit a space between described parts and described surface that has annular shape basically.

According to any one described device among the claim 9-11, it is characterized in that 12, described acute angle is less than 45 degree.

13, device according to claim 12 is characterized in that, described acute angle is 30 degree.

According to any one described device in the claim 11, it is characterized in that 14, at least one in described a plurality of elements comprises parts, it vertically extends from a surface, and wherein these vertically extending parts have cylindrical basically outer surface.

According to any one described device among the claim 9-15, it is characterized in that 16, at least one in described a plurality of elements comprises that one is arranged essentially parallel to the parts that extend on described surface.

17, device according to claim 16 is characterized in that, the described parts that extend on described surface that are arranged essentially parallel to have ringwise basically shape.

According to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that 18, described a plurality of elements are positioned on the part of the substrate surface that partly extends along the length of described substrate.

According to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that 19, described a plurality of elements are positioned on the sweep of described substrate.

According to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that 20, described a plurality of elements integrally are provided with described substrate and separate the base part of making.

21, device according to claim 20 is characterized in that, described base part limits a sweep, and itself and described substrate are adjacent to fix.

According to claim 20 or 21 described devices, it is characterized in that 22, an edge and the described substrate separation of described base part are so that allow place tool between base part and substrate in use.

23, device according to claim 22 is characterized in that, described free edge is located like this, so that in use, an instrument can be placed between described free edge and the described substrate, and the edge of described substrate is pressed on the scalp.

According to any one described device among the claim 20-23, it is characterized in that 24, described base part is adjacent to fix by an adhesive and described substrate.

According to any one described device in the claim 20 1, it is characterized in that 25, described base part comprises and is used for the parts that confined liquid flows through the surface of described base part.

26, device according to claim 25 is characterized in that, described floor restriction device comprises a described lip-deep groove that is positioned at described base part.

27, according to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that described substrate is made by flexible material.

28, according to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that described substrate is made by transparent material.

According to the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, it is characterized in that 29, a plurality of second elements are arranged on the described substrate, so that in use when described substrate is folding with respect to publish thread, it can be connected releasedly with described a plurality of first elements.

30, device according to claim 29 is characterized in that, described a plurality of second elements comprise having a free-ended ring or a fiber.

31, device according to claim 29 is characterized in that, described a plurality of second elements comprise a plurality of hooks.

32, a kind of method of using the described device of aforementioned arbitrary claim, this method may further comprise the steps: the substrate proximity of described device is published thread place; To send out thread and be pressed on the described fixed part, and so that at least one is placed in detail by Hair Fixer with at least one vicinity in described a plurality of elements, thereby clamp described at least one thread, and substrate is fixed on the position, separate with other thread so that institute publishes thread.

33, method according to claim 32 is characterized in that, the thread of sending out of pressing on the described fixed part is to choose with sending out in detail of sheltering out with other thread.

34, a kind of in the processing of publish thread the device that uses, this device comprises a material substrate, it is used for when treatment of selected is sent out thread institute with hair and publishes thread and separate with other thread; And fixed part, it is arranged on the described substrate, is used for described substrate is fixed to a thread; It is characterized in that described fixed part is provided with a plurality of perforation of embarking on journey and arranging, each end of wherein said row be positioned at described substrate an edge near.

35, device according to claim 34 is characterized in that, the contiguous described fixed part of described punch row is arranged.

According to claim 34 or 35 described devices, it is characterized in that 36, the width that described punch row is crossed over described substrate extends to a relative longitudinal extension edge from a longitudinal extension edge.

According to any one described device among the claim 34-36, it is characterized in that 37, described punch row limits a two-part common boundary of described substrate, wherein substrate part is provided with described fixed part.

According to the described device of claim 37, it is characterized in that 38, another part of substrate is provided with at least one hole.

39, a kind of in the processing of publish thread the device that uses, it is a plurality of as claim 37 or 38 described devices that this device comprises, wherein, the substrate of described multiple arrangement being connected to each other together partly.

40, a kind of method of using as any one described device among the claim 34-39, this method may further comprise the steps: will the part of substrate another part from substrate be torn it down along described punch row; The institute that a part that is provided with the substrate of fixed part is close to hair publishes the thread placement; It is fixing that the partly contiguous institute of described substrate is published thread, separates with other thread so that make institute publish thread.

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