AU2004205309B2 - An improved hair piece and a method of attaching a hair piece to the head of a person - Google Patents

Description

I

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 DIVISIONAL APPLICATION NAME OF APPLICANT: Advanced Hair Studio Pty Ltd ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys 1 Nicholson Street Melbourne, 3000.

INVENTION TITLE: "An improved hair piece and a method of attaching a hair piece to the head of a person" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: -1 "AN IMPROVED HAIR PIECE AND A METHOD OF ATTACHING A HAIR PIECE TO THE HEAD OF A PERSON This invention relates to an improved hair piece and to a method of fixing a hair piece to the head of a person.

The applicant's Australian Patents 495956 and 578904 describe apparatus and methods for attaching a hair piece to the head of a person. Australian patent 495956 describes a method of attaching a hairpiece wherein groups of strands of glandular hair are pulled through apertures in the ribbon portion of the foundation of the hair piece. These groups of strands of glandular hair are subsequently knotted together and a bonding agent applied to the knot. The bonding agent serves to prevent the strands from unknotting and to thereby P:2OPERUPI 1249 I50 1sp doc-7102/2009 00 -2- Smaintain the hair piece in position on the wearer's head.

Australian patent 578904 teaches another method of attaching a hair piece to the head of a person. In this method the hair piece is fitted with a plurality of deformable elongated S 5 tubes along the peripheral ribbon of the hair piece. Strands of glandular hair are passed through the tubular elements and then each tubular element is deformed. In this way the strands of glandular hair are retained in the tubular elements and the hair piece is fixed to the head of the wearer.

Although the methods described in both of the applicant's previous patents are advantageous over the prior art methods they suffer the disadvantage that the hair piece is only attached to the head of the wearer at a number of discrete locations. This means that if any stress is applied to the hair piece this stress is transmitted to the few strands of glandular hair that hold the hair piece in position. Thus, any stress placed on the hair piece can cause discomfort to the wearer because the glandular hair securing the hair piece will be pulled. Another problem with these methods of connection is that the majority of the periphery of the hair piece is not connected to the head of the wearer and thus the hair piece may not sit firmly, nor does it sit flat against the head of the wearer.

This sometimes means that the hair piece looks unnatural because it does not blend sufficiently well with the glandular hair of the wearer.

Another problem with conventional hair pieces and their method of attachment is that in areas such as the forehead where there is no glandular hair, the transition between the scalp of the wearer and the foundation of the hair piece can be quite obvious.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of attaching a hair piece to the head of the wearer. Examples of the invention also seek to provide a softer transition between the scalp of the wearer and the hair piece itself in areas of the head where there is no glandular hair.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of fixing a hair P\OPERJPMI1249158) Ispadoc- 7 /02/2 1 X)8 00 -3piece to the head of a person, said hair piece comprising a centre portion which is surrounded by an adherent track, said method comprising: a) trimming a track of glandular hair which extends around at least a portion of the person's head; b) using a brush to apply adhesive to the track of glandular hair, with a final brush stroke of adherent on the track of glandular hair being applied in a direction of hair growth; c) positioning the hair piece on the person's head with a first portion of the adherent track overlying the track of glandular hair; d) adhering the first portion of the adherent track of the hair piece to the track of glandular hair; and e) securing the remaining portion of the adherent track to the person's head by positioning adherent or double sided adhesive means between the head and the hair piece.

Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of: a) prior to securing said remaining portion of the adherent track to the person's head, attaching strands of hair to an area of the head which lies beneath the hair piece when it is in position on the head; and b) securing the remaining portion of the hair piece over the strands of hair and to the person's head using adherent or double sided adhesive means so that the strands of hair are positioned between the scalp of the person's head and the hair piece and so that the unattached ends of the strands of hair extend out beyond the periphery of the hair piece so as to soften or disguise the connection between the scalp and the hair piece.

Preferably, adherent is applied to the track of glandular hair on the person's head and on a portion of the adherent track which is arranged to lie over said track of glandular hair when the hair piece is positioned on the person's head.

Preferably, strands of hair are adhered to the scalp or to hair stubble on the area of the d i PQOPERUPNI\24V1 5K( Ispd oc.

7 /O2/21XIN 00 -4- Sperson's head to which the hair piece is not already adhered. The strands of hair are attached on an area of the person's head which is bounded by a line coincident with the periphery of the adherent track of the hair piece when it is positioned on the person's head.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is a plan view of a foundation of a hair piece; Figure 2 is a side view of a man to whom a hair piece is to be attached; and Figure 3 is the front view of another man to whom a hair piece is to be attached.

Figure 1 shows a hair piece comprising a foundation 10 having natural or synthetic hair attached thereto. The foundation 10 comprises a central net portion 12 and a peripheral adherent track 14. The foundation 10 and the adherent track 14 are dimensioned such that when the hair piece is placed on the wearer's head the adherent track 14 is located over a region of glandular hair 16 on the wearer's head.

A preferred method of the attaching the hair piece to a wearer's head will now be described with reference to Figure 2. The first step in the method is to ensure that the hair piece chosen for the wearer is of the correct size. Once the correct size of hair piece has been chosen the wearer's head must be marked to show the exact position of the periphery 18 of the foundation when the hair piece is correctly positioned on the wearer's head. The exact position of the hair piece on the wearer's head can be marked using a wax pencil. A line 19 is drawn with the wax pencil just inside the line of contact of the periphery 18 of the foundation 10 on the wearer's head Using this line 19 as a guide, clippers or scissors can be used to trim the hair above the line 19.

This area of trimmed hair forms a track 20 of glandular hair. It is over track that the adherent track 14 of the hair piece is subsequently adhered. The hair of track 20 should be trimmed to a fine stubble so as to ensure good bonding between the adherent, the hair stubble of track 20 and the adherent track 14. The track 20 of glandular hair should be of a width similar to the width of the adherent track 14 on the foundation 10. Track 20 should extend, where possible, around the wearer's head. As shown in Figure 2 the track extends from temple to temple of the wearer.

The wearer's head is then cleaned with an appropriate solution, e.g. alcohol to ensure proper bonding between the track 20 of glandular hair, the scalp and the hair piece.

A small amount of adherent is then applied to the track 20 of glandular hair and to the adherent track 14 of the foundation 10. Adherent on the track of glandular hair should be applied using a back and forth motion. The final brush stroke of adherent on the track 20 should be made in the direction of hair growth. Tis will ensure the wiearer's comfort as the hair grows.

Using the line 19 as a guide the hair piece is positioned onto the wearer's head with the adherent track 14 overlying the track 20 of glandular hair. Gentle pressure should be applied to the area of the track 20 so as to ensure a good bond between the scalp, the glandular hair and the hair piece.

a I P\OPERUPN\I2491580 Ispadom1/0l2MIO 00 -6- SIn Figure 1 the portion of the adherent track 14 which is actually adhered to the track of the glandular hair is the cross-hatched portion labelled as 14a. Portion 14a of the adherent track 14 is of a length sufficient to surround the wearer's head from temple to temple. A front portion of the adherent track 14 which may be adhered to the wearer's S 5 head subsequent to adhering portion 14a is labelled as portion 14b. If the hair piece was attached to the wearer shown in Figure 2, the portion 14b of the adherent track would be positioned over the forehead area of the wearer. This part of the hair piece (the front Spart) is conventionally attached to the wearer's scalp using double sided adhesive tape.

When the front portion 14b of the hair piece is attached to the head using adhesive tape the underside of the foundation 10 lies against the scalp of the wearer's head. One problem with this type of connection is that there is a rapid transition between the bald forehead area of the wearer and the foundation 10 of the hair piece. This generally provides an unnaturally hard hairline. This hard hairline effect can be quite noticeable on some hair piece wearers and thus can make the hair piece look unnatural. To overcome this problem strands of hair can be attached to the scalp area above the forehead and arranged so that they extend outwardly between the scalp and the underside of the foundation 10 of the hair piece.

If strands of hair are to be applied to the scalp area above the forehead the hair piece must first be attached to the wearer's head as previously described. With the hair piece attached to the wearer's head along the portion of the adherent track 14a the unadhered portion of the hair piece is placed in position on the wearer's head. A second line 22 (Figure 3) is then drawn with a wax pencil just inside the periphery of the unadhered portion 14b of the adherent track 14. In the examples shown in Figures 2 and 3 this line would extend above the forehead from the right hand temple of the wearer to the left hand temple. The line 22 defines a limit over which adherent may not be applied.

To apply the strands of hair to the area above the forehead a small amount of adherent is firstly brushed over the area. A typical area over which adherent is applied is shown in Figure 3 and labelled as area 26. Area 26 is bounded by line 22 and line 23. Adherent P OPERUJPM 3249 1 I spa do-7A)212OSg 00 -7- Sshould not be applied over or outside of the line 22 because any adherent positioned outside the line 22 will be visible when the hair piece is in position.

With the adherent placed on the area 26 strands of hair can be arranged on the area. In Figure 3 a group of hair strands 28 are shown attached to area 26. The hair can be arranged in any manner but it should be done with a view that the hair should look as realistic and as natural as possible. It should be remembered that the function of this hair Sis to soften the transition line between the scalp and the underside of the foundation When sufficient hair has been attached to the area 26 to provide a natural look the final layer of adherent should be applied. When the adherent is dry double sided tape or a further layer of adhesive may be used to secure the front portion 14b of the hair piece over the strands of hair. The strands of hair are thereby positioned between the wearer's scalp and the underside of the foundation 10. Once the hair piece is properly secured over the strands of hair the strands can be cut and styled to a natural appearance. These strands of hair are generally lighter and finer in texture than the hair used in the hair piece.

Although it is possible to adhere the strands of hair directly to the scalp of the wearer it is preferable if there is some stubble or fine hair on the area 26. The strands of hair will adhere better to stubble or fine hair than if just adhered to the scalp itself. Depending on the lifestyle of the wearer and the amount of hair on area 26 the strands of hair should remain attached for around 2 weeks. The attachment of the hair piece along track should remain secure for between 3 to 6 weeks. The time period over which the hair piece remains secure to the track 20 depends greatly on the rate at which the glandular hair grows. If the growth of glandular hair is fast it will be necessary to reattach the hair piece more often.

-8- To remove the hair piece it is simply lifted away from the head of the wearer and clippers inserted therebetween to cut the hair piece away from the glandular hair. Once this is done the hair piece must be properly washed ready for reattachment. Meanwhile any adherent left on the client's hair and scalp should be removed using a suitable solvent. This solvent should be wrked along the perimeter of the glandular hair rather than into the bodyr of the hair itself. If sufficient hair growth has occurred aewtrack 20should be cut into the wearer's hair. The hair piece can then be attached in the manner described previously. It is optional to leave a small area 30 of the adherent track 14 unattached to the scalp. This area 30 would generally be positioned at the back of the hair piece and provides a drainage area through which shampoo etc. may drain from betweer the scalp and the underside of the foundation T1he method of attachment described herein is particularly advantageous -because the hair piece is attached along a continuous track. This provides a more secure attachment and makes the hair piece more comfortable to wear.

This comfort arises because any stress applied to the hair piece is transferred to a greater area of the scalp rather than to in dividual hairs as with previous attachment methods. Furthermore*, the attachment of the hair piece is such that the hair piece is more securely fitted to the head and I's shaped to sit aainst the scalp of the wearer. This provides a more natural appearance for the hair piece. The individual strands of hair placed along the front hair line soften the transition between the scalp and the underside of the foundation.

Although the embodiment of the invention described herein teaches adhering the individual strands of hair to an area above the forehead, these strands could be fitted to any other area of the scalp where there is hair loss.

The embodiment has been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

9. PIOPERUPI 2491i50 Ipado& 6W.7A)2/2 00 -9- SThe reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

¢In Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

Claims (12)

1. A method of fixing a hair piece to the head of a person, said hair piece comprising a centre portion which is surrounded by an adherent track, said method comprising: a) trimming a track of glandular hair which extends around at least a portion of the person's head; b) using a brush to apply adhesive to the track of glandular hair, with a final brush stroke of adherent on the track of glandular hair being applied in a direction of hair growth; c) positioning the hair piece on the person's head with a first portion of the adherent track overlying the track of glandular hair; d) adhering the first portion of the adherent track of the hair piece to the track of glandular hair; and e) securing the remaining portion of the adherent track to the person's head by positioning adherent or double sided adhesive means between the head and the hair piece.

2. A method of fixing a hair piece to the head of a person, as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: a) prior to securing said remaining portion of the adherent track to the person's head, attaching strands of hair to an area of the head which lies beneath the hair piece when it is in position on the head; and b) securing the remaining portion of the hair piece over the strands of hair and to the person's head using adherent or double sided adhesive means so that the strands of hair are positioned between the scalp of the person's head and the hair piece and so that the unattached ends of the strands of hair extend out beyond the periphery of the hair piece so as to soften or disguise the connection between the scalp and the hair piece.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the strands of hair are adhered to the j P\OPERUPMJI249I5O Ipudoc.7A)22(Xi 00 -11- Sscalp or to hair stubble on the area of the person's head to which the hair piece is not already adhered.

4. A method according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the strands of hair are attached on an area of the person's head which is bounded by a line coincident with the periphery 0of the adherent track of the hair piece when it is positioned on the person's head.

A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein adherent is applied to the track of glandular hair on the person's head and on a portion of the adherent track which is arranged to lie over said track of glandular hair when the hair piece is positioned on the person's head, and pressure is applied to ensure bonding between the scalp, the glandular hair and the hair piece.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the track of glandular hair is of substantially similar width to the width of the adherent track on the hair piece.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the track of glandular hair extends substantially from temple to temple of the person.

8. A method according to any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein the person's head is washed with a washing solution prior to applying the adherent.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the washing solution is an alcohol.

A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a portion of the adherent track is left unattached to the person's head so that a drainage path is provided through which shampoo and other products can drain.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the double sided adhesive means comprises a double sided adhesive tape. g P \OPER\UPM 1149 1580 l.P~ doc-VfOMOM

12- 12. A method of fixing a hair piece substantially as hereinibefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.