US3448957A - Wig block support - Google Patents

Description

June 10, 1969 M. FRIEDMAN 2 WIG BLOCK SUPPORT I Filed May 31'. 196

FIG.

INVENTOR MORRIS FRIEDMAN ATTORNEY.

United States Patent-O 3,448,957 WIG BLOCK SUPPORT Morris Friedman, Fort Lee, N.J., assignor to Master Appliances, Inc., Marion, Ind., a corporation of Illinois Filed May 31, 1967, Ser. No. 642,441 Int. Cl. A45d 44/14 US. Cl. 248-226 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wig form support permitting selective positioning and orientation of a wig form on a dressing table or the like to implement combing and dressing of a wig, said support having a C-clamp selectively attachable to a desired table surface with a wig formengaging post Background of the invention With the widespread use of wigs, such as is currently in vogue, the need has arisen to provide means implementing the maintenance, cleaning, combing, dressing and like treatment of these wigs. This is generally accomplished by the utilization of a wig supporting form or wig block contoured in the shape of a head, and adapted to support a wig in a position facilitating its being shaped. Since in manipulating the hair, as in combing or the like, it is necessary to support the form to prevent its slippage, the wig blocks have been either weighted or clamped to a table surface in some fashion.

In the prior art, such as shown by the US. patent to Eickhoff, 3,288,415 clamping structures have been shown implementing the securement of the wig form block to a drawer front or the like. Such prior clamping structures, though serving to securely maintain the wig block in position, have presented difliculties in that they do not permit the desired turning or angling of the wig block such as is desirable when attempting to permit the hair to fall loosely from the wig block or to provide access to the different parts of the wig without excessive movement on the part of the hairdresser.

Summary of the invention It is with the above considerations in mind that the herein disclosed wig block support has been evolved permitting the selective securement and orientation of a wig block in any desired position with respect to a table surface or the like, and further permitting rapid reorientation of the wig block as desired during dressing of the wig.

It is, accordingly, among the primary objects of this invention to provide means for rapidly securing and maintaining a wig block or the like in any desired orientation, and to further permit a rapid change of orientation during the hairdressing procedure.

A further object of the invention is to provide wig block securing means requiring minimal manipulation on the part of the user to efiect desired securement and orientation of the Wig block.

Another object of the invention is to provide wig block securing means simple in fabrication and use, in which minimal manual manipulation on the part of the user is required to effect desired positioning of the wig block.

These and other objects of the invention, which will 3,448,957 Patented June 10, 1969 become hereafter apparent, are achieved by providing a wig block support having a clamping member in the form of a C-clamp adapted for selective securement to a table surface or the like. The C-clamp is formed with a threaded opening in the lower leg of the C-member forming the clamp through which a manually manipulable screw member, such as a thumb screw or the like, is extended for engagement with the lower surface of a table or the like. The upper leg of the C-clamp is formed with a socket accommodating a journal in the form of a ball or the like. A friction pad is arranged within the socket to bear against the journal and retain the journal in fixed position when sufiicient pressure is applied to the friction pad. Extending from the ball shaped journal is a fluted post member adaptedfor insertion into amating receptable in the base of the wig block. In use, simply by manipulating the thumb screw, the clamp maybe selectively secured at any point on a table, and the post swiveled about its journal in the C-clamp socket to obtain desired orientation of the wig block to facilitate dressing.

' A feature of the invention resides in the fact that the thumb screw serves to provide both securement of the Brief description of the drawing The specific details of a preferred embodiment of the invention, and their mode of functioning will be particularly pointed out in clear, concise, and exact terms in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the supporting structure illustrating its use in conjunction with a wig block and showing some of the selective positions to which the wig block may be moved as desired;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view looking down at the supporting structure of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now more particularly to the drawings, like numerals in the various figures will be employed to designate like parts.

As seen in the drawings, the novel supporting structure 10 is formed by means of a clamping member in the form of a C-clamp having a body portion 11, which as shown in use in FIGS. 1 and 3, extends in a vertical direction. A lower leg 12, and an upper leg 14 extend from the body portion 11 to form the C element of the clamp.

Lower leg 12 of the C element is formed with a rounded portion 16 of a cylindrical configuration, and extending along the axis of this cylindrical portion 16 through the leg 12 is an internally threaded bushing insert 18, preferably formed with a splined exterior surface 19, as best seen in FIG. 3 to provide for secure engage- 'ment between the insert 18 and the cylindrical portion 16 of the C element.

The upper leg 14 of the C element is formed with a socket enclosing portion 20, which as best seen in FIG. 2, is of circular cross-section. It will be noted that the lower end of the socket enclosing portion is significantly larger than the cross section of cylindrical portion 16 of lower leg 12, for a purpose to be made hereinafter more apparent.

Extending through the threaded bushing insert 18 is a screw 24 engaging the internal threads of bushing 18. At the upper end of screw 24 is pressure plate 26, which as seen in FIG. 3 is preferably of a dished configuration and'which is' rotatably mounted with respect to the screw, preferably by peening over the upper end 27 of the screw 24, as seen in FIG. 3. As a result of the free rotation between the pressure plate and the screw, rotation of the screw is not necessarily imparted to the pressure plate. The lower end of the screw 24 is formed with a finger grip 28, preferably by forming a loop, as shown.

The socket confining portion of upper leg 14 of the C element encloses socket 30, of a contour as best seen in FIG. 3. The socket 30 extends from an upper opening 32 to a relatively larger lower opening 34. The sidewalls of the socket 30, as best seen in FIG. 3, are contoured to provide a truncated conical portion 36 with linearly extending sidewalls, and an arcuately contoured upper portion 38. The arcuately contoured portions 38 of the socket 30 provide a bearing, while the linear portions 36 form a seat for friction pad 40.

Friction pad 40 is formed of a resilient friction material such as rubber, neoprene, or any one of a wide variety of synthetics. The friction pad 40 is formed with sidewalls tapered to lie along the conical linearly extending sidewalls of socket 30, and dimensioned to extend slightly beneath the bottom of the plane of the lower surface of leg 14 of the C member. A journal seat 44 is formed at the upper surface of the friction pad 40. This journal seat 44 is preferably contoured to accommodate a journal 46.

Journal 46 is dimensioned to fit Within the journal seat 44 of the friction pad 40, and to bear against bearing surfaces 38 of socket 30. This journal 46, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, is formed of a spherical contour having a diameter greater than the diameter of opening 32 in the socket 30, but less than the diameter of the lower opening 34 of the socket 30, so as to pass freely therethrough.

Extending from journal 46 through the socket opening 32 is a wig block engaging post 48 having fluting 50 extending therefrom. The post 48 and fluting 50 are tapered, as best seen in FIG. 1 to facilitate insertion into an opening in the bottom of the wig block B, as shown in FIG. 1.

Operation In use, the aforedescribed supporting structure 10 may be employed for selectively supporting a variety of members in a selectively adjustable position on a table surface or the like. As here disclosed, the invention is employed in connection with wig blocks such as are used for the dressing and care of wigs.

Where the wig is to be dressed, it is desirable to be able to turn the wig block to provide access to different portions of the wig while the operator is seated at a table with minimal movement on the part of the operator. It is similarly desirable to be able to angle the block into various positions so as to permit the hair either to lie against the wig block or to hang freely therefrom.

To this end, by the utilization of the instant wig block supporting member as shown, desired orientation may readily be obtained. Thus, the post 48 is inserted into a base opening such as is conventionally provided in wig blocks, and by exerting pressure, the tapered post frictionally engages the wig block. Thereafter, securement of the wig block in desired position on a table surface is accomplished by turning screw 24 to bring pressure plate up against the bottom of the table surface. Before completing tightening of screw 24, the post 48 is adjusted to desired angular orientation, and thereafter screw 24 is further tightened. It will be observed that the tightening of the screw 24 serves the two-fold function of permitting the clamp to engage the table surface, and at the same time serves to bring the friction pad 40 up against the bottom of the journal 46, thus limiting the movement of the journal.

Initial clamping action serving to secure the clamp with respect to the table is obtained before the clamping action required to secure the post in desired angular orientation is obtained.

It will further be observed that by virtue of the relatively great cross-sectional dimension of the friction pad with respect to the pressure plate, instability of the post is minimized since the pressure plate exerts a force fulcrumed at the center of the friction pad thus providing a simple lever effect. Additionally, the friction pad 40 serves to cushion the C-clamp with respect to the table surface.

It is thus seen that a simple support member has been provided for wig blocks or the like permitting a simple screwing action to be employed to effect securement of the wig block in desired position on a table, and simultaneously permit selective angular orientation of the wig block with respect to the table surface.

The above disclosure has been given by way of illustration and elucidation, and not by way of limitation, and it is desired to protect all embodiments of the herein disclosed inventive concept.

I claim:

1. A selectively adjustable support for a wig block or the like permitting selective positioning of a wig-supporting block in a desired orientation to facilitate care and maintenance of the wig, said support comprising: a clamping member selectively engageable with a table surface; a socket in said clamping member; a post member having one end in said socket and extending therefrom through said clamp; a friction pad in said socket engaging said post member said friction pad extending out of said socket for engagement with said support surface; and means for simultaneously affixing said clamping member with respect to a supporting surface, and said post member with respect to the clamp.

2. A support for a wig block or the like, as in claim 1, in which said clamping member comprises a C-element having a body portion and two spaced leg portions separated by a distance greater than that at the table surface to which the support is to be attached.

3. A support for a wig block or the like, as in claim 1, in which said post member is formed with a joint journal and said socket is formed with a bearing accommodating said journal.

4. A support for a wig block or the like, as in claim 2, in which said means for simultaneously affixing said clamping member and said post member comprise: a screw extending through one of the leg portions of said C-element.

5. A support for a wig block or the like, as in claim 3, in which said journal is of a spherical contour and said friction pad is formed of a resilient material having a spherically contoured seat for said journal.

6. A support for a Wig block or the like, as in claim 4, in which said friction pad is of a resilient material and extends out of said socket toward said one leg portion of said C-element.

7. A support for a wig block or the like, as in claim 6, having a pressure plate on said screw adapted to engage the lower surface of the table to which the support is to be atfixed.

8. A support for a wig block or the like, as in claim 7, in which said pressure plate is smaller in area than the surface of the portion of said friction pad extending out of said socket.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,268,096 6/1918 Crandall 248226 X 1,780,383 11/1930 Green 248181 1,785,518 12/1930 Higgins 248226 X 1,934,223 11/1933 Booth. 3,198,408 8/1965 Benner 223-66 3,288,415 11/1966 Eickhoff 248226 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

J. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

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