Back to results
US 5,472,003 AGranted
Hair accessory for ponytail
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorsChad R. Frame, Bridget R. Frame
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeNone recorded
InventorsChad R. Frame, Bridget R. Frame
Estimating the term…
A hair retainer 10 holds a ponytail of a user while selectively covering any desired portion of the ponytail. The preferred embodiment is a sleeve 12 having a top loop 14, which may include a tie 100, proximate one end near the head of a user to gather the hair and secure the ponytail. A bottom loop 16, secured to gather the opposite end of the sleeve, restrains the hair of the ponytail. The bottom loop 16 also grips the hair to position the bottom loop 16 and set the effective length 28 of the sleeve 12 relative to the ponytail. The tie 100 may comprise an elastic material. A plurality of gathers 18, 20, 34 may be distributed along the sleeve 12 around the circumference of the sleeve 12, positioning and blousing the sleeve 12 between gathers 18, 20, 34, and between the top and bottom loops 14, 16. The sleeve may assist in isolating the hair from contamination and damage in medical and industrial environments, and from interference with work by hair falling into a user's face. The sleeve 12 may also assist in reducing contamination of controlled environments such as hospitals, precision mechanical and electronic manufacturing rooms, clean-rooms, and food preparation sites by hair and dust and from electrostatic discharge.
A retainer for hair in a ponytail, said retainer comprising:
A method of making a hair accessory comprising the steps of:
A method of retaining a user's hair, said method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
Term ended 14 Jan 2014 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
1. Field of the Invention
The device of the invention relates generally to hair accessories and more particularly to retainers for long hair when formed into a "ponytail."
2. State of the Art
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an accessory of the invention, having elasticized top and bottom loops, as worn by a user;
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the accessory of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear elevation view of the accessory of FIG. 1;
The invention is best understood by reference to FIGS. 1-5 illustrating the retainer 10, alternately referred to as the hair accessory 10 of the invention. The retainer 10 is comprised of a sleeve 12 having a top loop 14 and a bottom loop 16. Intermediate the top loop 14 and bottom loop 16 are positioned a first gather 18 and, in the embodiment shown, a second gather 20. An aperture 21 is formed by the surrounding sleeve 12 to have an inside diameter 22 defined by the top loop 14 and bottom loop 16. The outside diameter 24 is defined by the fabric which forms the sleeve 12. The length 26 of the sleeve 12 may be varied between an intermediate length 28 (FIG. 4), a minimum length 30 (FIG. 5), or may be fully extended as illustrated in FIG. 3.
In alternate embodiments, the sleeve 12 may have a single first gather 18, as illustrated in FIG. 6, or an additional third gather 34, as illustrated in FIG. 7. In any event, the top loop 14 secures the sleeve 12 to the hair. The top loop 14 also may serve the function of gathering the hair of a user. The top loop 14 may be provided with an elastic extending therethrough, the top loop 14 being subject to several means of gathering as described hereinafter.
Alternate embodiments of the invention are best understood by reference to FIGS. 8-15. In FIG. 8, a cord 36 is threaded into the top loop 14 by way of an aperture 37, the cord 36 completely encircling the hair of a user thereby and being tightened and tied in a bow. The cord 36 is terminated by a knot 42 at each end thereof. The knots 42 securing beads 40 thereto. The beads 40 tend to hold the cord 36 in a downwardly-extending orientation.