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(11) | EP 1 654 953 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Accessory for hair highlighting treatment |
| (57) An accessory for the highlighting (10) treatment of hair (12), of the type comprising
a small board (14) and a strip (16) made of an elastic material which, when resting,
is spirally wound. The strip (16) is equipped at one end (19) with a hooking element
(18) for removably fixing the end of the strip (16) to an end of the board (14), the
board (14) being equipped with blocking means (22) suitable for fixing the strip (16)
in an at least partially extended position. The hooking element (18) comprises a lath
(20) equipped, in turn, with an arched portion (21) suitable for being adapted to
the head of the person undergoing treatment.
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[0002] In the hairdressing field, highlighting, or colour tapering, refers to hair treatment which is aimed at imitating slight colour lightening which can be natural or which generally occurs in the summer. The term "mèches" or streaks, on the other hand, is a stronger colour lightening which gives a more marked partial colouring.
[0003] To obtain a highlighting effect, permanent or semi-permanent dyes, or bleaches are applied to the hair to be treated.
[0004] According to the known art, the application of dyes or bleaches comprises a series of manual phases.
[0005] After taking a lock of hair to be treated, the hairdresser generally rests it on a piece of tinfoil: he or she then spreads the dye or bleach onto the lock of hair, according to necessity. A free edge of the tinfoil is then closed over the lock of hair. After a certain period of time during which the colouring or bleaching takes place, the tinfoil is removed and the hair is ready.
[0007] Another problem is linked to the fact that it is not possible to control the advancing of the colouring or bleaching process of the lock of hair, as this is enclosed inside the tinfoil in this procedure.
[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the same applicant has proposed an accessory equipped with a small board and a strip with a form memory which, when resting, keeps it spirally wound.
[0009] The above strip is also equipped, in correspondence with one end, with a hook which is removably fixed to an end of the board, the latter also being equipped, in correspondence with the opposite end, with blocking means suitable for fixing the strip in an at least partially extended position.
[0010] The end of the board on which the end of the strip is fixed, also has a straight lath which does not allow a perfect adhesion of the board to the user's head.
[0011] There is therefore the possibility, in correspondence with the front edges of the board, of not being able to apply the dye or bleach to the head of the person undergoing the treatment.
[0012] An objective of the present invention is to overcome the above drawbacks and in particular to provide an accessory for hair highlighting treatment which speeds up the application operations of the treatment.
[0013] A further objective of the present invention is to provide an accessory for highlighting treatment which allows the dye or bleach to be uniformly applied in any point of the front end of the board regardless of the conformation of the client's head and the position of the board with respect to the head.
[0014] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an accessory for hair highlighting treatment which allows the advancing of the highlighting or bleaching process applied, to be observed.
[0015] Finally, a last objective of the present invention is to provide an accessory for hair highlighting treatment which is particularly reliable, simple, functional and at relatively low costs.
[0016] These and other objectives according to the present invention are achieved by means of an accessory for hair highlighting treatment as illustrated in claim 1.
[0017] Further characteristics of an accessory for hair highlighting treatment are object of the dependent claims.
[0018] The characteristics and advantages of an accessory for hair highlighting treatment according to the present invention will appear more evident from the following illustrative but non-limiting description, referring to the enclosed schematic drawings in which:
figure 1 is a plan view from above of an accessory for hair highlighting treatment according to the present invention, comprising a small board on which a strip made of transparent material is extended;
figure 2 shows a raised side view of the treatment accessory of figure 1;
figure 3 is a raised side view illustrating the accessory with a strip, represented in figure 1, resting on a person's hair, and on which there is already another strip made of transparent material of the same type, and
figure 4 is an exploded view of a detail of the treatment accessory according to the present invention.
[0019] With reference to figures 1-4, these show an accessory for the highlighting treatment of hair 12, indicated as a whole with 10.
[0020] The accessory 10 comprises a substantially rectangular-shaped small board 14, and a strip 16, generally made of a transparent material, which, when resting, keeps it in a spirally wound position.
[0021] At one end of the strip 16, there is a hook 18, which is removably fixed to an end 19 of the board 14.
[0022] The board 14 is also equipped with blocking means 22 suitable for fixing the strip 16 in an at least partially extended position, as shown in figure 2.
[0023] According to the present invention, the hooking element 18 advantageously comprises a lath 20 having an arched portion 21 suitable for adapting itself to the conformation of the head of the person undergoing treatment.
[0024] The hooking element 18 also comprises at least one housing 31, two in the preferential embodiment shown in the figures, suitable for receiving at last a protruding portion 32, two in the preferential embodiment shown in the figures, of the board 14.
[0025] The board 14 additionally envisages, in correspondence with the end 19, a stopping element 33 to prevent the lath 20 from rotating once the hooking element 18 has allowed coupling between the ends of the board 14 and the strip 16.
[0026] For this purpose, the end 19 of the board 14 has a shaped notch 34 suitable for defining the two protruding portions 32 laterally and the stopping element 33 centrally, represented, as is better illustrated in figure 4, by the central portion of the profile of the notch 34. The stopping element 33 is shaped and arranged for being positioned against the lath 20 to prevent the lath 20 itself from rotating once inserted on the end 19 of the board 14.
[0027] Blocking devices 22, suitable for fixing the strip 16 in an extended position, are situated above the board 14, close to the opposite end to where the end of the strip 16 is hooked.
[0028] Figure 2 shows these blocking devices 22 which comprise a lever 24 whose fulcrum is in 26, oscillating in relation to a main axis of the board 14. An end of the lever 24 is hook-shaped 28, there also being an elastic element 30, such as a helical spring, which when resting pushes the hook 28 against a surface of the board 14.
[0030] In addition, in order to facilitate the unwinding of the strip 16 wound and fixed to an end, a small rod 44 can be placed inside the spirally wound strip, optionally having terminal elements 36 at the ends, suitable for preventing the rod 44 from slipping out of the spirally wound strip 16.
[0031] The strip 16, as already mentioned, is made of a plastic elastic material, preferably PET, and when in a rest position, is spirally wound around itself, whereas in an operating configuration, i.e. hooked to the board 14, it is extended.
[0032] The process for producing the strip 16 comprises the following phases:
selecting the sheets of desired transparent plastic material;
punching the strip 16, into the desired dimension;
spirally winding it around itself and blocking it in said configuration with blocking means of the known type;
putting the strip 16, thus wound, into an oven for a time ranging from 15 to 40 minutes, preferably from 20 to 30 minutes, at a temperature ranging from 110 to 130°C, preferably 120°C.
[0034] When the strip is ready, it is assembled with the hooking element 18 and possibly to the rod 44.
[0035] The functioning of the accessory for the highlighting 10 treatment of hair 12 according to the invention is evident from the above description with reference to the figures and is briefly as follows.
[0036] The hook 18 of the strip 16 is hooked to the edge 21 of the board 14, so that the spirally wound strip 16 is situated on an upper side of the board 14.
[0037] After lifting a lock of the client's hair 12, the hairdresser rests the board 14 at the base of the lifted lock, drawing the end of the edge 21 close to the client's head, as shown in figure 3.
[0038] The rod 44 is moved in the direction of the hook 28 of the lever 24, holding it to the side with the terminal elements 36: the strip 16 is thus progressively extended on the board 14 until the strip 16, still partially spirally wound, is brought in correspondence with the hook 28.
[0039] By impeding the elastic element 30, the hook 28 of the lever 24 must be first lifted and then released so as to block part of the strip 16, still spirally wound, beneath the hook 28 itself.
[0040] At this point, the hairdresser spreads the previously lifted lock of hair on the extended strip 16 and applies a dye or bleach onto the lock itself. Alternatively or additionally, the dye or bleach can also be spread onto the extended strip 16, before laying the lock of hair 12 thereon.
[0041] The hook 28 is now lifted so that the strip 16 is spirally wound again, entrapping the lock of hair with the dye or bleach between each coil.
[0042] The strip 16 thus wound is then unhooked from the board 14, by disengaging the hook 18, and remains on the client's hair 12.
[0044] The fact that the strip 16 is transparent also allows the hairdresser to observe the dyeing or bleaching process, allowing the most suitable moment for removing the series of strips 16 from the hair 12, to be evaluated.
[0045] The strips 16 are removed with or without the help of the board 14, in the former case the board 14 being naturally used with analogous operations and contrary to those described for the application of the strips 16.
[0046] The boards 14, and consequently the strips 16, can have various lengths depending on the length of the hair 12 to be treated, thus identifying a complete treatment kit.
[0047] Furthermore, the width of the strips 16 can vary according to the width of the hair 12 to be treated at the same moment.
[0048] The characteristics of the accessory for highlighting treatment of hair, object of the present invention, are evident from the above description as also the relative advantages, among which the following should be mentioned:
- simple and reliable use;
- considerable increase in the application rate of the highlighting treatment;
- control of the advancing of the dyeing or bleaching process;
- limitation of the possibility of staining on the part of the client and hairdresser;
- greater precision and uniformity of application of the dye and/or bleach regardless of the shape of the person's head undergoing treatment and the relative position of the board with respect to the head.
[0049] Finally, the accessory for the highlighting treatment of hair thus conceived can obviously undergo numerous modifications and variants, all included in the invention; furthermore, all the details can be substituted by technically equivalent elements. In practice, the materials used, as also the dimensions, can vary according to technical demands.
1. An accessory for the highlighting (10) treatment of hair (12), of the type comprising
a small board (14) and a strip (16) made of an elastic material which, when resting,
is spirally wound, said strip (16) being equipped at one end with a hooking element
(18) for removably fixing said end of the strip (16) to an end of the board (14),
said board (14) being equipped with blocking means (22) suitable for fixing the strip
(16) in an at least partially extended position, characterized in that said hooking element (18) comprises a lath (20) comprising an arched portion (21)
suitable for being adapted to the head of the person undergoing treatment.
2. The treatment accessory (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said blocking means (22) comprise a lever (24) with a fulcrum (in 26), oscillating
according to a main axis of said board (14), an end of said lever (24) being hook-shaped
(28), there also being an elastic element (30) which, when resting, pushes the hook
(28) against a surface of the board (14) to block said strip (16) in an extended position.
3. The treatment accessory (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said strip (16) is made of a transparent elastic material.
4. The treatment accessory (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that said hooking element (18) comprises at least one housing (31) for at least one protruding
portion of said board (14).
5. The treatment accessory (10) according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that said board (14) comprising a stopping element (33) to prevent the rotation of said
lath (20).
6. The treatment accessory (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that inside the spirally wound strip (16), there is a rod (44), equipped at one end with
terminal elements (36), suitable for preventing said rod (44) from sliding out of
the spirally wound strip (16).
7. A process for producing the strip (16) made of an elastic material according to any
of the previous claims, characterized in that it comprises the following phases:
- selecting the transparent plastic material in sheets;
- punching the strip 16, into the desired dimension;
- spirally winding said strip (16) around itself and blocking it in said configuration with blocking means.
- putting the strip 16, thus wound, into an oven for a time ranging from 15 to 40 minutes, preferably from 20 to 30 minutes, at a temperature ranging from 110 to 130°C, preferably 120°C.
- extracting said strip (16) from oven and, after removing said blocking means, assembling said strip (16) with said hooking element (18) and optionally to the rod (44).