GB2326591A - Hair clip - Google Patents

Description

CLIP This invention relates to a clip and has been devised particularly. but not solely, for use as a hairclip.

Existing clips are known for use by hairdressers to hold hair in selected positions while hair is being cut, styled or otherwise treated or manipulated by a hairdresser. A common form of known clip is commonly referred to as a "butterfly" clip. A butterfly clip comprises a pair of generally elongate jaws which each have a plurality of teeth thereon. The jaws are pivotally connected together and have handles which may be pressed to open the jaws. or released to allow the jaws to retum to a dosed position to which they are normally biased by a spring. In the closed position the teeth usually intermesh to hold hair that a hairdresser has placed between the jaws when they were in the open position, but the teeth prevent the jaws from closing tightly about the hair.

The clip is usually used to hold hair in a desired position for treatment by the hairdresser and is used in an attempt to keep the strands of hair held within the jaws of the clip compressed together.

This known form of butterfly dip does not compress hair very well. That is to say the hair is not effectively bunched together either between the jaws themselves (in a direction parallel to the direction of closure of the jaws) or between the teeth of each jaw (in a direction perpendicular to the direction of closure of the jaws).

It is an object of the present invention to provide a clip which will at least go some way toward overcoming the foregoing disadvantages. or which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly in one aspect the invention consists in a clip having a pair of jaws, at least one tooth being provided on a first of the jaws, and the jaws being capable of being placed into a closed position whereby at least a part of the at least one tooth extends beyond an inner surface of a second of the jaws.

In a further aspect the invention consists in a hair clip having a pair of jaws, a plurality of teeth being provided on each jaw, the teeth on each jaw being provided in groups and/or rows with selected teeth in one or more groups andlor rows being larger than teeth in a selected adjacent group and/or row.

In a still further aspect the invention consists in a clip having a pair of jaws1 each jaw having an inner surface, at least one tooth being provided on a first of the jaws, and the jaws being capable of being disposed in a closed position whereby the inner surfaces of each jaw substantially contact each other.

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disdosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrab've and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

The invention consists of the forgoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples.

One preferred form of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figure 1 is an end elevation of the clip in accordance with the present invention shown in a closed position.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the clip of figure 1 shown in an open, or partially open, position.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the clip of figure 1 shown in a closed position.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the dip shown in figure 2 (i.e. in an open or partially open position).

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the clip of the preceding figures in a closed position from the handle end.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the clip of the preceding figures in a closed position from the jaw end.

Referring to figure 1. a clip generally referenced 1 is shown. The clip is preferably used for holding hair for cutting and is thus a cutting dip for use by hairdressers as opposed to being an omamental clip. However the clip may be used by a hairdresser during styling. treating or otherwise manipulating hair.

The clip 1 has two jaws 2 and 4. At least one of the jaws has at least one tooth.

Preferably both jaws have a plurality of teeth as shown in figure 1. Thus jaw 2 has three rows of teeth referenced 6, 8 and 10. Jaw 4 has three rows of teeth referenced 12, 14 and 16. In a closed position, such as in figure 1, when there is nothing being grasped between the jaws1 the teeth of each jaw extend beyond an inner surface of the opposite jaw. Thus rows of teeth 6, 8, and 10 extend beyond inner surface 5 of jaw 4, and rows of teeth 12, 14, and 16 extend beyond inner surface 11 of jaw 2. Therefore, in the dosed position of figure 1, the inner surfaces 5 and 11 substantially contact each other.

Jaw 2 has a handle 18 and jaw 4 has a handle 20. Handle 18 has supporting webs 22 and handle 20 has supporting webs 24 which provide structural strength and provide means for connecting the jaws relative to each other. The jaws are pivotally connected together by a pin 26 located in apertures 28 in each web.

Referring to figure 2 it will be seen that the pivotal arrangement described above allows a user to squeeze handles 18 and 20 between their fingers, for example, so as to force them together in the direction shown by arrows 30 which makes the jaws 2 and 4 move away from each other in the direction shown by arrows 32 so as to dispose the dip in an open or partially open position. In this position, hair, for example, may be in use placed between the jaws 2 and 4 so as to be engaged by the teeth and the inner surfaces 5 and 11 when the jaws are retumed to the closed position shown in figure 1.

Referring to figure 3, the clip of the preceding figures is shown in front elevation in which it can be seen from this view that the teeth on each jaw are provided in groups comprising one tooth from each row, being groups of three in the embodiment illustrated in the drawings. It will be seen that other tooth groupings may be used, or more or fewer rows of teeth may be used.

Referring to figure 4 the clip of the preceding figures is shown in front elevation in an open or partially open position. In this figure a spring 34 which in use biases the jaws into the closed position shown at figures 1 and 3 can be seen. Furthermore, it will be seen that the teeth on each jaw are grouped into groups of three and each group of teeth has a corresponding aperture provided in the opposing jaw. Thus the teeth of row 6 of jaw 2, for example, have corresponding apertures 36 provided in opposing jaw 4. In the closed position the teeth in row 6 protrude through apertures 36 so that the effect shown in figures 1 and 3 is provided whereby inner surfaces 5 and 11 of the jaws are located substantially adjacent to each other This arrangement whereby the teeth protrude or extend beyond an inner surface 5 or 11 of the opposing jaw has the result that hair which is caught between the jaws in a closed position is compressed or gripped very firmly between at least the inner surfaces 5 and 11 of the jaws so as to be bunched tightly between the jaws in a direction parallel to the direction of closing or opening movement of the jaws.

The dip is also shown more dearly in perspective view in figures 5 and 6.

By allowing the teeth to extend beyond an inner surface of the opposing jaw, and by grouping the teeth together in distinct groups, the hair is compressed or bunched together between the groups of teeth i.e. in a direction perpendicular to the direction of apening or dosing of the jaws (being a direction parallel to the pin 26).

This perpendicular bunching effect is also due to the use of larger teeth (i.e. larger in diameter andlor length - refer to figure 4) in selected groups and/or rows, such as the row nearest pin 26, and by offsetting the teeth in adjacent rows.

Clearly, the device could be constructed with other arrangements of teeth and still have the effect of allowing the jaws to close to a desired extent to grip hair or other matter. For example, the invention contemplates constructions whereby teeth are provided on each jaw that slide past an outer peripheral edge of the opposing jaw or slide into a cavity in the opposing jaw and have a substantially similar hair bunching or gripping effect. Thus I have found that the invention provides a clip with the ability to bunch or compress hair more tightly than prior art clips. This is a distinct advantage for cutting and styling hair.

Claims (14)

1. A dip having a pair of jaws, at least one tooth being provided on a first of the jaws, and the jaws being capable of being placed into a closed position whereby at least a part of the at least one tooth substantially extends beyond an inner surface of a second of the jaws.

2. A clip as claimed in claim 1 wherein inner surfaces of both jaws are substantially adjacent to each other in the closed position.

3. A clip as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the clip bunches hair in a direction parallel to the direction of closure of the jaws.

4. A clip as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein each jaw includes at least one indentation or aperture which accommodates the tooth of the opposing jaw.

5. A clip as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein each jaw includes a plurality of teeth and the teeth on each jaw are provided in groups.

6. A clip as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the clip bunches hair in a direction perpendicular to the closure of the jaws.

7. A clip as claimed in claims 5 or claim 6 wherein the teeth on each jaw are also provided in rows.

8. A clip as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein selected teeth in one or more groups andior rows are larger than teeth in a selected adjacent group and/or row.

i. A clip as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein biasing means are one or more provided to bias the jaws in the closed position.

10. A clip as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 9 wherein teeth in adjacent rows are offset.

11. A clip as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the clip comprises a hair cutting clip.

12. A clip substantially as herein described.

13. A clip substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

14. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.