US3650441A

US3650441A - Wig support

Info

Publication number: US3650441A
Application number: US90353A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edwin A Lindgren
Original assignee: Wire Specialty Mfg Inc
Current assignee: Wire Specialty Mfg Inc
Priority date: 1970-11-17
Filing date: 1970-11-17
Publication date: 1972-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 1989-03-21

Abstract

A wig support formed from two wire members is disclosed where the members releasably interfit to define a hollow threedimensional figure and are separable with gentle pressure to thereby form two individual pieces which occupy a lower volume for more compact storage than the three-dimensional figure.

Description

United States Patent Lindgren [451 Mar. 21, 1972 [51] Int.Cl

[ WIG SUPPORT [72] Inventor: Edwin A. Lindgren, Osseo, Minn.

[73] Assignee: Wire Specialty Manufacturing, Inc.,

Brooklyn Park, Minn.

[22] Filed: Nov. 17, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 90,353

[52] US. Cl... ..223/66 ..D06c 15/00 [58] Field of Search ..248/165, 175, 177, 27.8;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,392,65 7/1968 Harnest... .g1 1 /3 x 2,713,444 7/1955 Dombroski.... .....223/25 1,804,931 5/1931 Hoban ..211/33 3,276,734 10/ l 966 Goldblatt ..248/176 Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Laws-on Assistant Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin Attorney-Wicks and Nemer ABSTRACT A wig support formed. from two wire members is disclosed where the members releasably interfit to define a hollow three-dimensional figure and are separable with gentle pressure to thereby form two individual pieces which occupy a lower volume for more compact storage than the three-dimensional figure.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND The present invention relates generally to support apparatus and more specifically to wig supports.

With the increasing use of wigs, accessories such as wig supports have come into general use. Wig supports have proven useful for storing a wig overnight or longer, drying a wig after it hasbeen washed, or merely supporting the wig while the wig is set or cared for.

Known wig supports are generally solid three-dimensional forms mounted on a base. Solid wig supports do not lend themselves to ready drying of a washed wig in that the inside of the wig contacts solely the wig support and does not readily give up its moisture to the atmosphere. Thus, with a solid wig support air cannot freely circulate around and about the inside and outside of the wig to quick dry it. Further, solid wig supports occupy a relatively large volume and are thus bulky to store or transport when traveling.

SUMMARY The present invention solves these and other problems of known wig supports by providing a wig support comprised of two open figures which interfit to interlock with each other and define a hollow three-dimensional figure. The hollow three-dimensional figure allows air to freely circulate around and about the inside and outside of the wig. Further, because the interfitting members are releasably separable by gentle hand pressure, they may be separated into two relatively low volume relatively flat portions to thus reduce the volume necessary for storage. When it is desired to reassemble the wig support of the present invention, the two open figures are readily assembled by a gentle hand pressure urging their interfitting.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises two separate members each formed from a continuous extension of wire in the form of an X. The top two legs of the X are joined together to form a flat top and a notch is formed in this flat top. The bottom two legs of the X form the supporting legs for the wig support. In assembly, the crossover points of the individual X pieces are positioned one over the other, and one piece is passed through the opening of the other until the notches interlock to thereby join the two individual members into a hollow three-dimensional figure which will support a wig.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved wig support.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved wig support which is hollow and will allow the circulation of air around and about the inside and outside of a supported wig.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved wig support having releasably separable parts which occupy a lower volume than the assembled wig support.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an improved wig support which is lightweight, stable, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer in the light of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of this in vention described in connection with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the wig support of the present invention.

FIG, 2 is a side elevational view of the wig support of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the wig support of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the two interfitting members forming the wig support of the present invention separated from each other.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the wig support of the present invention taken along section lines 5-5 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION In the figures, a wig support generally designated 10 is formed of two

wire members

12 and 14. Wire member 12, in turn, is formed of a continuous extension of material, i.e., a single wire bent to the shape of a modified X in the preferred embodiment shown. X-shaped wire member 12 includes supporting

legs

16 and 18 forming the bottom two legs of the X with each of supporting

legs

16 and 18 having one end terminating in a cap 20 protecting the horizontal surface 21 from scratches. The other ends of supporting

legs

16 and 18 are joined together at thecrossover of the X, designated 22. The crossover is formed by welding or other similar technique to firmly attach the separate pieces of metal together. The top two legs of X-shaped wire member 12, designated 24 and 26, are joined together at their tops by a top portion 28 to wig sup port 10. Portion 28 of wire member 12 includes an outwardly directed notch 30 formed centrally thereof to allow the interfitting of

wire members

12 and 14 as will be explained hereinafter.

Similarly, wire member 14 is formed of a continuous extension of material, i.e., a single wire formed into the shape of a modified X in the preferred embodiment shown. The X- shaped wire member 14 shown includes supporting

legs

32 and 34 forming the bottom two legs of the X with each of supporting

legs

32 and 34 again having one end terminating in a protective cap 20 to protect horizontal surface 21 from scratching. Each of supporting

legs

32 and 34 have their remaining ends joined together at the crossover of the X, designated 36. The crossover is again formed by welding or other similar technique to firmly connect the separate wire pieces. The top two legs of the X forming wire member 14, designated 38 and 40, are joined together at their top ends by a top portion 42 which top portion includes an inwardly directed notch 44 which allows the interfitting of

wire members

12 and 14, as will be explained hereinafter.

In assembling wig support 10, upper leg 24 of wire member 14 is grasped by hand, leg 34 or wire member 14 is passed through the opening defined by the periphery of the interfitting portion of wire member 12, i.e., connection of

legs

24 and 26 together and with top portion 28, leg 40 of wire member 14 is also passed through the open figure formed by the interfitting portion of wire member 12, with crossover 36 of wire member 14 pivoting upon crossover 22 of wire member 12, and wire member 14 is pivoted in this manner until the inwardly directed notch 44 of wire member 14 engages and interlocks with the outwardly directed notch 30 formed upon wire member 12 to this assemble wig stand 10.

Wig stand 10 is then placed upon a relatively horizontal surface, such as 21, and a wig, not shown, may be placed around and about the hollow three-dimensional figure defined by the interlocking of wire members 12 and 114 with the top portion of the wig supported upon

top portions

28 and 42 and with the sides of the wig extending around and about

legs

24 and 26 of wire member 12 and

legs

38 and 40 ofwire member 14.

It will now be appreciated that the

wire members

12 and 14 of wig support 10 are releasably interlocked with each other to form the hollow three-dimensional figure in that

wire members

12 and 14 have a releasably interfitting relation at two points about their peripheries, at the bottom and at the top. At the bottom,

wire members

12 and 14 releasably interfit in that crossover 36 is stacked upon and interfits with crossover 22. That is, crossover 36 is prevented from moving along a line in one direction by

legs

24 and 26 of wire member 12 and is prevented from moving along a line in a perpendicular direction by its own supporting

legs

32 and 34. Further,

wire members

12 and 14 interfit at the tops thereof through the engagement of the inwardly directed :notch 44 upon wire member 14 with the outwardly directed notch 30 formed upon wire member 12.

It will now be realized that

wire members

12 and 14 may be identical pieces if metal is used as the medium of construction. The wire members may be identical since

legs

32 and 34 may be slightly bent after the construction of the wire members to allow for the slightly greater distance of crossover 36 to horizontal surface 21 because of the stacking of crossover 36 upon crossover 22. That is,

legs

32 and 34 may be bent slightly and will remain in that slightly bent condition. A non-bendable material would thus require asymmetrical pieces.

Thus, a highly advantageous wig support has been disclosed where

legs

24 and 26 are joined together at their bottom ends at crossover point 22 and at their top ends through top portion 28 to define an open figure having a periphery in the form of a closed path. Similarly, wire member 14 includes

legs

38 and 40 joined together at their bottom end at crossover 36 and joined together at their top end by top portion 42 to again define an open figure having a periphery in the form of a closed path.

Members

12 and 14 have been demonstrated to have a releasably interfitting relation with each other at least at two points adjacent opposite ends of the periphery of the members for allowing two members to releasably interlock with each other and form a hollow three-dimensional figure.

Further, legs l6, 18, 32 and 34 have been shown to extend from their respective interfitting members in opposite directions to provide support for the wig support.

Now that the basic teachings of the present invention have been explained, many extensions and variations will be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art. For example, various materials such as wood, various metals, plastic, and others may be used to construct the wig support of the invention As explained, metal is preferred.

Also, materials of various cross sectional areas, other than the round cross sectional area shown, will be envisioned by those skilled in the art. The only requirement being the resultant members must interfit to form a hollow three-dimensional figure for the advantages set forth herein. Thus, since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiment described herein is to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed is:

l. A wig support comprising:

a. two interfitting members with each member comprising an open figure having a periphery in the form ofa closed path, each member further having a releasably interfitting relation with the other at least at two points adjacent opposite ends of the periphery of the member for allowing the two members to releasably interlock with each other to form a hollow three-dimensional figure; and

b. means attached to each interfitting member for supporting the member on a horizontal surface, the interfitting members being releasably separable by gentle hand pressure to allow the storage of the wig support as two relatively low volume portions to thus reduce the volume necessary for storage and the members being readily assembled by gentle hand pressure urging the interfitting of the members to form the hollow three-dimensional figure which supports a wig in a manner to allow air to freely circulate around and about the inside and the outside of the wig.

2. The wig support of claim 1, wherein the support means comprises at least two supports extending from each interfitting member in opposite directions.

3. The wig support of claim 2 wherein each interfitting member is formed from a continuous extension of material with a support extending from each end to form a crossover of material at the common junction of the ends of the interfitting member and one end of support, and wherein the members interfit at two points, one point adjacent the top and one point adjacent the bottom, with the top and bottom determined with respect to a horizontal supporting surface, the interfit adjacent the bottom of the members formed by the stacking of the crossovers of the individual members.

4. The wig support of claim 3 wherein the top of one interfitting member includes a notch directed inwardly of the member and wherein the top portion of the other interfitting member includes a notch directed outwardly of the member, the interfitting of the members at the top thereof caused by the interlocking of the notch on one member with the notch on the other member.

5. The wig support of claim 4, wherein each interfitting member and its associated supports are in the form of an X having the top two legs joined together to form a flat top surface, the bottom two legs of the X forming the supports, the cross of the X forming the crossover, and the notch being formed in the flat top portion joining the top legs of the X.

6. The wig support of claim 5, wherein each member is formed from a continuous extension of wire.

7. The wig support of claim 1 wherein at least one interfitting member includes a notch formed at the topmost portion thereof with respect to the horizontal surface upon which the wig support is supported, the notch allowing the one member to interfit with the other member.

8. The wig support of claim 7 wherein the notch is formed in the top of one interfitting member and directed inwardly of the member and wherein the top portion of the other interfitting member includes a notch directed outwardly of the member, the interfitting of the members at the top thereof caused by the interlocking of the notch on one member with the notch on the other member.

9. The wig support of claim 1 wherein each interfitting member is formed from a continuous extension of material and wherein the supporting means comprises a support extending from each of the interfitting member to form a crossover of material at the common junction of the ends of the interfitting member and one end of each support, wherein the members interfit adjacent the top and bottom with respect to the horizontal supporting surface, the interfit adjacent the bottom of the members formed by the stacking of the crossovers of the individual members.

10. The wig support of claim 1, wherein each member is formed from a continuous extension of wire.

Claims

1. A wig support comprising: a. two interfitting members with each member comprising an open figure having a periphery in the form of a closed path, each member further having a releasably interfitting relation with the other at least at two points adjacent opposite ends of the periphery of the member for allowing the two members to releasably interlock with each other to form a hollow threedimensional figure; and b. means attached to each interfitting member for supporting the member on a horizontal surface, the interfitting members being releasably separable by gentle hand pressure to allow the storage of the wig support as two relatively low volume portions to thus reduce the volume necessary for storage and the members being readily assembled by gentle hand pressure urging the interfittiNg of the members to form the hollow three-dimensional figure which supports a wig in a manner to allow air to freely circulate around and about the inside and the outside of the wig.