WO1999020145A1 - Retaining device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a device (1) comprising at least two retaining means (4; 20, 21) mobile between a position spacing them mutually and a position bringing them closer together. The invention is characterised in that said device (1) comprises at least a reinforcing element (3) with a curved shape, connected to a portion (5; 20) of the device (1) such that it can pivot with respect to said device portion (5; 20) between a first position wherein said reinforcing element (3) convex surface is located opposite said device portion (5; 20), and a second position, wherein said reinforcing element (3) concave surface is located opposite said device portion (5; 20), said positions corresponding each to one of said two positions for mutually spacing the retaining means and for bringing them together.

Description

 HOLDING DEVICE

The present invention relates to a device for holding an object. This device can in particular be a hair holding device, a hair clip, a tie clip, a clip used to hold papers or the like. The hair holding device can allow the creation of hairstyles and / or can comprise a part or an ornamental element, so that it also allows the fitting and holding in a hair of a hairstyle ornament.

At the present time there is no device for holding an object having a simple structure while being inexpensive to manufacture and easy to handle, and while making it possible to perfectly hold an object. In particular, the existing devices for holding the hair or for fitting and holding a hairstyle ornament are not always entirely satisfactory, either because their hold in the hair is poor or because they have possibilities of limited use, that their structure is relatively complex and expensive to manufacture.

Consequently, a main objective of the present invention is to provide a device for holding an object which is simple and easy to handle. Another object of the invention is to provide a device for holding an object which is of simple structure and which can be manufactured easily and at a reduced price.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which makes it possible to perfectly hold an object.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a hair holding device which comprises teeth intended to be engaged in the hair, which can be moved between alternative positions in view of their insertion into the hair and of maintaining the hair between them.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a hair holding device which can be adapted to a variety of configurations and which can include or support one or more decorative or ornamental elements, in order to have wider possibilities of use. .

In accordance with the objectives set out above, the invention relates to a holding device which comprises at least two holding means, able to jointly hold the object together, these holding means being movable one relative to each other between a position of mutual separation, to allow the engagement of the object between them, and a position of mutual approximation, to allow the maintenance of the object between them; the device also comprises at least one reinforcing element having a curved shape, connected to a part of the device in such a way that it can pivot relative to this part of the device between a first position, in which the convex face of this reinforcing element is located opposite this part of the device, and a second position, in which the concave face of this reinforcing element is facing this part of the device; said part of the device has a flexible structure so that it can be deformed by the reinforcing element when it passes from one of the two aforementioned positions to the other, the two deformation positions of said part of the device each corresponding to one of the two aforementioned positions of mutual spacing and mutual approximation of said holding means.

The simple pivoting of the curved reinforcing element thus makes it possible to separate or bring together the means for holding the object. Preferably, the reinforcing element and / or said part of the device to which this reinforcing element is connected are shaped so as to be elastically deformable to create, during the passage of the reinforcing element of said first position at said second position, a longitudinal elastic restoring force tending to bring this reinforcing element either into said first position or into said second position.

Said elastic restoring force creates instability of the reinforcing element outside of said first or second positions, so that the device is "bistable", which simplifies its handling.

Advantageously, the device comprises two lateral tabs or bosses at the ends of said part to which the reinforcing element is connected.

These tabs or bosses allow the user to easily bear against these ends to deform the device adequately in order to cause the pivoting of the reinforcing element. According to one embodiment of the invention, relating to a device more particularly intended for holding hair, the device comprises:

- At least one element substantially in the form of a comb, having teeth connected by their base to a bar, these teeth constituting the aforementioned holding means while said bar constitutes said part of the device; this bar is flexible and can take a first curved shape, convex on the side of the teeth, in which the distal parts of the teeth are mutually distant to allow the engagement of the hair between them, and a second curved shape, concave on the side of the teeth, in which the distal parts of the teeth are brought together so as to clamp the hair together; - at least one reinforcing element connected to the bar, along the latter, so as to be able pivot relative to the bar between said first and second positions.

This device is placed in the hair while the reinforcing element is in the first aforementioned position, so that the bar itself has a convex shape on the side of the teeth and that the latter, separated at their distal ends, can fit into the mass of hair. The reinforcing element is then brought into its second position, which brings the distal ends of the teeth closer together and ensures perfect tightening of the hair, and therefore perfect retention of the device in the hair.

The teeth can be arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bar, in which case they diverge from each other, in the direction of their free end, in said first position, and converge in this same direction, in said second position. Preferably, however, the teeth are oriented relative to the bar so that they are substantially parallel to each other in said first position. The introduction of the teeth onto the hair is thus easy, and a sufficient quantity of hair is introduced between the teeth, over the entire length of the device, to allow perfect clamping of the hair by the teeth. In addition, the increased convergence of the teeth in said second position improves the tightening obtained from the hair.

According to another embodiment of the invention, relating to a device such as a hair clip, tie clip, or clip used to hold papers or the like, the device comprises two branches connected to each other by one of their ends and being able to pivot with respect to each other between the aforementioned positions of mutual spacing and mutual approximation, these branches constituting said two holding means being able to jointly ensure the maintaining an object between them; the frame member is connected to one of these branches, which also constitutes said part of the device, along which it extends and relative to which it can pivot between the first and second positions mentioned above.

The branch to which the reinforcing element is connected may include asperities making it possible to support the bearing on the object to be maintained.

For a good understanding, the invention is again described below with reference to the appended schematic drawing representing, by way of nonlimiting examples, several embodiments of the device which it concerns.

Figure 1 is a front view according to a first embodiment, its two components being disassembled; Figure 2 is a similar view after mounting, in a configuration; Figure 3 is a sectional view along line III-III of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, in another configuration; Figure 5 is a front view according to a second embodiment; Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line

VI-VI of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a front view according to a third embodiment; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view, similar to Figure 3, according to a fourth embodiment; Figure 9 is a side view according to a fifth embodiment, in a first position, and Figure 10 is a view similar to Figure

9, in a second position. For simplicity, the elements which are similar to each other and which are found in all of these embodiments are designated by the same reference numerals. Figures 1 to 4 show a device 1 for holding hair or a hairstyle ornament in hair, comprising an element 2 substantially in the form of a comb and a metal rod 3, in particular made of steel.

The element 2 is made of a piece of flexible synthetic material, elastically deformable, such as polyethylene. It has teeth 4 connected by their base to a bar 5, the section of which is reduced so that it can be deformed in the manner indicated below. The teeth 4 are oriented relative to the bar 5 so that their free ends converge towards the central part of the bar 5.

On the side opposite the teeth 4, the bar 5 comprises two lateral bosses 6 and an interior longitudinal duct, which opens onto at least one of its ends. This duct is adapted to receive the rod 3 by sliding and to allow the pivoting thereof in it.

The rod 3 is of circular cross section and has a curved shape. For its mounting on the element 2, it is first of all engaged in the conduit, which causes an elastic deformation of the element 2.

This rod 3 can thus pivot relative to the element 2 when an appropriate manual deformation is exerted on the latter, by pressure on the bosses 6, this pivoting being possible between the positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

In the position shown in Figure 2, the convex face of this rod 3 is located opposite the bar

5. It is distorted so that it presents a convex shape on the side of the teeth 4, which are then parallel and mutually distant, to allow the engagement of the hair between them.

In the position shown in Figure 4, the concave face of this rod 3 is located opposite the bar 5. The latter is deformed so that it has a concave shape on the side of the teeth 4, which are then mutually close together so as to tighten the hair together. The device 1 shown in Figure 5 includes an element 2 and a rod 3 similar to those described above. The element 2 further comprises a branch 10 pivotally mounted on one of its ends, which can pivot between a position where it is spaced from this element 2, in which it does not prevent the engagement of the teeth 4 on the hair, and the position shown, where it is folded along said element 2 and can be attached to one other end of this element 2, position in which it allows the hair to be trapped.

This branch 10 is formed by appropriate conformation of a metal rod. The ends of this rod are folded 1 'towards the other coaxially, to form pins capable of being engaged and pivoting in a hole provided in the element 2. On the side of its free end, the branch 10 has a curvature 10a allowing its engagement, by slight lateral elastic deformation, on either side of the two teeth 4 situated at the end of the element 2. These teeth 4 have, as it appears in FIG. 6, on the side of their free end, an enlarged portion 4a capable of causing said elastic deformation of the branch 10, and, on the side of their base, a thinned portion 4b, allowing the branch 10 to regain its neutral shape and to be retained at this portion 4b. FIG. 7 shows a device 1 comprising two assemblies element 2 - rod 3. These assemblies are connected to each other, at one of their ends, by a flexible portion 15, and include complementary hooks 16 , or other similar attachment members, at their other end. The device thus shaped can in particular be used to make hairstyles with a ponytail or a bun.

In the example shown, the rods 3 of the two assemblies are pivotally mounted through lateral bosses 6 and central bosses 7.

FIG. 8 shows a device 1, the bar 5 of which has a large width so as to have a certain rigidity in a plane perpendicular to the plane in which the two extreme pivoting positions of the rod 3 are shown, shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

This steel rod 3 has a certain degree of elastic flexibility.

The relative rigidity of the bar 5 generates a stress on the rod 3 when it passes from one of said first or second positions to the other of these positions, tending to elastically deform this rod 3 in the longitudinal direction. The elastic restoring force resulting from this deformation creates instability of the rod 3 outside these positions, so that the device 1 is "bistable", which simplifies its handling.

Figures 9 and 10 show a device 1 of the hair barrette, tie clip, or clip used to hold papers or the like. This device 1 comprises two branches 20, 21 made of synthetic material, connected to each other at one of their ends 6 by a bridge 22.

A rod 3 as mentioned above is connected to the branch 20 by engagement in a conduit as mentioned above.

The pivoting of the rod 3 between the first and second aforementioned positions makes it possible to deform the branch 20 between a position of mutual separation of the branches 20, 21, shown in FIG. 9, allowing the engagement of an object between these branches, and a position of mutual approximation of the branches 20, 21 , shown in Figure 10, allowing the clamping of this object between these same branches. In this second position, the end of the branch 20 engages with the corresponding end 23 of the branch 21, bent in the shape of a hook. It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above by way of examples but that it embraces, on the contrary, all the variant embodiments. Thus, the branch 10 may be made of plastic and may comprise at its free end a fixing means, in particular of the snap type, intended to come into engagement with a complementary fixing means arranged in one corresponding end of the device; said strip 5 can have a decorative shape or include a decorative element; said branch can have a decorative shape or include such a decorative element, the device then being engaged under a hair, for example a ponytail, and this decorative element branch being closed over the top of the hair in order to be visible; the rod 3 could be rigid and the bar 5, or other part 20 of the device connected to this rod 3, could have elastic flexibility in a plane perpendicular to that in which this rod 3 is found in its first and second positions mentioned above.

Claims

1 - Device for holding an object, comprising at least two holding means (4; 20, 21), able to jointly hold the object together, these holding means (4; 20, 21) being movable one with respect to the other between a position of mutual separation, to allow the engagement of the object between them, and a position of mutual approximation, to allow the maintenance of the object between them; device (1) characterized in that it comprises at least one frame element (3) having a curved shape, connected to a part (5; 20) of the device (1) in such a way that it can pivot relative to to this part (5; 20) of the device between a first position, in which the convex face of this reinforcing element (3) is opposite this part (5; 20) of the device, and a second position, in which the concave face of this reinforcing element (3) is located opposite this part (5; 20) of the device; said part (5; 20) of the device has a flexible structure so that it can be deformed by the reinforcing element (3) when it passes from one of the two aforementioned positions to the other, the two deformation positions of said part (5; 20) of the device each corresponding to one of the two aforementioned positions of mutual spacing and mutual approximation of said holding means (4; 20, 21). 2 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcing element (3) and / or said part (5, 20) of the device to which this reinforcing element (3) is connected are shaped so as to be elastically deformable to create, during the passage of the reinforcing element (3) from said first position to said second position, a longitudinal elastic restoring force tending to bring this reinforcing element (3) either in said first position or in said second position. 3 - Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it comprises two lateral tabs or bosses (6) at the ends of said part (5) to which is connected the reinforcing element (3) . 4 - Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises: - at least one element (2) substantially in the form of a comb, having teeth (4) connected by their base to a bar (5 ), these teeth (4) constituting the aforementioned holding means while said bar (5) constitutes said part of the device (1); this bar (5) is flexible and can take a first curved shape, convex on the side of the teeth (4), in which the distal parts of the teeth (4) are mutually distant to allow engagement of the hair between them, and a second curved shape, concave on the side of the teeth (4), in which the distal parts of the teeth (4) are brought together so as to clamp the hair together; - At least one frame element (3) connected to the bar (5), along the latter, so as to be able to pivot relative to the bar (5) between said first and second positions. 5 - Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the teeth (4) are oriented relative to the bar (5) so that they are substantially parallel to each other in said first position. 6 - Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises two branches (20, 21) connected to each other by one of their ends and capable of pivoting 1 'not relative to 1 other between the aforementioned positions of mutual spacing and mutual approximation, these branches (20, 21) constituting said two holding means being able to jointly maintain an object between them; the reinforcing element (3) is connected to one of these branches (20), which also constitutes said part of the device (20), along which this reinforcing element (3) extends and by relation to which it can pivot between the first and second positions mentioned above. 7 - Device according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that each element (2) in the form of a comb comprises a branch (10) pivotally mounted on one of its ends, which can pivot between a position spaced from this element (2 ), in which it does not prevent the engagement of the teeth (4) of the comb-shaped element (2) on the hair, and a folded position along said element (2), in which it can be attached to the other end of this element (2) and allows the hair to be trapped. 8 - Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the branch (10) is constituted by the appropriate conformation of a metal rod and in that it has, on the side of its free end, a curvature (10a) allowing its engagement, by slight lateral elastic deformation, on either side of the teeth (4) located at the end of the element (2). 9 - Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the teeth (4) have, on the side of their free end, an enlarged portion (4a) capable of causing the elastic deformation of the branch (10), and, on the side of their base, a thinned portion (4b), allowing the branch (10) to regain its neutral shape and to be retained at this portion (4b). 10 - Device according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that it comprises two sets of element (2) - frame element (3) connected to each other, at one of their ends, by a flexible portion (15), and comprising complementary fastening members (16) at their other end. AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on March 25, 1999 (25.03.99); claim 1 as amended; other claims unchanged (4 pages)] 1 - Device for holding an object, comprising at least two holding means (4; 20, 21), able to jointly hold the object together, these holding means (4; 20, 21) being movable one with respect to the other between a position of mutual separation, to allow the engagement of the object between them, and a position of mutual approximation, to allow the maintenance of the object between them; this device (1) comprises at least one means (3) of curved shape, movable between two positions, which is connected to one of the parts (5; 20) of this device (1), this part (5; 20) having a flexible structure so as to be able to be deformed by said means (3) according to the position occupied by the latter, and the two aforementioned positions of this means (3) corresponding respectively to one of the two aforementioned positions of mutual spacing and mutual approximation of said holding means (4; 20, 21); device (1) characterized in that said means is a reinforcing element (3) constituted by a metal rod, in particular made of steel, this rod being mounted on the device (1) in such a way that it can pivot relative to said part (5; 20) of this device (1) between said first position, in which the convex face of this rod (3) is opposite this part (5; 20) of the device, and said second position, in which the concave face of this rod (3) is located opposite this part (5; 20) of the device, said part (5; 20) of the device being deformed by this rod (3) during the passage of the latter from one of these two positions to the other. 2 - Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcing element (3) and / or said part (5, 20) of the device to which this reinforcing element (3) is connected are shaped so as to be elastically deformable to create, during the passage of the reinforcing element (3) from said first position to said second position, a longitudinal elastic restoring force tending to bring this reinforcing element (3) either into said first position or into said second position. 3 - Device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it comprises two lateral tabs or bosses (6) at the ends of said part (5) to which is connected the reinforcing element (3) . 4 - Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises: - At least one element (2) substantially in the form of a comb, having teeth (4) connected by their base to a bar (5), these teeth (4) constituting the aforementioned holding means while said bar (5) constitutes said part of the device (1); this bar (5) is flexible and can take a first curved shape, convex on the side of the teeth (4), in which the distal parts of the teeth (4) are mutually distant to allow the engagement of the hair between them, and a second curved shape, concave on the side of the teeth (4), in which the distal parts of the teeth (4) are brought together so as to clamp the hair together; - At least one frame element (3) connected to the bar (5), along the latter, so as to be able to pivot relative to the bar (5) between said first and second positions. 5 - Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the teeth (4) are oriented relative to the bar (5) so that they are substantially parallel to each other in said first position. 6 - Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises two branches (20, 21) connected to one another by one of their ends and being able to pivot one relative to the other between the aforementioned positions of mutual spacing and mutual approximation, these branches (20, 21) constituting said two holding means being able jointly to hold an object together; the reinforcing element (3) is connected to one of these branches (20), which also constitutes said part of the device (20), along which this reinforcing element (3) extends and by relation to which it can pivot between the first and second positions mentioned above. 7 - Device according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that each element (2) in the form of a comb comprises a branch (10) pivotally mounted on one of its ends, which can pivot between a position spaced from this element (2 ), in which it does not prevent the engagement of the teeth (4) of the comb-shaped element (2) on the hair, and a folded position along said element (2), in which it can be attached to the other end of this element (2) and allows the hair to be trapped. 8 - Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the branch (10) is constituted by the appropriate conformation of a metal rod and in that it has, on the side of its free end, a curvature (10a) allowing its engagement, by slight lateral elastic deformation, on either side of the teeth (4) located at the end of the element (2). 9 - Device according to claim 8, characterized in that the teeth (4) have, on the side of their free end, an enlarged portion (4a) capable of causing the elastic deformation of the branch (10), and, on the side of their base, a thinned portion (4b), allowing the branch (10) to regain its neutral shape and to be retained at this portion (4b). 10 - Device according to claim 4 or claim 5, characterized in that it comprises two element (2) - reinforcement element (3) assemblies connected to one another, at one of their ends, by a flexible portion (15), and comprising complementary fastening members (16 ) at their other end.