GB2203645A

GB2203645A - Treating hair and a device therefor

Info

Publication number: GB2203645A
Application number: GB08807328A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Derek Dixon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-04-02
Filing date: 1988-03-28
Publication date: 1988-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 2008-03-28
Also published as: GB2203645B; GB8707932D0; GB8807328D0

Abstract

A method of treating a tress of hair includes the steps of isolating the tress to be treated, placing the isolated tress on a tray 20, applying a treatment substance to the tress and superposing a lid 21 on the tray to trap the tress between and in contact with the tray and the lid. Fastening means 23 are provided and channel 24 enables spread of the treatment substance. In other embodiments, the tray has a bar (14) pivoted at one end to hold the tress on the tray, the lid has a tab (19) to enable it to be removed from the tray after the treatment and the tray and lid are not hinged together. At least the lid may be transparent. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements in the treatment of hair.

INTRODUCTION This invention relates to the treatment of hair and particularly to the highlighting, i.e., bleaching and colouring and also to the straightening (all of which techniques will hereinafter be referred to as "treating") of human hair.

Methods employed by hairdressers for highligh-ting human hair involve the application to the hair of chemical substances to produce the desired effect. A portion or tress of hair to be treated is separated by the hairdresser and must remain isolated from the remainder of the hair which is not to be treated. Various devices are used to maintain this separation.

One such device is a perforated cap which covers the person's hair, a tress being brought through each of the perforations for treatment. Tin foil is also used which, after the appropriate chemical substances have been applied to the tress, is wrapped around the tress and folded several times to maintain it isolated from the remainder of the hair. More recently, small very flexible plastics sheets have been used which are folded over the tress after the treatment substances have been applied. One end of each sheet is provided with an adhesive to maintain the sheet in its folded condition covering the tress.

All of these techniques have their own inherent disadvantages which mainly are the difficulty of their use and their effectiveness.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is the main object of this invention to provided a method of an a device for the treatment of hair which is simple to use and effective.

STATEMENT OF INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a method of treating a tress of hair which includes the steps of isolating the tress to be treated, placing the isolated tress on a tray, applying a treatment substance to the tress and superposing a lid on the tray to trap the tress between and in contact with the tray and the lid.

The method includes highlighting a person's hair by treating a plurality of tresses as aforesaid.

The invention also includes a device for enabling the treatment of hair, comprising a tray on which a tress may be placed and a lid for location in superposed relation to the tray to trap the tress between and in contact with the tray and lid after the tress has had a treatment substance applied thereto.

The tray and lid may be complementary in shape. Furthermore, the tray and lid may both be rectangular, one smaller end of the tray being open and being provided with locking means which is capable of being moved to span the tress near its roots and hold the tress on the tray. The locking means may be in the form of a bar pivoted at one end.

The tray and lid may be integral and hinged about a smaller end, fastening means being provided to enable the tray and lid to be temporarily retained in superposed relation.

The tray and/or the lid may be provided with channels to enable the spread of treatment substance when the tray and lid are in superposed relation.

The lid may be provided with a tab to enable the lid readily to be removed from the tray after treatment of the tress.

The tray and/or the lid may be of transparent lightweight plastics.

DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a basic form of device in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line II-II of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of device in accordance with the invention; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device of Figure 1 in use; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a further modified form of device according to the invention; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the device of Figure 5 holding a tress in position; Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a still further modified form of device according to the invention; and Figure 8 is a perspective view of a more developed form of device according to the invention.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION Referring first to Figures 1 and 2 which show the basic device of the invention and which includes a tray 1 and a lid 2 formed of plastics which will be inert to the chemical substances normally used by hairdressers for treating human hair. Both the tray 1 and lid 2 are preferably rectangular. They are also transparent although this is not essential and only the lid may be transparent. It will be seem that both the tray 1 and lid 2 have a base 3 and 4 respectively and four low side walls 5 and 6 respectively.

Both the tray 1 and lid 2 are of a thickness and of a material which will be lightweight but which will maintain the general shape of the part.

The overall dimensions of the tray 1 and lid 2 are such that the lid may be placed in superposed relation to the tray with the lid fitting inside the tray. This should be a close fit so that the two cannot readily and inadvertently become separated during use.

Figure 4 shows the tray 1 and lid 2 in superposed relation with a tress of hair 7 trapped between and in contact with them.

Figure 3 shows a small modification to the tray and/or the lid 8 in that a lip 9 may be formed extending outwardly from the top of the side walls 10.

Figures 5 and 6 show a modified and preferred form of device according to the invention. A tray 11 with a base 12 and low walls 13 on three sides with one of the smaller ends open is provided with a locking means in the form of a bar 14 pivoted at 15 at one end so as to be moved between the positions shown in full and dotted lines in Figure 5.

Figure 6 shows the tray of Figure 5 with the bar 14 spanning part of a tress 16 near to its roots 17.

Figure 7 shows a modified lid in that this lid 18 is provided along the top of one of its end walls (or the end wall) with a tab 19 so an to enable the lid 18 readily to be removed from its tray after the tress has been treated.

Figure 8 shows a commercially developed device have a tray 20 and a lid 21 integrally moulded in transparent plastics so that the two parts are pivotable about hinge 22 at one smaller end. The tray 20 and lid 21 are, again, retangular and complementary and the lid is provided with fastening means 23 in the form of small ridges which, when the tray and lid are brought together and trap a tress between them, temporarily retain the two parts together so that the treatment can take place.

Both the tray 20 and lid 21 are provided with at least one channel 24 to enable the spread of treatment substance about the tress when the two parts are in superposed relation. Alternatively, only the tray or the lid may be provided with at least one such channel.

The manner in which the method of the invention is to be performed and the device of the invention is to be used will be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

Suffice it to say that the hairdresser isolates a tress to be treated, places this tress on a tray and, if the tray is provided with a locking device as in the Figures 5 and 6 embodiment, moves the bar to span the tress and lock the tress in position on the tray.

Whatever treating substances are to be used are then applied to the tress on the tray and a lid is located in superposed relation on the tray trapping the tress between and in contact with the tray and lid.

When an appropriate time has elapsed, the lid is removed from the tray, the tress is further treated if neccesary, for example, washed and the tray removed. The tray and lid may then be thoroughly cleaned for reuse.

A device according to the invention enables the hairdresser to treat a tress to within a small distance of its roots. It also enables the hairdresser to apply the treatment substances much more expeditiously than previous methods with no wastage of materials.

Claims

1. A method of treating a tress of hair which includes the steps of isolating the tress to be treated, placing the isolated tress on a tray, applying a treatment substance to the tress and superposing a lid on the tray to trap the tress between and in contact with the tray and the lid.

2. Highlighting a person's hair by treating a plurality of tresses as claimed in Claim 1.

3. A device for enabling the treatment of hair, comprising a tray on which a tress may be placed and a lid for location in superposed relation to the tray to trap the tress between and in contact with the tray and lid after the tress has had a treatment substance applied thereto.

4. The device as claimed in Claim 3, in which the tray and lid are complementary in shape.

5. The device as claimed in Claim 4, in which the tray and lid are both rectangular, one smaller end of the tray being open and being provided with locking means which is capable of being moved to span the tress near its roots and hold the tress on the tray.

6. The device as claimed in Claim 5, in which the locking means is in the form of a bar pivoted at one end.

7. The device as claimed in either Claim 3 or Claim 4, in which the tray and lid are integral and hinged about a smaller end, fastening means being provided to enable the tray and lid to be temporarily retained in superposed relation.

8. The device as claimed in Claim 7, in which the tray and/or the lid are provided with channels to enable the spread of treatment substance when the tray and lid are in superposed relation.

9. The device as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 8, in which the lid is provided with a tab to enable the lid readily to be removed from the tray after treatment of the tress.

10. The device as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 9, in which the tray and/or the lid is of transparent lightweight plastics.

11. A method of treating a tress of hair substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A device for enabling the treatment of hair substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.