US3456657A - Head cover - Google Patents

Description

R. A. SMITH July 22, 1969 HEAD COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 4. 1967 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS R. A. SMITH July 22, 1969 HEAD COVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Apri} 4, 1967 INVENTOR: RuTH A. $WTH ATTORNEYS 3,456,657 HEAD COVER Ruth A. Smith, Cartersville, Ga., assignor of fifty percent to Rogers, Magruder & Hoyt, Rome, Ga., a partnership Filed Apr. 4, 1967, Ser. No. 628,395 Int. Cl. A41g 3/00, /00

US. Cl. 13253 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A head cover for wear by a person and including a base shaped to provide a head receiving pocket, and groups of twisted textile yarns of relatively coarse count secured to the base and arranged relative thereto in a predetermined manner suggestive of a hair style, with the groups being in the form of coils of yarn suggestive of curls of hair, or in the form of substantially vertically extending lengths of yarn suggestive of hair arranged in buoffant styles, or in combinations thereof.

This invention relates to a head cover. More particularly, it relates to a head cover for wear by a person over the hair and presenting an exterior surface to the view which is suggestive of a hair style.

Head covers of this type have a variety of uses. Classically, such head covers are worn, particularly by women, to enable them to change the appearance of their hair color and style at whim. Among other areas of utility thereof is the temporary concealment in an attractive manner of the natural hair when in disarray, as for example when it has been wind blown or wetted by rain, or wetted at a swimming pool, beach or the like. Similarly, it is frequently necessary for women to prepare their natural hair for special occasions, as by rolling it on curlers, etc. Rather than appear in public with the curlers on display, it is usually preferred to conceal them from view, and the head cover of the present invention is well suited to this purpose.

Head covers for these and similar purposes have been constructed in the past. However, such previous constructions have invariably employed either human hair or a fibrous material chosen for its close resemblance thereto to cover the exterior surface, and such materials have but little inherent body. Because of this, these previous constructions have significant drawbacks when used as aforesaid. For example, the hair-imitative portions of such constructions are as readily affected by the elements as is natural hair, e.g., they may easily be blown into disarray by the wind. Moreover, it is necessary with such constructions that the hair-imitative portions thereof be carefully tended in a manner similar to that necessary with natural hair. In point of fact, it is the usual custom for such head covers to be sent to beauty salons for washing, setting, waving, etc., which entails significant expense.

The more utilitarian uses of such head covers, as described above, have recently been enlarged upon by the novelty-conscious, particularly teenagers, and it is now a fad with them to selectively wear different head covers of different and distinctive colors and hair styles, chosen to accent the color and style of their clothing. Because of the meticulous and expensive care required for the maintenance of conventional head covers, this fad has heretofore been limited in its spread. With the advent of the present invention, the fad has become increasingly popular, as it has come within the means of an increasing number of adherents.

It is an object of this invention to provide a head cover for wear by a person over the hair and presenting an exterior surface suggestive of a hair style, which head nited States Patent 0 3,456,657 Patented July 22, 1969 cover avoids the problems and drawbacks of head cover heretofore known.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a head cover of the type aforesaid which is simple and economical of construction and which is easily maintained in an attractive appearance without incurring undue maintenance expense.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURES 1, 2, and 3 are front, side and rear views, respectively, of a head cover according to the invention as it appears when worn by a person;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view in front perspective of a tubular blank for making a base for the head cover;

FIGURE 5 is a View similar to FIGURE 4, showing the blank formed into a base for the head cover;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a soil of yarn suggestive of a curl of hair, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURES 7 and 8 are views similar to FIGURE 6, showing coils of yarn according to other embodiments;

FIGURES 9 and 10 are side and rear views, respectively, of a head cover according to another embodiment, as it appears when worn by a person; and

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view, taken substantially along line 1111 of FIGURE 10.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, a head cover according to the present invention is generally designated 10 in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, where it is shown as it appears when worn by a person. Head cover 10 includes a base 11 shaped to form a head-receiving pocket 12 which generally conforms to the configuration of the cranial portion of the head of the wearer.

Base 11 may be formed in any desired manner. Preferably, and as illustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5, it may be formed by first crocheting yarns into a tube of open mesh fabric extending from a lower edge 13 of the tube to an upper edge 14 thereof. Upper edge 14 is then unitarily joined to close the upper end of the tube, and to thereby form the upper portion 15 of pocket 12.

Preferably, and as illustrated, the fabric of base 11 is of considerably tighter mesh adjacent lower edge 13 than it is in the remaining portion thereof, so that lower edge 13 is reinforced for resiliently holding head cover 10 in place on the wearers head.

Numerous alternative modes of producing base 11 will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is intended that such alternative modes be included herein. By way of example, base 11 could be molded, knitted, woven, braided, or felted. In a specific example, a tubular blank therefor could be warp knitted on a double bed Raschel knitting machine, such as that shown in US. Patent No. 3,299,674 issued Jan. 24, 1967 to W. H. Scheibe.

Preferably, base 11 is formed from a twisted textile yarn, which may be of any natural fiber, such as cotton or wool, or of any synthetic fiber, such as rayon, nylon, acetate, etc.

In order that the yarn of base 11 might match with the hair-imitative portions of head cover 10 as described hereinafter, it is preferred that such yarn be of relatively coarse count, i.e., relatively large in diameter, and that it be dyed to match the color of the hair-imitative portions hereinafter described.

In order to provide a covering of hair-imitative portions for head cover 10, a plurality of groups of textile yarns are secured to the outer surface 16 of base 11, substantially covering the surface 16 to conceal it from view. The yarn used in these groups is a twisted textile yarn, preferably of relatively coarse count, and may be of any suitable fiber such as cotton, wool, rayon, nylon, acetate, etc.

Unlike the fine filaments of human hair or fibrous materials chosen for its close resemblance thereto used in head covers as heretofore constructed, such yarn has substantial dimensional stability, or body. Thus, when secured to the base 11, it is not readily subjected to disarray by such things as wind, humidity and the like. Instead, it will tend to remain in whatever arrangement it is in when secured to base 11. Accordingly, the need for meticulous and expensive care thereof is minimal.

Each of the groups of yarns may be in any of a variety of configurations. In the hair style illustrated in FIG- URES l3 two different configurations of groups of yarn are employed, and they are arranged relative to the base 11 in a manner suggestive of a hairstyle including curlsuggestive portions.

The two configurations of groups of yarn employed therein are shown in respective detail in FIGURES 6 and 7. In the configuration of FIGURE 6, a plurality of loops of yarn are formed into a relatively large diameter coil 17, which coil is tied to base 11 by tie strands 20 secured to coil 17 at diametrically opposite points thereon. In the configuration of FIGURE 7, a plurality of loops of yarn are formed into a coil 21 which is of somewhat smaller diameter than coil 17. Coil 21 is secured to base 11 by a tie strand 22 secured to the coil at a single point on its periphery.

As best shown in FIGURES 1-3, several coils 17 and several coils 21 may be arranged on base 11 in any desired manner, and collectively comprise a covering or hair-imitative portion for head cover which is suggestive of an attractive hair style, covering the outer surface 16 of base 11 and concealing it from view. Coils 17 and 21 when so arranged are suggestive of curls of hair in the hair style.

The curl-suggestive coils of yarn may be formed in other manners. As shown in FIGURE 8 a coil 23 may comprise an intermediate foundation 24 having a plurality of loops or tufts 25 of twisted textile yarn secured thereto as by being tufted therethrough. Loops 25 may be cut to display a plush surface, or may be uncut as illustrated to display a looped surface, as desired. Adidtional- 1y, intermediate foundation 24 may be cut into any desired shape or size, and secured to base 11 in any desired arrangement and in any suitable manner, as by being stitched thereto or by being adhesively bonded thereto. Thus, the appearance of various distinctive curly hair styles may be suggested by selectively arranging coils 23 on base 11, either alone or in various combinations with others of the groups of yarn such as coils 17 or 21.

In addition to the curly hair styles described above, the hair-imitative portions of the head cover 10 may be formed to suggest other types of hair style. For example, as best shown in FIGURES 9-11, the groups of yarn arranged on the outer surface 16 of base 11 may each comprise a plurality of predetermined lengths of twisted textile yarn arranged in a manner suggestive of a bouffant hair style. To this end, each length of yarn 26 in the groups of yarns of FIGURES 9-11 is secured by its lower end to the inner surface 27 of base 11 adjacent the lower edge 13 thereof, and extends substantially vertically upwardly therefrom, over the outer surface 16 of base 11, to the upper portion thereof, where the other end of each yarn 27 is secured to base 11. Preferably, a plurality of coils 30 of yarn, which may be like any of the coils 4 17, 21 or 23 hereinbefore described, are secured to the upper portion 15 of base 11, overlying the upper ends of the yarns 26 in the bouffant groups to conceal these ends from view.

The groups of yarns forming the hair-imitative portions of head cover 10 may be of any desired color. Pref erably, the color thereof is the same as the color of the yarn forming base 1 1. Where the yarn of the base 11 is the same type of yarn as that of the hair-imitative portions, as is preferred, then the entire head cover 10 may be fabricated in the greige, and then dyed as a completed unit so that the color may be uniform throughout.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth preferred embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention :being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A head cover adapted to be worn on a persons head as a wig or in simulation of hair, said head cover comprising:

a fabric base shaped to conform to the top and back of a persons head and having a head receiving pocket therein, and

a covering for said base comprising groups of twisted textile yarns secured to said base and substantially covering and concealing the same and arranged relative thereto and relative to each other in a predetermined manner suggestive of a hair style, at least some of said groups of twisted textile yarns each comprising a coil yarn and said coils being suggestive of hair arranged in curls.

2. A head cover according to claim 1 wherein each coil comprises a plurality of loops of yarn and said coils substantially cover said base.

3. A head cover according to claim 1 wherein each coil comprises an intermediate foundation secured to said base and a plurality of tufts of yarn secured to said foundation.

4. A head cover according to claim 1 wherein at least some of said groups each comprises a plurality of predetermined lengths of yarn, with each length of yarn being secured to the inner surface of the base at one end thereof and to the outer surface of the upper portion of the base at its other end whereby said lengths of yarn extend sustantially vertically from the lower edge to the upper portion of said base and over the outer surface thereof in a manner suggestive of a bouffant hair style, and wherein said coils of yarn are secured to the upper portion of the base overlying the other ends of said lengths of yarn to conceal these ends from view.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 300,938 6/1884 Beck 132-53 431,837 7/1890 Borden 132-53 1,030,996 7/1912 Goodman 13249 2,372,330 3/1945 Loewensohn 13249 2,393,064 1/1946 Robinson 132-53 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner G. E. McNEILL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2-198

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