Adjustable Hair Retaining Device

Description

I. CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Canadian Patent Application Number 236.194, entitled “Fashion Accessory,” and filed Dec. 19, 2024. The entirety of the foregoing patent application is incorporated by reference herein to the extent consistent with the present disclosure.

II. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for retaining hair, and more particularly to methods and systems for a double-stranded hair retention device for retaining hair.

III. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People with longer hair may use a variety of hair retaining devices. Among other devices, “hair ties,” the catch-all term for hair elastics, may be used by stretching an elastic ring to surround hair to be contained, twisting it into smaller loops as needed, and then releasing the elastic. It is desirable that hair does not slip out of the device, that hair is not damaged due to using the device, and that the aesthetics of the device are pleasing. Options are limited to decorate or embellish a hair tie. A large charm bent into some variation of a “U” shape to fit over a ponytail can be strung on a covered elastic cord; these structures are limited to topping a narrow circumference. Smaller charms can be strung like beads on a covered cord; however, the smaller charms do not stay where the wearer deems most aesthetic but slide instead. Charms can be studded through the cord or through a fabric sleeve that envelops the cord, but individual hairs may snag on the studs. More than one strand of elastic may be used for superior hold, and to prevent those strands from wadding up and trapping hair, while also allowing for the use of a variety of larger charms, accommodating varying thicknesses, and enabling the wearer to alter the spacing of the charms without having them slide out of position.

There is a need to address the foregoing deficiencies in the art.

IV. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of a double stranded hair retention device in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a side view of a double stranded hair retention device in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a top view of a double stranded hair retention device in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of a double stranded hair retention device in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts a side view of a double stranded hair retention device in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 6 depicts a top view of a double stranded hair retention device in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of a double stranded hair retention device in accordance with certain embodiments.

FIG. 8 depicts a perspective view of a double stranded hair retention device in accordance with certain embodiments.

V. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In certain embodiments, one or more elastic cords of any thickness may be strung through two or more connectors in opposing directions. In certain embodiments, the connectors may be made of metal, stone, plastic or any other rigid material. In certain embodiments, the connectors may have decorative elements and may be considered charms, In certain embodiments, the connectors may be made of flexible material. The ends of the one or more elastic cords may be attached together to form completed loops through the two or more connectors. In certain embodiments, the connectors may be slidable along the one or more elastic cords to adjust the size of the loops and the relative locations of the connectors. In certain embodiments, an additional connector may be used to connect the ends of the one or more elastic cords that may not be slidable relative to the one or more elastic cords. In certain embodiments, a seam tube may be used to help adhere the ends of the one or more elastic cords together. In certain embodiments, a good adhesive seal may be used to adhere the ends of the one or more elastic cords together without using a tube at all. In certain embodiments, a single continuous strand may be used that is fed to form the double stranded hair retaining device. In certain embodiments, single continuous strand may be fed through the plurality of connectors in a first direction and then may double back on itself to be fed through the plurality of connectors in the opposite direction to form a double-stranded hair retention device. In certain embodiments, the double-stranded hair retention device may be formed using two independent strands that are fed through the plurality of connectors to form the two strands of the double-stranded hair retention device that are separated by the plurality of connectors.

In certain embodiments, an adjustable hair retaining device is disclosed, comprising: one or more elastic strands; and a plurality of charms; wherein the one or more elastic strands are fed through each of the plurality of charms a plurality of times to form a plurality of adjustable loops to form a double stranded hair retaining device. At least one of the plurality of charms may separate the one or more elastic strands into a double stranded hair retaining device. Each of the plurality of adjustable loops may have at least one of the plurality of charms on a first side of the loop and at least one of the plurality of charms on a second side of the loop opposite the first side. One or more of the plurality of charms may be slidable relative to each other along the one or more elastic strands to change the size of at least one of the plurality of adjustable loops. The plurality of charms may comprise a plurality of groups of charms and each of the plurality of loops each may have a group of charms on the first side of the loop and a group of charms on the second side of the loop. The adjustable hair retaining device may be configured to lie flat by adjusting the plurality of charms to flatten the plurality of loops. The hair retaining device may further comprise a tie-back clip to prevent the plurality of loops from lying flat. The plurality of charms may be slidable relative to each other along the one or more elastic strands to form the hair retention device into a cross section in one or more of the following geometric shapes: an equilateral triangle, an isosceles triangle, a square, a rectangle, and a trapezoid.

In certain embodiments, a hair retaining device is disclosed, comprising: one or more elastic strands; and a plurality of charms; wherein the one or more elastic strands are separated into double strands by at least one of the plurality of charms to form a plurality of loops. The plurality of charms may be slidably connected to the one or more elastic strands and the size of at least one of the plurality of loops may be adjustable by sliding at least one or the plurality of charms along the one or more elastic strands. One or more of the plurality of charms may be slid relative to each other along the one or more elastic strands to change the size of at least one of the plurality of adjustable loops. The adjustable hair retaining device may be configured to lie flat by adjusting the plurality of charms to flatten the plurality of loops. The hair retaining device may further comprise a tie-back clip to prevent the plurality of loops from lying flat. The plurality of charms may be slidable relative to each other along the one or more elastic strands to form the hair retention device into a cross section in one or more of the following geometric shapes: an equilateral triangle, an isosceles triangle, a square, a rectangle, and a trapezoid. Each of the plurality of loops may have at least one of the plurality of charms on a first side of the loop and at least one of the plurality of charms on a second side of the loop opposite the first side. The plurality of charms may comprise a plurality of groups of charms and each of the plurality of loops each may have a group of charms on the first side of the loop and a group of charms on the second side of the loop.

In certain embodiments, a method of retaining hair is disclosed, comprising: providing an adjustable hair retaining device, comprising: one or more elastic strands; and a plurality of charms slidably attached to the one or more elastic strands; wherein the one or more elastic strands is fed through each of the plurality of charms a plurality of times to form a double-stranded, adjustable hair retaining device with a plurality of adjustable loops; and sliding one or more of the plurality of charms relative to each other along the one or more elastic strands to change the size of at least one of the one or more of the plurality of loops. The plurality of charms may comprise a plurality of groups of charms and each of the plurality of loops may have a group of charms on the first side of the loop and a group of charms on the second side of the loop. The method may further comprise adjusting the plurality of charms to flatten the plurality of loops so that the adjustable hair retaining device lies flat for storage. The adjustable hair retaining device may further comprise a tie-back clip to prevent the plurality of loops from lying flat. The method may further comprise sliding the plurality of charms relative to each other along the one or more elastic strands to form the adjustable hair retention device into a cross section in one or more of the following geometric shapes: an equilateral triangle, an isosceles triangle, a square, a rectangle, and a trapezoid. In certain embodiments shown in FIG. 1, a hair retaining device 100 may include an elastic strand 110 that passes through a plurality of connectors 120 to form a double stranded hair retaining device. Each of connectors 120 may include a single connector 120 or a plurality of connectors, for example shown in FIG. 1 as connectors 130, 140 and 150.

In certain embodiments as shown in FIG. 2, hair retaining device 100 may be formed from elastic strand 110. In certain embodiments, elastic strand 110 may include (1) strand portion 210 that passes from connector 270 to connector 290 and then through connector 290 in a first downward direction to (2) strand portion 220 that continues to connector 280 and then through connector 280 in a first upward direction to (3) strand portion 230 that continues to connector 270 and then through connector 280 in a first downward direction to (4) strand portion 240 that continues to connector 280 and then through connector 280 in an first upward direction to (5) strand portion 250 that continues to connector 280 and then through connector 280 in a downward direction to (6) strand portion 260 that continues to connector 270 and then through connector 270 in a first upward direction to reconnect to strand portion 210. Elastic strand 100 may include a single elastic strand or multiple strands connected together to form a unified strand.

In certain embodiments, the wearer can retain hair in the device by stretching the one or more elastic cords and feeding the desired amount of hair through the center of the hair retaining device. If the amount of hair is large compared to the circumference of the device, the hair may be retained by the double strands of elastic held apart by the connectors in a cinching grip, without twisting the device to form multiple loops of constrictive cordage. Depending on the relative circumference of the device and the hair to be retained, the user may also stretch and loop the double elastic band around hair like conventional simple elastic circles.

In certain embodiments, the connectors may include decorative elements or charms for added aesthetic appeal. In certain embodiments loops of elastic may pass through the charms to create a chain. In certain embodiments, a single strand may be woven through all the charms in a series, leading to a faster manufacturing process and a stronger product due to reducing the number of seams to one. In certain embodiments, the wearer may be able to move the charms on the double-stranded design, arranging them on the wrist to be comfortable, or moving them to one section to lay on top of a ponytail. The structure may be the same with the use of different types of elastic cord, different charms, or different numbers of charms.

In certain embodiments, double strands may hold hair very well, and the charms may prevent the strands from tangling and wadding up. In certain embodiments, covering seams closing the ends of elastic cord, for example in a tube or rice-shaped bead, and using charms with a wider diameter opening, may prevent pulling the user's hair out when removed. In certain embodiments, using charms to keep the strands apart may prevent pulling the user's hair out when removed.

In certain embodiments, by placing the charms equidistant and then moving the vertices together, it may be possible to flatten the hair retaining device for storage and shipping. In certain embodiments, all the charms may be moved into a row to form a flat-packed design to reduce packing waste and shipping charges. In certain embodiments, a tie-back clip may be used to keep both strands of the double stranded device together and keep the bracelet shape rather than allowing flattening. The double-stranded hair retaining device may be packaged and shipped on a watch pillow, so the idea of how to wear it on hair or wrist is obvious to the wearer.

By choosing larger or smaller diameter devices, the users may tailor their use to the amount of hair to be retained and preferences for how to wear the device when not installed on hair. In certain embodiments, the user may wear this hair retaining device on the wrist like a bracelet in between installations on hair. In certain embodiments as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the length of the hair retaining device may be increased and additional connectors added to form a headband 700. In certain embodiments, connectors 120 of headband 700 may be slid along elastic strand 100 to form multiple loops of the same size as shown in FIG. 7 or to form multiple loops of at least two different sizes as shown in FIG. 8. In certain embodiments, a larger sized hair retaining device may be used that might be too large for some wrists but may be suitable for use as a head-band style hair retaining device or alternately as a choker necklace between installations on hair. In certain embodiments, a small circumference could be worn as a finger ring. In certain embodiments, a variety of charms may be provided to allow customers to personalize their design like a charm bracelet.

In certain embodiments, the user may adjust the connectors by sliding them into different positions along the circumference of the hair retaining device. Depending on the number of connectors, from a side view the device may create different geometrical configurations. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 7, the plurality of connectors can slide along the elastic strand to evenly space the connectors along the elastic stand to create multiple loops of the same size. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 4-6 and 8, the plurality of connectors can slide along the elastic strand to space the connectors unevenly along the elastic stand to create multiple loops 510, 520 and 530 of the different sizes. In certain embodiments, loops 510 and 530 may be one size and loop 520 may a different size ss shown in FIG. 5 or all three loops 510, 520 and 530 may be different from each other (not shown). For example, three connectors may form three vertices allowing the user to move connectors to create an equilateral (shown in FIG. 3), isosceles (shown in FIG. 6) or scalene (not shown) triangle when viewed from the top of the hair retaining device. Four connectors may serve as four vertices to create squares, rectangles, or trapezoids of different dimensions when viewed from the top of the hair retaining device.

In certain embodiments, the connectors may be embellished to improve the appearance of the device when worn. The user may slide the connectors closer together to ensure they are visible or to hide them under hair at the wearer's discretion. The user may space the connectors apart for comfort, appearance or whim.

In certain embodiments, the connectors may keep the strands separated by a minimum of the connector's width. Upon removal, that separation may prevent the elastic from forming a knot or wad that would trap strands of hair and may simplify separating the strands back into their original position for reuse. When worn to retain hair in a ponytail style, the user may choose how tightly to hold the ponytail and where to position it on the head. When used to create a ponytail, the connectors of the device may act as a brace, pushing the ponytail out from the surface of the skull by the length of the connectors. The longer the connector, the longer the ponytail protrusion supported by the connectors, to create a free-swinging style that is not possible with single-stranded elastic cords. In certain embodiments, users may find a perky ponytail extending from the surface of the skull to be more fashionable or desirable than a conventional limp ponytail that would be created through the use of conventional single elastic hair retaining devices.

While the invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made, and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, method, operation or operations, to the objective, spirit, and scope of the invention. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto. While the methods disclosed herein have been described with reference to particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these operations may be combined, sub-divided, or re-ordered to form an equivalent method without departing from the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of the operations are not a limitation of the invention.