Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
4~14
ELECTRICAL HEATING CAP
BACI~GROllND OF THE INVENTION
_
The frequent use of hot rollers and electrical hair
- dryers tends to cause hair damage, requiring periodic application
of hair conditioning products. Preferably these conditioners are
- 5 applied to damaged hair in a head-controlled environment for a
short period of time, usually about 30 minutes. Although it is
preferable to apply hair conditioners in a salon under the
~'. supervision of a professional hair dresser, hair conditioning is also
, commonly self-applied at home using a commercially available heat cap or other heat controlled apparatus.
` A number of heating caps for home use are presently
available in the marketplace. These caps are commonly heavy and
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bulky thereby causing difficulties with handling and storage.
More importantly, the heating caps of the prior art all appear to
. 15 have a boat-like shape, best referred to as a "prairie schooner"
design which is ill-constructed to apply even, uniform heat to
damaged hair witll conditioner thereon. This boat-like shape
-~ creates hot spots on the head causing burns to the skin and scalp
-` of the user. Many prior art heat caps are also constructed to
apply heat to unnecessary body areas thereby wasting energy and
causing additional discomfort to the ears and forehead of the user.
The heat caps of the prior art also typically have a
two-way or three-way switch allowing only a limited selection of
temperature choiccs thereby frequently resulting in burns or
inefficient usage by the inexperienced user. Finally, the
unwicldy construction and shape of prior art heat caps makes it
very difficult to assemble said products thercby increasing the
cost and complexity of manufacturing and maintenance.
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4814
- SUM~1ARY O~ THE INVENTION
The present invention is designed to overcome the diffi-
culties discussed above with prior art heat caps. The heat cap of
the prcsent invention is specifically constructed to form a
prismoidal-like cavity open at the base and conforming
approximately to the shape of a user's head with a row of hair
piled thereon. The heating cap of the present invention provides
for electrical heating elements only in areas of the heat cap which
are adjacent to said row of hair and other hair about said row of
!,",. 10 hair with the heating means being disposed throughout the
conditioning zone at a substantial uniform distance from the row of
hair. The remainder of the heat cap comprises a cool zone
: adjacent to portions of the user's head other than those portions
with hair thereon the cool zone being without any heating means
15 and thereby saves on energy usage and minimizes the possibility of
burns to the user's skin or scalp. This cool zone is also
- preferably substantially spaced from the user's head portions for
which no heat is needed.
- The present invention also provides an electrical
20 thermostat for automatically bringing the heating cap to an optimal
-~ temperature and then holding the heat at that temperature during
'~ the desired cond-tioning period. The present invention also
- utilizes a ~lexible material for the heating cap having adjusting
means for changing the size of the curved cavity so as to fit
- 25 users' heads of different sizes. This adjustment means preferably
also includes openings adjacent to the ears of the user's head so
as to minimize any obstruction to hearing by the user and to allow
the user to utilize the telephone during the heat conditioning
process. The heating cap in the present invention also includes
30 substantial insulating elements between the heating means and the
inner surface of the heating cap so as to protect the user' s head
from exposure to extreme heat from any unlikely malfunction of the
heating cap.
One embodiment of the present invention comprises a
35 heating cap for applying heat to a pile of hair on top of a user's
head. The heating cap includes a curvcd shell forming an open
cavity with an inner surface shaped to conform substantially to the
shape of the user's head with said pile of hair thereon. The
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heating cap also includes heating means disposed within the shell
for radiating heat through the inner surface to heat the pile of
- hair and other hair on the user's heacl. The inner surface of the
shell has a conditioning zone adjacent to the pile of hair with
heating means disposed throughout this conditioning zone at a
substantially uniform distance from the pile of hair. The heating
cap also includes a cool zone adjacent to portions of the user's
head other than the top of the head having the pile of hair
thereon and other hair on the user's head the cool zone being
without any heating means.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the
heating cap is provided for applying heat to a row of hair lying
primarily along the top of the head. The heating cap includes an
outer covering having the first and second sides each having a
- 15 curvilinear edge joined to the curvilinear edge of the other side
and a second edge separated from the second edge of the other
side to form a prismoidal-like cavity open at the base conforming
approximately to the shape of the user's head and a row of hair
thereon. The heating cap also includes an inner covering
conforming substantially to the shape of the outer covering and
connected thereto along corresponding edges to form a closed
cavity between ~he inner and outer coverings. The heating cap
further includes heating means within such closed cavity
throughout the portion of said cavity adjacent the row of hair for
~ 25 radiating heat through the inner covering to the row of hair.
;~~ In a further embodiment of the present invention, a
. .:
-- method of manufacturing a heating cap is provided including the
`` steps of cutting identically shaped Srst and second flat flexible
members. Each said member has wing-shaped member pairs which
are mirror-images of each other and which are joined together by a
common bridge portion. Each wing-shaped portion includes first
and second curvilinear edges separated by the bridge portion.
The method includes the step of disposing a heating element and
insulation material betweell the first and second flat members. The
first and second flat members are joined together along their
commonly shaped edges and folded along their common bridge
portions so that the corresponding mirror-image member pairs of
both members overlay each othcr. I;inally, the commonly
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curvilinear edges of each mirror-image member pair are joined
together to form a flat heat cap having flexible sides which
separate for form a cavity which conforms substantially to the
shape of a human head having hair piled on thereon.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that there are
several advantages to the present invention in view of the prior
art. The construction of the heat cap of the present invention is
such that it is shaped to fit a user's head with hair piled thereon
so as to provide uniform heat to the hair being conditioned.
Heating elements are provided in the heat cap only where needed
;-i to condition the hair with a cool zone being provided elsewhere for
the safety of the user and to minimize energy usage. The heat
cap of the present invention is adjustable for different size heads.
It includes an automatic thermostat to prevent overheating and to
reach optimum energy usage and conditioning of the hair, and it
includes an insulation pad between the coils and the head to
prevent burning of the scalp. Finally, the size and construction
of the present invention makes it extremely easy to manufacture,
package and store and results in an attractive, light-weight,
relatively inexpensive heat cap.
. The following detailed description of the present
-. invention together with reference to the figures shown therein
~" provides additional features and advantages of the present
invention as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA~VINGS
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a typical prior art
heating cap in place on the user's head;
FIGURE 2 is a side perspective view of a preferred
30 embodiment of the heating cap of the present invention disposed on
a user's head;
FIGURE 3 is a front perspective view of the heat cap of
the present invention shown in FlGURE 2;
FICURE 4 is a side elevation view of the heating cap of
35 FIGURE 1 in a flat position off of thc user's head;
FIGURE 5 is a side view of thc heating cap of FIGURE 1
showing the adjustment means thereof;
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FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 are views of the heat cap in
FIGURE 1 showing a preferred method of construction of the
heating cap of the present invention; and
FIGURE 9 is an exploded view of a portion of the
heating cap shown in FIGURE ~3 with one of the adjustment flaps
folded back to show the adjusting means of the present invention.
DETAILED l)ESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the figures, a detailed description is
given of a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in
the accompanying drawings. FIGURE 1 shows a typical example of
a prior art heating cap 10 similar in shape to many others of the
-- prior art. Its "prairie schooner" shape is typified by a high
- vertical side 12 curving around the head of the wearer and
terminated with a flat top 14 which curves downward around the
back of the user's head.
For purposes of illustration only, the heating cap is
shown as being transparent so that the position of the user's head
can be seen. The disadvantages of the shape of this prior art
heat cap are readily apparent . The flat top 14 of the cap tends to
.. rest substantially flush along the top of the head where a row of`~ hair 16 has been piled for the conditioning process. However, theportion of the hair row 18 and 19 at the front and back of the
head respectively are a substantially greater distance removed from
the electrical heating cap than the center portion 20 of the hair
row 16 which is normally pushed flat against the user's head by
the top of cap 10. Thus, a uniform distribution heat to the hair
is not possible with this shape.
Moreover, in typical prior art heating caps of the type
shown in FIGURE 1, the electrical heating coils are placed
throughout the heating cap thus applying heat to various parts of
the face, head and neck which do not require heat for the
conditioning process. A particularly likely place for the
application of undesirable heat is the forehead 22 of the user
which typically lies quite close to the sidc wall 12 of the heating
cap. Moreover, the user's ears and parts of the upper face
normally rest quite close to the side wall 12. The result is that
the user may be burned or injured by exccssive heat especially
6 lZ1~8i4
where the flat top of the cap tends to rest substantially flush
along the top of the head and at other unprotected areas of the
- face and head. Alternately, the user may adjust the heat low
enough to be comfortable to those portions where heat is not
desired thus substantially diminishing the effectiveness of the heat
cap in applying heat to the row of hair 16-20 on top of the user's
head .
Prior art heating caps of the type shown in FIGURE 1
are also difficult to assemble having as many as 25 steps involved
in the assembly most of which require manual labor. Since the hat
~ does not naturally lie flat, it cannot be manufactured or cut with a
die and needs to be sewed together by hand. Moreover, the
- shape of prior art caps of the type shown in FIGURE 1 make them
difficult to store and ship. Finally, the heat loss from having
heating coils spaced throughout the prior art heat cap 10 is
substantial. As much as 60% of the heat of these caps may be lost
: because of placement of coils in locations not requiring the
application of heat to the hair.
FIGURES 2 and 3 show a preferred embodiment of the
electrica; heating cap 30 of the present invention. The cap
--- comprises two hemispherical sides 32 and 34 which are joined
- together about their curved periphery 36 and not joined along
- their diametrical straight sides 38 and 40 respectively. The
resulting shape of the heating cap 30 is such that it forms an open
caYity within which the user's head, with a pile of hair thereon,
comfortably fits.
FlGURE 4 also shows a transparent head cap for
, purposes of illustration only to show the advantages of the heatcap of the present invention. As shown, the hair is piled on top
of the user's head from the hair in the front, on the sides and at
the back of the user to from a row 42 lying along the top center
of the head. This row is substantially equally spaced from the
peaked top 36 of the heat cap along the top of the user's head.
It is also spaced at substantially equal distances from the sides 32
and 34 of the electrical heat cap. Moreover, the shape of the heat
cap of the present invention disposes the front and back 44 and 46
respectively of the cap peak a substantial distance from the user's
forehead 48 and back of head 50 respectively. Thus, undesirable
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heat is not applied to the portions of the user's head for which
heat is not required.
The heat cap 30 of the present invention comprises a hot
zone 52 and a cold zone 54 separated by a dotted line 56 which is
shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 only for purposes of illustration.
Dotted line 56 runs horizontally just about the user's ears from the
front to the back of the cap. In the hot zone 52, heating
elements are uniformly spaced within the heat cap to apply heat to
the portion of hair primarily piled on top of the user's head. No
,y,,3 heating elements are provided in the cool zone 54 so that the
: user's forchead, ears and face are not subjected to undesirable
- heat which can cause discomfort or injury to the user. Moreover,
by omitting the heating elements from undesirable areas in the heat
cap 30, a substantial amount of electricity is saved thus resulting
in a much more efficiently operated heat cap.
The resulting shape of the heat cap 30 of the inventio.n
provides a peaked top 36 which is up high around the top of the
head where the hair of the user is piled high so as to apply heat
uniformly to the hair without pushing the hair down or applying
heat also to the uncovered scalp. The sides 32 and 34 of the heat
cap 30 slant outward to conform substantially to the shape of the
. user's head and continue outward to a point 58 with a curved
. opening 60 for the user's ear. Thus, the heat cap 30 extends out
away from the ear to minimize the application of undesirable heat
,-. 25 to the ear and also provides for an aperture 60 through which theuser can hear. The heat cap also extends outward away from the
forehead of the user and away from the sides of user's head and
face not requiring heat. Moreover, the cool zone 54 of the heat
cap 30 also minimizes the application of heat to parts of the face
and scalp where it is not needed. Thus, the heat cap of the
present invention uniformly applies heat to the conditioned hair of
the user while substantially minimizing the use of power and
increasing the comfort of the user.
Rcferring again to FICURE 4, it can be seen that the
side piece 32 of the heat cap includes an opening extending from
the base 38 to the ear aperature 60. As a result, two opposing
flaps 62 and 64 are formed each having an attachment mcmbcr fi6
and ~8 respectively affixed thereto for attachment to cach othcr.
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In the present embodiment shown in FIGURE 4, attachment
member 66 runs along the base 38 of cap side 32 and
attachment member 68 runs substantially vertically along the
flap side 64. Attachment member 66 and 68 are preferably
5 made of some type of self-attaching material or device such
as "Velcro" (trademark). By positioning members 66 and 68
substantially perpendicular to each other, the flaps may be
adjusted relative to each other so that the open cavity
formed by the heating cap 30 may be made larger or smaller
lO to fit the heads of different users.
When desired, attachment members 66 and 68 may be
disconnected so that flap 62 as shown in FIGURE 4 or flap 64
may be bent back away from the user's head to more completely
expose the user's ear for listening or using the telephone
15 without removing the heat cap.
Referring now to FIGURE 5, the heat cap 30 of the
present invention is shown in a flat position removed from
the wearer's head. In this position, the sides 32 and 34 of
heat cap 30 lie flat against each other so that heat cap 30
20 may be easily stored. Attachment members 66 and 68 on flap
62 and 64 respectively are disconnected. FIGURE 5 also
shows an electrical heating cord 70 running from the back of
the heat cap to an electrical plug 72. Preferably, no
manually operated heat switch is needed for the selection of
25 different temperatures by the user. Instead, heat cap 30
includes a conventional thermostat therein for sensing the
temperature within the heat cap and maintaining the heating
coils on or off so as to achieve and hold this optimal
temperature. In the preferred embodiment of the present
30 invention, the air temperature within the cavity of the cap
is preferably held at about 125~F for a 30-minute
conditioning period.
Referring now to FIGURES 6, 7 and 8, a preferred method
of manufacturing the heating cap of the present invention is
35 shown. A flexible "wing-shaped" member 80 is cut from a
long-wearing, heat resistant material such as reinforced
vinyl. Member 80 is cut to form two wing pairs 82 and 84
~Z~4~314
being mirror-images of each other which are joined together
by common bridge portion 86. Wing member 82 has first and
second curvilinear edges 88 and 90 which are separated by
bridge portion 86. Wing member 84 likewise has similar
5 curvilinear edges 92 and 94. Bridge member 82 also has a
substantially straight edge 96 extending substantially
radially from the curvilinear edge 88 and a second radial
edge member 98 extending from the far end of curvilinear
edge 90 opposite bridge 86. Wing member 84 has similar
10 edges 100 and 102. A "pie-shaped" opening is formed between
edges 96 and 98 by flaps 104 and 106 which meet at a
circular aperture 108. Wing member 84 has similar flap
members 110 and 112 terminating at a circular aperture 114.
An insulation member 120 is cut to approximately the
15 shape of wing member 82 but being slightly smaller about its
periphery. A similar insulation pad 122 is cut to overlay
wing member 85. This insulation pad may be of any suitable
insulatin~ material such as "KeflonR (trademark). A heating
element 124 is disposed about a portion of insulation pads
20 120 and 122 so as to provide a substantially even heating
through the portion of the heat cap previously referred to
as the "hot zone." In the preferred embodiment shown in
FIGURE 6, the heating element is a small, insulated,
flexible wire having sufficient resistance to generate
25 substantial and uniform heat along its length. This heating
element 124 also covers a corresponding portion of
insulating pad 122 (not shown).
A second insulation pad 132 is then cut and placed over
the top of insulation pad 122 and the heating coil 124
30 thereon. Insulation pad 132 has preferably substantially the
same size and shape as insulation pad 122. correspondingly,
a second insulation pad (not shown) is also cut and placed
over the top of insulation pad 120 and the heating element
line disposed thereon.
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Referring now to FIGURE 7, a second "wing-shaped" member
140 is cut having a shape and size substantially identical
to that of wing-shaped 80. Wing-shaped member 140 is then
disposed over wing-shaped member 80 with the insulation pads
5 and heating element which were previously described disposed
between members 80 and 140. These two members are then
joined together along their commonly shaped edges by sewing,
heat sealing, gluing or the like. Preferably, the bridge
10 portion 142 is not sewed directly to bridge portion 86 of
member 80 since there are no open edges, so that the heating
element can extend freely between opposite sides of the
members.
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Finally, in l;IGURE 8, wing-shaped members 80 and 140
-: are folded along their corresponding bridge portions 86 and 192 so
that the mirror-image pairs of both members are folded on each
other. The mirror-image pairs are then attached together along
common curvilinear edges 1~4 and 1~6 and common curvilinear
edges 148 and 150 as shown in FIGURES 7 and 8. This attachment
may be accomplished preferably by heat sealing, sewing, gluing or
the like. The straight edges of the common wing-shaped pairs
152, 154, 156 and 158 are not joined together so as to leave an
opening over which the heat cap may fit onto the user's head.
Referring now to FIGURE 9, the adjusting members 66
and 68 are attached to the flaps 62 and 64 of the side 32 of the
. heap cap 30. Similar adjusting members are attached to side 34opposite side 32 including adjusting member 160 shown in FIGURE
9. Members 66 and 68 are preferably attached by sewing or
gluing but may be attached in any other suitable manner. As
previously mentioned, members 66 and 68 are affixed so that the
two members may be attached together at different positions
- allowing the user to adjust the size of the head cavity formed by
. 20 the heat cap.
Although a preferred embodiment of the present
invention has been described and disclosed in detail, it should be
understood that the present invention includes other obvious
modifications besides the embodiments shown. For example, the
electrical heating cap of the present invention may be formed in
somewhat different shapes from that shown provided that the cap
shape provides an open head cavity designed substantially to fit
the user's head having hair piled on the top thereof for
conditioning. It should also be understood that different other
;- 30 suitable fabrics and materials may be utilized other than those
described herein which have the necessary flexible and heat
properties required for satisfactory operation of the heat cap of
the present invention. Moreover, other minor modifications in the
positioning of the heating elcmcnts and insulation pads which
clearly fall within the scope of the present invention.
What is claimed is:
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