Hair comb and dual comb hair accessory having same

Abstract

An improved hair comb for a dual comb hair accessory ( 11 ) or the like which has strand connections or terminations. The comb includes a spine ( 17 ) having a raised portion ( 19, 21, 23 ) that can advantageously be used to relocate or reorient strand connections to the comb or combs of the hair accessory relative to the plane of the comb, and that can provide a structure into or behind which strand connections, terminations and/or segments can be tucked. Preferably, the raised spine portions of the combs are constructed to form a raised cavity region ( 27 ) in the spine for receiving strand connections, terminations and/or segments.

What we claim is: 
     
         1 . An improved hair comb for a hair accessory having strands of material that attach to and extend from the hair comb, said hair comb comprising
 a spine having a raised portion,   at least one strand opening in the raised portion of the spine through which a strand of material can be threaded, and   a plurality of teeth extending from said spine.   
     
     
         2 . The improved hair comb of  claim 1  wherein a plurality of strand openings are distributed across the raised portion of said spine. 
     
     
         3 . The improved hair comb of  claim 2  wherein said strand openings are evenly distributed across the raised portion of said spine. 
     
     
         4 . The improved hair comb of  claim 1  wherein the raised portion of said spine includes a raised front edge wall and herein said at least one strand opening is, at least in part, provided in said front edge wall. 
     
     
         5 . The improved hair comb of  claim 1  wherein the raised portion of said spine includes a top wall portion, and wherein said at least one strand opening is, at least in part, provided in said top wall portion. 
     
     
         6 . The improved hair comb of  claim 1  wherein the raised portion of said spine forms a raised cavity region on the underside of said spine into which strand connections, such as strand knots or attachment mechanisms, can be tucked. 
     
     
         7 . The improved hair comb of  claim 1  wherein said extending teeth have a base and an extended end and are characterized by a width and a thickness, and wherein the thickness thereof is substantially uniform over substantially the entire length thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The improved hair comb of  claim 7  wherein ends of the teeth are rounded. 
     
     
         9 . The improved hair comb of  claim 7  wherein the width of said teeth decreases at a substantially uniform rate from the base of the teeth to the ends of the teeth. 
     
     
         10 . The improved hair comb of  claim 1  wherein comb teeth separation channels are formed between adjacent teeth of the comb, wherein said separation channels include long comb teeth separation channels that extend into the raised portion of said spine and at least one short comb teeth separation channel between long comb teeth separation channels, and wherein said strand opening is positioned on the raised portion of the spine between long separation channels. 
     
     
         11 . The improved hair comb of  claim 10  wherein one or more long comb teeth separation channels alternate with at least one short comb teeth separation channel and wherein strand openings are provided in the raised portion of the spine behind short comb teeth separation channels and between the long comb teeth separation channels. 
     
     
         12 . The improved hair comb of  claim 11  wherein a strand opening is provided behind each short comb teeth separation channel. 
     
     
         13 . An improved hair comb for a hair accessory having strands of material that attach to and extend from the hair comb, said hair comb comprising
 a laterally extending spine having a top side, an underside, a leading edge, a trailing edge, said spine further having a raised portion along its length which forms a raised cavity region on the underside of said spine into which strand connections, such as strand knots or attachment mechanisms, can be tucked,   a plurality of strand openings provided along the length of said spine and through which strands of material can be threaded, and   a plurality of teeth extending longitudinally from the leading edge of said spine.   
     
     
         14 . The improved hair comb of  claim 13  wherein said strand openings are provided in the raised portion of the spine such that strands of material threaded therethrough thread directly into said cavity region. 
     
     
         15 . The improved hair comb of  claim 13  wherein the raised portion of said spine is formed by a raised front edge wall that extends upwardly from the spine and a top wall portion extending rearward from said raised front edge wall, said raised cavity region being formed at least in part by said front edge wall and top wall portion. 
     
     
         16 . The improved hair comb of  claim 15  wherein said raised portion further includes a trailing edge wall that extends downwardly from the top wall portion of the raised portion of said spine wherein said raised cavity region is formed by said front and trailing edge walls and said top wall portion. 
     
     
         17 . The improved hair comb of  claim 15  wherein said strand openings are provided, at least in part, in the raised front edge wall of the raised portion of said spine. 
     
     
         18 . The improved hair comb of  claim 17  wherein said strand openings extend from the front edge wall of the raised portion of said spine into the top wall portion of said raised portion. 
     
     
         19 . The improved hair comb of  claim 15  wherein comb teeth separation channels are formed between adjacent teeth of the comb, wherein said separation channels include long comb teeth separation channels that extend into at least the front edge wall of the raised portion of said spine and at least one short comb tooth separation channel between long comb teeth separation channels, and wherein said strand openings are positioned between long separation channels. 
     
     
         20 . The improved hair comb of  claim 19  wherein said long separation channels extend into the top wall of the raised portion of said spine. 
     
     
         21 . An improved hair comb for a hair accessory having strands of material that attach to and extend from the hair comb, said hair comb comprising
 a laterally extending spine having a raised front edge wall that extends upwardly from the spine, a top wall portion extending rearward from said raised front edge, and a trailing edge wall extending downwardly from the top wall portion, said front edge wall, top wall portion and trailing edge wall forming a raised portion that provides a raised cavity region on the underside of said spine into which strand connections, such as strand knots or attachment mechanisms, can be tucked,   a plurality of strand openings provided along the length of said spine and through which strands of material can be threaded, said strand openings being provided, at least in part, in the raised front edge wall of the raised portion of said spine, and   a plurality of teeth extending longitudinally from the said spine.   
     
     
         22 . The improved hair comb of  claim 21  wherein comb teeth separation channels are formed between adjacent teeth of the comb, wherein said separation channels include long comb teeth separation channels that extend at least into the front edge wall of the raised portion of said spine and at least one short comb teeth separation channel between long comb teeth separation channels, and wherein said strand openings are positioned between long comb teeth separation channels. 
     
     
         23 . The improved hair comb of  claim 22  wherein said long comb teeth separation channels extend into the top wall of the raised portion of said spine. 
     
     
         24 . The improved hair comb of  claim 23  wherein said strand openings extend from the front edge wall of the raised portion of said spine into the top wall portion of said raised portion. 
     
     
         25 . A dual comb hair accessory comprising
 dual combs, each of said dual combs being comprised of a spine having a raised portion and an underside, at least one strand opening in the raised portion of the spine, and a plurality of teeth extending from said spine, and   at least one strand connecting the spines of the dual comb through the at least one strand opening in the raised portion of the spines of the dual combs to form strand connections on the raised portion of the spine, such that the spines of the combs oppose each other and such that the combs can be stretched apart and rotated about the strand connections on the raised portion of the spine under the at least one strand for insertion into the wearer's hair.   
     
     
         26 . The dual comb hair accessory of  claim 25  wherein said at least one strand is an elastic strand. 
     
     
         27 . The dual comb hair accessory of  claim 25  wherein the raised portion of the spines of said combs are formed at least in part by a raised front edge wall that extends upwardly from the spine and a top wall portion extending rearward from said raised front edge wall, said front edge wall and top wall portion forming a raised cavity region on the underside of said spine into which terminations or connections of the strand made behind the spines of the combs can be tucked. 
     
     
         28 . The dual comb hair accessory of  claim 25  wherein a plurality of strand openings are distributed across the raised portion of said spine, and wherein said at least one strand connects the spines of the dual comb through at least two strand openings in the raised portion of the spines of each of the dual combs. 
     
     
         29 . The dual comb hair accessory of  claim 28  wherein said strand openings are evenly distributed across the raised portion of the spines of the dual combs. 
     
     
         30 . The dual comb hair accessory of  claim 25  wherein the at least one strand opening is, at least in part, provided in the front edge wall of the raised portion of the spines of the dual combs. 
     
     
         31 . The dual comb hair accessory  claim 25  wherein the at least one strand opening is, at least in part, provided in said top wall portion the spines of the dual combs. 
     
     
         32 . The dual comb hair accessory  claim 27  wherein the raised portions of the spines of the dual combs further include a trailing edge wall that extends downwardly from the top wall portion of the spines of the combs, wherein the raised cavity regions on the underside of the spines of the dual combs are formed by the spine's front and trailing edge walls and top wall portion. 
     
     
         33 . A dual comb hair accessory comprising
 dual combs, each of said dual combs being comprised of a spine having a raised portion, the raised portion of the spines of said combs being formed at least in part by a raised front edge wall that extends upwardly from the spine and a top wall portion extending rearward from said raised front edge, said front edge wall and top wall portion forming a raised cavity region on the underside of said spine,   a plurality of strand openings in the raised portion of the spine, and a plurality of teeth extending from said spine, and   at least one elastic strand connecting the spines of the dual comb through the at least one strand opening in the raised portion of the spines of the dual combs, such that the spines of the combs oppose each other and such that the combs can stretched apart and rotated under the at least one strand for insertion into the wearer's hair, the terminations or connections of the elastic strand being made on the underside of the spine of the combs such that they can be tucked into the spine's raised cavity region.