Comb-clip for use with hair

Abstract

A comb-clip for use with hair includes two arms having a pivotable end portion and a free end portion. The comb clip is adapted to enable the arms to be moved toward each other at the free end portion. The comb-clip is adapted to enable the arms to be moved away from each other at the free end portion in an open position of the comb-clip. One of the arms is a comb arm including a comb having a plurality of teeth and the other one of the arms is a cover arm that covers the plurality of teeth of the comb in a closed position of the comb-clip.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A comb-clip for use with hair comprising two arms having a pivotable end portion and a free end portion, the comb clip being adapted to enable the arms to be moved toward each other at the free end portion, the comb-clip being adapted to enable the arms to be moved away from each other at the free end portion in an open position of the comb-clip, one of said arms being a comb arm including a comb having a plurality of teeth and the other one of said arms being a cover arm that covers said teeth of said comb in a closed position of said comb-clip. 
     
     
         2 . The comb-clip of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of teeth of said comb are configured and arranged to extend generally transverse to a longitudinal direction along which said comb-clip extends. 
     
     
         3 . The comb-clip of  claim 1  wherein said plurality of teeth of said comb do not extend past said cover arm transverse to a longitudinal direction along which said comb-clip extends and said plurality of teeth of said comb do not extend past said cover arm generally perpendicular thereto toward a separation of said arms. 
     
     
         4 . The comb-clip of  claim 1  wherein said comb arm and said cover arm are formed of a polymer material. 
     
     
         5 . The comb-clip of  claim 1  wherein said cover arm includes an upper surface and side surfaces that extend downwardly from the upper surface toward said comb arm, covering said plurality of teeth in the closed position of said comb-clip. 
     
     
         6 . The comb-clip of  claim 5  wherein said side surfaces include a plurality of teeth. 
     
     
         7 . The comb-clip of  claim 1  wherein said comb arm and said cover arm have arcuate shapes. 
     
     
         8 . A comb-clip for use with hair comprising:
 a comb arm that is elongated generally in an elongation direction, wherein said comb arm includes teeth spaced and arranged to form a comb in which said teeth extend generally transverse to the elongation direction;   a cover arm that is elongated generally in the elongation direction and covers said teeth of said comb arm when said comb-clip is in a closed position;   said comb arm and said cover arm having an arcuate shape generally in the elongation direction;   wherein both of said comb arm and said cover arm have a first pivotable end portion and a second end portion spaced apart from the first hinge portion in the elongation direction;   a spring attached to said first pivotable end portion of said comb arm and said cover arm, which forces said second end portion of said comb arm and said cover arm toward each other;   wherein near said first pivotable end portion force can be applied to said comb arm and said cover arm so as to move the second end portion of said comb arm and said cover arm away from each other to enable hair to be placed in the comb when said comb clip is in an open position, wherein when said force is released, action of said spring moves the second end portion of said cover arm and said comb arm toward each other, gripping hair when said comb-clip is in the closed position.   
     
     
         9 . The comb-clip of  claim 8  wherein said teeth of said comb are configured and arranged to extend generally aligned with a curved reference plane that includes an axis of said spring and extend generally along the longitudinal direction and across a width of the comb. 
     
     
         10 . The comb-clip of  claim 9  wherein said teeth of said comb do not extend past said cover arm both transverse to said longitudinal direction and generally perpendicular thereto in a direction toward a separation of said comb arm and said cover arm. 
     
     
         11 . The comb-clip of  claim 8  wherein said comb arm and said cover arm are formed of a polymer material. 
     
     
         12 . The comb-clip of  claim 8  wherein said cover arm includes an upper surface and side surfaces that extend downwardly from said upper surface along side surfaces of said comb, covering said comb in the closed position of said comb-clip. 
     
     
         13 . The comb-clip of  claim 12  wherein said side surfaces and said upper surface of said cover arm box in said comb. 
     
     
         14 . The comb-clip of  claim 12  wherein said side surfaces include a plurality of teeth. 
     
     
         15 . The comb-clip of  claim 14  wherein the plurality of teeth of said side surfaces of said cover arm are not interlaced with the teeth of the comb on a side surface of the comb. 
     
     
         16 . A comb-clip for use with hair comprising two arms having a pivotable end portion and a free end portion, the comb clip being adapted to enable the arms to be moved away from each other at the free end portion in an opening direction and toward each other at the free end portion in a closing direction opposite to the opening direction, one of said arms being a comb arm including a comb having teeth and the other one of said arms being a clip arm, said comb arm and said clip arm extending generally in a longitudinal direction between said pivotable end portion and said free end portion, wherein hair is bound between said comb arm and said clip arm when said free end portion of said comb-clip has moved in the closing direction into a closed position. 
     
     
         17 . The comb-clip of  claim 16  wherein said comb arm and said clip arm extend generally along side one another across widths of said comb arm and said clip arm and across the longitudinal direction. 
     
     
         18 . The comb-clip of  claim 16  wherein said teeth extend along a width of said comb arm. 
     
     
         19 . The comb-clip of  claim 16  comprising a spring at said pivotable end portion that biases said comb clip in the closing direction toward the closed position. 
     
     
         20 . The comb-clip of  claim 16  wherein said clip arm and said comb arm press against each other in the closed position so as to hold hair therebetween. 
     
     
         21 . The comb-clip of  claim 16  wherein said clip arm includes an upper surface and side surfaces extending generally from said upper surface along the opening direction and the closing direction, which boxes in a top and sides of said comb in the closed position. 
     
     
         22 . The comb-clip of  claim 21  wherein said side surfaces include teeth extending generally along the closing direction and opening direction. 
     
     
         23 . The comb-clip of  claim 22  with the proviso that said teeth of said comb do not interlace with said teeth of said side surfaces of said clip arm. 
     
     
         24 . The comb-clip of  claim 16  wherein said clip arm includes an upper surface and side surfaces extending downward from said upper surface to a location below the teeth of the comb in the closed position. 
     
     
         25 . The comb-clip of  claim 24  wherein said side surfaces include a plurality of teeth that extend to a location below the teeth of the comb in the closed position. 
     
     
         26 . The comb-clip of  claim 16  wherein the opening direction and the closing direction are along a z axis, the longitudinal direction is along an x axis and a width of said comb arm is along a y axis. 
     
     
         27 . The comb-clip of  claim 26  wherein said teeth of said comb do not extend along the z axis. 
     
     
         28 . The comb-clip of  claim 26  wherein said clip arm includes an upper surface and side surfaces extending downward from said upper surface along the z axis to a location below the teeth of the comb in the closed position. 
     
     
         29 . The comb-clip of  claim 16  whereby a ratio of a height of the comb-clip along the opening direction and closing direction when in the closed position, to a length of the comb clip in the longitudinal direction when in the closed position, is not more than ¼. 
     
     
         30 . The comb-clip of  claim 16  whereby a ratio of a height of the comb-clip along the opening direction and closing direction when in the closed position to a length of the comb clip in the longitudinal direction when in the closed position, is one of the following: not more than ⅕ or not more than ⅒.