US3145718A

US3145718A - Finger comb with tooth spacing slider

Info

Publication number: US3145718A
Application number: US235059A
Authority: US
Inventors: Pigo Lewis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-11-02
Filing date: 1962-11-02
Publication date: 1964-08-25
Anticipated expiration: 1981-08-25

Description

Aug. 25, 1964 L. PlGo 3,145,738

FINGER 00MB WITH TOOTH SPACING SLIDER Filed NOV. 2, 1962 INVENTOR.

LEWIS PIGO ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,145,718 FINGER CGMB WITH TOOTH SPACING SLIDER Lewis Pigo, 1526 Grand Ave., Spring Valley, Calif. Files Nov. 2, 1962, ser. No. 235,059 3 Claims. (C1. 132-148) This invention relates to a finger comb adapted to fit on a finger of the operator and to be used for combing the hair of a person or an artificial wig. It is especially adapted for use in beauty parlorsand barber shops since, due to its lightweight, it can be used for a prolonged time without tiring the operator.

The comb is designed to fit on the end of the index finger of the operator so that rapid strokes of its teeth through the hair can be made by the operator merely bending his linger and without moving his entire hand.

The hair of wigs is often rolled around rollers to curl it and the rollers then removed. The resulting curls are then combed to set the hair in waves. When this combing is done with the usual type of comb having teeth spaced close together, it is found that several hairs are caused to overlap and to draw them between two teeth, the operator must pull so hard that one or more hairs are pulled out of the wig. Repetition of such combing depletes the wig of hair. It is an object of this invention to provide adequate spacing between the teeth of the comb so that only a small pull is exerted on the individual hairs as the comb is drawn through them with the result that no hairs are pulled out of the wig.

Further objects are to provide a finger comb which is light in weight, inexpensive to manufacture, is composed of materials that are readily available on the market and in which the teeth, being made of round wire, are very durable and cannot be broken during ordinary use of the comb.

Another object is to provide a slider on the teeth for the purpose of drawing their ends closer together when hair in confined areas needs to be combed.

Another object is to provide bent portions on some of the teeth which cooperate with the slider to hold or anchor it in a desired position for use.

Another object is to provide a curved hook on the slider to receive the end of the operators middle finger to more firmly hold the comb and also so that the middle finger can assist the index finger to move the comb through the hair.

Further objects will become apparent as the description of my improved comb proceeds. For a better understanding of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. l is a top view of a finger comb embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section taken through the teeth on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 also showing their supporting tube;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the comb in place on the end of an operators finger and;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the slider used on the teeth.

The comb shown comprises a short cylindrical tube 1i) having a width of 1A inch, an outside diameter of l inch and an inside diameter appropriate to cause it to fit on the end of the index finger of the operator, such diameter usually being from 5A; to 3%; inch. Five parallel holes 11 are drilled in one end of the tube in a direction parallel to its axis, the spacing between the centers of each two holes being approximately 5%),2 inch. Into each hole the end of a metal wire 12 extends and is fastened, the wires preferably being made of stainless steel, the total length of each wire being about 2%; inches and its diameter .042 inch. The outer ends of the wires are rounded so that they will not split the hair when in use. Tube vis preferably made of a hard polymerized plastic resin either clear or colored by an admixed dye, and the holes 11 thereice in are drilled to a diameter slightly less than that of wire 12. The inner end of each wire is heated to a temperature sufficient to soften the plastic and then pushed into a hole, the plastic softening around the wire and then quickly hardening to firmly attach the wire to the tube. Or the wires may be attached to the tube by other known means. The center wire is straight and the two wires on each side of it are now bent slightly close to where they leave tube 1t), this permanent bend causing the wires to fan out toward their outer ends where the space between each two wires is preferably about 1A inch. Except as to these bends, all the wires may be straight but the two outside wires are preferably bent, as shown, to provide aligned inwardly bent regions 13 and two bent regions 14 for a purpose to be described.

The comb as described may be used by the operator inserting the end joint of his index finger F within tube 10 as shown in FIG. 3, moving the ends of teeth 12 into the hair to be combed and bending the finger to draw the ends of the teeth through the hair. However, it is preferred to provide a slider 15 of the shape shown made of plastic about 1/s inch thick. The slider has a straight base portion 16 through which extend three circular holes 17 to receive the three inner wires 12 and two short slots 18 to receive the two outer bent wires 12. The upper portion of slider 15 is shaped to provide a long curved tooth or hook 19 which extends out past the end of base 16. The slider may be put in place by pulling the outer ends of wires 12 toward each other and inserting the ends of the two outer wires in slots 18 while the ends of the other three wires enter holes 17. The slider is now slid along the wires until it is in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The comb can now be used with merely the index finger supporting it or the operator can bring the end of his middle finger against the fiat portion Ztl of base 16 and the concave curved region 21 of hook 19 thus providing a firmer grasp of the comb.

After curlers have been removed from a womans hair or a wig, the hair may be teased or back combed to partially remove the curls by passing the comb repeatedly through it toward the scalp or sidewise. This builds up the hair into a larger body or mass and by then stroking the outer portion of the hair downward with the end of the comb, the hair sets in regular waves of good appearance. During the combing there is a tendency for hair rubbing against slider 15 to move it inwardly along teeth 12 towards tube 10. Such movement is prevented by the inwardly

bent regions

13 or 14 of the outer teeth, these regions serving to lock or anchor slider 15 in place.

If the operator wants to make the end of the comb narrower to work on a small or confined mass of hair, he grasps tooth 19 and slides slider 15 along the teeth toward their outer ends thereby pulling the ends of the teeth closer together. The comb Weighs only a fraction of an ounce and due to the fact that it can be rapidly drawn through the hair by merely bending one or two ngers, it effects a great saving in the operators time.

In FIGS. l and 3 the comb is shown for use on the right hand, the end of the middle finger of the operator resting against curved face 21. For use by a left handed operator, slider 15 is slid off teeth 12 and rotated 180 degrees about a vertical axis then slid back into position along the teeth. When the index finger of the operator is now inserted into tube 10, curved tooth 19 will now lie at the left and curved region 21 thereof will be in position to receive the end of the operators middle finger.

By rotating the comb of FIG. l on the operators finger through degrees, curved tooth 19 will extend downwards and is free to be used as a single tooth to be inserted into a strand of hair to pick it up or manipulate it into any shape that a single tooth comb can accomplish.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A light weight finger comb constructed to t tightly on the end of an operators index finger and to be drawn through the hair by merelybending said finger, comprising in combination: a short cylindrical plastic tube having a thin continuous wall of uniform thickness throughout; a plurality of spaced apart thin cylindrical metal teeth whose length is much greater than that of said tube, said teeth having parallel inner ends that pass through one end surface of said tube and are embedded in the wall thereof, said teeth being of substantially the same length and shaped so that the distance between the axes of adjacent teeth progressively increases towards the outer free ends of said teeth whereby the free ends of said teeth can be easily inserted into the hair; and a thin slider around said teeth, the bottom portion of said slider having a set of aligned holes therethrough and one only of said teeth passing through each hole, the distance between adjacent holes being substantially less than the distance between the outer ends of the teeth passing therethrough whereby the outer ends of said teeth are drawn closer together in response to movement of said slider outwardly along said teeth.

2. A light weight finger comb constructed to it tightly on the end of an operators linger, comprising in combination: a short cylindrical plastic tube having a thin continuous Wall whose inner face is cylindrical throughout its entire length; three spaced apart thin cylindrical metal teeth whose length is much greater than that of said tube,

said teeth having parallel inner ends which pass through 30 one end surface of said tube and are embedded in the wall thereof, the central one of said teeth being straight throughout its entire length, the two teeth on opposite sides of said central tooth having axes that diverge from said central tooth as the distance from said tube increases; two outermost teeth having inner ends which pass through one end surface of said tube and are embedded in the wall thereof, said outermost teeth having straight outer ends that diverge as the distance from said tube increases, said outermost teeth having two aligned regions bent in toward said central tooth at a substantial distance from said one end of said tube; and a thin slider around all of said teeth, the bottom of said slider having two aligned short slots therethrough through which said outermost teeth pass and also three circular holes through which said three metal teeth pass, the distance between adjacent holes being substantially less than that between the outer ends of the teeth passing therethrough whereby the outer ends of all said teeth are drawn closer together in response to movement of said slider outwardly along said teeth.

3. A comb as claimed in claim 2, in which the top of said slider is provided with a projecting curved integral hook having a concave face constructed to it against the end of the middle iinger of the operator.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 820,533 Taylor May 15, 1906 1,606,968 Strauss Nov. 16, 1926 2,698,975 Shannon Sept. 2, 1952 2,821,203 Kesterson Jan. 28, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 564,776 Great Britain Oct. 12, 1944

Claims

1. A LIGHT WEIGHT FINGER COMB CONSTRUCTED TO FIT TIGHTLY ON THE END OF AN OPERATOR''S INDEX FINGER AND TO BE DRAWN THROUGH THE HAIR BY MERELY BENDING SAID FINGER, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A SHORT CYLINDRICAL PLASTIC TUBE HAVING A THIN CONTINUOUS WALL OF UNIFORM THICKNESS THROUGHOUT A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART THIN CYLINDRICAL METAL TEETH WHOSE LENGTH IS MUCH GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID TUBE, SAID TEETH HAVING PARALLEL INNER ENDS THAT PASS THROUGH ONE END SURFACE OF SAID TUBE AND ARE EMBEDDED IN THE WALL THEREOF, SAID TEETH BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME LENGTH AND SHAPED SO THAT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE AXES OF ADJACENT TEETH PROGRESSIVELY INCREASES TOWARDS THE OUTER FREE ENDS OF SAID TEETH WHEREBY THE FREE ENDS OF SAID TEETH CAN BE EASILY INSERTED INTO THE HAIR; AND A THIN SLIDER AROUND SAID TEETH, THE BOTTOM PORTION OF SAID SLIDER HAVING A SET OF ALIGNED HOLES THERETHROUGH AND ONE ONLY OF SAID TEETH PASSING THROUGH EACH HOLE, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ADJACENT HOLES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OUTER ENDS OF THE TEETH PASSING THERETHROUGH WHEREBY THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID TEETH ARE DRAWN CLOSER TOGETHER IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID SLIDER OUTWARDLY ALONG SAID TEETH.