Amusement devices: toys – Figure toy or accessory therefor – Head
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-02
2003-03-04
Banks, Derris H. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Figure toy or accessory therefor
Head
C132S053000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06527618
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a doll wig comprising a transparent cap wherein individual strands of hair are attached thereto without pattern. The doll wig is used on porcelain dolls to give a natural looking hair style, but it can also be used on dolls made of other materials such as plastic.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Several people around the United States and throughout the world collect dolls. Porcelain dolls are a favorite collector's item because of the fine detail and delicate features of the figurines. Doll makers dress them with simple outfits or with very extravagant dresses made from the finest materials. Facial features are extremely important because it portrays the doll's life-like appearance. Eyes appear human-like and the eye-lashes are full and long. At a glance, one could often easily mistake a porcelain doll for a small child. In fact, many people request doll makers to construct dolls that resemble their own children, friends or relatives.
The natural appearance of the porcelain dolls can be attributed to the amount of detail used in constructing the doll's facial features, hands, fingers and hair. For example, to achieve the correct skin tone for a porcelain doll, a wash is painted on the doll's head and then baked. Several coats of wash may be used to achieve the correct skin tone and shading. The doll's head can be baked from four to five different times. At each stage more features are added, such as the eyes, eyelashes, eyebrows and the shading of the lips and cheeks. The doll's head is made of porcelain and usually comprises an opening being about 1 to 3½ inches in diameter for eye insertion. The opening, which is typically located at the crown of the porcelain doll's head, is later covered by a pate. The pate can be made of cork, cloth, styrofoam or other hard material. To finish the features of the doll's head, the hair must be attached, which generally covers the pate.
Regardless of the amount of detail made and highlighted in a porcelain doll's facial features, porcelain dolls have one significant drawback in their appearance—their hair. No matter what efforts have been made, doll wigs have never had a natural and realistic appearance. The hair does not move like natural human hair, nor can it be styled like human hair. Overall, unnatural looking hair deteriorates the quality and realistic appearance of the finished porcelain doll.
Unlike wigs or hair-replacements for humans, dolls' hair has different requirements for several reasons. First, a doll's wig needs to cover and conceal the pate at the top of the porcelain doll's head. The pate has a different color and texture, making a clear and unrealistic demarcation with the porcelain head. Second, dolls are not subject to inclimate weather. Dolls, especially collector porcelain dolls, are placed in a safe place away from the wind, rain, humidity and severe heat or cold. Third, human hair-replacements are subject to wear and tear every day through styling processes such as brushing, combing and washing. The doll's hair of the instant invention can be styled repeatedly, but the life of the doll wig is significantly prolonged because it will not be styled as frequently as human hair-replacements. Further, doll's hair may be designed to show regional baldness while human hair-replacements are designed to conceal baldness. Also, unlike human scalps, the scalps of dolls do not need to breathe. The non-ventilated cap of the instant invention would become uncomfortable on humans because it would trap the heat and perspiration generated by a human's head. Because the scalps of doll's heads do not need to be in contact with air, perspiration and breathing problems do not exist with dolls. Because of these different requirements, and due to the smaller sizes needed for dolls, doll designers do not look to human hair-replacements to acquire doll wigs or learn new manufacturing designs and techniques.
The unnatural appearance of a doll's hair can be attributed to the archaic design and techniques used to make the doll's wig, as well as the method used to attach the doll's hair to the head. As shown in
FIG. 1
, one commonly used method includes creating multiple holes in a spaced relationship in the doll's head for permanently attaching large bundles of hair filaments thereto. This method is extremely impractical for porcelain dolls because the brittle porcelain has a tendency to crack and break during the drilling stage. Also, the scalp of the porcelain doll looks unnatural if the hair is parted in any fashion.
Other design techniques and methods include a doll wig having a cap made of netting, which is attached to the doll's head by glue or other conventional permanent attachment methods. As shown in
FIG. 2
, wigs made of netting are comprised of multiple layers of netting and cloth dyed to match the hair color. With this design, it is not preferable to show the surface of the doll's scalp, which is netting or some other cloth, by parting or brushing the hair aside. Further, the multiple layers of material cause the doll wig to look bulky, further contributing to the unrealistic appearance of the doll's hair.
FIGS. 2 and 3
show the netting type doll wigs used in the past, wherein hair is stitched in concentric-parallel circle patterns or rows. This technique is commonly known as “weft knitting.” The doll wig is then finished with a centerpoint at the crown of the doll's head having a bundle of hair extending therefrom. Further, because the hair filaments are sewn in the concentric parallel circles from the outer parameter of the wig to the crown, the hair must be sewn extremely dense to cover the netting or cloth between adjacent rows, adding to the unnatural appearance.
The problems with these past methods of hair attachment are numerous. First, as previously stated, close examination of the scalp area of the doll's head reveals the unnatural bundles and pate as shown in
FIG. 1
or the netting itself as shown in FIG.
2
. Therefore, the hair needs to be very thick to hide these imperfections. Also, doll wigs usually shed because of the loose rooting techniques used to attach such large bundles of hair.
Further, the doll's hair is difficult to restyle. More specifically, the styling or position of a part in the doll's wig is fixed and is not intended to be changed by restyling. For example, if bangs were originally styled in the left direction, they cannot be styled in the right direction without showing netting. Those familiar with hair styling know that hair roots play an important role in the styling process. Hair roots control hair volume and the direction of hair growth. Most notably, styling problems are common with porcelain dolls trying to resemble younger boys. Boy dolls are rarely made because the hair style which is commonly known in the art as the “Dutch boy” look as shown in
FIG. 4
, is the only style typically available.
Still further, doll wigs which utilize netting have attachment problems. The netting will not allow for a close, snug fit to the doll's head. Usually, doll wigs must be permanently attached in place using glue, or other permanent attachment method. If the doll wig needs to be removed, dry glue cannot be removed from the wig or the porcelain head of the doll without damaging the same. Therefore, whenever glue is used to attach a wig to a doll, the wig typically cannot be reused on another doll. Also, attachment problems become more severe when the doll wig needs to be attached in the side burn area along the jaw line. “Popping” often occurs in these contoured areas, causing the doll wig to bulge.
Another problem doll collectors face is the lack of selection of hair styles for individual and personalized porcelain dolls. In most instances, a specific hair style and color is selected from the standard styles and sizes available. The doll designer may try to cut and shape the selected wig to more closely resembl
Farcas Paula S.
Faunda Andrew P.
Banks Derris H.
Cegielnik Urszula M
Herberger Robert J.
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