Apparel – Head coverings – Muffs
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-06
2001-03-06
Hale, Gloria M. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Head coverings
Muffs
C002S209000, C128S866000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06195806
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a covering for the ears of the human body, particularly to a pair of protective ear coverings which can be worn about the ears and which can be used to fold the upper ear lobes of the ear away from the scalp while treating the hair of the person about the ears.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When a person uses a curling iron or other device about the head for the purpose of curling or otherwise treating the hair of the head, there are times when the device being used is hot and can burn an ear of the person during use. For example, when a curling iron is used adjacent an ear, with the hair being wound about the heated iron, it is difficult for the person to accurately control the position of the curling iron. There are times when through inattention or accident, the curling iron is likely to engage the upper lobe or rear lobe of the ear. This is because it is sometimes desirable to place the curling iron immediately adjacent the ear so as to curl the hair closest to the ear, and because the upper lobe and rear lobe of the ear usually protrude toward the hairline of the head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,001 discloses a protective ear covering device which includes a pair of mutually opposed earmuffs mounted at the ends of a strap, and a drawstring is arranged to be pulled by the wearer so as to progressively close the openings into the earmuffs, thereby closely encircling the earmuffs about the ears. This is for protecting the ears from heat and hair dressing preparations while the hair of the user is being treated. However, the use of a drawstring type protective ear covering device requires the provision of a support strap having a passage therethrough for drawstrings and the threading of the drawstrings through the strap, together with the use of a substantial amount of material in the ear protectors. Also, the user is required to manipulate the drawstring of the ear protector when placing the protector about the ears, and the material of the ear protector is likely to protrude into the space surrounding the ears, forming an obstruction to the curling iron, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, the present invention comprises an ear protector for protecting the ears of a person during the application of heat to the hair of the person. A pair of ear covers are provided, with each cover adapted for mounting against the upper and rear lobes of an ear, with the upper and rear lobes folded over away from the hair line of the person. The ear covers each include an arcuate ear engager and a soft face for engaging the upper and rear lobes of an ear. The soft face material is, for example, a foam rubber or other heat resistant cushion material and is placed in a recess of the relatively hard ear engager, which can be made of plastic. Both the cushion material and the ear engager are made of heat insulation material and the ear covers are sized and shaped to cover the upper and rear lobes of the ears when folded away from the head. A U-shaped support yoke is mounted to the ear covers. The yoke has a pair of arms joined at their lower ends to each other and each arm has at its upper end a fork-shaped support structure that is connected in a supporting relationship to an ear engager of each ear cover. The U-shaped support yoke holds the ear covers in a mutually opposed relationship. The support yoke is of generally U-shaped configuration and spans a space larger than the distance from a person's ears and about the chin of a person, so that the support yoke can hang downwardly from the ears about the chin of a person when the device is being used.
The ear engagers are shaped to maintain the upper and rear lobes of a person's ears in a folded configuration away from the head of the person. Generally, the arcuate ear engagers are shaped approximately like the helix of a typical ear and urge the upper and rear lobes of the ear downwardly away from the scalp of the head, while the heat insulation characteristics of the materials from which the ear engagers are made protect the folded and protruding upper and rear lobes of the ears from contact by a heated curling iron, etc.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved ear protector for protecting the ears of a person during the application of heat to the head and hair of a person.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved ear protector which includes arcuate ear engagers which are mounted against the upper and rear lobes of a person's ears when folded away from the head, including a support yoke for manipulation by the wearer and for maintaining the ear engagers in mutually spaced relationship and biased toward the ears to snugly hold the ears in the desired out-of-the-way positions when treating the hair adjacent the ears.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved ear protector for holding the upper and rear lobes of the ears of a person away from the scalp while heat is applied to the hair about the ears.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4991686 (1991-02-01), Allen
patent: 5615417 (1997-04-01), Jackson
patent: 5718001 (1998-02-01), Wright
patent: 5920912 (1999-07-01), Patchett
patent: 813532 (1949-07-01), None
patent: 686061 (1930-07-01), None
patent: 834692 (1938-11-01), None
patent: 26402 (1905-12-01), None
Hale Gloria M.
Patel Tejash
Thomas Kayden Horstemeyer & Risley
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