Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Hair washing machine or device or accessory – Body-portion rest
Reexamination Certificate
2002-02-06
2003-04-22
Fetsuga, Robert M. (Department: 3751)
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Hair washing machine or device or accessory
Body-portion rest
C004S519000, C004S515000, C004S575100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06550078
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates in general to the health and beauty industry, and devices used therewith. More particularly, the invention relates to a head and neck support for use in supporting the head of a person over a salon shampoo bowl while receiving a shampoo or other hair or facial treatments.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As known, the clients of a beauty salon, for example, who receive any type of a treatment or procedure which requires the washing or wetting of their hair, or a facial treatment, typically recline in a chair and place their neck through and onto a U-shaped opening formed in the side of a shampoo bowl, and lean their head back into the bowl. Without support, this posture causes the neck of the client to lie at an unnatural angle and may strain the client's neck, spine, and back muscles. The weight of the client's head with wetted hair combined with the forces exerted by a cosmetologist applying treatment or washing the hair can hyperextend the client's neck causing strain to neck muscles, damage to cervical vertebrae, and retard the flow of oxygen to the brain causing strokes or transient ischemic attacks.
Salon sink radiculopathy, or injury to nerve roots leading from the spinal cord to the extremities, is a medical condition believed to pose an increased risk of injury to people with problems such as arthritis or prior neck injuries resulting from traffic, work, or sports accidents. Treatments for radiculopathy include medication, therapy, and even surgery. To prevent neck and spinal discomfort or injury to a client, therefore, a cosmetologist oftentimes has to physically grasp and support the client's head during any such treatments or procedures which in turn induces a strain in the cosmetologist's back, neck, and arms, and may also lead to him/her coming into contact with the chemicals and/or solutions being used for the client's treatment.
Prior attempts have been made to deal with this problem. For example, the patent to Page, U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,542, discloses a shampoo headrest with a support post atop of which is a cup onto which the client lays their head. The cup provides some support for the client's head, and allows the cosmetologist to use both of their hands during a hair care treatment, for example. Problems with the device of the '542 patent, however, are that it appears to be complicated to install, does not provide any neck support for the user, provides little support to the entire head as the client's head rests only on the small area of the cup, and there is little room allowed for the client to turn their head without otherwise falling off of the support. Moreover, as the cosmetologist must lift the client's head for rinsing, the design of the device makes it difficult to rinse the client's hair, and it appears this device would be uncomfortable for use with perm rollers and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,820 to Varallo, discloses a hairdressing head support which mounts on a shampoo bowl. The head support holds the client's head upright while partially enveloping the client's head. The device of Varallo has disadvantages in that the customer's head appears to remain upright, thus allowing the client's face and/or shoulders to get wet when their hair is being washed and/or rinsed. The '820 device is also complex with many parts to adjust, and makes the rinsing and moving of the client's head difficult.
Another headrest for shampoo bowls and sinks is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,711, which illustrates a rectangular mesh strip which spans a shampoo bowl and attaches to either side thereof. The mesh strip may be adjusted to fit varying sizes of bowls and may be moved to various positions relative to the front of the bowl. The disadvantages of this device, however, are that it provides no support to the client's neck, cannot be adjusted in height, perm rods and rollers, and possibly the stylist's fingernails, may get caught in the device, the client's hair may also could get caught in the device, and the device makes it difficult to rinse the client's hair.
The sealed neck support for shampoo bowls of U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,580 is adapted to be installed in the U-shaped indention in the side of a shampoo bowl, and is designed to cushion the client's neck. The product clips onto the U-shaped portion of the bowl opening, and has a membrane which forms a leak barrier to keep the client from getting wet. A disadvantage of the '580 device, however, is that it does not provide support for the client's head as it only cushions or seals against the neck in the U-shaped opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,303 illustrates a head support for a salon basin having a perforated headrest plate that sits inside the shampoo bowl, and is formed to be concave to fit the client's head. The plate is attached to the front rim of the bowl with bendable hooks and is further supported by a threaded support member which is adjustable in length and engages the inner surface of the bowl. The device of the '303 patent appears to be shaped in such a manner so as to not allow the client's head to turn completely from side to side during shampooing or rinsing. Further, the holes in the plate appear to be large enough to allow hair to pass therethrough during hair treatment procedures, the device provides no support to the neck, and the height of the device relative to the top of the shampoo bowl cannot be raised or lowered for various hair and facial treatments.
The permanent wave headrest attachment of U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,216 was designed for supporting the head while rinsing permanent waves. This device provides a plastic frame covered with a mesh panel to support the head. The device hooks to the shampoo bowl via a rigid strap hanger which adjusts to fit various bowls. The design of the '216 patent appears to be such that hair and rollers would easily be caught in the mesh panel, however. In addition, the device is suitable for use only for a shampoo bowl with a downturned lip at an outer edge, therefore use of the device with a bowl of alternate edge construction does not appear possible.
What is needed, but seemingly unavailable from the known devices, is a head and neck support adapted for use as a salon sink or shampoo bowl, that can be easily fit to any such sink or bowl, and which fully supports the head of a client to prevent hyperextehsion of the client's neck and damage to cervical vertebrae. Also needed is a head and neck support so constructed and installed that a cosmetologist or other beauty care professional need not physically support the patron's head during the desired treatments or procedures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An improved head and neck support for use with a salon shampoo bowl which overcomes some of the design deficiencies of the art is disclosed. The head and neck support of this invention is constructed and arranged to be suspended within the shampoo bowl and to support a salon client's head over the shampoo bowl in hands-free fashion with the client's neck in a neutral position, and which also will reduce the likelihood of strains and discomfort to both the client and the hair stylist.
This is accomplished by providing a head and neck support for use with a shampoo bowl comprising a head support piece, at least one elongate strap, and at least one, and preferably a pair, of grasping elements affixed to the at least one strap. The grasping elements are each sized and shaped to be passed over the edge or lip of the shampoo bowl side walls, and the support piece is suspended within the bowl by the at least one strap and the grasping elements as they each grasp the top edge of the shampoo bowl side wall(s), and by an elongate tongue extended from the support piece which is sized and shaped to be passed through and supported on a U-shaped neck depression or opening defined within a front wall of the shampoo bowl. The support piece may also comprise an elongate shelf with
Brown Joy Anderson
Hansford Paula Thaxton
Fetsuga Robert M.
Hansford & Brown, Inc.
Huynh Khoa
Needle & Rosenberg P.C.
LandOfFree
Head and neck support for salon shampoo bowl does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Head and neck support for salon shampoo bowl, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Head and neck support for salon shampoo bowl will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3029046