Hair design system and its applications

• US 6,994,552 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2001
• Issued: 02/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Phiten Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Phild Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hirata, Yoshihiro, Yamashita, Yuko
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheng, Joe H.
• Application Number:
  US10/312,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20030160827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 434/94, 434/99, 434/100, 434/365, 434/371, 434/377, 345/173, 345/419, 345/420, 345/473, 345/629, 345/630, 345/634, 132/200, 132/213, 132/214, 702/19, 702/90, 335/12, 424/70.1, 463/25, 446/268, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 434/94
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2007/007 Processes of trimming or cutting hair for hairdressing purposes
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 44/005 for selecting or displaying personal cosmetic colours or hairstyle

Abstract

As shown in FIG. 1, a hairstyle design system comprises an image-processing device 1, an input/output device 2, a graphic system 3, a display device 4, a head-development drawing information-storage device 5, and a hairstyle-design information-storage device 6. In other words, the beautician or the customer designs a desired hairstyle while looking at the display device 4. Information on the designed hairstyle is stored in the head-development drawing information-storage device 5 as numerals and/or symbols assigned to each of a plurality of divided sections. When processing hair, the beautician displays a head-development drawing on the display device 4, and by referring to the drawing the beautician cuts or applies permanent wave to the hair in order to design a hairstyle precisely as desired by the customer and reproduce a predetermined hairstyle accurately.

Claims

1. A hairstyle design system comprising:

an input/output device for inputting instructions for selecting or processing images and for outputting status information;

a graphic system that converts image information into image data for display;

a display device for the display of the image data;

a head-development drawing information-storage device that stores data on two-dimensional head-development drawings representing multiple hairstyle designs, said drawings showing multiply-divided sections of a hair growing region of the head, each section including numerals and/or symbols representing hair length and color and the type of permanent wave;

a hairstyle-design information-storage device that stores data on three-dimensional hairstyle designs corresponding to the two-dimensional head-development drawings, said hairstyle designs being changeable by the section; and

an image-processing device that i) retrieves the data on two-dimensional head-development drawings and the data on three-dimensional hairstyle designs, ii) synthesizes image information on the two-dimensional head-development drawings and image information on the three-dimensional hairstyle designs, iii) outputs to the graphic system the synthesized image information on the two-dimensional head-development drawings and on the three-dimensional hairstyle designs to display on the display device as the image date the two-dimensional head-development drawings and on the three-dimensional hairstyle designs, iv) modifies the image information based on instructions from the input/output device, and v) saves data on two-dimensional head-development drawings and data on three-dimensional hairstyle designs into the head-development drawing information-storage device and the hairstyle-design information-storage device, respectively, as instructed via the input/output device.

2. The hairstyle design system as described in claim 1, wherein the head-development drawing consists of a plurality of major sections and numerous subsections as defined by subdividing said major sections into smaller sections.

3. The hairstyle design system as described in claim 2, wherein the plurality of major sections are divided along the centerline of the head and further divided into the front top, back, top side, underside and nape sections.

4. The hairstyle design system as described in claim 2, wherein the plurality of major sections in the head-development drawing are the front, top, side and back sections of the head.

5. The hairstyle design system as described in claim 2, wherein the numerous subsections in the head-development drawing are subsections defined by subdividing the major sections, formed by dividing the head, into smaller sections.

6. The hairstyle design system as described in claim 2, wherein the number of the sections ranges approximately between 10 and 160.

7. The hairstyle design system as described in claim 1, wherein the head-development drawing is modified to match the unique characteristics of a customer'"'"'s head.

8. The hairstyle design system as described in claim 1, wherein the numerals and/or symbols entered for each of the sections of the head-development drawing represent the hair length and color and the type of permanent wave.

9. The hairstyle design system as described in claim 1, wherein the image-processing device is a CAD/CAM system.

10. The hairstyle design system according to claim 1, wherein the sections are defined by dividing the hair growing region by multiple parallel lines generally horizontal with respect to an upright human head.

11. A hairstyle design method using the hairstyle design system of claim 1, comprising:

inputting instructions to the input/output device;

retrieving the data on two-dimensional head-development drawings and the data on three-dimensional hairstyle designs stored in the head-development drawing information-storage device and the hairstyle-design information-storage device;

synthesizing image information on the two-dimensional head-development drawings and image information on the three-dimensional hairstyle designs;

outputting to the graphic system the synthesized image information on the two-dimensional head-development drawings and on the three-dimensional hairstyle designs;

converting by the graphic system the image information into image data for display;

displaying on the display device as the image date the two-dimensional head-development drawings and on the three-dimensional hairstyle designs;

selecting a hairstyle design shown on the display device by a customer or a third party;

modifying the image information based on instructions from the input/output device; and

saving the modified image information into the head-development drawing information-storage device and the hairstyle-design information-storage device as instructed via the input/output device.

12. The hair-processing method according to claim 11, further comprising processing hair with reference to the two-dimensional head-development drawings displayed on the display device.

13. The hair-processing method according to claim 11, wherein in the selecting step, a beautician numerals and/or symbols corresponding to the hairstyle design in sections of the two-dimensional head-development drawing.