Hair accessory for forming and holding hair bun

• US 7,293,566 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Issued: 11/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Barbara Ward Thall
• Original Assignee: Barbara Ward Thall
• Inventors: Thall, Barbara Ward
• Primary Examiner(s): Manahan; Todd E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEITZ, RACHEL RUNNING
• Application Number:
  US10/992,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20060032515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 132/274, 132/55, D28/32, D28/93, D28/41, D28/39, 217/4, 2DI/G 1.1
• US Class Current: 132/274
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 8/40 Hair-nets; Hair-protecting caps

Abstract

A hair accessory includes a pouch formed from an elastic material and having an opening edge. An elastic loop is secured to the pouch at a hem formed at the open edge of the pouch. An elastic band is interengaged with the elastic loop. The elastic band is used to secure hair in a ponytail. The hair then is formed into a bun and the pouch is snapped into engagement over the bun to hold the hair in the bun shape.

Claims

1. A hair accessory comprising a pouch formed from a fabric that comprises an elastic material, the pouch having an opening edge and defining a substantially continuous enclosure at all locations spaced from the opening edge, an elastic cord defining a first loop secured in a hem of said fabric around said opening edge of said pouch and a braided elastic band defining a continuous second loop located outside of an adjacent to the hem, wherein, a portion of the second loop passing through the first loop substantially adjacent the hem so that the second loop is interengaged with the first loop defined by the elastic cord secured in the hem of the pouch and so that remaining portions of the second loop project from the pouch, whereby the second loop enables hair to be retained in a ponytail and whereby the first loop and the pouch then enable the hair to be retained as a bun.

2. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the pouch comprises more than two sheets of material, each said sheet having first and second intersecting curved edges and a third edge extending between the first and second edges, the first curved edge of each said sheet being secured to the second curved edge of an adjacent one of the sheets to form the substantially continuous enclosure of the pouch and the third edges of said sheets being unsecured to one another to define the opening edge of the pouch, the elastic portion defining the first loop being in proximity to the unsecured edges and being at least partly enveloped by the hem formed at said unsecured edges.

3. The accessory of claim 2, wherein all of the sheets of material are essentially identical to one another.

4. The accessory of claim 2, wherein at least on of the sheets of material is of a different color than the other sheets of material.

5. The accessory of claim 1, further comprising non-fabric adornments secured to the pouch.

6. The accessory of claim 1, wherein the pouch is formed from a plurality of sheets of material secured to one another, at least one of said sheets being of a color different from at least one other of the sheets.

7. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the hem is configured to expose a portion of the first loop that is sufficiently large to permit a portion of the second loop to be passed through and interengaged with the first loop.

8. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the first and second loops are formed from the different types of materials.

9. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the first and second loops are interengaged within the pouch.

10. The hair accessory of claim 1, wherein the elastic material of the pouch is dimensioned to the stretched over the bun for holding the bun in a tight neatly contained shape.

11. The hair accessory of claim 10, further comprising non-fabric adornments secured to the pouch.

12. A method for securing a section of hair as a bun, said method comprising:

providing a hair accessory comprising a pouch having an opening edge, an elastic portion defining a first loop secured in a hem of the pouch adjacent the opening edge of the pouch and an elastic band defining a second loop, located outside of and adjacent to the hem, wherein, a portion of the second loop being interengaged with the first loop in proximity to the opening edge so that remaining portions of the second loop project from the pouch;

holding the hair in a ponytail;

securing the elastic band defining the second loop around the hair for retaining the hair in the ponytail;

folding the ponytail substantially into a form of a bun; and

elastically engaging the pouch over the previously formed bun so that the elastic portion defining the first loop in the hem adjacent the opening edge of the pouch substantially overlies the elastic band that defines the second loop for covering the previously formed bun and holding the previously formed bun in place.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the pouch is formed from an elastic material, and wherein the step of elastically engaging the pouch over the bun comprises expanding the pouch to envelop the bun and then permitting the elastic portion of the first loop to snap into engagement with the bun.