DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] While the method and device described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0018] A hair roller system as described herein, may be used by an individual to straighten, smooth or similarly manipulate a user's hair, and may in an alternate embodiment be used to create curls in the user's hair. For example, if the user desires to straighten, smooth or similarly manipulate the user's hair, the user may desire to use a roller having a larger outer diameter, if however, the user desires to curl or similarly manipulate the user's hair, the user may desire to use a roller having a smaller outer diameter. For illustrative reasons only, the hair roller system will herein be described as being utilized to straighten, smooth or similarly manipulate the user's hair.

[0019] Referring now to the drawings, and with specific reference to FIGS. 1 and 6, the hair roller system 20 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the disclosure is generally depicted. As shown therein, the hair roller system 20 includes a roller 22, a roller clip 24, and a snap-on flap 26.

[0020] In one exemplary embodiment, the roller 22, as shown in FIG. 2 may be of a generally cylindrical shape including a first end 27, a second end 29, an inner diameter 28, an outer diameter 30, an inner surface 32 and an outer surface 34. The inner surface 32 of the roller 22 and the outer surface 34 of the roller 22 may be constructed from one or more materials. The inner surface 32 of the roller 22, for example, may be constructed from a semi-rigid or rigid plastic material, to give rigidity or form to the roller 22, and the outer surface 34 of the roller 22 may be constructed from a material adapted to engage with the user's hair, such as Velcrot or other type of hook and/or loop material. The inner surface 32 of the roller 22 and the outer surface 34 of the roller 22 may, however, be the same material and may be constructed from any material suitable for the intended purpose. The outer diameter 30 of the roller 22 may be sized, as mentioned above, to accomplish various hair results. To obtain smooth, straight or similar qualities of the hair, the outer diameter 30 of the roller 22, in one exemplary embodiment, may be in the range from about 2″ to 3″, and more specifically may be about 2.5″ in diameter. To obtain curly or similar qualities of the hair, the outer diameter 30 of the roller 22, in one exemplary embodiment, may be in the range from about 0.75″ to 2″, and more specifically may be about 1.25″ in diameter.

[0021] The inner diameter 28 of the roller 22 may be dimensioned relative to the outer diameter 30 of the roller 22. More specifically, the inner diameter 28 of the roller 22 may be dimensioned relative the outer diameter 30, such that the thickness 36 of the roller 22, is dimensioned to engage with the roller clip 24 in a manner described more fully below.

[0022] In one exemplary embodiment, the roller clip 24, as shown in FIG. 3, may be of a generally rectangular shape having an upper side 38, a lower side 40, a first end 42 and a second end 44. A pair of retaining members 46, 48 may be disposed on the ends 42, 44 of the roller clip 24, and may be adapted to engage with the roller 22. More specifically, the retaining members 46, 48 may be a pair of L-shaped hooks having a width 50, located on the lower side 40 of the roller clip 24 and facing toward the center of the roller clip 24. The roller clip 24 may also be adapted to removably attach to the snap-on flap 26 via a connector located near the center of the roller clip 24. More specifically, the roller clip 24 may include a pair of apertures 52 located near the center of the roller clip 24 that may be adapted to engage with a pair of posts 54 located on the snap-on flap 26. The roller clip 24 and the snap-on flap 26 need not be removably attached, but may be adapted to fixedly attach or be constructed as a unitary component (not shown).

[0023] In one exemplary embodiment, the snap-on flap 26, as shown in FIG. 4, may be of a generally rectangular shape having an upper side 56, a lower side 58, a first end 60 and a second end 62. A connector may be disposed on the upper side 56 near the first end 60 of the snap-on flap 26, and may be adapted to connect the snap-on flap 26 to the roller clip 24. More specifically, the snap-on flap 26 may include the pair of posts 54 located on the upper side 56 near the first end 60 of the snap-on flap 26 which may be adapted to engage with the apertures 52 of the roller clip 24. The posts 54 may include retaining portions, such as notches 64, adapted to retain the roller clip 24 on the snap-on flap 26. A resilient member 66 may be disposed on the lower side 58 near the first end 60 of the snap-on flap 26, and may be adapted to engage the roller 22. More specifically, the resilient member 66 may be a piece of foam, sponge or the like located on the lower side 58 of the snap-on flap 26 near the junction point of the roller clip 24 and the snap-on flap 26 when the components are combined as shown in FIG. 5. The resilient member 66 may be adapted to compress as the roller clip 24 is pressed onto the roller 22, and the roller system 20 may be placed into tension once the roller clip is secure on the roller 22. More specifically, once the roller system 20 is connected and the resilient member 66 is compressed, the resilient member 66 will be biased to decompress therefore placing the roller system 20 into tension. The tension in the roller system 20 may remove gaps or areas between the roller clip 24, the snap-on flap 26 and roller 22. The resilient member 66, aside from being constructed from a piece of foam, sponge or the like, may be constructed from plastic, metal, or any other material suitable for the intended purpose, and may be constructed in the form of a spring or any other resilient member.

[0024] In operation, the hair roller system 20 may be used to straighten, smooth or similarly manipulate the user's hair and/or may be used to curl the hair. In one exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the snap-on flap 26 may be connected to the roller clip 24. More specifically, the posts 54 of the snap-on flap 26 may be engaged with the apertures 52 in the roller clip 24, such that the lower side 40 of the roller clip 24 substantially abuts the upper side 56 of the snap-on flap 26, and such that apertures 52 of the roller clip 24 are engaged with the notches 64.

[0025] In one exemplary embodiment, the hair of the user, as seen in FIG. 7, may be wound around the roller 22 by placing strands of hair on top of the outside of the roller 22 and rolling the lower portion of the roller 22 toward the user, thereby winding the strands of hair around the roller 22.

[0026] The strands of hair may be wound around the roller 22 until all the hair is wound, as seen in FIG. 1, or until any point the user desires. The user may then attach the roller clip 24 and the snap-on flap 26 to the roller 22 as seen in FIGS. 6 and 8. More specifically, the user may place roller clip 24 and the snap-on flap 26, onto the roller 22, such that the resilient member 66 is touching the roller 22 near the center of the roller 22. Using the L-shaped retaining members 46, 48, the user may snap or otherwise engage the width 36 of the roller 22 into the retaining members 46, 48 located on the first and second sides 42, 44 of the roller clip 24. For example, in one exemplary embodiment, the user may snap the retaining member 46 onto the second end 29 of the roller 22, and then may snap the retaining member 48 onto the first end 27 of the roller 22. Alternatively or additionally, the user may snap the retaining members 46, 48 of the roller clip 24 onto the first and second ends 27, 29 of the roller 22 at the same time.

[0027] In one exemplary embodiment, once the roller clip 24 and the snap-on flap 26 are engaged with the roller 22, the resilient member 66, now compressed between the (hair and/or) roller 22 and the snap-on flap 26, may create tension between the roller clip 24, the snap-on flap 26 and the roller 22. The tension between the various parts of the roller system 20 may create friction between the roller 22 and the resilient member 66, prevent the roller 22 and the strands of hair from unrolling, and prevent the snap-on flap 26 and the roller clip 24 from disconnecting. In one exemplary embodiment, the snap-on flap 26, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9, may support the roller system 20 during use. More specifically, as the first end 60 of the snap-on flap 26 is engaged with the roller clip 24, the second end 62 of the snap-on flap may be adapted to engage the user's head thereby preventing the roller 22 from pulling on the hair and/or preventing the roller 22 from sagging.

[0028] Once the roller system 20 is in use and in tension, and thus preventing the roller 22 and the roller clip 24 from moving, the second end 62 of the snap-on flap 26 may be disposed proximate the user's head, and the hair strands on top of the roller 22 may be located substantially tangential to the roller 22 and parallel to the ground. The strands of hair as wound around the roller 22, shown in FIGS. 7 and 1, may create a bias in the roller 22 to unwind, such that the top of the roller 22 rotates toward the head of the user, and thus unwinds. When the roller system 20 is in use, however, factors including, but not limited to, the tension between the roller system 20 components, the lack of rotational movement between the roller 22 and the roller clip 24 due to the width 50 and/or tightness of the retaining members 46, 48, and the tightness of the connection between the roller clip 24 and the snap-on flap 26, may create a unitarily acting hair roller system 20, such that all components act as a substantially single piece. When the hair roller system 20 acts as a substantially single piece, the bias in the roller 22 to unwind toward the head of the user, may force the second end 62 of the snap-on flap 26 to be forced into the head of the user, thereby supporting the hair roller system 20.

[0029] Furthermore, the roller system 20 and the roller clip 24 in particular, may enable the strands of hair to engage with the roller 22. For example, as the strands hair are wound onto the roller 22, the strands of hair may eventually overlap each other creating layers of hair on the roller 22. As the layers of hair increase, the outer surface 34 of the roller 22 may become covered by the initial layers of hair, thereby denying the remaining layers the benefit of engaging with the outer surface 34 of the roller 22. The roller clip 24, and more particularly, the retaining members 46, 48 may prevent the upper layers of the hair from falling of the roller 22.

[0030] In one exemplary embodiment, the hair roller system 20 may further include a second roller 22B and a second roller clip 24B. As shown in FIG. 9, the second roller 22B may be wound around the strands of hair located below the first roller 22, and may be wound in a similar manner as the first roller 22. To secure the second roller 22B to the first roller 22, the user may abut the first and second rollers 22, 22B, such that the top of the second roller 22B is adjacent to the bottom of the top roller 22, and secure the two rollers 22, 22B to each other with the roller clip 24B. More specifically, the user may place the roller clip 24B into either the roller 22 or the roller 22B and connect the rollers 22, 22B by snapping retaining members 46B, 48B of the roller clip 24B onto the ends of the rollers 22, 22B. The retaining member 46B, 48B may be large enough to engage both the width 36 of the roller 22 and a width 36B of the roller 22B, due to the elimination of the snap-on flap 26 and the resilient member 66, thereby allowing for extra space for the retaining members 46B, 48B to engage the rollers 22, 22B.

[0031] In another exemplary embodiment, the hair roller system 20 may further include a plurality of rollers 22, a plurality of roller clips 24 and a plurality of snap-on flaps 26. In use, the user may desire to manipulate one or more section of hair located around the user's head, which may require the use of several rollers 22, roller clips 24 and snap-on flaps 26.

[0032] In a further exemplary embodiment, the user may at anytime before, after and/or during the winding of the strands of hair around the roller 22, wet the hair with water and/or any hair styling product to facilitate manipulation of the hair and/or to add a desired quality to the hair, such as body, hold, softness, volume, aroma, shine, lack of frizz, and the like.

[0033] The foregoing detailed description has been given for clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art.