Afro Comb

Conventional combs tend to tug and pull out the hair as they are passed through it, both because the hair becomes bunched between the teeth, and because it becomes wedged in the ordinarily tapered juncture of the teeth with the spine. This effect is aggravated when the comb is used in kinky hair and has resulted in the development of the so-called "Afro" comb which is in popular current use among Blacks. However, a typical Afro comb is somewhat awkward in that the teeth are extraordinarily long and in some of these combs there is still a tendency for the hair to bunch and bind.

The comb of the instant invention combines the advantages of the long-toothed Afro comb with the compactness of the conventional comb, and provides the additional advantage of having an easily utilized part-effecting handle.

The teeth of the instant comb, unlike those of either conventional combs or Afro combs, are not parallel-sided but are provided with strategically placed notches or cut-aways so that the channels defined therebetween are periodically expanded, in one embodiment forming a somewhat curvaceous configuration, and in another periodic expanded circular portions are created, in either case the irregularities incorporated in the sides of the teeth allowing for the expansion, and thus freeing, of hair which has become bunched in the outer portions of the hair receiving channels. The channels become enlarged at the point where the teeth join the comb spine so that this area, which ordinarily is conducive to the wedging of hair caused by the V-shaped juncture of the teeth with the spine, permits the passage of hair in bunches therethrough so that hair is not pulled. The comb is provided with a handle with a curved slot which forms a point on one side, the innermost end of the slot being widened, again to permit the passage therethrough of bunched hair.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of the comb;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail of the teeth;

FIG. 5 is a further enlarged sectional view taken on line 5--5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative tooth configuration; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a further tooth configuration.

The comb is shown in full in FIG. 1 and has a spine 10 the rear surface of which is curved at 12 to conform generally to the shape of the head so that it may be used to smooth the hair. The spine joins the large end teeth 14 and connects with the central teeth 16, the entire structure preferably being molded of plastic or the like.

Each pair of adjacent teeth defines a channel 18 therebetween which of course receives hair during the combing operation, and each of these channels, in contrast to the ordinary configuration thereof, is formed into widened or expanded areas 20 by means of strategically placed notches or relieved portions 22 in the comb teeth. Because of these notches, the tendency of the hair to bunch as it enters the teeth of the comb is greatly reduced, and because of a final expanded area 24 at the base of the notch, as the comb is pulled through the hair, the hair will not wedge between the teeth.

It can be seen from an examination of FIGS. 1 and 4 that the notches 22 in the sides of the teeth are staggered for each individual channel such that a somewhat serpentine configuration is achieved, which could be exaggerated by rounding the edges of the notches, and this arrangement has the additional effect of creating a channel whose effective length is longer than the linear length of the teeth that are used.

Another notch configuration is illustrated in FIG. 6 wherein the notches of adjacent teeth are juxtaposed to form an oval or somewhat circular area 26 for the abovementioned purpose, and the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 is similar in effect to that illustrated in FIG. 6 except that the ovals 26 are staggered from one channel to the next. It can also be seen, particularly in FIGS. 2-5, that the surfaces of the channels are not flat but slightly tapered, this being particularly evident in FIG. 5. Alternatively, these edges could of course be smoothly contoured.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the spine 10 of the comb smoothly continues to define a flat planar handle 28 in which is formed an arcuate slot or bay 30 which in turn forms a curved pointed member 32, the interior end of the slot being expanded at 34 so that when the pointed end 32 is pulled through the hair to form a part, hair does not bunch and become wedged in the slot but rather passes freely through the expanded portion 34.

Thus the comb in its several embodiments is ideal as an Afro comb, having the advantages of permitting the free combing of the hair without wedging and jambing, as well as the advantage of the short teeth utilized in a conventional comb, the addition of the part-forming slot also being entirely original.