Artificial hair and method for producing artificial hair

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024026572-A1
Application number	US-202318374495-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 28, 2023
Priority date	Apr 30, 2021
Publication date	Jan 25, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fluffy and voluminous artificial hair and a method for producing the same are provided. Artificial hair including a fiber cord with one or more fiber bundles braided or spirally wound has a configuration in which the fiber bundle is a bundle of a plurality of fibers including a first fiber and a second fiber. A cross section orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle has a core and a shell enclosing the core. The core has a blend of the first fiber and the second fiber. The shell consists of the second fiber. A total area of voids in the shell on the cross section is larger than a total area of voids in the core on the cross section.

First claim

1 . Artificial hair comprising a fiber cord including one or more fiber bundles braided or spirally wound, wherein
the fiber bundle includes a plurality of fibers including a first fiber and a second fiber, and the plurality of fibers are bundled together, a cross section that is orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the fiber bundle includes:
a core; and
a shell enclosing the core,
wherein
the core includes the first fiber and the second fiber in a mixed state, and
the shell consists of the second fiber, and

a total area of voids in the shell in the cross section is larger than a total area of voids in the core in the cross section.

2 . The artificial hair according to claim 1 , wherein the fiber bundle has a ratio of a shell area to a core area in the cross section larger than a ratio of mass of the second fiber to mass of the first fiber.

3 . The artificial hair according to claim 1 , wherein the second fiber comes from an inside of the core, passes through a gap between adjacent first fibers, and reaches the shell.

4 . The artificial hair according to claim 1 , wherein the shell area is larger than the core area in the cross section.

5 . The artificial hair according to claim 1 , wherein a minimum thickness of the shell in the cross section is 0.1 mm or more.

6 . The artificial hair according to claim 1 , wherein a mass of the second fiber is 20 to 80 parts by mass based on a total of 100 parts by mass of the first and second fibers.

7 . The artificial hair according to claim 6 , wherein the mass of the second fiber is 50 parts by mass or more based on the total of 100 parts by mass of the first and second fibers.

8 . A method for producing artificial hair, comprising the steps of:
(a) forming a fiber cord by braiding a fiber bundle or by spirally winding the fiber bundle around a rod-shaped body with a tip of the fiber bundle fixed, the fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of fibers including a first fiber and a second fiber; and (b) heating the fiber cord at a heating temperature equal to or more than a softening point of the first fiber, wherein the first fiber has a thermal shrinkage of 10% or more when heated at the heating temperature for 10 to 90 minutes whereas the second fiber has a thermal shrinkage of 5% or less when heated at the heating temperature for 10 to 90 minutes.

9 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein a softening point of the second fiber is higher than the softening point of the first fiber by 60° C. or more.

10 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein a difference between the thermal shrinkage of the first fiber and the thermal shrinkage of the second fiber is 15% or more when heated at the heating temperature for 10 to 90 minutes.

11 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the heating temperature is lower than the softening point of the second fiber.

12 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein a total length of the fiber cord after step (b) is 0.2 to 0.7 times compared to a total length of the fiber cord before step (b).

13 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the fiber cord is heated for 15 minutes to 2 hours in step (b).

14 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein a mass of the second fiber is 20 to 80 parts by mass based on a total of 100 parts by mass of the first and second fibers.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein a mass of the second fiber is 50 parts by mass or more based on the total of 100 parts by mass of the first and second fibers.

16 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the first fiber is a polyvinyl chloride-based fiber.

17 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the second fiber is a polyester-based fiber, an acryl-based fiber, or a nylon-based fiber.

18 . The artificial hair according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the first fiber is 20 inches or more.

Assignees

• Kaneka Corp

Inventors

• Nakamura Yu

Classifications

• D01D11/00 Primary

  Other features of manufacture · CPC title

• A41G3/00 Primary

  Wigs (for dolls only A63H3/44) · CPC title

• A41G5/00

  Hair pieces, inserts, rolls, pads, or the like; Toupées · CPC title

• A41G3/0083

  Wigs characterised by their hair filaments · CPC title