Lice and nit removal comb

Abstract

A comb for removing lice and nits from animal and/or human hair is provided with two spaced apart rows of teeth, the teeth in each row being successively adjacent to and in close proximity to one another with tapered distal ends, respectively, the longitudinal centerlines of the teeth of one row being respectively aligned with the longitudinal centerlines of spaces between the teeth of the other row, and with the teeth of one row being longer than the teeth of the other row.

1 . A comb for removing lice and nits from animal and/or human hair, comprising:
 a handle having a top, bottom, front face, and back face;   a plurality of elongated first teeth each having a proximal end, and a distal end, the proximal ends of said first teeth being secured into an edge portion of the bottom of said handle proximate the said front face, said first teeth being successively adjacent and spaced apart in close proximity to one another in the same plane to form a row thereof;   a plurality of elongated second teeth each having a proximal end, and a distal end, the proximal ends of said second teeth being secured into an edge portion of the bottom of said handle proximate said back face, said second teeth being successively adjacent and spaced apart in close proximity to one another in a common plane to form a row thereof;   said row of first teeth being parallel to and spaced apart from said row of second teeth; and   said first teeth being at least as long as said second teeth.   
   
   
       2 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein the distal ends of each one of said plurality of first and second teeth are tapered. 
   
   
       3 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of first teeth consist of 36 teeth, and said plurality of second teeth consist of 35 teeth. 
   
   
       4 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of first and second teeth each consist of stainless steel. 
   
   
       5 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein the rows of successive teeth of said plurality of first and second teeth, respectively, are displaced from one another, thereby providing that no one of said plurality of first teeth are in direct opposition to any one of said plurality of second teeth. 
   
   
       6 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal centerlines teeth of the rows of said plurality of first teeth are aligned directly with the longitudinal centerlines of the spaces between the teeth of the row of said plurality of second teeth. 
   
   
       7 . The comb of  claim 1 , further including means for positioning the teeth of said plurality of first and second teeth to provide a tortuous or circuitous path for hairs to pass through, for enhancing the teeth scraping the hairs to remove lice and nits therefrom and trap them within said comb. 
   
   
       8 . The comb of  claim 7 , wherein said positioning means includes aligning the longitudinal centerlines of the teeth of one of said rows of said plurality of first and second teeth with the longitudinal centerlines of the spaces between the teeth of the other of said rows. 
   
   
       9 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein said handle consists of plastic material. 
   
   
       10 . The comb of  claim 9 , wherein said plastic material is selected from the group consisting of ABS, and polypropylene. 
   
   
       11 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein said handle further includes a plurality of nodular projections on portions of its said front and back faces. 
   
   
       12 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein said handle is configured to have curved edge portions about its said top, front, and back faces. 
   
   
       13 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein said plurality of first and second teeth have circular cross-sections along their lengths. 
   
   
       14 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein the length of said plurality of first teeth extending from said handle is about 1.47 inches, and the length of said plurality of second teeth extending from said handle is about 1.22 inches. 
   
   
       15 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein the gap or spaces between successive ones of said plurality of first teeth, and successive ones of said plurality of second teeth, is about 0.005 inch. 
   
   
       16 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein the spaces between the rows of said plurality of first and second teeth is about 0.107 inch. 
   
   
       17 . The comb of  claim 14 , wherein the total exposed length of said plurality of first teeth is about 1.47 inches, and of said plurality of second teeth is about 1.22 inches. 
   
   
       18 . The comb of  claim 1 , wherein said first teeth are longer than said second teeth. 
   
   
       19 . A method for producing a comb for removing lice and nits from animal and/or human hair, comprising the steps of:
 securing a row of a plurality of first teeth to a bottom portion of a handle of said comb;   securing a row of a plurality of second teeth to the bottom portion of said handle spaced apart from said row of a plurality of first teeth;   making said plurality of first teeth at least as long as said plurality of second teeth;   spacing apart in close proximity to one another the successive teeth in said row of first teeth;   spacing apart in close proximity to one another the successive teeth in said row of second teeth; and   aligning the longitudinal centerlines of the teeth of one of said rows of said plurality of first and second teeth with the longitudinal centerlines of the spaces formed between the teeth of the other of said rows.   
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 18 , further including the step of:
 tapering the distal ends of each one of the teeth of said pluralities of first and second teeth.