Hair scrunchie

Abstract

A hair scrunchie is described. The hair scrunchie may include a covering that includes a head and feet or other lower appendages located on opposite sides of an opening. The hair scrunchie may be movable between an expanded configuration and a collapsed configuration and may include a lock to maintain the hair scrunchie in a configuration until actuated by the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hair scrunchie comprising:
 a ring-shaped covering comprising a front surface, a rear surface, a top, a bottom, a covering height extending from the top to the bottom, a covering width perpendicular to the covering height, and an interior located between the front surface and the rear surface, the ring-shaped covering comprising an opening, the opening having a height parallel to the covering height and a width perpendicular to the covering height;   a head comprising one or more facial features attached to the front surface adjacent to the top and located above the opening;   a lower appendage attached to the covering adjacent to the bottom and located below the opening;   an elastic pull cord comprising a ring-shaped segment extending about the covering interior, the ring-shaped segment having a height parallel to the covering height and a width perpendicular to the covering height;   wherein the covering is moveable between an expanded configuration in which i) the opening has an expanded opening height and an expanded opening width; ii) the covering has an expanded covering height and an expanded covering width; and   iii) the ring-shaped segment has an expanded ring-shaped segment height and an expanded ring-shaped segment width; and iv) the lower appendage is located a first distance from the head, and a collapsed configuration in which i) the opening has a collapsed opening height and a collapsed opening width; ii) the covering has a collapsed covering height and a collapsed covering width; and iii) the ring-shaped segment has a collapsed ring-shaped segment height and a collapsed ring-shaped segment width; and iv) the lower appendage is located a second distance from the head, the second distance less than the first distance, the collapsed opening height and width less than the expanded opening height and width, the collapsed covering height and width less than the expanded covering height and width, the collapsed ring-shaped segment height and width less than the expanded ring-shaped segment height and width.   
     
     
         2 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 1  wherein the rear surface comprises at least one hole and further wherein the pull cord comprises two intermediate segments extending out the at least one hole in a rearward direction relative to the covering. 
     
     
         3 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 2  wherein the head is located on the front surface and the at least one hole is behind the head and adjacent to the ring-shaped covering top. 
     
     
         4 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 2  further comprising a pull cord lock located rearwardly relative to the covering and comprising at least one lock hole receiving the two intermediate segments of the pull cord and allowing the intermediate segments to pass therethrough, the pull cord further comprising a protrusion located rearwardly relative to the pull cord lock and the two intermediate segments, wherein moving the pull cord lock forwardly on the pull cord toward the covering rear surface is configured to move the covering from the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration, and wherein moving the pull cord lock rearwardly on the pull cord away from the covering rear surface is configured to move the covering from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration. 
     
     
         5 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 4  wherein the protrusion is wider and/or taller than the at least one lock hole. 
     
     
         6 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 4  wherein the protrusion is removable. 
     
     
         7 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 4  wherein the lock hole and each of the two intermediate segments comprise a height and further wherein the height of the at least one lock hole is substantially equal to the heights of each of the two intermediate segments. 
     
     
         8 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 1  wherein the expanded opening width is substantially equal to the expanded opening height, the expanded ring-shaped segment height, and the expanded ring-shaped segment width and further wherein the collapsed opening width is substantially equal to the collapsed opening height, the collapsed ring-shaped segment height, and the collapsed ring-shaped segment width. 
     
     
         9 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 1  wherein the covering interior comprises a pocket receiving the ring-shaped segment. 
     
     
         10 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 1  wherein the head comprises at least one of eyes, ears, a mouth, and a nose. 
     
     
         11 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 10  wherein the lower appendage is in the form of a pair of feet. 
     
     
         12 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 10  wherein the lower appendage is in the form of a fin. 
     
     
         13 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 10  wherein the head is a head of a human or other animal and the lower appendage is a lower appendage of a human or other animal. 
     
     
         14 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 1  wherein the covering is a fabric. 
     
     
         15 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 1  wherein the covering comprises a plurality of folds, and further wherein the covering has more folds in the collapsed configuration as compared to the expanded configuration. 
     
     
         16 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 1  wherein the opening is located approximately in the center of the covering height and the covering width. 
     
     
         17 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 1  wherein the covering further comprises an elastic band holding a hair clip. 
     
     
         18 . The hair scrunchie of  claim 17  wherein the elastic band is located adjacent the head. 
     
     
         19 . A method of using a hair scrunchie comprising the steps of:
 a) providing the hair scrunchie of  claim 1 ; and   b) moving the covering from the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration.   
     
     
         20 . A method of using a hair scrunchie comprising the steps of:
 a) providing the hair scrunchie of  claim 1 ; and   b) moving the covering from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of placing a human user's hair through the opening. 
     
     
         22 . A hair scrunchie comprising:
 a ring-shaped covering comprising a front surface, a rear surface comprising at least one hole, a top, a bottom, a covering height extending from the top to the bottom, and an interior located between the front surface and the rear surface, the ring-shaped covering comprising an opening, the opening having a height parallel to the covering height and a width perpendicular to the covering height;   a head comprising one or more facial features attached to the front surface adjacent to the top and located above the opening;   a lower appendage attached to the covering adjacent to the bottom and located below the opening;   an elastic pull cord comprising a ring-shaped segment extending about the covering interior, the pull cord comprising two segments extending out of the at least one hole;   a pull cord lock located rearwardly relative to the covering and comprising a hole receiving the two segments of the pull cord and allowing the pull cord segments to pass therethrough, the pull cord further comprising a protrusion located rearwardly relative to the pull cord lock,   wherein the covering is moveable between an expanded configuration in which i) the opening has an expanded opening height and an expanded opening width; ii) the covering has an expanded covering height and an expanded covering width; and iii) the ring-shaped segment has an expanded ring-shaped segment height and an expanded ring-shaped segment width; and iv) the lower appendage is located a first distance from the head, and a collapsed configuration in which i) the opening has a collapsed opening height and a collapsed opening width; ii) the covering has a collapsed covering height and a collapsed covering width; and iii) the ring-shaped segment has a collapsed ring-shaped segment height and a collapsed ring-shaped segment width; and iv) the lower appendage is located a second distance from the head, the second distance less than the first distance, the collapsed opening height and width less than the expanded opening height and width, the collapsed covering height and width less than the expanded covering height and width, the collapsed ring-shaped segment height and width less than the expanded ring-shaped segment height and width,   wherein moving the pull cord lock on the pull cord toward the covering rear surface is configured to move the covering from the expanded configuration to the collapsed configuration, and   wherein moving the pull cord lock on the pull cord away from the covering rear surface is configured to move the covering from the collapsed configuration to the expanded configuration.