referring to fig1 through 3 , the foundation for the loop strap hair tie 11 , as a unit , is a generally planar rectangular - shaped strap 13 . alternatively , the invention may include a tail 30 attached to the rectangular - shaped strap 13 as illustrated in fig5 and 6 . by saying that the tail 30 is &# 34 ; attached &# 34 ; to the loop strap 13 , it is meant either that the loop strap 13 and tail 30 are constructed from a continuous piece of fabric or material or that the loop strap 13 and tail 30 are constructed from separate pieces of fabric or materials and fastened together at abutting edges in generally coplanar orientation . the hair tie 11 may be assembled using one or more of a variety of materials or fabrics including , but not limited to , suede , leather , polyester , silk , cotton or vinyl . referring to fig1 the hair tie 11 is rectangular in shape with rounded corners . generally , the overall size range of this embodiment is approximately 3 to 5 inches long and between about 1 and 11 / 2 inches wide . the exact size of the hair tie 11 is determined by the intended range of the amount of hair to be tied by the hair tie . for example , the hair tie 11 is longer for large amounts of hair to be tied and shorter for smaller amounts of hair to be tied . the construction of a single hair tie 11 is detailed in fig3 and 4 . the dimensions that follow are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the size of the invention . as mentioned , the size of the invention is dependent upon how much hair the hair tie is intended to tie . the supporting structure of the invention is a generally planar thin resilient reinforcing film 26 having adhesive 32 laminated on one side . preferably , the reinforcing film 26 is a polyester film characterized by high tensile strength , such as mylar ™ that may be purchased from the dupont company in bloomington , del . the reinforcing film 26 may be any of a variety of thicknesses , but preferably it is about 0 . 003 inches thick . the reinforcing film 26 encompasses the entire surface area of the hair tie 11 and in this example is cut to be 5 inches long by 13 / 8 inches wide . the reinforcing film 26 provides a surface on which all the other components mount directly or indirectly . the preferred adhesive 32 is catalog number 9460 manufactured by the 3m company , minneapolis , minn ., which is a sheet of adhesive material supplied with a wax paper backing 33 ( not shown ) on both sides of the adhesive . the adhesive 32 is cut to the same size as the reinforcing film 26 and laminated to one side 34 of the reinforcing film 26 using pressure . a layer of fabric 14 is laminated by pressure to the adhesive side 34 of the reinforcing film 26 . the fabric 14 may be any of a variety of fabrics and materials such as suede , leather , polyester , silk , cotton and vinyl . the fabric is the same width as the reinforcing film 26 , but is cut 1 / 2 inch shorter than the reinforcing film 26 . in this example , the fabric 14 is 41 / 2 inches long and 13 / 8 inches wide . the fabric 14 is laminated to the reinforcing film 26 so that one end of the fabric 14 corresponds to one end of the reinforcing film 26 . attached to the remaining surface of reinforcing film 26 on side 34 is hook fastening tape 16 . the hook tape 16 is 1 / 2 inch long and 13 / 8 inches wide . the hook fastening tape 16 is a surface consisting of multiple rows of hook fasteners , preferably catalog number 5400 , supplied by rip &# 39 ; n grip industries , chatsworth calif . this specific fastening tape is preferred because it has a high density of hooks per square inch , thus providing increased connecting properties over a small amount of contacting surface area . also , an additional advantage of this fastening tape is that it is less apt to catch the wearer &# 39 ; s hair when the hair tie is fastened . on the adjacent side 35 of the reinforcing film 26 , a stiffening element 28 , the loop fastening tape 18 , a friction pad 20 and an elastic loop 22 is attached to the reinforcing film 26 . the stiffening element 28 must be flexible so that it may be easily shaped and yet maintain its deformation . in the preferred embodiment , the stiffening element 28 is aluminum foil # 1100 soft and 0 . 006 inches thick . it is manufactured by a . j . oster , 22833 la palma avenue , yorba linda , calif . in this example , the size of the stiffening element 28 is 11 / 2 inches long by 13 / 8 inches wide . alternatively , other types of metal foil such as tin or a wire mesh , such as that used in window screens , may be used in place of the aluminum foil . a foil subassembly 36 comprises the stiffening element 28 and the loop fastening tape 18 . adhesive 32 , cut to the same size as the stiffening element 28 , is laminated on both sides of the foil 28 using pressure . on one side of the foil 28 , the loop fastening tape 18 , which is also cut to the same dimensions as the stiffening element of 28 , attaches to the stiffening element 28 . the loop fastening tape 18 is a surface consisting of a fibrous loop fastening material , preferably , catalog number 4600 , also supplied by rip &# 39 ; n grip industries . this subassembly 36 then adheres to one end of the reinforcing film 26 as shown in fig4 . a friction pad subassembly 38 comprises the friction pad 20 having adhesive 32 laminated on one entire side and an elastic loop 22 passing through a hole 24 in the friction pad 20 . the friction pad subassembly 38 adheres to the remaining surface area of the reinforcing film 26 , adjacent to the foil subassembly 36 . preferably , the friction pad 20 is a foam pad , 0 . 062 inches neoprene sponge - hard , manufactured by rubatex corporation , bedford , va . this foam pad is preferred since it provides a non - slip surface and is flexible and supple to allow the hair tie 12 to mold around the hair . alternatively , the friction pad 20 may be made from other rubber - type substances , such as neoprene , so long as it provides a non - slip surface and is flexible . in this illustration , the foam pad 20 is cut to be 31 / 2 inches long by 13 / 8 inches wide . the friction pad 20 includes a hole 24 , about 3 / 16ths of an inch in diameter , for passing an elastic loop 22 therethrough and capturing the ends 23 of the elastic loop . the hole 24 is centrally located in the friction pad 20 and about 13 / 8ths inches from the end of the friction pad 20 as shown in fig2 . the size of the elastic loop 22 varies depending on the amount of hair that the hair tie 11 can hold in a pony tail . generally , the overall length of the elastic loop 22 and ends 23 ranges from approximately 3 to 51 / 2 inches in length and approximately 1 / 8th of an inch in circumference . the size of the loop ranges from approximately 1 to 2 inches in length and has approximately a 190 - 200 percent elastic stretch . the preferred elastic may be purchased from united stretch design , 90 cherry street , hudson , mass , 01749 . the elastic loop 22 passes through hole 24 so that the loop ends 23 adhere to the adhesive 32 laminated to the friction pad 20 . fig5 and 6 represent two views of an alternate embodiment of the invention . this alternate embodiment is the hair tie 12 having a tail 30 extending from the bottom long edge of the rectangular - shaped strap 13 . the actual length of the tail 30 is not critical , but generally its length ranges from about 1 to 2 inches wider at its peak than the width of the rectangular - shaped strap 13 . the assembly of this embodiment is similar to that of the embodiment of fig1 and 2 except that all the components are sized to correspond to the added dimensions of the tail 30 . the tail 30 provides a surface for mounting decorative ornaments 44 such as beads , studs , rhinestones , jewelry , etc . the tail 30 also provides a mounting surface for an optional tailpiece 40 for decoration , which may be a string of beads or braided fabric , ribbon , etc . as illustrated in fig5 and 14 . the hair tie and tail also provide a surface to emboss or print names or logos . in this manner , the hair tie 12 may be decorated to the preference of the user . alternatively , the hair tie 12 may be made in any of various shapes that incorporate the features previously described . for example , the hair tie 12 could be shaped in accordance with holidays or observances , such as a heart for valentine &# 39 ; s day . a preferred method of assembly enables mass production of the hair tie 12 . the method of mass production takes advantage of the layered construction of the components comprising the hair tie 12 and the fact that each component may be purchased in considerable lengths supplied in rolls . fig7 illustrates the method to assemble a roll 54 of the foil sub - assembly 36 from rolls of the individual components that comprise the foil sub - assembly 36 . rolls of the loop fastening material 48 , adhesive 50a , foil 52 and adhesive 50 are aligned in the stated respective descending order in a common vertical plane and attached to spools that rotate at a single constant linear speed . the common vertical plane alignment causes the loop fastening material 18 , adhesive 32 , stiffening element 28 and adhesive 32 to be aligned in the required corresponding layers . the wax paper 33 , is not shown , is removed from both sides on adhesive roll 50a , but the wax paper 33 on adhesive roll 50 is only removed on the face that attaches to the foil 28 unwinding from the foil roll 52 . the ends of the rolls are threaded between rollers 72 that form nip 70 . the pressure of nip 70 causes the adhesive to adhere to each component and the resulting product from the nip winds onto a pickup spool as foil sub - assembly roll 54 . the pickup spool travels at the same linear speed as rolls 48 , 50 , 50a and 52 . fig8 illustrates the method to assemble a roll 58 of the friction pad sub - assembly 38 from rolls of the individual components that comprise the friction pad sub - assembly 38 . rolls of the foam material 56 and adhesive 50 , are aligned in the respective descending order in a common vertical plane and attached to spools that rotate at a single constant linear speed . the wax paper 33 on adhesive roll 50 is only removed on the face that attaches to the foam 20 unwinding from the foam roll 56 . fig8 a illustrates the wax paper 33 on the opposite face slit 63 in one lengthwise location to allow staged removal of wax paper sections 57 and 59 later in the process . the ends of each roll are threaded between rollers 72 that form nip 70 . the pressure of nip 70 causes the adhesive to adhere to the foam 20 and the resulting product from the nip winds onto a pickup spool as friction pad sub - assembly roll 58 . the pickup spool travels at the same linear speed as rolls 56 and 50 . fig9 illustrates the method to assemble a roll of a reinforcing film sub - assembly 62 from a foil sub - assembly roll 54 , a foam pad sub - assembly roll 58 , a roll of reinforcing film 60 and a roll of adhesive 50 . rolls 58 and 54 are aligned in the same horizontal plane so they are laminated on the reinforcing film 26 adjacent to each other in the same horizontal plane as shown in fig4 . also , roll 58 is aligned as such so that wax paper section 59 is adjacent to roll 54 . the remaining wax paper surface 33 on roll 54 is removed and wax paper section 57 on roll 58 is removed . wax paper sections 57 and 59 remain on the foam 20 for removal later in the process . the wax paper 33 on the adhesive roll 50 facing the reinforcing film 26 is removed and the wax paper 33 on the opposite face remains on the adhesive 32 . rolls 58 and 54 , aligned in a in a horizontal plane , are aligned in a common vertical plane with rolls 60 and 50 in the stated descending order . the ends of each roll are threaded between rollers 72 that form nip 70 . the pressure of nip 70 causes the adhesive to adhere to each component and the resulting product from the nip winds onto a pickup spool as reinforcing film sub - assembly roll 62 . as a result of the wax paper section 59 remaining on the adhesive 32 , a portion of the foam sub - assembly 38 does not adhere to the reinforcing film 26 . fig1 illustrates the process of attaching the decorative fabric 14 and hook fastener 16 onto the reinforcing film sub - assembly 62 . decorative fabric roll 66 and hook fastener roll 64 are aligned in the same horizontal plane so they are laminated onto the reinforcing film sub - assembly 62 adjacent to each other in the same horizontal plane as shown in fig4 . the remaining wax paper 33 on the outside face of the reinforcing film sub - assembly roll 62 is removed . rolls 66 and 64 , aligned in a horizontal plane , are aligned in a common vertical plane with roll 62 in the stated descending order . the ends of each roll are threaded between rollers 72 that form nip 70 . the pressure of nip 70 and exposed adhesive 32 causes the fabric 14 and hook fastener 16 to adhere to the reinforcing film sub - assembly and the resulting product from the nip winds onto a pickup spool as finished product roll 68 . fig1 illustrates the finished roll 68 feeding into a die cutter 74 via feed rolls 76 . the die cutter stamps out individual hair ties 12 without an elastic loop 22 . the individual hair tie 12 is deposited into a finished goods hopper 78 and the scrap is deposited into scrap hopper 80 . the advantages of this die - cutting method is that it allows mass production of a uniform hair tie 12 . additionally , the die - cutting method gives the flexibility to vary easily the shape and appearance of the hair tie 12 . die patterns may be easily manufactured in various shapeps that will emboss emblems , names , etc . on the hair ties 12 , or produce cutouts in the hair tie . as currently practiced , hole 24a through foam 20a is formed using a punch in a hand operation . hole 24 is punched - out in the area of wax paper section 57 . after hole 24a is punched in the foam 20 , wax paper section 59 may be peeled away , exposing adhesive 33 . the elastic loop 22a is inserted through the hole 24a so that the loop 23a , not shown will adhere to the adhesive 32a . the loop 23a , not shown are sandwiched between the foam 20a and reinforcing film 26 and securely held in place by the adhesive 32a . additionally , before the foam pad 20a attaches to the reinforcing film 26a , a tail piece 40 may be attached to the tail area 30 by placing a portion of the tail piece 40 between the foam pad 20a and reinforcing film 26a so that the adhesive 32a holds the tail piece 40 in place . optionally , the tail piece 40 may be attached to the tail 30 by attaching a post , similar to those found on pierced earrings , to the tail piece 40 and inserting the post through a pin hole in the fabric layer 14a and reinforcing film 26a . after inserting the post in the pin hole , the post is bent to secure the tail piece 40 in place . the bent post is sandwiched between the foam pad 20a and reinforcing film 26a and held in place by adhesive 32a . alternatively , the tail piece 40 may be attached to the fabric layer 14 using adhesive . as shown in fig1 , elastic loop 22a encircles a lock of hair 42 and initially holds the hair in place . the hair tie 12 wraps in the direction of arrow 46 around the lock of hair 42 in a beltlike fashion until the loop fastening tape 18a faces and detachably engages the hook fastening tape 16a , attached to the outside face of the hair tie 12 . depending upon the amount of hair being tied and how tight the wearer desires the hair tie 12 , the loop fastening tape 18a can engage the hook fastening tape 16a at various selectable locations . the fastening tapes 16 and 18 , when fastened together , strongly resist relative longitudinal movement , but , may be separated from one another by peeling the surfaces apart . if a portion of the loop fastening tape 18a extends beyond and does not engage the hook fastening tape 16a the stiffening element 28 allows the extended end to be molded around the hair tie 12 to give the hair tie 12 a finished look . the friction pad 20a maintains the hair tie 12 in position on the lock of hair . after the hair tie is properly positioned on the lock of hair 42 , decorative ornaments 44 , located on the outside face of the hair tie , face outwardly from the pony tail as illustrated in fig1 . the decorative ornaments 44 , along with an optional tailpiece 40 and imprinted names , are visible to others . modifications and changes from the specific form of the invention herein shown and described as a preferred embodiment will occur to those skilled in the art . all such modifications and changes not departing from the spirit of the invention are intended to be embraced within the scope of the appended claims .
a hair tie to fasten locks of hair into pony tails , braids or dred locks . the hair tie comprises a generally planar , elongated material containing corresponding fastening surfaces at each end . the hair tie encircles the lock of hair in a belt - like fashion and fastens upon itself . the hair tie is capable of tying different amounts of hair by varying the positions the ends of the hair tie engage . additionally , the hair tie incorporates an elastic loop and a friction pad to ensure the hair tie securely attaches and remains in position on the lock of hair . ornamentation , such as jewelry , beads and ribbon , printing and logos may decorate the hair tie , allowing individuals to decorate their hair as well as fasten it .