U.S. patent application number 11/122282 was filed with the patent office on 2006-11-09 for retractable nail brush.
Invention is credited to Thomas C. Holcomb.
Application Number | 20060248671 11/122282 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37308271 |
Filed Date | 2006-11-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060248671 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Holcomb; Thomas C. |
November 9, 2006 |
Retractable nail brush
Abstract
A retractable nail brush for artificially enhancing nails is
disclosed, comprising a body with a lengthwise oriented slot, a
bristle mount operably configured to slide into and out of the
body, a plurality of bristles secured to the bristle mount, and a
slide retainer operably configured to slide in the slot and retain
the bristle mount to the body. The retractable nail brush may be
articulated using one hand to promote ease of use as well as to
store bristles in the body to prevent their contamination.
Inventors: |
Holcomb; Thomas C.;
(Riverside, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
NEAL, GERBER, & EISENBERG
SUITE 2200
2 NORTH LASALLE STREET
CHICAGO
IL
60602
US
|
Family ID: |
37308271 |
Appl. No.: |
11/122282 |
Filed: |
May 4, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/184 ;
15/169 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46B 2200/1046 20130101;
A46B 7/023 20130101; A46B 17/04 20130101; A45D 34/043 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
015/184 ;
015/169 |
International
Class: |
A46B 9/08 20060101
A46B009/08 |
Claims
1. A cosmetic nail brush for artificially enhancing fingernails,
comprising: a body having a longitudinally oriented slot, the body
having at least one open end; a bristle mount operably configured
to slide into and out of the body through the at least one open
end; a plurality of bristles secured to the bristle mount; and a
slide retainer extending from the bristle mount and positioned
through the slot in the body, the slide retainer operably
configured to retain the bristle mount to the body.
2. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 1, wherein the slide
retainer is operably configured for extending and retracting the
bristle mount into and out of the body.
3. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 2, wherein the
bristle mount is extendable and retractable using only one digit of
one's hand to any position along the length of the slot.
4. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 3 further including a
cap, the cap operably configured for the removable closure of the
at least one open end of the body to form a substantially enclosed
space, the cap operably configured for slidable retention to the
body.
5. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 4, wherein the cap is
operably configured to retract the bristle mount to any position
along the length of the slot.
6. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 5, wherein the cap
includes an aperture for venting moisture from the enclosed
space.
7. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 1, wherein the
plurality of bristles are operably configured to withstand and
apply a monomer to one's fingernails during artificial nail
enhancement procedures.
8. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 1, wherein the
bristle mount includes a crimp to retain the plurality of bristles
to the bristle mount.
9. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 1, wherein the
plurality of bristles are embedded in the bristle mount.
10. A cosmetic nail brush for artificially enhancing fingernails,
comprising; a generally hollow body having a longitudinally
oriented slot, the body having at least one open end; a bristle
mount operably configured to slide into and out of the body through
the at least one open end, the bristle mount having an open end; a
bristle mount adapter secured to and extending from the open end of
the bristle mount; a plurality of bristles secured to the bristle
mount; a slide retainer radially extending from the bristle mount
adapter and positioned through the slot in the body, the slide
retainer operably configured to retain the bristle mount to the
body; a cap operably configured for the removable closure of the at
least one open end of the body to form a substantially enclosed
space, the cap operably configured for slidable retention to the
body. wherein the bristle mount adapter is operably configured for
extending and retracting the bristle mount into and out of the
body; wherein the bristle mount is extendable and retractable using
only one digit of one's hand to any position along the length of
the slot.
11. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 10, wherein the cap
includes an aperture for venting moisture from the enclosed
space.
12. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 10, wherein the
plurality of bristles are operably configured to withstand and
apply a monomer to one's fingernails during artificial nail
enhancement procedures.
13. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 10, wherein the
bristle mount includes a crimp to retain the plurality of bristles
to the bristle mount.
14. The cosmetic nail brush described in claim 10, wherein the
plurality of bristles are embedded in the bristle mount.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to cosmetology instruments,
and more particularly to nail brushes for artificial nail
enhancement of a person's fingernails.
[0002] Many cosmetic nail brushes have been developed to apply
acrylic compounds for sculpting artificial nails to one's natural
nail plate during artificial nail enhancement procedures. For
example, cosmetic nail brushes having bristles fastened to
generally straight and slender wooden handles have long been known.
While these types of cosmetic nail brushes are useful for one-time
or disposable uses, a continual need exists for novel approaches
for multiple use nail brushes that enable a nail care professional,
using only one hand, to easily prevent contamination of the nail
brush bristles during use of the device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention is directed to a retractable nail
brush for artificially enhancing nails, comprising a body with a
lengthwise oriented slot, a bristle mount operably configured to
slide into and out of the body, a plurality of bristles secured to
the bristle mount, and a slide retainer operably configured to
slide in the slot and retain the bristle mount to the body. The
retractable nail brush may be articulated using one hand to promote
ease of use as well as to store bristles in the body to prevent
their contamination.
[0004] A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features,
properties and relationships of the invention will be obtained from
the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which
set forth illustrative embodiments that are indicative of the
various ways in which the principles of the invention may be
employed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] For a better understanding of the invention, reference may
be had to preferred embodiments shown in the following drawings in
which:
[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a prior art nail
brush, shown assembled with a cover;
[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates another perspective view of the prior art
nail brush of FIG. 1;
[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the prior
art nail brush of FIG. 1 showing the cover removed from the
brush/handle combination;
[0009] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a retractable nail
brush embodying the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 5 illustrates another perspective view of the
retractable nail brush of FIG. 4;
[0011] FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded view of the retractable nail
brush of FIG. 4 showing the fully articulated brush;
[0012] FIG. 7 illustrates another exploded view of the retractable
nail brush of FIG. 4 showing the fully retracted brush;
[0013] FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of the retractable nail brush
of FIG. 4 shown with the brush fully articulated and without the
cap;
[0014] FIG. 9 illustrates a front elevational view of the
retractable nail brush of FIG. 8;
[0015] FIG. 10 illustrates a bottom plan view of the retractable
nail brush of FIG. 8;
[0016] FIG. 11 illustrates a left side elevational view of the
retractable nail brush of FIG. 8;
[0017] FIG. 12 illustrates a right side elevational view of the
retractable nail brush of FIG. 8;
[0018] FIG. 13 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the
retractable nail brush along line 13-13 of FIG. 11 and/or FIG. 12;
and
[0019] FIG. 14 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the
retractable nail brush along line 14-14 of FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Turning now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals
refer to like elements, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 a prior
art nail brush 1 of conventional design including cover 2, ferrule
3, handle 4, and bristles 5. In the closed configuration shown in
FIGS. 1-2, a mild friction fit exists between cover 2 and handle 4
to maintain their unity. Cover 2 provides protection to bristles 5
from contamination when nail brush 1 is not being used by the nail
care professional. As shown in FIG. 1, cover 2 may include hole 6
to enable trapped moisture to escape from bristles 5 when cover 2
is mounted onto handle 4. As shown in FIG. 3, bristles 5 are
secured in ferrule 3 using conventional means, such as by crimp 7
of ferrule 3. Finally, ferrule 3 is conventionally secured to
handle 4 via an interference fit between the two parts. As shown in
the figures and described below, however, prior art nail brush 1
lacks a means for the nail care professional to easily protect
bristles 5 from contamination of debris during use of the nail
brush, without resorting to stopping work and installing cover 2 to
accomplish this goal.
[0021] FIGS. 4-14 illustrate retractable nail brush 10 embodying
the present invention useful for applying acrylic monomers and the
like to one's fingernails during the process of artificial nail
enhancement. As will be shown and described below, the present
invention provides the nail care professional with multiple options
to prevent contamination of the bristles of retractable nail brush
10 during use of the device.
[0022] FIGS. 4-5 illustrate retractable nail brush 10 in its fully
assembled and closed condition. Although retractable nail brush 10
is shown having a generally round cross section, in practice,
retractable nail brush 10 may comprise any one of a number of cross
sectional shapes; preferably the overall length should be at least
three times its cross sectional diameter to maintain overall
instrument balance and ease of use. In addition, while retractable
nail brush 10 is shown generally straight, in practice, nail brush
10 may alternatively be curved and/or ergonomically contoured.
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 4-5, retractable nail brush 10 may
include cap 20 and body 30. Cap 20 is optionally designed to be
slidably retained by body 30 via a mild friction fit between cap 20
and body 30. Cap 20 may be placed on either end of body 30, such
as, for example, on open end 28 of body 30 for maximum protection
of bristles 50, or on closed end 29 of body 30 to insure that cap
20 does not become lost during use of retractable nail brush 10.
Cap 20 may include vent 22 to enable air to escape from inside cap
20 during the process of installing cap 20 onto body 30. Vent 22
may also allow trapped moisture to escape from inside retractable
nail brush 10 when retractable nail brush 10 is in its closed
condition. Allowing moisture to escape minimizes the potential for
corrosion on internal surfaces of retractable nail brush 10 if
retractable nail brush 10 is made from materials susceptible to
corrosion.
[0024] FIG. 6-7 illustrates exploded views of the retractable nail
brush 10 of the present invention shown in its fully articulated
and fully retracted positions, respectively. As shown in FIG. 6,
retractable nail brush may include cap 20, body 30, bristle mount
40, and bristles 50. Bristles 50 may comprise a plurality of
natural or synthetic filaments 51 that are compatible with the
chemicals that are typically used in the artificial nail
enhancement industry, such as acrylic monomers. As will be
understood by those skilled in the art, bristles 50 may be secured
to bristle mount 40 using any number of known means, such as by
inserting filaments 51 through bristle mount 40 and crimping
bristle mount 40, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 9 at crimp 39.
[0025] Retractable nail brush 10 may also include slide retainer 34
and slot 32 for extending and retracting bristle mount 40 and
bristles 50 out from and into body 30. The length of slot 32
generally determines the maximum displacement of bristle mount 40,
and ultimately, bristles 50. Slide retainer 34 may be affixed to
bristle mount 40, or as described below, may instead be affixed to
bristle mount adapter 44. Slide retainer 34 may slide
longitudinally along body 30 within slot 32.
[0026] FIGS. 8-10 illustrate top plan, front elevational, and
bottom plan views, respectively, of the retractable nail brush 10
of the present invention in its fully articulated position. While
many users of the present invention may wish to use the device in
its fully articulated position as shown in FIGS. 8-10, retractable
nail brush 10 may also be used with slide retainer 34 extended to
any position along the length of slot 32 so long as bristles 50 are
still at least partially extended past open end 28 of body 30.
[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 13, retractable nail brush 10 may
also include bristle mount adapter 44, which is mountable to
bristle mount 40. An interference fit between bristle mount adapter
44 and bristle mount 40 insures that bristle mount 40 does not
separate from bristle mount adapter 44 during use. Of course, as
will be understood by those skilled in the art, retractable nail
brush 10 need not include bristle mount adapter 44 if slide
retainer 34 is instead secured directly to bristle mount 40. In
addition, while bristle mount adapter 44 is shown in FIGS. 13-14 as
being a tube, bristle mount adapter 44 may instead be a solid
cylinder, or any configuration that performs a similar
function.
[0028] Finally, as shown in FIGS. 13-14, for ease of articulation
of retractable nail brush 10, a loose fit may exist between outer
diameter 41 of bristle mount 40 and inner diameter 31 of body 30.
However, a slip fit or even a mild friction fit may alternatively
be desirable to assist the user in maintaining the position of
slide retainer 34 relative to body 30, and ultimately bristles 50.
If outer diameter 41 of bristle mount 40 is too small relative to
inner diameter 31 of body, then an undesirable wobble may result.
Therefore, proper fitting parts help promote smooth operation of
the articulation feature of retractable nail brush 10 while also
promoting good overall handling characteristics of the device.
[0029] As will be understood by those of skill in the art, and as
particularly illustrated in FIGS. 8-14, a user of retractable nail
brush 10 may, with one hand, apply slight pressure from one's
finger or thumb to slide retainer 34 to articulate retractable nail
brush 10. In this way, a user of retractable nail brush 10, with
one hand, may extend bristle mount 40 to use bristles 50 to apply
an acrylic monomer to a person's fingernails. Likewise, using one
hand, a user may then retract bristle mount 40 so bristles 50 lie
partially or completely protected from debris contamination within
body 30 without resorting to using the other hand to affix cap 20
to body 30 to accomplish the same goal.
[0030] As mentioned above, during use of retractable nail brush 10,
cap may be placed on closed end 29 of body 30 to help insure that
cap 20 does not become lost during use of retractable nail brush
10. In addition, when installing cap 20 over open end 28 of body 30
to close retractable nail brush 10, cap 20 may be designed to push
on slide retainer 34 so as to partially or completely retract brush
50 in one step.
[0031] While specific embodiments of the invention have been
described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the
art that various modifications and alternatives to those details
could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the
disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangement disclosed is
meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of
the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended
claims and any equivalents thereof.
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