U.S. patent application number 14/730268 was filed with the patent office on 2016-12-08 for fingernail coating apparatus and method.
The applicant listed for this patent is CHEN MELUL. Invention is credited to CHEN MELUL.
Application Number | 20160353859 14/730268 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 57451688 |
Filed Date | 2016-12-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160353859 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
MELUL; CHEN |
December 8, 2016 |
FINGERNAIL COATING APPARATUS AND METHOD
Abstract
A fingernail coating apparatus including: a brush for
administering a liquid onto a user's fingernail; a first motor, for
moving the brush along parallel elongated areas on the user's
fingernail, for administering the liquid thereto; and a second
motor, for applying a rotational state to the brush, for providing
an appropriate effective width to the brush, for administering the
liquid in the effective width, thereby substantially all points of
the user's fingernail are coated with one layer only.
Inventors: |
MELUL; CHEN; (GEDERA,
IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MELUL; CHEN |
GEDERA |
|
IL |
|
|
Family ID: |
57451688 |
Appl. No.: |
14/730268 |
Filed: |
June 4, 2015 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D 34/042 20130101;
A45D 29/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A45D 34/04 20060101
A45D034/04 |
Claims
1. A fingernail coating apparatus comprising: a brush for
administering a liquid onto a user's fingernail; a first motor, for
moving said brush along parallel elongated areas on the user's
fingernail, for administering the liquid thereto; and a second
motor, for applying a rotational state to said brush, for providing
an appropriate effective width to said brush, for administering the
liquid in said effective width, thereby substantially all points of
the user's fingernail are coated with one layer only.
2. A fingernail coating apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising a controller, for determining said parallel elongated
areas on the user's fingernail.
3. A fingernail coating apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising a camera, for determining said parallel elongated areas
on the user's fingernail.
4. A fingernail coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a
sectional end area of said brush is elongated, thereby said
rotational state applied to said brush provides said appropriate
effective width thereto.
5. A fingernail coating apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising a liquid bottle, for containing the liquid, said liquid
bottle for inserting said brush thereinto for receiving the liquid
therefrom.
6. A fingernail coating apparatus according to claim 1, further
comprising a bottle cover, from which said brush extends, said
bottle cover for covering a liquid bottle.
7. A fingernail coating method comprising the steps of: optically
capturing a fingernail; determining, from a known width of a brush
and from said capturing of the fingernail, parallel elongated areas
of the fingernail; receiving a liquid to said brush; for each of
said elongated areas: (a) disposing said brush against said
elongated area; (b) rotating said brush to a rotational state, for
providing to said brush a width of said elongated area; and (c)
moving said brush along said elongated area, for administering the
liquid thereto, thereby substantially all points of the user's
fingernail are coated with one layer only.
8. A fingernail coating method according to claim 14, further
comprising the step of, during said step of moving said brush along
said elongated area, rotating said brush, thereby providing to said
brush a width conforming to a current location of said brush along
said elongated area.
9. A fingernail coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
said step of receiving the liquid to said brush comprises the step
of inserting said brush into a liquid bottle and removing said
brush therefrom.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates to the field of fingernail coating.
More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus
for accurately coating fingernails.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Fingernails are conventionally coated manually. This is
cumbersome.
[0003] The manual processing is due to accuracy problems.
SUMMARY
[0004] In one aspect of the invention, a solution is provided to
the above-mentioned and other problems of the prior art.
[0005] In one aspect, the invention is directed to a fingernail
coating apparatus, including: [0006] a brush for administering a
liquid onto a user's fingernail; [0007] a first motor, for moving
the brush along parallel elongated areas on the user's fingernail,
for administering the liquid thereto; and [0008] a second motor,
for applying a rotational state to the brush, for providing an
appropriate effective width to the brush, for administering the
liquid in the effective width, [0009] thereby substantially all
points of the user's fingernail are coated with one layer only.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Embodiments, features, and aspects of the invention are
described herein in conjunction with the following drawings:
[0011] FIG. 1 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating
a first elongated area.
[0012] FIG. 2 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating
a second elongated area.
[0013] FIG. 3 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating
a third elongated area.
[0014] FIG. 4 depicts the fingernail coating apparatus of FIG. 1
while supplying the liquid to the brush.
[0015] FIG. 5 depicts rear portion of the fingernail coating
apparatus of FIG. 1.
[0016] The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] The invention will be understood from the following detailed
description of preferred embodiments of the invention, which are
meant to be descriptive and not limiting. For the sake of brevity,
some well-known features, methods, systems, procedures, components,
circuits, and so on, are not described in detail.
[0018] The reference numbers have been used to point out elements
in the embodiments described and illustrated herein, in order to
facilitate the understanding of the invention. They are meant to be
merely illustrative, and not limiting. Also, the foregoing
embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated in
conjunction with systems and methods thereof, which are meant to be
merely illustrative, and not limiting.
[0019] FIG. 1 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating
a first elongated area.
[0020] A fingernail coating apparatus 10 includes a brush 20 and a
robot 60 for controllably moving brush 20.
[0021] According to a preferred embodiment, the sectional end area
52 of brush 20 is elongated as shown by the horizontal slice
enumerated 52 of brush 20, for coating a fingernail 56 of finger 58
along parallel elongated areas 54A, 54B, 54C, etc.
[0022] The maximal width of any of elongated areas 54A, 54B or 54B
is the width 48 of brush 20.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 4, according to another embodiment, the
hair of brush 20 may form a round shape as shown by the horizontal
slice enumerated 50 of brush 20, or another shape. However, the
sectional end area 52 of brush 20 becomes elongated upon pressing
brush 52 onto the user's fingernail 56.
[0024] The width 78A of coated elongated area 54A, determined by a
camera 68 and a controller 62, is applied by rotating brush 20,
such as by a step motor 64, as depicted by rotational arrow 70.
[0025] Each of parallel elongated areas 54A, 54B, etc. is made by a
motor 74, moving a carriage 34 holding brush 20 linearly, as
depicted by linear arrow 72.
[0026] FIG. 2 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating
a second elongated area.
[0027] FIG. 3 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating
a third elongated area.
[0028] The rotational state 66A for coating elongated area 54A may
be different from the rotational state 66B for coating elongated
area 54B, and may be different from the rotational state 66C for
coating elongated area 54C.
[0029] The rotational state 66C may be changed along elongated area
54C, for conforming to the width of elongated area 54C at the
current location thereon.
[0030] For example, if the width 78B of elongated area 54B is
determined to be the width 48 (enumerated in FIG. 1) of brush 20,
then the rotational state 66B for coating elongated area 54B is
determined to dispose brush 20 perpendicularly to elongated area
54B.
[0031] FIG. 4 depicts the fingernail coating apparatus of FIG. 1
while supplying the liquid to the brush.
[0032] Robot 60 normally locates brush 20 within a liquid bottle
18. Brush 20 extends from a bottle cover 22, which covers liquid
bottle 18, while brush 20 is disposed within liquid bottle 18.
[0033] Robot 60 includes a horizontal rail 36, a vertical rail 34.
The user may place the finger thereof within a niche 12.
[0034] FIG. 5 depicts rear portion of the fingernail coating
apparatus of FIG. 1.
[0035] The rear portion 46 is intended for drying the coating, such
as by a heating lamp 44.
[0036] Thus, in one aspect, the invention is directed to a
fingernail coating apparatus (10) including: [0037] a brush (20)
for administering a liquid (76) onto a user's fingernail (56);
[0038] a first motor (74), for moving the brush (20) along parallel
elongated areas (54A, 54B) on the user's fingernail (56), for
administering the liquid (76) thereto; and [0039] a second motor
(64), for applying a rotational state (66A, 66B) to the brush (20),
for providing an appropriate effective width (78A, 78B) to the
brush (20), for administering the liquid (76) in the effective
width (78A, 78B), [0040] thereby substantially all points of the
user's fingernail (56) are coated with one layer only.
[0041] The fingernail coating apparatus (10) may further include:
[0042] a controller (62), for determining the parallel elongated
areas (54A, 54B) on the user's fingernail (56).
[0043] The fingernail coating apparatus (10) may further include:
[0044] a camera (68), for determining the parallel elongated areas
(54A, 54B) on the user's fingernail (56).
[0045] The sectional end area (52) of the brush preferably is
elongated, [0046] thereby the rotational state (66A, 66B) applied
to the brush (20) may provide the appropriate effective width (78A,
78B) thereto.
[0047] The fingernail coating apparatus (10) may further include:
[0048] a liquid bottle (18), for containing the liquid (76), the
liquid bottle (18) for inserting the brush (20) thereinto for
receiving the liquid (76) therefrom.
[0049] The fingernail coating apparatus (10) may further include:
[0050] a bottle cover (18), from which the brush extends, the
bottle cover (18) for covering the liquid bottle (18).
[0051] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a
fingernail coating method including the steps of: [0052] optically
capturing a fingernail (56); [0053] determining, from a known width
(48) of a brush (20) and from the capturing of the fingernail (56),
parallel elongated areas (54A, 54B) of the fingernail (56); [0054]
receiving a liquid (76) to the brush (20); [0055] for each (54A) of
the elongated areas: [0056] (a) disposing the brush (20) against
the elongated area (54A); [0057] (b) rotating the brush (20) to a
rotational state (68A), for providing to the brush (20) a width
(78A) of the elongated area (54A); and [0058] (c) moving the brush
(20) along the elongated area (54A), for administering the liquid
(76) thereto, [0059] thereby substantially all points of the user's
fingernail (56) are coated with one layer only.
[0060] The step of receiving the liquid (76) to the brush (20) may
include the step of inserting the brush (20) into a liquid bottle
(18) and removing the brush (20) therefrom.
[0061] The method may further include the step of: [0062] during
the step of moving the brush (20) along the elongated area (54A),
rotating the brush (20), [0063] thereby providing to the brush (20)
the width (78A) conforming to the current location of the brush
(20) along the elongated area (54A).
[0064] In the figures and/or description herein, the following
reference numerals (Reference Signs List) have been mentioned:
[0065] numeral 10 denotes the fingernail coating apparatus,
according to one embodiment of the invention; [0066] numeral 12
denotes a niche, for placing the user's finger therein; [0067]
numerals 14A and 14B denote slideable clamps for clamping the
liquid bottle and the cover; [0068] numeral 18 denotes the liquid
bottle; [0069] numeral 20 denotes the brush, functioning as a
painting brush, for administering the fingernail liquid or lacquer;
[0070] numeral 22 denotes the bottle cover, from which the brush
extends; the brush is held and controlled through the bottle cover;
[0071] numerals 24 denote clamps for holding the bottle cover, and
thus the brush; [0072] numeral 26 denotes a vertical hinge,
accompanied by a motor, for rotating the brush; [0073] numeral 28
denotes a horizontal hinge, accompanied by a motor, for rotating
the brush; [0074] numerals 30 and 32 denote telescopic arms for
linearly horizontally moving the brush; [0075] numeral 34 denotes a
vertical rail; [0076] numeral 36 denotes a horizontal rail; [0077]
numeral 40 denotes an on-off button; [0078] numeral 42 denotes a
niche, for placing the user's finger therein; [0079] numeral 44
denotes a heating lamp; [0080] numeral 46 denotes the rear portion
of the apparatus; [0081] numeral 48 denotes the width of the brush;
[0082] numeral 50 denotes a horizontal slice of the brush; [0083]
numeral 52 denotes the sectional bottom area of the brush; [0084]
numerals 54A, 54B and 54C denote parallel elongated areas on the
fingernail, being determined for being coated one at a time; the
parallel elongated areas substantially do not overlap, thus
substantially the points on the fingernail are all coated with one
layer only; [0085] numeral 56 denotes the user's fingernail; [0086]
numeral 58 denotes the user's finger; [0087] numeral 60 denotes the
robot providing the robotic control on the brush; [0088] numeral 62
denotes a controller; [0089] numeral 64 denotes a motor; [0090]
numerals 66A, 66B and 66C denote rotational states of the brush,
each for coating a different width; [0091] numeral 68 denotes a
camera for viewing the fingernail; [0092] numeral 70 denotes a
rotational arrow; [0093] numeral 72 denotes a linear arrow; [0094]
numeral 74 denotes the motor for linearly moving the brush along
each elongated area; [0095] numeral 76 denotes liquid or lacquer;
[0096] numerals 78A and 78B each denotes the width of the paining
on the fingernail, wherein the width is a function for the
rotational state of the brush.
[0097] The foregoing description and illustrations of the
embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of
illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
invention to the above description in any form.
[0098] Any term that has been defined above and used in the claims,
should to be interpreted according to this definition.
[0099] The reference numbers in the claims are not a part of the
claims, but rather used for facilitating the reading thereof. These
reference numbers should not be interpreted as limiting the claims
in any form.
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