U.S. patent application number 16/988640 was filed with the patent office on 2022-02-10 for adjustable double lever nail clipper.
The applicant listed for this patent is Michael T. Dalton. Invention is credited to Michael T. Dalton.
Application Number | 20220039534 16/988640 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005178897 |
Filed Date | 2022-02-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220039534 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dalton; Michael T. |
February 10, 2022 |
Adjustable double lever nail clipper
Abstract
A double levered, adjustable nail clipper that is particularly
adapted to overcome the difficulties in cutting toenails. A typical
embodiment has two action levers in opposed positions that permit
applying twice the force of a single lever clipper. A pair of
protrusions on the levers can be adjusted to change the width of
the cutting gap. In addition, at least one of the action levers may
be rotatable turning a penetrating pin that optionally further
adjusts the width of the cutting gap A particular embodiment
optionally allows the attachment and carrying of keys at the base
of the unit.
Inventors: |
Dalton; Michael T.;
(Blairsville, GA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Dalton; Michael T. |
Blairsville |
GA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005178897 |
Appl. No.: |
16/988640 |
Filed: |
August 8, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D 29/02 20130101;
A45D 2029/026 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A45D 29/02 20060101
A45D029/02 |
Claims
1. A double levered nail clipper comprising: left and right
elongated jaws, each jaw with a distal end and a proximal end, the
distal ends of the jaws attached to one-another, the proximal end
of the jaws forming a cutting vise with a gap between the jaws;
left and right action lever arms attached to the proximal ends of
the jaws, the left and right action lever arms attached with a
through pin having a spring between the jaws, the left and right
action lever arms each having an adjustable protrusion that
contacts the left and right elongated jaws respectively; wherein,
the protrusions are constructed so that by adjusting length of the
protrusions, the gap can be made smaller or larger; wherein, the
nail clipper is configured so that squeezing the left and right
action lever arms together allows the protrusions to press the jaws
causing the proximal end of the jaws to close.
2. The double levered nail clipper of claim 1 further comprising a
left and right lever pad fixedly attached to a distal end of the
left and right action lever arms.
3. The double levered nail clipper of claim 2 wherein the left and
right lever pads are circular.
4. The double levered nail clipper of claim 1 further configured to
hold keys where the distal ends of the jaws attached to
one-another, the keys held to the jaws by a removable rivet.
5. The double levered nail clipper of claim 1 wherein at least one
of the left and right lever action arms are configured to rotate
also causing the gap between the jaws to change width.
6. The double levered nail clipper of claim 5 wherein only one of
the left and right lever action arms is configured to rotate
causing the gap between the jaws to change width.
7. A nail clipper including a nail clipper body with two lever arms
on opposing sides of said body, the two lever arms each having
adjustable protrusions causing jaws on the nail clipper body to
close when squeezed together; the jaws having a gap between them
when the lever arms are not squeezed, wherein, adjusting the
protrusions changes the gap between the jaws.
8. The nail clipper of claim 7 wherein at least one of the lever
arms is also rotatable to adjust the gap.
9. The nail clipper of claim 8 wherein only one of the lever arms
is rotatable to adjust the gap.
10. The nail clipper of claim 7 further comprising lever pads
attached to distal ends of the lever arms.
11. The nail clipper of claim 10 wherein said lever pads are
round.
12. The nail clipper of claim 7 further comprising a removable
rivet at distal ends of the nail clipper body, the removable rivet
adapted to optionally hold keys.
13. A method for giving a nail clipper with a cutting gap between
jaws extra clipper power and making it adjustable for different
sized nails comprising: attaching a pair of nail clipper jaws
together at distal ends; attaching two lever arms to the nail
clipper jaws in opposing positions; providing an adjustable
protrusion on each of the two lever arms, adjustment of one or both
of the adjustable protrusions causing the cutting gap to change
width for different sized nails.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein at least one of the lever arms
can also rotate to adjust said cutting gap.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein only one of said lever arms can
rotate to adjust said cutting gap.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein each lever arm has a lever pad
on a distal end.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the lever pads are round.
18. The method of claim 13 further comprising: attaching the nail
clipper jaws together with a removable rivet adapted to optionally
hold keys.
Description
BACKGROUND
Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of
clippers and more particularly to an adjustable double nail clipper
with protrusions that allow adjustment.
Description of the Problem Solved
[0002] Nail clippers are known in the art. Nail clippers can be
found in the selves of the local convenience store. Most clippers
are aimed at cutting fingernails. Toenails, on the other hand, are
of a different character than fingernails. First, toenails are
usually thicker and tougher than fingernails. Second, in many
persons, toenails include extra material between the toe and the
nail or are ingrown, especially in older people. Third, a
significant percentage of the population has a nail fungus or other
manifestation that makes toenails particularly hard to cut with
prior art clippers or scissors. In addition, almost all prior art
clippers are fixed in terms of the cutting channel size. It would
be desirable to have an adjustable clipper to move between
fingernails and toenails. It would also be advantageous to have a
clipper that had a strong enough grip to cut really tough toenails
with the problems listed above.
[0003] Jurena in U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,675 shows an adjustable nail
clipper. It only has a single lever. Jung in U.S. Pat. No.
4,903,514 teaches a nail clipper that can also hold keys. None of
these prior art clippers solves the problem of cutting touch,
possibly ingrown or otherwise difficult toenails that require extra
force, while still being able to adjust to fingernails.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention relates to a double levered,
adjustable nail clipper that is particularly adapted to overcome
the difficulties in cutting toenails. A typical embodiment has two
action levers in opposed positions that permit applying twice the
force of a single lever clipper. In addition, at least one of the
action levers is rotatable, turning a threaded penetrating pin that
adjusts the width of the cutting channel. This allows a simple
conversion in the gap width of the cutting channel between the jaws
to a close configuration for fingernails and a wide configuration
for toenails. A particular embodiment optionally allows the
attachment and carrying of keys, such as house keys and the like,
at the base of the unit. A particular embodiment has only a single
lever and can also optionally carry keys. Finally, a particular
embodiment has a non-adjustable pin and a pair of adjustable
protrusions that allow sizing of the cutting gap.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0005] Attention is now directed at several figures that illustrate
features of the present invention.
[0006] FIG. 1A shows an embodiment of the present invention in a
cutting configuration
[0007] FIG. 1B shows the embodiment of FIG. 1A being adjusted.
[0008] FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the present invention that can
also hold keys.
[0009] FIG. 3 shows a single lever embodiment of the present
invention.
[0010] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of an adjustment pin.
[0011] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of FIGS.
1A-1B.
[0012] FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the invention with adjustable
protrusions.
[0013] FIG. 7 shows a 2-hole adjustable pin.
[0014] FIG. 8 shows an offset 2-hole adjustable pin.
[0015] Several drawings and illustrations have been presented to
aid in understanding the present invention. The scope of the
present invention is not limited to what is shown in the
figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] The present invention relates to a robust toenail/fingernail
clipper that in particular embodiments is equipped with two
opposing action levers permitting twice the pinching force to be
applied to the jaws to cut tough toenails. In addition, at least
one of these action levers rotates to adjust the width of the
cutting gap by turning a threaded through-pin. This allows
selection of a small gap for fingernails and a large gap for
toenails, with several steps in between these two settings.
[0017] Turning to FIG. 1A, an embodiment of the present invention
can be seen. A clipper body 1 with cutting jaws 10 and gap 11 is
connected at its base with and insertable rivet 5 and cap 6. The
device is equipped with two action levers 2a and 2b. At least one
of the action levers 2b can be rotated to adjust the width of the
gap 11 by rotating two threaded parts of the pin 3 into
one-another. A spring 12 is found between the jaws 10 encircling a
special through-pin 3. Optional lever pads 4 can be attached to the
distal ends of the action levers 2a, 2b. These lever pads 4 are
typically round and give a much larger area for a fingers to apply
pressure to the jaws 10.
[0018] FIG. 1B shows an embodiment of the threaded adjustment pin 3
that passes through the clipper body 1 and is surrounded by the
spring 12. The pin shown in FIG. 1B has two clip ends. Alternate
embodiments of the pin can have one clip end or simply be a pin
with a small hole penetrating it. FIG. 1B also shows a side view of
the round lever pad 4. While round is preferred, any shape may be
used. The lever pad 4 is optional and may be left off the device.
The lever pad 4 gives a stronger grip for cutting tough nails.
[0019] FIG. 2 shows an alternate embodiment of the present
invention that is equipped to hold keys on the outer surfaces of
the two body parts 1 at the distal end of the clipper. The keys are
easily removed by simply separating the rivet 5 and head 6. The
keys can swing up to be aligned with the clipper body 1 for
carrying.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows an different embodiment with only a single
action lever 2. This embodiment may also optionally carry keys. The
single action lever 2 can rotate to adjust the gap 11 between the
jaws 10 as in other embodiments.
[0021] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of an adjustment pin with a
single end clip. Adjustment pins may be single or double ended and
may have a hole passing through them. The adjustment pin has two
parts. The first part 3 has a hollow, threaded tunnel; the second
part 20 is a male threaded screw that causes the pin to shorten or
lengthen when rotated. The pin is used together with the action
lever arms 2a and/or 2b. The pin in FIG. 4 is used when one arm
rotates. A double pin is used when both arms rotate. A double pin
looks like the pin in FIG. 4 except that each end resembles the
part 3 with a threaded member in the center. When one or both of
the action lever arms is rotated, the two parts of the pin move to
either shorten or lengthen the pin. In this way, the action lever
arms, when rotated, adjust the width of the gap 11 between the jaws
10.
[0022] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the embodiment of the
present invention from FIGS. 1A-1B. The clipper body 1, lever arms
2 and lever pads 4 can be clearly seen as well as a adjustment pin
3.
[0023] FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment of the present
invention. Here there are two adjustable protrusions 200 on the
lever arms. The pin 201 can be adjustable or fixed. The protrusions
200 allow independent adjustment of the jaw gap width independent
of the pin 201. In some versions of the embodiment, the pin 201 can
also be twisted with the lever arm to also adjust the gap. However,
this is not necessary, since the protrusions 200 are sufficient to
adjust the gap to any desired width from maximum width to zero.
[0024] FIG. 7 shows a close-in view of the pin shown in FIG. 6.
This is a 2-hole, screw-in version. A fixed version can also be
used (one with no threaded post, just a continuous body from hole
to hole).
[0025] FIG. 8 shows an offset variation on the pin. This pin can be
used in embodiments where only one lever arm is used to adjust the
gap.
[0026] Several descriptions and illustrations have been presented
to aid in understanding features of the present invention. One
skilled in the art will realize that numerous changes and
variations are possible without departing from the spirit of the
invention. Each of these changes and variations is within the scope
of the present invention.
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