GB2191396A

GB2191396A - A portable powered device for the care of finger nails

Info

Publication number: GB2191396A
Application number: GB08614022A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Lamberto De Santis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-06-10
Filing date: 1986-06-10
Publication date: 1987-12-16
Also published as: FR2600510A1; GB8614022D0

Abstract

A portable device for filing the nails, comprises a cylindrical housing (10) containing a low-voltage, small- size electric motor possibly provided with an rpm reduction gear, on the output shaft (13) of which a rotatable abrasive head (14) is provided. The abrasive head is covered by an inner protection cap (15) having a bevelled shaped opening for the introduction of the nail (22) to be filed. An outer closure cap can be provided. Provision can be made for adjusting the extent of engagement of the nail with the abrasive head. A rubber cap can replace or cover the head for treatment of the gums or teeth. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A portable powered device for the care of finger nails The present invention relates to a device for the care of hands and, more particularly, the invention relates to a portable and possibly adjustable device for filing the nails and for finishing the base junction of nails to the respective digits.

As is well known, in the care of hands the need often arises for filing the edges of the nails to eliminate unevennesses formed when the nails break or are otherwise damaged or generally when they are shaped in order to satisfy a particular fashion or style or some individual tastes. Moreover, quite often the need also arises for finishing the base junction of nails to remove indentations, raised parts and the so-called "pellicles".

Though some apparatus are known for filing the nails, comprising circular powered smallsize nail-files, such apparatus are only employed in clinics which specialize in the care of feet, whereas no powered apparatus are known for the care of hands at home. The only known devices for the care of hands and of nails consist of simple linear small-size metal nail-files or of cardboard small-size nailfiles coated with an abrasive material. Such kinds of nail-files are of quite limited use and versatility.

Accordingly, it is the main object of the present invention to provide a device with a small-size filing head of a powered circular file type which allows the nail to be filed simply by approaching the finger to the rotatable file through an opening obtained in a small cap which protects the file itself.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the kind mentioned above which can be also employed for the finishing of the base junction of the nail to the respective digits.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an adjustable device for filing the nails, in which device the possibility of adjusting the nail filing operation is obtained through the adjustment of the width of the opening through which the finger is approached to the rotatable filing head.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the kind mentioned above, which can be employed independently of the manner in which the driving small-size motor of the rotatable filing head is electrically operated.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the kind mentioned above which can be employed independently of the source of the driving force that causes the rotatable filing head to rotate.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the kind specified above which can also be employed for the care of teeth or of gums, simply by substituting a suitable rubber cap for the rotatable filing head or by covering said head with a suitable rubber cap.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device of the kind mentioned above, in which the possibility of adjusting the filing operating is obtained through the adjustment of the engagement distance between the filing head and the nail.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, a device is provided which comprises a cylindrical housing containing a small-size electric motor which is possibly provided with a reduction gear for the number of revolutions, on whose output shaft a rotatable filing head is provided which is protected by a small cap that can be screwed on said housing and has an opening through which the finger tip can be introduced so that the nail engages with said filing head, a closing outer cap being also provided which can engage by screwing or by snapping on said protective cap or on said cylindrical housing and which is of a shape complementary to the shape of said cylindrical housing.The small electric motor can be connected by means of a flexible cable to a box that houses batteries which are possibly rechargeable or buffer batteries with their transformer that can be connected to the supply mains.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the filing abrasive head is of a conical shape and the small motor and shaft assembly can be position-adjusted by sliding so as to co-operate with the conical shape of said filing head in order to adjust the engagement distance between the nail and said abrasive head.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, both the inner protective cap and the outer closure cap have an opening of a flattened elliptical shape, and both caps can rotate with respect to each other so as to change the overlapping extent between said two openings and hence provide a nailreceiving opening of a variable width which makes it possible to introduce the nail to a greater or lesser extent.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the small electric motor is also housed within said power supply box and it is connected to said filing head by means of a metal cable which is also suitable for transmitting a rotational motion. Thus, an extremely handy device is obtained.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, which embodiment is particularly suitable for finishing the base junction of nails, the inner cap for protection of the abrasive head is truncated at its upper part, so as to provide a circular upper opening through which said rotatable abrasive head projects. According to such embodiment of the present invention, the abrasive head preferably is of a conical shape with bevelled apex.

Further details and advantages will be evident from the following disclosure with particular reference to the enclosed drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the invention are shown for illustrative and not for limitative, purposes.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a device according to the present invention; Figure 2 is said device without its outer cap and as a partial cross-section along the line li 11 of Figure 1, in the operating state; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the device of the invention with an adjustable filing head of a conical shape; Figure 4 is the detailed construction of said device which can be adjusted through the variable overlapping of the openings of inner and outer caps; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional top view along the line V-V of Figure 4 showing the overlapping of two such openings; Figure 6 is a view of the complete device and of the electric supply box of the same; and Figures 7 and 8 show a device of an embodiment of the invention incorporating a small electric motor and the respective driving cell or battery, with two different small-size caps for the filing of nails and for the finishing of their base junction respectively.

With reference now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 6, a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a cylindrical housing 10 wherein a small-size, low-voltage electric motor is housed (not shown). The motor may be provided with a reduction gear for the number of revolutions and is connected by means of a flexible cable 11 to the electric supply box. A cell or battery is housed within said box 12 for driving said electric motor, or a transformer can be housed within said box, possibly including a buffer battery, for driving the motor from the supply mains.

A filing or grinding abrasive head 14 in the shape of a small pine-cone is provided on the small output shaft 13 of said electric motor. A small-size protective cap 15 is provided for the protection of said head, said cap being screwable on said cylindrical housing 10 or being fixable thereon by snapping or other means.

An opening 16 is provided through the side wall of said cap 15, said opening being bevelled and shaped so as to allow the tip 17 of a finger to be applied in such a way as to insert the nail 22 through the opening 16 to engage with said filing head 14.

An outer small-size cap 18 can be provided for closing and for covering purposes, whose external shape is complementary to the shape of the cylindrical housing 10 and is able to be engaged with the same by snapping or screwing.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which the engagement of the nail with the filing head can be adjusted. As can be seen, the filing head 14A is of a conical shape and a small electric motor M is employed mounted on a slider 19 which can slide but cannot rotate within the cylindrical housing 10. The position of said slider can be adjusted by means of a screw 20 which can be reached from the bottom of said cylindrical housing 10 and is screwed in a threaded hole provided in said slider 19. In this manner the position of the filing head 1 4A is adjusted by adjustment of the position of said motor M.

As the filing head 14A is of a conical shape, the height adjustment of the same gives rise to a variation in the distance between the bevelled and shaped opening 16 in said protective cap 15 and the conical surface of said filing head, and therefore an adjustment is also caused in the engagement between the filing head and the nail to be filed.

As those who are skilled in the art can easily appreciate, the slider 19 can be simply prevented from rotating by providing a tooth-andgroove member or other engagement member that can slide but cannot rotate between the slider 19 and the inside wall of the cylindrical housing 10.

A different kind of adjustment is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. As can be seen, according to this embodiment the filing head 14 is identical with that of Figures 1, 2 and 6, being in the shape of a small pine-cone. The two small-size caps 15A and 18A are very close to each other with almost no clearance between their contacting surfaces. Two openings of an elliptical shape 16A and 16B are provided through the walls of said two caps 15A and 18A, the second of such openings being suitably bevelled for easy nail-introduction.

The inner cap 15A, which may simply be in the form of a cylindrical wall (and it is represented in such a form) is fixed whereas the outer closure cap 1 8A can rotate with respect to the inner cap 15A. By means of the rotation of the two caps with respect to one another, it is possible to obtain a variable overlapping of the two openings 16A-16B so that a resulting opening 21 is obtained of variable width. As the finger-nail 22 is engaged with the filing head 14 by passing the nail through the resulting opening 21, the variation of the latter changes the engagement condition between the finger-nail 22 and the filing head 14.

As already mentioned above, the box 12 contains all that is necessary for a self-contained electrical supply, or for an electrical power supply from the supply mains, of the small electric motor. According to a different embodiment of the present invention which is particularly suitable when it is desirable to reduce the weight and the sizes of the cylindrical housing 10, the small electric motor is also housed within said box 12 and provision is made so as to connect the same with the filing head through a metal cable of a known type which is suitable to transmit a rotational motion. Thus, the cylindrical housing 10 is not made heavier by the presence of the electric motor so that the housing can be of a smaller size, especially in the diametral direction, and consequently is easy to handle in use.

As mentioned above, the device of the present invention can also be adapted with obvious modifications to the care of teeth and of gums. Indeed, it is sufficient to substitute a suitable small-size rubber cap for the abrasive head or otherwise to cover said head with a suitable rubber cap to modify the shape of the protective cap so as expose the rubber-covered with head in order to obtain a device suitable for massaging the gums or teeth. Employing rubbers of different hardness and adopting different rotational speeds of the head, said device is versatile in use of cleaning or massaging teeth and gums.

With reference now to Figures 6, 7 and 8, an embodiment is shown of the present invention which is of special use from the commercial viewpoint. According to this embodiment, a kit is provided for covering and protecting the abrasive head 14, said kit consisting of a first small-size cap 15 represented by Figure 7 and of a second small-size cap 15' shown in Figure 8, both of them being engageable with the cylindrical housing 10 by screwing or by snapping.

The cap of Figure 7 is similar to the small cap 15 of Figure 2 and it need not be explained or disclosed further.

The cap 15' of Figure 8 is on the contrary truncated at its upper part and therefore it is open so that the abrasive head 14 is allowed to project almost completely through the same and consequently to be easily and comfortably contacted, at its tip or at its side, with the base of the finger-nail that it is desired to finish.

More particularly, employing the small cap 15' the device of the invention can be made suitable for the care of teeth or of gums as already mentioned above.

Some preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed above, but it is to be understood that those who are skilled in the art can introduce modifications and changes in the same without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A portable powered nail file device comprising a housing, a driven rotatable output shaft extending from said housing and carrying an abrasive head rotatable therewith, and a protective cap fitted to the housing to at least partly enclose said abrasive head, said protective cap having an opening permitting limited access of a finger-nail to said abrasive head.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the housing contains an electric motor driving the output shaft.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the housing is cylindrical.

4. A device as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the output shaft and protective cap extend coaxially from the cylindrical housing.

5. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the protective cap is truncated and the outer end of the abrasive head extends therefrom.

6. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the opening in the protective cap is a nail-receiving slot.

7. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the edge of the opening is bevelled to assist location of a finger-tip at the opening.

8. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the abrasive head is mounted at the distal end of the output shaft.

9. A device as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the abrasive head is in the shape of a cylinder having a domed distal end.

10. A device as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the abrasive head is of conical shape.

11. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising an outer closure cap covering the protective cap and of a shape complementary thereto.

12. A device as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the outer cap is rotatable relative to the inner cap and said caps have variably overlapping slots whereby a nail-receiving opening of variable width is provided.

13. A device as claimed in Claim 12, wherein said slots are elliptical in shape.

14. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distance between the abrasive head and the opening in the protective cap is adjustable.

15. A device as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the abrasive head is conical and is movable axially relative to the protective cap.

16. A device as claimed in Claim 15, wherein the housing contains an electric motor adjustably mounted therein to vary the axial position of the output shaft relative to the housing.

17. A device as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the motor is mounted on a non-rotatable slider adjustable axially in the housing.

18. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing contains an electric motor driving the output shaft and a battery or cell providing the electrical supply for said motor.

19. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 17, wherein the housing contains an electric motor driving the output shaft and said motor is connected via a flexible cable to a remote electrical supply therefor.

20. A portable powered device for the care of hands, more particularly for the filing of finger-nails, said device comprising a housing containing a small-size electric motor which is possibly provided with a reduction gear for the number of revolutions, on whose output shaft a rotatable abrasive small-size head is provided which is protected by an inner smallsize cap that can be applied onto the housing and has an opening through which the tip of a finger can be introduced so as to cause the finger-nail to engage with the filing head, an outer small-size cap being also provided that can be applied onto the inner cap or otherwise onto the housing and that is of a shape complementary to the shape of the latter.

21. A portable and adjustable powered device for the care of hands, said device comprising a cylindrical housing containing a smallsize electric motor mounted on a slider which can slide but cannot rotate within said housing, said device being characterized in that the small output shaft of said electric motor bears a rotatable abrasive head of a conical shape which is protected by a small cap having a bevelled and shaped opening for the introduction of the finger-nail and in that a screw is provided at the bottom of said cylindrical housing, which screw engages with a threaded hole obtained in said slider, so that the rotation of said screw gives rise to the movement of the slider together with the electric motor and the abrasive head so thereby varying the distance between the conical surface of the abrasive head and said opening for the introduction of the finger-nail to be filed.

22. A portable and adjustable powered device for the care of hands, which device comprises a cylindrical housing containing a smallsize electric motor on whose output shaft an abrasive head is borne which is protected by an inner cap fastened to said cylindrical housing and covered by an outer cap assembled on said cylindrical housing so that it can rotate, openings of elliptical shapes being provided in said inner and outer caps, which openings can be made to overlap at variable extents by means of the rotation of the outer cap with respect to the inner cap.

23. A device as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

24. A device as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 3.

25. A device as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

26. A device as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as described herein with reference to Figure 6.

27. A device as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 7 and 8.