JP7478746B2 - Deformed nail correction tool - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, paragraph 2 of the Patent Act was applied. The information was made public when Maruho Hatsujo Co., Ltd. provided a deformed nail correction device to a recipient from March 14, 2019 to October 3, 2019.

The present invention relates to a deformed nail corrector for correcting deformed nails such as ingrown nails and ingrown nails.

A conventional deformed nail corrector is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. This deformed nail corrector includes a first hook attached to one end of the deformed nail in the width direction, a second hook attached to the other end of the deformed nail in the width direction, a coil member configured to be stretchable so that the distance between the first hook and the second hook can be changed, and a wire member having superelastic properties disposed in the coil member. This deformed nail corrector utilizes the stretchability of the coil member to facilitate attachment to the deformed nail.

International Publication No. 2018/216244

When the deformed nail corrector is attached to a deformed nail, if the distance between the first hook and the second hook is greater than the total length of the wire member, there will be a portion at one end or the other end of the coil member where the wire member is not present. In the above-mentioned conventional deformed nail corrector, if there is a portion on the coil member where the wire member is not present, the coil member will bend at a steep angle (e.g., 90°) at that portion, and there is a risk that the wire member will protrude from the gap created by the bending.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a deformed nail corrector that can prevent the wire member from protruding from the gap in the coil member.

In order to solve the above problems, the deformed nail corrector according to the present invention comprises:
A deformed nail corrector for correcting deformed nails,
A first hook configured to be attached to one end of the deformed claw in a width direction;
A second hook configured to be attached to the other end of the deformed claw in the width direction;
a coil member having one end joined to the first hook and the other end joined to the second hook, and configured to be expandable and contractible so that a distance between the first hook and the second hook can be changed;
a wire member having superelastic properties disposed within the coil member;
Equipped with
The coil member includes:
a first coil end portion located on the first hook side and having a first spring constant;
a second coil end portion located on the second hook side and having a second spring constant;
and a coil intermediate portion located between the first coil end and the second coil end, the coil intermediate portion having a third spring constant smaller than the first spring constant and smaller than the second spring constant.

In this configuration, when the distance between the first hook and the second hook is widened, the coil middle portion, which has a smaller spring constant, preferentially expands, while the first coil end portion and the second coil end portion, which have a larger spring constant, are less likely to expand. This improves the adhesion of the windings of the wire material that forms the coil at the first coil end portion and the second coil end portion, making them less likely to bend. Therefore, this configuration makes it possible to prevent the wire material from protruding from the gaps in the coil member.

In the above-mentioned deformed nail corrector,
It is preferable that the coil intermediate portion has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first coil end portion and the outer diameter of the second coil end portion, and is pitch-wound.

In the above-mentioned deformed nail correction tool,
the first hook and the coil member are joined by welding on a front side and a rear side,
The second hook and the coil member may be joined by welding on the front side and the rear side, respectively.

In the above-mentioned deformed nail correction tool,
The first hook is
a first attachment portion for clamping one end of the deformed claw in the width direction;
a first insertion portion configured to allow one end of the wire member to be inserted therein, the first insertion portion being located above the first attachment portion;
The second hook is
a second attachment portion for clamping the other end of the deformed claw in the width direction;
The wire member may be configured to have a second insertion portion above the second attachment portion, into which the other end of the wire member can be inserted.

In the above-mentioned deformed nail correction tool,
The opening width of the first mounting portion is widest at the entrance side of the opening,
The opening width of the second mounting portion can be configured so that the opening is widest on the inlet side.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a deformed nail corrector that can prevent the wire member from protruding from the gap in the coil member.

1 is a front view of a deformed nail corrector according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a deformed nail corrector according to the present invention; 1 is a front view showing the opening width of a first hook of a deformed nail corrector according to the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion A in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a welded portion of the deformed nail corrector according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a deformed nail corrector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The deformed nail corrector according to the present invention is for correcting deformed nails such as ingrown nails and ingrown nails (particularly deformed nails of the foot).

Fig. 1 shows a front view of a deformed nail corrector 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the deformed nail corrector 100. The deformed nail corrector 100 includes a first hook 110, a second hook 120, a coil member 130, and a wire member 140.

The first hook 110 is configured to be attached to one end of the deformed claw in the width direction. The first hook 110 is made of, for example, stainless steel (e.g., SUS304) and is joined to one end side of the coil member 130. The first hook 110 has a first attachment portion 111 for clamping one end of the deformed claw in the width direction and a first insertion portion 112 configured to allow one end side of the wire member 140 to be inserted therein.

The first mounting part 111 is curved in a generally U-shape in cross section. The first mounting part 111 has multiple barbs 113 (four on the upper part and two on the lower part in this embodiment) on the lower surface of the upper part that contacts the front side of one end of the width direction of the deformed nail and on the upper surface of the lower part that contacts the back side of one end of the width direction of the deformed nail. The barbs 113 increase the reliability of mounting to the deformed nail. The first mounting part 111 also has a recess 114 between the upper part and the lower part located at the back of the opening.

The opening width of the first mounting portion 111 is widest on the entrance side of the opening. As shown in FIG. 3, the opening width X1 on the entrance side of the opening is wider than the opening width X2 on the back side of the opening. For example, in a state where the first mounting portion 111 is attached to one end of the deformed claw in the width direction, the first mounting portion 111 can be crushed with pliers or the like to deform the shape of the first mounting portion 111, thereby fixing the first mounting portion 111 to the deformed claw. As described above, by making the opening width X1 on the entrance side of the opening the widest, it is possible to easily attach the first mounting portion 111 to the deformed claw and improve the adhesion of the first mounting portion 111 to the deformed claw.

The first insertion portion 112 is provided above the first mounting portion 111 and has a first opposing surface facing one end side of the coil member 130. A first groove portion into which one end side of the wire member 140 can be inserted is formed in the first opposing surface. When the deformed nail corrector 100 is attached to the deformed nail and one end side of the wire member 140 is inserted into the first groove portion, the first groove portion can receive the repulsive force generated at one end of the wire member 140.

The second hook 120 is configured to be attachable to the other end of the deformed claw in the width direction. The second hook 120 is made of, for example, stainless steel (e.g., SUS304) and is joined to the other end side of the coil member 130. The second hook 120 has a second attachment portion 121 for clamping the other end of the deformed claw in the width direction and a second insertion portion 122 configured to allow the other end side of the wire member 140 to be inserted therein.

The second mounting part 121 is curved in a generally U-shape in cross section. The second mounting part 121 has multiple barbs 123 (four on the upper part and two on the lower part in this embodiment) on the lower surface of the upper part that contacts the front side of the other end of the width direction of the deformed nail and on the upper surface of the lower part that contacts the back side of the other end of the width direction of the deformed nail. The barbs 123 increase the reliability of mounting to the deformed nail. The second mounting part 121 also has a recess 124 between the upper part and the lower part located at the back of the opening.

The opening width of the second mounting portion 121 is widest on the entrance side of the opening, similar to the opening width of the first mounting portion 111. For example, with the second mounting portion 121 attached to the other end of the deformed claw in the width direction, the second mounting portion 121 can be crushed with pliers or the like to deform the shape of the second mounting portion 121, thereby fixing the second mounting portion 121 to the deformed claw. As described above, by making the opening width on the entrance side of the opening the widest, it becomes easier to attach the second mounting portion 121 to the deformed claw and the adhesion of the second mounting portion 121 to the deformed claw can be improved.

The second insertion portion 122 is provided above the second mounting portion 121 and has a second opposing surface facing the other end side of the coil member 130. A second groove portion into which the other end side of the wire member 140 can be inserted is formed on the second opposing surface. When the deformed nail corrector 100 is mounted on the deformed nail and the other end side of the wire member 140 is inserted into the second groove portion, the second groove portion can receive the repulsive force generated at the other end of the wire member 140.

The coil member 130 has one end joined to the first hook 110 and the other end joined to the second hook 120, and is configured to be expandable and contractible so as to change the distance between the first hook 110 and the second hook 120. The coil member 130 is made of a flexible and expandable metal, such as stainless steel (e.g., SUS304) or a cobalt-based alloy.

The coil member 130 includes a first coil end 131 located on the first hook 110 side, a second coil end 132 located on the second hook 120 side, and a coil intermediate portion 133 located in between. In this embodiment, the length (natural length) of the coil member 130 is 18 mm, and the lengths (natural lengths) of the first coil end 131, the second coil end 132, and the coil intermediate portion 133 are all 6 mm. The length of the coil intermediate portion 133 can be set appropriately within a range of 5% to 90% of the natural length of the coil member 130.

The first coil end 131 has a first spring constant (0.17 kg/mm in this embodiment). The second coil end 132 has a second spring constant (0.17 kg/mm in this embodiment). The coil middle portion 133 has a third spring constant (0.11 kg/mm in this embodiment) that is smaller than the first spring constant and smaller than the second spring constant. The first spring constant and the second spring constant may be different values.

The first coil end 131 and the second coil end 132 are closely wound, with adjacent turns of wire material that form the coil in close contact with each other, whereas the coil middle portion 133 is pitch wound, with adjacent turns of wire material that form the coil separated from each other.

4 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A in Fig. 1 (the connecting portion between first coil end portion 131 and coil middle portion 133). First coil end portion 131, coil middle portion 133, and second coil end portion 132 are made of a single wire and have the same wire diameter (0.25 mm in this embodiment).

Furthermore, the outer diameter of the coil intermediate portion 133 is larger than the outer diameter of the first coil end portion 131 and the outer diameter of the second coil end portion 132. Specifically, the outer diameter of the coil intermediate portion 133 is 17% larger than the outer diameter of the first coil end portion 131. The outer diameter of the first coil end portion 131 and the outer diameter of the second coil end portion 132 are the same size. The outer diameter of the coil intermediate portion 133 can be appropriately set within a range of 5% to 50% of the outer diameter of the first coil end portion 131 and the outer diameter of the second coil end portion 132.

The initial tension of the first coil end 131 and the second coil end 132 is 0.09 kg, whereas the initial tension of the coil intermediate portion 133 is 0. When the distance between the first hook 110 and the second hook 120 is widened, the coil intermediate portion 133 of the coil member 130 is preferentially stretched. Specifically, the coil intermediate portion 133 is preferentially stretched until the tension of the coil intermediate portion 133 reaches the initial tension of the first coil end 131 and the second coil end 132. When the distance between the first hook 110 and the second hook 120 is further widened, the first coil end 131 and the second coil end 132 in addition to the coil intermediate portion 133 are stretched.

Compared with a conventional coil member having a uniform spring constant over its entire length, the coil member 130 of this embodiment improves the adhesion of the wire windings at the first coil end 131 and the second coil end 132 when the distance between the first hook 110 and the second hook 120 is widened. In other words, the coil member 130 of this embodiment has a smaller gap between the wire windings at the first coil end 131 and the second coil end 132 than the conventional coil member.

Therefore, in the coil member 130 of this embodiment, even if a location occurs in the first coil end 131 or the second coil end 132 where the wire member 140 is not present, the first coil end 131 and the second coil end 132 are less likely to bend, and the wire member 140 can be prevented from protruding from the gap between the windings of the wire.

As shown in Fig. 5, the first hook 110 and the first coil end 131 have welds 151 formed on the front and rear sides thereof to join them together. Similarly, the second hook 120 and the second coil end 132 have welds 152 formed on the front and rear sides thereof to join them together. Welds 151, 152 are omitted in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. For example, laser build-up welding can be used for welding, in which multiple points (e.g., three points) are laser-welded per location while a predetermined metal is supplied.

The wire member 140 is movably (e.g., slidably) disposed within the coil member 130. The wire member 140 has superelastic properties and plays a role in correcting a deformed nail. The superelastic properties refer to a property in which, for example, deformation caused by stress-induced martensitic transformation when a load is applied is restored by reverse transformation when the load is removed.

In this embodiment, the wire member 140 has a straight shape. When the wire member 140 is bent while the deformed nail corrector 100 is attached to the deformed nail, the wire member 140 tries to return to a straight shape. The deformed nail corrector 100 corrects the deformed nail by utilizing this superelastic property. The wire member 140 is made of, for example, a Ni-Ti alloy, and has a total length (19 mm in this embodiment) longer than the natural length of the coil member 130.

[Modification]
Although the embodiment of the deformed nail corrector according to the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

The first hook of the present invention may be modified as appropriate in shape, material, etc., so long as it is configured to be attachable to one end of the deformed claw in the width direction. Similarly, the second hook of the present invention may be modified as appropriate in shape, material, etc., so long as it is configured to be attachable to the other end of the deformed claw in the width direction.

The coil member of the present invention can have a configuration that can be appropriately modified so long as it includes a first coil end having a first spring constant, a second coil end having a second spring constant, and a coil intermediate portion located between the first coil end and the second coil end and having a third spring constant that is smaller than the first spring constant and the second spring constant.

The third spring constant of the intermediate coil portion can be made smaller than the first spring constant and the second spring constant by means of partially changing the size of the outer diameter and/or partially changing the initial tension.

Furthermore, the material of the coil member can be changed as appropriate as long as it has flexibility and stretchability.

The coil member and the first hook and the second hook can be joined by a method other than welding, such as crimping, brazing, or a resin adhesive.

The shape, material, etc. of the wire member of the present invention can be appropriately changed as long as it has superelastic properties and is movably disposed in the coil member. For example, a superelastic metal such as a Ni-Ti-Co alloy or a Ni-Ti-Fe alloy may be used. Also, a high-strength, high-toughness engineering plastic may be used.

100 Deformed nail corrector 110 First hook 111 First mounting portion 112 First insertion portion 113 Barb 114 Recess 120 Second hook 121 Second mounting portion 122 Second insertion portion 123 Barb 124 Recess 130 Coil member 131 First coil end 132 Second coil end 133 Coil middle portion 140 Wire members 151, 152 Welded portion

Claims (5)

A deformed nail corrector for correcting deformed nails,
A first hook configured to be attached to one end of the deformed claw in a width direction;
A second hook configured to be attached to the other end of the deformed claw in the width direction;
a coil member having one end joined to the first hook and the other end joined to the second hook, and configured to be expandable and contractible so that a distance between the first hook and the second hook can be changed;
a wire member having superelastic properties disposed within the coil member;
Equipped with
The coil member includes:
a first coil end portion located on the first hook side and having a first spring constant;
a second coil end portion located on the second hook side and having a second spring constant;
A deformed nail corrector characterized by including a coil intermediate portion located between the first coil end and the second coil end, the coil intermediate portion having a third spring constant smaller than the first spring constant and smaller than the second spring constant. 2. The deformed nail corrector according to claim 1, wherein the coil intermediate portion has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the first coil end portion and the outer diameter of the second coil end portion, and is pitch-wound. the first hook and the coil member are joined by welding on a front side and a rear side,
2. The deformed nail corrector according to claim 1, wherein the second hook and the coil member are joined by welding on both the front side and the back side. The first hook is
a first attachment portion for clamping one end of the deformed claw in the width direction;
a first insertion portion configured to allow one end of the wire member to be inserted therein, the first insertion portion being located above the first attachment portion;
The second hook is
a second attachment portion for clamping the other end of the deformed claw in the width direction;
The deformed nail corrector according to claim 1, further comprising a second insertion portion above the second attachment portion, into which the other end of the wire member can be inserted. The opening width of the first mounting portion is widest at the entrance side of the opening,
The deformed nail corrector according to claim 4, wherein the opening width of the second attachment portion is widest at the entrance side of the opening.

Images