US2565541A - Eyelash curler - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 28, 1951 J P wo 2,565,541

EYELASH CURLER I Filed May 16, 1949 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Ju/ia R Wolff Attorneys J. P. WOLFF EYELASH CURLER I Aug. 28, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 16, 1949 W W P .m J

Attorneys J. P. WOLFF EYELASH CURLER Aug. 28, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 16, 1949 In vemor Jul/a P. Wolff by 73") w Attorneys Patented Aug. 28, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 13 Claims.

The present invention relates to haircurling' devices and more particularly to eyelash curlers, This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Serial No. 702,202, filed October 9, 1946 and now abandoned.

It has heretofore been proposed to improve the appearance of'the eye by bending the eyelashes of an eyelid upward between the upper and lower jaws of eyelash-curling instruments. The eyelashes may be coated with a lacquer prior to their engagement between the jaws of the curler in order that the bend in the eyelash produced by the curler may remain over a long period of time. The eyelashes are, for example, sometimes interposed between a lower jaw provided with a recess and an upper jaw that may clamp into the recess to kink the eyelashes upward. Some of these prior-art curling devices are operated from the side of the face, but this type of operation makes it extremely difficult uniformly to grasp all of the eyelashes of an eyelid. Other curling devices employ hinged and pivoted mechanisms that may be operated from in front of the face, but these instruments, like the side-operated instruments, are subject to the disadvantages that they may pinch and injure the eyelid and may scratch or otherwise damage the face or eye.

An object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved eyelash curler that may be operated from the front of the face gracefully to curl all of the eyelashes of an eyelid without the danger of pinching the eyelid or otherwise damaging the face or eye.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an eyelash curler the jaws of which are designed to curl all of the eyelashes of an eyelid with substantially equal lengths of curled eyelash extending upward from between the jaws, thereby to present a uniform appearance.

Another object is to provide an eyelash curler the jaws of which are bowed outward at the ends to permit the eyelash curler to fit along the complete eyelid with the ends safely nested at the corners of the eyelid, and to curl the end eyelashes outward toward the corners of the eyelid, as well as upward, to present a desirable elongated-eye appearance.

Still another object is to provide a curlingjaw supporting structure that, though operated from in front of the face, cannot separate or otherwise contact the upwardly curled eyelashes.

Other and further objects will be explained hereinafter and will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In summary, the present invention relates to an eyelash; curler comprising two supporting members movable about a substantially horizon tal ax-is, one of the members being provided with a lower jaw having a recess convexly curved with respect to the axis and extending in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the recess being bounded by correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls. The

recess disposed opposite thereto in order that the recess may be transversely widened at its upper end. The said oppositely disposed recess wall preferably extends substantially vertically from below upward. The convexly curved wall of the upper jaw nearer to the axis is correspond-- ingly inclined, preferably convexly, from below upward to enable it to engage the inclined wall of the recess when the upper jaw is caused to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess. At least one of the supporting members is resilient between the jaw supported thereby and the axis, and the distance from the axis to the central portion of the upper jaw is slightly less than the distance from the axis tothe central portion ofthe recess in order that, as the supporting members are moved toward each other about the axis to cause the upper jaw to' enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the" inclined wall of the upper jaw will resiliently slide downward along the inclined wall of the recess slidingly to engage the eyelashes between them in order to curl the eyelashes in clinedly upward at times when the walls of the upper jaw and the recess further from the axis are maintained out of engagement to prevent their pinching the eyelid between them. It is desirable that at least the member supporting the upper jaw be resilient and that it extend upwardly fromthe upper jaw in an arch lying within a substantially vertical plane in order that the upwardly curled eyelashes do not engage the supporting member.

It is also preferable that the width of the recess and the thickness of the upper jaw gradually decrease symmetrically on both sides of their respective central portions to correspond to the gradually decreasing length of the eyelashes on both sides of the center of the eyelid, in order that the eyelashes may be curled upward with substantially equal lengths of curled eyelash extending beyond the engaged upper and lower jaws, thereby providing a uniform appearance. By concavely bowing the respective ends of the lower jaw, the recess and the upper jaw, furthermore, the curler may be safely applied to the eyelid, and the eyelashes at the ends of the eyelid may be curled outward toward the corners of the eyelid, as well as upward, to produce also a desirable elongated-eye appearance. Preferred embodiments are hereinafter described in which the supportin members may be secured at one end to the ends of the jaws of the curler or to the center of the jaws, and at the other end to finger loops for operating th supporting members.

The invention will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 of which is a side elevation of an eyelash curler constructed in accordance with a preferred ernbodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a top elevation, partly in section, taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the relative positions of the curling jaws and'the human eyelid; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified eyelash curler; Fig. l is an enlarged View of the preferred eyelash curler of Fig. 1, with the upper and lower jaws engaged, the jaws being shown in cross section to illustrate details of construction; Fig. 5 is a top elevation of the modified curler of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modified lower curling jaw; Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4,. illustratin the upper and lower jaws in section as the jaws have started to engage each other; Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 are sectional views illustrating successive positions of engagement of the upper and lower curling jaws, illustrating their eyelash curling action; Fig. 13 is a perspective View illustrating the uniform curling of the eyelashes with the aid of the curler of Fig. 1; and Fig. 14 is a sectionalized perspective view illustrating details of the upper and lower curling jaws.

Referring first to Fig. 1, two wire supporting members 3-6 and 4-1 are shown pivoted about a substantiall horizontal pivot 5 so that they may be relatively movable about a substantially horizontal axis. The pivot 5 may comprise a pin disposed between flattened corresponding portions of the supporting members 3-5 and 4-4 at the junctions between the respective supportingmember portions 3 and 6, and 4 and l. The supporting member l1 is provided at one end with a lower curling element or jaw 9 and the supporting member 36 is provided at a corresponding end with a cooperating upper curling element or jaw 8. The other end of the supportin member 3-6 and the corresponding other end of the supporting member 4'! are provided with respective finger loops l and 2, preferably formed by looping the supportin member portions 3 and 4 at their free ends. Movement of the finger loops I and 2 toward or away from each other effects pivoted movement of the supporting members 36 and 4l about the substantially horizontal axis 5, causing the upper jaw 8 to move away from or to engage the lower jaw 9. It is to be understood that though pivoted wire supporting members having finger loops are deemed preferable for reasons hereinafter explained, they are, however, only illustrative, and any other type of jaw-supporting elements, pivoted or otherwise relatively movable about a substantially horizontal axis, may be employed.

The lower jaw 9 is convexly curved or bowshaped with respect to the pivot or axis 5 to cor respond to the approximately circular contour of the human eyelid, Figs. 2 and 13. The lower jaw 9, moreover, is provided with a recess [3 correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis 5 and extending toward the ends of the lower jaw 9 in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a central portion ll, shown in Figs. 13 and 14. The jaw 9 may be resilient, as of a, soft material such as neoprene, rubber and the like, to permit the use of the jaw in the vicinity of the eye with safety, and for other reasons later discussed. To this end, the resilient jaw 9 may comprise a resilient covering, coating or lining over a metallic form Ill to which the free end of the portion 1 of the lower-jaw supporting member 4! may be joined. The recess I3 is bounded by correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls 3'! and 39, meeting to form preferably a slightly rounded recess bottom. The convexly curved wall 39 of the recess I3 is disposed nearer to the axis 5 and is inclined from below upward in a direction away from the wall 31 disposed opposite thereto, in order that the recess [3 may be transversely widened at its upper end. The shape of the incline of the wall 39 is preferably concave, as shown in the vertical cross sections of Figs. 4, '7 to 12 and 14, but the wall 31, however, preferabl extends approximately vertically from below upward, for purposes that will also presently be explained.

The upper jaw 8 is preferably formed of solid metal being correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis 5 and correspondingly extending toward the ends of the jaw in substantially a horidontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a central portion 42, Figs. 2, 13 and 14, corresponding to the central portion 4| of the recess l3. The upper jaw 8 has correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed Walls 35 and 3| shaped to enable the upper jaw 8 to be fitted into the recess l3, and meeting in a slightly rounded lower edge M corresponding to the before-mentioned slightly rounded recess bottom. The convexly curved wall 30 of the upper jaw 8 further from the axis 5 preferably extends approximately vertically from below upward to correspond to the preferably approximately vertical wall 31 of the recess l3. The oppositely disposed convexly curved wall 3! of the upper jaw 8 nearer to the axis is preferably correspondingly convexly inclined from below upward to enable it to engage the concavely inclined wall 39 of the recess i3 when the upper jaw 8 is caused to enter the recess l3 through the upper end of the recess.

Th straight-line distance between the central portion 42 of the upper jaw 8 and the axis 5 is made slightly less than the corresponding distance between the corresponding central por-- tion 4! of the recess I3 and the axis 5. In Fig. '7, for example, a distance R1 is illustrated representing the distance from a point along the bottom edge M of the upper jaw 8 to the axis A slightly larger distance R2 is shown from a corresponding point along the bottom of the recess 13 to the axis 5. By making either the supporting-member portion 5 or the supporting-member portion 1, or both, resilient, as when, for example, they are constituted of steel wire, as the supporting members 4'! and 3-6 are moved toward each other about the axis 5, the following sequence of events will occur.

The upper jaw 8 will commence to enter the recess l3 of the lower jaw 91, as shown in Fig. 8, with an eyelash I l of an upper eyelid l2 interposed between the upper and lower jaws. Because the distance R1 is slightly less than the distance R2, the bottom edge 14 of the upper jaw 3 will first contact the upper portion of the wall 33 of the recess l3 and thus will first engage the eyelash II at a region 43 far removed from the eyelid l2 and the eye 32.

As the supporting members 3-6 and 4-1 are further pivoted together, the preferably convexly inclined wall 3! of the upper jaw 8 will commence, in response to the resilient action of the supporting members, resiliently to slide downward along the preferably concavely inclined wall 39 of the recess slidingly to engage the eyelash H between them in order to curl the eyelash inclinedly upward. The bottom third of the convexly inclined wall 3| of the upper jaw 3 is shown in Fig. 9 being sprung out a bit, so that it may press the eyelash H against more of the concavely inclined surface of the wall 33 of the recess It. The outer portion of the eyelash I I, at this early stage of the clamping of the eyelash curler jaws, is thus being curled upward without the sharp bending or kinking of present-day eyelash curlers. The preferably vertically inclined walls 3E and ill of the upper jaw 8 and the recess l3, respectively, are thus far maintained out of engagement so that it is impossible to pinch the eyelid 52.

A moment later, during the clamping of the upper and lower jaws, as shown in Fig. 10, the resilient supporting member 6 of the upper jaw 8 has been sprung a little further outward from the axis so that the convexly inclined wall 3! of the upper jaw 8 slides downward farther along the concavely inclined wall 39 of the recess I3. The eyelash II is now engaged between the top portion of the wall 39 of the recess [3 and a portion of th corresponding wall 3| of the upper jaw 8 with the major portion of the eyelash H being curled gracefully upward along the convexly inclined wall 3! of the upper jaw 8 without any sharp bend or kink.

At the next instant, Fig. 11, the Wall 3| of upper jaw 3 is resiliently sliding further along the wall 33 of the recess l3, and the major portion of the eyelash H is curled upward between more of the concavely inclined wall 39 of the recess it and the convexly inclined Wall 3| of the upper jaw 3. At this time, the bottom M of the upper jaw 8 is beginning t bend, in a rounded fashion, a portion of the eyelash disposed thereagainst, and the left-hand portion of the eyelash II is being forced adjacent the approximately vertical wall 31 of the recess [3. It is to be observed that the wall of the upper jaw 8 and ne corresponding wall 31 of the recess H are still maintained out of engagement, so that, as the eyelash is being curled, the eyelid l2 can not be pinched.

In the final clamped position, illustrated in Fig. 12, the complete left-hand portion of the eyelash is shown engaged between the approximately vertical wall 3!] of the upper jaw Band the approximately vertical wall 3'! of the recess I3, and the major portion of the eyelid is curled upward about the rounded bottom edge id of the upper jaw 8 with a graceful curl corresponding to the concaveincline of the recess Wall 39 and the convex incline of the upper-jaw wall 3| between which it is engaged. In this position it will be noted that the upper part of the substantially vertical wall 30 of the upper jaw 3 fits snugly against theupper eyelid l 2.

The resilient sliding engagement of the upper jaw 8 and the recess l3 in the various stages, illustrated in Figs. 8 through 11, furthermore, brings the lower jaw 9 under the eyelid l2 before the wall 30 of the upper jaw and the corresponding wall 3'! of the lower jaw become engaged. This prevents the pinching and injuring of the eyelid between walls so and 31. The preferably approximately ertical incline of the upper-jaw wall 35 and the recess wall 31, furthermore, insures that a minimum portion of the eyelash immediately adjacent the eyelid i2 is bent downward, while the major portion of the eyelash is gracefully curled upward without kinking between the convex incline of the upper-jaw wall 3| and the corresponding concave incline of the recess wall 39. The resilient character of the neoprene or other jaw 9 permits a tight engagement of the eyelash between the upper and lower jaws without danger of cutting or breaking the eyelash. The rounding of the top edges of the lower jaw 9 and the upper jaw 8 further insures against damage to the eye or eyelid.

Referring to Figs. 2, l3 and 14, it may be observed that the separation of the wall 39 from the wall 3'! of the recess [3 gradually decreases symmetrically on both sides of the central portion ll of the recess [3 to correspond to the gradually decreasing length of the eyelashes on both sides of the center of the eyelid. The thickness between the oppositely disposed walls 33 and 3| of the upper jaw 8 similarly gradually decreases symmetrically on both sides of the corresponding central portion 42. This construction permits the eyelashes near the corners or ends of the eyelid to be curled with substantially equal lengths of curl extending upward beyond the engaged walls of the recess l3 and the upper jaw 8 for all the eyelashes, as shown in Fig. 13. A uniform curl appearance is thus produced that can not be attained with the present-day curlers that engage the same length of each eyelash between their jaws.

The ends 15 of the upper jaw 8 are bowed concavely with respect to the axis 5 and the corresponding ends of the recess are similarly concavely bowed. By this construction, the outer eyelashes near the ends or corners of the eyelid are not only curled upward, but they are also curled outward along the concave bowed ends, as shown at All in Fig. 13. In this manner, a much sought-after appearance, resembling an oriental eye, is produced wherein the eye has a desirable more elongated appearance. The ends of the lower jaw 35 are also preferably correspondingly concavely bowed with respect to the axis 5 in order to permit the insertion of the ends 35 of the lower jaw 9 safely and snugly within the bowed portions 33 of the face at the corners of the eyelid, nesting firmly at the opposite edges of the bony ocular orbit so that all the eyelashes of the eyelid may be engaged and curled between the upper and lower jaws.

The upper ends'of the supporting-member portions 6 and! of the curler of Fig. l have been shown respectively joined to the respective midpoints or central portions of the convexly curved upper jaw 8 and the convexly curved form It) upon which the neoprene or other lower jaw 8 is formed. The upper-jaw supporting-member portion 6 preferably extends upward from the upper jaw 8 in an arch lying within a substantially vertical plane, including the central portion 42 and the pivot 5, in order that the central eyelashes will be curled upward under the arch without contacting the supporting structure. In this manner the eyelashes will not be separated, divided or otherwise deflected by the supportingmember portion 6. The lower-jaw supporting member portion 1 may extend downward from the lower jaw 9 to form a slight arch in the same vertical plane for convenience of construction of the junction between the lower jaw and the supporting member portion I.

I have found that the following dimensions for an eyelash curler of the type illustrated in Fig. 1 are admirably well-suited for curling the average womans eyelashes. The inner radius of curvature of the approximately circular convexly curved lower jaw 9 is preferably about nineteen thirty-seconds of an inch, the jaw subtending between its ends a sector of about one hundred fifty degrees. The radius of curvature of the concavely bowed ends 35 of the lower jaw may be about five thirty-seconds of an inch. The inner radius of curvature of the approximately circular upper jaw 8 may be about three-quarters of an inch having a thickness at the top of the jaw between the inner and outer walls 30 and SI of about three thirty-seconds of an inch near the central portion 42 of the upper jaw 8, and tapering to about one thirty-second of an inch near the ends l5. Because of the resilient character of the neoprene or other lower jaw 9, the recess l 3 may have corresponding widths of about the same respective values near its central portion All and near its ends. With resilient cylindrical steel-wire supporting members 4--l and 3-45 of about an eighth of an inch in diameter, the distances R1 and R2, illustrated in Fig. '7, may have respective values of about one and one-sixteenth inches and about one and three sixtyfourths inches.

The jaws 8 and 9, moreover, need not be supported as shown in Fig. 1, though this is a simple and preferred arrangement. They may, for example, be provided with supporting members l6 and I7, Figs. 3 and 5, each of which comprises a wire member bent double to form respective finger loops [8 and I9. on one side of a horizontal pivot or axis 20. On the other side of the axis 20, the doubly bent members 16 and I! each forms a pair of diverging supporting arms 2| and 22 the free ends of which may be joined, respectively, to the free ends 25 of the upper jaw 23 and the ends 26 of the lower jaw 24. The upper jaw 23 may be the same as the upper jaw 8 of Fig. l, and the lower jaw 24 may be identical with the lower jaw 9. The space between the diverging arms 21 and 22 of the jawsupporting members permits the eyelashes to be curled upward without their contacting or being separated by the supporting structure. Since, however, the supporting members 2! and 22 of the curler of Figs. 3 and are joined to the ends 26 of the lower jaw 24, it may be desirable to employ a lower jaw of the type illustrated at 26 in Fig. 6. The resilient neoprene or other lower jaw 28 having a recess 29 of the same shape, as discussed in connection with the recess l3 of Fig. 9, may be inserted within a metallic or other wall 21 to which the supporting arms may be joined. This same lower-jaw construction may also be employed with the supporting members of Fig. 1.

Further modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and all such are considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An eyelash curler comprising two supporting members movable about a substantially horizontal axis, one of the members being provided with a lower jaw having a recess convexly curved with respect to the axis and extending in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the recess being bounded by correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls, the other member being provided with an upper jaw correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis and correspondingly extending in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a corresponding central portion disposed nearest to the axis. the upper jaw having correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls shaped to enable the upper jaw to be fitted into the recess, the convexly curved wall of the recess nearer to the axis being inclined from below upward in a direction away from the wall of the recess disposed opposite thereto in order that the recess may be transversely widened at its upper end, the convexly curved wall of the upper jaw nearer to the axis being correspondingly inclined from below upward to enable it to engage the inclined wall of the recess when the upper jaw is caused to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, at least one of the supporting members being resilient between the jaw supported thereby and the axis, and the distance from the axis to the central portion of the upper jaw being slightly less than the distance from the axis to the central portion of the recess in order that. as the supporting members are moved toward each other about the axis to cause the upper jaw to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the inclined wall of the upper jaw will resiliently slide downward along the inclined wall of the recess slidingly to engage the eyelashes between them in order to curl the eyelashes inclinedly upward at times when the walls of the upper jaw and the recess further from the axis are maintained out of engagement to prevent their pinching the evelid between them.

2. An eyelash curler comprising two supporting members movable about a substantially horizontal axis, one of the members being provided with a. lower jaw having a recess convexly curved with respect to the axis and extending in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the recess being bounded by correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls, the other member being provided with an upper jaw correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis and correspondingly extending in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a corresponding central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the upper jaw having correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls shaped to enable the upper jaw to be fitted into the recess, the convexly curved 'wall of the recess further from theaXis extending approximately vertically from below upward and the oppositely disposed convexl curved wall of the recess nearer to the axis being inclined concavely from below upward inorder that the recess may betransversely' widenedat its upper end, the convexly curved Wall of the upper jaw farther from the .axis extending approximately vertically from below upward to correspondto the approximately vertical wall of the recess and the oppositely disposed convexly curved wall of the upper jaw nearer to the axis being correspondingly convexly inclined from below upward to enable it .to engage the concavely inclined wall of the recess when the upper jaw iscaused to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess,,at least one of the supporting members being resilient between the jaw supported thereby and the axis, and the distance from the axis to the central portion of the upper jawbcing slightly less than, the distance from theaxls to the central portion of the recess in order that, as the supporting membersare moved toward. each other about the axis to cause the upper jaw to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the convexly inclined wall of theupper jaw will resiliently slide downward'along the ,concavely inclined wall of the recess slidingly to engage the eyelashes between them in order to curl the eyelashes inclinedly upward at times when the approximately vertical walls of the upper jaw and the recess are maintained out of engagement to prevent their pinching the eyelid between them.

3. An eyelash curler comprising two supporting members movable about a substantially horizontal axis, one of themembers being provided with a lower jaw having a recess convexly curved with respect to the axis and extending in substantially ahorizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a central portion disposed nearest to the axis, therecess being bounded by correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls, the other member being provided with an upper jaw correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis and correspondingly extending in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a corresponding central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the upper jaw having correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls shaped to enable the upper jaw to be fitted into the recess, the convexly curved wall of the recess nearer tothe axis being inclined from below upward in a direction away from the wall of the recess disposed opposite thereto in order that the recessmay be transversely widened at its upper end, the convexly curved wall of the upper jaw nearer to the axis being correspondingly inclined from below upward to enable it to engage the inclined wall of the recess when the upper jaw is caused to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, the said other supporting member being resilient between the upper jaw and the axis and extending upward from the upper jaw in an arch disposed in a substantially vertical plane, and the distance from the axis to the central portion of the upper jaw being slightly less than the distance from the axis to the central portion of the recess in order that, as the supporting members are moved toward each other about the axis to cause the upper jaw to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid inter- ;posed, the inclined wall of the upper jaw 'will resiliently slide downward along the inclined wall of therecess slidingly to engage the eyelashes between them in order to curl the eyelashes inclinedly upward under the arch at times when the walls of the upper jaw and the recess further from the axis are maintained out of engagement to prevent their pinching the eyelid between them.

4. An eyelash curler comprising two supporting members movable about a substantially hori sontal axis, one of the members being provided with a lower jaw having a recess convexly curved with respect to the axis and extending in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides ofa central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the recess being bounded by corresponding convexly curved oppositely disposed walls, the other member being provided with an upper jaw correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis and correspondingly extending in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on bothsides of a corresponding central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the upper jaw having correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls shaped to enable the upper jaw to be fitted into the recess, the convexly curved wall of the recess nearer to the axis being inclined from below upward in a direction away from the wall of the vrecess disposed opposite thereto in order that the recess may be transversely widened at its upper end, the convexly curved wall of the upper jaw nearer to the axis being correspondingly inclined from below upward to enable it to engage the inclined wall of the recess when the upper jaw is caused to enter therecess through the said upper end of the recess, the separation of the convexly curved inclined wall of the recess from the wall disposed opposite thereto and the corresponding thickness between the oppositelydisposed walls of the upper jaw gradually decreasing symmetrically on both sides of the respective central portions of the recess and the upper jaw to correspond to the gradually decreasing length of the eyelashes on both sides or the center of an eyelid, at least one of the supporting members being resilient between the jaw supported thereby and the axis, and the distance from the axis to the central portion of the upper jaw being slightly less than the distance from the axis to the central portion of the recess in order that, as the supporting members are moved toward each other about the axis to cause the upper jaw to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, with the eyelashes of the eyelid interposed, the inclined wall of the upper jaw will resiliently slide downward along the inclined wall of the recess slidingly to engage the eyelashesbetween them in order to curl the eyelashes inclinedly upward with substantially equal lengths of curled eyelash extending upward beyond the engaged in--. clined walls of the recess and the upper jaw for all the eyelashes of the eyelid, the said sliding engagement of the inclined walls of the recess and the upper jaw occurring at times when the walls of the upper jaw and the recess further from the axis are maintained out of engage- ,ment to prevent their pinching the eyelid between them.

5. An eyelash curler comprising relatively gmovaible cooperating upper and lower jaws, the .lower jaw having a recess in the shape of a sector of approximately a circle provided with oppositelydisposed arcuate walls, the upper jaw being shaped to fit in the recess and being provided with oppositely disposed arcuate walls for engaging the respective oppositely disposed arcuate walls of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the width of the recess between its oppositely disposed arcuate walls and the corresponding thickness between the corresponding oppositely disposed arcuate walls of the upper jaw gradually decreasing symmetrica-lly on both sides of the resepctive centers of the upper and lower jaws to correspond to the gradually decreasing length of the eyelashes on both sides of the center of the eyelid in order that, as the upper and lower jaws are moved into engagement with the eyelashes interposed, the eyelashes may be curled upward between the upper and lower jaws with substantially equal lengths of curled eyelash extending upward beyond the engaged upper and lower jaws for all of the eyelashes of the eyelid, thereby presenting a uniform appearance.

6. An eyelash curler comprising two supporting members movable about a substantially horizontal axis, one of the members being provided with a lower jaw having a recess convexly curved with respect to the axis and extending toward the ends of the lower jaw in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the recess being bounded by correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls, the other member bein provided with an upper jaw correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis and correspondingly extending toward its ends in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a corresponding central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the upper jaw having correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls shaped to enable the upper jaw to be fitted into the recess, the convexl curved wall of the recess nearer to the axis being inclined from below upward in a direction away from the wall of the recess disposed opposite thereto in order that the recess may be transversely widened at its upper end, the convexly curved wall of the upper jaw nearer to the axis being correspondingly inclined from below upward to enable it to engage the inclined wall of the recess when the upper jaw is caused to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, the ends of the lower jaw being bowed concavely with respect to the axis to permit the lower jaw to be applied safely and snugly about the eye, the ends of the upper jaw and of the recess being similarly concavely bowed with respect to the axis, at least one of the supporting members being resilient between the jaw supported thereby and the axis, and the distance from the axis to the central portion of the upper jaw being slightly less than the distance from the axis to the central portion of the recess in order that, as the supporting members are moved toward each other about the axis to cause the upper jaw to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, with the eyelashes of the eyelid interposed, the inclined wall of the upper jaw will resiliently slide downward along the inclined wall of the recess slidingly to engage the eyelashes between them in order to curl the eyelashes inclinedly upward with those of the eyelashes engaged between the concavely bowed ends of the recess and the upper jaw being curled outward toward the adjacent ends of the lower jaw as well as inclinedly upward to produce an elongated eyelash appearance, the said sliding engagement of the inclined walls of the recess and the upper jaw occurring at times when the walls of the upper jaw and the recess further from the oppositely disposed walls, the other member being correspondingly provided at one end with a finger loop and at the other end with an upper jaw correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis and correspondingly extending toward its ends in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a corresponding central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the upper jaw having correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed Walls shaped to enable the upper jaw to be fitted into the recess, the convexl curved wall of the recess further from the axis extending approximately vertically from below upward and the oppositely disposed convexly curved wall of the recess nearer to the axis being inclined concavely from below upward in order that the recess may be transversely widened at its upper end, the convexly curved wall of the upper jaw further from the axis extending approximately vertically from below upward to correspond to the approximately vertical wall of the recess and the oppositely disposed convexly curved wall of the upper jaw nearer to the axis being correspondingly convexly inclined from below upward to enable it to engage the concavely inclined wall of the recess when the upper jaw is caused to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, the separation of the convexly inclined wall of the recess from the approximately vertical oppositely disposed wall and the corresponding thickness between the oppositely disposed walls of the upper jaw gradually decreasing symmetrically on both sides of the respective central portions of the recess and the upper jaw to correspond to the gradually decreasing length of the eyelashes on both sides of the center of an eyelid, the ends of the lower jaw being bowed concavely with respect to the axis to permit the lower jaw to be applied safely and snugly about the eye, the ends of the upper jaw and of the recess being similarly concavely bowed with respect to the axis, at least one of the supporting members being resilient between the jaw supported thereby and the axis, and the distance from the axis to the central portion of the upper jaw being slightly less than the distance from the axis to the central portion of the recess in order that, as the supporting members are moved toward each other about the axis to cause the upper jaw to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the convexly inclined wall of the upper jaw will resiliently slide downward along the concavely inclined wall of the recess slidingly to engage the eyelashes between them in order to curl the eyelashes inclinedly upward with those of the eyelashes engaged between the concavely'bowed ends of the recess and the upper jaw being curled outward toward the adjacent ends of the lower jaw as well as inclinedly upward to produce an elongated eyelash appearance, and with substantially equal lengths of curled eyelash extending upward beyond the engaged inclined walls of the aseam recess and the upper jaw for all the eyelashes of the eyelid, the said sliding engagement of the inclined walls of the recess and the upper jaw occurring at times when the approximately vertical walls of the upper jaw and the recess are maintained out of engagement to prevent their pinching the eyelid between them.

8. An eyelash curler comprising two supporting members movable about a substantially horizontal axis, one of the members being provided at one end with a finger loop and at the other end with a lower jaw having a resiliently lined recess convexly curved with respect to the axis and extending toward the ends of the lower jaw in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the recess being bounded by correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls, the other member being correspondingly provided at one end with a finger loop and at the other end with an upper jaw correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis and correspondingly extending toward its ends in substan-' tially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a corresponding central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the upper jaw having correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls shaped to enable the upper jaw to be fitted into the recess, the convexly curved wall of the recess further from the axis extending approximately vertically from below upward and the oppositely disposed convexly curved wall of the re cess nearer to the axis being inclined concavely from below upward in order that the recess may be transversely widened at its upper end, the convexly curved wall of the upper jaw further from the axis extending approximately vertically from below upward to correspond to the approximately vertical wall of the recess and the oppositely disposed convexly curved wall of the upper jaw nearer to the axis being correspondingly convexly inclined from below upward to enable it to engage the concavely inclined wall of the recess when the upper jaw is caused to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, the upper and lower jaws being joined to the said other ends of their respective supporting members in the vicinity of the respective central portions of the upper and lower jaws, the separation of the convexly incllned wall of the recess from the approximately vertical oppositely disposed wall and the corresponding thickness between the oppositely disposed walls of the upper jaw gradually decreasing symmetrically on both sides of the respective central portions of the recess and the upper jaw to correspond to the gradually decreasing length of the eyelashes on both sides of the center of an eyelid, the ends of the lower jaw being bowed concavely with respect to the axis to permit the lower jaw to be applied safely and snugly about the eye, the ends of the upper jaw and of the recess being similarly concavely bowed with respect to the axis, the said other supporting member being resilient between the upper jaw and the axis; and extending upward from the upper jaw inanarc'h disposed in a substantially vertical plane, and the distance from the axis to the central portion of the upper jaw being slightly less than the distance from the axis to the central portion of the recess in order that, as the supporting members are moved toward each other about the axis to cause the upper jaw to enter the recess through the said upper endof the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the convexly inclined wall of the upper jaw Will resiliently slide dovvriw'ard along the concavely inclined Well (if the recess slidingly to engage the eyelashes between them in order to curl the eyelashes inclinedly upward under the arch with those of the eyelashes engaged between the concavely bowed ends of the recess and the upper jaw being curled oiltward toward the adjacent ends of the lower j-awas Well as inclinedly upward to produce an elongated eyelash appearance, and with substantially equal lengths of curled eyelash extending upward beyond the engaged inclined walls of the recess and the upper jaw for all the eyelashes of the eyelid, the said sliding engagement of the inclined walls of the recess and the upper jaw occurring at times when the approximately vertical walls of the upper jaw and the recess are maintained out of engagement to prevent their pinching the eyelid between them.

9. An eyelash curler comprising two supporting members movable about a substantially horizontal axis, one of the members being provided at one end with a finger loop and at the other end with a lower jaw having a resiliently lined recess convexly curved with respect to the axis and extending toward the ends of the lower jaw substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the recess being bounded by correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls, the other member being correspondingly provided at one end with a finger loop and at the other end with an upper jaw correspondingly convexly curved with respect to the axis and correspondingly extending toward its ends in substantially a horizontal plane symmetrically on both sides of a corresponding central portion disposed nearest to the axis, the upper jaw having correspondingly convexly curved oppositely disposed walls shaped to enable the upper jaw to be fitted into the recess, the convexly curved wall of the recess further from the axis extending approximatel vertically from below upward and the oppositely disposed convexl curved wall of the recess nearer to the axis being inclined concavely from below upward in order that the recess may be transversely widened at its upper end, the convexly curved wall of the upper jaw further from the axis extending approximately vertically from below upward to correspond to the approximately vertical wall of the recess and the oppositely disposed convexly curved wall of the upper jaw nearer to the axis being correspondingly convexly inclined from below upward to enable it to engage the concavely inclined wall of the recess when the upper jaw is caused. to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, the upper and lower jaws being joined to the said other ends of their respective supporting members in the vicinity of the respective ends of the upper and lower jaws, the separation of the convexly inclined wall of the recess from the approximately vertical oppositely disposed wall and the corresponding thickness between the oppositely disposed walls of the upper jaw gradually decreasing symmetrically on both sides of the respective central portions of the recess and the upper jaw to correspond to the gradually decreasing length of the eyelashes on both sides of the center of an eyelid, the ends of the lower jaw being bowed concavely with respect to the axis to permit the lower jaw to be applied safely and snugly about the eye, the ends of the upper jaw and of the recess being similarly concavely bowed with respect to the axis, at least one 01' the supporting members being resilient between the jaw supported thereby and the axis, and the distance from the axis to the central portion of the upper jaw being slightly less than the distance from the axis to the central portion of the recess in order that, as the supporting members are moved toward each other about the axis to cause the upper jaw to enter the recess through the said upper end of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the convexly inclined wall of the upper jaw will resiliently slide downward along the concavely inclined wall of the recess slidingly to engage the eyelashes between them in order to curl the eyelashes inclinedly upward with those of the eyelashes engaged between the concavely bowed ends of the recess and the upper jaw being curled outward toward the adjacent ends of the lower jaw as well as inclinedly upward to produce an elongated eyelash appearance and with substantially equal lengths of curled eyelash extending upward beyond the engaged inclined walls of the recess and the upper jaw for all the eyelashes of the eyelid, the said sliding engagement of the inclined walls of the recess and the upper jaw occurring at times when the approximately vertical walls of the upper jaw and the recess are maintained out of engagement to prevent their pinching the eyelid between them.

10. An eyelash curler comprising relatively movable cooperating upper and lower jaws, the lower jaw being curved in the shape of a sector of approximately a circle and having a correspondingl curved recess provided with oppositely disposed arcuate walls, the upper jaw being shaped to fit in the recess and provided with oppositely disposed arcuate walls for engaging the respective oppositely disposed arcuate walls of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the ends of the lower jaw being bowed outward to permit the lower jaw to be applied safely and snugly about the eye, and the ends of the upper jaw and of the recess being similarly bowed outward in order that, as the upper and lower jaws are moved into engagement, those of the eyelashes engaged between the bowed ends of the recess and the upper jaw will be curled outward towards the adjacent ends of the lower jaw as well as upward to produce an elongated eyelash appearance.

11. An eyelash curler comprising relatively movable cooperating upper and lower jaws, the lower jaw being curved in a horizontal plane in the shape of a sector of approximately a circle in order that it may be applied about the human eyelid and having a correspondingly curved recess provided with oppositely disposed arcuate walls, the arcuate wall of the recess closer to the eyelid when the lower jaw is applied thereabout extending approximatel vertically from below upward, the oppositely disposed arcuate wall of the recess inclining concavely from below upward in order that the recess may be widened at its upper end, the upper jaw being shaped to fit in the recess through the said upper end and provided with oppositely disposed arcuate walls for engaging the respective oppositely disposed arcuate walls of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the upper-jaw arcuate wall closer to the eyelid when the curler is applied thereabout extending approximately vertically from below upward to correspond to the approximately vertical wall of the recess and the oppositely disposed upperjaw wall inclining convexly from below upward to correspond to the concavely inclined wall of the recess.

12. An eyelash curler comprisin a pair of members pivoted between their ends and having finger loops at one extremity, a pair of elements transversely secured at their midpoints to the opposite extremities of said members, said elements being bow-shaped with the convex side extending toward the pivot, one of said elements being convex in cross section on its exterior surface, the member attached thereto being arched at its junction therewith in a plane substantially normal to the planes of said elements, and the other element concave to receive the first-named element, the said other element having a lining, both said elements being shaped to conform to the horizontal curve of the upper eyelid over the eye and having such cross-sectional shape as to receive and curl the lash on the lower edge of said lid evenly and smoothly upward, said elements having their outer ends rounded and curved reversely to the curvature of said elements to prevent contact of the curler with the face during the use of said device.

13. An eyelash curler comprising relatively movable cooperating upper and lower jaws, the lower jaw having a recess in the shape of a sector of approximately a circle provided with 0D- positely disposed arcuate walls, the upper jaw being shaped to fit in the recess and being provided with oppositely disposed arcuate walls for engaging the respective oppositely disposed arcuate walls of the recess, with the eyelashes of an eyelid interposed, the upper jaw gradually tapering at its ends to correspond to the gradually decreasing length of the eyelashes at the ends of the eyelid in order that, as the upper and lower jaws are moved into engagement with the eyelashes interposed, the eyelashes may be curled upward between the upper and lower jaws with substantially equal lengths of curled eyelash extending upward beyond the engaged upper and lower jaws for substantially all of the eyelashes of the eyelid, thereby presenting a uniform appearance.

JULIA P. WOLFF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,527,964 Patino Feb. 24, 1925 1,665,327 Rissinger Apr. 1'0, 1928 1,987,931 Goodman Jan. 15, 1935 2,392,694 Rector Jan. 8, 1946

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