Patent Application
20180199689
The present invention relates to a device for clipping toe nails. More particularly, the present invention relates to an adjustable nail clipper which is configured as a stand, where the user can clip the toe nails from a seated position.
Conventionally, toe nails are clipped using hand held nail-clippers which range from different sizes and shapes. The hand-held nail-clippers comprise blades which are pressed down using leverage applied with the fingers of the user, while the hand-held nail-clippers are held in their hand. A user, whether in a seated position or a standing position, has to bend down to hold the hand-held nail-clipper near the toe nails, and then the blades are engaged over each toe nail. Now, the user must apply a clipping pressure to press the blades over the toe nail, to clip the toe nail. Another requirement is that, in addition to the user bending down, he/she might also need to bend the leg to get proper access of the toe nails while clipping the toe nails.
For older users, or users with backpain or similar medical condition, it might be difficult for them to bend down and position the toe nails in contact with the hand-held nail-clippers. Overweight users also face the similar difficulty where they are unable to bend down properly, and even if they do, it requires a lot of effort to do so. Currently, there are no nail-clippers in the market which helps the users to avoid the process of bending down to clip their toe nails. Therefore, there is a need for an adjustable nail clipping device which can be used while the users are seated on a chair in an upright position. The device should also help users with back pain, or who are slightly overweight, which reduces their ability to easily bend down to cut their toe nails. The device should also help users who suffer from problems related to giddiness, where they tend to fall over while bending over for too long to cut their toe nails.
The adjustable nail clipper addresses the issues raised in the background section, and provides solution for the same. The adjustable nail clipper is configured to support a foot of a user to clip toe nails of the user. The adjustable nail clipper comprises a support leg assembly, a hollow shaft, a handle, a clipper head with cutting blades, and a foot rest. The hollow shaft extends from an upper end of the support leg assembly, and the handle is attached to the hollow shaft. The clipper head is attached proximal to a bottom end of the hollow shaft, and the cutting blades of the clipper head are actuated via a clipping lever attached to the handle. The foot rest is pivotally connected to the hollow shaft, and positioned frontally to the clipper head. The foot rest receives and supports the foot of the user who is seated on a chair, and allows the user to clip each toe nail after aligning each toe nail between the cutting blades.
In an embodiment, the handle is attached at an upper end of the hollow shaft, and the clipping lever is positioned at one end of the handle. Therefore, the user can actuate the clipping lever with their hands from a seated position in front of the adjustable nail clipper. In an embodiment, the adjustable nail clipper further comprises a linkage member connected between the clipping lever and the cutting blades. The linkage member is pulled to engage the cutting blades on each toe nail when the clipping lever is actuated by the user. In an embodiment, the linkage member is a metallic rope. In an embodiment, the adjustable nail clipper further comprises a spring element attached along the length of the linkage member, and the spring element increases the actuation pressure on the clipping lever.
In an embodiment, the pivotal connection of the foot rest on the hollow shaft allows the user to move the rested foot in either a frontal, rearward, or sideward direction. In an embodiment, the hollow shaft is configured to rotate along a linear axis of the hollow shaft, and the rotation of the hollow shaft allows the user to position the foot from a variety of seating positions on the chair. In an embodiment, the adjustable nail clipper further comprises a stirrup member attached to a frontal section of the foot rest, and the stirrup member is configured to steadily secure the foot of the user on the foot rest. In an embodiment, the support leg assembly is a tripod stand.
The clipper head 109 is attached proximal to a bottom end 102a of the hollow shaft 102, and the cutting blades 110 of the clipper head 109 are actuated via a clipping lever 104 attached to the handle 103. The clipper head 109 is, for example, a toe adjustable nail clipper 100 which is modified to be actuated by the clipping lever 104. In an embodiment, the adjustable nail clipper 100 further comprises a linkage member 106 connected between the clipping lever 104 and the cutting blades 110. The linkage member 106 is pulled to engage the cutting blades 110 on each toe nail when the clipping lever 104 is actuated by the user. The linkage member 106 is, for example, a metallic rope. The metallic rope is connected from the clipping lever 104, and then it is pulled through the hollow shaft 102 to be connected to the cutting blades 110. When the user presses the clipping lever 104, the metallic rope is pulled to engage the cutting blades 110 over the toe nail positioned there between.
The foot rest 105 is pivotally connected to the hollow shaft 102, and positioned frontally to the clipper head 109. The foot rest 105 receives and supports the foot of the user who is seated on the chair, and allows the user to clip each toe nail after aligning each toe nail between the cutting blades 110. The user can be seated on a chair while he/she is trying to clip their toe nails. The user is first required to place his/her foot on the foot rest 105, and then the foot is secured on a stirrup member 108. The stirrup member 108 is attached to a frontal section of the foot rest 105, and the stirrup member 108 is configured to steadily secure the foot of the user on the foot rest 105. In an embodiment, the pivotal connection of the foot rest 105 on the hollow shaft 102, allows the user to move the rested foot in either a frontal, rearward, or sideward direction. The pivotal connection helps the user to move the foot along a significant angle of rotation, for example, almost 90 percentage (%) of the total rotary angle. Therefore, the pivotal connection allows a high degree of freedom of rotation. If the user wants to clip the toe nails at a certain angle owing to the shape of the toe nail, or for aesthetic purpose, the adjustable nail clipper 100 provides the user the maximum freedom of movement and rotation that is required to achieve the same.
In an embodiment, the handle 103 is attached at an upper end 102b of the hollow shaft 102, and the clipping lever 104 is positioned at one end 103a of the handle 103. The positioning of the clipping lever 104 at this one end 103a of the handle 103 allows the user to simultaneously hold the handle 103 as well as provide the actuation pressure on the clipping lever 104. Therefore, the user can actuate the clipping lever 104 with hands from a seated position in front of the adjustable nail clipper 100. This way the user can steadily apply the clipping pressure on the toe nail. To adjust the pressure on the clipping lever 104, a spring element 107 is attached along the length of the linkage member 106, and the spring element 107 increases the actuation pressure on the clipping lever 104. The spring element 107 is connected within the hollow shaft 102, and is easily replaceable if the spring tension is lost over periodic use, since the handle 103 and the hollow shaft 102 can be easily disassembled to remove the spring element 107.
In an embodiment, the hollow shaft 102 is configured to rotate along a linear axis of the hollow shaft 102, and the rotation of the hollow shaft 102 allows the user to position the foot from a variety of seating positions on the chair. The hollow shaft 102 is also configured to rotate on its axis, which provides the user with extra adjustment options in addition to the pivotally connected foot rest 105. The user can place his/her foot on the foot rest 105, and since the foot rest 105 is pivotally connected and in joint operation along with the rotatable hollow shaft 102, the user can easily position his/her toe nail in any desired orientation with minimum adjustments.
The foregoing examples have been provided merely for the purpose of explanation and are in no way to be construed as limiting of the present concept disclosed herein. While the concept has been described with reference to various embodiments, it is understood that the words, which have been used herein, are words of description and illustration, rather than words of limitation. Further, although the concept has been described herein with reference to particular means, materials, and embodiments, the concept is not intended to be limited to the particulars disclosed herein; rather, the concept extends to all functionally equivalent structures, methods and uses, such as are within the scope of the appended claims. Those skilled in the art, having the benefit of the teachings of this specification, may affect numerous modifications thereto and changes may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the concept in its aspects.
