Patent Application
20240365951
The present invention relates generally to both cosmetology and manicuring protection to include fingernail and toenail polishing to create the French manicure style. More specifically, the present invention is a fingernail and toenail guide which is designed to enable safety of fingers and toes when cutting, filing and/or manicuring fingernails or toenails as well as accuracy when polishing nails to achieve a French-manicured look.
The idea for a French manicure guide happened one night around 11 PM when I wanted my nails manicured and polished, however, time was a problem because salons had been closed for hours. I was wanting a specific look-a French manicure as I've always believed that this look is pretty, elegant, and matches every type of outfit because of its natural appearance of having a white fingernail or toenail tip combined with a nude, beige, blush pink, or clear layers of polish applied to entire fingernail or toenail. The French Manicure is essentially a look that enhances the natural appearance of unpolished nails. Just as makeup enhances the natural beauty of one's face, the French manicure achieves this with one's hands and feet. Creating this look, however, takes a great deal of time, patience and dexterity especially when trying to polish your fingernails while using your non-dominant hand. The invention offers physical guidance to the user as well as accuracy while polishing and or manicuring fingernails and toenails. Over the years, the French manicure has evolved to include different color schemes, neon colors, a mixture of darker colors, and different colored pastels as well as reversing colors to have the darker color appear on the fingernail or toenail tip and the lighter color on the remaining portion of the fingernails or toenails.
Human vision along with human dexterity can be suspect at times, especially with poor lighting, aging, illnesses, as well as the presence of stiff fingers and joints in the hands and wrists or even using the non-dominant hand to trim, cut, manicure or polish one's own fingernails and toenails. This may pose, at the very least, a challenging as well as a possibly unsafe situation while using clippers or cutting, trimming, filing instruments which embody sharp and/or rough edges.
The present invention can be made in a variety of plastics/polymers to include, but not be limited to, rubberized components to help ensure a comfortable and secure attachment to fingers and toes. The guide attaches and secures to the fingers and toes by both a curved body and elongated legs that hug the sides of the finger or toe and is intended, but not limited to, partially covering and protecting the finger or toe to leave exposed only the amount of desired fingernail or toenail to be cut, trimmed, filed, polished or otherwise manicured. The invention establishes a secure barrier which acts as a stabilizer especially when a person is polishing/trimming/manicuring while using their non-dominant hand. The person chooses the overall appearance relating to the thickness of how much of the fingernail or toenail is trimmed, manicured, or polished because the invention is not a predetermined area but rather, made adjustable for individual preferences. If the person wants a small amount of fingernail or toenail to be manicured, he/she can adjust the French Manicure Safety Guide by moving it closer to the edge of the fingernail or toenail, only leaving a small amount to be cut, trimmed, filed, manicured, or polished. Conversely, if the person wants a larger area manicured, he/she can place the invented guide further down the finger to expose a larger portion of the fingernail or toenail to be manicured, cut, trimmed, filed and/or polished. For a French manicure, some people enjoy the look of a thin painted white line of color and others prefer a much thicker line of white polish and with the invented guide, both looks can be achieved.
The various different fields of cosmetology include but are not limited to: hair stylists, hair colorists, estheticians, nail technicians, and makeup artists. Nail technicians are specialized workers who focus upon the care of nails, as well as the application of aesthetically pleasing materials to the nails. There are many different ways in which nails can be aesthetically improved, including but not limited to manicures, pedicures, nail polish, gel polish, nail wraps, nail dips, and artificial nails. The application of nail polish is extremely common and is typically done individually, however a nail technician is capable of producing more complex designs which are otherwise unachievable by the average person. The average person may attempt to create a French manicure using various tapes and stickers which are challenging to use as the sticker tends to stick to itself during application. Moreover, these stickers can only be used once and even if the person is successful in applying these adhesive strips and polishing the white line, once the adhesive strip is removed, it can leave a sticky residue on the nail and it usually takes some of the polished/painted line with it, resulting in a jagged white line which is not desirable. Other Do-It-Yourself options are specifically designed for acrylic nails, rather than natural nails which limits their scope.
The French Manicure Safety Guides can be used on all finger and toe nail types to include, but not be limited to: acrylic, dipped nails, fake nails, short, medium and long nails. Other French manicure options which I have not used but have read about include: A powder dipping systems whereas the user applies nail polish and dips fingers into powders and then are subsequently polished, shaped and cleaned, which tends to require an above-average skill level to achieve desired results, another dipping system called the “French Tip Dip,” which utilizes a four-sided device that is bent and subsequently dipped into polish and pushed onto fingernails; this process would make it difficult to apply the same thickness of white polish consistently across all fingers; and it would be equally as difficult to apply the ideal-two coats of white polish as it would be necessary to push the device back over the exact same spot as the first application; as well, this apparatus doesn't span a large variety of necessary nail sizes, rendering it minimally effective and does not offer the protective, safety components of the French Manicure Safety Guides, metal applicators that house polish would require the user to put fingers into a large and relatively heavy, stationary device that must sit on top of a table and needs assistance from a technician, and a multi-part apparatus with a sliding mechanism to create French manicures has a fixed, predetermined area to which the user is to spray polish into, needs more than one part to be successful, and due to its size and instruction of covering the majority of the finger, it would be cumbersome and render the user unable to perform other tasks while employing the apparatus because the user must also be stationary.
Since the French Manicure Safety Guides are placed onto the fingernail or toenail rather than into a stationary device, the user is able to continue to be mobile and also perform other tasks, if desired, that require the use of one's hands and/or feet, all while the invented guides are attached to them. As well, the invented guides allow many options to the user: to have assistance from another person, or a nail technician, or the Do-It-Yourself option of manicuring, trimming, and polishing because it is not required to support or hold in place, the invented guides with one's “free” hand in order to perform the manicuring tasks. In addition, when using the French Manicure Safety Guides, the user has the option of choosing to manicure, trim, cut, paint or polish fingernails and toenails to achieve a crescent-shape or a straight across appearance depending on how he/she positions the invented guides onto fingers and toes. Moreover, none of the aforementioned technologies appear to embody the safeguards necessary to protect fingers and toes during cutting, trimming or filing.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is designed to enable for easy creation of a particular fingernail and toenail stylization known as the French manicure. Typically, the French manicure requires the skills of a trained nail technician, thus, it is usually necessary for a person wishing to obtain a French manicure to seek out and pay for this assistance and adhere to the confines of time schedules. The present invention is intended to allow a person to trim, cut, and/or file one's fingernails and toenails, or another person's, in a safe manner and is envisioned to provide stability and accuracy while polishing to produce the look of the French manicure for themselves or another, without paying for professional assistance.
It is an object of the present invention to introduce a device of instrumental guidance which can offer a safer and more accurate trimming, cutting, filing, manicuring and polishing to include the French manicure style on all types of fingernails and toenails to include but not be limited to, natural nails, acrylic, gel, and artificial fingernails and toenails. Moreover, the French Manicure Safety Guides can be used as a finger and toe guard that offers a sturdy barrier, so the person doesn't manicure, trim, cut, or file too far down the finger or toe as to cause injury to the skin and soft tissue. The invented guides could also be used in conjunction with varied manicuring tools as well as any type of nail lacquer, markers, or paints when utilized for polishing. The present invention can be used as a Do-It-Yourself process and/or with another individual who assists you in manicuring and/or yet as a process a person assists another with, to include people of all ages. French Manicure Safety Guides aims to provide a device which can be placed on the ends of the fingers and toes over the nails and be held firmly in place via an interference fit between the device and the user's fingers. Furthermore, the device provides a curved edge as well as a straight edge which can be aligned on the finger leaving a portion of the nail, usually the tip, exposed and accessible for trimming, cutting, manicuring or polishing. Thus, the present invention can provide a guideline on the finger that the user can accurately trim, cut, file, manicure and polish nails to include the French manicure style, with or without the assistance of a nail technician, at the time they desire and in the environment of their choosing.
The French manicure is a design or style which is typically created by a nail technician as it is rather difficult to create properly without training; the technician hand paints by sight, the white line onto the tip of the nail. The white arched or straight line is usually painted on much thicker initially and then the nail technician usually shapes the white arched or straight line with a brush that has been dipped in nail polish remover which removes excess polish from the nail. This method has several drawbacks. One disadvantage is that the customer must conform to the times that the salon is open. The second disadvantage is that the customer must pay for this service to be done by a nail technician with the average cost in America for a French manicure ranging from $25-$65 dependent upon geographical location of the salon and if the application uses gel/regular nail polish and on acrylic/natural nails. The third disadvantage is the fact that the white line is applied and shaped by sight and smoothed in a free-handed manner by dipping a brush in nail polish remover and shaping each painted line. This technique is problematic for two reasons: because it prevents the use of a base coat of nail polish, as it would be damaged by the nail polish remover. Thus, most, if not all of the nail is left without a base coat of polish which offers strength, protection and longevity to the finished manicure; as understood with the importance of a primer coat used before applying the finishing coat of paint to a surface. Secondly, the practice of the free-hand style opens the opportunity for inconsistencies. It is common to have each fingernail and toenail show variations in the thickness and the shape of the white painted lines or arches. It is exceedingly important to the overall appearance and success of the French manicure to have each of the white painted arches or straight lines on the tip of the fingernail and toenail, to be consistently shaped and of the same thickness.
The French Manicure Safety Guides would allow the user to choose amongst varying sizes of French manicure guides that they believe will closely match and fit the size of their finger or toc and be confident that if their finger or toe is slightly larger than the selected guide that the guide will expand to accommodate their finger or toe as it can be designed to fit a wide range of fingers and toes. As well, the user can choose the thickness as well as having a curved or linear line to be trimmed, manicured, cut and/or polished. This is achieved by selecting either the top edge of the guide which is arched or the bottom edge of the guide which is straight across. The user has two edge options to create two different looks. To choose, the user can turn the nail guide 180 degrees to select one edge and turn 180 degrees again to select the other edge before placing on fingers and toes to allow user to achieve a straight across completed look or an arched completed look. Moreover, the French Manicure Safety Guides would also offer the user a variety of techniques: painting the exposed fingernail or toenail using a straight across or horizontal motion, from one side of the guide to the other, or first painting the guide and then downward using a vertical motion onto the exposed fingernail or toenail tip, or a combination of both painting/polishing techniques.
The French Manicure Safety Guides could be used as instrumental safety guidance for the medical and beauty industry salon technicians or any person seeking safety while using manicuring tools by protecting the skin and soft tissue of fingers and toes as well as offering stability and accuracy while polishing to include the look of a French manicure. As well, the use of the French Manicure Safety Guides offer the opportunity to create French manicures and pedicure that last longer because a full base coat of polish can be applied to the entire fingernail or toenail before the present invention is placed onto the finger or toe. The French Manicure Safety Guides are for anyone wishing to: practice safety while using manicuring tools, save money and time by opting for the Do-It-Yourself process of creating a French manicure or pedicure, repair or prolong a salon French manicure/pedicure, and to control the accurate and consistent result of a successful French manicure or pedicure.
The present invention could be made into specific standard sizes but not be limited to small, medium, large, or rather custom-made for individually-sized fingers and fit, or made to accommodate a “one-size-fits-all” situation, or imprinted with appropriate size indications such as “S” for Small, “M” for Medium, and “L” for Large. The French Manicure Safety Guides can be: designed to be reusable and last for several years or made to be disposable, could be ornamented with a logo or symbol, if desired, used with, but not be limited to, nail polish, various paints, markers, lacquers and any coloring systems to be used on natural, acrylic, gel or artificial fingernails and toenails. The invention can be made to be portable and doesn't require the person having to remain seated while creating a French manicure or trimming, filing or manicuring. The French Manicure Safety Guides can be adjusted, moved, lifted and shifted even after they are put onto each finger, because each operates as a movable guide and because it is not made of a predetermined template so to allow the user to adjust according to needs and desired results. The one-piece design of the present invention makes it easy to travel with for manicures on-the-go. Moreover, each French Manicure Safety Guide is not cumbersome or bulky, but rather, lightweight and easily managed by gently pushing onto the finger and/or toe to apply and by grasping onto either leg extension and pulling upward to remove. Many manicuring procedures require the user to be seated stationary because the tools and process being used require this.
The present invention would fit onto finger tips or tips of toes and would be located in front of the first knuckle of each, thus, the person could still have the ability to not only get up and walk around but be able to bend and use fingertips and fingers to grasp a glass for a drink, answer the phone, type, or similar activities while nails dry and with the guides still on. The French Manicure Safety Guides are portable and could be made singularly, as part of a set, or as a kit to include, but not be limited to: other manicuring tools such as clippers, nail files, and polishes, lacquers, markers, and paints. A user could travel with this technology which could enable them to be used for recreational activities as well as competitions such as cheerleading and dancing which often requires neatly trimmed and manicured fingers to include the look of a French manicure, in which they are judged and evaluated under the “Appearance,” category. As well, the present invention could be utilized as a manicuring aid in the medical/visiting nursing/nursing home environments to assist with safely maintaining nail-health to include the beautification of hands and feet with a French manicure/pedicure. The French Manicure Safety Guides can be sterilized using rubbing alcohol when used for manicuring assistance and cleaned with acetone and non-acetone cleaners when utilized for polishing.
Many benefits of the French Manicure Safety Guides focus around time and cost; the user chooses the time to manicure and/or polish and is not beholden to a salon being open for this service, scheduling conflicts, time spent at salon, as well as the monetary cost; the user will save time and money as the French manicure application will be expedited with the use of the present invention, and the user can choose the environment for manicuring—at home, office or travel. As well, the user would have the ability to fix and/or prolong the French manicure done by themselves or a salon, by utilizing the invented guides in the event of wearing or chipping. The use of the French Manicure Safety Guides, along with the suggested polishing method can assist a user with creating a longer-lasting French manicure and pedicure as a full base coat of nail polish is applied, then one or two coats of a blush or neutral polish is applied, followed by the placement of the invented guides onto fingernails and/or toenails, then the application of the white line of nail polish is applied to the exposed portion of the fingernail and/or toenail tip, finished by the application of one or two coats of topcoat polish to protect the finished result.
The French Manicure Safety Guides could also be utilized by salons which would enable them to offer a potentially safer and faster manicure of cutting, trimming, and filing to include the French manicure application as the person applying the guides would be able to place all ten guides onto fingernails or toenails about 1-2 minutes. As well, this invented technology would enable salons to offer a stronger French manicure that lasts longer than the traditional salon-applied manicure because that process precludes the technician from applying a complete base coat of protective polish to the entire nail. The base coat of polish is imperative to the overall strength, appearance, and longevity of the French manicure; just as a primer coat of paint is vital to the overall quality, durability and appearance of a painted home. This base coat binds to the fingernail or toenail and the next applied polish binds to the base coat. This layered process helps create a beautiful, high-quality, longer lasting French manicure and pedicure that can be accomplished on one's own fingers/toes or another's finger/toes. There is also personal value in the present invention as it can be given as a gift and also offers the opportunity for people to get together and spend time manicuring and polishing each other's nails which could benefit people who are confined to nursing homes or individuals who are not mobile enough to leave their homes.
The French Manicure Safety Guides could be made using injection molding processes but does not have to be limited to this specific molding process. The present invention could be made from a multitude of polymers to include rubberized components which could offer a higher level of comfort as compared to plastics without this addition. The present invention also could be made to be reusable and last for several years or be made to be disposable. The Tooling molds for the French Manicure Safety Guides could be made from a variety of metals with various strengths to include aluminum which tends to be much less expensive than steel molds which may or may not be necessary for this invented technology as the present invention could be made from a pliable plastic with a lower durometer making it a softer and more flexible material and would have the ability to be repeatedly molded without significant damage and/or wear and tear to the mold itself, thus, the created mold would have more longevity.
The present invention could be made in various sizes such as extra small, small, medium, large, and extra-large but is not limited to this scope. As well, if injection molding is the desired manufacturing process, then there would be the opportunity to create a multi-cavity tool to produce several parts at one time. For example, the cost of an eight-cavity, aluminum mold can be approximately $11,000 versus an eight-cavity steel mold cost can range in price from $25,000-$40,000. Also, there are wide-ranging options for plastics and other materials used in the cosmetics industry to create this technology and due to the smaller sizes of the invention, it is believed that the cost per French Manicure Safety Guide would be relatively inexpensive. The approximate dimensions for the present invention could range from larger sizes of about 2.5″ in length when stretched out flat and approximately ½″ in height down to smaller sizes that could be approximately 1.5″ in length and ⅜″ in height but would not be limited to these sizes. If the present invention is manufactured using a rubberized plastic, then there is the opportunity to create a multitude of sizes to fit fingers and toes, as the stretching ability in the plastic would allow for standard sizes, (i.e., but not be limited to: extra small, small, medium, large, and extra-large) that could stretch up to the next size so there's opportunity to fit the vast majority of finger and toe sizes for all ages and sizes of people. Moreover, the use of a flexible material could also allow the user to physically manipulate the guide by rolling the French Manicure Safety Guide up into itself like a pinwheel which could temporarily create a decreased size and temporarily remain in a smaller position to be used on smaller fingers or toes. Additionally, the French Manicure Safety Guides could have elongated legs which could overlap the other leg and assist in offering a better fit for smaller fingers and toes.
The present invention could also be custom-made to fit a specific individual's fingers and toes. Moreover, the guide offers both the straight edge and the curved/arched edge to give a user the opportunity to cut, trim, manicure, and polish in varying looks to include a French manicure, and to create two different looks: the straight side placed across the fingernail or toenail will help create a look that is often called the “Square” shaped fingernail or toenail and using the arched side of the nail guide can help create a more rounded or “Oval” look to the overall shape and appearance of the fingernail and toenail. The present invention could be sized and also made in an array of colors which could assist in easy size identification or have ornamental, numerical and/or alphabetical appearances in order to be both pretty and useful for people of all ages.
It is imperative to the functionality and success of the manicure guide's performance, to create a secure fit to one's fingers and/or toes; whether polishing to achieve the look of a French manicure, or as guidance and stability while using sharp or rough-sided manicuring tools. Bearing this in mind, additional features to help ensure proper functions of the guides are being presented within. Added features could be: Adding weighted material inside the arch and/or, “legs,” to offer increased stability when placed onto the finger or toenail. The added weight could help keep the guide securely in place during manicuring and/or polishing. An array of materials could be used to add weight to the manicure guides; these could include, but not be limited to, metals and/or plastics. Another feature to the invented guides which may also assist function is, “leg” extensions which would add length to the legs so that they could overlap, once placed onto the finger or toc. This would create a temporary circle effect, thus, offering continuous support and helping to ensure a secure fit to the finger or toc. Additionally, there could be a “handle,” which could be placed either vertically or horizontally onto the guide which could make placement onto the finger or toc easier. As well, the added handle could have indentations on either side which could also assist in the removal of the guide and its cleaning because it would offer the user a specific area to grasp. The handle could also help the user from smudging any previously polished nails because it would be easy to grab a protruding handle and remove the manicure guide. Moreover, it could offer the user something to hold onto while cleaning each of the guides whether they're being cleaned after manicuring or removing polish from the invented guide. Another feature could be to add, “sight-lines,” to the invented guide to assist the user in proper alignment onto the finger or toenail. Proper alignment is important for creating the French manicure look because if the manicure guide is misaligned it will result in a crooked or skewed polished line or crescent which makes the manicure unsuccessful. These sight lines may display a longer line to indicate the center of the guide, or a thicker line, a different colored line, but not be limited to these markings. There could also be the inclusion of shorter sight lines or markings, or not, on either side, to indicate the lower areas of the arch. The addition of sight lines could also offer some additional guidance when lining up and adjusting the guide for safety and comfort while cutting, filing, and manicuring nails into the desired shape while protecting the skin surrounding the finger or toenail. Another feature to the present invention could be to add thickness to the edge of the arch. This may assist the polishing process of creating the look of the French manicure as well as offer the user a safeguard for skin and soft tissue while using manicuring tools which may be sharp and/or rough; as this thicker edge could act as a berm in which these health and beauty implements could lean against. This could offer added steadiness and stability, improving safety and comfort while manicuring as well as provide a thicker guideline to run the nail polish brush along in order to create the desired outcome.
Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/336,837.
