BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure is directed toward a box or storage container that may be used to store nail tips and other small tools used for manicures and/or pedicures in an organized fashion.
Pedicures and manicures often involve the use of pre-shaped nail tips, which come in various sizes and may be further customized to a user's liking and preference. Nail tips offer the benefit of minimizing damage to a person's own nails, as the tips are painted on and may be easily removed with an adhesive. While tips are a good alternative to the traditional pedicure or manicure, storage of the individual nail tips may be tricky, as it requires the user to be organized so that the individual tips are not lost or misplaced in order. Further, manicures and pedicures also involve the use of miscellaneous tools and items, which similar to nail tips, are often small and may be easily lost.
What is desired, therefore, is a portable box suitable for storing and organizing nail tips and other small tools and items which may be used in a manicure or a pedicure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example to the accompanying drawings, which:
FIG. 1 is an example of the exterior cover of the portable storage box of the current disclosure;
FIG. 2 is an example of the interior of the portable storage box of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows two examples of sticky inserts or sheets that may be placed into the portable storage box of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 shows an alternative example of a sticky insert containing one full set of nail tips placed into the portable storage box of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 5 shows an alternative example of a sticky insert containing one full set of nail tips placed into the portable storage box of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIGS. 1-5, an illustrative example of a portable storage container or box of the current disclosure is shown, where nail tips may be placed on sticky inserts or sheets designed to fit into the storage box. In the process of performing a manicure or a pedicure, nail tips are first selected, shaped, and personalized to a user's liking in preparation for the tips to be attached to a person's true nail. During this step, each nail tip is shaped and molded to the target person's fingernails or toenails. Once the tips are customized, the tips must also be sufficiently organized in the correct sequence, so that the person applying the nail tips is not confused. Oftentimes, the person applying the nail tips may also be the target person, so maintaining workplace cleanliness and order becomes even more important.
As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the portable storage box 100 of the current disclosure may have an exterior and an interior, where the box has an exterior cover or lid 101 and a base or body 103 comprising enclosing walls and interior space 105. The lid may include any suitable lettering or labels, such as shown in FIG. 1. Additionally, the lid may be movably, pivotably, or hingedly attached to the body. In some embodiments, the interior of the lid may have a mirror, as well as an adhesive strip, pouch, or pocket 106 where small tools such as a nail filer and clippers (shown in FIGS. 2-5) may be selectively stored within. For example, a planar sheet having two or more sides attached to an internal wall of the cover forming pocket 106. In the example shown in FIGS. 2-5, opposed sides and a bottom of the planar sheet is attached to the internal wall of the cover. The adhesive strip, pouch, or pocket may come in all shapes and sizes and variations, so long as the strip allows the tools and items to be selectively stored on the lid interior. The box 100 may be constructed from wood, plastic or any other type of durable material, and may be any suitable shape(s) (e.g., general rectangular prism). In some embodiments, the box may have additional components to allow for the lid to be securely closed, and/or additional dividers in the base and/or cover.
As shown in FIGS. 3-6, adhesive sheets or inserts 107 and 108 may be placed in the interior space 105 of the storage box, where the dimensions of the sheets or inserts may generally correspond to the interior of the box. Nail tips may be securely placed on the sheets or inserts to ensure that the correct order of the nail tips is laid out and ready for application onto the target customer. For example, the nail tips may be attached in a spaced and sequential relationship corresponding to fingernails of a customer's hand or toenails of a customer's foot. “Sequential relationship,” as used herein, means that the nail tips are arranged on the adhesive sheet so that a user can simply install the nail tips in order on the customer's fingernails or toenails. For example, a user can detach the left-most nail tip on the adhesive sheet and attach that nail tip on the user's left-most fingernail or toenail and then move on to the next nail tip in a left to right order. Alternatively, a user can detach the right-most nail tip on the adhesive sheet and attach that nail tip on the user's right-most fingernail or toenail and then move on to the next nail tip in a right to left order.
In some embodiments, there may be an additional pull tab 109 on the adhesive sheets 107, to allow for the user to lift the sheet with ease. In a preferred embodiment, only one side of the sheet or insert may contain adhesive material, so the sheets do not stick to each other when laid on top of one another. The sheets may be disposable, or may be reused multiple times, so long as the sheets remain sticky and functional. Additionally, the sheets may be labeled with “Left” or “L” and “Right” or “R” to indicate the proper customer's hand or foot for each set of nail tips.
In some embodiments, the manicure/pedicure portable storage containers include only the components described above to the exclusion of other components and/or structures. For example, the portable storage containers may exclude dividers and/or other similar structures in the base or cover of the container or box.
It will be appreciated that the invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment that has been described, and that variations may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appending claims, as interpreted in accordance with principles of prevailing law, including the doctrine of equivalents or any other principle that enlarges the enforceable scope of a claim beyond its literal scope. Unless the context indicates otherwise, a reference in a claim to the number of instances of an element, be it a reference to one instance or more than one instance, requires at least the stated number of instances of the element but is not intended to exclude from the scope of the claim a structure or method having more instances of that element than stated. The word “comprise” or a derivative thereof, when used in a claim, is used in a nonexclusive sense that is not intended to exclude the presence of other elements or steps in a claimed structure or method.
Patent Application
20220160098
