Patent Application
20250169591
The present disclosure relates generally to cosmetic skin protectors and more specifically to a masking apparatus for shielding a finger of a user when a product is being applied to a fingernail on the finger of the user.
The present disclosure relates to finger shields which are useful for protecting fingers during the application of a product, such as a liquid coating, to a fingernail on a finger. It is common practice for individuals to enhance and beautify their fingernails through the application of color or other finishes on the outer surface of the fingernail. This application may be done through the use of various nail enamels, nail polishes or similar cosmetic products. A common contemporary method of applying such polishes is done by applying the nail polish to the surface of the fingernail with an applicator brush.
It is desirable to apply the polish in a manner which results in a clean appearance. Since the polish typically spreads along the fingernail, extreme care must be exercised in applying the polish to achieve the clean appearance of the finished nail. Application of the polish onto the fingernail may be further complicated when applying the polish with a non-dominant hand. For instance, it may be difficult for a right-handed individual to apply nail polish to a fingernail on the right hand using the non-dominant left hand, and conversely, it may be difficult for a left-handed individual to apply nail polish to a fingernail on the left hand using the non-dominant right hand. Furthermore, application of polish may be difficult for those lacking dexterity or coordination. For example, young children or teenagers who are inexperienced in applying polish may struggle in keeping polish away from the skin surrounding the fingernail. In the event that polish is inadvertently applied to the skin or spread onto the skin while the polish is drying, and the polish is not cleaned from the skin, the resultant appearance may be sloppy or careless and the polish that has spread onto the skin may cause irritation or drying of the skin.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus which simplifies the process of applying nail polish by protecting the skin surrounding the fingernail during application of the nail polish thereto. Various aspects of the present disclosure address this particular need, as will be discussed in more detail below.
According to an aspect, there is provided a masking apparatus for shielding a finger of a user when a product is being applied to a fingernail on the finger of the user, the masking apparatus comprises a base that includes a finger rest, the finger rest being formed to support the finger of the user, and a cover member that is connected to the base, wherein the cover member has a through-aperture that is formed therein, and is made from an elastic material so as to be elastically stretchable from an un-extended position to an extended position so as to position the through-aperture at least partially over the fingernail, when the finger of the user is placed on the base, wherein the cover member includes an engagement portion that has an underside that is positioned to engage a proximal portion of the finger of the user that is proximal relative to the fingernail when the cover member is in the extended position, and wherein the underside has a selected coefficient of friction with human skin so as to retain the cover member in the extended position by friction during engagement of the underside with the proximal portion of the finger of the user.
According to another aspect, there is provided a method of using a masking apparatus to shield a finger of a user when applying a product to a fingernail on the finger of the user, the method comprising: resting the finger of the user on a base of the masking apparatus, stretching an elastic cover member of the masking apparatus from an un-extended position to an extended position such that a through-aperture formed in the elastic cover member is at least partially positioned over the fingernail on the finger of the user, the elastic cover member being connected to the base of the masking apparatus for stretching between the un-extended and extended positions, and manipulating the elastic cover member of the masking apparatus such that an underside of the elastic cover member is brought into contact with a proximal portion of the finger of the user that is proximal to the fingernail on the finger of the user, the underside of the elastic cover member having a selected coefficient of friction with human skin so as to retain the elastic cover member in the extended position by friction during contact of the underside of the elastic cover member with the proximal portion of the finger of the user.
Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the Figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment or embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.
Various terms used throughout the present description may be read and understood as follows, unless the context indicates otherwise: “or” as used throughout is inclusive, as though written “and/or”; singular articles and pronouns as used throughout include their plural forms, and vice versa; similarly, gendered pronouns include their counterpart pronouns so that pronouns should not be understood as limiting anything described herein to use, implementation, performance, etc. by a single gender; “exemplary” should be understood as “illustrative” or “exemplifying” and not necessarily as “preferred” over other embodiments. Further definitions for terms may be set out herein; these may apply to prior and subsequent instances of those terms, as will be understood from a reading of the present description. It will also be noted that the use of the term “a” or “an” will be understood to denote “at least one” in all instances unless explicitly stated otherwise or unless it would be understood to be obvious that it must mean “one.”
Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. For example, the components of the systems and apparatuses may be integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems and apparatuses disclosed herein may be performed by more, fewer, or other components and the methods described may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order. As used in this document, “each” refers to each member of a set or each member of a subset of a set.
As used in this document, “attached” in describing the relationship between two connected parts includes the case in which the two connected parts are “directly attached” with the two connected parts being in contact with each other, and the case in which the connected parts are “indirectly attached” and not in contact with each other, but connected by one or more intervening other part(s) between.
As used in this document, terms describing relative positions of elements such as ‘top’, ‘upper’, ‘bottom’, ‘lower’, or other analogous terms will be understood to refer to the placement of the described element during use of the apparatus of which it is a part. As an example, if reference is made to a device having an upper member, it will be understood that the upper member is being described as having an upper position when the device that it is a part of is in use or is in position for use, unless the context would make it clear that it is otherwise.
As used herein, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed as being inclusive and open ended, and not exclusive. Specifically, when used in the specification and claims, the terms “comprises” and “comprising,” and variations thereof mean the specified features, steps or components are included. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps, or components.
As used herein, the terms “about” and “approximately” are meant to cover variations that may exist in the upper and lower limits of the ranges of values, such as variations in properties, parameters, and dimensions.
Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the apparatus and methods described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. “Each” refers to each member of a set or each member of a subset of a set.
The embodiments described herein are exemplary (e.g., in terms of materials, shapes, dimensions, and constructional details) and do not limit by the claims appended hereto and any amendments made thereto. Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that there are yet more alternative implementations and modifications possible, and that the following examples are only illustrations of one or more implementations. The scope of the disclosure, therefore, is only to be limited by the claims appended hereto and any amendments made thereto.
The present disclosure provides a masking apparatus 100 for use in shielding a finger 200 of a user when a product, such as a cosmetic product, is being applied to a fingernail 202 on the finger 200 of the user.
Referring to
For applying the product to the fingernail 202 on the finger 200 of the user, the product is applied to the fingernail 202 via the through-aperture 130. By structuring the masking apparatus 100 such that the through-aperture 130 is positioned at least partially over the fingernail 202 in the extended position, the through-aperture 130 will direct the product towards the fingernail 202, while the cover member 120 surrounding the through-aperture 130 will protect the proximal portion 204 of the finger 200 of the user from the product.
In an additional embodiment such as shown in
In an embodiment such as shown in
Said another way, the use of the masking apparatus 100 involves a user first resting their finger 200 on the finger rest 112 of the base 110. The user then pulls on the cover member 120 in a direction such that the cover member 120 stretches from the un-extended to extended positions (and thereby increases in length) for aligning the through-aperture 130 at least partially over the fingernail 202 on the finger 200 of the user. As the cover member 120 is stretched into the extended position, the underside 122 of the cover member 120 is brought into contact with the proximal portion 204 of the finger 200 of the user that is positioned proximal to the fingernail 202. The selected coefficient of friction of the underside 122 of the cover member 120 provides the degree of friction between the underside 122 of the cover member 120 and at least the proximal portion 204 of the finger 200 of the user for holding the cover member 120 in the extended position. By holding the cover member 120 in place in the extended position, the through-aperture 130 is maintained in position at least partially over the fingernail 202 of the finger 200 of the user such that the product can be properly applied to the fingernail 202 through the through-aperture 130. When the cover member 120 is in the extended position, the cover member 120 and through-aperture 130 may be arranged relative to the fingernail 202 of the finger 200 of the user in several ways.
In an additional embodiment, the method of use for the masking apparatus 100 further includes a step of applying the product to the fingernail 202 on the finger 200 of the user via the through-aperture 130 of the cover member 120.
In another additional embodiment, the method of use for the masking apparatus 100 further includes a step of manipulating the cover member 120 of the masking apparatus 100 such that a portion of the finger 200 of the user and/or a portion of the fingernail 202 on the finger 200 abuts an edge 530 of the through-aperture 130 for retaining the cover member 120 in the extended position (see
In this embodiment, the combined effect of the friction forces applied due to the selected coefficient of friction of the underside 122 of the cover member 120 and the retaining effect of the at least part of the finger 200 and/or the fingernail 202 which abuts against the edge 530 of the through-aperture 130 will cooperate to retain the cover member 120 in the extended position and thereby retain the through-aperture 130 in position at least partially over the fingernail 202.
In yet another additional embodiment, the method of use for the masking apparatus 100 further includes a step of manipulating the cover member 120 of the masking apparatus 100 such that a portion of the fingernail 202 on the finger 200 of the user extends through the through-aperture 130 in the cover member 120 and rests upon a top face 120a of the cover member 120 for further retaining the cover member 120 in the extended position (see
As provided above, the cover member 120 is connected to the base 110 and is made from an elastic material so as to be elastically stretchable from the un-extended position to the extended position (see
In an exemplary embodiment, the cover member 120 is formed from an elastic silicone material.
In an additional embodiment, the cover member 120 is formed such that the selected coefficient of friction of the underside 122 of the engagement portion of the cover member 120 is in a range from 0.3 to 1.7, preferably 0.4 to 1.2, more preferably 0.55 to 0.68, and more preferably in a range from 0.60 to 0.64. It will be understood however that other lower (and of course, higher) coefficients of friction between the cover member 120 at least the proximal portion 204 of the finger 200 of the user could be provided for holding the cover member 120 in the extended position.
In an embodiment, the selected coefficient of friction of the underside 122 of the engagement portion of the cover member 120 is provided by an inherent frictional characteristic of the elastic material of the cover member 120.
In an alternate embodiment, the selected coefficient of friction of the underside 122 of the engagement portion of the cover member 120 is provided by a secondary material that is applied to the underside 122 of the engagement portion of the cover member 120 so as to provide the selected frictional characteristic to the underside 122. For example, the secondary material can be an at least partially adhesive material that will provide the selected coefficient of friction between the underside 122 of the engagement portion and the finger 200 of the user, and which is applied to the underside 122 of the cover member 120. The at least partially adhesive material that is applied to the underside 122 of the cover member 120 will result in the application of friction forces to the underside 122 of the cover member 120 by the finger 200 of the user for retaining the cover member 120 in the extended position when the underside 122 of the cover member 120 is brought into contact with the finger 200.
The cover member 120 as disclosed herein can be connected to the base 110 by various means and in various configurations. For example, at least some of the edges of the cover member 120 can be mounted to the base 110 via an adhesive that is disposed on the base 110. Alternatively, the cover member 120 can be securely fixed to the base 110 via a plurality of securing elements, such as screws or rivets, which can be mounted through the cover member 120 and securely received in corresponding apertures on the base 110.
The cover member 120 as disclosed herein can have a variety of shapes and forms that are suitably for frictionally engaging the finger 200 of the user for retaining the cover member 120 in the extended position.
In an embodiment such as shown
In the specific embodiment provided in
In some embodiments of the cover member 120, the first and second cover member portions are formed as parts of a single, integral cover member. In other embodiments of the cover member 120, the first and second cover member portions are separate parts that are secured together to form the cover member 120.
In an additional embodiment such as shown in
In the specific embodiment provided in
As provided above, the cover member 120 also includes the through-aperture 130 that is formed in the cover member 120. In the specific embodiment provided in
In an additional embodiment of the through-aperture 130, the through-aperture 130 has a nail-like shape that generally corresponds to a shape of the fingernail 202 on the finger 200 of the user.
In another additional embodiment, the through-aperture 130 of the cover member 120 is sized to be smaller than the fingernail 202 on the finger 200 of the user such that when the cover member 120 is stretched to the extended position and the through-aperture 130 is positioned over the fingernail 202, the through-aperture 130 is stretched around the fingernail 202 and the cover member 120 applies an inward elastic force on the fingernail 202 for retaining the fingernail 202 within the through-aperture 130. In this way, the fingernail 202 of the user is even more securely retained in position within the through-aperture 130 and the positioning of the cover member 120 for protecting the proximal portion 204 of the finger 200 of the user is well-maintained.
In an embodiment, the through-aperture 130 of the cover member 120 is sized such that a maximum diameter of the through-aperture 130 in an unstretched position is less than a maximum length of the fingernail 202 on the finger of user. While the size of the fingernail 202 on the finger of the user will vary for different users, it is known that the average length of fingernails for men will vary from approximately 9.4 mm to approximately 15.7 mm, while the average length of fingernails for adult women will vary from approximately 9.0 mm to approximately 15.6 mm (see Jung, J. W., Kim, K. S., Shin, J. H., Kwon, Y. J., Hwang, J. H., & Lee, S. Y. (2015). Fingernail Configuration. Archives of plastic surgery, 42(6), 753-760. https://doi.org/10.5999/aps.2015.42.6.753). Accordingly, in some embodiments of the through-aperture 130, the through-aperture 130 is sized such that the maximum diameter of the through aperture 130 is less than 9.0 mm. In other embodiments, the through-aperture 130 is sized such that the maximum diameter of the through aperture 130 is in a range from 9.0 mm to 15.7 mm.
In yet another embodiment where the user of the masking apparatus 100 is a child, the through-aperture 130 is sized such that the maximum diameter of the through aperture 130 is in a range from 6.0 mm to 9.0 mm, and more particularly in a range from 6.5 mm to 7.5 mm.
The base 110 of the masking apparatus 100 as disclosed herein can have various forms and configurations. The base 110 is generally structured to include a substantially flat bottom surface which rests on an external surface during the use of the masking apparatus 100. The base 110 is also formed to support the finger 200 of the user via the finger rest 112 as the product is being applied to the fingernail 202 of the user and the cover member 120 is shielding the finger 200 of the user. In the specific embodiments provided in
In an embodiment, the base 110 of the masking apparatus 100 is composed of a suitably rigid and strong plastic material selected from a list including but not limited to high- and low-density polyethylene (LDPE, HDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS, ABS), polycarbonate (PC), and polyester (PET).
In an embodiment where the cover member 120 includes the first end, the first end of the cover member 120 is mounted to a first end of the base 110.
In some embodiments, the finger rest 112 is integrally formed with the base 110 for supporting the finger 200 of the user while in other embodiments, the finger rest 112 is formed as part of the base 110, but is releasably mounted to the rest of the base 110 such that the finger rest 1123 can be separated from the rest of the base 110.
In a first embodiment of the finger rest 112, the finger rest 112 includes a top surface that is angled towards the first end of the base 110 for supporting the finger 200 of the user at an angle relative to a bottom surface of the base 110.
In a second embodiment of the finger rest 112, the finger rest 112 is oriented for supporting the finger 200 of the user at a non-zero angle relative to the cover member 120 so as to drive the proximal portion 204 of the finger 200 of the user into engagement with the engagement portion of the cover member.
While the embodiments provided in
The base 110 of the masking apparatus 100 can have various forms and configurations which facilitate different functionalities. In an embodiment such as the one shown in
In an additional embodiment, the upper base member 412 is hingedly mounted to the lower base member 410a by at least one hinge element 414 such that the upper base member 412 can pivot about the lower base member 410a between the use and loading positions.
In another additional embodiment shown in
In the specific embodiment provided in
In an embodiment where the base 110 is the multi-part base 410, and where the base 110 includes the finger rest 112, the lower base member 410a is formed to include the finger rest 112 such that the finger rest 112 defines the support surface of the lower base member 410a for supporting the finger 200 of the user.
In the specific embodiment provided in
In an embodiment where the base 110 of the multi-part masking apparatus 400 is structured as the multi-part base 410, the multi-part base 410 is formed to control the movement of the lower base member 410a and the upper base member 412 relative to one another.
In an additional embodiment where the base 110 is the multi-part base 410, at least one of the upper base member 412 and lower base member 410a include a connector element that is structured for releasably securing the upper base member 412 to the lower base member 410a when the upper base member 412 is in the use position on top of the lower base member 410a. In this way, the upper base member 412 can be maintained in the use position while the product is being applied to the fingernail 202 on the finger 200 of the user and will be prevented from moving relative to the lower base member 410a.
In an additional embodiment, the multi-part base 410 of the multi-part masking apparatus 400 further includes at least one biasing element (not shown) that is connected between the lower base member 410a and the upper base member 412 for biasing the upper base member 412 towards the loading position. The at least one biasing element of the multi-part masking apparatus 400 can have various forms corresponding to the form of the multi-part base 410. For example, in embodiments where the upper base member 412 and lower base member 410a are hingedly connected by the hinge element 414, the multi-part base 410 can include the at least one biasing element in the form of a helical spring that is operably connected to the hinge element 414 for biasing the upper base member 412 and lower base member 410a apart, towards the loading position.
In another additional embodiment such as shown in
In the specific embodiment provided in
The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the above-described embodiments are intended to be examples of the present disclosure and alterations and modifications may be affected thereto, by those of skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the disclosure that is defined solely by the claims appended hereto.
