BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the eyelash curler.
FIG. 2 shows the components of the example of the eyelash curler shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the push button.
FIG. 3A is an exploded view showing how the push rod connects to the push button.
FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the push rod connected to the push button.
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the push button taken along I-I of FIG. 3 showing the insertion of the plate spring.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the eyelash curler when the pressurizing member is not pressing at the forming member.
FIG. 5A is a side view of the eyelash curler with part of the head section and lower case shown in phantom showing the relation of the push button with the upper case when the pressurizing member is in a falling position away from the forming member.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the eyelash curler when the pressurizing member is pressing at the forming member.
FIG. 6A is a side view of the eyelash curler with part of the head section and lower case shown in phantom showing the relation of the push button with the upper case when the pressurizing member is in a rising position towards the forming member.
FIG. 7 is a slightly tilted backward top view of the eyelash curler showing the slot or channel where the push button rise and fall.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The eyelash curler 100 of this invention comprises a head section 1 and a body section 2 as shown in FIG. 1. The lower end of the body section 2 also serves as the handle of the eyelash curler. The curling component 3 is situated at the head section 1 and comprises a forming member 4 having a blade 5 and a pressurizing member 6 having a pad 7 usually made of silicone or other material with similar properties such as natural or synthetic rubber and its derivatives. In the claimed invention, only the forming member or only the blade of the forming member is made of metal. The rest of the parts are made of polymeric materials such as plastic or non-temperature conducting materials which are inexpensive and light but sturdy and durable. The forming member 4 as shown detached from the upper case 8 in FIG. 2, has a curved metal blade 5 conforming to the curvature of the eyelash line with each side of the blade 5 connecting or extending to a strip 9 which in this example is shown as circular in shape. The forming member 4 may be made entirely of metal or it can be made partly of plastic so long as the blade 5 is made of metal. The forming member 4 engages to a matching receiving base 10 at the top end or the head section of the upper case 8 through the strip 9. The receiving base 10 is shaped to conform with the shape of the forming member, more specifically, the strip 9 which in this example is a forwardly circular extension. The strip and the receiving base can have a shape other than circular. The strip with the metal blade in the example shown here, slips and/or snaps on top of the receiving base and is held by the engagement of matching indentations 11 on the receiving base with the protrusions 12 on the strip 9. Other means of engagement like gluing with or without snapping the pieces together is an option. It is also possible to mold the metal blade, the strip and the receiving base together in one unit.
The eyelashes to be curled are pressed between the pad 7 situated on top of the pressurizing member 6 and the metal blade 5 of the forming member 4. The pressuring member 6 is a curved laterally extending part 13 of a push rod 14 whose rising and falling motion is controlled by a push button 15. The pad 7 at the pressurizing member is shaped to match the shape of the metal blade 5 at the forming member which conforms to the curvature of the eyelash line. The push button 15 is inserted into a hole 16 at the upper case 8 of the body section 2 and faces a direction opposite the front side 31 of the curling component as shown in FIG. 1. The push button 15 is situated at the same side as the backside 32 of the curling component. This position will avoid the push button from hitting the face of the user while the eyelash curler is being used, thereby, not smearing any make up on the face of the user. Further, with the push button at this position one can easily grasp on the handle and use the fore and/or the middle finger to operate the push button.
The push button 15 is shown in FIG. 3. The fingers press on the surface 17 of the push button 15 which is connected to the push rod 14 by means of a hinge connector 18 which is short protruding cylindrical rod with a central through opening 19 at one end of the push button. The push rod connects by a pin 20 inserted from one end of the push rod, through the central opening 19 and through the opposite end of the push rod as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. The push rod 14 is free to pivot around the hinge connector 18 after insertion of the pin 20. The rising and falling motion of the push rod is controlled herein through the use of a plate spring 21 rather than a coil spring which is currently used. The use of a plate spring provides advantages over the use of a coil spring. The plate spring reduces or eliminate the noise coming from the squeezing and releasing action of the coil during the operation of the eyelash curler and it requires less pressure than the coil to cause the push rod to rise or fall, thus resulting in better curling action. In a rising motion, the push rod is raised upwards towards the forming member while in a falling motion, the push rod recesses towards the interior of the body section.
FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of the push button taken along I-I of FIG. 3. The plate spring 21 inserts into a channel 22 etched out from the interior of the push button 15 proximal to the hinge connector 18. FIG. 2 shows the hole 16 at the upper case 8 of the body 2 through which the push button inserts to. After insertion through the hole 16, the push button 15 engages with the upper case by the lodging of a pair of tabs 23 on opposite lateral ends of the push button into a matching pair of connectors 24 protruding at the surface of the upper case 8 of the body 2. The tabs 23 are adjacent to the surface 17 where a finger presses the push button for operation. After the engagement of the tabs 23, as shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral lip 25 of the push button 15 abuts the bottom side 26 of the hole 16 when the push rod is in a falling motion or recess position and the plate spring 21 is in a relaxed position as shown in FIG. 5A. After insertion of the push button and positioning of the push rod, the lower case 27 of the body section 2 connects to the upper 8 case to close the body section of the eyelash curler. The push rod is positioned to situate on a channel 28 at the front end 29 of the upper case 8 which becomes an enclosed slot 28 after the attachment of the lower case 27 to the upper case 8 as shown in FIG. 7. The push rod is free to move up or down, rise or fall, along the slot 28. There are several methods available for connecting the two cases, 8 and 27 together such as by snapping the two cases together through a number of hook like protrusions in combination with matching indentations, by snug fitting pins through cylindrical openings or by snug fitting matching tracks along the periphery of the cases or simply gluing them together.
To curl the eyelashes, this is placed between the metal blade and the pad at the front side 31 of the curling component and the push button 15 is pushed inwards causing the pressurizing member to rise and sandwich the eyelashes between the pad and the metal blade on the forming member. At this position, the peripheral lip 25 is pushed into the interior of the body section and the plate spring is in a more strained position because the plate spring is made to press against the inner walls 30 of the lower case 27 of the body section as shown in FIG. 6A. After curling, the push button 15 is released causing the push rod or the pressurizing member to recess or move downwards into the interior of the body section or the eyelash curler. At this position, the peripheral lip 25 of the push button 15 again abuts the bottom side 26 of the hole 16 and the plate spring returns to its relaxed position as shown in FIG. 5A.
While the embodiments of the present invention have been described, it should be understood that various changes, adaptations, and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.
Patent Application
20070267036
