Turning to
The top surface of the upper jaw 9 is rigidly attached to the bottom end of a hollow shaft 3 by adhesive means, welding or other suitable means. The top end of the hollow shaft 3 is rigidly attached to a platform 4 by adhesive means, welding or other suitable means. The platform 4 projects from the shaft 3 preferably in a direction perpendicular to the central axis of the shaft 3 as shown. The platform 4 provides a support surface 4a that supports an actuation lever 5. The actuation lever 5 is preferably realized as a bent arm with a mating portion 5a extending at an angle relative to a handle portion 5b at a pivot section 5c. The pivot section 5c can be secured to the platform 4 by a joint (not shown) that allows for pivoting movement of the lever 5. During operation, the mating portion 5a of the lever 5 is oriented parallel to the support surface 4a and the handle portion 5b of the lever 5 extends upward at an angle relative to the support surface 4a and the mating portion 5a. The user pushes down on the handle portion 5b (preferably by supporting the bottom side surface of platform 4 with a finger and pressing downward on the handle portion 5b with a thumb). As shown in
A linkage 7 couples the mating portion 5a of the actuation lever 5 to the lower jaw 10 of the nail clipper body 2. In the preferred embodiment, the linkage 7 comprises a cable, wire or thread; however, other suitable linkage mechanisms such as rod can be used. The linkage 7 is connected to the mating portion 5a adjacent the top end of the shaft 3 by a fastener 6 or other suitable connection means. The linkage 7 extends down through the interior of the shaft 3 and through an opening 12 in the upper jaw 9 to the lower jaw 10, where it interfaces thereto. In the preferred embodiment, the linkage 7 extends through an opening 13 in the lower jaw 10 and an end lug 8 is fastened to the linkage 7. The end lug 8 is sized larger than the opening 13 and thus provides a mechanical connection between the lower jaw 10 and the linkage 7 to allow for the linkage 7 to pull the lower jaw 10 upwards toward the upper jaw 9. Other suitable mechanical connection means between the linkage 7 and the lower jaw 10 can be used.
When the user releases the handle portion 5b of the actuating lever 5, the spring bias force provided by the spring hinge 2a causes the upper jaw 9 and lower jaw 10 to move apart to their normally open configuration, which moves the linkage 7 downward and returns the handle portion 5b to return back to its resting state as depicted in
The length of shaft 3 (and by extension the wire/cable 7) can vary between 1″ and 60,″ preferably being 24″ to enable a user to clip toenails without bending down.
There have been described and illustrated herein an embodiment of a remotely actuated nail clipping apparatus. While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto, as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. It will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as claimed.
This application claims benefits from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/825,594, filed Sep. 14, 2007, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60825594 | Sep 2006 | US |