NAIL FILE

Abstract

A nail file that can prevent clogging without frequently performing an operation of removing filings from file teeth and can effectively enhance grindability is usable to quickly files nails. The nail file includes a plate-shaped base material, and a plurality of through-holes. The plurality of through-holes are formed on the base material, have opening portions as file teeth at both ends, and a shape of at least each of the opening portions at one end is a polygon. The opening portions at both the ends of the through-holes, the shape of each of the opening portions at the one end may be preferably a polygon, and the shape of each of the opening portions at the other end may be preferably a circle.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a nail file, and particularly relates to a nail file that is less likely to cause clogging and can achieve both high grindability and operability for delicate final polishing.

Description of the Related Art

Nail files are formed as attachments to lever plates of nail clippers, and various nail files are also available commercially as separate nail files. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-114283 describes a nail file in which groove-shaped file teeth are formed on a plate-shaped base material. According to the nail file described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-114283, it is possible to rapidly grind nails and also polish nails as finishing by one nail file by providing file teeth differing in coarseness on both surfaces of the base material, for example.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the nail file described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-114283, the file teeth may be clogged because filings of the nails remain on the file teeth. Accordingly, it is necessary to frequently perform an operation of removing filings from the file teeth in addition to the operation of grinding or polishing nails.

The present invention is made in view of the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a nail file that can prevent clogging without frequently performing an operation of removing filings from file teeth and can effectively enhance a grinding force for quickly filing nails.

A nail file disclosed in the present application includes a plate-shaped base material (10), and a plurality of through-holes (20). The plurality of through-holes (20) are formed on the base material (10), and have opening portions (21) as file teeth at both ends. Of the opening portions (21) at both the ends of the plurality of through-holes (20), a shape of each of the opening portions (21) that are open to one surface of the base material (10) is a polygon, a shape of each of the opening portions (21) that are open to another surface of the base material (10) is a circle, and an area of each of the opening portions (21) that are open to the one surface is made larger than an area of each of the opening portions (21) that are open to the other surface.

In the nail file disclosed in the present application, the base material (10) has a polishing region (30) in which the opening portions (21) are formed, on a front surface. The polygon as the shape of each of the opening portions (21) is one type selected from a triangle, a quadrangle, and a hexagon, and the opening portions (21) the shape of each of which is one type of a triangle, a quadrangle, and a hexagon are arranged to planarly fill the polishing region (30).

Further, in the nail file disclosed in the present application, the polygon as the shape of each of the opening portions (21) is a regular hexagon, and the opening portions (21) the shape of each of which is a regular hexagon are arranged in a honeycomb shape in the polishing region (30).

In the nail file disclosed in the present application, the base material (10) has a total of four polishing regions (30), two on the one surface and two on the other surface. First opening portions (21A) of a regular hexagon are formed in a first polishing region (30A) on the one surface, second opening portions (21B) of a circle are formed in a second polishing region (30B) on the other surface, third opening portions (21C) of a regular hexagon having a smaller size than the first opening portions (21A) are formed in a third polishing region (30C) on the one surface, and fourth opening portions (21D) of a circle having a smaller size than the second opening portions (21B) are formed in a fourth polishing region (30D) on the other surface.

Furthermore, in the nail file disclosed in the present application, the base material (10) is formed from 18-8 stainless steel.

The nail file according to the present invention can prevent clogging without frequently performing an operation of removing filings from the file teeth and can effectively enhance the grinding force for quickly filing nails.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a nail file according to an embodiment of the present invention seen from one surface;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the nail file according to the embodiment of the present invention seen from the other surface;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of a portion shown by arrows A and arrows B in FIG. 1, FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a portion shown by arrows C and arrows D in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3C is a sectional view seen along arrows E-E in FIG. 3B;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a plurality of through-holes that are regularly arranged, each with a shape of an opening portion at one end being a regular hexagon, and a shape of an opening portion at the other end being a circle;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a plurality of through-holes that are regularly arranged, each with a shape of an opening portion at one end being a square and a shape of an opening portion at the other end being a circle; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a plurality of through-holes that are regularly arranged, each with a shape of an opening portion at one end being a regular triangle, and a shape of an opening portion at the other end being a circle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a nail file according to an embodiment of the preset invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. Note that since the embodiment described below is a specific example that is preferable to carry out the present invention, the embodiment is technically limited variously, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment unless otherwise specified in the following description.

Embodiment

Hereinafter, a nail file according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIGS. 3A to 3C.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the nail file according to the embodiment of the present invention seen from one surface. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the nail file according to the embodiment of the present invention seen from the other surface. FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of a portion shown by an arrow A and an arrow B in FIG. 1. FIG. 3B is an enlarged view of a portion shown by an arrow C and an arrow D in FIG. 2. FIG. 3C is a sectional view seen along arrows E to E in FIG. 3B.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the nail file of the embodiment includes a plate-shaped base material 10, and a plurality of through-holes 20.

In the embodiment, the base material 10 is formed from 18-8 stainless steel, which is 18% Cr, 8% Ni, and the balance Fe, has a thickness of, for example, 0.5 mm, and has a suitable degree of flexibility such that it bends slightly when a force is applied.

As shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C, the plurality of through-holes 20 are formed in the base material 10 and has opening portions 21 as file teeth at both ends. The opening portions 21 are open so as to concentrate on a polishing region 30 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, which is a fixed region on the surface of the base material 10. In the embodiment, two types of through-holes 20 that are a plurality of first through-holes 20A, and a plurality of second through-holes 20B are formed in the base material 10 as the plurality of through-holes 20. As shown in FIG. 3C, a size in a radial direction of the first through-hole 20A is larger than a size in a radial direction of the second through-hole 20B.

Further, in the embodiment, of the opening portions 21 at both the ends of the plurality of through-holes 20, a shape of each of the opening portions 21 at one end is a regular hexagon that is one type of polygon, and a shape of each of the opening portions 21 at the other end is a circle. In consideration of ease of manufacture, the polygon as the shape of each of the opening portions 21 is preferably a regular polygon that can planarly fill the polishing region 30 with one type of shape, and is preferably one of a regular triangle, a square, and a regular hexagon.

In the example shown in FIG. 1 to FIGS. 3A to 3C, of the opening portions 21 at both the ends of the plurality of first through-holes 20A, opening portions 21A each at one end and having a regular hexagonal shape are open to a first polishing region 30A, and opening portions 21B each at the other end and having a circular shape are open to a second polishing region 30B. Furthermore, of the opening portions 21 at both ends of the plurality of second through-holes 20B, opening portions 21C each at one end and having a regular hexagonal shape are open to a third polishing region 30C, and opening portions 21D each at the other end and having a circular shape are open to a fourth polishing region 30D.

Among the four polishing regions 30, the first polishing region 30A exhibits a highest grounding force because the opening portions 21A each having a regular hexagonal shape and having a relatively large size are formed therein. The second polishing region 30B and the third polishing region 30C exhibit a medium grinding force or polishing force, and the fourth polishing region 30D has a smallest grinding force but is suitable for delicate polishing for finishing because the opening portions 21D each having a circular shape and a relatively small size are formed therein.

As described above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIGS. 3A to 3C, according to the nail file of the embodiment, the plurality of through-holes 20 each have the opening portions 21 as the file teeth at both the ends, and of the opening portions 21 at both the ends of each of the plurality of through-holes 20, the shape of at least the opening portion 21 at one end is a polygon.

When the opening portions 21 of the plurality of through-holes 20 are used as the file teeth, if the opening portions 21 are circular, the larger the diameters of the opening portions 21, the higher the grinding force for quickly filing a nail, similarly to the case of making the groove-shaped file teeth coarse, for example.

However, it is necessary to set an interval between the adjacent opening portions 21 at, for example, 0.1 mm or more when strength of the file teeth is considered. In addition, the number of opening portions 21 per unit area also greatly affects the grinding force, and when the number of opening portions 21 per unit area is too small, the grinding force is reduced even if the diameter of the opening portions 21 is increased.

Accordingly, when the opening portion 21 is circular, there is a limit to increasing the diameter of the opening portion 21 to increase the grinding force. According to the nail file of the embodiment, of the opening portions 21 at both the ends of each of the plurality of through-holes 20, the shape of at least the opening portion 21 at one end is a polygon, and thereby it is possible to obtain a higher grinding force than that of the circular opening portion 21 can be obtained.

Further, according to the nail file of the embodiment, the opening portions 21 of the plurality of through-holes 20 are used as the file teeth, whereby nail filings are discharged through the plurality of through-holes 20 and hardly remain on the file teeth, and clogging can be prevented without frequently performing an operation of removing the filings from the file teeth.

Further, as described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIGS. 3A to 3C, according to the nail file of the embodiment, of the opening portions 21 at both ends of the plurality of through-holes 20, the shape of each of the opening portions 21 at the one end is a polygon, and the shape of each of the opening portions 21 at the other end is a circle. Accordingly, by the one single nail file, it is possible to obtain a high grinding force by the opening portions 21 at one end, which have a polygonal shape, and to perform delicate polishing for finishing by the opening portions 21 at the other end, which have a circular shape.

Further, as described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIGS. 3A to 3C, according to the nail file of the embodiment, the polygon as the shape of the opening portion 21 is at least one type selected from a triangle, a quadrangle, and a hexagon, the opening portions 21 each having the shape of one type of a triangle, a quadrangle, and a hexagon are arranged to planarly fill the polishing region 30. Accordingly, with respect to each of the shapes, the number of opening portions 21 per unit area in the polishing region can be maximized, and the grinding force can be maximized.

Furthermore, in the nail file disclosed in the present application, the polygon as the shape of the opening portion 21 is a regular hexagon, and the opening portions 21 each having a regular hexagonal shape are arranged in a honeycomb form to planarly fill the polishing region 30. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, polygons as the shape of the opening portion 21 will be further discussed.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a plurality of through-holes regularly arranged, in which a shape of each of opening portions at one end is a regular hexagon, and a shape of each of the opening portions at the other end is a circle. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a plurality of through-holes regularly arranged, in which a shape of each of opening portions at one end is a square, and a shape of each of opening portions at the other end is a circle. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a plurality of through-holes regularly arranged, in which a shape of each of opening portions at one end is a regular triangle, and a shape of each of opening portions at the other end is a circle.

In FIG. 4, a regular hexagon circumscribing a circle having a diameter D1 larger than the circular opening portion 21B by a certain amount of play is a shape of the opening portion 21A, and the opening portions 21A are arranged to planarly fill the polishing region while keeping an interval G1 between the adjacent opening portions 21A constant.

Further, in FIG. 5, a square circumscribing a circle having a diameter D1 that is larger than the circular opening portion 21B by a certain amount of play is a shape of an opening portion 21E, and the opening portions 21E are arranged to planarly fill a polishing region while keeping an interval G1 between the adjacent opening portions 21E constant.

Comparing FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, with the opening portions 21A shown in FIG. 4 and each having a regular hexagonal shape, the number of opening portions 21 that can be disposed per unit area is larger than with the opening portions 21E shown in FIG. 5 and each having a square shape. In other words, in a form in FIG. 5, file teeth are sparser than in a form in FIG. 4, and the grinding force is considered to be higher with the regular hexagonal opening portions 21A in FIG. 4 than with the square opening portions 21E in FIG. 5.

Furthermore, in FIG. 6, a regular triangle circumscribing the circle having a diameter D1 that is larger than the circular opening portion 21B by a certain amount of play is a shape of an opening portion 21F, and opening portions 21F are arranged to planarly fill a polishing region while keeping an interval G1 between the adjacent opening portions 21F constant.

Comparing FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, with the opening portions 21E shown in FIG. 5 and each having a square shape, the number of opening portions 21 that can be disposed per unit area is larger than with the opening portions 21F shown in FIG. 6 and each having a triangular shape. In other words, in the form in FIG. 6, file teeth are sparser than in the form in FIG. 5, and a grinding force is considered to be higher with the square opening portions 21E in FIG. 5 than with the regular triangular opening portions 21F in FIG. 6.

To summarize the above, the square opening portions 21E can be disposed more densely than the regular triangular opening portions 21F, and the regular hexagonal opening portions 21A can be more densely disposed than the square opening portions 21E. Accordingly, by making the shape of the opening portion 21 a regular hexagon and arranging the opening portions 21 in a honeycomb shape to planarly fill the polishing region 30, it is expected that the grinding force can be maximized, and the grinding force can be more effectively increased.

Furthermore, as described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIGS. 3A to 3C, according to the nail file of the embodiment, the base material 10 is formed from 18-8 stainless steel. Accordingly, the nail file can be washed with water, and cleanliness can be maintained. In addition, the base material 10 can be provided with moderate flexibility so as to slightly bend when a force is applied, and a delicate operation that cannot be performed with an ordinary nail file having no flexibility can be performed when a nail is polished for finishing to make it possible to enhance operability of the nail file.

The embodiment of the present invention is described above with reference to the drawings (FIG. 1 to FIG. 6). However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be carried out in various modes in the range without departing from the gist of the invention (for example, (1) to (3) described below).

(1) In the above-described embodiment, all the through-holes are regularly arranged to planarly fill the polishing region, and the number of opening portions per unit area is maximized. The present invention is not limited to this, and also includes a mixture of irregularly arranged opening portions. Note that the present invention can include a nail file in which arrangement of all the opening portions is irregular, but in that case, an interval between adjacent opening portions cannot be made constant, and it is considered to be difficult to put the nail file into practical use as a nail file with a good operation feeling.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, in view of ease of manufacture, a regular polygon (a regular triangle, a square, a regular hexagon) that can fill a plane is exemplified as the polygon that is the shape of the opening portion, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a polygon having any shape and size can be adopted as the polygon that is the shape of the opening portion, and as the polygon that can fill a plane, a triangle and a quadrangle of any shape and size can be adopted.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, in view of ease of manufacture, the polygon as the shape of the opening portion is one type, but two or more types of polygons may be adopted for one nail file as the shapes of the opening portions.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

• • 10 . . . Base material
  • 20 (20A, 20B) . . . Through-hole
  • 21 (21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, 21E, 21F) . . . Opening portion
  • 30 (30A, 30B, 30C, 30D) . . . Polishing region

Claims

1. A nail file comprising: a plate-shaped base material; anda plurality of through-holes that are formed on the base material, and have opening portions as file teeth at both ends, of the opening portions at both the ends, a shape of each of the opening portions that are open to one surface of the base material is a polygon, a shape of each of the opening portions that are open to another surface of the base material is a circle, and an area of each of the opening portions that are open to the one surface is made larger than an area of each of the opening portions that are open to the other surface.

2. The nail file according to claim 1, wherein the base material has a polishing region in which the opening portions are formed, on a front surface, the polygon as the shape of each of the opening portions is one type selected from a triangle, a quadrangle, and a hexagon, and the opening portions the shape of each of which is one type of a triangle, a quadrangle, and a hexagon are arranged to planarly fill the polishing region.

3. The nail file according to claim 2, wherein the polygon as the shape of each of the opening portions is a regular hexagon, and the opening portions the shape of each of which is a regular hexagon are arranged in a honeycomb shape in the polishing region.

4. The nail file according to claim 3, wherein the base material has a total of four polishing regions, two on the one surface and two on the other surface, first opening portions of a regular hexagon are formed in a first polishing region on the one surface, second opening portions of a circle are formed in a second polishing region on the other surface, third opening portions of a regular hexagon having a smaller size than the first opening portions are formed in a third polishing region on the one surface, and fourth opening portions of a circle having a smaller size than the second opening portions are formed in a fourth polishing region on the other surface.

5. The nail file according to claim 1, wherein the base material is formed from 18-8 stainless steel.

6. The nail file according to 2, wherein the base material is formed from 18-8 stainless steel.

7. The nail file according to claim 3, wherein the base material is formed from 18-8 stainless steel.

8. The nail file according to claim 4, wherein the base material is formed from 18-8 stainless steel.