FIELD
This disclosure relates to curing systems for nail products and to a system and method for curing light-curable nail products in place on a user's hands or feet.
BACKGROUND
Nail product curing systems are used in the beauty industry to cure light-curable nail products. For example, fingernails and toenails can be coated with light-curable nail products such as nail polishes, UV curable nail gels and artificial nails. The nail products can include photo-initiators in combination with selected polymers. The photo-initiators react with light to form radical photo-initiators that react with the polymers to form a nail coating. This process is known in the art as curing the nail products.
Nail product curing systems can include nail lamps for curing the nail products in place on the user's nails. These nail lamps typically include an opening for positioning an appendage (i.e., hand or foot) of the user in a nail treatment space. U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,855,543; 10,247,475; 10,357,094; and 11,641,919 disclose exemplary prior art nail lamps. These nail lamps are designed for use by nail service providers, such as salons, and by nail product users at home. However, conventional prior art nail lamps have some problems and shortcomings.
One problem with conventional nail lamps is that the light source typically comprises a UV tube or bulb, which does not produce light having a uniform brightness. In addition, the UV tubes or bulbs can produce excessive amounts of radiant energy and heat. The radiant energy can heat up a user's hands or feet causing discomfort. Some nail lamps include a fan for cooling down the light source or circuit but not the user. Also in conventional nail lamps, there can be several buttons on the body of the nail lamp. The buttons are designed to control the curing time, curing parameter, intensity, curing start and curing stop. However, it is easy to contaminate the buttons with the nail product with the touch of a finger. In addition, if a nail product covers a button or goes into the gap of the button, it can be difficult to clean, particularly after hardening.
Another problem is that a process for applying a nail product can include a base coat, a middle coat, and multiple color coats for each nail. A user may need to place his or her hands or feet into the chamber of the nail lamp multiple times, which is time consuming and requires energy and patience. Some products require each nail to be finished separately from a base coat to a color coat, requiring the user to place his or her hands or feet into the chamber even more times.
The present disclosure is directed to a nail product curing system and method designed to overcome some of the problems associated with conventional nail lamp curing systems. Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the nail product curing system and method will become more apparent as the description proceeds.
SUMMARY
A nail product curing system for curing nail products includes a housing having a nail treatment space configured to receive one or more nails of a user for a curing process. The nail product curing system also includes a plurality of LED light sources on the housing for generating light in the nail treatment space. The LED light sources can comprise light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to emit a particular wavelength of light (e.g., white light, colored light, UV light, blue light, or IR light). The LED light sources can also include UVC light emitting diodes for sterilization of the nail treatment source, as well as other components of the system.
The nail product curing system can also include a light blocker on the housing for preventing light from escaping the nail treatment space, a display panel on the housing for displaying information, and a handle on the housing for transport. The nail product curing system can also include an external LED lamp on the housing configured to allow inspection and curing of the nail product externally of the nail treatment space, as well as sterilization of the nail treatment space using UVC light. The nail product curing system can also include a base for the housing that can optionally include control buttons, a display panel, and a battery pack. The nail product curing system can also include a cooling system on the housing or the base configured to perform a cool down of the nail treatment space.
The nail product curing system also includes a sensing and controlling system that includes multiple touchless sensors on the housing and in the nail treatment space configured to sense placement of the hands and nails of the user in the nail treatment space. The touchless sensors can also be configured to control various parameters of the curing process such as start, stop, recipe, temperature and LED power using movement of the user's hands. The sensing and controlling system also includes a circuit board on the housing in electrical communication with the touchless sensors configured to control the LED light sources and the curing process using input from the touchless sensors and programmed instructions. The sensing and controlling system also includes a radio transmission controller in signal communication with the circuit board that functions as a remoter (or remote control) for controlling the curing process. The sensing and controlling system allows the curing process to be controlled by the user without touching any buttons.
A method for curing nail products includes the steps of providing a nail product curing system including a housing having a nail treatment space configured to receive a hand and one or more nails of a user for a curing process, one or more LED light sources on the housing for generating light in the nail treatment space, and a sensing and controlling system on the housing having a plurality of touchless sensors configured to sense placement of the hand in the nail treatment space and to control the LED light sources and the curing process using input from the sensors, movement of the user's hands and programmed instructions. The method also includes the steps of placing the hand in the nail treatment space, sensing the placement of the hand using the sensing and controlling system, and controlling the curing process using the sensing and controlling system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and the figures disclosed herein be considered illustrative rather than limiting.
FIG. 1A is a schematic perspective view of a nail product curing system;
FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective view of the nail product curing system;
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a housing of the nail product curing system partially cut away and illustrating a user's fingers and nails;
FIG. 2A is a schematic cross sectional view taken along section line 2A-2A of FIG. 2 illustrating the nail product on the user's nail;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the housing illustrating an external LED lamp of the nail product curing system;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the housing of the nail product curing system illustrating a battery pack on the housing;
FIGS. 5A-5B are schematic views of the housing illustrating a display panel of the nail product curing system;
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the housing illustrating a cooling system of the nail product curing system;
FIG. 7A-E are schematic views illustrating operation of the touchless sensors of the system;
FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a radio transmission technology controller of the nail product curing system;
FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the housing and a slidable base of the nail product curing system;
FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the housing and a magnetic base of the nail product curing system;
FIG. 11A is a schematic view of the housing and a magnetic/pin alignment base of the nail product curing system in an “uninstalled” position;
FIG. 11B is a schematic view of the housing and the magnetic/pin alignment base plate of the nail product curing system in an “installed” position; and
FIG. 12 is an electrical schematic of a control circuit for the nail product curing system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2 and 2A, a nail product curing system 10 (FIG. 1A) for curing nail products 17 (FIG. 2A) is illustrated. As shown in FIG. 1A, the nail product curing system 10 includes a housing 12 having a nail treatment space 14 configured to receive one or more fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (FIG. 2) (or alternately toes) of a user 15 and to position one or more nails 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13E (FIG. 2) of the user 15 for treatment. As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the housing 12 is open on one end and is sized and shaped to accommodate the fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (FIG. 2) (or alternately the toes) of the user 15.
As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the housing 12 can be formed of a rigid material, such as molded plastic, having a smooth exterior surface 20 and an opening 22 to the nail treatment space 14 for inserting the fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (FIG. 2) (or alternately the toes) of the user 15. The housing 12 also includes an internal chamber 18 having light reflective interior walls 25 (FIG. 1B). In the illustrative embodiment, the housing 12 has a dome-shape that define the nail treatment space 14. Besides dome-shapes other representative shapes for the housing 12 include: spherical shaped, box shaped, oval shaped as well as combinations thereof. The shape of the housing 12, and the internal chamber 18 as well, can be designed as required for a particular application. The housing 12 also includes a flat bottom 30 configured for mating engagement with a base 32. As shown in FIG. 1B, the reflective interior walls 25 can comprise a separate insert made of a highly reflective material to improve the efficiency of the curing process. The reflective interior walls 25 can be placed within the housing 12, substantially as shown in FIG. 1B, and secured by fasteners if desired. In addition, the LED light sources 16 can be mounted to the reflective interior walls 25 substantially as shown in FIG. 1B.
Still referring to FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2 and 2A, the nail product curing system 10 also includes one or more LED light sources 16 on the interior walls 25 for generating light in the nail treatment space 14. The LED light sources 16 can include one or more discreet light emitting diodes (LEDs) 26 (FIG. 4) arranged to direct light onto the nails 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13E (FIG. 2) of the user 15 positioned in the nail treatment space 14. The reflective interior walls 25 (FIG. 1B) can include cavities 27 (FIG. 1B) for the light emitting diodes (LEDs) 26 to reduce the emitting angle. FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary arrangement of the LED light sources 16 on the interior walls 25 of the housing 12 in separate arrays for each nail 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13E (FIG. 2) of the user 15 (FIG. 2). In addition, the LED light sources 16 are in electrical communication with a circuit board 24 (FIG. 1A) on the housing 12.
The wavelength of the light emitting diodes (LEDs) 26 can be selected to accommodate a particular nail product 17 with a peak wavelength intensity between 230-470 μm being representative. In addition, the light emitting diodes (LEDs) 26 can comprise color LEDs such as green, yellow, red, or IR for special skin treatment, as well as UVC (230 nm to 280 nm) for sterilization of the nail treatment space 14 and nails 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13E (FIG. 2) of the user 15 (FIG. 2), as well as other components of the system. In addition, a peak wavelength intensity of the light emitting diodes (LEDs) 26 can be adjusted or controlled by the circuit board 24 (FIG. 1A).
The circuit board 24 can comprise one or more circuit boards inside the housing 12, such as a printed circuit board (PCB) or a metal circuit board having various electrical components assembled in circuits using designs and techniques that are known in the art. In addition, as will be further explained, the circuit board 24 can be in electrical communication with other electrical components of the nail product curing system 10 as well as power converting for the LED light sources 16.
Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the nail product curing system 10 can also include a light blocker 28 on the housing 12 surrounding the opening 22 (FIG. 1A) for the user 15 for preventing at least some light from escaping the nail treatment space 14 and impinging on the user's eyes. During operation of the nail product curing system 10, and depending on the location of the user's eyes, at least some UV light can be seen by the user 15. The light blocker 28 is designed to prevent this UV light from impinging on the user's eyes during normal operation. The light blocker 28 can comprise one element or multiple separate elements made of either a reflective material or a light absorbing material in any desired sizes, shapes and locations. Depending on the application, the light blocker 28 can comprise a transparent material, a solid material or a translucent material. Any of these materials can be coated with a UV light reflective material or a UV light absorption material. Representative materials for the light blocker 28 include plastic, metal, polymer, fiber, glass and ceramic. An exemplary color for the light blocker 28 can be brown. As another example, the light blocker 28 can be attached to the housing 12 circumjacent to the opening 22 using a suitable fastener system or adhesive. Preferably, the light blocker 28 can be removed and re-installed by the user. For some applications the light blocker 28 can include openings for air flow therethrough.
As shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG. 3, the nail product curing system 10 can also include an external LED lamp 38 adjustably and removably mounted to the housing 12. The external LED lamp 38 is configured to allow inspection of the nail product 17 (FIG. 2A) externally of the nail treatment space 14. The external LED lamp 38 is in electrical communication with the circuit board 24 (FIG. 1A) such that it can be powered without an additional power cable. The external LED lamp 38 can include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) in a desired wavelength range such as white light, colored light, UV light, blue light, or IR light. If the external LED lamp 38 comprises UV light or blue light, it can be used to externally cure the nail product 17 without placement of the nails 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13E (FIG. 2) of the user 15 in the nail treatment space 14. The external LED lamp 38 can also comprise one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to emit UVC (230 nm to 280 nm) light for sterilization of the nails 13A, 13B, 13C, 13D, 13E (FIG. 2) of the user 15 (FIG. 2), as well as other components of the system 10. The external LED lamp 38 can optionally include separate controls, power source, indicators, display panels, battery packs, cooling fans, optical receivers and sensors.
As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the nail product curing system 10 can also include a foldable handle 36 on the housing 10 for transport. In addition to being foldable, the handle 36 can optionally include controls, indicators, display panels and sensors.
As shown in FIG. 4, the nail product curing system 10 can also include a rechargeable battery 40 configured to power the electrical components with DC power. The housing 12 includes a battery socket 42, a battery cover 44 and an electrical connector 46 in electrical communication with a charging circuit for the battery 40. The electrical connector 46 can also be used to provide AC or DC power. The battery 40 makes the nail product curing system 10 portable and can be removeable like on a power tool. Suitable types of batteries for the battery 40 include Ni—Cd, Li-ion, Li-polymer, NiMH, LiFePO4 and super capacitors.
As shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the nail product curing system 10 can also include a display panel 34 on the housing 10 for displaying information. The display panel 34 is in electrical communication with the circuit board 24 and can comprise an LCD panel, a LED segments display panel, an OLED or an electronic ink display. The display panel 34 can be external mounted externally to the housing 12 or mounted within the housing 12 with a translucent window 48. The display panel 34 can provide information to the user 15 such as curing states, cuing time, remaining curing time, lamp status, battery usage, temperature, brand names for the nail product 17, as well as other information depending on the application.
As shown in FIG. 6, the nail product curing system 10 can also include a cooling system 50 on the housing 12 (or alternately on the base 32) configured to perform a cool down of the nail treatment space 14 and the user 15. The cooling system 50 can be located anywhere on the exterior or interior of the housing 12. The cooling system 50 includes a cooler 52 on the housing 12, a fresh air inlet 54 on the housing 12, and a heated air outlet 56 on the housing 12. The cooling system 50 is configured to cool down the fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (or alternately the toes) of the user 15 to make the curing process more comfortable. The cooler 52 can comprise a fan, a turbine, an evaporative cooler, a piezo cooler, or a peltier cooler. The fresh air inlet 54 and the heated air outlet 56 can be located anywhere on the housing 12 (or alternately on the base 32) and can include multiple openings. In the cooling system 50, heat transfer occurs from the fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (or alternately the toes), and the back of the hand of the user 15 as well, as indicated by the cooling air flow arrows 58. The cooling system 50 removes heat generated by the curing process as well as heat generated by the user 15.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the nail product curing system 10 also includes a sensing and controlling system 60 that includes touchless sensors 62 in the nail treatment space 14 configured to sense and control various parameters of a curing process such as placement of the fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (FIG. 2) (or alternately the toes) of the user 15, curing time, curing sequence and the function of the LED light sources 16 on the interior walls 25 of the housing 12. As will be further explained, the touchless sensors 62 control the LED light sources 16 and the curing process using input from the touchless sensors 62 and programmed instructions contained on the circuit board 24. The sensing and controlling system 60 also includes a radio transmission controller 64 on the housing 12 configured as a remoter and a supplement to the touchless sensors 62 for inputting information to the sensing and controlling system 60.
The touchless sensors 62 (FIG. 1A) can be mounted on the housing 12 proximate to the nail treatment space 14 (FIG. 1A) and include a plurality of different sensors that perform different functions. For example, one or more of the touchless sensors 62 can be configured to sense movement of the fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (FIG. 2) (or alternately the toes) of the user 15 near or away, as well as their position and time in a particular position. As will be further explained, a hand 86 (FIG. 7A) of the user 15 can be used to activate one or more of the touchless sensors 62 to control various aspects of the curing process (e.g., “on”, “off”, “stop”, “repeat”) By way of example, the touchless sensors 62 (FIG. 1A) can be configured to sense light changes, or to provide a camera image of the fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (FIG. 2) (or alternately the toes) or the hands 86 of the user 15. In alternate embodiments, the touchless sensors 62 can also be configured to detect face, mouth, and hand movement of the user 15. By way of example, the sensors 62 can comprise optical sensors, capacitance sensors, IR sensors, laser TOF sensors, camera sensors, or voice sensors. Exemplary functions controlled by the touchless sensors 62 include start curing, stop curing, change recipe, and change curing time. The set up and reaction of the touchless sensors 62 can be programmable using the circuit board 24. The touchless sensors 62 can also include feedback sensors such as vibration and indicators (e.g., light) to indicate various aspects of the curing process. The exact location of the touchless sensors 62 on the housing 12 can vary according to their function. For example, the touchless sensors 62 can be mounted to both the interior walls 25 (FIG. 1A) and the exterior surface 20 (FIG. 1A) of the housing 12 (FIG. 1A). One or more of the touchless sensors 62 can also be mounted on base 32 (FIG. 1A) and the handle 36 (FIG. 1A).
Referring to FIGS. 7A-7E, exemplary embodiments of the touchless sensors 62 are illustrated. In FIG. 7A, a right touchless sensor 62R is on the outside of the housing 12 on the right side. The right touchless sensor 62R can be configured to detect movement or waving action of the right hand 86R of the user 15 and to control some aspect of the curing process (e.g., curing recipe) as a function of this movement or waving action of the right hand 86R. For example, if the circuit board 24 is programmed with five separate recipes for nail products 17, separate waves of the right hand 86R over the right touchless sensor 62R can select between the five recipes. In FIG. 7B, a left touchless sensor 62L is also on the outside of the housing 12 but on the left side. The left touchless sensor 62L is configured to detect movement or waving action of the left hand 86L of the user 15 and control some aspect of the curing process (e.g., curing recipe) as a function of this movement or waving action of the left hand 86L. For example, a wave of the left hand 86L over the left touchless sensor 62L can be used to switch between recipes (e.g., back to no. 2). In addition, the function of the touchless sensors 62R, 62L can be programmable and not limited to one function.
Referring to FIG. 7C, a touchless sensor 62D can be configured to detect entry of the hand 86L and the fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (or alternately the toes) of the user 15 into the nail treatment space 14. The touchless sensor 62D can be mounted on the interior walls 25 of the housing 12 proximate to the nail treatment space 14. As shown in FIG. 7D, when the hand 86L is placed into the nail treatment space 14 the LED light sources 16 are turned on and the curing process can be started. As shown in FIG. 7C, when the hand 86L is pulled out of the nail treatment space 14 the curing process can be turned off.
Referring to FIG. 7E, a touchless hand in and curing start sensor 62E can be configured to sense hand entry and activate the LED light sources 16 as well as activate a count down timer and to display the remaining time on the display panel 34. When the time has run out the LED light sources 16 can be turned off.
Referring to FIG. 8, the radio transmission controller 64 comprises a remoter or remote-control having circuitry designed to receive and transmit signals 70 to and from a transceiver on the circuit board 24 (FIG. 1A). In addition, the radio transmission controller 64 can include a display 66 for displaying information on the curing process and a keypad 68 for inputting information to the circuit board 24 (FIG. 1A). The information for display can include curing states, curing time, remaining curing time, lamp status, battery usage, temperature and brand name of the nail product 17. The radio transmission controller 64 can also include the voice actuated communication system 88 that permits the user 15 to input information to the circuit board 24 without touching any buttons. Exemplary technologies for the radio transmission controller 64 include BLUETOOTH, LTE, RFID, GPRS, Wi-Fi, IrDA, UWB, Zig-Bee, NFC, or via a smart phone and APP.
Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, 11A and 11B, exemplary embodiments for the base 32 are illustrated. As shown in FIG. 9, the base 32 has a round edge 84 having a radius r>5 mm that prevents from scraping the hand and fingers 11A, 11B, 11C, 11D, 11E (FIG. 2) (or alternately the toes) of the user 15. This is in contrast to conventional nail curers which can include sharp edges that can harm the user 15 by scraping. As shown in FIG. 9, the base 32 provides a level surface and forms a bottom side of the nail treatment space 14. In addition, the base provides an ergonomic surface for the hand of the user 15. In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the base 32 is configured to slide into the housing 12. In FIG. 10, a magnetic base 32M includes magnets 72 that mate with metal plates 74 on the housing 12. In FIGS. 11A and 11B, a pin/magnetic base 32PM includes alignment holes 76 that mate with alignment pins 78 on the housing 12, and also magnets 72 that mate with metal plates 74 on the housing 12. Optionally, the base 32 can include control buttons, a display panel, a battery pack, a cooling fan and one or more sensors.
Referring to FIG. 12, an exemplary control circuit 80 for the nail product curing system 10 is illustrated. The control circuit 80 includes the circuit board 24 in the housing 12 that includes electrical components in electrical communication with the touchless sensors 62 in the nail treatment space 14. The circuit board 24 also includes electrical components in electrical communication with the display 34 on the housing 12. The control circuit 80 also includes the radio transmission controller 64 having the display 66 for displaying information on the curing process and the keypad 68 for inputting information. The circuit board 24 includes electrical components in signal communication with the radio transmission controller 64 and these electrical components can be powered by the battery 40. The radio transmission controller 64 can also include a separate battery 82. The circuit board 24 also includes electrical components in electrical communication with the LED light sources 16 and in signal communication with the radio transmission controller 64. The circuit board 24 can be configured to control the operation of the LED light sources 16 including power, brightness, peak wavelength, on/off, and time of operation with input from the radio transmission controller 64. If the LED light sources 16 includes arrays or banks of separate light emitting diodes (LED) 26, the circuit board 24 can be configured to control the arrays or banks separately with input from the radio transmission controller 64. The circuit board 24 can include programmable electrical components such as computer chips either pre-programmed (e.g., one-time programmable read only memory ROM) or programmable (e.g., programmable read only memory PROM) with computer code language and a PROM programmer. The programing can also allow recipes for the curing process to be tailored to a particular nail product 17.
While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and subcombinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope.
Patent Application
20250000229
