Patent Application
20190321994
The present invention relates generally to handheld devices, and, more particularly, to a pet clipper device for a pet animal. The pet clipper device includes halo-illumination lighting that is used while clipping or trimming hair of the pet animal such as a dog.
Grooming in the pet industry is a multi-billion dollar market. Grooming is an important part of caring for furry pets. Removing unwanted hair or detached hair, such as the loose hair from an animal's undercoat, is generally desirable. Particularly with dogs and cats, whose coats tend to molt or shed hair, a tool that can remove detached or almost detached hairs, while leaving live, secure ones in place, has become increasingly important to owners of such pets. Commensurate with grooming for cleanliness, many pet owners have taken to having their pet receive regular fur trimming for grooming and health purposes. Historically, the owners merely allowed their pet's fur to grow naturally, as well as shed naturally, in accordance with seasonal changes. However, with the advent of pet grooming, and education of pet owners, many owners have begun to understand the health benefits of keeping a pet's fur neatly trimmed Diseases that can occur within a pet's fur can include alopecia, anemia caused by fleas, tick infestation, and other diseases that may be hidden by a large amount of fur or in fact exacerbated by a large amount of fur.
While there are a variety of pet hair clippers in the market, a key problem with the current pet hair clippers is the lack of visibility they offer to pet owners and groomers (i.e., users) while clipping or trimming the hair of pet animals. In particular, amateurs and new users of the pet hair clippers are unable to get a ‘clean’ hands-on experience as they cut the fur of the pet animals. Thus, the end result is likely an uneven and unprofessional-looking haircut.
In light of the foregoing, there exists a need for a technical and reliable solution that solves the above-mentioned problems and presents an improved pet hair clipper device for pet animals.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a pet hair clipper for pet animals. The pet hair clipper of the present invention is highly efficient and appropriate for clipping or trimming hair of pet animals, such as a dog or a cat, by providing adequate lighting via the same pet hair clipper during the hair clipping or trimming process. In particular to the present invention, the lighting provides halo-illumination lighting effect such that a 360-degree light encircles a clipping or trimming surface of a pet animal (i.e., a specific area of a pet's fur) during the hair clipping or trimming process. The use of halo-illumination allows a user (such as a pet owner or groomer) to see the clipping or trimming surface (from where hair has to be removed or cut into small pieces) of the pet animal more clearly and effectively, thus providing the user sufficient information as to whether they are performing a suitable job during the hair clipping or trimming process.
Thus, the present invention addresses the problems associated with the current pet hair clippers in the market by providing a circular, more specifically, a halo-illuminating light capable of illuminating the specific area of the pet's fur while it is being trimmed. The present invention facilitates an effective and efficient hair clipping or trimming environment for the pet animals by avoiding the requirement of using multiple lights in order to avoid shadow areas over fur areas while the pet's fur is being trimmed.
The pet hair clipper of the present invention includes a clipper head comprised of a movable blade that reciprocates from side to side in close contact with one or more motors. Each motor used to drive the movable blade is preferably a silent or near-silent motor. The clipper head can include comb-cap with grooves to be inserted on the movable blades. The pet hair clipper further includes a base, wherein the base can, in one embodiment, include a textured surface to allow sufficient hand-hold of the pet hair clipper. The pet hair clipper further includes a lighting source that encircles the pet hair clipper to provide a halo-illuminating effect when in use. The lighting source that provides the halo-illuminating effect can be a light emitting diode (LED), incandescent light bulb, and the like. The lighting source can be a white light or a blue light.
In operating the pet hair clipper, an actuator button (such as a power switch) can be used to start (i.e., turn ON) the pet hair clipper. Further, an actuator button (such as a light source switch) can be used to turn ON the lighting source. In some example, the same actuator button can be used to start (i.e., turn ON) the pet hair clipper as well as turn ON the lighting source of the pet hair clipper. In one example, the pet hair clipper can be powered by an a/c source, such as a wall plug. In another example, the pet hair clipper can be powered by disposable batteries. In yet another example, the pet hair clipper can be powered by a rechargeable power source, for example, rechargeable batteries. In an embodiment, the pet hair clipper can be multi-speed, for example, dual speed, triple speed, or the like.
In an embodiment, the lighting source of the pet hair clipper facilitates the halo-illuminating effect. The lighting source, when actuated, provides a circular light that will encompass an aspect of the pet's fur to be trimmed. In such a manner, the user can sufficiently illuminate one or more desired areas of the pet's fur at the same time, thus avoiding the necessity to use multiple light sources, such as several flashlights.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description below, in light of the accompanying drawings.
The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of various examples. It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example in association with the accompanying drawings in which:
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description of exemplary embodiments is intended for illustration purposes only and is, therefore, not intended to necessarily limit the scope of the invention.
As used in the specification and claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” may also include plural references. For example, the term “an article” may include a plurality of articles. Those with ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated, relative to other elements, in order to improve the understanding of the present invention. There may be additional components described in the foregoing application that are not depicted on one of the described drawings. In the event such a component is described, but not depicted in a drawing, the absence of such a drawing should not be considered as an omission of such design from the specification.
Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of components, which constitutes a pet hair clipper for a pet animal such as dog or a cat. Accordingly, the components have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
References to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “another embodiment”, “yet another embodiment”, “one example”, “an example”, “another example”, “yet another example”, and so on, indicate that the embodiment(s) or example(s) so described may include a particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element, or limitation, but that not every embodiment or example necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, characteristic, property, element or limitation. Furthermore, repeated use of the phrase “in an embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.
The words “comprising”, “having”, “containing”, and “including”, and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.
Techniques consistent with the present invention provide, among other features, a pet hair clipper for clipping or trimming hair (or fur) of a pet animal, such as a dog or a cat. The pet hair clipper includes halo-illumination lighting that is used during the clipping or trimming of hair (or fur) of the pet animal such as a dog. As used herein, the term “illumination” refers to the use of a light source to spotlight a particular area or object of interest. The term “halo-illumination” refers to a light source capable of providing 360-degree lighting of an area or object at the same time, whereas the light is provided on the periphery of the exuded light, and the center of the light does not provide any light.
Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements or entities. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements or priorities. While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented for purposes of example only, and not limitations. It is not exhaustive and does not limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of the invention, without departing from the breadth or scope.
The pet hair clipper having halo-illumination lighting will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which should be regarded as merely illustrative without restricting the scope and ambit of the present invention.
In an embodiment, the body portion 102 (such as an upper body portion of the pet hair clipper 100) may be made of various materials, such as, but not limited to, plastic, aluminum, copper, steel or iron. The body portion 102 may include an actuator assembly such as a power switch assembly 102a on its top i.e., on a front part of the body portion 102 as shown in
In an embodiment, the body portion 102 may further include another actuator button such as a light source switch 102b on its top i.e., on a front part of the body portion 102 as shown in
In an embodiment, the head clipper portion 106 (such as a lower body of the pet hair clipper 100) is designed to include the set of blades 106a of the pet hair clipper 100. The head clipper portion 106 can be from about 1″ to about 2″ in length. In one embodiment, the head clipper portion 106 is telescopic, allowing it to extend from one length to another as required during the clipping or trimming process of the pet's fur. The head clipper portion 106 may be made up of a plastic or metallic material. The head clipper portion 106 also includes the set of blades 106a that is removably (or permanently) attached with it. The set of blades 106a can be designed to fit with the head clipper portion 106. In one embodiment, each blade of the set of blades 106a is made up of hardened steel. The set of blades 106a includes one or more pairs of sharpened comb-like blades in close contact one above the other and the side which slide sideways relative to each other, a mechanism which may be manual or electrical to make the blades oscillate from side to side. Each blade is usually made of rust-resistant stainless steel. Ceramic cutters or blades may also be used. Ceramic blades are not subject to corrosion, and stay sharper longer because of a higher resistance to wear than metal blades. They remain cool to the touch even with fairly prolonged use, as ceramic is a poor heat conductor. However, ceramic blades are brittle and easily broken, and more expensive to replace than metal blades.
The set of blades 106a (or the head clipper portion 106 including the set of blades 106a) may be removable as well as replaceable. In an embodiment, the rotational speed or the oscillation of the set of blades 106a may be controlled by means of the one or more motors that are housed or positioned inside a pet hair clipper body portion (such as the body portion 102) of the pet hair clipper 100. The one or more motors may be removably positioned inside the pet hair clipper 100 to drive the set of blades 106a. For example, when the power switch of the power switch assembly 102a is turned ON (i.e., the power switch is at the second position or the third position), the one or more motors are also turned ON, which in turn reciprocates or oscillates the set of blades 106a from one side to another side. In an embodiment, the one or more motors may be configured to operate at two speeds i.e., at the medium speed and at the high speed. The speed of the one or more motors may be controlled by operating the power switch of the power switch assembly 102a. For example, when the power switch is at the second position or at the third position, the one or more motors are turned ON and accordingly operates at the defined medium speed or the defined high speed, which in turn reciprocates or oscillates the set of blades 106a at the medium speed or at the high speed.
In
The body portion 102 may be designed such that the user can easily grasp and control the pet hair clipper 100. In one example, the body portion 102 is from 1″ to 3″ in diameter and 3″ to 5″ in length. The body portion 102 is tapered at its top to allow strong connection to the head clipper portion 106. In one embodiment, the body portion 102 contains a grip, allowing the user to securely hold the pet hair clipper 100 during the clipping or trimming process. An actuation button (i.e., the power switch of the power switch assembly 102a) is positioned on the body portion 102. In use, the power switch controls the ON-OFF mechanism of the pet hair clipper 100. When turned on, the set of blades 106a reciprocates or oscillates at the medium or high speed. The sideways reciprocation of the blades 106a may be utilized by the user to clip or trim the fur or hair of the pet animals such as a dog or a cat. Another actuation button (such as the light source switch 102b) controls the lighting source of the pet hair clipper 100, completing the internal circuit such that the lighting source turns ON to provide halo-illumination at the required area over the pet's body. As will be discussed later, the light source, when actuated, provides a halo-like illumination effect emanating from the pet hair clipper 100 onto the pet's body surface where hair or fur clipping is to be performed.
In an embodiment, the pet hair clipper 100 includes an axis along which a rear half of the body portion 102 is removably fixed to the front half of the body portion 102. In one example, the rear half of the body portion 102 may be removed from the front half of the body portion 102 to replace the battery or the one or more motors of the pet hair clipper 100. In another example, the rear half of the body portion 102 may be removed from the front half of the body portion 102 to perform maintenance work with respect to at least the battery or the one or more motors of the pet hair clipper 100.
In the bottom view 200 of the pet hair clipper 100 as shown in
In operation, the power switch of the power switch assembly 102a may be operated by the user to activate or deactivate (i.e., turn ON or turn OFF) the pet hair clipper 100. For example, the pet hair clipper 100 is in OFF state when the power switch is in the first position. In the first position, there is no power supply to the one or more motors of the pet hair clipper 100. Thus, the one or more motors are in OFF state. As a result, the pet hair clipper 100 does not operate and the set of blades 106a does not reciprocate or oscillate or rotate. In the second position, the power is being drawn either from the battery or the mains power supply and the drawn power is supplied to the one or more motors of the pet hair clipper 100. Thus, the one or more motors are in ON state. As a result, the pet hair clipper 100 is turned ON and the set of blades 106a reciprocates or oscillates or rotates at the medium speed. In the third position, the power is being drawn either from the battery or the mains power supply and the drawn power is supplied to the one or more motors of the pet hair clipper 100. Thus, the one or more motors are in ON state. As a result, the pet hair clipper 100 is turned ON or remains in the ON state, and the set of blades 106a reciprocates or oscillates or rotates at the high speed. During the operation of the pet hair clipper 100, the set of blades 106a may start rotating or reciprocating or oscillating either in the sideways direction, the clockwise direction, or the anti-clockwise direction. When the set of blades 106a is rotating or reciprocating or oscillating, the user may use the pet hair clipper 100 for clipping to trimming the hair or fur of the pet animal.
In an embodiment, the pet hair clipper 100 further includes the light source switch 102b that may be operated by the user to turn ON or turn OFF one or more LED's included in the light source portion 104. There are four modes of operating the light source switch 102b. In a first mode, when the light source switch 102b is pressed by the user, the front half of the light source portion 104 emits halogen light such as by means of one or more halogen light emitting LED's. In a second mode, when the light source switch 102b is pressed by the user, the rear half of the light source portion 104 emits halogen light such as by means of one or more halogen light emitting LED's. In a third mode, when the light source switch 102b is pressed by the user, the entire light source portion 104 emits light from all sides or directions such as by means of one or more halogen light emitting LED's. In a fourth mode, when the light source switch 102b is pressed by the user, all of the LED's (such as all of the halogen light emitting LED's) are turned OFF and do not emit any light.
In an embodiment, the LED panel 402 also includes an opening at its center that allows a motor shaft of a motor (positioned inside the pet hair clipper 100) to pass through it and makes a contact with a cylindrical metallic material (such as a cylindrical brass pin, a cylindrical stainless-steel pin, or any other appropriate material). For example, the motor shaft of the motor makes a physical contact with a first brass pin included inside the pet hair clipper 100. The first brass pin further makes another physical contact with a second brass pin included inside the pet hair clipper 100. The head clipper portion 106 including the set of blades 106a is removably attached (or removably makes physical contact) with the second brass pin. Thus, when the motor is turned ON, the motor shaft of the motor rotates or reciprocates, which in turn rotates or reciprocates the first brass pin and the second brass pin. Due to the rotational or reciprocation motion of the second brass pin, the set of blades 106a also rotates or reciprocates. Due to the rotation or reciprocation of the set of blades 106a and/or the physical contact of the set of blades 106a with the second brass pin during the rotation or reciprocation, the oscillation or reciprocation in the set of blades 106a may be produced or generated. Thus, the set of blades 106a may vibrate or reciprocates from one side to another side. Such reciprocation of the set of blades 106a may be utilized for clipping or trimming the fur or hair of the pet animals. In one example, the set of blades 106a only rotates along its axis and is used for clipping or trimming the fur or hair of the pet animals. In another example, the set of blades 106a only vibrates or reciprocates from one side to another side and is used for clipping or trimming the fur or hair of the pet animals. In yet another example, the set of blades 106a reciprocates as well as vibrates and is used for clipping or trimming the fur or hair of the pet animals.
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This patent application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/660,952, entitled “PET CLIPPERS HAVING HALO-ILLUMINATION LIGHTING,” filed Apr. 21, 2018, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62660952 | Apr 2018 | US |
