Patent Application
20090158593
The present application relates to nail trimmers, and more particularly, to nail trimmers for pets.
Routine trimming of a pets' nails is important not only for grooming purposes but for the health of the pet. A pet's nails, such as a dog's or a cat's nails, grow quickly and must be trimmed once or twice a month. Otherwise, untrimmed nails can lead to a variety of health problems. For example, long nails can break, be painful and bleed. In extreme circumstances, dogs' nails may actually curl and grow into their paw. For these reasons, there are several types of nail trimmers available for trimming pets' nails.
One type of pet nail trimmer has opposable handles that when squeezed together, cause a narrow blade to slide across an opening. A pet's nail is positioned in the opening and the blade cuts the nail to a desired length.
Another type of pet nail trimmer looks and operates similar to a pair of scissors. These nail trimmers include opposable cutting surfaces, each attached to a handle. A pet's nail is inserted in a space between the cutting surfaces to cut the nail to a desired length. Similar to a pair of scissors, the handles are squeezed together to cause the cutting surfaces to move together and cut the nail.
Nail grinders are pet grooming tools that grind down a sharp edge or sharp point of a pet's nail after the nail has been cut. The grinders are also used in place of nail clippers/trimmers, to grind down a pet's nail to a desired length. These nail grinders typically include a relatively hard grinding surface that is rotated by an electric motor at a high rate of speed. The grinding surface is moved into contact with the pet's nail and grinds away portions of the nail.
International Application No. WO 02/051242 to Kang discloses a safety nail clipper for pets having a nail clipper and a nail grinder. The nail clipper in Kang has a body that includes a nail clipper at one end and a motorized ceramic ball for grinding pets' nails on an opposing end. A narrow handle is pivotally connected to the body and is squeezed to cause upper and lower shearing edges to cut a pet's nail. Although Kang discloses a single tool having a nail clipper and nail grinder, the handle is relatively thin and does not enable a user to easily grasp the handle and body to squeeze the handle to clip a pet's nail. Also, the thinness of the handle makes it susceptible to bending or breaking during use. Furthermore, storing the battery, motor and grinding ball all in the body significantly reduces the amount of space available for other components of the nail clipper such as a spring, wiring and other parts. It also causes the body to have a larger size and shape, which makes grasping and manipulating the nail clipper more difficult.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved pet nail trimmer that provides a nail clipper and a nail grinder in a single tool and enables a user to quickly and easily grasp and manipulate the nail trimmer to trim pets' nails.
The above-listed needs are met or exceeded by the present pet nail trimmer, which features a pair of opposable, hollow handles which each have a smaller, ergonomic shape to allow a user to easily grasp and manipulate the handles to cut a pet's nail. Additionally, the hollow handles of the present nail trimmer provide more space than conventional nail trimmers for storing different components of the nail trimmer. In the preferred embodiment, the present nail trimmer includes both a nail clipper and a nail grinder, which saves time and money over buying and using a separate nail clipper and nail grinder. Also, the nail grinder of the present nail trimmer is removable and replaceable to accommodate grinders having different sizes and shapes to cut nails having different sizes and shapes. Further, the preferred embodiment includes a movable shield positioned next to the nail grinder that enables a user to move the shield to a desired position to deflect or block the ground portions of a pet's nail.
More specifically, the present pet nail trimmer includes a first cutting member and a second cutting member pivotably connected to the first cutting member. The first and second cutting members define an opening and are movable between an open position to receive a pet's nail in the opening and a closed position to cut the pet's nail. The nail trimmer also includes a grinder movably attached to one of the first and second cutting members, a motor connected to the grinder and mounted to the one of the first and second cutting members, and a power source mounted to the other of the first and second cutting members, where the power source is connected to the electric motor.
Referring now to
In the illustrated embodiment, each of the first and second cutting members 102 and 104 includes a hollow, handle made up of two handle portions. Specifically, the first cutting member 102 includes a first handle 114 having first handle portions 116, 118 (
Each set of handle portions 116, 118 and 122, 124 is connected together using interlocking tabs or other suitable connectors or fasteners to form the handles 114, 120. The handles 114, 120 are preferably made from a durable material such as metal, plastic or any suitable material or combination of materials. In an embodiment, one or both handles 114, 120 include a grip (not shown) having one or more finger indentations to enable the handles to be easily grasped by a user. It is also contemplated that at least a portion of the handles 114, 120 may be covered by a compressible, slip resistant material such as rubber or the like.
Each of the handles 114, 120 defines an interior compartment or space for storing different components of the nail trimmer 100. By having two handles with interior compartments, the nail trimmer 100 has more space for storing the components of the nail trimmer. Also, the extra storage space allows the handles 114, 120 to have a smaller, ergonomic shape that makes grasping and manipulating the handles easier for a user.
In the illustrated embodiment, a guard 126 is pivotally attached to the first and second cutting members 102, 104 by the fastener 106. The guard 126 is positioned over the opening 112 in the safety position shown in
A bias member such as coil spring 128 is attached at one end to the first handle 114 and at a corresponding end to the second handle 120 for biasing the first and second cutting members 102, 104 to the rest or open position shown in
Referring now to
A shield 142 is positioned adjacent to the grinder 132 and is movable to different positions relative to the grinder. The shield 142 deflects or blocks the portions of a pet's nail that are ground away by the grinder 132 and thereby helps to prevent the nail portions from contacting or hitting a user. To allow a user to be able to grasp and remove the head 134 if necessary, the shield 142 has a generally semi-circular or arcuate shape and extends slightly less than half way around the head 134.
A motor 144, such as electric motor shown in
A power source 146 is mounted in the first handle 114, which is the handle opposite to the handle including the grinder 132 and the motor 144. The power source 146 is electrically connected to the motor 144 using a suitable electrical wire or wires 148. Specifically, one end of an electrical wire 148 is connected to the power source and an opposite end of the wire is threaded through the elongated opening 130 of the coil spring 128 and connected to the motor 144. Threading the electrical wire 148 through the coil spring 128 enables the first and second handles 114, 120 to move between the open and closed positions without damaging or severing the wire. In an embodiment, the electrical wire 148 is heat shrinked, wrapped or coated with an electrically insulated, rubberized material or other suitable material to protect the wire from being damaged by the movement of the handles 114, 120 or the spring 128, or from shorting out. Mounting the power source 146 in a different one of the handles 114, 120 from the grinder 132 and motor 144 provides more space for other components of the nail trimmer 100. Additionally, the first and second handles 114, 120 have a smaller, ergonomic shape, as described above, that makes the handles easier to grasp and manipulate. In an embodiment, the power source 146 includes one or more disposable or rechargeable batteries.
In a preferred embodiment, the power source 146 is replaceable by removing one of the handle portions 116, 118 described above. Alternatively, one of the handle portions 116, 118 may include an access door or panel that is removable to access the power source 146.
Referring to
A switch 158 is movably attached to the first handle 114 and is electrically connected to the power source 146 using a suitable electrical wire or wires. Specifically, the switch 158 controls the operation of connector 160 to enable a user to turn the power “on” and “off” to the nail trimmer 100. It should be appreciated that the switch 158 may be any suitable switch, button or other electrical control.
In operation, a user grasps the first and second handles 114, 120 of the nail trimmer 100. The relatively small size and ergonomic shape of the handles 114, 120 allows the user to comfortably, securely grasp the handles. A pets' nail is inserted at least partially into the opening or gap 112 defined between the first and second blades 108, 110. The user then squeezes the first and second handles 114, 120 together, causing the first and second cutting members 102, 104, and more specifically, the first and second blades 108, 110, to move together to the closed position shown in
After the pet's nail is cut, the user may either cut another of the pet's nails or grind down the rough edges of the nail that has been cut using grinder 132. To grind down the pet's nail, the user moves the switch 158 to the “ON” position whereby the motor 144 rotates the shaft 136 and head 134. One or more of the pet's nails are moved into contact with the first or second grinding surfaces 138, 140 of the rotating head 134 shield 142 is moved to any suitable position. To help deflect or block the ground portions of the nail, the user moves the shield to be on the side of the grinder 132 nearest the user. When the user is finished grinding the pet's nail or nails, the user moves the switch 158 to the “OFF” position to deactivate the motor 144 and stop the grinder head 134.
The present pet nail trimmer 100 enables a user to clip and grind a pet's nail using only one tool. This saves time by not having to search for more than one grooming tool. Also, the present pet nail trimmer saves money because multiple grooming tools do not have to be purchased. Furthermore, separately mounting the motor and power source in different handles saves space and allows the nail trimmer to have handles having a smaller, ergonomic shape that is easy to grasp and manipulate. The smaller size and shape of the handles also enables a user to securely grasp the handles and provide a significant squeezing force on the handles to enhance the cutting operation of the nail trimmer. Additionally, the moveable shield allows the user to move the shield to a desired location to help deflect or block more of the ground nail particles generated during the grinding of a pet's nail.
While several particular embodiments of the present pet nail trimmer including a pet nail clipper and a nail grinder have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and as set forth in the following claims.
