Patent Application
20220111190
This application claims priority to Italian Application No. 102020000024154, filed Oct. 14, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a device for performing artistic tattooing, aesthetic tattooing, permanent make-up, tricopigmentation and in general pigmentation of any area of the human body.
As is known, artistic tattooing, aesthetic tattooing, permanent make-up (PMU), tricopigmentation, dermopigmentation and microneedling are all treatments which have the purpose of implanting a pigment with different effects in the human skin. Currently, in order to perform these treatments, conventionally devices provided with a single-use, i.e. disposable, needle-holder cartridge and operated by an electric motor are used.
A lot has been done in order to make these devices safer, more hygienic and easier to use. However, despite the constant improvement of the devices which are nowadays commercially available, there are a number of technical problems negatively affecting the safety, effectiveness, reliability and precision of insertion of the needle in the skin which have not yet been fully resolved. Moreover, the presence on the market of low-cost, poor-quality, devices compromises all the efforts made hitherto to make the aforementioned skin treatments safer.
Among the main technical problems still unresolved in the state of the art the following may be mentioned.
A first problem relates to the fact that, in the known devices, the movement of the needle in the needle-holder cartridge, is not synchronous with movement of the needle drive shaft in the device. This happens because the needle drive shaft and the needle-holder head are not stably in contact with each other such that, whereas the movement of the drive shaft is continuous during operation of the device, the movement of the needle-holder head is instead intermittent.
A second problem concerns the absence in the devices of the prior art of means for ensuring protection against accidental operation of the apparatus when the needle-holder cartridge is not correctly mounted on the device. Without adequate protection means, the known devices may be started by the operator even if the needle-holder cartridge is incorrectly mounted, with the risk of injury both for the operator and for the person undergoing the skin treatment.
A third problem of the known devices consists in the fact that they are not provided with effective means for damping the vibrations generated by the rotation of the electric motor of the device and the transmission which converts the rotary motion of the drive shaft into an alternating motion of the drive shaft of the needle-holder head. The vibrations generated during operation of the device negatively affect the precision of the skin treatment, especially when it is carried out on the eye-lash or in the area around the eyes of the patient. Execution of the treatment in these zones requires great precision and stability of the device and undesirable vibrations may result in the needle coming into contact with the cornea of the eye, causing serious and even permanent injury to the person undergoing treatment. A reduction of the vibrations would be desirable also because it would have a clinical and operational advantage for the operators hand, the operator having often to work with these devices for many hours during the day and being prone to aches and even hand pathologies due to the vibrations transmitted by the device.
Finally, a fourth problem of the known devices, which for a long time has affected users of these devices, consists in the fact that the needle must be very stable during its alternating movement in and out of the tip of the device, in order to perform skin treatment which is as precise as possible. Therefore, the inner walls of the tip of the device, generally speaking, should be as close as possible to the needle shaft, in order to limit any transverse displacements with respect to the direction of movement. The limitation which prevents this solution from being adopted is that, if the moving needle is too close to the inner walls of the device tip, there is not the space necessary for allowing the liquid pigment to flow out of the reservoir, along the needle shaft, towards the end of the needle itself and therefore into the skin of the patient who is undergoing the skin treatment. Therefore, the smaller the space between the needle shaft and the side walls of the tip of the device, the smaller will be the outflow of the liquid pigment. Conversely, the greater this space, the greater will be the instability of the needle and, therefore, the greater will be the imprecision of the treatment performed. The search for a compromise between these opposing operational requirements has hitherto not provided the hoped-for results, and the problem of instability of the needle has hitherto not been resolved in a satisfactory manner.
The present invention aims to provide a definitive solution to the aforementioned problems of the prior art. According to the invention, this purpose is achieved with a device for applying a tattoo or a permanent make-up, or a similar skin treatment, having a grip portion containing a drive unit, and a disposable needle-holder cartridge, which should be coupled to the grip portion. The needle-holder cartridge comprises an attachment part for attachment to the grip portion, a needle-holder head with a stem which partially protrudes from the attachment part, a needle supported by the needle-holder head, and a tip with a needle guide nozzle. The needle-holder head is arranged in the needle-holder cartridge for a linear movement along the axial direction of the needle-holder cartridge, in order to cause the oscillation of the end of the needle in and out of the tip of the needle-holder cartridge. The drive unit comprises an electric motor having a drive shaft, an actuator shaft which can be coupled to the stem of the needle-holder head, a cam mechanism operatively connected to the actuator shaft, for transforming the rotary motion of the drive shaft into a linear motion of the actuator shaft. For coupling of the actuator shaft with the stem of the needle-holder head magnetic coupling means are provided at the end of the actuator shaft and, respectively, at the end of the part of the stem of the needle-holder head which protrudes from the attachment part of the needle-holder cartridge. The magnetic coupling means are adapted to stably, but releasably, connect the actuator shaft to the part of the stem protruding from the attachment part of the needle-holder cartridge, when the needle-holder cartridge is operatively mounted on the grip portion. The attachment part of the needle-holder cartridge is provided with electric conducting means adapted to come into contact with the electric terminals of the electric circuit for energizing the electric motor of the device only when the needle-holder cartridge is operatively mounted on the grip portion of the device, in order to establish electrical continuity between the electric terminals of the electric circuit for energizing the electric motor of the device.
According to a feature of the invention, the magnetic coupling means are formed by a first magnet fixed to the end of the actuator shaft which is proximal to the end of the stem part of the needle-holder head which protrudes from the attachment part of the needle-holder cartridge, and by a second magnet or magnetizable metallic element fixed to the end of the stem part of the needle-holder head which protrudes from the attachment part of the needle-holder cartridge. The attraction between the first magnet and the second magnet forms what may be called a “direct coupling” where, for each forwards/backwards movement of the actuator shaft, there is a corresponding similar forwards/backwards movement of the needle-holder head and therefore of the needle itself, the two parts being connected together stably, but releasably owing to the attraction of the magnets, when the needle-holder cartridge is operatively mounted on the grip portion. Advantageously, it is thus possible to avoid the asynchronous movement of the devices known in the state of the art, where the drive shaft only rests against the stem of the needle-holder head.
According to another characteristic feature of the invention, the electric conducting means on the attachment part of the needle-holder cartridge are formed by an annular or semi-annular plate of electrically conductive material arranged on the end of the attachment part of the needle-holder cartridge. Once the needle-holder cartridge is operatively mounted on the grip portion of the device, the plate of electrically conductive material establishes an electrical contact between the terminals of the circuit for energizing the electric motor of the device, allowing energizing of said electric motor when the operator presses the button for switching on the device. It should be pointed out that the electric conducting means may establish the electrical continuity of the electric circuit energizing the electric motor of the device only if the needle-holder cartridge has been operatively mounted on the grip portion of the device. For example, if a screw connection is used, the electrical continuity is established only if the needle-holder cartridge is screwed fully onto the grip portion of the device. Only in this situation is it possible to provide an electric contact and close the circuit which allows the current flow from the power supply to the electric motor, thereby determining whether the device itself is working or not. This measure is intended to ensure a greater degree of safety, preventing the device from being able to be operated in unsuitable circumstances or accidentally, avoiding any injury to the operator and the client.
According to a further characteristic feature of the invention, the attachment part of the needle-holder cartridge which serves for connection to the grip portion is made of a plastic material with optimum vibration-absorbing properties, so as to be able to dampen the vibrations generated by the drive unit. Advantageously, the total or partial absorption of the vibrations generated by the drive unit of the device results in a greater precision with regard to incision in the skin and a greater degree of safety in particular during the permanent make-up treatment of the eye-lashes or the area around the eyes. As is known, the treatment of these parts of the patient requires a greater precision and stability of the needle-holder cartridge since an undesirable vibration may result in the needle coming into contact with the cornea of the eye, causing serious and even permanent injury to the person undergoing treatment. The reduction of the vibrations is also advantageous, in clinical and operational terms, for the operator's hand, the operator often working for many hours during the day and the vibrations transmitted by the device may result in aching and even disorders due to the continuous vibrations affecting the operators hand. Purely by way of example, the plastic materials which can be used for the attachment part of the needle-holder cartridge may be elastic rubber or ABS with a silicone rubber additive. The needle-holder cartridge body is preferably made of a plastic material more rigid than that of the attachment part. For example, ABS may be used as plastic material for the body of the needle-holder cartridge. The body of the needle-holder cartridge and its attachment part may be produced individually and assembled together or may be co-moulded, namely moulded as a single piece made of two different plastic materials.
According to another characteristic feature of the invention, the needle-holder cartridge has a pointed cone-shaped end part intended to come into contact with the skin of the person undergoing skin treatment. This part forms a reservoir containing the liquid pigment used in the treatment, as well as a guide for the end part of the needle. The needle is supported and guided by a calibrated cylindrical nozzle which is located at the end of the end part of the needle-holder cartridge which is intended to reduce or eliminate the sideways movements of the needle inside the said tip, increasing the working precision and reducing the risk of tattooing lines being formed outside of the desired zones. At the same time, owing to its particular internal form, the calibrated cylindrical nozzle at the end of the end part ensures a suitable flow of the liquid pigment towards the needle tip and therefore towards the skin of the person undergoing treatment, reducing in fact the technical execution time and the trauma affecting the skin part treated. It should be pointed out that the shorter the insertion time of the needle tip in the skin, the smaller will be the trauma for the person being treated, with a consequent rapid recovery and a reduction in the possibility of contracting infections during bleeding of the treated skin part. The particular internal form of the calibrated cylindrical nozzle at the end of the end part of the needle-holder cartridge is such that there are parts protruding from the inner walls of the guide nozzle which, being in contact with the needle shaft during its movement, ensure the absolute stability thereof, preventing any lateral oscillation thereof, alternating with hollow parts which by means of capillarity allow the liquid pigment to flow towards the tip of the said needle. This particular form of the cylindrical guide nozzle is suitable for every type of needle used in practice and reconciles in an innovative manner the two requirements of lateral stability and passage of the liquid pigment.
According to another characteristic feature of the invention, the device is provided with a conical rubber/silicone membrane inside the needle-holder cartridge which prevents the backflow of liquid pigment and organic pigments towards the body of the device. The membrane is however positioned so as to perform a new function, namely retain the needle inside the needle-holder cartridge when the latter is not operatively mounted on the device body, so as to prevent the tip of needle from coming out and accidentally pricking the operator. The invention, while adopting a conical membrane similar to those used in the known devices of the conventional type, proposes positioning it in an inverted manner with respect to the conventional positioning on the stem of the needle-holder head, so that owing to the elastic properties of the rubber/silicone polymers, it is also able to perform the function of preventing the needle from coming out of the tip of the needle-holder cartridge when the latter is not operatively mounted on the device. By mounting the conical membrane in an overturned manner it is possible to obtain an elastic effect which prevents the needle from coming out, while allowing the membrane to perform the usual function of retaining the liquid pigment in the event of a backflow towards the device or parts thereof.
According to a further characteristic feature of the invention, in order to allow adjustment of the movement of the needle out of the tip of the needle-holder cartridge, the device is provided with a system which allows the electrical part of the assembly to remain in contact constantly, recovering by means of the system of guides and springs the space resulting from the movement of the cartridge/needle assembly away from the machine during needle adjustment.
These and other characteristic features of the present invention will become clearer from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated purely by way of a non-limiting example in the figures of the attached drawings in which:
The body 11 of the device houses internally an electric drive motor M, whose drive shaft 15 is connected to a cam 16 of a cam transmission mechanism for transforming the rotary motion of the drive shaft 15 into a reciprocating rectilinear movement of a tappet assembly 17, as typically occurs in tattooing and PMU devices of this kind known in the art.
The front end part 12 of the body 11 has a suitable housing 18 with a threaded part 19 designed to receive a corresponding threaded attachment part 20 of the disposable needle-holder cartridge 13. Obviously, an alternative configuration different from that shown in
As can be seen more clearly in
A needle-holder head 28 with a receiving cavity 29 for one end of the needle is housed inside the hollow central body 24 of the needle-holder cartridge 13. A stem 30 which passes through the attachment part 20 and protrudes over a certain length from a hole 31 at the rear end of the latter extends from the needle-holder head 28 towards the rear part of the needle-holder cartridge 13. The needle-holder head 28 is seated with a geometric fit inside a support sleeve 32 with a complementary shape which is fixed to the hollow central body 24 of the needle-holder cartridge 13. The end of the needle opposite to that housed inside the needle-holder head 28 is made to pass through a hole 33 in a guide bush 34 for the needle which is located at the front end of the hollow body 24 of the needle-holder cartridge 13.
The needle-holder head 28 is seated inside the support sleeve 32 so as to be displaceable towards the guide bush 34 against the action of a compression spring 35 arranged between the support sleeve 32 and the guide bush 34. The support sleeve 32 is kept stably in position inside the hollow body 24 of the needle-holder cartridge 13 by a flexible sealing element 36 with a conical tubular shape. This flexible sealing element 36 is fitted onto the stem portion 30 between the needle-holder head 28 and a circular protrusion 37 of the stem 30 and is fixed with a geometric and dynamic fit inside an annular cavity 38 between the outer surface of the support sleeve 32 and the inner surface of the hollow central body 24.
At its end in a distal position with respect to the needle-holder head 28, the stem 30 carries a disk-shaped magnet 39, for example a neodymium magnet.
With reference still to
The actuator shaft 41 is actuated indirectly, via a spring thrust element 42, by the tappet system 17 which, in turn, receives the movement from the cam 16 of the cam transmission mechanism of the device 10.
It should be noted that the so-called “direct coupling” connection between stem 30 of the needle-holder head 28 and the actuator shaft 41 is different from the trend in the state of the art, where the aforementioned elements move by means of a thrust mechanism, but not do remain stably joined together during their movement.
The sealing element 36 is formed by a membrane made of suitable material, for example rubber or silicone, so as to form a hermetic seal and prevent the liquid pigment, together with any body liquids which may flow from the tip 25 as a result of the alternating movement of the needle, from reaching the stem 30 and, consequently, the actuator shaft 41 and the thrust element 42. The sealing element 36 has a tapered form and may be mounted in the configuration shown in
In the case of the variant shown in
With reference again to
Closing of the electric circuit could be performed also by means of closing of a contact on the motor, using for example a conducting part on the body 11 of the device, or by means of a special electronic control unit arranged between the cables and the electric motor M. In this case, the electric terminals 21 would be connected to an operational amplifier and would function as proximity sensors able to detect variations in the capacitance caused by the approaching movement of the conducting plate 22 located on the attachment part 20 of the needle-holder cartridge 13. The movement of the conducting plate 22 towards the electric terminals 21 would also cause switching of an operational amplifier, enabling the closure of the electric contact for activating the motor M. Alternatively, the closing of the electric circuit could also be achieved by means of conducting parts on the inner or outer walls of the body 11 of the device.
In the device 10 shown in
Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferred example of embodiment shown in the drawings, it is evident that the invention is not limited to the details described and a person skilled in the art may make multiple modifications and variations thereto which may be regarded as being included within the scope of the attached claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102020000024154 | Oct 2020 | IT | national |
