GB2516012A - Tweezers - Google Patents

Abstract

The tweezers 10 include two arms 11, 12 connected together, each arm having a grip 18 spaced from the connection 13 to the other arm and opposed to the other grip. The arms are biased such that the grips are separated. A lever mechanism 23, 24 is arranged to act on the arms against the bias so as to move the grips closer together. The arms may be non-linear e.g. curved along their length. The lever may have a similar profile to the arms and be moveable between a use position and a storage position. The end regions of the arms may blend smoothly into narrower central regions. The tweezers may be used for removing hair from the face or eyebrows.

Description

TWEEZERS

This invention relates to tweezers and more specifically to tweezers having a lever mechanism.

Various types of tweezers are available for many different uses, for example tweezers are often used by stamp collectors to handle delicate stamps. The tweezers of this invention have been designed primarily for use in the beauty industry and specifically for removing hair from the face or eyebrows (commonly referred to as plucking) and are described herein with an emphasis on such use. It will be appreciated though that the tweezers of this invention are not limited to any particular use.

Existing tweezers generally comprise two linear arms connected at one end, each arm having one of a pair of opposed gripping members at the other end. The arms are biased so that the gripping members are naturally apart.

The gripping members can be urged together, by applying manual pressure to the arms, in order to grip an item, such as an eyebrow hair therebetween.

These types of tweezers have been around for many years and are simplistic in construction but suffer from some disadvantages. Firstly, operation of the tweezers relies on sufficient force being applied manually by the user; this can be difficult to achieve if the user is weak, for example due to age or disability. The force required to urge the gripping arms together increases the further away from the connection of the arms the pressure is applied. As a result, pressure to the arms is typically applied relatively close to the gripping members. In the context of plucking this can obscure the view of the hair to be removed, thus making the task more challenging. Finally, the design is not particularly appealing aesthetically.

It is a principal aim of the present invention to provide a pair of tweezers which seeks to solve at least some of the above problems.

According to this invention, there is provided tweezers comprising two arms connected together, each arm having a grip spaced from the connection to the other arm and opposed to the other grip, the arms being biased such that the grips are separated; and a lever mechanism arranged to act on the arms against the bias so as to move the grips closer together.

To use the tweezers, manual pressure must be applied by the user in order to move the grips of the arms together but the pressure need not be applied close to the grips. This is because the lever mechanism reduces the force required in order to move the grips together in order to grasp an item, such as a hair therebetween. Moreover, the use of a lever mechanism may provide a greater gripping force than could otherwise be achieved to grip an item, such as hair. Thus the extent of manual force required to operate the tweezers is less than with conventional tweezers to achieve the same result.

The arms may be elongate with the connection being provided at one at one end of each arm and the grips at the other ends. The shape of the grips may vary. A range of tweezers may be provided each having different shaped grips so that tweezers can be selected depending on the required use. For example, the grips may be rounded, flat, linearly angled or painted.

The arms may be any appropriate shape which, by relative movement of the arms using the lever mechanism, enables the grips thereof to be brought into engagement. One or each arm may be non-linear and this may serve an aesthetic purpose and/or may enhance functionality, for example by providing a fulcrum about which the lever mechanism is configured to rotate.

The arms may be curved along their length. The arms may be similarly curved in the same sense. In this arrangement, the curvature of one of the arms may be slightly offset from the curvature of the other arm. Preferably the arms are connected together such that a gap is formed between the grips when the arms are in a naturally biased position. The thickness of the arms may vary along the length, for example a thicker region may be required where the most pressure is applied to the arms.

The lever mechanism may be any suitable lever arrangement which is configured to act on the arms so as to move the grips together when force is applied to the lever. Preferably, the lever mechanism comprises a compound lever.

The lever mechanism may include a pin connected to one arm and supporting a lever which acts on the other arm. Preferably the arms and the lever are aligned to assist with handling of the tweezers so that the user may apply pressure to the lever and other arm with relative ease.

The lever may be pivotally connected to the pin and rotatable relative thereto. Preferably, the pin is rotatably connected to the one arm such that the lever is rnoveable relative to the arms about more than one axis. In this way, the lever may be moveable between a use position and a storage position.

Preferably, the lever is similarly profiled to the arms. The lever may be moved between a storage position and a use position. In a storage position, the lever may lie closely to one of the arms so that it may rest on that arm when not in use. In movement to a use position the similar profile is reversed so that the lever is positioned away from the arms in an opposite sense. This provides a gap such that the lever may be moved towards the arms to operate the tweezers.

In a storage position, the tweezers may be used in the same way as conventional tweezers simply by applying pressure directly to the arms in order to bring the grips closer together. In this way, the user effectively has a choice as to whether they use the lever arrangement or not, making the tweezers versatile.

The end regions of the lever and/or the end regions of the arms may blend smoothly into a narrower central region. Such an arrangement enhances the overall aesthetic appearance of the tweezers and also provides a grip region for holding the tweezers when they are not being used.

The tweezers may be manufactured from strong plastic or metal, such as carbon steel or stainless steel. The arms may be connected using a spot welding process, rivets or another fixing method. They might also be integrally formed.

By way of example only, an embodiment of tweezers of this invention will now be described in detail, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:-Figure 1 is a side view of tweezers of this invention in a storage configuration.

Figure 2 is a top view of the tweezers of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of the tweezers being moved from a storage configuration to a use configuration; Figure 4 is a side view of the tweezers in a use configuration; and Figure 5 is a side view of the tweezers being used.

Referring to all of the figures, there is shown tweezers 10 having a first arm 11 and a second arm 12. The arms 11, 12 are elongate and are welded together at one end (referred to hereinafter as the connection end' 13). The arms 11, 12 are spaced from each other at the other end (hereinafter referred to as the gripping end' 14). The arms 11, 12 have a curved profile with the curvature of the second arm 12 being slightly offset from the curvature of the first arm 11 so that a gap 15 is formed between the arms 11, 12 at the gripping end 14, when not in use.

The arms 11, 12 include grips 18 at the gripping end 14 which oppose each other and are arranged to grip an item, such as hair, therebetween when the tweezers 10 are operated. The grips 18 are essentially surfaces of the arms 11, 12 that engage each other or an item to be held. As best seen in Figure 2, the grip ends 19 of the arms 11, 12 taper slightly towards a substantially flat tip 20. Tweezers having various different shapes of grip may be provided depending on the desired use. For example, tweezers 10 with tapered grips 18, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 may be useful in reaching and gripping a specific hair without inadvertently also gripping adjacent hairs.

A lever mechanism is provided for operating the tweezers 10. The lever mechanism comprises a lever 23 pivotally connected to a pin 24. The pin 24 of the lever mechanism extends through holes (not shown) in the arms 11, 12 and includes a pivot-end 25 which receives a bar 26 on the lever 23 to allow pivoting movement of the lever 23 to actuate the tweezers 10.

The pin 24 is rotatably connected to arms 11 so that the lever may be rotated through approximately 180° as shown by the transition between Figures 3 and 4. The pivoting connection between the lever 23 and the pin 24 enables the lever 23 to pivot from the storage position (Figure 1) in the direction of arrow A to an intermediate position (as seen in Figure 3). The movement from the storage position to the use position requires both pivoting and rotating of the lever 23 relative to the arms 11, 12. The order of such movements is not important and may be carried out sequentially or simultaneously in any sequence.

The lever 23 is similarly shaped to the arms 11, 12, having a curved profile which generally corresponds to that of the second arm 12 when the lever 23 is in a storage position, as shown in Figure 1, but which is oppositely profiled to the second arm 12 when the lever 23 is in a use position, as shown in Figure 4. The lever 23 has a region of increased thickness 27 near the pivot point as this is where the force is applied to the second arm 12.

To use the tweezers 10 the user must apply pressure to the connected end 13 of the arms 11, 12 and the outer end 30 of the lever 23 to bring them together. This causes the lever 23 to pivot about the pin 24 and the region of increased thickness 27 acts on the second arm 12. The gripping end 14 of the second arm 12 is urged towards the first arm 11 and this brings the grips 18 together allowing an item such as hair to be gripped therebetween.

Claims (14)

1. CLAIMS1. Tweezers comprising two arms connected together, each arm having a grip spaced from the connection to the other arm and opposed to the other grip, the arms being biased such that the grips are separated; and a lever mechanism arranged to act on the arms against the bias so as to move the grips closer together.
2. 2. Tweezers as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arms are non-linear.
3. 3. Tweezers as claimed in claim 2, wherein the arms are curved along their length.
4. 4. Tweezers as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the arms are similarly curved in the same sense.
5. 5. Tweezers as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lever mechanism comprises a compound lever.
6. 6. Tweezers as claimed in claim 5, wherein the lever mechanism comprises a pin connected to one arm and supporting a lever which acts on the other arm.
7. 7. Tweezers as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lever is pivotally connected to the pin.
8. 8. Tweezers as claimed in claim 7, wherein the pin is rotatably connected to the one arm such that the lever is moveable relative to the arms about more than one axis.
9. 9. Tweezers as claimed in any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the lever is similarly profiled to the arms and is moveable between a use position and a storage position.
10. 10. Tweezers as claimed in claim 9, wherein in a use position the lever is oppositely profiled to the arms.
11. 11. Tweezers as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, wherein in a storage position the lever lies closely to one of the arms.
12. 12. Tweezers as claimed in any of claims 5 to 11, wherein end regions of the lever blend smoothly into a narrower central region.
13. 13. Tweezers as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein end regions of the arms blend smoothly into narrower central regions.
14. 14. Tweezers as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.