US20080000490A1

US20080000490A1 - Callus removal device

Info

Publication number: US20080000490A1
Application number: US11/564,416
Authority: US
Inventors: Jeom-Sup Jo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-06-28
Filing date: 2006-11-29
Publication date: 2008-01-03
Also published as: KR200428932Y1

Abstract

The callus removal device is used to remove calluses formed on parts of the human body, for example, on the sole of the foot. The callus removal device of the present invention includes a main body, which has a handle and a protruding part, and a disposable sand panel, which is removably coupled to the protruding part of the main body. A plurality of protrusions is provided on a surface of the disposable sand panel to remove calluses. The callus removal device further includes a separating member, which is disposed between the disposable sand panel and the main body. An inside end of the separating member is coupled to a lower surface of the main body, and a second end thereof extends outside the lower surface of the main body.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a callus removal device which is used to remove calluses formed on parts of the human body, for example, on the sole of the foot.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
Generally, keratosis palmaris et plantaris is defined as any condition of skin characterized by the excessive development of calluses on the palms or the soles of the feet. The above-mentioned condition is different depending on the shape and distribution of each callus, heredity, affliction time point and accompanying abnormal symptoms.
The calluses are caused by keratinization of epidermal tissues of the skin, and crack due to the changing of the seasons. Thus, dermis underneath the calluses may be damaged. To avoid above-mentioned problems, it is necessary to the periodically remove the calluses before the condition becomes more serious.
For this, callus removal devices were proposed and have been used. The conventional callus removal devices for removing the calluses include abrasive sand panels which have abrasive sand and are integrally coupled to rotating shafts of motors.
However, in such a conventional callus removal device, after a user uses the callus removal device, callus remnants remain on the abrasive sand. Even if the abrasive sand is disinfected, the callus remaining abrasive remnants on the sand can rot. When the user reuses the callus removal device, the rotten callus remnants remaining on the abrasive sand come into contact with the palms and soles of the user. Thus, the palms and soles of the user may become contaminated with bacilli. As such, the conventional callus removal devices are unsanitary.
Furthermore, the use of the conventional callus removal device in public service places may lead to the communication of diseases. Thus, the United States of America and several countries in Europe prohibit the use of the conventional callus removal device in public service places.
In an effort to overcome the problems experienced with the conventional callus removal device, the inventor of the present invention proposed another callus removal device in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0342744.
The callus removal device of No. 20-0342744 includes a main body, which has a handle and a sand cap support part, and a sand cap, which is provided with abrasive sand and is fitted over the sand cap support part. Furthermore, a coupling ring is provided around the circumferential outer surface of the sand cap support part of the main body, and a coupling groove is formed around the inner surface of the sidewall of the sand cap, so that the sand cap is removably fitted over the sand cap support part using the coupling ring and the coupling groove.
To use this callus removal device, a user grasps the handle of the sand body and scrubs calluses off of palms or soles using the abrasive sand of the sand cap.
However, in the callus removal device of No. 20-0342744, there is a problem in which, because the sand cap is forcibly fitted over the sand cap support part of the main body, it is difficult to separate the sand cap from the main body. Furthermore, when the user separates the sand cap from the main body, the user must hold the entire sand cap using his/her hand. Therefore, if the sand cap is not removed from the main body after the callus removal device has been used, when the user separates the sand cap from the main body after a long period has passed, the hand of the user may become contaminated with rotten callus remnants that remain on the abrasive sand.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a callus removal device in which a disposable sand panel for removing calluses can be easily separated from a main body provided with a handle.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a callus removal device, including: a main body having a handle and a protruding part; a disposable sand panel removably coupled to the protruding part of the main body, with a plurality of protrusions provided on a surface of the disposable sand panel to remove calluses; and a separating member disposed between the disposable sand panel and the main body, the separating member being coupled at a first end thereof to a lower surface of the main body and having a second end extending outside the lower surface of the main body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a callus removal device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the callus removal device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B′ of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of a main body of the callus removal device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an operation of separating a disposable sand panel from the main body of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another main body coupled to a handle according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a callus removal device, according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the callus removal device of FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, callus removal devices according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, the thicknesses of lines or the sizes of elements may be exaggerated to more clearly and conveniently illustrate the present invention. Furthermore, the terms used will be defined in consideration of their functions in the present invention, and thus the definition of these terms may be changed depending on the intention or practice of a user or operator. Therefore, the definitions of the terms must be determined based on the entire content of the specification.
In addition, the following embodiments are only illustrative examples facilitating understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the scope and spirit of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions based on the technical spirit of the present invention are possible.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a callus removal device, according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the callus removal device. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A′ of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line B-B′ of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of a main body 120 of the callus removal device. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an operation of separating a disposable sand panel 100 from the main body 120. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another main body 120′ coupled to a handle.
As shown in the drawings, in a callus removal device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the disposable sand panel 100 is removably coupled to the main body 120 provided with a handle 150. In detail, the callus removal device includes the disposable sand panel 100, which has on a surface thereof a plurality of protrusions 102 for removing calluses, the main body 120, which has a protruding part 130, to which the disposable sand panel 100 is coupled, and a separating member 125, which is disposed between the disposable sand panel 100 and the main body 120, and an inside end of which is attached at a predetermined position to a lower surface of the main body 120, and an outside end of which extends outside the lower surface of the main body 120.
Here, the disposable sand panel 100 has the protrusions 102, which are made of abrasive sand for removing calluses. The separating member 125 is attached to the main body 120 before the disposable sand panel 100 is coupled to the main body 120. In other words, the separating member 125 is interposed between the disposable sand panel 100 and the main body 120.
When a user desires to separate the disposable sand panel 100 from the main body 120, the user pushes the outside end of the separating member 125. Then, a gap is created between the disposable sand panel 100 and the main body 120. At this time, the user inserts his/her fingernail into the gap and applies force to the disposable sand panel 100 in the direction in which the disposable sand panel 100 is separated from the main body 120. As such, the disposable sand panel 100 can be easily separated from the main body 120.
That is, the separating member 125 serves to form a gap between the disposable sand panel 100 and the main body 120, which are coupled to each other using an adhesive, such that the user can easily separate the disposable sand panel 100 from the main body 120 using his/her fingernail. The disposable sand panel 100 is replaced with another disposable sand panel.
The disposable sand panel 100 includes a ceramic layer 105, on which the protrusions 102 are provided, and a PVC layer 112 or paper layer, to which the ceramic layer 105 is coupled. The ceramic layer 105 may be formed by spraying particles, such as abrasive sand, onto a bonding agent that is applied to a PVC panel, which forms the PVC layer 112, or to paper.
Here, the protrusions 102 are provided on a portion of the disposable sand panel 100. Each protrusion 102 preferably has a water droplet shape to prevent the dermis of the user from being injured when scrubbing calluses. Furthermore, a scrubbing part 110 is formed on a portion of the disposable sand panel 100 other than the portion on which the protrusions 102 are provided, so that the scrubbing part 110 along with the protrusions 102 serves to remove calluses.
The disposable sand panel 100 is made of plastic such as PVC. The scrubbing part 110 is formed by applying adhesive paint to the outer surface of the PVC layer at regular intervals and by applying abrasive sand to the adhesive paint such that the abrasive sand is reliably attached to the PVC layer. Thus, “V”-shaped grooves are formed in the scrubbing part 110 at positions spaced apart from each other at regular intervals, because abrasive sand is sprayed onto the adhesive paint, which is applied to the PVC layer at regular intervals.
Furthermore, the disposable sand panel 100 has a longitudinal cross-section and a transverse cross-section which are convex downwards. Therefore, the disposable sand panel 100 can be efficiently brought into contact with various parts of the user's body on which calluses are formed.
Meanwhile, the protruding part 130, which has a curved inclined surface 137, and to which the disposable sand panel 100 is attached, is provided under the lower surface of the main body 120. The inclined surface 137 of the protruding part 130 contacts and is coupled to the circumferential inner surface of the disposable sand panel 100 by the adhesive B.
Here, the end of the inside separating member 125 is disposed between the disposable sand panel 100 and the main body 120. When pushing force is applied to the outside end of the separating member 125, the separating member 125 pushes the disposable sand panel 100. Thus, the disposable sand panel 100, which is pushed by the force, is separated from the protruding part 130 of the main body 120.
The handle 150, which has finger seats 152 on which a user's fingers are placed, is provided on the upper part of the main body 120. Furthermore, separating grooves 132 are formed on respective corners of the main body 120, so that the user can easily separate the disposable sand panel 100 from the main body 120 by inserting his/her the finger into separating grooves 132 and by pushing the disposable sand panel 100.
That is, part of the disposable sand panel 100 is separated from the protruding part 130 of the main body 120 by pushing the separating member 125, and, thereafter, the user inserts his/her finger into the separating grooves 132 and pushes the disposable sand panel 100. Then, the disposable sand panel 100 is easily removed from the main body 120.
A plurality of support protrusions 135, which support the disposable sand panel 100, is provided under the concave lower surface of the main body 120. Thus, when the user brings the disposable sand panel 100 into contact with part of his/her body, on which calluses are formed, and pushes the main body 120 such that disposable the sand panel 100 scrubs the calluses with the disposable sand panel 100, the calluses can be efficiently removed.
Although the main body 120 has been illustrated as having the handle 150 provided with the finger seats 152, the callus removal device of the present invention may have a main body 120′ provided with a bar type handle that allows the user to easily hold callus removal device, as shown in FIG. 7.
Meanwhile, the separating member 125 has a panel shape. A pushing part 127, which has a cylindrical shape that protrudes towards the upper part of the main body 120, may be provided on the outside end of the separating member 125, such that the user can easily push the separating member 125 downwards. It is preferable that the pushing part 127 be wider than the panel part coupled thereto.
When the user pushes the pushing part 127 downwards using his/her finger, the separating member 125 is bent downwards and is brought into contact with the disposable sand panel 100. Then, the disposable sand panel 100 is pushed by the separating member 125 and is thus separated from the protruding part 130 of the main body 120 based on the separating member 125.
FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a callus removal device, according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the assembled removal device according to the second callus embodiment.
In the first embodiment, although the disposable sand panel 100 has been illustrated as being attached to the protruding part 130 of the main body 120 with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 8, a disposable sand panel 100′, which has a soft rim 107 that surrounds the sidewall of the main body 120, is provided on the outer surface of the lower part of a main body 120. A fastening band 140 is forcibly fitted over the rim 107 surrounding the sidewall of the main body 120. In this case, the disposable sand panel 100′ can be coupled to the main body 120 without requiring a separate adhering process.
At this time, a separating member 125 is disposed in a cut 142 formed in the fastening band 140. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9, the soft rim 107, which is made of synthetic resin and is provided on the disposable sand panel 100, is interposed between the main body 120 and the fastening band 140 in a bent state.
As described above, in a callus removal device of the present invention, a disposable sand panel provided with a ceramic layer can be easily separated from a main body merely by pushing a separating member in one direction. Therefore, the present invention has an advantage in that a part, which has been used to remove calluses of a user, can be easily replaced with a new one.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A callus removal device, comprising:

a main body having a handle and a protruding part;

a disposable sand panel being removably coupled to said protruding part and being provided with a plurality of protrusions on a surface thereof; and

a separating member disposed between said disposable sand panel and said main body, said separating member being coupled at a first end thereof to a lower surface of said main body and having a second end extending outside said lower surface of the main body.

2. The callus removal device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said disposable sand panel comprises a ceramic layer, said protrusions being provided on said ceramic layer, and a second layer formed by PVC or paper, said ceramic layer being coupled to said second layer, wherein said protrusions are provided on a predetermined portion of said disposable sand panel and comprise circular protrusions, each circular protrusion having a water droplet shape, and a scrubbing part being formed on a portion of said disposable sand panel other than said portion on which said protrusions are provided.

3. The callus removal device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the ceramic layer and the scrubbing part are comprised of ceramic or abrasive sand.

4. The callus removal device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said handle is provided on an upper part of said main body, said handle having a finger seat, being suitable for a finger of a user and being formed in said handle, said main body having a separating groove formed in each corners thereof, said finger of said user being insertable into said separating groove removing said disposable sand panel from said main body.

5. The callus removal device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said protruding part of said main body has a curved inclined surface, said disposable sand panel having a circumferential inner surface attached to said curved inclined surface, said protrusion part of said main body having a plurality of support protrusions under a lower surface thereof, supporting said disposable sand panel.

6. The callus removal device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said separating member has a panel shape, said second end of said separating member having a cylindrical pushing part protruding therefrom towards the upper part of said main body so that, when said disposable sand panel is separated from said main body, said cylindrical pushing part is pushed by said finger of said user.