US20110100389A1

US20110100389A1 - French manicure tool

Info

Publication number: US20110100389A1
Application number: US12/590,133
Authority: US
Inventors: Hai Minh Tran
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-11-03
Filing date: 2009-11-03
Publication date: 2011-05-05

Abstract

A tool for forming the white tips of fingernails provided with a French manicure. The tool includes a number of scrapers of different size that are connected to one another. Each of the scrapers has an arcuate blade for positioning against a fingernail to which a French manicure is being applied. The blade has a lower edge with a longitudinal curve and a rearward curve as well as an upper edge. The outer end of a handle is affixed to the upper edge of the blade and is provided with a window for assisting a user in positioning the blade against the fingernail.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to toilet articles and, more particularly, to manicuring implements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fashionable individuals have differing opinions about French manicures. Some think that French manicures are outdated while others believe that they are classically beautiful and can never go out of style. Regardless of others' opinions, many women get French manicures simply because they look natural and provide a well-groomed appearance.
A French manicure is a fingernail polishing technique that involves the application of white or beige polish to the very tips of the fingernails. The remainder of the fingernails is polished with a pale shade of pink. The contrasting colors accent short fingernails and those of moderate length.
Whether performed at home or in a salon, a French manicure begins with some prep work. First, old polish on the fingernails is removed with a suitable polish remover. Next, the fingernails are cleaned, trimmed, and filed smooth. Then, exposed cuticles are removed. Finally, a thin, base coat of clear polish is applied to the fingernails.
The real work of producing a French manicure begins once the base coat dries. Initially, a respective one of ten, curved templates is adhesively fastened to each fingernail of both hands to ensure that the contours of the white polish will correspond with those of each fingertip. Then, guided by the templates, white polish is applied to the exposed tips of the fingernails. The areas receiving white polish must be thin or they will look chunky.
When the white polish on the fingernail tips is dry, the templates are carefully removed and the entire length of each fingernail is covered with a translucent polish of light pink color. Two coats of light pink may be necessary for smooth coverage. After this, a topcoat of clear polish is applied to the fingernails for added durability and a high gloss. Finally, the fingernails are completely dried to complete the French manicuring process.
Most drugstores and beauty shops sell fingernail-polishing kits capable of producing French manicures. These kits are useful, but many do-it-yourselfers find that applying polish is tricky and prefer that a nail technician at a beauty salon do the work. French manicures done by nail techs are more costly than regular manicures because of the degree of skill and accuracy needed for the job. Many customers find that the added expense is worthwhile. Salon owners, however, continue to scout for ways to improve profit margins by reducing both the time required to perform French manicures and the need for costly, skilled technicians to do the work.

SUMMARY OF TILE INVENTION

In light of the problems associated with the known procedures and implements for producing French manicures, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a tool that eliminates the time-consuming application of curved templates to fingernails. The tool produces a smooth curve or “smile line” in the first layer of polish applied to a fingernail against which a second layer of polish, usually white in color, is added. The two layers of polish require minimal time and skill to apply. The tool yields professional looking results in a salon of at home.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool of the type described that accommodates both small and large fingernails, making it “one size fits all.”
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool of the type described that is easily stored in a drawer, pocket or tool tray.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved features and arrangements thereof in a French manicure tool for the purposes described that is lightweight in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and fully dependable in use.
My French manicure tool achieves the intended objects by featuring a number of scrapers of different size that are connected to one another. Each of the scrapers has an arcuate blade for positioning against a fingernail to which a French manicure is being applied. The blade has a lower edge with a longitudinal curve and a rearward curve as well as an upper edge. The outer end of a handle is affixed to the upper edge of the blade and is provided with a window for assisting a user in positioning the blade against the fingernail. The handles can be either pivotally or rigidly connected to one another.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of my invention will become readily apparent upon review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

My invention is more readily described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a French manicure tool in accordance with the present invention wherein one blade is extended to scrape wet polish from the tip of a user's fingernail.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the French manicure tool of FIG. 1 in a fanned condition.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the French manicure tool of FIG. 1 with one blade being extended.

FIG. 4 is a top view of an alternate French manicure tool scraping wet polish from the tip of a user's fingernail.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the French manicure tool of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the French manicure tool of FIG. 4.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a French manicure tool is shown generally at 10. Tool 10 includes a number of scrapers 12-34 of differing size that are pivotally connected to one another. Each of scrapers 12-34 has an arcuate blade as at 36 for positioning against a fingernail 38 to which a French manicure is being applied and a handle as at 40 affixed to the blade 36. A window 42 is provided in each handle 40 adjacent blade 36 for assisting a user in positioning the blade 36 against fingernail 38.
Each blade 36 comprises a U-shaped, metallic band that, when viewed from above, is seen to arc about 120°. Blade 36 has an upper edge 36 u and an opposed, lower edge 36 l for engaging fingernail 38. Lower edge 36 l has a longitudinal curve, indicated by arrow 42, with a shape that is essentially the complement of the top of fingernail 38 so that lower edge 36 l sits flush against the top of fingernail 38. Lower edge 36 l also has a rearward curve, indicated by arrow 44, that permits the application of polish with a curved border to fingernail 38. Rearward curve 44 is essentially the complement of the curved tip of fingernail 38; however, any shape, such as one resembling ocean waves, can be substituted for rearward curve 44.
The handle 40 of each of scrapers 12-34 is an elongated bar having an inner end and an outer end. The inner end of each handle 40 is provided with an opening (not shown) through which a pivot pin 46 is extended to connect scrapers 12-34 together. The outer end of each handle 40, on the other hand, is bisected by a slot or window as at 48 so as to provide each handle 40 with a pair of tines 50. The free ends of tines 50 are affixed to the upper edges 36 u of blades 36.
Scrapers 12-34 have different sizes to accommodate fingernails 38 of differing size. The radii of curvature of blades 36 gradually diminish from that of scraper 12 (being the largest) to that of scraper 34 (being the smallest). Handles 40 also gradually shrink in terms of length from that of scraper 12 to that of scraper 34. Scrapers 12-34 are sequentially sized such that they pivot freely on pin 46 without blades 36 or handles 40 binding against one another.
The use of tool 10 is simple and straightforward. First, fingernail 38 is trimmed and filed to a correct shape. Then, a layer of fingernail polish having a first color, preferably a pink acrylic, is applied to fingernail 38. Afterward, a scraper like 24, with a blade 36 that snugly fits against fingernail 38, is pivoted away from the remainder of scrapers 12-22 and 26-34 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Next, lower edge 36 l of blade 36 of scraper 24 is pressed downwardly against fingernail 38 at a location, judged partially by looking through window 48 in handle 40 at the tip of fingernail 38, about ⅛ of an inch away from the tip of fingernail 38. Now, the lower edge 36 l of blade 36 of scraper 24 is dragged outwardly over fingernail 38 and past the tip thereof to remove all of the fingernail polish having the first color from the outer portion of fingernail 38 so as to create a “smile line” at the outer edge of the remaining polish having a shape like that of rearward curve 44. After the first polish has dried, a layer of polish having a second color, preferably a white or off-white acrylic, is applied to the tip of fingernail 38 up to the smile line. If desired, fingernail 38 can now be filed for a pristine look. When these steps are repeated for the remaining nine fingernails of a user's hands, a perfect French manicure results. Anyone with modest skill can accomplish the work in a few minutes per fingernail.
An alternate French manicure tool is shown at 110 in FIGS. 4-6. Tool 110 includes a number of scrapers 112-130 of differing size that are rigidly connected to, and radiate outwardly from, a central disc or hub 132. Each of scrapers 112-130 has an arcuate blade 136 for positioning against a fingernail 138 and a handle 140 affixed to the blade 136. A window 148 is provided in each handle 140 adjacent blade 136 for assisting a user in positioning the blade 136 against fingernail 138.
Each blade 136 comprises a U-shaped, metallic band that, when viewed from above, is seen to arc about 120°. Each blade 136 has an upper edge 136 u and an opposed, lower edge 136 l for engaging fingernail 138. Lower edge 136 l has a longitudinal curve, indicated by arrow 142, with a shape that is essentially the complement of the top of fingernail 138. Lower edge 136 l also has a rearward curve, indicated by arrow 144, that permits the application of polish with a curved border to fingernail 138. Any shape can be substituted for rearward curve 144.
The handle 140 of each of scrapers 112-130 is an elongated bar having an inner end and an outer end. The inner end of each handle 140 is integrally fastened to hub 132. The outer end of each handle 140 is bisected by a slot or window 148 so as to provide each handle 140 with a pair of tines 150. The free ends of tines 150 are affixed to the upper edges of blades 136.
Scrapers 112-130 have different sizes to accommodate fingernails 138 of differing size. The radii of curvature of blades 136 gradually diminish from that of scraper 112 to that of scraper 130. Handles 140 also gradually shrink in terms of length and width from that of scraper 112 to that of scraper 130. Scrapers 112-130 are sequentially sized so that one of suitable size can be easily found when needed.
The use of tool 110 is virtually identical to that of tool 10 and is simple. First, fingernail 138 is trimmed and filed. Then, a layer of fingernail polish having a first color is applied to fingernail 138. Afterward, a scraper like 122 with a blade 136 that snugly fits against fingernail 138 is located around the periphery of tool 110. Next, lower edge 136 l of blade 136 is pressed downwardly against fingernail 138 at a location, judged partially by looking through window 148 in handle 140 of scraper 122 at the tip of fingernail 138, about ⅛ of an inch away from the tip of fingernail 138. Now, the lower edge 136 l of blade 136 is dragged outwardly over fingernail 138 and past the tip thereof to remove all of the fingernail polish having the first color from the outer portion of fingernail 138 and create a “smile line” at the outer edge of the remaining polish having a shape like that of rearward curve 144. Once the first polish dries, a layer of polish having a second color, preferably a white or off-white acrylic, is applied to the tip of fingernail 138 up to the smile line. When these steps are repeated for the remaining nine fingernails of a user's hands, a perfect French manicure results. The process requires only a few minutes to complete and is foolproof.
While tools 10 and 110 has been described with a high degree of particularity, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made to them. Therefore, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited merely to tools 10 and 110 described above, but encompasses any and all tools within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A French manicure tool, comprising:

a plurality of scrapers being connected to one another, each of said scrapers having:

an arcuate blade for positioning against a fingernail to which a French manicure is being applied, said arcuate blade having a lower edge with a longitudinal curve and a rearward curve as well as an upper edge; and,

a handle for controlling said blade, said handle having an outer end being affixed to said upper edge of said arcuate blade, said outer end of said handle being provided with a window for assisting a user in positioning said blade against the fingernail.

2. The French manicure tool according to claim 1 further comprising a pivot pin penetrating the inner end of each said handle for pivotally connecting said plurality of scrapers to one another.

3. The French manicure tool according to claim 1 further comprising a central hub being integrally formed with each said handle, and said inner end of each said handle being rigidly connected to said central hub, and each said handle being angularly spaced around said central hub and radiating outwardly therefrom.