Manicure Device

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/726,518, filed Apr. 21, 2022, entitled “Manicure Device,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/177,583, filed on Apr. 21, 2021, which applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties for all purposes.

The subject disclosure is directed to a device in the field of personal care and manicure. More specifically, the subject disclosure is in the field of devices used to apply nail polish and decorations to a fingernail.

Human beings have been decorating themselves with clothing, jewelry, piercings, body art, and makeup for thousands of years. The most common areas that humans like to decorate are their hands and fingernails. People have been coloring and decorating them for at least 3000 years. We used natural pigments and tints to color our hands, fingers, and fingernails in the early days.

It's thought that people decorate their fingernails as an extension of who they are and tell people what kind of person they are. It is suggested that polished nails make a woman feel more feminine. It was often a symbol of status or wealth. Having manicured nails is a sign that one doesn't have to work. Women of high social status would not be “reduced” to manual labor; therefore, they would have perfectly manicured hands.

Polished nails may also be giving hints about their personality. It says how much they care for themselves. Unkempt or unpolished nails are sometimes taken as signs of a person not taking care of herself or being ill. It is generally used to complete a particular look or go with a specific pair of shoes, bags, and makeup. Before the 1920s, women would tint their nails with things like henna. Etiquette pamphlets of the 19th century suggested using lemon juice and vinegar.

In the 1940s and 1950s, women began not wearing gloves. This trend was replaced by the properly manicured hand. As evidenced by advertising from this era, as fewer women wore gloves the trend to paint their nails increased.

Decorating your fingernails became commonplace in the 20th century. Coinciding with the advent of the automobile, various paints and pigments were used to paint fingernails. The Cutex Company is credited with being the first to market a nail polish in 1925. Michelle Menard is credited with inventing nail polish in 1920 and bringing it to mass-market by 1932 through Revlon.

Since people have been painting and decorating their fingernails, the paints, pigments, tools, designs, and methods have seen many iterations. These days there are many nail coloring brands to choose from and many different ways to color and beautify one's fingernails. The most common method of coloring one's fingernails is to buy a bottle of nail polish and apply the polish to one's fingernails in the colors that appeal to one the most.

The occasion of their use influences nails colors. Thirty-seven percent are “Everyday” wear, and 26% are classic colors that never go out of style. It is also common to use a base coat or primer coat before applying color to your nails and perhaps a topcoat after applying the color layer. Many other products for the nails are applied in a similar fashion.

These bottles of nail polish, base coat or top coat typically include a low-quality applicator brush in the cap. It is getting popular to buy the polish in a small jar or “pot” and use high quality applicator brushes that are purchased separately. These brushes are usually of a higher quality, and your application can be more consistent by using a dedicated brush instead of the one residing in the cap of each bottle.

To paint your fingernails, a person has to at least minimally prepare the fingers for polish. This they consist of a complete manicure or simply removing dead skin from around the nail and sanding or buffing before applying. An entire industry exists to perform manicures, pedicures, apply nail polish, and massage the hands and fingers. These professionals are experts at preparing nails to be painted. They are also adept at using nail polish and several other techniques, some of which are only available in salons.

The drawback of using a salon to prepare and maintain your nails is the cost. Many people just cannot afford it. Simply getting your nails polished in a salon can cost 30 USD or more and need to be maintained every 2-3 weeks or so. A full manicure might average around 60 USD. More time-intensive procedures like acrylics can cost substantially more.

People are also hesitant to pay a salon for all of their nail care because the job is often ruined prematurely. Women who work with their hands or do gardening or housework can chip polish and nails or ruin an expensive salon manicure. If women were to get their nails done professionally every time it was needed, it would be prohibitively expensive.

Besides merely painting the fingernails, a number of other services regarding the nails have become quite common. These include gelcoats, press on nails, glue on tips, acrylics, stampings, scrapings, stencils and decorations among many others. Some of these techniques are used mostly in salons but almost any materials are available for purchase by individuals who would like to do them at home.

Gel coats were invented to overcome one of the major limitations of nail polish. This was that nail polish takes at least 10 minutes and perhaps up to two hours to dry. Gel coats, after they are applied in liquid form are exposed to a U.V. lamp which sets the coating firm in 30 seconds or less. While individuals can technically purchase the supplies and U.V. lamps necessary to give gel coats, the system is mostly applied in salons.

Artificial nails can be purchased as press on or glue on nails and glue on tips which can allow someone with small or unsightly nails to immediately have longer and smooth nails. These items can typically be purchased as a kit with all of the necessary accessories to complete the nail application.

Acrylic nails are a method in which acrylic tips are typically glued to the end of the finger to increase its length and a rapid hardening acrylic mixture is added to the finger nail to smooth out and contour the top surface. This is another service typically provided in salons but which individuals can do if they like.

Stencils are placed over a nail and color is brushed or sprayed through the stencil. Stamps are dabbed in the color of choice and pressed onto the nail. The fingernail can also be decorated with jewel like gems and stones. Additionally, skilled persons can use the above-mentioned acrylics to create 3D flowers and other decorations on the fingernails.

Nail polish is a small portion of a massive Health and Beauty Aid market. Sales volume grows and contracts for various reasons over the years. Sales in this sector seem to be trend driven and cyclical. From 2010-2013 the nail color and care market grew 42% to just over $2 Billion but dropped slightly to $1.9 Billion in 2014. Experts predict that sales are currently on an upswing and will grow to over $2 Billion again. Nail polish sales alone in 2015 exceeded $960 Million. Although this was a 13.6% decline from 2013. Perhaps the increased use of touch screens, computer keyboards and POS systems have contributed to this decline.

The growth in the nail color and care market has slowed since 2013. Gel polish however, which sets with U.V. light, has becoming increasingly popular. Recent research reveals that over 23% of women have received a gel manicure in the past year (2021). This is a 35% increase over 2013.

Fourteen percent of women have done a gel manicure themselves. The biggest increase in usage has come from gel hybrid polishes that don't require a U.V. light.

There is an increasing trend of concern with the ingredients in nail polish. Many are looking for “Safe” nail polish. In recent polls 27% are concerned about chemicals and 24% are concerned with nail damage. California has legislated many salon practices including exposure to chemicals and identified harmful chemicals.

When applying fingernail polish the applier generally places the bottle on the table near their dominant hand or holds it in their non-dominant hand. Many people are good at applying the polish accurately and cleanly with their dominant hand onto their non-dominant hand. However, many people do a sloppy job applying nail polish to their dominant hand using their non-dominant hand.

Many people have difficulty applying nail polish with either hand. This group includes the elderly and those with any condition that makes their hands unsteady such as tremors, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis or even low blood sugar. People have all different skill levels and many are just not very skilled with fine motor functions.

A guard for use with a finger of a user while painting a fingernail is taught in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2015/0257507. The guard includes a main body formed of a flexible material to allow the main body to be at least partially wrapped around the finger. The main body includes a first surface and an opposing second surface, wherein the first surface includes an adhesive for adhering the main body to the finger. The main body further includes an inner periphery sized and configured to conform to the anatomy of the fingernail and extend at least partially around the fingernail. The inner periphery is of a generally concave configuration to define a main body opening adapted to be placed over the fingernail.

Delineating nail for nail treatment applications and method therefor is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0203602. A delineating nail for creating quick, consistent, and high quality nail treatments is disclosed herein. The delineating nail may have a substrate with a base end and a tip end. A guide of various configurations may extend from the substrate at the base end. The delineating nail may be attached to a natural nail such as with one or more adhesives. One or more decorative coatings may then be applied to the substrate, natural nail, or both. The guide may shape the decorative coatings to produce various designs on the natural nail. In this manner, the delineating nail may be used by nail technicians of virtually any skill level. With the delineating nail, even inexperienced technicians can provide consistent and high quality nail treatments in a rapid manner.

A nail styling device is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 9,687,060. A nail styling device provides for applying a lacquer to a nail of a digit. A cuticle guard and a tip guard protect the cuticle and skin to the sides of and under the distal edge of the nail. A mold plate has a curved inner surface corresponding to a curvature of the nail and is attached to the cuticle guard by a joint. A base adjustably fixable to the cuticle guard allows for the device to be removably fixable to a distal portion of the digit. A method of using the device provides for first applying a lacquer to an inner surface of the mold plate and, with the device locked in place on the digit, rotation of the mold plate to bring the lacquer into contact with a top portion of the nail.

A nail polishing stencil is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,752,563. One embodiment of a stencil for use in applying nail polish to a nail may include a flange. The flange may define an open-ended notch that is adapted to receive at least a portion of the nail. The stencil may also include a retainer extending from the flange. The retainer is adapted to retain the flange on the nail.

A nail polish masking device is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,428. That invention contemplates a masking device utilized during the application of nail polish to a fingernail. In one embodiment, the masking device includes a clamp having a first finger gripping portion and a second finger-gripping portion. A flexible shield portion is connected to the clamp and extends distally therefrom and conforms to the shape of a finger so as to cover a proximal portion of the fingernail. The shield portion includes a distal edge defining either a curved or straight line across the fingernail.

Designer fingernail gloves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,584. A designer fingernail glove is provided and consists of a palm portion for covering a palm of a hand of a wearer. A plurality of finger stalls communicate with the palm portion for covering the fingers of the hand. The finger stalls have top openings at their distal ends, to align with elongated fingernails on the fingers. Components are for expanding the top openings, when the elongated fingernails are inserted through the top openings. The top openings will fit snugly about the elongated fingernails, to prevent water and dirt from entering the finger stalls.

A nail polishing tool and method is taught in Canadian Patent Publication 2 591 689. That invention provides a manicure tool and method, specifically designed for the application of fingernail polish to the nail beds of human fingernails. That invention is described as a nail polish applicator with a central hub and four different sized, slightly concave protrusions on which the end of each has inverted crescent shaped ends.

A finger shield device is disclosed in European Patent Publication No. 0 031 147. That invention is directed to a nail shielding device for use in applying a formaldehyde-containing liquid nail-hardening composition to human nails while protecting the cuticle and surrounding soft skin tissue from contact with said liquid compositions. The shielding device consists of an integral device having a forward end which is placed under the white tip of the nail, side and bottom portions which cover skin adjacentto the side edges of the nail and the bottom portion of the finger a rear portion to cover the cuticle and skin to the rear of the cuticle, and two transverse apertures between the forward and rearward edges.

A combination mask-closure cap is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,515,154. A closure cap for an aerosol spray can containing fingernail polish is provided, the closure cap having at least one fingernail opening projecting therethrough and an internal flexible flange depending from the inner top of the cap. The opening through the cap serves as a shield so that the application of the fingernail polish from the spray dispenser will coat only the fingernail which pro jects through the opening, while the internal downwardly projecting flange supports the finger as the nail projects through the opening. The cap is made of a flexible plastic, preferably a polyolefin, such as polyethylene, to which the fingernail polish will not adhere so that after spraying the cap may be cleaned by merely peeling the polish therefrom.

A nail polish template is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,654,375. That invention relates to templates to be applied to the finger, around the finger nail, to expose the portion of the finger nail to be coated, and has for its object to provide a device of this kind having a rubber or neoprene template member comprising oppositely disposed Spring arms adapted to engage opposite sides of the finger, and spring urged towards oppo Site sides of the finger for holding the template in position in relation to the nail.

A finger tip shield and applicator are taught in 2,569,381. That invention relates to lipstick spreaders and applicators, and particularly to such devices in the nature of a fingertip shield for use in spreading and trimming lipstick, after it has been applied, without soiling the user's fingers.

A finger shield is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,428,152. That invention relates to a finger shield and more particularly to a shield intended for use while applying polish to finger nails.

A fingernail stencil is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 2,283,703. That invention relates to a device for use in connection with the care of the hands and more specifically to a device for assisting in the application of liquids to the nails of the hands.

Various existing products are used to aid in application of nail polish. One example is a Reusable Soft Plastic Shield Protector Tools for Women, Spill Proof Manicure, available commercially from Nafxzy (Futian Shenzhen, Guangdong 518042, China). There are many disadvantages with that product, including, (a) a great chance of stencils being pushed or moved due to no connectivity with other stencils resulting in smearing of the nail polish; (b) the stencils are awkward on the user's hand; (c) the stencils do not have the benefit from providing a stable base to give the non dominant hand better ability to polish properly; (d) the stencils are difficult to work with short nails below the free edge; (e) it is difficult to clean nail polish from stencils; (f) the plastic part at the fingers tips is straight across so it doesn't provide a sealed barrier.

Another example of an aid in an application of nail polish is Sally Hansen Big Polish Guards Cuticle Protectors, available commercially from Sally Hansen, Inc. (Morris Plains, New Jersey, US). Some of the disadvantages of this product include use for protection sides of fingers when doing stamping or water marbling technique and not optimized for polish application; a likelihood of protector separation from the nail; long application times; and a likelihood of smearing due to the possibility of protector removal while the polish is still wet; a great chance of protectors being pushed or moved due to no connectivity with other stencils resulting in smearing of the nail polish; the protectors being awkward on the user's hand; and the protectors do not have the benefit from providing a stable base to give the non-dominant hand better ability to polish properly.

Another example of aid in the application of nail polish is PUEEN Latex Tape Peel Off Cuticle Guard Skin Barrier Protector Nail Art Liquid Tape, available commercially from Inbeauty Inc. (Alameda, California, U.S.). Some of the disadvantages of this product include being very time-consuming because the user has to apply the product one finger at a time. The product doesn't allow the user to wrap the tip of the nail with polish to prevent chipping as the paint on latex. Further, the product does not provide a sealed barrier.

Before the subject disclosure, the most common way to protect a client's skin from nail polish was to have a steady hand. Other methods of protecting skin from nail polish are challenging to work with because some people have shaky hands and other products are time-consuming. A latex masking agent that is brushed on is one time-consuming and failure-prone method.

There have been many inventions over the years that are not helpful or would not work in this field. A manicure requires precision. The polish needs to be applied with a fraction of a millimeter precision, or else it looks shoddy. The related art still requires excellent dexterity and does not consider someone with shaky hands applying polish with their non-dominant hand. Some of these appear to be just a glove with a hole cut out for the end of the finger. This would not allow the polish to be applied precisely and would ruin the job when they are removed. Several others appear to be mostly a sort of finger rest but would not aid the non-dominant hand in producing a precise manicure for someone with shaky hands. None of these provides an accurate device to mask the eponychium or perionychium. None of these provides for a stamping/stenciling device.

Although many advances in the art of devices used to apply nail polish have been made, many challenges still remain.

The subject disclosure, in part, is directed to an adjustable hand support to help women paint their nails with beautiful results. Such a device enables people who may not usually polish their nails to polish their nails themselves and keep them polished long term. This invention even allows people with shaky hands to self-apply nail polish.

The device and method of the subject disclosure save time by allowing the user to insert a protective membrane over the nail fold and/or under the free edge of the nail while quickly protecting skin from nail polish. Additional features may include an integrated nail polish bottle holder and an integrated flip-up tool for stampings and stencils.

The subject disclosure relates to a device for use in applying nail coating composition to a nail. The device comprises at least a base comprising a plurality of digit rests, wherein at least one of the digit rests comprises a fingertip rest, wherein the fingertip rest comprises a nail rest.

The devicecomprises at least a base, a digit rest, a fingertip rest, and a nail rest. Alternatively, the devicecomprises at least a basecomprising at least one digit rest, at least one fingertip rest, and at least one nail rest.

As shown in, this device of the subject disclosure comprises a baseupon which the client having their nails done will rest her hand comfortably.

Under one embodiment, the basehas a unibody structure. Under another embodiment, the basehas a modular structure. Under one embodiment, the basehas an integrated palm/heel rest, so that the fingers or toes are elevated to a proper working height without straining.

The basecomprises a digit rest. A digit restis a part of the base onto which at least a part of a digit is placed thereupon, or placed slightly above.