FINGERNAIL COATING APPARATUS AND METHOD

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to the field of fingernail coating. More particularly, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for accurately coating fingernails.

BACKGROUND

Fingernails are conventionally coated manually. This is cumbersome.

The manual processing is due to accuracy problems.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the invention, a solution is provided to the above-mentioned and other problems of the prior art.

In one aspect, the invention is directed to a fingernail coating apparatus, including:

• • a brush for administering a liquid onto a user's fingernail;
  • a first motor, for moving the brush along parallel elongated areas on the user's fingernail, for administering the liquid thereto; and
  • a second motor, for applying a rotational state to the brush, for providing an appropriate effective width to the brush, for administering the liquid in the effective width,
  • thereby substantially all points of the user's fingernail are coated with one layer only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments, features, and aspects of the invention are described herein in conjunction with the following drawings:

FIG. 1 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating a first elongated area.

FIG. 2 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating a second elongated area.

FIG. 3 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating a third elongated area.

FIG. 4 depicts the fingernail coating apparatus of FIG. 1 while supplying the liquid to the brush.

FIG. 5 depicts rear portion of the fingernail coating apparatus of FIG. 1.

The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will be understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, which are meant to be descriptive and not limiting. For the sake of brevity, some well-known features, methods, systems, procedures, components, circuits, and so on, are not described in detail.

The reference numbers have been used to point out elements in the embodiments described and illustrated herein, in order to facilitate the understanding of the invention. They are meant to be merely illustrative, and not limiting. Also, the foregoing embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated in conjunction with systems and methods thereof, which are meant to be merely illustrative, and not limiting.

FIG. 1 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating a first elongated area.

A fingernail coating apparatus 10 includes a brush 20 and a robot 60 for controllably moving brush 20.

According to a preferred embodiment, the sectional end area 52 of brush 20 is elongated as shown by the horizontal slice enumerated 52 of brush 20, for coating a fingernail 56 of finger 58 along parallel elongated areas 54A, 54B, 54C, etc.

The maximal width of any of elongated areas 54A, 54B or 54B is the width 48 of brush 20.

Referring to FIG. 4, according to another embodiment, the hair of brush 20 may form a round shape as shown by the horizontal slice enumerated 50 of brush 20, or another shape. However, the sectional end area 52 of brush 20 becomes elongated upon pressing brush 52 onto the user's fingernail 56.

The width 78A of coated elongated area 54A, determined by a camera 68 and a controller 62, is applied by rotating brush 20, such as by a step motor 64, as depicted by rotational arrow 70.

Each of parallel elongated areas 54A, 54B, etc. is made by a motor 74, moving a carriage 34 holding brush 20 linearly, as depicted by linear arrow 72.

FIG. 2 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating a second elongated area.

FIG. 3 depicts a fingernail coating apparatus while coating a third elongated area.

The rotational state 66A for coating elongated area 54A may be different from the rotational state 66B for coating elongated area 54B, and may be different from the rotational state 66C for coating elongated area 54C.

The rotational state 66C may be changed along elongated area 54C, for conforming to the width of elongated area 54C at the current location thereon.

For example, if the width 78B of elongated area 54B is determined to be the width 48 (enumerated in FIG. 1) of brush 20, then the rotational state 66B for coating elongated area 54B is determined to dispose brush 20 perpendicularly to elongated area 54B.

FIG. 4 depicts the fingernail coating apparatus of FIG. 1 while supplying the liquid to the brush.

Robot 60 normally locates brush 20 within a liquid bottle 18. Brush 20 extends from a bottle cover 22, which covers liquid bottle 18, while brush 20 is disposed within liquid bottle 18.

Robot 60 includes a horizontal rail 36, a vertical rail 34. The user may place the finger thereof within a niche 12.

FIG. 5 depicts rear portion of the fingernail coating apparatus of FIG. 1.

The rear portion 46 is intended for drying the coating, such as by a heating lamp 44.

Thus, in one aspect, the invention is directed to a fingernail coating apparatus (10) including:

• • a brush (20) for administering a liquid (76) onto a user's fingernail (56);
  • a first motor (74), for moving the brush (20) along parallel elongated areas (54A, 54B) on the user's fingernail (56), for administering the liquid (76) thereto; and
  • a second motor (64), for applying a rotational state (66A, 66B) to the brush (20), for providing an appropriate effective width (78A, 78B) to the brush (20), for administering the liquid (76) in the effective width (78A, 78B),
  • thereby substantially all points of the user's fingernail (56) are coated with one layer only.

The fingernail coating apparatus (10) may further include:

• • a controller (62), for determining the parallel elongated areas (54A, 54B) on the user's fingernail (56).

The fingernail coating apparatus (10) may further include:

• • a camera (68), for determining the parallel elongated areas (54A, 54B) on the user's fingernail (56).

The sectional end area (52) of the brush preferably is elongated,

• • thereby the rotational state (66A, 66B) applied to the brush (20) may provide the appropriate effective width (78A, 78B) thereto.

The fingernail coating apparatus (10) may further include:

• • a liquid bottle (18), for containing the liquid (76), the liquid bottle (18) for inserting the brush (20) thereinto for receiving the liquid (76) therefrom.

The fingernail coating apparatus (10) may further include:

• • a bottle cover (18), from which the brush extends, the bottle cover (18) for covering the liquid bottle (18).

In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a fingernail coating method including the steps of:

• • optically capturing a fingernail (56);
  • determining, from a known width (48) of a brush (20) and from the capturing of the fingernail (56), parallel elongated areas (54A, 54B) of the fingernail (56);
  • receiving a liquid (76) to the brush (20);
  • for each (54A) of the elongated areas:
  • (a) disposing the brush (20) against the elongated area (54A);
  • (b) rotating the brush (20) to a rotational state (68A), for providing to the brush (20) a width (78A) of the elongated area (54A); and
  • (c) moving the brush (20) along the elongated area (54A), for administering the liquid (76) thereto,
  • thereby substantially all points of the user's fingernail (56) are coated with one layer only.

The step of receiving the liquid (76) to the brush (20) may include the step of inserting the brush (20) into a liquid bottle (18) and removing the brush (20) therefrom.

The method may further include the step of:

• • during the step of moving the brush (20) along the elongated area (54A), rotating the brush (20),
  • thereby providing to the brush (20) the width (78A) conforming to the current location of the brush (20) along the elongated area (54A).

In the figures and/or description herein, the following reference numerals (Reference Signs List) have been mentioned:

• • numeral 10 denotes the fingernail coating apparatus, according to one embodiment of the invention;
  • numeral 12 denotes a niche, for placing the user's finger therein;
  • numerals 14A and 14B denote slideable clamps for clamping the liquid bottle and the cover;
  • numeral 18 denotes the liquid bottle;
  • numeral 20 denotes the brush, functioning as a painting brush, for administering the fingernail liquid or lacquer;
  • numeral 22 denotes the bottle cover, from which the brush extends; the brush is held and controlled through the bottle cover;
  • numerals 24 denote clamps for holding the bottle cover, and thus the brush;
  • numeral 26 denotes a vertical hinge, accompanied by a motor, for rotating the brush;
  • numeral 28 denotes a horizontal hinge, accompanied by a motor, for rotating the brush;
  • numerals 30 and 32 denote telescopic arms for linearly horizontally moving the brush;
  • numeral 34 denotes a vertical rail;
  • numeral 36 denotes a horizontal rail;
  • numeral 40 denotes an on-off button;
  • numeral 42 denotes a niche, for placing the user's finger therein;
  • numeral 44 denotes a heating lamp;
  • numeral 46 denotes the rear portion of the apparatus;
  • numeral 48 denotes the width of the brush;
  • numeral 50 denotes a horizontal slice of the brush;
  • numeral 52 denotes the sectional bottom area of the brush;
  • numerals 54A, 54B and 54C denote parallel elongated areas on the fingernail, being determined for being coated one at a time; the parallel elongated areas substantially do not overlap, thus substantially the points on the fingernail are all coated with one layer only;
  • numeral 56 denotes the user's fingernail;
  • numeral 58 denotes the user's finger;
  • numeral 60 denotes the robot providing the robotic control on the brush;
  • numeral 62 denotes a controller;
  • numeral 64 denotes a motor;
  • numerals 66A, 66B and 66C denote rotational states of the brush, each for coating a different width;
  • numeral 68 denotes a camera for viewing the fingernail;
  • numeral 70 denotes a rotational arrow;
  • numeral 72 denotes a linear arrow;
  • numeral 74 denotes the motor for linearly moving the brush along each elongated area;
  • numeral 76 denotes liquid or lacquer;
  • numerals 78A and 78B each denotes the width of the paining on the fingernail, wherein the width is a function for the rotational state of the brush.

The foregoing description and illustrations of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the above description in any form.

Any term that has been defined above and used in the claims, should to be interpreted according to this definition.

The reference numbers in the claims are not a part of the claims, but rather used for facilitating the reading thereof. These reference numbers should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any form.