US2287062A - Fingernail guard - Google Patents

Description

June 23, 1942.

B. T. POWERS ETAL FINGERNAI'L- GUARD Filed Feb. 26, 1940 INVENTORS r Z'Pawzzzs BER EHD .EL'JIL PA 000K BY A Patented June 23, 1942 E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Francisco, Calif., assigno rs'to P. & P. Manufacturing Company, Emeryville, cam, a corporation of California Application February 26, 1940, Serial No. 320,859

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in toilet accessories and has particular reference to a device in the form of a shield for the fingers of the hand capable of encircling any o-fthe selected fingers and serving to confine a tinted or polished solution entirely to the. surface of the fingernail, thus preventing the solution from .contacting or soiling the flesh of the finger during the act of ornamenting the fingernail to enhance its appearance.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of means whereby the shield will automatically adjust itself to types of fingers that vary in length and thickness.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a shield that is economical and simple in construction by virtue of the employment of a single sheet of Celluloid from which the shield is formed.

An additional object of the invention is the utilization in the shield of a support that will bring the fingernail into an exposed position whereby it may be. ornamentally decorated in an efficient and expeditious manner.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the shield constructed in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the shield, the view being vtakenon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and showing to advantage the support for the finger during the painting operation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, disclosing to advantage the rivet that acts as a means for adjusting the shield;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the shield;

Fig, '5 isa longitudinal vertical section through the shield, the View being taken on the line 55 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view, disclosing the bent margin adjacent, the opening by which the fingernail is exposed for treatment;

Fig. '7 a plan .view of the shield, showing the shape of the cut blank from which the appliance is made; and

Fig. 8 is a top .plan view of the shield, disclosing the finger positioned therein with the exposed fingernail in position for ornamentation.

The practice of .decorating or ornamenting fingernails is well-known. A great deal of difiiculty has been experienced in painting the nails due to the fact that the solution utilized in painting the fingernails often contacts the flesh of the finger, thus soiling the same and producing an untidy appearance. Therefore, to provide a means whereby a fingernail may be expeditiously treated withoutdanger of the solution running or contacting the flesh of the finger, we have produced the present invention.

In the accompanying drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of our invention, it is to be noted that a single sheet of Celluloid is utilized, and a stamping operation is resorted to to leave an irregular shaped blank, as shown. in Fig. '7.

Broadly stated, the said blankembodies a main body portion 9, side walls [0 and II, and an intermediate extension l2 so that when the side walls are bentand the extension turned inwardly and a special interlocking action and fastening means are resorted to, as will be hereinafter fully explained, a shield, such as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 8, will be produced.

In the side wall In and adjacent the upper marginal edge thereof we have provided an arcuate slot l-3 which has spaced therefrom a rivet hole M in the side wall I l, and adjacent the lower marginal edge thereof spaced openings l6 are formed that cooperate with the acuate slot [3 and the rivet hole l4 when the said walls are folded one upon the other to receive therein rivets l1 and I8, and, thus, there is provided, as disclosed in Figs. 4 and 5, an elongated tubular formation of the body and side walls capable of receiving therein a fingernail A that is to be ornamented.

To provide a support for the finger C during the treatment of the nail thereof and to retain the nail in a fixed position in the aperture l9 formed between the'two side walls, we propose to bend the extension upon itself, as disclosed in Fig. 5. It will be noted that a tongue 20 is provided on the free end of the extension l2, and this tongue, when the said extension is folded, will be received and retained in locked position in an elongated slot 21 formed in the body 9.

By virtue of the construction employed and due to the inherent flexibility of the Celluloid, a yielding support is provided for the inserted finger. The tendency of the extension to ex- .pand will cause the nail to be retained in the exact operative position in the aperture l9, and

likewise the yielding and flexible nature of the Celluloid will permit an easy insertion of the fin- .55 ger to be treated or a ready withdrawal of the finger from the shield after the nail of the finger has been ornamented. Thus, there will be no danger of a smearing of the solution on the fingernail during the act of withdrawing the finger from the shield.

To compensate for various widths or thicknesses of fingers, we have employed what may be termed a pivotal arrangement of the respective rivets in the rivet holes and the arcuate slot. Accordingly, the nail of the little finger as well as nails of the other fingers and of the thumb can be readily treated without the use of separate shields for the respective fingers. It will be obvious that when the little finger is inserted, there will be no expansion of the side walls of the shield, unless the little finger is of unusually large dimensions. On the other hand, when one of the other fingers is inserted, the lateral movement of the side walls, due to the pivotal arrangement employed, will allow the larger fingers or thumb to be placed inoperative position within the aperture [9.

In the respective views of the drawing and particularly in Fig. 6, we have disclosed to advantage the side marginal edges 22 of the walls l and II as lying in a plane below the plane of the side walls. Thus a barrier or a retarding medium is presented that prevents the liquid from contacting the flesh of the finger during the ornamenting operation, and, accordingly, the paint is confined to the exposed surface of the fingernail. The well-known practice of softening and then tempering the Celluloid by the subjection of the same to submersion in hot and cold water is resorted to toposition the marginal edges, as illustrated in Fig. 6.

In practice, after the tubular shield or guard has been 'formed, as previously explained, the finger B is inserted in the shield so that the nail A assumes the position, as illustrated in Fig. 8. The finger is then slightly bent and the ornamenting operation performed.

When it is desired to withdraw the finger, the bent or folded flexible extension is slightly depressed, and the finger with its painted nail can be readily withdrawn without danger of smearing the paint on the nail by contact of the same with the body of the guard.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a device of the character described comprising a main body portion having a pair of side walls recessed to provide an aperture to expose the nail of a finger to be ornamented, an extension formed integral with said main body portion and folded upon itself to provide a resilient support for the finger, and pivotal means carried by said body for confining the ornamenting medium to the fingernail being treated.

2. In a device of the character described comprising a main body portion having a pair of side Walls recessed to provide an aperture to expose the nail of a finger to be ornamented, an extension formed integral with said main body portion and folded upon itself to provide a resilient support for the finger, means carried by said body for confining the ornamenting medium to the fingernail being treated, and pivotal means permitting lateral adjustment of said side walls.

3. In a device of the character described comprising a main body portion having side walls recessed to provide an aperture to expose the nail of a finger to be ornamented, an extension carried by said main body portion and being folded upon itself to provide a resilient support for the finger, and pivotal means permitting lateral adjustment of said side walls.

4. A fingernail guard of the character described comprising a Celluloid member capable of fitting around a finger and forming an opening to expose the nail of a finger to be ornamented, a resilient element formed integral With the member and adapted to press against the bottom side of the finger to retain the fingernail in an adjusted position in said opening and means for securing the free end of said resilient element to said Celluloid member.

5. A fingernail guard of the character described comprising a normally fiat member capable of fitting around a finger and overlapping thereon and forming an opening to expose the nail of a finger to be ornamented, and means for connecting the overlapped portions together to permit lateral movement of the same with relation to the inserted finger.

6. A fingernail guard of the character described comprising a normally fiat member capable of fitting around a finger and overlapping thereon and forming an opening to expose the nail of a finger to be ornamented, means for connecting the overlapped portions together to permit lateral movement of the same with relation to the inserted finger, and an extension formed integral with said member and being folded upon itself to provide a resilient support for the finger.

7. In a device of the character described comprising a body adapted to receive therein a finger and equipped with an aperture to expose the nail of the finger to be ornamented, and an elongated support carried by said body and adapted to press against the bottom portion of the finger to retain the nail in a fixed position with relation to the aperture and means for retaining the said support in locked relation with said body.

8. A device of the character described made from a single piece of material comprising a main body portion and pivotally arranged overlapping side walls defining an aperture for exposing the nail of a finger to be ornamented, and means carried by said body portion to retain the nail in a fixed position relative to the aperture.

9. A device of the character described made from a single piece of material comprising a main body portion and pivotally arranged overlapping side walls defining an aperture for exposing the nail of a finger to be ornamented, means carried by said body portion to retain the nail in a fixed position relative to the aperture, and means formed integral with said body for confining the ornamenting medium to the fingernail.

10. A device of the character described made from a single piece of material comprising a main body portion and pivotally arranged side walls defining an aperture for exposing the nail of a finger to be ornamented, means carried by said body portion to retain the nail in a fixed position in the aperture, and means formed integral with said body portion for confining the ornamenting medium to the fingernail.

BERNERD T. POWERS. CECIL PADDOCK.

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