Manicure attachment

The application discloses an attachment for rotary manicuring units which provides a low-amplitude reciprocation of a cuticle-pushing member. A plurality of teeth or cam points are arranged about the axis of the unit in opposed rings which are biased away from each other by a resilient ring whose bias is overcome by a gentle pushing force of the tip of the pushing member against the cuticle to permit engagement of the opposing cam points and reciprocation of the pusher member. In the preferred form, the cam points are in the form of sharp teeth having a relatively gently sloping cam surface and a sharp drop for quick return of the opposed teeth into mutual engagement. The resilient ring preferably is in the form of a porous ring of synthetic material which is impregnated with a suitable lubricant for the cam points.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to the grooming of nails by manicuring units 
and is concerned, more particularly, with the grooming of nails by pushing 
and receding the cuticle of the nail in conjunction with a rotary 
manicuring unit by an attachment for converting the rotary motion of the 
unit to a gentle, short-stroke reciprocation of a suitable pusher member. 
BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART 
A variety of attempts have been made to provide effective cuticle pushers 
or cuticle-pusher attachments which are mountable upon power-driven 
manicuring units or systems. These have ranged from the familiar orange 
stick, which is manually pushed against the cuticle, to more complex 
members which are intended for use with vibratory or rotary power systems. 
In view of the trend of the art toward power-driven manicuring units in 
general and particularly in view of the recent acceptance of portable, 
battery-operated manicuring units suitable for self-manicure by relatively 
untrained individuals, a need for a quickly-mountable or changeable 
cuticle pushers for use with power units has ocurred with the simultaneous 
requirement that the cuticle pusher be equally facile in use by untrained 
individuals in order to avoid damage or painful consequences from the use 
of the pushers in self-manicure. 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,988,581 to Ubelhart and 2,008,920 to Moir disclose 
attachments for the conversion of the rotary motion of floor-mounted or 
table-type power units to provide a reciprocating motion to a 
cuticle-engaging member. 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,988,581 discloses a floor type manicuring system employing 
a rotating power unit which reciprocates an elongate wire upon which is 
mounted a handpiece. The handpiece is adapted to receive the shanks of a 
variety of manicuring implements which are insertable in a recess in the 
handpiece. The implements include a cuticle-engaging orange stick which is 
actuable against the cuticle simply by the vibratory motion caused by the 
reciprocating mass of the tool-engaging slide within the handpiece. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,008,920 discloses a powered manicuring unit in which rotary 
power is delivered to a handpiece which is employed with a variety of 
manicuring implements, including rotary abrading units. A conversion unit 
having an internal cam is also disclosed for converting the rotary power 
available in the handpiece into a reciprocating motion for use with a 
cuticle-pushing member. The conversion unit includes a compression spring 
to maintain positive engagement of the camming surfaces. 
These cuticle-engaging systems, however, are suitable only in the large and 
costly forms of manicuring installations in which they are disclosed. An 
analogous installation is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,033,552 to 
Schleimer, which employs a diaphragm in a handpiece to effect 
reciprocation of a cuticle-pushing stick. 
With regard to smaller, more convenient forms of manicuring units, it is of 
interest that cuticle-pusher elements are to be found in vibratory and 
reciprocating forms of hand-held units. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 
1,719,063 and 1,719,064 to Lidseen, which employ a vibratory drive, and 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,880,737 to Tone, which employs a worm drive to convert 
rotary motion into reciprocation for filing and cuticle-pushing 
attachments. 
Most recently, however, the manicuring art has progressed to 
battery-operated, self-contained manicuring units in which a variety of 
rotating implements are provided for the filing and polishing of nails by 
an extremely facile unit which is capable of secure and accurate 
manipulation in self-manicuring of fingernails and toenails. These units 
are capable of single-hand manipulation and control and are of small size 
and light weight to permit such control. 
The most advantageous contemporary manicuring unit available is disclosed 
in an application filed by myself and Arthur T. Sempliner, Ser. No. 
683,854, filed May 6, 1976 and titled "MANICURING UNIT." The unit 
disclosed in the aforementioned application is a compact, battery-driven 
member which drives large-diameter manicuring elements at low rotational 
speeds to provide very low working-surface speeds of the large tools to 
prevent undesireable mishaps such as gouging, scalloping or accidental 
injury during the use of the unit in self-manicure. 
The advantages and facility achieved by such manicure units are such that 
any attachment intended for cuticle-clearing use must necessarily retain 
the balance and facility of the unit in order to be successful in their 
purpose and acceptable to the users for self-manicure. 
Accordingly, prior forms of cuticle-pusher units and attachments have not 
been found to be entirely satisfactory, especially in conjunction with the 
most recent advances in the art of self-manicure. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In general, the preferred form of the present invention comprises an 
attachment for rotary-implement manicuring units including a casing having 
a mount for securement on the unit and a non-rotating cuticle-pusher 
element extended from the casing via an aperture which permits 
reciprocation of the pusher member without permitting substantial rotation 
of the member. The pusher member includes a ring of cam teeth which are 
aligned with a complementary ring of cam teeth mounted on a rotary 
transfer element adapted to engage the rotary output member of the 
manicuring unit. The opposed rings of cam teeth are biased away from each 
other by an intermediate ring of compressible material to maintain the 
rings of cam teeth out of engagement with each other except when 
longitudinal pressure is applied to the pusher member. Preferably, the 
compressible intermediate ring is formed of a porous material capable of 
containing a supply of a suitable lubricant for release between the 
opposed cam teeth and is confined by retaining members thereabout for 
restricting the flow of lubricant outwardly from the cam teeth. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a quickly mountable 
cuticle-pusher attachment for rotary manicuring units. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a quickly 
mountable, self-contained cuticle-pusher attachment for rotary manicuring 
units with means for converting rotary motion to reciprocating motion of a 
pusher member. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a quickly 
mountable cuticle-pusher attachment for rotary manicuring units with a 
self-contained means for converting rotary motion to a reciprocating 
motion of a pusher member to provide a high frequency, low amplitude 
reciprocation of the pusher member. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cuticle-pusher 
attachment for rotary manicuring units with self-contained, multiple-cam 
drive means for converting rotary motion to high frequency, low amplitude 
reciprocating motion of a pusher member with a biasing member for 
maintaining a separation of opposed cams until the pusher member is 
pressed longitudinally inwardly of the attachment by engagement with an 
object. 
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a 
cuticle-pusher attachment for rotary manicuring units in which opposed, 
annular series of cam teeth provide reciprocating motion from the rotary 
motion of the manicuring unit and are biased out of engagement by an 
annular resilient member of porous material which is impregnated with a 
lubricant for release to the cam teeth.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
As shown in the drawings, the preferred form of cuticle-pusher attachment 
of the present invention is adapted to use with the manicuring unit 
disclosed in my aforementioned application Ser. No. 683,854. It is to be 
understood, however, that the pusher attachment is quite capable of use 
with other rotary manicuring units, with appropriate modifications of the 
mounting and drive components to accomodate the particular configuration 
of the manicuring unit with which the attachment is to serve. 
The preferred cuticle-pusher attachment includes a casing 1 having a 
generally cylindrical portion 2 and a tapering anterior portion 3. The 
anterior portion has an ovate aperture 4 therein at its smaller end 
portion 5. The aperture 4 receives the ovate main portion of a pusher 
member 6 relatively loosely therethrough for protrusion externally of the 
casing. Within the casing, the pusher member includes a transverse flange 
7 extended at right angles to the length of the member and the axis of the 
casing. On its anterior surface 8, the flange is relieved and otherwise 
suitably configured to permit a slight reciprocation thereof with regard 
to the casing. A chamfer 9 is used to provide clearance adjacent the 
forward casing wall. 
The interior of the pusher member preferably is hollowed by a bore 10 along 
a portion of its length and includes a cylindrical bore 11 extending 
through and forward of the flange 7. The cylindrical bore is positioned 
centrally with regard to the flange 7. 
The rearward surface of the flange 7 carries a plurality of cam teeth or 
serrations 12 which are symmetrically distributed in a ring concentric 
with the bore 11 and spaced therefrom to form a flat shoulder 13 on the 
flange 7 intermediate the bore 11 and the serrations. The flange extends 
radially outwardly of the ring of serrations to provide a circular outer 
flange edge 14 at its periphery. 
The cylindrical bore 11 loosely receives a cylindrical forward extension 15 
of a power transfer member 16 which is rotatably mounted via a 
rearwardly-extending, cylindrical sleeve 17 which is received in a bearing 
bore 18 in a transverse bulkhead 19 within the cylindrical portion 2 of 
the casing. The forward portion 15 and sleeve 17 thus form a composite 
axle for the power transfer member 16 by their rotary mounting in the 
cylindrical bore 11 and the bearing bore 18, respectively. 
The power transfer member 16 includes a transverse flange 20 carrying a 
plurality of serrations or driving cam teeth 21 which are symmetrically 
arranged in a ring concentric with the forward extension 15 and which are 
complimentary to and opposite the teeth 12 of the pusher flange 7. The 
transfer member teeth are spaced outwardly on the flange 20 from the 
forward extension to provide a recess 22 within which is loosely mounted a 
resilient ring 23 to be discussed more fully hereinafter. The outermost 
portion of the flange 20 includes a skirt 24 surrounding the serrations 
and extending forwardly a distance sufficient to lie adjacent the outer 
flange edge 14 of the pusher member. The outer flange edge 14 and the 
skirt 24 thus form a circular running joint or closure pair for the 
chamber formed thereby within the skirt. 
On its posterior or rearward surface, the transfer member flange 20 carries 
a pair of concentric annular ribs 25 and 26 which are radially spaced from 
each other and from the sleeve 17 and which interfit with annular ribs 27 
and 28 on the bulkhead 19 to form a labyrinth seal for preventing the 
intrusion of foreign material to the interior of the casing via the 
bearing bore 18. 
As best shown in FIG. 2, the preferred form of serrations or cam teeth 12 
and 20 include moderately-sloping inclined portions 29 and 30, 
respectively, which terminate in sharp peaks 31 and 32. The sharp peaks 31 
and 32 have steeply-sloping transition surfaces 33 and 34 immediately 
adjacent thereto to provide for a sudden recession of the camming surface 
to permit a sudden retraction of the pusher member from the extreme 
forward point of reciprocation forced by the peaks. It is preferred that 
the rings of serrations include equal numbers of complementary cam teeth 
and, although twelve teeth per ring are preferred, a greater or lesser 
number may be employed, as desired or as may be preferable with the 
rotational speed of the paticular manicuring unit for which the attachment 
is intended. It has been found advantageous to have the pusher reciprocate 
at a rate of about 60 strokes per second at an amplitude of about one 
millimeter for comfortable recessing of cuticle tissue. If desired, one of 
the teeth rings may have a lesser number of teeth than the other, as long 
as they mesh and are symmetrically arranged about the annular zone they 
occupy. 
The resilient ring 23 preferably is formed of a porous synthetic material 
having open pores which are impregnated with a suitable lubricant for the 
teeth of the opposed cam rings. The spring "rate" or biasing effect of the 
material need only be sufficient to maintain separation of the opposed cam 
rings, in the absence of axial force or pressure upon the pusher member, 
and preferably is very easily overcome by light pressure of the pusher 
against cuticle material so that a minimal force is required to "clutch" 
or initiate the camming action. 
In its center, the power transfer member 16 is provided with a hexagonal 
bore 35 adapted to receive the driving shaft of the preferred rotary 
manicuring unit. It is to be understood, however, that other types of 
power couplings may be employed in the power transfer member 16 to 
accomodate the particular manicuring unit desired. Similarly, the 
cylindrical portion of the housing carries mounting projections 36 for 
engagement with portions of the preferred manicuring unit, but different 
mounting means may be provided as desired. 
The attachment unit is assembled by insertion of the pusher member into the 
casing with the working end protruding throught the aperture 4. The power 
transfer member, having the resilient ring loosely mounted about the 
forward extension 15 and against the recess 22, is then inserted until its 
extension 15 is received in the cylindrical bore of the pusher member. The 
assembly is then completed by positioning of the bulkhead 19 and 
securement thereof in the casing by suitable means such as ultrasonic 
welding. 
In use, the cuticle attachment is simply snapped onto the manicuring unit, 
being retained against rotation thereon by the frictional contact with the 
housing of the manicuring unit. With the manicuring unit turned on, the 
power transfer member is rotated by its engagement with the output shaft 
of the unit. 
The pusher member, however, is held in an extended position by the bias of 
the resilient ring 23, so that the teeth 12 of its flange are out of 
engagement with the opposite teeth 21 of the rotating power transfer 
member. Upon the exertion of a slight pressure lengthwise against the 
pusher member, the resilient ring collapses sufficiently to permit 
engagement of the opposing teeth, thereby causing rapid, low amplitude 
reciprocation of the pusher tool against the cuticle. The pusher member is 
confined against rotation by the engagement of its ovate portion with the 
ovate aperture 4. 
Upon removal of the pusher member from axially-deflecting contact with the 
cuticle, the bias of the resilient ring again de-clutches or separates the 
opposed teeth and allows the power transfer member to revolve out of 
driving engagement with the pusher member. 
Therefore, it is apparent that the new cuticle-pusher attachment provides a 
convenience and facility of mounting and use which is fully compatible 
with the advantages and requirements of the recent forms of manicuring 
units and delivers a particularly advantageous, rapid and low-amplitude 
stroke to the pusher tip. 
Various changes may be made in the details of the invention as described 
without sacrificing the advantages thereof or departing from the scope of 
the appended claims.