Patent Number: 049888838
Section: description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The fingernail light system has a housing 1, in the center of which a telescoping arm 2 having a vertically aligned axis 3 is located. A support body 4 is secured to the upper end of the telescoping arm, and on it a hand, indicated by dot-dash lines, is placed in such a way that it grasps the support body 4 from above. A support frame 6 is also secured to the upper end of the telescoping arm 2, and two spiral springs 8 engaging the bottom plate 7 of the housing 1 are located on the underside of the support frame 6, with their axes 9 extending parallel to the axis 3 of telescoping arm 2. The spring 8 on the left in FIG. 1 is shown in a position in which the support body 4 is retracted from the housing 1 via an upper housing opening 10 via the telescoping arm 2, while the spiral spring 8 on the right is shown compressed, in a position in which the support body 4 has been thrust into the housing 1. Located beneath the upper housing cover 11 is an annular irradiation lamp 12 surrounded by a reflector 13. The axis 14 of the irradiation lamp 12 extends horizontally, that is, at a right angle to the axis 3 of telescoping arm 2. As FIG. 2 also shows, the irradiation lamp 12 and the reflector 10 both extend concentrically to the axis 3 of the telescoping arm 2, which simultaneously forms the axis of the support body 4 as well. In its upper position, the support body 4 is readily accessible; the lower position, represented by the dot-dash line, is selected so that the fingernails 15 are positioned in the irradiation zone of the irradiation lamp 12, which is limited by the reflectors 13 to a narrow annular sector. In the lower position, the forearm 16 rests on a support 17 that merges with the edge of the housing opening 10, which assures a relaxed hand posture during irradiation of the fingernails 15 in the housing 1. The support body 4, has a generally convex surface and, in FIGS. 1-3 has an approximately cylindrical outer contour, has a plurality of channels 18, which extend axially and have a depth in the vicinity of the groove bottom of approximately 2 to 5 mm. There is a total of seven channels, as shown clearly in FIG. 2, distributed about the outer circumference of support body 4; the middle channel, which coincides with the first plane 19, serves to position the middle finger 20 of either a left or a right hand 5. This channel 18 for the middle finger 20 is exactly opposite the seated position of the person whose fingernails are to be irradiated. Two further channels 18 are offset by approximately 45.degree. with respect to the channel 18 for the middle finger 20, and they serve to receive the ring finger 21 and index finger 22, for instance of a right hand as in FIG. 2; when the fingernails of a left hand are irradiated, the channel 18 for the ring finger 21 is then used for the index finger instead, while the channel 18 for the index finger now serves to receive the ring finger. Two further channels 18 are located offset to the channel for the index finger or ring finger 21, 22 by 90.degree.; they serve to receive the little finger 23 of a hand to be irradiated. Of the channels 18, one channel 18 each is definitively associated with the little finger of a right hand and the little finger of a left hand. Finally, two channels 18 for the thumbs 24 of a left and a right hand are provided, which are offset by an angle of approximately 135.degree. to both sides with respect to the channel 18 for index finger 22. To avoid blinding the person being treated, the housing opening 10 is surrounded by a continuous glare protection rim 25. In the lower position of the support body 4, its underside actuates an end switch 26 (see FIG. 1), in order to put the irradiation lamp 12, as well as further systems, such as a fan 27 located laterally in the housing 1, into operation. In the lower portion of the housing 1, next to the fan 27, there is also sufficient room for power supply parts 28 and chokes 29. By comparison with the version of FIG. 1, in the FIG. 3 embodiment of the light system, the axis 3 of the telescoping arm 2 and support body 4 extends at an angle 30 of about 45.degree. to the orthogonal axis 31, represented by the broken line, of the bottom plate 7. The entire light system, formed by the irradiation lamp 12, the reflector 13 surrounding irradiation lamp 12, and the spiral springs 8, is correspondingly tilted. The axis 14 of the irradiation lamp 12 is again aligned at an angle of 90.degree. with respect to the axis 3 of telescoping arm 2 and support body 4, as in the version of FIG. 1. The housing opening 10 is located in a front housing panel 32, so that the hand 5 rests from the front on the support body 4, and the fingers can be positioned in the channels 18. The support 17 for the forearm 16 is an extension of the lower rim of the housing opening 10, which simultaneously forms the glare protection rim 25. A hinged glare protection hood 33 is also secured to the upper part of the glare protection rim 25. The glare protection hood 33 can be folded over the back of the hand, once the hand 5 along with the support body 4 has been moved into the housing 1. In FIGS. 1-3, a support body 4 of approximately cylindrical outer contour is used. FIG. 4 shows a support body 4 formed as a truncated cone. This support body 4 is again rounded on top, to form a rest for the palm of the hand 5. The fingernails 15 of the fingers placed in the channels 18 protrude past the lower rim of the support body 4, so that they do not touch any part of the light system, and can be freely irradiated from all sides. Besides the channels 18 as positioning means for the various fingers, an additional positioning means can be used in the form of stops or an encompassing bead 34, against which the fingertips of the hand 5 placed on the support body 4 come to rest. FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment similar to that of FIGS. 1 and 2, with the axis 3 of the support body 4 again oriented vertically with respect to the bottom plate 7. However, the support body 4 is surrounded by four separate irradiation lamps 12, each having a straight lamp axis 14. These straight irradiation lamps 12 are lined up with one another in such a way that they form an approximate circle about the support body 4, at least over the circumference over which the various channels 18 for the fingers are distributed. This circle need not be closed, because the irradiation zone begins at the channel 18 for one thumb 24 and ends with the channel 18 for the other thumb 24, so that an irradiation zone of only 300.degree. to approximately 320.degree. is required. The irradiation lamps 12 shown in FIG. 5 are again surrounded by reflectors 13, which aim the light at the support body 4, and in particular at the lower region thereof. Various changes and modifications may be made, and features described in connection with any one of the embodiments may be used with any of the others, within the scope of the inventive concept.