Abstract:
A tattoo needle case including a seat having a front section, a rear section including a plurality of lengthwise, parallel grooves, and a breakable section at a joining line of the rear section and the front section, the breakable section includes a cavity; a plurality of needles, each needle having a rear portion disposed in one of the plurality of grooves and a front portion including a pointed end disposed in the cavity; and a sheath sleeved on the seat for fastening the needles in the rear section, whereby bending the front section will cause the front and rear sections to come apart at the breakable section and cause the front and rear portions of the needles to come apart at the breakable section respectively. The case can protect the stored needles, particularly the pointed ends thereof for preventing the needles from accidentally pricking users.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to tattoo needle cases and more particularly to an improved case for receiving a plurality of tattoo needles in which the needle heads are well protected for safety purpose and others. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   Conventionally, a needle assembly is comprised of a plurality of needles arranged and fixed together on the major portion of the needle by utilizing a point solder technique or a stainless steel tube clamping technique. However, the pointed ends of needles may expose in either technique. Thus, a person may get pricked if sufficient care is not taken in operation. Moreover, accessing needles is not convenient. Further, its storage is disadvantageous. Hence, a need for improvement exists. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of the invention to provide a tattoo needle case with an arrangement for protecting pointed ends of a plurality of needles disposed in a parallel row therein. Moreover; the present invention can completely and satisfactorily solve the safety problem of being accidentally pricked by the needles during use. Further, the needle storage is easy and reliable. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a tattoo needle case having a needle fastening arrangement for retaining a plurality of needles in place. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tattoo needle case having a sufficient receiving space in cooperation with a needle fastening arrangement for retaining a plurality of needles in place. 
   To achieve the above and other objects, the present invention provides a tattoo needle case comprising a seat comprising a front section, a rear section including a receiving space having a plurality of lengthwise, parallel grooves, and a breakable section at a joining line of the rear section and the front section, the breakable section including a well in a middle and an opening at either side of the well, the front section including a cavity for receiving pointed ends of a plurality of needles; the plurality of needles are positioned in a parallel row, each needle having a rear portion disposed in the groove and a front portion including its pointed end disposed in the cavity; and a sheath sleeved on the seat for fastening the needles in the rear section, whereby bending and breaking the front section will cause the front and rear sections to come apart at the breakable section and cause the front portion with the pointed end of each needle to be exposed at the breakable section. 
   In one aspect of the invention, the cavity is trapezoidal and comprises an oblique side aligned with the breakable section. 
   In another aspect of the invention, the sheath is formed of thermoplastic material such that heating the thermoplastic sheath will tightly wrap both the seat and the needles together. 
   In further aspect of the invention, the sheath is formed of thin metal foil such that pressing the metal foil sheath will tightly wrap both the rear section and the needles together. 
   In still further aspect of the invention, the seat further comprises a cover including a plurality of lengthwise, parallel grooves on its underside, the grooves of the cover being engaged with the grooves of the rear section when the cover is put on the rear section for retaining the needles therebetween. 
   The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of tattoo needle case according to the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the case of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded view of a second preferred embodiment of tattoo needle case according to the invention; 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded view of a third preferred embodiment of tattoo needle case according to the invention; 
       FIGS. 5 and 5A  are sectional views showing needle arrangements of two-layer and three-layer respectively according to the invention; 
       FIGS. 6 and 6A  are sectional views showing two configurations of cover in which needle arrangements of two-layer and three-layer are illustrated respectively according to the invention; 
       FIGS. 7 and 7A  are sectional views showing two configurations of rear section in which needle arrangements of two-layer and three-layer are illustrated respectively according to the invention; and 
       FIGS. 8 and 8A  are sectional views showing another two configurations of rear section in which needle arrangements of two-layer and three-layer are illustrated respectively according to the invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a tattoo needle case constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention. The preferred embodiment is comprised of a seat  20 , a plurality of needles  30 , and a thermoplastic sheath  40 . Each component will be described in detailed below. 
   The rectangular seat  20  comprises a rear section  21  and a front section  22  formed integrally therewith. The rear section  21  comprises a plurality of lengthwise, parallel grooves  211  with the needles  30  disposed therein, a plurality of first risers  212  formed on one side, a plurality of second risers  213  formed on the other side, a cavity  221  provided on the front section  22  with the pointed ends  31  of the needles  30  disposed therein, a forward flat  222 , and a breakable section  25  at a joining line of the rear section  21  and the front section  22  and including a well  251  and two side openings  252  and  253 . 
   The thermoplastic sheath  40  has a section of rectangle. The thermoplastic sheath  40  is sleeved on the seat  20  after placing the needles  30  on the grooves  211  of the rear section  21 . The thermoplastic sheath  40  is adapted to tightly wrap both the seat  20  and the needles  30  after being subject to heat. As a result, the needles  30  disposed in the rear section  21  are protected by the thermoplastic sheath  40 . 
   The pointed ends  31  of the needles  30  are completely concealed in the cavity  221  after wrapping the seat  20  by the thermoplastic sheath  40 . Thus, the invention can completely and satisfactorily solve the safety problem of being accidentally pricked during use. Moreover, the needle storage is easy and reliable. In use, a user may hold the flat  222  to bend and break completely the front section  22  causing the rear and front section  21  and  22  to separate at the breakable section  25  (i.e., at the well  251  and the side openings  252  and  253 ). The breakable section  25  comprises a well  251  and two side openings  252  and  253 . The well  251  facilitates the front section  22  to break and separate from the rear section  21 . As a result, the parallel row of pointed ends  31  of the needles are exposed for being used. This process is quick, safe, and convenient. 
   Note that preferably, solder is applied around the seat  20  so that the fastening of the needles  30  can be successfully carried out by heating the solder and cooling thereafter. 
   Alternatively, tattoo needle case of the invention can be comprised of a seat  20  and a metal sheath  50  (see  FIG. 8 ). The sheath  50  is sleeved on the rear section  21 . Next, pressing the sheath  50  will tightly wrap both the rear section  21  and the needles  30 . As a result, the needles  30  disposed in the rear section  21  are protected. 
   Referring to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a tattoo needle case constructed in accordance with a second preferred embodiment of the invention. The second preferred embodiment substantially has same structure as the first preferred embodiment. The characteristics of the second preferred embodiment are detailed below. The case comprises a seat  20 , a plurality of needles  30 , and a thermoplastic sheath  40 . 
   The rectangular seat  20  comprises a rear section  21 , a front section  22  formed integrally therewith, and a cover  23  put on the rear section  21  to form a receiving space  24  therebetween. The rectangular cover  23  comprises a plurality of lengthwise, parallel grooves  231  on its underside, a flange  232  formed on one side, and a second flange  233  formed on the other side. Similarly, the rear section  21  comprises a plurality of parallel grooves  211  with the needles  30  disposed therein, a plurality of first risers  212  formed on one side, a plurality of second risers  213  formed on the other side, a cavity  221  provided on the front section  22  with the pointed ends  31  of the needles  30  disposed therein, a forward flat  222 , and a breakable section  25  at a joining line located between the rear section  21  and the front section  22  and including a well  251  and two side openings  252  and  253 . The grooves  231  are adapted to engage with upper portions of the needles  30  when the cover  23  is put on the rear section  21 . As such, the needles  30  are tightly retained by both the cover  23  (i.e., the grooves  231 ) and the rear section  21  (i.e., the grooves  211 ). Note that each of the receiving space  24  and the cavity  221  has a sufficient height so as to successfully store the needles  30  therein. 
   The thermoplastic sheath  40  has a section of rectangle. The thermoplastic sheath  40  is sleeved on the seat  20  after putting the cover  23  on the rear section  21  and placing the needles  30  in the grooves  211  in the receiving space  24  thereafter. The thermoplastic sheath  40  is adapted to tightly wrap both the seat  20  and the needles  30  after being subject to heat. As a result, the needles  30  disposed in the rear section  21  are protected by the thermoplastic sheath  40 . Moreover, preferably, liquid adhesive is applied after placing the needles  30  in the rear section  21  and sleeving the thermoplastic sheath  40  thereon. As such, the fastening of the needles  30  can be successfully carried out by heating the adhesive and cooling thereafter. Still preferably, solder is applied so that the fastening of the needles  30  can be further enhanced by heating the solder and cooling thereafter. 
   Likewise, the pointed ends  31  of the needles  30  are disposed in the cavity  221  after wrapping the seat  20  by the thermoplastic sheath  40 . Thus, the invention can completely and satisfactorily solve the safety problem of being accidentally pricked during use. Moreover, the needle storage is easy and reliable. In use, a user may hold the flat  222  to bend the front section  22  in order to cause the rear and front section  21  and  22  to come apart at the breakable section  25  (i.e., at the well  251  and the side openings  252  and  253 ). The breakable section  25  has a well  251  and two side openings  252  and  253 . The Provision of the well  251  will facilitate the front section  22  to break and separate from the rear section  21  when used. As a result, the two parallel rows of pointed ends  31  of the needles are exposed for being used. This process is quick, safe, and convenient. 
   Referring to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a tattoo needle case constructed in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the invention. The third preferred embodiment substantially has same structure as the second preferred embodiment. The characteristics of the third preferred embodiment are detailed below. The cavity  221  is a trapezoid and comprises an oblique side  221   a  aligned with the breakable section  25 . Each of the front end of the cover  23 ′ and the breakable section  25 ′ is oblique and is substantially parallel to the side  221   a . The lengths of the needles  30 ′ exposed from the cover  23 ′ and the breakable section  25 ′ are about the same after breaking the front section  22 . In other words, the prolonged portions of the obliquely disposed needles  30 ′ can be supported by the breakable section  25 ′ and the front end of the cover  23 ′ by the provisions of the breakable section  25 ′ and the cover  23 ′. As a result, strength of the seat  20  can be enhanced for accommodating elongated needles. Note that each of the front end of the cover  23 ′ and the breakable section  25 ′ can be formed as a curve or arc depending on applications. Also, the pointed ends  31  of the needles  30 ′ are in close proximity with the curve or arc. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 5 and 5A , needles  30  are arranged in two layers and three layers in the receiving space  24  formed by the rear section  21  and the cover  23  respectively. The two-layer or three-layer arrangement can provide a convenient and quick use of the needles. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 6 and 6A , the grooves  231  of the cover  23  are engaged with the corresponding grooves  211  of rear section  21 . Also, the cover  23  are spaced apart from the rear section  21  by the side flanges  232 . In a mounting operation, first place the needles  30  in the receiving space  24  and next put the cover  23  thereon for concealing the needles  30 . Next, put the thermoplastic sheath  40  thereon and heat the same for fastening. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 7 and 7A , needles  30  are arranged in two layers and three layers in the rear section  21  respectively. Next, put the thermoplastic sheath  40  thereon and heat the same for fastening both the rear section  21  and the needles. 
   Referring to  FIGS. 8 and 8A , needles  30  are arranged in two layers and three layers in the rear section  21  respectively. Next, put the metal sheath  50  thereon. Next, pressing the sheath  50  will tightly wrap both the rear section  21  and the needles  30 . As a result, the needles  30  disposed in the rear section  21  are protected. 
   While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.