Patent Publication Number: US-2016220006-A1

Title: Nail polish bottle cap with integral gel curing light

Description:
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/111,400 filed on Feb. 3, 2015 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/152,376 filed on Apr. 24, 2015, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     This invention relates to a nail polish bottle cap which includes at least one integral ultra-violet (UV) light emitting diode (LED) light which is suitable for illuminating a human fingernail or toenail which has been freshly coated with gel nail polish for the purpose of curing the gel nail polish. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Gel nail polish is known for its durability. Typically, because the process for applying and curing of gel polish is relatively technical, most gel nail polish is applied and cured by professionals in nail salons. As is the case with conventional nail polish, gel nail polish is typically brushed on as a thick, viscous liquid. However, unlike conventional nail polish, gel polish will not cure merely because it is exposed to air. To cure, gel polish must be exposed to ultra-violet (UV) light. Because UV light occurs naturally in sunlight, the inside surfaces of a gel nail polish bottle are usually coated with a light blocking black coating in order to prevent the gel polish within the bottle from slowly curing. Accordingly, once gel polish is applied to a fingernail or toenail, the customer typically places the fingernail or toenail under an UV light emitting gel curing lamp for a pre-determined period of time in order to cure the gel polish. Once cured, gel polish provides a durable attractive, decorative coating. 
     Gel curing lamps are typically arranged for table-top use and are usually about as large as a shoe box. Gel curing lamps usually cost hundreds of US dollars and are usually purchased and used by professional nail salon operators. Therefore, the times and places in which gel polish can be applied and cured is generally limited to the times and places when and where gel curing lamps are available. Accordingly, a need exists for an extremely compact and inexpensive gel curing device that may be used by individuals to cure gel polish when a gel curing lamp is not available. 
     SUMMARY 
     The above described need is addressed by a nail polish bottle cap which includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is arranged to screw on to the top of a nail polish bottle and carries a brush suitable for applying nail polish. The second portion of the bottle cap presents a UV LED light which is suitable for illuminating a fingernail or a toenail which has been freshly coated with gel nail polish for the purpose of curing the gel nail polish. The second portion of the bottle cap also includes a battery and a switched circuit which includes the battery and the UV LED light. The circuit is able to be switched between an open state wherein the UV LED light is not activated and a closed state wherein the UV LED light is activated. A user may apply gel polish from the bottle to a fingernail or toenail and then activate the UV LED light of the second portion, position the UV LED light to illuminate the surface of the nail which has been coated with fresh uncured gel polish in order to cure the gel nail polish. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective of a nail polish bottle which includes one embodiment of the gel curing nail polish bottle cap. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective of a nail polish bottle which includes one embodiment of the gel curing nail polish bottle cap shown with a second portion of the nail polish cap separated from a first portion of the nail polish bottle cap. 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the one embodiment of the gel curing nail polish bottle cap second portion. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective of a nail polish bottle which includes one embodiment of the gel curing nail polish bottle cap shown with part of the nail polish bottle cap second portion cut away in order to show the interior of the nail polish bottle cap second portion as well as the bottle cap first portion. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the bottle cap second portion showing a battery compartment cover in a first position. 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the bottle cap second portion showing the battery compartment cover between the first position and a second position. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the bottle cap second portion showing the battery compartment cover between the second position. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the bottle cap second portion showing the battery compartment cover after the battery compartment cover has been rotated to a third position and removed to expose the battery compartment. 
         FIG. 9  is a side perspective of a nail polish bottle which includes one embodiment of the gel curing nail polish bottle cap shown with part of the nail polish bottle cap second portion cut away in order to show the interior of the nail polish bottle cap second portion. 
         FIG. 10  is a side perspective cut away view of the second portion of the nail polish bottle cap. 
         FIG. 11  is a side perspective cut away side view of the nail polish bottle and the first and second portions of the nail polish bottle cap. 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view showing a finger with a fingernail receiving a coating of gel nail polish and the second portion of the nail polish bottle cap. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view showing a finger with a fingernail having received a fresh coating of gel nail polish and the second portion of the nail polish bottle cap. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view showing a finger with a fingernail having received a fresh coating of gel nail polish and the second portion of the nail polish bottle cap with the tip of the finger inserted into the second portion of the nail polish bottle cap proximate to the UV LED light. 
         FIG. 15  is a cut away side view showing a finger with a fingernail having received a fresh coating of gel nail polish and the second portion of the nail polish bottle cap with the tip of the finger inserted into the second portion of the nail polish bottle cap proximate to the UV LED light. 
         FIG. 16  is a schematic diagram showing the circuit for powering the UV LED light. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of the gel curing fingernail polish bottle cap  10  shown screwed onto a nail polish bottle  2  which is of a type well known to those skilled in the art. As can be seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , bottle cap  10  includes a first portion  12  and a second portion  20 . Preferably, the lower end of first portion  12  presents female threads (not shown) suitable for engaging corresponding male threads (not shown) which are presented around the upper opening of bottle  2 . As is typical for nail polish bottle caps known in the art, a brush stem  14  is fixed to and extends from first portion  12 . As is also well known in the art, the distal end of brush stem  14  presents a polish brush or applicator  14 B. 
     Second portion  20  of bottle cap  10  may be best understood by referring to  FIGS. 3-15 . Second portion  20  is arranged to selectively connect and disconnect from first portion  12 . In  FIGS. 3 and 4 , one embodiment is shown wherein first portion  12  includes a cap portion  12 C. As is shown in  FIG. 4 , in this example, the side surface  12 S of cap portion  12 C is in the shape of a frustum of a cone and therefore may be described as a frusto-conical surface. In this example, cap portion also has a flat top surface  12 T. As is shown in  FIG. 3 , second portion  20  presents internal inwardly extending radial ribs  22  which present side surfaces  22 S and top edge surfaces  22 T which fit against side and top surfaces  12 S and  12 T respectively of cap portion  12 C. (Radial ribs  22  are omitted in  FIG. 4  for clarity.) Preferably, in this example, the fit between surfaces  22 S and  22 T and surfaces  12 S and  12 T has a slight degree of interference so that some pressure is needed to remove second portion  20  from first cap portion  12 C. However, as the skilled reader would appreciate, any one of a number arrangements may be employed for selectively attaching second portion  20  to cap portion  12 C. Most of first and second portions  12  and  20  are preferably fashioned from injection molded plastic or a similar material with the exception of components such as UV LED lights  26  and metallic components associated with UV LED lights  26 , switches, batteries and the like as will be described below. 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 9-15 , second portion  20  presents a cavity  24 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 12-15 , cavity  24  of second portion  20  is suitable for receiving the distal end of a finger F. As can be best seen in  FIGS. 3, 4 and 11-15  in this one embodiment, two side by side UV LED lights  26  are mounted to the inside wall  20 W of second portion  20 . UV LED light  26  is connected by leads  26 L in a switchable circuit to a set of three batteries  28 B. In this example, batteries  28 B are received in a battery compartment  28 C near the upper end of second portion  20 . 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 5-8 , second portion  20  also includes a battery compartment cover  30  which rotatably engages the upper end of second portion  20 . Compartment cover  30  is able to rotate about an axis A (indicated in  FIG. 5 ) between the positions described below because battery compartment  28 B presents a set of male threads  28 BT (which can be best seen in  FIG. 8 ) and battery compartment cover  30  engages battery compartment  28 B with a corresponding set of female threads  30 T (which can be best seen in cross section in  FIG. 10 ) thus making it possible to rotate battery compartment cover  30  and even remove battery compartment  30  as described below. 
     In this example, when battery compartment cover  30  is not rotated and left in its initial first position as shown in  FIG. 5 , the circuit including UV LED lights  26 , leads (not shown) and batteries  28 B is open so that UV LED lights  26  are off. In  FIG. 5 , axis of rotation A is indicated and a point P is arbitrarily selected and indicated to indicate the relative position of battery compartment cover  30  and the remainder of second portion  22  in each of  FIGS. 5-8 . In  FIG. 6 , the position of point P indicates that battery compartment cover has been rotated about 45 degrees clockwise from the first position shown in  FIG. 5  or, in other words, about half way between the first position shown in  FIG. 5  and the second position shown in  FIG. 7 . When battery compartment cover  30  has been rotated approximately 90 degrees clockwise (when viewed from the top) to the second position shown in  FIG. 7 , the circuit including UV LED lights  26  and batteries  28 B is closed causing lights  26  to be turned on. A schematic diagram of the UV LED light circuit is given in  FIG. 16 . As can be seen in  FIG. 16 , UV LED light  26  is connected by conducting line  26 A to battery  26 B in a circuit which is interrupted by a switch  30 S. Switch  30 S is closed when a first contact  26 AC associated with conducting line  26 A is in contact with a second contact  30 C which moves with battery compartment cover  30 . When battery compartment cover  30  is aligned as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 16 , the circuit is closed and the power is conducted from battery  28 B to light  26 . When battery compartment cover  30  is not aligned as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 16  and is unaligned as, for example, is shown in  FIG. 5  or  FIG. 6 , the circuit is open and no power is provided to light  26 . Although not shown in  FIGS. 5-8 , indicia may be added to battery compartment cover  30  and second portion  20  to indicate when battery compartment cover  30  is in an “on position” or an “off position”. 
     As is shown in  FIG. 8 , when battery compartment cover  30  is rotated approximately 180 degrees clockwise to a third position, battery compartment cover  30  is able to be removed thereby exposing battery compartment  28 BC and batteries  28 B. The movements of battery compartment cover  30  described above may be reversed by replacing and re-threading battery compartment  30  to restore it to the second position shown in  FIG. 7  and by further rotating battery compartment cover  30  counter-clockwise to restore it to the first position shown in  FIG. 5  with the circuit open and the LED lights  26  off. 
     The placement of UV LED lights  26  may vary in some embodiments for the upper sidewall location shown in  FIGS. 3, 9 and 12-15 . Moreover, UV LED lights  26  may be replaced by a single UV LED light. UV LED lights should be selected so that, when illuminated, and when in close proximity to a fingernail FN with a fresh coat of gel polish as shown in  FIG. 15 , the gel cures in a time period on the order of one or two minutes. 
     A method for using gel curing fingernail polish bottle cap  10  is illustrated in  FIGS. 12-15  with further reference to  FIGS. 5-7 . In  FIGS. 5-7 and 12-15 , second portion  20  of bottle cap  10  is removed from first portion  12 . This opens cavity  24  and exposes UV LED lights  26 . As can be seen in  FIGS. 14 and 15 , liquid, uncured gel polish G is applied to a fingernail FN of a finger F. After application of gel polish G, finger F is inserted into cavity  24  so that fingernail FN is in close proximity to UV LED lights  26  as shown in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . Also after the application of gel polish G, battery compartment cover  30  is rotated from the first position shown in  FIGS. 5 and 13  to the second position as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 14 . This causes the above described circuit to close and UV LED lights  26  to be activated to generate UV light L as indicated in  FIGS. 14 and 15 . Preferably, fingernail FN is held in close proximity to lights  26  as shown in  FIG. 15  for approximately one minute or until gel polish G is sufficiently cured. 
     The above described UV LED gel curing nail polish bottle cap provides a simple and convenient device for curing gel nail polish as described above. This makes it possible for anyone at any time in any location to apply and cure durable gel polish. With this device, it is no longer necessary to resort to a salon or to purchase a traditional gel curing lamp for curing gel polish. 
     It is to be understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto, except in so far as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable equivalents thereof.