Patent Publication Number: US-7712473-B1

Title: Fingernail gel curation apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   Not Applicable 
   FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable 
   INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK 
   Not Applicable 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention concerns that of a new and improved fingernail gel curation apparatus that allows an individual to rapidly cure and dry fingernail gel that has been applied to their fingertips, thereby saving time for individuals. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,541, issued to Shoemaker, discloses a light system for providing uniform actinic radiation to fingernails while in a predetermined position. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,523, issued to Grimm, discloses a device for providing essentially uniform UV irradiation of all of the nails of all the fingers of one hand of an individual. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,130,551, issued to Nafziger et al., discloses a nail drying apparatus by which any commercially available nail polish of any color can be dried after being applied to a person&#39;s finger or toe nails. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,444, issued to Ragusa, discloses a cosmetic apparatus for curing a UV sensitive coating and bonding material applied to the surface of a person&#39;s fingernail. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,769, issued to Flynn, discloses a nail dryer that includes a clamshell shaped base for resting a user&#39;s hand thereon. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention concerns that of a new and improved fingernail gel curation apparatus that allows an individual to rapidly cure and dry fingernail gel that has been applied to their fingertips, thereby saving time for individuals and preventing unnecessary ultraviolet light exposure. The apparatus includes a base and two folding upper lid portions that are pivotally attached to the base. The base and each of the upper lid portions each have a UV light that is protected by glass layer so personal contact is not made. When the upper lid portions are closed over the base, a hand hole is present to allow an individual to insert their hand through in order to receive UV light being emitted from the UV lights within the apparatus. The UV light will help to dry fingernail gel applied to the individual&#39;s fingernails in a faster manner than doing nothing, thereby saving an individual time. 
   There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of a fingernail gel curation apparatus that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the fingernail gel curation apparatus that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
   In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the fingernail gel curation apparatus in detail, it is to be understood that the fingernail gel curation apparatus is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The fingernail gel curation apparatus is capable of other embodiments and being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of descriptions and should not be regarded as limiting. 
   As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present fingernail gel curation apparatus. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
   It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fingernail gel curation apparatus which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a fingernail gel curation apparatus which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide a fingernail gel curation apparatus which is of durable and reliable construction. 
   It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a fingernail gel curation apparatus which is economically affordable and available for relevant market segment of the purchasing public. 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the attached drawings and appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of the fingernail gel curation apparatus as it appears ready for use. 
       FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the fingernail gel curation apparatus as it appears with the two upper lid portions opened up. 
       FIG. 3  shows a bottom cutaway view of the base of the fingernail gel curation apparatus, highlighting the UV light within the base and the electrical connections present. 
       FIG. 4  shows a top cutaway view of the two upper lid portions of the fingernail gel curation apparatus, highlighting the two UV lights within the upper lid portions and the electrical connections present. 
       FIG. 5  shows a top representational view of the fingernail gel curation apparatus as it would appear in use with a pair of hands. 
       FIG. 6  shows a bottom representational view of the fingernail gel curation apparatus as it would appear in use with a pair of hands. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6  thereof, a new fingernail gel curation apparatus embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral  2  will be described. 
   As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the fingernail gel curation apparatus  2  comprises a base  4  that includes an internal UV light  34  and a glass base  28  that covers the UV light  34 . The base  4  itself, while possibly being any one of a number of shapes, is preferably rectangular in shape. The UV light  34  that is located within the base  4  is preferably set up analogous to a halogen light, thereby allowing the UV light to be evenly dispersed over the surface area above the glass base  28 . 
   The UV light  34  within the base  4  is preferably powered by a plug  18  that is connected to standard household current. Plug  18  itself is connected to power controller  52 , which is connected to power connector  38  by wires  36 . Power connector  38  itself is connected to UV light  34  through wires  37 . 
   The power traveling from the plug  18  to the UV light  34  can be controlled through use of on/off switch  26 , which is attached to the base  4  and is connected to the power controller  52 . On/off switch  26  acts as a circuit in between power controller  52  and the connector  38 . The on/off switch  26  itself is a two-position switch with an “on” position and an “off” position. When in the “on” position, the switch  26  acts as a closed circuit, thereby allowing power to travel between the power controller  52  and the connector  38 , thereby allowing the UV light  34  to receive power and emit ultraviolet light. When in the “off” position, the switch  26  acts as an open circuit, thereby preventing power from traveling between the power controller  52  and the connector  38 , thereby preventing the UV light  34  from receiving power and emitting ultraviolet light. 
   Left upper door  6  and right upper door  8  are pivotally attached to the base, with left upper door  6  being pivotally attached through use of hinges  10  and  12  and right upper door  8  being pivotally attached through use of hinges  14  and  16 . Door  6  has semi-circular indentation  17  and door  8  has semi-circular indentation  19 , which when put together, create a hand hole  20  that allows an individual to put their hand through. The two indentations  17  and  19  would be put together once the two doors  6  and  8  are wrapped around to rest on top of the base  4 , at which time, the two doors  6  and  8  are flush with one another. 
   Left upper door  6  has an internal UV light  48 , with the light  48  being powered by power source  42 . A number of wires  40  connect the light  48  to the power source  42 . A glass top  30  covers the UV light  48  in order to prevent accidental contact with the UV light  48  by an individual&#39;s hands. 
   Right upper door  8  has an internal UV light  50 , with the light  50  being powered by power source  46 . A number of wires  44  connect the light  50  to the power source  46 . A glass top  32  covers the UV light  50  in order to prevent accidental contact with the UV light  50  by an individual&#39;s hands. 
   In order to assist an individual with opening and closing the doors  6  and  8  in relation to the base, a pair of knobs  22  and  24  are attached to the doors  6  and  8 , respectively. Left knob  22  is attached to door  6 , while right knob  24  is attached to door  8 . An individual can just grasp a knob and then use this handling to move the respective door to its desired position. 
   Once an individual has had fingernail gel applied to their fingernails, it frequently takes awhile for the gel to thicken and harden. Use of ultraviolet lights generates both energy and heat and helps speed up the process of drying this applied fingernail gel. However, ultraviolet light is not the safest type of light, and excessive amounts of ultraviolet can cause skin cancer and in general, skin damage. Therefore, use of the present invention is desired because it limits ultraviolet exposure to a very small portion of an individual—his or her fingernails and surrounding hand. 
   With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
   Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.