Patent ID: 12239197

An eyelash curler1according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in.FIG.1. The eyelash curler1is a handheld device which is manually operable to curl a person's eyelashes. The device1comprises opposed upper10and lower20sections and a living hinge3via which those sections are interconnected.

Upper section10comprises an arm12projecting away from the living hinge3, a distal end of the arm being configured with an axial slot14therethrough, and, received through the slot14, an assembly comprising a downwardly projecting blade16, in the form of a fin, defining an eyelash-engaging edge17which extends substantially perpendicular to the arm12, and a ring member18, attached at a lower end thereof to an upper end of the blade16via a narrow interconnection occupying the slot14, the ring member18defining an actuator operable to draw the edge17along the top of a section of eyelashes to curl the eyelashes, as will be described in further detail later.

The lower section20comprises an arm22, which projects away from the living hinge3, below and substantially parallel with the arm12. The lower section20is configured, at a distal end of the arm22, with an eyelash support portion, in the form of a bed24arranged to support an underside of the section of eyelashes as the blade16is drawn along them, the bed24being curved about an axis parallel to the edge17so as to be downwardly concave. The bed24provides a curved surface25against which the eyelashes rest during operation of the curler1.

The eyelash curler1, referring toFIG.3, is operated as follows. The person holds the curler1by its arms12,22, positioning it such that the person's eyelashes are received between the bed24and blade edge17, and then urges the arms12and22towards each other, by pressing them between finger and thumb, so that the eyelashes are held, in a clamped manner, between the edge17and bed surface25. The person then, with a finger or thumb on the other hand inserted through the ring member18, advances the ring member18towards the hinge3, thereby displacing it and the blade16axially along the slot14, which guides the assembly comprising the ring member18and blade16, towards the hinge3, whereby the edge17is drawn, and more particularly scraped or dragged, along the topside of the eyelashes while they remain clamped between the edge17and surface25. Once the assembly comprising the ring member18and blade16has reached the end of its stroke in the direction towards the hinge3, the person stops urging the arms12and22towards each other, whereby the arms12,22and hinge3resile so that the blade16and bed24are disengaged and the assembly comprising the ring member18and blade16can be displaced back along the slot14, in a direction away from the hinge3, such that it is returned to its start position, whereupon a single cycle of the curler1is complete. The person can then again apply pressure to the arms12and22, effecting clamping of the eyelashes between the blade16and bed24, and draw the edge17along the topside of the eyelashes as previously described. The configuration and degree of curling can be controlled according to the number of cycles through which the curler1′ is put and the amount of clamping pressure the person imparts to the bed24and blade16(which pressure could be varied as the blade16moves from its start position to its end position).

An eyelash curler1′ according to a second preferred embodiment of the invention is shown inFIG.2. In the description of this embodiment, the same reference numerals as have been used in respect of the first embodiment will be used to denote the same or corresponding features.

The curler1′, like the curler1, comprises upper10and lower20sections and a living hinge3via which those sections are interconnected. The section20in the curler1is substantially the same as the section20in the curler1, comprising an arm22projecting from the living hinge3and being configured, at a distal end of the arm22, with a bed24defining curved surface25. The upper section10comprises an arm12′ which, like the arm12, projects away from the hinge3, above and in general alignment with the area22below it, but, unlike the arm12, is configured with laterally spaced apart arm sections11. The upper section10includes a wheel13which comprises a hub (not shown) and several blades16, defined by respective fins, which are fixed at proximal ends thereof to the hub and project radially outwardly therefrom whereby distal ends thereof define respective eyelash-engaging edges17which are arranged in substantially parallel relation at spaced apart positions circumferentially around the wheel13. Distal ends of the arm sections11are configured with laterally inwardly projecting stub shafts (not shown) which are received in opposite ends of the hub such that the wheel13is rotatably supported from the support defined by the arm sections11and stub shafts. Each arm section11is formed with an elbow such that a distal end section thereof extends towards the distal end of the lower section20, whereby the wheel13is positioned adjacent the bed24. The upper section10additionally comprises an actuator wheel15which, like the wheel13, comprises a hub (not shown) and several blades/fins19fixed at proximal ends thereof to the hub and projecting radially outwardly therefrom whereby distal ends thereof define respective edges which are arranged in substantially parallel spaced apart positions circumferentially around the wheel15. The wheels13and15are arranged such that distal ends of the blades/fins16,19thereof, within a region generally between the rotational axes of the wheels13,15, are in overlapping relation, whereby the wheels13,15are meshed. Accordingly, rotation of the wheel19, which may be effected by the person's finger or thumb, effects rotation of the wheel17.

Operation of the curler will now be described, referring toFIG.4. The person holds the curler1′ by its arms12′,22, positioning it such that that person's eyelashes are received between the bed24and wheel13, and then urges the arms12′ and22towards each other, by pressing them between finger and thumb, so that the eyelashes are held, in a clamped manner, between the bed surface25and edges17of the wheels13which are orientated so as to lie adjacent the bed24. The person then, with a finger or thumb on the other hand, rotates the wheel15in the direction shown inFIG.2, causing rotation of the wheel13in the direction shown inFIG.2, and thus successive ones of the blade edges17to be scraped over the topside of the section of eyelashes received between the bed24and wheel13. It will be appreciated that, in operation of the curler1′, the finger/thumb pressure which urges each successive edge17and the bed surface25towards each other can be maintained throughout the duration that the section of eyelashes is worked on.

Operation of each of the curlers1and1′ curls eyelashes according to essentially the same principle as that via which drawing a transversely orientated blade along a strip of pliable or flexible material, such as paper or ribbon, causes that strip to curl. More particularly, the structural characteristics of the topside of the eyelashes are altered by the edge17, such that the topside of each eyelash contracts and the eyelash thus bends upwardly.

Each of the devices1and1′ may be formed from plastic and/or metal.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments. For example, in relation to the first embodiment, a suitable blade may be movably coupled to the upper arm by any one of numerous alternative means, and, in relation to the second embodiment, it will be appreciated that there may be provided, without departure from the invention, numerous alternative means for imparting rotation to the wheel13, such as an actuator wheel and a belt via which the actuator wheel is coupled to the wheel13. Also, the wheel13could be replaced by a drum-type wheel configured with teeth or cogs defining the edges17in which case the wheel could itself be replaced by a drum-type wheel also formed with cogs, which mesh with the cogs on the driven wheel. Furthermore, the wheel15could be omitted, so that rotation of the wheel13is instead effected by direct finger or thumb engagement therewith. Moreover, the curlers1and1′ are configured to work on only a section of eyelashes on an eyelid at a given time (and to be thereafter advanced sideways along the eyelid to a subsequent section as to work on that section), also possible are embodiments of the invention in which all of the eyelashes on the eyelid are worked on, and thus curled, simultaneously.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” and “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.