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This invention relates generally to manicure and cosmetic cases and enclosures used for housing cosmetics of a variety of types, and in particular, a novel design for a manicure/cosmetic case that allows one to be able to apply the manicure and cosmetic products while in a mobile environment such as a vehicle, bus, train, or plane without the aid of another person or without the worry of product spillage due to the vibrations that are inherent in a mobile environment.
Manicure and cosmetics cases are well known in the art. These cases have been for sale since the early 1900's and there are hundreds of different designs on the market which solve a variety of problems for people who use them in their everyday life. These cases are typically designed for portability for being hand-carried in purses or hand bags, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, they are design to hold as much cosmetic and manicure product as possible for home use. U.S. Pat. No. 1,722,507 is an example of a portable, purse-like cosmetic bag. There are many others which fall into the same category such as U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,372, U.S. Pat. No. 36,070,702, U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,696, U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,757, U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,537, U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,813, U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,984, and a few others. In addition, new patent applications being filed at the time of this filing such as patent application #20060124150, application #20040206370, application #20050081877, and application #20050807475, are all related to improvements of prior art for portable cosmetic case solutions. This invention however is designed for covering an entirely different situation all together.
As what often happens in everyday life, people are often in a rush to get from one place to another and when they are running late, they often times do not have time to touch up their finger nails or apply makeup. This usually results in that person having to apply nail polish or makeup in the transportation vehicle they are using to transport them to their destination. This applies to applying nail polish to your nails (toes or fingers) or applying facial makeup. The problem this invention solves that prior art does not address, is the ability to design a manicure/cosmetic case that will allow one to apply these products while sitting down in a moving platform such as a vehicle, train, bus, or plane, while not having to worry about the product spilling over due to the motion of the transportation device that person is riding in.
This invention builds upon the prior art invention taught by Ruth Frank with U.S. Pat. No. 6,693,537, which teaches about a personal item storage tray used for a variety of small items stored in a moldable type material, and extends this to a entirely different application. Thus this invention presents a number of advantages over the prior art and proposes solutions to the problems previously raised and not solved by the prior art that exists. Throughout this specification, the words manicure and cosmetics are used interchangeably although it is general known that products used for manicures fall under the general classification of being a cosmetic product.
Accordingly, several objects and advantages of this invention are:
In summary, this invention describes a manicure/cosmetic carrying case that allows a person to apply manicure or cosmetics while in an unstable, shaky, moving platform in a manner where the person does not have to be concerned about the manicure/cosmetic product spilling out of its container or being damaged in other ways while allowing the person to apply this product without mistakenly getting the product over surfaces not intended to receive the product.
FIG. 1a shows an orthogonal top elevational view of the manicure/cosmetic case in its opened position.
FIG. 1b shows the case from its front elevational view with the case in its fully opened position (viewed by rotating FIG. 1a by 90°)
FIG. 1c shows the case from its right elevational view with the case in its closed position and the carrying handles partially spread outward.
FIG. 2 shows a similar view as FIG. 1b except it also shows the structure of the carrying handles as well. The carrying handles bend in 4 places in either direction.
FIG. 3 shows a bottom side view of the case in its fully opened position.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the case from the top in its fully opened position.
FIG. 5 shows a prototype of the manicure/cosmetic case in its fully opened position (same view as FIG. 4)
FIG. 6 shows a prototype of the manicure/cosmetic case in its closed position with the carrying handles slightly spread apart to show the Velco™
FIG. 7 shows a prototype of the manicure/cosmetic case in its fully closed position
FIG. 8 shows a prototype of the manicure/cosmetic case in a typical application; inside the car with the case opened on ones lap and showing how the manicure/cosmetic product can be applied.
A preferred embodiment of the AutoNails™ manicure/cosmetic case is illustrated in FIGS. 1-6. FIG. 1a-1c shows elevational views of the case in its opened and closed position. In FIG. 1a, the case is shown opened from a top elevational view whereby the inside of the case can be seen. The left side of the case shows two vertical product holder compartments 18, used for keeping a product like the nail polish bottle upright while applying the nail polish to the fingernails. Above the vertical product holder compartment 18 are two slots for the accessory holder 24 used to hold things such as a nail file or nail clippers. The moldable surface pad 4 can be made of a foam-like material to allow the product holder compartment 18 to be flexible enough to hold varying size bottles of different shapes (e.g. square bottles, round ones, etc.). The utility light holder 6 can sit in the middle of the case to allow applying manicure or cosmetic products in the dark without having to use the interior car light. The right hand side of the manicure/cosmetic case contains more product holder compartments 16 which are secured in a horizontal position by the product holder straps 10. The manicure/cosmetic case carrying handles 12 are attached to the manicure/cosmetic case 2 with each handle capable of folding in three places to allow for the handles to be bent backwards for the purpose of wrapping around ones legs to secure the manicure/cosmetic case to ones lap to keep the case from falling off the lap as the vehicle is moving, making turns, sudden stops, etc. The inside of the handles also contains the carrying handle closers 26, which are small magnetic-type devices attached to the middle of the handle to allow the handles to adhere to each other when in its closed position (see prototype in FIG. 6). FIG. 1b shows a front elevational view of the case allowing you to see the height of the moldable surface pads 4 and the depth of the product compartments 18 and 16. FIG. 1c shows the case in its closed position and shows how the Velcro closing straps 14 are used to keep the case closed. The handles are shown partially outward to show the bendable carrying handle body 20. The outside of the case 2 is made of a soft, non-snaggable material so that the case can safely sit on ones lap and not snag ones clothing or underwear (e.g. Pantyhose) when the case unexpectedly shifts in one direction due to the motion of the vehicle.
FIG. 2 is the same elevational view as FIG. 1b except it shows the handles 12 and handles bends 22 in its fully downward position. It also shows the handles 12 in its partially extended position.
FIG. 3 shows the manicure/cosmetic case face down with a view of the backside of the case to expose the position of the handles 12, the shape of the handle body 20, and the handle bends 22 along with the Velcro straps 14.
In order to properly use the AutoNails™ manicure/cosmetic case, the case can be opened by first unstrapping the Velcro case strap closers 14 and then pulling the handles 12 outward from the body of the case 2, followed by bending them downward. Place the handles 12 in-between the thighs as you are sitting down. This secures the case on your lap and will prevent the case from slipping out of your lap due to the vibrations and motion of the vehicle you are traveling in. Place the case flat on your lap after securing the handles in between the thighs.
In preparation of applying nail polish, one would remove the desired nail polish bottle from the storage compartment 16 and place the product upright in the vertical product holder 18 on the left side of the case. When applying nail polish, you can take your right hand and press down the palm on the open area at the bottom half of the right side of the moldable surface pad 4, and then apply the nail polish (see FIG. 8 for an example of how this would look). When finished, you can take your left hand and press down the palm in the open area at the bottom half of the left side of the platform on the moldable surface pad 4 and apply the nail polish. The sturdy padded area allows the hand to be steadied while applying the nail polish even when the vehicle is in motion and you are experiencing vibration from the vehicle. The material absorbs much of the vibration being transferred through the individual and to the case.
To use AutoNails™ as a cosmetic case, one can add an eye shadow palette, lipstick, and a small mirror in the storage 10. AutoNails™ provides a steady platform from which one can apply makeup.
The utility light 6 can be placed in the center of the manicure/cosmetic case and be used during the evening when traveling in the vehicle so that the inside vehicle dome light is not required.
Thus the reader can see, the manicure/cosmetic carrying case described here within allows one to apply manicure or cosmetic products while in an unstable, shaky, moving platform in a fashion that prevents accidental spillage of the manicure/cosmetic product while allowing one to accurately apply the product—all due to the unique design presented here. Additional advantages that this manicure/cosmetic case design has are:
Although the above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. For example, the manicure/cosmetic case can have other forms for the application surfaces and even the actual shape of the external case itself. One can image a circular shape for the case rather than a rectangular shaped as described in this invention. One could also imagine having more compartments of varying shapes or spring loaded walls within the compartments that automatically accommodate various size products wile producing a tight fit to prevent the product from coming out of its compartment if the case suddenly experiences vibration due to the moving vehicle.
Other variations could have a tri-fold type of design whereby there are three surfaces exposed when the case is opened up which can allow for more manicure/cosmetic products to be stored.
In yet another variation, the case can have an expandable surface which allows each surface to be extended at the edges to allow for a larger surface space if desirable.
In yet another variation, the case could have an interlocking device fitted inside the case that will allow the case to open and lock in a 180 degree position. In this horizontal position, one can apply the manicure or cosmetic product without laying the case on the lap.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiment(s) illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.