US3691577A - Water pressure fingernail cleaning unit - Google Patents

Abstract

An improved water pressure fingernail cleaning unit is provided which includes a housing, and a reciprocally actuated nail brush mounted in the housing and through which high pressure water jets are directed at high pressure under the nails of the user.

Description

[ 1 Sept. 19, 1972 3,210,010 10/1965 Delapena...................239/242 CLEANING UNIT E Ed d L R b Primary xaminerwar o erts [72] Inventor: William W. Bliss, 1756 N. Fuller, Ammey jessup & Beecher Los Angeles, Calif. 90046 221 Filed: April 1, 1971 1 1 ABSTRACT [21] Appl' 130,318 An improved water pressure fingernail cleaning unit is provided which includes a housing, and a reciprocally 1 actuated nail brush mounted in the housing and [52] US. R, 134/172 through which high pressure water jets are directed at [51] Int. Cl. 7/04 high pressure under the nails of the user. [58] Field of Search.............15/2l R, 21 B, 39, 97,3;

[56] References Cited 4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,081,471 3/1963 Newell.......................15/21D United States Patent Bliss [54] WATER PRESSURE FINGERNAIL PATENTEDscmmn 3,591,577

Mam, MKQjAa/L/ WATER PRESSURE FINGERNAIL CLEANING UNIT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION ing nail brush.

The unit of the invention has great utility in the home and in factories and shops. Where a persons nails are excessively dirty, such as in the case of a mechanic, a solvent may be introduced into the water, so that even grease and excessive dirt may be quickly and easily scrubbed out from under the nails.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective representation of one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 1. I

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT The unit represented in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises, for example, an elongated housing which may be formed conveniently of a suitable plastic material, and which constitutes a reservoir for water, or other cleaning liquid. A hood 12 is mounted on the top of the housing 10, and it is open at one side, as best shown in FIG. 2, so as to permit the user to extend his hand around the top of the hood 12 with his fingernails projecting under the right-hand edge of the hood and into its interior. The housing is shaped to form a splash plate, as shown, so that splashed water during operation of the unit is returned to the reservoir.

The housing 10 may extend slightly beyond the end of the hood 12, as shown in FIG. 1 to permit it to be placed under a faucet, so that the reservoir in the housing may be filled with water. An overflow slot 14 is provided, so that the water will fill only to a particular level.

A fountain-type nail brush 16 is slidably mounted in a guide track 18 at the top of the housing 10. The nail brush has a plurality of bristles 20 which are positioned so that they will extend under the nails of the user when he extends his fingers under the edge of the hood and into its interior. Then, as the brush 16 is moved back and forth, the bristles 20 scrub under the nails of the user. The user may place his hand around the hood 12 with his fingers extending under the rim of the hood and into the interior and against the bristles 20 of the brush 16. Of course, the brush 16 may have its bristles extending in any suitable direction, and the fingers may be inserted into the housing in a variety of directions without departing from the concept of the invention.

The brush 16 also has a series of apertures 22 through which high pressure water jets emerge, so that the water is directed at high pressure under the nails of the user, at the same time as the bristles 20 perform their scrubbing action. As mentioned above, a suitable solvent may be included in the water in the reservoir for scrubbing out excessively dirty fingernails.

' An electrically energized reciprocating pump designated 26 is mounted in the housing within the reservoir, and the pump has a screen intake 28 through which the water in the reservoir is drawn. The pump moves reciprocally back and forth, and, at the same time, discharges water at high pressure through a pipeline 30 which couples the pump to the interior of the fountain brush 16. Also, as the pump operates, the pipeline 30 moves back and forth as shown by the arrows, and causes the nail brush l6 and the jets 22 to reciprocate at a high speed back and forth within the guide track 18. The pump 26 may be electrically energized by an electric cord 34 which may be plugged into any usual alternating current household outlet.

In operating the unit, it is merely necessary to place it under a water faucet until water overflows through the slots 14. Then, the pump is energized, and the fingers are inserted into the unit around the bottom edge of the hood 12. The resulting scrubbing action of the nail brush 16 and the action of the high pressure water jets emerging from the apertures 22 quickly and rapidly cleans and scrubs the fingernails. The brush 16 may be make replaceable, so that a new brush may be inserted when the bristles 20 become worn.

It will be appreciated, of course, that the concept of the invention embraces units of a. variety of structural compositions which are feasible in carrying out the function and intendment of the invention. For example, although a reciprocating type brush action is shown and described other brush action is possible. Also the pump may be a rotary type with appropriate coupling to the brush. Moreover, the water jets may be stationary and only the brush may move back and forth across the jets. Therefore, although a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, modifications may be made. All such modifications that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention are set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A fingernail cleaning unit including: a housing defining a reservoir for cleaning liquid; a hood mounted on the top of the housing and open at one side to permit a user to extend his hand around the top of the hood with his fingernails projecting under the edge of the hood and into the interior of the housing; a head mounted in said housing for directing the cleaning liquid at high pressure at the open side of the hood and under the fingernails of the user; and pump means mounted in said housing for pumping the cleaning fluid from said reservoir at high pressure to said head.

2. The unit defined in claim 1, in which said head is reciprocally mounted in said housing, and in which said head is mechanically coupled to said pump means, so that said pump means imparts reciprocal movement to said head.

3. A fingernail cleaning unit including: a housing defining a reservoir for cleaning liquid; a head reciprocally mounted in said housing for direction the cleaning liquid at high pressure under the fingernails of the user; and pump means mounted in said housing for pumping the cleaning fluid from said reservoir at high pressure to said head, said head being mechanically coupled to said pump means so that said pump means imparts reciprocal movement to said head, and which includes a brush means mounted on said head.

4. The unit defined in claim 3, in which said brush 5 means is removably mounted on said head.

Claims (4)

1. A fingernail cleaning unit including: a housing defining a reservoir for cleaning liquid; a hood mounted on the top of the housing and open at one side to permit a user to extend his hand around the top of the hood with his fingernails projecting under the edge of the hood and into the interior of the housing; a head mounted in said housing for directing the cleaning liquid at high pressure at the open side of the hood and under the fingernails of the user; and pump means mounted in said housing for pumping the cleaning fluid from said reservoir at high pressure to said head.

2. The unit defined in claim 1, in which said head is reciprocally mounted in said housing, and in which said head is mechanically coupled to said pump means, so that said pump means imparts reciprocal movement to said head.

3. A fingernail cleaning unit including: a housing defining a reservoir for cleaning liquid; a head reciprocally mounted in said housing for direction the cleaning liquid at high pressure under the fingernails of the user; and pump means mounted in said housing for pumping the cleaning fluid from said reservoir at high pressure to said head, said head being mechanically coupled to said pump means so that said pump means imparts reciprocal movement to said head, and which includes a brush means mounted on said head.

4. The unit defined in claim 3, in which said brush means is removably mounted on said head.

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