Nail drying apparatus and method therefor

2020~42 This invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for rapidly drying a nail polish or enamel that has been applied to a human nail. More particularly, the invention concerns an apparatus and method that first applies a coating of a photo-reactive chemical to a freshly-polished nail and then exposes that nail to ultraviolet radiation which reacts with the coating and substantially-completely dries the nail polish within three minutes.

10In the past, nail polish and enamels were air dried after they were applied. This process required a very long period of time before the nail polish dried on the nails.

While waiting for the polish to dry, the polish wearer had to avoid touching the surface of the nails, or else the polish would smear or smudge, resulting in a ruined manicure. In effect, the wearer was prevented from using her hands in any normal everyday activity while the polish was drying. This especially proved burdensome for salon ! customers who needed to manipulate purses, car keys and other objects immediately after receiving a manicure.

Presently, in nail salons and homes around the world, nail polish is applied in a three step process.

Firstly, a base-coat is used to fill ridges in the nail and to prevent the coloured polish or enamel, applied in step two, from staining the natural nail.

Secondly, two coats of coloured polish or enamel are applied. Two coats are usually used in order to provide an opaque and colourful finish.

B 2020442 Thirdly, a clear top coat is applied to protect the nail polish or enamel, applied in step two, to give it a prominent shine and provide extended wear.

Realizing the burden that the above-identified air drying method put on people with freshly manicured hands,devices were developed to try to expedite the drying process. These devices generally consisted of a box-like dryer which blew or circulated hot or cold air onto the nail's surface for a specified period of time (see U.S.

Patent Nos. 2,374,472 and 2,262,274).

However, these devices could only dry the top coating on the nail and did not dry the nail polish underneath the top coating.

Consequently, additional exposure to the air was required to dry the lower coatings of nail polish and the manicure was still easily ruined if the nail's surface came into contact with another hard surface. As a result, nail polish wearers still had to use their hands cautiously for several hours so as not to ruin the manicure.

U.S. Patent No. 3,928,113 disclosed a process for coating nails comprised of the steps of applying a water soluble base coat to the nails, allowing the base coat to dry, then applying a photo-curable nail lacquer and curing the lacquer by exposing it to sufficient amounts of radiation. The alleged inventive purpose behind this patent was to try to develop a nail coating that could be removed by water instead of by an acetone-based, commercially-available nail polish remover. Accordingly, the nail lacquer was specifically designed for a water-soluble 2020~2 base coat and commercially-available nail polishes could not be used in the process.

U.S.

Patent No. 4,596,260 disclosed a process of applying a photo-curable coating to an artificial nail tip S whereby, upon exposure to suitable radiation, the coating hardened to give the appearance of a natural nail.

The photo-curable coating was devoid of any solvents and thus was very difficult to remove if applied to commonly used nail polishes.

Thus, while both the above-referred-to references are relevant to show the general state of the art, neither is directed to the inventive purpose behind the subject invention which is rapidly to dry any commercial-available nail polish and enamel.

Accordingly, a need still exists for a nail drying apparatus and a method for drying nail polish which utilizes a photo-reactive coating and ultraviolet radiation, in safe dosages, that can dry any commercially! available nail polishes and enamels after they have been applied to a human nail.

An object then of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a nail drying apparatus and method for drying nail polish which utilizes a photo-reactive nail coating and ultraviolet radiation, in safe dosages.

2S An object of another aspect of the present invention is to provide a nail drying apparatus and method for drying nail polish which rapidly dries nail polish and enamel.

B - 2020442 An object of yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a nail drying apparatus and method for drying nail polish that can be used to dry any commercially-available nail polish of any colour.

By one broad aspect of this invention, a nail polish drying apparatus is provided comprising: a housing member of ovate-cross-section having a bottom portion and a top portion, the bottom portion being larger in width than the top portion, the apparatus having a length of sufficient size to permit a user to grip the bottom portion of the housing member in one hand; a horizontally-extending opening located in the top portion of the apparatus, the opening having a width and length of sufficient size to permit the user to insert at least four fingers of one hand into the opening while holding the bottom portion of the housing member in one hand; means located within the opening for emitting ultraviolet radiation simultaneously to shine on at least four of the fingernails of the user's ! hand such that a photo-reactive coating which has been applied over a nail polish is cured by sufficient exposure to the ultraviolet radiation.

By one variant thereof, the ultraviolet radiation has a wavelength from 320 nanometres to 390 nanometres.

By another variant thereof, the means for emitting the ultraviolet radiation is further comprised of: means for generating the ultraviolet radiation; and means within the top portion for enclosing and supporting the means for generating the ultraviolet radiation.

B 20204~ By one variation of that variant, the means for generating the ultraviolet radiation is operably connected to an energy source.

By another variation thereof, the energy source is conventional household alternating electrical current.

By yet another variation thereof, the energy source is D.C. electrical current produced by conventional batteries.

By still another variation thereof, the housing member is light-weight and portable.

By still another variation thereof, the housing member is shaped to fit into the palm of the user's hand.

By a still further variation thereof, the apparatus further includes switch means for turning the means for generating the ultraviolet radiation on and off.

lS By a further variation thereof, the means for generating is a fluorescent light bulb, e.g., a long wavelength ultraviolet black light bulb.

By another variant of this invention, the housing r member includes: eyeshield means for directing the ultra violet radiation in substantially one direction; and the opening has gripping means for allowing the housing member to be grasped by the user's left hand or right hand.

By one variation thereof, the eyeshield means is rotatably coupled to the housing member over the entire range of 360 degrees.

By yet another variation thereof, the eyeshield means is normally positioned to direct the ultraviolet radiation onto the gripping means, e.g., where the eyeshield means is B 6 20204~2 normally positioned to direct the ultraviolet radiation onto the gripping means, and further where the switch means is positioned below the gripping means so that the means for generating the ultraviolet radiation can be turned on and off by pressing and depressing the gripping means.

By a further variation thereof, the gripping means causes the user's fingernails to align in a row across the gripping means when the housing member is grasped by the user, e.g., where the gripping means is positioned a lo sufficient distance from the means for generating the ultraviolet radiation to permit the rapid drying of the nail polish after the photo-reactive coating has been applied.

By another variant of this invention, the photo reactive coating is applied as a top coat over the nailpolish.

By other variants of this invention, the photoreactive coating is a transparent coating; or the photo ! reactive coating chemically binds with, and rapidly dries, any commercially-available nail polish of any colour upon the exposure; or the photo-reactive coating is removable by any commercially-available nail polish remover; or the photo-reactive coating is water resistant; or the photoreactive coating is resistant to mild organic acids; or the photo-reactive coating is homogeneous.

By another variant of this invention, the photoreactive coating is comprised of selected solvents, a selected primary film former, a selected photo-curable B;

2020442 monomer, a selected photo-curable oligomer, a selected photoinitiator, and a selected inhibitor; e.g., where photo-reactive coating includes from 30% to 70%, by weight, of the solvents and from 20% to 35% by weight of the primary film former.

By another variant thereof, the solvents comprise ethyl acetate and butyl acetate and wherein the primary film former comprises nitrocellulose.

By a specific variant thereof, the coating comprises as follows, by weight:

ethyl acetate...in the range from 20% to 40%;

butyl acetate...in the range from 1% to 15%;

nitrocellulose...in the range from 25% to 45%;

ethyl methacrylate...in the range from 10% to 30%;

oligomer... in the range from 1% to 15%;

photoinitiator...in the range from 1% to 15%;

inhibitor...> 1%.

By another aspect of this invention, a method is provided for drying nail polish after it has been applied to a human nail, comprising the steps of: applying any commercially available nail polish of any colour over at least one human nail; applying a photo-reactive coating over the nail polish, the photo-reactive coating being one that chemically binds with and dries the nail polish upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation; and irradiating the photo-reactive coating, after it has been applied over the nail polish, with safe dosages of ultraviolet radiation rapidly to dry the nail polish, and whereby the photo B 8 202044~ reactive coating is cured by exposure to the ultraviolet radiation; e.g., where the step of irradiating lasts three minutes.

By one variant of that aspect of the invention, the method includes the photo-reactive coating as a top coat over the nail polish; e.g., where the photo-reactive coating is a transparent coating.

By other variations of that variant, the photoreactive coating chemically binds with and rapidly dries any commercially-available nail polish of any colour upon the exposure; or where the photo-reactive coating is removable by any commercially-available nail polish remover; or where the photo-reactive coating is waterresistant; or where the photo-reactive coating is resistant to mild organic acids; or where the photo-reactive coating is homogeneous.

By yet another variation thereof, the photo-reactive coating is comprised of sufficient amounts of photoreactive solvents, a selected primary film former, a selected photo-curable monomer, a selected photo-curable oligomer, photoinitiator, and a selected inhibitor; e.g., where the photo-reactive coating includes from 30% to 70%, by weight, of the solvents and from 20% to 35% by weight of the primary film former.

By still another variation thereof, the solvents comprise ethyl acetate and butyl acetate, and the primary film former comprises nitrocellulose.

B 2020442 By a specific variation thereof, the photo-reactive coating comprise as follows, by weight:

ethyl acetate... in the range from 20% to 40%;

butyl acetate... in the range from 1% to 15%;

nitrocellulose.. .in the range from 25% to 45%;

ethyl methacrylate...in the range from 10% go 30%;

oligomer...in the range from 1% to 15%;

photoinitiator...in the range from 1% to 15%;

inhibitor...> 1%.

By another variation thereof, the photo-reactive coating is removable by any commercially-available nail polish remover.

By yet a further variation thereof, the step of irradiating includes the steps of: providing a portable means for emitting ultraviolet radiation, the portable means being one that can be held in the user's palm, and having an eyeshield means which is rotatably-connected for directing the ultraviolet radiation in substantially one direction, and the portable means having an integral gripping means; grasping the means for emitting ultraviolet radiation along the gripping means whereby the user's fingernails are aligned in a row across the gripping means;

rotating the eyeshield means to direct the ultraviolet radiation in the direction of the gripping means; and energizing the means for emitting ultraviolet radiation for a period of three minutes, whereby the fingernails are irradiated by the ultraviolet radiation and the nail polish B 2020412 is rapidly dried, and wherein the photo-reactive coating is cured by sufficient exposure to the ultraviolet radiation.

Thus, the present invention provides a coating for nails that is applied to the nails as the top coat.

Like present day top coats, this coating is clear, imparts a prominent shine, and also provides extended wear.

Unlike present day top coats, however, the coating is photoreactive.

Thus, after this coating has been applied as a top coat, by the method of an aspect of the present invention, a source of ultraviolet radiation is provided, in safe dosages, that irradiates the top coat causing the coating -to react, which results in the nail polish or enamel underneath drying within a few minutes.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the component of the present invention that emits ultraviolet radiation;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of Fig. 1 along line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of Fig. 1 along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an electrical schematic;

Fig. 5 is a view of the preferred embodiment of Fig.

1 being used on toe nails; and Fig. 6 shows the eyeshield connected to the housing.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 to 3 show the ultraviolet radiation emitting device generally designated by reference number 10 comprised of a housing 12 having an B 20204~2 ovate shape to enable the device to fit easily and snugly into the palm of a user's hand 8. The housing 12 is preferably formed from a lightweight plastic and has a base section 13 and two parallel integral arm members 14 and 15 that extend out from the base section 13. Each arm member 14 and 15 has a circular groove 16 and 17 respectively.

The grooves 16 and 17 have the same dimensions and are positioned to face and be aligned with each other. An eyeshield 18 is rotatably connected to the arm members 14 and 15 by sliding each end of the eyeshield 18 into the grooves 16 and 17 (see Fig. 6). Enclosed by arm members 14 and l5, eyeshield 18 and the top side 26 of the base section 13 is a gripping means 20 through which the user can place his/her fingers 7 when grasping the device 10.

Extending along the top side 26 is an on/off switch 22.

The switch 22 is electrically coupled to an electric ballast 24 through a hole 25 on the top side 26. A power cord 28 runs from the electric ballast 24, through a hole in the bottom side 32 of base section 13, to an external power source. Electric wires 34 are connected at one end to the electric ballast 24 and run up through arm members 14 and 15 and connect at their other end to electric sockets 36. Between the electric sockets 36 is coupled a fluorescent light bulb 38 that emits long wave ultraviolet radiation and is of the type generally commerciallyavailable, e.g., that known by the trade-mark F4T5/350 blacklight bulb, for example. Fig. 4 shows the electrical circuit for this device.

B 20204~2 12 It should be known to one trained in the art that ultraviolet radiation in the medium to short wavelengths (W -B and W -C) can be harmful to human skin and eyes.

Thus, in the preferred embodiment, the light bulb 38 would S emit ultraviolet radiation in the long wavelengths (W-A) from 320 to 390 nanometres. While it is recognized that exposure even to long wavelength ultraviolet radiation may be harmful to a person's skin and eyes if such exposure is for long periods of time, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, exposure times of only three minutes will be required. It is also preferably that the light bulb 38 -be fluorescent instead of incandescent, because fluorescent light bulbs emit 80 percent light and 20 percent heat while incandescent light bulbs emit 80 percent heat and 20 percent light.

In the preferred embodiment, the eyeshield 18 is curved, creating a parabolic channel 19 which encompasses the light bulb 38. The eyeshield 18 is made of a material that is opaque to ultraviolet radiation and is normally positioned to direct ultraviolet radiation onto the switch 22 and the top side 26.

The operation of the apparatus of an aspect of the present invention is simple and easy. First, the power cord 28 is connected to an external power source and, if needed, the eyeshield 18 is rotated to the normal position.

Then the user follows steps one and two of the common procedure, described hereinabove, for applying any commercially-available nail polish to his/her nails. In B 20204~2 step three of such common procedure, the photo-reactive coating is applied. The user then grasps gripping means 20. By grasping gripping means 20, the user's fingernails are automatically positioned to be irradiated by the light bulb 38 and the user's fingertips are automatically positioned on top of switch 22. The user then presses down and then-releases the switch 22, thereby energizing the light bulb 38. Once the light bulb 38 is energized, the fingernails are lrradiated with long wave ultraviolet radiation and the photo-reactive coating chemically binds and reacts with the fresh nail polish underneath, thereby drying the nail polish in three minutes. The device 10 is turned off by again pressing down and releasing the switch 22. The user can then switch hands and repeat the process lS or alternatively the user can rotate the eyeshield 18 and irradiate the nails on the other hand or on a foot (see Fig. 5).

The photo-reactive coating is comprised of selected solvents, a selected primary film former, selected photo curable monomers, a selected oligomer, a selectedphotoinitiator and a selected inhibitor. As these ingredients are commonly found in nail-coating products, one skilled in the art would readily understand the purpose for each of these in the photo-reactive coating.

Consequently, these ingredients need not be discussed in great detail. In the preferred embodiment of the coating, the solvents are ethyl acetate and butyl acetate, and the primary film former is nitrocellulose. The use of these ~3 2020442 14 solvents and primary film former allow the coating to be removed by any commercially-available, acetone-based nail polish remover and improves the coating's compatibility with commercially-available coloured nail enamels and polishes. The coating is formulated to react with long wavelength ultraviolet radiation as this radiation will not harm human skin or eyes if exposed for short periods of time. In the preferred embodiment, the coating is comprised by weight, within plus or minus 10%, of:

ethyl acetate;................... 30% butyl acetate..................... 5% nitrocellulose................... 35% ethyl methacrylate............... 20% oligomer.......................... 5% photoinitiator.................... 5% inhibitor........................ >1% An example of a photoinitiator that could be used in the preferred embodiment is that known by the trade-mark DAROCURE 1173~ distributed by EMI Industries of New York City. Likewise, butane dio dicyclate could be used as the oligomer and methylethyl hydroquinone and be used as the inhibitor.

As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, these chemicals were selected, in part, because they are non-toxic and generally non-photoallergenic.

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