US20040020506A1

US20040020506A1 - Eyelash curler

Info

Publication number: US20040020506A1
Application number: US10/404,422
Authority: US
Inventors: Mikitoshi Sugiyama
Original assignee: Green Bell Co Ltd
Current assignee: Green Bell Co Ltd
Priority date: 2002-07-30
Filing date: 2003-04-01
Publication date: 2004-02-05

Abstract

An eyelash curler includes a handle, a frame member provided on an upper side of the handle, a slide member movable up and down within the frame member and a control member making the slide member movable, and eyelashes are received between the slide member and an upper part of the control member to be curled. The handle includes an upper part and a lower part rotatably connected to make the handle foldable. The handle also includes an upper engagement part, provided at the upper part of the handle or at the frame member, and a lower engagement part, provided at the lower part of the handle. They are engaged in a manner of pressing each other to keep the handle folded. In this eyelash curler, a user can make the handle shorter to carry easily and can make the handle longer to use easily.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an eyelash curler used for curling eyelashes.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There has been an eyelash curler that includes a handle, a frame member provided on an upper side of the handle, a slide member movable up and down within the frame member and a control member which makes the slide member move up and down. Eyelashes are received between the slide member and an upper part of the frame member of the known eyelash curler to be curled.

The control member is attached to the slide member at its upper end and to the handle at its lower end and provided with a bendable part in the middle urging the control member to bend out forward (i.e., to a user's side, hereinafter the same). The user presses the control member toward the handle with his or her thumb or finger to enlarge an angle of the bendable part. Then the control member is widened and become flatter so that the slide member moves up. On the other hand, removing the user's thumb or finger from the control member allows the control member to return to its previous bent state and the slide member moves down.

This type of conventional eyelash curler is expected to have a shorter handle enabling a user to carry easily. However, the eyelash curler with the shorter handle results in being hard to hold and difficult to use for the user.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is hence an object of the present invention to provide an eyelash curler with an adjustable handle in length, that is a user can make the handle shorter to carry easily and also can make the handle longer when the eyelash curler is in use.

To solve the foregoing drawbacks, this invention takes some technical steps, which are described next in detail.

An eyelash curler according to the present invention includes a handle, a frame member provided on an upper side of the handle, a slide member movable up and down within the frame member and a control member which makes the slide member move up and down. Eyelashes are received between the slide member and an upper part of the frame member to be curled. The handle includes an upper part and a lower part which are connected together to mutually rotate so that the handle can be folded in two.

The control member is attached to the slide member at its upper end and to the handle at its lower end and provided with a bendable part in the middle urging the control member to bend out forward. At the time of the handle being folded in two, the control member is pushed by the lower part of the handle, so that an angle of the bendable part will be enlarged.

When the handle is folded in two, a part of the control member may be received into a hole which is formed in the lower part of the handle.

In the eyelash curler according to the present invention, the handle includes the upper part and the lower part which are connected together to mutually rotate so that the handle is folded in two. The handle further includes an upper engagement part at the upper part and a lower engagement part at the lower part. The upper engagement part and the lower engagement part are engaged in a manner that they press each other, so that the handle remains folded in two. Both the upper engagement part and the lower engagement part may have rounded edges.

The upper engagement part may be formed at the frame member. In this case, the upper and the lower engagement parts are engaged in the same manner as mentioned above and the handle remains folded in two.

Moreover, the eyelash curler includes the slide member movable up and down within the frame member provided on the upper part of the handle. The frame member and the upper part of the handle may be formed in one body. In this particular case, the upper engagement part is defined by a top face of the handle as well as an upper face of a lower part of the frame member while the lower engagement part is defined by upper faces of two projections provided on a front side of the lower part of the handle.

In the eyelash curler according to the present invention, a length from the upper engagement part to a pivot of the handle and a length from the lower engagement part thereto may be different from each other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an eyelash curler according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a handle is unfolded. [0016]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the eyelash curler according to the present invention, in which the handle is folded in two. [0017]
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the eyelash curler according to the present invention, in which the handle is unfolded. [0018]
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the eyelash curler according to the present invention, in which the handle is in the middle of being folded. [0019]
FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the eyelash curler according to the present invention, in which the handle is completely folded. [0020]
FIG. 6 is a front view of a slide member and a control member of the eyelash curler according to the present invention, in which an elastic member of the slide member is removed. [0021]
FIG. 7 is a partially omitted longitudinal sectional view of the eyelash curler according to the present invention, in which the handle is in the middle of being folded, showing a situation that an upper engagement part and a lower engagement part are about to be engaged. [0022]
FIG. 8 is a diagram of the eyelash curler according to the present invention, showing a moment when the upper engagement part and the lower engagement part are just about to be engaged. [0023]
FIG. 9 is a partially omitted longitudinal sectional view of the eyelash curler according to the present invention, showing a situation that the upper engagement part and the lower engagement part are engaged. [0024]
FIG. 10 is a side view of the eyelash curler according to the present invention, in which the handle is completely folded in two.[0025]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail hereinafter. [0026]
As shown in FIG. 1, an eyelash curler according to the present invention includes a [0027] handle 1, a frame member 2 provided on an upper side of the handle 1, a slide member 3 movable up and down within the frame member 2, and a control member 4 which makes the slide member 3 move up and down. Eyelashes are received between the slide member 3 and an upper part 2 a of the frame member 2 to be curled. The handle 1 includes an upper part 1 a and a lower part 1 b which are connected together to mutually rotate so that the handle 1 can be folded in two.
The [0028] control member 4 is attached to the slide member 3 at its upper end and to the handle 1 at its lower end and provided with a bendable part 4 a in the middle so that the control member 4 is urged to bend out forward. At the time of the handle 1 being folded in two, the control member 4 is pushed by the lower part 1 b of the handle 1, so that an angle of the bendable part 4 a will be enlarged and then the control member 4 will be widened and become flatter.
As shown in FIG. 7 through FIG. 9, the [0029] handle 1 also includes an upper engagement part 7 provided at the top face of the upper part 1 a and a lower engagement part 8 provided at the lower part 1 b. The upper engagement part 7 and the lower engagement part 8 are engaged in a manner that they press each other so that the handle 1 remains folded in two. Both the upper and the lower engagement parts 7 and 8 have rounded edges.
The [0030] handle 1, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, including the upper part 1 a and the lower part 1 b which is rotatably connected at a bottom part of the upper part 1 a is made to be about 10 cm in length in an unfolded condition.
The [0031] handle 1 also has a hollow at a front side of the upper part 1 a. The hollow 5 is big enough to receive almost the entire control member 4 when the handle 1 is folded in two.
The [0032] lower part 1 b of the handle 1 is made to be longer than the upper part 1 a of the handle 1 so that a bottom end 6 reaches to around the upper part 2 a of the frame member 2 when the handle 1 is folded in two (see FIG. 2). A bottom half of the lower part 1 b of the handle 1 is shaped in being bent forward. The lower part 1 b has a hole 9 above the bent portion (see FIG. 1) so that a press part 4 b described hereinafter is received into the hole 9 when the handle 1 is folded in two.
The [0033] frame member 2 in a four-sided shape, including the upper part 2 a, a lower part 2 b, a left part 2 c and a right part 2 d, may be made in one body with the upper part 1 a of the handle 1. Both the upper part 2 a and the lower part 2 b are curved backward. A left end part 3 a and a right end part 3 b of the slide member 3 are respectively slidably attached to the left part 2 c and the right part 2 d of the frame member 2.
The [0034] upper engagement part 7 in this embodiment is defined by a top face 20 of the handle 1 as well as an upper face 20 of the lower part 2 b of the frame member 2 since the upper part 1 a of the handle 1 and the frame member 2 is formed in one body (see FIG. 2). However, in another embodiment that the upper part 1 a of the handle 1 and the frame member 2 are separately formed, the upper engagement part 7 is defined by an upper face of the lower part 2 b of the frame member 2, not by a top face of the handle 1.
The [0035] lower engagement part 8 in this embodiment is, as clearly shown in FIG. 1, defined by upper faces of the two projections provided at both the right and left end portions of the front side and under the bent portion of the lower part 1 b of the handle 1. Both of the engagement parts 7 and 8 are elastic and form respective portions of the frame member 2 and the handle 1 produced in one body by plastic molding.
As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a length from the [0036] lower engagement part 8 to a pivot 15 of the handle 1 is about 39 mm while a length from the upper engagement part 7 thereto is longer by about 0.26 mm. When the handle 1 being folded, the slide member 3, pushed by the control member 4, moves up toward the upper part 2 a of the frame member 2 to provide a space between the slide member 3 and the lower part 2 b of the frame member 2. Here, when the projections on the lower part 1 b enter the space, while the lower part 1 b of the handle 1 elastically deforms, the lower engagement part 8 gets on the upper engagement part 7. The handle 1 is kept in a folded state in a manner that both the upper and lower engagement parts 7 and 8 press each other.
In an eyelash curler according to a different embodiment wherein a length from a [0037] lower engagement part 8 to a pivot 15 is made to be longer than a length from an upper engagement part 7 thereto, a handle 1 is also kept in a folded state in the same manner described above.
As shown FIG. 7 through FIG. 9, at the time of folding or unfolding the [0038] handle 1, the upper part 1 a and the lower part 1 b mutually rotate on the pivot 15. As stated above, since both the upper and the lower engagement parts 7 and 8 have rounded edges, they slide in contact with each other on the rounded edges to be engaged or disengaged (see FIG. 8). This prevents concentration of a force in a certain point which causes unsmooth folding and unfolding of the handle 1 and allows a user readily to open and/or close the handle 1.
In the eyelash curler, the above mentioned structure with the upper and the [0039] lower engagement parts 7 and 8 easily allows a moderate engaging state between the upper and lower parts 1 a and 1 b of the handle 1 and provides a high durability to the eyelash curler.
As shown FIG. 1, 3 and [0040] 6, the slide member 3 is formed in a strip shape curved backward like the foregoing upper and lower parts 2 a and 2 b of the frame member 2. An elastic member 11, such as made of silicone rubber, is fitted into a groove 10 formed in an upper end of the slide member 3. Moreover, the lower part 1 b of the handle 1 is formed with a groove of the same shape as the elastic member 11 for storing a spare elastic member 11′.
The [0041] control member 4 forms a T-shape with the slide member 3, and may be made in one body with the slide member 3. The upper end of the control member 4 is attached to the middle of the lower end of the slide member 3 through a flexible thin part 12. The bottom part of the control member 4, which has protuberances 13 at both left and right sides, is attached to the handle 1 by rotatably putting the protuberances 13 into holes 16 which are formed on a left and a right side faces near the lower end of the hollow 5.
The [0042] bendable part 4 a is a thin part formed in the middle of the control member 4. The control member 4 is urged to bend out forward by a pressing member 14. The pressing member 14 is here a metal coil spring. One side of the pressing member 14 is fixed to the backside of a press part 4 b provided just under the bendable part 4 a, while the other side is fixed to the bottom of the hollow 5 of the upper part 1 a of the handle 1.
The [0043] press part 4 b is provided just under the bendable part 4 a of the control member 4 and formed with a recess on its front side. The recess is shaped well fit to a thumb or a finger of a user. The user presses this press part 4 b with his or her thumb or finger to enlarge an angle of the bendable part 4 a. Then the control member 4 is widened and become flatter so that the slide member 3 moves up. On the other hand removing the user's thumb or finger from the press part 4 b allows the control member 4 to return to its previous bent state.
In the eyelash curler according to the present invention, as stated above, the [0044] handle 1 can be folded in two and unfolded so that a user can make the handle 1 longer to hold the eyelash curler easily when it is in use, while the user can make the handle 1 shorter to make the eyelash curler compact when it is not in use.
Moreover, when the [0045] handle 1 is folded in two, the control member 4 is pushed by the lower part 1 b of the handle 1 so that an angle of the bendable part 4 a is enlarged and the control member 4 is widened and become flatter. This makes not only the handle 1 shorter but also the eyelash curler thinner. And no extra clamp is needed to keep the control member 4 widened and flatter. Therefore, this eyelash curler is convenient to put into a package for sale, a portable case and so on.
As shown in FIG. 2, the [0046] lower part 1 b of the handle 1 works as a cover of some parts such as the control member 4 to protect them from damage.
When the [0047] handle 1 is folded in two, the structure of the upper engagement part 7 and the lower engagement part 8 as described above makes it possible to keep a moderate engaging state of the upper part 1 a and the lower part 1 b of the handle 1 for a long time.
In addition, when the [0048] handle 1 is folded in two, the control member 4 may not need to be completely flat and it may be slightly bent. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the control member 4 is slightly bent when the handle 1 is folded in two and the press part 4 b is received into the hole 9 formed at the lower part 1 b of the handle 1 in a manner that a part of the press part 4 b comes out forward from the hole 9.
This eyelash curler is composed of parts mainly made of plastic, however not limitative thereto, and these parts can be made of many other materials. [0049]
The eyelash curler according to the present invention with the structure as mentioned above can be folded in two to make the [0050] handle 1 shorter so that the eyelash curler is convenient to carry. The handle 1 can be also unfolded to make it longer when the eyelash curler is in use.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An eyelash curler comprising:

a handle;

a frame member provided on an upper side of the handle;

a slide member movable up and down within the frame member;

a control member making the slide member move up and down;

the slide member and an upper part of the frame member receiving eyelashes therebetween to curl them; and

the handle including an upper part and a lower part which are connected together to mutually rotate to make the handle foldable.

2. The eyelash curler according to claim 1, wherein the control member is attached to the slide member at its upper end and to the handle at its lower end, provided with a bendable part in a middle urging the control member to bend out forward; and

the control member is pushed by the lower part of the handle to enlarge an angle of the bendable part when the handle is folded in two.

3. The eyelash curler according to claim 1, wherein a hole is formed at the lower part of the handle to receive a part of the control member when the handle is folded in two.

4. The eyelash curler according to claim 2, wherein a hole is formed at the lower part of the handle to receive a part of the control member when the handle is folded in two.

5. An eyelash curler comprising a handle including an upper part and a lower part which are connected together to mutually rotate to make the handle foldable; and

the handle further including an upper engagement part at the upper part and a lower engagement part at the lower part engaging in a manner that both the upper engagement part and the lower engagement part press each other to keep the handle folded and have rounded edges respectively.

6. An eyelash curler comprising a frame member provided on an upper side of a handle and the handle including an upper part and a lower part which are connected together to mutually rotate to make the handle foldable; and

an upper engagement part formed at the frame member and a lower engagement part formed at the lower part of the handle engaging in a manner that both the upper engagement part and the lower engagement part press each other to keep the handle folded and have rounded edges respectively.

7. The eyelash curler according to claim 5 further comprising a slide member movable up and down within a frame member provided on an upper side of the handle, the frame member and the upper part of the handle being formed in one body, wherein the upper engagement part is defined by a top face of the handle as well as an upper face of a lower part of the frame member, while the lower engagement part is defined by upper faces of projections provided on a front side of the lower part of the handle.

8. The eyelash curler according to claim 6 further comprising a slide member movable up and down within the frame member, the frame member and the upper part of the handle being separately formed, wherein the upper engagement part is defined by an upper face of a lower part of the frame member, while the lower engagement part is defined by upper faces of projections provided on a front side of the lower part of the handle.

9. The eyelash curler according to claim 5 wherein a length from the upper engagement part to a pivot of the handle and a length from the lower engagement part to the pivot are different from each other.

10. The eyelash curler according to claim 6 wherein a length from the upper engagement part to a pivot of the handle and a length from the lower engagement part to the pivot are different from each other.

11. The eyelash curler according to claim 7 wherein a length from the upper engagement part to a pivot of the handle and a length from the lower engagement part to the pivot are different from each other.

12. The eyelash curler according to claim 8 wherein a length from the upper engagement part to a pivot of the handle and a length from the lower engagement part to the pivot are different from each other.