Hand Rest Vacuum and Method
A hand rest vacuum and method is provided for the nail care industry. A body is configured to be supported by a desk between a client and a nail care technician. A cushioned hand rest pad is supported by the body. The body has a retractable nozzle on the technician side of the body. The nozzle is in fluid communication through an interior volume of the body to a body discharge location. Air is pulled through the nozzle opening and through the body interior volume by a vacuum source. The vacuum source may be located within the body interior volume or may be located separately from the body. The interior volume may incorporate a particulate filter, a carbon filter or a cyclone particulate matter separator.
1. Field of the Invention
The Invention relates to dust and vapor collection for the nail care industry and particularly to point-of-use dust and vapor collection while a nail technician is filing, polishing, or otherwise providing care to the fingernails of a client. The Invention is a hand rest incorporating a vacuum system and is also a method of providing nail care.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a nail salon, the nail technician and the client receiving nail care sit opposite each other at a desk. The wrist and hand of the client are supported by a hand rest on the desk while the nail technician manipulates the fingers of the client. The nail technician uses hand or power tools to file and shape the nails of the client. The nail technician also may strip old nail polish from the nails of the client and apply new polish. The nail technician may apply artificial nails and shape and polish the artificial nails.
Nail care generates nail dust in the immediate vicinity of the face of the nail care technician and of the client. Biological dust from hand and foot care procedures may deposit in the conjunctiva, nose, and throughout the respiratory tract of the technician or client. Nail dust is a respiratory sensitizer; namely, a substance that when inhaled can trigger an allergic reaction in the respiratory system. Nail dust also may be a vector exposing the nail technician to other biological sensitizers, such as trichopyton fungi. Sensitization does not usually take place immediately, but rather after months or years of exposure to the sensitizing agent. Once sensitized, even the smallest amount of the agent can trigger serious health issues for the nail technician, including asthma, rhinitis, or conjunctivitis
Nail care technicians are exposed to nail polishes, solvents and nail adhesives containing organic chemicals that also can be sensitizers. Sensitizers in such products include formaldehyde and methyl and ethyl methacrylates. Other components of polishes, solvents and adhesives can be irritants, such as xylene, toluene, acetates and ketones.
The nail technician may wear a nuisance dust mask to reduce nail dust exposure or may use a dust and vapor collection system. Nuisance dust masks do not capture organic chemicals and are only partially effective to prevent inhalation of nail dust. The prior art does not teach the hand rest vacuum system of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONThe Invention is a nail care hand rest including an integral vacuum air intake for collection of nail dust and organic vapor at the point that the dust and vapor are generated. The hand rest of the Invention includes a body and a cushioned hand pad supported by the body. An air intake is defined by a side of the body that is proximal to the technician and distal to the client when the hand rest vacuum is in use.
The air intake may take the form of a mesh screen on the side of the body. Alternatively, the air intake may take the form of an extendable nozzle. The nozzle defines an opening that faces in the upward direction. The nozzle has a first and a second position. When in the first, or deployed, position, the nozzle extends outward from the side of the body and the opening is exposed. When in the first position, the nozzle is directly below the hand of a client when the hand of the client is supported by the hand rest and when the client is receiving care from the nail technician. When in the second, or stowed, position, the nozzle is collapsed into the body and does not protrude from the body. The telescoping nozzle may be located intermediate to the first and second positions.
Enclosed within the body may be a particulate filter to collect nail dust. Also inside the body may be a filter containing activated carbon to capture organic vapor.
Air is moved through the nozzle and through the particulate filter and carbon filter by a vacuum unit. The vacuum unit may be located separately from the hand rest and connected by piping to the hand rest. Alternatively, the vacuum unit may be located within the body of the hand rest. The vacuum unit comprises a blower and a motor configured to power the blower.
Dust-laden air passing from the air intake or nozzle and into the body may pass through a cyclone. The cyclone features a circular top portion. The air enters the cyclone at the periphery of the circular top portion and travels annularly to the circular top portion. Air exits the circular top portion and is directed to the vacuum unit through an exhaust vent at the center of the circular top portion. The circular movement of the air drives the dust to the outside walls of the cyclone, where the air slows and the dust is separated from the air and falls down the outside walls of the cyclone into a hopper.
A bottom of the hopper features a hopper opening. A removable dust tray has a fully engaged position and a dust receiving position. When in the fully engaged position, the dust tray seals the hopper opening and prevents air from entering the hopper through the hopper opening and prevents dust from leaving the hopper through the hopper opening. When the tray is moved from the fully engaged position to the dust-receiving position, the hopper opening is un-blocked, allowing dust to fall through the opening from the hopper into the tray. The tray may be withdrawn from the body and the dust discarded. Alternatively, the body may define the hopper.
The body includes an air discharge location to which the tubing of the vacuum unit is attached. The air discharge location may be located on either of opposing sides of the body.
The cushioned hand pad is composed of a gel, foam, rubber or other resilient material. The body may include a power switch to operate the motor of the vacuum unit blower. Alternatively, a foot switch may control the operation of the motor.
The nozzle may be configured to receive attachments, such as a flexible hose, a brush attachment and a high-velocity nozzle for cleanup of the desk and work station of the nail technician. Attachments such as the flexible hose, brush and nozzle may be packaged with the hand rest vacuum as a kit.
The Invention is a hand rest apparatus and method for providing nail care.
As shown by
An air intake opening 14 is defined by the technician side of the body 4. In the embodiment illustrated by
Retractable nozzle 18 telescopes between a first position, illustrated by
As illustrated by
In use, and as illustrated by
In the embodiment illustrated by
The top 45 is removable to allow access to particulate and carbon filters 28, 30 to allow cleaning and replacement. The connection between the particulate and carbon filters 28, 30 and the body 4 and top 45 is substantially air-tight, so that substantially all of the air passing through the nozzle opening 20 also will pass through both the particulate and carbon filters 28, 30.
The embodiment shown by
The shoulders of the client generally will be wider than the width of the body 4. For the embodiments illustrated by
In the embodiments illustrated by
Nozzle opening 20 may be configured to receive attachments, illustrated by
In describing the above embodiments of the invention, specific terminology is selected for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
CLAIM ELEMENTSThe following elements are included in the claims, drawings and specification. Each element is followed by the element number by which it is designated in the drawings and specification. The elements are presented generally in the order in which they appear in the claims.
- a hand rest apparatus 2
- a body 4
- an interior volume 46
- a desk 38
- a top 45
- a hand 12
- a client side 8
- a technician side 6
- an air intake opening 14
- a vacuum source 22
- a nozzle 18
- an upper side 16
- a nozzle opening 20
- a particulate filter 28
- a carbon filter 30
- a motor 24
- a blower 26
- a high pressure side 32
- a low pressure side 34
- a vacuum source duct 36
- a discharge location of body 40
- a body duct 44
- a cyclone particulate matter separator 52
- a cyclone inlet 58
- a cyclone outlet 60
- a cyclone side wall 54
- a cyclone interior volume 56
- a flexible tube 62
- an attachment 64, 66
Claims
1. A hand rest apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a body, said body defining an interior volume, said body being configured to rest upon a desk between a nail technician and a client, said body having a top, said top being configured to support a pair of hands of said client when said client is seated at said desk, said body having a client side and a technician side, said client side being proximal to said client when said client is seated at said desk, said technician side being distal to said client when said client is seated at said desk;
- b. an air intake opening, said air intake being located on said technician side of said body;
- c. a vacuum source, said vacuum source being operably attached to said body, said vacuum source being in a fluid communication with said air intake opening through said interior volume of said body.
2. The hand rest apparatus of claim 1 wherein said air intake opening comprises: a nozzle, said nozzle being operably connected to said air intake opening.
3. The hand rest apparatus of claim 2 wherein said nozzle has an upper side, said upper side being distal to said desk when said body is resting on said desk, said upper side defining a nozzle opening, said nozzle opening being in fluid communication with said vacuum source.
4. The hand rest apparatus of claim 5 wherein said nozzle has a first position and a second position, said nozzle when in said first position being extended from said technician side, said nozzle when in said second position being retracted against said technician side of said body.
5. The hand rest apparatus of claim 4 wherein said nozzle is telescoping, said nozzle having a plurality of positions intermediate between said first and said second positions.
6. The hand rest apparatus of claim 5 wherein said fluid communication comprises said hand rest being configured to direct a flow of air from said nozzle to said vacuum source, the apparatus further comprising: a particulate matter filter, said filter being disposed within said interior volume of said hand rest, said particulate matter filter being configured so that said flow of air from said nozzle to said vacuum source passes through said particulate filter.
7. The hand rest apparatus of claim 6, the apparatus further comprising: a carbon filter, said carbon filter being disposed within said interior volume, said carbon filter being configured to that said flow of air passes through said carbon filter downstream of said particulate filter.
8. The hand rest apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vacuum source comprises:
- a. a motor; and
- b. a blower rotatably connected to and configured for rotation by said motor, said blower having a high pressure side and a low pressure side, said low pressure side of said blower being in said fluid communication with said air intake opening, said motor and said blower being disposed within said interior volume.
9. The hand rest apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vacuum source comprises:
- a. a motor;
- b. a blower rotatably connected to and configured for rotation by said motor, said blower having a high pressure side and a low pressure side, said motor not being located within said interior volume; and
- c. a vacuum source duct, said vacuum source duct communicating between said low pressure side and said body.
10. The hand rest apparatus of claim 9, said vacuum source further comprising: a body duct, said body duct being in fluid communication between said vacuum source duct and said air intake.
11. The hand rest apparatus of claim 9, the apparatus further comprising: a cyclone particulate matter separator, said cyclone particulate matter separator being disposed within said interior volume of said hand rest, said cyclone particulate matter separator defining a cyclone inlet and a cyclone outlet, said cyclone inlet being in fluid communication with said air intake, said cyclone outlet being in fluid communication with said vacuum source duct.
12. The hand rest apparatus of claim 10 wherein said cyclone particulate matter separator comprises a circular cyclone side wall defining a cyclone interior volume, said cyclone inlet being configured to direct said flow of said air from said air intake into said cyclone interior volume annularly to and adjacent to said cyclone side wall.
13. A method of providing nail care, the method comprising:
- a. providing a hand rest apparatus, said hand rest apparatus having a body, said body being configured to rest upon a desk between a client and a nail technician, said body having a top, said body defining an interior volume, said body having a technician side and a client side, said body defining a air intake on said technician side, said body being movable when said body is located on said desk;
- b. providing a vacuum source, said vacuum source being in fluid communication with said air intake of said hand rest through said interior volume;
- c. shaping a fingernail of a client by said nail technician when a hand of said client is supported by said top of said hand rest and said fingernail of said client is located above said air intake.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein said air intake comprises: a nozzle, said nozzle being operably connected to said air intake.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein said nozzle has an upper side, said upper side being distal to said desk when said body is resting on said desk, said upper side defining a nozzle opening, said nozzle opening being in fluid communication with said vacuum source.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said nozzle has a first position and a second position, said nozzle when in said first position being extended from said technician side, said nozzle when in said second position being retracted against said technician side of said body.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said fluid communication comprises said hand rest being configured to direct a flow of air from said nozzle to said vacuum source, and wherein a particulate filter is disposed within said interior volume of said hand rest, said particulate matter filter being configured so that said flow of air from said nozzle to said vacuum source passes through said particulate filter.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein a carbon filter is disposed within said interior volume, said carbon filter being configured to that said flow of air passes through said carbon filter downstream of said particulate filter.
19. The method of claim 13 wherein said vacuum source comprises a motor and a blower rotatably connected to and configured for rotation by said motor, said blower having a high pressure side and a low pressure side, said low pressure side of said blower being in said fluid communication with said air intake opening, said motor and said blower being disposed within said interior volume.
20. The method of claim 13, the method comprising:
- a. providing a flexible tube, said flexible tube and said nozzle being configured for selectable engagement;
- b. providing an attachment, said attachment being in selectable engagement with said flexible tube, said attachment being in selectable fluid communication with said nozzle.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 12, 2009
Publication Date: Mar 17, 2011
Inventors: Youn Jung Chang (Hong Kong), Mun Kyung Chang (Westampton, NJ)
Application Number: 12/558,497
International Classification: A45D 29/00 (20060101); A47L 5/14 (20060101);