GROOMING TOOL CADDY

Abstract

Disclosed is a grooming tool caddy that includes a caddy housing having a receiver adapted for receiving a clipper head. A clipper head protective member can be disposed within the receiver to protect the clipper head from damage. A fluid reservoir can be disposed within the caddy, remote from the receiver. A method for storing and organizing grooming tools is also disclosed.

Description

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to tool storage devices and, in particular, to devices and methods for storing grooming tools.

2. Background Information

Grooming tools, including hair clippers, find frequent use in multiple applications, including barber shops, beauty salons, pet grooming and other facilities where hair is cut and styled. The hair stylist typically works from a desk, or “station,” maintained in a location and at an elevation to provide easy access to commonly used grooming tools.

Tools, including electric hair clippers, are often placed in a station drawer within reach of the hair stylist. During use, hair, oil, grease and other contaminants can adhere to the cutting head, including the stationary blade and the cutting blade. Since proper operation of the clipper requires a smooth, scissor-type cutting action between the stationary and cutting blades, any buildup on either blade or on the cutting head can interfere with the performance of the clipper. Clipper blades also require regular lubrication, often using a light oil, to provide free motion of the cutting blade across the stationary blade. Treatment of the clipper head with a disinfectant may be required by local custom, practice or health regulations, while treatment of the clipper head with perfume may be pleasing to consumers.

SUMMARY

The following presents a general summary of several aspects of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of at least some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure or to delineate the scope of the claims. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the disclosure in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

Disclosed is a grooming tool caddy. The caddy can include a caddy housing having a receiver adapted for receiving a clipper head. A clipper head protective member can be disposed within the receiver to protect the clipper head from damage. A fluid reservoir can be disposed within the caddy, remote from the receiver.

An exemplary method for storing and organizing grooming tools includes inserting a clipper headfirst into a caddy housing having a receiver that receives the clipper head. Protecting the clipper head using a clipper head protective member inserted within the receiver. Using a fluid from a fluid reservoir disposed remote from the receiver for periodic maintenance of the clipper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a detailed understanding of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the following detailed description of the several non-limiting embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements have been given like numerals and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an orthogonal view of an illustrative, non-limiting, grooming tool caddy;

FIG. 2 depicts a plan view of the illustrative grooming tool caddy depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts a side elevation view of the illustrative grooming tool caddy depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 depicts a front elevation view of the illustrative grooming tool caddy depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary grooming tool caddy having an accessory holder;

FIG. 6 depicts a side elevation view of the illustrative grooming tool caddy depicted in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a non-limiting example of a grooming tool caddy, demonstrating the positioning of an electric hair clipper;

FIG. 8 depicts a partial sectional view of an alternative, non-limiting “in-bench” grooming tool caddy fluid reservoir;

FIG. 9 depicts a plan view of a non-limiting “in-bench” grooming tool caddy receiver;

FIG. 10 depicts a front elevation view of a non-limiting grooming tool caddy;

FIG. 11 depicts a side elevation view of the non-limiting, caddy example of FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, an illustrative non-limiting grooming tool caddy 100 is depicted according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The grooming tool caddy 100 includes a caddy housing 110 that may include one or more receivers 115 for receiving all or a portion of a hair clipper head assembly. At least one clipper head protective member 205 may be disposed in each receiver 115. The receiver 115 may be disposed about the caddy housing 110, and may include an inner and an outer surface suitable for receiving at least one grooming tool, for example a hair clipper having a clipper head assembly. The grooming tool caddy 100 may include at least one fluid reservoir 105 disposed remotely from the receivers 115. The fluid reservoir 105 can be of any size, shape or configuration suitable for holding or containing one or more fluids. The fluid reservoir 105 in several non-limiting examples may have one or more independent fluid compartments. As depicted in FIG. 1, the fluid reservoir 105 may be drawer or other telescoping member disposed within the caddy housing 110.

The caddy housing 110 may be a hollow member having any partially or completely open or closed curved or polygonal exterior shape, including circular, elliptical, square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, or any number of finite sides. All or a portion of the caddy housing 110 may be fabricated using a metal, including, but not limited to stainless steel, aluminum, corrosion resistant alloys or the like. All or a portion of the caddy housing 110 may be fabricated using a non-metallic material, including glass, plastics and/or solid polymer compounds which provide suitable resistance to corrosion and/or chemical attack. Examples of suitable non-metallic compounds can include, but are not limited to styrene, polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyphenylene oxide-styrene, nylon, glass filled nylon, polycarbonate, poly-vinyl chloride or the like. Alternatively, the caddy housing may be fabricated using composite construction, such as using one or more metallic and one or more non-metallic materials.

The fluid reservoir 105 may be a multi-sided, fluid-tight, open-top member disposed within the caddy housing 110. While FIGS. 1 through FIG. 4 depict only a single fluid reservoir 105 disposed within the caddy housing 110, any number of fluid reservoirs 105 may be disposed within the caddy housing 110. Thus, two or more fluid reservoirs 105 may be disposed in, on or around the caddy housing 110 without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The fluid reservoir(s) 105 may be detachable or removable from the caddy housing 110 to permit cleaning and refilling of the fluid reservoir 105 at a location remote from the caddy housing 110. The fluid reservoir 105 may be secured within the caddy housing 110 using one or more fasteners 130. The one or more fasteners 130 can include, but are not limited to mechanical latches such as hook and loop, or magnetic latches.

The one or more receivers 115 may be disposed on any surface of the caddy housing 110. Although FIGS. 1 through 4 depict two receivers 115 disposed on the caddy housing 110, any number of receivers 115 may be so disposed, for example a single receiver 115 or two or more receivers 115 may be disposed in, on, or around the caddy housing 110 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The receivers 115 may be adapted for receiving the operative elements of a clipper head including the stationary and cutting blades, of one or more hair clippers. The receivers 115 can be disposed at any angle relative to the caddy housing, to provide for easy access and removal of the hair clipper by a stylist. The surfaces forming the receiver 115 may be of sufficient height, or the receiver 115 of sufficient depth, to prevent the hair clipper from being accidentally displaced from the receiver 115. Clipper head or blade first insertion of the hair clipper into the receiver 115 permits a portion of the clipper hand grip to project from the receiver 115, thereby facilitating easy access and removal of the hair clipper.

As depicted in FIG. 2, one or more clipper head protective members 205 may be disposed within each of the receivers 115 to prevent damage to the clipper head and/or blades when the clipper head is inserted into the receiver 115. The clipper head protective member 205 may be removable or otherwise detachable from the receiver 115 to facilitate cleaning or replacing of the clipper head protective member 205. In several non-limiting embodiments, the clipper head protective member 205 may cover all or a portion of the inner surface of the receiver 115. To minimize damage such as nicking, chipping, distortion or bending of the clipper blades upon insertion into the receiver 115, the clipper head protective member 205 may be fabricated using one or more soft and/or resilient materials. Exemplary clipper head protective member 205 materials can include, but are not limited to buna rubber, polypropylene, polyethylene, urethane foams, polyurethane foams, and other similar soft, low durometer, resilient materials. The clipper head protective member 205 may be two or more sides of the receiver 115 that contact an edge of the clipper head while preventing direct contact with the clipper blades.

At least one member 135 having an inner and an outer surface may be disposed on the caddy housing, forming a moveable or removable lid or cover, providing access to the interior of the caddy housing 110. The member 135 may be pivotably connected to the caddy housing 110 using at least one hinge 125. As depicted in FIG. 1, the receiver 115 may be disposed on an outer surface of the member 135. The hinge 125 may be positioned between the receiver 115 and the front of the caddy housing 110, to allow the receiver 115 to pivot in a forward direction towards the front of the caddy housing 110. Alternatively, the hinge 125 may be disposed to allow the receiver 115 to open in a rearward direction without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

At least one surface interface 120 may be disposed on an exterior surface of the caddy housing 110. The surface interface 120 may be disposed on the exterior portion of the grooming tool caddy 100 proximate a stylist workstation for horizontal surface mounting or for wall mounting. The surface interface 120 may include, but is not limited to one or more pads, feet, suction cups, bean bags, hook-and-loop fasteners, adhesive tape, or any other similar material to mount the grooming tool caddy to one or more surfaces. The surface interface 120 may include one or more mounting devices such as slots or holes to permit mounting of the grooming tool caddy 100 to a wall or similar vertical surface. The surface interface 120 may be a weighted interface to provide a lower center of gravity and stability when holding hair clippers.

Although not shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, one or more fluids may be temporarily retained or permanently stored within the fluid reservoir 105. Exemplary fluids may include one or more lubricating oils, coolants, cleaning fluids, sanitizers, perfumes, and/or antiseptics. The fluid reservoir 105 may be of sufficient size to permit the partial or complete immersion of a clipper head in the fluid contained within the fluid reservoir 105. The clipper head, while disposed or immersed in the fluid reservoir 105, may be attached to various types of clipper hand grips, generally of the type used for grooming human or animal hair. Typical, non-limiting, examples of such human hair clippers include the Oster 76 Classic Clipper, the Wahl Taper Wide Trimmer, and other similar design trimmers and/or clippers. Typical, non-limiting, examples of such animal hair clippers include the Oster Power Max 2 Speed Clipper, the Wahl Pro Series KM-2 Speed Clipper, and other similar design trimmers and/or clippers.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, an illustrative grooming tool caddy 100 is depicted with the top member 135 with attached receivers 115 pivoted about a front mounted hinge 125 to a raised position, exposing an accessory holder 505 disposed within the caddy housing 110. One or more holding members 510 can be disposed within the accessories holder 505. FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative side elevation view of the exemplary grooming tool caddy depicted in FIG. 5 with the top member 135 pivoted about the front mounted hinge 125 to a raised position. The accessories holder 505 can be adapted to receive one or more hair clipper accessories such as clipper guards and combs. One or more partitions may be disposed within the caddy housing 110 to separate the accessories holder 510 from the fluid reservoir 115.

FIG. 7 depicts a side elevation view of the illustrative, exemplary, grooming tool caddy 100 depicted in FIG. 1, with an illustrative clipper 705 inserted into the receiver 115. While a single clipper 705 is depicted in FIG. 7, any number of similar clippers or other grooming tools can be disposed in each receiver 115. FIG. 7 illustrates that the hand clipper hand grip may be oriented in any desired direction with respect to a user for ease of access.

FIG. 8 depicts a partial sectional view of an alternative, non-limiting, “in-bench” grooming fluid reservoir 800. The fluid reservoir 800 can include a shoulder 820, having a lower surface 825, disposed about an outer perimeter of the fluid reservoir 800. The fluid reservoir 800 may be disposed in or on a mounting surface 830, with the lower surface 825 of the shoulder 820 disposed proximate the mounting surface 830. The shoulder 820 may include one or more hand tabs 810 to provide a convenient means for removing the fluid reservoir 800 from the mounting surface 830.

One or more fluids 815 may be temporarily retained or permanently stored within the fluid reservoir 805. Exemplary fluids may include one or more lubricating oils, coolants, cleaning fluids, sanitizers, perfumes, and/or antiseptics. The fluid reservoir 805 may be of sufficient size to permit partial or complete immersion of a clipper head in the fluid contained within the fluid reservoir 805.

FIG. 9 depicts a plan view of an illustrative, alternative, non-limiting, “in-bench” housing 900. The housing 900 may include a one or more receivers 910 having a clipper head protective member 905 disposed therein. A shoulder 820, similar to the shoulder on the grooming fluid reservoir 800 described above and shown in FIG. 8 may be disposed about an outer perimeter of the receiver 910. The housing 900 may be disposed in or on a surface in substantially the same manner as the fluid reservoir 800. Likewise, the housing shoulder 820 may include one or more 810 for removing the grooming tool caddy 900 from the surface.

A clipper head protective member 905 may be disposed on all or a portion of the inner surface of the receiver 910 to prevent damage to the clipper head or blades when a clipper head is inserted into the receiver 910. The clipper head protective member 905, according to several non-limiting examples, may be removed from the receiver 910 to facilitate cleaning or replacing the clipper head protective member 905. To minimize damage such as nicking, chipping, distortion or bending of the clipper blades upon insertion into the receiver 910, the clipper head protective member 905 may be fabricated using one or more soft and/or resilient materials. Exemplary clipper head protective member 905 materials can include, but are not limited to buna rubber, polypropylene, polyethylene, urethane foams, polyurethane foams, and other similar soft, low durometer, resilient materials. The clipper head protective member 905 may be two or more sides of the receiver 910 that contact an edge of the clipper head while preventing direct contact with the clipper blades.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, a non-limiting, exemplary, grooming tool caddy 1000 suitable for mounting on a wall or other vertical surface is provided. The grooming tool caddy 1000 may include a caddy housing 1010 having at least one surface interface 1105 disposed on one or more exterior surfaces, for example on the rear of the caddy housing 1010. The surface interface 11 05 can include, but is not limited to one or more wall mounting devices such as slots or holes to permit mounting of the grooming tool caddy 1000 to a wall or similar vertical surface.

At least one receiver 1015 may be disposed on a surface of the caddy housing 1010. Although two side-by-side receivers 1015 are depicted in FIG. 10, any number of receivers may be disposed on one or more surfaces of the caddy housing 1010 in any order or frequency. At least one clipper head protective member 205, hidden from view in FIGS. 10 or 11, may be disposed on an inner surface defining each receiver 1015.

At least one fluid reservoir 1005 may be disposed in or on the caddy housing 1010, remote from the receiver 1015. As depicted in FIG. 10, the fluid reservoir 1005 may be a front-access drawer disposed within the caddy housing 1010. The fluid reservoir 1005 may be removable or otherwise detachable from the caddy housing 1010. At least one fastener 1030 may be used to secure the fluid reservoir 1005 to the caddy housing 1010.

At least one accessory holder 1050 may be disposed in or on the caddy housing 1010. A front-access accessory holder 1050, permitting access to one or more accessories 1060 contained therein, is depicted in FIG. 10. At least one holding member 1055 may be disposed in the accessory holder 1050 to secure the one or more grooming tool accessories 1060 within the accessory holder 1050.

FIGS. 10 and 11 depict an illustrative grooming tool caddy 1000 suitable for mounting on a wall or other vertical surface using the surface interface 1105. As depicted in FIG. 10, the fluid reservoir 1005, the receiver 1015 and the accessory housing 1050 can be arranged or otherwise configured to provide front access to all components. The materials of construction for the fluid reservoir 1005, the caddy housing 1010, and the at least one receiver 1015 may be substantially similar to the fluid reservoir 105, the caddy housing 110 and the at least one receiver 115 described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4 above. The grooming tool caddy 1000 surface interface 11 05 in other embodiments may include one or more feet as described above and shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 at reference numeral 120. In this manner, the grooming tool caddy 1000 may be placed or mounted on a horizontal surface such as with a stylist station top arrangement.

The present disclosure is to be taken as illustrative rather than as limiting the scope or nature of the claims below. Numerous modifications and variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art after studying the disclosure, including use of equivalent functional and/or structural substitutes for elements described herein, use of equivalent functional couplings for couplings described herein, and/or use of equivalent functional actions for actions described herein. Such insubstantial variations are to be considered within the scope of the claims below.

Claims

1. A grooming tool caddy, comprising:

a caddy housing having a receiver that receives a clipper head;

a clipper head protective member disposed in the receiver; and

a fluid reservoir disposed remote from the receiver.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiver includes a plurality of receivers.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiver includes a wall defining an opening that orients a clipper hand grip in a predetermined direction.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the caddy housing includes a shoulder disposed about an external perimeter of the receiver.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clipper head protective member comprises a wall portion of the receiver contacting an edge of the clipper head.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clipper head protective member comprises at least one of an elastomeric material, an oil resistant fabric, and an oil sorbent fabric.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the clipper head protective member includes a removable insert.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid reservoir includes a drawer.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid receiver further comprises a reservoir housing having a shoulder disposed about an external perimeter of the fluid reservoir.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the caddy housing includes a fastener for coupling the fluid reservoir to the caddy housing.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an accessory holder coupled to the caddy housing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the accessory holder includes a holding member that engages one or more grooming accessories.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a top member disposed proximate the accessory holder.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the top member includes a surface portion, the receiver being disposed on the surface portion.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a surface interface coupled to the caddy housing, the surface interface including at least one of an elastomeric foot, a suction cup, and a hook-and-loop fastener.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a surface interface coupled to the caddy housing, the surface interface including a vertical surface mounting device.

17. A grooming tool caddy, comprising:

a caddy housing having a receiver that receives a clipper head, wherein the receiver includes a wall defining an opening angled to orient a clipper hand grip in a predetermined direction;

a clipper head protective member disposed in the receiver, wherein the clipper head protective member includes at least one of an elastomeric material, an oil resistant fabric, an oil sorbent fabric, and a wall portion of the receiver contacting an edge of the clipper head;

a fluid reservoir disposed remote from the receiver;

an accessory holder coupled to the caddy housing; and

a surface interface that includes one or more of an elastomeric foot, a suction cup, a hook-and-loop fastener, and a vertical surface mounting device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the caddy housing includes a fastener for coupling the fluid reservoir to the caddy housing.

19. A method for storing and organizing grooming tools, comprising:

inserting a clipper head first into a caddy housing having a receiver that receives the clipper head;

protecting the clipper head using a clipper head protective member while the clipper head is in the receiver; and

using fluid from a fluid reservoir disposed remote from the receiver for periodic maintenance of the clipper.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising filling the fluid reservoir with a fluid selected from the group consisting of clipper lubricants, oil, clipper cleaning agents, or cleaning fluid.