PERSONAL-CARE DEVICE
A housing assembly defines a housing entrance leading into an interior housing zone configured to receive, at least in part, the personal-care device. A base assembly includes a first support section configured to be selectively connectable to the personal-care device. The base assembly is pivotally mountable to the housing assembly. The base assembly is pivotally rotatable in such a way that the first support section is selectively covered by the housing assembly. The base assembly is also pivotally rotatable in such a way that the personal-care device, which is selectively connectable to the first support section, is selectively positionable within the interior housing zone of the housing assembly and is user-inaccessible.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/220,691, filed on Jul. 12, 2021, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis document relates to the technical field of (and is not limited to) (A) a synergistic combination of a personal-care device, a housing assembly and a base assembly (and method therefor); (B) a personal-care device for use with a synergistic combination of a housing assembly and a base assembly (and method therefor); and/or (C) a synergistic combination of a housing assembly and a base assembly for use with a personal-care device (and method therefor), etc.
BACKGROUNDKnown personal-care devices, such as skin-care devices, are configured to facilitate at least one regular (daily) routine of personal maintenance of the body, such as washing and/or cleaning dirty skin, combing hair, etc.
SUMMARYIt will be appreciated that there exists a need to mitigate (at least in part) at least one problem associated with known personal-care devices (also called the existing technology). After much study of, and experimentation with, the known personal-care devices, an understanding (at least in part) of the problem and its solution have been identified (at least in part) and are articulated (at least in part) as follows:
What may be needed is an apparatus configured to cover (selectively cover and/or protect) at least one component of a personal-care device (such as a bar of soap, etc.) for the case where the personal-care device is not utilized and/or is user-inaccessible (thereby preventing unintended wearing down of the personal-care device when placed in a storage portion, etc.).
What may be needed is an apparatus configured to uncover (selectively uncover) at least one component of the personal-care device (such as a bar of soap, etc.) for the case where the personal-care device is utilized and/or is user-accessible.
To mitigate, at least in part, at least one problem associated with the existing technology, there is provided (in accordance with a first major aspect) an apparatus. The apparatus is for use with a personal-care device. The apparatus includes (and is not limited to) a housing assembly defining a housing entrance leading into an interior housing zone configured to receive, at least in part, the personal-care device. A base assembly includes a first support section configured to be connectable (selectively connectable) to the personal-care device. The base assembly is rotatably mountable to the housing assembly. The base assembly is rotatable in such a way that the first support section is covered (selectively covered) by the housing assembly. The base assembly is also rotatable in such a way that the personal-care device, which is connectable (selectively connectable) to the first support section, is positionable (selectively positionable) within the interior housing zone of the housing assembly and is user-inaccessible.
To mitigate, at least in part, at least one problem associated with the existing technology, there is provided (in accordance with a second major aspect) an apparatus. The apparatus includes and is not limited to a personal-care device. A housing assembly defines a housing entrance leading into an interior housing zone configured to receive, at least in part, the personal-care device. A base assembly includes a first support section configured to be connectable (selectively connectable) to the personal-care device. The base assembly is rotatably mountable to the housing assembly. The base assembly is rotatable in such a way that the first support section is covered (selectively covered) by the housing assembly. The base assembly is also rotatable in such a way that the personal-care device, which is connectable (selectively connectable) to the first support section, is positionable (selectively positionable) within the interior housing zone of the housing assembly and is user-inaccessible.
To mitigate, at least in part, at least one problem associated with the existing technology, there is provided (in accordance with a third major aspect) an apparatus. The personal-care device is for use with a housing assembly and a base assembly. The personal-care device includes (and is not limited to) a body configured to be received, at least in part, into an interior housing zone defined by the housing assembly defining a housing entrance leading into the interior housing zone. The body is also configured to be connectable (selectively connectable) to a first support section of the base assembly. The base assembly is rotatably mountable to the housing assembly. The base assembly is rotatable in such a way that the first support section is covered (selectively covered) by the housing assembly. The base assembly is also rotatable in such a way that the personal-care device, which is connectable (selectively connectable) to the first support section, is positionable (selectively positionable) within the interior housing zone of the housing assembly and is user-inaccessible.
Other aspects are identified in the claims. Other aspects and features of the non-limiting embodiments may now become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments with the accompanying drawings. This Summary is provided to introduce concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify potential key features or possible essential features of the disclosed subject matter and is not intended to describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of the disclosed subject matter. Many other novel advantages, features, and relationships will become apparent as this description proceeds. The figures and the description that follow more particularly exemplify illustrative embodiments.
The non-limiting embodiments may be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
The drawings are not necessarily to scale and may be illustrated by phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details unnecessary for an understanding of the embodiments (and/or details that render other details difficult to perceive) may have been omitted. Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several figures of the drawings. Elements in the several figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not been drawn to scale. The dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be emphasized relative to other elements for facilitating an understanding of the various disclosed embodiments. In addition, common, and well-understood, elements that are useful in commercially feasible embodiments are often not depicted to provide a less obstructed view of the embodiments of the present disclosure.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims. For the description, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “left,” “rear,” “right,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the examples as oriented in the drawings. There is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory in the preceding Technical Field, Background, Summary, or the following detailed description. It is also to be understood that the devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are exemplary embodiments (examples), aspects, and/or concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. It is understood that the phrase “at least one” is equivalent to “a”. The aspects (examples, alterations, modifications, options, variations, embodiments and any equivalent thereof) are described regarding the drawings. It should be understood that the disclosure is limited to the subject matter provided by the claims and that the disclosure is not limited to the particular aspects depicted and described. It will be appreciated that the scope of the meaning of a device configured to be coupled to an item (that is, to be connected to, to interact with the item, etc.) is to be interpreted as the device being configured to be coupled to the item, either directly or indirectly. Therefore, “configured to” may include the meaning “either directly or indirectly” unless specifically stated otherwise.
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Connecting the connection device 306 and the soap bar assembly 302 to the first support section 211 may be by any suitable means, such as by screwing a threaded member on the connection device 306 into a threaded aperture on the first support section 211, as shown in
In an alternative embodiment, which is not shown, the connection device 306 may connect to the first support portion 211 by means of any other suitable type of connection device connector and any other suitable type of first support portion connector. For example, the connection device 306 may include one or more (at least one) snap buttons and the first support portion 211 may include one or more (at least one) studs that are releasably received by the one or more snap buttons on the connection device 306. Such snap buttons and studs may be less expensive than the aforementioned threaded member and threaded aperture, and may render the connection device 306 more easily and quickly connectable to and removable from the first support portion 211.
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The following is offered as further description of the embodiments, in which any one or more of any technical feature (described in the detailed description, the summary, and the claims) may be combinable with any other one or more of any technical feature (described in the detailed description, the summary, and the claims). It is understood that each claim in the claims section is an open-ended claim unless stated otherwise. Unless otherwise specified, relational terms used in these specifications should be construed to include certain tolerances that the person skilled in the art would recognize as providing equivalent functionality. By way of example, the term perpendicular is not necessarily limited to 90.0 degrees and may include a variation thereof that the person skilled in the art would recognize as providing equivalent functionality for the purposes described for the relevant member or element. Terms such as “about” and “substantially”, in the context of configuration, relate generally to disposition, location, or configuration that are either exact or sufficiently close to the location, disposition, or configuration of the relevant element to preserve operability of the element within the disclosure which does not materially modify the disclosure. Similarly, unless specifically made clear from its context, numerical values should be construed to include certain tolerances that the person skilled in the art would recognize as having negligible importance as they do not materially change the operability of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the description and/or drawings identify and describe embodiments of the apparatus (either explicitly or inherently). The apparatus may include any suitable combination and/or permutation of the technical features as identified in the detailed description, as may be required and/or desired to suit a particular technical purpose and/or technical function. It will be appreciated that, where possible and suitable, any one or more of the technical features of the apparatus may be combined with any other one or more of the technical features of the apparatus (in any combination and/or permutation). It will be appreciated that persons skilled in the art would know that the technical features of each embodiment may be deployed (where possible) in other embodiments even if not expressly stated as such above. It will be appreciated that persons skilled in the art would know that other options may be possible for the configuration of the components of the apparatus to adjust to manufacturing requirements and still remain within the scope as described in at least one or more of the claims. This written description provides embodiments, including the best mode, and also enables the person skilled in the art to make and use the embodiments. The patentable scope may be defined by the claims. The written description and/or drawings may help to understand the scope of the claims. It is believed that all the crucial aspects of the disclosed subject matter have been provided in this document. It is understood, for this document, that the word “includes” is equivalent to the word “comprising” in that both words are used to signify an open-ended listing of assemblies, components, parts, etc. The term “comprising”, which is synonymous with the terms “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps. Comprising (comprised of) is an “open” phrase and allows coverage of technologies that employ additional, unrecited elements. When used in a claim, the word “comprising” is the transitory verb (transitional term) that separates the preamble of the claim from the technical features of the disclosure. The foregoing has outlined the non-limiting embodiments (examples). The description is made for particular non-limiting embodiments (examples). It is understood that the non-limiting embodiments are merely illustrative as examples.
Claims
1. An apparatus for use with a personal-care device, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing assembly defining a housing entrance leading into an interior housing zone being configured to receive, at least in part, the personal-care device; and
- a base assembly including a first support section being configured to be selectively connectable to the personal-care device; and
- the base assembly being rotatably mountable to the housing assembly; and
- the base assembly being rotatable in such a way that the first support section is selectively covered by the housing assembly; and
- the base assembly also being rotatable in such a way that the personal-care device, being selectively connectable to the first support section, is selectively positionable within the interior housing zone of the housing assembly and is user-inaccessible.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the personal-care device includes any one, or more of, a brush assembly, a comb assembly, a massage head unit, and a soap bar assembly.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the base assembly is configured to be pivotally rotatable in such a way that the base assembly selectively moves the personal-care device between a user-inaccessible position and a user-accessible position.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the housing assembly is configured to selectively rotate and cover, at least in part, the first support section, and the first support section is configured to support the personal-care device in such a way that the personal-care device becomes user-inaccessible and positioned within the interior housing zone; and
- the housing assembly is also configured to selectively rotate and uncover, at least in part, the first support section in such a way that the housing assembly uncovers the personal-care device, and the personal-care device becomes user-accessible.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the base assembly includes a second support section being configured to be selectively connectable to an auxiliary skin-care device; and
- the auxiliary skin-care device is installed to the second support section of the base assembly; and
- the auxiliary skin-care device is user-accessible after the housing assembly is pivotally moved to cover the personal-care device so that the personal-care device is user inaccessible; and
- the auxiliary skin-care device is user inaccessible after the housing assembly is pivotally moved to uncover the first support section configured to support the personal-care device.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:
- the base assembly includes a connection feature positioned at the second support section of the base assembly; and
- the auxiliary skin-care device includes a connection element; and
- the connection feature is configured to selectively connect with, and selectively detach from, the connection element.
7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:
- the auxiliary skin-care device includes any one of a comb assembly, a massage head unit, a brush assembly and a soap bar assembly.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- connectors are configured to rotatably connect, or couple, the housing assembly with the base assembly; and
- a rotation axis extends through the connectors after the connectors rotatably connect the housing assembly with the base assembly; and
- the rotation axis extends into an outer facing circumferential sidewall of the base assembly.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:
- the rotation axis is aligned between opposite lateral sides of the base assembly; and
- the rotation axis bisects the base assembly; and
- the base assembly is selectively rotatable along the rotation axis.
10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- a rope; and
- a rope connector; and
- the base assembly defines a circumferentially aligned side groove defined on an outer-facing circumferential sidewall; and
- an outer sidewall of the rope is configured to fit into, at least in part, the circumferentially aligned side groove; and
- the rope is configured to wrap around, at least in part, the circumferentially aligned side groove; and
- the rope connector is configured to selectively secure a length of the rope after the rope is wrapped around the circumferentially aligned side groove.
11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the base assembly is configured to be selectively locked into position in such a way that the base assembly is not rotatable and is locked to the housing assembly after: the base assembly is rotated to urge a second support section of the base assembly to face the interior housing zone of the housing assembly; or the base assembly is rotated to urge the first support section to face the interior housing zone of the housing assembly.
12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the personal-care device includes a soap bar assembly; and
- the soap bar assembly includes: a soap unit; and a connection device; and
- the connection device is configured to be embedded, at least in part, in the soap unit, and extend from the soap unit.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:
- the connection device and the soap bar assembly are configured to be user inaccessible, after the housing assembly is pivotally moved to cover the soap bar assembly away from the user, in which the soap bar assembly cannot be selectively disconnected by the user, after the housing assembly is pivotally moved to cover the soap bar assembly.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:
- the connection device and the soap bar assembly are also configured to be selectively disconnectable from the first support section of the base assembly, after the housing assembly is pivotally moved to expose the soap bar assembly; and
- the connection device and the soap bar assembly are also configured to be selectively connectable to the first support section of the base assembly, after the housing assembly is pivotally moved to expose the first support section of the base assembly.
15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the base assembly further includes a second support section spaced apart from the first support section; and
- the first support section is configured to face the interior housing zone, after the base assembly is rotated to urge the second support section to face away from the interior housing zone of the housing assembly; and
- the second support section is configured to face the interior housing zone, after the base assembly is rotated to urge the first support section to face away from the interior housing zone of the housing assembly.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- connector receivers are defined by the base assembly; and
- the connector receivers are configured to receive connectors, and the connectors are configured to rotatably connect the housing assembly with the base assembly; and
- the base assembly is configured to selectively cover and uncover the housing entrance and the interior housing zone of the housing assembly in response to rotated movement of the housing assembly.
17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
- the base assembly includes: a coupling feature configured to interface with a coupling connector of the personal-care device; and a seat receiver configured to interface with a seat of the personal-care device.
18. An apparatus, comprising:
- a personal-care device; and
- a housing assembly defining a housing entrance leading into an interior housing zone being configured to receive, at least in part, the personal-care device; and
- a base assembly including a first support section being configured to be selectively connectable to the personal-care device; and
- the base assembly being pivotally mountable to the housing assembly; and
- the base assembly being pivotally rotatable in such a way that the first support section is selectively covered by the housing assembly; and
- the base assembly also being pivotally rotatable in such a way that the personal-care device, being selectively connectable to the first support section, is selectively positionable within the interior housing zone of the housing assembly and is user-inaccessible.
19. A personal-care device for use with a housing assembly and a base assembly, and the personal-care device being configured to be received, at least in part, into an interior housing zone defined by the housing assembly defining a housing entrance leading into the interior housing zone, and the personal-care device comprising:
- a portion of the personal-care device; and
- a connection device extending from the portion of the personal-care device; and
- the connection device being configured to be selectively connectable to a first support section of the base assembly, and the base assembly being pivotally mountable to the housing assembly, and the base assembly being pivotally rotatable in such a way that the first support section is selectively covered by the housing assembly, and the base assembly also being pivotally rotatable in such a way that the personal-care device, being selectively connectable to the first support section, is selectively positionable within the interior housing zone of the housing assembly and is user-inaccessible.
20. The personal-care device of claim 19, wherein:
- the personal-care device includes any one of a brush assembly, a comb assembly, a massage head unit, and a soap bar assembly.
21. The personal-care device of claim 19, wherein:
- the connection device includes a body defining a hollow feature that is centrally positioned within the body; and
- the connection device includes a coupling connector configured to mate with a coupling feature of the base assembly.
22. The personal-care device of claim 21, wherein:
- the coupling connector includes exterior threads configured to mate with interior threads of the coupling feature; and
- the connection device includes a semi-spherical shape defining a portal; and
- the semi-spherical shape includes a detent device; and
- the semi-spherical shape includes a seat configured to securely fit in, and mate with, a seat receiver of the base assembly.
23. The personal-care device of claim 22, wherein:
- the personal-care device includes a soap bar assembly.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 12, 2022
Publication Date: Jan 26, 2023
Inventor: TIM MOREL (North York)
Application Number: 17/812,096