US20090308782A1

US20090308782A1 - Attractive implement kit for personal care usage

Info

Publication number: US20090308782A1
Application number: US12/228,091
Authority: US
Inventors: Elizabeth A. Grist
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-03-29
Filing date: 2008-03-28
Publication date: 2009-12-17

Abstract

An attractive implement kit for personal care usage is provided. The kit includes a set of separate personal care implements and a case for securing an protecting the implements. The case includes a compartment having an opening communicating with the inside and a hinged cover for selectively closing the opening. One or more sleeves are mounted in the compartment in pivoting relation so that the sleeves may pivot outward from the compartment. Each of the sleeves includes an aperture into which one of the implements is received. The sleeves may pivot into the compartment and the cover may be closed to enclose the implements inside the case. A mirror is attached to the cover to facilitate use of the implements. The implements are independent when removed from the sleeves and are of high quality.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Applicant claims the benefit of Provisional Application, Ser. No. 60/920,595, filed Mar. 29, 2007.

BACKGROUND

Implements for personal care, such as tweezers, nail files, and scissors are used for personal hygiene and to treat minor injuries. It is common for individuals to maintain a set of high quality personal care implements to address personal care needs at home. It is also common to carry a portable set of personal care implements, for use while traveling or otherwise away from home. Compact personal care implements are available in the form of compact kits. Often, the implements supplied with the travel kits are of low quality. To my knowledge, there are no women's personal care kits on the market that are compact, convenient and easy to use with high quality tools. There is a Swiss Army type women's gadget available but the tools are inferior and some are attached making them difficult to use. A person may be able to get high quality tools in a manicure set but the implements which are not designed for travel kits would be too bulky to carry around in a pocket, on a key chain, or in a small purse.
There is a need to provide high quality, lightweight, compact, tools that are housed in a hard case for style, protection, and durability. There is a need for a personal care implement kit including separate tools in sleeves so they can be removed for easy use. There is a need for a kit in a case having a removable clasp so it can clip onto a key chain, purse, or a belt loop.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The implement kit, for personal care usage comprises a case and one or more implements. The case includes a compartment, a cover, and one or more sleeves. The compartment is provided with an opening communicating with the inside and the cover is joined to the compartment, by movable hinge means, so that the cover may be moved to selectively close the opening. The sleeves are attached inside the compartment, in pivoting relation, so that the sleeves may be selectively pivoted from a position inside the compartment to a position partially outside the compartment. Each of the implements, which may include scissors, nail file, and tweezers, may be slidably received lengthwise in one of the sleeves. The cover may be opened and one or more of the sleeves may be pivoted outward of the compartment to access and remove one or more of the implements. After use, the implement or implements may be returned to the sleeves, the sleeves may be pivoted to a position inside the compartment, and the cover may be closed to retain the implements in a compact and portable kit. The cover may include a magnifying mirror to facilitate use of the implements. The kit may also include releasable attachment means for releasably attaching the kit to a purse or article of clothing.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a personal care implement kit including high quality implements.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a personal care kit containing separate implements, which may be removed from the kit, for use, and replaced for compact storage.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a personal care kit which securely contains and protects personal care implements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will be better appreciated with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of the first embodiment kit of the present invention, with the cover closed.

FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the first embodiment kit of the present invention with the cover open.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the first embodiment kit of the present invention with the cover open and with the sleeves pivoted outward.

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the second embodiment kit with the cover open and the sleeves pivoted outward.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the second embodiment kit of the present invention with the cover open.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the second embodiment kit with the cover closed.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the second embodiment kit with the cover closed and including a chain and clasp.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Shown throughout the drawings, the present invention is an attractive implement kit for personal care usage. The kit includes a set of separate personal care implements securely contained and protected in a selectively accessible case. The case includes a compartment having an opening and a cover joined to the compartment by hinge means, for selectively closing the opening. One or move sleeves are attached inside the compartment, in pivoting relation, such that they may be pivoted outward. In the outward position, the implements may be slidably received lengthwise into the sleeves and removed therefrom. The sleeves may be pivoted inward to dispose the sleeves and the implements contained therein, inside the compartment, in which position, the cover may be closed to securely protect and retain the implements in a compact kit.
A first embodiment kit of the present invention, is presented in FIGS. 1-3. The case, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, includes a compartment and a cover. The compartment includes a generally rectangular elongate base 20, with a wall 24 extending perpendicularly, from the perimeter edge of the base 20 and defining an opening communicating with the inside of the compartment. The cover comprises a rectangular top 32 with a perimeter lip 36 extending from the top 32 in generally perpendicular relation. The top 32 is formed with size and dimensions complementary to the base 20 such that the top 32 may be disposed with the lip 36 adjacent to the wall 24, enclosing the compartment. Hinge means, such as a flexible web 40 join the lip 36 of the cover to the wall 24 of the compartment, to facilitate selective closing of the opening. Adjacent portions of the lip 36 and the wall 24 opposite the web 40 are provided with a catch to secure the cover in closed position. The catch may preferably comprise a conventional projecting tooth, on the lip 36, selectively engagable in a cooperating well, provided on an adjacent portion of the wall 24. The compartment may be formed of resilient plastic, such as polyethylene, so that the cover and compartment may be deformed by manual pressure, to engage the tooth in the well and that the wall 24 may be manually depressed to temporarily deform the wall 48, for releasing the catch. The compartment may preferably be formed of metal and the tooth may be formed of a flexible and resilient metal to allow selective engagement in the well. It is preferred that the inside of the compartment include a mirror 52 affixed to the top 32. It is preferred that the mirror 52 be a magnification mirror.
As shown in FIG. 2 and 3, the inside of the compartment is provided with three sleeves 100 a, 100 b and 100 c attached in pivoting relation. It will be appreciated that the number of sleeves may be increased, to accommodate a wider variety of implements or may be decreased to make the kit more compact. Each of the sleeves 100 a, 100 b, and 100 c has a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end includes a tongue 104 with a hole (not shown). A transverse rod 108 is mounted in the compartment, proximate to the hinge means. The rod 108 passes through the hole in each tongue 104 of the sleeves 100 a, 100 b and 100 c to confine the sleeves, in pivoting relation, in the compartment, as shown in FIG. 2. It is preferred that the rod 108 be sized to be received in the holes of each tongue 104 in close fitting frictional engagement so that the sleeves 100 a, 100 b, and 100 c may be pivoted outward to varying degrees, as shown in FIG. 3, and will be retained in place by binding function . The distal end of each of the sleeves 100 a, 100 b, and 100 c includes an aperture for receiving an implement lengthwise. Implements preferably include a folding scissors 400, nail file 402, and tweezers 404. FIG. 3 depicts a folding scissors 400 in sleeve 100 a, nail file 402 in sleeve 100 b, and tweezers 404 in sleeve 100 c. The scissors 400 and the tweezers 404 are preferably formed of metal and the nail file 402 is preferably formed of glass. The implments are of a high quality and compact versions of personal care implements, of conventional design. The implements are intended to be separate so as to be independent when removed from the sleeves 100 a, 100 b, and 100 c. The case will be approximately 3″×1″×1″ and will house a magnification mirror 52 in the top 32. The catch will snap open and stay open until the user snaps it shut.
A second embodiment kit, of the present invention, shown in FIGS. 4-6, includes a case having a compartment and a cover. The compartment of the second embodiment kit comprises a pair of elongate planar side panels 70 aligned in spaced apart relation, and a fixed base panel 72 extending between, and joined to, the side panels 70. The base panel 72 being joined proximate to opposing edges of each of the side panels 70, to define an inside space of the compartment. An axle (not shown) extends across the inside space between the side panels 70 proximate to one end of the compartment. The cover of the second embodiment kit includes a top panel having a generally rectangular shape and is disposed between the side panels 70 in snug fitting movable engagement, opposite the base panel 72. A first version top panel 74 is shown in FIG. 4. The first version top panel 74 is provided with a pair of generally perpendicular flanges 76, each having a hole through which the axle is received, for forming hinge means connecting the first version top panel 74 to the side panels 70, in pivoting relation. The first version top panel 74 may be pivoted to an open position, as shown in FIG. 4, to facilitate access to the inside space and the first version top panel 74 may be pivoted to a closed position, as shown in FIG. 6. It is preferred that the base panel 72 have a curved portion proximate to the end opposite the axle to more completely cover the space between the side panels 70 and enclose the compartment.
The second embodiment kit is shown with a second version top panel 74′, in FIG. 5. The second version top panel 74′ is provided with a pair of opposed outwardly extending bosses (not shown) proximate to one end of the second version top panel 74′ . The bosses are received into wells located in aligned locations in each of the side panels 70, for forming hinge means to rotatably retain the second version top panel 74′. It is preferred that the second version top panel 74′ be sized for close fitting frictional engagement between the side panels 70 so that the second version top panel 74′ may be rotated to any desired position between the open position shown in FIG. 5 and a closed position, shown in FIG. 7, with the binding friction retaining the second version top panel 74′ in the selected postion.
It is also preferable to include a ring 78 retained in a hole provided in one of the side panels 70, as shown in FIG. 5. The ring may serve to attach a length of chain 80 with a releasable clasp 82, of conventional design, at a distal end of the chain 80, as shown in FIG. 7. The clasp 82, may be used to facilitate attaching the kit to a purse, a key chain, or article of clothing worn by the user. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other attachment means, such as a cord or lanyard together with other releasable means, such as a carbiner or a knot may serve to attach the kit, to avoid accidental loss.
The second embodiment kit is intended to include one or more sleeves mounted in pivoting relation, in the same manner as described above, with regard to the first embodiment kit. FIG. 4 shows the second embodiment kit with three sleeves 100 a′, 100 b′, and 100 c′ each having a proximal end with a tongue 104′ having a hole for receiving the axle in close fitting frictional engagement, such that the sleeves 100 a′, 100 b′, and 100 c′ may be pivoted outward, to varying degrees, to facilitate access to the implements received in apertures located at the distal ends. As shown in FIG. 4, sleeve 100 a′ holds folding scissors 400, sleeve 100 b′ holds a nail file 402, and sleeve 100 c′ holds tweezers 404. It is preferred that a mirror 52, which is preferably a magnification mirror is mounted on the first version top panel 74, as shown in FIG. 4, and on the second version top panel 74′ as shown in FIG. 5. When not in use, the implements may be disposed in the sleeves 100 a′, 100 b′, and 100 c′, the sleeves 100 a′, 100 b′, and 100 c′, pivoted into the inside space of the compartment and the first version top panel 74, or second version top panel 74′ pivoted to close the compartment, for securing and protecting the implements, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 respectively.
It is preferred that the folding scissors 400 be of conventional design having a pair of finger receiving rings, the rings being configured for folding flat upon one another when not in use.
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications can be made in the invention and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.
This invention allows a person to have high quality personal care tools with them at all times that are lightweight, compact, well protected and easily accessible. The removable tools can be thoroughly sterilized. The way the case is hinged allows the body of the case to become a handle for the mirror. If a tool is lost or broken it can be replaced. The clasp 82 allows the kit to be hooked to many different things. The actual kit itself will be fashionable.

Claims

1. An attractive implement kit for personal care usage, comprising:

a case and at least one implement:

said case comprising a compartment, a cover, and at least one sleeve,

said compartment having an opening communicating with the inside,

said cover being joined to said compartment by movable hinge means for selectively closing said opening;

said sleeve being attached inside said compartment, in pivoting relation;

said implement being slidably received in said sleeve;

whereby said cover may be opened and said sleeve may be pivoted out of said compartment to access and remove said implement.

2. The kit of claim 1, wherein the movable hinge means comprises a web.

3. The kit of claim 1, wherein a mirror is disposed in the cover.

4. The kit of claim 3, wherein the mirror comprises a magnification mirror.

5. The kit of claim 1, further including a plurality of sleeves attached inside said compartment in pivoting relation and a plurality of implements with one implement received in each of the sleeves.

6. The kit of claim 5, wherein one of the implements comprises a nail file.

7. The kit of claim 5, wherein one of the implements comprises a pair of tweezers.

8. The kit of claim 5, wherein one of the implements comprises a pair of scissors.

9. The kit of claim 8, wherein the scissors has a pair of finger-receiving rings, the rings being folded substantially flat upon each other when not in use and being received in one of said sleeves within said compartment, thereby contributing substantially to the compactness of the case.

10. The kit of claim 1, further including releasable attchment means for releasable attachement of the kit to a purse, a key chain, or a belt loop.

11. The kit of claim 10, wherein the releasable attachment means comprises a clip, clasp carbiner or lanyard.

12. The kit of claim 1, wherein the hinge means comprises a transverse axle mounted in said compartment and a pair of spaced apart flanges extending from said cover; said flanges being rotatably retained on said axle.

13. The kit of claim 1, wherein the hinge means comprises a pair of opposed outwardly extending bosses mounted on said cover and a pair of opposed and aligned wells in said compartment; said bosses being rotatably retained in said wells.