US007020964B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 7,020,964 B2 Han et al. (45) Date of Patent: Apr. 4, 2006 (54) NAIL CLIPPER AND NAIL CUTTER, LEVER 796,389 A 8/1905 Wright AND SUPPORTING SHAFT FOR THE SAME 806,037 A 11, 1905 Wilcox 1,085,569 A * 1/1914 Casse ............................ 30, 28 (76) Inventors: Jeong Sik Han, c/o BOCAS Inc., 62-7 2,477,782 A 8, 1949 Bassett ...................... 132,755 Ogeum-Dong, Songpa-Ku, Seoul (KR) 2,995,820 A 8, 1961 Pocoski ......................... 30, 28 3,042,047 A 7/1962 Plaskon ..................... 132,755 138-856; Gyoung Hee Kim, c/o 3,555,675 A 1/1971 Jurena ........................... 30, 28 BOCAS Inc., 62-7 Ogeum-Dong, 5,226,849 A 7/1993 Johnson ......................... 30, 28 Songpa-Ku, Seoul (KR) 138-856 5.488,772 A 2f1996 Dababneh et al. 5,832,610 A * 11/1998 Chaplick ....................... 30, 28 (*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 5,870,826 A 2, 1999 Lewan .......................... 30, 28 patent is extended or adjusted under 35 6,173,497 B1 1/2001 Domenge U.S.C. 154(b) by 52 days. 6,523,545 B1* 2/2003 Rende ....................... 132,755 2002/0092.172 A1* 7/2002 Park .............................. 30, 28 (21) Appl. No.: 10/730,910 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS (22) Filed: Dec. 10, 2003 JP 57-27.204 2, 1982 JP 11-169227 6, 1999 (65) Prior Publication Data JP 2002-142853 5, 2002 WO O2/398.44 5, 2002 US 2004/O 111893 A1 Jun. 17, 2004 WO O2/O67720 9, 2002 (30) Foreign Application Priority Data * cited by examiner Dec. 10, 2002 (KR) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10-2002-OO78542 Primary Examiner Hwei-Siu Payer Mar. 31, 2003 (KR) - - - - - 10-2003-0O2O3O4 (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Buchanan Ingersoll PC Jun. 10, 2003 (KR) - - - - - 10-2003-00373.11 Jul. 18, 2003 (KR) ...................... 10-2003-00494.75 Oct. 30, 2003 (KR) ...................... 10-2003-OO76546 (57) ABSTRACT Dec. 4, 2003 (WO) ................. PCTAKR2003/02653 (51) Int. Cl. A nail clipper of the invention comprises a nail clipper body A45D 29/02 (2006.01) having a rigidity and a suitable length to grip, and a lever mounted on an upper side of the body and a nail cutter (52) U.S. Cl. ............................ 30/28:30/125; 132/75.5 mounted on a lower side of the body through a Supporting (58) Field of Classification Search .................... 30/26, shaft passing through a Supporting shaft hole formed in one 30/27, 28, 253,124, 125; 132/73.5, 75.4, side end of the body. When a user grips the cutter, and rotates 132/75.5, 75.6; 28/60 the cutter centering around the Supporting shaft according to See application file for complete search history. using direction, the cutter is rotated at a time within a range of 360° without interference of an obstacle to cut the nail at (56) References Cited the desired angle. U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 244,891 A 7, 1881 Matz et al. .................... 30, 28 34 Claims, 29 Drawing Sheets 100 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 1 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 2 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 3 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 4 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 Fig 3a 35 35a 31 31a U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 5 of 29 US 7.020,964 B2 ØØ YZ @ ? q£61-I U.S. Patent US 7,020,964 B2 92 9961-I U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 7 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 24a Fig. 4a Fig. 4b Fig. 4C U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 8 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 Fig 5b Fig 5c U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 9 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 Fig 6 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 10 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 24a Fig 7b Fig 7c U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 11 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 12 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 Fig 9 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 13 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 s S U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 14 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 15 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 (e) N U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 16 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 17 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 18 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 5 3 & At 3: re.assass U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 19 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 S. 3 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 20 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 ty||61-I U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 22 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 23 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 O C o O v U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 24 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 N N y U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 25 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 26 of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 s 3 O r U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 27 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 C O O V s U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 28 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 9 9 £100?. BOZ61-I U.S. Patent Apr. 4, 2006 Sheet 29 Of 29 US 7,020,964 B2 s US 7,020,964 B2 1. 2 NAIL CLIPPER AND NAIL CUTTER, LEVER lever crossed each other, there have been drawbacks that the AND SUPPORTING SHAFT FOR THE SAME pressing motion is unnatural, and a force for cutting a nail is deflected. TECHNICAL FIELD U.S. Pat. No. 796,389 and U.S. Pat. No. 806,037 com 5 monly comprise a cutter and a lever for manipulating the This invention relates to a nail cutter and a nail clipper cutter. According to a structure of the cutter, since the cutter using the nail cutter for cutting finger nails and/or toenails, is made by simply bending a plate and forming a cutting and more particularly to a nail clipper comprising a nail blade of a front end thereof, a rigid structure of the cutter or clipper body having a rigidity, and a lever mounted on an an elastic flexible operation structure of the cutter is not upper side of the body and a nail cutter mounted on a lower 10 disclosed. In Such a case, there have been problems as side of the body through a Supporting shaft passing through follows. a supporting shaft hole formed in one side end of the body. In case of biting motion (motion for cutting a nail) of both The Supporting shaft directly grips a lower end of the nail blades by manipulating a lever, since the cutter is very thin, cutter while allowing for easily rotating the cutter relative to and thus has a weak rigidity, the cutter is bent, whereby the the body according to using direction, but preventing the 15 cutting force is weakly transferred. To prevent this, a plate cutter from rotating together with the lever upon rotating the thickness of the cutter should be increased. However, in such lever, and preventing the cutter from freely rotating in use. a case, since a center portion of the bent part becomes rigid, The rotatable cutter allows for cutting nails at a desired angle and thus a motion for pressing the cutter is not smooth, and by rotating right and left the cutter according to discrete a manipulation of the lever becomes difficult. Therefore, if steps, for rotating the cutter by each step of the rotation angle the force for pressing the cutter is directly transferred to a using means for increasing the rigidity and the cutter accord blade portion, and acts as a shearing force, means for having ing to the flexible elastic motion of the cutter. A thin metal opposite properties that the cutter should have a rigidity and plate provides a simple assembling structure of the Support a flexible elastic force is requested. ing shaft and the lever, and for removing separation defects According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,772, a cutter has a of the Supporting shaft. 25 sidewall projected from one side thereof. However, since this constitution is only for Supporting a pin of a lever, and BACKGROUND ART it is not for a reinforcing structure, the above problems discussed above with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 796,389 and The prior arts to which a nail clipper of the invention is U.S. Pat. No. 806,037 still remains. directed are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,497, Japanese 30 According to Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publica Patent Laid-Open Publication No. (Hei) 11-169227 (Jun. 29, tion No. (Sho) 57-27204, upper and lower cutters have 1999), U.S. Pat. No. 796,389, U.S. Pat. No. 806,037, U.S. sidewalls at both sides thereof for the purpose of preventing Pat.