Pedicure Stand

DESCRIPTION:

The pedicure or any cosmetic treatment of the toenails or feet are done throughout the world and seems to appeal especially to women although not exclusively. Pedicures are not only for the toenails but include care for the entire foot. Dead skin cells are removed from the bottom of the foot with an abrasive and skin care and treatment can extend as far as up to the knee. Pedicures often include exfoliation, moisturizing and massage as well as other treatments and applications.

The pedicure has an ancient history for treatment of the feet and has been recorded as far back as 4,000 years. Nail color in Chinese history was used to signify social status, and Ming Dynasty manuscripts indicate it was used as far back as 3,000 BC.

Currently, the pedicure has begun to increase in popularity, and many pedicure and nail salons can be found in any town in the United States. The treatments can vary from a modest, inexpensive procedure to extensive and costly procedures done by highly skilled and professional people. Successful and independent manicure technicians can earn relatively significant salaries, and many receive up to $100 per hour. A standard treatment usually runs around $40 per hour.

The options for a lot of people concerning pedicures is to avoid the high cost associated with the procedures and opt for doing the procedures themselves at home. The home pedicure and nail treatment can be very extensive or exceptionally simple. Many types of home treatments are available on the market, and of course, a wide-ranging choice of nail treatments and colors are also available. One of the drawbacks of the home pedicure is gaining access to the feet. Bending over working on a foot on the floor is very uncomfortable and can be especially troublesome for someone suffering from back or neck problems. Placing the foot on the bathroom counter is not an easy task and requires a certain amount of flexibility that not everyone possesses. Sitting on the bed or other surfaces can result in disaster with spilled nail color or other fluids. The ability to maintain a position that is comfortable is important for performing a respectable job at a pedicure or for basically applying nail color to the toenails. A home work station that would allow for a comfortable working position capable of being used for extended periods of time without fatigue or pain is a marketable product that would make a significant difference in the home pedicure or toenail maintenance and polishing.

The Pedicure Stand is an inventive and unique solution to the difficulties of performing a home pedicure or nail polish application. Consisting of an adjustable angled foot rest and base the Pedicure Stand will allow a comfortable sitting position for working on the feet. The foot rest is adjustable in height and can be easily repositioned instantly. A series of slots on the Pedicure Stand permits the foot rest to change angles to suit the user. Mounted on the foot rest is a heel cup that adjusts in a sliding mechanism so that the proper position of the foot can be achieved. Once the heel cup is situated, it will lock to provide stability and keep the foot securely in place. At the top of the Pedicure Stand is a convenient accessory tray that will hold tools and materials used in a pedicure or toenail polishing at an easy reach. Lighting is achieved on the Pedicure Stand by the clamp-on high-intensity lamp. A goose-neck stand holds the light above the working area and allows the lamp to be maneuvered to almost any angle for optimum lighting. The lamp clamps onto the accessory tray with a secure clamping mechanism that can be traversed horizontally across the back on the tray. When not in use the unit easily breaks down in to a compact size for storage. The Pedicure Stand creates a comfortable environment for pedicures and toenail polishing by eliminating all the difficulties associated with performing the task.

SPECIFIC, UNIQUE FUNCTIONS OF INVENTION:

• Brings the foot into easy reach for pedicures or toenail polishing
• Makes home pedicures easy and eliminates the high cost of professional spas
• Home pedicures using the unit can eliminate the possibility contracting a fungus

or diseases from unsanitary conditions at some spas

• Adjustable angle to suit users needs
• Adjustable heel cup for stabilizing the foot
• Convenient accessory tray
• High-intensity lamp illuminates work area
• Lamp is adjustable with goose-neck stand
• Lamp adjust horizontally
• Simple operation of all components
• Constructed of sturdy materials

PRODUCT COMPONENT CLARIFICATION:

The “Pedicure Stand” is an innovative home pedicure product that has been designed to allow the user to have an adjustable, sloped platform for the foot while they are seated in front of the product. The sloped platform is adjustable and has an adjustable heel cup that cradles the foot during the pedicure and polishing process. The system also has an adjustable, battery powered gooseneck LED lamp that can be positioned to optimally illuminate the foot and nails. This lamp is attached to the work tray mounted in the top of the platform support. The tray has a raised lip to retain the nail tools and polish. After use, the platform can be lifted off and the support and platform can be compactly stored until the next use.

Currently, the cosmetic treatment of the toenails and feet is very commonly performed throughout the world. There are literally hundreds of thousands of nail parlors throughout the US. The typical user of these services, often find they are unable to visit the professional shop due to cost or scheduling problems, and opt for performing the process at home. This process at home can be problematic as the person typically puts their foot up on something and then trims, files, and polishes the toenails. Often, the person finds the height of the surface upon which they place their foot is too high or too low and must stop the process to rest the leg and/or back. Also, the placement of the acetone solvent bottle, used to remove old nail polish, on the surface can mar surfaces and remove furniture finish if spilled. The same problem can occur with the nail polish. It is an excellent adhering, opaque paint and can cause all sorts of problems if spilled. It is virtually impossible to get out of carpet, or wood grain pores, etc.

The “Pedicure Stand” resolves almost all of these problems when deployed. There are no electrical cords so the unit can be positioned almost anywhere the user wants it to be. The sloping platform is easy to adjust so the user can sit comfortably in a chair in front of the product with their foot in the heel cup on the platform. The slope and heel cup location can optimally be adjusted to find the most comfortable position where the foot can easily be reached, regardless of the user’s body confirmation. The upper tray has a lip that prevents most inadvertent spills from slopping over onto the floor and all the required tools/materials are organized within easy reach. Finally, the LED lamp can be positioned to allow the user to easily see the toes and foot, regardless of the ambient lighting. After use, the plastic surfaces can easily be wiped down, the sloping platform lifted off, and the product stored in a very compact form until the next use.

The plastic components: The platform and tray are injection molded from polypropylene plastic. This plastic is very durable, is highly resistant to household and cosmetic chemicals, is easy to wipe down, and disinfect if required, and is typically used in this type of application. The plastic components can be supplied in almost any vibrant color, so a distinctive color may be chosen to enhance the product recognition factor, which can dramatically improve the market adoption of the product.

• Upper tray: The upper tray is fabricated from plastic that is highly resistant to chemical and polish spills. It is bolted to the upper brace using the supplied nickel plated steel fasteners. The lip is molded in all around the lip of the tray. The mounting point for the LED lamp is also molded into the tray’s top surface.
• Sloping plate: This sloping platform is also fabricated from plastic that is highly resistant to chemical and polish spills or even errant brush strokes. This platform is bolted to the tubing using nickel plated steel fasteners. The ends of the tubing are covered with non marking, non- skid rubber crutch tips. The anodized tubing fits into any one of the 6 notches in the side support plates, allowing the height and angle of the support platform to easily be adjusted.
• Heel cup: The heel cup is also fabricated from plastic and is shaped to gently cup the heel of the foot being processed. The base of the heel cup employs 2 spring loaded carriage bolt headed fasteners that are easily depressed so the user can move the heel cup, and then latch tightly to notches in the bottom of the platform when released.

The metal components: There are several different metal parts to the product. They are all made using aluminum 6061 alloy materials. After fabrication, all the finished components are cleaned, anodized and dyed to any one of several possible colors. The anodizing makes the surface more durable, protecting it from scratches, abrasion, and corrosion. Some possible colors are, but not limited to, the following.

• The sloping platform support: This tubing is cut to length using a robotically controlled rotary saw and then is deburred. The support tubes are robotically through drilled to accept the support platform on a CNC milling center. The cross tube is cut and deburred similarly. Then the longer support tubes are hydraulically bent and the mating ends are notched to fit snugly against the cross tube. The support and cross tubes are placed in a jig and then robotically TIG welded to make a single unit. After finishing, the rubber crutch tips are installed.
• The base feet: These feet are formed from 1” square tubing, which is machined on a water jet machining center. The removed sections are recycled and the feet are placed in a welding jig with the notched side support plates and robotically TIG welded. The join between the feet and the support plate are welded as well as the seam where the material was removed on the feet.
• The notched support plates: These support plates are water jet machined from 0.25” thick aluminum sheet. The water jet machining provides smooth edges with no burrs. Subsequent steps minimally round the edges making feel smooth to the touch. The notches accept the cross tube on the support platform, allowing it to be positioned anywhere up or down the support plate. The crutch tips prevent the platform from moving laterally once placed in the supports.
• The base plate: This reinforcing plate is also cut from the 0.25” thick aluminum plate on the water jet machining center. The ends of the plate are automatically drilled and tapped in CNC machining center. These holes accept the mating nickel plated machine screws.
• The top reinforcing brace: This reinforcing brace is cut to length and width in a computer controlled water jet machining center. The brace is then pierced and bent to shape in a specialty die in a flywheel press.
• Final assembly: The above components are assembled into 2 units, which are made ready for final boxing for shipment with the LED lamp and batteries.

The LED lamp: This commercially available, LED lamp clamps onto the tray, grasping the molded in support, and then is secured with the butterfly nut. The 2 AA battery powered LED lamp employs an 18” stainless steel flexible neck and a conical shade to direct the daylight color corrected light onto the foot undergoing the pedicure. The unit is operated by a button on the back and the batteries last several months in normal operation in a dwelling populated with 3 females in the household.

The Pedicure Stand is designed to be aesthetic and effective in the application. The relative ease of manufacture and the moderately inexpensive components provide good marketability for the manufacturer. The user benefits from improved foot location and support with easy access to the foot tools and polish, which should provide considerable market interest in the product.

The invention is illustrated in the following drawings of the essential points as explained to us in the documentation.

Drawing 1, Block 1: Pedicure Stand – Side And Front Views

(1) The tubing is thin wall extruded aluminum, which has been anodizes and dyed for color and then the ends protected using rubber crutch tips.

a. As an option, standard plastic tubing caps can be used for a better looking, but less functional product

(2) The aluminum rectangular tube foot supports the notched riser that holds the cross tube in the water jet machined notches.

(3) The notches accept and support the cross tube, allowing it to be positioned optimally for use by various height people. The tube is shown here without the crutch tip for clarity.

(4) The gooseneck lamp allows the bright LED lamp to be focused on the toes being trimmed, buffed, and/or painted.

(5) The platform is bolted to the tubing to secure it onto the adjustable angle tubing frame using nickel plated steel fasteners.

(6) The sloping platform and the attached frame can be removed from the support stand and both components compactly stored when not in use. The platform assembly can be stored vertically next to the support frame between uses to create space in the dwelling.

(7) The sloping platform remains stable after being positioned so the user can put some weight on the foot for stability.

(8) The upper tray is injection molded using polypropylene plastic and has a recessed interior surface to retain the pedicure tools and nail polish.

(9) The top and base are reinforced with aluminum plates or formed sheet stock to improve the strength while keeping the product weight down.

(10) The sloping plate is also injection molded using polypropylene plastic and has an adjustable heel cup that can easily be moved up and down the platform to further stabilize the foot during use.

Although a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the above detailed description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment developed herein, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

This document has been prepared for the manufacturer’s elucidation. The manufacturer’s decision makers should consider this product for licensing (providing intellectual property protection for their sales of the product in return for a royalty payment for a period of years) or an outright purchase of the patent for a negotiated fee. The inventor and his team are standing by to consider offers for licensing or outright purchase of the patent.