A combination orthotic device for ingrown nails

Abstract

This utility model provides a combined ingrown toenail correction device. Its components include: a patch, an elastic metal wire, a mounting rod, an adhesive layer, a silicone tube, and a mounting base. The patch is a flat, earless plastic structure with flat upper and lower surfaces. The upper surface is the operating surface, and the lower surface is the adhesive fixing surface. A groove is provided in the middle of the lower surface for embedding the elastic metal wire, with a patch installed at each end of the elastic metal wire. One end of the mounting rod is coated with an adhesive layer; during installation, this end is used to adhere to the upper surface of the patch, replacing fingers and other gripping tools to manipulate the patch. This device features: simple structure, variable length, easy manufacturing, easy installation and operation, and simple post-processing, reducing installation difficulty and production costs.

Description

1. Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of nail correction device technology, and in particular to a combined ingrown toenail corrector and its matching installation components. 2. Background Technology

[0002] During the growth of fingernails / toenails, they may curl and deform, causing the nail to embed into the flesh, resulting in symptoms such as repeated redness, swelling, pain, inflammation, and infection of the fingertip. An effective way to solve this problem is to apply external force to correct the deformed nail; ingrown toenail correctors are designed to solve this problem.

[0003] In this type of orthopedic device, the patch serves to fix the elastic parts (such as elastic wires and elastic sheets). It is necessary to fix the elastic parts to the nail, and it is also a force-bearing part, playing an important role.

[0004] Existing ingrown toenail correction technology often employs an ear-shaped patch structure. This ear-shaped structure acts as a protruding gripper, serving to either allow direct hand handling, provide a grip for tools such as tweezers or tweezers, or allow the ear to be inserted into a pre-fixed hole / gap structure on the tool for installation. While this ear-shaped design offers some convenience, it also has some drawbacks:

[0005] 1. Because the patch itself is small (about the size of a grain of rice), the ears are still quite small, which makes operation difficult. For example, applying pressure evenly, aligning and adjusting the position are all somewhat inconvenient.

[0006] 2. After installation, the protruding ear structure needs to be cut off and additional sanding work is required, otherwise it will scratch your shoes and socks.

[0007] Some ingrown toenail correction techniques use earless patches (or pressure plates, pressure plates): some adopt a non-combination integral structure with a fixed length; others require an additional covering layer to be pasted around the patch or to wrap the patch inside the covering layer, making the structure more complex. 3. Utility Model Content

[0008] In view of the above-mentioned problems in the existing technology, this utility model provides an easy-to-install and use, easy-to-produce, variable-length, modular ingrown nail corrector and its matching installation components.

[0009] The details are as follows:

[0010] A combined ingrown toenail correction device includes a patch (1), an elastic metal wire (2), a silicone tube (3), an installation rod (4), an adhesive layer (5), and an installation base (6). The patch (1) and the elastic metal wire (2) form a basic orthosis, and the installation rod (4), the adhesive layer (5), and the installation base (6) form a matching installation assembly. The two are used together.

[0011] The corrector is modular; all parts are in a non-connected, fixed state before installation. Its length is variable and can be cut to size as needed.

[0012] A preferred set of orthotics includes two patches and one elastic metal wire. The lower surface of the patch has a groove. When installing and wearing the orthotics, the two ends of the elastic metal wire are embedded in the groove of the patch, and the lower surface (12) of the patch is bonded and fixed to the nail surface with quick-drying glue.

[0013] The patch is a flat, earless structure—without any protruding structures such as handles / grips / clamps for picking up or handling, and both the top and bottom surfaces are flat.

[0014] The lower surface (12) of the patch has a groove. The groove can penetrate the patch completely or partially. In the fully penetrating design, when installing the elastic wire, the two sides of the elastic wire should not exceed the outer end face of the patch to ensure that both ends are completely wrapped by the plastic patch (not exposed). In the partially penetrating design, the elastic wire cannot protrude from the outer end face of the patch, and both ends are naturally and completely wrapped by the patch material.

[0015] The groove on the lower surface (12) of the patch has a cross-sectional shape including but not limited to U-shape, rectangle, trapezoid, and triangle, in order to achieve the embedding and fixing of the elastic metal wire.

[0016] The corrector has two structures: single patch and double patch.

[0017] The first type is a double-pattern structure, which uses two patches on the left and right sides to fix the elastic metal wire. In this case, the two patch structures are exactly the same, and only one production mold is needed. Examples 1 and 2 belong to this type of double-pattern structure.

[0018] The second type is a single patch structure. In this case, the other features of the patch remain unchanged, except that the length along the axial direction of the groove is increased, making it a long strip structure. The groove on its lower surface (12) can fully cover the elastic metal wire. During installation, quick-drying glue is applied to the two ends of the lower surface (12) of the patch and bonded to the nail surface. No glue is needed for the middle part. Example 3 is a case of this type of single patch structure.

[0019] The corner radius setting of patch (1) has the following two structures:

[0020] The first type of rounded corner structure: the edges of the patch (1) that are parallel to the groove axis on the upper surface (11) are rounded to make the local edges smooth while the remaining edges remain right angles. This makes the cross-section of the patch (1) perpendicular to the groove axis always the same shape, giving the patch linear structural characteristics. Its feature is that it can be produced by plastic extrusion process (the patch shape structure of Example 1 belongs to this type).

[0021] The second type of rounded corner structure: all edges that contact the upper surface (11) of the patch (1) and are thereon are set as rounded corners, while the remaining edges remain right angles. At this time, the structure is smoother and can reduce the grinding work after installation. Except for the fact that it must be produced by injection molding process, there is no other impact (the patch shape structure of Example 2 belongs to this type of case).

[0022] In the second rounded corner structure, the upper surface (11) and lower surface (12) of the patch (1) are not limited to a rectangular shape, but can also be circular, semi-circular, elliptical or trapezoidal.

[0023] One end of the mounting rod is covered with a self-adhesive layer, the coverage of which can be appropriately extended to the adjacent side area. The self-adhesive layer is a soft film structure with uniform thickness. The self-adhesive layer has a certain degree of stickiness and will not cure for a long time. Its bonding mechanical strength is much lower than that of cured quick-drying glue. The implementation method includes, but is not limited to, using self-adhesive liquid, double-sided adhesive stickers, silicone stickers, and materials with a certain degree of stickiness that can adhere to the mounting rod, can stick to plastic patches, and are easy to separate from the patch surface. The self-adhesive layer is replaceable and can be replaced with a new self-adhesive layer after its stickiness decreases.

[0024] The mounting rod serves as a tool for installation; during installation, the adhesive layer can be directly applied to the upper surface (11) of the patch.

[0025] The elastic wire is made of a super-elastic material, preferably a nickel-titanium alloy, to provide a long-lasting and stable corrective force.

[0026] The patch is made of a non-rigid plastic material (such as soft PVC) with deformability and mechanical strength. Its material properties, combined with the patch's flat structure, allow the patch to conform to nail surfaces of different shapes.

[0027] The mounting rod is made of lightweight plastic to suit its design purpose of handling small and light objects.

[0028] The elastic metal wire is fixed in the groove of the patch with quick-drying glue, and the patch is also fixed to the nail surface with quick-drying glue.

[0029] A thin silicone tube is installed on the exposed middle section of the elastic metal wire, which is then wrapped around the wire. This is to prevent the rigid contact of the elastic metal wire from adversely affecting the long-term growth of the nail. This is an optional part and can be omitted for short-term wear.

[0030] The mounting base is made of lightweight foam material, preferably cost-effective EPE pearl cotton. It has a large hole and a small hole in the middle for placing glue bottles and mounting rods during installation, respectively. The foam body is also used to insert elastic metal wires, providing three installation assistance functions.

[0031] The large and small holes of the mounting base are approximately the size of the corresponding object; their shape can be round, square, or oval; and their type can be countersunk or through holes.

[0032] The beneficial effects of the above scheme are as follows:

[0033] The earless design of the patch eliminates the need to cut off the ears or perform any sanding after installation.

[0034] The earless design of the patch, in conjunction with the mounting rod, allows the patch to adhere to the adhesive layer of the mounting rod. The operation of small patches is transformed into the operation of a straight rod, which is easy to hold and does not require additional clamping force. It is also easy to apply axial pressure and rotational force to adjust the direction, thus reducing the difficulty of installation.

[0035] The earless design of the patch simplifies the patch shape and helps reduce production costs; this feature is especially evident when the patch uses a linear structure with partially rounded corners, allowing it to be produced through plastic extrusion.

[0036] When using a dual-surface structure, the two surface plates have the same structure, requiring only a single mold during production, which can reduce production costs.

[0037] Its modular design allows it to accommodate different nail sizes.

[0038] The patch is made of deformable soft plastic, which is non-rigid and can adapt to different nail surfaces, including large-angle curled surfaces.

[0039] In addition to holding glue bottles to prevent them from tipping over, the foam body of the mounting base can also be used to insert elastic metal wires, making it convenient for the installer to switch hands to pick up items. After the installation stick is attached to a patch, it is inserted upside down into the small hole (61) of the mounting base. Then the installer can free up both hands to install elastic metal wires and apply glue to the patch. These features effectively improve the convenience of the installation operation, especially when a single person is installing alone. 4. Description of the attached drawings

[0040] Figure 1This is a perspective view of the overall apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0041] Figure 2 The overall device stereoscopic representation of Embodiment 1 of this application Figure 2 ;

[0042] Figure 3 This is a perspective view of the corrector unit according to Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0043] Figure 4 The stereoscopic orthodontic unit of Embodiment 1 of this application Figure 2 ;

[0044] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the corrector unit according to Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0045] Figure 6 This is a drawing of a patch component according to Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0046] Figure 7 The patch component of Embodiment 1 of this application Figure 2 ;

[0047] Figure 8 The images show a perspective view (left) and a perspective view (right) of the mounting base components according to Embodiment 1 of this application.

[0048] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the mounting rod according to Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0049] Figure 10 This is an exploded view of the mounting rod and the adhesive layer of Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0050] Figure 11 This is a perspective view of the patch in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0051] Figure 12 The patch stereoscopic representation of Embodiment 2 of this application Figure 2 ;

[0052] Figure 13 This is a perspective view of the patch in Embodiment 3 of this application;

[0053] Figure 14 The patch stereoscopic representation of Embodiment 3 of this application Figure 2 .

[0054] Figure label:

[0055] 1—Patch; 11—Upper surface of the patch or the working surface for adhesive bonding; 12—Lower surface of the patch or the mounting surface for quick-drying adhesive; 2—Elastic metal wire; 3—Silicone tubing; 4—Installation rod; 5—

[0056] Adhesive layer; 6—Mounting base; 61—Mounting rod insertion hole on the mounting base; 62—Glue bottle insertion hole on the mounting base. 5. Detailed Implementation

[0057] In order to make the technical means, creative features and functional features of this utility model clear, the following describes this utility model in detail with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0058] Example 1:

[0059] like Figures 1 to 10 As shown, a combined ingrown toenail correction device includes two patches (1), one elastic metal wire (2), one silicone tube (3), one mounting rod (4), one adhesive layer (5), and one mounting base (6).

[0060] The upper surface of the patch is a flat, earless structure, serving as the adhesive application surface. A through groove is formed on its lower surface, acting as the mounting and fixing surface. One end of the mounting rod is covered with an adhesive layer. The mounting base is used to hold the mounting rod, glue bottle, and elastic wire (inserted into the foam) during installation. During installation, both ends of the elastic wire are engaged in the grooves of the left and right patches, and the silicone tube is fitted over the elastic wire. During installation, the adhesive layer of the mounting rod holds the patch in place, replacing fingers and other gripping tools, thus facilitating the installation process. The mounting base further enhances convenience.

[0061] In practice:

[0062] The patch is made of soft plastic material, such as PVC.

[0063] In this embodiment, the patch has a linear structure and is produced efficiently using an extrusion process. Preferably, an automated cutting process can be used to cut the patch into individual fixed-length parts. However, it is also possible to avoid cutting and simply provide long strips of patches directly produced by the extrusion process, which users can then cut to the required length for use.

[0064] The elastic metal wire is made from ultra-elastic nickel-titanium alloy wire and cut to size.

[0065] The mounting rod is cut directly from industrial strip products, preferably made of rigid plastic materials such as acrylic and ABS, which are lightweight and easy to handle.

[0066] One end of the installation rod is covered with an adhesive layer, preferably made of silicone adhesive with a certain degree of stickiness.

[0067] Silicone tubing is made by cutting industrial semi-finished silicone tubing.

[0068] The mounting base is made of lightweight foam material, such as EPE pearl cotton.

[0069] The adhesive used is a quick-drying adhesive, preferably nail glue.

[0070] In this embodiment, a partial rounding scheme is adopted for the rounding of the patch, that is, the edge parallel to the groove axis in the upper surface (11) of the patch (1) is rounded to make the local edge smooth, while the other edges remain right angles. This design maintains the linear structural characteristics of the patch in the axial direction of the groove, so that the cross section perpendicular to the groove is always the same shape, which can be produced by plastic extrusion process.

[0071] In a preferred implementation, the mounting rod is straight, a design that is simple and readily available from existing industrial products. However, it is clear that its shape can vary widely, provided one end face remains flat (to mate with the surface of the patch), such as a round rod / flat rod / rod with different sizes at both ends / rod with a grip, or even a handle. Furthermore, the adhesive-free end can be designed for direct horizontal placement, allowing it to detach from the mounting base and stand upright on a flat surface.

[0072] In this example, a dual-pattern structure is used, with both patches having the same structure, requiring only one extrusion die for production.

[0073] In this example, the elastic wire can be cut to any length to accommodate various nail sizes.

[0074] In this example, the mounting base is an optional accessory to further enhance convenience and can be omitted.

[0075] In this example, the silicone tubing is an optional component to reduce the potential adverse effects of rigid contact on long-term nail growth; it can be omitted for short-term wear.

[0076] To better understand the structure and connection relationships of this device, the following specific installation and usage methods are provided:

[0077] Step 1, Preparation: Buff the nail surface, take out a flexible metal wire, insert one end into the upper surface of the foam mounting base, insert the quick-drying glue bottle into the large hole of the mounting base to fix it and open the bottle cap; Step 2, use the adhesive layer of the mounting stick to stick the upper surface (11) of a patch; Step 3, insert the other end of the mounting stick into the mounting base, at this time the grooved lower surface (12) of the patch, i.e., the mounting surface, is facing upwards; Step 4, take a flexible metal wire, apply a small amount of glue to one end, and place that end on the groove of the aforementioned patch to fix it; Step 5, apply glue to the mounting surface of the aforementioned patch, and immediately pick up the mounting stick to prepare for installation; Step 6, align the aforementioned patch with the installation position. Press down and wait for the glue to dry to complete the installation of one patch. At this point, one end of the elastic wire has been pressed and fixed in place by the patch. Step 7: Cut the elastic wire to the appropriate length as needed. Optional: You can put a silicone tube on the elastic wire. Step 8: Repeat steps 2, 3, and 5 to prepare the second patch. Step 9: Press down on the middle of the elastic wire with your hand to place it near the desired installation position on the nail surface. Align the prepared patch groove with the other end of the elastic wire so that the patch groove just overlaps with the other end of the elastic wire. Then press the patch down to the target position. After the glue dries, remove the installation stick to complete the installation. No assistance from a second person is required throughout the process.

[0078] Example 2:

[0079] This example is basically the same as Example 1, also featuring a dual-pattern structure. The main difference lies in the addition of rounded corners to the patches, breaking the linear structural characteristics and allowing for more flexible patch design. Figure 11 and Figure 12 .

[0080] In this example, a rounded corner structure different from that in Embodiment 1 is adopted. That is, all the edges that are in contact with the upper surface (11) of the patch (1) and on it are set as rounded corners, while the other edges remain right angles. At this time, the structure is smoother. At this time, both the upper and lower surfaces of the patch are rectangular. However, obviously, in the design, the upper surface (11) and lower surface (12) of the patch (1) are not limited to rectangular shapes. They can also be circular, elliptical, trapezoidal or irregular shapes.

[0081] Compared with Example 1, there are the following two changes or characteristics:

[0082] (1) It breaks the linear structure of the patch design and requires injection molding process to manufacture.

[0083] (2) After installation, the surface of the patch is smoother and basically no polishing is required, which reduces the amount of post-installation work.

[0084] Example 3:

[0085] This example is basically the same as Example 1, except that the patch design is different; a single patch structure is used. For example... Figure 13 , Figure 14 The shape of the patch is similar to that of Embodiment 1, except that the length in the axial direction of the groove is increased. The patch is designed as a long strip structure, and one patch covers the entire elastic metal wire. The number of patches is reduced from 2 to 1, and the silicone tubing is no longer provided.

[0086] Compared with Example 1, there are the following changes or characteristics:

[0087] (1) For single surface mount design, the number of surface mounts is changed from 2 to 1.

[0088] (2) The patch length is not fixed and can be cut by the user as needed.

[0089] (3) During installation, place the elastic metal wire into the groove of the patch. The length of the metal wire should be slightly shorter than the length of the patch so that the patch can completely cover the metal wire. Then apply an appropriate amount of glue to both ends of the lower surface of the patch, but do not apply glue to the middle section of the lower surface.

[0090] (4) Silicone tubing is no longer needed.

Claims

1. A combination corn correction device, comprising: The device includes a patch (1), an elastic metal wire (2), a silicone tube (3), an installation rod (4), an adhesive layer (5), and an installation base (6). The patch (1) is a flat structure with flat, earless surfaces on both the top and bottom. The top surface (11) of the patch (1) is the operating surface for adhering the adhesive layer (5), and the bottom surface (12) of the patch (1) is the installation and fixing surface for fast-drying adhesive. A groove is provided in the middle of this surface. One end of the installation rod (4) is flat and has the adhesive layer (5) adhered to it. The patch (1) and the elastic metal wire (2) together form an ingrown toenail corrector, and the installation rod (4), the adhesive layer (5), and the installation base (6) together form a matching installation assembly.

2. The combination corn nail correcting device of claim 1, wherein, The orthodontic device is a fully modular design, with no need for pre-fixed connections between the components. It is secured using quick-drying adhesive during installation and wear.

3. The combination corn nail correcting device of claim 2, wherein, The length of the corrector is variable and can be freely cut during use.

4. The combined ingrown toenail correction device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The patch (1) is a flat structure with its upper surface (11) being a flat, earless structure without any protruding structures such as handles / grips / clamps for operation, and its lower surface (12) being flat with a straight groove in the middle.

5. The combination corn nail correcting device of claim 1, wherein, The corrector can use a single / double patch scheme: in the double patch scheme, the two patches (1) have the same structure, and during assembly, the two ends of the elastic metal wire (2) are snapped into the grooves of the two patches (1); In the single patch solution, the patch shape is similar to that of the double patch solution. The cross-sectional shape of the patch perpendicular to the groove axis is the same as that of the double patch solution at this position, except that the length is longer in the groove axis direction, forming a long strip structure. During assembly, the groove on its lower surface (12) completely covers the elastic metal wire (2).

6. The combination corn nail correcting device of claim 1, wherein, One end of the mounting rod (4) is flat, and an adhesive layer (5) is pasted on the end face. The layer is a soft film structure with uniform thickness, covering the end face of the mounting rod and a small number of adjacent side areas. The adhesive layer has a certain degree of stickiness and will not cure for a long time. Its bonding mechanical strength is much less than that of cured quick-drying glue. When the layer comes into contact with the patch, the patch is stably stuck on it. When the other side of the patch is fixed by quick-drying glue, it can easily detach from the surface of the adhesive layer (5).

7. The combination corn nail correcting device of claim 6, wherein, The self-adhesive layer (5) is replaceable and can be replaced with a new self-adhesive layer after its adhesion decreases.

8. The combination corn nail correcting device of claim 1, wherein, The elastic metal wire (2) is made of super-elastic nickel-titanium alloy wire, the patch (1) is made of soft plastic material, and the mounting rod is made of lightweight plastic material.

9. The combined ingrown toenail correction device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The edges that contact the upper surface (11) of the patch (1) and are thereon can be rounded in whole or in part: when all edges are rounded, the upper surface is a smooth and rounded structure; when only the two edges of the upper surface (11) that are parallel to the groove axis are rounded, although the upper surface (11) of the patch is locally smooth, it is a linear structure - a linear structure that can be manufactured by plastic extrusion process.

10. The combination corn nail correcting device of claim 1, wherein The mounting base (6) is a cuboid structure made of plastic foam material, with a small hole (61) and a large hole (62) in the middle. During installation, the other end of the mounting rod (4) without the adhesive layer (5) can be inserted into the small hole (61) to make the mounting rod stand upright. The glue bottle is inserted into the large hole (62) for fixed placement. The elastic metal wire (2) is inserted into the foam body surface of the mounting base (6) as a temporary fixed placement position.

Images