Elastic Cylindrical Nail Corrector With Segmented Holding Teeth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nail correcting devices face challenges such as weak nail-holding force, difficulty in attachment and detachment, especially on insufficiently grown nails, and potential for causing pain due to improper fitting and adhesive use, which can lead to skin irritation.
Innovation Solution
A cylindrical nail correcting device made of elastic material with a slit for easy attachment and detachment, featuring adjustable holding teeth and a deformable design to fit various nail curvatures, reducing the risk of accidental detachment and providing uniform correcting force, and optionally coated with medical agents for infection treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a plate-like body with holding units is used to hold the distal end of the nail, then the nail can be corrected with a lifting force, but the nail-holding force is weak and accidental detachment easily happens
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical body is divided into multiple holding teeth along its length, with each holding tooth independently engaging with the nail. This segmentation increases the total holding force while maintaining ease of attachment and detachment through the modular structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The device combines elastic material with holding teeth formed by dividing grooves, creating a composite structure that provides both flexibility and strong mechanical engagement with the nail, preventing accidental detachment while maintaining ease of use.
2Reliability
If adhesive is used to fix the plate-like body to the nail, then the attachment strength is improved, but the operation becomes tricky and skin irritation may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive application step is completely removed from the device design. The holding teeth provide sufficient attachment strength through mechanical engagement alone, eliminating the need for adhesive and its associated operational complexities and skin irritation risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding teeth serve as an intermediary mechanical structure between the device and the nail, providing secure attachment without requiring adhesive. This intermediary structure eliminates the harmful effects of adhesive while maintaining attachment strength.
3Ease of operation
If the correcting device is inserted between the nail and finger when the nail is not sufficiently grown, then the device can be positioned, but the lower holders are further inserted causing strong pain
Solution Approach 1:
The holding teeth are designed with varying local properties along the cylindrical body, with the distal end featuring teeth that engage gently with the nail tip. This local quality variation allows proper positioning without forcing the lower holders between the nail and finger, eliminating pain.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the lower holders push between the nail and finger for positioning, the design inverts the approach by using the holding teeth to gently engage and guide the nail into the correct position, eliminating the harmful insertion force.
4Force
If a rigid plate-like body is used for nail correction, then the correcting force is strong, but the device cannot adapt to various nail curvatures and shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic material allows the cylindrical body to change its physical parameters (shape and flexibility) to match different nail curvatures while maintaining sufficient correcting force. The material's elastic properties enable adaptation without compromising the mechanical strength needed for correction.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a rigid static structure to a dynamic flexible structure that can adapt its shape to match the nail's curvature. The elastic material enables the device to dynamically adjust to various nail geometries while maintaining effective correcting force through the holding teeth engagement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device ensures secure and pain-free attachment and detachment, provides uniform correcting force, and can be used on nails of varying shapes and sizes, reducing the risk of skin irritation and enhancing treatment efficacy with integrated medical agents.
Implementation Method 1
a cylindrical body being formed of an elastic material
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes: a cylindrical body formed of an elastic material; and a slit formed along a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body from one end to an opposite end of the cylindrical body, a distal end of a nail being inserted to be held in the slit. The cylindrical body includes: plural pairs of holding teeth plurally divided in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body by dividing grooves formed from the slit along a circumferential direction of the cylindrical body such that the holding teeth of each pair are opposed to each other across the slit to hold the distal end of the nail; and coupling pieces configured to couple adjacent ones of the holding teeth on an opposite side of the slit.