Apparatuses for toning facial muscles and plumping lips, and methods for using such apparatuses

Abstract

Apparatuses for plumping and toning facial muscles, and methods for using such apparatuses, are disclosed herein. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus is configured to work as an exercise weight for facial muscles, including as a lip plumper, and comprises an outer surface, an interior hollow, and a rim between the interior hollow and the outer surface. The preferred rim comprises an interior edge transitioning to the interior hollow, an exterior edge transitioning to the outer surface, and a recessed indentation, or dip, located between the interior and exterior edges. The preferred interior hollow is configured for the user to pucker at least a portion of the user's lip(s) into the interior hollow and support the weight of the embodiment, in whole or in part, by the lip(s). The embodiment may further include a sidewall, a lanyard hole, and an air hole.

Claims

1. An apparatus for plumping or toning one or more facial muscles of a user, the apparatus comprising: a. an outer surface; b. an interior hollow that opens at a direction opposite to the outer surface and is configured to accommodate at least one portion of at least a lip of the user when the lip is puckered; and c. a rim bordering the interior hollow, the rim comprising: i. an interior edge adjacent to the interior hollow, ii. an exterior edge adjacent to the outer surface, and iii. an indentation located between the interior edge and the exterior edge; said rim indention extends along the whole interior edge.

2. The apparatus in claim 1 further comprises an air hole extending from the outer surface to the interior hollow.

3. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the outer surface further comprises a lanyard hole configured for a lanyard to pass through.

4. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the interior hollow is further configured for the user's puckered lip to temporarily support at least a partial weight of the apparatus in order to develop the one or more facial muscles acting on the user's lip.

5. The apparatus in claim 1, wherein the rim is further configured to form a seal between the apparatus and a user's face when the at least one portion of the user's lip is puckered inside the interior hollow and a suction is created by the user.

6. An apparatus for pumping or toning one or more facial muscles of a user, the apparatus comprising: a. A first surface; b. A second surface opposite to the first surface; c. An interior hollow that opens at the second surface; and d. A sidewall bordering the interior hollow and forming a rim around the second surface, the rim comprising: i. An interior edge transitioning to the interior hollow, ii. An exterior edge, and iii. An indentation located between the interior edge and the exterior edge, wherein the interior hollow may accommodate at least one portion of at least a lip of the user when the lip is puckered; said rim indention extends along the whole interior edge has been inserted after puckered.

7. The apparatus in claim 6 further comprises an air hole extending from the first surface to the interior hollow.

8. The apparatus in claim 6, wherein the sidewall further comprises a lanyard hole configured for a lanyard to pass through.

9. The apparatus in claim 6, wherein the first surface further comprises one or more aesthetic elements selected from a group comprising a color, a texture, a shape, a size, a pattern, and combinations thereof.

10. The apparatus in claim 6, wherein the interior hollow is further configured for the user's puckered lip to temporarily support at least a partial weight of the apparatus in order to develop the one or more facial muscles acting on the user's lip.

11. The apparatus in claim 6, wherein the rim is further configured to form a seal between the apparatus and a user's face when the at least one portion of the user's lip is puckered inside the interior hollow and a suction is created by the user.

12. An apparatus for plumping or toning one or more facial muscles of a user, the apparatus comprising: a. an outer surface; b. an interior hollow that opens at a direction opposite to the outer surface; c. a rim bordering the interior hollow, the rim being substantially planar; and d. a weight in a range of 0.5 oz to 4.5 oz, wherein the interior hollow may accommodate at least one portion of at least a lip of the user when the lip is puckered; said rim further comprises a shallow indentation located between an interior edge of the rim transitioning to the interior hollow and an exterior edge of the rim transitioning to the outer surface.

13. The apparatus in claim 12, wherein a height variation among the interior edge, the exterior edge, and the indentation is no more than 2 mm.

14. The apparatus in claim 12 further comprises an air hole extending from the outer surface to the interior hollow.

15. The apparatus in claim 12, wherein the outer surface further comprises a lanyard hole configured for a lanyard to pass through.

16. The apparatus in claim 12, wherein the interior hollow is further configured for the user's puckered lip to temporarily support at least a partial weight of the apparatus in order to develop the one or more facial muscles acting on the user's lip.

17. The apparatus in claim 12, wherein the rim is further configured to form a seal between the apparatus and a user's face when the at least one portion of the user's lip is puckered inside the interior hollow and a suction is created by the user.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS OR PICTURES

(1) FIG. 1A is a top plan view of an ice-cream-cone-shape embodiment of the lip enhancing apparatus.

(2) FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the embodiment in FIG. 1A.

(3) FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a heart-shape embodiment of the lip enhancing apparatus.

(4) FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the embodiment in FIG. 2A.

(5) FIG. 2C is a cross sectional view of the in FIG. 2B, along the virtual line 2C-2C.

(6) FIG. 3A is the top plan view of a conch-shell-shaped embodiment of the lip enhancing apparatus.

(7) FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the embodiment in FIG. 3A.

(8) FIG. 4A is the top plan view of an alternate heart-shaped embodiment of the lip enhancing apparatus.

(9) FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the embodiment in FIG. 4A.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(10) Exemplary embodiments of the apparatus for cosmetically enhancing a user's lip(s) are shown in FIGS. 1-4. An embodiment 100 shown in FIGS. 1A-1B comprises an outer surface 110 bearing an ice-cream-cone design, an interior hollow 120 that opens at a direction (opening 121) opposite to the outer surface 110 and a bottom 122 opposite to the opening 121, and a rim 130 bordering the opening 121 with its interior edge 131 and transitioning to the outer surface 110 with its exterior edge 132. Between the interior edge 131 and exterior edge 132 lies an indentation or dip 133 that encircles the interior edge 131 and the interior hollow 120.

(11) The interior hollow 120 is preferably configured to accommodate at least a portion of a user's lip(s) when user puckers the lip(s) and for the user's puckered lip(s) to temporarily support the weight of the embodiment 100, in whole or in part, in order to develop the muscles acting on the user's lip(s). With the lip(s) supporting the embodiment 100, the user may then hold the embodiment 100 for a certain period of time or exercise his/her facial muscles with the embodiment 100 moving along with the lip(s) as an exercise weight. The interior hollow 120 of this embodiment 100 has approximately a depth and a circular opening 121 with approximately a one inch (1) diameter and is suitable for an adult with medium sized lips. Other embodiments include smaller and larger sizes that can be used by adults with larger lips, by teenagers or young children, or on a single lip or a portion of one or both lips.

(12) Additionally, the rim 130 of this embodiment 100 is configured to form a seal between a user's face and the embodiment 100 when a suction is created at the interior hollow 120. If a suction is needed to support the embodiment 100, a user may create the suction by: (A) placing the embodiment 100 against his/her face with the embodiment 100 covering a portion of the user's mouth including the desired portion of the lips, such as the pout of the upper lip or the whole upper and lower lips, (B) puckering the lip(s) so that the desired portion of the lip(s) contacts the interior hollow's wall 123 and supports, in whole or in part, the weight of the embodiment 100, and (C) drawing air from the interior hollow 120 to the mouth. The user may choose how strong the suction is by drawing less air for a lighter suction and more air for a greater suction. The embodiment 100 is preferably properly weighed so that the user does not need a strong suction to hold the embodiment 100.

(13) Furthermore, the embodiment 100 is preferably made out of clay and has a height of approximately 1 measured from the highest point of the outer surface 110 to the rim 130. This embodiment 100 weighs approximately 2.5 oz. and can generally be held by the user's lip(s) and a slight suction alone. Alternatively, the user may hold the embodiment 100 with the help of the user's tongue and finger(s), without any suction. A person skilled in the art would know how to adjust the dimensions, materials, and weight of an embodiment based on the size of the intended user and his/her lips, and the degree of lip plumping needed.

(14) FIGS. 2A-2C show an alternate preferred embodiment 200. The embodiment 200 comprises a heart-shaped first surface 210, a second surface 230 opposite to the first surface 210, an interior hollow 220 that opens at the second surface 230 (the opening 221) and a bottom 222 opposing the opening 221, and a sidewall 240 coupled to the first surface 210, bordering the interior hollow 220, and forming a rim 250 at the second surface 230. The rim 250 has an interior edge 251 bordering and transitioning to the interior hollow 220, an exterior edge 252 transitioning to the sidewall 240, and an indentation or dip 253 between the interior and exterior edges 251 & 252.

(15) The indentation or dip 253 of this embodiment 200 surrounds the interior edge 251 and interior hollow 220. As shown in FIG. 2C, the indentation or dip 253 of this embodiment 200 is shallow and the rim 250 is substantially planar. This embodiment 200 can additionally comprise a lanyard hole 241 at the sidewall 240 and configured for a lanyard 10 to pass through. This embodiment 200 can further comprise an air hole 260 extending from the outer surface 210 to the bottom 222.

(16) As in the embodiment 100 in FIGS. 1A-1B, the rim 250 of this embodiment 200 is configured to form a seal between a user's face and the embodiment 200 when the air hole 260 is covered and a light suction is created at the interior hollow 220. The suction can be created by the user placing the embodiment 200 against his/her face with the embodiment 200 covering a portion of the user's mouth including the desired portion of the lips, puckering the lip(s), covering the air hole 260 with a finger, and then drawing air from the interior hollow 220 to the mouth. Alternatively, the user may place the embodiment 200 against his/her face with the embodiment 200 to form a seal between the face and the rim 250, covering a portion of the user's mouth as illustrate above, blow air to the interior hollow 220, and then cover the air hole 260 with a finger and stops blowing. The suction created by the latter method is generally lower and gentler to the user's lips.

(17) An alternate embodiment 300 in FIGS. 3A-3B has an outer surface 310 bearing an ornamental shell design. In this embodiment 300, the interior hollow 320 is circular and wider than those in the embodiments in FIGS. 1-2 and may be used for users with bigger lips. The indentation or dip 333 extends around only a portion of the rim 330 between the interior edge 331 and the exterior edge 332, rather than encircling the whole interior edge 331.

(18) Another embodiment 400 in FIGS. 4A and 4B has an outer surface 410 that bears an ornamental heart shape with watermelon seed or drop designs. In this embodiment 400, the outer surface 410 further comprises a lanyard hole 411 at the top that goes all the way to the rim 430. This embodiment 400 is configured to be used by children or teenagers and has a small and shallow interior hollow 420. The rim 430 between the interior edge 431 and the exterior edge 432, has two shallow indentations, or dips, 433 at its wider portions, with the remainder of the rim 430 on substantially the same plane.

(19) While the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those ordinarily skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit disclosed herein. For instance, an embodiment may be of various shapes, sizes, and/or materials. The outer surface of an embodiment may bear various aesthetic elements such as different colors, dimensions, designs, materials, and so forth. An embodiment may have an interior hollow with a depth between approximately 0.5 and 1. For an embodiment whose interior hollow has a circular opening, the opening may have a diameter between approximately and 2. Another embodiment may have an oval-shaped interior hollow that has a first width of approximately 1 and a second width of approximately 3. Various embodiments may have weights in the range of 0.5 oz (for children or beginners) to 4.5 oz (for big adults or very experienced users). Therefore, the invention is intended to cover all techniques, devices, or structures known in the art and not be limited in scope except by the purview of the appended claims.