SELF-ATTACHING CLOWN NOSE

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure include an apparatus adapted for facial augmentation. This apparatus may include a concave elastic member. The concave elastic member may include an inner void, an interior surface, an exterior surface, and an interface between said interior and exterior surfaces. This apparatus may further include an attachment member affixed to the concave elastic member; this attachment member adapted to attach the apparatus to a user's face.

Claims

1. An apparatus adapted for facial augmentation comprising: a concave elastic member comprising: an inner void defined by the concave elastic member; an interior surface; and an exterior surface, wherein an interface between said interior surface and said exterior surface contacts a face; and an attachment member affixed to said concave elastic member, wherein said attachment member is configured to attach said apparatus to the face.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein facial augmentation adaptation includes being adapted for readily releasable holding of the concave elastic member in an engagement relationship touching a portion of the face.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said exterior surface of said concave elastic member resembles a nasal region of a human face.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said exterior surface of said concave elastic member resembles a nasal region of a non-human animal face, such as a nose, snout, or beak.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said concave elastic member is composed of a skin-safe material.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said skin-safe material is silicone.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said attachment member comprises: a U-shaped cross-section having a first and a second protruding element; wherein a first end of said first protruding element and a first end of said second protruding element are spheroid-shaped; wherein a protruding tab of the attachment member is adapted for deflection and squeezing retention such that said attachment member flexes to a range of 15-45 degrees away from a vertical axis when said attachment member is installed on a septum of said face; and wherein said attachment member is affixed to said concave elastic member by embedding a portion of the attachment member into said inner surface of said concave elastic member.

8. A method for manufacturing an apparatus comprising a concave elastic member having an inner void defined thereby, an interior surface, an exterior surface, and an affixed attachment member, said apparatus manufactured by an injection molding process comprising: 3D printing said attachment member; inserting a first and second protruding end of said attachment member into a first and second opening in a mold core; inserting said mold core into a mold cavity; injecting liquid material into a sprue of said mold core such that a non-protruding end of said attachment member is embedded into said interior surface of said concave elastic member, thereby affixing it to said concave elastic member; curing said liquid material to produce said concave elastic member; and removing said mold core and said mold cavity to reveal said concave elastic member with said affixed attachment member.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said exterior surface of said concave elastic member is substantially spherical.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said exterior surface of said concave elastic member resembles a nasal region of a human face.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said exterior surface of said concave elastic member resembles a nasal region of a non-human animal's face, such as a nose, snout, or beak.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein said concave elastic member is composed of a skin-safe material.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said 3D printed attachment member comprises: a U-shaped cross-section having a first and a second protruding element; wherein a first end of said first protruding element and a first end of said second protruding element are spheroid-shaped; and wherein said attachment member includes a protruding tab adapted for tension such that said attachment member flexes to a range of 15-45 degrees away from a vertical axis when said attachment member is attached to a septum of said face.

14. A method of installing on a face an apparatus comprising a concave member having an inner void defined thereby, an interior surface, an exterior surface, an interface between said interior surface and exterior surface, and an affixed attachment member comprising: inverting said apparatus such that said interior surface and a first and second protruding end of said attachment member are facing outward; inserting said protruding ends of said attachment member into a first and second nostril; and reversing said inverting step such that said concave member is again concave and said interface between said interior surface and exterior surface contacts said face, wherein a force against said interior of said nostrils is balanced against a force of said interface between said interior surface and exterior surface, thereby keeping apparatus static on a face of a user.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said exterior surface of said concave elastic member is substantially spherical.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said exterior surface of said concave elastic member resembles a nasal region of a human face.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said exterior surface of said concave elastic member resembles a nasal region of a non-human animal's face, such as a nose, snout, or beak.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said concave elastic member is composed of a skin-safe material.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein said attachment member comprises: a U-shaped cross-section having a first and a second protruding element; wherein a first end of said first protruding element and a first end of said second protruding element are spheroid-shaped; and wherein an embedded portion of said attachment member includes a protruding tab adapted for tension such that said attachment member flexes to a range of 15-45 degrees away from a vertical axis when said attachment member is attached to a septum of said face.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] The drawings included in the present application are incorporated into, and form part of, the specification. They illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. The drawings are only illustrative of certain embodiments and do not limit the disclosure.

[0005] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of the apparatus, according to various embodiments.

[0006] FIG. 2 depicts a perspective cutaway view of the apparatus with the attachment member component fully in-tact and not cutaway, and the concave elastic member cutaway, according to various embodiments.

[0007] FIG. 3 depicts a side cutaway view of the apparatus with the attachment member component in a neutral, unloaded state, according to various embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 1 in that it depicts a side cutaway view of the apparatus, as worn by a user, according to various embodiments.

[0009] FIG. 5 depicts an isolated perspective view of the attachment member component, according to various embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 6 depicts a top view of the attachment member component, according to various embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 7 depicts side cutaway view of the attachment member component shown embedded in the surrounding material and includes the directional forces that act on this component when in use, according to various embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 8 depicts a process flow diagram for the manufacturing of the apparatus, according to various embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 9 depicts a method for attaching the apparatus to a face, according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The classic red clown nose has traditionally attached to a clown performer's face in one of three ways: string or an elastic band, with friction and pressure from a slit cut in a spherical nose, or adhesive(s). Embodiments of the present disclosure describe a self-attaching, string-less, adhesive-free artificial clown nose apparatus. These embodiments may be adapted for facial augmentation with applications including the clowning arts, theater arts, entertainment, and costuming.

[0015] Some embodiments of the present disclosure may have the outward appearance of a traditional clown nose, which may be roughly spherical and hollow with a cutaway section so that it may fit over a user's nose when worn. In the interior space, a clip may be affixed. This clip may attach to a user's septum, which allows the apparatus to be worn securely for long periods of time without the need for adhesives or string. Herein, the clip may also be referred to as an attachment member.

[0016] One having skill in the art may appreciate that such an embodiment may require a more detailed and technical description of the embodiment. Thus, the apparatus comprises two main components: a concave elastic member, and an attachment member.

[0017] A concave elastic member is the portion of the apparatus that may be visible to an outside observer while the apparatus is attached to, or installed on, a user's face (e.g., attached to the septum portion of the user's nose). In one embodiment, the concave elastic member may be substantially spherical and red colored, having the appearance of a traditional clown nose. The concave elastic member comprises an inner void, an interior surface, and an exterior surface. The inner void describes the empty space between the user's face and the inner surface of the concave elastic member. The interior surface may not be visible to an outside observer while the apparatus is attached to a user's face. The attachment member, further described below, may be affixed to said interior surface. The exterior surface refers to the surface that may be visible to an outside observer while the apparatus is attached to a user's face. An interface between the interior surface and the exterior surface contacts a user's face when the apparatus is attached to said user's face. The concave elastic member achieves elasticity from being substantially composed of a skin-safe material such as silicone, latex, rubber, or nitrile. This component may be formed via an injection mold process, or any other suitable process.

[0018] Turning now to the figures, FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of one example embodiment of the apparatus. The concave elastic member 1 may be defined by an interior surface 2 and an exterior surface 3. An interface 4 between the interior surface 2 and exterior surface 3 contacts a user's face when in use. An attachment member 5 may be affixed to the bottom portion of interior surface 2. In some embodiments, this affixing may be accomplished by embedding a portion of an attachment member 5 into the material composing the concave elastic member 1, resulting in an embedded portion 7. Embedded portion 7 defined by a dashed line depicts the portion of the attachment member 5 that is embedded in this embodiment. A first and second protruding end 6 of the attachment member 5 may be spheroid-shaped. In some embodiments, the attachment member 5 may be embedded into the material composing the concave elastic member 1.

[0019] In some embodiments, the concave elastic member 1 is substantially spherical and may be a solid color, often red. In some embodiments, the attachment member 5 may be a contiguous piece of material and may be formed by a 3D printing process.

[0020] In some embodiments, the concave elastic member 1 may be shaped to mimic a nose shape worn by a famous, historical, or other well-known clown or entertainer. In some embodiments, the concave elastic member 1 may be a multicolor design. In some embodiments, the concave elastic member 1 may be embedded with glitter, confetti, or other solids. In some embodiments, the concave elastic member may be partially or substantially reflective. In some embodiments, the exterior surface of the concave elastic member is embedded with light emitting diode (LED) lights, incandescent lights, or other small, compact lights.

[0021] In some embodiments, the concave elastic member 1 may be shaped to appear as a non-human animal nose, snout, or beak. In other embodiments, the concave elastic member 1 may be shaped to appear as a caricatural human nose, for example as a bulbous old man nose. In other embodiments, the concave elastic member 1 may be shaped to appear as the nose of a humanoid fictitious character such as a witch or ogre.

[0022] Now turning to FIG. 2, this figure depicts the same apparatus and components as FIG. 1 but from a perspective cutaway view wherein the attachment member 5 is not cutaway, to help depict how this component may be embedded in the material of the concave elastic member 1, according to various embodiments.

[0023] Now turning to FIG. 3, this figure depicts a side cutaway view of an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, a protruding tab 9 of the attachment member 5 is visible and is depicted as embedded in the material of the concave elastic member 1. The protruding tab 9 may be adapted to provide structural stability of the attachment member 5 relative to the concave elastic member 1. The protruding tab 9 may also be adapted to help provide a tension force in the attachment member 5 for keeping the apparatus attached to a user's face. FIG. 3 depicts the attachment member 5 in a neutral, unloaded state in terms of this tension force, according to various embodiments. In this unloaded state, the length of the attachment member 5 is positioned at an angle of approximately 0 degrees with respect to the y-axis.

[0024] Now turning to FIG. 4, which depicts a similar cutaway view as FIG. 3, but with the apparatus in use and as attached to, or installed on, a user's face, according to various embodiments. When worn by a user, the attachment member component is in a loaded state with a tension force present. The arrows depicted in this figure represent this tension force and the other forces that keep the apparatus attached to a user's face. With the apparatus in use and as attached to a user's face, the attachment member is flexed approximately 15-45 degrees with respect to the vertical y-axis. This flexion of the attachment member 5 away from its unloaded state causes a tension force 10 in a forward direction (e.g., deflection and squeezing forces for retention). The protruding ends 6 of the attachment member 5 will thus push forward against the inside surface of a user's nasal cavity 17 with tension force 10 in an engagement relationship, thus allowing the apparatus to be flexibly retained in place against the user's nose/face. It is axiomatic in physics that in a static system, the net of the leftward forces must be balanced by the net of the rightward forces. The normal force 11 partially counteracts tension force 10. Due to the axiom mentioned, the system is balanced and made static by the interface 4 of the concave elastic member 1 pushing against a user's face with applied force 12. This is similarly partially counteracted by normal force 13, achieving a static system in the x-direction (horizontally). Thus, the apparatus remains in a static state and should not move forward or backward with respect to the user's face. In terms of the figure, this means the apparatus should not move to the left or right. The apparatus is further secured and preventing from moving upward or downward in the y-direction due to the balanced forces 14 and 15. The downward force 15 due to gravity is balanced by the normal force 14 where the interface 4 contacts the user's nose. All of these forces are augmented by the friction force between the interface 4 and the user's face, which helps further keep the apparatus securely in place.

[0025] Now turning to FIG. 5, which depicts perspective view of an example of an attachment member component isolated, according to embodiments. This depicts that the attachment member 5 may be essentially U-shaped or horseshoe-shaped having protruding spheroid ends 6, and a protruding tab 9. This protruding tab provides structural stability to the attachment member 5 with respect to the concave elastic member within which the attachment member 5 may be embedded, according to various embodiments. Protruding tab 9 is adapted to allow approximately 15-45 degrees of flexion when embedded in the material of the concave elastic member and in use by the user, as is depicted and discussed further in FIG. 4.

[0026] In some embodiments the attachment member 5 may be formed using a 3D printing process. In other embodiments, the attachment member 5 may be formed using an injection mold process with a hardening compound.

[0027] Now turning to FIG. 6, which depicts a top view of an example attachment member isolated, according to embodiments. Similar to FIG. 5, this figure shows that the attachment member may be essentially U-shaped or horseshoe-shaped having protruding spheroid ends 6. As previously mentioned, the protruding spheroid ends 6 of the attachment member 5 may be inserted into a user's nostrils so the attachment member 5 thus goes around a user's septum 18 To account for the variations in the width of users'septums, the attachment member is adapted to flexible across a bisecting axis 19, such that protruding spheroid ends 6 are able to span to positions 6a and still be comfortable for the user while maintaining the position of the concave elastic member in relation to the face of the user. The positions 6a are at angles of approximately 5-15 degrees with respect to the vertical y-axis. In some embodiments, the attachment member is adapted to position around the septum and put pressure on the interior face of the Major Alar Cartilage to prevent the apparatus from moving or slipping.

[0028] In some embodiments the attachment member 5 may be formed using a 3D printing process. The 3D printed material should be adapted to achieve rigidity such that the protruding spheroid ends 6 may span outward 5-45 degrees to positions 6a. In other embodiments, the attachment member 5 is formed using an injection mold process with a hardening compound to similarly achieve rigidity such that the protruding spheroid ends 6 may span outward 5-45 degrees to positions 6a.

[0029] Now turning to FIG. 7, this also depicts a side view of the attachment member 5 but a cutaway version showing it imbedded into the interface 4. Further, this figure describes the forces acting upon the attachment member 5. Force F1 results from the protruding end being pushed against by the interior surface of the user's nasal cavity. F1 is offset and displaced by forces F2, F3, and F4 within the material of the concave elastic member of the apparatus.

[0030] Now turning to FIG. 8, which describes a manufacturing process to produce the apparatus, according to various embodiments. Block 805 describes potential construction processes for an embodiment of an attachment member. In some embodiments, this may be completed using a 3D printing process 805A. This process may entail first creating or licensing a file that contains the design and specifications of the attachment member component. Common file formats include STL, OBJ, FBX, and others. This file may be interpreted by the 3D printer wherein a liquified material is dispensed through a nozzle or precision tool layer by layer to print a three-dimensional object. This may be advantageous as no hardening compounds are required, and the initial investment required is reasonable. Once printed, any burrs or sharp edges may be removed by hand or by an automated process such as sanding or grinding, as necessary.

[0031] In other embodiments, the construction of the attachment member may be completed by using an injection mold process 805B. Because the attachment member may be a single piece of contiguous material, it may be formed using a specialized mold prepared and adapted to the shape of the attachment member. In embodiments, a liquid skin-safe material such as silicone with a hardening compound is injected into the sprue of the mold until the void of the mold is filled to capacity. Next, the injected skin-safe material may be cured within the mold. In some embodiments, curing may be achieved with a time-based process wherein the injected skin-safe material may cool and harden within the mold. In other embodiments, curing may be carried out by applying UV or another appropriate radiation for accelerated curing. Once the skin-safe material has cured, the mold piece(s) are removed revealing the attachment member. Once molded, any burrs or sharp edges are removed by hand or by an automated process such as sanding or grinding. In yet other embodiments, any other suitable manufacturing method (e.g., thermoforming, urethane molding, 3D printing/printed molds, etc.) may be used at 805C.

[0032] In embodiments where injection molding 805B is utilized, the mold may be prepared and adapted to forming the concave elastic member at 810, according to various embodiments. The mold may consist of two components, the core and the cavity, formed at 815. The mold core may be an internal component with respect to the mold cavity, according to embodiments. For example, the mold core may be adapted to forming the inner void of the apparatus once the mold components are removed. The mold core may visually approximate the shape of the inner void of the concave elastic member 1, which in some embodiments will be substantially spherical. The mold core may contain at least two holes or openings, also known as keys, according to embodiments. At 820, the protruding spheroid ends of the attachment member may be inserted into the keys such that approximately 75% of the length of the attachment member is within the keys, or whatever length is needed to secure a stable attachment, according to embodiments. The remaining approximate 25%, including the attachment member protruding tab, may be kept outside of the keys, as this portion may be embedded within the injected liquid material, according to embodiments. The second component of the mold, the cavity, may define the exterior surface of the concave elastic member.

[0033] At 825 the mold core may be inserted into the mold cavity. The mold core may include the attachment member with the protruding spheroid ends inserted into the mold core keys, according to embodiments. At 830, liquid material may inserted into the sprue of the mold. This liquid may be, according to embodiments, a skin-safe material such as silicon, nitrile, latex, or a combination of multiple skin-safe materials. According to embodiments, a portion of the attachment member including the protruding tab may be outside of the mold core, allowing the protruding tab to become embedded in the liquid material injected into the mold.

[0034] At 835, the injected material may be cured. In some embodiments, curing may be achieved with a time-based process wherein the injected skin-safe material may cool and harden within the mold. In order embodiments, curing may be carried out by applying UV or another appropriate radiation for accelerated curing. In yet other embodiments, the material may be heat or cold-treated, or it may be exposed to, or mixed with, a hardening chemical. At 840, the mold components may be removed, exposing the cured material, or apparatus. One should exercise caution in removing the mold core as the protruding spheroid ends of the attachment member, which is now embedded, may need to pass out of the keys of the mold core. Once the mold core and mold cavity are removed, the apparatus of the present disclosure, according to various embodiments, may be substantially formed. The attachment member will be embedded into the inner surface of the concave elastic member. Finally, at 845, burrs or high spots may be reduced or removed, and finish or polish may be applied the apparatus, according to embodiments.

[0035] Now turning to FIG. 9, which depicts a method of installing the apparatus on a user's face, according to embodiments. At 905, the concave elastic member is inverted to the greatest extent practicable, such that the protruding ends of the attachment member are visible. The degree that the concave elastic member will be able to be inverted will vary based on various embodiments. At 910, the two protruding ends of the attachment member are inserted into the user's nostrils. At 915, the concave elastic member is reverted to its original shape. As this is reverted, the ends of the attachment member will begin to push forward on the frontmost interior surface of the user's nostrils. Because the attachment member is in a tension loaded state, the counteracting force to this pushing forward will result in the interface between the interior and exterior surfaces of the concave elastic member to gently push against the user's face. Thus, at 920, the forces will be in balance and the apparatus will be in a static state and thus attached to the user's face.

[0036] While the foregoing embodiments discuss potential implementations for the current disclosure, a skilled person in the art will recognize that additional and varied embodiments may exist and/or be implemented. As such, the skilled person should recognize that the disclosure here should not be read in a limiting sense, and that any embodiment capable of falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure should be treated as an equivalent of the discussed embodiments.