UV Nail Lamp

Abstract

A lamp includes: a housing; a platform supported by the housing; a left light source disposed on a left side of the lamp; a right light source disposed on a right side of the lamp; a first top light source disposed at least partially above the platform, wherein; the left and right sources extend closer to a front of the lamp than the first top light source; and a space between the platform and the; light sources; to simultaneously receive therein five nails of all five digits of a hand or foot of a user. The positions of the sources and platform may be designed so as to provide substantially uniform light flux to all five nails so as to synchronously and uniformly cure light-curable nail gel or acrylic on the user's nails.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A lamp comprising:
 a housing;   an upwardly facing platform supported by the housing;   a plurality of light sources supported by the housing, the plurality of light sources including a left light source disposed on a left side of the lamp,
 a right light source disposed on a right side of the lamp, 
 a first top light source disposed at least partially above the platform, and 
 a mount for each of the left light source, right light source, and first top light source, wherein at least one of the left and right light sources extends closer to a front of the lamp than the first top light source does and 
 wherein the left light source, right light source, and first top light source extend from their mounts in the same direction; and 
   a space between the platform and the plurality of light sources, the space being sized and positioned to simultaneously receive therein five nails of all five digits of a hand of a user so as to expose each of the five nails to at least one of the plurality of light sources;   wherein the left and right light sources each define their own orthogonal longitudinal, lateral, and depth axes, the left and right light sources each being elongated along their respective longitudinal axes, and wider along their respective lateral axes than along their respective depth axes,   wherein the lateral axis of at least one of the left and right light sources is angled at an angle β relative to an upper surface of the platform and positioned to direct emitted light onto a thumb nail when the hand of the user is received in the space, and   wherein the angle β is greater than 45°.   
     
     
         2 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of light sources comprises a light bulb. 
     
     
         3 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of light sources comprises an array of light emitting diodes. 
     
     
         4 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of light sources is a UV light source disposed inside the housing. 
     
     
         5 . The lamp of  claim 4 , wherein the housing includes an entry aperture shaped to permit extension of the user's digits therethrough in order to position the user's digits in the space such that the user's nails are each exposed to one or more of the plurality of light sources. 
     
     
         6 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a front of the left light source extends forwardly of a front of the first top light source by a distance xL,   a front of the right light source extends forwardly of a front of the first top light source by a distance xR, and   at least one of the distances xL and xR is at least 10 mm.   
     
     
         7 . The lamp of  claim 6 , wherein at least one of the distances xL and xR is less than 40 mm. 
     
     
         8 . The lamp of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the left, right, and first top light sources are each elongated in a direction of their longitudinal axes, and   the longitudinal axes of the left, right, and first top light sources are generally parallel to each other.   
     
     
         9 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of light sources further includes a second top light source disposed at least partially above the platform, wherein at least one of the left and right sources extends closer to a front of the lamp than the second top light source does. 
     
     
         10 . The lamp of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the left, right, first top, and second top light sources are each elongated in a direction of their longitudinal axes, and   the longitudinal axes of at least two of the left, right, and first top light sources are generally parallel to each other.   
     
     
         11 . The lamp of  claim 9 , wherein:
 light-producing portions of the left light source and the first top light source are separated from each other by a distance yL,   the light-producing portions of the first and second top light sources are separated from each other by a distance yM,   the light-producing portions of the right light source and the second top light source are separated from each other by a distance yR, and   at least one of the yL, yM, and yR is greater than 10 mm and less than 40 mm.   
     
     
         12 . The lamp of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the yL, yM, and yR is between 15 mm and 30 mm. 
     
     
         13 . The lamp of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the yL, yM, and yR is between 18 mm and 26 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first top light source is elongated in a direction of its longitudinal axis,   the upper surface of the platform defines a front-to-back axis that forms an angle α with the longitudinal axis of the first top light source,   and wherein the angle α is greater than 0.   
     
     
         15 . The lamp of  claim 14 , wherein the angle α is greater than 3 degrees. 
     
     
         16 . The lamp of  claim 14 , wherein the angle α is less than 15 degrees. 
     
     
         17 . The lamp of  claim 14 , wherein the angle α is between 3 and 7 degrees. 
     
     
         18 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein a front of the first top light source is disposed farther from the platform than a rear of the first top light source is disposed from the platform. 
     
     
         19 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the upper surface of the platform defines a side-to-side axis that forms an angle βL   
       with the lateral axis of the left light source,
 the side-to-side axis forms an angle βR with the lateral axis of the right light source, 
 
       and
 at least one of the angles βL and βR is greater than 45 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees. 
 
     
     
         20 . The lamp of  claim 19 , wherein at least one of the angles βL and βR is greater than 50 degrees and smaller than 70 degrees. 
     
     
         21 . The lamp of  claim 19 , wherein both of the angles βL and βR are greater than 45 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees. 
     
     
         22 . The lamp of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the first top light source defines its own orthogonal longitudinal, lateral, and depth axes,   the first top light source is elongated along its longitudinal axis,   the first top light source is wider along its lateral axis than along its depth axis, the longitudinal axes of the left, right, and first top light sources are generally   
       parallel to each other, and
 the lateral axis of the first top light source is generally parallel to the side-to-side axis of the upper surface of the platform. 
 
     
     
         23 . The lamp of  claim 19 , wherein the left and right light sources are oriented symmetrically to each other with respect to a vertical plane that extends in a front-back direction of the lamp and bisects the lamp. 
     
     
         24 . The lamp of  claim 23 , wherein:
 the plurality of light sources further includes a second top light source disposed at least partially above the platform,   the left and right light sources are oriented symmetrically to each other with respect to a vertical plane that extends in a front-back direction of the lamp and bisects the lamp, and   the first and second top light sources are oriented symmetrically to each other with respect to the vertical plane.   
     
     
         25 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a geometric center point of a light producing portion of the first top light source is disposed a vertical distance hT above the upper surface of the platform,   a geometric center point of a light producing portion of the left light source is disposed a vertical distance hL above the upper surface of the platform,   a geometric center point of a light producing portion of the right light source is disposed a vertical distance hR above the upper surface of the platform,   (hT−hL) is between 1 and 25 mm, and   (hT−hR) is between 1 and 25 mm.   
     
     
         26 . The lamp of  claim 25 , wherein: (hT−hL) is
 between 1 and 20 mm, and (hT−hR) is 
 between 1 and 20 mm. 
 
     
     
         27 . The lamp of  claim 26 , wherein: (hT−hL) is
 between 5 and 15 mm, and 
 (hT−hR) is between 5 and 15 mm. 
 
     
     
         28 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the upper surface of the platform comprises five grooves shaped and configured to accommodate respectively the five digits of the user. 
     
     
         29 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein the lamp comprises a finger or toe nail gel or acrylic curing device. 
     
     
         30 . The lamp of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of an inside of the housing comprises reflective material configured to reflect light from the plurality of light sources. 
     
     
         31 . A method of curing UV-curable nail product using a lamp comprising a housing, an upwardly facing platform supported by the housing, and a plurality of light sources supported by the housing, the plurality of UV light sources including a left UV light source disposed on a left side of the lamp, a right UV light source disposed on a right side of the lamp, at least one top UV light source disposed at least partially above the platform, and a mount for each of the left UV light source, right UV light source, and at least one top UV light source, wherein at least one of the left and right UV light sources extends closer to a front of the lamp than all of the at least one first top UV light sources, wherein the left UV light source, right UV light source, and at least one top UV light source extend from their mounts in the same direction, wherein the left and right UV light sources each define their own orthogonal longitudinal, lateral, and depth axes, the left and right UV light sources each being elongated along their respective longitudinal
 axes, and wider along their respective lateral axes than along their respective depth axes, wherein the lateral axis of at least one of the left and right UV light sources is angled at an angle β relative to an upper surface of the platform and positioned to direct emitted light onto a thumb nail when a hand of a user is received in the space, and wherein the angle β is greater than 45°, the method comprising:
 receiving all five nails of all five digits of the hand of the user in a space between the platform and the plurality of light sources, said five nails having thereon uncured UV-curable nail product; and 
 simultaneously exposing the UV-curable nail product on all five said nails to UV light from the plurality of UV light sources, wherein said exposing UV-cures the nail product on all five said nails. 
   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein said exposing exposes the UV-curable nail product on each of the five nails to a UV flux from the UV light sources such that the UV flux at each of the five nails is within 25% of the UV flux at the other four nails. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein:
 the five digits comprise the thumb and index, middle, ring, and pinky fingers of the hand,   the receiving results in a nail on the thumb substantially squarely facing one of the side light sources, and nails on the index, middle, and ring fingers substantially squarely facing the at least one top light source.   
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein:
 the five digits comprise the thumb and index, middle, ring, and pinky fingers of the hand,   the receiving results in
 a distance t1 between a nail on the thumb and a closest one of the side light sources, 
 a distance t2 between a nail on the index finger and a closest one of the at least one top light source, 
 a distance t3 between a nail on the middle finger and a closest one of the at least one top light source, and 
 a distance t4 between a nail on the ring finger and a closest one of the at least one top light sources, 
 wherein each of t1, t2, t3, and t4 are within 25% of each other.