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  Airflow rod for piercingsRelated Patent Categories: Jewelry, Having Direct Body AttachmentThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070144209. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
REFERENCE TO PRIORITY DOCUMENT [0001] This application claims priority of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/753,567 entitled "Airflow Rod for Piercings" by M. Zocher, filed Dec. 23, 2005. Priority of the filing date of Dec. 23, 2005 is hereby claimed, and the disclosure of the Provisional Patent Application is hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates generally to personal hygiene and, more particularly, to cleaning and medication and maintenance of body piercings. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Body piercings are becoming more widespread in popular culture and are becoming accepted as aesthetically pleasing. Piercings are applied to the ears, nose, eyebrows, tongues, and assorted folds of skin. A decorative stud and clasp combination is typically inserted through the body piercing so that the stud passes through the piercing up to the head of the stud and is held in place by the clasp, which fastens to the free end of the stud. It is important for body piercing aftercare and for general personal hygiene to promote healing of the piercing and to apply medical topical solutions to body piercings. [0006] Because a piercing is essentially an open wound to the skin, it is important to keep body piercings clean, especially in the time immediately following the piercing procedure. Keeping the body piercing clean promotes healing and prevents infection of the wound. In general, cleaning techniques for body piercings have involved an assortment of materials and supplies that are comprise a cleaning kit that must be assembled whenever a piercing is to be cleaned. Cleaning kits for piercing aftercare typically include a cleaning solution, a cleaning material to which the solution is applied, an insertion tool to pull the cleaning material through the body piercing, and a container to hold all the materials. The cleaning solution is typically an antiseptic or medicating agent contained in a bottle or other sealed vessel. The cleaning material is usually a sterile pad or a thread or string that is soaked with the cleaning solution. The insertion tool often resembles a sewing needle, having an eye that receives the string such that the needle can be pushed through the body piercing and the string can be threaded through the piercing. [0007] After the string is soaked in the solution, the string is threaded through the eye of the needle, which is then pulled through the piercing. The needle brings the soaked string with it through the piercing. The soaked string makes contact with the piercing and thereby cleans it. The string can then be disposed of and the kit supplies can be put away. The process of soaking the string, threading the string through the needle and then pulling it through body piercing, and then cleaning up and disposing of the used supplies afterwards, is inconvenient and does not always maintain sterility of the kit components. Moreover, it can be cumbersome to carry around the cleaning kit supplies. [0008] Other aids are available to encourage healing and hygiene of piercings, and to maintain the piercing channel in an open condition (i.e., hole maintenance). These aids include stud-and-clasp combinations that are inserted into the piercing so as to maintain the piercing channel and prevent it from closing up when no stud is in place and to prevent the channel from becoming clogged with foreign material. Some stud-and-clasp combinations include a clasp with a hollow end that fits partially over the stud. The stud can have a head or shaft with openings to permit air passage from the head to the piercing channel. Other such combinations include a stud with a reaming portion to scrape unwanted debris from the piercing channel. The stud can be provided with an absorbent substance that accepts a cleaning agent to be applied to the piercing channel. [0009] It would be advantageous if aftercare for body piercings could be easily transported but yet maintained sterile until use, be suitable for promoting healing of the piercing channel, and be suitable for maintaining the opening when a piercing stud or ring or other piercing jewelry is not being worn. The present invention satisfies this need. SUMMARY [0010] A piercing hygiene apparatus for a body piercing includes a rod having a diameter sized to maintain a piercing open when the rod is inserted into a body piercing channel, a removable head at one end of the rod, sized to have a lateral extent that is greater than that of the piercing channel, and a fastener that can be removably attached at the opposite end of the rod, sized such that the fastener prevents the rod from falling out of the piercing channel when it is attached to the rod. The rod includes raised surfaces that extend outwardly along substantially the length of the rod, parallel to the length of the rod, such that an open space is created between the raised surfaces and the body piercing channel. The open space creates a passive airflow that is generated without motion or devices, due to a temperature gradient between the body piercing channel surface and the ambient air temperature. In this way, the apparatus promotes healing of the piercing channel, and can be easily transported but yet maintained sterile until use, while maintaining the opening when a piercing stud or ring or other piercing jewelry is not being worn. [0011] The rod is held in place against movement while being worn, and is configured such that removal of the rod is accomplished by continuation of the same movement to insert the rod. That is, if the rod is inserted into a piercing channel by being pushed from an outer skin surface toward a back surface, such as at an ear lobe, then the rod is removed not by reversing movement, but rather by continuing to be pushed toward the back surface. Similarly, if the rod is inserted by being pulled into the piercing channel from the back surface toward the outer surface, then the rod is removed by continuing to be pulled into the channel and out the outer surface. In this way, the rod is moved through a piercing channel in only one direction, reducing the chance of contamination by reversing the direction of rod movement in the piercing channel. Such unitary movement of the rod is facilitated by having both the head end and the fastener end configured with removable ends. [0012] Other features and advantages of the present invention should be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment, which illustrates, by way of example, the principles of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a piercing hygiene apparatus and container packet embodiment that are constructed in accordance with the present invention. [0014] FIG. 2 is a side view of the FIG. 1 hygiene apparatus with the head removed and the fastener detached. [0015] FIG. 3 is a side view of the FIG. 1 hygiene apparatus placed through a body piercing, such as through a person's ear lobe. [0016] FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of the FIG. 2 apparatus through the rod. [0017] FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of a piercing hygiene apparatus embodiment with a hollow rod construction. [0018] FIG. 6 is a side view of the FIG. 5 hollow construction rod showing the perforations in the rod. [0019] FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of a piercing hygiene apparatus second embodiment with a hollow rod construction. [0020] FIG. 8 is a side view of the piercing hygiene apparatus embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, showing an indentation in the head end and a complementary rounded fastener end. Continue reading... Full patent description for Airflow rod for piercings Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Airflow rod for piercings patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. 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