JP2010524650A - Artificial nail with sticking tab - Google Patents

Abstract

An artificial nail that is dimensioned to correspond to at least a portion of a natural nail, and an attachment tab that extends from the tip of the artificial nail, the attachment tab having a neck portion and a body portion, and the neck portion is a body portion Between the arm and the tip of the artificial nail and at an angle to the artificial nail so that the body can be easily gripped by the user to facilitate the placement of the artificial nail relative to the natural nail Pre-formed artificial nail assembly. Embodiments include a tab that twists from the connection to the artificial nail to the tab body, and a tab or gate structure that extends from the underside of the artificial nail.
[Selection] Figure 9

Description

  [0001] The present invention relates to human nail decorations, and in particular to structures and methods for the placement of preformed artificial nails and tips for bonding to human nails.

  [0002] For various aesthetic reasons, many individuals desire to have elongated fingernails or fingernails that have a more finished or glossy appearance. However, some people cannot or do not like to stretch their natural fingernails to the desired length. Alternatively, some people do not have the time, skill, or economic ability to maintain or obtain a more finished appearance that may be attributed to well-applied and / or polished nails. As a result, the entire industry has developed for artificial supplementation and improvement of natural nails. Such improvements include the application of natural fingernail nail polish and polishing to the individual formation of artificial nails on natural nails, and the acrylic powder that chemically adheres to the nail surface when the artificial nails are formed And even get to nail formation from liquid. Between these two extremes, an artificial nail that is affixed to or attached to a finger nail that naturally occurs is pre-formed. Such nails can be easily used by a wide range of users through drug stores and department stores. Such preformed artificial nails may be transparent or opaque and / or pre-polished and / or decorated to give the desired appearance.

  [0003] Artificial nails are generally formed from molded thermoplastics and are available in various lengths and styles. One broad category of artificial nail style is full nail form. As its name implies, the full nail form mimics a person's fingernails, and extends beyond the wearer's fingertips, with a proximal edge that covers almost the entire nail bed. Including a free edge at the tip. The proximal edge is arranged substantially adjacent to the cuticle of the finger or is shaped to abut against the cuticle. The free edge of the tip can have any of a variety of lengths, shapes such as oval, square, or flared depending on the desired appearance. The artificial nail is preferably sufficiently durable and rigid to withstand the inherent hazards in its use.

  [0004] On the other hand, nail tips do not mimic the entire nail, but only a free edge and generally a small extension that covers only a portion of the nail bed to facilitate attachment to the nail. Imitate. In use, the nail tip is secured only to the edge and tip of the nail bed adjacent to the free edge. Chips are often used in an acrylic or gel nail configuration.

  [0005] Manufacturers typically provide users with a series of nail sizes identified by, for example, size numbers 0-9 to accommodate most nail sizes. In general, artificial nails are packaged in a set containing a series of different sizes so that purchasers obtain different artificial nails for their different fingers. In addition to a set of different sized artificial nails, the package can include a liquid adhesive, a peelable adhesive pad, and / or a pre-positioned adhesive for attaching the artificial nail to the purchaser's natural fingernail It may contain an adhesive.

[0006] Artificial nails are made from relatively long nails having either a straight shape or an arc shape,
It is offered in a variety of lengths, ranging from relatively well-knit natural nails that more closely mimic relatively short nails. When placing an artificial nail on a user's natural nail, an adhesive is generally applied directly to the user's natural nail bed or to the nail bed portion of the artificial nail. Next, the artificial nail is placed on the user's natural nail bed with the base end of the artificial nail placed at or near the user's cuticle and ensures the desired adhesion of the artificial nail to the user's natural nail. Pressure is applied. Since the adhesive used when placing the artificial nail is generally sticky, once it is first placed, it is difficult to adjust the position of the artificial nail on the natural nail. If you try to reposition the artificial nail with respect to the natural nail, or if you try to remove and replace the artificial nail, the appearance of the artificial nail may become less than standard, or the artificial nail may be further cleaned May take a long time or repeat the deployment process. As a result, it is important that the artificial nail is first placed at the desired location on the natural nail to avoid the need to remove and reposition the artificial nail.

  [0007] Long artificial nails generally extend well beyond the free edge of the user's natural nails. Therefore, when placing a relatively long artificial nail on the user's natural nail, the artificial nail is generally held before placement by using the extended free edge of the artificial nail, and the artificial nail is operated to operate the artificial nail. It can be accurately positioned on the nail bed. However, when using small artificial nails, the free edge is very short and does not extend much beyond the user's natural nails or finger tips, even if extended. Thus, such short nails can be particularly difficult to accurately place on the user's natural nails by simply grasping the artificial nail with a finger.

  [0008] For this reason, manufacturers have proposed a variety of instruments that can be held and placed while applying an artificial nail. One such device is a sticky adhesive for gripping artificial nails, such as the device shown in US Pat. No. 6,220,250 to Park or the device sold by Sally Hansen®. An elongated rod having a pad or tape at the end of the instrument is provided. However, this sticky adhesive pad generally reduces the retention force exerted on the artificial nail by the adhesive over time, and thus does not exert a consistent retention force on the artificial nail. I found it unreliable. In addition, when the adhesive pad is contaminated by dust or the like, the adhesive pad generally becomes unusable in that the adhesive pad does not exert sufficient force to hold and arrange a series of claws.

  [0009] Another such device is shown in Manzione US Pat. No. D441,132 and is shaped like a concave shovel and placed parallel to the shovel, as marketed by UptownNails, LLC. And a small slot or gap is formed between the inner surface of the excavator and the lip. In use, the arcuate outer surface of the artificial nail is placed in contact with the inner surface of the shovel, with the free edge of the artificial nail placed in the gap between the lip and the shovel. This device has drawbacks as well. “Excavator” instruments do not degrade with use, but are cumbersome to use. If the gap between the excavator and the lip is small enough that it can exert a holding force on the artificial nail, the user will generally find that the artificial nail is a natural nail so that the instrument can easily release the artificial nail. It is necessary to exert an external downward holding force on the artificial nail when placed in contact with the artificial nail. Because the user's free hand grips the instrument, the user typically uses a different finger than the placement hand to exert a holding force on the placed artificial nail and remove the artificial nail from the instrument. Release must be facilitated. Conversely, if the instrument does not provide sufficient holding force to hold the artificial nail during the placement process, the instrument may allow the artificial nail to move within the gap, thereby The precise placement of the artificial nail with respect to the nail is considerably difficult.

  [0010] The assignee of the present invention has proposed an instrument that uses a small suction cup placed at the tip of an elongated rod. When the artificial nail is attached to the natural nail, the user places a suction cup on the upper surface of the artificial nail and removes air trapped between the cup and the nail. Next, the user uses this instrument to position the artificial nail on the natural nail. The suction cup provides sufficient force that can be held during placement of the nail, but the force is adhesive sticky or adhesive bond between artificial nail and natural nail once properly placed I will lose. The instrument is disclosed in more detail in WO 06 / 062963A.

  [0011] Manufacturers have also proposed separable protrusions that extend from one or more edges of the artificial nail itself. After the protrusion is used to place the artificial nail, it is separated from the nail when proper placement is achieved. For example, US Pat. No. 6,892,736 to Chinn et al. Has a tab extending from the tip edge of the nail. Unfortunately, however, Chinn's tabs are not ergonomic, difficult to use and cumbersome. As seen in FIG. 11, the Chinn tab 13 must generally be held between the finger 14 and the thumb 15 of the hand 16 to be applied, the thumb 15 being below the face of the artificial nail 17 or Arranged on the upper side. Accordingly, the user's hand 16 is in an awkward position relative to the receiving finger. As a result, generally, the artificial nail 17 must be securely placed in place on the natural nail during separation of the nail tab 13 using a finger separate from the receiving hand, or the adhesive is The user must hold the artificial nail 17 in place until completely cured. Similar difficulties are encountered when placing nails disclosed in other references, such as Aylott US Pat. No. 5,005,595.

  [0012] As a result, it is desirable to provide a nail placement device that overcomes these deficiencies of the prior art and that allows accurate and reliable repeated placement of an artificial nail.

  [0013] The present invention provides a nail sticking tab that generally extends from the tip of the nail, and the body of the sticking tab is disposed at an angle to a plane that includes the top or bottom surface of the artificial nail. . In general, the affixing tab is arranged at an angle that is substantially perpendicular to the plane that includes the upper surface of the artificial nail along the centerline, but the tab is arranged at other angles, preferably greater than 30 °. May be. The affixing tab may extend from the tip edge of the nail or one or more of either the top or bottom surface. After placement, the pasting may be separated by any suitable means. Separation may be facilitated by, for example, a fragile region provided by perforations, thin regions, score lines, or regions of reduced cross section.

  [0014] The extension of tabs or other gate forms used in the molding of artificial nails can be particularly beneficial in gate spacing or separation of the nails from tabs, trees, or other molded structures.

  [0015] In order to place an artificial nail on a natural nail, a user grips and accepts a tab that extends substantially vertically using the thumb and middle finger of the hand to be attached to the natural nail of the hand or leg to accept. Artificial nails may be attached. Once the nail is in place, the user keeps holding the application tab and uses the index finger of the application hand to place the artificial nail on the receiving natural nail until the adhesive fixes the artificial nail in place. Press lightly to the final fixing position. The user may then separate the affixing tab from the artificial nail by any suitable means such as snapping, tearing, or cutting. Thus, an artificial nail having a tab provides an ergonomic configuration that facilitates nail placement with one hand.

  [0016] The kit may further include an adhesive, a small wet paper towel including a cleaner, a roughened surface, a stick, and / or a placement tool.

  [0017] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following summary and detailed description, and upon reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a kit having typical contents including an artificial nail according to the teachings of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an artificial nail having an application tab constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. FIG. It is a top view of the artificial nail | claw of FIG. It is a side view of the artificial nail | claw of FIG. 2 and FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of an artificial nail having an application tab constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. It is a top view of the artificial nail | claw of FIG. It is a side view of the artificial nail | claw of FIG. 5 and FIG. It is sectional drawing of the artificial nail of FIGS. FIG. 6 is a plan view of yet another embodiment of an artificial nail having an application tab constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. It is a sectional side view of the artificial nail of FIG. It is a perspective view at the time of arrange | positioning the artificial nail | claw of FIGS. It is a perspective view at the time of arrange | positioning the artificial nail | claw of FIGS. It is a perspective view at the time of arrange | positioning on the natural nail | claw of the artificial nail structure of a prior art. It is a fragmentary sectional view of an artificial nail and a gate structure. It is sectional drawing of other embodiment of an artificial nail | claw and a gate structure.

  [0032] Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements, FIG. 1 illustrates a nail kit comprising a package 20 containing a plurality of preformed artificial nail assemblies. 18 is shown. Each nail assembly includes an artificial nail 22, which is generally proximal to the user's cuticle and generally has a user's natural nail when properly positioned. And a tip 32 disposed at or beyond the end of the. The region between the proximal end 30 and the distal end 32 of the artificial nail 22 generally forms a nail bed 34 and a free end 36, which is located adjacent to the nail bed of the user's natural nail. The free end 36 extends beyond the end of the user's finger. The artificial nail 22 further includes left and right side edges 37, 38. The nail 22 has a substantially arcuate outline between the side edges 37, 38, and the outline between the proximal end edge 31 and the distal end edge 33 is Generally, the degree of bow is relaxed.

  [0033] The nail kit package 20 generally includes a box-shaped exterior body 40 in this embodiment, and the exterior body has at least one transparent portion 41 for viewing the contents of the package 20. The package 20 further includes an inner support housing 42 that generally holds the contents of the package 20 in place within the package 20. The inner support housing is generally formed from a polymeric material. Inner support housing 42 generally includes a plurality of recessed regions 44, and additional contents of package 20 may be retained in the rear opening of inner support housing 42.

  [0034] In accordance with the present invention, the artificial nail assembly includes an affixing tab arrangement 50 to facilitate ergonomic placement of the artificial nail 22 relative to the natural nail. Tab configuration 50 includes a main body 52 for gripping by the user during placement and a neck 54 extending between the main body 52 and the claw 22. According to an important feature of the present invention, at least a portion of the body 52 is disposed at an angle with respect to a plane that includes the upper or lower surface 39 of the claw 22 substantially along its centerline 23. Importantly, the portion of the body 52 that is disposed at an angle with respect to the plane must be quite large so that it can be gripped by the user during placement of the nail 22.

  The neck 54 attaches the body 52 to the tip 32 of the claw 22. The neck portion 54 may extend from the tip edge 33 as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, but may extend from the upper surface or the lower surface 39 of the artificial nail 22, or the tip edge 33 and the upper surface or the lower surface. 39 may extend from a combination of one or both of 39. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, for example, the neck 60 may extend from the lower surface 39. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, when the neck 60 is separated from the claw 64, the neck 60 does not leave any sharp edges or tips protruding from the tip edge 66 of the claw 64. In this embodiment, the neck 60 extends from the lower surface 39 proximate to the tip edge 66, while in the embodiment of FIGS. 8-9, the neck 70 is spaced slightly rearward from the tip edge 72 of the claw 86. Has been placed.

  [0036] These advantages are similar when there is no nail tab, ie when the gate structures 115, 116 for molding the artificial nail extend from the bottom surface of the nail, for example as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B. Is obvious. The gate structure may include any structure known in the art such as, for example, a nail tree, and the claw and gate structure may include molding techniques currently known in the art or developed in the future. It may be molded by any suitable molding technique. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a mold for molding the gate structure when molding the nail and the gate structure so that the resulting molded gate structure extends from the lower surface of the molded nail. The cavity is in fluid communication with the mold cavity for forming the lower surface.

  [0037] Referring to the drawings illustrating the nail tabs according to features of the present invention, the tab configuration 50 can be separated from the nail 22 by any suitable mechanism once properly positioned. For example, the neck 54 of the configuration 50 may have a thin portion 80 substantially adjacent to the tip edge 33 of the claw 22 similar to the configuration shown in FIGS. 2-4, for example, a perforation 82 as shown in FIG. The neck 70 as shown may include a fragile region such as a relatively small cross-section 84 where it contacts the pawl 86, a score line, or any combination of such structures. Although not preferred, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the tab configuration 50 can be separated from the nail 22 by a tool such as scissors or a blade.

  [0038] Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B in accordance with an important feature of the present invention, a user can easily affix the artificial nail 22 to the natural nail 100 in an adjusted ergonomic manner. More specifically, when affixing the artificial nail 22 to the natural nail 100, the user attaches the artificial nail 22 in order to position the artificial nail 22 on the natural nail 100 of the receiving hand 108 as shown in FIG. 10A. The body 52 of the tab configuration 50 can be gripped between the thumb 102 and the middle finger 104 of 106. Once the user has placed the artificial nail 22 on the natural nail 100, the user then uses the index finger 110 of the hand 106 to apply while continuing to hold the body 52 of the tab configuration 50, as shown in FIG. 10B. A holding force can be applied to the upper surface of the positioned artificial nail 22, thereby ensuring proper placement of the artificial nail 22 and dispensing of the adhesive. If the tab arrangement 50 includes a fragile region as a mechanism for facilitating separation, the user can hold the thumb 102 and middle finger 104 of the hand 106 to be applied while continuing to apply downward force as needed. Further, the tab configuration 50 can be separated from the artificial nail 22. In this way, the user can easily and quickly affix a plurality of artificial nails to each natural nail to obtain an appearance with glossy nail polish.

  [0039] Accordingly, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the arrangement of the body 52 that is angled relative to the upper or lower surface of the artificial nail 22 provides an ergonomic configuration that is readily used to position the nail. Is done. The angled arrangement is in contrast to tabs that are generally continuous with the nails as provided, for example, in US Pat. No. 6,892,736 to Chinn et al. Or US Pat. No. 5,005,595 to Aylott. It is. The angle should be such that the user can easily grip the main body 52 and place the nail 22. A normal angle is generally preferred because it allows the user to easily place the nail using either the left hand or the right hand, but to facilitate grasping and placement of the nail 22, An angle of at least 30 ° to either the top or bottom surface is generally appropriate.

  [0040] To further assist the user in selecting an artificial nail, at least the body 52 of the tab configuration 50 may be sufficiently wide to display information for the user. Thus, the tab 50 may include indicia 112 such as an accompanying nail size number, manufacturer name, trademark or trade name, nail color, or instructions for use. The indicia 112 may be provided on the tab configuration 50 by any suitable mechanism, such as, for example, forming the indicia into a tab configuration or printing the indicia on the tab configuration. In this way, such indicia 112 may facilitate the user's selection of the nail to be applied.

  [0041] It will be appreciated that the preformed artificial nail 22 used in the nail kit 18 may have any suitable design. For example, the present invention may be similarly utilized in connection with a nail tip as opposed to a full nail as shown in the drawings. Thus, for purposes of this disclosure and the appended claims, the term “nail” is used to correspond to both full nail and nail tips. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a nail tip is basically the same as a full nail except that the nail tip includes only a portion that covers only the tip of the natural nail. Also, the nail kit is merely an example, a suitable adhesive as shown in FIG. 1, a rough or emery type surface for polishing natural nails before placement of artificial nails, to clean the nails before placement Additional items such as small wet paper towels containing a lot of acetone or other materials, rosewood sticks and / or stickers to assist during the installation of the artificial nail on the surface of the natural nail may be included.

  [0042] While this invention has been described with emphasis on preferred embodiments, variations of the preferred embodiments can be used, and the invention may be embodied in ways other than those specifically described herein. The invention can be carried out. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

  [0043] All documents cited herein, including patents, patent applications, and publications, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims (20)

A preformed artificial nail assembly for placement on a natural nail by a user,
An artificial nail dimensioned to correspond to at least a portion of the natural nail and including a free edge forming a tip, wherein the tip forms an artificial nail tip edge; and
An affixing tab extending from the tip of the artificial nail and having a neck and a main body, wherein the neck is disposed between the main body and the tip of the artificial nail, and the artificial nail with respect to the natural nail The affixing tab, wherein the body portion is disposed at an angle with respect to the artificial nail so that the body can be easily grasped by the user to facilitate the placement of
An artificial nail assembly comprising:   The artificial nail assembly according to claim 1, wherein the artificial nail has an upper surface and a lower surface, and the angle is at least about 30 ° with respect to at least one of the upper surface or the lower surface.   The artificial nail assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the neck includes a portion twisted from the main body to the artificial nail.   The artificial nail assembly according to claim 1, wherein the sticking tab is fixed to the artificial nail at the tip edge.   The artificial nail assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the artificial nail includes a lower surface, and the attachment tab is fixed to the lower surface of the artificial nail.   A kit of preformed artificial nails, comprising a plurality of artificial nails according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and a package, wherein the artificial nails are arranged in the package. A preformed artificial nail assembly for placement on a natural nail by a user,
An artificial nail that is dimensioned to correspond to at least a portion of the natural nail and includes a lower surface;
A gate structure extending from the lower surface;
An artificial nail assembly comprising:   The artificial nail assembly according to claim 7, wherein the artificial nail includes a free edge forming a tip, the tip forms an artificial nail tip edge, and the gate structure extends near the tip.   The artificial nail assembly according to claim 8, wherein the gate structure is disposed substantially adjacent to the tip.   The gate structure or the affixing tab includes a fragile region substantially adjacent to the artificial nail, the fragile region facilitating separation of the gate structure or the affixing tab from the artificial nail. The artificial nail assembly according to claim 1.   The fragile region comprises at least one of a perforation, a thin region, a score line, a cut, or a region with a reduced cross-section relative to the remaining portion of the gate structure or the affixing tab. Artificial nail assembly as described.   The artificial nail assembly according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the gate structure includes affixing tabs for placing the nail on a user's natural nail.   A preformed artificial nail kit comprising a plurality of artificial nails according to any one of claims 8 to 13 and a package, wherein the plurality of artificial nails and the gate structure are molded structures, The kit, wherein the artificial nail is disposed in the package.   14. The kit of claim 13, wherein the artificial nail and the gate structure are simultaneously molded together from at least one material.   The kit according to any one of claims 6, 13, and 14, further comprising at least one of an adhesive, a nail wipe, a nail polish applicator, a placement tool, and a nail polish. A method of forming an artificial nail having an upper surface and a lower surface,
Providing a mold comprising at least two parts, wherein at least one of said parts comprises at least one cavity for forming a gate structure optionally comprising affixing tab, and at least one of said parts One includes at least one cavity for forming the lower surface of the nail, and at least one of the portions includes at least one cavity for forming the upper surface of the nail, forming the upper surface The cavity for forming is complementary to the cavity for forming the lower surface, and the cavity for forming the gate structure is in fluid communication with the cavity for forming the lower surface of the claw. Said step;
Supplying a moldable material through the cavity for forming the gate structure to the cavity for forming the lower surface of the nail to form the nail;
Including methods.   The method of claim 16, further comprising providing a fragile region substantially adjacent to the artificial nail, the fragile region facilitating separation of the gate structure from the artificial nail.   The step of providing the fragile region is a step of forming or forming a perforation, a step of forming a thin region or a region having a reduced cross section with respect to the remaining portion of the gate structure, or a step of forming or forming a score line 18. The method of claim 17, comprising at least one of the steps of forming a cut. A mold for forming at least one gate structure optionally including affixing tabs and at least one molded artificial nail having an upper surface and a lower surface, comprising at least two parts,
At least one of the portions includes at least one cavity for forming the gate structure;
At least one of the portions includes at least one cavity for forming the lower surface of the claw;
At least one of the portions includes at least one cavity for forming the upper surface of the claw, and the cavity for forming the upper surface is complementary to a cavity for forming the lower surface. ,
The cavity for forming the gate structure is in fluid communication with the cavity for forming the lower surface of the claw;
mold.   At least one of the cavity for forming the gate structure or the cavity for forming the lower surface of the claw is a thin region or a region having a reduced cross section with respect to the remaining portion of the gate structure. 20. A mold according to claim 19, comprising a portion of a fragile region that facilitates separation of the molded gate structure from the molded artificial nail.

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