HK1159967B - Artificial nails including application tabs - Google Patents

Description

Artificial nail including an application sheet

Technical Field

The present invention relates to human nail ornaments, and more particularly, to structures and methods directed to adhering preformed artificial nails and nail tips to human nails.

Background

Many people desire to have elongated fingernails or fingernails with a more finished or elegant appearance for a variety of aesthetic reasons. However, some people are unable or unwilling to grow their natural fingernails to the desired length. In addition, they may not have the time, skill, or financial funds to maintain or achieve a more finished appearance resulting from adequately manicured and/or polished nails. Thus, a whole industry has developed regarding artificial augmentation and enhancement of natural nails. This enhancement can range from trimming and polishing of natural nails to separately constructing artificial nails on natural nails and finger rests, made of acrylic powder or liquid, that are chemically bonded to the nail surface when constructing the artificial nail. Between these two extremes are preformed artificial nails that are glued or otherwise bonded to one's own naturally occurring nails. This nail is readily available to a wide range of users via drug or department stores. The preformed artificial nails may be transparent or opaque, and/or pre-polished and/or decorated to provide a desired appearance.

Artificial nails are typically made from molded thermoplastic and a wide range of lengths and styles are available. Full nail form is one broad category of artificial nail styles. As its name implies, the full nail form simulates the entire human fingernail and includes a proximal edge intended to cover substantially the entire nail bed and a free distal edge intended to extend beyond the tip of the wearer's nail. The proximal edge is shaped to be disposed substantially adjacent to or against the base of the finger. The free distal edge may have any of a variety of lengths and shapes, such as oval, square, or flared, depending on the desired appearance. Preferably, the artificial nail is sufficiently durable and rigid to withstand the hazards inherent in its use.

In contrast, nail tips do not simulate a full nail, but only the free edge, and typically have a small extension so as to cover only a portion of the nail bed to facilitate engagement with the nail. In use, the nail tip is secured only to the edge of the nail bed adjacent the free edge and the nail tip. Nail tips are often used in the construction of acrylic nails or gel nails.

Manufacturers typically provide users with a range of nail sizes, identified for example by size numbers 0-9, to accommodate the most nail sizes. Typically, the artificial nails are packaged together in sets that include a range of different sizes so that the purchaser receives different artificial nails corresponding to their different fingers. In addition to a set of different sized artificial nails, the package may also include a liquid adhesive, a peel-off adhesive pad, and/or a pre-set tacky adhesive for bonding the artificial nail to the purchaser's natural nail.

Artificial nails are provided in a variety of lengths, ranging from relatively long nails, which have a straight or arched profile, to relatively short nails, which more closely mimic well-groomed natural nails. With respect to placement of the artificial nail on the user's natural nail, the adhesive is typically applied directly to the user's natural nail bed or to the nail bed portion of the artificial nail. The artificial nail is then placed on the user's natural nail bed with the proximal portion of the artificial nail disposed on or near the user's cuticle and pressure is applied to ensure the desired adhesion of the artificial nail to the user's natural nail. Since the adhesives used in the placement of the artificial nail are generally tacky, once the initial placement is made, it is difficult to adjust the position of the artificial nail on the natural nail. Attempting to reposition the artificial nail relative to the natural nail or removing and repositioning the artificial nail may result in an substandard appearance of the artificial nail or time consuming additional cleaning of the artificial nail and repetition of the placement process. As a result, it is important to place the artificial nail in the desired position on the natural nail on the first attempt to avoid the need to remove and reposition the nail.

Longer artificial nails typically extend well beyond the free edge of the user's natural nail. Thus, when placing a relatively long artificial nail on a user's natural nail, the user typically utilizes the extended free edge of the artificial nail to hold the artificial nail prior to placement and to manipulate and precisely position the artificial nail on the user's nail bed. However, when smaller artificial nails are used, the free edge is very short and, if extended, does not extend far beyond the user's natural nail or fingertip. Accordingly, it can be particularly difficult to accurately place such short nails on the user's natural fingernails by simply grasping the artificial nails with the user's fingers.

As a result, manufacturers have proposed a variety of tools to allow for the holding and placement of the artificial nail during application. One such tool includes an elongated rod having an adhesive pad or tape at the end of the tool to grip an artificial nail, such as the tool shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,250 to Park, and SallyA tool for sale. However, the tacky adhesive pad has proven unreliable in use, as the holding force exerted by the adhesive on the artificial nail often degrades over time, thereby failing to exert a consistent holding force on the artificial nail. Furthermore, in case the adhesive pad is contaminated by dust or the like, it often becomes useless, since it cannot develop sufficient force to maintain the placement of a series of nails.

Another such tool is shaped like a concave shovel with a short opposing lip arranged parallel to the shovel, forming a small slit or gap between the inside surface of the shovel and the lip, as shown in U.S. patent D441,134 to Manzione and sold by Uptown Nails, LLC. In use, the outer domed surface of the artificial nail is disposed against the inside surface of the spatula with the free edge of the artificial nail disposed in the gap between the lip and the spatula. This tool also exhibits deficiencies. Although the "shovel" does not degrade with use, it is cumbersome to use. Given that the gap between the scoop and the lip is small enough to exert a retaining force on the artificial nail, the user is typically required to apply an external downward force to the artificial nail when placing the artificial nail on the natural nail to facilitate release of the artificial nail by the tool. Because the user's vacated hand grasps the tool, the user must typically use a different finger than the placed hand to apply a retaining force to the placed artificial nail to facilitate release of the artificial nail from the tool. Conversely, if the tool does not exert sufficient holding force to hold the artificial nail during placement, the tool may cause the artificial nail to move within the gap, making precise placement of the artificial nail against the natural nail significantly more difficult.

The assignee of the present invention has proposed a tool that utilizes a small suction cup disposed at the distal end of an elongated rod. When applying the artificial nail to the natural nail, the user places the suction cup on the upper surface of the artificial nail and exhausts any air trapped between the suction cup and the nail. The user then uses the tool to position the artificial nail on the natural nail. The suction cup provides sufficient force to hold the nail during placement, and once properly placed, the tackiness of the adhesive or cohesive bond between the artificial and natural nails overcomes the force. This tool is disclosed in more detail in PCT publication WO 06/062963A.

Manufacturers have also proposed separable tabs extending from one or more edges of the artificial nail itself. The artificial nail is placed with the tab, and then the tab is separated from the nail once proper placement is achieved. For example, U.S. patent 6,892,736 to Chinn et al includes a tab extending from the distal edge of the nail. Unfortunately, however, the Chinn sheet is not ergonomic and is cumbersome to use. As can be seen in fig. 11 of the Chinn patent, the Chinn sheet 13 must generally be held between the finger 14 and the thumb 15 of the applied hand 16, the thumb 15 being disposed below or above the plane of the artificial nail 17. Thus, the user's hand 16 is in an uncoordinated position relative to the received finger. As a result, typically either a separate finger must be used and received during separation of the nail plate 13 to securely position the artificial nail 17 in place on the natural nail or the user must hold the artificial nail 17 in place for a period of time until the adhesive is fully cured. Similar difficulties encountered in nail placement are also disclosed in other references, such as U.S. patent No. 5,005,595 to Aylott.

The assignee of the present invention has proposed a more ergonomic applicator device in which the blade is disposed at an angle to a plane containing the nail. In this manner, the user can easily grasp the sheet using the middle and thumb of the applying hand to place the engaged nail on the user's natural fingernail of the receiving hand while the index finger of the user's applying hand presses the artificial nail to the natural nail. This arrangement is disclosed in more detail in U.S. application No.11/739371, filed 24/4/2007.

While heretofore application sheets may have served their purpose in placing relatively short nails, all of these commercial sheets are molded with the artificial nail and, therefore, must be separated from the artificial nail after placement, such as by being broken or cut from the artificial nail. The user may be required to perform a subsequent trimming operation to file away any burrs that may remain on the nail at the locations where the pieces are separated, to achieve a pleasing appearance.

As a result, there is a need to provide a nail placement device that overcomes these shortcomings of the prior art to provide accurate and reliable repeated placement of an artificial nail while minimizing or eliminating any subsequent trimming work to provide a pleasing and attractive appearance.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a nail application sheet comprising an engagement portion disposed along a surface of an artificial nail and an extension portion extending generally from a distal end portion of the nail. The bonding portion of the application tab includes an adhesive or is an adhesive structure that temporarily adheres to the nail and, preferably, leaves no residue when the tab is removed from the artificial nail. While the extension of the application tab is typically disposed in a plane substantially adjacent to or parallel to the plane of the artificial nail, the extension may alternatively be disposed at an angle to the plane including the top surface of the artificial nail when taken along the centerline. Embodiments of the application sheet may include a flange portion disposed adjacent to an edge of the artificial nail. Such a flange portion may assist in maintaining the extension portion of the application sheet in a relatively rigid position relative to the artificial nail when the artificial nail is applied to the natural nail. The application sheet may be formed of a relatively flexible material or a relatively rigid plastic, or the like, or a combination thereof. The application tab may extend from any distal edge, or top or bottom surface, of one or more of the nails. In embodiments of the patch that include an adhesive, after placement, the application patch is lifted from the artificial nail, and the adhesive continues to adhere to the patch, rather than to the nail. Thus, after removal of the application sheet from the artificial nail, no subsequent trimming work is required to provide a pleasing appearance.

An artificial nail with an adhesive sheet may be provided as part of a plurality of such nails in a kit. The kit may further include additional items and tools such as adhesives, towelettes including cleaning agents, rough surfaces, sticks such as rosewood sticks, and/or placement tools for future reapplication of the artificial nail.

These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following brief and detailed description, and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a kit with exemplary inclusions including an artificial nail according to the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an artificial nail having an application tab constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the artificial nail of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the artificial nail of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of an artificial nail having an application tab constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the artificial nail of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the artificial nail of FIGS. 5 and 6;

fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the artificial nail of fig. 5-7.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 a nail kit 18, the nail kit 18 including a package 20, the package 20 containing a plurality of preformed artificial nail assemblies. Each nail assembly includes an artificial nail 22 having a proximal end 30. In the illustrated full nail arrangement, the proximal portion 30 is adapted to be disposed generally adjacent to the user's cuticle, while in the tip arrangement, the proximal portion 30 is adapted to be spaced apart from the user's cuticle. Each nail assembly 22 further includes a distal portion 32, which distal portion 32 is generally disposed at or beyond the end of the user's natural nail when properly positioned. The area between the proximal and distal ends 30, 32 of the artificial nail 22 generally defines a nail bed portion 34 and a free end portion 36, the nail bed portion 34 being adapted to be positioned adjacent the user's natural nail bed, and the free end portion 36 being adapted to extend beyond the end of the user's finger. The artificial nail 22 includes an upper surface 35 and the free end portion 34 includes a lower surface 37. The artificial nail 22 further includes a right side edge 38 and a left side edge 39, the nail 22 having a generally domed profile between the right side edge 38 and the left side edge 39 and a generally less convexly profile between the proximal edge 31 and the distal edge 33.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the proximal edge 31 of the fully artificial nail is ultimately intended to be placed substantially adjacent or closest to the cuticle of the user's natural nail, with the nail bed portion 34 covering substantially the entire surface of the user's natural nail bed. Although artificial nail tips include similar structures, the proximal edge of the nail tip is not intended to be placed adjacent the cuticle of the user's natural nail. Conversely, the proximal edge of the nail tip is spaced from the cuticle of the user's nail base. The nail bed portion of the nail tip is intended to be placed generally along the distal portion of the natural nail, covering at least a portion of the user's natural nail free edge, and possibly a portion of the nail bed portion of the user's natural nail. For purposes of this disclosure and the claims appended hereto, the term "artificial nail" is used to generally mean both full artificial nails and artificial nail tips.

Nail kit package 20 generally includes an outer cover 40, herein in the form of a box, the outer cover 40 having at least one transparent portion 41 to view the contents of the package 20. The package 20 further includes an internal support housing 42, the internal support housing 42 substantially holding the contents of the package 20 in place within the package 20. The internal support housing is typically formed of a polymeric material. The inner support housing 42 generally includes a plurality of recessed areas 44 and additional contents of the package 20 may also be retained in the rear open portion of the inner support housing 42. The nail kit 18 may be of an alternative design. Similarly, package 20, enclosure 40, transparent portion 41, support housing 42, and recessed area 44 may be of alternative designs or excluded altogether.

In accordance with the present disclosure, the artificial nail assembly includes an application tab assembly 50 to facilitate placement of the artificial nail 22 on the natural nail. The tab assembly 50 includes a body 52 for a user to grasp during placement, and an engagement portion 54 extending between the body 52 and the nail 22. In accordance with a feature of the invention, at least a portion of the engagement portion 54 includes an adhesive that adheres to a portion of the artificial nail. The adhesive portion may include an adhesive 56 disposed between the engagement portion 54 and the artificial nail 22. Alternatively, the material of the tab assembly 50 may itself be sufficiently tacky to temporarily adhere to the surface of the artificial nail 22 without the use of an adhesive. In use, the adhesive 56 may be any suitable composition that provides for temporary, rather than permanent, placement of the engagement portion 54 of the patch assembly 50 along the surface of the artificial nail 22. Thus, in use, at least a portion of the engagement portion 54 is disposed along the upper surface 35 of the nail 22 or the lower surface 37 of the nail 22. However, it should be understood that if the tab assembly 50 is disposed along the lower surface 37, removal of the tab assembly 50 may be cumbersome unless the user's natural nail is shorter than the artificial nail.

Although any suitable adhesive 56 may be used, in one embodiment, a "skin-contact adhesive" or an adhesive suitable for skin-contact application so as not to permanently adhere to the surface of the artificial nail 22 may be suitable for use in adhering the tab assembly 50 to the artificial nail 22. Such adhesives are commonly used in bandages, tattoos, or the like, and generally provide optimal transparency, as well as excellent resistance to water and moisture. An example of such an adhesive is SC-38A from Multi-Tac Inc., which typically includes about 52% solids, a viscosity of 850CP, a pH of 7.0, and 1522g/m²Magnitude of MVTR at 24 hours.

In use, the adhesive 56 may be applied at any suitable thickness, so long as sufficient adhesion is provided based on the area covered and no residue remains on the nail 22 itself after removal of the tab assembly 50. In one embodiment, a typical coating may have a thickness of, for example, 1 mil (mil). For example, 1 mil of SC-38A coated on 2 mil thick Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) may have a viscosity of 10oz/in and requires 20oz/in for 180 ° peel after 20 minutes and 21oz/in for 180 ° peel after 24 hours. After three hours, this construction can exhibit a shear strength of 4.4psi at 72F.

The panel assembly 50 may be formed from any suitable material and by any suitable method. The sheet assembly 50 can be a film-like structure, as illustrated in fig. 1-4; or a molded structure as shown in fig. 5-8. The sheet is typically formed of a polymeric material such as, by way of example only, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyls, silicon, and polyester, although alternative materials may be used. In one embodiment, at least the engagement portion 54 of the tab assembly 50 is substantially transparent or translucent so that a user can readily observe the placement of the artificial nail 22 on the natural nail prior to applying pressure to the artificial nail 22 on the natural nail surface.

The sheet assembly 50 may be molded from a single material, as shown in fig. 1-4, or it may comprise more than one material. For example, engaging portion 54 may be formed of a flexible material, while blade 52 may be formed of a more rigid material. For example, engagement portion 54 may be formed of silicon, while blade 52 is formed of a more rigid plastic. This configuration is particularly suitable for the embodiments illustrated in fig. 5-8. The sheet may be made by any suitable method, such as, by way of example only, cutting or pressing from a preformed sheet; molding; co-molded from more than one material.

It should be understood that the tab assembly 50 may not require adhesive to adhere to the surface of the artificial nail 22, depending on the material utilized and/or the construction of the tab assembly 50. For example, a tab assembly 50 formed of a silicone material, other material having an adhesive surface, with or without additives, or the like, may be temporarily adhered to a surface of the artificial nail 22 sufficiently to allow a user to properly position the artificial nail 22 prior to removal of the tab assembly 50.

The tab assembly 50 can be any suitable size and shape relative to the artificial nail 22. More particularly, the engagement portion 54 may be any suitable size and shape, so long as the bonded area of the engagement portion 54 and the adhesive 56 are sufficient to provide a secure assembly with the artificial nail 22, in use, until the nail 22 is properly placed. By way of example only, the engagement portion 54 may have a generally rectangular configuration as illustrated in fig. 2-4, or an oval configuration as illustrated in fig. 4-7, or any other suitable shape and configuration.

Similarly, blade 52 can be any suitable shape and arrangement, so long as it is of a size sufficient for a user to grasp during placement. Although the sheet assembly 50 is illustrated as a thin, film-like structure, the sheet need not be formed thin, but may be of a thicker structure. By way of example only, blade 52 may have a relatively flat, elongated shape as illustrated in fig. 2-4, or an oval configuration as illustrated in the embodiment of fig. 5-8.

Blade 52 may likewise be disposed at any suitable angle to the surface of nail 22. By way of example only, the blade 52 may be in the same plane as the nail 22, as shown in fig. 2-4, or the blade 52 may be disposed at an angle to a plane including the upper surface of the nail, as shown in fig. 5-8.

According to one embodiment, as shown in the embodiment of fig. 5-8, the tab assembly 50 may further include a flange 58 that cooperates with the edge 33 of the nail 22 or the bottom surface 37 of the free end portion 36. It should be appreciated that the flange 58 may provide added stability to the tab assembly 50 during placement of the artificial nail 22 on the user's natural nail.

The application sheet assembly 50 can additionally include indicia 60 as desired. By way of example only, the indicia 50 may include an indication of the size of the company, or associated artificial nail 22.

In use, the user applies the adhesive to the lower surface of the natural or artificial nail 22. If a pre-glued artificial nail is used, adhesive application is not necessary, although, if appropriate, the user removes any anti-stick paper along the pre-glued portion. The user then grasps the body 52 of the tab assembly 50 and uses the body 52 to place the artificial nail 22 on the user's natural nail. Downward pressure may be applied to the upper surface 35 of the artificial nail 22 to ensure that the artificial nail 22 is securely seated on the natural nail. The user then uses a peel or other suitable motion to lift the blade 52 to remove the blade assembly 50 from the positioned artificial nail. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that such a configuration facilitates easy and accurate placement of the artificial nail 22 without requiring subsequent trimming.

While the invention has been described with emphasis on the preferred embodiments, variations of the preferred embodiments can be used and it is intended that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

All references, including patent documents, patent applications, and publications, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Claims (22)

1. A preformed artificial nail kit, the kit comprising:

a plurality of preformed artificial nail assemblies for placement by a user on a natural nail, each of said artificial nail assemblies comprising:

an artificial nail sized to correspond to at least a portion of the natural nail, the artificial nail comprising an upper surface and a lower surface,

an application tab assembly associated with the artificial nail, the application tab assembly comprising:

a sheet portion, and

an engagement portion, at least a portion of said engagement portion being provided on one of said surfaces and adapted to temporarily adhere to said one of said surfaces, at least a portion of said blade portion protruding from said artificial nail, said at least a portion of said blade portion being of sufficient size to be grasped by a user to manipulate said application tab assembly and associated artificial nail for placing a lower surface of said artificial nail on said natural nail, and

a package in which the artificial nail is disposed.

2. The kit of claim 1, further comprising at least one artificial nail without an associated application tab assembly.

3. The kit of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the engagement portion exhibits sufficient tackiness to temporarily adhere to the artificial nail.

4. The kit of any one of claims 1-3, including an adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the engagement portion, at least a portion of the adhesive disposed adjacent one of the surfaces, at least a portion of the blade portion protruding from the artificial nail, the at least a portion of the blade portion being of sufficient size to be grasped by a user to manipulate the applicator blade assembly and associated artificial nail, the adhesive being adapted to temporarily adhere to one of the surfaces of the artificial nail.

5. The kit of claim 4, wherein the at least a portion of the adhesive comprises an area on which the adhesive exhibits sufficient tack to temporarily adhere to the artificial nail.

6. The kit of claim 4, wherein the adhesive leaves substantially no residue on the one of the surfaces when the application sheet is removed from the artificial nail.

7. The kit of claim 1, wherein the applicator sheet assembly includes indicia.

8. The kit of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the application sheet assembly is substantially transparent or translucent.

9. The kit of claim 1, wherein the applicator sheet assembly comprises a thin film strip.

10. The kit of claim 1, wherein the application sheet assembly is molded.

11. The kit of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the application sheet assembly is formed of a polymeric material.

12. The kit of claim 11, wherein the polymeric material comprises at least one of the following materials: polyethylene, polypropylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), vinyls, silicon, and polyesters.

13. The kit of claim 1, further comprising at least one of: a second adhesive, a nail wipe, a trimming tool, a placement tool, and a nail grinder.

14. The kit of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the application sheet comprises a silicon material.

15. The kit of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the application tab is formed of a material that exhibits sufficient tackiness to adhere to the surface of the artificial nail.

16. The kit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the artificial nails is a nail tip.

17. The kit of claim 1, wherein at least one of the artificial nails is a full nail.

18. The kit of claim 1 or 2, wherein at least a portion of the engagement portion is provided on at least a portion of the artificial nail upper surface and is adapted to be temporarily adhered to the at least a portion of the upper surface.

19. A preformed artificial nail assembly for placement on a natural nail, the artificial nail assembly comprising:

a nail body sized to correspond to at least a portion of the natural nail, the nail body including an upper surface and a lower surface,

an application tab assembly associated with the nail body, the application tab assembly comprising:

a sheet portion, and

an engagement portion, at least a portion of said engagement portion being provided on one of said surfaces and adapted to temporarily adhere to said one of said surfaces, at least a portion of said blade portion projecting from said nail body, said at least a portion of said blade portion being of sufficient size to be grasped by a user to manipulate said application tab assembly and nail body for placing a lower surface of said artificial nail onto said natural nail.

20. The artificial nail assembly of claim 19, wherein at least a portion of the engagement portion exhibits sufficient tackiness to temporarily adhere to the nail body.

21. The artificial nail assembly of claim 19 or 20, further comprising an adhesive disposed on at least a portion of the engagement portion, at least a portion of the adhesive disposed adjacent to one of the surfaces, at least a portion of the blade portion protruding from the nail body, the at least a portion of the blade portion being of sufficient size to be grasped by a user to manipulate the applicator blade assembly and nail body, the adhesive being adapted to temporarily adhere to one of the surfaces of the nail body.

22. The artificial nail assembly of claim 19, wherein at least a portion of the engagement portion is provided on at least a portion of the upper surface of the artificial nail and is adapted to be temporarily adhered to the at least a portion of the upper surface.