KR20130136389A - Device and method for applying nail decals - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for transferring nail decals are provided, wherein the apparatus includes a substrate and decals which are provisionally attached to the bottom surface of the substrate. The substrate includes a central body part, arbor parts which are extended outward from the the central body part, and a decal adhesion tab part which is extended outward from each arbor part. The decal adhesion tab part has a shape and a size corresponding to the shape and the size of human fingernails and toenails and has at least one decal provisionally attached to the tab.

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR APPLYING NAIL DECALS}

The present invention generally relates to nail decals or appliques that are attached to natural nails with an adhesive to enhance the cosmetic appearance of the nail, and more particularly to such nail decals or appliques. A device and method for pasting.

Artificial nails, nail decals, and nail acliques have been used for many years to improve the cosmetic appearance of fingers and toes. Some individuals choose artificial nails, because their own nails are too weak to grow to the length they want without breaking. Others choose artificial nails because they are considerably more durable, more durable than natural nails, and because nail polish adheres better to the surface of artificial nails. Some individuals are not satisfied with the shape and contours of their natural nails and choose to use artificial nails to improve the appearance of their nails.

It is known in the art of hand decoration to provide a decorative nail accessory made of thin, molded plastic members generally made in the shape of a nail. Indeed, many artificial nail makers have provided various combinations of materials, arrangements and colors in nail accessories. For example, many conventional predesigned nails often include a decorative design stenciled or air-brushed on its top surface.

The predesigned artificial nails interlock to the surface of the natural nail by attaching a significant amount of flow bonding adhesive to the bottom surface of the artificial nail and / or the upper surface of the natural nail and attaching the accessory to the nail. An overlay is then typically applied to the entire top surface of the artificial nail. This overlay is usually transparent or translucent so that a decorative design can be seen on the top side of the artificial nail. Once the overlay is fixed, the artificial nail is shaped as desired.

It is also known in the art to decorate nails and / or toenails with nail decals or appliques. Such decals or appliques typically take the form of a film with a thermal- and / or pressure sensitive adhesive on the back, which adds strength and beauty to the nails. Attaching an opaque or clean painting film to the nails or toenails provides elements of nail polish, but nail supports, graphics, special colors, liquids, no drying time, no brushes, no filthy, uneven brushes Additional benefits include no marks, no chipping, no known cancer-causing chemicals, no fumes, and easy to remove. The emergence of such artificial nail accessories has made it possible for those who wear it to have intricate predesigned nails that are now attached to natural nails and easily removed later.

However, conventional nail decals or appliques are typically provided as various assortments of decorative designs provided on one or more transfer sheets. Typically, decorative designs are stenciled on some form of the transfer sheet, air-brushed or hand-painted, and the user typically has to select a design from the sheet and choose the natural It should be attached to the nail. Often, such designs exist tightly on a transfer sheet, which makes it difficult to attach a single decal from the group.

In particular, for decals using water activated adhesive, water applied to the substrate to loosen the selected decal often flows into neighboring decals on the substrate. Alternatively, it may also be a difficult process to release the selected design from the others by cutting. In particular, once the selected design is cut out of the transfer sheet, the user is left with a small piece of paper, or another carrier material with a decal on it, which is then placed into position on the natural nail to attach the decal to the natural nail. Must be dealt with. Obviously, such a treatment is difficult and often causes the decal to fall off or cause the decal to be incorrectly attached to the undesired position of the nail.

In addition, because nail sizes vary from person to person, it is virtually impossible to design a single nail decal or applique that will universally fit all nails. To address this problem, appliqué sets with multiple appliqués of various sizes for each fingernail have been provided. For example, in a typical package of appliques, there may be two or more different appliques for each finger, in which case each applique for a particular finger is more slender than the others.

An obvious problem with this approach is that it is accompanied by an increase in cost, and larger packaging is required to provide multiple appliqués per finger. This, of course, has a detrimental effect on both consumers who are required to pay more per package and retailers who need to buy and display larger packages.

Thus, it would be desirable to provide a single set of nail decals or appliques that provide a number of design changes to the user depending on how the applique is placed on the natural nail. It would also be desirable to provide a single set of nail decals that eliminates the step of cutting individual decals from the others. It would also be further desirable to provide a single set of nail decals that can be easily processed during pasting and have provisions to aid in the correct positioning of the decals on the nails.

The present invention is an apparatus and method for attaching nail decals or appliques to natural nails or toenails. The apparatus generally includes a substrate and a plurality of decals temporarily attached to the bottom surface of the substrate. The substrate includes a central body portion, a plurality of stem portions extending outwardly from the central body portion, and a decal attaching tab portion extending outwardly from each of the mandrel portions. Each decal attaching tab portion has a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of a human nail or toenail, and has at least one decal that is temporarily attached to them.

In one preferred embodiment, the substrate has a plurality of differently sized decal attaching tab portions corresponding to different sizes of human nails or toenails. These decal attaching tab portions are preferably formed by opposing longitudinal ends, in which case each of these longitudinal ends has a peripheral contour that matches the contour of the epidermal portion of the human nail or toenail.

The substrate may be made of a water permeable material, and the decals are temporarily attached to the substrate with a water activated adhesive. In an alternative embodiment, such decals are temporarily attached to the substrate with a dry transfer adhesive.

The central body portion of the substrate is preferably an elongate member having a longitudinal extension, the plurality of mandrel portions extending outwardly from the central body portion in lateral directions facing each other. This central body portion also preferably has at least one decal disposed on its bottom surface and also preferably comprises a perforation for separating the device into two parts.

Each of the mandrel portions preferably includes at least one brittle portion for separating the decal attaching tab portion from the central body portion. In one preferred embodiment, such brittle parts are holes.

The substrate has a top surface facing each other and the top surface has a printed image disposed directly opposite one another with at least one of the decals, in which case the printed image is disposed on its directly opposite bottom surface. Decals are described.

In the method for attaching decals to nails or toenails according to the invention, a substrate having a plurality of decals temporarily attached to the bottom surface of the substrate is used as described above. This method selects the decal attaching tab portion having the desired decal and size to match the size of the nail or toenail to which the decal is attached, and arranges the shape of the selected decal attaching tab portion into the shape of the nail or toenail to which the decal is attached. And transferring at least one decal from the aligned decal attaching tab portion to the nail or toenail.

In one embodiment, the step of aligning includes removing the decal attaching tab portion from the central body portion and placing the removed decal attaching tab portion on the nail or toenail. In another embodiment, the step of aligning includes placing the selected decal attaching tab portion on the nail or toenail, while the decal attaching tab portion is still connected to the central body portion.

Together with other objects, features and advantages of the present invention, the preferred embodiments become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that such drawings are for illustrative purposes only and do not prescribe the limitations of the present invention. The scope of the invention is indicated in the claims.

1 is a plan view of the front side of an apparatus for attaching nail decals formed in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the back side of the device shown in FIG. 1; FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of one of the decal attaching tabs of the device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;
4 is a perspective view of the device shown in FIGS. 1-3 in use.
5 is a perspective view showing a method for using the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, according to a first embodiment of the invention.
6 is a perspective view showing the following steps of the method for using the apparatus shown in FIG.
7 is a perspective view showing a method for using the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, according to a second embodiment of the invention.
8 is a perspective view showing the following steps of the method for using the apparatus shown in FIG. 7.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of an apparatus 10, formed in accordance with the present invention, for attaching nail decals is shown. The device 10 is preferably a substrate having a plurality of spaced differently sized decal attaching tabs 12 connected to the central support body 14, such as a central tree. It is formed as (11). Each of these decal attaching tabs 12 has at least one decal 16 temporarily attached to it, and is preferably connected to the support structure 14 at one end via a mandrel 18. The central support body 14 is also preferably provided with a plurality of differently sized decals 19 which are temporarily attached thereto.

In a preferred embodiment, the substrate 11 is a central support body portion 14 extending in the longitudinal direction and the decal attaching tab portions 12 extend outwardly from the body portion in lateral directions facing each other. do. However, it is conceivable that the decal attaching tabs 12 extend from the central body 12 from only one side. In either case, each decal attaching tab 12 extends outwardly from the support body 14 so that the user can see each size of the tabs immediately.

Preferably, the tabs 12 are arranged in the support body 14 together with the functional pattern to give aesthetic satisfaction. In particular, the tabs 12 are located side by side along the support body 14 and are preferably arranged in size order. Since all the tabs 12, the central body 14 and the mandrels 18 are provided as integral parts of the substrate 11, the decal pasting device 10 can be manufactured relatively easily, and subsequent packaging and use It is easy to handle.

Each tab 12 has a size and shape that substantially corresponds to the size and shape of the natural nail or toenail, respectively. The tabs 12 are provided in various sizes to match different sizes of nails from one user to the next user as well as to match different sizes of a particular user's natural nails. Each of the opposing longitudinal ends 20 of each tab 12 has a peripheral contour 22, which matches the curvature of the epidermal portion of the natural nail or toenail.

More specifically, each decal attaching tab 12 of the present invention is defined by an end end 20 that is initially convexly curved, and is defined by a convexly curved adjacent end 20 facing its end. It has a dimensional ellipse shape. The length of the tab 12, defined as the distance between the distal tenon and the adjacent end, matches the length of the nail or toenail to which the decal 16 is to be attached. As discussed in more detail below, the distal end of the tab 12 and the peripheral contour 22 of the adjacent ends 20 serve as a guide for positioning the decal 16 on the natural nail. .

In a preferred embodiment, the rounded end end 20 and the rounded adjacent end 20 have the same convex curvature, which can be defined for example with the same radius. The same curvature of both the distal and adjacent ends matches the curvature of the epidermal portion of the natural nail or toenail to which the decal 16 is to be attached.

Thus, for example, one tab 12a shown in FIG. 1 has, at its distal and adjacent ends 20, sizes corresponding to the size, shape and curvature of the epidermal portion of the typical wearer's index finger, respectively, It may have a shape and matching curvature 22. Another tab 12b may have a size, shape and matching curvature 22 corresponding to the size, shape, and curvature of the epidermal portion of the thumb of a typical wearer at its distal and adjacent ends 20, respectively. have.

Alternatively, each decal attaching tab 12 may have a different curvature at its opposite longitudinal ends. Thus, for example, the decal attaching tab 12 may have a curvature at its distal end that corresponds to the curvature of the epidermal portion at the typical wearer's forefinger, with its adjacent end being cut on the thumb of the typical wearer's thumb. It may have a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the portion.

In either case, one set of a plurality of tabs 12 as shown in FIG. 1 can typically be supplied as a package to the wearer, in which case the decal attaching tabs have end curvatures that match all fingers of a typical wearer. It will be appreciated that 12a and 12b are provided.

At opposite ends of the mandrel 18 is preferably provided a brittle portion for removing the decal attaching tab 12 from the mandrel and / or removing the mandrel 18 from the central support body 14. . For example, the brittle portion of such mandrel 18 located adjacent to the tab 12 allows removal of the tab 12 from the mandrel, leaving the mandrel attached to the body portion 14. Similarly, the frangible portion 24 located adjacent to the body 14, along with the mandrel 18, allows for removal of the tab 12 from the body.

The central support body 14 also preferably includes a brittle portion 26 extending longitudinally below its center in order to split the device 10 into two halves. Both the brittle portion 24 of the mandrel and the brittle portion 26 of the body 14, a hole allowing the decal attaching tab 12 and / or the mandrel 18 to be easily and cleanly removed from the central support structure. It is preferably formed as a perforation.

Referring also to FIG. 3, each decal attaching tab portion 12 has at least one decal 16 that is temporarily pasted to its bottom surface 28. In that regard, as is known in the art, an adhesive 30 is provided between the decal 16 and the substrate 11 in a typical flake structure.

In one preferred embodiment, the adhesive 30 is a re-wetting or water soluble adhesive, and the substrate 11 passes through the substrate to activate the adhesive disposed at the bottom surface of the substrate with water applied to its top surface 32. It is made of pitcher material. Thus, the decal 16 moistened with the adhesive 30 can be removed from the substrate 11 and transferred to a human fingernail or toenail. Such rehumidifying adhesives are known in the field of nail decal applications and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted herein. Materials used for permeable carrier substrates, such as paper stock films for attaching rehumidifying decals, are also known in the art.

However, the present invention is not limited to this basic thin piece structure, and other laminate forms or other forms in which the decal 16 with the attachment tab 12 of the present invention are known in the field of nail decoration are known. It can be thought that it can be provided as. For example, a dry transfer adhesive 30 'may be used, in which case the decal 16 is transferred to natural nails or toenails using dry transfer techniques known in the art. In another alternative, a self-adhesive may be used that can be peeled off from the substrate 11.

In addition, the decal 16 may take any form known in the art. Therefore, exemplary embodiments of decal 16 may include any graphics film known in the art, such as 3M ^™ Scotchcal ^™ graphics films made by 3M. Graphic films, self-adhesive films, other films such as vinyl, polyester, Mylar, latex, rubber or other films can be used for this purpose, for example. I understand.

As used herein, exemplary nail decals 16 may include, for example, any non-liquid thermally curable pressure sensitive self-adhesive film. Exemplary materials can include thermally sensitive graphic films. Graphic films suitable for the method embodiments of the present invention include, for example, any self adhesive thin film type material vinyl film, cast film (film made by the cast method), "2mil" film, "high performance" film, "Long-term" films, or "premium" films may be included. As used herein, “thin film” may include a vinyl cast graphic film that is about 2 mm or less. In certain embodiments, the graphic laminate comprises a graphic film of about 2 mm or less in flakes in a clean coat vinyl casting film layer that is about 2 mm or less. In certain embodiments, the film and / or substrates may vary, for example, of varying degrees of shading and / or transparency, of varying background patterns, such as refractive, fluorescent, pearlescence, luminous, transparent Various intrinsic visual effects such as changing optical properties such as clear, matte, glossy, holographic, iridescent, glitter and / or other decorative May include visual effects.

Substrate 11 and / or decal 16 may take the form of a vinyl film. As used herein, the term "vinyl film" may include any rigid or flexible film made by casting methods known in the art. Typical vinyl casting films are well known in graphic arts. In certain embodiments, typical vinyl films are polyvinylchloride (PVC) polymers, polymer or monomer plasticizers (for adjusting flexibility), pigments (for coloring), UV absorbers (for improving resistance to ultraviolet radiation). ), Heat stabilizers, fillers and processing aids. In certain embodiments, cast films may provide additional benefits of dimensional stability, thinness (up to about 2 mm), consistency, durability, and "paint-like" completion.

In one embodiment, a substrate 11 such as paper, for example, is coated with an adhesive coating to form the adhesive layer 30. A uniform layer of partially cured nail polish material may be pasted onto the adhesive layer in any desired shape to form the decal 16.

In another embodiment, the substrate 11 is coated with an adhesive coating to form an adhesive layer 30, and a uniform layer of partially cured nail polish material is pasted over the adhesive layer in the general shape of a natural nail to form a film of nail polish ( 16) can be formed. A second adhesive layer (not shown in FIG. 3) is then pasted to the opposite sides of the nail polish layer, providing an adhesive side facing the substrate. Thus, when the film 16 of the nail polish is removed from the backing 11, it has an adhesive surface. The applique 16 or nail decal formed in this manner can be adhesively fixed to the nail by placing it on the nail and pressing it.

Decals 16 may also take the form of printed films formed by any conventional method. For example, printing methods that are predicted to best achieve the desired designs include silk printing, flexographic printing, gravure printing, digital printing or digital flexo, offset printing, And hot stamping may be included, but is not limited to these. Also, decorative designs can be made of separate pieces and collected on a single pasted tab 12.

The printed graphics layers may consist essentially of a dye and / or pigment containing layer which can be pasted under the action of heat and / or pressure on a thin film substrate, such as a vinyl casting film substrate, for example. In this case, the graphics layer is the main layer that gives visibility to the graphic laminates. It generally comprises pigments and / or dye materials from which a graphic design is formed during a printing process such as, for example, thermal transfer onto vinyl films. In certain embodiments, such a dye or pigment containing layer may consist of a plurality of consecutive dye or pigment containing layers.

Returning to FIGS. 1 to 3, each decal 16 provided in each gluing tab 12 has a matching image 34 disposed on the front surface of the substrate 11 in a register relationship with the decal. Is preferably provided. The decals 19 provided on the central body portion 14 are likewise preferably provided with matching images 35 on the front surface of the substrate 11 in a recording relationship with the decals 19. Images 34, 35 disposed on the top surface of the substrate 11 depict decals 16, 19 disposed directly opposite one another on the image on the bottom surface of the substrate. Image 34 may be a printed image, which is preferably located with respect to the outer surface of the substrate in the same orientation as the corresponding decal 16. Thus, as discussed further below, the user can position the image 34 of the decal relative to the nail, and the corresponding decal 16 is positioned accordingly.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-8, the use of the apparatus 10 of the present invention is described. In an exemplary manner, in order to attach the decal 16 of the present invention, the surface of the natural nail 36 to which the decal 16 will be pasted is trimmed in advance (eg, after alcohol or nail trimming). A tab 12 having a desired decal 16 and also having a size and shape that matches the size and shape of the natural nail 36 is selected from one of a plurality of differently sized tabs of the device 10.

The contour 22 of the tab 12 coincides with the contour of the epidermal portion 38 of the natural nail 36, after which the tab 12 lies on the upper surface of the natural nail. This can be done by first removing the selected tab 12 from the center body 14, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, or still in the center body 14, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. While attached, the tab 12 may be placed on the natural nail 36. As noted above, the frangible portions 24 of the mandrels 18 facilitate removing tabs from the body 14.

In either case, the central body 14 provides a convenient means for holding the device 10 with hands facing each other while attaching the decal. The plurality of tabs 12 of different sizes and the shape and outer contour of each tab that matches the shape and contour of the natural nails are convenient for accurately positioning the decal 16 on the upper surface of the natural nail 36. Provide correct means. Finally, the printed image 34 depicting the decal 16 being pasted also provides another guide for correctly positioning the decal.

As noted above, the decal 116 can be transferred in a number of known ways. In one preferred embodiment, a decal 16 with a water soluble adhesive is provided and the substrate 11 is permeable to water. In this embodiment, while the tab is in line with the natural nail 36, a significant amount of water is applied to damp the upper surface 32 of the substrate directly over the decal 16 to be pasted.

In other embodiments, a burning stick or other instrument is pressed and rubbed on the top surface 12 of the tab 12 directly opposite each other to affect the dry adhesive transfer technique. In other alternative embodiments, the tab 12 simply peels off the nail 36, causing the decal 16 to rest on the corresponding nail. In certain embodiments, decal 16 may be preheated to facilitate manipulation. In all cases, tab 12 is removed from nail 36 after transfer of decal 16.

As a result of the present invention, an apparatus for accurately and conveniently attaching a decal to a nail is provided. This device is easily manufactured and can be simply applied. A package of one or more such decal attaching devices according to the invention can be provided to the consumer at low cost and relatively small packaging.

Although preferred embodiments of the apparatus and method of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, such apparatus and method are not limited to these precise embodiments, and those skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention, It is to be understood that various other modifications and variations can be made and that all such modifications and variations are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (20)

A device for attaching decals to nails or toenails,
A substrate, and a plurality of decals temporarily attached to a bottom surface of the substrate,
The substrate
Central body portion;
A plurality of stem portions extending outwardly from the central body portion; And
A decal application tab portion extending outwardly from each of the mandrel portions, having a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of a human fingernail or toenail, and having a decal application having at least one decal temporarily attached to them. Apparatus for attaching decals to nails or toenails, including tab portions. The method of claim 1,
And the substrate comprises a plurality of differently sized decal attaching tab portions corresponding to different sizes of a human fingernail or toenail. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the substrate comprises a water permeable material and the decals are temporarily attached to the substrate with a water activated adhesive. The method of claim 1,
And the decals are temporarily attached to the substrate with a dry transfer adhesive. The method of claim 1,
Wherein the central body portion is an elongate member having a longitudinal extension, and the plurality of mandrel portions extend outwardly from the central body portion in opposite lateral directions to each other. The method of claim 1,
Each of the mandrel portions comprises at least one brittle portion for separating the decal attaching tab portion from the central body portion. The method according to claim 6,
And wherein said brittle portion is a perforation. The method of claim 1,
The substrate has a top surface facing each other with the bottom surface, the top surface having a printed image disposed directly opposite to at least one of the decals, the printed image directly facing each other of the printed image. Apparatus for attaching a decal to a fingernail or toenail depicting the decal disposed on the bottom surface of the bore. The method of claim 1,
And the central body portion has at least one decal disposed on its bottom surface. The method of claim 1,
The decal attaching tab portions are formed by longitudinal ends facing each other, wherein each of the longitudinal ends has a peripheral contour that matches the contour of the epidermal portion of the human nail or toenail, attaching the decal to the nail or toenail. Device for. The method of claim 1,
And the central body portion includes a hole for separating the device into two parts. As a method of attaching decals to nails or toenails,
Providing a substrate with a plurality of decals temporarily pasted to the bottom surface of the substrate, the substrate having a central body portion, a plurality of mandrel portions extending outwardly from the central body portion, and from each of the mandrel portions outwardly; A plurality of decals comprising an extended decal attaching tab portion, the decal attaching tab portion having a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of a human nail or toenail and having at least one decal temporarily attached to them Providing a;
Selecting a decal attaching tab portion having a desired decal and a size that matches the size of the fingernail or toenail to which the decal is to be attached;
Aligning the shape of the selected decal attaching tab portion with the shape of the nail or toenail to which the decal is to be attached; And
Transferring at least one decal from the aligned decal attaching tab portion to the nail or toenail. 13. The method of claim 12,
A method of attaching decals to a fingernail or toenail, comprising a plurality of differently sized decal attaching tab portions corresponding to different sizes of a human nail or toenail. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the aligning includes removing the decal attaching tab portion from the central body portion and disposing the removed decal attaching tab portion to the nail or toenail. 15. The method of claim 14,
And the mandrel portion of the substrate comprises a brittle portion for facilitating the removal of the decal attaching tab portion from the central body portion. The method of claim 15,
And attaching the decals to the nail or toenail, wherein the brittle portion is a hole. 13. The method of claim 12,
And the step of aligning includes placing the selected decal attaching tab portion on the nail or toenail while the decal attaching tab portion is still connected to the central body portion. 13. The method of claim 12,
The substrate has a top surface facing each other of the bottom surface, the top surface having a printed image disposed directly opposite each other of at least one of the decals, the printed image being directly opposite each other of the printed image. A method of attaching decals to nails or toenails depicting the decals disposed on the bottom surface facing each other. 13. The method of claim 12,
The decal attaching tab portions are formed by longitudinal ends facing each other, each of the longitudinal ends having a peripheral contour that matches the contour of the epidermal portion of the human nail or toenail, attaching the decals to the nail or toenail. Way. 13. The method of claim 12,
And the center body portion has at least one decal disposed on a bottom surface of the center body portion.

Images