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Patent Searching and Data


Title:
ARTIFICIAL NAIL ASSEMBLY
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2022/055803
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
An artificial nail assembly includes an artificial nail having a bottom surface and a top surface, where at the least the bottom surface has a curvature that approximates a curvature of a natural human nail. The artificial nail assembly also includes an adhesive layer applied to the bottom surface of the artificial nail, and a liner applied to and at least covering the adhesive layer. The liner has two or more scores that traverse a partial depth of the liner.

Inventors:
BAMAT CHRISTOPHER JOHN (US)
FU TANG ZHI (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2021/049044
Publication Date:
March 17, 2022
Filing Date:
September 03, 2021
Export Citation:
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Assignee:
POPSOCKETS LLC (US)
International Classes:
A45D31/00
Foreign References:
US8561619B12013-10-22
US20190335874A12019-11-07
KR20190007134A2019-01-22
US20130104920A12013-05-02
US20130306090A12013-11-21
KR102188137B12020-12-07
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
LINDSAY M., Jonathan (US)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

What is claimed is:

1. An artificial nail assembly comprising: an artificial nail having a bottom surface and a top surface, wherein at the least the bottom surface comprises a curvature configured to approximate a curvature of a natural human nail; an adhesive layer applied to the bottom surface of the artificial nail; and a liner applied to and at least covering the adhesive layer, wherein the liner comprises two or more scores that traverse a partial depth of the liner.

2. The artificial nail assembly of claim 1, further comprising a pull tab that is integrally formed with the liner and extends from an edge of the liner.

3. The artificial nail assembly of claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the pull tab extends beyond the adhesive layer.

4. The artificial nail assembly of claim 2, wherein at least one of the scores extends to an edge of the liner.

5. The artificial nail assembly of claim 2, wherein at least one of the scores extends at least to the pull tab.

6. The artificial nail assembly of claim 5, wherein the at least one of the scores extends through the pull tab.

7. The artificial nail assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the scores comprises a curvature that complements a curvature of the artificial nail.

8. The artificial nail assembly of claim 1, wherein at least two of the scores intersect at an intersection point.

9. The artificial nail assembly of claim 8, wherein the at least two of the scores intersect and extend past the intersection point.

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10. A plurality of artificial nail assemblies, wherein the plurality of artificial nail assemblies are detachably connected together, wherein each of the plurality of artificial nail assemblies comprises: an artificial nail having a bottom surface and a top surface, wherein at the least the bottom surface comprises a curvature configured to approximate a curvature of a natural human nail; an adhesive layer applied to a bottom surface of the artificial nail; and a liner applied to and at least covering the adhesive layer, wherein the liner comprises two or more scores that traverse a partial depth of the liner.

11. The plurality of artificial nail assemblies of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of artificial nail assemblies further comprises a pull tab that is integrally formed with a corresponding one of the liners and extends from an edge of the corresponding one of the liners.

12. The plurality of artificial nail assemblies of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of each of the pull tabs extends beyond a corresponding one of the adhesive layers.

13. The plurality of artificial nail assemblies of claim 11, wherein at least one of the scores for each of the plurality of artificial nail assemblies extends to an edge of a corresponding one of the liners.

14. The plurality of artificial nail assemblies of claim 11, wherein at least one of the scores for each of the plurality of artificial nail assemblies extends at least to a corresponding one of the pull tabs.

15. The plurality of artificial nail assemblies of claim 10, wherein at least one of the scores for each of the plurality of artificial nail assemblies comprises a curvature that complements a curvature of a corresponding one of the artificial nails.

16. The plurality of artificial nail assemblies of claim 10, wherein at least two of the scores for each of the plurality of artificial nail assemblies intersect at an intersection point.

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17. The plurality of artificial nail assemblies of claim 10, wherein at least two of the scores for each of the plurality of artificial nail assemblies intersect at an intersection point, and extend past the intersection point.

- 10 -

Description:
Artificial Nail Assembly

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/075,739, filed September 8, 2020, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an assembly for an artificial nail, and more particularly to a three-part assembly comprising an artificial nail, an adhesive layer, and a scored liner.

Description of the Related Art

[0002] Artificial nails are known in the prior art and are used to mimic the appearance of natural human fingernails and toenails. Conventional artificial nails are typically attached to a natural nail using an adhesive, after which the artificial nail can be painted and/or filed so as to more closely approximate the appearance of a natural nail. Artificial nails provide the appearance of a longer, more uniform nail than may be achievable by a natural nail for some users. Artificial nails also tend to be more resistant to damage than are natural nails. [0003] Although a variety of attachment means can be used, in many cases an adhesive layer is applied to a bottom surface of the artificial nail. A protective removable liner may then be applied over the adhesive layer to protect the adhesive until such time as the artificial nail is ready for use. However, problems have arisen with the use of such liners, as further described below with reference to FIG. 1.

[0004] FIG. 1 depicts a package 10 of prior art artificial nail assemblies 20i-20s (each a “nail assembly 20”). The individual nail assemblies 20 are detachably connected together by a plastic backbone 30, or other deformable material from which the nails can be removed or otherwise detached when ready for use. Alternatively, the nail assemblies 20 can be provided individually. In either case, each of the individual nail assemblies 20 includes a protective liner 40i-40s (each a “liner 40”) that covers the adhesive layer used to attach the nail assembly 20 to a surface of a natural nail. The liner 40 is designed to be removed or ‘peeled’ away when the artificial nail is ready to be applied. One drawback with this arrangement is that, due in part to the curvature of the artificial nail geometry and the nature of the materials used, the liner may not remain uniformly in contact with the adhesive layer from the time of manufacture to the time of use. When the liner separates from the adhesive, a condition known as “bubbling,” the integrity of the adhesive layer can be compromised, which in turn can impact the ability of the artificial nail to remain attached to the natural nail for an extended period of time. While some efforts have been made to counteract bubbling, these efforts have tended to introduce other drawbacks. For example, while introducing cuts or slits through the liner may help to reduce bubbling, such cuts tend to make the liner more susceptible to tearing during the removal process. Tearing of the liner can lead to user frustration and dissatisfaction.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved artificial nail assembly which does not suffer from the aforementioned drawbacks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In one embodiment, an artificial nail assembly comprises an artificial nail having a bottom surface and a top surface, where at the least the bottom surface comprises a curvature configured to approximate a curvature of a natural human nail. The artificial nail assembly further includes an adhesive layer applied to the bottom surface of the artificial nail, and a liner applied to and at least covering the adhesive layer. In one or more embodiments, the liner comprises two or more scores that traverse a partial depth of the liner. [0007] In one or more embodiments, the artificial nail assembly may also include a pull tab that is integrally formed with the liner and extends from an edge of the liner, where at least a portion of the pull tab extends beyond the adhesive layer.

[0008] In one or more embodiments, at least one of the scores may extend to an edge of the liner and/or extends at least to the pull tab, and in some cases through the pull tab.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, at least two of the scores intersect at an intersection point, and may extend past the intersection point.

[0010] Another aspect of the disclosure is a package comprising a plurality of artificial nail assemblies, wherein the plurality of artificial nail assemblies are detachably connected together, and where each of the plurality of artificial nail assemblies may be configured as described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of the invention:

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a package of prior art artificial nail assemblies according to the prior art;

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a three-part artificial nail assembly, configured in accordance with principles of the invention; and

[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment a package of artificial nail assemblies configured in accordance with the principles of the invention.

[0015] Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Referring now to the figures, FIG. 2 depicts one embodiment of a three-part artificial nail assembly 100, configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Artificial nail assembly 110 includes artificial nail 110, which may be constructed of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, for example, or other suitable thermoplastic polymer. However, it should be appreciated that other materials suitable for use in connection with artificial nails are similarly within the scope of the disclosure. Artificial nail 110 preferably comprises a curvature that approximates that of a natural human nail.

[0017] Adhesive layer 120 may be a very high bond adhesive layer, or another type of adhesive which is similarly suitable for adhering artificial nails. Adhesive layer 120 may be dimensioned to approximate the dimension of liner 130, such that the adhesive layer 120 is not exposed to the environment until liner 130 is removed.

[0018] Liner 130 may be constructed of a polyethylene terephthalate material, or any other liner material which is manufactured to protect, but otherwise be removable from, an adjacent adhesive layer, such as layer 120. Liner 130 may comprise a pull tab 140 that is integrally formed with the liner 130 and extends from an edge of the liner 130. The pull tab 140 may be configured to facilitate user removal of the liner 130 from the nail assembly 100 when the user is ready to apply the artificial nail 110 to a natural nail surface (not shown). When liner 130 includes pull tab 140, it should be appreciated that adhesive layer 120 may not extend in the same fashion, but instead may terminate in the area where the pull tab 140 begins, as shown in FIG. 2, thereby permitted a user to easily grasp and pull the tab 140 since the portion of liner 130 forming the pull tab 140 will not itself be adhesively secured to the artificial nail 120. In other embodiments, the adhesive layer 120 may extend along some length of the pull tab 140, while still terminating before the outer edge of the pull table 140.

[0019] As described above, due to the curvature of the artificial nail, the liners of prior art nail assemblies may tend to separate from the artificial nail, resulting in bubbling. Therefore, one aspect of the present disclosure is to improve upon the prior art by providing an artificial nail assembly 100 configured with a liner 130 that includes scorings 150. Scorings 150 are characterized as etchings that traverse a portion, but not all, of a depth of the material forming the liner 130. Such scorings 150 tend to minimize the potential for bubbling to occur because they allow the liner material to bend more easily so that it can conform to the entire surface of the adhesive. The scorings also relax the liner material which minimizes the separation forces between the liner and adhesive. At the same time, scorings 150 tend to be more resistant to tearing forces than are cuts or slits that traverse through the liner material’s entire depth.

[0020] In certain embodiments, scorings 150 may extend to an edge of the liner, as shown in FIG. 2, while in other embodiments one or more of the scorings 150 may terminate prior to reaching an edge of the liner 150. Additionally, scorings 150 may extent to and through the pull tab 140, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2, thereby further facilitating the removal of only a portion of the liner.

[0021] In certain embodiments, it should be appreciated that scorings 150 may each comprise a curvature, an example of which is shown in FIG. 2, which tends to complement the curvature of the geometry of a corresponding artificial nail 110, thereby further minimizing potential bubbling. [0022] It should further be appreciated that scorings 150 may comprise two or more individual scores that intersect and potentially extend past the intersection point, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2. This arrangement further minimizes liner separation, while at the same time allowing the user to remove all liner sections using only the pull-tab 140. [0023] Referring now to FIG. 3, depicted is a package 200 of artificial nail assemblies 2101-2105 (each a “nail assembly 210”) configured in accordance with the principles of the invention. The individual nail assemblies 210 may be removably or detachably connected together by a plastic backbone, or other deformable material from which the nails can be removed or otherwise detached when ready for use, although they can also be provided individually. In any event, each of the individual nail assemblies 210 includes a protective liner 220i-220s (each a “liner 220”) that is configured to cover and protect the adhesive layer (not shown) used to attach the nail assembly 210 to a surface of a natural nail. Liners 220 are designed to be removed or ‘peeled’ away when the artificial nail is ready to be applied. The liners 220 of the embodiment of FIG. 3 may be configured in accordance with the principles described above with reference to FIG. 2, whereby the liners 220 each comprises scorings 230i-230s (“scorings 230”) characterized as etchings that only partially traverse a depth of the material forming the liners 220.

[0024] As with the embodiment of FIG. 2, the scorings 230 of FIG. 3 extend from one edge of each liner to and through a pull tab of the liner. Although advantageous, it should be appreciated that in other embodiments the scorings 230 may not necessarily extend to the liner edge and/or through the pull tab. Moreover, as with FIG. 2, the embodiment of the liners 230 of FIG. 3 similarly comprise intersecting/overlapping individual scores, each having a curvature complementing the curvature of the nail geometry, the benefits of which are described above.

[0025] While the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated that many variations, modifications and other applications of the invention may be made. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein.