FINGERNAIL ORNAMENTING PATCHES

PIECES DECORATIVES D'ONGLES

English Abstract

Human nails are ornamented using a patch of flexible plastic
sheet material with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on a back side. The
patches are mounted on a release sheet and may be peeled from the release
sheet using a pre-mask element adhered to the front face of the patch with
an adhesive that has a stronger bond to the front face of the patch than the
bond between the pressure-sensitive patch mounting adhesive and the
release sheet. The pre-mask is then used for applying the patch to the nail.

French Abstract

Les ongles des personnes sont décorés au moyen d'une bande adhésive constituée d'une pellicule de plastique souple comportant un adhésif autocollant sur la surface arrière. Les bandes adhésives sont placées sur une feuille anticollante et peuvent en être retirées au moyen d'un élément prémasqué. Cet élément est collé à la face avant des bandes grâce à un adhésif présentant une adhérence plus élevée que celle entre l'adhésif autocollant à l'arrière de la bande et la feuille anticollante. Il sert ensuite à poser les bandes sur les ongles.

Claims

CLAIMS
1. A method of ornamenting a human nail comprising:
providing a patch of flexible plastic sheet material; and
adhering the patch to the nail with an adhesive.
2. A method according to Claim 1 comprising:
providing said patch with a coating of said adhesive;
adhering the patch to a release sheet with said adhesive;
lifting said patch from the release sheet; and
applying the patch to the nail.
3. A method according to Claim 2 further comprising:
providing an adhesive pre-mask element;
lifting the patch from the release sheet with the pre-mask
element; and
applying the patch to the nail with the pre-mask element.
4. A human nail ornament comprising:
a patch of flexible plastic sheet material; and
a layer of mounting adhesive on a back face of the patch.
5. An ornament according to Claim 4 wherein the patch has an
oval outline shape.
6. An ornament according to Claim 4 or 5 including a release
sheet secured to said mounting adhesive.
7. An ornament according to Claim 6 including a pre-mask
element having a pre-mask adhesive thereon attaching the pre-mask element
to a front face of the patch, said pre-mask adhesive forming a bond with the
front face of the patch having a greater strength than a bond of the
mounting adhesive to the release sheet.
8. An ornament according to Claim 6 or 7 including a plurality of

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patches attached to said release sheet.
9. An ornament according to any one of Claims 4 to 8 wherein the
patch comprises a vinyl sheet.

Description

2t g~2o5
FINGERNAIL ORNAMENTING PATCHES
The present invention relates to the ornamentation of human
nails.
Conventional nail ornamentation is in the form of nail polish,
5 usually a solvent-based lacquer that is painted onto the nails. For a number
of reasons, this type of nail ornamentation is unsatisfactory. The application
of nail polish is a delicate and time-consuming process. The removal of the
polish involves the use of obnoxious solvents. In both cases, unpleasant
solvent aromas are allowed to dissipate into the surrounding atmosphere.
10 The finished polish is prone to chipping with only a small impact.
The present invention is concerned with a novel nail
ornamentation that is not subject to the disadvantages of nail polish.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is
provided a human nail ornament comprising:
a patch of flexible plastic sheet material; and
a layer of mounting adhesive on a back face of the patch.
The plastic patch may easily be adhered to a nail with the
emission of no solvents. Where necessary, the patch may be trimmed to
size after application simply and easily by running a nail file over the patch
20 at the edge of the nail. The patch may be waterproof and solvent resistant.
It is resistant to chipping and wear.
The preferred patch is made from sheet vinyl with a pressure
sensitive adhesive backing. The patches are preferably mounted in sets on
a release sheet. A pre-mask element can then be adhered to the top face of
25 the patch to lift it from the release sheet for transfer to the nail.
According to another aspect of the present invention there is
provided a method of ornamenting a human nail comprising:

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providing a patch of flexible plastic sheet material; and
adhering the patch to the nail with an adhesive.
The preferred process involves providing the patch with a
coating of adhesive, which secures the patch to a release sheet. The patch
5 is then lifted from the release sheet with an adhesive pre-mask, which is
used for applying the patch to the nail.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention:
Figure 1 is a plan view of a patch according to the present
10 invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-section taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1; and
Figures 3a, 3b and 3c illustrate the steps in the process of
applying the patch.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, there is illustrated a
patch assembly 10 that includes a vinyl patch 12 attached to a release
sheet 14 by a layer of adhesive 16 bonded to the back face 17 of the patch.
The patch itself has an oval shape to match the oval contour of a nail to
which it is to be applied.
To lift the patch from the release sheet, a pre-mask 18 is
adhered to a front face 19 of the patch by a pre-mask adhesive 20. This
adhesive forms a bond with the front face of the patch with a greater
strength than the bond between the mounting adhesive 16 and the release
sheet 14. The pre-mask 18 can then be used to lift the patch 12 from the
release sheet.
In use, the pre-mask 18 is lifted away from the release sheet
14 to peel the patch 12 and its pressure-sensitive adhesive 16 from the
release sheet. The patch is then positioned over a nail 22 of a human finger

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21~02~1s
(or toe) 24 and placed in position on the nail so that the adhesive 16 will
adhere to the outer surface of the nail. The bond between the nail and the
adhesive 16 is stronger than the bond between the pre-mask adhesive 20
and the front face of the patch 12, so that the pre-mask can be peeled from
5 the patch, leaving the patch in place as an ornamental coating on the nail.
Where necessary, the patch can be trimmed at the edge 26 of the nail by
drawing a conventional nail file over the top of the patch at the edge of the
nail.
The vinyl material used for the nail patch may be thin, for
10 example 2 ml cast vinyl that can be supplied in almost any color. Where
desired, designs may be printed on the vinyl.
The oval shape described above is not to be considered the
only shape of the ornamentation that may be used. Other shapes, smaller
than a normal nail size, may also be used to provide small patches of
15 ornamentation on the top surface of the nail.
The ornamental patches of the present invention are easily
applied and easily removed, simply by peeling the patches from the nail.
They are long wearing and not subject to chipping like nail polish.
Thus, while one embodiment of the present invention has been
20 described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that other embodiments
are possible within the scope of the invention and are intended to be
included herein.

Representative Drawing