Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ARTIFICIAL NAIL SETS AND MANUFACTURING METHODS THEREOF
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to artificial nail sets adapted to attach
artificial nails to natural nails. More specifically, the present invention
relates
to artificial nail sets that protect artificial nails susceptible to damage
even by a
weak shock, allow artificial nails to be easily attached to natural nails
while
preventing the lateral sides of artificial nails from being detached from
natural
nails, use an auxiliary member made of a material not adherent to artificial
nails and glue, and have a circular arc shape. The present invention also
relates to methods for manufacturing the artificial nail sets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Two nail care methods have been widely used for aesthetic purposes.
The first method is to paint patterns or colors on natural nails using
manicure
or apply manicure to natural nails. The second method is to attach artificial
nails to natural nails.
Artificial nails are generally used to improve the aesthetic appearance
of fingers and/or toes and to replace lost or damaged natural nails.
Typically,
artificial nails are used to protect weak and fragile natural nails from
damage
and to obtain desired length and/or shape of natural nails.
With the recent development of beauty industry, artificial nails have
drawn a great deal of attention and interest. Healthy and neat nails are
recognized as essential aesthetic elements to make women more feminine and
beautiful.
Advances in modern technology have made it possible to produce
much smaller artificial nails in thickness. In actuality, thin artificial
nails play a
role in protecting natural nails from damage without causing inconvenience to
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wearers.
Thin artificial nails manufactured through several processes are likely
to be deformed (e.g., folded or distorted) by a weak shock during subsequent
packaging and transport, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In severe cases, thin
artificial nails may be damaged, such as broken or scratched.
Conventional artificial nails are directly attached to user's natural nails
for themselves or with the help of professional beauty artists without using
any
device. However, fingerprints and other impurities may be left on artificial
nails, causing dirty or aesthetically unpleasant appearance.
Further, as
illustrated in FIG. 2, after a thin artificial nail 120 is attached to a
natural nail,
the lateral sides of the artificial nail 120 are detached from the natural
nail,
which leads to shortened service life and poor appearance of the artificial
nail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above
problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide artificial
nail
sets that can be used to easily attach thin artificial nails to user's natural
nails
and prevent the lateral sides of artificial nails from being detached from
user's
natural nails while maintaining the original shape of the artificial nails
susceptible to embrittlement even by a weak shock.
It is another object of the present invention to provide methods for
manufacturing the artificial nail sets.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an
artificial nail set which includes an artificial nail having a connecting part
formed at one side thereof and an auxiliary member having a coupling portion
formed at one side thereof and surrounding the outer surface of the artificial
nail wherein the auxiliary member is not adherent to the artificial nail and
the
connecting part of the artificial nail is coupled to the coupling portion of
the
auxiliary member.
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According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
an artificial nail set which includes an artificial nail having a protrusion
formed
on the outer surface thereof and an auxiliary member having an insertion
recess formed on the inner surface thereof and surrounding the outer surface
of the artificial nail wherein the auxiliary member is not adherent to the
artificial
nail and the protrusion of the artificial nail is fitted into the insertion
recess of
the auxiliary member.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a method for manufacturing an artificial nail set, the method including:
producing an auxiliary member having a coupling portion and an artificial
nail
having a connecting part separately by injection molding; and coupling the
connecting part of the artificial nail to the coupling portion of the
auxiliary
member such that the auxiliary member surrounds the outer surface of the
artificial nail.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a method for manufacturing an artificial nail set, the method
including
producing an artificial nail having a connecting part and an auxiliary member
having a coupling portion simultaneously by injection molding such that the
auxiliary member surrounds the outer surface of the artificial nail.
In one aspect, the invention provides an artificial nail set
comprising:
an artificial nail having a connecting part formed at one side thereof;
and
an auxiliary member having a coupling portion formed at one side
thereof, wherein the auxiliary member covers a top surface of the artificial
nail;
wherein the auxiliary member is not adherent to the artificial nail
and the connecting part of the artificial nail is coupled to the coupling
portion of the auxiliary member.
In one aspect, the invention provides an artificial nail set
comprising:
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an artificial nail haying a protrusion extending from a peripheral
edge thereof; and
an auxiliary member haying an insertion recess on the inner surface
thereof and surrounding an outer surface of the artificial nail;
wherein the auxiliary member is not adherent to the artificial nail
and the protrusion of the artificial nail is fitted into the insertion recess
of
the auxiliary member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will
become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description
of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of
which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an artificial nail after transport without
using any auxiliary member;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an artificial nail after being attached to a
user's nail without using any auxiliary member;
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FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an artificial nail set according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the artificial nail set of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 4;
FIGS. 6a and 6b are exploded perspective views illustrating artificial
nail sets according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention; and
FIG. 7 illustrates plan views of several modifications of the artificial nail
set of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described
in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The same constitutions of the present invention as the prior art will now
be explained with reference to the prior art, and further detailed explanation
thereof is omitted herein.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of an artificial nail set according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a perspective
view of the artificial nail set of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view
taken
along line A-A of FIG. 4, and FIGS. 6a and 6b are exploded perspective views
illustrating artificial nail sets according to exemplary embodiments of the
present invention.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the artificial nail set 100 includes an auxiliary
member 110 and an artificial nail 120. A protective film 112 may be formed
on the inner surface of the auxiliary member 110 to protect the artificial
nail
120 from damage.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the auxiliary member 110 not adherent to the
artificial nail 120 surrounds the outer surface of the artificial nail 120
having a
small thickness to protect the artificial nail 120 from damage. That is, the
auxiliary member 110 acts as a protective film for the artificial nail 120.
This
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constitution permits the transportation of the artificial nail set 100 without
giving
any damage to the original shape of the artificial nail 120. Examples of the
artificial nail 120 include typical nails like full cover nails and tip nails
that are
used in the art.
The expression 'the auxiliary member 110 is not adherent to the
artificial nail 120' as used herein means that the auxiliary member 110 is in
close contact with but not bonded to the artificial nail 120, as illustrated
in FIG.
5. That is, the auxiliary member 110 is separable from the artificial nail
120.
The expression 'the auxiliary member 110 surrounds the outer surface of the
artificial nail 120' means that the auxiliary member 110 having a larger size
surrounds the outer surface of the artificial nail 120 having a smaller size
to
protect the artificial nail 120 from damage.
The auxiliary member 110 may have a coupling portion 111 at one side
thereof and the artificial nail 120 may have a connecting part 121 at one side
thereof. So long as the connecting part 121 is connected to the artificial
nail
120 and is coupled to the coupling portion 111, the connecting part 121 does
not require any particular shape. Preferably, the connecting part 121 is in
the
shape of a bar.
The coupling portion 111 is adapted to couple to the connecting part
121. The coupling portion 111 may have a groove into which the connecting
part 121 is fitted, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Further, the coupling portion
111
may have an insertion recess 114 formed on the inner surface thereof and the
connecting part 121 may have a protrusion 123 on the outer surface thereof,
as illustrated in FIG. 6a. In the latter case, the protrusion 123 is fitted
into the
insertion recess 114 to couple the connecting part 121 to the coupling portion
111.
As illustrated in FIG. 6b, the artificial nail 120 may have a protrusion
123 formed on the outer surface of the artificial nail 120 and the auxiliary
member 110 may have an insertion recess 114, whose shape corresponds to
the shape of the protrusion 123, formed on the inner surface of the auxiliary
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member 120, thus avoiding the need to form the connection portion 121 and
the coupling portion 111 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 6a. The protrusion 123 can
be fitted into the insertion recess 114 to couple the artificial nail 120 to
the
auxiliary member 110.
In the case where a tip nail or a wrap nail as the artificial nail 120 is
attached to the end portion of a user's nail, it is difficult for the user to
see
where the distal end of the user's nail is. To overcome this difficulty, the
artificial nail set 100 includes stoppers 113 protruding from the inner
surface of
the auxiliary member 110 to allow a user to easily see the distal end of the
user's nail. Specifically, the stoppers 113 are formed in positions of the
auxiliary member 110 where the coupling portion 111 is formed. That is, the
stoppers 113 are formed on the inner surface of the auxiliary member 110
surrounding the outer surface of the artificial nail 120.
The auxiliary member 110 may be made of any suitable material that is
not adherent to glue applied to the artificial nail 120 and is not chemically
bonded to the artificial nail 120 during double injection molding. Preferably,
the auxiliary member 110 is made of a material selected from polyethylene,
polypropylene, polyurethane, polyamide, and polyacetal (polyoxymethylene
(POM)). The artificial nail 120 may be made of any material that is commonly
used in the art. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is preferred as a
material for the artificial nail 120.
The auxiliary member 110 may be transparent or slightly opaque so
that the user can visually see the physical states (e.g., size, shape, color
and
preservation) of the artificial nail 120.
The auxiliary member 110 may have a circular arc shape.
Specifically, the side of the auxiliary member 110 at which the coupling
portion
111 is formed and the opposite side thereof are convex upward with the same
curvature.
The artificial nail 120 may also have a circular arc shape. Specifically,
the side of the artificial nail 120 at which the connecting part 121 is formed
and
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the opposite side thereof are convex upward with the same curvature. The
coupling portion 111 may also have a circular arc shape so as to be convex
upward with the same curvature as the auxiliary member 110. Alternatively,
the coupling portion 111 may be flat.
Both sides of the auxiliary member 110 in the shape of a circular arc
have uniform thicknesses. With these dimensions, a force is uniformly
distributed throughout the auxiliary member 110. Particularly, the force is
strongly applied to both sides of the auxiliary member 110 to allow a user to
easily attach the artificial nail 120 to the user's nail and to prevent both
sides of
the artificial nail 120 from being detached from both sides of the user's
nail.
Although the auxiliary member 110 is not adherent to the artificial nail
120, the coupling between the coupling portion 111 of the auxiliary member
110 and the connecting part 121 of the artificial nail 120 allows the
auxiliary
member 110 to surround the outer surface of the artificial nail 120 and
prevents the artificial nail 120 from escaping from the auxiliary member 110.
The artificial nail 120 is attached to a user's nail in accordance with the
following procedure.
First, the artificial nail 120 positioned on the inner
surface of the auxiliary member 110 is attached to the user's nail. Then, the
connecting portion between the artificial nail 120 and the connecting part 121
is cut by using a suitable cutting tool, such as scissors or a nail clipper.
The
connecting part 121 may be forcibly twisted by hand. As a result of the
cutting or twisting, the artificial nail 120 and the auxiliary member 110 are
easily separated from each other, leaving only the artificial nail 120 on the
user's nail.
In the case of the artificial nail set 100 in which the artificial nail 120 is
directly coupled to the auxiliary member 110 without the connecting part 121,
after the artificial nail 120 positioned on the inner surface of the auxiliary
member 110 is attached to a user's nail, a portion of the protrusion 123 is
cut
by using a suitable cutting tool, such as scissors or a nail clipper, to
attach only
the artificial nail 120 to the user's nail.
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FIG. 7 illustrates plan views of several modifications of the artificial nail
set 100.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the shape of the artificial nail set 100 is not
particularly limited so long as the auxiliary member 110 surrounds the outer
surface of the artificial nail 120. The shape of the artificial nail set 100
may be
slightly varied depending on the kind of the artificial nail 120 or the shape
of
the coupling portion 111.
The modified artificial nail sets 100 of FIGS. 7a (7d), 7b (7e) and 7c (7f)
use full cover nails, long tip nails and short tip nails as artificial nails,
respectively. The artificial nail sets 100 of FIGS. 7a and 7d use no
protective
film 112, unlike the other artificial nail sets. Stoppers 113 are provided in
the
artificial nail sets 100 of FIGS. 7b, 7c, 7e and 7f to assist users in seeing
the
distal ends of their nails more easily.
Each of the artificial nails 120 may have a connecting part 121 in the
form of a bar at one side thereof, as illustrated in FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c.
The shape of the auxiliary members 110 is not essentially limited. The
auxiliary members 110 may have a partially rectangular shape, as illustrated
in
FIGS. 7a, 7b and 7c, or a substantially rectangular shape, as illustrated in
FIGS. 7d, 7e and 7f.
The artificial nails 120 can be made in different sizes. A size label 22
may be attached to each of the coupling portions 111 and the connecting parts
121 to display the size of the artificial nail 120, so that a user can choose
a
suitable size of the artificial nail 120 in view of the size of the user's
nail.
Hereinafter, methods for manufacturing the artificial nail set 100 of FIG.
3 or 6a will be explained.
Single injection molding and double injection molding are suitable
processes for the manufacture of the artificial nail set 100. According to the
single molding process, the auxiliary member 110 and the artificial nail 120
are
produced separately and are coupled to each other. Specifically, the method
of the present invention based on the single injection molding process
includes
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producing a transparent or opaque auxiliary member 110 having a coupling
portion 111 formed at one side thereof by injection molding, producing an
artificial nail 120 having a connecting part 121 formed at one side thereof by
injection molding, and coupling to the connecting part 121 of the artificial
nail
120 to the coupling portion 111 of the auxiliary member 110 to allow the
auxiliary member 110 to surround the outer surface of the artificial nail 120.
The auxiliary member 110 and the artificial nail 120 may be produced
simultaneously by double injection molding. Specifically, the method of the
present invention based on the double injection molding process includes
producing an artificial nail 120 having a connecting part 121 formed at one
side
thereof and a transparent or opaque auxiliary member 110 having a coupling
portion 111 formed at one side thereof simultaneously by injection molding
such that the auxiliary member 110 surrounds the outer surface of the
artificial
nail 120.
The coupling portion 111 of the auxiliary member and the connecting
part 121 of the artificial nail are not bonded to each other, but can be
physically
coupled to each other. The auxiliary member 110 and the artificial nail 120
may be coupled to each other in various ways, depending on the shape of the
connecting part 121. Specifically, the connecting part 121 may be fitted into
the groove of the coupling portion 111 (FIG. 3) or the connecting part 121 may
be coupled to the coupling portion 111 by fitting the protrusion 123 of the
connecting part 121 into the insertion recess 114, whose shape corresponds to
the shape of the protrusion 123, of the coupling portion 111 (FIG. 6a).
Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 6b, the protrusion 123 formed on the
outer surface of the artificial nail 120 can be fitted into the insertion
recess 114,
whose shape corresponds to the shape of the protrusion 123, formed on the
inner surface of the auxiliary member 110 to directly couple the artificial
nail
120 to the auxiliary member 110.
The auxiliary member 110 is not bonded to the artificial nail 120
because the auxiliary member 110 and the artificial nail 120 are made of
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different materials not adherent to each other. In the foregoing embodiments,
the connecting part 121 of the artificial nail 120 may be coupled to the
coupling
portion 111 of the auxiliary member 110 to couple the artificial nail 120 to
the
auxiliary member 110, or the artificial nail 120 may be directly coupled to
the
auxiliary member 110. This coupling structure prevents the artificial nail 120
from escaping from the auxiliary member 120 during transport of the artificial
nail set 110.
Any connecting structure may be adopted to connect the artificial nail
120 and the auxiliary member 110 without limitation so long as the artificial
nail
120 does not escape from the auxiliary member 110.
As is apparent from the above description, the artificial nail sets and the
methods according to the present invention have the following advantageous
effects.
First, the use of the auxiliary member can protect the thin artificial nail
from damage during transport or by a shock while maintaining the natural
shape of the artificial nail.
Further, the auxiliary member is made of a transparent or slightly
opaque material so that a user can visually see the physical states (e.g.,
size,
shape, color and preservation) of the artificial nail.
Further, the artificial nail can be made in different sizes and its size can
displayed to allow a user to choose a suitable size of the artificial nail in
view of
the size of the user's nail.
Further, a force applied to the lateral sides of the auxiliary member can
prevent the lateral sides of the artificial nail from being detached from a
user's
nail.
The artificial nail, to which glue is applied, can be easily attached to a
user's nail without leaving impurities thereon. In contrast, according to the
prior art, a beauty artist attaches an artificial nail, to which glue is
applied, to a
user's nail without using any instrument, leaving impurities, such as
fingerprints
of the artist, on the artificial nail.
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Further, the stoppers allow a user to easily see the distal end of the
user's nail, so that the user can accurately position the artificial nail at
the distal
end of the user's nail.
The artificial nail sets of the present invention are applicable to all kinds
of nails, particularly, are useful in attaching artificial nails to the end
portions of
natural nails.
Although the present invention has been described herein with
reference to its exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will
appreciate
that various modifications and variations are possible without departing from
the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended
claims.
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