U.S. patent application number 12/303283 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-07 for glowing artificial nail.
This patent application is currently assigned to LUMICA CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Masahiko Fujita, Atsushi Ikenaga, Chika Yoshida.
Application Number | 20100000556 12/303283 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38801303 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100000556 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fujita; Masahiko ; et
al. |
January 7, 2010 |
GLOWING ARTIFICIAL NAIL
Abstract
The currently available artificial nails swell as a whole and
undergo deformation, which damages the commercial value thereof.
Moreover, they suffer from another problem of not evenly glowing as
a whole due to the occurrence of some non-glowing spaces. In an
airtight hollow container having a roughly crescent-shaped cross
section and having light-permeability and flexibility, therefore, a
space free from capillary action is ensured at the inside of an
area joining the lower wall and the upper wall. Then, one of two
kinds of compositions, which show chemical luminescence when mixed
together, is packed in a breakable glass ampule in the airtight
hollow container while the other composition is packed outside the
glass ampule in the airtight hollow container.
Inventors: |
Fujita; Masahiko; (Koga-shi,
JP) ; Yoshida; Chika; (Koga-shi, JP) ;
Ikenaga; Atsushi; (Koga-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WESTERMAN, HATTORI, DANIELS & ADRIAN, LLP
1250 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, NW, SUITE 700
WASHINGTON
DC
20036
US
|
Assignee: |
LUMICA CORPORATION
Koga-shi, Fukuoka
JP
|
Family ID: |
38801303 |
Appl. No.: |
12/303283 |
Filed: |
May 24, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
May 24, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2007/060602 |
371 Date: |
April 28, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
132/73 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21K 2/06 20130101; A45D
31/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
132/73 |
International
Class: |
A45D 31/00 20060101
A45D031/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 6, 2006 |
JP |
2006-156738 |
Claims
1. A glowing artificial nail characterized in that, in an airtight
hollow container having a roughly crescent-shaped cross section and
having light-permeability and flexibility, one of two kinds of
compositions, which show chemical luminescence when mixed together,
is packed in a breakable glass ampule in the airtight hollow
container while the other composition is packed outside the glass
ampule in the airtight hollow container.
2. A glowing artificial nail characterized in that, in an airtight
hollow container having a roughly crescent-shaped cross section
surrounded by a lower wall and an upper wall and having
light-permeability and flexibility, a ring-shaped or roughly
horseshoe-shaped member is disposed continuously on the lower wall
to form a detachable finger-insertion portion, and one of two kinds
of compositions, which show chemical luminescence when mixed
together, is packed in a breakable glass ampule in the airtight
hollow container while the other composition is packed outside the
glass ampule in the airtight hollow container.
3. A glowing artificial nail characterized in that, in an airtight
hollow container having a roughly crescent-shaped cross section and
having light-permeability and flexibility, a space free from
capillary action is ensured at the inside of an area joining a
lower wall and an upper wall, and one of two kinds of compositions,
which show chemical luminescence when mixed together, is packed in
a breakable glass ampule in the airtight hollow container while the
other composition is packed outside the glass ampule in the
airtight hollow container.
4. A glowing artificial nail characterized in that, in an airtight
hollow container having a roughly crescent-shaped cross section and
having light-permeability and flexibility, a space free from
capillary action is ensured at the inside of an area joining a
lower wall and an upper wall, a ring-shaped or roughly
horseshoe-shaped member is disposed continuously on the lower wall
to form a detachable finger-insertion portion, and one of two kinds
of compositions, which show chemical luminescence when mixed
together, is packed in a breakable glass ampule in the airtight
hollow container while the other composition is packed outside the
glass ampule in the airtight hollow container.
5. A glowing artificial nail characterized in that, in an airtight
hollow container having a roughly crescent-shaped cross section and
having light-permeability and flexibility, a space free from
capillary action is ensured at the inside of an area joining a
lower wall and an upper wall, and one of two kinds of compositions,
which show chemical luminescence when mixed together, is packed in
a breakable glass ampule placed in the largest space in the center
in the airtight hollow container while the other composition is
packed outside the glass ampule in the airtight hollow
container.
6. The glowing artificial nail according to any one of claims 1, 2,
3, 4, and 5, wherein the roughly crescent-shaped cross section of
the airtight hollow container corresponds to a logical NOT when a
diameter of a circle determining an arch-shaped curved surface in a
cross section of the upper wall is set smaller than a diameter of a
circle determining an arch-shaped curved surface in a cross section
of the lower wall, and both circles do not overlap completely.
7. The glowing artificial nail according to any one of claims 1, 2,
3, 4, and 5, wherein the lower wall and the upper wall are
partially joined in the space in the airtight hollow container.
8. The glowing artificial nail according to any one of claims 1, 2,
3, 4, and 5, wherein a plurality of separate empty chambers are
formed by joining the lower wall and the upper wall in the space in
the airtight hollow container.
9. The glowing artificial nail according to any one of claims 1, 2,
3, 4, and 5, wherein a plurality of separate empty chambers are
formed by joining the lower wall and the upper wall in the space in
the airtight hollow container, and two kinds of compositions are
placed in the individual chambers such that at least two different
luminescent colors are produced during chemical luminescence.
10. The glowing artificial nail according to any one of claims 1,
2, and 3, wherein a fluorescent material having a different
wavelength from that of the luminescent color of a luminescent
solution in the airtight hollow container is incorporated into the
wall of the airtight hollow container.
11. The glowing artificial nail according to any one of claims 1,
2, 3, 4, and 5, wherein the surface of the upper wall is decorated
by printing or attaching a sticker thereto.
12. The glowing artificial nail according to any one of claims 1,
2, 3, 4, and 5, wherein the airtight hollow container is formed
linearly in the length direction.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a glowing artificial nail
which has pressure resistance and which can be mass-produced.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Cosmetic artificial nails using chemical luminescence are
already publicly known. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application
Publication No. 9-266815 describes a cosmetic artificial nail
including a lower member composed of a flexible resin material
sheet; an upper member composed of a flexible, transparent or
semitransparent resin material sheet, the periphery of the upper
member overlying and being joined to the periphery of the lower
member, thus forming an internal space between the upper member and
the lower member; and a breakable hollow capsule placed in the
internal space, in which one of two kinds of liquid substances
which exhibit a chemiluminescent phenomenon when mixed together is
packed in the breakable hollow capsule while the other liquid
substance is packed outside the hollow capsule in the internal
space.
[0003] However, the cosmetic artificial nail according to the
invention described above is in the form of a flat container as
shown in FIG. 6A. When luminescence takes place, carbonic acid gas
is generated by chemical reaction, and the container swells due to
the pressure of the gas (the walls are pushed outward), which is
disadvantageous (FIG. 6B). When the container swells, as shown in
FIG. 6C (state in which the container is placed upright), a
non-glowing space X arises.
[0004] Reaction of 1 mol of an oxalate ester with hydrogen peroxide
generates 2 mol of carbonic acid gas. For example, in the case of
0.1 mol of an oxalate ester, about 4 liters of carbonic acid gas is
generated. The reaction formula of chemical luminescence is shown
below.
##STR00001##
[0005] Furthermore, the lower member and the upper member composed
of resin material sheets are bonded together, at the peripheries
thereof, by ultrasonic welding or the like, and the bonding causes
a problem of separating the joint due to expansion caused by
internal pressure.
[0006] As described above, the currently available artificial nails
swell as a whole and undergo deformation, which damages the
commercial value thereof. Moreover, they suffer from another
problem of not evenly emitting light as a whole due to the
occurrence of some non-glowing spaces.
[0007] Moreover, in the case where a hollow container is formed
simply by bonding together the peripheries of an upper sheet and a
lower sheet, a problem arises in which, as shown in FIG. 12, a
chemiluminescent composition (solution) rises at both sides due to
capillary action, thus making it difficult to perform a
heat-sealing operation of an opening 4.
[0008] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the opening 4 of the container,
in which spaces at the joint between the upper and lower sheets are
designated by reference symbol G. FIG. 12 shows the state in which
a hollow container 5 is filled with a chemiluminescent solution Y
(fluorescent material, oxalate ester, and dibutyl phthalate). FIG.
12 shows a phenomenon in which the chemiluminescent solution Y
rises at the joints G on both sides such that the liquid forms a U
shape. The difference between the highest point and the lowest
point is about 10 mm. Furthermore, the material for the container
is polypropylene, and the temperature during measurement is
23.degree. C. In the capillary action, the height of the rise in
the liquid depends on the surface tension of the chemiluminescent
solution, wettability of the wall surface, and density of the
liquid. Consequently, in this state, it is difficult to seal the
opening.
[0009] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application
Publication No. 9-266815
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0010] The problems to be solved include the problem in that it is
not possible to prevent the deformation (swelling) of the container
due to the pressure of internally generated gas. The occurrence of
capillary action is another problem.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0011] The present invention is most importantly characterized in
that, in an airtight hollow container having a roughly
crescent-shaped cross section and having light-permeability and
flexibility, a space free from capillary action is ensured at the
inside of an area joining a lower wall and an upper wall, and one
of two kinds of compositions, which show chemical luminescence when
mixed together, is packed in a breakable glass ampule in the
airtight hollow container while the other composition is packed
outside the glass ampule in the airtight hollow container.
Advantages
[0012] In a glowing artificial nail according to the present
invention, since the shape of the artificial nail itself can be
retained, it is possible to apply unprecedented luminous artwork to
the nail as part of the diversification of nail art, which is
advantageous.
BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention will be described in detail below on
the basis of the examples.
EXAMPLE 1
[0014] Studies on chemical luminescence were conducted more than 20
years ago and are disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Application
Publication No. 46-7566 and Japanese Examined Patent Application
Publication No. 49-40073. Since the subject of the present
invention is to ensure luminescence over the entire surface of the
nail while maintaining the shape of the nail, descriptions on the
principle of luminescence, luminescent compositions, etc. are
omitted.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the
line E-E according to the present invention, in which a circle A
having a small diameter and a circle C having a large diameter
partially overlap each other, and the logical NOT Z corresponds to
a cross-sectional view of the present invention, which is generally
referred to as a crescent shape. In view of the thickness of an
upper wall 1 and a lower wall 2, an inner hollow portion 3
corresponds to the logical NOT of a circle D and a circle B. The
diameter of A is 11.2 mm, the diameter of B is 10.0 mm, the
diameter of C is 16.2 mm, and the diameter of D is 15.0 mm.
Therefore, the wall thickness is 0.6 mm.
[0016] The thickness of the thickest portion of the container is
2.8 mm. The largest space in the internal center has a thickness of
1.6 mm, and two glass ampules 11 with a diameter of 1.4 mm are
inserted therein (FIGS. 1, 2, and 3).
[0017] As an example of a space that does not cause capillary
action at the inside of an area joining the lower wall and the
upper wall in the hollow container 5, as shown in FIG. 3,
semicircular spaces 6 with a radius of 0.4 mm are secured.
Furthermore, the hollow container has a width of 10 mm and an
overall length of 25 mm.
[0018] As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, the gas
pressure during luminescence is applied to the entire surface of a
curved surface C (16.2 mm in diameter) and the entire surface of a
curved surface B (10.0 mm in diameter). A description will be made
in detail. As shown in FIG. 4K, force (internal pressure) P1 is
applied to the curved surface C toward the center of .phi.16.2 mm,
and since the force P1 can be split into P2 and P3, the force in
the swelling direction corresponds to P3. In the case of a flat
container, as shown in FIG. 4L, the force is not dispersed and P1
is applied. Therefore, swelling occurs easily. Similarly, force P1
is applied to the curved surface B outward from the center of
.phi.10 mm as shown in FIG. 5M, and the force in the swelling
direction corresponds to P4, which is smaller than P1. Therefore,
deformation does not easily occur. As the material for the hollow
container 5, polypropylene or polyethylene is used. Since
deformation does not easily occur as described above, the entire
surface of the space portion can be allowed to shine evenly. The
walls to which pressure is applied are integrally formed by
injection molding to achieve joining, and the cross section is
formed into a roughly crescent shape. Thereby, a structure which
can withstand internal gas pressure is obtained.
[0019] In the manufacturing process, many hollow containers 5
(injection-molded pieces) having open upper ends are arrayed with
openings 4 being directed upward. One of two kinds of compositions,
which show chemical luminescence when mixed together, is filled
from each opening 4 into the corresponding hollow container, two
glass ampules 11 with a diameter of 1.4 mm and an overall length of
22 mm in which the other composition is packed are inserted in the
largest space in the center of the opening 4, and then each of the
openings is sealed by heat melting. The largest space in the center
is used for accommodating ampules with the largest possible
diameter, and the ampules are restricted to movement within the
container. Therefore, when the ampules are broken by bending the
container, luminescence can be performed reliably, without fail,
which is also advantageous.
EXAMPLE 2
[0020] When the hollow container 5 is formed using a soft material,
such as soft polyethylene, there is a possibility that deformation
may occur. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, a joining
portion or portions 7 are provided so as to partially join the
lower wall and the upper wall in the longitudinal direction in the
center of the space in the hollow container 5. In FIG. 7, one
joining portion 7 is provided. A case in which a plurality of
joining portions are provided in parallel also belongs to the
present invention. In FIG. 9, three columnar joining portions 7 are
provided. In these structures, by joining the upper and lower wall,
pressure resistance is improved.
EXAMPLE 3
[0021] As shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of separate empty chambers
8 are formed by joining a lower wall and an upper wall in an
airtight hollow container, and the individual chambers are designed
to have different luminescent colors. Thereby, a structure with
improved decorative effect is obtained.
[0022] Furthermore, each of the glowing artificial nails in
Examples 1 to 3 described above is attached to a human nail or a
doll's nail with a double-sided tape or an adhesive.
EXAMPLE 4
[0023] FIGS. 14 and 15 show examples in which a finger-insertion
portion 12 which is ring-shaped 9 or roughly horseshoe-shaped 10 is
provided continuously on the lower wall. The nails having such a
structure do not require a double-sided tape or an adhesive.
[0024] When a fluorescent material having a different wavelength
from that of the luminescent color of a luminescent solution in the
airtight hollow container 5 is incorporated into the wall of the
airtight hollow container 5, even after completion of light
emission, the artificial nail can be used as a colored artificial
nail. Furthermore, the same applies to a glowing artificial nail in
which the surface of the upper wall is decorated by printing or
attaching a sticker thereto (FIG. 13). In addition to improvement
in cosmetic properties, such an artificial nail can be used as a
medium of advertisement or promotion using characters etc., or as
concert goods for encouragement and support.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a glowing
artificial nail according to the present invention (Example 1).
[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the
line E-E of FIG. 1 (Example 1).
[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a glowing
artificial nail according to the present invention (Example 1).
[0028] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a glowing
artificial nail according to the present invention (Example 1).
[0029] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a glowing
artificial nail according to the present invention (Example 1).
[0030] FIG. 6 includes schematic diagrams showing a conventional
glowing artificial nail.
[0031] FIG. 7 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view of a
glowing artificial nail according to the present invention (Example
2).
[0032] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line F-F of
FIG. 7 (Example 2).
[0033] FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view of a
glowing artificial nail according to the present invention (Example
2).
[0034] FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view of a
glowing artificial nail according to the present invention (Example
3).
[0035] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a problem in the
conventional case.
[0036] FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a problem in the
conventional case.
[0037] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a glowing artificial nail
according to the present invention, the surface of the glowing
artificial nail having a pattern.
[0038] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a glowing artificial nail
according to the present invention (Example 4).
[0039] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a glowing artificial nail
according to the present invention (Example 4).
REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0040] 1 upper wall
[0041] 2 lower wall
[0042] 3 internal space
[0043] 4 opening
[0044] 5 hollow container
[0045] 6 space
[0046] 7 joining portion
[0047] 8 separate empty chamber
[0048] 9 ring-shaped
[0049] 10 roughly horseshoe-shaped
[0050] 11 glass ampule
[0051] 12 finger-insertion portion
[0052] X non-glowing space
[0053] Y chemiluminescent solution
* * * * *