U.S. patent application number 17/126194 was filed with the patent office on 2021-06-24 for apparatus and methods for manicures.
This patent application is currently assigned to Coral Labs, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Coral Labs, Inc.. Invention is credited to Julia Dianne Cushen, Alexander Milton Friedman, Bradley Leong, Alina Mercedes Matson.
Application Number | 20210186176 17/126194 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005304301 |
Filed Date | 2021-06-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210186176 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Leong; Bradley ; et
al. |
June 24, 2021 |
Apparatus and Methods for Manicures
Abstract
A method of applying a curable formulation to an object includes
positioning an amount of formulation on a surface before curing the
formulation, the formulation being curable by an electromagnetic
energy. While the amount of formulation remains on the surface, a
first amount of the electromagnetic energy may be directed to the
formulation to cure a first area of the uncured formulation, while
leaving a second area of the formulation uncured. Force may be
applied to press the surface onto the object to transfer the second
area of uncured formulation to the object. Some or all of the first
area of cured formulation may remain on the surface as the second
area of uncured formulation is transferred to the object. The
formulation may be a nail polish formulation, and the object may be
a fingernail of a user.
Inventors: |
Leong; Bradley; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Matson; Alina Mercedes; (Chaska,
MN) ; Cushen; Julia Dianne; (San Francisco, CA)
; Friedman; Alexander Milton; (San Francisco,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Coral Labs, Inc. |
San Mateo |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Coral Labs, Inc.
San Mateo
CA
|
Family ID: |
1000005304301 |
Appl. No.: |
17/126194 |
Filed: |
December 18, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
63003936 |
Apr 2, 2020 |
|
|
|
62951016 |
Dec 20, 2019 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45D 2200/205 20130101;
A45D 29/22 20130101; A45D 29/004 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A45D 29/00 20060101
A45D029/00; A45D 29/22 20060101 A45D029/22 |
Claims
1. A method of applying a curable formulation to an object,
comprising: positioning an amount of formulation on a surface
before curing the formulation, the formulation being curable by an
electromagnetic energy; while the amount of formulation remains on
the surface, directing a first amount of the electromagnetic energy
to the formulation to cure a first area of the uncured formulation,
while leaving a second area of the formulation uncured; and
applying force to press the surface onto the object to transfer the
second area of uncured formulation to the object.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing a second
amount of the electromagnetic energy to the second area of uncured
formulation that has been transferred to the object to cure the
second area of uncured formulation.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a shape of
the object prior to directing the first amount of the
electromagnetic energy to the formulation.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein directing the first amount of the
electromagnetic energy to the formulation includes directing the
first amount of the electromagnetic energy in a pattern that leaves
the second area of uncured formulation in a shape corresponding to
the detected shape of the object.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the formulation is a nail polish
formulation, and the object is a fingernail.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein directing the second amount of
the electromagnetic energy to the second area of uncured
formulation includes selectively curing the second area of uncured
formulation.
7. The method of claim 2, wherein directing the second amount of
the electromagnetic energy to the second area of uncured
formulation includes bulk curing the second area of uncured
formulation.
8. The method of claim 2, wherein the first amount of
electromagnetic energy is directed from a first source of
electromagnetic energy, and the second amount of electromagnetic
energy is directed from the first source of electromagnetic
energy.
9. The method of claim 2, wherein the first amount of
electromagnetic energy is directed from a first source of
electromagnetic energy, and the second amount of electromagnetic
energy is directed from a second source of electromagnetic energy
different than the first source.
10. A method of using a nail polish application system, the method
comprising: positioning a nail polish application component within
the nail polish application system, the nail polish application
component having a plurality of areas of nail polish formulation
positioned on a transfer film of the nail polish application
component; positioning a user's first fingernail at least partially
in the nail polish application system so that a first one of the
plurality of areas of nail polish formulation confronts the user's
first fingernail; engaging the nail polish application component
with the user's first fingernail so that an amount of the first one
of the plurality of areas of nail polish formulation transfers from
the transfer film to the user's first fingernail; nail polish
formulation nail polish formulation positioning a second fingernail
of the user at least partially in the nail polish application
system; after engaging the nail polish application component with
the user's first fingernail, positioning a portion of the nail
polish application component so that a second one of the plurality
of areas of nail polish formulation confronts the user's second
fingernail; and engaging the nail polish application component with
the user's second fingernail so that an amount of the second one of
the plurality of areas of nail polish formulation transfers from
the transfer film to the user's second fingernail.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first one of the plurality
of areas of nail polish formulation and the second one of the
plurality of areas of nail polish formulation are continuous with
each other on the transfer film.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first one of the plurality
of areas of nail polish formulation is discrete and spaced apart
from the second one of the plurality of areas of nail polish
formulation on the transfer film.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the transfer film stretches to
match contours of the user's first fingernail as the nail polish
application component engages the user's first fingernail.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the transfer film is formed of
a silicone, a thermoplastic elastomer ("TPE"), or a thermoplastic
polyurethane ("TPU").
15. A nail polish application component for use with a nail polish
application system, the nail polish application component
comprising: a transfer film having a nail polish formulation
positioned on the transfer film, the nail polish formulation being
curable by an electromagnetic energy and including a first area of
nail polish formulation and a second area of nail polish
formulation; the nail polish application component having a storage
condition in which a protective covering covers the nail polish
formulation to prevent the electromagnetic energy from passing
through the protective layer to cure the nail polish formulation;
the nail polish application component having an operative condition
in which the nail polish application component is received within
the nail polish application system and the nail polish formulation
is exposed to allow the electromagnetic energy to cure the nail
polish formulation; wherein, in the operative condition of the nail
polish application component, the transfer film is advanceable from
a first position in which the first area of nail polish formulation
confronts a user's fingernail positioned within the nail polish
application system to a second position in which the second area of
nail polish formulation confronts the user's fingernail positioned
within the nail polish application system.
16. The nail polish application component of claim 15, wherein the
nail polish formulation on the transfer film has a thickness of
between about 50 .mu.m and about 400 .mu.m.
17. The nail polish application component of claim 15, wherein the
first area of nail polish formulation and the second area of nail
polish formulation are continuous with each other on the transfer
film.
18. The nail polish application component of claim 15, wherein the
first area of nail polish formulation is discrete and spaced apart
from the second of area of nail polish formulation on the transfer
film.
19. The nail polish application component of claim 15, wherein the
transfer film is formed of a silicone, a thermoplastic polyurethane
("TPU"), or a thermoplastic elastomer ("TPE").
20. The nail polish application component of claim 15, wherein the
transfer film is configured to stretch to match contours of the
user's fingernail as the nail polish application component engages
with the user's fingernail.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing dates of
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/951,016, filed Dec. 20,
2019 and titled "Pad Printing Apparatus and Methods for Manicures,"
and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/003,936, filed Apr.
2, 2020 and titled "Pad Printing Apparatus and Methods for
Manicures," the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by
reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] Nail polish is typically applied to finger and/or toe nails
by hand using various coats. A first base coat is often applied to
the nail plate, which may serve to protect the underlying nail, as
well as to facilitate adhesion of upper nail polish coats to the
nail plate. Following the base coat, one or more color layers are
typically then applied to the base coat on the nail plate. Then, a
top coat is typically applied over the color coat(s) to strengthen
and/or protect the nail polish, which may help prevent the nail
polish from chipping, flaking, or otherwise being damaged. When
nail polish (particularly in the form of nitrocellulose lacquer) is
applied in the manner described above, the nail polish typically
lasts between two days and a week before beginning to chip and/or
flake. Further, when applying a base coat, intermediate color
coat(s), and a top coat, the underlying layer may need to mostly or
fully dry prior to applying the next layer, which may result in a
significant amount of time between application of the base coat and
drying of the top coat.
[0003] Curable nail polish formulation, which may be also referred
to as gel nail polish or gel coats, is a type of nail polish that
is cured instead of air-dried. For example, an ultraviolet ("UV")
curable gel coat may be applied manually and then exposed to a UV
source, such as a UV lamp or a UV light emitting diode(s) ("LED")
to polymerize or otherwise cure the gel coat. The resulting cured
gel coat is often stronger than traditional nail polishes, lasting
anywhere between one and four weeks before chipping, flaking, and
otherwise being damaged. Typically, gel coat applications are
performed at salons or other places of business rather than in the
home, at least in part due to the additional hardware required to
cure the gel polish.
[0004] In view of the above, it would be desirable to have a system
that provides for easy, rapid, and accurate application and curing
of gel polish to desired areas, such as the nail plates of the
fingers, either for at-home or in-salon use.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0005] According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a nail polish
application component is for use in a system that includes a nail
polish applicator having a hardness. The nail polish application
component may include a nail polish formulation positioned on a
transfer film, and the transfer film may have a hardness that is
equal to or less than the hardness of the nail polish applicator.
The nail polish formulation comprises a diacrylate-based resin or a
dimethacrylate-based resin, a film-forming homopolymer and a
photoinitiator. The nail polish formulation may have a viscosity of
at least 200,000 centipoise (cP) or at least 2,000,000 cP at a
temperature of between about 20.degree. C. and about 25.degree. C.,
and at a shear rate of about 10 s.sup.-1. The nail polish
formulation may be a non-Newtonian fluid having shear-thinning
properties, and shear-thickening properties. Alternatively, it may
be a yield stress fluid. The transfer film may be formed of a
material having a Shore durometer hardness of between Shore OO-40
and Shore OO-70, a Shore durometer hardness of Shore OO-40 or less,
or a Shore durometer hardness of Shore OO-10 or less. The nail
polish formulation may be curable by electromagnetic energy. The
transfer film may be formed of a silicone, a thermoplastic
elastomer, a thermoplastic urethane, or a hydrogel, and/or may be
formed of a material configured to stretch to match contours of a
user's fingernail upon application of force to the transfer film.
The nail polish application component may include a protective
layer, and the nail polish formulation may be sandwiched between
the transfer film and the protective layer, or otherwise the
transfer film may be positioned between the nail polish formulation
and the protective layer. The nail polish formulation may have a
greater affinity to the transfer film than to the protective layer.
The transfer film and the protective layer may be formed as
continuous tape with areas of the nail polish formulation. The nail
polish application component may have a rolled storage condition,
and in the rolled storage condition, at least some of the deposited
nail polish formulation may be in contact with the protective
layer. The nail polish formulation may be applied or deposited as a
series of layers, namely a base coat, a color coat, and a topcoat.
Each of these layers or coats may compromise the nail polish
formulation. For example, the different formulations of the nail
polish may be positioned in sequence such that the color coat is
positioned directly between the base coat and the topcoat. The base
coat may include a pressure-sensitive adhesive ("PSA"). The nail
polish application component may include a first support line
extending along a length of the transfer film, the first support
line having a stiffness greater than a stiffness of the transfer
film. The first support line may be spaced apart from the areas of
nail polish formulation. The nail polish application component may
include a second support line extending along the length of the
transfer film, the second support line having a stiffness greater
than the stiffness of the transfer film. The areas of nail polish
formulation may be positioned between the first support line and
the second support line.
[0006] According to another embodiment of the disclosure, a nail
polish application system may include an applicator pad having a
hardness and a nail polish formulation deposited on a transfer
film, the transfer film having a hardness that is equal to or less
than the hardness of the applicator pad. The applicator pad may be
formed of a silicone, a thermoplastic elastomer, a thermoplastic
urethane, or a hydrogel. The applicator pad may be formed of a
material having a Shore durometer hardness of between Shore OO-40
and Shore OO-70, of Shore OO-40 or less, or of Shore OO-10 or less.
The nail polish formulation may be curable by electromagnetic
energy, and the system may include an electromagnetic energy
source. The electromagnetic energy source may be adapted to
selectively cure the nail polish formulation during or after
transfer of the nail polish formulation from the transfer film to a
user's fingernail. The applicator pad may be optically clear, and
the electromagnetic energy source may be adapted to selectively
cure the nail polish formulation by transmitting electromagnetic
energy through the applicator pad toward the nail polish
formulation. The applicator pad may have a curved leading end
adapted to contact a user's fingernail. The system may include an
active drive mechanism, such as a motor, adapted to drive the
applicator pad toward a user's fingernail when the user's
fingernail is positioned within the nail polish application system.
The active drive mechanism may be adapted to drive the applicator
pad in a rolling motion and/or in a linear motion. The transfer
film may be formed as continuous tape, with the nail polish
formulation deposited thereon. The system may include a first
roller adapted to receive a first end of the continuous tape of
transfer film. When the first end of the continuous tape of
transfer film is received by the first roller, an intermediate
portion of the continuous tape of transfer film between the first
end of the continuous tape and a second end of the continuous tape
may be positioned in direct or indirect contact with the applicator
pad. When the first end of the continuous tape of transfer film is
received by the first roller, the intermediate portion of the
continuous tape of transfer film may be positioned between the
applicator pad and deposited nail polish formulation. The first
roller may be operably coupled to an active drive mechanism adapted
to rotate the first roller to feed the continuous tape of transfer
film from the first roller toward a second roller or a waste
compartment. The system may also include a finger support adapted
to support a finger of a user. The system may further include a
sensor adapted to detect boundaries of a user's fingernail when the
user's fingernail is positioned within the system.
[0007] According to a further embodiment of the disclosure, a nail
polish formulation includes a diacrylate-based resin or a
dimethacrylate-based resin, having a mass fraction of between about
50% and about 95%, a film-forming homopolymer having a mass
fraction of less than about 15%, and a photoinitiator having a mass
fraction of less than about 15%. The formulation may have a
viscosity of at least 200,000 centipoise (cP) or at least 2,000,000
cP at a temperature of between about 20.degree. C. and about
25.degree. C., and at a shear rate of about 10 s.sup.-1. The
formulation may include a pigment having a mass fraction of less
than about 15%. The dimethacrylate-based resin may be a urethane
dimethacrylate. The diacrylate-based resin may be a urethane
diacrylate. The photoinitiator may be
2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide. The film-forming
homopolymer may be cellulose acetate butyrate. The formulation may
also include a reactive diluent and/or a rheology modifier. The
formulation may be a non-Newtonian fluid, having shear-thinning
formulation and a shear-thickening properties. Alternatively, the
formulation may be a yield stress fluid.
[0008] According to yet another embodiment of the disclosure, a
method includes applying nail polish to a user's fingernail using a
nail polish application system. The method may include positioning
the user's fingernail at least partially in the nail polish
application system, positioning a continuous tape adjacent an
applicator of the nail polish application system, the continuous
tape having nail polish formulation positioned thereon, and driving
the applicator to press the nail polish formulation onto the user's
fingernail to transfer the nail polish formulation to the user's
fingernail. The continuous tape may be a transfer film. Positioning
the continuous tape adjacent the applicator pad may include
positioning the transfer film in direct or indirect contact with
the applicator so that the transfer film is positioned between the
applicator and the nail polish formulation. Driving the applicator
may cause the applicator to press the transfer film and the nail
polish formulation onto the user's fingernail to transfer the nail
polish formulation from the transfer film to the user's fingernail.
The applicator may be an applicator pad. The applicator pad may
have a hardness, and the transfer film may have a hardness that is
equal to or less than the hardness of the applicator pad. The
applicator pad may be formed of a silicone, a thermoplastic
elastomer, a thermoplastic urethane, or a hydrogel. The applicator
pad may be formed of a material having a Shore durometer hardness
of between Shore OO-40 and Shore OO-70, of Shore OO-40 or less, or
of Shore OO-10 or less. The nail polish formulation may be curable
by electromagnetic energy. The method may include activating an
electromagnetic energy source of the nail polish application system
to transmit electromagnetic energy to the nail polish formulation
on the user's fingernail. The applicator pad may be optically
clear, and transmitting electromagnetic energy to the nail polish
formulation on the user's fingernail may include transmitting
electromagnetic energy through the applicator pad. The method may
also include using a sensor to detect boundaries of the user's
fingernail. Transmitting electromagnetic energy to the nail polish
formulation on the user's fingernail may include selectively
transmitting electromagnetic energy only to locations on or within
the detected boundaries of the user's fingernail to selectively
cure the nail polish formulation. The nail polish formulation may
include areas of nail polish formulation positioned on the
continuous tape. Positioning the transfer film in direct or
indirect contact with the applicator pad of the nail polish
application system may include positioning a first end of the
continuous tape of transfer film on a first roller of the nail
polish application system. Positioning the transfer film in direct
or indirect contact with the applicator pad of the nail polish
application system may include positioning an intermediate portion
of the continuous tape of transfer film in direct or indirect
contact with the applicator pad, the intermediate portion of the
continuous tape of transfer film being positioned between the first
end of the continuous tape of transfer film and a second end of the
continuous tape of transfer film. The method may include rotating
the first roller to feed the continuous tape of transfer film from
the first roller to a second roller or a waste compartment after
the nail polish formulation is transferred from the transfer film
to the user's fingernail. The continuous tape may be a transfer
tape, and positioning the continuous tape adjacent the applicator
pad may include positioning the nail polish formulation on the
transfer tape between the transfer tape and the applicator pad. The
method may include driving the applicator pad onto the nail polish
formulation to transfer the nail polish formulation from the
transfer tape to the applicator pad. Driving the applicator pad may
cause the applicator pad to press the nail polish formulation onto
the user's fingernail to transfer the nail polish formulation from
the applicator pad to the user's fingernail. The continuous tape
and the applicator may be provided as a unit, and driving the
applicator may include driving the unit toward the user's
fingernail
[0009] According to yet a further embodiment of the disclosure, a
nail polish application component is for use in a nail polish
application system. The nail polish application component may
include a continuous tape provided in a rolled configuration so
that a first portion of the continuous tape confronts a second
portion of the continuous tape, and areas of nail polish
formulation deposited on a first face of the continuous tape. A
protective layer may be positioned on a second face of the
continuous tape opposite the first face, so that the continuous
tape is positioned between the protective layer and the nail polish
formulation. In the rolled configuration of the continuous tape,
the nail polish formulation may be in direct contact with the
protective layer. The nail polish formulation may have a greater
affinity to the transfer film than to the protective layer. The
nail polish formulation may have a viscosity of at least 200,000
centipoise (cP) or at least 2,000,000 cP at a temperature of
between about 20.degree. C. and about 25.degree. C., and at a shear
rate of about 10 s.sup.-1. The continuous tape may be a transfer
film formed of a material configured to stretch to match contours
of a user's fingernail upon application of force to the transfer
film. The transfer film may be formed of a silicone, a
thermoplastic elastomer, a thermoplastic urethane, or a hydrogel.
The transfer film may be formed of a material having a Shore
durometer hardness of between Shore OO-40 and Shore OO-70, of Shore
OO-40 or less, or of Shore OO-10 or less. The nail polish
formulation may be curable by electromagnetic energy. The transfer
film may be formed of a silicone, a thermoplastic elastomer, a
thermoplastic urethane, or a hydrogel, and/or may be formed of a
material configured to stretch to match contours of a user's
fingernail upon application of force to the transfer film. The nail
polish application component may include a protective layer, and
the nail polish formulation may be sandwiched between the transfer
film and the protective layer, or otherwise the transfer film may
be positioned between the nail polish formulation and the
protective layer. The nail polish formulation may have a greater
affinity to the transfer film than to the protective layer. The
transfer film and the protective layer may be formed as continuous
tape with areas of the nail polish formulation. The nail polish
application component may have a rolled storage condition, and in
the rolled storage condition, at least some of the deposited nail
polish formulation may be in contact with the protective layer. The
nail polish formulation may be applied or deposited as a series of
layers, namely a base coat, a color coat, and a topcoat. Each of
these layers or coats may compromise the nail polish formulation.
For example, the different formulations of the nail polish may be
positioned in sequence such that the color coat is positioned
directly between the base coat and the top coat.
[0010] According to an aspect of the disclosure, a nail polish
application component for use in a nail polish application system
includes a cartridge, an applicator at least partially housed
within the cartridge, and a tape at least partially housed within
the cartridge. A first area of nail polish formulation may be
positioned on the tape. In an operative condition, the tape may be
positioned adjacent the applicator so that the first area of nail
polish formulation faces away from the applicator. A first end of
the tape may be coupled to a first support of the cartridge. A
length of the tape may be wound around the first support of the
cartridge in a rolled configuration. In the rolled configuration, a
first portion of the length of tape may confront a second portion
of the length of tape. The tape may include a protective layer
positioned so that, in the rolled configuration, the protective
layer of the tape is in direct contact with nail polish formulation
of the tape. The tape may include a transfer film, the first area
of nail polish formulation being positioned on the transfer film.
The transfer film may be formed of a silicone, a thermoplastic
elastomer, a thermoplastic urethane, or a hydrogel. The transfer
film may be formed of a material having a Shore durometer hardness
of Shore OO-70 or less. The first area of nail polish formulation
may be curable by electromagnetic energy. A second area of nail
polish formulation may be positioned on the tape, the first area of
nail polish formulation and the second area of nail polish
formulation being formed of different formulations. The cartridge
may include a recess at a bottom end thereof, the recess being
sized and shaped to receive a fingertip of a user at least
partially therein. A portion of the tape may traverse the recess.
In the operative condition, the nail polish formulation may be
positioned on the portion of the tape that traverses the recess. A
seal may be positioned over the recess, the seal being removable to
expose the recess. The applicator may have an arcuate shape. The
applicator may include two supports and a central portion extending
between the two supports. The cartridge may include a recess at a
bottom end thereof, the recess being sized and shaped to receive a
fingertip of a user at least partially therein, a central portion
of the applicator being aligned with the recess. The central
portion of the applicator may extend between a first support of the
applicator and a second support of the applicator, the recess being
positioned between the first support and the second support. The
cartridge may include a supply roller and a take-up roller, the
applicator being positioned between the supply roller and the
take-up roller. At least one of the supply roller and the take-up
roller may rotatable to advance the tape from the supply roller
toward the take-up roller.
[0011] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a nail polish
application component is for use in a nail polish application
system and includes a cartridge. An applicator may be at least
partially housed within the cartridge. A tape may be at least
partially housed within the cartridge. A first area of the nail
polish formulation may be positioned on the tape. In an operative
condition, the tape may be positioned adjacent the applicator so
that the nail polish formulation faces away from the applicator. A
first end of the tape may be coupled to a first support of the
cartridge. A length of the tape may be wound around the first
support of the cartridge in a rolled configuration. In the rolled
configuration, a first portion of the length of tape may confront a
second portion of the length of tape. The tape may include a
protective layer positioned so that, in the rolled configuration,
the protective layer of the tape is in direct contact with nail
polish formulation of the tape. The tape may include a transfer
film, and the first area of nail polish formulation may be
positioned on the transfer film. The transfer film may be formed of
a silicone, a thermoplastic elastomer, a thermoplastic urethane, or
a hydrogel. The transfer film may be formed of a material having a
Shore durometer hardness of Shore OO-70 or less. The first area of
nail polish formulation may be curable by electromagnetic energy. A
second area of nail polish formulation may be positioned on the
tape, the first area of nail polish formulation and the second area
of nail polish formulation being formed of different formulations.
The cartridge may include a recess at a bottom end thereof, the
recess being sized and shaped to receive a fingertip of a user at
least partially therein. A portion of the tape may traverse the
recess. In the operative condition, the first area of nail polish
formulation may be positioned on the portion of the tape that
traverses the recess. A seal may be positioned over the recess, the
seal being removable to expose the recess. The applicator may have
an arcuate shape. The applicator may include two supports and a
central portion extending between the two supports. The cartridge
may include a recess at a bottom end thereof, the recess being
sized and shaped to receive a fingertip of a user at least
partially therein, a central portion of the applicator being
aligned with the recess. The central portion of the applicator may
extend between a first support of the applicator and a second
support of the applicator, the recess being positioned between the
first support and the second support. The cartridge may include a
supply roller and a take-up roller, the applicator being positioned
between the supply roller and the take-up roller. At least one of
the supply roller and the take-up roller may be rotatable to
advance the tape from the supply roller toward the take-up
roller.
[0012] According to another embodiment of the disclosure, a method
of applying a resin to an object includes positioning an amount of
resin on a surface, the resin being curable by an electromagnetic
energy. While the amount of resin remains on the surface, a first
amount of the electromagnetic energy may be directed to the resin
to cure a first area of the uncured resin, while leaving a second
area of the resin uncured. Force may be applied to press the
surface onto the object to transfer the second area of uncured
resin to the object, while the first area of cured resin remains on
the surface. A second amount of the electromagnetic energy may be
directed to the second area of uncured resin that has been
transferred to the object to cure the second area of uncured resin
on the object. A shape of the object may be detected prior to
directing the first amount of the electromagnetic energy to the
resin. Directing the first amount of the electromagnetic energy to
the resin may include directing the first amount of the
electromagnetic energy in a pattern that is an inverse of the
detected shape of the object. Directing the first amount of the
electromagnetic energy to the resin may include directing the first
amount of the electromagnetic energy in a pattern that leaves the
second area of uncured resin in a shape corresponding to the
detected shape of the object. The resin may be a nail polish
formulation. The object may be a fingernail. Directing the second
amount of the electromagnetic energy to the second area of uncured
resin may include selectively curing the second area of uncured
resin. Directing the second amount of the electromagnetic energy to
the second area of uncured resin may include bulk curing the second
area of uncured resin. The first amount of electromagnetic energy
may be directed from a first source of electromagnetic energy, and
the second amount of electromagnetic energy may be directed from
the first source of electromagnetic energy. The first amount of
electromagnetic energy may be directed from a first source of
electromagnetic energy, and the second amount of electromagnetic
energy may be directed from a second source of electromagnetic
energy different than the first source.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a highly schematic view of a housing of a system
for providing rapid and accurate application and curing of curable
nail polish.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a highly schematic cross-section of the housing of
FIG. 1 taken along a plane parallel to the side walls of the
housing of FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a typical fingernail.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a highly schematic side view of a nail polish
applicator pad according to the disclosure.
[0017] FIGS. 5A-B are highly schematic top and side views,
respectively, of a film of nail polish formulation on a transfer
substrate.
[0018] FIG. 6A is a highly schematic side view of the applicator
pad of FIG. 4 positioned next to the film of nail polish shown in
FIGS. 5A-B.
[0019] FIG. 6B is a highly schematic side view of the applicator
pad of FIG. 4 after the film of nail polish formulation has been
transferred to the applicator pad.
[0020] FIG. 7A is a highly schematic side view of the applicator
pad having the film of nail polish positioned next to a user's
fingernail in a first step of a manicure.
[0021] FIG. 7B is a highly schematic side view of the applicator
pad having partially applied the nail polish in the film to the
user's fingernail.
[0022] FIG. 7C is a highly schematic side view of the applicator
pad having fully applied the nail polish in the film to the user's
fingernail.
[0023] FIGS. 8A-C illustrate a nail polish applicator pad being
rolled over a user's fingernail in sequence.
[0024] FIG. 8D illustrates the nail polish applicator pad being
moved away from the fingernail in preparation for a curing
step.
[0025] FIG. 8E illustrates the nail polish on the user's fingernail
being cured via an energy source.
[0026] FIG. 9A is a highly schematic view of nail polish
formulation on a user's fingernail being cured.
[0027] FIG. 9B is a highly schematic view of the nail polish
formulation on the user's fingernail after a portion of the nail
polish formulation has been cured.
[0028] FIG. 9C is a highly schematic view of the nail polish
formulation after the uncured nail polish has been removed from the
user's fingernail.
[0029] FIG. 10A is a highly schematic view of a step in a method of
pre-curing nail polish formulation prior to deposition on a user's
fingernail.
[0030] FIGS. 10B-D are highly schematic views of steps in a method
of depositing a film of nail polish formulation onto a user's
fingernail after the pre-curing method shown in FIG. 10A.
[0031] FIGS. 11A-C are highly schematic views of the applicator pad
applying a pressure sensitive adhesive ("PSA") film onto the
fingernail as a base coat.
[0032] FIGS. 12A-C are highly schematic views of the applicator pad
simultaneously applying a pressure sensitive adhesive ("PSA") film
onto the fingernail as a base coat and a film of nail polish
formulation onto the fingernail as a color coat.
[0033] FIG. 13A is a highly schematic illustration of a nail polish
formulation film positioned on a transfer film being applied to the
applicator pad.
[0034] FIG. 13B is a highly schematic illustration of the nail
polish formulation film and the transfer film positioned on the
applicator pad.
[0035] FIG. 14A is a highly schematic illustration of a film of
nail polish formulation positioned on a transfer film and protected
by a protective layer.
[0036] FIG. 14B is a highly schematic illustration of a plurality
of the units of FIG. 14A provided in a stacked configuration.
[0037] FIG. 15A is a highly schematic illustration of a continuous
tape of transfer film and protective layer having films of nail
polish formulation deposited thereon, the tape being in an unrolled
configuration.
[0038] FIG. 15B is a highly schematic illustration of the
continuous tape of FIG. 15A in a rolled condition.
[0039] FIG. 15C is a highly schematic illustration of the
continuous tape of FIGS. 15A-B loaded into a deposition
mechanism.
[0040] FIG. 16A is highly schematic front view of the tape of FIG.
15A in an unrolled configuration with support lines provided
therein.
[0041] FIG. 16B is a highly schematic top-down view of the tape and
support lines of FIG. 16B.
[0042] FIG. 17A is highly schematic front view of the tape of FIG.
15A in an unrolled configuration with a support layer provided
therein.
[0043] FIG. 17B is a highly schematic top-down view of the tape and
support layer of FIG. 17B.
[0044] FIG. 18A is a highly schematic side view of another
embodiment in which nail polish formulation is picked up from a
continuous tape roll directly by an applicator pad.
[0045] FIG. 18B is a highly schematic side view of a cleaning roll
of the embodiment of FIG. 18A.
[0046] FIGS. 19A-H are highly schematic illustrations of various
steps in a method of performing a manicure according to an aspect
of the disclosure.
[0047] FIGS. 20A-B are highly schematic illustrations of an
exemplary cartridge for use in the method illustrated in FIGS.
19A-H.
[0048] FIGS. 21A-E are highly schematic illustrations of carious
steps in a method of performing a manicure according to another
aspect of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0049] A system for accurately applying and curing a gel coat to
the nail plates of the fingers or toes may include a housing 10, as
shown in FIG. 1. It should be understood that, as used herein, the
term gel coat, gel polish, and or nail polish formulation generally
refers to any photo-curable nail polish, whether curable by a UV
source or by another source. Housing 10 is illustrated generally as
a box with side walls 12, top and bottom walls 14, and front and
rear walls 16 (rear wall not visible in FIG. 1). Front wall 16 may
extend only partially toward bottom wall 14 so that an opening or
other entry 18 is provided. Opening 18 may be sized and shaped so
that a user may insert one or more fingers and/or toes into housing
10 so that the nail plates of the finger nails and/or toe nails are
partially or completely within the housing. It should further be
understood that although illustrated generally as a box, housing 10
may take other suitable forms that house one or more of the
components described below and that are suitably shaped to allow
for insertion of a user's finger(s) and/or toe(s). In some
embodiments, opening 18 is preferably sized so that only a single
finger and/or toe is insertable into housing 10 at one time. In
other embodiments, opening 18 is preferably sized so that multiple
fingers and/or toes are insertable into housing 10 at one time. In
one example, entry 18 is sized so that four fingers, including the
index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky finger are
insertable into housing 10 at the same time, with the thumb
intended to be inserted into the housing separately. Similarly, it
may be preferable to size opening 18 so that all toes may be
simultaneously positioned within housing 10, as it may be difficult
to insert only a single toe into the housing at a time. Further, a
top (or inner) surface of bottom wall 14 may include one or more
grooves, recesses, or texturizations so that a finger(s) or toe(s)
inserted therein may readily rest on the bottom wall in a
substantially static position. For example, in some embodiments,
the top or inner surface of bottom wall 14 may include a single
finger or toe-shaped recess or indentation or multiple finger or
toe-shaped recesses or indentations. In some embodiments, one or
more removable trays may be provided. Removable trays may include
recesses, molds, or other features to assist positioning one or
more fingers in a desired position. For example, one removable tray
may be provided for each finger. In addition, as will be clear from
the description below, such removable trays may provide for easier
cleanup, for example if excess nail polish is deposited on the
removable tray. In other words, rather than excess nail polish
being deposited on a bottom surface of housing 14 of housing 10,
such excess polish may be applied to the removable tray which may
be disposable, or otherwise may be easier to clean by virtue of its
ability to be removed. Whether or not removable trays are provided,
securing devices may be provided to assist in securing the position
of a finger or toe positioned within housing 10. For example, one
or more straps may be provided to secure a user's finger in a
desired position. Such straps may be simple loops of material,
whether rigid or elastic. In other embodiments, straps may be able
to be tightened and secured in the tightened condition with known
fastener means, for example hook-and-loop fasteners such as those
under the tradename VELCRO. Other mechanisms may be provided to
assist in maintaining the finger or toe in a desired position. For
example, one or more finger supports and/or clamping mechanisms may
be provided to assist in maintaining the finger or toe in the
desired position within housing 10.
[0050] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section of housing 10 shown in
FIG. 1, the cross-section taken along a plane parallel to the side
walls 12 of the housing and extending from the front wall 16 to the
back wall. Housing 10 may include a camera 20 or other optical
device or sensor capable of imaging the finger(s) or toe(s)
inserted through opening 18 into the housing. Camera 20 may be
operatively connected to shape recognition software or anatomical
recognition software configured to identify the outline of a
fingernail inserted into housing 10. It should be understood that
the terms "finger" and "fingernail" as used herein may also refer
to toes and toenails, respectively. Any suitable software,
including off-the-shelf software, may be employed to determine
boundaries of the nail of the finger and/or toe, including
appropriate software available in the open source computer vision
library. For example, edge detection computer vision software may
be suitable for determining boundaries between the fingernail and
the adjacent skin. Other suitable examples may include the use of
structured light, a system in which a projector projects a grid or
array, such as an array of infrared dots, onto the fingernail, with
a camera or other object determining the space between objects in
the grid. The use of structured light may assist in providing depth
sensing, for example to determine the curvature of the nail in
three dimensions (although the curvature of the nail in two
dimensions may also be determined). In one example, the grid or
array of objects (e.g. dots or lines) may have a known spatial
relationship between the objects in the array. When the array is
projected from a particular location, the array will deform based
on the position and/or distance of the objects within the
projection path. The projector may include a reader to view or
otherwise "see" the deformed array to assist in determining the
three-dimensional contours of the objects onto which the array is
projected, or otherwise camera 20 or a similar sensing device may
be used to view the projected array to assist in determining depth
and surface information of objects onto which the array is
projected. As is explained in greater detail below, laser
projectors may be provided to assist in curing nail polish, and
such laser systems may also be used to assist in depth sensing
and/or determining contours of the nail. In other words, if a
structured light system is included in the system, the structured
light system may include a light sensor which may be separate from,
or the same as, the sensor used to detect the boundaries of the
fingernail. Similarly, a projector of the structured light system
may be separate from, or the same as, the energy source that is
configured to cure the nail polish formulation.
[0051] Preferably, camera 20 is operatively connected, e.g. by
wires or wirelessly, to an application, such as an application
running on a mobile phone or other suitable device with a display.
However, camera 20 may be otherwise or additionally operatively
coupled to software that is within system housing 10 or which is
located somewhere other than a user's mobile device. Upon insertion
of a finger into housing 10 via entry 18, the user may initiate an
application to begin a method for applying and curing gel polish to
the fingernail. For example, camera 20 may provide a live feed (or
static picture) to a mobile application on a mobile device.
Preferably, anatomical or shape recognition software operatively
connected to the camera 20, which may be running on the user's
mobile device, on software provided with camera 20, or other
software otherwise connected to the camera (including software
within housing 10), detects the outer edges of the fingernail
within housing. The application may overlie the detected outline on
the live feed (or static picture) and present the user an option of
confirming the accuracy of the detected outline, or otherwise
re-initiating the detection process. If the shape detection appears
accurate, the user may confirm and continue the method, preferably
with little or no movement of the position of the finger within
housing 10. In some embodiments, a display serving the same
function as the user's mobile device may instead be integrated onto
housing 10. In still other embodiments, the detection software may
include an algorithm to confirm the shape detection without
presenting the user an option of confirming the accuracy of the
shape detection. It should be understood that the nail boundary
detection may not be solely a single step in which the boundary of
the nail is detected, but the detection may be performed
periodically, continuously, or substantially continuously so that
the boundary of the nail is periodically, continuously, or
substantially continuously updated. With such a method, the nail
boundary may be rapidly updated over time so that if a user moves
his or her finger, the system is able to recognize that movement
occurred update the nail boundary accordingly. It should be
understood that the speed at which such updating of the nail
boundary occurs may be fast enough to provide for real-time or near
real-time updates during an application of nail polish, and this
continuous or periodic detection may apply to all methods described
herein. In other embodiments, instead of or in addition to
periodically or continuously updating the detected nail boundary,
after an initial detection of the nail boundary, camera 20 or
another sensor may track bulk motion of the finger in order to (i)
move the nail boundary based on movement of the finger, such as
side-to-side translation; (ii) scale the nail boundary based on
movement of the finger, such as toward or away from the camera or
other sensor; and/or (iii) update the boundary of the nail based on
rotation of the finger relative to the camera or other sensor.
[0052] Once the outline of the fingernail is confirmed or otherwise
detected, an applicator 40 within housing may spray a base coat of
photo-curable gel polish onto the fingernail within housing 10. In
one embodiment, applicator 40 may include a cartridge or other
container housing a volume of the base coat polish that is
operatively connected to a nozzle 42 pointed toward the fingernail.
The applicator may spray a base coat, for example via aerosol
atomization, onto the fingernail, although other methods of
application may be suitable, such as pad printing, described in
greater detail below. In some embodiments, nozzle 42 may be
configured to spray a volume of base coat to cover a large area
sufficient to ensure complete coverage of the fingernail, without
taking into account the boundary of the fingernail detected using
camera 20. In other embodiments, the applicator 40 and/or nozzle 42
may be operatively connected to the shape detection software to
direct the volume and spray area of the nozzle to specifically
direct the base coat toward the detected fingernail, and away from
the skin. In both cases, it is preferable to ensure coverage of the
entire fingernail. Any excess spray, for example on the skin of the
finger, can be simply wiped off after the base coat is cured.
However, it is preferable that the application and curing of the
nail polish, as described in greater detail below, is accurate
enough to minimize and/or eliminate the need for such wiping of
uncured nail polish. If nozzle 42 is operatively connected to the
shape detection software to direct the spray of the base coat, it
may be coupled to an active drive mechanism, such as a motor, to
facilitate the movement of the nozzle. In embodiments in which the
applicator 40 and/or nozzle 42 are capable of moving in order to
more precisely direct the polish, the applicator 40 and/or nozzle
42 may be coupled to a two- or three-axis motor driven gantry that
provides for positioning of the applicator 40 and/or nozzle in any
direction in the X and Y axes, for a two-axis gantry, and also in
the Z axis, for a three-axis gantry system. It should be understood
that any combination of up to three linear degrees of freedom and
up to three rotational degrees of freedom may be provided in such
positioning systems in order to allow for desired positioning of
the applicator 40 and/or nozzle 42.
[0053] The applicator 40 and/or nozzle 42 may have any suitable
form. For example, the applicator 40 may include one or more
re-Tillable cartridges that may be filled with the desired polish.
In other embodiments, pods or other containers intended for
individual use may be used instead. Single-use pods may provide
certain advantages. For example, re-usable applicators may
encounter issues with fluid remaining in the nozzle or in other
portions of the applicator following a first use, which may result
problems during second and later uses. Single use applicators avoid
such issues. Further, single use applicators may useful in terms of
color choice, as a desired polish and/or colors may be selected for
each individual application.
[0054] With the fingernail coated with a layer of uncured base
coat, a UV source 50 operatively connected to the shape detection
software directs UV energy toward the entire detected area of the
fingernail, with the limits of the UV energy application being
precisely directed within the detected boundaries. Although source
50 is described as a UV source, it should be understood that other
energy sources (such as electromagnetic energy sources) may be
suitable depending on the type of energy required to cure the
various gel polish coats. In one example, UV source 50 may be an
apparatus (e.g. a stereolithography apparatus, selective light
apparatus, laser curing apparatus, etc.) which includes a static UV
source directed onto one or more scanning mirrors (preferably two
scanning mirrors), the scanning mirrors being motorized and
operatively connected to the shape detection software. The scanning
mirrors, which may take the form of high speed mirror
galvanometers, may move quickly through various positions to
reflect UV energy from the UV source toward all positions on the
fingernail within the detected fingernail boundary, such that only
the base coat within the detected fingernail boundary is cured, and
all other base coat (for example any base coat inadvertently
applied to the skin of the finger) remains uncured. In other
examples, UV source 50 itself may be motorized and moveable such
that the UV source is directed to a single position, with the UV
source physically moving along a track or system of tracks such
that UV energy is directed to each point within the detected
fingernail boundary as the UV sources moves along the track or
system of tracks. In this embodiment, the UV source itself (or a
component connecting the UV source to the track or system of
tracks) may be operatively coupled to the shape detection software
in order to direct the UV energy to only the positions within the
detected fingernail boundary. It should be understood that the
relative positioning of camera 20, applicator 40, nozzle 42, and UV
source 50 shown in FIG. 2 is merely provided to illustrate the
components, and these components need not be in the positions shown
and can be arranged in any desired position, including in some
embodiments stacked upon one another. Similarly, although housing
10 is illustrated as fully enclosed other than opening 18, it
should be understood that such a configuration may not be
necessary. Although in a preferred embodiment, the projection of UV
light for curing is performed using a dual galvanometer laser
approach, other methods may be suitable. For example, either a
digital light processing ("DLP") projection system or a liquid
crystal display ("LCD") projection system may be a suitable
alternative. DLP projection technology may employ an array of
mirrors that can be repositioned rapidly to reflect light either to
a desired position or onto a heat sink (or light dump). DLP
projection and LCD projection technologies are generally known and
are not described in greater detail herein.
[0055] Since the curing of the UV-curable base coat may be near
instantaneous (e.g. thousands or hundredths of a second) following
application of UV energy, the amount of time it takes to cure all
of the base coat within the detected fingernail boundaries may
mostly be limited by the speed with which the UV source is able to
direct UV energy to each point within the detected fingernail
boundary. However, it should be understood that other variables,
including the power of the energy source (e.g. the power of the
laser) and the reactivity of the nail polish, may also affect the
curing rate. Once the base coat has been cured by the UV source 50,
an indication may be sent to the user. For example, housing 10 may
be operatively coupled to an audible signal or a visual signal to
indicate completion of the curing. If coupled to a display, such as
a display on the user's mobile device, software running on the
device may display a prompt to the user to remove his or her finger
from housing 10, and to wipe off any uncured base coat. If
applicator 40 applied the base coat to any areas outside of the
detected fingernail boundary, that excess base coat will not have
cured because the UV source 50 is limited to transmitting UV energy
into the areas within the detected fingernail boundary. As such,
the remaining base coat will not have cured and may be readily
removed, for example by wiping with a cloth. The user may be
instructed to position the finger back inside housing 10 after
removal of uncured base coat. However, in other embodiments, the
user may leave the finger within housing 10 after curing of the
base coat, without removing uncured base coat at this point. Still
further, in some embodiments, the application and curing of the
nail polish is accurate enough so that no excess nail polish is
applied, minimizing and/or eliminating the need for any wiping
steps.
[0056] If the user removes his or her finger from the housing 10 to
remove uncured base coat from the finger, and then re-positions the
finger within the housing, the camera 20 may interact with the
shape detection software to once again determine the boundary of
the fingernail, in the same manner as described above. If the user
leaves his or her finger within housing 10, the camera may not need
to again detect the boundary of the fingernail, especially if the
finger has remained in substantially the same position. In either
case, once the finger is within housing 10 and the base coat has
been cured and the boundaries of the fingernail are again
determined (or otherwise remain determined from a previous step),
applicator 40 may spray a second coat, such as a color coat, of
photo-curable polish toward the fingernail. Similar to as described
above with respect to the application of the base coat, the
application of the color coat is preferably completed so that at
least the entire detected area of the fingernail is covered with
the color coat, with or without aid of a motor to direct nozzle 42
to spray toward the detected fingernail boundary. With the color
coat sprayed on top of the cured base coat, UV source 50 again
operates to direct curing energy precisely to the areas within the
detected boundary of the fingernail. It should be understood that,
in some instances, it may be desirable to provide for more than one
color coat, in which case the procedure for the second color coat
would be substantially identical to the procedure for the first
color coat, and so on.
[0057] As should be understood from the above description, the
precision of the UV source 50 coupled with the detection of the
fingernail boundary and the spray of the various coats to cover at
least the entire detected boundary, facilitates an extremely fast
and accurate curing of the various nail polish coats that may not
otherwise be possible with more conventional gel polish
systems.
[0058] It should be understood that housing 10 may include multiple
applicators 40, one for each coat, including the base coat, one or
more color coats, and a top coat. Similarly, each applicator 40 may
include a dedicated nozzle 42, or a single nozzle may be
operatively connected to each applicator. In some embodiments,
applicators 40 may be configured to receive pre-filled cartridges
of the base coat, color coat(s), and top coat. It should be
understood that, although manicures herein are generally described
as including a base coat, one or more color coats, and a top coat,
the technologies described herein may apply to any desired coat,
unless explicitly noted otherwise. Still further, in some
embodiments, a combined coat or an all-in-one coat. For example, a
single coat may be formulated to serve as one or more of a base
coat, a color coat, and a top coat. In one example, a single coat
of an all-in-one nail polish formulation may be suitable for a
manicure instead of individual base, color, and top coats.
[0059] Once the color coat has been cured by the UV source 50, the
user optionally may remove his or her finger from housing 10 and
wipe off any uncured color coat, re-insert the finger into the
housing, and confirm that the camera 20 and connected software
again detects the appropriate boundaries of the fingernail. If this
step is to be performed, the user may be provided instructions, for
example via the user's mobile device. Otherwise, the user may leave
the finger positioned in place after the color coat has cured,
which may obviate the need for re-detecting the boundaries of the
fingernail, particularly if the finger has not changed
positions.
[0060] The process may be repeated for a photo-curable top coat,
with the top coat being sprayed from an applicator 40 via nozzle 42
to cover at least the areas of the detected fingernail boundary in
the same fashion described above for the base coat and color coat.
Again, based on the detected fingernail boundaries, UV source 50
may be precisely directed to cure the top coat only within the
detected boundaries of the fingernail. When the top coat curing is
complete, the user may be instructed, for example via the user's
mobile device, to remove his or her finger and remove any uncured
top coat (as well as any uncured base coat and color coat if the
finger has remained within the housing between each coating step)
from the finger. As with the base coat and color coat, because only
the various coats within the detected boundary of the fingernail
have been cured, wiping away uncured coat may be readily performed
using a cloth or other cleaning wipe.
[0061] In the example provided above, a single fingernail is
completed after application, curing, and wiping away uncured base
coat, color coat(s), and top coat. After completion of a first
finger, the user may be instructed to insert the next finger into
the housing, with the process described above completed for the
second finger, and the remaining fingers desired to be polished. In
other examples, two or more fingers may be inserted into housing 10
at the same time, with the shape detection software detecting each
fingernail boundary, and the coats may be applied to and cured for
all fingers within the housing prior to proceeding to the next
coat. In other words, the base coat may be sprayed onto all
fingernails and cured prior to spraying the color coat onto any
finger. Still further, although the exemplary method described
above is described as requiring user interaction following each
coat application, such user interaction may not be required. For
example, once the user's finger is positioned within housing 10,
the user may perform a single action, such as pressing a button,
after which the base coat, color coat(s), and/or top coat may be
applied without requiring user interaction between each
application. In still other embodiments, the procedure may be fully
automated such that the user need not interact with the system at
all once the user places his or her finger in the appropriate
position. In some embodiments, any action(s) of cleaning or wiping
away any nail polish formulation positioned on the user's skin
outside the boundary of the fingernail may be performed
automatically. For example, a sponge, wipe, or other applicator may
be moved by the system over the user's finger, and that applicator
may include a solvent or other material for assisting in wiping
away any nail polish deposited on the user's skin outside the
fingernail.
[0062] Although any desired color may be available for use in the
systems described herein, various methods of color mixing may be
used to achieve a large range of colors with various mixing
techniques. For example, one or more partially transparent color
pigments may be layered on top of one another to achieve a desired
mix. In other example, a neutral density transparent layer of
polish may be applied on top of a color layer in order to achieve a
shade different from the underlying color. For example, a bright
red base pigment may be provided in a single-use container, and one
or more neutral density transparent layers may be applied over the
bright red base to achieve a desired shade different from the base
pigment.
[0063] It should be understood that, in some embodiments, one or
more of the coating steps described herein may be omitted from the
process. In other words, skipping or otherwise omitting one or more
of the base coat step, the color coat step(s), and the top coat
step is still within the scope of the invention. For example,
although the base coat and top coat may be generally useful, it is
envisioned that the processes described above and below may be
performed with only a curable color coat in order to even further
reduce the amount of time required to apply a color gel coat to the
finger and/or toe nails.
[0064] Although some mechanisms for depositing uncured nail polish
formulation onto a user's nail have been described above, other
mechanisms may be suitable. Some additional mechanisms are
described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/379,913 ("the '913
application"), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference herein. Generally, any mechanism that provides for a
"bulk" type of deposit of nail polish formulation onto the nail may
be suitable because the resin may be cured with a high degree of
precision using, for example, computer vision and/or targeted UV
light. However, some forms of bulk deposition of nail polish
formulation may provide additional benefits. For example, the '913
application describes, inter alia, an applicator in the form of a
sponge or other open cell foam applicator that may be impregnated
with liquid nail polish formulation and which may be dragged over
the fingernail for a bulk deposition of nail polish onto the nail,
followed by a precise curing of that nail polish. Relatively, the
bulk deposition may be less precise than the following curing of
that nail polish.
[0065] One potential benefit of bulk nail polish formulation
applicators that apply nail polish to the nail via contact (e.g. a
stamp type of action as opposed to a spraying type of action) is
that the components may relatively easily be made to be disposable
and may reduce the overall messiness of a system that employs that
type of applicator. For example, the applicators may be
pre-packaged as consumable components to be used with a system as
described above, and after one or more uses (e.g. a manicure of two
hands), can be disposed. These type of applicators may also be
relatively cleaner compared to spray-type applicators, for example
because there may be a lower likelihood that nail polish
formulation is sprayed onto or into parts of the system other than
onto the user's nails if the nail polish formulation is being
transferred by contact. However, there may also be potential
drawbacks of nail polish formulation applicators that apply nail
polish to the nail via contact. For example, it may be relatively
difficult to apply an even thickness layer of nail polish
formulation that contacts all exterior portions of the nail. In
particular, referring to FIG. 3, most of the nail plate, including
the free edge of the nail plate, may be relatively easy to coat
with nail polish via a contact-type applicator. However, the
proximal fold and particularly the lateral folds (where the nails
have the greatest curvature) may be relatively difficult to coat
with nail polish via a contact-type applicator. This may be due, at
least in part, to the significant changes in topography at the
proximal fold and the lateral folds. In other words, if an
applicator impregnated with nail polish formulation is pressed down
onto the nail plate, the applicator may easily make contact with
most of the nail plate, but the applicator may not easily be able
to contact the nail plate at the lateral folds and the proximal
fold, which may lead to those areas of the nail being uncoated with
nail polish formulation.
[0066] FIG. 4 illustrates a highly schematic side view of a nail
polish applicator pad 100. Applicator pad 100 is a contact-type
applicator that may include the benefits described above (e.g.,
relatively clean use, and can be made disposable) and that may
avoid the drawbacks described above (e.g. difficulty in fully
coating the nail plate). Generally, applicator pad 100 may include
a working or leading end 120, which may be generally curved to
present a curved or convex surface to the user's nail. In some
embodiments, the leading end 120 may have a constant radius of
curvature (e.g. a circular or cylindrical), although in other
embodiments the leading end may have varying radii of curvature
(e.g. an elliptical or oval surface). Other shapes, including
hemispherical or dome-shapes, may also be suitable for the
applicator pad 100. The applicator pad 100 may include a trailing
end 140, which may couple to a holding device that holds and/or
moves the applicator pad 100 in a desired fashion. Although FIG. 4
illustrates the trailing end 140 of applicator pad 100 as generally
rectangular, various other shapes may be suitable. For example, the
entire applicator pad 100 may be provided as a cylinder that is
rotatable about its center longitudinal axis. If provided as a
cylinder, there may not be a separate leading end 120 and trailing
end 140 in terms of the structure of the applicator pad 100.
[0067] In order for the leading end 120 of applicator pad 100 to be
able to apply a nail polish formulation effectively to the entirety
of the nail plate, including at the lateral and proximal folds, the
applicator pad 100 may be formed of a highly conformable material.
For example, if the applicator pad 100 is formed of a material
having a hardness in the Shore OO or Shore OOO durometer range, the
applicator will likely be soft and conformable enough to conform to
the topography in the nail plate at the lateral and/or proximal
folds so that any nail polish formulation on the leading end 120
will transfer upon contact to the nail plate. It has been found
that forming the applicator pad 100 from a material having a
hardness of Shore durometer OO-10 or lower is particularly
effective at conforming the fingernail to deposit the nail polish
formulation. For example, materials having a hardness of between
about Shore OO-40 and Shore OO-70 may be able to effectively
conform to the fingernail, although it may be preferable to have
the applicator pad 100 formed of a material having a hardness of
less than Shore durometer OO-40, less than Shore durometer OO-30,
less than Shore durometer OO-20, or as noted above Shore durometer
OO-10 or less.
[0068] Materials that may be suitable for use in the applicator pad
100 to achieve the desired hardness may include silicones,
including room temperature vulcanizing ("RTV") silicones, soft
thermoplastic urethanes or polyurethanes ("TPUs"), soft
thermoplastic elastomers ("TPEs"), and soft thermoplastic rubbers.
The particular material, such as TPU or TPE, may include high
levels of plasticizers to help achieve the desired softness.
However, various other materials may have suitable properties for
use as the applicator pad 100, including foams of any of the
above-described materials, or hydrogels. Preferably, the applicator
pad 100 is formed of a single homogenous material. However, the
applicator pad 100 may be formed from different portions having
different materials. In either case, the leading end 120 of the
applicator pad 100 preferably has hardness in the Shore OO or Shore
OOO durometer range, such as Shore OO-10 or less. It should be
noted that hardness values on the Shore durometer scale are
described herein. However, the hardness values on the Shore
durometer scale described herein should be understood to include
equivalent hardness values (or ranges of hardness values) as
measured via modalities/scales other than Shore durometer. In some
embodiments, the applicator pad 100 may include areas or portions
with different hardness values. It should further be understood
that the hardness of applicator pad 100 may not be the only factor
in determining if the applicator pad 100 may effectively contact
the entire surface of the fingernail, including the proximal and
lateral folds. For example, if a relatively hard applicator pad 100
is pressed with enough force into the fingernail, it may be able to
suitably contact all areas of the fingernail. However, if that same
applicator pad 100 is pressed with less force into the fingernail,
it may not suitably make contact with the entire fingernail. Thus,
it is preferable that the material has a hardness that allows the
applicator pad 100 to make contact with the entire fingernail when
a force presses the applicator pad 100 onto the fingernail, with
the force being comfortable to the user. For example, if the
applicator pad 100 is pressed onto the user's fingernail with a
force of less than about 30 newtons (N), or less than about 25 N,
or less than about 20 N, the force is likely not going to cause
discomfort to the user. At these forces, for example at a downward
force of about 20 N or less, if the applicator pad 100 has a
hardness of Shore durometer OO-10 or less, the applicator pad 100
will be able to contact the entire surface of the user's fingernail
without causing discomfort to the user.
[0069] In some embodiments, the nail polish formulation may be
provided as a high viscosity resin that is liquid, but may be
thought of as a semi-solid resin. Additional details of examples of
the high viscosity resin are described below.
[0070] As is described below, the applicator pad 100 is generally
used to press the nail polish formulation onto the fingernail,
including into the proximal and lateral folds. The applicator pad
100 may be reusable in the sense that it may deform while being
pressed onto the fingernail, and may completely or substantially
return to its original shape after being removed from contact with
the fingernail. However, in other embodiments, the applicator pad
100 may take the form of a film that elongates, stretches, and/or
conforms to the contours of the user's fingernail, such as a
paraffin film. For example, such an applicator film may have a nail
polish formulation applied to one surface, and that surface may be
brought into contact with the user's fingernail, with the film
elongating, stretching, and/or conforming to the contours of the
user's fingernail in the process. With such an applicator film, the
applicator film may be disposable or non-reusable, as the film may
not return to its original shape or form after elongating or
stretching.
[0071] In order for the nail polish formulation to be pressed from
the applicator pad 100 onto the user's fingernail, the nail polish
formulation may first need to be positioned on the applicator pad
100. There are at least two general methods for positioning the
nail polish formulation on the applicator pad 100. For example, the
nail polish formulation may be directly applied onto the applicator
pad 100. In another embodiment, described in greater detail below,
the nail polish formulation may first be positioned on an
intermediate member (or multiple intermediate members), and the
intermediate member(s) may be positioned on the applicator pad
100.
[0072] If the nail polish formulation is to be applied directly to
the applicator pad 100, such application may be performed via any
suitable method. For example, the nail polish formulation may be
sprayed onto the applicator pad 100, or the nail polish formulation
may be pressed onto the applicator pad 100 (or the applicator pad
100 may be pressed onto another surface on which the nail polish
formulation is positioned). For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A-5B, a
film of nail polish formulation 300 may be positioned on a transfer
substrate 200 prior in order to directly deposit the film of nail
polish formulation 300 onto the applicator pad 100. In the
illustrated embodiment, the transfer substrate 200 may be a
silicone sheet. The particular material forming transfer substrate
200 is preferably one that the nail polish film will less prefer to
stick to compared to the leading end 120 of the applicator pad 100.
In other words, when the nail polish film is positioned on the
transfer substrate 200, and the leading end 120 of the applicator
pad 100 contacts the nail polish film, the materials forming the
transfer substrate 200 and the leading end 120 of the applicator
pad 100 are preferably chosen so that the nail polish film
transfers from the transfer substrate 200 to the applicator pad
100. One property that may affect how much the nail polish film
"likes" or sticks to the particular material may be the surface
roughness of the material. Another property that may affect how
much the nail polish film "likes" or sticks to the particular
material is the surface chemistry of the material.
[0073] Once the nail polish formulation 300 is positioned on the
transfer substrate 200, the film of nail polish formulation 300 may
be transferred to the applicator pad 100. For example, FIG. 6A
illustrates the applicator pad 100 being positioned near the film
of nail polish formulation 300 on transfer substrate 200 at an
angle. In other words, the apex of the leading end 120 may be
positioned near a side wall of the film of nail polish formulation
300, with a an axis passing through the applicator pad 100 oriented
at an oblique angle relative to the film of nail polish formulation
300. The applicator pad 100 may be rotated or rolled in the
direction D2 shown in FIG. 6A, so that the leading end 120 of the
applicator pad 100 rolls over the film of nail polish 300 while
contacting the film of nail polish. As noted above, the film of
nail polish 300 preferably sticks to the material of applicator pad
100 instead of transfer substrate 200. As a result, as the leading
end 120 of applicator pad 100 contacts and rolls over the film of
nail polish 300, the film of nail polish 300 will stick to the
leading end 120 of the applicator pad 100 while pulling off of the
transfer substrate 200. FIG. 6B illustrates the film of nail polish
formulation 300 after having been transferred from the transfer
substrate 200 to the leading end 120 of the applicator pad 100. In
some embodiments, the thickness of the nail polish formulation 300,
when it is positioned on the applicator pad 100, is between about
50 .mu.m and about 400 .mu.m or between about 50 .mu.m and about
250 .mu.m, including for example about 100 .mu.m, about 150 .mu.m,
about 200 .mu.m, about 250 .mu.m, about 300 .mu.m, and about 350
.mu.m. Although rolling the leading end 120 of the applicator pad
100 along or over the nail polish formulation 300 is one way to
transfer the nail polish formulation 300 from the transfer
substrate 200 to the applicator pad 100, other options may be
suitable. For example, the applicator pad 100 may be pressed
directly down onto the top of the film of nail polish formulation
300 (e.g. in a direction normal to the film of nail polish
formulation 300). Another option, for example if the leading end
120 of the applicator pad 100 is dome-shaped or hemispherical, the
applicator pad 100 may be pressed down onto the film of nail polish
formulation 300 such that the applicator pad 100 progressively
engages the film of nail polish formulation 300. In other words,
the tip of the applicator pad 100 may first contact a generally
centered portion of the nail polish formulation 300, and as the
applicator pad 100 is pressed further and the leading end 120
deforms, the portions of applicator pad 100 spaced from the tip may
progressively contact the film of nail polish formulation 300. In
any of these options, it is desirable that the applicator pad 100
evenly picks up the nail polish formulation 300, so that a
substantially continuous layer of nail polish formulation 300 of
substantially even thickness is positioned on the applicator pad
100 when the transfer is complete. However, as noted briefly above
and described in greater detail below, it may be preferable to
leave the nail polish formulation 300 on an intermediate transfer
film, and attach the intermediate transfer film directly to the
applicator pad 100 so that the film of nail polish formulation 300
does not directly contact the applicator pad 100.
[0074] After the film of nail polish formulation 300 is transferred
to the leading end 120 of the applicator pad 100, the applicator
pad 100 may be used to transfer the film of nail polish formulation
300 from the applicator pad 100 onto a user's fingernail. FIG. 7A
illustrates a highly schematic view of the applicator pad 100,
including the film of nail polish 300 positioned thereon, in a
position adjacent a fingernail 410 of a user's finger 400. The
applicator pad 100 may be held by a system in any desired fashion,
including at trailing end 140. If the applicator pad 100 is
cylindrical, it may be held via a rod extending through a
longitudinal center of the applicator pad 100. Preferably,
regardless of how applicator pad 100 is coupled to a system, the
system provides for rolling or rotational motion similar to that
described in connection with FIG. 6A. Just prior to making contact
with the fingernail 410 of the user's finger 400, the applicator
pad 100 is preferably oriented at an oblique angle relative to a
transverse plane through the user's finger 400, as shown in FIG.
7A. The applicator pad 100 may be moved through a rotational or
rolling motion in direction D3 similar or identical to the
rotational or rolling motion in direction D2 described in
connection with FIG. 6A. As the applicator pad 100 contacts the
user's fingernail 410 and moves through the rotational or rolling
motion in direction D3, the portions of the film of nail polish
formulation 300 that are pressed onto the user's fingernail 410
transfer from the leading end 120 of the applicator pad 100 to the
user's fingernail 410. FIG. 7B illustrates the applicator pad 100
having moved through about half of the rotational or rolling motion
in direction D3 and having applied about half of the film of nail
polish formulation 300 to the user's fingernail 410. FIG. 7C
illustrates the applicator pad 100 having moved through
substantially all of the rotational or rolling motion in direction
D3 and having applied most or all of the nail polish formulation
300 to the user's fingernail 410. Although the motion of applicator
pad 100 is described as a rolling or rotating motion, as with the
transfer of the nail polish formulation film 300 to the applicator
pad 100, other motions may be suitable to transfer the nail polish
formulation film 300 from the applicator pad 100 to the fingernail.
For example, the applicator pad 100 may be pressed directly down
onto the fingernail (e.g. in a direction substantially normal to
the fingernail), or progressive engagement may be used, similar to
the progressive engagement described above. These alternate motions
for depositing a coat of nail polish onto the fingernail may be
used for any other embodiment described herein in place of the
rolling motion.
[0075] As noted above, the material used to form applicator pad 100
is preferably chosen so that the nail polish formulation 300
prefers to stick to the applicator pad 100 over the transfer
substrate 200. Similarly, the material used to form applicator pad
100 is preferably chosen so that the nail polish formulation 300
prefers to stick to the fingernail 410 of the user over the
applicator pad 100. In other words, as the applicator pad 100
presses onto the user's fingernail 410, the nail polish formulation
300 prefers to transfer from the applicator pad 100 to the user's
fingernail 410, instead of merely remaining on the applicator pad
100 upon contact with the fingernail 410.
[0076] Further, as described above, the applicator pad 100 may be
formed of an extremely conformable material, the material
preferably having a hardness in the Shore OO or Shore OOO durometer
ranges. At least partially as a result of the extreme
conformability of the applicator pad 100, the applicator pad 100 is
able to easily conform to the topography of the user's fingernail
410, including the relatively large curvature at the lateral folds
of the fingernail. As a result, the applicator pad 100 is easily
able to press nail polish formulation 300 into all portions of the
user's nail plate. Without this conformability, it may be very
difficult to transfer nail polish from an applicator to all
portions of the nail plate with even and complete transfer,
particularly at the lateral folds.
[0077] Although the nail polish formulation 300 is described in
greater detail below, it should be understood that the nail polish
formulation 300 may have a high enough viscosity to remain in a
semi-solid form, but also be easily able to dissociate from itself.
In other words, any portion of the film of nail polish formulation
300 that is on positioned on the applicator pad 100, but that is
not pressed into contact with the fingernail 410, may remain on the
applicator pad 100. On the other hand, all or substantially all
portions of the nail polish formulation 300 that are pressed from
the applicator pad 100 onto the user's fingernail 410 will transfer
from the applicator pad 100 to the user's fingernail 410.
[0078] In an exemplary manicure, a user may be provided with an
applicator pad 100 with the film or nail polish formulation 300
already applied to the leading end 120 of the applicator pad 100.
However, in other embodiments described in greater detail below,
the applicator pad 100 may be provided with the system and the user
may be provided with one or more strips or pieces of nail polish
formulation 300.
[0079] If the user is provided with the applicator pad 100 that
already has the nail polish formulation 300 deposited on the
applicator pad 100, the user may couple the applicator pad 100 to a
receiving or holding component within a device similar to housing
10 described in connection with FIG. 2. FIG. 8A illustrates one
example of a system that may be used to receive applicator pad 100,
for example as part of a system similar to that described in
connection with housing 10. In FIG. 8A, a cutaway view of the
user's finger 400 is shown resting on a finger positioning and/or
support device, with the user's fingernail 410 facing upwards. In
this particular embodiment, the applicator pad 100 is generally
cylindrical and is attached to a rod or similar device that extends
through a center of the applicator pad 100. The rod may be attached
to an applicator support that moves linearly in a plane parallel to
a transverse plane through the user's finger 400. For example, the
applicator support may be coupled to a motor to provide the desired
movement. The rod may be rotatable relative to the applicator
support and/or the applicator pad 100 may be rotatable relative to
the rod so that, as the applicator support moves linearly and drags
the applicator pad 100 across the user's fingernail 410, the
applicator pad 100 rotates or rolls to provide the desired motion
described above. The rotation of the applicator pad 100 may be
passive (e.g. as a result of contact with the fingernail 410) or
active (e.g. as a result of a motor turning a rod supporting the
applicator pad 100).
[0080] Still referring to FIG. 8A, the user may open a package
containing the applicator pad 100 with the film of nail polish
formulation 300 already applied thereto. The user may insert the
applicator 100 over the rod or similar receiving device. The user
may place the desired finger 400 within the system, for example on
a finger support (not separately labeled in FIG. 8A). The finger
support may be positioned below a camera or optical sensor 20
similar to that described above. In the illustrated embodiment, a
single component is shown as including both the optical sensor 20
and UV source 50, although it should be understood that these
devices may be provided in different components. The optical sensor
20 may be used as described above to determine the boundaries of
the user's fingernail 410. Then, the rod holding the applicator 100
may be translated linearly so that the applicator pad 100 contacts
the users fingernail 410, the applicator pad 100 rolling over the
fingernail 410 as contact is made and the rod continues translating
the applicator pad 100 linearly. This progression is shown between
FIGS. 8A-C. As described above, as the applicator pad 100 rolls
over the fingernail 410 as shown in the progression of FIGS. 8A-C,
the portions of the film of nail polish 300 that contact the
fingernail 410 are deposited onto the fingernail 410. FIG. 8C
illustrates the applicator pad 100 having rolled over most or all
of the fingernail 410, the applicator pad 100 having completely
covered the user's fingernail 410 with nail polish formulation
300.
[0081] After the user's fingernail 410 has been completely covered
with the nail polish formulation 300, the applicator support may
continue moving linearly to move the applicator pad 100 to the
side, as shown in FIG. 8D, so that the applicator pad 100 is out of
the way for the curing step(s). Preferably, at this point, the
user's finger 400 and fingernail 410 has not changed positions
significantly so that the detected boundaries of the user's
fingernail 410 are still accurate. However, as noted above, the
optical sensor 20 may conduct the edge detection on a periodic or
continuing basis in order to account for any movement of the user's
finger 400 or fingernail 410. With the fingernail 410 coated with
the nail polish formulation 300 and the boundaries of the
fingernail having been detected, the UV source 50 may selectively
cure the portions of the nail polish formulation 300 within the
boundaries of the fingernail 410. In FIG. 8E, the curing energy 51
from the UV source 50 is represented by a triangular beam, but it
should be understood this is for purposes of illustration only. The
UV source 50 may function as described above, and may be an energy
source outside the UV spectrum, as long as the energy source is
configured to cure the nail polish formulation 300.
[0082] The first portion of the curing step is also shown in FIG.
9A, where the UV source 50 is illustrated as projecting one or more
beams of UV energy 51 onto the portions of the fingernail 410
covered by nail polish formulation 300, but not on any nail polish
formulation 300 positioned outside the boundary of the fingernail
410. FIG. 9B illustrates the curing step complete, with the nail
polish formulation on the fingernail 410 being shown as cured nail
polish formulation 310, with the remaining nail polish formulation
being shown as uncured nail polish formulation 320. After the
curing step is complete, the uncured nail polish formulation 320
may be removed from the fingernail 410. For example, the user may
manually remove the uncured nail polish formulation 320 may
manually wiping the fingernail 410 with an alcohol (e.g. isopropyl
alcohol) or acetone wipe (although other wipes may be suitable,
including wipes without any solvent, or wipes with other suitable
solvents). In other embodiments, a second applicator pad
impregnated with alcohol, acetone, or another wiping solvent may be
dragged over the fingernail 410 to automatically wipe away the
uncured nail polish 320. In still other embodiments, if additional
coats of nail polish formulation are to be applied to the
fingernail 410, those additional coats may be applied prior to
wiping off any uncured nail polish, with the wiping occurring
following the final stage of curing. As shown in FIG. 9C, after the
uncured nail polish formulation 320 is wiped away, the remaining
cured nail polish formulation 310 completely covers the fingernail
410 and does not extend beyond the boundaries of the fingernail
410.
[0083] Although the curing energy 51 is shown in FIG. 9A as being
transmitted from the energy source 50 onto the nail polish
formulation 300 without any intervening material, in other
embodiments, the curing energy 51 may pass through the applicator
pad 100, for example while the applicator pad 100 is pressing the
nail polish formulation 300 onto the fingernail 400. For example,
if the applicator pad 100 is optically clear, or otherwise permits
transmission of the curing energy 51 through the applicator pad
100, applicator pad 100 may be positioned between the energy source
50 and the fingernail 410 during curing. In such embodiments, it
may be preferable for the curing to occur while the applicator pad
100 is pressing the nail polish formulation 300 onto the fingernail
410, so that the curing energy 51 can pass directly from the
applicator pad 100 to the nail polish formulation 300 without
having to travel through air. This may assist in the curing as
there may be little or no oxygen available to interact with the top
layer of the nail polish formulation 300, as oxygen may tend to
inhibit full curing. Further, if curing energy 51 passes through
air between the point where it exits the energy source 50 and where
it enters the applicator pad 100, the curing energy 51 may move in
undesirable directions due to a different index of refraction
between air and the material of the applicator pad 100. Thus, if
curing energy 51 is intended to pass through the applicator pad
100, it may be desirable for there to be direct contact between the
energy source 50 and the applicator pad 100. However, if the
applicator pad 100 is highly conformable, this may not be an
entirely practical option. Thus, it may be desirable to provide an
optically clear backing on the top (or trailing end 140) of the
applicator pad 100 that is harder than the applicator pad 100 to
provide additional structural integrity for contact between the
energy source 50 and the applicator pad 100. Preferably, if such an
optically clear backing is used, it has an index of refraction that
is similar or the same as the material forming the applicator pad
100, to help ensure the curing energy 51 travels in the intended
direction as it passes from the optically clear backing into the
applicator pad 100. For example, if the applicator pad 100 is
formed of silicone, the optically clear backing may be formed of
acrylic. The method of transmitting curing energy 51 through the
applicator pad 100 to cure the nail polish formulation 300 may be
used for any embodiment described herein, unless explicitly noted
otherwise.
[0084] It should be understood that, although it may be desirable
for the nail polish formulation 300 to be applied to the user's
fingernail 410 in a precise manner in which the nail polish
formulation perfectly covers the entire fingernail 410 without
being applied beyond the boundary of the fingernail 410 (e.g. skin
on the user's finger), a bulk deposit mechanism will generally not
allow this. In other words, because the curing process is extremely
precise, the bulk deposit of nail polish (which may be practically
easier than a precise deposit of nail polish) does not
significantly negatively affect the end result of the manicure. It
may be particularly difficult to avoid depositing nail polish
formulation 300 onto a user's skin outside the boundaries of the
fingernail 410 if users are being supplied with prepackaged
containers of films of nail polish formulation 300 (with or without
being pre-positioned on applicator pad 100). In other words, the
sizes and shapes of a user's own fingernails may vary from finger
to finger and from hand to hand, and the sizes and shapes of
fingernails among the population are highly variable. Thus, in
order for a prepackaged container of films of nail polish
formulation 300 to be suitable to cover the entire fingernail 410
of many, most, or all users, the nail polish formulation 300 may
need to be somewhat oversized compared to the average user's
fingernail 410. And although wiping away the uncured nail polish
formulation 320 after curing is complete is an acceptable strategy
to cope with this extra nail polish formulation deposition, the
high viscosity of the nail polish formulation 300 may create at
least some difficulty in the removal step. In other words, the
uncured nail polish formulation 320 may be very tacky or "gooey" on
the skin, which may increase the difficulty of easily wiping away
that uncured nail polish formulation 320 from the skin. Thus, it
may be preferable to minimize the area and/or volume of uncured
nail polish formulation 320 that remains on the user's skin after
the curing process is complete. One way to help mitigate this issue
is by "pre-curing" an area or volume of the nail polish formulation
300 while it is still positioned on applicator pad 100, prior to
being deposited on the user's skin. As should be clear, it is
typically undesirable to "pre-cure" the nail polish formulation 300
that will be deposited onto the user's fingernail 410. In other
words, any "pre-curing" of the nail polish formulation 300 should
be limited to nail polish formulation that would be expected to be
deposited on the user's skin outside the boundary of the fingernail
410. As used herein, the term "pre-curing" refers to curing an area
and/or volume of nail polish formulation while it is still on an
applicator such as applicator pad 100 (or prior to being positioned
on the applicator) prior to the step of depositing the nail polish
formulation onto the user's fingernail.
[0085] FIG. 10A is a highly schematic illustration of a pre-curing
step. In the particular illustrated embodiment, a film of nail
polish 300 has already been applied to the leading end 120 of
applicator pad 100. An energy source, which may be a UV energy
source 50', may cure portions of the film of nail polish
formulation 300 with a curing energy 51', such as UV light, prior
to the nail polish formulation 300 being deposited on the user's
fingernail 410. UV source 50' may be the same as UV source 50',
although in such a case, the applicator pad 100 may need to be
rotated to a position facing the UV source prior to the pre-curing
step. In other embodiments, UV source 50' may be separate from UV
source 50, although the structure and function may be otherwise
similar. Preferably, prior to the pre-curing shown in FIG. 10A, the
user inserts his or her finger 400 and fingernail 410 into the
system, including on the finger support, so that the optical sensor
20 may detect the outline and/or boundaries of the user's
fingernail 410. That information may be used to determine which
portions of the film of nail polish formulation 300 are likely to
be transferred to the user's fingernail 410, and which portions of
the film of nail polish formulation 300 are likely to be
transferred onto the user's skin outside the boundaries of the
user's fingernail 410 (which may be referred to as the excess nail
polish area). The UV source 50' may then direct UV energy 51' only
to the excess nail polish area. However, it may be desirable to
incorporate a buffer so that less than the entire excess nail
polish area is pre-cured, to help ensure that all of the nail
polish formulation 300 deposited onto the fingernail 410 is uncured
at the time of deposition. If the pre-curing is being performed
while the film of nail polish formulation 300 is positioned on a
curved leading end 120 of the applicator pad 100, the curvature of
the film of nail polish formulation 300 may be taken into account
when determining which areas of the nail polish formulation 300 to
pre-cure. And although the pre-curing step is shown as being
completed while the nail polish formulation 300 is already
deposited on the applicator pad 100, in other embodiments, the film
of nail polish formulation 300 may be pre-cured prior to the film
being transferred onto the applicator pad 100. Still further, in
embodiments where the film of nail polish formulation 300 is
positioned on an intermediate transfer film while it is positioned
on the applicator pad 100 (described in greater detail below), the
pre-curing may take place prior to positioning the transfer film
supporting the nail polish formulation onto the applicator pad 100.
This pre-curing energy may be directed through the intermediate
transfer film (as long as the transfer film is optically clear such
that the pre-curing energy may pass through the film), or directed
onto the film of nail polish formulation 100 without passing
through the intermediate transfer film. In addition, if the
applicator pad 100 is optically clear, the pre-curing may be
performed through the applicator pad 100 while the nail polish is
directly or indirectly (e.g. via an intermediate transfer film)
positioned on the applicator pad 100.
[0086] After the pre-curing step is performed, the film of nail
polish formulation 300 may be applied to the user's fingernail 410
in substantially the same manner as described in connection with
FIGS. 7A-C (including the alternate options besides the rolling
motion). For example, FIG. 10B illustrates the applicator pad 100
being brought into proximity of the user's fingernail 410, with the
uncured nail polish formulation 320 bounded by areas of pre-cured
nail polish formulation 330. As the applicator pad 100 is rolled in
direction D3, shown in FIGS. 10C-D, the pre-cured nail polish
formulation 330 may remain on the applicator pad 100 while the
uncured nail polish formulation 320 is deposited onto the user's
fingernail 410. The pre-cured nail polish formulation 330 may
remain on the applicator pad 100 due to that portion of the
applicator pad 100 never making contact with the user's finger 400
or fingernail 410. The pre-cured nail polish formulation 330 may
also remain on the applicator pad 100 due to the pre-curing, which
may reduce the likelihood that the pre-cured nail polish
formulation 330 will transfer from the applicator pad 100 to the
user's finger 400 or fingernail 410, even when contact is made. For
example, the pre-cured nail polish formulation 330 may be less
"sticky" or "tacky," and as a result may be less likely to transfer
to the finger 400 upon contact. And the pre-cured nail polish
formulation 330 need not be fully cured. For example, the
application of energy during the pre-curing step may be performed
for a time that is less than what is expected for curing the nail
polish formulation 300 positioned on the fingernail 410. Even with
a "partial" pre-curing step, the properties of the pre-cured nail
polish formulation 330 may change enough to reduce the likelihood
that it will transfer upon contact with the user's finger. As a
result, as shown in FIG. 10D, a smaller amount (or no amount) of
uncured nail polish formulation 320 may be deposited from the
applicator pad 100 to the user's finger 400 outside the boundaries
of the fingernail 410 (e.g. the skin of the finger). Thus, after
the uncured nail polish formulation 320 on the fingernail 410 is
cured, for example similar to the method described in connection
with FIGS. 8E and 9A, there may be little or no uncured nail polish
formulation 320 remaining on the user's skin that needs to be wiped
away, for example with an alcohol or acetone wipe. This pre-curing
process may thus increase overall precision of the nail polish
deposition, while making any clean-up of the user's finger 400
faster and/or easier. In some examples, just prior to the uncured
nail polish formulation 320 being transferred to the user's
fingernail, a live feed or static picture of the user's fingernail
may be provided, for example via a display device, along with a
detected outline of the user's fingernail being overlaid onto the
live feed or static picture. The user may review the image to
confirm that the user's fingernail is indeed positioned within the
detected outline of the user's fingernail. If the user determines
that the illustrated detected outline or boundary of the user's
fingernail does not correctly overlie the user's fingernail, the
user may quickly reposition his or her fingernail to an area within
the illustrated detected outline or boundary of the user's
fingernail prior to the uncured nail polish being transferred to
the user's fingernail.
[0087] The above-described embodiments are described as being used
with a pre-packaged nail polish applicator pad 100 with the nail
polish formulation 300 already having been applied to the
applicator pad 100. In such an embodiment, the user may be provided
with a plurality of the applicator pads 100 as pre-packaged
component(s), for example to use in a single manicure. For example,
if the manicure involves applying a base coat, a color coat, and a
top coat to ten fingernails, the user may be provided with thirty
applicator pads 100, ten having the base coat already applied, ten
having the color coat already applied, and ten having the top coat
already applied. In other examples, the user may be provided with
additional pre-packaged applicators for each manicure to allow for
a fix or a correction for one or more fingernails if the manicure
of particular nails does achieve the desired result. For example,
for each coat, the user may be provided with twelve applicator pads
100 to allow for two "fixes" per coat. In still other embodiments,
the user need not be provided with an applicator pad 100 for each
fingernail. For example, the applicator pad 100 may be sized so
that a single applicator pad 100 may apply nail polish formulation
300 to a plurality of fingernails. For example, a single applicator
pad 100 may be pre-loaded with nail polish formulation 300 with the
ability to cover two fingernails, five fingernails, ten
fingernails, etc. In still further embodiments, described in
greater detail below, the system may include a permanent or
semi-permanent applicator pad 100 installed on the system, and the
user may be provided with one or more pre-packaged films of nail
polish formulation 300, with the films being applied to the
applicator pad just prior to deposition onto the user's
fingernail.
[0088] As noted above, the nail polish formulation 300 preferably
has a very high viscosity resin, which may help the nail polish
formulation 300 perform in the above-described manner. In one
example, the nail polish formulation 300 preferably has a viscosity
of at least 200,000 centipoise (cP), and up to 2,000,000 cP or
greater at room temperature (e.g. between about 20.degree. C. and
about 25.degree. C., including 21.degree. C., 22.degree. C.,
23.degree. C., or 24.degree. C.) and at a shear rate of about 10
s.sup.-1. The applicator pad 100 may be highly conformable, as
described above. As the applicator pad 100 applies force to the
nail polish formulation 300, it is substantially likely that forces
may be unevenly applied from the applicator pad 100 to the resin
300 as the resin 300 is pressed on the fingernail 410. If the nail
polish formulation 300 had a viscosity lower than 200,000 cP, the
likelihood of obtaining an even coating of the nail polish
formulation 300 on the fingernail 410 is reduced. With a high
viscosity nail polish formulation 300, including viscosities of at
least 200,000 cP, and up to 2,000,000 cP and greater, the fluid has
more limited movement under force, which allows for the nail polish
formulation 300 to be evenly and/or uniformly applied to the
fingernail 410, even if uneven forces are applied by the applicator
pad 100. Forming the nail polish formulation 300 as a high
viscosity resin may also have additional benefits. Nail polish
formulation having viscosities of at least 200,000 cP and up to at
least 2,000,000 cP are not known to have been previously used in
nail polish formulation, but it has been found that such nail
polish formulation may provide both longevity and easier removal
than prior lower viscosity nail polish formulation. Still further,
nail polish formulation with the above-mentioned viscosity may be
more non-sensitizing than otherwise similar but lower viscosity
nail polish formulation. In other words, high viscosity nail polish
formulation may be less likely to irritate a user's skin and may be
safer compared to lower viscosity, but otherwise similarly
formulated, nail polish formulation. Even further, both chemical
stability, as well as particle stability, of high viscosity resins
may be greater than for otherwise similarly formulated lower
viscosity resins. This may enhance, for example, the shelf-life of
such high viscosity nail polish formulation. Another benefit of
very high viscosity nail polish formulation is that oxygen
diffusion near the surface of the nail polish formulation may be
lower than what would be found in more typical lacquer nail polish
formulation. The relatively low oxygen diffusion may, at least in
part, result in a very good glossiness in the nail polish
formulation when applied to the fingernail. Other more typical
lacquers may also achieve good gloss, but require various additives
to achieve such glossiness, whereas a very high viscosity nail
polish polymer resin may achieve very desirable gloss without (or
with only minimal) additives.
[0089] Although the high-viscosity nail polish formulation
described herein may be a Newtonian fluid, it may instead be formed
as a non-Newtonian fluid. For example, the nail polish formulation
may be formed as a shear thinning or shear thickening fluid
(including, for example, by the addition of rheology modifiers to
obtain shear thinning or shear thickening properties). Generally, a
fluid is shear thickening if the viscosity (or apparent viscosity)
increases as the shear rate increases, whereas a fluid is shear
thinning if the viscosity (or apparent viscosity) decreases as the
shear rate increases. The nail polish formulation may also be
formed as a yield stress fluid. Generally, a yield stress fluid is
able to flow only when they are subjected to a stress above some
pre-determined value. When yield stress fluids are subjected to a
stress below that pre-determined value, they tend to act more like
a solid. Shear thinning fluids may be particularly desirable for
the methods described herein as they may remain in a semi-solid
type of state during storage and before application to the
fingernail, but while they are being pressed onto the fingernail
410 by applicator pad 100, the apparent viscosity of the nail
polish formulation 300 may reduce, allowing the nail polish
formulation to more easily "flow" into the hard-to-reach areas of
the fingernail 410, including the proximal and lateral folds.
[0090] A high viscosity nail polish formulation 300 according to
the present disclosure may include one or more components,
including a diacrylate-based resin or a dimethacrylate-based resin,
a film-forming homopolymer, a photoinitiator, a reactive diluent, a
rheology modifier, a pigment and/or other additives.
[0091] Suitable diacrylate-based resins include one or more of
aliphatic urethane diacrylates, cycloaliphatic urethane
diacrylates, polyalkylene glycol diacrylates, butane-1,4-diol
diacrylate, butane-1,6-diol diacrylate, 1,6-hexane diol diacrylate,
2-((acryloyloxy)methyl)-2-ethylpropane-1,3-diyl diacrylate,
((2,2-dimethylpropane-1,3-diyl)bis(oxy))bis(propane-2,1-diyl)diacrylate,
and bisphenol A epoxy diacrylate. Examples of suitable polyalkylene
glycol diacrylates include ethylene glycol diacrylate, diethylene
glycol diacrylate, triethylene glycol diacrylate, polyethylene
glycol diacrylate, polypropylene glycol diacrylate, dipropylene
glycol diacrylate, and tripropylene glycol diacrylate. Suitable
dimethacrylate-based resins include one or more of aliphatic
urethane dimethacrylates, cycloaliphatic urethane dimethacrylates,
bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate, ("BIS-GMA"), 3-glycerol
dimethacrylate/succinate adduct, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate,
ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate,
neopentylglycol dimethacrylate, pyromellitic dianhydride
dimethacrylate, pyromellitic dianhydride glyceryl dimethacrylate,
and promellitic dimethacrylate, such as described in U.S. Ser. Nos.
13/042,436, 15/307,089, 15/501,539, 15/702,434, U.S. Pat. Nos.
8,901,199 and 10,744,348 B2, all of which are incorporated by
reference herein in their entireties. If a diacrylate-based resin
is used, one example may include a blend of high viscosity urethane
diacrylate resins, for example, Sartomer CN 963 diacrylate and
Esstech PL-7210 urethane diacrylate blended together or provided
separately. The high viscosity diacrylate-based or
dimethacrylate-based resin may provide (or help provide) many of
the desirable qualities described above, including the ability to
be evenly applied to the fingernail 410 by applicator pad 100.
[0092] The film-forming homopolymer may assist in forming the nail
polish formulation 300 into a film, and may help enhance the ease
with which the nail polish formulation 300 may be removed from the
user's fingernail 410 when the user desires to remove the nail
polish. Suitable film-forming additives include one or more of
cellulose film-forming derivatives (e.g., nitrocellulose, ethyl
cellulose, cellulose esters such as cellulose acetate, cellulose
acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate and mixtures
thereof), vinyl and acrylic polymers (e.g., poly(acrylic acid) and
poly(vinyl butyryl), silicon resins (e.g., trimethyl silicate and
polymethylsilsesquioxene) ether-based resins (e.g., polyvinyl
stearyl ether) and the condensation of formaldehyde with
arylsulphonomide. The film-forming additive may be used
individually or may be in the form of co-film. In one example, the
film-forming homopolymer is cellulose acetate butyrate having a
molecular weight greater than 10K.
[0093] The reactive diluent may reduce the viscosity of the
formulation, for example in order to help achieve the desired final
viscosity, and may also have an influence on the adhesion of the
formulation to the substrate (e.g. the nail or an underlying layer
of nail polish), as well as influencing the cross-linking of the
resin. Although various reactive diluents are known in the art,
some suitable examples may include hydroxyethyl methacrylate
("HEMA"), hydroxypropyl methacrylate ("HPMA"), and trimethyl propyl
trimethacrylate ("TMPTMA"). The rheology modifier may affect how
the formulation flows, for example by providing shear thickening,
shear thinning, or yield stress properties as described above.
[0094] Although various rheology modifiers are known in the art,
one suitable example may be fumed silicas, which may be chemically
modified, for example by decorating the surface of the particles
with specific chemicals that change the behavior of the underlying
particle. Other suitable examples may include bentonite clay and
hectorite.
[0095] The photoinitiator may help to initiate the polymerization
reaction upon application of the curing energy, which may be UV
energy (although, in other embodiments, may be other types of
energy, including electromagnetic energy outside the UV spectrum).
Suitable photoinitiators include: 2, 4, 6,
trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide, methyl phenyl glyoxylate,
1-hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone and ethyl (2, 4,
6-trimethylbenzoyl)phenylphosphinate. The concentration of the
photoinitiator may be dependent, at least in part, on the
wavelength at which the photoinitiator is activated, and on the
intensity of the electromagnetic that will be applied. And while a
single type of photoinitiator may be suitable, in some embodiments,
two photoinitiators with different initiation wavelengths may be
provided in a single formulation.
[0096] A wide variety of pigments may be used. The pigment helps to
provide the desired color, if any color is to be provided. It
should be understood that a pigment may be provided in a base coat
or even a topcoat. For example, topcoats may have a tendency to
yellow, and adding a blue pigment to the top coat may help diminish
this effect. Any suitable pigment, for example Red 6, may be used
as the pigment if a pigment is included.
[0097] Other suitable additives include wetting agents,
plasticizers (e.g., citrates and phthalates) defoamers (e.g.,
polysiloxane emulsions), levelling agents, and dispersing agents,
optical brighteners, oils, waxes, fragrances, preservatives,
plasticizers and the like, the selection of which will be within
the skill of one in the art of nail polish formulation and are as
described, for example in U.S. Ser. Nos. 13/042,436, 15/307,089,
15/501,539, 15/702,434, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,901,199 and 10,744,348 B2,
all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their
entireties.
[0098] Although all or some of the above-mentioned formulation
components may be included in the nail polish formulation 300 in
any suitable combination, some guidelines may be helpful. For
example, in one particular formulation of nail polish formulation
300, the mass fraction of high viscosity dimethacrylate (or the
high viscosity diacrylate) in the nail polish formulation 300 may
be between about 50% and about 95%, including between about 80% and
about 90%, including about 85%. The mass fraction of the
film-forming homopolymer included in the nail polish formulation
300 may be between about 0% and about 15%, including about 5% and
about 10%. The mass fraction of the photoinitiator included in the
nail polish formulation 300 may be between about 0% and about 15%,
including about 1%, about 3%, about 5%, about 7%, about 9%, about
11%, and about 13% The mass fraction of the pigment in the nail
polish formulation 300, if included, may be between about 0% and
about 15%, including about 1%, about 3%, about 5%, about 7%, about
9%, about 11%, and about 13%. The reactive diluent and/or rheology
modifier may be added to the formulation as needed. It should be
understood that each range of mass percent of each component
described above includes any value between the outer bounds of the
particular range provided. In other words, if the high viscosity
dimethacrylate may be between about 75% and about 95% of the
formulation, this should be understood to include 76%, 77%, 78%,
etc.
[0099] The nail polish formulation 300 described above may be
suitable for use as a color coat, a base coat, and/or a top coat,
although the formulation may vary somewhat depending on how the
nail polish formulation 300 is used. For example, pigments may be
added if the nail polish formulation is to be used as a color coat,
and pigments may be omitted if the nail polish formulation 300 is
to be used as a top coat. However, for the embodiment described
above, regardless of the use of the nail polish formulation 300,
the resin should be formulated to be high viscosity and selectively
curable, for example by electromagnetic energy such as UV
light.
[0100] Although the above-described formulation(s) may be suitable
for base coats, color coats, and/or topcoats (with or without
modification specific to each coat), there may be special
considerations regarding the base coat. For example, in a typical
UV-curable liquid base coat that has low viscosity compared to the
above-described formulation, the UV curing of the base coat may
cause the base coat become difficult to remove, and may be damaging
to the user's fingernail. The typical lacquer base coat is
swellable in acetone for removal, and provides good adhesion to the
underlying nail plate, so that additional layers may be provided on
top of the base coat. Other types of nail decoration products avoid
this issue entirely, but other problems may arise with those
options. For example, some vinyl sticker nail products include a
thin layer of vinyl and a pressure-sensitive adhesive ("PSA")
bottom layer. Although these products may look like a traditional
lacquer gel manicure, the vinyl sticker nail products are typically
both difficult and time-consuming to skillfully apply. In addition,
the vinyl sticker nail products typically need to be chosen for the
correct size and then filed down. Further, these types of vinyl
stickers may show wear quickly relative to gel manicures, may allow
dirt to get under the vinyl and stick to the PSA layer, and may
still require users to apply a top coat manually. One of the
advantages of the vinyl stickers is that they are easier to remove
compared to lacquer base coats.
[0101] As described above, the formulations described herein are
preferably very high viscosity resins. High viscosity nail polish
formulation may not be ideal for use as a base coat. For example,
the low viscosity of traditional lacquer base coats may allow the
base coat to easily flow into all of the "nooks and crannies" of
the nail, ensuring good coverage and adhesion of the base coat to
the nail plate. This is why it may be preferable for the high
viscosity nail polish formulation to have shear thinning
properties. In addition, the base coat typically is provided with
solvents that evaporate as the base coat dries on the nail plate.
This evaporation may result in reduced cross-link density of the
resin, which may help for the overlying color coat, when applied,
to make good contact with the base coat. In addition, this reduced
cross-link density may assist with later removal of the nail
polish, as solvents may be able to more easily penetrate the base
coat to assist with removing the base coat. Because of these
factors, forming a base coat from a very high viscosity resin may
not be optimal in all cases.
[0102] As should be understood from this disclosure, high viscosity
nail polish formulation are preferable for use in the systems
described herein. However, as noted directly above, a high
viscosity UV-curable nail polish formulation may not be optimal for
use in a base coat. One option to overcome the tension between high
viscosity and effective use as a base coat is to use a PSA layer as
a base coat, with the high viscosity UV curable nail polish
formulation described above as the color coat(s) and/or top coat.
PSAs are typically inherently high viscosity polymers, such as
styrene-acrylate copolymers. The PSA base coats described herein
preferably are provided in a roll or in sheets, and need not be UV
cured (or cured by other electromagnetic energy), as the PSAs are
activated by the application of pressure, with the application of
pressure pressing the PSA into the "nooks and crannies" of the nail
plate. However, PSA base coats may be provided as UV-curable base
coats, and there may be benefits of using a PSA base coat that is
curable by UV energy (or other suitable energy). Preferably, the
PSAs are soluble/swellable in a solvent, such as acetone (and/or
other solvents, such as isopropyl alcohol), although not all PSAs
are soluble/swellable. Thus, during removal of a manicure that
includes a PSA film base coat, the PSA film may be able to be wiped
away in a similar or the same manner as uncured nail polish
formulation described above. As will be described in greater detail
below, the PSA base coat may be applied as a film onto the first
coat of high viscosity nail polish formulation (e.g. the color
coat), with both the PSA base coat and the first coat of high
viscosity nail polish formulation being applied to the user's
fingernail simultaneously. In other embodiments, the PSA base coat
may be applied as a film in a first step, with the layer(s) of high
viscosity nail polish formulation being applied in one or more
following steps. In still further embodiments, the PSA may be
provided as a liquid, including a UV-curable liquid or a
solvent-based liquid, that may be used as a base coat. PSA base
coats, if used as a base coat for the high viscosity nail polish
formulation described herein, may be easily removed by the user at
home between manicures, and may provide adhesion that is superior
to a base coat formed of high viscosity nail polish
formulation.
[0103] Two examples of the use of a PSA base coat with the
system(s) described herein are described in connection with FIGS.
11A-C and 12A-C. However, it should be understood that, if a PSA
base coat is used, it may be applied manually by the user as an
initial step, instead of being applied using the systems described
herein.
[0104] Referring now to FIGS. 11A-C, a film of PSA 500, which may
be used as the base coat, is positioned on the leading end 120 of
applicator pad 100. As with the nail polish formulation 300, the
applicator pad 100 may be provided to the user with the PSA film
500 already positioned thereon, or the PSA film 500 may be provided
to the user separately, with the applicator pad 100 provided as
part of the system. The process depositing the PSA film 500 onto
the user's fingernail 410 is substantially the same as described
above in connection with the deposition of nail polish formulation
300 in FIGS. 7A-C, and thus need not be described in detail again
here. However, it should be noted that, as the highly conformable
applicator pad 100 presses against the fingernail 410, it is able
to press the PSA film 500 into the fingernail 410, including in any
nooks and crannies of the fingernail 410, with the pressure from
the applicator pad 100 activating the PSA film 500 to adhere to the
fingernail 410. And unlike the nail polish formulation 300, the PSA
film 500 does not need to be cured by electromagnetic energy after
the deposition. Rather, after the PSA film 500 is applied to the
fingernail 410, the process may be repeated to deposit a nail
polish formulation 300 as a color coat on top of the base coat PSA
film 500, and after curing the color coat, another nail polish
formulation 300 may be deposited as a top coat on top of the color
coat, with the top coat being cured after deposition. However, as
noted above, UV-curable PSA base coats may be used. If a UV-curable
PSA base coat is used, it may be cured in substantially the same
fashion as described above for the UV-curable base coat of high
viscosity nail polish formulation 300.
[0105] Now referring to FIGS. 12A-C, instead of depositing the PSA
film 500 and first coat (e.g. color coat) of nail polish
formulation 300 in separate steps, they may be deposited onto the
fingernail 410 simultaneously. For example, the film of PSA 500 may
be stacked with the film of nail polish formulation 300 such that,
when applied to the leading end 120 of applicator pad 100, the nail
polish formulation 300 is in direct contact with the applicator pad
100, and the film of PSA 500 is exposed and closest to the
fingernail 410, as shown in FIG. 12A. As with the other embodiments
described herein, the applicator pad 100 may be rolled or rotated
in direction D3, such that the film of PSA 500 and the film of nail
polish formulation 300 are simultaneously deposited on the user's
fingernail 410. As with other embodiments described herein, film of
PSA 500 and of nail polish formulation 300 may be provided to the
user pre-packaged with the applicator pad 100 and already
positioned on the applicator pad 100, or the stacked film of PSA
500 and nail polish formulation 300 may be provided in a
pre-packaged form to the user, with the applicator pad 100 being
permanently or semi-permanently with the system. Because the film
of PSA 500 does not need to be cured separately be electromagnetic
energy, the two films can be stacked such that, following
deposition onto the fingernail 410, the film of nail polish
formulation 300 is exposed and ready to be cured by UV energy (or
another adequate curing energy). However, it should be understood
that the configuration shown and described in connection with FIGS.
12A-C may be more effective when the PSA base coat is not a
UV-curable base coat. The film of nail polish formulation 300
stacked with the film of PSA 500 may be a color coat, and after the
first curing step, another film of nail polish formulation 300 may
be applied as a top coat on top of the cured color coat, and the
top coat may then be cured in a similar fashion as the color
coat
[0106] Regardless of whether the PSA film 500 is deposited by
itself, or concurrently with a color coat of nail polish
formulation 300, after the final coat of nail polish formulation
300 (e.g. a top coat) is cured, the user may wipe away any uncured
nail polish formulation 300 on the skin, as well as any PSA film
500 extending beyond the nail 410 onto the skin.
[0107] There may be various considerations to take into account
when providing the various nail polish formulation 300, films of
PSA 500, and/or applicator pads 100 to the user. For example, in
one embodiment, the user may be provided with a plurality of films
of base coat, color coat, and top coat in a package for use in the
system described above. The system may include a permanent or
semi-permanent applicator pad 100, or one or more fresh applicator
pads 100 may be provided with each package that contains the base
coat, color coat, and top coat. The above-described use of films of
PSA 500 for a base coat may provide advantages over the more
traditional use of vinyl nails with PSA layers. For example,
because the system automatically applies the film of PSA 500 to the
fingernail 410, there is no difficulty or skill involved in the
application, which is a drawback of the traditional vinyl nails.
There is also no difficulty with selecting the correct size of the
PSA film 500, because the nail polish formulation 300 applied to
the PSA film 500 are precisely cured, allowing for any excess PSA
film 500 to simply be wiped away. And since the color coat and top
coats are automated, there is no need to manually apply a top coat
as must be done with traditional vinyl nails. Further, because the
color coat and top coat are thick, high viscosity resins, the
manicure may last longer than typical vinyl nails because the
overlying layers may be thicker and tougher than what is found in
traditional vinyl nails.
[0108] If the package of base coat, color coat, and/or top coat is
provided as individual, separate films, it may be preferable to
include a transfer film 600 with each film of base coat, color
coat, and top coat. Transfer film 600 may have a similar purpose as
the "intermediate transfer films" mentioned above. As noted above,
each package for the user may contain any desirable number of films
of base coat, color coat, and top coat. For example, a single
package may include ten films each of base coat, color coat, and
top coat to provide for one complete manicure (e.g. a total of 30
films), or more than ten films each to allow for corrections (e.g.
12 films each for a total of 36 films). Each package may also
include a single applicator pad 100 intended to be discarded after
the manicure, or may include more than one applicator pad 100, or
otherwise no applicator pads 100 (particularly if the system has a
permanent or semi-permanent applicator pad 100).
[0109] Referring to FIG. 13A, a film of nail polish formulation 300
is shown positioned on a transfer film 600, which may be similar or
identical in purpose to the "intermediate transfer film" mentioned
above. The transfer film 600 may serve primarily to allow the film
of nail polish formulation 300 to be positioned on the applicator
pad 100 for later deposition onto the user's fingernail 410. For
example, one or more sets of individual films of nail polish
formulation 300 may be provided to the user stacked on
corresponding transfer films 600. For example, a user may be
provided with twelve films of nail polish formulation 300 formed as
base coat on twelve corresponding transfer films 600. Each stack of
base coat nail polish formulation 300 on transfer film 600 may be
individually positioned on the applicator pad 100 prior to coating
each finger 400. For example, the user may manually position the
transfer film 600 onto the applicator pad by moving the stack in
the direction D4 shown in FIG. 13A, until the transfer film 600 is
positioned on the applicator pad 100, with the base coat nail
polish formulation 300 on the transfer film 600 and exposed for
use, as shown in FIG. 13B. In other embodiments, the stack of
transfer film 600 and base coat nail polish formulation 300 may be
fed into the system, with the system driving the applicator to pick
up the stack, for example by rolling over the transfer film 600.
With the transfer film 600 and film of base coat nail polish
formulation 300 positioned on the applicator pad 100, the system
may drive the applicator pad 100 as described above in connection
with FIGS. 8A-C to deposit the film of base coat nail polish
formulation 300 onto the user's fingernail 410, and then the system
may cure the base coat nail polish formulation 300 as described
above in connection with FIGS. 8D-E. As noted above, the curing may
alternately take place through the applicator pad 100 (and through
the transfer film 600 which may be optically clear), for example
while the applicator pad 100 is pressing the nail polish
formulation 300 onto the fingernail 410.
[0110] After the film of base coat nail polish formulation 300 has
been applied and cured, the process may be repeated for a stack of
transfer film 600 and color coat nail polish formulation 300, in
substantially the same manner. Then, after the color coat is cured,
the process may be completed again for a stack of transfer film 600
and topcoat nail polish formulation 300. This process (which is
three steps if three coats are used) may be repeated for each
finger in sequence until the manicure is finished.
[0111] If the transfer film 600 is used, it is preferable that the
transfer film 600 has certain qualities. For example, the transfer
film 600 is preferably formed of a material that has a hardness
that is less than or equal to the hardness of the applicator pad
100. Thus, if the applicator pad 100 has a Shore durometer hardness
of OO-10, it is preferable that the transfer film 600 has a Shore
durometer hardness of OO-10 or less. This may be preferable because
if the transfer film 600 is harder than the applicator pad 100, the
hardness of the transfer film 600 may prohibit the applicator pad
100 from pressing the film of nail polish formulation 300 into all
areas of the fingernail 410, including the hard-to-reach lateral
folds. In one example, the transfer film 600 is formed of a
silicone sheet, although the transfer film 600 may instead be
formed of a thermoplastic elastomer, a thermoplastic urethane,
foams thereof, hydrogel materials, or other similar materials.
Although the hardness of the transfer film 600 may be selected
based at least in part on the hardness of the applicator pad 100,
in some embodiments, the transfer film 600 is formed of a material
having a hardness of between about Shore OO-40 and Shore OO-70,
although it may be preferable to have transfer film 600 formed of a
material having a hardness of less than Shore durometer OO-40, less
than Shore durometer OO-30, less than Shore durometer OO-20, or as
noted above Shore durometer OO-10 or less. In some embodiments, the
transfer film 600 may be formed to have areas or portions having
different values of hardness. Further, as noted above, there may be
an "adhesion hierarchy" between the nail polish formulation 300 and
other components that may be utilized to help control where the
nail polish formulation 300 does, or does not, transfer. For
example, the material of the transfer film 600 should be selected
so that the nail polish formulation 300 prefers to adhere to the
user's fingernail 410 compared to the transfer film 600. Thus, as
the applicator pad 100 is pressed onto the user's fingernail 410,
the nail polish formulation 300 prefers to transfer from the
transfer film 600 to the fingernail 410. In another embodiment, the
transfer film 600 may take the form of a film that elongates,
stretches, and/or conforms to the contours of the user's
fingernail, such as a paraffin film. For example, such a transfer
film 600 may have a nail polish formulation applied to one surface,
and that surface may be brought into contact with the user's
fingernail, with the film elongating, stretching, and/or conforming
to the contours of the user's fingernail in the process (e.g. as a
result of force applied by the applicator pad 100).
[0112] As should be clear, the nail polish formulation 300 must be
exposed for application to the user's fingernail 410. However, it
may be preferable to protect the nail polish formulation 300 prior
to use, for example while it is in an unopened package. To that
end, a protective layer 700 may be applied to the nail polish
formulation 300 so that the nail polish formulation 300 is
positioned between the protective layer 700 and the transfer film
600, as shown in FIG. 14A. Just prior to use, the protective layer
700 may be removed to expose the nail polish formulation 300.
However, it is important that upon removal of the protective layer
700, the protective layer 700 does not pull up any of the nail
polish formulation 300 off the transfer film 600. Thus, the
protective layer 700 is preferably formed of a material which the
nail polish formulation does not "like" and thus will not adhere to
upon removal of the protective layer 700. For example, the
protective layer 700 may be formed as a thin layer of silicone. The
silicone may be, for example, a silicone from the Mold Star.TM.
series, Oomoo.TM. series, or Solaris.RTM. series, all offered by
Smooth-On, Inc.
[0113] The assembly shown in FIG. 14A may be a single unit, and a
plurality of those single units may be provided in a package to the
user. For example, a package may include thirty (or thirty-six) of
the units shown in FIG. 14A, with ten (or twelve) of the units
including nail polish formulation 300 formulated as a base coat,
ten (or twelve) of the units including nail polish formulation 300
formulated as a color coat, and ten (or twelve) of the units
including nail polish formulation 300 formulated as a top coat.
However, rather than providing a plurality of single units, the
nail polish formulation may be provided in other convenient
forms.
[0114] For example, referring to FIG. 14B, instead of providing
individual units, large stacks of alternating layers of transfer
film 600, nail polish formulation 300, and protective layer 700 may
be provided to the user in a package. The stacks may be provided in
any convenient form. For example, a single stack of a plurality of
base coat units may be provided, a single stack of a plurality of
color coat units may be provided, and a single stack of top coat
units may be provided. In other embodiments, each stack may include
repeating sequences of base coat units, color coat units, and top
coat units. One or more of these stacks may be inserted into the
system, and each coat fed to the applicator pad just prior to
use.
[0115] In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 15A, the nail polish
formulation 300 may be provided on a continuous tape or roll. As
shown in FIG. 15A, the protective layer 700 may be a continuous or
substantially continuous layer, and the transfer film 600 may be a
continuous or substantially continuous layer on top of the
protective layer. A plurality of films of nail polish formulation
300 may be positioned at spaced apart locations on top of the
transfer film 600. FIG. 15A illustrates the assembly in an unrolled
configuration, for example its configuration upon being
manufactured. The assembly may then be rolled so that the films of
nail polish formulation 300 do not confront one another, as shown
in FIG. 15B. In the rolled configuration, the protective layer 700
may be the interior-most layer. When the assembly is rolled, the
exposed surfaces of the various films of nail polish formulation
300 are in contact with the protective layer of 700 of the next
coil or turn in the roll, resulting in most of the films of nail
polish formulation 300 being in contact with a portion of
protective layer 700. Although not shown in FIGS. 15A-B, the
protective layer 700 (with or without the transfer film 600) may
extend a distance beyond the final film of nail polish formulation
300 so that all of the films of nail polish formulation 300 may be
protected by the protective layer 700 when in the rolled condition.
In other words, although the rolled configuration of FIG. 15B
illustrates a number of films of nail polish formulation 300
exposed, the protective layer 700 preferably continues a greater
distance than shown in FIG. 15B and wraps at least one more turn
around the unit so that all of the films of nail polish formulation
300 are protected or covered by a portion of protective layer 700.
The unit may be placed in the system and fed through the system so
that the applicator pad 100 can roll over a first one of the films
of nail polish formulation 300A to apply it to the fingernail, a
curing step can be performed, and then the tape can be advanced
until the adjacent film of nail polish formulation 300B is
positioned over the fingernail, and the applicator pad 100 can roll
over that film of nail polish formulation 300B to deposit it on the
fingernail, and that layer may be cured next. In this
configuration, the different formulations of nail polish
formulation 300 may be alternated in the sequence in which they are
intended to be applied. For example, referring to FIG. 15B, films
300A may be the base coat, films 300B may be the color coat, and
films 300C may be the top coat. In this manner, each finger may be
coated with base coat, color coat, and top coat by successively
advancing the tape, depositing the resin onto the fingernail by
rolling the applicator pad over the reverse side of the film of
resin, and curing the resin on the fingernail before advancing the
tape to the next film of resin. However, although the films of nail
polish formulation 300 are illustrated as being separated by a
space where there is no nail polish formulation, this is not
necessary. In some embodiments, the films of nail polish
formulation 300 can be substantially continuously positioned along
the surface of transfer film 600, whether the continuous film of
nail polish formulation 300 is the same formulation or has areas of
different formulations, for example alternating areas of base coat,
color coat, and top coat. Further, the above-described properties
of the protective layer 700, in combination with the high viscosity
formulation of nail polish formulation 300, allow the protective
layer 700 to contact the nail polish formulation 300 without the
nail polish formulation 300 sticking to the protective layer 700,
and allows the assembly (including the transfer film 600) to be
rolled into the configuration shown in FIG. 15B without resulting
in the films of nail polish formulation 300 being squeezed or
pressed such that they flow away from their initial positions.
[0116] FIG. 15C illustrates an exemplary mechanism for using the
tape of FIGS. 15A-B to deposit the nail polish formulation 300 onto
the user's fingernail 410. The system may be provided within a
housing similar to housing 10 and may include components similar to
those described in connection with FIGS. 1-2 and FIGS. 8A-E. For
example, although not shown, a finger support may be provided on
which the user may rest his or her finger 400. The applicator pad
100 may be similar or identical to applicator pads described above.
In this particular example, the applicator pad 100 is generally
cylindrical, similar to the embodiment described in connection with
FIGS. 8A-E. The applicator pad 100 may receive a rod extending
through a center thereof, and may be coupled to an applicator
support that moves substantially linearly in a direction D6. As
with the embodiment described in FIGS. 8A-E, the applicator pad 100
preferably is capable of rolling (e.g. rotating about its
longitudinal center) as it is moved in the direction D6, either
passively or actively by rotation of a supporting rod received
within the applicator pad 100.
[0117] Still referring to FIG. 15C, the tape assembly of FIGS.
15A-B may be connected to a roller system that may include a supply
roller 810 and a take-up roller 820. A first end of the tape roll
may be coupled to the supply roller 810 and a second end of the
tape roll may be coupled to the take-up roller 820, with an
intermediate portion of the tape roll being in contact with the
applicator pad 100. In particular, the protective layer 700
(labelled, but not separately illustrated, in FIG. 15C) may be in
direct contact with the applicator pad 100 so that the transfer
film 700 is positioned between the protective layer 600 and the
films of nail polish formulation 300. In other words, the films of
nail polish formulation 300 will be exposed and presented to
confront the user's fingernail 410. The supply roller 810 and
take-up roller 820 may be generally cylindrical and rotatable about
their center axes in the directions D7, D8 respectively.
Preferably, the supply roller 810 and take-up roller 820 each
receive a support rod through their respective centers, the support
rods being motor driven (or driven by another active drive
mechanism) to rotate the corresponding roller in the same
direction, in order to feed the tape from the supply roller 810 to
the take-up roller 820.
[0118] In an exemplary use of the tape of FIGS. 15A-B, a user may
receive the tape in a package in the rolled-up configuration shown
in FIG. 15B. During transport and prior to use, the protective
layer 700 will protect the films of nail polish formulation 300. In
some embodiments, an applicator pad 100 may be packaged with the
tape roll, although in other embodiments the applicator pad 100 is
permanently or semi-permanently provided with the device housing
the other components of the system. The user may open the package
containing the tape roll and connect one end of the tape roll to
the supply roller 810 and the other end of the tape roll to the
take-up roller 820, ensuring that the intermediary portion of the
tape is fed across the outer surface of applicator 100 and that the
films of nail polish formulation 300 are facing away from the
applicator pad 100. In the illustrated example, the transfer film
700 include films of nail polish formulation 300 spaced apart from
one another and provided in sequence with formulations as base coat
300A, color coat 300B, and topcoat 300C. The user may insert his or
her finger 400 into the housing and rest the finger 400 on a
provided finger support. The user may then activate the system, for
example by pressing a "start" button. Although not shown in FIG.
15C, the system may include the components described above in
connection with FIGS. 1-2 and 8A-E, including an optical sensor 20,
UV source 50, and/or a secondary UV source 50' to pre-cure the
films of nail polish formulation 300 as described above. Once the
manicure is started, the system may detect the boundaries of the
user's fingernail 410, and activate the supply roller 810 and
take-up roller 820 (if necessary) to position the first film of
base coat nail polish formulation 300A adjacent the applicator pad
100 and the fingernail 410. With the first film 300A in the desired
position, the applicator pad 100 may be driven linearly in the
direction D6. Preferably, although not necessarily, as the
applicator pad 100 is driven in linear direction D6, the supply
roller 810 and take-up roller 820 are also driven in direction D6
at the same rate as the applicator pad 100. As the applicator pad
100 presses the first film of base coat nail polish formulation
300A into the fingernail 410, the applicator pad 100 will conform
to the fingernail 410 as described above to evenly cover the entire
fingernail 410 with the base coat 300A. During the application of
the first film of base coast nail polish formulation 300A (or
during applications of other film coats), any one or more of the
supply roller 810, take-up roller 820, and the applicator 100 may
rotate, either actively (e.g. via an active drive mechanism such as
a motor) or passively to assist in the deposition. This may be
referred to as a first-phase feeding of the tape roll. After the
film of base coat nail polish formulation 300A is transferred to
the fingernail 410, the applicator pad 100 and rollers 810, 820 may
be moved out of the way, for example by being driven backwards in a
direction opposite D6, so that the UV source 50 may precisely cure
the base coat 300A on the fingernail 410. However, in other
embodiments, the UV curing may be performed through the applicator
pad 100 (and transfer film 600) while the applicator pad 100 is
pressing the nail polish formulation onto the fingernail. Before or
after the curing step, the supply roller 810 and take-up roller 820
may be rotated in directions D7, D8 respectively until the next
film of nail polish formulation, in this case the color coat 300B,
is in the desired position relative to the applicator pad 100. This
may be referred to as a second-stage feeding of the tape roll. The
process may be repeated to deposit and cure the color coat 300B,
and repeated again to deposit and cure the top coat 300C, with the
take-up roller 820 taking up "spent" tape after each deposition.
After the manicure of one finger is complete, the user may insert
the next finger into the system and repeat the process until the
entire manicure is complete. Following completion of the manicure,
the user may wipe away any uncured nail polish formulation 320 that
remains on the user's finger 400 outside the boundaries of the
fingernail 410. This wiping may be performed manually by the user,
or automatically. For example, as noted above, a separate
applicator may be provided in the system that includes solvent, for
example a solvent-soaked foam applicator, which may be dragged over
the fingernail while the finger is in the system to remove any
uncured nail polish. If the pre-curing procedure is used, there may
be little or no uncured nail polish formulation 320 on the user's
finger 400 that needs to be wiped away. It should be noted that the
high viscosity nail polish formulation 300 described herein may
have an affinity for paper and fibrous materials. In other words,
in terms of the adhesion hierarchy described above, the high
viscosity nail polish formulation 300, when uncured, may prefer to
stick to paper and fibrous materials. Thus, if uncured nail polish
formulation needs to be wiped from the skin of the user's finger
400 after the manicure is complete (or partially complete), a paper
or fibrous wipe may be used, and the affinity of the high viscosity
nail polish formulation 300 to the paper/fibrous wipe may help
ensure that most or all of the uncured nail polish formulation 300
is removed from the user's skin.
[0119] FIG. 15C illustrates one configuration of relative movement
between the applicator pad 100, the rollers 810, 820, and the
user's finger 400. The directionality illustrated in FIG. 15C may
be desirable in view of the direction that the tape roll is fed
from the supply roller 810 to the take-up roller 820. In other
words, as the applicator pad moves linearly left-to-right to
deposit the nail polish formulation 300 onto the user's fingernail
400, the supply roller 810 and take-up roller 820 may be
simultaneously moving linearly in the left-to-right direction and
also rotating in the clockwise direction to feed the tape from the
supply roller 810 to the take-up roller 820. However, in other
embodiments, the position of the supply roller 810 and the take-up
roller 820 may be reversed, and the directionality of linear
movement and rotation may be changed, as long as the tape is fed
from the supply roller 810 to the take-up roller 820.
[0120] Although the system of FIG. 15C is described as including
both a supply roller 810 and a take-up roller 820, in some
embodiments, the take-up roller 820 may be omitted. In such a
configuration, a first end of the tape may be received on the
supply roller 810, and as the tape is fed, the second end of the
tape may be fed into another area, such as a waste compartment
within the system. In this example, instead of the spent portion of
the tape rolling onto the take-up roller 820, it may be pushed or
driven into a separate compartment, which may allow for easier
management of the spent tape. For example, the waste compartment
may be removable from the system to allow for easy disposal of the
spent tape after the completion of a manicure.
[0121] As has been noted above, many or all of the components of
the tape roll shown in FIGS. 15A-B may be very soft, which may
result in the tape being very stretchable. It may be undesirable
for the tape roll to be able to stretch a large amount in the
direction along which the tape is fed (e.g. in the left-to-right
direction of FIG. 15A). If the supply roller 810 and take-up roller
820 cause the transfer layer 600 to significantly stretch, the
film(s) of nail polish formulation 300 positioned thereon may be
stretched and distorted, which may reduce the ability to apply an
even thickness of the nail polish formulation 300 to the user's
fingernail 410. Two possible solutions to help reduce the
stretchiness of the tape in the feed direction are described
below.
[0122] FIG. 16A illustrates a front view of the tape roll of FIG.
15A with an additional support component. The view of FIG. 16A is a
view of one of the terminal ends of the tape when it is in the
unrolled condition. FIG. 16B is a top view of the tape in the
unrolled condition. In addition to the films of nail polish
formulation 300, the transfer film 600, and the protective layer
700 (not visible in FIG. 16B), one or more support lines 900 are
provided on the tape. In the illustrated configuration, two support
lines 900 are provided running part of or the entire length of the
tape, with the support lines 900 being positioned so that they do
not overlap any portion of a film of nail polish formulation 300
that will be applied to a user's fingernail 410. The support lines
900 may be formed of a string or another substantially continuous
thread or filament, and may be significantly less stretchable or
elastic compared to the transfer film 600 and/or the protective
layer 700. As the tape is fed from supply roller 810 to take-up
roller 820, the support lines 900 may provide extra support for the
rollers to effectively feed the tape without allowing the transfer
film 600 to stretch significantly in the direction of the feed.
However, as noted above, the support lines 900 are preferably
positioned out of the way of the films of nail polish formulation
300 so that, when the applicator pad 100 presses the nail polish
formulation 300 into the fingernail 410, the relative stiffness of
the support lines 900 does not affect the ability of the applicator
pad 100 to conform to the contours of the fingernail 410. In the
illustrated embodiment, the support lines 900 are at least
partially embedded into the transfer film 600, although in other
embodiments the support lines 900 may be partially or completely
embedded in one or both of the transfer film 600 and/or protective
layer 700, or alternately may be coupled to a surface of either the
transfer film 600 or protective layer 700, or any combination of
the above. Although the support lines 900 may take the form of a
string or filament, for example with a circular cross-section, the
support lines 900 may take other forms. For example, the support
lines 900 may instead be relatively flat, similar to a piece of
tape. For example, the support lines 900 may be formed of a
polyimide film having a width significantly larger than its
thickness. In one example, each support line 900 may be formed as a
substantially rectangular tape having a width of about 3 mm.
[0123] FIGS. 17A-B illustrate the use of a support layer 900'
instead of the support lines 900 of FIGS. 16A-B. As best
illustrated in FIG. 17A, rather than having one or more individual
support lines 900, an entire support layer 900' is provided between
the protective layer 700 and the transfer layer 600. The support
layer 900' may have a substantially similar shape as the protective
layer 700 and the transfer layer 600. In the top-down view of FIG.
17B, the support layer 900' is not visible, but would have similar
or identical boundaries as the illustrated transfer layer 600. The
purpose of the support layer 900' is the same as support lines 900.
In other words, support layer 900' may provide stiffness to the
tape assembly to avoid the films of resin 300 being damaged by
preventing the transfer film 600 from overly stretching in the feed
direction when being fed between supply roller 810 and take-up
roller 820. However, one potential downside of using support layer
900' instead of support lines 900 is that, when the applicator pad
100 presses the films of nail polish formulation 300 into the
user's fingernail 410, the protective layer 900' is positioned
between the applicator pad 100 and the film of nail polish
formulation 300, which may result in a loss of the ability of the
applicator pad 100 to fully conform to the contours of the user's
fingernail 410.
[0124] Although the systems and methods described in connection
with FIGS. 13A-17B are described in terms of nail polish
formulation 300, it should be understood that a PSA film 500
(including a UV-curable PSA, which may be a liquid PSA) may be used
as a base coat to replace any base coat nail polish formulation 300
described herein. For example, if the user is provided with a
plurality of individual films (similar to FIG. 14A) of a stack of
the films (similar to FIG. 14B), the user may be provided with ten
(or twelve) PSA films 500 for the base coat, ten (or twelve) films
of nail polish formulation 300 for the color coat, and another ten
(or twelve) films of nail polish formulation 300 for the top coat.
Similarly, if the user is provided with a tape roll similar to that
shown and described in connection with FIGS. 15A-17B, the base coat
nail polish formulation 300 may be replaced with a PSA film 500. If
the PSA films 500 are provided in place of the base coat nail
polish formulation 300, the process is generally the same for the
manicure, with the exception that the PSA film 500 may not be cured
(unless the PSA is provided as a UV-curable PSA), as described in
connection with FIGS. 11A-11C. And further, instead of merely
replacing the base coat nail polish formulation 300 with the PSA
film 500, the PSA film 500 and color coat nail polish formulation
300 may be layered on top of one another, similar to that described
in connection with FIGS. 12A-C. For example, if the user is
provided with a tape roll similar to that described in connection
with FIGS. 15A-17B, the color coat nail polish formulation 300B may
be positioned on top of the transfer layer 600, and the film of PSA
500 may be positioned on top of the color coat nail polish
formulation 300B. Thus, during the application process, as the tape
is fed from the supply roller 810 to the take-up roller 820, the
initial deposition by the applicator pad 100 is of both the PSA
film 500 and the color coat nail polish formulation 300B. The two
layers may be deposited simultaneously, and then the color coat
nail polish formulation 300B on the fingernail 410 may be cured,
followed by a deposition and curing of the top coat nail polish
formulation 300C. As a result, there would be only two depositions
per finger 410 in a manicure. The same concept may be applied if,
instead of the tape roll, individual films or stacks of individual
films are provided to the user. For example, the user may be
provided with a total of ten (or twelve) films that include the PSA
film 500 stacked on the film of color coat nail polish formulation
300B, and a total of ten (or twelve) films of top coat nail polish
formulation 300C. However, it should be understood that the
pre-curing process may be difficult to use effectively if a
non-curable PSA film 500 is used as a base coat. But if the PSA
film 500 is provided as a UV-curable PSA, the pre-curing process
may be used similar to the method described above.
[0125] In some embodiments, the package that contains the nail
polish formulation(s) 300 and/or PSA film(s) 500 and/or applicator
pad(s) 100 may be a vacuum-formed packet with a foil lid, although
the packaging may take various other forms. Regardless of the
particular form of the packaging, the package and/or components
within the package may include additional features to assist the
system in determining information regarding the components enclosed
in the package. For example, the packaging (or the components that
will be inserted into the system, such as a tape roll similar to
that shown in FIGS. 15A-17B or the individual or stacked films
shown in FIGS. 14A-B) may include an identifying chip or similar
feature that contains information specific to the contents of the
package. For example, each roll of tape may include an RFID chip
(or other similar device) that may communicate with a corresponding
RFID reader (or other suitable reader device) within the system.
The information contained in the chip may include any useful
information, for example including what coats are included in the
package (e.g. base coat and/or color coat and/or top coat) as well
as the number of each coat, and any particular information about
the coat. For example, the information may identify the base coat
as a PSA film 500 or a high viscosity nail polish formulation 300.
The information may also identify if a PSA film 500 is provided as
a base coat with a high viscosity nail polish formulation 300 as a
color coat that is provided stacked with the PSA film 500 (as
described in connection with FIGS. 12A-C). This information may
help the system determine, for example, how many coats are applied
to each fingernail, whether any forces on application pad 100 need
to be modified depending on what coat(s) are being applied, etc.
Still further, different color coats may have different optimal
curing times. That information may be provided within the
identifying chip to instruct the UV source 50 to activate for a
pre-determined amount of time specific to the color coat being used
in the manicure. If the nail polish formulation (and/or PSA films)
are provided on a roll of tape similar to that described in
connection with FIGS. 15A-17B, information may be encoded regarding
where the different films are located along the strip, which may
allow the system to more accurately feed the tape in the system to
optimally position each film relative to the applicator pad and the
user's fingernail prior to deposition onto the user's fingernail.
In other embodiments when the nail polish formulation (and/or PSA
films) are provided as a tape roll, a standard distance between
each film of nail polish formulation (or PSA) may be provided, and
the system may feed the tape from the supply roller 810 to the
take-up roller 820 a fixed distance prior to each deposition step.
In this embodiment, the system may keep a count of how many
deposition steps have been performed in order to keep track of
which films have been applied and which films are still left to be
applied, etc. In other embodiments, the diameter of the tape on the
supply roller 810 (or on the take-up roller 820) may be monitored,
for example by a stick or a rod contacting the outer diameter of
the supply roller 810 (or the take-up roller 820), with the
position of the stick or the rod corresponding to a diameter of the
tape remaining on the supply roller 810 (or the tape spent on the
take-up roller 820). The diameter may directly relate to how many
application steps have been performed (or how many remain), which
may allow the system to keep track of which films have been applied
and which films are still left to be applied, etc.
[0126] Although FIGS. 15A-17B generally describe one type of system
architecture in which an applicator pad presses nail polish
formulation from a transfer film onto the user's fingernail, it
should be clear from the above description that other mechanisms
and system architectures are possible. For example, the general
concept described in connection with FIGS. 6A-7C in which nail
polish formulation is directly picked up by an applicator pad, and
then transferred from the applicator pad to the user's fingernail,
may be employed with a tape-like mechanism. FIG. 18A illustrates
one such embodiment in which applicator pad 100 interacts with a
tape roll to directly pick up nail polish formulation 300 from a
transfer tape 600'. In this embodiment, the tape roll may be
provided as a continuous tape roll, and may be either provided with
a supply roller 810 and a take-up roller 820, or otherwise may be
coupled to one or both rollers by the end user, if the rollers are
permanent or semi-permanent members of the system. The continuous
tape roll of FIG. 18A may be substantially similar to the
continuous tape roll of FIG. 15B, with certain exceptions. Although
not illustrated in FIG. 18A, the tape roll of FIG. 18A may be
provided with a protective layer similar or identical to protective
layer 700 of FIG. 15B, for example to help protect the nail polish
formulation 300 during storage, transport, etc. The nail polish
formulation 300 may be similar or identical to any other nail
polish formulation described herein, and may be provided as the
same formulation or different formulations along the length of the
tape, for example, sequences of base coat, color coat, and top
coat, or in any other desired sequence or grouping (including with
more than three or less than three different formulations). In use,
the tape roll of FIG. 18A may be loaded into a system similar to
those described above, and the system may actively or passively
rotate one or both of the supply roller 810 and take-up roller 820
in the same direction D9 (clockwise in the view of FIG. 18A) to
advance the transfer tape 600' in direction D10 so that a film of
nail polish formulation 300 is positioned near or adjacent the
applicator pad 100. The applicator pad 100 may be rotated or rolled
in direction D11, in substantially the same fashion as described in
connection with FIGS. 6A-B, to transfer the nail polish formulation
300 from the transfer tape 600' to the applicator pad 100. As with
other embodiments described herein, the applicator pad 100 may
engage the nail polish formulation 300 with types of motion other
than rolling or rotating, such as pressing in a vertical direction,
or in any other suitable fashion. Once the nail polish formulation
300 is positioned on the applicator pad 100, the applicator pad may
be moved (or the transfer tape 600' and associated components may
be moved) as necessary so that the applicator pad 100 may be
positioned adjacent a user's fingernail in the system, and the nail
polish formulation 300 may be transferred to the user's fingernail
in substantially the same fashion as described above in connection
with FIGS. 7A-C. The nail polish formulation 300 may be cured and
the process may continue as described above until the manicure is
complete, with the applicator pad 100 picking up additional nail
polish formulation 300 from transfer tape 600' as necessary for
further depositions (e.g. nail polish formulation 300 may be
transferred to applicator pad 100 after each deposition, or
otherwise after a set number of depositions). It should be
understood that, in FIG. 18A, the smaller films of nail polish
formulation 300 illustrated to the right of the applicator pad 100
represent prior films of nail polish formulation 300 that have
previously been transferred to the applicator pad 100 and deposited
onto the user's fingernail, as it is contemplated that, if nail
polish formulation 300 is provided in discrete (or spaced apart)
films, each discrete film may have more material than is expected
to be picked up by the applicator pad 100, in order to ensure that
the applicator pad 100 is fully loaded with nail polish formulation
300 after each step of transferring the nail polish formulation 300
from the transfer tape 600' to the applicator pad 100.
[0127] One notable difference between the systems of FIG. 15C and
FIG. 18A is that, in the system of FIG. 18A, the transfer tape 600'
is not pressed by the applicator pad 100 toward the user's
fingernail for the deposition of the nail polish formulation 300.
As a result, while transfer film 600 is described above as
preferably having a hardness that is equal to or less than the
hardness of the applicator pad 100, this relationship need not
exist for the transfer tape 600' of FIG. 18A. In fact, it may be
preferable for the transfer tape 600' to be significantly less
compliant than the applicator pad 100. In other words, because the
portion of the transfer tape 600' that the applicator pad 100
presses against may be suspended between adjacent rollers 810, 820.
Thus, it may be desirable for the transfer tape 600' to have some
rigidity. Even if the transfer tape 600' was not suspended, it may
be preferable for the transfer tape 600' to have some rigidity so
that the transfer tape 600' does not deform (or significantly
deform) when the applicator pad 100 presses against the transfer
tape 600' to pick up nail polish formulation 300. In some examples,
the transfer tape 600' may be formed of a material with a cellulose
base, similar to cellulose acetate photography film, although
various materials may be suitable. The system of FIG. 18A may
provide various benefits compared to the system of FIGS. 15A-C. For
example, various features may be built into the roll of transfer
tape 600' that might be difficult to accomplish with the roll of
transfer film 600. In one particular example, perforations may be
provided with transfer tape 600' because of its non-compliance
relative to transfer film 600, which may assist in tearing the
transfer tape 600' as desired. Further, because of the relative
non-compliance of transfer tape 600' compared to transfer film 600,
the transfer tape 600' may be formed of relatively thin material,
allowing for an overall smaller roll of transfer tape 600' compared
to transfer film 600. Although it is contemplated that a roll of
transfer tape 600' with pre-deposited nail polish formulation 300
may be provided to the user as a packaged item with or without an
applicator pad 100, it may be preferable to provide an applicator
pad in the package. This may be because, for example, the
applicator pad 100 is in direct contact with nail polish
formulation 300, which may result in the applicator pad 100
becoming dirty over time, whereas the applicator pad 100 in the
system of FIGS. 15A-C may never need to directly contact any nail
polish formulation.
[0128] As noted above, because the applicator pad 100 of FIG. 18A
is in direct contact with nail polish formulation 300, it may
become dirty as the applicator pad 100 picks up nail polish
formulation 300 from the transfer tape 600' and deposits it on the
user's fingernail. Although it is contemplated that a new
applicator pad 100 may be able to effectively provide an entire
manicure worth of nail polish deposits without needing to be
cleaned, in other embodiments, the system may be provided with a
mechanism for actively cleaning the applicator pad 100. For
example, FIG. 18B illustrates a cleaning roll 830 that may be
provided with the system. After applicator pad 100 deposits nail
polish formulation 300 form the applicator pad 100 to the user's
fingernail, it may be expected that some amount residual nail
polish formulation 300' may remain on the applicator pad 100. After
any given step of depositing nail polish formulation 300 from the
applicator pad 100 to the user's fingernail, the applicator pad 100
may be moved, repositioned, and/or re-oriented so that the leading
end of the applicator pad 100 is positioned adjacent a cleaning
roller 830, which may be positioned spaced away from other
components of the system. The applicator pad 100 may be rotated or
rolled in direction D12 in order to make contact between the
applicator pad 100 and the cleaning roller 830. However, it should
be understood that any type of motion may be suitable the moves the
leading end of the applicator pad 100 across or through a range of
contact with the cleaning roller 830. The cleaning roller 830 may
also be actively rotated in a direction D13 during the contact with
applicator pad 100 (counterclockwise in the view of FIG. 18B),
although in other embodiments the cleaning roller 830 may be purely
passively rotated via the contact with the applicator pad 100. As
the applicator pad 100 drags across the surface of the cleaning
roller 830, the residual nail polish 300' may be transferred from
the applicator pad 100 to the cleaning roller 830, to provide a
relatively clean surface of the applicator pad 100 for the next
step of transferring nail polish formulation 300 from the transfer
tape 600' to the applicator pad 100. The cleaning roller 830 may be
disposable and provided in a package with the transfer tape 600'
(and/or the applicator pad 100), or otherwise may be a permanent or
semi-permanent member of the system that can be removed, cleaned,
and replaced between manicures. Although the inclusion of cleaning
roller 830 may obviate the need to provide a fresh applicator pad
100 with each package of transfer tape 600', it still may be
desirable to include a fresh applicator pad 100 with each package
of transfer tape 600. It should also be understood that in order to
facilitate movement of the nail polish formulation between
surfaces, preferably, the nail polish formulation has a greater
affinity for the applicator pad 100 than the transfer tape 600',
and a greater affinity for the cleaning roller 830 than the
applicator pad 100, although it should be understood that these
affinity hierarchies are not strictly required in all embodiments.
Further, although the system of FIGS. 18A-B is described as
including both a supply roller 810 and a take-up roller 820, in
some embodiments, as noted above in connection with FIG. 15C, the
take-up roller 820 may be omitted, with the second end of the tape
being fed into a desired area, such as a waste compartment.
[0129] In some embodiments, the applicator pad 100 may be omitted,
with a transfer film applied directly to the user's fingernail. For
example, a highly conformable transfer film may be provided,
similar or identical to transfer film 600. That transfer film may
include nail polish formulation positioned thereon substantially as
described above. Instead of pressing the nail polish formulation
onto the user's fingernail via an applicator pad, the transfer film
may include a support backing that is pulled or pushed onto the
user's fingernail. For example, a support backing of relatively
thick and/or relatively hard and/or relatively rigid material such
as paper may be provided on a side of the transfer film opposite
the nail polish formulation. The transfer film may be positioned
above the user's fingernail, and pulled or pressed down onto the
user's fingernail to transfer the nail polish formulation to the
user's fingernail. In some embodiments, an applicator device may be
provided to press the transfer film downward onto the user's
fingernail. In some embodiments, the transfer film may be provided
in a unit, for example a cartridge, that may be moved downward into
contact with the user's fingernail to transfer the nail polish
formulation from the transfer film to the user's fingernail. In
some embodiments, the applicator (or other device) pressing down or
pulling down on the transfer film is supported at areas on either
or both sides of the fingernail, which may facilitate the transfer
film flexing or otherwise conforming to the contours of the user's
fingernail. After nail polish formulation is transferred from the
transfer film to the user's fingernail, it may be cured via any of
the mechanisms described above, and the transfer film may be fed in
a direction to present the next area of nail polish formulation so
that the next area of nail polish formulation may be transferred to
the user's fingernail via a subsequent application. In some
embodiments, the unit may structurally and/or conceptually resemble
a cassette tape, where the bottom of the cassette tape presents the
nail polish formulation toward the user's fingernail, and the
transfer film can unspool from one roller of the unit while spent
transfer film can simultaneously spool onto a second roller of the
unit. In this example, the relatively rigid and/or relatively thick
support backing may function, alone or in combination with another
device, as the applicator. In some embodiments, a separate
applicator may be provided that presses down (or pulls down) on the
transfer film, and in such embodiments the transfer film may or may
not have a supporting layer positioned thereon. If provided as a
cassette-type of unit, a protective covering may be provided at the
exposed area of the cassette, so that during storage, the internal
components of the unit (such as the nail polish formulation) are
protected, including being protected from drying, etc. In such an
embodiment, the protective covering may be removed by the user just
prior to insertion of the unit into the system to expose the nail
polish formulation in preparation for the manicure. After
completion of the manicure, the unit may be removed from the system
and discarded by the user.
[0130] For example, FIGS. 19A-H illustrate a system similar to that
described above in various stages of application of nail polish to
a user's fingernail. Instead of including an applicator pad similar
to applicator pad 100, an applicator 100' may be used to press the
transfer film 600 against the user's fingernail 410. In the
illustrated example, applicator 100' is generally arcuate. In one
example, applicator 100' may include two posts or supports 110'
intended to be positioned on opposite sides of the user's finger
400, with a central member 120' extending therebetween. In some
examples, the central member 120' may be a flexible film or tape
that has enough rigidity to maintain a generally tented or arcuate
shape, with the arc extending away from the user's fingernail 410
in an operating condition. In other embodiments, the applicator
100' may be a unitary or integral member. In some embodiments, the
arcuate shape of center portion 120' may generally resemble a
typical arc of a fingernail 410 between the lateral folds, although
such similarity is not required. Applicator 100' may be secured to
a cassette or other member, such as cartridge 1000, described in
greater detail below. The cartridge 1000 is omitted from FIGS.
19A-H for purposes of clarity of illustration.
[0131] The transfer film 600 shown in FIGS. 19A-H may be
substantially similar or identical to transfer film 600 described
above. In the illustrated embodiment, transfer film 600 is formed
of a highly conformable material, such as any of the silicones
described above, and may have a thickness of a few millimeters,
such as between about 1 mm and about 5 mm, including about 2 mm,
about 3 mm, and about 4 mm, although other thicknesses may be
suitable. Nail polish formulation 300 may be positioned on the
transfer film 600 in substantially the same manner as described
above in prior embodiments. Although nail polish formulation 300 is
illustrated in FIGS. 19A-H as a continuous film, it should be
understood that the nail polish formulation 300 may alternatively
be provided in individual areas spaced apart from one another, with
the areas being of the same formulation or of different
formulations, such as base, top, and/or color coats. Also, as noted
above, even if nail polish formulation 300 is provided as a
continuous film, different areas of the film may be provided as
different formulations. As should be understood, nail polish
formulation 300 may have substantially the same or an identical
compositions as nail polish formulation 300 described above. In
some embodiments, a support layer 900' may be provided on transfer
film 600 opposite the nail polish formulation 300, although the
support layer 900' may be omitted in other embodiments. The support
layer 900' may be substantially similar or identical to support
layer 900' described above, although in the illustrated embodiment,
the support layer 900' may provide a somewhat different
functionality compared to the support layer 900' of FIGS. 17A-B. As
will be described below, the applicator 100' is adapted to push the
tape, which may include the support layer 900', the transfer film
600 and the nail polish formulation 300) into the user's fingernail
410. Because the transfer film 600 is formed of a highly
conformable material, it may be preferable for applicator to press
against support layer 900' to better transfer forces and push the
tape into the user's fingernail 410. Otherwise, if the applicator
100' directly contacted the transfer film 600, the high
conformability of the transfer film 600 might locally deform and
not allow for even pressing of the nail polish formulation 300 into
the user's fingernail 410.
[0132] Referring still to FIG. 19A, an initial step in a manicure
is illustrated. Both (a) the applicator 100' and (b) the tape that
includes (i) the transfer film 600, (ii) the nail polish
formulation 300, and (iii) the support layer 900' (if included),
are supported by and/or within the cartridge 1000 described below.
As described in greater detail below, only a portion of the tape
within the cartridge 1000 is illustrated in FIGS. 19A-H, and
additional length of the tape may be provided within the cartridge
1000. A user may place his or her finger 400 into the system (which
may be similar to any of the housings and systems described above),
with the finger 400 being positioned under the tape. In some
embodiments, the cartridge 1000 accommodating the tape may be moved
into a position over the user's finger 400 only after the user
inserts his or her finger 400 into the system. Once the finger 400
is positioned under the nail polish formulation 300, the applicator
100' may be driven in a direction D14 downwardly toward the finger
400. In some embodiments, the tape and the applicator 100' may both
be coupled to the cartridge 1000 in a manner such that driving the
cartridge 1000 downward drives the applicator 100' and the tape
downward simultaneously. Although the tape (specifically the
support layer 900' in the illustrated embodiment) is shown in FIG.
19A as being positioned a spaced distance from the supports 110' of
applicator 100', the illustrated distance may be greater or
smaller, including about zero with the support layer 900' in
contact with the supports 110' of applicator 100'. However, in
other embodiments, the applicator 100' may move relative to the
tape, with the tape remaining in substantially the same position
relative to the fingernail 410 but for the force of the applicator
100' pressing the tape onto the nail 410.
[0133] As illustrated in FIG. 19B, the applicator 100' continues to
move together downwardly in direction D14 with the tape until the
nail polish formulation 300 begins to contact the fingernail 410.
After contact is made between the tape and the fingernail 410, as
shown in FIG. 19C, the applicator 100' and tape continue moving
downward in direction D14 together. However, the portion of the
tape between the supports 110' continues to deform as the supports
110' move beyond the fingernail 410. The applicator 100' and the
tape continue to be moved downward relative to the fingernail 410,
as shown in FIG. 19D, until the portion of the tape in contact with
the user's fingernail 410 conforms to the contours of the user's
fingernail. As with the embodiments described above, the
conformability of the transfer film 600 and the viscosity of the
nail polish formulation 300 help ensure that the nail polish
formulation 300 is deposited onto the entire fingernail 410,
including the proximal and lateral folds. Also, similar to the
embodiment described above, the nail polish formulation 300
preferably has an adhesion preference to the user's fingernail 410
(or another layer of nail polish formulation on the fingernail 410)
compared to the transfer film 600. As a result, after applicator
100' and the tape start to move in the opposite direction D15 away
from the fingernail 410, the portion of the nail polish formulation
300 that contacted the user's finger 400 will transfer from the
transfer film 600 to the fingernail 410, as shown in FIG. 19E.
[0134] The applicator 100' and tape may continue to be driven in
direction D15 away from the user's finger 400, as shown in FIG.
19F, until the applicator 100' returns to its original position, as
shown in FIG. 19G. At this point, a layer of nail polish
formulation 300 has been deposited on the user's fingernail 410,
but remains uncured. Similar to embodiments described above, the
cartridge containing the applicator 100' and the tape may be moved
away from the user's fingernail 410 at this point, and an energy
source within the system may selectively cure the nail polish
formulation 300, in substantially the same manner as described in
connection with other embodiments above. Still referring to FIG.
19G, the system may then prepare for a second deposition of nail
polish formulation 300. For example, the tape may be advanced in
direction D16 while the applicator 100' remains stationary, so that
a new area of nail polish formulation 300 is positioned between the
supports 110' of applicator 100', as shown in FIG. 19H. As noted
above, different formulations of nail polish formulation 300 may be
provided along transfer film 600 so that, after the deposition and
curing of a first layer of nail polish formulation 300 (for example
a base coat), the tape may be advanced until a second layer of nail
polish formulation 300 (for example a color coat) is positioned
between the supports 110'. The steps of the process shown in FIGS.
19A-H may be repeated to deposit and cure as many layers of nail
polish formulation 300 onto the user's fingernail, and for as many
fingers or toes as is desired, until the manicure is complete.
[0135] FIGS. 20A-B illustrate one example of cartridge 1000. The
cartridge 1000 may be substantially rectangular, although various
other shapes may be suitable. The cartridge 1000 may include an
opening or recess 1010 near a bottom and center area of the
cartridge 1000. In the illustrated embodiment, recess 1010 is
arcuate or semicircular, and may be shaped to receive a tip of a
finger 400 fully or partially therein. The applicator 100' may be
fixed within the cartridge 1000 near or adjacent the recess 1010 so
that the supports 110' of the applicator 100' are generally
positioned on opposites side of the recess 1010. Although
applicator 100' is illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 20A, the
applicator 100' may not be visible in the view of FIG. 20A as it is
at least partially encased by cartridge 1000.
[0136] Cartridge 1000 may also include a supply roller 1020 and a
take-up roller 1030 therein. In the illustrated embodiment, supply
roller 1020 is positioned on a first side of applicator 100' with
the take-up roller 1030 being positioned on the opposite side of
applicator 100'. The supply roller 1020 and take-up roller 1030 may
each be circular or cylindrical, and are each preferably capable of
rotating about a center of the roller. The cartridge 1000 may
include a tape 1100, the tape 1100 being similar or identical to
that shown and described in connection with FIGS. 19A-H. In other
words, tape 1100 may be formed of one or more of transfer film 600,
nail polish formulation 300, and support layer 900', including in a
similar or identical configuration as described in connection with
any of the above embodiments. One end of tape 1100 may be coupled
to the supply roller 1020, and an opposite end of the tape 1100 may
be coupled to the take-up roller 1030. As illustrated, the tape
1100 may include one or more windings or coils around the supply
roller 1020 and/or take-up roller 1030. Although the individual
components of tape 1100 are not separately identified in FIGS.
20A-B, the nail polish formulation 300 is preferably oriented so
that it faces away from the applicator 100' (e.g. toward the bottom
of the view in FIG. 20A), the support layer 900' (if included) is
preferably oriented so that it faces toward the applicator 100'
(e.g. toward the top of the view of FIG. 20A), and the transfer
film 600 is preferably oriented between the applicator 100' and the
nail polish formulation 300.
[0137] Still referring to FIGS. 20A-B, tape 1100 preferably extends
downwardly from supply roller 1020 toward a bottom of the cartridge
1000 (in the view of FIG. 20A), then in a direction substantially
parallel to the bottom of the cartridge 1000 so that a portion of
the tape traverses recess 1010 either directly below, or in contact
with, the supports 110' of applicator 100'. After the tape 1000
passes beyond the applicator 100', it may extend back upwardly
toward take-up roller 1030. When portions of the tape 1000 are
coiled or wound up in multiple turns so that multiple layers of the
tape 1000 are in contact with one another, the tape 1000 may have a
configuration similar to that shown in FIG. 15B, in which one or
more portions of the nail polish formulation 300 are in contact
with and/or protected by support layer 900'. Thus, in some
embodiments, support layer 900' may be similar or identical to
protective layer 700, in structure and/or function.
[0138] In an initial condition of the cartridge 1000, the tape 1100
may be wound multiple turns around the supply roller 1020, and few
or no turns around the take-up roller 1030. In this initial
condition, at least some nail polish formulation 300 on the tape
1100 may be exposed and face toward the bottom of the cartridge
1000 (and toward a user's fingernail 410 when in an operative
condition). In one embodiment, the cartridge 1000 may be open
substantially along the boundary of the recess 1010, so that the
opening in the cartridge 1000 is about equal to the width of the
recess 1010 at the base of the cartridge. In some embodiments, as
shown in FIG. 20B, the bottom of cartridge 1000 may be open for a
distance on one or both sides of the cartridge 1000 extending
beyond the border of the recess 1010. In either case, a length of
tape 1100 is exposed at the recess 1010 so that the cartridge
1000--and specifically the nail polish formulation 300 presented by
tape 1100--may be pressed onto a user's fingernail 410.
[0139] The use of cartridge 1000 may be substantially similar or
identical to the description above in connection with FIGS. 19A-H,
and thus will not be described in further detail herein. However,
it should be understood that cartridge 1000 may be coupled or
otherwise supported within the system in any suitable fashion that
allows the cartridge 1000 to be moved (i) down toward the user's
fingernail 410; (ii) up away from the user's fingernail 410; (iii)
laterally away from the user's fingernail 410 to allow for curing;
and (iv) to advance tape 1100 from supply roller 1020 toward
take-up roller 1030 (or from take-up roller 1030 toward supply
roller 1020). However, in some embodiments, less than all of the
movements (i) through (iv) may be required.
[0140] In one example, supply roller 1020 and take-up roller 1030
may both be annular or otherwise define a central recess, and the
cartridge 1000 may similarly define openings that extend through a
center of the supply roller 1020 and take-up roller 1030. For
example, the cartridge 1000 may define two substantially circular
openings which may be slid onto or over corresponding cartridge
supports in the system housing to hold the cartridge 1000 in a
desired position. Those cartridge supports may be translatable in
one, two, or three linear directions to move the cartridge 1000 in
corresponding linear directions, and one or both of the cartridge
supports may be rotatable to cause rotation of the supply roller
1020 and/or the take-up roller 1030 to advance the tape 1100 from
the supply roller 1020 to the take-up roller 1030. In this
exemplary embodiment, the cartridge supports of the system housing
may be advanced downward toward a user's fingernail 410 when the
user's finger 400 is positioned underneath recess 1010. As the
cartridge 1000 is advanced, the exposed portion of tape 1010
contacts the user's fingernail 410, and as movement continues, the
applicator 100' may help the tape 1100 deform over the user's
fingernail 410 as described in connection with FIGS. 19A-D to
deposit a layer of nail polish formulation 300. Then, the cartridge
supports may be moved upward and/or away from the user's fingernail
410 to allow for an optical pathway between the curing energy
source and the nail polish formulation 300 deposited on the
fingernail 410 to cure the layer of nail polish formulation 300.
Before or after the curing step, the supply roller 1020 and/or
take-up roller 1030 may be rotated (e.g. counterclockwise in the
view of FIG. 20A) to advance the tape toward the take-up roller
1030. This may result in spent portions of the tape 1100 to begin
(or continue) to wind around take-up roller 1030, with a fresh area
of nail polish formulation 300 on the tape 1100 moving into the
area of recess 1010 for a successive deposition onto the user's
fingernail 410 (either the same fingernail or the fingernail of a
different finger).
[0141] The cartridge 1000 may be supplied with enough tape 1100 to
perform a complete manicure (e.g. for ten fingers), and optionally
with enough additional tape 1100 to perform additional depositions
for "fixes" of one or more fingernails as desired, similar as
described above. With this configuration, a user may use a single
cartridge 1000 for a manicuring session, and dispose of the
cartridge 1000 after a satisfactory completion of the manicure. The
configuration of cartridge 1000 may allow for relatively easy
loading of the cartridge 1000 into the system housing, and
relatively easy disposal of the cartridge 1000 upon completion,
while reducing or eliminating the likelihood of nail polish
formulation inadvertently depositing within the system or elsewhere
(e.g. reducing the overall "messiness" of the process). In some
embodiments, although not illustrated, the cartridge 1000 may be
provided to the user with a protective covering of some or all
portions of the recess 1010 in order to create a partial or
complete seal of the cartridge. For example, a foil or plastic
layer may be provided over the recess 1010 so that the nail polish
formulation 300 is unlikely to dry out, inadvertently cure, or
otherwise suffer from degradation or unwanted effects of exposure
to air or light. In some embodiments, it may be preferable that
cartridge 1000 partially or completely blocks curing energy, such
as ultraviolet light, through the cartridge 1000 in order to help
prevent premature and/or unintentional curing of the nail polish
formulation 300 prior to the manicure. Just prior to inserting the
cartridge 1000 into the system housing, the user may peel off or
otherwise remove the protective layer, exposing the recess 1010 in
preparation for the manicure session.
[0142] FIGS. 21A-E illustrate components of a cartridge 2000 of a
system, and method of using the cartridge generally similar to that
shown and described in connection with FIGS. 19A-20B. It should be
understood that, where appropriate, items and methods described in
connection with the system of FIGS. 19A-20 may be added to or
substituted with the system and method shown and described in
connection with FIGS. 21A-E, and vice versa.
[0143] Now referring to FIG. 21A, it should be understood that the
outer housing or casing 2400 of cartridge 2000 is omitted for
clarity of illustration. Cartridge 2000 may include an applicator
2100 generally similar to applicator 100' described above. As with
the embodiment described above, applicator 2100 may be provided as
integral with, or otherwise coupled to cartridge 2000, but in other
embodiments the applicator 2100 may be a part of the housing of the
system into which the cartridge 2000 is inserted, so that each
individual cartridge 2000 does not come with its own applicator
2100. Applicator 2100 may generally be used press nail polish
formulation onto a user's fingernail. In the illustrated example,
applicator 2100 is generally arcuate, and includes two guide pins
2110 at generally opposite ends of the applicator 2100. The guide
pins 2110 may function to help guide tape 2200 (which may support
nail polish formulation) around the applicator 2100 as the tape
2200 as it moves between supply roller 2020 and take-up roller
2030.
[0144] Applicator 2100 may take a similar or the same form as
applicator 100'. For example, applicator 2100 may be a flexible
film or tape that has enough rigidity to maintain a generally
tented or arcuate shape, the flexible film or tape extending
between guide pins 2110. If applicator 2100 is provided as a
flexible film, it may be formed of a conformable material such as
an elastic band, a soft plastic sheet, such as
polytetrafluoroethylene ("PTFE"), or similar materials. However,
the applicator 2100 may instead be formed of a more rigid material,
such as a hard plastic material. The guide pins 2110 may be formed
integrally with or as separate members from the applicator 2100.
For example, if the applicator 2100 is formed as a rigid member,
the guide pins 2110 may be integral with the applicator 2100. If
the guide pins 2110 are integral with the applicator 2100, the
guide pins may simply be a rounded surface on the applicator 2100.
If the applicator 2100 is formed of a generally conformable tape or
film, it may be preferable to provide guide pins 2110 as separate
members which the tape of film may connect to, and the guide pins
2110 may be any suitable material, including hard or soft metals or
plastics.
[0145] Similar to cartridge 1000, cartridge 2000 may include a tape
with nail polish formulation positioned thereon. In the embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 21A, the tape may include a transfer film 600
similar or identical to the transfer film 600 described above, and
is thus not described in further detail here. Although not shown, a
support layer, which may be similar to support layer 900' described
above, may be provided on the backside of the transfer film 600 so
the support layer 900' is positioned between the transfer film 600
and the applicator 2100. As with cartridge 1000, the
above-described nail polish formulation 300 may be provided on
transfer film 600 so as to face a user's fingernail in an operative
condition, the nail polish formulation 300 having any desired
formulation and/or configuration described above. In the embodiment
illustrated in FIG. 21A, nail polish formulation is provided on
transfer film 600 in a plurality of "windows" or discrete areas,
although in other embodiments the nail polish formulation may be
provided as a continuous layer. In particular, at the point in the
manicure shown in FIG. 21A, one window of nail polish formulation
2300a has already been applied to the user's fingernail. Nail
polish formulation 2300a is shown as having already been cured, for
example using pre-curing (which may also be referred to as inverse
curing) as described above (and in more detail below), prior to
having been applied to the user's fingernail. As a result, the
uncured portion of nail polish formulation (which is shown as
missing from nail polish formulation window 2300a in FIG. 21A)
between the cured portions of nail polish formulation was already
deposited onto the user's fingernail, and the transfer film 600 is
being advanced in preparation for the next deposition of nail
polish formulation 2300b in the next window. Thus, at the stage of
the manicure illustrated in FIG. 21A, nail polish formulation
window 2300a may be considered as used or spent. As with
embodiments described above, in order to advance the transfer film
600 in preparation for the next deposition, take-up roller 2030 may
be rotated, for example in the counter-clockwise direction CCW
illustrated in FIG. 21A. In addition, or alternatively, the supply
roller 2020 may rotate, for example also in the counter-clockwise
direction CCW illustrated in FIG. 21A, to advance the transfer film
600 in order to position the next window of nail polish formulation
2300b adjacent the applicator 2100. A third window of nail polish
formulation 2300c is also illustrated in FIG. 21A, this third
window for application to the user's fingernail following
application of the window of nail polish formulation 2300b. In the
state of the manicure shown in FIG. 21, nail polish formulation
windows 2300b and 2300c are not yet cured.
[0146] FIG. 21B illustrates cartridge 2000 after the take-up roller
2030 and/or supply roller 2020 have advanced transfer film 600 so
that the window of nail polish 2300b is positioned adjacent
applicator 2100 and generally between the guide pins 2110. At this
point, the window of nail polish 2300b may undergo a pre-curing
process to cure some areas of the window of nail polish formulation
2300b on the periphery of the window, while leaving uncured a
center portion of the window of nail polish formulation 2300b. The
pre-cure may be performed using energy source 50', in substantially
a similar manner as described above in connection with FIG. 10A.
For example, the boundaries of the user's fingernail may be
detected via any suitable method, including through the use of an
optical sensor as described above. That information may be used to
determine which portions of the window of nail polish formulation
2300b are likely to be transferred to the user's fingernail upon
deposition, and which portions of the window of nail polish
formulation 2300b are likely to be transferred onto the user's skin
outside the boundaries of the user's fingernail. This excess nail
polish area of nail polish window 2300b may be cured, for example
via energy source 50' directing curing energy 51' (which may be UV
energy) only to the excess nail polish area. Similar to as
described in connection with FIG. 10A, the curvature of the
fingernail, as well as the substantially linear shape of the nail
polish formulation window 2300b that will be applied onto the
curved fingernail, may be taken into account when determining which
areas of nail polish formulation window 2300b to pre-cure. The
substantially linear shape of the nail polish formulation window
2300b may result, at least in part, with assistance from the
transfer film 600 extending between, and being in contact with,
guide pins 2110.
[0147] Referring now to FIG. 21C, after the window of nail polish
formulation 2300b has been pre-cured, the cartridge 2000 may be
positioned so that the applicator 2100 is positioned above the
user's finger 400 and fingernail 410. If the cartridge 2000 moved
laterally to be positioned directly positioned over energy source
50', it may be moved laterally again to position applicator 2100
directly over the user's fingernail 410. Otherwise, if the
cartridge 2000 is stationary in the lateral or side-to-side
direction, the user's finger 400 may be positioned directly under
the applicator 2100 upon placing his or her finger 400 in the
manicure system. For example, the housing that houses cartridge
2000 may have a single generally finger-sized aperture so that,
when the user inserts his or her finger 400 into that aperture, it
will be positioned directly underneath the applicator 2100 of
cartridge 2000 when the cartridge 2000 is loaded into the manicure
system. FIG. 21C illustrates an outline of the housing or casing
2400 of cartridge 2000 in dashed lines, although it should be
understood that the casing 2400 may take any suitable shape. Casing
2400 may be generally similar to the cartridge 1000 illustrated in
FIGS. 20A-B, and may include an open bottom to allow for portions
of the transfer film 600 and/or nail polish formulation window
2300b adjacent the applicator 2100 to be exposed for contact with a
user's finger 400. Additional contours or openings may be provided
in casing 2400 to allow for the user's fingernail 410 to be at
least partially surrounded by applicator 2100, as shown in FIG.
21D. Further, casing 2400 may include additional features to allow
for the cartridge 2000 to be received within, or coupled to,
components within the manicure system so that the cartridge 2000
can readily be inserted into the system prior to use, and removed
from the system for disposal following the manicure.
[0148] Now referring to FIG. 21D, once the nail polish formulation
window 2300b has been pre-cured and the user's finger 400 is
positioned underneath the applicator 2100, the cartridge 2000 may
be driven downward toward the user's fingernail 410, similar to
that described in connection with FIGS. 19C-D. As the transfer film
600 begins to contact the user's fingernail 410, the transfer film
600 may conform to the shape of the applicator 2100 and/or the
user's fingernail 410, with the uncured portion of the nail polish
formulation window 2300b contacting the user's fingernail 410. As
the transfer film 600 contacts the user's fingernail 410, it may be
preferable for the supply roller 2020 and/or the take-up roller
2030 to be loose or capable of passive rotation, so that the
transfer film 600 does not stretch (or only minimally stretches) as
it conforms to the user's nail 410 and/or the contours of
applicator 2100. In some embodiments, the cartridge 2000 is set to
move a pre-set distance toward the user's finger 400. In other
embodiments, one or more sensors may be used to determine when the
travel of cartridge 2000 is stopped. For example, in the embodiment
of FIG. 21D, a force sensor 2500 may be provided, for example in a
finger support, with the user resting his or her finger 400 on the
force sensor 2500 during the deposition of the nail polish
formulation 2300b. The cartridge 2000 may be advanced until the
force sensor 2500 registers a pre-set force threshold, at which
point movement of the cartridge 2000 toward the finger 400 may be
halted. In other embodiments, a force sensor may be provided at the
connection between the cartridge 2000 and the manicure system
housing, with the movement being stopped upon registration of a
threshold force. Other sensor systems may be used in addition or
alternatively to assist with limiting the movement of the cartridge
2000 toward the user's finger 400, including optical sensors or the
like.
[0149] After the window of nail polish formulation 2300b is in
sufficient contact with the user's fingernail 410, the cartridge
2000 may move linearly away from the user's fingernail 410. In the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 21E, as the cartridge 2000 moves
away from the user's fingernail 410 (or after the cartridge 2000
has moved away from the user's fingernail 410), the supply roller
2020 and/or take-up roller 2030 may rotate to pull the transfer
film 600 taught. For example, the take-up roller 2030 may rotate in
a counterclockwise CCW direction while the supply roller 2020 may
rotate in a clockwise CW direction, shown in FIG. 21E, to pull the
transfer film 600 taut over the guide pins 2110 of the applicator
2100 and away from the user's fingernail 410. Similar to
embodiments described above, the uncured portion of the window of
nail polish formulation 2300b may transfer to the user's fingernail
410 in a manner that substantially covers the entire fingernail
410, including the proximal and lateral folds. On the other hand,
the pre-cured portions of the window of nail polish formulation
2300b, may remain on the transfer film 600 and not transfer to the
user's finger 400 or fingernail 410. Because the pre-cure process
precisely pre-cured only the excess nail polish formulation, the
uncured nail polish formulation will closely match the detected
shape of the user's fingernail 410 for accurate coverage of the
fingernail 410.
[0150] After the cartridge 2000 is in the position shown in FIG.
21E, the nail polish formulation deposited on the user's fingernail
410 may be cured. Because of the precision of the deposition, a
bulk curing process may be performed on the nail polish formulation
on the fingernail, in which energy is not selectively applied, but
rather applied to a large area including the fingernail in order to
cure the nail polish formulation on the fingernail. However, in
other embodiments, selective curing similar to that described in
embodiments above may be performed. In either case, the cartridge
2100 may be moved out of the way prior to such curing, if desired,
to ensure that the curing energy may reach the user's fingernail.
Before or after curing the nail polish formulation on the user's
fingernail 410, the take-up roller 2030 (and the supply roller
2020, if desired) may be rotated to advance the transfer film 600
into a position similar to that shown in FIG. 21A in preparation
for either depositing another layer of the nail polish formulation
to the user's fingernail (either of the same finger or another
finger). As with the embodiment described in connection with FIGS.
19A-20B, the process may be repeated until the desired numbers and
types of nail polish formulation have been deposited onto the
desired number of fingernails of the user, and the manicure is
completed. The cartridge 2000 may then be removed from the manicure
system and disposed of easily and cleanly. When the next manicure
is desired, the user can insert a fresh cartridge 2000 into the
manicure system and repeat the process.
[0151] It should be understood that, although different embodiments
with various features have been described above, features from some
embodiments may be combined with features from other embodiments as
appropriate. For example, the pre-curing methodology may be used
with the system and method described in connection with FIGS.
19A-20B, and the pre-curing methodology may be omitted from the
system and method described in connection with FIGS. 21A-E. If
pre-curing is omitted from the system and method of FIGS. 21A-E,
the final curing of the nail polish formulation on the user's
fingernail may be done via a selective and price curing method,
instead of a bulk or flash cure. In other words, the features of
various embodiments herein may be combined with, or altered based
on, features described in connection with other embodiments herein,
without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0152] It should further be understood that, although various
concepts are described herein in connection with a specific
application of manicure systems, the concepts may be applied in a
similar fashion in other types of applications without departing
from the scope of the invention. For example, the pre-curing (or
inverse curing) methodology may be used in other applications in
which it is desirable to transfer a curable formulation (such as a
curable resin, including a UV-curable formulation or resin) from an
applicator film or pad to an object, while doing so with high
precision. Although the object described above is a fingernail, the
object can be any objected adapted to receive a resin thereon. For
example, the pre-curing method may be used with pad press
technology in which an applicator pad, which may be generally
similar to pad 100 shown and described in connection with FIGS.
10A-D, is used to deposit a formulation and/or resin onto an
object. The pre-curing or inverse curing method may also be used
with transfer films instead of, or in addition to, applicator pads.
If it is desirable to print a logo, for example, on many objects,
the many copies of the logo may be provided on a template. If the
logo is ink or another resin that can be deposited, the applicator
pad may be rolled over (or otherwise contacted with) the logo on
the template to transfer the logo from the template to the
applicator pad. Then, in a second step, the applicator pad may be
pressed onto the object to transfer the logo from the applicator
pad onto the object. This process may be conceptually similar to
the above descriptions of picking up nail polish formulation onto
an applicator pad, and then pressing the applicator pad onto a
fingernail to transfer the nail polish formulation from the
applicator pad to the fingernail.
[0153] If a pad press technology is to be used to print the same
logo or design onto a large number of objects, a template may be
suitable because a single identical logo or design is to be
transferred again and again. Thus, the ink or resin may be placed
into the template, the applicator pad may pick up the logo or
design from the template and apply it to a first object, and the
process may be continued repeatedly. However, if there is a desire
to use pad press technology to apply different logos or designs to
objects, the use of templates may not be preferable since a
template can only produce a single logo or design. In order to
provide the ability to use pad press technology to apply designs or
logos to an object with any desired variety of design or logo,
curable resins may be used with the pre-curing or inverse curing
technology described above. For example, a strip of curable resin
may be provided, similar to any of the strips or tapes described
above, such as that shown and described in connection with FIGS.
15A-15C. The shape and/or dimensions of the desired logo or design
may be stored in a computer device or memory that is operatively
coupled to an energy source, which may be similar to energy source
50'. Prior to the applicator pad pressing the strip containing the
resin on to the object, the energy source 50' may be used to
perform a pre-curing step, in which areas of the curable resin
outside the dimensions of the desired logo or design are cured.
Thus, the remaining un-cured resin on the strip has the shape of
the desired logo or design. Then, the applicator pad may be
advanced to press the strip of partially pre-cured resin onto the
desired object to transfer the uncured resin onto the object.
Whereas the object in the description above is general a
fingernail, the object may be any object. Because the pre-curing or
inverse curing will tend to cause the pre-cured resin to remain on
the strip, and the uncured resin to transfer to the object which
the resin contacts, the desired design will be transferred from the
strip to the object after the applicator pad presses the strip onto
the object. The transferred design or logo may then be cured by
applying curing energy, for example in a bulk cure, to form the
desired design on the object. Because the pre-curing or inverse
curing can be performed in any desired design by simply feeding the
shape and/or dimension data into a system operatively coupled to
the energy source 50', the design to be transferred from the strip
to an object can be rapidly changed so that the use of templates
becomes unnecessary.
Example 1: Preparation of a Nail Polish Formulation
TABLE-US-00001 [0154] Component % by Weight Sartomer CN 963
urethane diacrylate 67.5 Esstech PL-7210 urethane diacrylate 20.0
Esstech PL-TPO-L 2, 4, 5.0 6-trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine
Oxide Sigma Aldrich cellulose acetate butyrate 1.5 Sensient Red 7
pigment 6.0
The cellulose acetate butyrate is dissolved in butyl acetate and
added to the CN 963 urethane diacrylate and TPO with a small amount
of butyl acetate. The components are mixed in a centrifugal mixer.
To this is added the PL-7210 and mixed. The pigment is added and
formulation is mixed to a solution for suitable for spray coating
and having a viscosity of 100 cP. The viscosity of dried component
is 2 to 3 million cP.
[0155] Although the invention herein has been described with
reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that
these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and
applications of the present invention. It is therefore to be
understood that numerous modifications may be made to the
illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised
without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *