Artificial Nail Attachment System

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/643,269, filed May 6, 2024, incorporated herein by reference.

The presently disclosed subject matter is generally directed to an improved system for attaching artificial fingernails or toenails. The disclosed invention further includes methods of making and using the attachment system.

Artificial nails have been used for many years to enhance the cosmetic appearance of the fingers and toes. Some individuals use artificial nails because their own nails are too weak to grow to a desirable length without breaking. Others choose artificial nails due to the increased strength and durability characteristics compared to natural nails. Further, many people are unhappy with the shape and contour of their natural nail and opt to use an artificial nail to improve its appearance. In addition, artificial nails allow the aesthetic of complex designs, patterns, shapes, and lengths to be applied without requiring the user to sit while the designs are applied to a natural nail.

However, conventional artificial nails suffer from several drawbacks. For example, the application process can be cumbersome and messy. Specifically, when attaching an artificial nail, it is necessary to grasp the artificial nail and apply glue to the bottom side of the nail. The artificial nail is then turned over so the glued bottom side faces downward and the artificial nail can be positioned on a top surface of the natural nail. The process is conventionally performed using two people (one person to apply the artificial nail to the nails of a second person). When a person attempts to apply artificial nails alone, the process is cumbersome and requires both hands and additional steps (e.g., placing the glue bottle on a support surface while the nail is applied to the hand). Further, applying nail glue while also juggling the artificial nails can result in spillage of the glue or contact between the glue and the user's skin, which can be time-consuming to remove. Nail glue is not safe for skin that absorbs chemicals and can be irritating to the eyes and airways if mismanaged.

It would therefore be beneficial to provide an improved artificial nail attachment system that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to an artificial nail application device. The device comprises a nail file defined by a top surface, an opposed bottom surface, and a thickness therebetween. The device includes a plurality of stems positioned about an outer circumference of the nail file. The device further includes a plurality of nails defined by a top surface, an opposed bottom surface, a proximal end, and a distal end. The proximal end of each nail is releasably attached to a corresponding stem. The device includes an optional housing positioned on the top or bottom surface of the nail file, wherein the housing is configured to releasably attach an accessory item.

In some embodiments, the nail file includes one or more ceramic, glass, metal, crystal, or emery board materials. The term “ceramic” refers to any of various hard, brittle, heat-and corrosion-resistant materials made of at least one metallic element (which may include silicon) combined with oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, or sulfur. Ceramics may be crystalline or polycrystalline, for example. The term “glass” refers to a hard, brittle, non-crystalline, inorganic substance, which is usually transparent; glasses are often made by fusing silicates with soda. For example, “glass” can refer to alkali aluminosilicate and/or boroaluminosilicate glasses. As used herein, the term “metal” refers to metallic as defined in the Periodic Table of Elements selected from Groups 1 to 17, including the lanthanide elements and the actinide elements, with the exception of the metalloids. he term “crystal” refers to a homogenous solid formed by a repeating, three-dimensional pattern of atoms, ions, or molecules and having fixed distances between constituent parts or the unit cell of such a pattern. The term “emery” refers to a dark granular rock used to make an abrasive powder and can include a board with emery paper attached thereto.

In some embodiments, the nail file has a length and width of about 3-6 inches and a thickness of about 0.1-3 inches.

In some embodiments, the stems are evenly spaced about the entire outer circumference of the nail file. “Evenly spaced” refers to a uniform spacing in between adjacent stems. For example, each stem can be separated from adjacent stems by a distance of at least/no more than about 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 inch).

In some embodiments, the outer circumference (e.g., outer edge extending about the device or nail file) of the nail file includes a gap area configured without stems. For example, the gap area may be helpful for easy grasping of the device during use.

In some embodiments, the gap area represents about 5-40 percent of the total circumference of the nail file (or the total length of the outer edge of the nail file).

In some embodiments, the plurality of nails are each about the same size and/or shape. In some embodiments, at least one (e.g., at least/no more than about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) nail differs in size and/or shape compared to the remainder of the nails.

In some embodiments, the housing includes an indentation.

In some embodiments, the accessory is selected from fingernail polish, fingernail glue, and fingernail polish remover. Fingernail polish (or “nail polish” to include both fingernails and toenails) refers to a lacquer that can be applied to the human fingernails or toenails to decorate and protect the nail plates (e.g., a film-forming polymer such as nitrocellulose or cellulose acetate dissolved in a volatile organic solvent (butyl acetate or ethyl acetate for example) can be used). “Polish remover” refers to organic solvent (e.g., acetone, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile) that optionally includes one or more oils, scents, and/or coloring. “Nail glue” is a specialized adhesive used to bond artificial nails, nail, ethyl cyanoacrylate, polymethyl methacrylate, hydroquinone, benzoyl peroxide, BHA, citric acid, and/or hydroxypropyl methacrylate.

In some embodiments, the housing is off centered on the face of the file.

In some embodiments, the natural nail is a fingernail or toenail.

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a method of applying an artificial nail to a natural nail of a user. Specifically, the method comprises the optional step of releasably positioning an adhesive container within the housing of the artificial nail application device. The method includes applying a desired amount of adhesive from the adhesive container onto the top surface of the user's natural nail. The method includes positioning a desired artificial nail onto the adhesive on the top surface of the natural nail and allowing the adhesive to dry. The method includes applying light pressure to separate the artificial nail from the corresponding step, whereby the artificial nail is separated from the device and attached to the natural nail. The method includes repeating the process for each desired natural nail.

In some embodiments, the method further includes buffing or shaping the artificial nail using the file. “Buffing” refers to smoothing a nail surface to help make them smoother and/or shinier (and can make it easier for nail polish to adhere to the nail).

In some embodiments, the outer circumference of the nail file includes a gap area configured without stems.

In some embodiments, the gap area represents about 5-40 percent of the total circumference of the nail file.

In some embodiments, the natural nail is a fingernail or toenail.

In some embodiments, the presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a kit. Specifically, the kit includes a plurality of artificial nail application devices, wherein each device differs with respect to the length, width, shape, or color of the nails. The kit also includes a plurality of different accessories configured to releasably fit within the housing.

In some embodiments, accessory is selected from fingernail polish, fingernail glue, and fingernail polish remover.

The presently disclosed subject matter is introduced with sufficient details to provide an understanding of one or more particular embodiments of broader inventive subject matters. The descriptions expound upon and exemplify features of those embodiments without limiting the inventive subject matters to the explicitly described embodiments and features. Considerations in view of these descriptions will likely give rise to additional and similar embodiments and features without departing from the scope of the presently disclosed subject matter.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains. Although any methods, devices, and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the presently disclosed subject matter, representative methods, devices, and materials are now described.

Following long-standing patent law convention, the terms “a”, “an”, and “the” refer to “one or more” when used in the subject specification, including the claims. Thus, for example, reference to “a device” can include a plurality of such devices, and so forth. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and/or “including” when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of components, conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the instant specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the presently disclosed subject matter.

As used herein, the term “about”, when referring to a value or to an amount of mass, weight, time, volume, concentration, and/or percentage can encompass variations of, in some embodiments +/−20%, in some embodiments +/−10%, in some embodiments +/−5%, in some embodiments +/−1%, in some embodiments +/−0.5%, and in some embodiments +/−0.1%, from the specified amount, as such variations are appropriate in the disclosed packages and methods.

As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Relative terms such as “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element, layer, or region to another element, layer, or region as illustrated in the drawing figures. It will be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawing figures.

The embodiments set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.

The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to a device for applying artificial nails to the natural nails of a user. As shown in, deviceincludes central filethat can be used to file a user's fingernails or toenails. The file can also make it easier for the adhesive and artificial nail to adhere to the natural nail, and it can also be used to file the artificial nail to the desired shape and/or size. A variety of artificial nailsare positioned around the outer perimeter of the emery board via stems. Advantageously, one surface of nail fileoptionally includes housingthat can be sized and shaped with a central indentation to removably attach any of a wide variety of accessories, such as a nail glue pen, as shown in. Thus, the disclosed system can be used to easily access a wide variety of nail accessories including nail file, nails, as well as the nail pen, etc. In this way, devicestreamlines application of the artificial nails to the natural nails of a user, as described in detail below. It should be appreciated that housingis optional, streamlining the central file as shown in

As noted above, deviceincludes central nail file. The term “nail file” refers to any tool that can be used to gently grind down and shape the edges of artificial or natural nails. Filecan be constructed from any suitable material, such as ceramic, glass, metal, crystal, emery board, or combinations thereof. As is known, emery includes any material with an abrasive substance positioned on at least one face. Suitable abrasive materials include silica, sand, aluminum oxide, iron, magnetite, rutile, or combinations of these materials. However, it should be appreciated that any material or combination of materials can be used to construct the file.

As shown in, the file includes opposed top and bottom faces,with thicknesstherebetween. In some embodiments, the top and/or bottom faces can be horizontal or about horizontal for ease of use. Nail filecan be configured with any desired dimensions. For example, the file can include length and/or width,of about 3-6 inches (e.g., at least/no more than about 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, or 6 inches), as shown in. The term “length” refers to the longest horizontal distance of the file (e.g., between two side edges). The term “width” refers to the longest straight-line distance perpendicular to the length (e.g., between front and rear file faces).

Filecan include any desired thickness, such as about 0.1-3 inches (e.g., at least/no more than about 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, or 3 inches).

However, it should be appreciated that the length, width, and thickness of fileis not limited to the ranges given above and can be configured with any suitable dimensions.

Nail filecan have any cross-sectional shape, such as circular or oval. However, any shape can be used (e.g., square, rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, and the like). In some embodiments, central portionof the file lacks the file material (e.g., emery, etc.) and can be gripped by a user's fingers or thumb during use to properly hold the file. For example, the central region can include texturing to maintain the user's grip, as shown in

As mentioned above, fileincludes a plurality of stemsthat extend fully or partially around the file outer circumference, as shown in-Each stemfunctions to releasably attach an artificial fingernail to the file. The term “stem” therefore includes any linking element that can be used to releasably attach fingernailto the file. Stemscan be constructed from any suitable material, such as plastic. In some embodiments, the stems can extend fully around the outer circumference of the file, as shown in. In other embodiments, the file includes gap areathat allows for the proper placement of an accessory, as illustrated in. For example, the gap area can represent about 5-40% of the total circumference of the file (e.g., about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 percent), depending on the size of a corresponding accessory. The gap area allows an accessory to be paired with housingand not come into contact with nails.

In some embodiments, stemsare spaced equidistantly around the file outer circumference as shown in. Stated another way, each stem can be the same (or about the same) distance from adjacent stems (e.g., a distance of at least/no more than about 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, or 1 inch). In other embodiments, the stems can be clustered to allow for different sized nails (e.g., smaller sized nails for pinky fingers) to be grouped together (versus larger sized nails like thumbnails). As shown in, first stem clusterare closer together compared to second stem cluster, accommodating smaller nails and larger nails, respectively.

Top or bottom face,of the file can optionally include housingconfigured to releasably attach one or more accessory items, as shown in. For example, a screw pen including nail adhesive can be releasably attached to the housing. In this way, the accessory can be conveniently retained by the user and easily accessible when needed. As shown, the housing can include curved ledgethat is sized and shaped to support accessory. The ledge includes pressure point(which can be configured as a raised dot) to retain the accessory in position and allow the accessory to be removed when desired by a user. The pressure point can have a diameter of about 0.5 cm in some embodiments (e.g., at least/no more than about 0.25-0.75 cm). The width of the ledge can be about 0.5-2 inches (e.g., at least/no more than about 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, or 2 inches), as shown in the front view of. However, it should be appreciated that housingis an optional feature.

The housing can be positioned in the approximate center of the file, as shown in. In some embodiments, housingis off centered to better accommodate an elongated accessory.

Devicealso includes a plurality of nailspositioned around the outer edge of the file. Specifically, each stemattaches one single artificial nailto the file, as shown in-The nails can be all of the same (or about the same) size, as illustrated in. Alternatively, some of the nails can be larger or smaller relative to the others (e.g., to accommodate different fingers or different sized fingers), as shown in

The term “artificial nail” broadly includes extensions placed over fingernails or toenails as fashion accessories. The artificial nail can include full cover nails that fit over and on top of a full user fingernail or toenail. Alternatively, nailcan be a tip, configured as a nail-shaped plate that is attached to the distal end of a natural fingernail or toenail.

As shown in, nailincludes bottom surfacethat is sized and shaped to attach to the top surface of a user's real fingernail. The nail also includes top surfacethat is viewable to the public and can be painted or adorned as desired. The nail further includes a one-piece molded body having distal endand proximal endopposite the distal end. The proximal end of nail(e.g., the bottom surface adjacent the proximal end) is sized and shaped to attach to the top surface of a natural nail. Distal endmay be sized to extend beyond the end of the natural nail when the artificial nail is attached, or it may be sized to coincide with the end of the natural nail. The distal end of nailsattach to stemsas illustrated in the figures.

The nail body can be rounded or straight and it is not limited to any particular dimensions. In other words, artificial nails can be applied to fingernails and/or toenails and can be made in a variety of sizes and shapes. For instance, proximal endcan substantially correspond in size and shape to the full nail bed of a natural fingernail. Alternatively, the proximal end may be attachable to only the distal end of a natural fingernail (e.g., a nail tip that is applied to the end of the natural fingernail).

Nailscan therefore vary in shape and size, such that one deviceincludes the proper fingernails to accommodate each finger and/or toe. For example, a thumbnail will require a larger and wider nailwhen compared to a pointer finger. The fingernails can also be configured in a variety of shapes, such as squared, oval, rounded, almond, stiletto, or combinations thereof. In this way, a user can select the desired shape and size for a particular application. Further, the growth of the natural fingernail or toenail surface occurs in a slightly curvilinear shape such that it may be desirable that the artificial nail have a conforming curvilinear shape to provide maximum surface-to-surface bonding.

Artificial nailscan be constructed from any suitable materials. For example, one or more acrylic material, ABS plastic, nylon, acetate, vinyl acetate, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, styrene-butadiene block copolymer, methyl methacrylate butadiene styrene terpolymer, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, styrene methyl methacrylate copolymers, and the like can be used.

Nailcan include thicknessof about 0.05-0.5 inches (e.g., at least/no more than about 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.35, 0.4, 0.45, or 0.5 inches), as illustrated in. The term “thickness” refers to the vertical distance between top and bottom surfaces,. Nailcan also include lengthand/or widthof about 0.25-3 inches (e.g., at least/no more than about 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, or 3 inches). However, it should be appreciated that the dimensions of the nails are not limited and can include any desired length, width, and thickness.

Fingernailscan be nude (e.g., unpainted). Alternatively, the fingernails can be painted or adorned in any way (e.g., with nail art).

Nailscan be arranged in any desired way about the outer circumference of the device. For example, the nails can be arranged according to size (e.g., smallest to largest), according to width (widest to narrowest), according to length (longest to shortest), according to shape, and the like. As noted above, distal endof each nail is attached to a corresponding stempositioned about the outer perimeter of the file.