COSMETIC NAIL COVERING

• US 20120305019A1
• Filed: 08/14/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maria A. Barile
• Original Assignee: Maria A. Barile
• Inventors: Barile, Maria A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,820,332 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 132/200
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 29/001 Self adhesive nail coating blanks
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 29/004 Masking devices for applying polish to the finger nails
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 31/00 Artificial nails

Abstract

Method and apparatus for cosmetically disguising an unattractive finger or toe nail area of a negatively affected hand or foot digit by using a temporary, cosmetically appealing covering, by providing a cosmetic nail covering that will simulate the appearance of a nearby normal nail when a suitably sized and shaped cosmetic nail covering is applied to cover the nail area of the affected digit, and both the cosmetic nail covering and the nearby normal nails of the hand or foot are coated by a user with identical user-supplied nail polish. The covering is made from adhesive tape suitable for wrapping around a digit, and a pad sized and shaped to resemble a normal nail for the affected digit when the pad is adhered to the tape. The tape should enable forming a coating that is as smooth, level, and uniformly colored as natural nails when coated by conventional polish.

Claims

1. A method for cosmetically disguising an unattractive finger or toe nail area of a negatively affected hand or foot digit by using a temporary, cosmetically appealing covering, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a cosmetic nail covering that will simulate the appearance of a nearby normal nail when a suitably sized and shaped cosmetic nail covering is applied to cover the nail area of the affected digit, and both the cosmetic nail covering and the nearby normal nails of the hand or foot are coated by a user with identical user-supplied nail polish.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

constructing the cosmetic nail covering from a strip of adhesive tape suitable for wrapping around a digit, and a pad sized and shaped to resemble a normal nail for the affected digit, wherein the pad is adhered to the strip of adhesive tape.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

selecting a tape material that has a back side substantially coated with an adhesive suitable for releasably adhering to human skin, and that has an opposed front side that is suitable for coating with conventional nail polish to produce a cosmetic appearance substantially the same as that of natural nails so coated;

wherein suitability for coating is defined to mean having surface characteristics that enable forming a coating that is as smooth, level, and uniformly colored as natural nails when coated by conventional means and method; and

selecting a pad material that is semi-rigid and which presents a smooth firm surface on a top side, even when bent into a cylindrically curved shape.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

selecting adhesive tape materials that are medically approved for non-irritating use on human skin; and

selecting pad material that is medically approved for non-irritating application on exposed, medicated, or healing nail beds;

thereby avoiding irritation of the nail area of the affected digit.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

trimming the pad material to form a pad having a pad length, a pad width, and a cuticle edge curved shape that are appropriate for a nail on the nail area of the affected digit;

positioning the pad on the adhesive coated side of the strip of tape such that the pad length is aligned with the tape width, and the tape width is equal to or greater than the pad length;

pressing to adhere the pad top surface to the strip of tape;

positioning the pad over the nail area of the affected digit;

wrapping and adhering the strip of tape around the affected digit;

thereby holding the pad in position, including pulling it into a cylindrically curved shape similar to that of a normal nail on the affected digit;

trimming an outside pad edge and a corresponding outside tape edge as needed to form a desired shape and dimensions for the outside edge of the nail covering; and

applying nail polish on the tape above the pad as cosmetic decoration to match that of similarly coated nearby nails, thereby presenting the appearance of one nail-polished natural nail among others on the same hand or foot.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

simulating the appearance of a nearby normal nail by selecting pad material that has a thickness predetermined to be comparable to that of a typical nail for users in a target market.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

simulating the appearance of a nearby normal nail by selecting tape material that is transparent or translucent, and is non-glossy.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

providing the strip of adhesive tape in one or more tape widths; and

providing the pad separately from the strip of adhesive tape, in one or more pre-cut shapes and sizes.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

providing the cosmetic nail covering in a kit comprising separate components of;

tape material with adhesive coating on one side;

pad material; and

user instructions for trimming and assembling a cosmetic nail covering that has a size and shape that the user determines to be appropriate for covering the nail area of an affected digit.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing the cosmetic nail covering in a preselected plurality of sizes and shapes that are pre-cut and preassembled for cosmetically covering the nail area of a range of users'"'"' digit sizes predetermined to be comparable to those of typical users in a target market.

11. A cosmetic nail covering for use with user-supplied conventional nail polish to cosmetically disguise an unattractive nail area on a nail portion of a negatively affected hand or foot digit;

the cosmetic nail covering comprising;

an elongated strip of tape having a tape width, and that has a front side and an opposed back side;

wherein the material of the tape must be resistant to damage by conventional nail polish chemicals, and the front side of the tape material must be suitable for application and adherence of a coating of the conventional nail polish by conventional means;

an adhesive substantially coating the back side of the strip of tape, wherein the adhesive is suitable for removable adherence to skin of the hand or foot;

a nail-shaped pad that is rigid but sufficiently flexible to bend around the digit into a cylindrically convex arch without wrinkling, and that has a firm smooth top surface for adherence to the back side of the strip of tape; and

the pad'"'"'s nail shape including a curved cuticle edge of the pad spaced apart from an opposed straight outside edge by a pad length that is approximately equal to the tape width, and two opposed substantially parallel and substantially linear lateral pad edges spaced apart by a pad width;

thereby to simulate the appearance of a normal nail on the affected digit that, when coated by a user with nail polish will cosmetically match surrounding normal nails so coated.

12. The cosmetic nail covering of claim 11 further comprising pad material that is:

suitable for conventionally trimming with scissors; and

has a pad thickness predetermined to be comparable to that of a typical nail for users in a target market.

13. The cosmetic nail covering of claim 11, wherein:

the tape material is transparent or translucent, and the front side is non-glossy.

14. The cosmetic nail covering of claim 11, wherein:

the adhesive and the tape material are medically approved for non-irritating application to human skin; and

the pad material is medically approved for non-irritating application to exposed, medicated, or healing nail beds;

thereby avoiding irritation of an exposed nail bed of the affected digit.

15. The cosmetic nail covering of claim 11, wherein:

the cosmetic nail covering is provided pre-cut and preassembled in a plurality of sizes and shapes for cosmetically covering the nail area of a range of users'"'"' digit sizes;

such that for each one of the plurality of selected sizes and shapes;

the pad has been trimmed to a one of the selected size and cuticle shapes, including a curved cuticle edge of the pad spaced apart from an opposed pad outside edge by a pad length, and two opposed substantially parallel and substantially linear lateral pad edges spaced apart by a pad width;

the pad top is adhered to the adhesive coated back side of the strip of tape, with the pad length being aligned with the tape width, the pad cuticle edge being close to a cuticle edge of the strip of tape, and the pad being approximately centered in the tape length; and

backing paper is releasably adhered to otherwise exposed portions of the adhesive coating.

16. The cosmetic nail covering of claim 11, wherein:

the strip of tape is provided in a plurality of tape widths and the pad is provided, separately from the strips of tape, in one or more pre-cut shapes and sizes.

17. The cosmetic nail covering of claim 11, wherein:

the tape material with adhesive coating, and the pad material, are supplied separately in a kit with user instructions for trimming and assembling a cosmetic nail covering that has a size and shape that the user determines to be appropriate for covering the nail area of an affected digit.