Abstract:
The invention is a method, process and computer program to automatically create a customized three-dimensional artificial nail object by welding based upon an actual/existing digitized nail surface. This particular invention generates the overall desired three-dimensional nail object by taking the digitized nail surface and welding it to a preexisting desired nail tip thus creating a preferred artificial nail object. The application of the invention results in a wide scope of possible implementations including a use for creating artificial fingernails and artificial toenails.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application references U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/708,065, filed Feb. 6, 2004. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     While working with fingernails and fingernail objects for several years, there was no easy way to automatically create a three-dimensional model of an artificial fingernail object. In fact, most software in the market allows a user to manually manipulate and create just about any three-dimensional object conceivable, but the process of doing this manually is very time consuming and allows for too much human error when creating artificial fingernails with a consistent and reliable appearance. Because of this the inventors set out to find a method to create artificial fingernail objects automatically and this invention was the result.  
         [0003]     One simple way to create the desired artificial nail object is to imitate the existing Artificial Nail Industry. Currently, when a consumer wants an artificial fingernail applied, they will have a preexisting nail tip attached (by glue or acrylic) to their natural nail and then the nail technician will hand build the rest of the artificial fingernail with an acrylic or some other similar type product, where the final result is a desired, beautiful artificial fingernail. By creating a variety of three-dimensional tips similar to that of the existing market, the inventors were able to successfully imitate the nail technician process. The problem to overcome was to determine the rest of the desired three-dimensional fingernail object as at this point in the process a bottom surface and tip existing, but a remaining top surface that was blended with the tip needed to be generated. To solve this problem, the inventors decided to duplicate the three-dimensional representation of the clients existing nail surface and then apply a smoothing and blending function to this surface, and then attach it to the nail tip, resulting in the desired three-dimensional artificial fingernail object.  
         [0004]     The advantage of this invention is that with relative ease and very little labor a desired customized and preferred three-dimensional artificial nail object can be created. This invention has many applications, particularly with fingernail and toenails. This new desired three-dimensional object has many applications, not the least of which is the ability to physically create the nail object for the individual and supply them with an artificial nail for use as a cosmetic or even prosthesis. The invention can now safe time and virtually guarantee consistent looking fingernail objects, all accomplished with relative ease.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0005]     The invention is a method, process and computer program to automatically create a customized three-dimensional artificial nail object by welding based upon an actual/existing digitized nail surface. This particular invention generates the overall desired three-dimensional nail object by taking the digitized nail surface and welding it to a preexisting desired nail tip thus creating a preferred artificial nail object. The application of the invention results in a wide scope of possible implementations including a use for creating artificial fingernails and artificial toenails. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0006]      FIG. 1  is a diagram demonstrating the Axis, periphery and digitizing of the nail surface object.  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a diagram illustrating the tip selection process, welding the tip to the duplicated nail surface.  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is a diagram showing the welding of the selected tip, duplicated nail surface and the digitized nail surface.  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the new customized nail object fitting over the digitized surface. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0010]     By starting with an existing digitized three-dimensional surface point array of an actual fingernail or toenail, the invention permits the automatic creation of a new customized three-dimensional object that will fit over the actual fingernail or toenail. This is accomplished by measuring key points of data contained in the digitized array.  
         [0011]     The key points are measurement values in millimeters or inches along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis. Further, the arcs and curves of the digitized nail surface are also determined along the X-axis and Y-axis. Additional key points are found in the periphery points along the tip of the digitized nail surface.  
         [0012]     Once the key points are evaluated, a selection process is handled whereby preexisting representations of three-dimensional nail tips are compared and the best fitting nail tip that also represents the desired overall appearance is then manipulated and utilized.  
         [0013]     In order to successfully create the desired customized nail object an additional top surface must be created. This is achieved by duplicating the digitized nail surface and raising the duplicated surface along the Z-axis to a desired depth. In many cases the digitized nail surface will need to be smoothed and blended to match the selected nail tip. Smoothing is achieved by comparing each data point in the array of points contained in the duplicated nail surface and verifying that each point falls within a specified acceptable range of the smoothing function. If a point falls outside the range, then it is changed along its X-axis, Y-axis or Z-axis accordingly. Blending occurs in much the same way but is focused on the intersection points between the selected nail tip and the duplicated top surface.  
         [0014]     Once the duplicated nail surface has been created all three objects are then combined to form one new preferred and desired three-dimensional nail object. This is achieved by aligning the duplicated surface to the top of the selected nail tip, this is then combined with the digitized nail surface and aligned along the bottom of the selected nail tip with the digitized nail surface to form the bottom of the new nail object. The result is a new customized three-dimensional nail object that has the desired appearance and will fit over the digitized nail surface.  
         [0015]     In  FIG. 1  the first step of the process is demonstrated, where a digitized nail surface  100  is shown and the orientation of the X, Y and Z Axis is established. Here the X-axis  110  is found along the width of the digitized nail surface  100 ; the Y-axis  120  is the length of the digitized nail surface  100  and can be determined initially by measuring from the cuticle to the tip of the digitized nail surface  100 ; and the Z-axis  130  represents the height or depth of the digitized nail surface  100 . Additionally, the periphery points  140  of the tip of the digitized nail surface  100  are also determined in the first step to insure that the digitized nail surface  100  dimensions will fit into the selected tip object  210 . All of these reference points are utilized in the selection process for the selected tip object  210 , which will eventually be manipulated to create the new three-dimensional data representing the final three-dimensional customized nail object  400 .  
         [0016]     Measuring the digitized surface area includes creating a relationship of the X-axis  110 , Y-axis  120  and Z-axis  130  to millimeters or inches, further arcs and curves of the digitized nail surface  100  are determined by measuring and creating relationships between the three-dimensional points of data along the X-axis  110 , Y-axis  120  and Z-axis  130 .  
         [0017]     These curves and arcs are utilized and manipulated during the smoothing process and during the tip selection  210  process, in an effort to make the combined top surface  200 .  
         [0018]     By utilizing the periphery points  140  along the tip of the digitized nail surface  100  as reference points, the selection of the preferred tip object  210  is facilitated.  
         [0019]     Once the tip object  210  is selected, then the digitized nail surface  100  is duplicated to create an eventual top surface.  
         [0020]     The duplicated nail surface  220  is raised on its Z-axis  130  to a determined depth so as to create a preferred depth to the customized nail object  300 . Often, the duplicated nail surface  220  will require smoothing to insure the appearance of the top surface  200  is desired. The smoothing process is achieved by comparing points along the X-axis  110 , Y-axis  120  and Z-axis  130  to its surrounding points and if a point falls outside the preferred range, that point is manipulated accordingly to the smoothing function and brought into the scope of its surrounding points in three-dimensional space.  
         [0021]     Once the duplicated nail surface  220  has been smoothed, it will be attached to the top surface of the selected tip object  210 . The intersection between the two objects will often need to be blended. The blending process operates much in the same way as the smoothing process in that the corresponding points of the intersection are compared and if the intersecting points fall outside of a desired range, they are manipulated to be in harmony with the desired range and thus blending the duplicated nail surface  220  with the selected tip object  210 . This results in a combined top surface  200  that will be added too by the digitized nail surface  100  in the next step.  
         [0022]      FIG. 3  shows the combination of the combined top surface  200  with the digitized nail surface  100  thus creating a new customized nail object  300 . This combination occurs by aligning the bottom of the selected tip object  210  with the bottom of the digitized nail surface  100 . Once all three objects (duplicated nail surface  220 , selected tip object  210  and digitized nail surface  100 ) are properly aligned, smoothed and blended, they are combined to form a new customized nail object  300 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  shows the new customized nail object  300  as one customized nail object  400 , fitting over the top of the original digitized nail surface  100 .  
         [0024]     By completing the steps above, virtually any software program or user would be capable of creating a desired and customized three-dimensional artificial nail object. The entire objective of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been to create a simplified method, process and computer program to automatically create a customized three-dimensional nail object by welding preexisting nail tips with an existing nail surface into a preferred artificial nail object. The application of this invention is extensive and plentiful, as with this invention it will become trivial to generate desired three-dimensional artificial nail objects by automation quickly and easily. Because of the advantages inherent in this invention it is anticipated that many variants of this invention are possible, which should be included within the preferred embodiments and descriptions of this invention.