Computer game for designing and printing nail coverings

A computer game for designing and printing nail coverings includes a set of stored software instructions receivable within the processor unit of the computer to control operation of a color printer and a series of displayed images upon the monitor display screen. The user is able to call up an image of a hand which may be personalized to a skin tone matching the user's skin tone or may be colored dramatically different. The user is able to select from various icons displayed on the monitor display screen which may then be applied to each nail of the hand image. In addition, a series of photos provided by a digital camera input to the processor unit may be selected and sized to fit within a reference photo frame for use in printing the photo image upon selected nails. Once the color printer has processed the blank laminated sheet, a plurality of nail covers which are formed of the peel and stick self-adhesive structure of the blank sheet are printed upon each nail cover. Each nail cover may be independently removed from the sheet and placed upon a fingernail being attached by the self-adhesive layer thereof.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to computer games and entertainment and 
particularly to applications thereof associated with fashion and dress 
items. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Computer systems in general have progressed remarkably in recent years. The 
growth of so-called personal computers is particularly remarkable. Present 
day personal computers and software exhibit enormous operating power and 
capability. Correspondingly, accessories for computer driven items such as 
printers and the like have also increased in power and capability. As a 
result, a personal computer user is able to produce high quality color 
graphic output documents using a variety of commercially available 
software which, several years ago, would have been beyond the practical 
limits of such systems. 
The software which is capable of running on present day personal computers 
has also progressed dramatically in size, complexity, and power. Somewhat 
more recently developed compact disks have been provided which accommodate 
very large complex programs and which are producible at consumer prices. 
The availability of high capacity consumer priced compact disks has made 
possible consumer games and entertainment products at prices which the 
consumer can afford. In most instances, compact disks are provided as read 
only memory or ROM often referred to "CD ROM". As a result, a steady 
stream of newly developing computer program products have been provided in 
fields such as challenging games, business, and other amusement and 
entertainment. 
Despite the extensive development of personal computers and software usable 
thereon, relatively little development has been provided in areas of 
interest to young girls such as dress, hair style, or fashion activities. 
Practitioners have, however, attempted to fill this void in recent years. 
One of the more popular computer products directed toward young girls 
having an interest in fashion type play is marketed by Mattel, Inc. in El 
Segundo, Calif. under the trademark Barbie Fashion Designer in which a 
program running on a personal computer operates in an interactive manner 
with a child user to design a wardrobe using a fashion doll image. Having 
once clothed the fashion doll in the desired apparel items, the user is 
then able to print out a color keyed pattern of the fashion doll apparel 
using a color printer operating upon a specially laminated paper which is 
both cloth and a stiffening backing. The user then cuts out the printed 
pattern and assembles the doll's apparel using adhesive or two-sided tape 
or the like. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,563 issued to Cannon et al sets forth a SYSTEM FOR 
PRINTING SOCIAL EXPRESSION CARDS including a data base preparation system 
and a plurality of remote card printing stations. The data base 
preparation system uses a scanner to input images from a plurality of 
cards or software to create a plurality of images for use in card designs, 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,087 issued to Taggart sets forth a CARD PRINTING AND 
DISPENSING SYSTEM having a video monitor, a consumer interface, a printer, 
and a computer control. A customer interested in purchasing a card makes a 
selection using the customer interface from a variety of options displayed 
on the video monitor or a desired card unique to the occasion. The system 
is particularly well suited to printing and dispensing unique baseball 
cards. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,365 issued to Sullivan et al sets forth a SYSTEM FOR 
CUTTING ARTIFICIAL NAIL TIPS AND FOR DECORATING THE SAME OR EXISTING NAILS 
USING AUTOMATED CUTTING PROCESSES having a sensing device for sensing the 
dimensions of an existing fingernail structure which supplies information 
to a controller in machine usable form. The data is used by the controller 
to drive a variety of peripheral devices to cut a desired nail pattern and 
assure proper fit. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,250 issued to Taeckens sets forth a METHOD FOR 
ATTACHING AN ARTIFICIAL EXTENSION OF A FINGERNAIL using a fabric 
fingernail wrap material in which the material is a porous fabric supplied 
in sheets having releasable adhesive material on one side. The releasable 
material side adheres to a backing material and shapes of individual 
fabric elements are cut through the fabric and into the backing material 
to individually shape fingernail fabric materials. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,702 issued to Straub sets forth a TRANSFER ADHESIVE 
SHEET MATERIAL having one or more adhesive areas positioned between a 
first liner and one or more corresponding top tab liners. The tab liners 
have areas which extend beyond the respective adhesive area over a 
perimeter thereof. The method includes the steps of applying one or more 
areas of transfer adhesive to the first liner, applying the second liner 
and die cutting one liner to form the top tab liners having areas 
extending beyond corresponding adhesive areas. The example is given of 
fingernail coverings which are adhesively backed. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,525,389 issued to Hoffmann et al sets forth a SELF-ADHESIVE 
LAMINATE FOR NAILS having a plasticizer containing laminate consisting of 
a film forming polymeric layer having pigment, a pressure sensitive 
adhesive layer, and a removable preferably siliconized protective film 
covering the pressure sensitive adhesive layer. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,346 issued to Sekiguchi et al sets forth a PROCESS AND 
DISPLAY WITH MOVABLE IMAGES having a display device such as a billboard is 
provided with an image scanned from a paper image of the eventually 
displayed image. 
A product known as Fashion Magic Fingernail Fun Salon set manufactured by 
Tyco Industries provides a base housing supporting a plurality of 
enclosure having an aperture for inserting a fingernail. A plurality of 
fingernail coverings are removable from their respective attachments and 
securable to cover the player's nails. The nail coverings include various 
colors as well as color change material and adhesive for securing the nail 
coverings to the nail. In addition, an air bellows mechanism operative 
within the enclosures circulates a quantity of glitter flakes which 
deposit in part upon a surface of the nail covering and are bound there to 
coat the nail covering with a glitter material. 
While the foregoing described prior art devices have improved the art, and 
have in some instances enjoyed commercial success, there remains 
nonetheless a continuing need in the art for evermore improved, 
interesting, and amusing computer fashion type games and entertainment. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an 
improved computer game for fashion and entertainment. It is a more 
particular object of the present invention to provide an improved computer 
game for fashion and entertainment activities which is particularly 
appealing to young girls. 
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a game to be 
played on a computer system having a display monitor, a mouse and a color 
printer, the game comprising the steps of: providing a laminated sheet 
having a base layer and a self-adhesive layer defining a plurality of nail 
cover cutouts, displaying an image having a hand image having nails on the 
display monitor together with selection icons for colors and designs, 
selecting colors and/or designs from the selection icons, transferring 
each selected color and design to one or more of the nails on the hand 
image to provide one or more nail images, printing the selected and 
transferred nail images upon the laminated sheet to provide a sheet having 
a plurality of colored and/or decorated nail coverings which are peeled 
from the laminated sheet, and placing the nail coverings on the user's 
nails.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 sets forth a perspective view of a computer system operating in 
accordance with the present invention computer game and utilizing the 
materials of the present invention game which is generally referenced by 
numeral 10. In accordance with conventional fabrication, computer system 
10 includes a processor unit 11 and a keyboard 13 coupled by a cable 15. 
Processor unit 11 includes a CD ROM drive slot 12 which receives a CD ROM 
memory 14 in accordance with conventional fabrication techniques. Computer 
system 10 further includes a monitor 16 coupled to processor unit 11 and 
having a display screen 17. Typically, display screen 17 comprises a 
cathode ray tube or equivalent color display device. Computer system 10 
further includes a mouse 20 coupled to processor unit 11 by a cable 22 and 
resting upon a mouse pad 21. A color printer 30 having an input 31 and an 
output 32 is operatively coupled to processor unit 11 by a cable 35. 
Finally, a digital camera 40 having a lens 42 is coupled to processor unit 
11 by a cable 41. 
Computer system 10 as thus far described is fabricated entirely in 
accordance with conventional fabrication techniques. In accordance with 
the present invention, CD ROM 14 is encoded with a game software program 
which operates processor 11 in controlling printer 30 and monitor 16 to 
provide the game play set forth below in greater detail. In addition, 
digital camera 40 which is fabricated in accordance with conventional 
fabrication techniques, includes well known circuitry for communicating a 
digitized picture having been imaged through lens 42 to processor unit 11 
allowing processor unit 11 to either print the digitized image and/or 
display it on display screen 17. 
In further accordance with the present invention, a laminated paper 36 
fabricated as set forth below in FIG. 2 and having a plurality of nail 
covers such as nail cover 37 arranged thereon is placed within input 31 of 
color printer 30. In further accordance with the present invention game, 
an illustrative image 18 is shown displayed upon display screen 17. For 
further illustration of the operation of the present invention game, a 
laminated sheet 45 is shown having passed through printer 30 and being 
dispensed outwardly from output 32 in the direction indicated by arrow 34. 
In operation, CD ROM 14 is loaded into processor unit 11 via input slot 12 
allowing processor unit 11 to assimilate the data from CD ROM 14 and 
initiate game play. Thereafter the user manipulates keyboard 13 and mouse 
20 to provide input and selections to the game play. In particular, mouse 
20 is extremely useful controlling a pointer 23 which is operable upon 
image 18 in the well known "point and click" selection process. 
Once the game program has been loaded into processor unit 11, the processor 
goes through initialization steps during which the user inputs choices 
using mouse 20 and point and click operation. Of particular importance 
with respect to the present invention is the composite image presented as 
image 18. For purposes of illustration, a number of features are shown 
simultaneously displayed upon screen 17 within image 18. However, it will 
be understood that various combinations and subcombinations of such 
illustrative image elements may be presented without departing from the 
spirit and scope of the present invention. For purposes of illustration, 
image 18 includes a plurality of style selection icons 50, 51, and 52 
which allow the user to choose the particular type of nail decoration to 
be undertaken. In addition and in further accordance with an important 
aspect of the present invention, the user is able to select the display of 
a hand image 53 having a plurality of nails such as nail 54. As is set 
forth below, the user is then able to access a color palette such as color 
palette 60 to customize the display of hand image 53 to the user's skin 
tone. The customized hand image may then be operated upon using a 
selection process. For example, to place a color upon a given nail such as 
nail 54, the user maneuvers mouse 20 upon pad 21 to the selected color 
cell such as cell 61 in color palette 60. Thereafter having clicked on 
cell 61, the user moves the pointer 23 to nail 54 and again clicks causing 
nail 54 to be colored in accordance with the color of cell 61. This 
process may be carried out on the remaining nails. In addition to base 
color selection, the user is able to select from various design icons on 
image 18 such as design icon 62. As the user points and clicks to design 
icon 62 and thereafter places the pointer upon a selected nail such as 
nail 54, the clicking on nail 54 imprints nail 54 with the design 
corresponding to icon 62. 
In accordance with a further advantageous operation of the present 
invention game system, image 18 further includes a photo frame 55 which 
may be used to select a photo such as photo 56 to be placed therein. 
Digital camera 40 operating in accordance with conventional fabrication 
techniques, couples digitized signals via cable 14 to processor 11 for 
storage in memory. A plurality of digital images may be simultaneously 
stored in memory and selected by a point and click process using mouse 20. 
In addition a standard image group such as well known characters or 
persons may be stored within memory in processor unit 11 to be selectable 
by the user. Once a photo image has been selected, the user points to 
photo frame 55 and clicks to install a photo such as photo 56. With the 
installation of a photo within photo 56, the user is provided with one or 
more manipulation choices such as image larger icon 57 or image smaller 
icon 58. 
Once the various manipulations referred to above have been completed, and 
the user has selected the desired decoration and coloring of the nails 
upon hand image 53, the user then inputs a print command via keyboard 13 
or mouse 20 causing processor unit 11 to transfer the images for the nail 
coverings to color printer 30. A laminated paper 36 having a plurality of 
nail cover cutouts and fabricated as set forth below in FIG. 2 is then 
inputted to color printer 30. For purposes of illustration, a laminated 
sheet 45 having a plurality of decorated and colored nail cutouts such as 
nail cover 46 is shown outputting from printer 30. It will also be noted 
that having printed the desired nails on sheet 45 and once laminated sheet 
36 has been similarly printed, the user may either exit the program or may 
return to the initial display and using a command input, reverse hand 
image 53 from the right hand shown to a left hand and again go through the 
process to print decorative nail coverings for the left hand. In further 
accordance with the present invention game set forth below in FIG. 2, the 
fabrication of laminated sheets 36 and 45 provides base layer supporting a 
self-adhesive layer which in turn defines a plurality of nail covering 
cutout areas. The printing process within processor unit 11 includes means 
for locating the various design and colors to be printed on nail cover 
cutouts on a given sheet so as to correspond with the location of the nail 
cover cutouts. 
FIG. 2 sets forth a perspective partially sectioned view of an exemplary 
laminated sheet 70. In accordance with the preferred fabrication of the 
present invention, laminated sheet 70 utilizes a popular self-adhesive 
arrangement in which a generally adhesive impervious base layer 65 such as 
wax treated paper or the like receives a cutout layer 66 having a 
self-adhesive layer 86 on the bottom surface thereof. The self-adhesive 
quality of layer 66 and the impervious quality of base layer 65 allow easy 
separation of the cutout layer from the base layer in which self-adhesive 
layer 86 remains on the undersurface of cutout layer 66. As a result, each 
cutout for nail covers such as nails 73 and 74 forms a "peel off" 
self-adhesive member which may readily be applied to the user's nails and 
which will adhere thereto. 
For purposes of explanation, sheet 70 is shown sectioned to illustrate a 
blank portion 71 and a printed portion 72. It will be understood, however, 
that in accordance with the operation set forth in FIG. 1, an entire sheet 
such as blank portion 71 is initially inputted to printer 30 and a printed 
portion such as portion 72 is typically outputted as a complete sheet. 
However, for convenience, it is advantageous to illustrate the two stages 
of use in a composite in FIG. 2. 
Thus blank portion 72 illustrates the condition of an input sheet prior to 
any printing. As will be noted, a plurality of nail covers such as nail 
cover 73 are cut out in cutout layer 66 to form a plurality of peel off 
self-adhesive members. Once blank portion 71 has been processed through 
color printer 30 (seen in FIG. 1) and become printed portion 72, the 
plurality of nail covers formed thereon have been enhanced with various 
color shades and, if chosen by the user, various designs. For purposes of 
illustration, nail covers 74 and 76 are shown in a color variation and 
having designs 75 and 76 thereon. 
With temporary return to FIG. 1, it will be noted that selection of the 
designs to be added to the various nail covers of a printed laminar sheet 
are selected using design icons such as design icon 62, various colors 
using color palette 60, and the selection of a photo 56 within photo frame 
55. 
Returning to FIG. 2, for further illustration, cutout 87 of printed portion 
72 shows a nail cover 87 bearing a photo 88 which was selected by the user 
in operation of computer system 10 in the manner described above. 
Once sheet 70 has finished the color printing process, the user is able to 
simply peel off the desired nail covers such as nail cover 78 having 
design 79 thereon for application to a nail such as nail 81 of finger 82. 
The peeling off of nail cover 78 leaves a cutout hole in layer 66 
generally referenced by numeral 80. Similarly, nail cover 83 is shown 
partially peeled from cutout 88 revealing self-adhesive layer 85 on the 
underside thereof. This process continues until the user has successfully 
transferred the desired combination of nail coverings from sheet 70. 
Thereafter sheet 70 may be stored for subsequent use of the remaining 
nails thereon or discarded in favor of printing a new set using the 
above-described process. 
FIG. 3 sets forth a block diagram of the present invention game play which 
begins at a step 100 in which the preparation for game play takes place 
such as loading the above-described CD ROM and allowing the processor unit 
to initialize and configure printer 30 and display monitor 16 (seen in 
FIG. 1). Thereafter in response to display screen presentation, the user 
may select the style of nail decoration to be attempted at step 101. At 
step 102, the user is then able to personalize the display of a hand image 
selecting left or right as well as skin tone in a point and click 
operation. In addition, the user is able to increase the size of the 
displayed nails using a magic emery board click on or decrease the size of 
displayed nail images using a fingernail scissors click on. Once the user 
has the color tone and size of the nails in the image hand closely 
approximated to their own or alternatively to some other hand style such 
as high fashion models or the like, the user is able to enter a series of 
customizations in which the user is able to mix a custom color and store 
it for later use at step 105 or alternatively exit the system at step 106. 
During the processes of decorating the exemplary nails, the user may click 
on to a cotton ball icon which performs a complete erase feature on the 
decorated nails. At step 103, a base polish color is selected to be placed 
on the nails of the image hand. The user may select different colors for 
each nail and may select either colors displayed on palette 60 (seen in 
FIG. 1) or alternatively may select the previous custom mixed color at 
step 105 which has been stored awaiting use. In any event, once the user 
has determined the colors for the nails, at step 107, the user selects and 
paints the base nail colors on the nails. 
Once the image nails on the image hand have been colored with the base 
color, the system moves to a step 108 in which a selection of accessory 
decorations is carried forward. At step 110, a plurality of icons each 
corresponding to a particular design is selectable by the user. 
Alternatively, a plurality of letters or numbers may be selected at step 
111 for secret message encryption. Finally, at step 112, the photo input 
from digital camera 40 (seen in FIG. 1) may be utilized processing the 
above-described operation at step 109 in which the photo is placed within 
photo frame 55 on image 18 (seen in FIG. 1) and is altered in size to 
present a suitable photo for use within the photo frame. It will be 
apparent to those skilled in the art that the size of photo frame 55 is 
selected in accordance with the resulting size of design upon nail covers 
such as nail cover 37 (shown in FIG. 1). The process of importing, 
selecting, and sizing the photo takes place variously within steps 109, 
113, and 114. At step 115, a sized photo is added to the nails of the hand 
image (hand image 53 in FIG. 1). Following step 115, the user is able to 
go back and change various selections should that be desired. However, 
assuming no further changes are to be made, the system moves to a print 
stage 116 in which the user prints the selected colorations and images 
upon the nail coverings supported in a laminated sheet such as sheet 70. 
At step 117, the now printed and imaged nail covers are removed from the 
laminated sheet to provide self-adhesive nail covers which may be applied 
in a simple press on manner to the child user's nail. 
Thus what has been shown is a computer game for designing and printing nail 
coverings which utilizes a color printer operative upon a plurality of 
laminated self-adhesive sheets bearing a plurality of nail coverings in 
cutout arrangement. A controlling program is inputted to the processor of 
the computer and operates to present a series of images including a hand 
image which may be colored and decorated in accordance with the user's 
selection. In addition, a plurality of photos may be inputted to the 
processor unit for addition to the pre-stored nail decorations 
representing the user's selection. The results is an interesting and 
amusing game play in which a virtually endless variety of colored and 
decorated nail coverings may be provided at a very low cost in a process 
which avoids the need to utilize potentially messy components such as 
bottles of adhesive, paints, or nail polishes. 
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and 
described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and 
modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its 
broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all 
such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of 
the invention.