Abstract:
A self-adhesive artificial eyelash system attachable to a subject wearer&#39;s existing natural eyelashes to modify the appearance of the existing natural eyelashes is disclosed. The system includes an adhesive that passes between the existing natural eyelashes and adheres to surrounding support strips such that the existing natural eyelashes are disposed between upper and lower support strips and the adhered support strips are supported on the existing natural eyelashes. Artificial lash hairs extend from the support strips and thus are supported on the existing natural eyelashes via the adhered support strips. The adherence layer between the support strips may include mechanical fasteners.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 11/695,033, filed Apr. 1, 2007, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/744,131, filed Apr. 2, 2006, both of which are fully incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    The present invention is in the field of cosmetic materials. More specifically, the present invention relates to personal grooming and to artificial eyelashes adapted for attachment onto hair growing from an eyelid. 
         [0004]    The cosmetic use of artificial eyelashes by persons in the making of their toilet is old in the art. Typically, eyelash sets comprise left and right arrays of lash hairs held together on an adhesive strip, and the array is attached to the skin of the upper eyelid of the wearer to cosmetically extend the length of the wearer&#39;s natural eyelashes. The individual hairs of the array are aligned with their bases in a substantially common direction. The bases of the lash hairs are embedded in the support strip, preferably in its leading edge. It is known in the art how to produce, select, sculpt and arrange the individual hairs of the array to provide various aesthetically desirable configurations of the array in combination with the support strip. 
         [0005]    As noted above, prior art artificial eye lashes typically are applied to the skin of the wearer. It would be beneficial to have an alternative that does not attach to or contact the skin of the wearer. A benefit of this a reduced risk that the wearer would be exposed to the solvents or other chemicals in the adhesive and mounting strip of the eyelash strip. Additionally, if it is desired for regular adherence of the artificial eyelash by the application of pressure to the adhesive, it would be beneficial to be able to avoid applying the pressure directly to the tissue (i.e., eyelid and/or eyeball) of the wearer. It would also be beneficial in the field to be able to remove and reapply the artificial eyelash strips. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The present invention is a self-adhesive artificial eyelash unit that attaches to a subject wearer&#39;s existing natural eyelashes to modify their appearance. The unit is preferably applied as a left and right set of units, with the left and the right sets including an upper unit and optionally including a lower unit. The left and right sets correspond to the wearer&#39;s left and right eyes. The upper and lower units of a set correspond to the upper and lower surfaces of a wearer&#39;s natural eyelashes. Each unit includes an array of artificial lash hairs, each lash hair having a base and a tip. Preferably, the artificial lash hairs are sculpted, in that the base of the individual lash hair is thicker than its tip. The lash hairs are somewhat spaced apart in the array with their bases in a common direction relative to a support strip. The bases are received in the support strip, preferably at its leading edge. The support strip has an adhesive-receiving surface on which an adhesive is disposed. In the embodiments illustrated, the support strip was made of polyurethane and had the bases of the hairs of the array of artificial lash hairs embedded in the polyurethane of the leading edge of the support strip. An adhesive is disposed on the adhesive-receiving surface of the support strip. The adhesive releasably attaches the support strip to the existing natural eyelashes of the wearer to provide for cosmetically altering the appearance of the wearer&#39;s natural eyelashes. The adhesive may be supplied in place on a unit and covered with a removable protective covering, or may be separately applied to the adhesive receiving surface by the wearer just prior to use. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a self-adhesive artificial eyelash extensions set of the present invention, comprising a pair of lash extension units: an upper unit and a lower unit. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is side view of a self-adhesive artificial eyelash extension set of the present invention installed on a subject wearer&#39;s existing natural eyelashes. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a front view of a self-adhesive artificial eyelash extension set of the present invention positioned to be installed on a subject wearer&#39;s existing natural eyelashes. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of an alternate embodiment of the invention in which adhesive is applied intermittently. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    Referring now to the drawings, the details of the embodiments of the present invention are graphically and schematically illustrated. Like elements in the drawings are represented by like numbers, and any similar elements are represented by like numbers with a different lower case letter suffix. 
         [0012]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the present invention is self-adhering artificial eyelashes extensions  10  for attachment to a subject wearer&#39;s existing natural eyelashes  60  (see  FIGS. 3 and 4 ) to provide the cosmetic appearance of natural looking longer and fuller eyelashes, or alternatively, fanciful eyelashes. An eyelashes extension unit  14  is made up of an array  18  of artificial lash hairs  20 , each lash hair  20  having a base  22  and a tip  23 . The individual hairs  20  of the array  18  are aligned with their bases  22  in a substantially common direction relative to a support strip  26 . The bases  22  of the lash hairs  20  are embedded in the support strip  26 , preferably in its leading edge  34 . It is known in the art how to produce, select, sculpt and arrange the individual hairs  20  of the array  18  to provide various aesthetically desirable configurations of the array  18  in combination with the support strip  26 . 
         [0013]    In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures, the support strip  26  of the lash extension unit  14  is made of polyurethane. Additionally, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the support strip  26  has a top surface  28 , a bottom surface  30  and a leading edge  34 . The bases  22  of the lash hairs  20  of the artificial lash hair array  18  are embedded in the polyurethane of the leading edge  34  of the support strip  26 . On any lash extension unit  14 , one of the surfaces  28 ,  30  of the support strip  26  is also an adhesive surface  36  disposed to receive a film or a layer  40  of an adhesive  42 . 
         [0014]    The adhesive  42  disposed on the adhesive surface  40  of a support strip  26  enables the strip  26  of the lash extension unit  14  with its array  18  of artificial lash hairs  20  to be releasably adhered to the existing natural lashes  60  of the wearer. 
         [0015]    In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive  42  is a silicone-based composition. However, other adhesive compositions are known to and are selectable by one of ordinary skill in the art. For example, a heat or light cured self-adhering composition may be particularly advantageous. 
         [0016]    Attaching a present self-adhering artificial eyelashes extensions unit  14  to the existing natural eyelashes  60  of the wearer provides for cosmetically extending the length of the wearer&#39;s natural eyelashes  60 . 
         [0017]    In a preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures, the present self-adhering artificial eyelashes extensions are provided as a matched set of two units  14 , the set being made up of an upper unit  14   a  (see  FIG. 2 ) for attachment to the top side of the existing natural eyelashes  60  on a wearer&#39;s upper eyelid  68 , and a lower unit  14   b  for attaching to the bottom side of the same eyelashes. In this embodiment, the self-adhesive artificial eyelash extension set  10  comprises two support strips, one being an upper unit support strip  26   a  and the other being a lower unit support strip  26   b,  the upper unit support strip  26   a  has a bottom adhesive surface  36   a,  and the lower unit support strip  26   b  has an upper adhesive surface  36   b.    
         [0018]    In using the present invention, the wearer&#39;s existing natural lashes  60  (e.g., of the wearer&#39;s upper eyelid) are sandwiched between the upper and lower lash hair units  14   a  &amp;  14   b  of a lash extension set  10  of the present invention. The self-adhering adhesives  42  of the two lash hair extension units  14   a  &amp;  14   b  come into contact and bond the two adhesive layers together with the wearer&#39;s existing natural lashes  60  disposed between them. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive  42  is contact sensitive. However, pressure sensitive and heat or light setting adhesives may be practiced in the present invention, if the adhesive effect can be released to enable removal of the artificial lash extension units. 
         [0019]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , in another embodiment, the adhesive  42  is distributed intermittently across the adhesive-receiving surface, or in a pattern  43 , such that, for at least one of the matched pair, not the entire surface is covered with adhesive. The disposition of the adhesive  42  in such a pattern  43  can help optimize the adhering characteristics of the upper and lower matched set, together making it easier to remove such artificial units  14  or makes them more permanent, according to the desire of the wearer or the cosmetician. For example, the adhesive pattern  43  may be strips  44  of adhesive parallel to and aligned with the hairs  20  having non-adhesive spaces  46  in between of a width comparable to that of the adhesive strip width (e.g., the width of four human hairs), thereby allowing a cosmetician or the wearer to simply offset one unit with respect to another in order to control the amount of adhering force, thereby eliminating the need for a large stock of eyelash units  14  having a varying amount of adhesive  42 . 
         [0020]    In another embodiment, one of the matched pairs of units  14  does not have any adhesive  42  and relies on the adhesive present on the matched unit, passing between natural lashes  60 , and contacting the surface of the unit, to retain the assembly together. 
         [0021]    Although it is the primary intent of the invention to provide an artificial eyelash unit  14  or lash set  10  that enhances a wearer&#39;s eyelashes  60  such that they appear natural, fuller, longer and consequently, more attractive, the invention allows for a departure from this usual goal, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In other words, although the polyurethane strip  26  is generally made dark or clear and the artificial lashes  20  of a natural color, the strip  26  may even be made of different colors and be of differing sizes according to the desire of the wearer. Such strip  26  may even embedded with a metallic glitter, according to the desire of the wearer. Further, text may be printed on the non-adhesive surface of the strip  26 , such as the trademark of the manufacturer, or a phrase or expression invoking a theme, perhaps even including the name of the wearer. Such strip  26  may optionally be embedded with a material which absorbs light energy and emits the absorbed light at a predetermined level or rate, such that when ambient light level is lower than the emission rate, the strip  26  is ruminated. Further, the self-adhering artificial eyelashes extensions  10  may be made up of artificial eyelashes  20  of a fanciful color, like gold or silver, or some other color, and may be luminescent as well. The array  18  may be homogeneous or include a pattern of different color eyelashes  20 , randomly mixed, alternating one to the other, or set in groups of lashes of different colors. 
         [0022]    In another embodiment, the attachment may be accomplished by mechanically interlocking the units to each other (and to the natural eyelashes) using a suitable loop-and-hook combination (e.g., a VELCRO.™.-type combination), wherein each matched strip  26  has a complementary mechanical structure which engages with a corresponding mechanical structure of the matching strip  26  as well as with the natural lashes  60  themselves. 
         [0023]    In an advantage, the invention provides an artificial eyelash that enhances a wearer&#39;s eyelashes  60  such that they appear natural, fuller and consequently, more attractive. This is due to the fact that sandwiching of the natural lash  60  between two artificial lash units  14  that better cover the natural lashes, thereby making them appear more consistent and fuller. 
         [0024]    In another advantage, the level of permanence of such eyelash assembly  10  may be controlled by controlling the amount or pattern of adhesive on the eyelash strips  26 . 
         [0025]    In another advantage, a wearer may select from a wide variety of appearance from a natural appearance to a fanciful appearance. 
         [0026]    In another advantage, the invention conveys a desired message by permitting printing on the eyelash strip  26 . 
         [0027]    While the above description contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of one or another preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible, which would be obvious to one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, and not just by the embodiments.