Patent Publication Number: US-2007107745-A1

Title: Adhesive sheet for artificial nail

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an adhesive sheet for an artificial nail that allows easy mounting of an artificial nail on a bare nail.  
     BACKGROUND ART  
      Nowadays women apply nail art on their bare nails or attach artificial nails to their bare nails to create a stylish look.  
      For a method for attaching an artificial nail to a bare nail, there is an attachment method using glue or double-sided adhesive tape as shown in Japanese Publication No. 2002-17433.  
      In a method for attaching an artificial nail using glue, the artificial nail needs to be pressed until the glue is cured, and thus, attachment takes time. In addition, when the artificial nail is removed, the glue needs to be dissolved by allowing a chemical agent or a nail polish remover to be soaked between the artificial nail and the bare nail, and thus, it takes time.  
      On the other hand, in a method for attaching an artificial nail using double-sided adhesive tape, a release sheet of one adhesive side of the double-sided adhesive tape is removed and the one adhesive side is attached to a bare nail, and thereafter, a release sheet of the other adhesive side is removed and an artificial nail is attached to the exposed other adhesive side. Therefore, attachment and removal of an artificial nail can be done in a shorter time as compared with the case of using glue. However, upon removing the release sheet, a fingertip may touch part of the adhesive layer, causing the fingertip to be attached to the adhesive side; accordingly, a problem arises in that there is difficulty in successfully attaching a double-sided adhesive tape to a bare nail.  
      In view of the foregoing problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive sheet for an artificial nail that allows easy mounting of an artificial nail on a bare nail.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      To attain the aforementioned object, an adhesive sheet for an artificial nail of the present invention has at least one double-sided adhesive sheet member formed in a substantially nail shape that is laminated on a release board with an adhesive side thereof facing the release board; and a releasable protective film laminated on the other side of the double-sided adhesive sheet member, in which an adhesive layer and the releasable protective film are peeled off from the release board and the side of the double-sided adhesive sheet member that is on a release board side is attached to a surface of a bare nail, and thereafter, the releasable protective film is removed from the double-sided adhesive sheet member and an artificial nail is attached to the exposed side of the double-sided adhesive sheet member that is on a releasable protective film side. In the adhesive sheet for an artificial nail, the releasable protective film has a peeling tongue piece having a width smaller than a width of the double-sided adhesive sheet member and projecting outward from the double-sided adhesive sheet member, and the double-sided adhesive sheet member and the releasable protective film are chamfered in a convex R shape from a base end of the peeling tongue piece toward both sides in a width direction.  
      It is preferred that the width of the peeling tongue piece be as small as possible, as long as the peeling tongue piece is not torn when peeled off. The width of the peeling tongue piece is preferably about 15 percent to 35 percent of the maximum width of the double-sided adhesive sheet member.  
      The length of the peeling tongue piece is not particularly limited as long as the length is long enough for fingertips to hold the peeling tongue piece, however, it is preferably about 2 millimeters to 4 millimeters.  
      As described above, since a releasable protective film has a peeling tongue piece, a double-sided adhesive sheet member together with the releasable protective film is peeled off from a release board, an exposed side of the double-sided adhesive sheet member is mounted on a bare nail, and then, the peeling tongue piece is held by fingertips or the like and the releasable protective film is peeled off from the double-sided adhesive sheet member. By this, without the double-sided adhesive sheet member being attached to a fingertip or the like, an adhesive layer can be beautifully attached to the surface of the bare nail.  
      Moreover, since the peeling tongue piece is provided to project outward from the double-sided adhesive sheet member, when, for example, the releasable protective film and the double-sided adhesive sheet member are mounted on the bare nail, the peeling tongue piece can be easily held by fingertips or the like.  
      Furthermore, since the double-sided adhesive sheet member and the releasable protective film are chamfered at both sides of the width in a convex R shape from a base end of the peeling tongue piece toward the peeling tongue piece, by aligning an R portion of the double-sided adhesive sheet member with an R portion of a base end or tip end of the bare nail, the double-sided adhesive sheet member can be attached to the bare nail with as little clearance as possible on the bare nail. Accordingly, an artificial nail can be securely attached and fixed to the surface of the bare nail.  
      Further, In the adhesive sheet for an artificial nail of the present invention, the releasable protective film has a release layer made of a silicone-coated paper and a reinforcing layer that reinforces the release layer.  
      A material that forms the reinforcing layer is not particularly limited. Examples of the material include a polyethylene film and a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film.  
      A material that forms the double-sided adhesive sheet member is not particularly limited. Examples of the material include an acrylic resin adhesive and one obtained by impregnating or coating a base material made of a nonwoven fabric cloth, for example, with an adhesive. A material formed solely from an acrylic resin adhesive is preferable. Above all, a material having an extensibility that allows it to be extended by about 1.3 times to 2 times (more preferably approximately 1.5 times) when the material being attached to the surface of the bare nail is pressed by a finger from the artificial nail side.  
      In favour of the structure, the width of the peeling tongue piece can be made small. In addition, when the double-sided adhesive sheet member and the releasable protective film are formed by a punching process using a Thomson, unnecessary portions canbe easily removed. That is, although the releasable protective film can be formed solely of a PET film or a polyvinyl chloride film, for example, when the releasable protective film is formed solely of a PET film, a polyvinyl chloride film, or the like, a sufficient strength can be obtained without additionally providing a reinforcing layer; however, unnecessary portions may not be successfully removed upon performing a punching process. Hence, as described above, by using, as a release layer, a silicone-coated paper that is softer than a PET film or a polyvinyl chloride film, unnecessary portions can be successfully removed.  
      Further, in the adhesive sheet for an artificial nail of the present invention, a plurality of the double-sided adhesive sheet members having different sizes are laminated on the release board.  
      In favour of the structure, an adhesive layer of a size that matches the size of a bare nail can be selected and an artificial nail can be securely and properly attached and fixed.  
      Further, in the adhesive sheet of the present invention, a releasability of the releasable protective film with respect to the double-sided adhesive sheet member is more inferior than a releasability of the release board with respect to the double-sided adhesive sheet member.  
      In favour of the structure, by holding the peeling tongue piece by the fingertips and attempting to peel off the double-sided adhesive sheet member from the release board, the double-sided adhesive sheet member is reliably removed from the release board with the double-sided adhesive sheet member being attached to the releasable protective film side. Accordingly, peeling off from the release board can be easily done.  
      Further, in the adhesive sheet for an artificial nail of the present invention, the double-sided adhesive sheet member and the releasable protective film are chamfered in a convex R shape at their respective end edges opposite a location where the peeling tongue piece is formed, from a center in a width direction thereof toward both sides in the width direction.  
      In favour of the structure, by aligning the R portion of the double-sided adhesive sheet member with an R portion of an end of the bare nail, the double-sided adhesive sheet member can be attached to the bare nail with as little clearance as possible at the end of the bare nail, and accordingly, an artificial nail can be securely attached and fixed to the surface of the bare nail. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a plan view showing one embodiment of an adhesive sheet for artificial nails, according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is a partially cutaway plan view explaining a method for producing the adhesive sheet for artificial nails of  FIG. 1  and showing a state before punching using a Thomson;  
       FIG. 4  is a partial plan view explaining the method for producing the adhesive sheet for artificial nails of  FIG. 1  and showing a state after punching using a Thomson and before removal of a punched portion;  
       FIG. 5  is a diagram explaining step by step a method for using the adhesive sheet for artificial nails of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 6  is an illustrative diagram showing an exemplary attachment of the adhesive sheet for artificial nails to a bare nail;  
       FIG. 7  is an illustrative diagram showing another exemplary attachment of the adhesive sheet for artificial nails to a bare nail; and  
       FIG. 8  is an illustrative diagram showing an exemplary attachment of the adhesive sheet for artificial nails to an artificial nail. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      The present invention will be explained in detail below with reference to the drawings that represent an embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  show one embodiment of an adhesive sheet for an artificial nail according to the present invention.  
      As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , in an adhesive sheet  1  for artificial nails, seven pairs of double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g  having different sizes are attached to a release side of a release board  2  with one side thereof facing the release side and with a predetermined space provided therebetween. Releasable protective films  4   a  to  4   g  are attached to the double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g , respectively, with a release side thereof facing the other side of the double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g.    
      In the releasable protective films  4   a  to  4   g , a release layer  41  made of a silicone-coated paper and serving as a release side and a reinforcing layer  42  made of a polyethylene film and reinforcing the release layer  41  are laminated on top of each other. The double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g  each have, at the center of a tip end thereof, a peeling tongue piece having a width smaller than the width of the double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g  and projecting outward from the double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g.    
      The double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g  and the releasable protective films  4   a  to  4   g  are chamfered, as shown in  FIG. 1 , in a convex R shape from a base end of their corresponding peeling tongue pieces  43  toward both sides in a width direction. The double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   c  to  3   g  and the releasable protective films  4   c  to  4   g  are chamfered, as shown in  FIG. 1 , in a convex R shape at their respective end edges opposite the location where the peeling tongue pieces  43  are formed, toward both sides in the width direction.  
      The releasability of the releasable protective films  4   a  to  4   g  with respect to the double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g  is more inferior than the releasability of the release board  2  with respect to the double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g.    
      The double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g  are formed of an acrylic resin adhesive having an extensibility that allows the area to be increased by approximately 1.5 times when pressed by a finger.  
      The adhesive sheet  1  for artificial nails can be produced as follows.  
      Specifically, first, as shown in  FIG. 3 , an adhesive which serves as double-sided adhesive sheet members  3   a  to  3   g  is applied to a release side of a first release sheet  5  which serves as a release board, to a predetermined pitch and thickness to form sheet-like adhesive layers  6 .  
      Subsequently, a second release sheet  7  which serves as releasable protective films  4   a  to  4   g  is attached to top surfaces of the sheet-like adhesive layers  6  with a release side thereof facing the sheet-like adhesive layers  6 .  
      Then, as indicated by dash-dot-dot lines in  FIG. 4  (in  FIG. 4 , only portions of  4   f  and  4   g  are shown), using a Thomson (not shown), the second release sheet  7  and the sheet-like adhesive layer  6  are punched to form peeling tongue pieces  43  in a portion starting from an end edge of the sheet-like adhesive layer  6  to where the sheet-like adhesive layer  6  is not provided. Then, the outer regions are removed from the first release sheet  5  and the first release sheet  5  is cut out in the form of a release board.  
      The adhesive sheet  1  for artificial nails is composed as described above, and allows an artificial nail  8  to be attached to a bare nail  9  in the manner shown in  FIG. 5 .  
      Specifically, first, as shown in  FIG. 5A , a peeling tongue piece  43  of a corresponding one of releasable protective films  4   a  to  4   g  attached to a top surface of a double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ) that matches the width of the bare nail  9  is held by the fingertips, and the releasable protective film  4   a  ( 4   b  to  4   g ) and the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ) are peeled off from a release board  2 . Then, a side of the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ) that is on the side of the release board  2  is attached to the bare nail  9 .  
      Then, as shown in  FIG. 5B , with the peeling tongue piece  43  being held by the fingertips, the releasable protective film  4   a  ( 4   b  to  4   g ) is peeled off from the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ).  
      As shown in  FIG. 5C , the artificial nail  8  is attached to the exposed other side of the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ). Upon attaching the artificial nail  8 , it is preferred that the artificial nail  8  be pressed by a fingertip from the top to extend the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  such that the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  and the bare nail  9  are sufficiently and closely attached to each other.  
      Note that upon attaching the side of the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ) that is on the side of the release board  2  to the bare nail  9 , as shown in  FIG. 6 , the peeling tongue piece  43  may be positioned at an outward tip end of the bare nail  9 , or, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the peeling tongue piece  43  may be positioned at an outward base end of the bare nail  9 .  
      In the above-described adhesive sheet for attaching artificial nails, the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ) together with a peeling paper may be removed from the peeling board  2 , and as shown in  FIG. 8 , the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ) may be mounted on a backside of an artificial nail and the peeling paper may be peeled off from the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ) to allow a surface of the double-sided adhesive sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ) to be exposed. Thereafter, the artificial nail may be placed on the bare nail  9  of the finger, whereby the artificial nail may be bonded and fixed to the bare nail  9  of the finger via the double-sided sheet member  3   a  ( 3   b  to  3   g ).  
      The adhesive sheet for artificial nails according to the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiment. For example, although in the aforementioned embodiment a plurality of double-sided adhesive sheet members having different sizes are attached to a release board, the double-sided adhesive sheet members may all have the same size.  
      Although in the aforementioned embodiment a releasable protective film is formed of a release layer and a reinforcing layer that are laminated on top of each other, the reinforcing layer does not need to be provided, as long as a peeling tongue piece is not torn when peeled off.