Patent Publication Number: US-2012042794-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for using a flat bed printer for applying UV-sensitive ink to artificial fingernail tips

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a method and apparatus by which a conventional flat bed printer is used to print artwork, images and similar decorative designs on arrays of artificial fingernail tips of the kind that are attached to a wearer&#39;s fingernails. Unique combinations of a fingernail tip bone support and a fingernail tip bone are inserted into compartments of a jig template to facilitate the printing process. 
     2. Background Art 
     Individuals often wish to lengthen their fingernails by attaching (e.g., adhesively bonding) artificial tips thereto. In order to enhance the ornamentality of the fingernail tip attachments, decorative artwork is often illustrated. Such artwork is commonly printed in ink that is applied by means of standard brushes, air brushes, absorbent pads, ink jet printers and the like. In some cases, the artwork is applied by hand which is time-consuming, labor-intensive and difficult to accurately reproduce on a large number of fingernail tips. Because of the detail required for application to a small surface area, the nature of the artwork is limited. Moreover, it has been found that the ink printed on the fingernail tips by such common techniques does not bond well and is known to smear, whereby the artwork may be obliterated. Therefore, it would be desirable to be able to reliably print decorative artwork on a large number of fingernail tips in an efficient, uniform manner so that the ink will adhere and the artwork will be preserved. 
     Flat bed printers are commonly used to print signs, banners and other large generally flat displays. However, as far as it is known, a conventional flat bed printer has not heretofor been used to apply ink to large numbers of small curved objects, such as arrays of fingernail tips. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In general terms, a method and apparatus are disclosed by which a commercially-available flat bed printer is used for printing artwork, images and similar decorative designs on arrays of artificial fingernail tips of the kind that are attached to a wearer&#39;s fingernails. The flat bed printer includes a print head carriage which carries print heads and a pair of UV light tubes longitudinally along and laterally across a flat print bed. A print head motor supplies UV-sensitive ink from an ink source to the print heads. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment, a jig template is laid on the print bed of the flat bed printer. The template has a matrix of compartments. Inserted within each compartment of the template is the combination of a fingernail tip bone support and a fingernail tip bone. The nail tip bone support has a pair of spaced parallel-aligned rows of arcuate nail seats. A series of pin holes are formed in the nail tip bone support. The nail tip bone has a pair of spaced parallel-aligned rows of curved fingernail tips. Alignment pins project from the bone for removable receipt by the pin holes of the bone support so that the fingernail tip bone is detachably connected to the finger nail tip bone support and the curved fingernail tips of the bone lay flush against respective ones of the arcuate fingernail seats of the bone support. 
     A spacer is located between the print heads of the print head carriage and the print bed of the flat bed printer on which the template is laid so that the initial position of the print heads can be established above and in close proximity to the fingernail tips to be printed with the UV-sensitive ink. Once the position of the print heads is established, the spacer is removed. During the printing process, the UV light tubes generate light to cause the ink to cure and adhere to the fingernail tips. At the conclusion of the printing process, the fingernail tip bone support and the fingernail tip bone combinations are removed from the compartments of the template. The printed fingernail tips are then separated from their fingernail tip bones for distribution and use. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a commercially-available flat bed printer which is used for printing decorative designs on arrays of artificial fingernail tips to achieve the advantages of this invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of a print head carriage of the flat bed printer of  FIG. 1  having print heads and a pair of UV light tubes; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the print head carriage of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a jig template having a matrix of compartments to be laid on a print bed of the flat bed printer of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows the jig template of  FIG. 4  laying upon the print bed of the flat bed printer; 
         FIG. 6  shows a fingernail tip bone to be detachably connected to a fingernail tip bone support and inserted within each compartment of the jig template of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 7  shows a combination of the fingernail tip bone connected to the fingernail tip bone support of  FIG. 6 ; and 
         FIG. 8  shows the print heads of the print head carriage of the flat bed printer positioned above nail tip bone support and nail tip bone combinations like that shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The method and apparatus by which a flat bed printer and UV-sensitive ink are used for printing artwork, images and similar decorative designs on arrays of artificial fingernail tips is initially described while referring to  FIGS. 1-3  of the drawings where there is shown a flat bed printer  1  of the kind that is typically used for printing signs, banners, and similar flat displays. One suitable flat bed printer having a wide-format inkjet head which can be used to practice the present invention is known commercially as “Solara ion” by Gerber Scientific Products of South Windsor, Conn. Because the flat bed printer  1  shown in  FIGS. 1-3  is commercially available, only a brief description of the relevant details will be provided below. 
     Turning first to  FIG. 1 , the flat bed printer  1  includes a horizontal print bed  3  that is supported by a table  5 . A pair of guide rails  7  run along opposite sides of the print bed  3  atop the table  5 . A print head carriage  9  is disposed at one end of the table  5  and coupled to the guide rails  7  so as to ride along the rails and move in a first longitudinal direction over the print bed  3 . A motor  10  and a motor controller  12  are carried by the print head carriage. Thus, the motor  10  and controller  12  ride along with the print head carriage  9  in the first longitudinal direction over the print bed  3 . 
     A removable print head carriage cover  14  surrounds the print head carriage  9 . A cover plate  16  is detachably connected to the print head carriage  9  across the face of the carriage cover  14 . As will be described in greater detail when referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a plurality of print heads (designated  26  in  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) and a pair of UV light tubes (designated  30 ) lie behind the cover plate  16  of print head carriage  9 . The motor  10  is responsible for moving the print heads in a second lateral direction over the print bed  3  when ink is to be applied from an ink source to the arrays of fingernail tips. To this end, pouches (not shown) that are filled with UV-sensitive ink to be supplied to the print heads of the print head carriage  9  are loaded into drawers behind a first panel  18  of the table  5  of the flat bed printer  1 . A motor (also not shown) is located behind a second panel  20  of the table  5 . The motor behind panel  20  is responsible for moving the print head carriage  9  in the aforementioned first longitudinal direction over the print bed  3 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , a description is provided of the print head carriage  9  of the flat bed printer  1  shown in  FIG. 1  with the carriage cover and the cover plate (designated  14  and  16  in  FIG. 1 ) removed. The print head carriage  9  includes a print head mount  24  to which an array of print heads  26  is connected. The print head mount  24  is slidable in the aforementioned second lateral direction across the print bed  3  by the motor  10  (best shown in  FIG. 3 ). The motor  10  also pumps a supply of UV ink from the ink pouches located behind the panel  18  of the table shown in  FIG. 1  to the print heads  26  by way of ink carrying tubes  28  (also best shown in  FIG. 3 ). The print head mount  24  and the print heads  26  thereof are moved by the motor  10  between a pair of spaced, parallel-aligned UV light tubes  30  which irradiate the ink applied to the fingernail tips with UV light for an advantage that will now be disclosed. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention,  FIG. 4  of the drawings illustrates a rectangular jig template  34  that is sized to lie upon the print bed  3  of the table  5  and below the print head carriage  9  of the flat bed printer  1  of  FIG. 1 . By way of example only, for the particular flat bed printer earlier described, the template  34  has a length of 8 feet, a width of 6 feet, and a depth of 0.25 inches. The template  34  is preferably manufactured (e.g., laser cut) from sheet metal or plastic. The template  34  is formed by horizontal and vertical running ribs  35  which establish a matrix of empty compartments  36 . Each empty compartment  36  is approximately 7 inches long and 3 inches wide. However, the dimensions of the template  34  and the compartments  36  are not to be considered a limitation of this invention. 
       FIG. 5  of the drawings shows the rectangular jig template  34  of  FIG. 4  lying flat against the print bed  3  of the table  5  of the flat bed printer  1 . The empty compartments  36  of the template  34  are accessible for the removable receipt of respective combinations of fingernail tip supports and arrays of artificial fingernail tips on which artwork, images and similar designs are to be printed by the UV-sensitive ink supplied to the print heads  26  of the print head carriage  9  of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . 
     Referring in this regard to  FIG. 6  of the drawings, the combinations to be inserted into each one of the compartments  36  of the jig template  34  are illustrated. A fingernail tip bone support  40  has a molded body  42  with dimensions that correspond to the size of each compartment  36 . The bone support  40  includes a pair of parallel-aligned rows of nail seats  44 . The nail seats  44  are spaced from one another at the top of the body  42 . The nail seats  44  are joined to and extend outwardly from opposite sides of a rail  46  that runs longitudinally along the body  42  of the nail tip bone support  40 . A series of spaced pin holes  48  are formed in the rail  46 . The nail seats  44  have a generally arcuate shape that conforms to the shape of a typical fingernail tip so that the fingernail tips to be printed with ink will lie flush upon and be supported by the seats  44 . 
       FIG. 6  also shows a fingernail tip bone  50  having an array of curved fingernail tips  52 . Like the bone support  40 , the fingernail tip bone  50  includes two rows of spaced, parallel-aligned fingernail tips  52 . The fingernail tips  52  are attached by means of joints  56  to opposite sides of a runner  54  that runs longitudinally along fingernail tip bone  50 . The joints  56  at which the tips  52  are connected to the runner  54  are relatively narrow to permit the tips  52  to be twisted or pulled off the runner  54  at the conclusion of the printing process. 
     So that the fingernail tips  52  that are carried by the fingernail tip bone  50  are aligned to be laid upon respective ones of the seats  44  of the molded body  42  of the fingernail tip bone support  40 , a number of alignment pins  58  project downwardly from the runner  54  of bone  50 . The alignment pins  58  are spaced from one another for receipt within the pin holes  48  formed in the rail  46  of bone support  40 . 
       FIG. 7  of the drawings shows the fingernail tip bone  50  of  FIG. 6  lying over and detachably connected to the fingernail tip bone support  40  after the alignment pins  58  are located in the pin holes  48 . Thus, the curved fingernail tips  52  are laid flush upon and supported by the arcuate finger nail seats  44 . As previously explained, each combination fingernail tip bone support  40  and fingernail tip bone  50  is inserted within one compartment  36  of the jig template  34  of  FIG. 4 . The maximum height of the base  42  of the bone support  40  at the fingernail seats  44  thereof (e.g., about 0.5 inches) is selected so that the fingernail tips  52  carried by the bone  50  are raised slightly above the compartment  36  in order to receive ink from the print heads  26  of the print head carriage  9  shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     In this regard,  FIG. 8  of the drawings shows the print bed  3  of the flat bed printer (designated  1  in  FIG. 5 ) with the template  34  lying thereon so that the combinations of the fingernail tip bone support  40  and the fingernail tip bone  50  (of  FIG. 7 ) inserted within the compartments  36  of template  34  are positioned under the print heads  26  of the print head mount  24  of the print head carriage  9 . As was previously indicated, the print head motor  10  of print head carriage  9  draws ink to the print heads  26  and moves the print head mount  24  laterally above the template  34  while the print head carriage  9  is moved longitudinally along the print bed  3  so that UV-sensitive ink can be applied to the fingernail tips. By way of example only, one suitable ink to be applied to the fingernail tips ( 52  of  FIG. 6 ) by means of a conventional adhesion printing process is a flexible cationic UV-sensitive ink available from Gerber Scientific Products. In this case, UV light provided by the light tubes  30  of the print head carriage  9  promotes curing which causes the ink to reliably adhere to the nail tips  52  and thereby prevent smearing. During the printing process, a vacuum pump (not shown) of the flat bed printer  1  generates a suction force for holding the template  34  against the print bed  3  to prevent a displacement thereof relative to the print heads  26 . 
     To ensure a reliable and uniform application of ink to the fingernail tips  52 , a spacer  60  is used to set the initial distance of the print head mount  24  above the template  34  so that the print heads  26  are disposed in close spaced proximity to the arrays of fingernail tips  52  carried by the fingernail tip bones  50  which are detachably connected to fingernail tip bone supports  40 . In particular, the spacer  60  is preferably located on the print bed  3  behind the template  34  and below the print head mount  24 . The spacer  60  is ideally rectangular with straight top and bottom edges so as to create a flat reference surface above the curved fingernail tips  52 . 
     The print head carriage  9  which carries the print head mount  24  is lowered hydraulically against the spacer  60  until the print heads  26  lie over and immediately adjacent the arrays of fingernail tips  52  that have been inserted into and stand upwardly from the compartments  36  of the template  34 . Once the initial position of the print head mount  24  is established, the spacer  60  is removed so that the printing process can begin. The precise design to be printed on the fingernail tips  52  is selectively controlled by software that enables data to be supplied from a remote computer by way of a data link cable (not shown) to the motor controller  12  of the flat bed printer  1 . At the conclusion of the printing process, the fingernail tip bone support and fingernail tip bone combinations  40 ,  50  are removed from the compartments  36  of the template  34 . The printed fingernail tips  52  are then separated from the runners  54  of the bones  50  for distribution and use.