Patent ID: 7506652

Claim:
A preformed artificial nail adapted to substantially cover an upper surface of a user's natural nail, the upper surface of the natural nail extending from a cuticle and having an oppositely disposed free edge, the artificial nail comprising: an elongated nail body extending between a proximate edge and a distal edge, and a left side and a right side, and having a thickness, the proximate edge being adapted to be disposed substantially adjacent the user's cuticle, a longitudinal direction being defined from the proximate edge to the distal edge and a lateral direction being defined from the left side to the right side, wherein the thickness of the nail body substantially continuously increases from the proximate edge to the distal edge, the thickness decreasing from the distal edge to the proximate edge by at least one of either at least 0.020 inches (0.51 mm) or at least about 70% as measured by the difference between the thickness of the nail at the distal and proximate ends divided by the thickness at the distal end multiplied by 100, and thickness is substantially uniform in a lateral direction from the left side to the right side across the nail body, the nail body being unitarily formed of a single material.