SYSTEM FOR APPLYING A DESIGN ON AT LEAST ONE NAIL SURFACE

Abstract

A system including apparatus for applying a design to a nail surface, including an optical device scanning the anatomy of the nail surface and acquiring an image of said nail surface; a print head; a motor displacing the print head; a control unit including connection to communicate with the optical device, and a computer application including instructions for controlling the motor to direct the print head. At least one remote server includes a database recording digital data corresponding to designs. The control unit communicates with the remote server and downloads digital data corresponding to the design to be applied on the nail surface. The control unit's computer application includes instructions to analyze the anatomy of the nail surface scanned by the optical device; and scale the design to be applied to adjust it to the nail surface scanned.

Claims

1. Printing system comprising at least one apparatus for applying a design on at least one nail surface, said apparatus comprising: a guide to position at least one nail surface, an optical device for scanning the anatomy of the nail surface and acquiring an image of said nail surface, a print head, a motor for displacing the print head in order to apply a design on the nail surface, a control unit comprising: connection to communicate with the optical device, a computer application comprising instructions for controlling the motor according to the image of the nail surface acquired and according to the design, in such a way as to direct the print head in order that it applies said design on the nail surface, wherein: the system comprises at least one remote server of the apparatus, said server comprising at least one database wherein digital data corresponding to designs is recorded in a memory zone, the control unit communicates with the remote server, in such a way that said control unit can access at the memory zone and download a digital data which is stored therein, said downloaded data corresponding to the design to be applied on the nail surface, the control unit's computer application comprises instructions to: analyze the anatomy of the nail surface scanned by the optical device, scale the design to be applied in order to adjust it to said scanned nail surface.

2. System according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is a tablet having a touch screen for main interface.

3. System according to claim 2, wherein the tablet is connected to the apparatus in a removable manner.

4. System according to claim 3, wherein the tablet is provided with a connector cooperating with a complementary connector installed on the apparatus, in such a way that data can be exchanged between said tablet and elements of said apparatus.

5. System according to claim 1, wherein a carriage is mounted on rails, said carriage being provided with the print head and the optical device.

6. System according to claim 5, wherein the optical device has the form of a digital photograph cell or of a CCD camera located on the side of the print head.

7. System according to claim 1, wherein the optical device has the form of a digital photograph cell or of a CCD camera located on the control unit.

8. System according to claim 1, wherein the design is displayed in the form of an element that can be selected on a touch screen of the control unit, such a selection generates a control information sent, from the control unit, to the remote server, the latter transfers to the control unit all of the digital data corresponding to the design to be applied.

9. System according to claim 1, wherein the print head is connected to a base coat cartridge or a top coat cartridge and comprises a row of nozzles for spraying said base coat or top coat.

10. System according to claim 1, wherein the print head is connected to an ink cartridge and comprises a row of nozzles for spraying said ink.

11. System according to claim 1, wherein the print head is connected to a nail polish cartridge and comprises a row of nozzles for spraying said nail polish.

12. System according to claim 1, wherein the print head is a 3D printer for applying a three-dimensional design onto the nail surface, or onto a support to be fixed onto said nail surface.

13. System according to claim 1, wherein the control unit's computer application comprises instructions to control the displacement of the print head according to a single travel path in order to apply designs on a plurality of nail surfaces during said travel path.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0063] Other advantages and characteristics of the invention shall appear better when reading the following description of a preferred embodiment, in reference to the annexed drawings, provided for the purposes of information and as non-restricted examples and wherein:

[0064] FIG. 1 shows a printing system in accordance with the invention,

[0065] FIG. 2 shows an example of a digital library of designs displayed on the screen of a touch-screen tablet.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0066] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus 1 for applying a design on at least one nail surface SO. This apparatus 1 has for example the form of a printer for nails, of the type described in the aforementioned patent documents US 2013/019799 (BITHO) or EP 1.204.340 (PEARL TECHNOLOGY) to which those skilled in the art can refer.

[0067] More particularly, the apparatus 1 comprises a case 1a, of parallelepiped, oval, round or other shape, of which the front surface is provided with an opening 1b for the passage of at least one finger D of one hand of a user. The opening 1b can be dimensioned in order to allow for the passage of a single finger, or several fingers and in particular of all of the fingers of a hand of a user, and preferably of both hands (or feet).

[0068] The opening 1b opens into a housing located inside the case 1a, and wherein are positioned the finger or fingers D. This housing is provided with a device or means 1c for positioning at least one nail surface SO. These means 1c may have for example the form of a guide of the type described in U.S. Patent 2013/019799 (BITHO) in reference to the FIGS. 5A to 11 of said document, or in the form of hand or foot prints or a finger holder of the type described in patent document EP 1.204.340 (PEARL TECHNOLOGY) in reference to the FIG. 1A or 4A of said document. The means for positioning 1c are configured in such a way as to position and maintain in position the nail surface SO in the direction of a printing device.

[0069] In case the means 1c have the form of a guide, this guide preferably comprises separated housings for receiving fingers. Each one of those housings may be attached inside the case 1a with magnet so as to be detachable. In the example of FIG. 1, the printing device comprises a carriage 2 mounted on rails 3. The carriage 2 is provided with a print head 2a and possibly an optical device 2b in order to acquire an image of the nail surface SO.

[0070] The print head 2a advantageously uses an ink jet method wherein ink is sprayed in fine droplets and ejected onto the nail surface SO. But other printing methods can be considered. The print head 2a is connected to an ink cartridge (not shown) and comprises for example a row of nozzles which sprays a black ink, a row of nozzles which sprays a cyan ink, a row of nozzles which sprays a magenta ink, and a row of nozzles which sprays a yellow ink, etc. The inks used are of the type known to those skilled in the art and adapted to be applied on the surface of a nail. A primer or gel coat may be first applied to the nail providing a good or necessary base onto which one or more colored inks are then applied. This colorless primer or gel coat acts as a liquid paper necessary to apply ink. This primer or gel coat is also sprayed in fine droplets and ejected onto the nail surface SO by the print head 2a. The print head 2a is then connected to a primer or gel coat cartridge and comprises a row of nozzles which sprays said primer or gel coat.

[0071] The print head 2a could also apply nail polish (including gel cured under an ultraviolet lamp or ultraviolet LED) onto the nail surface SO. Such nail polish is sprayed in fine droplets and ejected onto the nail surface SO. The print head 2a is then connected to a nail polish cartridge and comprises a row of nozzles which spray said nail polish.

[0072] A base coat (e.g.: Shellac, gel polish) can be first applied to the nail providing a good base onto which one or more colored nail polishes are then applied. A top coat (e.g.: Shellac, gel polish) can also be applied onto the design after applying said design to the nail surface SO, providing a good protection. The print head 2a is then connected to a base coat cartridge and/or a top coat cartridge and comprises a row of nozzles which spray said base coat and/or top coat.

[0073] More generally, the print head 2a applies a coating of various types, colors and/or textures onto the nail surface SO, such as, but not limiting to: ink, nail polish, base coat, top coat, gel, matte, etc.

[0074] The print head 2a is adapted to apply a 2D image (2D design) onto the nail surface SO. The print head 2a may also be adapted as a 3D printer, for applying a three-dimensional design onto the nail surface SO, or onto a support to be fixed onto said nail surface.

[0075] The tablet 4 can control the displacement of the print head 2a according to a single travel path in order that said print head prints several nail surface fingers at once. Accordingly, the print head 2a prints same or different designs on the nail surface of several fingers in a single travel path. In another embodiment, the print head 2a prints only one nail surface finger at once, in a single and same travel path.

[0076] The optical device 2b has for example the form of a digital photograph cell or of a CCD camera located on the side or above the print head 2a and which makes it possible to scan the anatomy of the nail surface SO before, during or after the printing.

[0077] The rails 3 are arranged in such a way that the carriage 2 can be displaced at least in a horizontal plane, towards the right, towards the left, towards the front and towards the rear. Rails can also be provided arranged in such a way that the carriage 2 is displaced in a vertical plane, upwards and downwards. A motor 2c provides the displacement of the carriage 2 on the rails 3. In an alternative embodiment not shown, it can be considered to install the print head 2a on one side and the optical device 2b on the other side, each one on a motorized mobile carriage. In another alternative embodiment, the optical device 2b is fixed, with only the print head 2a being mobile and associated with the carriage 2.

[0078] A touch-screen tablet 4 acting as a control unit, is connected in a removable manner to the apparatus 1. In the sense of this invention, a touch-screen tablet means any portable computer terminal in the form of a tablet having for main interface a touch screen 4a (e.g.: IPad or Samsung), including Smartphones, Smartwatch (e.g.: Apple Watch or Samsung Gear), Smartglass (e.g.: Google Glass) or other Smart Physical Objects or Smart Virtual Objects. In practice, the tablet 4 is provided with a rechargeable battery, a motherboard, one or several processors and a memory zone wherein are recorded various computer applications of which the instructions provide for the implementation of the various features mentioned in this description. The operating system is of the type known to those skilled in the art (e.g.: Android, BlackBerry OS, iOS; Windows; etc.).

[0079] The touch-screen tablet 4 is provided with a connector 4d cooperating with a complementary connector 2d installed on the apparatus 2, in such a way that data can be exchanged between said tablet and the elements of said apparatus. This can be a physical connection (e.g.: USB port or serial port or SD Card reader) or a wireless connection (e.g.: Wifi, Bluetooth). This connector authorizes in particular the tablet 4 to communicate with the optical device 2b and to generate instructions intended for the print head 2a and for the motor 2c. More particularly, when the nail surface SO is in position in the apparatus 1, the tablet 4 orders the displacement of the carriage 2 so that the optical device 2b acquires an image of said nail surface. Then, the tablet 4 can analyze the anatomy of the nail surface SO scanned and scale the design chosen beforehand by the user, in order to adjust it to said surface. The tablet 4 then controls the displacement of the print head 2a according to the image of the nail surface SO acquired and according to the design chosen, is such a way as to apply the latter on the nail surface.

[0080] In an alternative embodiment, the optical device 2b has the form of a digital photograph cell or of a CCD camera located onto the tablet 4. When the nail surface SO is in position in the apparatus 1, the tablet 4 orders its optical device to acquire an image of the nail surface and then controls the displacement of the print head 2a according to the image acquired.

[0081] In FIG. 1, at least one remote server 5, of the apparatus 1, integrates at least one database 50 wherein digital data is able to be recorded. Several remote servers can be used for the purposes of optimizing the archival and the securing of the data. In a well-known manner, a server 5 typically has the form of a computer provided with one or several processors 51 and with at least one memory wherein are recorded various computer applications of which the instructions provide for the implementation of the features mentioned hereinafter. The remote server 5 can be managed by one or several operators which are for example owners of the apparatuses 1. The term remote server must also be understood in the sense of this invention as a storage area known as a Cloud.

[0082] A series of mobile or fixed terminals 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d belonging to a user community (for example the Facebook community and/or the users who have downloaded the computer application into their terminal acting as the apparatus' control unit, communicate, by the intermediary of a network (internet network, local network or other network), with the remote server 5. In practice, the terminals 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d and the server 5 are each provided with an emitter/receiver that provide for this communication via a modem, an Ethernet connection, a Wifi connection, or other (NFC, Bluetooth, Airdrop, etc.). In this way, data can transit from the terminals 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d to the remote server 5 and other data can transit from said server to said terminals. The data transiting between a terminal 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d and the remote server 5 is preferably exchanged though a secure internet connection of the HTTP-S type.

[0083] The terminals 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d can be touch-screen tablets, mobile telephones, apparatuses of the personal digital assistant type (PDA), apparatuses of the BlackBerry type, fixed or portable PC computers, or any other communication terminal able to connect in an internet communications network. Each terminal 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d integrates at least one means for generating a design in the form of digital data. This can be for example a built-in camera apparatus or drawing software of the PAINT type. In the sense of this invention designs means any pattern able to be printed on the nail surface SO: photograph, portrait, artistic design, stylized face figure of the smiley type, icon, logo, flag, text, any complex shape as 3D shape, etc. When the design is generated, the associated digital data is transmitted to the remote server 5, automatically, or as a response to a specific action from the user on her terminal, for example a pressing a dedicated key, a QR-Code scanning, or a NFC tag scanning. The terminals 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d are preferably associated with a unique identifier making it possible to identify the user who generated the design. This identifier has for example the form of a string of numeric or alphanumeric characters.

[0084] When the remote server 5 receives this data, it stores it in a hierarchical way in memory zones 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d of the database 50. These memory zones 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d are associated with each of the users of the community and can be accessed via password and/or identifier. In practice, each user of the community has her own memory zone, said zone is indicated by a unique identifier which corresponds to that making it possible to identify the user who generated the design. When the digital data is transmitted by a terminal 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, this data is advantageously associated with the identifier of said terminal and/or of its user. By analyzing all of the data received, the server 5 can as such extract the identifier and direct the digital data which is associated with it to the memory zone 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d assigned to the user of the terminal 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d who emitted said data. Each user can as such constitute in real time and in a practically unlimited way a library of designs that can be applied on a nail surface.

[0085] The tablet 4 connects automatically, via an Internet connection, to the server 5 so as to be able to access at least one of the memory zones 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d and download the digital data that is stored therein, said downloaded data corresponding to the design to be applied on the nail surface SO. To do this, as a response to the connection of the tablet 4, the remote server 5 can emit a request intended for said tablet, requesting a password and/or an identifier. The latter corresponds to the identifier mentioned previously in relation with the terminals 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d. The user of the tablet 4 keys in the information requested from said tablet and transmits it to the remote server 5. After verification of this information, the remote server 5 authorizes access to the memory zone 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d that corresponds to the identifier entered. This identifier can possibly be contained in an NFC card, in which case it suffices for the user to present this card in front of the tablet 4 in order to authorize this identification. The tablet 4 as such has access to all of the designs stored in the authorized memory zone. Each user (e.g.: Julie) of the community can authorize one or several other users of said community (e.g.: Marie and Bndicte) to access her own memory zone. The remote server 5 grants in this case a specific right to Marie and Bndicte so that they can access the data stored in the memory zone of Julie. When Marie connects, via her tablet 4, to the remote server 5 and access to the database 5 is granted to her, said tablet not only has access to the data stored in the memory zone that is dedicated for her (for example the memory zone 5a) but also the memory zone of Julie (for example the memory zone 5b).

[0086] By connecting to the remote server 5, the tablet 4 displays on its screen 4a a digital library generated by said server. This library displays all of the designs associated with the digital data contained in the memory zone or zones 5a and/or 5b and/or 5c and/or 5d of which the access is authorized by the remote server 5. Referring to FIG. 2, the designs are displayed in the form of elements that can be selected 4b, for example icons that can be selected by pressing on a screen 4a. The selection of an element that can be selected 4b generates control information sent, from the tablet 4, to the remote server 5. The latter transfers to the tablet 4 all of the digital data corresponding to the selected designs, said data is as such downloaded onto said tablet. This downloading can occur as a response to receiving the control information by the server 5. The downloading can also occur beforehand, for example as early as the step of identification, in which case all of the data corresponding to the designs listed in the library is downloaded beforehand, but only that corresponding to the selected designs is activated. This downloaded data is now printing data taken into account in order to control the carriage 2 as explained previously in order to apply this design on the nail surface SO. A native digital library could also be recorded in a memory zone of the tablet 4 and/or of the apparatus 1.

[0087] In one embodiment, the user, via the tablet 4, can prepare the designs to be applied before the connection of the tablet to the apparatus 1. The data corresponding to the prepared designs will be taken into account in order to control the carriage 2 or will be transfer to another control unit.

[0088] After the application of the selected design on the nail surface SO, a user may find it advantageous to share, with the other members of the community, a photograph of her nails thus decorated. Referring to the aforementioned example, Marie may want to transmit a photograph of her nails to Julie and Bndicte and even to the entire community. To do this, the tablet 4 generates an instruction to control the optical device 2b so that the latter acquires, in the form of digital data, an image of the nail surface SO whereon is applied the design. The tablet 4 then transfers to the remote server 5, the digital data acquired. The remote server 5 stores this data either in the memory zone associated with the user of the touch-screen tablet 4 connected to the apparatus 1 (for example the memory zone 5a dedicated to Marie), in each of the memory zones 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, or in the memory zones of users of the community selected beforehand (for example the memory zone 5a dedicated to Marie and the memory zone 5c dedicated to Bndicte). The user or users of the memory zones wherein is recorded the digital data acquired by the optical device 2b, can then download this data for applying the corresponding design on their nails.

[0089] The apparatus 1 is advantageously associated with a unique identifier, typically a string of numeric or alphanumeric characters. At the end of the application of a design on a nail surface SO, the tablet 4 generates an instruction to transmit to the remote server 5 information integrating this unique identifier. The remote server 5 is as such informed in real time that the apparatus 1 has carried out the application of a design on the nail surface SO and can account for the number of designs applied by said apparatus. The remote server 5 thus generates, at a predetermined regular time interval (for example daily, monthly, quarterly, or annually), an electronic invoice that takes into account the number of designs accounted for in this interval. As soon as it is generated, this invoice is then automatically transmitted to a paying organization 7 (FIG. 1) through a secure internet connection of the HTTP-S type. The paying organization 7 consists for example of a beauty institute wherein the apparatus 1 is installed.

[0090] In an alternative embodiment, it is the user of the tablet 4 who is invoiced. After the application of a design on a nail surface SO, the tablet 4 generates an instruction to transmit to the remote server 5 information integrating a unique identifier associated with said tablet. The remote server 5 can then account for the number of designs downloaded by said tablet and applied by the apparatus 1. The tablet 4 can also transmit to the remote server 5 other information (metadata) such as: the color mostly used, the most printed fingers, etc. As described in the previous paragraph, the remote server 5 generates an electronic invoice that takes into account the number of designs accounted for in a predetermined regular time interval, and automatically transmits it to a paying organization 6, which is in this case, the user of the tablet 4.

[0091] In another embodiment, the tablet 4 comprises a payment application (e.g.: Alipay, Wechat Pay, Apple Pay) for automatically paying an electronic invoice that takes into account the design downloaded by said tablet and applied by the apparatus 1. Such a payment could be required before the design's download.

[0092] The tablet 4 can transfer to the remote server 5, other information concerning the operation of the apparatus 1 such as a breakdown or a low ink or coating level in the cartridges. The remote server 5 can then inform a person to intervene in order to correct the problems observed and/or carry out maintenance. Furthermore, a developing organization 8 connected to the remote server 5, can check said server and update it on a regular basis.

[0093] The arrangement of the various elements of the system in the embodiments described hereinabove must not be understood as requiring such an arrangement in all of the implementations. In any case, it is understood that diverse modifications can be made to the system and to the method, without leaving the idea and the scope of the invention. In particular, the remote server 5 can be connected to several apparatuses similar to the apparatus 1 described hereinabove. Also, the digital data can be stored in several remote servers. The invention must furthermore be understood as covering the application of a design on the surface of an artificial nail intended to be glued onto a natural nail.