FALSE EYELASHES AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

Abstract

The present invention relates to false eyelashes (1), comprising: a plurality of discrete eyelash fibers (10); and a baseline (20) extending across the plurality of eyelash fibers (10) and linking the plurality of eyelash fibers (10) in parallel or substantially parallel with one another. The baseline (20) is formed of a solidified raw resin (20′). The solidified raw resin (20′) forming the baseline (20) at least partially covers the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers (10), thereby linking the plurality of eyelash fibers (10) with one another. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such false eyelashes (1) by sandwiching the plurality of eyelash fibers (10) between lower and upper molds (100, 200) and filling a raw resin (20′) of the baseline (20) in a molten state into a narrow passage (300) defined between the lower and upper molds (100, 200).

Claims

1. False eyelashes, comprising: a plurality of discrete eyelash fibers; and a baseline extending across the plurality of eyelash fibers and linking the plurality of eyelash fibers in parallel or substantially parallel with one another, wherein the baseline is formed of a solidified raw resin, and wherein the solidified raw resin forming the baseline at least partially covers the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers, thereby linking the plurality of eyelash fibers with one another.

2. False eyelashes according to claim 1, wherein the baseline is an overmolded arrangement consisting of the solidified raw resin.

3. False eyelashes according to claim 1, wherein regions of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers which protrude from the back side of the baseline are trimmed by a heat treatment.

4. False eyelashes according to claim 1, wherein regions of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers which protrude from the back side of the baseline are linked with one another at least partially along the extending direction of the baseline by a heat treatment.

5. False eyelashes according to claim 1, wherein regions of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers which protrude from the back side and/or the front side of the baseline is at least partially flattened with respect to the cross section thereof.

6. False eyelashes according to claim 1, wherein the baseline is made from a thermoplastic material, such as a hydrogenated styrenic thermoplastic elastomer (SEBS).

7. False eyelashes according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of eyelash fibers is made from a non-thermoplastic material, such as a polyamide (PA) or a polybutylene-terephthalate (PBT).

8. A method for manufacturing false eyelashes in which a plurality of discrete eyelash fibers are linked in parallel or substantially parallel with one another via a baseline extending across the plurality of eyelash fibers, by using a lower mold and an upper mold, the method comprising the steps of: supplying the plurality of eyelash fibers onto an upper surface of the lower mold side by side with respect to one another, wherein the upper surface of the lower mold includes a first groove extending so as to intersect with the eyelash fibers to be supplied; combining the lower mold and the upper mold in a state where the plurality of eyelash fibers are sandwiched between the lower mold and the upper mold, wherein a bottom surface of the upper mold includes a second groove, which is arranged so as to be opposed to the first groove of the lower mold when the lower mold and the upper mold are combined with each other; after the lower mold and the upper mold are combined with each other, filling a raw resin for the baseline in a molten state into a passage defined by the first groove of the lower mold and the second groove of the upper mold facing each other; and after the raw resin filled into the passage is solidified, separating the lower mold and the upper mold from each other, and removing a precursor of the false eyelashes in which the plurality of eyelash fibers are linked in parallel or substantially parallel with one another via the baseline consisting of the solidified raw resin.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: the step of eliminating the excess portions of the baseline protruding outwardly from the eyelash fibers located at both ends of the precursor.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: the step of trimming regions of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers which protrude from the back side of the baseline by a heat treatment.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the regions of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers which protrude from the back side of the baseline are linked with one another at least partially along the extending direction of the baseline by the trimming step.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: the step of simultaneously carrying out curling of each eyelash fiber of the precursor by a heat treatment and shaping of the baseline of the precursors into an arcuate shape by a heat treatment, or the step of sequentially carrying out the curling and the shaping.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Non-limiting and representative embodiments of the present invention will now be explained in detail below referring to the attached drawings.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of tufted false eyelashes according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the encircled area A shown in FIG. 1.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X shown in FIG. 2.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing a part of tufted false eyelashes according to another embodiment of the present invention

[0024] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a system for manufacturing tufted false eyelashes.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view related to the processes for obtaining a false eyelashes precursor using lower and upper molds.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a false eyelashes precursor obtained through the processes shown in FIG. 6.

[0027] FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing further processes for obtaining false eyelashes from the precursor shown in FIG. 7.

[0028] FIG. 9 is a plan view of the lower mold in an alternative embodiment of the present invention showing that an annular groove extending to intersect a plurality of eyelash fibers is formed on the upper surface of the lower mold.

[0029] FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing how a false eyelashes precursor formed using a molding unit including the lower mold shown in FIG. 9 is cut.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Some exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. Throughout these figures, the scale ratios of width, length, height, and diameter of some elements or portions thereof as well as distance therebetween are not constant and may differ from actual ratios. It should be noted that in certain figures, certain elements or portions thereof are drawn larger than they actually are for emphasis.

[0031] FIG. 1 schematically shows tufted false eyelashes 1, which are one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the tufted false eyelashes 1 (hereinafter, simply called “false eyelashes”) comprise a plurality of discrete eyelash fibers 10 and a baseline 20 with a necessary rigidity and flexibility. The baseline 20 extends across the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 and links these eyelash fibers 10 substantially parallel with one another. The eyelash fibers 10 are curved along their extending direction. Similarly, the baseline 20 is curved along its extending direction. Furthermore, the eyelash fibers 10 are arranged such that the distance between the distal ends (free ends) thereof is slightly larger than the distance between the proximal ends (fixed ends) thereof.

[0032] In this embodiment, the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 are made from a non-thermoplastic material, for example, a polyamide (PA) or polybutylene-terephthalate (PBT). On the other hand, the baseline 20 is formed of a solidified raw resin. More specifically, the baseline 20 is formed using a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), for example, a hydrogenated styrenic thermoplastic elastomer (SEBS). In other words, the baseline 20 is an overmolded arrangement consisting of the solidified raw resin as such. In these false eyelashes 1 presented as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, as explained in detail later, the solidified raw resin forming the baseline 20 partially covers the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers 10, thereby linking the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 with one another.

[0033] Although not limited to this, in one embodiment of the present invention, the number of eyelash fibers 10 may be ten to several tens, and the diameter of each eyelash fiber 10 may be about 0.1 to 0.8 mm. The diameter or width of the baseline 20 may be about 0.1 to 2 mm. The color of the eyelash fibers 10 may be black or brown, and the color of the baseline 20 may be white, skin color, or colorless and transparent.

[0034] As shown in detail in FIG. 2, which is an enlarged plan view of the encircled area A shown in FIG. 1, regions 10a of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 which protrude from the back side (facing the eyelid when worn) of the baseline 20 are trimmed by a heat treatment. As a result of this heat treatment, the regions 10a of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 which protrude from the baseline 20 partially melt and are entirely or almost entirely linked with one another along the extending direction of the baseline 20. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, the breaking strength of the bond between the regions 10a is lower than the breaking strength of the eyelash fiber 10 itself. As also can be seen from FIG. 2, the region 10a of the proximal end of each eyelash fiber 10 naturally exhibits a spherical appearance. In another embodiment, the linkage between the regions 10a of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 may be partially present or may not be present.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, which is a cross-sectional view taken along line X-X shown in FIG. 2, the regions 10a of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 which protrude from the back side of the baseline 20 is partially flattened (or widened) with respect to the cross section thereof. Similarly, the regions 10b of the proximal ends of the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 which protrude from the front side of the baseline 20 are also flattened with respect to the cross section thereof. In this embodiment, the flattened portions of the eyelash fibers 10 are present on both sides of the baseline 20. However, in another embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, the flattened portions of each of the eyelash fibers 10 are present only on one side of the baseline 20, in particular, on the free end side of each eyelash fiber 10.

[0036] Also, as can be seen from FIG. 3, the upper and lower surfaces of a section of each eyelash fiber 10 that contacts with the baseline 20 (this section is not flattened) are slightly depressed. This is because the molten resin, which will eventually form the baseline 20, filled into assembled molds (described below) of the manufacturing system shrinks slightly when solidifying and consequently squeezes the eyelash fibers 10. This improves the physical bond strength between each eyelash fiber 10 and the baseline 20.

[0037] In the exemplary embodiments described above, since the baseline 20 that has conventionally been composed of a fiber is replaced by the baseline 20 that is made of a solidified raw resin, the troublesome work such as connecting individual eyelash fibers and the baseline can be avoided during production. As a result, it is possible to industrially produce tufted false eyelashes, which are conventionally manufactured one by one manually because of their delicate structure, without relying on human hands. That is, the production of tufted false eyelashes can be completely automated, and high productivity and low production costs can be realized in the production of tufted false eyelashes. Furthermore, according to the exemplary embodiments described above, it is also possible to realize tufted false eyelashes having an equivalent appearance to those obtained by conventional manufacturing methods with high productivity and low production costs. In addition to this, according to the exemplary embodiments described above, it is further possible for the user to tear the baseline 20 using only her hands. Therefore, the user can easily and quickly adjust the length of the false eyelashes, that is, remove the extra portion using only her hands without using tools such as scissors before wearing the false eyelashes.

[0038] Hereinafter, a method and a system for manufacturing the false eyelashes shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0039] FIG. 5 schematically shows a system S for manufacturing the above described tufted false eyelashes 1. The system S is intended to produce the tufted false eyelashes 1 using the lower and upper molds as described below. The system S comprises a source (not shown) of the plurality of eyelash fibers 10. The eyelash fibers 10 are supplied in a state of being precut to a predetermined length, for example, several millimeters to 2 cm. Especially, the necessary number of eyelash fibers 10 may be supplied as a group. The lengths of each of the eyelash fibers 10 may be the same or may be different.

[0040] The system S further comprises a molding unit 40 to which the eyelash fibers 10 are supplied, a cutting and trimming unit 50, and a thermoforming unit 60. These units 40, 50, and 60 are functionally connected in a row. In another embodiment of the present invention, the order of the cutting and trimming unit 50 and the thermoforming unit 60 may be reversed.

[0041] As described above and as can be seen from FIG. 6 (a), the molding unit 40 has a pair of a lower mold 100 and an upper mold 200, and a filling device (not shown) for filling a raw resin for baseline 20 into combined molds 100, 200. Onto an upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100, a plurality of eyelash fibers 10 are supplied substantially parallel with one another from the source thereof. FIG. 6 (a) shows the state in which a plurality of eyelash fibers 10 are placed on the upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100. In this embodiment, an area of the upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100 onto which the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 are placed is arranged at a periphery of the upper surface 110. Therefore, a substantial part of each eyelash fiber 10 placed on the upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100 protrudes outward from the upper surface 110.

[0042] Also as can be seen from FIG. 6 (a), the upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100 includes a first groove 120 extending so as to intersect with the eyelash fibers 10 to be supplied, in particular orthogonally (or substantially orthogonally) thereto. The first groove 120 is present in the area which is parallel with one side of the lower mold 100. In this embodiment, the groove 120 has a straight shape, but in another embodiment, the groove 120 may have an arcuate shape. Furthermore, although the cross section of the groove 120 is semicircular in this embodiment, other types of cross sections may be adopted as appropriate. For the case when the cross section of the groove 120 is semicircular, the diameter thereof may be 0.1 to 1 mm, although is not limited thereto.

[0043] The upper mold 200 paired with the lower mold 100 is arranged to be capable of combining with the lower mold 100 in a state where the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 are sandwiched between the lower mold 100 and the upper mold 200, and to be capable of separating from the lower mold 100. That is, the upper mold 200 is vertically displaceable along the line Y-Y in FIG. 6 (a) using an actuator that is not shown.

[0044] Similar to the lower mold 100, a bottom surface 210 of the upper mold 200 includes a second groove 220. This groove 220 is arranged so as to be opposed to the first groove 120 of the lower mold 100 when the lower mold 100 and the upper mold 200 are combined with one another. The second groove 220 of the upper mold 200 also extends orthogonally to the eyelash fibers 10 to be supplied onto the upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100. In this embodiment, the dimensions and cross-sectional shape of the groove 220 are identical to those of the groove 120 of the lower mold 100.

[0045] The filling device (not shown) forming the molding unit 40 together with the pair of the lower mold 100 and the upper mold 200 is configured to fill a raw resin for the baseline 20 in a molten state into a passage 300 (see FIG. 6 (b)) of the combined molds 100, 200. The passage 300 is defined by the first groove 120 of the lower mold 100 and the second groove 220 of the upper mold 200 facing each other. The passage 300 extends orthogonally to the eyelash fibers 10 to be sandwiched between the lower mold 100 and the upper mold 200. Because the groove 120 of the lower mold 100 and the groove 220 of the upper mold 200 are both linear in shape, the passage 300 defined therefrom is also linear.

[0046] As is apparent from the above descriptions and as can be seen from FIG. 6 (c), the baseline 20 of the false eyelashes 1 is formed from a raw resin 20′ filled into the passage 300 defined by the first groove 120 of the lower mold 100 and the second groove 220 of the upper mold 200. A precursor 1′ of the false eyelashes 1 thus obtained is shown in FIG. 7.

[0047] Referring again to FIG. 5, in the system S, the cutting and trimming unit 50 is installed at a position following the molding unit 40. The cutting and trimming unit 50 is configured to eliminate the excess portions of the baseline 20, which protrude outward from the eyelash fibers 10 located at both ends of the precursor 1′ of the false eyelashes 1, using a cutter that is not shown. Furthermore, the cutting and trimming unit 50 is configured to trim the proximal ends of the eyelash fibers 10 protruding from the back side of the baseline 20, using a heat cutter that is not shown. That is, the cutting and trimming unit 50 is configured so that the heat treatment is applied to the proximal end of the eyelash fiber 10 in order to blunt it as described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4.

[0048] The thermoforming unit 60 installed in a position after the separating unit 50 is configured to curl each eyelash fiber 10 of the precursor 1′ of the false eyelashes 1 by thermoforming (heat treatment) using a suitable mold that is not shown. The thermoforming unit 60 is further configured to subsequently form the baseline 20 of the precursor 1′ of the false eyelashes 1 into an arcuate shape by thermoforming (heat treatment) also using another suitable mold that is not shown. The precursor 1′ prior to a treatment by the thermoforming unit 60 is shown in FIG. 8 (c), and the precursor 1′ after treatment by the thermoforming unit 60, i.e., the finished tufted false eyelashes 1, is shown in FIG. 8 (d). In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8 (d), each eyelash fiber 10 of tufted false eyelashes 1 has a substantially constant (or changing) radius of curvature R.sub.1 centered on the imaginary point P.sub.1, and the baseline 20 has a substantially constant (or changing) radius of curvature R.sub.2 centered on the imaginary point P.sub.2.

[0049] In another embodiment, the installation order of the cutting and trimming unit 50 and the thermoforming unit 60 may be reversed.

[0050] Subsequently, the method for manufacturing tufted false eyelashes according to one embodiment of the present invention using the above system S will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. However, it should be noted that the method of manufacturing false eyelashes according to the present invention can be implemented without using the above system.

[0051] In this method, first, a plurality of eyelash fibers 10 are supplied onto the upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100 in a state in which they are arranged side by side with respect to one another. The supplied eyelash fibers 10 are arranged to intersect the first groove 120 of the upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100 (see FIG. 6 (a)).

[0052] Subsequently, the upper mold 200 is combined with the lower mold 100 in a state where the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 are sandwiched between the lower mold 100 and the upper mold 200 (see FIG. 6 (b)).

[0053] After the upper mold 200 and the lower mold 100 are completely combined, the raw resin 20′ for the baseline 20 (for example, a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), in particular, a hydrogenated styrenic thermoplastic elastomer (SEBS)) in the molten state is filled into the passage 300 defined by the groove 120 of the lower mold 100 and the groove 220 of the upper mold 200 facing each other (see FIG. 6 (c)).

[0054] After the raw resin 20′ filled into the passage 300 has been fully or completely solidified, the lower mold 100 and the upper mold 200 are separated from each other, and the precursor 1′ of the false eyelashes is removed from the molds (see FIG. 6 (d)). At this stage, as stated above, the plurality of eyelash fibers 10 are linked with one another by the baseline 20 composed of the solidified raw resin 20′ (see FIG. 7). In particular, the raw resin 20′ is in a state of being overmolded on each eyelash fiber 10.

[0055] Thereafter, the excess portions of the baseline 20 projecting outwardly from the eyelash fibers 10 located at both ends of the precursor 1′ are separated (eliminated) from the rest of the baseline 20 along the lines indicated by C.sub.1-C.sub.1 and C.sub.2-C.sub.2 in FIG. 8 (a). Furthermore, following (or simultaneously) with this step, the region 10a of the proximal ends of the eyelash fibers 10 protruding from the back side of the baseline 20 are trimmed along the line indicated by C.sub.3-C.sub.3 in FIG. 8 (b) by the heat treatment. The false eyelashes precursor 1′ on which these steps have been completed is shown in FIG. 8 (c).

[0056] Finally, each eyelash fiber 10 of the precursor 1′ is curled by thermoforming, and furthermore, the baseline 20 of the precursor 1′ is shaped into an arcuate shape by thermoforming (see FIG. 8 (d)). The thermoforming of each eyelash fiber 10 of the precursor 1′ and the thermoforming of the baseline 20 of the precursor 1′ may be performed simultaneously or in the reverse order of the above description. Furthermore, in another embodiment of the present invention, the cutting and trimming step and the thermoforming step may be performed in reverse order. In addition to the above, the eyelash fibers may be further processed. More specifically, the free tip of each eyelash fiber 10 can be cut along any straight line, curve, or zigzag line so that the eyelash fibers 10 have different lengths with respect to each other. In one example, the free end of each eyelash fiber may be further cut along the curve indicated by D-D in FIG. 8 (a). In addition, the eyelash fibers may be previously processed to be tapered so that the diameter of the eyelash fibers decreases toward the free tip thereof

[0057] As mentioned above, according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to industrially, that is, automatically produce tufted false eyelashes, which are conventionally manufactured one by one manually because of their delicate structure, without relying on human hands. As a result, according to the exemplary embodiments, high productivity and low production costs can be realized in the production of tufted false eyelashes with a good appearance.

[0058] FIG. 9 is a top view of the lower mold 100 of the molding unit 40 according to an alternative embodiment. In this alternative embodiment, the upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100 includes two elongated grooves 140a, 140b extending to intersect with a plurality of eyelash fibers 10 adjacent to each other. The two elongated grooves 140a, 140b are connected to each other by two short grooves 150a, 150b arranged parallel to the eyelash fibers 10. As a result, a looped groove is formed on the upper surface 110 of the lower mold 100. Although not shown, on the bottom surface of the upper mold (not shown) paired with the lower mold 100, two corresponding elongated grooves and two corresponding short grooves are formed. As a result, a similar looped groove is also formed in the upper mold paired with the lower mold 100. Therefore, when the lower mold 100 and the upper mold that is not shown are combined, a looped passage for filling the molten resin is formed between the two molds. Although FIG. 9 shows a pair of arcuate grooves 140a, 140b curved in a concave lens-like shape, the shape of these grooves may be linear or curved in a convex lens-like shape.

[0059] FIG. 10 shows a false eyelashes precursor 1′, i.e., a linked precursor, formed using the molding unit including the lower mold 100 shown in FIG. 9. This precursor 1′ has a structure in which the eyelash fibers 10 are linked with one another at two points by two baselines 20. The two baselines 20 themselves are also connected via extensions at both ends. This precursor 1′ is cut through lines C.sub.4-C.sub.4, C.sub.5-05, C.sub.6-C.sub.6, and C.sub.7-C.sub.7 shown in FIG. 10. Subsequently, their baselines 20 are counter-curved and the eyelash fibers 10 are curled by thermoforming to obtain two tufted false eyelashes, one of which is the same as the one shown in FIG. 8 (d). According to this alternative embodiment, one molding process results in two false eyelashes, which increases production efficiency. The number of elongated grooves extending to intersect the eyelash fibers is not limited to two, and in a further alternative embodiment, the molds may have three or more elongated grooves disposed adjacent to each other.

[0060] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been explained above in detail referring to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes may be made to the above-described embodiments without deviating from the scope of the present invention, and such modifications and changes are also included in the scope of the present invention.