Nail covering

Abstract

Transfer nail coating application strips have an adhesive layer that is attached to a clean and dry nail without water, and can be immediately encapsulated with any type of top coat for nails. An ink layer bonded to the adhesive layer can have any desired color and/or pattern. When the strips are larger than the nail, the adhesive layer and the ink layer will completely cover the nail and tear at the edges of the nail with a remainder of the layers attached to a base layer of the strips when removed from the nail after application.

1 . A method of applying a nail covering comprising:
 preparing a coating application strip having a base layer, an ink layer and an adhesive layer, said strip being dimensioned to be larger than the nail at least in a widthwise direction so as to cover at least skin adjacent to lateral sides of the nail;   applying the coating application strip to a clean and dry finger or toe nail to cause the adhesive layer to stick to the nail up to an edge of said nail near said skin adjacent to at least lateral sides of the nail, and to cover at least part of said skin adjacent to at least the lateral sides of the nail with an excess portion of the adhesive layer and the ink layer, wherein said excess portion attaches to said skin adjacent to at least the lateral sides of the nail;   removing the base layer from the nail, leaving the adhesive layer and the ink layer on the nail and said excess portion of the adhesive layer and the ink layer on said skin adjacent to at least the lateral sides of said nail;   encapsulating the adhesive layer and the ink layer on the nail by applying a top coat to the nail;   curing or drying said top coat; and   wiping clean said excess portion of the adhesive layer and the ink layer attached to said skin adjacent to the nail of the finger or toe after said top coat is cured or dried.   
     
     
         2 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said removing comprises tearing part of the adhesive layer and the ink layer near the edges of the nail as the base layer is removed carrying only a part of said excess portion of the adhesive layer and the ink layer beyond the edges of the nail. 
     
     
         3 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein a tool is used to apply pressure on the base layer to cause the adhesive layer to attach to the nail. 
     
     
         4 . The method as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the coating application strip comprises a transfer coating layer between the base layer and the ink layer. 
     
     
         5 . The method as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the coating application strip comprises a transfer coating layer between the base layer and the ink layer. 
     
     
         6 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the coating application strip comprises a transfer coating layer between the base layer and the ink layer. 
     
     
         7 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the base layer is transparent to make a design pattern of the ink layer visible, and said applying comprises aligning the coating applicator strip with respect to the nail. 
     
     
         8 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the base layer is opaque and has alignment marks printed thereon that correspond to an alignment of a design pattern of the ink layer, and said applying comprises aligning the coating applicator strip using the alignment marks with respect to the nail. 
     
     
         9 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the coating application strip is provided with a releasable protective layer over the adhesive layer, further comprising removing the protective layer prior to said applying the coating application strip to a finger or toe nail. 
     
     
         10 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The method as defined in  claim 1 , comprising using a cleaning or toning product to clean the fingers or toes when said top coat has cured. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled)