WO2005077132A2

WO2005077132A2 - Custom fit artificial nails and related systems, methods, and software

Info

Publication number: WO2005077132A2
Application number: PCT/US2005/004829
Authority: WO
Inventors: Scott L. Nielson; Craig P. Gifford
Original assignee: Nielson Scott L; Gifford Craig P
Priority date: 2004-02-06
Filing date: 2005-02-06
Publication date: 2005-08-25
Also published as: WO2005076992A3; WO2005076992A2; TW200533308A; WO2005076996A3; WO2005077132A3; WO2005076997A3; WO2005076996A2; WO2005076997A2

Abstract

Custom artificial nails and related methods, systems, and computer program products. In providing custom artificial nails, digital data for a nail surface and tissue surrounding the nail surface is produced by a digitizing device [Fig. 1, item 140] and sent to a digitizing computer system [item 150]. The digitizing computer system distinguishes the nail surface from the tissue surrounding the nail surface and generates a three-dimensional artificial nail object customized for the nail surface [Fig. 2, item 220]. A manufacturing computer system [item 230] selects an artificial nail blank with specific colors and styles from which to cut the customized artificial nail, generates numerical cutting codes for the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the artificial nail blank, and provides the cutting codes to a computerized numerical curing machine in order to remove undesirable material from the artificial nail blank and expose the three-dimensional artificial nail object. Once exposed, the customized artificial nail may be attached to the nail surface of a consumer [item 240].

Description

CUSTOM FIT ARTIFICIAL NAILS AND RELATED SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND SOFTWARE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention The present invention relates to custom fit artificial nails and, more specifically, to measuring for, manufacturing, and attaching custom artificial nails.

2. Background and Related Art Artificial nails (fingernails and toenails) typically comprise thin, elongated, plastic structures having a configuration substantially similar to a real fingernail. Through use of an adhesive, the artificial fingernails can be selectively secured to existing fingernails. One of the benefits of artificial nails is that they enable a user to selectively have uniform nails of a desired thickness, length, and configuration without having to wait for the real nails to grow. This is especially useful to those who have weak nails that easily crack or break. There are several different methods for attaching artificial nails. In one method, commonly used in nail salons, after a real nail is trimmed to a desired length, the tail end of an artificial nail is attached to the tip of the real nail by an adhesive. Usually, the tip of the real nail is filed down to reduce its thickness in order to keep the artificial nail from rising too far above the remainder of the real nail. A thermoset acrylic is then used to fill in the gap between the cuticle of the finger or toe and the tail end of the artificial nail. The acrylic is also used to cover over the artificial nail so that a uniform surface extends from the cuticle to the tip of the artificial nail. The acrylic overlay is then filed to provide a smooth surface. This process is repeated for each finger or toe. The resulting artificial nails can then be painted with a nail polish to a desired color. Alternatively, the artificial nail may be painted with a white tone or may be a white tone in color in order to provide a French-style nail look. The above process is time consuming, labor intensive, and requires significant skill so that the resulting artificial nails have a uniform and smooth configuration. As the real nails grow, a gap is formed between the cuticle and the acrylic. To maintain uniformity of the nails, the gap must be repeatedly filled with acrylic after which the artificial nail must again be filed smooth and polish reapplied. The artificial nail (or eventually the real nail after sufficient grown has taken place) also is trimmed to maintain the desired length. In order to maintain a French-style nail look, the artificial nail must be removed and reapplied as described above, or trimmed and repainted, usually overlapping the acrylic covering the real nail in order to account for nail growth. Since the fingers or toes cannot breath through the acrylic, it is recommended that the artificial nails be removed every couple of weeks to allow the end of fingers and toes to breath. Once the artificial nails are removed, however, the entire process must again be repeated. Due to the time and cost of reapplying the artificial nails, people typically will leave them on longer than is recommended. Extended wear can be harmful to the fingers or toes and facilitate the growth of nail fungus. In a second process for attaching artificial nails, sets of artificial nails are purchased that are designed to completely cover the real nails. This configuration avoids the step of having to backfill with an acrylic. However, since human fingers and toes come in an unlimited range of sizes and shapes, it is impractical, if not impossible, to manufacture sets of artificial nails that will precisely fit all people. Accordingly, such artificial nails are manufactured in standard sets by size, length, and possibly style. For attachment, each artificial nail is first manually trimmed so as to snugly fit around the cuticle of a conesponding finger or toe. The artificial nails are also trimmed to a desired length or shape. This process must be repeated for each of the ten fingers and/or toes. The artificial nails are then attached by simply applying an adhesive between the artificial nail and the real fingernail or toenail. Once attached, each of the artificial nails can be painted to a desired color. While somewhat simpler, this process also has its shortcomings. For example, although the perimeter of the artificial nail can be trimmed to fit around the cuticle of the nail, the artificial nails typically have a poor fit between the inside surface of the artificial nail and the top surface of the actual nail. This occurs because the real fingernails and the real toenails of each person have a unique arch and a unique surface texture with small ridges or bumps. In contrast, the inside surface of artificial nails are smooth and have a standard arch configuration. This poor fit between the artificial nails and the real nails can result in a poor presentation or look of the attached artificial nails and can significantly reduce the ability for the adhesive to secure the artificial nails to the real nails. Furthermore, should an artificial nail crack or break, the process must be repeated for at least that nail. However, since artificial nails typically are sold in sets, an entire set must be purchased just to replace a single nail. Full length artificial nails should also be removed every few days to enable the fingers or toes to breath. Removal of the artificial nails typically is accomplished by soaking the fingers or toes in acetone. Acetone, however, decomposes both the adhesive and the artificial nails. As a result, the artificial nails cannot be replaced after they are removed. Rather a new set of artificial nails must again be trimmed and fitted using the above process. U.S. Patent No. 5,968,302 and U.S. Patent No. 6,196,234 are directed to precision fit nails and methods for manufacturing precision fit nails. The precision fit nails described in these patents address many of the problems described above because they are made using models of real nails to cast acetone resistant thermoplastic artificial nails with a bottom surface that closely matches the top surface of the conesponding real nails. However, the processes of measuring for and manufacturing precision fit nails in accordance with U.S. Patent No. 5,968,302 and U.S. Patent No. 6,196,234 are somewhat complex and generally require a substantial amount of labor. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and features of the invention can be obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings.

Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered as limiting its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 illustrates an example system for providing custom artificial nails to a consumer; Figure 2 is a simplified flow diagram for providing custom artificial nails in accordance with the example system illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates visual and/or digital inspection of a nail surface and surrounding tissue; Figure 4 shows the perimeter of the nail surface illustrated in Figure 3 and the cuticle; Figures 5A-5C illustrate the use of a coating to facilitate automated detection of the nail surface within a computer system; Figures 6A-6C are various views of a digitized nail surface and sunounding tissue with a coordinate system; Figures 7A and 7B illustrate various reference points for the digitized nail surface shown in Figures 6A-6C; Figure 8 illustrates a nail surface generated from the digitized nail surface shown in Figures 6A-6C; Figures 9-11 illustrate example techniques for generating an artificial nail object customized for the scanned fingernail surface shown in Figures 6A-6C; Figure 12A shows an example single mold for creating a solid artificial nail blank from which an artificial nail can be cut; Figure 12B shows an example two mold configuration having an artistic design for creating an artificial nail blank, using an injection molding technique, from which an artificial nail can be cut; Figure 13A illustrates two raw materials with matching artistic designs that allows the two raw materials to be welded together; Figure 13B shows the two raw materials that are illustrated in Figure 13A as having been welded together in order to create an artificial nail blank from which an artificial nail can be cut; Figure 14 illustrates an example of machining raw material for artificial nails in order to add an artistic design; Figure 15 illustrates extruding raw material through an example artistic die in order to add an artistic design; Figure 16 shows an example artificial nail being cut out of the artificial nail blank illustrated in Figure 13B; Figure 17 illustrates attaching an example artificial nail to a consumer's nail; and Figure 18 illustrates an example computer system that provides a suitable operating environment for the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention is directed to custom fit artificial nails and related methods, systems, and computer program products. In the description that follows, tasks may be described in a sequence that has been selected to facilitate an understanding of the disclosed embodiments of the invention. It should be clear, however, that in practicing the invention, many tasks may be performed in an arbitrary order, and therefore any particular order implied by the description usually represents one of many possibilities. I. Overview Figure 1 illustrates an example system for providing custom artificial nails to consumers, and Figure 2 represents a simplified flow diagram conesponding to the example system illustrated in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, providing custom artificial nails to consumers involves four high-level tasks: digitizing (210) the nail surfaces of interest and tissue sunounding the nail surfaces of interest for a particular consumer; generating (220) an artificial nail object for each nail surface of interest; manufacturing (230) a custom artificial nail for each artificial nail object that is generated; and attaching (240) the custom artificial nails to the consumer's nail surfaces. Each of these tasks will be introduced more fully below in connection with Figure 1, and then described in detail within an individual section dedicated to the task. As shown in Figure 1, a digitizing device 140 digitizes the nail surface 110 of fingernail nail 106 as well as sunounding tissue 104 of finger 102. (Although much of the detailed description uses fingernails for the example embodiments, the present invention applies equally to toenails, and therefore the term "nail" will be used when referencing fingernails and/or toenails.) Because the digital data produced by the digitizing device includes the nail surface 110 and sunounding tissue 104, digitizing computer 150 is responsible for distinguishing the nail surface 110 from the sunounding tissue 104. Once the nail surface is distinguished from the sunounding tissue, digitizing computer 150 generates an artificial nail object that is customized for the nail surface. Subsequently, digitizing computer 150 transfers the artificial nail object to manufacturing computer 160. Manufacturing computer 160 controls machining device 170 to cut a customized artificial nail 130 from an artificial nail blank. The artificial nail 130 then is fit to the nail surface 110 of nail 106 on finger 102 of the consumer. In one embodiment the digitizing computer 150 and digitizing device 140 are remote from the manufacturing computer 160 and machining device 170. In other embodiments digitizing computer 150 and manufacturing computer 160 are within a local area network. It should also be noted that digitizing device 140 and digitizing computer 150, as well as manufacturing computer 160 and machining device 170 may be integrated into a single unit. Furthermore, although digitizing computer 150 and manufacturing computer 160 are shown as separate computing systems in Figure 1, in other embodiments digitizing computer 150 and manufacturing computer 160 also may be integrated into a single unit. An example computer system suitable for digitizing computer 150 and/or manufacturing computer 160 is illustrated in Figure 18 and described in further detail below. II. Digitizing and Identifying the Nail Surface With reference now to Figure 3, in an example embodiment of the present invention, nail surface 110 and sunounding tissue 104 may undergo visual 310 and/or digital 320 inspection to determine if the nails surface 110 needs to be prepared by removing tissue, such as tissue 112 and tissue 114, from the nail surface. Depending on the condition of the nail surface, no preparation may be necessary, but in other cases, it may be necessary or desirable for optimal results to perform a manicure, pedicure, or other finish work on the nail surface. Digital inspection 320 may involve comparing the nail surface to other similar nail surfaces in order to determine if further finish work is recommended prior to digitizing the nail surface. Digital inspection may take the form of photographic imaging, digital camera imaging, laser imaging, refracted light imaging, and topographical measurement using a structured light scanner, a laser scanner, a refracted light scanner, a photogrammetry scanner, an acoustic scanner, a holographic scanner, a touch probe, etc. A. Manual Editing and Identifying Figure 4 shows the perimeter 411 and cuticle 406 of nail surface 110. Although somewhat labor intensive, a technician can digitize nail surface 110 and surrounding tissue 104 and then manually distinguish the nail surface from the surrounding tissue. For example digitizing computer 150 may display the digital data that digitizing device 140 produces for the nail surface and surrounding tissue. The technician then may provide user input that identifies the nail surface, identifies the surrounding tissue, or identifies both the nail surface and the surrounding tissue. From this user input, digitizing computer 150 identifies the nail surface. Although from the foregoing description manually distinguish the nail surface from the surrounding tissue may not seem overly complex, providing this type of user input requires a fair amount of sophistication and skill in order to assure an aesthetically pleasing and properly fitting artificial nail. B. Coating Compositions Figures 5A-5C illustrate the use of a coating to facilitate automated detection of the nail surface within a computer system. In certain industrial settings, rapid prototyping machines have been used to scan an entire object. When scanning an entire object, the object may be coated with a material, in some instances like a fine powder, to facilitate the scanning. Note, however, that the purpose of the coating in rapid prototyping (to make the object in question uniform) is just the opposite of its purpose in connection with this aspect of the invention (to distinguish one part of a scanned object from another). As shown in Figure 5 A, in one embodiment an applicator 580A (a paint brush) applies a coating composition 570A to the nail surface 110, but not to the sunounding tissue 104. The coating composition may be any of a variety of materials, including paint, veneer, dye, or any other type of opaque substance suitable for coating a nail surface and/or tissue sunounding the nail surface. The coating composition may be in the visible spectrum of light. For example, green tones have proved to be effective since they are easily distinguished from the natural flesh tones of the nail surface and sunounding tissue. However, the coating composition also may be outside of the visible spectrum of light, such as in the ultraviolet or infrared portions of the spectrum, depending on the source used to illuminate the nail surface and sunounding tissue while it is being digitized. In practice, the inventors have found that red structured light sources in connection with charge coupled detectors (CCDs) and green coating compositions with a flat, as opposed to glossy, sheen (e.g., a water-soluble flat green paint) work well together. Other types of coating compositions also may be used, involving stencils or cutouts designed to fit the nail surface or sunounding tissue in order to distinguish them from each other. Figure 5B, the nail surface 110 may be airbrushed with an applicator 580B using a stencil 590B over the sunounding tissue 104 to catch any overspray. After the nail surface 110 is coated with the coating composition 570B, the stencil is removed and the digitization of the nail surface 110 and surrounding tissue 104 is performed. Accordingly, like the coating composition itself, the applicator may take any of a variety of forms, including a brush, an airbrush, spraying, dipping, cutouts, and stencils. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 5C shows surrounding tissue 104 being spray painted using applicator 580C with a cutout 590C over nail surface catch any overspray. Once the sunounding tissue has been covered with the coating composition 570C, the cutout 590C is removed to reveal an uncoated nail surface 100. One requirement for the coating composition and applicator is that they make it easier to distinguish the nail surface from the sunounding tissue. Typically, care should be taken to keep the coating composition uniform over the coated and on the order of a few tenths of a millimeter, so as not to interfere with the production of custom fit artificial nails. If the coating composition becomes too thick and is not uniform across the nail surface, the digitized dimensions of the nail surface may be inaccurate and the custom fit artificial nails may not fit as well as they should. Of course, if the sunounding tissue is coated with the coating composition, thickness and uniformity become less important because the dimensions of the sunounding tissue are not taken into account when making the custom fit artificial nails. With the coating complete, digitizing device 140 digitizes the nail surface and surrounding tissue. Digitizing the nail surface and sunounding tissue includes producing digital data representing the nail surface and sunounding tissue, including spatial data identifying the dimensions of the nail surface and sunounding tissue as well as color data for the nail surface and sunounding tissue. The particular format of the digital data may vary significantly depending on the digitizing device and digitizing computer, but typically will include point data in an XYZ coordinate system with RGB, CMYK, or gray scale color data. Using the color data, the digitizing computer is able to more readily distinguish between the nail surface and the surrounding tissue, which allows the process of identifying the nail surface to be more automated and less labor intensive. In many circumstances, a technician need only confirm the displayed identification results from a visual representation of the nail surface and surrounding tissue at the digitizing computer, without further interaction. Of course, in some circumstances limited manual identification still may occur, but the labor requirement for any manual identification is significantly reduced than otherwise would be required without the use of a coating composition. Alternatively, an automated analysis of the nail surface identified may be sufficient. After digitizing the nail surface and the sunounding tissue, the coating composition may be removed. In some circumstances, however, the coating composition may be left in place. For example, if the nail surface is coated and the artificial nails are manufactured immediately, the artificial nails will cover the nail surface and therefore removing the coating composition or removing the coating composition completely may be unnecessary. Alternatively, if a coating composition is used that does not fall within the visible spectrum of light, there may be no need to remove the coating composition since the coating composition will not be visible in any case. Alternatively, a coating composition of a desired color may be selected for the nail surface and left in place following the digitizing task. Since in many circumstances a high gloss finish tends to reduce the benefit of the coating composition, a low gloss finish should be used for digitizing and then covered with a high gloss finish to improve the appearance of the coating composition. C. Topographical Analysis Figures 6A-6C are various views of a scanned fingernail surface and sunounding tissue within an XYZ coordinate system. (The XYZ coordinate system is only one example of a coordinate system and has been selected for purposes of illustration due to its wide use, but any coordinate system may be used in connection with the present invention.) Figure 6A is a top view of a scanned nail surface 610 and surrounding tissue 604, with x-axis 640 across the width of the nail surface, y-axis 650 along the length of the nail surface, and z-axis 660 along the thickness of the nail surface. Figure 6B shows a side view and Figure 6C shows a view from the front of the nail surface. The resolution for the spatial or topographical component of the digital data representing the nail surface and surrounding tissue depends on the digitizing device used. The inventors have found that resolutions on the order of 1-2 tenths of a millimeter lead to highly customized artificial nails. Of course, higher resolutions may be used, but the added expense for such accuracy may be less desirable from a commercial standpoint as consumers are unlikely to recognize or appreciate the increased resolution. Furthermore, the accuracy of the machining tool used to cut the artificial nail from an artificial nail blank as described in more detail below in section IV.C "Machining an Artificial Nail" also should be considered and matched appropriately. Again, from a business perspective, there may be no reason to scan at a resolution that cannot be reproduced by the machining tool, particularly if there is a significant cost associated with the increased resolution. As an alternative, or potentially in conjunction with, the coating composition technique described above, it is also possible to identify the nail surface based on a topographical analysis of the nail surface and sunounding tissue. Notice that the nail surface is sunounded by discontinuities in elevation. As shown in Figure 4, one reason for the discontinuities in elevation is cuticle 406 along the back and sides of the nail surface. Toward the front of the nail surface, the edge of the nail surface represents another discontinuity. Recognizing that a normal nail is generally dome-shaped, the nail surface may be identified automatically as follows. Beginning at the highest point on the nail surface and moving outward, elevations should generally decrease smoothly until the perimeter of the nail surface is encountered. Toward the front of the nail surface, the elevation drops sharply (at least the thickness of the nail) and then does not increase above the nail surface thereafter. On the sides and back of the nail surface, the elevation drops smoothly and then increases above the nail surface. In some cases, however, the front of the nail may rise sharply when the nail surface has been trimmed beyond the finger tip, thus a situation where the tissue extends beyond the nail may exist and be detected by determining the elevation discontinuities by either rising or sharply decreasing. By identifying the points of these discontinuities in the digital data for the nail surface and the surrounding tissue, the perimeter of the nail surface, and therefore the nail surface itself can be identified in an automated fashion. Of course, it should be noted that neither of these discontinuity conditions requires starting at the highest point on the nail surface. Edge detection also may need to account for certain inegularities in the nail surface, such as dips or bumps. Although most irregularities tend to be less pronounced than the nail edge, some inegularities can be quite abrupt. Usually, however, inegularities can be identified by putting them in context with their surroundings. For example, a dip may be characterized by a sharp drop followed by a sharp rise and then a gradual rise or drop. The points surrounding the dip are likely to have the smooth changes in elevation that characterize the nail surface. In other words, determining that a dip or any other irregularity is sunounded by nail surface is an indication that the inegularity does not mark the edge of the nail. Bumps and many other irregularities are subject to a similar analysis. In one embodiment, once a point on the perimeter of the nail surface has been identified, adjacent points are examined in order to discover other points matching the discontinuity conditions. In this fashion, examination proceeds along the perimeter of the nail surface until the only remaining adjacent points have been previously considered, indicating that the entire perimeter of the nail surface has been identified. Since the entire nail surface need not be considered in identifying the perimeter, processing requirements are reduced. In order to confirm the accuracy of the perimeter, the process could be repeated by using a different starting point or moving in a different direction from the same starting point. If a wide variation is discovered between various iterations, each of the iteration could be presented to a technician for selection of the best match at the digitizing computer. Once the nail surface has been identified, processing continues by generating an artificial nail object for the nail surface. III. Generating an Artificial Nail Object As described in greater detail below, there are a variety of ways to generate three-dimensional artificial nail objects. However, each of these techniques has one constraint in common: the artificial nail object needs to fit the nail surface and surrounding tissue of the consumer, and therefore needs to fit over digitized nail surface 610. Accordingly, although the various techniques for generating an artificial nail object may result in differently shaped and sized artificial nail objects, the bottom surface of each artificial nail object will be the same, because in each case the digitized nail surface 610 that it fits over is the same. The description of generating an artificial nail object that follows, therefore, begins with generating the bottom surface of the artificial nail object and then moves on to generating the top surface and volume of the artificial nail object. When generating an artificial nail object, consideration is given to placement of the artificial nail object into the artificial nail blank from which the artificial nail will be cut, as described in greater detail below. Nail style, such as round-tip, square-tip, curvature, smile lines, thickness, and overall arcs, is also considered. Taking the foregoing into consideration assures that the appropriate artificial nail blank will be selected at the time of manufacturing and also that the artificial nail object will fit within the artificial nail blank, in order to provide the artificial nails desired by the consumer. A. Bottom Surface of Artificial Nail Object Creating the bottom surface of an artificial nail object, such as bottom surface 810 shown in Figure 8A, is relatively straightforward because the digitized nail surface 610 dictates its topography. Note that bottom surface 810 itself includes a top 812 and a bottom 814. In order to fit over the digitized nail surface 610, the bottom 814 of bottom surface 810 needs to match the digitized nail surface 610. Creating a surface that fits over another surface is a common task with well-known solutions and therefore will not be described in great detail. Conceptually, the bottom 814 of bottom surface 810 is created by duplicating the digitized nail surface 610 and turning it inside out. The top 812 of bottom surface 810 is simply a duplicate of digitized nail surface 610. As will become more apparent below, in some circumstances the particular geometry top 812 of bottom surface 810 is less significant because it may simply be covered by other objects that make of the artificial nail object. B. Top Surface and Volume of Artificial Nail Object Artificial Nail Objects, or about any other three-dimensional object for that matter, can be modeled manually with existing software technology. However, in most cases, manually manipulating and creating an artificial nail object is extremely labor intensive and allows for too much human enor when artificial nails with a consistent and reliable appearance are desired. Accordingly, through careful analysis and study, the inventors have identified various reference points on a nail surface that can be used to focus automated modeling software, so that with the addition of variable parameters and formulas relating to expected length, width, height, and curves, an artificial nail object with a consistent and reliable appearance can be created automatically. These reference points are identified or measured using the coordinate system setup in connection with Figures 6A-6C, with the x-axis 640 running across the width of the nail surface, the y-axis 650 running along the length of the nail surface, and the z-axis 660 running through the thickness of the nail surface. Figure 7A shows the width of the digitized nail surface shown in Figures 6A-6C. The largest width 742 of the nail surface may be used to find the y-center line 752 of the nail surface. The y-center line 752 is simply the mid-point of the largest width 742, and may be used to find the center of digitized nail surface 610. Figure 7B shows another reference point for the digitized nail surface shown in Figures 6A-6C. This reference point may be determined by taking two-thirds of the greatest length 754 along the y-axis 650. Note the intersection of y-center line 752 and two-thirds line 744. Of course, other reference points may be helpful as well. For example, most nails slope gradually toward the sides until just before the side edge of the nail, and then slope more dramatically to the side edge of the nail. The points where the slope becomes more dramatic can provide useful insight when creating the top surface and volume for an artificial nail object. Genetics, ethnicity, and culture may influence nail shape, and therefore which reference points are most useful may change from one location to another. In general, however, reference points related to where changes occur rapidly and where the nail surface is uniform tend to be helpful. 1. Parameter and Reference Point Driven In the parameter and reference point driven embodiment illustrated in Figures 8A-8B, the points along y-center line 752 and two-thirds line 744, along with parameters relating to expected length, width, height, determine the arc, curve and position of the generated nail surface 820. Note that in this example digitized nail surface 610 is modified by the parameters given above to generate nail surface 820. The intersection of y-center line 752 and two-thirds line 744 represents the highest point on this surface. Generally the top 822 of generated nail surface 820 will be approximately 1 millimeter above digitized nail surface 610, but nail thickness is at least somewhat subject to individual preferences and therefore this amount may vary by 100% or more. Once the reference points creating heights, lengths, and arcs are determined for generated nail surface 820, a bottom surface 810 is created to match (i.e., fit over) digitized nail surface 610 (i.e., the bottom 822 of bottom surface 820 matches digitized nail surface 610 as described above) and combined with the generated nail surface 820 to create an artificial nail object 830. Note that in creating artificial nail object 830, a significant portion of the bottom 824 of generated nail surface 820 is covered by bottom surface 810. 2. Library of Artificial Nail Tips Figure 9 illustrates using a library of artificial nail tips to generate an artificial nail object 930 customized for the digitized nail surface 610 shown in Figures 6A-6C. Once the reference points, including the periphery 912 of a duplicate nail surface 910 of digitized nail surface 610, have been identified and/or measured, pre-existing representations of three-dimensional nail tips, potentially stored in a library of three-dimensional nail tips having various sizes and shapes, are compared to the reference points and an appropriate nail tip 920 is selected that also represents the overall appearance desired by the consumer. In order to use the selected tip, a top surface is created by duplicating digitized nail surface 610 (or for that matter bottom surface 810) and raising the duplicated nail surface 910 along the z-axis to achieve the desired thickness or depth. The duplicated nail surface 910, the selected nail tip 920, and the bottom surface 830 are then combined to form an artificial nail object. In many cases, the duplicated nail surface 910 will need to be smoothed and blended to match the selected nail tip 920. Smoothing generally involves comparing each data point of the duplicated nail surface and verifying that each point falls within a specified acceptable range of a smoothing function. For example, all points along a particular arc or curve made need to be of a particular height. If a point falls outside the range, then the appropriate change is made along the x-, y-, and/or z-axis. Blending occurs in much the same way but is focused on the intersection points between the selected nail tip 920 and the duplicated nail surface 910. 3. Library of Artificial Nail Obj ects Figure 10 illustrates using a library of artificial nail objects to generate an artificial nail object 1030 customized for the digitized nail surface 610 shown in Figures 6A-6C. Once the reference points, including the periphery, have been identified and/or measured for digitized nail surface 610, pre-existing representations of three-dimensional nail objects, perhaps stored in the library of three-dimensional nail objects having various sizes and shapes, are compared to the reference points and an appropriate library nail object 1020 is selected that represents the overall appearance desired by the consumer. To create the desired customized nail object, bottom surface 830 created from the digitized nail surface 610 is aligned with the bottom of the selected library nail object. Where the two intersect, the data representing the bottom surface is used and the data representing the selected library nail object is dropped, thereby combining the bottom surface and the selected library nail object into a single custom nail object. To assure a custom fit, perimeter or periphery points of the bottom surface are evaluated. Any points of the selected library nail object that overhang the bottom surface (in order words, that would overhang the cuticle end of the nail surface) are dropped, and the remaining points are combined with the bottom surface to create a customized representation of a nail object that fits over the digitized nail surface. Any voids (i.e., places where the selected library nail object does not have enough points to match the bottom surface) are filled with data that is added to the selected library nail object so that it fits the entire digitized nail surface, and therefore the customer's nail surface. The result is a new customized three-dimensional nail object 1030 that has the desired appearance and fits of the digitized nail surface. Because each of the library nail objects defines a complete top surface, there is little need for smoothing or blending, at least with respect to the top surface of the customized nail object. 4. Morphing Figure 11 illustrates the use of morphing to generate an artificial nail object

1130 customized for the digitized nail surface 610 shown in Figures 6A-6C. Similar to the other techniques for generating an artificial nail object, reference points, including the periphery, are identified or measured for bottom surface 830. These reference points are used to initialize and determine the morphing process that will create a new three-dimensional data representing the new artificial nail object 1130. In general terms, morphing involves transforming a starting representation into an end representation. Bottom surface 830 corresponds to the starting representation and pre-existing nail object 1120 corresponds to a desired end representation that reflects the overall appearance desired by the consumer. Similar to other pre-existing nail objects described above, pre-existing nail object 1120 may be stored in a library having pre-existing nail objects of varying sizes and shapes. In this way, an artificial nail with the overall appearance and characteristics desired by the consumer can be created. Morphing begins by mathematically changing the bottom surface 830 to appear more like the pre-existing nail object 1120 while maintaining the reference points of bottom surface 830. The pre-existing nail object 1120 (or more specifically a copy of the pre-existing nail object) is also made to appear more like the bottom surface 830 during each morphing iteration 1150. Accordingly, both the starting representation, bottom surface 830, and the desired end representation, pre-existing nail object 1120, are altered. In terms of an XYZ coordinate system, the morphing is accomplished by mathematically making x, y, and z values of bottom surface 830 and pre-existing nail object 1120 more alike, subject to certain constraints to assure that the end product will fit over digitized nail surface 610. For example, the perimeter 831 of bottom surface 830 remains constant. When the morphing iterations are complete, the morphed pre-existing nail object and bottom surface are combined to form artificial nail object 1130. IV. Manufacturing a Custom Artificial Nail Custom artificial nails may be manufactured from a variety of materials, including thermoplastics, metals, such as gold, platinum, and silver, ceramics, such as glass or clay, and so forth. (Plastics may be polycarbonate based, thermoplastic resin, or thermoset.) As used in the specification and appended claims, the term "plastic" includes materials that become flowable upon the application of sufficient heat and/or pressure, but which set as solids, while maintaining their original chemical composition, upon removal of the applied heat and/or pressure. Raw materials for plastics may purchased in a variety of different colors and different sheens. For example, raw materials could be purchased in a high gloss red, or any other color for that matter, so that the manufactured artificial nails do not need to be painted. By way of example and not by limitation, ABS plastics, acetals, acrylics, cellulosics, ionomers, nylons, polyethylenes, polycarbonates, and polystyrene are plastic materials. Fillers, such as glass and fibers, can be added to the plastic materials to selectively vary their properties. The present invention also uses USP Class 6 medical grade thermoplastic materials. Medical grade thermoplastic materials include MACROLON®, available from the Bear Corporation; CALIBRI® and ISOPLAST®, available from Dow Coming; and LEXAN®, available from General Electric. In some prefened embodiments, the present invention uses thermoplastic materials that are resistant to acetone. There are a variety of different types of acetals, nylons, polyethylenes, and polypropylenes that are resistant to acetone. Specific examples include ZYTELL® which is a nylon and DELRIN® acetol resin which is an acetal, both of which are available from DuPont. Prefened plastic materials typically have a durometer hardness based on a Shore A scale in a range between about 50 to about 120, with about 70 to about 120 being preferred, and about 80 to about 120 being most preferred. Inert raw materials posing no adverse health risks to the consumer, but offering the desired attractive and elegant look of beautiful nails are prefened. To help secure an artificial nail to the real nail, binding pockets may be formed on the portion of the bottom surface of the artificial nail that overlays the real nail. Conventional adhesives can then be used to attach the artificial nail to the real nail. As used in the specification and appended claims, the term "binding pockets" includes recesses, trenches, cuts, slots, pitting, sanding or any other inegularities which enable an adhesive to securely bind to artificial nail. Binding pockets can be made from a variety of different tools such as small sand blasters, knives, sand paper or the like. The specific examples described below focus on the use of plastics, but it should be recognized that the same processes or analogous processes apply to a variety of other materials that would be suitable for manufacturing artificial nails. A. Creating Artificial Nail Blanks Creating an artificial nail blank involves a variety of decisions, including the type of raw material to be used (plastic, metal, ceramic, etc.) so that a mold of an appropriate type may be selected, the number of artificial nails to be cut from the artificial nail blank, so that a mold of an appropriate size may be selected, and the type of artificial nails that are desired, so that a mold of an appropriate style may be selected. 1. Injection Molding Figure 12A shows an example single injection mold 1210 for creating a solid artificial nail blank of plastic from which an artificial nail can be cut. Once mold

1210 has been selected, the raw material is injected into the mold and shaped to the mold. Usually, injection mold 1210 is used to manufacture artificial nail blanks of a single color. Once the raw material is shaped to the mold and hardened, the nail blank is complete. Figure 12B shows an example two mold configuration 1240 having an artistic design for creating an artificial nail blank of plastic, using an injection molding technique, from which an artificial nail can be cut. The two molds are used in a multi-injection process to create an artificial nail blank from which artificial nails having a French-style, or other artistic design, may be cut. Molds for French-style artificial nails have an alternating arch and recess pattern. The size of the arches and recesses should vary from one artificial nail blank (and mold) to another in order to account for the individual nail sizes of consumers. The size of the arches and recesses may also vary within a particular artificial nail blank (and mold) in order to account for differences in nail size from one finger or toe to another. Alternatively, the size of the arches and recesses may be constant within a particular artificial nail blank, and then different artificial nail blanks may be used for each of a consumer's nails, if necessary. The first mold 1220 is injected with a selected material which may include any of a variety of raw materials. Immediately after the injection, and before the first mold 1220 result have completely cooled or settle, the second mold 1230 is injected with a raw material. It should be noted that the raw material used for the first mold need not be the same as the raw material used for the second mold. Generally, when two mold are used, the raw materials differ in at least some sense, such as color, in order to justify the added complexity associated with using two molds. In order to facilitate bonding between the two raw materials, the first mold results are heated prior to the injection of the material into the second mold. Once the injected material from the second injection shapes around the first mold results and the second mold itself, a vice or clamp may be applied to facilitate a pressure bond. The result of this process is a single artificial nail blank fused along an artistic design line so that the manufactured nail blank can be used to cut out and artificial nail. B. Welding Figure 13A illustrates two raw materials 1320 and 1330 with matching artistic designs 1322 and 1332 that allow the two raw materials to be welded together. With respect to nails, the most common artistic design is likely a French-style look, where the nail tip is a different color (often a white tone) from the remainder of the nail (often a natural or flesh tone). Figure 13B shows the two raw materials that are illustrated in Figure 13A as having been welded together in order to create an artificial nail blank 1340 from which an artificial nail can be cut. Creating the artistic design in the raw materials is described in more detail below. As indicated above, artificial nail blanks for French-style artificial nails have an alternating arch and recess pattern, as shown for example in Figures 13A-13B. The size of the arches and recesses should vary from one artificial nail blank to another in order to account for the individual nail sizes of consumers. The size of the arches and recesses may also vary within a particular artificial nail blank in order to account for differences in nail size from one finger or toe to another. Alternatively, the size of the arches and recesses may be constant within a particular artificial nail blank, and then different artificial nail blanks may be used for each of a consumer's nails, if necessary. The sizes of the arches and recesses may be controlled by the mold used to create the artificial nail blank as described above, or may be machined, extruded, etc., as described below. Artificial nail blank 1340 may come in a variety of widths to accommodate cutting various numbers of artificial nails. Note in particular that artificial nail blank 1340 is designed to have ten artificial nails cut from it, such as for the fingernails or toenails of one person. Of course, a single artificial nail blank may be shared among a larger number of people, and the particular dimensions may be driven by the machining process for cutting out the artificial nails, as described in greater detail below. The artificial nail blank 1340 may be of any color and/or combination of materials, and may be of any variety of dimensions. Typically the length of the artificial nail blank 1340 is a function of the nails to be cut from it. (Note that the dimension labels for artificial nail blank 1340 correspond to the dimensions used above for nail surfaces and objects.) A significant advantage of artificial nail blank 1340 is that the color goes completely through the blank, and therefore is not subject to being chipped or cracked. Welding may take the form of many common welding techniques, including chemical welding, ulfrasonic welding, hot gas welding, contact or impulse welding, high frequency welding, or vibration welding. Welding includes fusing raw materials together under the action of heat and/or pressure, resulting in the cross-linking of molecular chains of the raw materials. In other words, a weld bond is created at the molecular level. 1. Machining an Artistic Design Figure 14 illustrates an example of using a machining tool 1410 to add an artistic design 1422 to raw material 1440 for artificial nails. Note that the raw material 1450 could be injection molded in a single mold as described above. The length of raw material 1450 may be cut to accommodate the desired number of artificial nails to be cut out in order to reduce waste of the raw material. The machining to be performed by machining tool 1410 depends on which of the matching artistic designs for raw material 1320 and/or raw material 1330 is needed. Although a French-style look is probably the most likely artistic design, raw material 1450 may be machined with any arbitrary artistic design. Of course, raw material 1420 need not be joined with any other raw material, and may simply reflect a desired nail tip shape. 2. Extruding an Artistic Design (Figure 15) Figure 15 illustrates using an extrusion machine 1510 to extrude raw material

1520 through an example artistic die or cast 1512 in order to add an artistic design 1522. As with the machining described above in connection with Figure 14, the extrusion performed by extrusion tool 1510 depends on which of the matching artistic designs for raw material 1320 and/or raw material 1330 is needed. Again, although a French-style look is probably the most likely artistic design, raw material may be machined with any arbitraiy artistic design. And, of course, raw material need not be joined with any other raw material, and may simply reflect a desired nail tip shape. C. Machining an Artificial Nail Machining is controlled by manufacturing computer 160. Manufacturing computer 160 received the generated artificial nail object from digitizing computer 150. Figure 16 shows an example artificial nail 130 being cut out of the artificial nail blank 1340 illustrated in Figure 13B by a computerized numerical cutting machine (CNC) 1610. Typically, the artificial nail blank 1340 is held in place by a jig and the CNC cutter 1612 adjusts its position to make the appropriate cuts 1634 to expose the artificial nail 130, however some CNCs may also move the artificial nail blank. Note that tabs 1632 have been added to hold artificial nail 130 in place until the cutting is complete. Tabs 1632 are not necessary, but adds to the stability of artificial nail 130 while it is being cut out, and therefore helps assure as close of match as possible to the generated artificial nail object, the nail surface to receive the artificial nail, and the surrounding tissue. As indicated above, when generating an artificial nail object, consideration is given to placement of the artificial nail object into the artificial nail blank from which the artificial nail will be cut. Nail style, such as round-tip, square-tip, curvature, smile lines, thickness, and overall arcs, is also considered. Taking the foregoing into consideration assures that the appropriate artificial nail blank is selected and that the artificial nail object fits within the artificial nail blank when it is received from digitizing computer 150. Manufacturing computer 160 locates the artificial nail object 1630 in the artificial nail blank 1340 in preparation for the automated cutting process. Numerical cutting reference codes are generated to reflect the artificial nail object within the artificial nail blank in order to give the CNC 1610 the appropriate commands to cut out or reveal the artificial nail 130 conesponding to the artificial nail object. For example, the CNC 1610 may receive command along the x-, y-, and z-axis for movement of the cutter 1612 and potentially the jig holding the artificial nail blank 1340 as well. The automated CNC cutting process removes all undesirable material from the artificial nail blank that does not represent the artificial nail object. Upon completion of the automated cutting process, an artificial nail 130 that fits the originally imaged nail surface 110 has been produced. V. Attaching the Custom Artificial Nail The resulting artificial nails have a number of advantages over conventional artificial nails. For example, with reference to Figure 17, the finished artificial nail 130 (bottom 132) is custom fit to nail surface 110 of fingernail 106 and the tissue 104, including cuticle 1712, sunounding fingernail 106. Accordingly, the cuticle end 136 of artificial nail 130 does not have to be trimmed to avoid the surrounding tissue of finger 102 or otherwise fitted prior to attachment. As a result, the artificial nail may simply be attached with an appropriate adhesive. For artificial nails, one common type of adhesive is a cyanoacrylate adhesive. Typically, acetone is used to remove cyanoacrylate adhesives, but as indicated above, this leads to the destruction of artificial nails that have not been manufactured from the acetone resistant raw materials identified above. Accordingly, for some artificial nails, acetone resistant raw materials are preferred. Of course, like the preferred raw materials used in producing the artificial nails themselves, inert adhesives without adverse health risk also are prefened. As indicate above, the nails also can be formed from a material having a desired color or colors. For a French-style look, the white and flesh tones may be incorporated into the artificial nails themselves (i.e., tip 138 could be made from a white toned plastic and the remainder of nail 130 could be made from a flesh toned plastic). In this way, the step of having to paint the artificial nail with a nail polish can be eliminated. Moreover, since the nail is the same color all the way through, the color is not removed as a result of scratching or chipping. Nevertheless, some may desire to coat the artificial nails with at least a glossy finish. Some may prefer to apply nail polish to the top 134 of artificial nail for added variety. Where the artificial nail is formed from an acetone resistant material, it may be useful to first lightly roughen the surface of artificial nail to assist the polish in binding to the artificial nail surface. Alternatively, the surface of artificial nail could first be coated with an adhesive over which the nail polish is subsequently applied. When the artificial nail is formed from an acetone resistant material, the nail can be repeatedly removed and reapplied. This is in sharp contrast to conventional nails, which have a single use life. Also for convenience, a plurality of sets of artificial nails can be manufactured simultaneously. Should one crack or break, it would be easy to replace the artificial nail since no frimming or fitting is required. Additionally, it is possible to produce individual nails for replacement, either from a previously digitized nail surface, or if prefened the nail surface may be digitized again. VI. Example Computing Environment Figure 18 illustrates an example computer system that provides a suitable operating environment for the present invention, such as for digitizing computer 150 and/or manufacturing computer 160. Figure 18 and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which the invention may be implemented. Although not required, the invention will be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by computers in network environments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules represent examples of the program code means for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of conesponding acts for implementing the functions or methods described in such steps. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced in network computing environments with many types of computer system configurations, including personal computers, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by local and remote processing devices that are linked (either by hardwired links, wireless links, or by a combination of hardwired or wireless links) through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. With reference to Figure 18, an example system for implementing the invention includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a conventional computer 1810, including a processor 1830, a system memory 1820, and a system bus 1840 that couples various system components including the system memory 1820 to the processor 1830. The system bus 1840 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The system memory includes read only memory (ROM) 1822 and random access memory (RAM) 1824. A basic input/output system, containing the basic routines that help transfer information between elements within the computer 1820, such as during start-up, may be stored in ROM 1822. The computer 1810 may also include various disk drives 1852, including a magnetic hard disk drive for reading from and writing to a magnetic hard disk, a magnetic disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable magnetic disk, and an optical disc drive for reading from or writing a to removable optical disc, such as a CD-ROM or other optical media. The various disk drives 1852 are connected to the system bus 1840 by disk drive interfaces 1850. The drives and their associated computer-readable media provide nonvolatile storage of computer-executable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer 1810. Although the example environment described herein includes a magnetic hard disk, a removable magnetic disk, and a removable optical disc, other types of computer readable media for storing data can be used, including magnetic cassettes, flash memory, digital versatile discs, Bernoulli cartridges, RAMs, ROMs, and the like. Program code means comprising one or more program modules may be stored on the various drives 1852, ROM 1822, or RAM 1824, including an operating system 1823, one or more application programs 1825, other program modules (not shown), and program data 1827. A user may enter commands and information into the computer 1820 through a keyboard, a pointing device, or other input devices, such as a microphone, joy stick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 1810 through I/O interfaces 1860 or other interfaces 1870 through system bus 1840. Other interfaces 1870 may include a parallel port, a game port, or a universal serial bus (USB). A monitor 1892 or another display device is also connected to system bus 1840 via an interface, such as video adapter 1890. In addition to the monitor, personal computers typically include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers and printers. The computer 1810 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computers 1882. Remote computers 1882 may each be another personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically include many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer 1810. The logical connections depicted in Figure 18 may be made to a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), by way of example and not limitation. Such networking environments are commonplace in office-wide or enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet. When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1810 is connected to the local network through a network interface or adapter 1880. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1810 may include a modem, a wireless link, or other means for establishing communications over the wide area network, such as the Internet. The modem, which may be internal or external, is connected to the system bus 1840 via other interfaces 1870. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1810, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing communications over wide area network may be used. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may comprise one or more special purpose and/or one or more general purpose computers including various computer hardware, as discussed in greater detail below. Furthermore, embodiments within the scope of the present invention also include computer-readable media for carrying or having computer-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such computer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, electronic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. When information is transfened or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a computer, the computer properly views the connection as a computer-readable medium. Thus, any such connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function or group of functions. The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

Claims

CLAIMS We claim: 1. A method of creating a customized artificial nail, the method comprising: receiving digital data defining a three-dimensional artificial nail object, the three-dimensional artificial nail object having been customized for a specific nail surface and a particular artificial nail blank; generating numerical cutting codes, conesponding to the three-dimensional artificial nail object, that preserve any artistic designs within the particular artificial nail blank for the customized artificial nail; and cutting away undesirable material from the particular artificial nail blank based on the numerical cutting codes to expose the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the particular artificial nail blank.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising: digitizing the nail surface and the tissue surrounding the nail surface by producing digital data for the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface; and generating a three-dimensional artificial nail object based on the digital data for the nail surface and the tissue surrounding the nail surface.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the digital data includes data that represents a topographical description of the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising examining elevation differences within the digital data to identify an edge that marks a periphery for the nail surface to aid in generating the three-dimensional artificial nail object.

5. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising using a laser scanner, a structured light scanner, an acoustic scanner, a holographic scanner, or a touch probe to digitize the nail surface and the tissue surrounding the nail surface.

6. A method as recited in claim 2, the method further comprising applying one or more coating compositions to the nail surface, to the tissue surrounding the nail surface, or to both the nail surface and the tissue surrounding the nail surface, the one or more coating compositions differentiating the nail surface from the tissue sunounding the nail surface.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the one or more coating compositions differentiate the nail surface from the tissue sunounding the nail surface by color.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, further comprising using a laser scanner or a structured light scanner to digitize the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising adding tabs to fasten the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the particular artificial nail blank.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising selecting the particular artificial nail blank based on dimensions of the three-dimensional artificial nail object compared to dimensions of the particular artificial nail blank.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the particular artificial nail blank comprises an artistic design for a French-style artificial nail.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the particular artificial nail blank comprises plastic, metal, or ceramics.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the particular artificial nail blank comprises an acetone resistant plastic.

14. A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable media with computer-executable instruction for implementing a method of creating a customized artificial nail, the method comprising: receiving digital data defining a three-dimensional artificial nail object, the three-dimensional artificial nail object having been customized for a specific nail surface and a particular artificial nail blank; generating numerical cutting codes, corresponding to the three-dimensional artificial nail object, that preserve any artistic designs within the particular artificial nail blank for the customized artificial nail; and cutting away undesirable material from the particular artificial nail blank based on the numerical cutting codes to expose the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the particular artificial nail blank.

15. A computer program product as recited in claim 14, the method further comprising: digitizing the nail surface and the tissue surrounding the nail surface by producing digital data for the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface; and generating a three-dimensional artificial nail object based on the digital data for the nail surface and the tissue surrounding the nail surface.

16. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the digital data includes data that represents a topographical description of the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface.

17. A computer program product as recited in claim 16, the method further comprising examining elevation differences within the digital data to identify an edge that marks a periphery for the nail surface to aid in generating the three-dimensional artificial nail object.

18. A computer program product as recited in claim 15, wherein the digital data includes data that represents a color description of the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface.

19. A computer program product as recited in claim 14, the method further comprising adding tabs to fasten the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the particular artificial nail blank.

20. A computer program product as recited in claim 14, the method further comprising selecting the particular artificial nail blank based on dimensions of the three-dimensional artificial nail object compared to dimensions of the particular artificial nail blank.

21. A computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein the particular artificial nail blank comprises an artistic design for a French-style artificial nail.

22. A computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein the particular artificial nail blank comprises plastic, metal, or ceramics.

23. A computer program product as recited in claim 14, wherein the particular artificial nail blank comprises an acetone resistant plastic.

24. A computer system for creating a customized artificial nail, the computer system comprising: one or more processors that execute computer-executable instructions; one or more computer readable media with computer-executable instructions to be executed by the one or more processors, the computer-executable instructions comprising: computer-executable instructions for receiving digital data defining a three-dimensional artificial nail object, the three-dimensional artificial nail object having been customized for a specific nail surface and a particular artificial nail blank; computer-executable instructions for generating numerical cutting codes, conesponding to the three-dimensional artificial nail object, that preserve any artistic designs within the particular artificial nail blank for the customized artificial nail; and computer-executable instructions for cutting away undesirable material from the particular artificial nail blank based on the numerical cutting codes to expose the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the particular artificial nail blank.

25. A computer system as recited in claim 24, the computer-executable instructions further comprising computer-executable instructions for adding tabs to fasten the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the particular artificial nail blank.

26. A computer system as recited in claim 24, the computer-executable instructions further comprising computer-executable instructions for selecting the particular artificial nail blank based on dimensions of the three-dimensional artificial nail object compared to dimensions of the particular artificial nail blank.

27. A computer system as recited in claim 24, wherein the particular artificial nail blank comprises an artistic design for a French-style artificial nail.

28. A computer system as recited in claim 24, wherein the particular artificial nail blank comprises plastic, metal, or ceramics.

29. A computer system as recited in claim 24, wherein the particular artificial nail blank comprises an acetone resistant plastic.

30. A method of providing a customized artificial nail to a consumer, the method comprising: producing digital data for a nail surface of a consumer; generating a three-dimensional artificial nail object customized for the nail surface; and exposing an artificial nail in an artificial nail blank based on the three-dimensional artificial nail object so the artificial nail can be attached to a nail surface of the consumer.

31. A method as recited in claim 30, further comprising: selecting an artificial nail blank from which to cut the customized artificial nail; generating numerical cutting codes for the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the selected artificial nail blank; removing undesirable material from the selected artificial nail blank as specified by the numerical cutting codes to expose the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the selected artificial nail blank; and attaching the customized artificial nail to the nail surface of the consumer.

32. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein the digital data includes data that represents a topographical description of the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface.

33. A method as recited in claim 32, further comprising examining elevation differences within the digital data to identify an edge point along a periphery of the nail surface.

34. A method as recited in claim 32, further comprising examining one or more points adjacent to each discovered edge point along the periphery of the nail surface.

35. A method as recited in claim 30, the method further comprising applying one or more coating compositions to the nail surface, to the tissue sunounding the nail surface, or to both the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface, the one or more coating compositions differentiating the nail surface from the tissue surrounding the nail surface by color.

36. A method as recited in claim 30, further comprising using a laser scanner or a structured light scanner to produce the digital data for the nail surface and the tissue surrounding the nail surface.

37. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein the artificial nail blank comprises an artistic design for a French-style artificial nail.

38. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein the artificial nail blank comprises plastic, metal, or ceramics.

39. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein the artificial nail blank comprises an acetone resistant plastic.

40. A computer system for providing a customized artificial nail to a consumer, the computer system comprising: a digitizing device that produces digital data for a nail surface and tissue sunounding the nail surface; a digitizing computer that distinguishes the nail surface from the tissue sunounding the nail surface, and generates a three-dimensional artificial nail object customized for the nail surface; a manufacturing computer that selects an artificial nail blank from which to cut the customized artificial nail, and generating numerical cutting codes for the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the selected artificial nail blank; and a machining device that removes undesirable material from the selected artificial nail blank as specified by the numerical cutting codes to expose the three-dimensional artificial nail object within the selected artificial nail blank to be attached to the nail surface of the consumer.

41. A computer system as recited in claim 40, wherein the digital data includes data that represents a topographical description of the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface.

42. A computer system as recited in claim 40, wherein the digital data includes data that represents a color description of the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface.

43. A computer system as recited in claim 40, wherein the digitizing device comprises a laser scanner or a structured light scanner to produce the digital data for the nail surface and the tissue sunounding the nail surface.

44. A computer system as recited in claim 40, wherein the artificial nail blank comprises an artistic design for a French-style artificial nail.

45. A computer system as recited in claim 40, wherein the artificial nail blank comprises plastic, metal, or ceramics.

46. A computer system as recited in claim 40, wherein the artificial nail blank comprises an acetone resistant plastic.

47. A customized artificial nail, comprising: a first raw material suitable for artificial nails, the first raw material having a first shaped portion in accordance with a first artistic design; and a second raw material suitable for artificial nails, the second raw material having a second shaped portion in accordance with a second artistic design that mates with the first artistic nail design such that the first artistic nail design can be joined with the second artistic nail design; wherein the first raw material is joined to the second raw material along the first shaped portion and the second shaped portion.

48. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 47, further comprising a weld that joins the first raw material and the second raw material along the first shaped portion and the second shaped portion.

49. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 48, wherein the weld comprises a chemical weld, an ultrasonic weld, a hot gas weld, a contact weld, a high frequency weld, or a vibration weld.

50. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 47, wherein the first raw material and the second raw material comprise plastic, metal, or ceramics.

51. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 47, wherein the first raw material and the second raw material comprise gold, platinum, or silver.

52. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 47, wherein the first raw material and the second raw material comprise an acetone resistant plastic.

53. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 47, wherein the first raw material and the second raw material differ in color.

54. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 47, wherein the first raw material and the second raw material differ in material type.

55. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 47, wherein the first artistic nail design comprises one or more arches.

56. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 47, wherein the first artistic nail design comprises one or more recesses.

57. A customized artificial nail as recited in claim 47, wherein the first and second artistic nail designs conespond to the curvature of a nail tip.