Finger holding member, printing device and printing method

Abstract

To provide a finger holding member capable of being customized to fit a shape of a user's finger or nail, a printer, and a printing method.SOLUTION: A finger holding member 6, which is provided in a printer 1 for applying printing to a nail T, comprises a finger support part 62 for supporting an undersurface of a finger U corresponding to the nail T subjected to the printing, and a finger regulation part 64 for regulating a top surface of the finger U. The finger U can be inserted between the finger support part 62 and the finger regulation part 64. At least either the finger support part 62 or the finger regulation part 64 has molded members 622 and 645 that are molded to fit a shape of a user's finger U.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a finger holding member, a printing device, and a printing method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, printing devices (nail printing devices) that print nail designs on fingernails or the like are known. In such a printing device, if a finger moves during printing, the printing position may shift, making it impossible to perform high-quality printing.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a printing device (referred to as a "nail art device" in Patent Document 1) is provided with a groove or other finger holding member (referred to as a "support" in Patent Document 1) for placing a finger in a predetermined position whose nails will be printed, or a holder for locking part of the finger. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-194838 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the shapes of human fingers and nails vary from person to person and from type to type. For this reason, even if a finger holding member is constructed to fit fingers and nails of standard thickness and shape, it may feel tight for people with thicker fingers than standard, and people with thin fingers may find it difficult to hold their fingers stably enough. Also, even if the finger is of standard thickness, if the center of the nail is raised or curved, it may not be possible to hold the nail at the appropriate height by placing the finger in the same position as normal.

[0006] Therefore, in order to position the nail in an appropriate position, there has been a demand for a finger holding member that is suited to the shape of each user's finger and nail.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an advantage of providing a finger holding member, a printing device, and a printing method that can be customized to fit the shape of a user's fingers and nails. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the finger holding member of the present invention comprises: A finger holding member provided in a printing device that prints on nails, a finger support portion for supporting a lower surface of a finger corresponding to a nail to be printed; a finger restricting portion that restricts an upper surface of the finger; Equipped with The finger can be inserted between the finger support portion and the finger restriction portion, The finger support portion and the finger restricting portion each have a first shaped member and a second shaped member shaped to fit the shape of the user's finger and nail, respectively. 、 The first molding member and the second molding member are in a softened state having a moldable softness during molding, and are molded in a state where the finger is inserted between the resin material for forming the first molding member and the resin material for forming the second molding member, and the upper surface of the nail is abutted against a tabletop. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to customize the finger holding member to fit the shape of a user's finger or nail. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a printing device including a finger holding unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a main part of a finger holding portion according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a molding tool used when molding a molding member. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the molding tool shown in FIG. 3, showing an example in which a standard finger is set in the molding tool. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the shaping tool shown in FIG. 3, showing an example in which a finger thicker than standard is set in the shaping tool. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the shaping tool showing an example in which a finger having a nail with a raised center portion is set in the shaping tool shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An embodiment of a finger holding member, a printing device, and a printing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the embodiments described below are subject to various limitations that are technically preferable for implementing the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments and illustrated examples. In addition, in the following embodiment, a printing device is described as an example in which the printing device prints on the printing target of a fingernail, however, the printing target of the printing device in this invention is not limited to fingernails, and the printing target may be, for example, the nails of toes.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the main parts of a printing device in this embodiment. In the following embodiment, up / down, left / right, and front / rear refer to the directions shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the X direction and the Y direction refer to the directions shown in Fig. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a printing device 1 of this embodiment includes a housing 2 formed in a substantially box shape, and a device main body 10 housed inside the housing 2.

[0013] The housing 2 has an opening 21 formed over almost the entire surface in the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1, X direction) in the lower part on the front side (the front side of the printing device 1, the front side in FIG. 1). Also, a notch 22 is formed in the approximate center in the left-right direction of the housing 2, continuing to the upper side of the opening 21. The notch 22 functions as an entrance / exit when the print head 41, described later, is attached to and detached from the device.

[0014] An operation unit 12 of the printer 1 is provided on the top surface (top panel) of the housing 2. The operation unit 12 is, for example, an operation button (power switch button) that turns the power of the printer 1 on and off. When the operation unit 12 is operated, an operation signal is output to a control device (not shown), and the control device performs control according to the operation signal to operate each part of the printer 1. For example, if the operation unit 12 is a power switch button, the power of the printer 1 is turned on and off in response to button operation.

[0015] The shape and arrangement of each part of the housing 2 are not limited to the illustrated example and can be set as appropriate. For example, the operation unit 12 may be provided on the side or back of the housing 2 instead of on the top surface of the housing 2. In addition, the housing 2 may be provided with various other operation buttons as the operation unit 12, and may be provided with various display units, indicators, and the like.

[0016] Inside the housing 2, a device main body 10 is housed. The device main body 10 includes a base 11, a finger holding member 6 attached thereto, a printing unit 40, and the like.

[0017] The finger holding member 6 is located approximately in the center in the left-right direction (X direction) on the front side of the device on the base 11, and is a finger holding means that holds a finger U having a nail T, which is the printing target in this embodiment, in a position suitable for printing. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the finger holding member. As shown in FIG. 2, the finger holding member 6 is formed in a substantially box shape, and has an opening 61 on the front side of the device. The top surface of the finger holding member 6 at the rear side (the rear side of the device in FIG. 1) is formed with a window 63 that opens upward. From the window 63, the surface of the nail T of the finger U inserted into the finger holding member 6 is exposed. A finger support section 62 is provided inside the finger holding member 6. Furthermore, the front side of the window section 63 in the finger holding member 6 (the front side of the device in FIG. 1) is formed in a frame shape, and its top surface serves as a finger restriction section 64. The finger holding member 6 is configured so that a finger U can be inserted between the finger support section 62 and the finger restriction section 64.

[0018] The finger support portion 62 supports the underside of the finger U corresponding to the nail T to be printed. That is, when the finger U corresponding to the nail T is inserted through the opening 61, the finger support portion 62 abuts against and supports the underside of the finger U (the pad portion of the finger U). Note that the finger support portion 62 may be any member capable of supporting the finger U from below, and the configuration thereof is not particularly limited. For example, the entire finger support portion 62 may be biased from below by an elastic member such as a spring. In this embodiment, the finger support section 62 is composed of a support section main body 621, which is a member on the finger holding member main body side, and a molding member 622 attached to the support section main body 621. The molding member 622 in this embodiment is detachable from the support section main body 621. By making the molding member 622 detachable, when one printing device 1 is used by multiple users, it becomes possible for the molding member 622 to be replaced by each user. In addition, even for one user, since the shape of the finger U differs depending on the type (i.e., the type of thumb, index finger, middle finger, and little finger), the molding member 622 can be replaced for each finger U. Note that it is not essential that the molding member 622 is detachable, and once attached, the state may be maintained. Support body 621 is formed of, for example, resin, and serves as a base on which molded member 622 is attached. For this reason, support body 621 is preferably a member having a certain degree of hardness and strength.

[0019] The molded member 622 is a member molded to fit the shape of a finger U of a user. The molding member 622 is formed from a material that can be in a softened state having a moldable softness during molding and can be in a hardened state capable of maintaining a predetermined shape during use. As the material for forming the molding member 622, for example, various thermoplastic resins (e.g., polyethylene resin, etc.) that soften at a predetermined temperature and harden by cooling, and various photocurable resins that harden by irradiating light of a predetermined wavelength (e.g., ultraviolet light (Ultra Violet), etc.) are suitably applied. Note that the material for forming the molding member 622 is not limited to these. In this embodiment, the molded member 622 is molded outside the printing device 1 and then placed inside the finger holding member 6, as described below. A specific method for forming the molded member 622 will be described later. The molded member 622 is required to have sufficient hardness and strength to hold the finger U in a predetermined position, but since this is the portion on which the finger U directly rests, it is preferable that it has some flexibility.

[0020] The molded member 622 is provided with a first locking portion 622a, and the support portion main body 621 is provided with a second locking portion 621a having a shape corresponding to the first locking portion 622a. The specific shapes of the first locking portion 622a and the second locking portion 621a are not particularly limited, but for example, the first locking portion 622a provided on the molded member 622 is a convex portion, and the second locking portion 621a provided on the support main body 621 is a concave portion that receives it. Alternatively, second locking portion 621a on the support portion main body 621 side may be a convex portion, and first locking portion 622a on the molded member 622 side may be a concave portion that receives it. In this embodiment, the first locking portion 622a provided on the molded member 622 is molded when the entire molded member 622 is molded.

[0021] The finger restricting portion 64 restricts the upper surface of the finger U inserted into the finger holding member 6 through the opening 61 . In this embodiment, as described above, the top surface of the finger holding member 6 and the front side of the window portion 63 (the front side in FIG. 1) constitutes the finger restricting portion 64. In this embodiment, the finger restricting portion 64 is composed of a restricting portion main body 641 which is a member on the finger holding member main body side, and a molded member 645 attached to the restricting portion main body 641. A cutout portion 642 for receiving a molded member 645 is formed on the lower surface (the surface facing the support portion main body 621) of the restricting portion main body 641, and the molded member 645 is fitted into the cutout portion 642. The molding member 645 of this embodiment is detachable from the regulating unit main body 641, similar to the molding member 622. By making the molding member 645 detachable, when one printing device 1 is used by multiple users, it becomes possible for the molding member 645 to be replaced by each user. Furthermore, even for a single user, since the shape of the finger U varies depending on the type of finger U, it is also possible to replace the molding member 645 for each finger U. Note that it is not essential that the molding member 645 is detachable, and once attached, that state may be maintained. The restricting portion main body 641 serves as a base on which the molded member 645 is attached, and is made of, for example, resin, etc., and has a certain degree of hardness and strength.

[0022] The molded member 645 is a member molded to fit the shape of a finger U of a user. The molding member 645 is formed of a material that can be in a softened state having a moldable softness during molding and can be in a hardened state capable of maintaining a predetermined shape during use, similar to the molding member 622 provided in the finger support member 62. As the material for forming the molding member 645, for example, various thermoplastic resins and various photocurable resins are suitably used. Note that the material for forming the molding member 645 is not limited to these. In this embodiment, the molding member 645 is molded outside the printing device 1 and then placed in the finger holding member 6, as described below. A specific method for forming the molded member 645 will be described later. The molded member 645 is required to have sufficient hardness and strength to position the upper surface of the finger U at a predetermined position, but since it is the part that comes into direct contact with the finger U, it is preferable that it has some flexibility.

[0023] The molded member 645 is provided with a first locking portion 645a, and the restriction portion main body 641 is provided in the cutout portion 642 with a second locking portion 641a having a shape corresponding to the first locking portion 645a. The specific shapes of the first locking portion 645a and the second locking portion 641a are not particularly limited, but for example, the first locking portion 645a provided on the molded member 645 is a convex portion, and the second locking portion 641a provided on the regulating portion main body 641 is a concave portion that receives it. Alternatively, the second locking portion 641a on the restrictor main body 641 side may be a protrusion, and the first locking portion 645a on the molded member 645 side may be a recess for receiving it. In this embodiment, the first locking portion 645a provided on the molded member 645 is molded when the entire molded member 645 is molded.

[0024] Furthermore, inside the finger holding member 6, at the rear side in the printing finger insertion direction, a nail rest 65 for resting the tip portion of the nail T of the finger U is provided. Note that the nail rest 65 may be any type capable of resting the tip of the nail T, and its shape, arrangement, etc. are not limited to those shown in the drawings. Furthermore, a fingertip support portion (not shown) for supporting a fingertip portion may be provided between the finger support portion 62 and the nail rest 65. The fingertip support portion may be configured to be biased upward (upward in the Z direction in FIG. 2) by a spring or the like. In the finger holding member 6, the finger U and its nail T are supported from below by the finger support portion 62 with the tip portion of the nail T placed on the nail rest 65, and the upper side of the finger U is pressed by the finger regulating portion 64, so that the position in the height direction (up and down direction, Z direction in Figure 2) etc. is positioned at a predetermined position.

[0025] The printing unit 40 is a printing means that performs printing on the nail T that is the printing target. The printing unit 40 is configured to include a print head 41 that is mounted on a carriage 42 and moves in the XY directions while performing a printing operation, and a head moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the print head 41, and the like.

[0026] The print head 41 of this embodiment is an inkjet head that uses an inkjet system in which the surface facing the nail is an ink ejection surface (neither of which is shown) equipped with a plurality of nozzle openings that eject ink, and prints by atomizing the ink and spraying the ink from the ink ejection surface directly onto the nail surface, which is the surface to be printed on the print target (nail T). The configuration of the print head 41 is not particularly limited, but for example, it may be a cartridge-integrated head in which an ejection mechanism unit (not shown) provided on the ink ejection surface or the like is integrated with an ink cartridge (neither of which is shown). The print head 41 is capable of ejecting ink of, for example, cyan (C; CYAN), magenta (M; MAGENTA), and yellow (Y; YELLOW). However, the types of ink provided in the print head 41 are not limited to these.

[0027] Moreover, inside the top surface (top plate) of the housing 2 and above the window portion 63 of the finger holding member 6, there is provided an imaging device 51 which is a camera that captures an image of the nail T (an image of the finger U including the nail T) by capturing an image of the nail T (an image of the finger U including the nail T) of the nail T (a finger U including the nail T) exposed from the window portion 63. Incidentally, there is provided near the imaging device 51 an illumination device (not shown) constituted by a white LED or the like that illuminates the nail T to be photographed. In this embodiment, based on the image captured by the photographing device 51, the outline of the nail T that defines the printing range of the printing unit 40 and the like are detected.

[0028] The printing device 1 also includes a control device (not shown) that controls the entire device. The printing device 1 may perform printing operations in cooperation with an external terminal device (for example, a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone), and in this case, various data processes may be performed by a control device provided on the side of the terminal device.

[0029] Next, the operation of the finger holding member 6 and the printing device 1 including the same in this embodiment, and a printing method will be described. When using the printing device 1 of this embodiment, first, the shaping members 622, 645 provided on the finger holding member 6 are shaped to fit the shape of the finger U of the user. Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing an example of a molding tool used to mold a molded member. Figs. 4 to 6 show examples of fingers of various shapes inserted into the molding tool. In Figs. 3 to 6, a finger U is inserted into the molding tool 7 from the right side to the left side in the figure. The direction in which the finger U is inserted is hereinafter referred to as the insertion direction.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the molding tool 7 has a substantially box-shaped housing 71 with an open top, and a top plate 72 that covers the top of the housing 71. The housing 71 is provided with components having substantially the same position, size, and shape as those in the finger holding member 6. Specifically, a first base 73 on which a molded member 622 is set is disposed on the near side (right side in FIG. 3) of the housing 71 in the insertion direction of the finger U. The first base 73 is formed to have substantially the same size and shape as the support portion main body 621 of the finger holding member 6. A recess 731 is formed on the upper surface of the first base 73, the recess 731 having the same position, size and shape as the second locking portion 621a provided on the support portion main body 621 of the finger holding member 6 of the printing device 1.

[0031] Further, fingertip support part 74 that supports the fingertip from below is provided further back in the insertion direction of finger U (left side in FIG. 3) than first base 73. Fingertip support part 74 is preferably biased slightly upward by an elastic member such as a spring. At the innermost position in the insertion direction of the finger U in the housing 71 (the left end in FIG. 3), a nail rest 75 for resting the tip portion of the nail T of the finger U inserted into the shaping tool 7 is provided. The nail rest 75 is configured so that the nail T can be placed at approximately the same height as when the nail T is placed on the nail rest 65 of the finger holding member 6 of the printing device 1.

[0032] The front side of the top plate 72 in the insertion direction of the finger U (the right side in FIG. 3) is formed at approximately the same height as the restricting portion main body 641 of the finger restricting portion 64 of the finger holding member 6, and functions as a second base on which the molded member 645 is set. The portion of the top plate 72 serving as the second base is formed in approximately the same shape as the restricting portion main body 641 of the finger holding member 6. A recess 721 having the same position, size and shape as the second engagement portion 641a provided on the regulating portion main body 641 of the finger holding member 6 of the printing device 1 is formed on the underside of the top plate 72, which functions as the second base. Furthermore, by providing components similar to those of the finger holding member 6 within the housing 71 of the molding tool 7 in this manner, when the molding members 622, 645 molded using the molding tool 7 are attached to the finger holding member 6, the state adjusted within the molding tool 7 can be reflected directly in the finger holding member 6.

[0033] Further, on the inner side of the top plate 72 in the insertion direction of the finger U (on the left side in FIG. 3), an abutment member 722 that defines the position of the upper surface of the nail T is provided. The abutting member 722 is formed of, for example, various resins. It is preferable that the abutting member 722 is a member having some flexibility (cushioning properties) so as not to damage the surface of the nail T.

[0034] When molding the molded members 622, 645 using the molding tool 7 as shown in the figure, first, the resin material for forming the molded member 622 is softened and set on the upper surface of the first base 73. Also, the resin material for forming the molded member 645 is softened and set on the lower surface of the top plate 72, which serves as the second base. For example, when the resin material for forming the molded members 622, 645 is a thermoplastic resin, it is heated with a heater, a dryer, or the like until it becomes deformable, and then set at a predetermined position in the molding tool 7. When the resin material is a photocurable resin, it is set at a predetermined position in the molding tool 7 without being exposed to light of a predetermined wavelength that hardens the resin.

[0035] Next, the user inserts finger U between the resin material for forming molded member 622 and the resin material for forming molded member 645 before the resin material hardens (while it remains soft), places the tip portion of nail T on nail rest 75, and abuts the upper surface of nail T against abutment member 722. Figure 4 shows a finger of average thickness with a relatively flat nail inserted into the molding tool, while Figure 5 shows an example of a finger that is thicker than the standard, and Figure 6 shows an example of a finger with a nail that is raised in the middle.

[0036] 4 to 6, when a user inserts a finger U, the bottom surface of the finger U presses down on the molded member 622, causing the molded member 622 to deform into the shape of the finger U. At this time, the bottom surface of the molded member 622 in contact with the top surface of the first base 73 also deforms, forming a convex shape that fits into the concave portion 731. In this embodiment, this convex shape becomes the first locking portion 622a of the molded member 622. Furthermore, the upper surface of the finger U pushes up the molded member 645, and the molded member 645 is deformed into the shape of the finger U. At this time, the upper side surface of the molded member 645 in contact with the lower surface of the top plate 72 as the second base is also deformed, and a convex shape that fits into the concave portion 721 is formed. In this embodiment, this convex shape becomes the first locking portion 645a of the molded member 645.

[0037] Compared to the case of Figure 4 in which a relatively typical finger U is inserted, when a thick finger U is inserted, as shown in Figure 5, for example, the molding member 645 arranged above the finger U is crushed and deformed, and is molded into a thinner shape than the case shown in Figure 4. In addition, even if the thickness of the finger U is the same as the standard one shown in FIG. 4, if the shape of the nail T is not flat and, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the center part is higher than the tip part, the top surface position of the nail T exceeds the appropriate height position just by placing the tip part of the nail T on the nail rest 75. In this respect, since the abutting member 722 is further provided in this embodiment, the top surface of the nail T is abutted against the abutting member 722 of the top plate 72, and the top surface position of the nail T is regulated to an appropriate height position. Then, the upper and lower forming members 622, 645 are adjusted so that the entire finger U is stable in this state. Specifically, when the top surface position of the nail T is regulated by the amount of the nail T being raised, the entire finger U is pressed down accordingly, and the forming member 622 arranged on the lower side of the finger U is deformed as if it is crushed, and the nail is formed into a thinner shape than the case shown in FIG. 4.

[0038] In this way, when the molding members 622, 645 are molded to fit the shape of the finger U or the nail T, the user removes the finger U from the molding tool 7 and hardens the molding members 622, 645 in the molded state. Specifically, if the resin material forming the molding members 622, 645 is a thermoplastic resin, the resin material is left at room temperature for a predetermined time or is exposed to cold air to remove heat and harden the molding members 622, 645. If the resin material is a photocurable resin, the resin material is irradiated with light of a predetermined wavelength that hardens the resin and hardened.

[0039] When each molding member 622 , 645 is molded to fit the shape of a user's finger U or the like and hardened in the molded state, the hardened molding members 622 , 645 are removed from the molding tool 7 and attached to the finger holding member 6 of the printing device 1 . Specifically, the molded member 622 is placed on the support body 621 of the finger support portion 62 , and the first locking portion 622 a is fitted into the second locking portion 621 a of the support body 621 . Moreover, the molded member 645 is arranged by fitting it into the notch 642 of the restricting portion main body 641 of the finger restricting portion 64 , and the first locking portion 645 a is fitted into the second locking portion 641 a of the restricting portion main body 641 .

[0040] When printing on the nail T, the molding members 622, 645 are attached in this manner, so that the finger U is held by the finger holding member 6, which has been customized to have a finger support portion 62 and a finger restricting portion 64 that fit the shape of the user's finger U and nail T, and the printing process is performed. Specifically, the image capturing device 51 captures an image of the finger U (including the nail T) held by the finger holding member 6, and the captured image is processed to recognize the position and range (contour of the nail T), etc. of the nail T. Then, the recognized range of the nail T is set as the printing target area and printing is performed by the printing unit 40. This allows the finger U or nail T to be held in an appropriate position regardless of the shape of the finger U or nail T, and the nail design to be printed on the surface of the nail T with the nail T positioned in a position suitable for printing.

[0041] In addition, when a user prints on a plurality of fingers U (for example, ten fingers U on the left and right hands), the molding members 622, 645 may be molded to match the shape of each finger U. In this case, the molding members 622, 645 are replaced with corresponding ones for each finger U to be printed, and printing is performed. In this way, when printing on any finger U, the finger U can be held by the finger holding member 6 having a shape that matches the finger U. In addition, fingers U of the same type, such as thumbs on the left and right, or little fingers on the left and right, often have almost the same shape. For this reason, even when printing on ten fingers U on the left and right, the molding members 622, 645 may be molded for five fingers on one hand, and the molding members 622, 645 for little fingers, for example, may be used in common for the little fingers on the left and right.

[0042] As described above, according to this embodiment, the finger holding member 6 provided in the printing device 1 that prints on the nail T includes a finger support portion 62 that supports the underside of the finger U corresponding to the nail T to be printed, and a finger control portion 64 that controls the upper surface of the finger U, and is configured so that the finger U can be inserted between the finger support portion 62 and the finger control portion 64, and the finger support portion 62 and the finger control portion 64 have molded members 622, 645 that are molded to match the shape of the user's finger U, etc. The size and shape of the finger U and nail T vary from person to person, and the nail T may not be positioned appropriately if it is held by a finger holding member 6 of the same shape. Specifically, the nail T may rise too high above a predetermined height position and come into contact with the print head 41 of the printing unit 40, or if the finger U is too thin, the finger U may move around inside the finger holding member 6, causing the finger U to move when an image of the finger U is captured or printed, resulting in the position of the nail T being shifted. For example, even if several types of adjustment attachments are prepared, it is difficult to respond to all cases. In this regard, in the case of this embodiment, where adjustments are made using molded members 622, 645 molded from the user's actual finger U, the finger holding member 6 can be completely customized, and the nail T can be positioned in a position suitable for printing. This makes it possible to avoid misalignment, erroneous recognition, and erroneous printing when photographing or printing an image for recognizing the nail T, and also makes it possible for the finger holding member 6 to have an excellent fit for the user, allowing the user to hold the finger U comfortably in a natural position while printing is being performed.

[0043] Further, the molded members 622, 645 of this embodiment are configured to be detachable from the support portion main body 621 and the restriction portion main body 641, which are members on the finger holding member main body side. With this configuration, when one printing device 1 is used by multiple users, each user can hold the finger U in an optimal state by simply replacing the shaping members 622, 645. Also, even for a single user, the shape of the finger U varies depending on the type. Therefore, by replacing the shaping members 622, 645 for each finger U, each finger U can be positioned in an optimal position.

[0044] In addition, in this embodiment, the molded members 622, 645 are provided with first locking portions 622a, 645a, and the support portion main body 621 and the regulating portion main body 641, which are the finger holding member main body, are provided with second locking portions 621a, 641a having shapes corresponding to the first locking portions 622a, 645a. Therefore, by engaging the first locking portions 622a, 645a with the second locking portions 621a, 641a, the molded members 622, 645 can be attached to appropriate positions of the support portion main body 621 and the regulating portion main body 641, making it possible to easily customize the finger holding member 6.

[0045] Furthermore, the molding members 622, 645 of this embodiment are formed from a material that can be in a softened state having a moldable softness during molding, and can be in a hardened state capable of maintaining a predetermined shape during use. Specifically, the molding members 622 and 645 are made of a thermoplastic resin or a photocurable resin. This allows the user to easily form the molded members 622, 645 that are molded to his or her own finger U, and customize the finger holding member 6 to a shape that is suitable for his or her own finger U.

[0046] Moreover, the finger holding member 6 of this embodiment is further provided with a nail rest 65 on which the tip portion of the nail T is placed. This allows the claw T to be easily positioned.

[0047] Furthermore, as in this embodiment, when the printing device 1 is provided with a finger holding member 6 customized using molding members 622, 645, and a printing unit 40 that prints on the nail T corresponding to the finger U held by the finger holding member 6, it is possible to accurately recognize the nail T of any shape of finger U, and to position the nail T in a position suitable for printing and perform printing. This allows high quality nail printing to be performed.

[0048] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0049] For example, in the present embodiment, the case where the molded members 622, 645 are formed using the molding tool 7 has been exemplified, but the method of forming the molded members 622, 645 is not particularly limited. For example, a mold of the user's finger U or the like may be taken using plaster or the like, and this mold may be used to form the molded members 622, 645 using various resins or the like. In this case as well, molded members 622, 645 that fit the shape of the user's finger U or nail T can be obtained, and the finger holding member 6 can be customized to a shape that fits the finger U.

[0050] In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been given of a case in which molded members 622, 645 are provided on finger support portion 62 and finger restricting portion 64 of finger holding member 6, respectively, but a molded member may be provided on at least one of finger support portion 62 and finger restricting portion 64. Even when at least one of the finger support portion 62 and the finger restricting portion 64 is provided with a molded member, the finger holding member 6 can be customized to a shape that fits the user's finger U to some extent.

[0051] In addition, in this embodiment, the molding tool 7 has an integral structure, and an example is given of a case in which the material for forming the molding members 622, 645 is placed and then the finger U is inserted therebetween, but the shape of the molding tool 7 and the procedure for forming the molding members 622, 645, etc. are not limited to those exemplified here. For example, the top plate 72 may be configured to be removable from the housing 71. In this case, first, the material of the molding member 622 in a softened state is placed on the first base 73 inside the housing, and then the finger U is placed on top of that. Separately, the material of the molding member 645 in a softened state is placed at a predetermined position on the underside of the top plate 72, and the top plate is placed over the housing 71 on which the finger U is placed, to take a mold of the finger U. In this case, the work of attaching the material of the molded member 645 to the lower surface of the top plate 72 becomes easier, and the workability is improved.

[0052] In addition, when the material forming the molded members 622, 645 is various thermoplastic resins (e.g., polyethylene resin, etc.), even after they have been molded, they may be softened by heating again, and the molded members 622, 645 may be remade to fit another finger U of the same user or a finger U of another user. In this way, when the material forming the molded members 622, 645 can be reused, the molded members 622, 645 corresponding to a plurality of fingers U can be formed with a small amount of material, which is advantageous in terms of cost.

[0053] Furthermore, the first locking portions 622a, 645a and the second locking portions 621a, 622a are not limited to a combination of a convex portion and a concave portion. For example, the first locking portions 622a, 645a and the second locking portions 621a, 622a may constitute a guide portion that slides the molding members 622, 645 in the front-rear direction of the device (the front-rear direction in FIG. 1, the Y direction). In this case, for example, a guide rail or groove extending in the front-to-rear direction of the device (front-to-rear direction, Y direction in Figure 1) may be provided on the inner surface of the finger holding member 6 and the inner surface of the cutout portion 642, and a guided portion (for example, a protrusion portion) guided by this guide rail or groove may be provided on the side surface of the molding members 622, 645 at a position corresponding to the guide rail or groove. Moreover, it is not essential to provide the first locking portions 622a, 645a and the second locking portions 621a, 622a. For example, the molded members 622, 645 may be attached and fixed to the support portion main body 621 and the restriction portion main body 641 with double-sided tape or the like without providing the first locking portions 622a, 645a and the second locking portions 621a, 622a.

[0054] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. The inventions described in the claims originally attached to this application are set forth below. The claim numbers in the appended claims are the same as those in the claims originally attached to this application. [Additional Notes] <Claim 1> A finger holding member provided in a printing device that prints on nails, a finger support portion for supporting a lower surface of a finger corresponding to a nail to be printed; a finger restricting portion that restricts an upper surface of the finger; Equipped with The finger can be inserted between the finger support portion and the finger restriction portion, A finger holding member, wherein at least one of the finger support portion and the finger restricting portion has a molded member molded to fit the shape of the user's finger. <Claim 2> 2. The finger-holding member according to claim 1, wherein the molded member is configured to be detachable from a finger-holding member body. <Claim 3> 3. The finger holding member according to claim 2, wherein the molded member is provided with a first locking portion, and the finger holding member body is provided with a second locking portion having a shape corresponding to the first locking portion. <Claim 4> The finger holding member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the molding member is formed from a material that can be in a softened state having a moldable softness during molding, and can be in a hardened state capable of maintaining a predetermined shape during use. <Claim 5> 5. The finger holding member according to claim 1, wherein the molded member is made of a thermoplastic resin. <Claim 6> 5. The finger holding member according to claim 1, wherein the molded member is made of a photocurable resin. <Claim 7> 7. The finger holding member according to claim 1, further comprising a nail rest for resting a tip portion of a nail. <Claim 8> A finger holding member according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a printing unit that prints on a nail corresponding to the finger held by the finger holding member; A printing device comprising: <Claim 9> A printing method using a printing device that prints on nails, The printing device includes: a finger holding member having a finger support portion for supporting a lower surface of a finger corresponding to a nail to be printed and a finger restricting portion for restricting an upper surface of the finger, the finger being configured so that the finger can be inserted between the finger support portion and the finger restricting portion; a finger support member and a finger restricting member, the finger being held by the finger holding member in a state where the finger support member and the finger restricting member are attached to at least one of the finger support member and the ... A printing method comprising: printing on the nail corresponding to the finger. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1 Printing device 6 Finger holding member 62 Finger support part 621 Support body 621a Second locking portion 622 Molding parts 622a First locking portion 64 Finger control part 641 Support body 641a Second locking portion 645 Molding Parts 645a First locking portion 65 Nail stand 7 Molding equipment T-claw U finger

Claims

1. A finger holding member provided in a printing device that prints on nails, a finger support portion for supporting a lower surface of a finger corresponding to a nail to be printed; a finger restricting portion that restricts an upper surface of the finger; Equipped with The finger can be inserted between the finger support portion and the finger restriction portion, the finger support portion and the finger restricting portion each have a first shaped member and a second shaped member shaped to fit the shape of the user's finger, A finger holding member characterized in that the first molding member and the second molding member are in a softened state having a moldable softness during molding, and are molded with the finger inserted between the resin material for forming the first molding member and the resin material for forming the second molding member, and with the upper surface of the nail abutted against a tabletop.

2. 2. The finger-holding member according to claim 1, wherein the first molded member and the second molded member are configured to be detachable from the finger-holding member body.

3. The finger holding member according to claim 2, characterized in that the first molded member and the second molded member are provided with a first locking portion, and the finger holding member main body is provided with a second locking portion having a shape corresponding to the first locking portion.

4. 2. The finger holding member according to claim 1, wherein the first molded member and the second molded member are formed of a material that can further assume a hardened state that enables the material to maintain a predetermined shape during use.

5. 5. The finger holding member according to claim 1, wherein the first molded member and the second molded member are made of a thermoplastic resin.

6. 5. The finger holding member according to claim 1, wherein the first molded member and the second molded member are made of a photocurable resin.

7. 7. The finger holding member according to claim 1, further comprising a nail rest for resting a tip portion of a nail.

8. A finger holding member according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a printing unit that prints on a nail corresponding to the finger held by the finger holding member; A printing device comprising:

9. A printing method using a printing device that prints on nails, The printing device includes: a finger holding member having a finger support portion for supporting a lower surface of a finger corresponding to a nail to be printed and a finger restricting portion for restricting an upper surface of the finger, the finger being configured so that the finger can be inserted between the finger support portion and the finger restricting portion; The finger support portion and the finger restricting portion are configured to hold the finger on the finger holding member in a state where a first shaped member and a second shaped member shaped to fit the shape of the user's finger are attached, respectively, and applying printing to the nail corresponding to the finger; A printing method characterized in that the first molding member and the second molding member are in a softened state having a moldable softness during molding, and are molded with the finger inserted between the resin material for forming the first molding member and the resin material for forming the second molding member, and with the upper surface of the nail abutted against a tabletop.

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