NAIL PRINT APPARATUS INCLUDING PERFUME APPLICATION DEVICE AND PRINT CONTROL METHOD

Abstract

A nail print apparatus includes a first finger insertion section in which a finger is inserted; a print head which prints a nail design on a nail of the finger inserted in the first finger insertion section; and a perfume application device which applies perfume to at least one of the finger and the nail inserted in the first finger insertion section.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a nail print apparatus including a perfume application device and to a print control method.

2. Description of Related Art

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2003-534083 discloses a nail print apparatus to print nail designs, which a user likes, on his/her nails.

Such an apparatus allows a user to easily enjoy nail print without visiting nail salons.

In recent years, fragrance (aroma component) is expected to relieve stress and make a person relaxed, and aromatherapy has become common to promote physical and mental health and beauty using, for example, essential oil containing an aroma component derived from plants such as flowers and trees.

There is also a growing demand to incorporate fragrance into life using various types of aromatic substance, such as essential oil and incense.

Fragrance (aroma component) given off from fingertips would produce a relaxing effect since nails or fingertips of a person are always around his/her face.

Furthermore, nails on which nail designs are printed and to which fragrance is applied at the same time would provide not only visual enjoyment but also stress-relieving effects.

Although it is troublesome to apply fragrance (aroma component) to fingertips by hand, there exists no apparatus to automatically apply fragrance (aroma component) to fingertips. Thus, it has been difficult to easily enjoy fragrance.

Further, when fragrance is applied to fingers and nails on which nail designs have been printed, it may be difficult for a user to judge what kind of fragrance goes well with what kind of nail design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, which is made in view of the above problems, provides a nail print apparatus that can print a nail design on a nail, and can apply fragrance (aroma component), which goes well with the nail design, to the fingertip.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nail print apparatus including: a first finger insertion section in which a finger is inserted; a print head which prints a nail design on a nail of the finger inserted in the first finger insertion section; and a perfume application device which applies perfume to at least one of the finger and the nail inserted in the first finger insertion section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinafter and the appended drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view conceptually showing a nail print apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the cover of the nail print apparatus being open;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view conceptually showing the main body of the nail print apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the nail print apparatus shown in FIG. 1, giving a view from the front;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the nail print apparatus shown in FIG. 1, giving a view from the side;

FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the principle part of the nail print apparatus showing the positional relationship between a printing finger inserted in a first finger insertion section and a perfume unit, the printing finger being disposed at a separate position;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the principle part of the nail print apparatus showing the positional relationship between a printing finger inserted in a first finger insertion section and a perfume unit, the printing finger being disposed at a contact position;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the principal control configuration of the nail print apparatus in accordance with a first embodiment;

FIG. 7A shows an example of a design selection screen displayed on a display section;

FIG. 7B shows an example of a perfume confirmation screen displayed on the display section;

FIG. 8A shows an example of a perfume selection screen displayed on the display section;

FIG. 8B shows an example of a design confirmation screen displayed on the display section;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing in accordance with the first embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing in accordance with the first embodiment;

FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view of the principle part of the nail print apparatus in accordance with a modification of the first embodiment showing the positional relationship between a printing finger inserted in a first finger insertion section and a perfume application device, the perfume application device being disposed at a separate position;

FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the principle part of the nail print apparatus in accordance with a modification of the first embodiment showing the positional relationship between a printing finger inserted in a first finger insertion section and a perfume application device, the perfume application device being disposed at a contact position;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the principle part of a nail print apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment showing the positional relationship between a printing finger inserted in a first finger insertion section and a perfume application device;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a nail print apparatus in accordance with a third embodiment, giving a view from the front; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the principle part of the insertion opening of a first finger insertion section in accordance with a modification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

A first embodiment of a nail print apparatus in accordance with the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10. The embodiments described below have various features which are technically preferable to carry out the present invention. The scope of the present invention, however, is not limited to the embodiments below and the examples shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the nail print apparatus in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the nail print apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1, a nail print apparatus 1 includes a case body 2 and a cover 4. The cover 4 is rotatably connected with the case body 2 via a hinge 3 disposed at the rear end of a top board 2a, i.e., the upper surface of the case body 2. The cover 4 is rotatable about the hinge 3 between the position where the cover 4 overlaps the top board 2a of the case body 2 and the position where the cover 4 stands upright with respect to the top board 2a of the case body 2 (see FIG. 1).

The case body 2 is formed to be substantially oval in a planar view. At the front side of the case body 2, an open-and-close plate 2c is provided to be able to rise and fall. The open-and-close plate 2c is connected to the case body 2 via a hinge (not shown) disposed at the lower end of the front surface of the case body 2. The open-and-close plate 2c is for opening and closing the front surface of the case body 2.

The shapes and configurations of the case body 2 and the cover 4 are not limited to those exemplified here.

An operation section 12 is disposed on the top board 2a of a case body 2.

The operation section 12 receives various inputs from a user.

The operation section 12 includes operation buttons 121 to receive various inputs, such as an electrical power switch button to power on the nail print apparatus 1, a stop switch button to stop its operation, a design selection button to select a nail design to be printed on a nail T, a perfume-application selection button to make a selection to perform perfume application processing, a selection category setting button to make a setting as to whether a nail design is selected or a perfume is selected, a print start button to instruct start of printing, and operation buttons for other various inputs. The operation section 12 serves as a selection section or an input section to output various instruction signals, such as selection instruction signals, when a user operates the operation buttons 121.

In the present embodiment, the operation section 12 serves as a selection section which can select one of a category of nail design and a category of perfume stored in an association storage area 522.

Specifically, a display section 13 displays a design selection screen (see FIG. 7A) to select a nail design, for example. When a user selects a desired nail design with an operation button 121, a selection instruction signal to select the nail design is outputted, so that a nail design to be printed on a nail T is selected. More specifically, peculiar design numbers (“0011” to “0020” in FIG. 7A) are assigned to the nail designs, respectively, displayed on the display section 13. A nail design can be selected by inputting the corresponding design number with an operation button 121 of the operation section 12.

In the present embodiment, perfume (perfume solution) can be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T after a nail design is printed on the nail T, as described later. When a user desires to apply perfume, a perfume-application instruction signal is outputted by selecting perfume application with an operation button 121 to perform the perfume application processing. In the case where there are a plurality of perfumes that are selectable, a perfume selection screen (not shown) is displayed on the display section 13, for example. In such a case, when a user selects a desired perfume with an operation button 121, the selection instruction signal to select the perfume is outputted, so that the perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 is selected.

In the present embodiment, a touch panel is provided on the surface of the display section 13 described later. A user can input a selection instruction or the like by directly touching the touch panel.

A user can register a perfume application device 73 which he/she owns (i.e., a replaceable perfume application device) at the nail print apparatus 1 in advance. In this case, a user inputs, with the operation section 12, the information on the perfume held in the perfume application device 73 (e.g., a name of perfume, such as “jasmine”; and a type of perfume to which the perfume (fragrance) belongs, such as “floral type”). When a user owns a plurality of kinds of perfume application devices 73, the user conducts the registration for all the perfume application devices 73. The perfumes include eau de toilettes and eau de colognes whose fragrance lasts for about one or two hours, a shorter period of time than that of eau de toilettes.

When a perfume application device 73 is attached to a perfume unit 70 (see FIG. 2, for example), the attachment information and the information on the perfume held in the attached perfume application device 73 (e.g., a name of perfume and a type of perfume to which a perfume (fragrance) belongs) can be set and inputted with the operation section 12.

The display section 13 is disposed on top board 2a, almost in its center, of the case body 2.

The display section 13 is constituted of a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic electroluminescence display (organic EL), or another flat-panel display.

In the present embodiment, the display section 13 displays an image obtained by photographing a printing finger U1 (hereinafter referred to as a “finger image”), the outline of a nail T included in the finger image, the outline of a finger in the finger image, for example. In addition, the display section 13 appropriately displays a selection category setting screen for making a setting as to whether a nail design is selected or a perfume is selected, a design selection screen for selecting an image (i.e., design image) to be printed on a nail T, a thumbnail image for confirming a design, a perfume selection screen for selecting a perfume, an instruction screen to provide various instructions, a notice screen, a warning screen and the like.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display section 13 also displays a design confirmation screen for notifying a user of the results of the selection when a nail design is selected with a design-perfume selection section 515, and a perfume confirmation screen for notifying a user of the results of the selection when a perfume is selected with the design-perfume selection section 515. The display section 13 serves as a notifying section which notifies a user of the results of selection made by the design-perfume selection section 515.

In the present embodiment, a touch panel is integrally formed on the surface of the display unit 13, and various inputs can be performed by touching the surface of the display unit 13 with a stylus pen, a finger tip or the like (not shown).

In the present embodiment, the display section 13 displays a design selection screen (FIG. 7A, for example), a perfume confirmation screen (FIG. 7B, for example), a perfume selection screen (FIG. 8A, for example), a design confirmation screen (FIG. 8B, for example), and the like.

A user can input selection instructions on a nail design and perfume and various operation instructions by touching a desired nail design and the name of a desired perfume, or by operating various operation buttons.

Further, a registration/setting may be made as to the kind of perfume application device 73 owned by a user, a perfume application device 73 attached to the perfume unit 70 or the like, using the touch panel of the display section 13.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the touch panel of the display section 13 also serves as a selection section which can select one of a category of nail design and a category of perfume stored in the association storage area 522.

The case body 2 contains the main body 10 of the nail print apparatus 1. The main body 10 includes a printing finger fixation section 20, a photographing section 30, a print section 40 and a perfume unit 70 (including the perfume application device 73) shown in FIG. 2; and a control device 50 (control section) shown in FIG. 6. The printing finger fixation section 20, the photographing section 30, the print section 40, the perfume unit 70 and the control device 50 are disposed in the machine casing 11.

The machine casing 11 includes a lower machine casing 11a and an upper machine casing 11b. The lower machine casing 11a is formed in the shape of a box. The lower machine casing 11a is disposed at a lower part in the case body 2. The upper machine casing 11b is disposed over the lower machine casing 11a inside the case body 2, so as to be disposed at an upper part in the case body 2.

The printing finger fixation section 20 is disposed in the lower machine casing 11a of the machine casing 11. More specifically, the lower machine casing 11a includes a first finger insertion section 20a, a second finger insertion section 20b, and a holding section 20c which constitute the printing finger fixation section 20.

The first finger insertion section 20a is a finger insertion section where a finger (printing finger, hereinbelow) U1 with the nail T on which printing is to be performed is inserted (see FIG. 3). In the present embodiment, printing fingers U1 are inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a one by one so that printing is performed on nails T one by one. The first finger insertion section 20a is wide enough for a thumb of an adult to be smoothly inserted therein.

The bottom (constituted of a partition 21 in the present embodiment) of the first finger insertion section 20a serves as a finger placement section (printing finger placement surface) where a printing finger U1 is placed. Photography of a printing finger U1 and printing on a printing finger U1 are performed in a state in which the printing finger U1 is placed on the printing finger placement surface in the first finger insertion section 20a.

The second finger insertion section 20b is a finger insertion section where a finger (non-printing fingers, hereinbelow, which are not shown) other than the printing finger U1 are inserted (see FIG. 4).

The holding section 20c is a portion which can be held by the printing finger U1 inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a and the non-printing fingers inserted in the second finger insertion section 20b. In the present embodiment, the holding section 20c is constituted of the partition 21 which separates the first and second finger insertion sections 20a and 20b from each other. The upper surface of the partition 21 constitutes the flat printing finger placement surface.

It is preferable that the edge part of the partition 21, the edge part from which a finger is inserted, have a shape that fits a portion between the bases of a printing finger U1 and non-printing fingers when the portion touches the edge part, so that the partition 21 (the holding section 20c) can be firmly held by the printing finger U1 and the non-printing fingers with the whole ball of the printing finger U1 touching the printing finger placement surface. Specifically, the cross-sectional shape of the edge part is preferably a circular shape, an oval shape or a polygonal shape.

When a thumb is a printing finger U1, for example, the thumb is inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a as a printing finger U1; and the other four fingers (index, middle, ring and little fingers) are inserted in the second finger insertion section 20b as non-printing fingers. In this case, a user tightly sandwiches the holding section 20c between the printing finger U1 and the non-printing fingers such that the printing finger U1 is fixed.

In the present embodiment, a recess 21a is provided in the upper surface of the partition 21 (i.e., the bottom of the first finger insertion section 20a). In the recess 21a, an up-and-down mechanism 23 is provided to push up a printing finger U1, from below, inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a.

The up-and-down mechanism 23 pushes up a printing finger U1 from below by bulging or swelling with a high hydraulic pressure or air pressure, for example; and is fitted into the recess 21a with a low hydraulic pressure or air pressure to constitute substantially the same plane as the upper surface of the partition 21.

An up-and-down controller 513 (described later; see FIG. 6) of the control device 50 controls the up-and-down operation of the up-and-down mechanism 23. Specifically, the up-and-down controller 513 moves a printing finger U1 inserted in the finger insertion section (first finger insertion section 20a) up and down between a contact position (see FIG. 5B) and a separate position (see FIG. 5A). More specifically, the contact position is a position where a printing finger U1 and its nail T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a are in contact with a perfume absorber 75, which is described later. The separate position is a position where the finger U1 and the nail T are not in contact with the perfume absorber 75.

The configuration of the up-and-down mechanism 23 is not limited to the example described here as long as the mechanism 23 can raise and lower an inserted printing finger U1. For example, a plate to support a printing finger U1 from below may be provided, and a user may manually move the plate up and down so as to raise and lower a printing finger U1. In this case, a user pushes up the plate with a printing finger U1 to the contact position, and then manually releases the plate from the pushed-up state to lower the printing finger U1 to its original position (separate position).

In the present embodiment, a heating unit 6 is provided in the back of the first finger insertion section 20a in the finger insertion direction (see FIG. 4). The heating unit 6 dries a nail T after printing is performed thereon by the print section 40.

The heating unit 6 is an electric heater of a coiled heating wire such as a nichrome wire, for example. The heating unit 6 may include not only the heater but also a fan to send air, which is heated by the heater, into the first finger insertion section 20a. The heating unit 6 does not need to dry a printed nail T completely. That is, pre-drying is enough. The pre-drying means drying of a printed nail T until the surface of the nail is dried. The confirmation for the drying is not limited to the example described here.

The pre-drying of a printed nail T can prevent a printed image from being rubbed or spoiled even if a printed part slightly touches the wall surface of the apparatus when the printing finger U1 is pulled out of the first finger insertion section 20a or is moved into the second finger insertion section 20b. Further, the pre-drying of a nail T after perfume is applied thereto can dry the nail T to the extent that the surface of the nail T is not wet any more. Accordingly, the perfume solution applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T is prevented from adhering to the wall surface of the apparatus or the droplets of the perfume solution are prevented from falling when the printing finger U1 is pulled out of the first finger insertion section 20a.

The heating unit 6 is not indispensable for the nail print apparatus 1 and may be omitted.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the nail print apparatus 1 in accordance with the present embodiment, giving a view from the front; and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the nail print apparatus 1, giving a view from the side.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the photographing section 30 is disposed on the upper machine casing 11b of the machine casing 11.

That is, a substrate 31 is disposed on the upper machine casing 11b, and a camera 32 having about two million pixels or more and including a built-in driver is disposed at the center of the lower surface of a substrate 31. In addition, lights 33 such as white LEDs are disposed in such a way as to surround the camera 32. The photographing section 30 includes the camera 32 and the lights 33.

The photographing section 30 illuminates a printing finger U1 placed in the first finger insertion section 20a with the lights 33, and photographs the printing finger U1 with the camera 32 to obtain a finger image. The photographing section 30 is connected to a photographing controller 511 (described later; see FIG. 6) of the control device 50 to be controlled by the photographing controller 511.

The image data of an image obtained by the photographing section 30 may be stored in a storage section 52 (described later).

The print section 40, which is mainly disposed in the upper machine casing 11b, performs printing on the nail T of a finger inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a based on nail design data (print data).

That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, two guide rods 41 are bridged in parallel between two sideboards of the upper machine casing 11b. A main carriage 42 is attached to the guide rods 41 in such a way as to slide thereon. As shown in FIG. 3, two guide rods 44 are bridged in parallel between a front wall 42a and a back wall 42b of the main carriage 42. A secondary carriage 45 is attached to the guide rods 44 in such a way as to slide thereon. The print head 46 is mounted on the secondary carriage 45 at the center of the lower surface thereof.

In the present embodiment, the print head 46 is an inkjet print head which makes ink fine droplets, and directly sprays the fine droplets to a nail T to perform printing.

The main carriage 42 is connected to a motor 43 via a power transmitting unit (not shown), and moves in the right-left direction along the guide rods 41 by forward-reversal rotation of the motor 43. The secondary carriage 45 is connected to a motor 47 via a power transmitting unit (not shown), and moves in the front-back direction along the guide rods 44 by forward-reversal rotation of the motor 47.

An ink cartridge 48 which supplies ink to the print head 46 is disposed in the lower machine casing 11a. The ink cartridge 48 is connected to the print head 46 via an ink supply tube (not shown), and supplies ink to the print head 46 as needed. The ink cartridge 48 may be mounted on the print head 46 itself or may be formed integrally with the print head 46.

The print section 40 includes the guide rods 41, the main carriage 42, the motor 43, the guide rods 44, the secondary carriage 45, the print head 46, the motor 47, and the ink cartridge 48. The motor 43, the print head 46 and the motor 47 of the print section 40 are connected to a print controller 512 (described later; see FIG. 6) of the control device 50 to be controlled by the print controller 512.

In the present embodiment, a perfume carriage 72 is attached to the guide rods 41 in such a way as to slide thereon substantially in parallel with the main carriage 42. On the lower surface of the perfume carriage 72, the perfume application device 73 holding perfume is provided.

The perfume carriage 72 is connected to a unit movement motor 77 via a power transmitting unit (not shown), and moves in the right-left direction of the nail print apparatus 1 (the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of a finger, i.e., the right-left direction in FIG. 3) along the guide rods 41 by forward-reversal rotation of the unit movement motor 77.

In the present embodiment, the perfume carriage 72, the perfume application device 73 and the unit movement motor 77 constitute the perfume unit 70 to apply perfume to a printing finger U1 and its nail T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a. The unit movement motor 77 of the perfume unit 70 is connected to a perfume application device controller 514 (described later; see FIG. 6) of the control device 50 to be controlled by the perfume application device controller 514.

In the present embodiment, the perfume application device 73 includes the perfume holder 74 holding liquid perfume (i.e., liquid containing an aroma component; hereinafter referred to as “perfume solution”) and the perfume absorber 75. The perfume is not limited to liquid but may be gel. An opening (not shown) is provided in at least a part of the surface, facing a printing finger U1, of the perfume holder 74 (i.e., the lower surface of the perfume holder 74 in FIG. 3). The perfume absorber 75 is disposed on the lower surface of the perfume holder 74 so as to cover the opening, such that the perfume absorber 75 absorbs the perfume solution held in the perfume holder 74 and holds the absorbed perfume solution. The range over which the perfume absorber 75 is provided is not particularly limited. That is, the perfume absorber 75 may cover the entire lower surface of the perfume holder 74, or may cover only a part of it.

The perfume absorber 75 is made of, for example, sponge or felt composed of polyurethane resin or the like. The material for the perfume absorber 75 is not limited to the examples shown here, but any material may be employed as long as the absorber can absorb a certain amount of liquid, can prevent absorbed liquid from dripping, and can apply the liquid to a target object, such as a printing finger U1 and nail T, when the target object is pressed against the absorber impregnated with the liquid.

The perfume absorber 75 comes into contact with the printing finger U1 and its nail T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a when a printing finger U1 is raised to the contact position (see FIG. 5B) by the up-and-down mechanism 23 provided in the first finger insertion section 20a. In this state, the perfume absorber 75 applies perfume (perfume solution) to a printing finger U1 and its nail T. When the up-and-down mechanism 23 lowers a printing finger U1 to the separate position (see FIG. 5A), the perfume absorber 75 is not in contact with a printing finger U1 and its nail T.

It is preferable that a cap (not shown) to cover the surface of the perfume absorber 75 be provided at a moved-aside position (at the right of FIG. 3, for example) where the perfume unit 70 is positioned when the perfume unit 70 is not performing the perfume application processing (e.g., at the time of the processing of printing a nail design). Such a cap provided at the moved-aside position can cover the surface of the perfume absorber 75 when the absorber 75 is not in use, which can prevent drying of the perfume absorber 75 and evaporation of perfume solution, and can reduce emission of fragrance to the outside of the nail print apparatus 1.

In the present embodiment, the perfume application device 73 is a cartridge which can be attached to and detached from the perfume carriage 72 so that a user can easily replace the perfume application device 73. In the present embodiment, the information about whether the perfume application device 73 is attached to the perfume carriage 72 and the information about which perfume application device 73 is attached (in the case where a plurality of kinds of perfume application devices 73 are prepared, as described later) are inputted with the above-mentioned operation section 12. The inputted information is sent to the control device 50.

The perfume carriage 72 may include a detector such as a sensor which checks whether a perfume application device 73 is attached or detached and obtains identification information of an attached perfume application device 73 through a bar code or an IC tag, for example, so as to detect the kind of a perfume application device 73 (e.g., a name of perfume held in the perfume application device 73, such as “jasmine”; and a type of perfume to which the perfume (fragrance) belongs, such as “floral type”). In this case, the control device 50 can automatically acquire such information based on the detection results obtained by the detector without a user's inputs with the operation section 12.

The perfume contained in the perfume solution held in the perfume holder 74 of the perfume application device 73 in accordance with the present embodiment is described below.

In the present embodiment, perfume includes natural perfume, such as plant-based perfume and animal-based perfume; and synthetic perfume, such as various types of aromatic substance and deodorizing perfume. More specifically, essential oil obtained by extracting an aroma component from plants, commercially-supplied scented water or the like may be used. The kind of perfume is not limited to those described above as long as it is fragrant substance.

The perfume may be used alone or may be mixed with polymer or oligomer. In addition, the perfume may be mixed with various types of oil, such as jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, grape seed oil, wheat germ oil and olive oil.

The examples of types of perfumes (fragrances) include a herbal type extracted from flowers and leaves of herbs, a citrus type extracted from citrus fruit or herbs having fragrance similar to the citrus fruit, a floral type extracted from flowers, a fruity type extracted from fruit having lush and sweet-and-sour fragrance, an oriental type having exotic fragrance, a resinous type extracted from resin of aromatic trees, a spicy type extracted from spice used for cooking, and a woody type extracted from barks, branches and leaves of trees.

The following perfumes belong to each fragrance type, for example.

The herbal type includes clary sage, shell ginger, basil, peppermint and marjoram. The citrus type includes sweet orange, grapefruit, bergamot, lemon, lemongrass, lemon scented verbena, lime and yuzu. The floral type includes jasmine, geranium, neroli, lavender and rose otto. The fruity type includes peach, strawberry, mandarin, apricot and cassis. The oriental type includes ylang-ylang, sandalwood, patchouli and Vetiver. The resinous type includes elemi, frankincense, benzoin and myrrh. The spicy type includes cardamom, clove, cinnamon leaf, ginger and black pepper. The woody type includes cypress, cedar wood, juniper berry, tea tree, pine, petitgrain and eucalyptus.

The type of perfume (fragrance) and the perfumes belonging to each type applicable to the present embodiment are not limited to the examples shown here. In addition, the way of classifying types of perfume (fragrance) described above is merely an example, and another way of classification may be employed.

The control device 50 is disposed, for example, on the substrate 31, which is disposed on the upper machine casing 11b. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the principal control configuration in accordance with the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 50 is a computer including a controller 51 constituted of a not-shown CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage section 52 constituted of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like (all not shown).

The storage section 52 stores various programs and various types of data to allow the nail print apparatus 1 to work.

In the present embodiment, the storage section 52 includes a nail design storage area 521 and an association storage area 522.

The nail design storage area 521 stores the print data of nail designs to be printed on nails T such that the print data is associated with the design number of each nail design.

The association storage area 522 stores a plurality of nail designs such that each of the nail designs is associated with a perfume. The nail design data represents the design number of each nail design to access the print data of a nail design stored in the nail design storage area 521, for example.

The way of creating association between a nail design and a perfume in the association storage area 522 is not particularly limited, and the association may be created in the following way: a flower-patterned nail design is associated with the floral type perfume; a pink-based nail design is associated with a perfume of cherry or peach; an orange- or yellow-based nail design is associated with the citrus type perfume such as lemon or the perfume of banana; and a red-based nail design is associated with a perfume of strawberry or rose.

It is preferable that the association between a nail design and a perfume be created in multiple steps. That is, a nail design is associated with a type of perfume (e.g., “floral type” and “citrus type”) in one step; and the nail design is associated with a name of perfume (e.g., “jasmine”) in another step. Such a way of creating association in multiple steps enables the nail print apparatus 1 to propose a combination of a nail design and a perfume which go well together to a user in stages. For example, the apparatus 1 can propose to associate the nail design of number “0001” with the “citrus type perfume”, and more preferably, with “lemon” among the “citrus type perfume”. Accordingly, when the user who has selected the nail design of number “0001” does not own the perfume application device 73 holding the perfume of “lemon” but owns the perfume application device 73 holding any one of perfumes of “citrus type”, he/she can perform perfume application processing using the perfume application device 73 which he/she owns and does not have to buy a new one holding the perfume of “lemon”.

In addition, the storage section 52 may store the data of images photographed by the photographing section 30.

The storage section of the nail print apparatus 1 is not limited to the storage section 52 (ROM and RAM) within the control device 50, but another storage section may be provided.

The controller 51 includes the photographing controller 511, the print controller 512, the up-and-down controller 513, the perfume application device controller 514 and the design-perfume selection section 515, from a functional standpoint. The functions as the photographing controller 511, the print controller 512, the up-and-down controller 513, the perfume application device controller 514 and the design-perfume selection section 515 are realized by the CPU and the programs stored in the ROM of the storage section 52 cooperating with each other. The functional sections included in the controller 51 are not limited to those described above, and another functional section may be included such as a functional section to detect the shape of a nail T.

The photographing controller 511 controls the photographing operation by the photographing section 30 so that the photographing section 30 obtains images of a user's printing finger U1, for example. For example, the photographing controller 511 controls the photographing section 30 to photograph a printing finger U1 of a user inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a. It is preferable that the image obtained by the photographing section 30 be displayed on the display section 13, so that a user can do visual checking of the position of the printing finger U1 when he/she sets the printing finger U1.

The photographing controller 511 controls the photographing section 30 to photograph a user's printing finger U1 placed at a predetermined position in the first finger insertion section 20a. Based on the image obtained by the photographing section 30, the controller 51 detects the position, the shape (contour) and the like of the nail T of the printing finger U1, and identifies a range to be printed by the print section 40.

The photographing controller 511 may control the storage section 52 to store the image data of the image obtained by the photographing section 30.

The print controller 512 is a print unit to perform printing on the nail T of a printing finger U1 inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a.

The print controller 512 controls the print operation performed by the print section 40 so that printing is performed on a nail T based on the print data of a nail design stored in the nail design storage area 521.

The up-and-down controller 513 is a functional section to control the operation of the up-and-down mechanism 23 to raise and lower a printing finger U1 inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a. More specifically, a printing finger U1 is raised to the contact position (see FIG. 5B) where the inserted printing finger U1 and its nail T are in contact with the perfume absorber 75, and is lowered to the separate position (see FIG. 5A) where the inserted printing finger U1 and its nail T are not in contact with the perfume absorber 75.

The perfume application device controller 514 controls the unit movement motor 77 so that the perfume carriage 72 of the perfume unit 70 moves along the guide rods 41.

The perfume application device controller 514 controls the perfume unit 70 to be disposed at the position where the perfume unit 70 does not interfere with the print operation (e.g., at the right of FIG. 3) when the print section 40 is performing printing. When applying perfume after the print operation, the perfume application device controller 514 controls the perfume unit 70 to move to the position above a printing finger U1.

The timing to move the perfume carriage 72 to the position above a printing finger U1, and the timing to push up a printing finger U1 with the up-and-down mechanism 23 are not particularly limited. It is preferable, however, that the perfume carriage 72 be moved first, and then, a printing finger U1 be pushed up to be pressed against the perfume absorber 75. Making these movements in such an order prevents the surface of a printed nail T from being rubbed by the surface of the perfume absorber 75, which prevents a printed nail design from being spoiled.

When a nail design is selected with the selection section, such as the operation section 12 and the touch panel of the display section 13, the design-perfume selection section 515 selects the perfume associated with the selected nail design as a perfume to be applied to a finger and/or nail. When a perfume is selected with the selection section, the design-perfume selection section 515 selects the nail design associated with the selected perfume as a nail design to be printed on the nail T of a printing finger U1.

More specifically, when a user selects a nail design, which the user desires to print on his/her nail T, with the operation section 12, the design-perfume selection section 515 reads, from the association storage area 522, the information on the perfume (e.g., the “type of perfume” and the “name of perfume” belonging to the “type of perfume”) associated with the selected nail design; and selects the perfume as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T.

As shown in FIG. 7B, for example, when the nail design of number “0013” is selected based on a user's selection instruction, the design-perfume selection section 515 reads the perfume associated with the selected nail design from the association storage area 522. When the perfume associated with the design number “0013” is “floral type, jasmine”, the perfume is selected as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T of the user. In the case where a plurality of perfumes are associated with one nail design, all of the perfumes may be selected as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T. Alternatively, the priority order among the perfumes may be determined based on a predetermined condition such as the frequencies at which the perfumes were selected, and only the perfumes of higher priority may be selected as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T. In the case where a nail design is associated with both a “type of perfume” (e.g., “floral type”) and a “name of perfume” (e.g., “jasmine”), both of them are selected as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T.

In addition, when the perfume associated with a selected nail design is read to be selected as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T of a user, there may be a plurality of associated “types of perfumes”.

In the case where a nail design including an image of a specific fruit, e.g., a peach, is selected by a user's selection instruction, the design-perfume selection section 515 selects, from the association storage area 522, the following perfume associated with the selected nail design. That is, the design-perfume selection section 515 selects “fruity type” as the type of perfume associated with the specific fruit, and “peach” as the name of perfume belonging to the “fruity type”. Then, the design-perfume selection section 515 notifies a user of the selected perfume by displaying it on the display section or by phonetically outputting it.

Although there are no problems in the above case, there may be the following case. That is, there may be a case where a selected nail design image includes both a peach and an orange. Or there may also be a case where a user intends to perform printing on a plurality of fingers and selects a plurality of nail designs to print different nail designs on the fingers. In the latter case, a certain selected nail design may include a peach pattern, and another selected nail design may include an orange pattern. The nail design including a peach pattern is associated with the perfume of “peach” belonging to “fruity type”, and the nail design including an orange pattern is associated with the perfume of “sweet orange” belonging to “citrus type”. That is, there are a plurality of associated “types of perfumes”. In this case, the selected perfumes i.e., “peach” belonging to “fruity type” and “sweet orange” belonging to “citrus type” are both displayed on the display section or phonetically outputted to be notified of a user.

The information to be displayed or phonetically outputted may be only one of a “type of perfume” and a “name of perfume”, instead of both of them.

Thus, when a user selects a plurality of nail designs as the nail designs to be printed on a plurality of fingernails, all the perfumes associated with all the selected nail designs are displayed on the display section or phonetically outputted to be notified of a user. Among the selected perfumes, a user can select a favorite one. Alternatively, in the case where a user owns only a part of the selected perfumes, the user may select a favorite one of the perfumes which he/she owns, and may attach the perfume application device 73 holding the favorite perfume to apply it to his/her fingers.

FIG. 7B illustrates a screen where one nail design and one selected perfume associated with the nail design are displayed. When a user selects a plurality of nail designs, it is preferable that the screen display which finger (among a thumb and index, middle, ring and little fingers) a nail design is to be printed on, and which perfume the nail design is associated with.

When a user selects a perfume, which he/she desires to apply to a printing finger U1 and its nail T, with the operation section 12, the design-perfume selection section 515 reads the nail design associated with the selected perfume from the association storage area 522, and selects the nail design as a nail design to be printed on the user's nail T.

As shown in FIG. 8B, for example, when the perfume of “jasmine” is selected by a user's selection instruction, the design-perfume selection section 515 reads the nail design associated with the perfume from the association storage area 522. In the case where the nail design associated with the perfume “jasmine” is the nail design of number “0013”, it is selected as a nail design to be printed on the user's nail T. In the case where a plurality of nail designs are associated with one perfume, all of the nail designs may be selected as the nail designs to be printed on a nail T, or the priority order among the nail designs may be determined based on a predetermined condition such as the frequencies at which the nail designs were selected, and only the nail designs of higher priority may be selected as the nail designs to be applied to the nail T.

The controller 51 controls the display section 13 to display various images or screens thereon.

In the present embodiment, the controller 51 controls the section 13 to display the design selection screen (see FIG. 7A), the perfume confirmation screen (see FIG. 7B), the perfume selection screen (see FIG. 8A) and the design confirmation screen (see FIG. 8B).

A selection category setting screen is a screen where a user sets a selection category, i.e., a category of nail design or a category perfume. When the selection category is set to a nail design, the design selection screen is displayed on the display section 13.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the design selection screen includes, in one screen, a plurality of thumbnail images of the nail designs stored in the nail design storage area of the storage section 52. A design number is assigned to each of the nail designs. A user can select a desired nail design by inputting a design number with the operation section 12 or by directly choosing the desired nail design on the touch panel of the display section 13 and touching a “determination” button. When such an input operation is performed, a selection instruction signal is outputted to the control device 50 and a nail design to be printed on a nail T is selected.

When the screen is too small to display all of the nail designs stored in the nail design storage area at once, the buttons of “previous page” and “next page” are displayed on the screen, and a user can touch these buttons to switch to another screen where additional nail designs are displayed.

The perfume confirmation screen is a screen that urges a user to confirm the selected perfume when a perfume associated with a nail design, selected by a user, is selected by the design-perfume selection section 515.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the perfume confirmation screen displays an image of the nail design selected by a user and a perfume selected by the design-perfume selection section 515. As the information of a perfume, a type of perfume (e.g., “floral type”) and the name of a specific perfume (e.g., “jasmine”) are preferably displayed. More specifically, the specific perfume is associated with the nail design as a perfume that goes well with the nail design, above all, among a type of perfume. The manner of display on the perfume confirmation screen is not limited to the above-described example. Alternatively, for example, the information displayed on the perfume confirmation screen may be only one of a type of perfume and a name of perfume.

When a user operates the “determination” button in the perfume confirmation screen, the perfume selected by the design-perfume selection section 515 is determined as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and nail T. On the other hand, when a “back” button is operated, a user can go back to the design selection screen shown in FIG. 7A, for example, to select a nail design again.

The perfume selection screen is a screen to be displayed on the display section 13 when the selection category is set to a perfume in the selection category setting screen.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the perfume selection screen includes, in one screen, perfume information (for example, a “type of perfume” and “names of perfumes” which belong to a type of perfume) stored in the association storage area 522. In the case where a user registers, in advance, a perfume application device 73 which he/she owns, only the perfume held in the registered perfume application device 73 may be displayed on the perfume selection screen. Alternatively, when all the perfumes stored in the association storage area 522 are displayed, only a selectable perfume (i.e., the perfume held in the perfume application device 73 which is registered in advance) may be highlighted among the displayed perfumes. That is, such registered perfume may be indicated in another color, for example. In the present embodiment, the case is explained where a screen displays only the perfume related to the perfume application device 73 registered in advance by a user. The manner of display on the perfume selection screen, however, is not particularly limited.

A user can select a perfume by inputting a type of perfume and a name of perfume with the operation section 12, or by directly selecting the type of a desired perfume and the name of the perfume on the touch panel of the display section 13 and touching the “determination” button on the screen. When such an input operation is performed, a selection instruction signal is outputted to the control device 50 and a perfume to be applied to a nail T is selected.

When the screen is too small to display all of the perfumes stored in the association storage area 522 at once, the buttons of “previous page” and “next page” are displayed on the screen, and a user can touch these buttons to switch to another screen where additional perfumes are displayed.

The design confirmation screen is a screen that urges a user to confirm the selected nail design when a nail design associated with a perfume, selected by a user, is selected by the design-perfume selection section 515.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the design confirmation screen displays a perfume (e.g., “jasmine”) selected by a user and the image of a nail design selected by the design-perfume selection section 515 (e.g., the nail design of number “0013”). The manner of display on the design confirmation screen is not limited to the above-described example. Alternatively, for example, a plurality of nail designs which go well with a selected perfume may be displayed, and a user may select one of the nail designs.

When a user operates the “determination” button in the design confirmation screen, the nail design selected by the design-perfume selection section 515 (e.g., the nail design of number “0013”) is determined as a nail design to be printed on a nail T. On the other hand, when a “back” button is operated, a user can go back to the perfume selection screen shown in FIG. 8A, for example, to select a perfume again.

The controller 51 controls ON/OFF of the heating unit 6, such as a heater, to perform pre-drying of the nail T of a printing finger U1 inserted in the finger insertion section 20a.

Next, the behavior of the nail print apparatus 1 in accordance with the present embodiment is described with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10.

When the nail print apparatus 1 is powered on and the control device 50 is started, the controller 51 controls the display section 13 to display the selection category setting screen to make a setting as to whether a nail design is selected or a perfume is selected. The controller 51 judges whether an instruction for selecting a nail design is inputted (Step S1). If an instruction for selecting a nail design is inputted (Step S1: YES), the controller 51 controls the display section 13 to display the design selection screen (see FIG. 7A), where a plurality of nail designs (i.e., thumbnail images of the nail designs) stored in the nail design storage area 521 are arranged in one screen (Step S2). When a user selects a desired nail design, among the nail designs displayed on the screen, by operating the selection section such as an operation button 121 and the touch panel, a selection instruction signal is outputted from the selection section, and one nail design (e.g., the nail design of number “0013”) is selected as an image to be printed on the nail T (Step S3).

When the nail design is selected, the controller 51 judges whether an instruction for perfume application is inputted (Step S4). If an instruction for perfume application is inputted (Step S4: YES), the controller 51 (design-perfume selection section 515) reads, from the association storage area 522, the information of perfume associated with the selected nail design (e.g., a “type of perfume” and a “name of perfume” which belongs to a “type of perfume”). The controller 51, then, selects the read perfume (e.g., “floral type”, “jasmine”) as a perfume to be applied to a user's printing finger U1 and its nail T. The controller 51, then, controls the display section 13 to display the selection results on the perfume confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 7B (Step S5).

The controller 51 judges whether the “determination” button is operated in the perfume confirmation screen to judge whether the perfume selected by the design-perfume selection section 515 is determined to be the perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T (Step S6). If the “determination” button is not operated (Step S6: NO), the controller 51 goes back to Step S5 to repeat the processing. If the “back” button is operated, the controller 51 controls the display section 13 to display the design selection screen again such that a nail design is selected again.

On the other hand, if the “determination” button is operated in the perfume confirmation screen (Step S6: YES), the perfume (e.g., “jasmine”) is determined to be the perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T. In this case, the controller 15 judges whether the perfume application device 73 holding the perfume is attached to the perfume unit 70 (Step S7). In the present embodiment, “jasmine” is selected as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T as described above. Accordingly, the controller 51 judges whether the perfume application device 73 holding the perfume of “jasmine” is attached to the perfume unit 70. If the perfume application device 73 holding the perfume of “jasmine” is not attached to the perfume unit 70 (Step S7: NO), the controller 51 controls the display section 13 to display the instruction to replace the perfume application device 73 with another one holding “jasmine” (Step S8). The controller 51, then, repeats the judgment processing of Step S7 to judge whether the attached perfume application device 73 matches “jasmine”, i.e., the selected perfume.

When the perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T is selected by a type of perfume to which a perfume belongs (e.g., “floral type”), instead of a name of a specific perfume, the controller 51 judges whether the perfume application device 73 holding the perfume which belongs to the type is attached to the perfume unit 70.

On the other hand, if an instruction for selecting a nail design is not inputted (Step S1: NO), the controller 51 further judges whether an instruction for selecting a perfume is inputted. If an instruction for selecting a perfume is not inputted, either (Step S9: NO), the controller 51 goes back to Step S1 to do the processing all over again.

If an instruction for selecting a perfume is inputted (Step S9: YES), the controller 51 controls the display section 13 to display the perfume selection screen (see FIG. 8A), where a plurality of perfumes stored in the association storage area 522 are arranged in one screen (Step S10). When a user selects a desired perfume among the perfumes displayed on the screen by operating the selection section, a selection instruction signal is outputted from the selection section, and one perfume (e.g., “jasmine”) is selected as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and nail T (Step S11).

When a perfume is selected, the controller 51 judges whether the perfume application device 73 attached to the perfume unit 70 holds the selected perfume (e.g., “jasmine”) (Step S12). If the perfume application device 73 attached to the perfume unit 70 does not hold the selected perfume (“jasmine”) (Step S12: NO), the controller 51 controls the display section 13 to display the instruction to replace the perfume application device 73 with another one holding “jasmine” (Step S13). The controller 51, then, repeats the judgment processing of Step S12 to judge whether the attached perfume application device 73 matches “jasmine”, i.e., the selected perfume.

If the perfume application device 73 attached to the perfume unit 70 holds the perfume of “jasmine” (Step S12: YES), the controller 51 (design-perfume selection section 515) reads, from the association storage area 522, the nail design (e.g., the nail design of number “0013”) associated with the selected perfume (e.g., “jasmine”). The controller 51, then, selects the nail design as a nail design to be printed on the user's nail T. The controller 51, then, controls the display section 13 to display the selection results on the design confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 8B (Step S14).

The controller 51 judges whether the “determination” button is operated in the design confirmation screen to judge whether the nail design selected by the design-perfume selection section 515 is determined to be the nail design to be printed on a nail T (Step S15). If the “determination” button is not operated (Step S15: NO), the controller 51 goes back to Step S14 to repeat the processing. If the “back” button is operated, the controller 51 controls the display section 13 to display the perfume selection screen again such that a perfume is selected again.

If the selection of a nail design and perfume, on which nail design print processing and perfume application processing are based, respectively, is completed (Step S7: YES or Step S15: YES), or if a user selects a nail design but does not input an instruction for perfume application (Step S4: NO), the user inserts a printing finger U1, on which a nail design is to be printed, in the first finger insertion section 20a. At this time, an image obtained by the photographing section 30 is displayed on the display section 13. The user places a printing finger U1 at a position suitable for printing while checking the image. When the positioning of the printing finger U1 is completed, the controller 51 (print controller 512) controls the print section 40 to perform the nail design print processing where a selected nail design is printed on the nail T of the printing finger U1 (Step S16).

The controller 51 (print controller 512) constantly judges whether the nail design print processing has ended (Step S17), and if the nail design print processing has not ended (Step S17: NO), the controller 51 goes back to Step S16 to repeat the print processing.

If the nail design print processing has ended (Step S17: YES), the controller 51 (perfume application device controller 514) controls the perfume carriage 72 to move so that the perfume unit 70 is disposed at the position above the printing finger U1, as shown in FIG. 10 (Step S18).

After the perfume unit 70 moves to the position above the printing finger U1, the controller 51 (up-and-down controller 513) controls the up-and-down mechanism 23 to raise to push up the printing finger U1 to the contact position (see FIG. 5B) (Step S19). This allows the printing finger U1 and its nail T to come into contact with the perfume absorber 75 provided on the lower surface of the perfume application device 73, which causes the perfume of “jasmine” to be applied to the printing finger U1 and its nail T.

When the application of the perfume is completed, the controller 51 (up-and-down controller 513) controls the up-and-down mechanism 23 to lower to move down the printing finger U1 to the separate position (see FIG. 5A) (Step S20).

After the perfume application processing (i.e., after Step S20), the controller 51 turns on the heating unit 6 (heater) and performs pre-drying of the printed nail T (Step S21). When the pre-drying of nail T is completed (i.e., when a predetermined period of time set for the pre-drying has passed, for example), the controller 51 turns off the heater, and controls the display section 13 to display an instruction to pull the printing finger U1 out of the first finger insertion section 20a to end the processing (Step S22).

The order of the movement of the perfume unit (Step S18) and the raise of the printing finger U1 with the up-and-down mechanism (Step S19) may be reversed.

The timing of the pre-drying (Step S21) is not limited to the example shown here. For example, the pre-drying (Step S21) may be performed not only after the completion of the perfume application processing (i.e., after Step S20), but also after the nail design print processing (i.e., after Step S16).

Further, the pre-drying of nail T may be performed after the nail design print processing (i.e., after Step S16) before the perfume application processing starts. In this case, after applying perfume, the processing at Step S22 (displaying the instruction to pull out the printing finger) may be preformed to end the processing without performing the pre-drying (Step S21). Further, in the case where the perfume application processing is not performed after the nail design print processing (i.e., after Step S16), the processing at Step S22 (displaying the instruction to pull out the printing finger) may be preformed to end the processing without performing the pre-drying (Step S21).

Further, instead of or in addition to displaying the perfume confirmation screen (Step S5) and the design confirmation screen (S14) on the display section 13, the information on these screens may be phonetically outputted.

Further, a notice or warning to a user, such as the instruction to replace the perfume application device (Step S8 and Step S13), and the instruction to pull out the printing finger (Step S22) may be given by a voice instruction or guidance instead of or in addition to displaying them on the display section 13.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the perfume held in the perfume application device 73 is applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T on which a nail design has been printed by the print section 40 in the first finger insertion section 20a. Therefore, perfume can be applied to a finger/nail when printing a nail design on the nail T. That is, a user can easily enjoy a fragrance without spending time and effort.

When any one of the nail designs is selected with the selection section, such as the operation section 12 and the touch screen, the design-perfume selection section 515 selects the perfume associated with the nail design as a perfume to be applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T. When any one of the perfumes is selected with the selection section, the design-perfume selection section 515 selects the nail design associated with the perfume as a nail design to be printed on the nail T of a printing finger U1. Accordingly, a user has only to select a nail design, which he/she likes, so as to apply a perfume that goes well with the nail design to a printing finger U1. Further, when a user likes a certain fragrance, the user has only to select the favorite fragrance so as to select a nail design that goes well with the fragrance and to print the design on a nail T. That is, when a user cannot judge whether a certain nail design and a certain perfume go well with each other on his/her own, the apparatus automatically selects and proposes a nail design and perfume that go well with each other. Therefore, a user can obtain the perfume that is best matched with a nail design easily and can apply the perfume to a printing finger U1. A user can, therefore, enjoy both the nail design and fragrance easily.

Further, the perfume application device 73 includes the perfume holder 74 that holds liquid perfume; and the perfume absorber 75 that is provided on the surface, facing a printing finger U1, of the perfume holder 74, and that absorbs and holds the perfume solution held in the perfume holder 74. The up-and-down mechanism 23 raises and lowers a printing finger U1 inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a between the contact position and the separate position. The contact position is a position where the printing finger U1 inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a is in contact with the perfume absorber 75, and the separate position is a position where the finger and the absorber 75 are not in contact with each other. Accordingly, merely providing the simple structure which raises and lowers a printing finger U1 can realize the application of perfume.

Further, since the perfume application device 73 can be detached from the main body of the perfume unit 70, a user can easily replace the perfume application device 73 with another one when using up the perfume. A user can easily replace the perfume application device 73 with another one, which holds his/her favorite perfume, as appropriate, also before the perfume is used up, i.e., when the user wants to change a perfume to be applied to his/her printing finger U1, or when the instruction screen instructs a user to attach the perfume application device 73, which is related to a selected perfume, to the body of the perfume unit (Step S8 and Step S13 in FIG. 9), for example.

Further, in the present embodiment, the apparatus includes the heating unit 6 which dries a printed nail T after a nail design is printed by the print section 40. The heating unit 6 performs pre-drying of a nail T after the print processing and after the perfume application processing. This can prevent a printed nail design from being rubbed or spoiled when the printing finger U1 touches the wall surface of the apparatus when pulled out of the first finger insertion section 20a, for example. In addition, since a printing finger U1 is pulled out the first finger insertion section 20a after the applied perfume solution has been dried, the perfume solution on the printing finger U1 is prevented from adhering to the components of the apparatus or the droplets of the perfume solution are prevented from falling inside or outside of the apparatus when the printing finger U1 is pulled out of the first finger insertion section 20a. This allows a user to enjoy a delicate nail design and a fragrance that goes well with the nail design without making the inside/outside of the apparatus dirty.

Further, in the present embodiment, the results of selection made by the design-perfume selection section 515 are displayed on the display section 13 or a notifying section, to be notified of a user. This enables a user to confirm the selection results before performing the nail design print processing and before performing the perfume application processing. If a user finds that the results of selection made by the design-perfume selection section 515 are not what he/she expects, the user can make selections again.

In the present embodiment, the up-and-down mechanism to raise and lower a printing finger U1 is provided on the surface of the first finger insertion section 20a so that the up-and-down mechanism raises a printing finger U1 to the predetermined contact position at the time of perfume application. The structure for allowing a printing finger U1 and its nail T to touch the perfume absorber 75 is not limited to the example shown here.

For example, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the perfume unit 70 may be provided with an up-and-down mechanism 78 to raise and lower the perfume application device 73 between a contact position (see FIG. 11B) and a separate position (see FIG. 11A). The contact position is a position where a printing finger U1 and its nail T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a are in contact with the perfume absorber 75, and the separate position is a position where the finger and nail are not in contact with the perfume absorber 75. The configuration of the up-and-down mechanism 78 is not particularly limited.

In the case where the up-and-down mechanism 78 is provided in the perfume unit 70, the movement distance of the up-and-down mechanism 78 is larger than that of a printing finger U1 in the case where a printing finger U1 is raised and lowered. This enables the perfume unit 70 to be disposed at a position higher than that of the print section 40. In the case where the perfume unit 70 is disposed at a position higher than that of the print section 40, the print section 40 and the perfume unit 70 are prevented from affecting each other's operations. Further, such a structure allows more flexibility for the internal configuration (such as the position of each member) of the nail print apparatus 1.

In the present embodiment, the perfume carriage 72 of the perfume unit 70 is attached to the guide rods 41 of the print section 40 and moves in the right-left direction along the guide rods 41. That is, the print section 40 including the print head 46 is attached to the guide rods 41 so as to move along the guide rods 41 in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which a finger is inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a. Further, the perfume unit 70 including the perfume application device 73 is also attached to the same guide rods 41 so as to move along the guide rods 41 in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which a finger is inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a. The structure for moving the perfume unit 70, however, is not limited to the example shown here.

Alternatively, for example, additional guide rods (guide section) along which the perfume unit 70 moves may be provide separately from the guide rods 41 for the print section 40.

Further, in the present embodiment, the moved-aside position, where the perfume unit 70 is positioned when the perfume unit 70 is not performing the perfume application processing, is set to the end portion of the nail print apparatus 1 in the traverse direction thereof (at the right of FIG. 3, for example). The moved-aside position of the perfume unit 70, however, is not limited to the end portion in the traverse direction. For example, the moved-aside position of the perfume unit 70 may be set to the rear part of the nail print apparatus 1. In this case, the perfume unit 70 is movable in the front-back direction (i.e., the right-left direction in FIG. 4) of the nail print apparatus 1.

Further, the perfume unit 70 (perfume application device) may be provided in the main carriage 42 of the print section 40 such that the perfume application device moves in the right-left direction of the nail print apparatus 1 along with the main carriage 42.

Such a structure prevents the perfume application device and the print section 40 from affecting each other's operation. In addition, the structure requires a less number of components and smaller space for the components compared to the case where the perfume carriage 72 is separately provided. In addition, the structure eliminates the need for an additional motor for the perfume carriage 72, which results in reduction in cost.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment of a nail print apparatus in accordance with the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 12. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment only in the structure of a perfume application device. Therefore, the following description is focused on the difference between the embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the principle part of the nail print apparatus in accordance with the second embodiment showing the positional relationship between a printing finger inserted in a first finger insertion section and a perfume application device.

As shown in FIG. 12, in the present embodiment, a perfume application device 80 to apply perfume to a printing finger U1 and its nail T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a is provided in the back of a first finger insertion section 20a in the finger insertion direction (i.e., at the right of FIG. 12).

In the present embodiment, the perfume application device 80 includes a perfume holder 81 holding liquid perfume (i.e., perfume solution) and a perfume spraying mechanism 82 to spray the perfume solution held in the perfume holder onto a printing finger U1 and its nail T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a.

A controller controls a perfume-solution spraying operation performed by the perfume spraying mechanism 82. For example, when an instruction signal for perfume application is outputted from an operation section, the controller controls the perfume spraying mechanism 82 to spray the perfume solution.

The perfume holder 81 is a container holding perfume solution therein and has an opening at the upper part thereof which communicates with the outside. The perfume holder 81 is a cartridge which can easily be attached and detached so that a user can easily replace a perfume holder 81 with another one, which he/she likes, as appropriate, when the perfume is used up or when the user wants to apply another perfume.

The perfume spraying mechanism 82 has a screwing member (not shown) which is disposed at the position related to the opening of the perfume holder 81 to be screwed into the opening. The perfume spraying mechanism 82 is connected with the perfume holder 81 with the screwing member screwed in the opening. The perfume spraying mechanism 82 includes a communicating tube 83 inserted into the perfume holder 81 from the opening, a pump mechanism (not shown) to pump the perfume solution held in the perfume holder 81 up through the communicating tube 83, and a spray nozzle 84 from which the perfume solution pumped up by the pump mechanism is ejected. As the pump mechanism, a mechanism including a plunger pump may be employed, for example.

At least the tip of the spray nozzle 84 protrudes into the first finger insertion section 20a through the back-wall surface of the first finger insertion section 20a. When perfume solution is sprayed from the spray nozzle 84, the perfume solution is widely applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a. The range over which the perfume solution is sprayed is not particularly limited, but is preferably the area of a fingertip and the periphery thereof, and especially the area of nail T.

The configuration for spraying perfume solution (such as the configuration of the perfume spraying mechanism 82) is not limited to the example shown here, and another configuration may be employed.

Since the other structures are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same numbers or alphabets are assigned to the same components between the embodiments and repetitive explanations are omitted.

Next, the behavior of the nail print apparatus 1 in accordance with the present embodiment is described.

Similarly to the first embodiment, when a user operates an operation section 12 and/or the touch panel of the display section 13 and selects a nail design or a perfume, and when a design-perfume selection section 515 selects a nail design or a perfume associated with the nail design/perfume selected by the user, nail design print processing is performed where the selected nail design is printed on a nail T.

When the nail design print processing ends, the controller controls the perfume spraying mechanism 82 of the perfume application device 80 to spray an appropriated amount of perfume solution from the spray nozzle 84 onto a printing finger U1 and its nail T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a. Thus, the perfume solution is widely applied onto the printing finger U1 and its nail T.

The second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in other respects, and therefore, the repetitive explanations are omitted.

As described above, the nail print apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment brings about not only the advantageous effects obtained in the first embodiment but also the following effects.

Specifically, in the second embodiment, the perfume solution is applied to a printing finger U1 and its nail T by being sprayed thereon, which means that the perfume application device 80 does not touch a printing finger U1 and its nail T. This can surely prevent a printed nail design from being rubbed or spoiled, and allows a user to enjoy a delicate nail design along with fragrance.

Further, perfume solution can be sprayed onto a printing finger U1 and its nail T as long as the spray nozzle 84 protrudes into the first finger insertion section 20a. This allows flexibility for the position of each member inside the main body of the apparatus, which conserves space for the entire apparatus.

Third Embodiment

Next, a third embodiment of a nail print apparatus in accordance with the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 13. The third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments only in the structure of a perfume application device. Therefore, the following description is focused on the difference between the embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the principal part of the nail print apparatus in accordance with the third embodiment, giving a view from the front.

As shown in FIG. 13, in the present embodiment, a secondary carriage 45 of a print section 40 is provided with a print head 46 to print a nail design, and a perfume print head 91 to eject liquid (perfume solution) containing microcapsules (perfume capsules) which contain perfume.

The perfume capsules contained in the perfume solution is obtained by turning perfume into microcapsules each having a size of about 1.5-50 μm, for example. As capsule-film material, melamine resin may be employed, for example. The configuration of microcapsules is not limited to the example shown here.

A perfume holder 92 holding perfume solution is attached to the perfume print head 91.

In the present embodiment, the perfume holder 92 is a cartridge (perfume cartridge) which can be attached to and detached from the perfume print head 91 so that a user can easily replace a perfume holder 92 with another one when the perfume is used up or when the user wants to apply another perfume to a nail T.

The perfume holder 92 is not limited to the one directly attached to the perfume print head 91. For example, the perfume holder 92 may be separately disposed in the nail print apparatus, and may be connected with the perfume print head 91 through a perfume-solution supply tube (not shown) such that perfume solution is supplied from the perfume holder 92 to the perfume print head 91, as needed.

The perfume print head 91 ejects liquid (perfume solution) held in the perfume holder 92 onto the nail T of a printing finger U1 inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a. The perfume print head 91 and the perfume holder 92 (perfume cartridge) constitute a perfume application device 90 in the present embodiment.

The way in which the perfume print head 91 ejects perfume solution is the same as the way in which the print head 46 ejects ink, but the configuration of ejecting perfume solution is not particularly limited thereto.

Since the other structures are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, the same numbers or alphabets are assigned to the same components between the embodiments and repetitive explanations are omitted.

Next, the behavior of the nail print apparatus 1 in accordance with the present embodiment is described.

Similarly to the first embodiment, when a user operates an operation section 12 and/or a touch panel of a display section 13 and selects a nail design or a perfume, and when a design-perfume selection section 515 selects a nail design or a perfume associated with the nail design/perfume selected by the user, nail design print processing is performed where the selected nail design is printed on a nail T.

When the nail design print processing ends, the controller controls a motor 43 to move the perfume print head 91, along with a main carriage 42, to a position above the nail T of a printing finger U1. The controller, then, controls the perfume print head 91 to print perfume solution on the nail T on which a nail design has already been printed (e.g., within an area of the nail T detected when the nail design is printed thereon). Thus, perfume solution is applied to the nail T of the printing finger U1 inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a.

The third embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in other respects, and therefore, the repetitive explanations are omitted.

As described above, the nail print apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment brings about not only the advantageous effects obtained in the first embodiment but also the following effects.

Specifically, in the third embodiment, liquid which contains microcapsules (perfume capsules) containing perfume is used as perfume solution. Such micro-encapsulation of perfume can retain fragrance for a long time. Further, this allows fragrance to be given off at any time by rubbing a portion, where perfume solution is applied, with a finger, to destroy the microcapsules.

Further, since perfume solution is ejected onto a nail T by the perfume print head 91, it is possible to apply fragrance only to a nail T.

Further, perfume can be applied to a nail T without directly touching the surface of the nail T on which a nail design has already been printed. This can surely prevent a printed nail design from being rubbed or spoiled, and allows a user to enjoy a delicate nail design along with fragrance.

Further, the movement mechanism (such as the main carriage 42 and motors 43 and 47) can be shared by the perfume print head 91, which constitutes the perfume application device 90, and the print head 46. The structure requires a less number of components, which results in reduction in size and weight of the entire apparatus.

In the present embodiment, the place at which the perfume print head 91 is disposed is not limited to the secondary carriage 45 of the print section 40. For example, another perfume carriage for carrying the perfume print head 91 may be provided, and the perfume carriage may be moved independently of the print section 40.

It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments but may be modified in various manners without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, as shown in FIG. 14, a cover 26 may be provided to cover a part of a finger insertion opening 25 of a first finger insertion section 20a. The cover 26 may be made of resin such as urethane rubber. The cover 26 has a hole 261 almost in the center thereof through which a finger is inserted. A plurality of slits 262 are provided along the edge of the hole 261.

Providing such a cover 26 at the finger insertion opening 25 can prevent perfume (perfume solution) from spattering to the outside of the nail print apparatus, and therefore, can prevent fragrance from being given off to the outside of the nail print apparatus when the perfume application device is performing the perfume application processing.

Further, since the cover 26 is made of resin such as urethane rubber, and a plurality of slits 262 are provided along the edge of the hole 261, even a thick finger such as a thumb can be easily inserted into the first finger insertion section 20a.

The configuration of the cover 26 is not limited to the example shown here. For example, a cover made of resin or the like may be provided around the finger insertion opening 25, which cover can bulge inward at the finger insertion opening 25 with a high hydraulic pressure or air pressure. When an instruction for bulge is inputted with the operation section 12 after a finger is inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a, the cover may bulge so as to come in close contact with the surface of a finger.

Further, in the above embodiments, the perfume application devices 73, 80 and 90 each includes one perfume holder, and, when a user changes a perfume to be applied, he/she detaches a perfume holder and replaces it with a selected one. Each of the perfume application devices 73, 80 and 90 may, however, include a plurality of perfume holders, instead of one perfume holder. For example, each of the perfume application devices 73, 80 and 90 may include a plurality of perfume holders holding different kinds of perfumes, and any one of the perfumes held in the perfume holders may be selected to be applied.

In this case, a user does not have to replace a perfume holder on his/her own, and can easily apply perfume, which goes well with a selected nail design, to a finger and a nail T.

When the perfume application devices 73, 80 and 90 each includes a plurality of perfume holders as described above, only the perfumes held in the perfume holders attached to the perfume application device may be displayed on a perfume selection screen (see FIG. 8A), and a perfume may be selected by a user among the displayed perfumes.

Further, a perfume which goes best with a selected nail design may be selected by the design-perfume selection section 515 among the perfumes held in the perfume holders attached to the perfume application device, and the best-matched perfume may be displayed on a perfume confirmation screen (see FIG. 7B).

When one of the perfumes held in the perfume holders attached to the perfume application device is selected as described above, a user does not have to replace a perfume holder when a perfume is selected, and therefore, can easily enjoy the best-matched nail design and perfume without spending time and effort.

Further, in the embodiments, the results of selection made by the design-perfume selection section 515 is displayed on the display section 13, and the display section 13 serves as a notifying section to notify a user of the selection results. The notifying section, however, is not limited thereto.

For example, a speaker which can provide voice output may be provided as a notifying section. In this case, the selection results may be notified of a user with voice output through the speaker, instead of or in addition to notifying the results by displaying them on the display section 13.

Further, in the embodiments, nail design data includes the design numbers of nail designs and the print data itself of nail designs, the design numbers and the print data being stored in different storage areas. More specifically, the design numbers of nail designs are stored in the association storage area 522, while the print data itself of nail designs are stored in the nail design storage area 521. Alternatively, the print data itself of the nail design may be stored in the association storage area 522 as nail design data.

Further, in the embodiments, the nail print apparatus applies perfume to a printing finger U1 and/or a nail T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a. Alternatively, the nail print apparatus may perform printing on a sticker to be put on a nail T.

In this case, as described in the third embodiment, the nail print apparatus includes a print section 40 for printing a nail design, and a perfume print head 91 which ejects perfume solution which contains microcapsules containing perfume to print the perfume, for example. First, a sheet as a base of a sticker is placed at a predetermined position in a first finger insertion section 20a with the front surface of the sheet up. Then, the print section 40 prints a nail design on the front surface of the sheet. At this time, it is preferable that the contour of a nail T be also printed, which enables a user to cut off the sticker more easily in accordance with his/her nail T later. Then, the sheet is turned over and placed at a predetermined position in a first finger insertion section 20a. Then, the perfume print head 91 ejects perfume solution, which contains microcapsules containing perfume, such as scented water, and contains glue, onto the back surface of the sheet. Thus, an adhesive layer containing perfume capsules is formed on the back surface of the sheet.

In this way, a sticker which gives off fragrance when peeled off can be created. A user can put the sticker, which has a nail design, on a nail T to enjoy the nail design. When peeling the sticker off, a user can enjoy its fragrance (perfume or aroma component) given off owing to destruction of the microcapsules.

Sheets on which various designs have already been printed may also by used as the bases of stickers. In this case, a sticker to be put on a nail T can be created merely by forming an adhesive layer, which contains microcapsules with perfume and glue, on the back side of the sheet.

Alternatively, a nail design may be printed on the front surface of a sheet which has an adhesive layer, such glue, on its back surface. After that, perfume solution containing microcapsules which contain perfume may be ejected onto the design-printed sheet so as to print the perfume to create a sticker to be put on a nail T. In this case, a user can enjoy the perfume (fragrance) given off owing to destruction of microcapsules when he/she rubs the surface of a sticker on a nail T with a fingertip.

In the first and second embodiments, perfume is applied to both a printing finger U1 and a nail T. Alternatively, perfume may be applied to only one of a printing finger U1 and a nail T. When the perfume absorber 75 in the first embodiment is brought into contact with an area of a printing finger U1 except the nail T to apply perfume only to the except the nail T, there is no danger of blurring and spoiling a printed nail design even if the ink used for printing the nail design requires a long time to dry.

Further, in the third embodiment, perfume solution is ejected from the perfume print head 91 to be printed and applied onto only a nail T with a nail design printed. The range over which perfume solution is applied, however, is not limited thereto. Alternatively, perfume solution may be ejected and applied onto a printing finger U1, such as a fingertip, in addition to a nail T. Still further, the range over which perfume solution is applied is not limited to the entire area of nail T. Instead, in the case where a small needlepoint design, such as a flower design and a fruit design, is printed on a nail T, perfume solution may be printed only on the portion of the flower or the fruit.

Further, in the above embodiments, the perfume application devices 73, 80 and 90, which are each disposed in the first finger insertion section 20a, apply perfume to at least one of a printing finger U1 and its nail T after a nail design is printed on the nail T. However, the perfume application may be performed prior to the printing of a nail design.

Further, in the above embodiments, the perfume application devices 73, 80 and 90, which apply perfume on a printing finger U1 and its nail T, are each disposed in the first finger insertion section 20a. The position at which the perfume application device is disposed, however, is not limited thereto. The perfume application device may be disposed in the second finger insertion section 20b and may perform the perfume application processing in the second finger insertion section 20b, for example. In this case, perfume is applied to at least one of a finger and its nail T inserted in the second finger insertion section 20b, whether a nail design has already been printed on the nail T or not.

In this case, the heating unit 6 may be disposed in the second finger insertion section 20b, and drying of a nail T may be performed after the nail design print processing before the perfume application processing, after the perfume application processing; or at both of these timings.

Further, although the heating unit 6 is disposed in the first finger insertion section 20a in the above embodiments, the position at which the heating unit 6 is disposed it not limited thereto. Alternatively, the heating unit 6 may be disposed in the second finger insertion section 20b, or may be disposed in both of the first and second finger insertion sections 20a and 20b. Alternatively, the heating unit 6 may include a heater and a fan to send gas, which is heated by the heater, into the first and second finger insertion sections 20a and 20b.

Further, to what extent the heating unit 6 dries a nail T is not limited to the “pre-drying”, but the heating unit 6 may perform “full-drying”.

Further, in the above embodiments, fingers are inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a one by one so that printing is performed on nails T one by one. The present invention, however, may also be applied to a nail print apparatus that can perform printing on multiple nails T of fingers, such as four fingers of one hand at once. In this case, the width of a first finger insertion section 20a should be large enough for multiple fingers to be inserted therein.

In this case, perfume may be applied to the fingers and their nails T, which are inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a, in order; or may be applied to all the inserted fingers and their nails T at once. In the case where perfume is applied to all the fingers and nails T at once, the width of the perfume absorber 75 described in the first embodiment is formed to be almost the same as the width of the first finger insertion section 20a, for example. Further, the width of the spray nozzle 84 described in the second embodiment may be increased such that perfume is widely sprayed onto all the fingers and their nails T inserted in the first finger insertion section 20a.

Further, in the above embodiments, the nail design storage area 521 is provided in the storage section 52 of the control device 50. Alternatively, the nail design storage area 521 may be provided in another storage section separate from the storage section 52 of the control device 50.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-064297 filed on Mar. 21, 2012 including description, claims, drawings, and abstract are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Although various exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown but covers the scope of the claims and its equivalents.

Claims

1. A nail print apparatus comprising:

a first finger insertion section in which a finger is inserted;

a print head which prints a nail design on a nail of the finger inserted in the first finger insertion section; and

a perfume application device which applies perfume to at least one of the finger and the nail inserted in the first finger insertion section.

2. The nail print apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a design-perfume selection section which performs at least one of selecting a perfume among a plurality of perfumes when a nail design is selected among a plurality of nail designs, the perfume being associated with the selected nail design; and selecting a nail design among the nail designs when a perfume is selected among the perfumes, the nail design being associated with the selected perfume.

3. The nail print apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a storage section which stores the nail designs such that each of the nail designs is associated with at least one of the perfumes, or stores the perfumes such that each of the perfumes is associated with at least one of the nail designs; and

a selection section which selects at least one of a category of nail design and a category of perfume stored in the storage section.

4. The nail print apparatus according to claim 2, wherein associating the nail design with the perfume means associating the nail design with at least one of a type of perfume and a name of perfume which belongs to the type of perfume.

5. The nail print apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the perfume application device includes a perfume holder holding the perfume which is one of liquid and gel.

6. The nail print apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the perfume application device includes a perfume absorber which absorbs the perfume held in the perfume holder and holds the absorbed perfume; and

wherein the nail print apparatus further comprises an up-and-down mechanism which raises and lowers one of the inserted finger and the perfume holder between a contact position and a separate position, the contact position being a position where the inserted finger and the perfume absorber are in contact with each other, and the separate position being a position where the inserted finger and the perfume absorber are not in contact with each other.

7. The nail print apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein a print section including the print head is attached to a guide rod in such a way as to move along the guide rod in a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction of the finger; and

wherein a perfume unit including the perfume application device is attached to the guide rod in such a way as to move along the guide rod in the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction of the finger.

8. The nail print apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the perfume absorber includes one of a sponge and a felt; and

wherein the perfume absorber comes into contact with an upper surface of the finger when the perfume absorber changes in shape.

9. The nail print apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the perfume application device includes a perfume holder holding the perfume, and includes a perfume spraying mechanism which sprays the perfume held in the perfume holder onto at least one of the finger and the nail inserted in the first finger insertion section.

10. The nail print apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the perfume application device includes a perfume holder holding liquid containing microcapsules which contain perfume; and

wherein the perfume application device includes a perfume print head which ejects the liquid held in the perfume holder onto at least one of the finger and the nail inserted in the first finger insertion section.

11. The nail print apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating unit to dry the nail on which printing has been performed by the print head.

12. The nail print apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the heating unit includes a heater and a fan to send air, which is heated by the heater, into the first finger insertion section.

13. The nail print apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising at least one of a display section and a speaker to notify a result of selection made by the design-perfume selection section.

14. The nail print apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the perfume application device includes a plurality of perfume holders holding different kinds of perfumes; and

wherein the perfume held in one of the perfume holders is selected to be applied.

15. The nail print apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cover provided at a finger insertion opening of the first finger insertion section, the cover having a hole through which the finger is inserted,

wherein a plurality of slits are provided along an edge of the hole.

16. The nail print apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second finger insertion section in which a finger except the finger with the nail to be printed is inserted,

wherein the first finger insertion section is disposed on one side of a partition on which the finger inserted in the first finger insertion section is placed; and

wherein the second finger insertion section is disposed on the other side of the partition.

17. A print control method for a nail print apparatus, the method comprising:

printing a nail design on a nail of a finger inserted in a first finger insertion section using a print head; and

applying perfume to at least one of the finger and the nail inserted in the first finger insertion section using a perfume application device.

18. The print control method according to claim 17, wherein a design-perfume selection section performs at least one of selecting a perfume among a plurality of perfumes when a nail design is selected among a plurality of nail designs, the perfume being associated with the selected nail design; and selecting a nail design among the nail designs when a perfume is selected among the perfumes, the nail design being associated with the selected perfume.