Optics: measuring and testing – By shade or color – With reflective multicolor chart or standard
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-10
2004-04-20
Evans, F. L. (Department: 2877)
Optics: measuring and testing
By shade or color
With reflective multicolor chart or standard
C356S421000, C356S394000, C434S099000, C600S300000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06724480
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a comparison sample for simulating the appearance of a keratinous element such as the skin, including the lips, the fingernails, the toenails, or the hair, for example.
There exists a need for reliably simulating the appearance of the skin, including the lips, the fingernails, the toenails, the hair, or other keratinous elements. It should be understood that the invention could be practiced without performing one or more of the aspects described. Other aspects will become apparent from the detailed description that follows.
As embodied and broadly described herein, an aspect of the invention may include at least one comparison sample configured to substantially simulate an appearance of a keratinous element, such as the skin, wherein the comparison sample substantially simulates both a color and an appearance characteristic other than color of the keratinous element.
In one example, at least two comparison samples may substantially simulate an appearance characteristic other than color to differing degrees.
The comparison samples according to exemplary embodiments thus may substantially simulate not only differing colors but also at least one appearance characteristic other than color to differing degrees, thus providing finer distinctions to be made between various types of a keratinous element, in which distinctions may involve considerations other than color. For example, the appearance characteristic other than color may include brightness, shine, relief, or other similar appearance characteristics other than color.
As an example, a system may include at least two comparison samples having differing brightnesses. This may make it possible, for example, to distinguish between a relatively dull or mat skin and a relatively shiny skin, even if the skins have substantially the same color.
A plurality of comparison samples may comprise at least three degrees, (e.g., three, four or five degrees) of the appearance characteristic other than color.
The appearance characteristic other than color may not be restricted to brightness, and may include, for example, color non-uniformity. Thus, at least two comparison samples may have, for example, colors that are distributed differently within each of the comparison samples.
At least two comparison samples may have marks having a color that differs from a background color on which the marks appear. The number of marks and/or their distribution and/or their size, for example, may vary from one sample to another. Such marks may be representative of marks which appear on skin, such as freckles, age marks, or sunspots for example, which may appear as the skin ages or which may appear due to exposure to the sun.
The appearance characteristic other than color may also be nonuniformity of relief. At least two comparison samples may have differing distributions of relief.
The comparison samples may also include nonuniform brightness. Such nonuniformity may be especially suitable when imitating the appearance of skin, or when providing an appearance having a relatively more or less shiny character from one region to the next. Optionally, in order to obtain such nonuniform brightness, the comparison samples may have adjacent individual regions on their surface including differing brightnesses.
The relatively shiny areas may include the presence of a gloss varnish, and the relatively less shiny (or dull) regions may include the presence of a mat varnish. For example, the width of the relatively shiny regions may be about 300 micrometers (&mgr;m) and the width of the relatively dull regions may be about 100 &mgr;m. Such dimensions may be especially suitable when the comparison samples are intended to imitate the appearance of skin.
Optionally, the comparison samples may have a predetermined relief resulting in a non-uniform brightness. The relief may define recesses and plateaus. The plateaus may be covered in gloss varnish while the recesses may not be coated with gloss varnish. However, in another aspect, each comparison sample may have a substantially uniform brightness.
Each comparison sample may be formed using pigments and/or dyes, for example, selected in such a manner that the comparison sample has a reflectance spectrum that is substantially similar to the reflectance spectrum of a keratinous element whose color the comparison sample substantially simulates such that the keratinous element and the comparison sample appear to have substantially the same color under at least two different illuminants. Thus, a user of the comparison samples, such as a beautician, a clinician, or a dermatologist, or a person without any particular qualification in cosmetics or care products, may select a comparison sample under a given illuminant that substantially simulates the color of the keratinous element which is to be evaluated, for example, such that the result of the selection will remain substantially valid under another illuminant. For example, each comparison sample may substantially simulate the color of the keratinous element under at least two of the illuminants, such as D65 (daylight), D50, and A (an incandescent lamp). According to another aspect, the color difference due to a change of illuminant may be less than 4, or for example, less than 2. This may facilitate evaluating the color of skin or the color of another keratinous element without using a lamp having a specific emission spectrum.
In another aspect, the reflectance spectrum of each comparison sample may not vary substantially from the reflectance spectrum of the corresponding keratinous element in a spectral range extending from about 400 nanometers (nm) to about 800 nm.
Optionally, the expression
1
/
N
(
λ
)
∑
λ
&LeftBracketingBar;
I
R
MOD
(
λ
)
-
I
R
REF
(
λ
)
&RightBracketingBar;
/
I
R
REF
(
λ
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where I
R
MOD
(&lgr;) is the intensity of light reflected at wavelength &lgr; for the comparison sample, and I
R
REF
(&lgr;) is the intensity of light reflected at the wavelength &lgr; for the keratinous element, is less than or equal to about 0.1, for example less than or equal to about 0.05, or even less than or equal to about 0.01.
The comparison samples also may present differing hues, with hue angles ranging from about 40° to about 70°, and/or from about range 46° to about 64° in the CIEL*C*h 1976 color space. There may be at least ten categories of the plurality comparison samples, with each category presenting a hue differing from the hues of the other categories.
The comparison samples also may present differing lightnesses, with lightness levels (L* in the CIEL*C*h 1976 color space) ranging from about 34 to about 75, for example.
The plurality of comparison samples may comprise at least five categories of comparison samples. Each category may, for example, present a particular lightness level differing from that of the other categories.
In another exemplary embodiment, the plurality of comparison samples may include fifty colors substantially corresponding to combinations of ten hues with five lightness levels, for example.
The overall color difference AE*C*h.94, as measured in the CIEL*C*h 1976 color space, between two comparison samples substantially corresponding to adjacent skin colors may remain substantially constant, with the difference ranging from about 1 to about 40, for example, from about 1 to about 20, or about 4, for example.
Within a given comparison sample, color may be substantially uniform and constant over substantially the entire surface of the comparison sample. Alternatively, the color may be substantially nonuniform, so as to imitate the texture of the keratinous element, for example. A comparison sample may receive two color coatings of different colors, which together may be perceived as a mean color.
A comparison sample also may receive a color coating on a support that is not smooth. For example, the sample support having relief, which may be selected so as to imitate the grain of skin, for example.
According to an aspect, a matching chart may compris
Dauga Christophe
de Rigal Jean
Evans F. L.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP
Geisel Kara
L'Oreal (S.A.)
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